Chapter 273: Special Props

Xiao Ran’s heart skipped a beat, followed by a bitter smile. He glanced at Yang Qi and the others, all of whom looked shocked. No slander allowed? Xiao Ran really didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t expected the censorship system to pose such a fatal obstacle even in the military.
At that moment, Xiao Ran truly wanted to give up everything. He suddenly felt extremely tired. He had put in a lot of effort to achieve this, yet he was still stuck at the very thing he feared the most.
Could there be a place without slander? What was the definition of slander? For example, in “Black Hawk Down,” the American military’s faulty intelligence led to a disastrous defeat—was that considered slander? There were also scenes in the movie where veterans committed crimes—was that slander too?
Xiao Ran really didn’t know anymore. Movies could indeed serve as a form of propaganda, but they were mostly meant as entertainment for the public. It would be a foolish decision for the government to try to control them completely.
If they really had to get stuck here, Xiao Ran would rather spend his own money to buy various weapons from Russia, even fighter jets, and then purchase land from some country to use as a filming site for such scenes. He just wasn’t sure if private individuals were allowed to buy weapons.
“It’s hard for us to accept these conditions!” Xiao Ran smiled bitterly for a moment before finally speaking in as gentle a tone as possible: “Of course, we won’t focus on this theme in our movie. But such scenes will definitely be included. For example, there might be stories about high-ranking military officers turning traitor—would that also be considered slander? I think you need to give me a clear definition!”
“That’s right. It’s like the censorship system is blocking us again, leaving us unable to shoot the movie!” Although Lei Kaitai wasn’t the easiest to deal with, he still didn’t dare be too bold around military officials.
He Zhishan frowned and glanced at the four leaders. Judging from their expressions, they were all opposed. Before coming here, he had specifically investigated these people and knew they were led by Xiao Ran. So, as long as he could convince Xiao Ran, there would be no problem.
However, due to the complications of the censorship system, the military had also discussed this with Huang Qun. Before sending him to negotiate, they had taken everything into careful consideration. So, He Zhishan wasn’t at a loss for words: “We’ve referred to the practices of the American military and observed your movies over the past few years. Basically, there’s no slander as we defined it!”
Hearing this, Xiao Ran’s gradually cooling heart became active again. It seemed the military didn’t intend to hold them back on this point. He exchanged a look with Yang Qi and the others, who also realized this. They gave Xiao Ran a knowing glance.
He Zhishan glanced at the four of them and said calmly and seriously, “Slander refers to attacking the military. After referring to the American military’s approach, we’ve decided to use a similar method. Unless your movie portrays the military in a positive light, we won’t provide any assistance. Of course, if your movie contains as much or more negative portrayal of the military as positive, you certainly won’t get any help either.”

A smile gradually spread across Xiao Ran’s face. He never expected the military to be so open-minded—far better than that damned censorship system. Very quickly, he realized that the military’s willingness to make such concessions must imply something behind it, likely indicating that the censorship system would also move in that direction. At this thought, Xiao Ran was extremely pleased. If that really happened, he could go after Hollywood and Murdoch without restraint. The reason the military was willing to relax these rules was simple: they were undergoing a technological transformation and needed many highly skilled talents, and film promotion would undoubtedly help with this. Moreover, China needed films for promotion, just as the military needed to showcase a positive image and establish its authority. Besides several other reasons, there was one even more important one that none of them had anticipated. At this point, He Zhishan hesitated greatly—the conditions he was about to mention were absolutely unacceptable to the four giants. Fortunately, the Ministry of National Defense had given him a bargaining floor; otherwise, he wouldn’t have known how to bring them up. After a moment’s hesitation, he said shyly, “The key issue is the cost!” Yang Qi looked at He Zhishan proudly. They certainly could afford the cost: “Cost is definitely not a problem. As long as you make those initial concessions, we’ll definitely be able to accept the cost!” He Zhishan forced a wry smile. It was the second time Xiao Ran had seen him smile, and it was still a wry one, which immediately made him feel uneasy. He cleared his throat and said with a look of embarrassment, “If we send a Su-27 fighter jet just for the film crew, it will cost five million. And for the best tanks, each flight will cost five hundred thousand in fuel…” “What?” Xiao Ran couldn’t help but stand up, eyes wide in disbelief as he stared at He Zhishan. Just one flight of a fighter jet cost that much? The Ministry of National Defense must be crazy about money. Xiao Ran couldn’t even imagine how much it would cost just for this item alone if *True Lies* started shooting. Lei Kaitai was even more shocked and shouted, “What a joke! Five million? You might as well go rob someone! Whether this will make money is still a question!” Pan Disheng and Yang Qi couldn’t hide their stunned expressions, completely frozen in shock. Especially Yang Qi, who had just vowed they could definitely accept the terms, now wished he could go back in time and take back his words. He Zhishan wasn’t originally a businessman, and with the four of them reacting like that, he felt extremely embarrassed. When he first heard the figure given to him by the Ministry of National Defense, he was so shocked his teeth almost fell out. Xiao Ran managed to calm himself down slightly before pacing around, his mind racing. This figure was absolutely unacceptable. If they were to shoot *True Lies*, they would need tens of millions in weapon usage fees at the very least.

Joking, it’s definitely a joke. Wu Yusen’s “Wind Whisperer” rented U.S. military bases and other weapons for just one million dollars, while the production cost of that film exceeded 80 million dollars—this ratio seems to prove everything.

Although Xiao Ran also knew it was the U.S. government paying for Hollywood, indirectly spending a lot of money each year to support it, this figure was still far too exaggerated. Moreover, “True Lies” required the female lead to fly fighter jets. Calculated this way, wouldn’t just that one item cost tens of millions?

