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Text Chapter 20 Fight Club

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    Money, money, money!

    After returning home, she ate the leftovers left by her mother and put all her homework aside. Ye Wei was like a running Laura, constantly rummaging through boxes and cabinets in her room.

    He first took out his bank book and looked at it. There was $3,136 in it. It was a miracle that there was so much left.

    In addition to his usual pocket money, most of his savings come from the Lunar New Year, which is the New Year¡¯s money that people love!  Those here in Los Angeles and those in San Francisco, where my mother is from, can receive a large amount every year. If they have been saving money in a planned way for so many years

    ¡°Damn it, stop being so wordy like a woman.¡±

    Ye Wei cursed himself and glanced around the room. Although it was better to use other people's money to make movies, the situation was urgent and he could only plunder as much as he could.

    He walked to the row of bookcases and looked at the neatly arranged rows of comic books. Many of them were out-of-print collections. If he sold them all, as well as the collectible toys and so on, he should be able to sell them for three or four dollars.  Ten thousand yuan

    Sell ??them all?  The more he thought about this idea, the more Ye Wei felt out of breath, and his heart ached more and more, "Oh no, are you having a heart attack"

    Even after experiencing that dream, these things were still like experiencing them for the first time. He, a prodigal son who had nothing to worry about since childhood and only spent money, was finally forced by life.

    The thought of these treasures leaving me, maybe never seeing each other again, God, I hate this feeling!

    "Please, please, be mature, you can't do anything big like this, is it difficult? Going to the battlefield to kill the enemy like grandpa is difficult! There are many challenges in the future."

    Ye Wei's mood gradually calmed down, and then he became determined. In order to create a better future, sell it all!

    I think back then, 22-year-old Kevin Smith sold all his comic book collections, collected tens of thousands of dollars, and filmed "The Crazy Clerk" at his own expense, which later made him famous.

    "No. 1 in filming!" Ye Wei took a pen and paper from the desk and began to record and evaluate everything in the room that could be sold

    After working for a long time, the valuation result he came up with was exactly what he had expected: around US$40,000.  Plus that deposit, if you're lucky, you can get it to 50,000.

    But there is still a shortfall of 450,000, what should I do?

    Ye Wei sat down by the bed and began to think deeply. The choices now were just those few.

    Which youth film funds can I apply for funding from?  The Los Angeles Film Commission has such a program.  Forget it, dealing with these organizations takes a lot of time, prepares a lot of documents, and after a long review and approval process, maybe one or two years, you will get the results.

    Spend two years and get a "Sorry, you don't qualifyto be honest, we don't like you and don't want to give you a cent, bye"?  Go to hell!

    In fact, crowdfunding is the most suitable for today¡¯s situation.

    ¡°It¡¯s a lot for one person to invest US$450,000, but if a hundred or a thousand people invest a total of US$450,000, the difficulty and risk are greatly reduced.

    In his dream, he learned the two most typical examples of crowdfunding in the production course at the University of Southern California.

    The first is "Life Together" in 2001. Its 5.5 million production fee was jointly invested by more than 9,000 Germans, with an average of more than $600 per person.

    Because Germany has relevant tax incentives for investing in movies, instead of paying an extra 600 yuan in taxes, it is better to invest in movies. Therefore, as soon as those Germans see an opportunity to invest in movies, they will rush forward, as if they want to attack Poland.

    The second is the 1984 debut of the Coen brothers, "Blood Labyrinth," whose production fee of 1.5 million was a joint venture between more than 60 small businessmen.

    The reason why this case has become a classic in production financing is because the money was not raised in places like Los Angeles or New York, but in Minneapolis.

    That¡¯s the hometown of the Coen brothers, a cold little place that makes crowdfunding popular.

    If you shout "I am a film producer" on the streets of Los Angeles, maybe an old man not far away will say "I am Spielberg", and another old lady will say "I am Elizabeth Taylor"; in Minnie  Apolis, people will look at you with curiosity and respect, wow, filmmaker!  What?  I have an opportunity to invest in a movie!  ?  OK!

    They are not even high-income professionals, they are small businessmen with a little spare money, such as those who open a hair salon or a bowling alley. It is difficult to find them in big cities.

    So after "Blood Maze", independent producers no longer just focus on the rich, but a new financing trend has emerged to find "country people with movie dreams".

    But both types of crowdfunding take a lot of time. For example, the Coen brothers spent a year and a half, can't solve the immediate urgent need. Besides, I don't even have a script, how can I gain the trust of potential investors?

