Hollywood Road

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When I came to Cannes, there was still some time before the opening of the movie. What Murphy saw was a quiet and beautiful seaside town, instead of the noisy movie capital. After entering the reserved hotel and completing the check-in procedures, it was a day. Due to jet lag, he did not continue to rest. Instead, he followed Erica Steinberg, a well-known producer, to go through the final exhibition procedures for Planet Terror.

This is not the job of a film director, but Murphy is willing to accompany Erica Steinberg to do these jobs, which can bring him valuable experience.

The two first went to the film festival organizing committee to apply for a film festival pass. With the pass, many things will be handled much more conveniently.

After paying a fee of 2,000 euros, he received two documents and walked out of the office. Murphy looked at his blue pass, and then went to see Erica Steinberg's. His was pink.

He guessed that the IDs of different occupations would be different. On the way here, he vaguely saw people leaving. The media IDs, photographer IDs and industry insider IDs hanging around their necks were different.

"Our passports are different colors?"

Walking out of the small building where the organizing committee's office is located, and coming to Binhai Boulevard, Murphy looked at Erica Steinberg curiously, "Is your producer's pass?"

He picked up his blue passport and looked at it. It was only written on it as an industry insider's certificate, and it did not indicate the name of the director.

"The color represents the level of the certificate," Erica Steinberg looked down at his pink pass, and beckoned Murphy to walk towards the rented car, explaining as he walked, "Your pass is only $800 , mine is $1,200."

Murphy was even more surprised. It's impossible for Miramax to save the four hundred dollars, right?

"Certificates for people in the industry can't be obtained just by applying. The organizing committee has a special evaluation," Erica Steinberg walked to the side of the car, took the lead in getting on the back seat, and waited for Murphy to get on the car from the other side , made a driving gesture to the driver, and continued, "The certificate fee is also one of the sources of income for the film festival. Take the Cannes Film Festival as an example. The filmmaker’s workshop certificate requires a basic registration fee of 460 Euros, and the fee will increase with each level up.”

"That's right." Murphy nodded lightly, "No wonder Bill told me that large film festivals are still a money game."

Erica Steinberg smiled approvingly, and said, "Different fees bring about differences in the level of certificates."

He pointed to Murphy's blue pass, then pointed to his own pink pass,

"The colors of the certificates from high to low are white, pink with dots, pink, blue, and yellow representing experts. Anyone who has been active in the film festival for a long time knows that the color of the Cannes pass can tell how high a person is. , generally speaking, the color of the passport is divided into yellow at the lowest level, blue at a higher level, pink that you dream of, and white that most people don't even think about.

"I have participated in several film festivals," he smiled self-deprecatingly, "I only got pink last year."

As for the media pass, there is not so much attention to it. It is basically determined according to the amount of payment. This is also an important source of income for the Cannes Film Festival.

The importance of money to the success of the Cannes Film Festival is self-evident. According to Erica Steinberg, although the French National Film and Television Center, the Provence Côte d’Azur regional government and the Cannes City Government’s finances will cover part of the festival’s expenses , and there are also many private and corporate sponsors, but the film festival needs to have hematopoietic function in order to maintain it every year.

This kind of passport reflecting the status is one of the hematopoietic links.

Don't underestimate the color of these badges, they can make the holder enjoy a completely different treatment during the film festival.

For example, the participating films of the Cannes Film Festival usually have a priority screening the day before the premiere of the red carpet, so that those who hold pink and above certificates can have a sneak peek.

For other normal screenings, those holding yellow or blue IDs must line up outside early in the morning or even early in the morning; Usually this line is relatively short; when the screening time is about to start, people with white IDs will enter the venue directly without queuing up, and then release people with pink IDs and blue IDs in turn, and finally yellow ID holders By.

Therefore, for those who hold blue and yellow certificates, it is very likely that they will not be able to enter the venue for a long time, and they will end up in vain.

In addition to these general credentials, exhibitors such as Murphy and Erica Steinberg can also receive black credentials representing filmmakers the day before the film festival, but these credentials can only be issued at the screening venue of Planet Terror. efficient.

After running with Erica Steinberg for a day, Murphy's biggest emotion was not that he felt the artistic atmosphere, but that he wanted to participate in the regular exhibition of the film festival, which required a lot of money.

Compared with the Sun Denis Film Festival, which is still in the development stage, the cost of a participating film at the Cannes Film Festival is too much.

