Chapter 107 Two consecutive shots
"That's really a good thing!" Pascal sighed.

As one of the major Hollywood giants, Columbia naturally hopes that the mainland film market will prosper. Only in this way can they make more money.

Of course, it would be even happier if the profit sharing ratio could be increased.

At the banquet, the two of them didn't want to stay in the bathroom for too long, so they chatted for a few minutes and then went back.

Then he asked about the upcoming "The Matrix 2" and asked Jiang Heng if he needed any help.

Although Columbia Cinemas cannot participate in the investment, it can still act as an agent for distribution!
If you think ten points are too expensive, eight or six can be negotiated.

Jiang Heng would naturally not make any final statements. He would talk about the agency distribution and the like after the film was completed.

Of course, our old partner Columbia is naturally the priority.

In terms of film preparation, the male lead Wu Weizu, the female lead Li Meiqi, Gao Xiong who plays Morpheus, and Zheng Peipei who plays the prophet have all joined the crew.

Zou Zhaolong still plays the role of the prophet's bodyguard in the original work.

The "Frenchman" Merovinga in the film was a third-tier Hollywood artist, and the twin-like "Quantum Ghosts" were even less famous.

However, Jiang Heng found Merovenga's wife Persephone, who was played by Italian actress Monica Bellucci in the original work, extremely stunning. Unfortunately, he has not yet contacted her.

"Well, if you want to talk about helping, I can do you a small favor. I really admire Monica Bellucci in The Beautiful Legend of Sicily, but unfortunately I haven't contacted her yet. Could President Amy help me find her?"

Amy Pascal smiled, "No problem, I'll have someone contact her tonight. I have to say, Director Jiang has a good eye. Monica is a famous beauty!"

Jiang Heng smiled awkwardly and said, "I'm just looking for actors normally. Why do you sound like there's something wrong?"

The next day, Amy wrote back, saying that Monica Bellucci was very willing to star in "The Matrix 2".

After all, the first film was a global hit and received rave reviews.

"Pacific Rim", which was released last year, achieved the first place in North American box office and the second place in the world box office. It goes without saying that as long as "The Matrix 2" does not have any major mistakes, it will definitely be a box office hit and its reputation should also be good.

That is to say, Jiang Heng did not recruit openly in Hollywood, otherwise, who knows how many beautiful female stars would be willing to lower their prices to participate!

Monica Bellucci had no idea how much Jiang Heng admired her, and she was afraid that if she quoted a high price, she would miss this opportunity again.

After some calculations and discussions with the agency, he finally offered a salary that was 70% of his current net worth, as a way of expressing his sincerity.

Jiang Heng was naturally overjoyed when he heard this, and he arranged for company personnel to go to Hollywood to sign Monica Bellucci.

In early April, "The Matrix 2" started filming in Beijing. A number of domestic media gave it a lot of publicity, but then things fell silent. Jiang Heng then began his busy filming career again.

Compared to the first film five years ago, "The Matrix 2" has been comprehensively upgraded in terms of cast, action scenes and plot.

Considering that the preparation of the film is not easy and the plots of 2 and 3 are closely connected, Jiang Heng had the idea of ​​shooting 2 and 3 together.

Moreover, originally in history, these two sequels were filmed together, so what Jiang Heng is doing now is also a routine operation.

Because it was a sole production of iQiyi, Youku and Tencent Video, Jiang Heng did not need to discuss it with anyone. When he wanted to do something, his subordinates immediately executed it.

All they did was change the contracts and extend the actors' schedules.

There were complaints, some wondering why Jiang Heng didn't bring it up earlier, but no one dared to protest or even boycott the performance.

Some people are even more fortunate that the 2nd and 3rd parts were filmed together, which is equivalent to performing two special effects blockbusters at once!
But on this day, the president of Samsung (China) Company somehow got Jiang Heng's phone number and called him directly.

Of course, it was Jiang Heng’s company number, and the assistant answered the call.

The other party said that he wanted to visit the crew and had important business to discuss with Jiang Heng. After reporting it, Jiang Heng thought about it for a while and knew what was going on - product placement!
The Samsung SPH-N2 mobile phone appeared in the original version of "The Matrix 270". After the film was released, this model of mobile phone became extremely popular.

Although Samsung does not know how effective the advertisement will be at the moment, it expects that "The Matrix 2" has broad box office prospects, so it is still possible to carry out product placement.

On the appointed day, Wei Guoyou, president of Samsung (China) Company, led the crew to the crew.

"Hello, Director Jiang. I've heard a lot about you!"

"Hello, hello, Mr. Wei, you are honored to be here! It brings honor to my humble home!"

After some business pleasantries, Wei Guoyou did not beat around the bush and stated the purpose of his visit.

"Director Jiang, I'm here this time to ask you for a small favor and let the actors use Samsung phones in the film!"

"Well, that's not a big problem. I wonder what Mr. Wei's fee is?"

Wei Guoyou held up a finger, and Jiang Heng asked, "Ten million?"

"Cough cough!"

Wei Guoyou coughed twice and said with a red face: "It's one million!"

"Dollars?"

"Director Jiang, you must be joking. How can the offer be that high?"

When Wei Guoyou said this, his tone was somewhat displeased.

Samsung is currently one of the largest mobile phone manufacturers in the world and is extremely well-known internationally.

Advertising in Jiang Heng's movies is just the icing on the cake.

As for the cost, he thought it was just a token of his appreciation, and 10 million was indeed a huge ask.

The total footage is less than one minute, why do you want ten million from me?

Little did they know that Jiang Heng also had a calculation in his mind, which was to compare himself with the famous "implantation expert" Feng Xiaogang.

Motorola sponsored 2003 million for the 700 film "Cell Phone".

The problem is that Feng Xiaogang's "Cell Phone" cannot be compared with "The Matrix 2" in terms of potential box office and audience, and million is already a very discounted price.

"Boss Wei, you should know how many fans around the world will see this film. Ten million is just a friendly price. Of course, I won't accept such a low offer!"

Wei Guoyou's face flushed, "Director Zhang, this is really too expensive!"

Jiang Heng smiled, "It doesn't matter. I think companies like Motorola, Nokia, and Sony Ericsson should be interested in advertising in this film!"

After hearing this, Wei Guoyou's expression became even uglier.

If my competitor's sales increase because of this, I would be the one who is at fault this time.

The problem is that Samsung has always been arrogant towards the Chinese market and has not approved much advertising funding. It really doesn’t have that much authority!
"Director Jiang, is there really no room for negotiation?"

Jiang Heng smiled, "Mr. Wei has made a wasted trip, but there's no reason for me to waste money, right? Let me add one more thing, I'm currently filming the sequels 2 and 3 at the same time, and the interval between their releases should be within a year. Do you still think million is too much?"

Wei Guoyou was stunned when he heard this, his face became even uglier, he said goodbye and left as if he was escaping.

(End of this chapter)