Chapter 21 Middleman

On Saturday morning, Gu Wei picked up some fruits and rushed to Feng Xiaogang's home.

He had come here once a few months ago, and this time Gu Wei did not get lost and found the place directly.

"Dong dong."

Hearing the knock on the door, Xu Fan opened it and saw Gu Wei carrying some fruits.

"Director Gu, come in quickly."

"Sister Fan, I don't have anything good to bring, so I brought some fruits for you to try."

Gu Wei said as he walked in and put the fruit on the table.

"Sister Fan, isn't Director Feng at home?"

Gu Wei looked around the room and asked directly.

"He's gone to pick up two friends and will be back soon. Come, have an apple," Xu Fan said as he handed it to Gu Wei.

"Thank you."

After they chatted for a while, they heard Feng Xiaogang's voice coming from the door.

Seeing Xu Fan stand up and go to the door, Gu Wei also stood up.

As soon as he walked out of the room, he saw three people coming in from the gate. The leader was Feng Xiaogang. Gu Wei had also seen the other two people, Wang Shuo and Fu Biao.

"Director Feng."

Seeing someone, Gu Wei shouted.

"Director Gu, you're here quite early. Come, let me introduce you to two friends."

After saying that, he walked to Gu Wei, held his arm with one hand, supported his back with the other hand and pulled him forward.

"This is the writer and screenwriter for movies and TV, Wang Shuo. Uncle Shuo."

"Go to hell," Wang Shuo laughed and said, "How can you introduce someone like that? You're taking advantage of them."

"You must be Gu Wei, right? I've heard your name a lot these days. I'm Wang Shuo," he said, extending his hand and shaking hands with Gu Wei.

"Hello, Teacher Wang."

It was their first meeting and they were not very familiar with each other, so Gu Wei greeted him politely.

"Director Gu, this is..."

"I know Teacher Fu Biao and have seen the TV series you starred in," Gu Wei said with a smile.

"You're welcome, Director Gu. I've heard Gangzi mention you a lot."

Several people greeted each other at the door and started chatting.

Seeing this, Xu Fan next to him said, "Don't stand there, come inside and sit down."

"Yes, yes, look at my brain. Let's sit down in the room and talk. Let's go," said Feng Xiaogang who was next to him, patting his head.

In the living room, as they chatted, they gradually became familiar with each other. Wang Shuo and Fu Biao both have straightforward personalities and speak in a humorous way.

Several people were talking and laughing from time to time. Xu Fan next to them was responsible for pouring water and handing them fruit.

"Director Gu, I heard about your story. People in the circle have been talking about it these days," said Fu Biao.

"Teacher Fu, let's not talk about that anymore. I can't film a movie now and I can't be a director, haha," Gu Wei said to a few people.

"Haha."

Several people laughed.

Wang Shuo gave a thumbs up and said directly: "Director Gu, you are very generous. I like your personality."

After hearing what he said, Gu Wei laughed it off and didn't want to dwell on it any longer.

Wang Shuo is now a bit angry. He took advantage of the Gu Wei incident to complain a few times, and his words became more and more explicit.

Seeing this, Gu Wei said, "Let's not talk about this anymore. It's a rare opportunity for us to meet two teachers today. Let's find a place to have a good drink at noon."

"Okay."

"Okay, let's go to the fourth guy next door, he cooks well," Wang Shuo suggested.

This time Gu Wei became more cautious, fearing that he had drunk too much again, so he called in advance and asked the driver Xiao Liu to pick him up around 2 pm, and then they went to the hotel.

...

Early the next morning, Gu Wei was awakened by his vibrating cell phone. He picked it up and saw that it was a call from Mr. Wang from Guangxian.

"Boss Wang, why are you calling so early in the morning? What's the matter?"

"Director Gu, the thing you asked me to ask a few days ago has been resolved."

Wang Changtian on the other end of the phone came up and said.

"What's the matter?"

Gu Wei had just woken up and was in a daze. He asked in a vague tone.

Then he suddenly got an idea and asked, "Is it about the filmmakers over there?"

"That's it. I found the person. He's at the company..." Wang Changtian slapped his thigh and said on the other end of the phone. "Okay, I'll be there now. See you later."

Half an hour later, after washing up, Gu Wei rushed directly to Guangxian Company.

Light office.

Gu Wei greeted Wang Changtian, then turned around and saw a middle-aged white man about 40 years old sitting on the sofa.

"Come, let me introduce them to you," said Wang Changtian, sitting in the middle of the sofa.

After the two sides greeted each other, Gu Wei was surprised that the other party spoke Mandarin. He later learned that the other party had stayed in China for several years and had hired a teacher to learn Chinese in order to work in China and facilitate communication.

"Gu, I've heard of your name. You're the director who won the Golden Bear Award at this year's Berlin International Film Festival. It's unbelievable. I didn't expect you to be so young."

Reid was generous with his praise and was indeed amazed at Gu Wei's youth.

As the two communicated, Gu Wei slowly understood the origins of the man in front of him named "James Reid".