    "It seemscan only" Ye Wei rolled his eyes and naturally aimed at one group: relatives and friends.

    In fact, relatives and friends are the easiest investors to win over in crowdfunding. They are also the main source of filmmaking funds for film school students. There is an old saying, "If you have relatives and friends, you will have money."

    "It's just that his relatives have just witnessed the fiasco of "Wedding Day is Coming" with their own eyes, and with his age and reputation they won't invest money.

    So, friends!

    "Guys, I still have to rely on you." Ye Wei is 99.9% certain that the script of "Little Miss Sunshine" is worth far more than 500,000, and the 0.1% risk is worth taking!

    At that moment, he picked up his cell phone, walked to the window, and called Lev.

    "Hey Brother Wei, do you want to go out and play? All night long! I know there is a new coffee shop opened at UCLA, and there are many beautiful college students working part-time there, hehe"

    "Not today. Remember during the day, I told you that I was going to do something big?" Ye Wei stood by the window, looking at the starry night sky, "There is new progress."

    "Wow, what's the big deal?"

    "I want to make a movie, and now I have found a good script. It costs 500,000 to buy it, but I can only come up with 50,000. I need investment. Do you want to join?"

    "Slow, slow, slow! You mean" Lev over there took a breath and lowered his voice: "You mean, the kind of movie?"

    "Yes! A feature film, a real movie!" Ye Wei laughed, "Brother, are you scared?"

    "Afraid?!" Lev screamed, "I admire you so much! Brother Wei, you are a genius! You are so right. How can we show our extraordinary talent by shooting a short film of just a few minutes?  Talent! ? Feature films, only feature films, are what we¡¯re going to do, baby!¡±

    Ye Wei smiled and said: "Brother, this is a very serious matter, but you are right. If we succeed, we will definitely become cool boys in the United States and the world!"

    "Oh my King! We'll be at the White House, and Bush, the war criminal, will receive us. What shall I say to him? Hello, George W BULLSHIT!"

    Lev fell into an uncontrollable fantasy, "Also, we will attend the Oscars, and Meryl Streep will definitely attend, she is nominated every year! I want to get her autograph, and also  There are group photos, she acted so well in "Sophie's Choice""

    "When the time comes, you can call her mom, but now, listen, this is a game played with money, and I want to make sure whether you will join or not! YES or NO."

    "My whole life, almost 16 years, I have been waiting for an opportunity" Lev's tone became deeper, "An opportunity that can make me a heartthrob! Now there is such an opportunity in front of me  , what do you think! ¡±

    "Very good!" Ye Wei punched the window edge and asked, "Then how much money can you invest? Remember, the rule of the game is not to touch family money, only use your own private money!"

    "Let's seeuh, well, ten thousandgosh, I really want to invest 450,000, but my total savings is only ten thousand." Lev said helplessly.

    "Ten thousand is enough. We are not the only players in this game. I'll call Bard and the others first, and I'll talk to you later."

    Ye Wei ended the call and immediately called Bud and told him almost the same thing.  Bud was chewing something and responded vaguely and excitedly: "I join, I join! Brother Wei, you must leave a share for me, I can invest fifteen thousand!"

    "Wow!" Ye Wei Zhen was a little surprised, how many hamburgers, burritos, pizzas Bud hasn't eaten them all yet!

    "How about I ask my dad to get some more"

    "No, don't reach out to your parents, this is the rule of the game!" Ye Wei said resolutely. A group of teenagers jointly making movies is completely different from adults investing in movies seriously. The latter means endless trouble. What adults need to do is:  They sign the guardian's name on various contracts.

    "Oh, Brother Wei, you have the final say."

    After Bard, Ye Wei called Chen Nuo again. Chen Nuo was not particularly excited, but he did not hesitate: "I will join, but my mother is very strict about my money Is 8,000 okay?"

    Then came Kerwin, his voice was soft, like a cold-blooded animal: "Well, count me in, I will invest 20,000. More than 10,000 of it will be the money to buy a car when I am 16 next year. I will invest it all for you, but next year if  If you have a car, please let me get in."

    "No problem, exceptThere's a hot girl in the car.  "Ye Wei said with a smile, and after thinking for a while he said: "Then the five of us together can make up about 100,000.  "

    "Another 400,000 yuan."