Though it’s well known worldwide that the Chinese military is poor, they shouldn’t try to make money in this area! Xiao Ran was right—the Ministry of National Defense indeed wanted to make a profit from this. If Hong Kong films had developed normally for ten years, the annual cost would likely have been substantial.

Calming down, Xiao Ran then went over to He Zhishan and said slowly, “You know we won’t accept this price. There must still be room for negotiation, right? Don’t treat movies as tools for making money. Their role in promoting the military is far greater than any immediate profits you might see.”

He Zhishan remained motionless, sitting as steady as Mount Tai, not swaying at all. After admiring these businessmen, he reluctantly admitted, “Indeed, as you predicted, there is room for negotiation!”

Xiao Ran, Yang Qi, and the other three all breathed a sigh of relief. The military’s exorbitant demands were almost killing them, but thankfully, there was still room to negotiate. Xiao Ran had already obtained the budget report; the planning department believed that based on proportions, starting from 100 million yuan, special props like airplanes should account for no more than one-tenth of the total production cost.

That would be 10 million yuan. At the military’s current price, only two flights of fighter jets could be used. What’s the point of filming then? Just shoot two fighter jets flying in the sky? Xiao Ran sighed. Aircraft carriers were another issue—the Russian carrier named Minks was later to be sold. If Phantom wanted to buy it, that wouldn’t be a problem, but the annual maintenance costs would likely be high. However, with Phantom’s capabilities and control over the intellectual property rights, they could turn that carrier into a theme park, generating substantial profits.

But Xiao Ran would rather donate the carrier to the military, if they had the funds to maintain it and it didn’t affect their international political stance. That way, when films requiring aircraft carriers were needed in the future, they could find a place to shoot.

After thinking for a while, Xiao Ran calculated that 100 million yuan was still considered a large budget for a film, but in a few years, it might require over 200 million yuan to be considered a large-scale production. After some calculation, he quickly counteroffered, “500,000 yuan per flight of fighter jets, and the same for military bases. This amount is quite easy for you to make.”

He Zhishan shook his head. This figure was close to the Ministry of National Defense’s bottom line, but not quite there yet. “Fighters cost at least one million, and the others will be correspondingly lower! Moreover, since Hong Kong hasn’t returned yet, this is already the lowest price. After it returns, it could even be lower.”

Xiao Ran frowned and thought for a long time. This figure was actually what he wanted. He didn’t want the military to bear losses to assist with the filming. If it weren’t for considering the bigger picture, he would even be willing to pay more.

This matter was basically settled, finally resolving the issue of special props. Few people, if any, could discern Xiao Ran’s true intentions. Everything he did could be said to be an effort to establish a comprehensive film system. Now that he had access to advanced knowledge and had even secured the military’s special props, he thought perhaps he only needed to deal with Hollywood and Murdoch before retiring in success.

Meanwhile, in Hollywood, Tie Long finally got his first chance as a screenwriter, which was also his path to advancement. Xiao Ran quietly set aside this information. Tie Long—he had indeed overlooked him before. But he didn’t think anyone else could pose a greater threat to Shadow.

After thinking for a while, Xiao Ran resumed working. Soon, his two favorite disciples, You Hai and Tian Zhixin, knocked on the door and came in. Xiao Ran invited them to sit down and then blinked before saying, “I’ve called you two here because of a very important task—adapting Journey to the West!”

The two were shocked. This was definitely a tough challenge. Especially Tian Zhixin, who had come from an exchange program, scratched his head and said with a troubled expression, “Brother Ran, it’s not easy to adapt this into a movie! You know how long it is!”

Xiao Ran laughed and sat down, gently waving his fingers. “If it weren’t difficult, why would I ask you two to work on it together? With Ah Xin’s ability to control the scope and Ah Hai’s skill in managing the plot, I believe no one other than you two can handle this script!”

The two exchanged glances, their eyes showing difficulty. Adapting Journey to the West was indeed not easy, especially into a movie! Xiao Ran was well aware of this, so he had a plan: “It’s simple. I intend to turn this into a trilogy, which I will direct myself.”

At that moment, Xiao Ran thought of The Lord of the Rings. To match the impact of The Lord of the Rings, only Journey to the West could achieve that. However, special effects also gave him a headache. With the current level of special effects, it was impossible to create effects like those in The Lord of the Rings. At least, he felt it was necessary to finish the script first; who directed it didn’t matter.

“As for the story, I need it to be coherent, as if one film is divided into three parts.” Xiao Ran laughed. “I believe you can do it. Don’t be shy!”

Shy? Before they could even force a smile, Xiao Ran had indeed given them a tough task. With no choice, they nodded in agreement. But adapting the script might not be the hardest part—special effects were. With all those monsters in it, without sufficient special effects, it wouldn’t be realistic enough. Xiao Ran thought he probably wouldn’t have the chance to direct it himself.

An accident occurred before the summer holiday blockbuster release in July: one of the Phantom films was criticized by audiences at the preview screening, forcing the director to rush and re-edit it. Eventually, a copy was released in time. Due to this issue, subsequent preview screenings were often scheduled at intervals from the official release to avoid the need for another edit and subsequent copy production. This prevented many problems in the future, but because of piracy in the mainland, preview screenings were not dared to be held there. In Hong Kong, preview screenings generally only invited Phantom fans and some randomly selected ordinary people to attend. 1994 was the year when foreign blockbusters were officially introduced to the mainland. That year, “Die Hard” became the first major film to officially enter the Chinese market, marking the arrival of the Hollywood era. But that was history—things are different now…