Per reporter: Ding Zhouyang Bi Yuanyuan Per editor: Dong Xingsheng
Today's Spring, the warm and upward, the season of growth of all things is coming; today' Spring, the cold and painful news is spreading among filmmakers... First, he sent away the 43-year-old film musician Zhao Yingjun, and then a number of industry insiders confirmed it one after another: the famous filmmaker Zhang Zhao died at the age of 58.
Can't believe it, don't want to believe it, people who hear this bad news are in this mood. Because in everyone's mind, Zhang Zhao is persistent and tenacious, indomitable. He has led the rapid growth of Guangguang Pictures for four consecutive years; he has founded LeTV Pictures, opened a new chapter in the Internet and movies, and tenaciously preserved the film and television sector when the LeTV Building collapsed; he served as the CEO of Fosun Film and Television Group, but failed to achieve his industrial ambitions, and chose to start a business again...
Career ups and downs, industry favorable adversity, Zhang Zhao has never left the film, he regards himself as an industry person, will not give up the film due to internal and external changes.
He will always remember the shock and touch when he was a child lying in the crack of the door and watching a black-and-white movie; he will always remember the blood boiling of watching the movie "Red Sorghum" in the Fudan Auditorium when he was in college... The film planted a seed in the heart of the young Zhang Zhao, which will be his lifelong dedication to love and passion. That's what he thinks and that's what he does.
In April 2020, every reporter learned that Zhang Zhao had resigned as vice president of Fosun Group, CEO of Fosun Film and Television Group, and CEO of Fuyi Culture, and his third venture came to an end again. Shortly thereafter, Zhang Zhao was interviewed by every reporter.
That time, Zhang Zhao talked a lot with reporters, talked about his experience in starting a business several times, and also talked about his understanding of movies. At the time, he said, "We are a group of people who regard the film as the supreme thing, because we have all been deeply influenced by the film, and we hope that the filmmakers can continue to do it from generation to generation."
<h2>Reported every May 11, 2020:</h2>
Three separations, Zhang Zhao: It is false not to regret, but it is time to give up quickly
The dazzle and the hustle and bustle are far removed from the film industry. The theater was suspended for more than 100 days, everyone frowned and worried about "where is tomorrow's breakfast", Jiang Wei, Ye Ning, Kangli and other executives resigned from Wanda Film and Television, Huayi Brothers, Maoyan Entertainment and other platforms, but they failed to arouse public opinion.
<h2>But when the protagonist of the departure was Zhang Zhao, the listener could not help but sigh. </h2>
Zhang Zhao attends the China Film and Television Leadership Summit Image source Per infographic
People who know a little about the Chinese film industry know Zhang Zhao's industry status, and people who know a little about Zhang Zhao will feel his professional experience. He started and took the helm of Light Pictures and LeTV Pictures from scratch, poured his heart and soul, and saw the results, but in the end he always left, and seemed to miss the "best time".
Zhang Zhao's third separation was the recent resignation as CEO of Fosun Film and Television Culture Group, this time for a much shorter tenure than the previous two periods – only 8 months. With this departure, the Chinese film market has changed greatly. An epidemic has plunged the industry into unprecedented difficulties, and it is almost impossible to receive a lot of capital blessings at this time and vigorously do a big job.
Again did not catch up with the "best time".
Zhang Zhao's words could not hear a trace of "hero loneliness". "Professional manager" Zhang Zhao left the company, but "industrial man" Zhang Zhao will still stick to the waters of the film, although the industry is so difficult now.
"By asking me about my choice, you actually asked why the movie doesn't die." Zhang Zhao recalled a picture to the "Daily Economic News" reporter, when he was a teenager, he was lying in the crack of the door to peek at the Vietnamese movie "Forest Fire" played on the TV of the neighbor's house, the movie was black and white, which shocked the heart left by the teenager Zhang Zhao, but made him determined to follow the film career all his life.
<h2>Say goodbye to Fosun, at the trough of the industry</h2>
"Thank you for not asking me directly why I left this time." When every reporter was concerned about where he went after leaving his job, Zhang Zhao said with a smile.
Having been a CEO in different companies for many years, Zhang Zhao knows how to speak in a measured manner. "I don't represent the company now, I only represent myself personally, so there are many things I can say that others can't." Maybe others also think that I am now a light body without officials, standing and talking without waist pain. That's the truth, right? Because if you are a CEO or chairman of a company, the pressure on you is very large, and everyone has their own difficulties. ”
In June 2019, Zhang Zhao left LeTV Pictures, which had been sticking to it for 7 years. Two months later, he joined Fosun Group as Vice President of Fosun Group and CEO of Fosun Film & TELEVISION Culture Group. During this period of tenure, before it was time to see the performance with a distinct brand of Zhang Zhao, the industry was interrupted by the sudden epidemic.