After receiving the documents, Murphy and Erica Steinberg mainly did two things.

One is to sign a formal public relations agreement with a local media public relations company.

This company was negotiated when Miramax confirmed Planet Terror's participation in the Cannes Film Festival, and it was part of the contract with the festival's sales agent.

Needless to say, Murphy also knows the role of marketing and public relations in a film's reputation. He will not be so stupid as to think that as long as a film is good enough, it should be granted a good media reputation after the screening. There are too many things covered up in this commercial society. Beneath the brilliance of the surface.

The public relations company can handle the topic marketing of the film, the media interviews during or after the film festival, and the invitation letters for various activities during the film festival for the crew of Planet Terror.

Then there is the production of promotional materials during the film festival.

According to the regulations of the Cannes Film Festival Organizing Committee, many promotional materials for participating films need to be submitted to the merchants designated by the Organizing Committee for production. The cost is quite considerable. According to Murphy's observation, it is probably ten times higher than that produced in North America and shipped here. to fifteen percent.

But if you want to participate in the exhibition, you have to follow the regulations of the film festival organizing committee. Since you choose to show at the film festival, you must face the marketing link. The crew needs to formulate a complete marketing strategy and corresponding materials to assist the film festival Promotional campaign for the film, such as business cards, movie posters, media releases, press conferences.

Similarly, in the links of poster posting, media announcements and press conferences, a certain fee is basically required.

This is also the practice of large-scale film festivals. Basically, large-scale film festivals will charge participation fees and hospitality fees for participating filmmakers and teams. If you want to have a booth in an international filmmakers gathering, you will also need to participate in the exhibition fee, which can be described as very expensive.

In addition, the box office revenue generated by the film during the screening has basically nothing to do with the crew.

There is a screening session, so of course there is a box office. The films shown at the film festival are different from those that are generally shown in theaters. There is no such thing as a box office share, and all box office revenue is at the disposal of the organizing committee.

“So, film festivals don’t make a living off of the red carpet,” he said.

Sitting on the balcony of the hotel room, Murphy was holding a cup of green tea. After taking a sip, he said to James Franco and others opposite him, "If you want to walk on the opening red carpet, you should go upright and present a good work. Or carry out in-depth cooperation with the film festival in the corresponding links, you earn and I earn everyone earns, which is more real than the embarrassment of being unknown, after all, even if you hit the red carpet, no one may buy it."

Robert Downey Jr. was not used to drinking green tea, so he tasted it and put it on the wooden table surrounded by several people. He turned his head to the Festival Palace and said mercilessly, "You are here because you are not qualified to walk on the red carpet. envy and jealousy."

"I'm a director," Murphy shrugged, "I'm not a star who needs to be exposed."

James Franco looked disdainful, "Who said directors don't need exposure?"

"You just say you are envious and jealous," Jonah Hill poured half a cup of tea directly, "We won't publicize it everywhere."

Seth Rogen nodded hastily, "I will keep it a secret."

These guys are used to messing around, and Murphy didn't take it seriously. He didn't bother to pay attention to what they collectively said against him. He slowly sipped his tea and glanced in the direction of the Festival Palace from time to time. There would be noise coming from there from time to time.

Today is the opening day of the 55th Cannes Film Festival. Murphy and the others did not receive invitations to the opening red carpet, nor were they so bored as to buy invitations to sit on the red carpet, so they just sat here and tasted tea together.

"Have you heard?" Jonah Hill suddenly changed the subject, "Monica Bellucci has a ten-minute explosive scene in the new film Irreversible, which is said to be challenging the limits of human beings!"

Challenge the human limit?

Hearing this, Murphy and the others almost spit out the tea in their mouths.

"Europeans like to play these flashy things." Robert Downey Jr. has never been interested in literary films. "Does she think she can get the best actress for a sex scene?"

James Franco raised his finger and shook, "Maybe it's really possible!"

"Hey, Jim," Jonah Hill said curiously, widening his eyes, "Don't you like little girls? When did you have such a strong taste, and you are also interested in this kind of big and thick women?"

"Jonah!" James Franco looked like a cat whose tail had been guessed, "No one will treat you as a stone if you don't speak!"

Robert Downey Jr. didn't care about these two nonsense guys, but instead asked Murphy, "Have you seen the list of participating films? Who do you think is most likely to win the Palme d'Or?"