Strictly speaking, this person is not in the film production industry. He is more like a "broker" in the film industry. This type of person is usually very powerful and can get along with everyone. However, they have their own integrity concept, and are often trusted by their employers. This can also reduce the communication costs for both parties. In layman's terms, as long as the money is in place, they will do anything and will not ask the reason.

After learning about the background of the person in front of him, Gu Wei directly stated his request.

1. Register a company in Hollywood, USA.

Second, introduce him to someone who works in the Hollywood Writers Guild to help him translate and register the script.

Several scripts written by Gu Wei also need to be translated by professionals, and some foreign slang and sensitive words must be avoided in time to avoid causing unnecessary trouble.

Leave professional matters to professionals; he doesn't want to be involved in racial issues.

After listening to Gu Wei's request, Reid said, "No problem, Gu, I can do all of this."

"Hollywood welcomes people from all over the world to invest and is very friendly to capital."

Then Reid told Gu Wei in detail what he needed to pay attention to when registering a company in the United States.

It is also easy to register a company in the United States, and all you need is citizenship or legal residency.

There is no restriction on the company name as long as there are no duplicate names in the register.

The registered capital varies in different states, but is generally US$50000, and no capital verification or payment is required.

However, you need to provide the company's registered address, which is a real address that meets the relevant legal requirements.

A company usually requires one shareholder and one director, with no nationality restrictions. Similar to the general management of British companies, the director and shareholder of an American company can be the same person. The company can legally operate by simply applying for a license from the state, municipal or federal government.

However, in order to pay taxes on time, registered companies need to submit returns to the federal government and state tax authorities in order to pay taxes legally.

After listening to Reid's introduction, Gu Wei found that he had been thinking too simply. He would sort out the company registration issue after he got there.

Let’s solve the script registration issue first.

After chatting until noon, Wang Changtian arranged a place for them to have a meal.

After the dinner, Gu Wei left his contact information and company address with Reid and agreed to go to the company tomorrow to discuss in detail.

The next morning, Reid came to the company very early. He had a very pleasant chat with Gu Wei yesterday and wanted to come early today to close the deal.

"Gu, last night I sent your request to the company in Hollywood overnight, and they said there is no problem with the translation and registration of the script."

"Okay, Reid, let's sign the contract directly. I think you can't wait, haha," Gu Wei said jokingly.

The two then signed the contract at the company and Gu Wei paid the required commission.

Finally, Reid said that if all went well, the script could be completed in about a week.

As for the registration of the company, Gu Wei wanted to wait until after the New Year and go there in person to handle it. He also wanted to go and see the site first before deciding on the registered address of the company.

As early as 1994, the first foreign film introduced to the mainland in a profit-sharing model was the American film "The Fugitive". Before that, foreign films seen in domestic cinemas were introduced in the form of a one-time buyout at a relatively low price.

So commercial blockbusters like those from Hollywood cannot enter the market, because they will not agree to buy them out for just $10,000 or $20,000. What they want is a share of the box office revenue.

In 98, "Titanic" was released in China and earned 3.6 million yuan at the box office. The total domestic box office for that year was about 14 billion yuan, and this movie accounted for almost a quarter of that. This shows the impact of Hollywood movies on mainland audiences.

China Film Group Corporation, founded in 1999, is the only company in China that has the right to import films and is also the country's largest film company.

The next day, Gu Wei came to the China Film Office and started chatting with Han Sanping.

The registration of the script is handled by a middleman, and there is no rush to register the company, but the most important thing is the filming of the movie, which involves huge amounts of money. No matter where you are, you need someone to introduce or recommend you.

The title of Golden Bear Award-winning director is only one aspect. There is also the issue of funding involved. People abroad are more realistic. Gu Wei also doesn't think he can handle this matter just by saying a few words and getting a script, so he came to China Film for help.

Gu Wei chatted with Han Sanping for more than an hour in the China Film Office. Before leaving, Han Sanping recommended Warner Bros. Pictures to him.

The first split-revenue film introduced in China, "The Fugitive", was produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, and there is a cooperative relationship between the two parties.

Gu Wei remembered that in his previous life in 04, China Film, Warner and Hengdian established China Film Warner Hengdian Film Co., Ltd. with a shareholding ratio of 4:3:3 respectively, covering three different capital forms: foreign capital, state-owned capital and private capital.

After leaving China Film Group, Gu Wei breathed a sigh of relief.

The next morning, Gu Wei received a call from Feng Xiaogang, inviting him to attend the premiere of the movie "Big Shot" on the 15th of this month. The venue was set at the Nationalities Palace Grand Theater, and Gu Wei agreed.

A few days ago, Gu Wei was chatting with Han Sanping at China Film Academy and he heard him mention this matter. It will be over by then.

Having agreed to attend the premiere of Feng Xiaogang's film, Gu Wei went directly to the company in the afternoon.

As soon as he entered the company, he heard the front desk staff discussing the invitation letter they had received from "Big Shot". Gu Wei picked up the invitation letter and saw that the workmanship was quite exquisite.

(End of this chapter)