In the first half of 2020, the epidemic brought unprecedented losses to the film, and every company had to solve the urgent problem. As for Zhang Zhao's most important career ambition - industrial upgrading, as a company, most of them have no time to take care of it. "At this time, on the contrary, you as an individual to sort out the logic of industrial upgrading, a little freer, the role will be greater." Zhang Zhao euphemistically responded to the reason for his departure.
In just a few days after leaving Fosun, Zhang Zhao's phone calls continued, and his former colleagues sent him various messages, rumored that he would go to so-and-so company or so-and-so company. "I don't even know where they saw it." Zhang Zhao said, "Because I really don't think about these aspects, now I think the most important thing is two things: to help the industry upgrade to do combing, to communicate with everyone more about my thinking about the industry; to cooperate with young creators more, to help their films as producers." ”
Zhang Zhao still remembers that when he was doing the "Little Times" series, the first two were launched one after another, and many negative word-of-mouths poured in while gaining a good box office. Guo Jingming, a new director, asked Zhang Zhao: "How do we shoot "Small Times 3" and "Small Times 4"? Do we also lean on the values of the adult world? ”
The total box office of 4 "Little Times" reached 1.791 billion Image source: Lighthouse Pro
Zhang Zhao did not hesitate to say no: "Not only do we not want to, but we also have to shoot more 'small times'." The reason why I went to the "Little Times" series of movies is because it "satisfies the dreams of a young girl's girlfriend", and the perception of others is not important.
"Young filmmakers understand how I made Guo Jingming as a film director, in fact, I have been trying to communicate with them more in recent years, but when the industry was not so big adjusted before, the industry was not short of money, and they were not willing to listen to my nagging." It's much smoother to talk about now, because they need a sense of security, they need a producer like me. Zhang Zhao said, "The impact of the epidemic, young creators are actually the most vulnerable, and their determination to make movies needs to be protected." ”
"Being a producer for young directors is also doing industrial upgrading, and industrial upgrading is such a movie to be done." For the promotion of industrial upgrading, I am certainly not alone in the battle, there are many people of insight in the industry, I also have a lot of friends, everyone wants to do something to help the industry out of the trough. Zhang Zhao said.
<h2>LeEco insisted when it was dark and left after dawn</h2>
In March 2018, Zhang Zhao published an internal letter announcing that after the original LeTV Pictures received a capital increase of 1 billion yuan from Sunac China and other shareholders, the major shareholder became Sunac, and the equity that originally belonged to LeTV Holdings was gradually disposed of by way of transfer, auction, etc., which marked the formal divestiture of Zhang Zhao and the entire company from LeTV.
Two months later, an article titled "Zhang Zhao: Breaking Free of LeTV, Out of the Darkest Hour" swept the screen in the circle of friends of filmmakers. In that article, Zhang Zhao told the story of Jia Yueting, who had the grace of knowing him on the night of April 18, 2017, who spent a long time downstairs in LeTV Pictures, and he wanted to take the last money of the film industry, which was 300 million yuan, to mortgage LeTV's debt gap.
The above article shows that Jia Yueting insisted on seeing Zhang Zhao, but Zhang Zhao did not appear. After extinguishing more than 60 cigarette butts, Zhang Zhao decided, "I still have to borrow." The loan process was a sunac negotiation between Jia Yueting and Sun Hongbin, who promised to return the money in full on April 24, but Jia Yueting lost faith in front of Sun Hongbin and Zhang Zhao.
The year that the Crisis LeTV system dragged down LeTV Pictures, Zhang Zhao described it as the "darkest moment". Fortunately, when operating LeTV Pictures, Zhang Zhao's strict risk control, coupled with the support of new shareholder Sun Hongbin, allowed LeTV Pictures to avoid the fate of collapsing with the LeTV system.
Zhang Zhao and Sun Hongbin took a group photo, the scene is the 2018 Lechuang Cultural and Entertainment Conference Picture Source Each Jing Data Gallery
Since then, LeTV Pictures has changed its name to Lechuang Cultural and Entertainment, and integrated into the large territory of the real estate kingdom Sunac, Zhang Zhao has planned a "butterfly matrix" for the linkage of online film and television and offline cultural tourism for Lechuang Entertainment. After more than a year of stable operation of the company, in June 2019, Zhang Zhao suddenly resigned, and the successor to the CEO of Lechuang Entertainment was Sun Zheyi, the eldest son of Sun Hongbin.
Insisting on it when it is dark and leaving after dawn, Zhang Zhao's choice is incomprehensible.
