Qin Guan's first thought was to submit his own films to the Dubai Film Festival to make money. The average award would be worth tens of thousands of dollars, which would definitely make participating worth it.
Making a decision, Qin Guan hugged Abdul at the gate with a smile. The two of them had become good friends.
Han Zhujiu, on the other side, exchanged a fierce glance with the Arabian bodyguards before leaving.
On their way back, Qu asked Qin Guan, "Did you finish reading the Warner Bros script? That will be your last film before you return to China."
"I finished it. It's interesting. The investment is pretty good too. I think it was 10 million. Am I a B level actor now?"
"Yes, I submitted an application when you won your second award in Berlin. When the total box office of 'Mean Girls' comes out, your application will be approved."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that you will have a lot more options in the future. Your skin color will be a big problem though. As soon as you fail, all blockbuster producers will abandon you, no matter the reason. You'll have to stick to indie films in the future."
"That's not too bad, actually. At least you have your awards and the European film circle on your side. You are much better off than most Chinese actors."
As her voice got lower and lower, Qin Guan asked in surprise, "What do you mean? Did a Chinese actor fail recently in Hollywood?"
It had to be one of the three most influential actors. Although Qin Guan had no connection to any of them, considering the date, the unlucky guy had to be Chow Yun Fat.
"Yes. According to inside information, his films have suffered a loss in America. The producers only got 35 million and 27 million back, while they had invested 80 million and 52 million on each film. Plus, his salary had cost them 12 million. I think he will not get a good script again in America anytime soon."
Qin Guan remained silent on the way back home. At the sight of Cong Nianwei, who was trimming the rose bushes in the garden, he relaxed again. As he got out of the car and went over to help her, he heard Qu's voice behind him.
"Learn from his mistakes. If you want to concentrate on China in the future, you have to win this round. You are bringing money to this film and replacing Johnny Depp, who is Tim Burton's favorite. If you are not good enough, people will call you Box Office Poison."
Qin Guan didn't care. He had read the script many times and thought he was good enough for the role. His only problem was the squirrels. Would they be the same ones that Nestle had hired?
Sometimes Qin Guan's hunch was right. As he and Cong Nianwei greeted their new neighbors, the producers called him.
Abdul's plane had taken off with his awards, so Qin Guan led his formidable team to the studio carefreely.
His team was twice as big as the crew hired by the producer. There were about 80 employees, including the Armani studio, which would design the costumes of the actors. The magnificent vintage costumes could only be tailored by professional designers, so this had been part of Qin Guan's contribution.
A second group were the chocolate and candy traders, who had provided real props for certain scenes.
Nestle had donated thousands of chocolate bars, and the large lollipops, chocolate trees and flowers made by a Brighton chocolate store had also been donated by Nestle. Those special props had to be maintained by professionals.
The last group were the professional colorists and pastry cooks, who would mix chemicals with a special viscous oil to make the chocolate stream. A real chocolate river was too expensive even for Nestle after all.
The big team didn't overwhelm Tim Burton, who was very experienced. It actually saved him a lot of money. The adventurous director didn't want to return the money, so he made the brave decision to put pressure on Qin Guan.
"We could use a 15/70 film."
"But that's larger and much more expensive, director! Besides, the film will be screened in IMAX cinemas!"