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Business vs Creative Decisions in a Script

I just met with a producer! A small fry, but at least he’s on the menu. Our meeting was going well, but he rejected my script, stating that it lacked “international appeal” because it was set in America, had American characters and was about American politics. China is a huge market and he wanted my script to play to that audience.

This interaction had me thinking. Moving forward, should I include international and Chinese elements in all my scripts? Should I think about making a script that's enticing to buyers when writing? What are your thoughts on balancing business and creative script decisions?
 
How many movies does China let in each year?
I understand the potential appeal of the Chinese market. But the odds seem so much worse than any other market.

Chinese market: no politics, no rebeliion, no struggle for freedom.
Yes: sacrifice for the community.
Read Confucius to get a better understanding of the roots of Chinese rule.
 
How many movies does China let in each year?
I understand the potential appeal of the Chinese market. But the odds seem so much worse than any other market.

Chinese market: no politics, no rebeliion, no struggle for freedom.
Yes: sacrifice for the community.
Read Confucius to get a better understanding of the roots of Chinese rule.

24 films, unless it is co-produced by a Chinese company.
 
That are slim odds.
And while there are indeed many people in China, far from everyone can affort to go to see a movie.
The only difference is that, when you are in that market, you'll have only a few western competitors.

Does he have the connections to get it co-produced with a Chinese studio?
Does he know and understand the constraints you'll have when writing for Chinese audience?
 
This is what I find interesting:
Moving forward, should I include international and Chinese elements in all my scripts?
One producer you met with is looking for scripts with international
appeal, specifically the China market. So now you are wondering
if all your scripts should have international (specifically Chinese)
elements. You know that China accepts only 24 films a year yet
you're wondering if every script you write should appeal to that
market. You know that this producer has never made a movie that
has been released in China yet you're wondering if going forward
all your scripts should appeal to him.

Seems to me China isn't a huge market.

Two films that came out within one week of each other; “The Great
Wall” and “Get Out”. One was geared toward the international (specifically
Chinese) market and made $44 million on a budget of $150 million.
Although it DID make $170 million in China – still not enough to break
even. The other was set in America, had American characters and was
about American issues. It made (so far) $133 million of a budget of
$5 million.

The producer you met with would have rejected “Get Out”.

If you want to sell to this producer you need to write a script that meets
his needs. However there are producers out there who want to make
movies set in America with American characters and about American
politics and issues.

Yes, thinking about what will sell is important. I'll bet that you could name
five movies that did NOT seem like a good business decision but made a
lot of money. My advice is to not take that too far when one producer
rejects a script you have written.
 
I had a similar conversation with another producer (wasn't pitching, just discussing). Do people think this may be one of those fades that producers are now chasing?
Producers chase money. Producers have been chasing the China
market for decades. During much of the 90's they found there was
no money there. As we move through the 2010's it seems there is
a bit more of a market. But as you point out, still very few American
produced films are allowed into China.

If you want to change what you write to appeal to those producers
you should. If it works out and these producers you're talking to
buy your scripts then you succeed.

Next time you're talking with one of these producers I like you to ask
them which movie they wish they had produced, "The Great Wall" or
"Get Out" And then ask why they are pursuing the China market.
 
Deadline posted their annual profit/loss report of 2016. It's always
good to find out what a movies actually make after expenses. Since
there is a China column it peaked my interest in light of this discussion.

14 of the top 20 were released in China – interesting that number 2,
"Deadpool", wasn't released there. Of those 14, 8 were animated. Of
the top 5 earners in China 3 were animated, 2 were Marvel. All were
major studio pictures. At the bottom of the China list was “La La Land”
- number 18 overall in profit – made $35mil in China.

Makes me wonder why the producers you met thinks they should be going
after this market. I see no indication that a non studio connected producer
making a film with a budget under $50 million not animated and not
Marvel could find a market in China.
 
..............
Makes me wonder why the producers you met thinks they should be going
after this market......

I think it is the idea that there are 1 billion people living there.
The illusion of 1 billion people buying a ticket is a strong one ;)

Deadpool is too subversive to get a release in China.
 
No, don't go down that route. That's overthinking. Write a script that you would produce. Why would you produce it? Because you see how it would make its money back.
 
During the creative process you write/compose/paint/sculpt/record/etc./etc./etc./etc. whatever makes you feel good and satisfies your creative vision.

If you intend to "sell" your "product" you will have to make it attractive to the average Joe/Jane on the street.

The broader the original concept the easier it will be to "translate" into something that the general public will buy.

That's the challenge of being a creative, to produce something that satisfies your personal creativity AND is accepted by the general public.
 
Deadline posted their annual profit/loss report of 2016. It's always
good to find out what a movies actually make after expenses. Since
there is a China column it peaked my interest in light of this discussion.

14 of the top 20 were released in China – interesting that number 2,
"Deadpool", wasn't released there. Of those 14, 8 were animated. Of
the top 5 earners in China 3 were animated, 2 were Marvel. All were
major studio pictures. At the bottom of the China list was “La La Land”
- number 18 overall in profit – made $35mil in China.

Makes me wonder why the producers you met thinks they should be going
after this market. I see no indication that a non studio connected producer
making a film with a budget under $50 million not animated and not
Marvel could find a market in China.

You're looking at it through the wrong end of the telescope. It's not about making money from the Chinese market, rather it's about getting money out of China.

Imagine a Chinese billionaire. They aren't allowed to travel on vacation without informing the Chinese state six months in advance, can only take a certain amount of money on vacation and have to sign over their entire fortune to the state upon departure (they get it back on their return). However, if there is a legitimate Chinese - US investment (e.g. a movie which could potentially play in China), they can travel to their hearts content. They can even get a certain amount of their money out of China which is the dream.
 
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You're looking at it through the wrong end of the telescope. It's not about making money from the Chinese market, rather it's about getting money out of China.
That isn't what I got from MrStruggle's post. To me it seemed as if
he was saying the producer he met with rejected his script because
the script was set in America and the producer was looking for scripts
that would play to the China market. Not that the producer was seeking
investments from a Chinese billionaire.

MrStruggle was asking if, moving forward, he should write for the Chinese
market. Or that's how I understood his post.

I am currently working with an investor who is Chinese. He is not specifically
looking for a project to release in China, he is doing exactly what you mention;
he is looking to enter the US film business. A way to get some of his fortune
out of China.

But perhaps I was looking at MrStruggle's post the wrong way. Perhaps he
was talking to a producer with a Chinese billionaire investor.
 
I don't have any comments on the whole Chinese market discussion, and I'm certainly not foolish enough to try and say that my way of doing things is the "correct" way of doing things. In fact, I don't think there is a "correct" way of doing things.

That being said, for my next feature, as some people have already mentioned, the business and creative decisions are the same damn thing. I want to make money off this movie, so before I even had a rough idea of a story, I was thinking of what type of story I could tell that might put some butts in seats. What type of story can I tell that might have a chance of gaining some kind of social media following? What type of story can I tell that might have a chance in hell of getting into one of those "big" festivals? And then, once I've got my marketing strategy in place, how do I make that story fun to watch, so that hopefully word-of-mouth can spread? Those are all business decisions, but they require all of the creativity I can muster.
 
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