    ¡°Increasing the scope of crowdfunding, I, as the ¡®chief bridesmaid¡¯, have a very large group of bridesmaids.¡±

    Ye Wei has already made a plan, his eyes are shining brightly, brothers, friends, and teammates, "After covering them for so long, it's time for them to pay tribute to VIY"

    The next day, November 11, was Veterans Day, a legal holiday. There was no need to go to school, but some students went back to school to review or play.

    At the same time, an undercurrent quietly emerged on campus

    Early in the morning, Lev, Bud, and Chen Nuo made many phone calls and sent many text messages to inform the guys to come over, and they went around whispering to the boys in the school

    Most of the people nodded, their faces full of excitement.  If anyone shows hesitation, they will immediately receive disdainful looks from their peers, just like Li Ming, who is in the ninth grade, and just said, "It seems like we are playing a little too hard this time. Should we try again"

    "What do you know!? Are you VIY?!" Several people around him immediately cursed, "You idiot, do you just want to stay like this for the rest of your life? You should be a cool kid!", "Movies, make movies! Don't you think so?"  Isn't it more meaningful than buying some junk soap stocks? What, do you like soap very much? "

    "Stop talking, I was wrong, take me to see VIY, I will join!"

    When Li Ming was led by several people to the corridor outside the utility room on the first floor of the academic center, he was stunned. It was so lively that it seemed like a party was going on. The sound of rock music came from the room, and familiar faces appeared one after another.  , unfamiliar faces lined up, waiting to get in.

    Today, there will be people at the Dream Chaser League club almost 24 hours a day.

    After a while, it was Li Ming's turn. He walked into the room a little awkwardly. He saw several people sitting or standing on the other side of the sofa. The smiling person sitting in the middle was none other than VIY.

    The TV set was playing a movie collection, accompanied by lively and dynamic songs. The moment he glanced at it, it happened to be a clip from "The Kid Is Crazy Too".

    "Welcome, welcome." Ye Wei smiled warmly and pointed to the seat next to him, "Please sit down, Bud. Please give Li Ming something to eat."

    Bud immediately took a pack of Oreos and handed it to Li Ming solemnly, which made him a little flattered, "Thank you, BOSS."

    "So, how much do you know about our plan?" Ye Weixiao asked.

    Li Ming sat down and scratched his head: "Not much, I just know that BOSS you want to make a feature-length movie to wash away the shame of the past few days, and you are now raising money."

    Ye Wei shook his finger, "You can say that, but not in a strict sense, because the current crowdfunding is to buy the script, and it has nothing to do with making the film yet."

    "Oh" Li Ming didn't understand, and nodded confusedly: "I believe in you, BOSS, I want to join, and I want to invest a thousand dollars."

    "Only one thousand!?" Lev, the big-nosed goalkeeper over there, stared and shouted: "Li Ming, your pair of Nike shoes cost three hundred, right? Where's this Versace top! You coquettish guy! Why not?"  Put on nail polish, paint one color on one finger! Do you know the meaning of filming? You are really MEAN!"

    "Two thousand! I'll vote for two thousand." Li Ming was a little ashamed and a little frightened.

    "Give him a thousand." Ye Wei nodded to Chen Nuo who was doing paperwork on the other side, and said with a smile: "I never force others. If you want to vote a thousand, you can vote a thousand, but you can help me tell this news  Tell a good friend you trust, but remember, we have three rules.¡±

    Lev cleared his throat and took over the words and declared: "First, you can't ask your parents for money, you can only use your own private money. Second, be mentally prepared to lose money, and don't cry like a little bitch in the future.  . Third, we are pursuing a dream. When you invest money, hold your head high and tell others openly that now I am a film investor!¡±

    "Li Ming, go ahead." Ye Wei waved his hand.

    Li Ming's blood boiled when he heard this, and his shame became even heavier. He was almost crying, and said anxiously: "BOSS, I was wrong before, let me invest two thousand! If you lose one penny, I don't have the shame to walk out of this room, give  This is my chance!¡±

    "OK, I accept this friendship, add one thousand to him, and give him a small gift. Ming, it's time for you to grow up."

    Li Ming walked out of the utility room with his head held high, as if he had just received a holy baptism, with Oreo residue still in the corner of his mouth and a copy of Playboy magazine hidden in his shirt.

    He is no longer called Li Ming, his name is Li - the cool kid chasing his dream of a movie investor - Ming!

      I saw the excitement in the corridor getting louder and louder, and a steady stream of students were coming in. The person who came in behind him was a Hispanic child, and I heard VIY's laughter: "Hey, Babu! MY-  BOY, long time no see, please sit down"
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