"People really didn't know it at the time, but now I can go back and talk about this choice." Zhang Zhao told every reporter, "In my position, I have to be responsible for many people. After Sunac and LeEco have made capital transfers, the transition period is very important, so they call me a night watchman, it doesn't matter what I call, I am definitely responsible for this transition period. ”
At that time, Zhang Yimou's "Shadow" had not yet been released, and "Bear Haunting 6" was also in production. These works were all developed by Zhang Zhao when he was in LeTV Pictures, and in order to be responsible for the creators, Zhang Zhao definitely could not leave immediately.
"Then of course, it is responsible for the team, the entrepreneurial team that has been with me for many years, I can't make my own choices first, I have to let them make choices first." Zhang Zhaolian said three times "responsible", "first fulfill the responsibility, and then try to develop." So the last two years were a matter of responsibility. So what should be done after these responsibilities have been fulfilled? When it's time to give up, you must give up quickly. ”
The last time he parted, it was he who left the light film industry that he had created. Neither Light Pictures nor LeTV Pictures achieved the independent listings he had originally pinned high hopes on. After turning around and leaving, the flowers and glory enjoyed by the company no longer belong to the former leaders.
The "Bear Haunting" series is the best case for Zhang Zhao to create a brand and serialized film Image source: Lighthouse Professional Edition
"Do you want to say sorry?" Of course, I do everything with full dedication, and I hope that it will blossom and bear fruit in my own hands, and it can be everywhere. Zhang Zhao said frankly, "But I should think so, at each stage, I have maximized my contribution to the industry." ”
"Honestly, every time the platform or capital, gives me a lot of feedback, in all aspects. But now the capital in the film industry is still the first generation of capital, and the role of a person like me who does the industry must be staged. Zhang Zhao told reporters.
Use the Internet as a diversion of movies, promote branding and serialization of films, target audiences accurately, focus on young audiences... All kinds of ideas are left by Zhang Zhao when he is working on different platforms, which is also the industrial upgrading he has always advocated - making movies like Disney. For different investors, Zhang Zhao's whereabouts are always there, but for the industry, these practices and experiences have left a footnote.
<h2>The difference between the word "entertainment" and "happiness" is essentially different</h2>
In 1996, Zhang Zhao returned to China after studying in the United States, and his first career was as a film director rather than an industrialist. While majoring in filmmaking in the United States, his short film Wood and Words won a student Oscar.
"In the past, I was determined to build a car, and when I came back, I found that there was no road at all, so why did you build a sports car?" Zhang Zhao explained the reasons for his transformation from a creator to an industrial person.
At that time, the Chinese film market was still very weak, and in 2000, Zhang Zhao's first year in Beijing, the annual film box office was only 860 million yuan. In 2006, Zhang Zhao began to do light pictures, with an annual total box office of about 2 billion yuan, and by the time he founded LeTV Pictures in 2011, the box office figure had increased fivefold to 10 billion yuan, soaring to 64.2 billion yuan in 2019.
"The pace is too fast", along the way, Zhang Zhao sighed. Especially after 2010, capital poured in, and film and television companies ushered in a wave of listing. Although the annual production of films only increased from 526 in 2010 to 616 in 2019, the box office increased by more than 500% during this period.
Since its establishment in 2011, Lechuang Entertainment has participated in the investment and distribution of films. As of June 24, 2019, under the leadership of Zhang Zhao, Lechuang Entertainment has participated in 66 films through its subsidiaries, with a total box office of 13.008 billion yuan.
"Capital in and out, are busy pushing up the box office to speculate on stock prices, the stock price is high and quickly slip." The development of these 20 years is too fast, but the industry must accumulate step by step, and rapid development is bound to require 'make-up lessons'. A few years ago, I also did some industrial upgrading practices, changing the profit model that relies on the box office of a single film into a brand model, just like Disney and Marvel, which are essentially asset-light, and the most valuable thing is their intellectual property rights and their brands. ”
Zhang Zhao laughed at himself, people are no longer in LeTV, but always advertise to "bear haunting", which was developed by LeTV Pictures and Huaqiang Fantawild in that year, derived from a film into a series, and then derived into a brand, in his mind, this is indeed a precedent for film branding.
In the impression, Zhang Zhao is also a standard-bearer of the integration of the Internet and movies.
In 2011, Jia Yueting threw an olive branch to Zhang Zhao, and the success of "33 Days of Lost Love" made Zhang Zhao realize that the film industry must link up with consumers through Internet platforms, but the light could not meet his attempts on the Internet.
While at the helm of LeTV Pictures, Lu Chuan and Zhang Zhao had a dispute over whether the film could be screened on the Internet first. In 2015, LeTV Pictures produced the movie "The Vanishing Murderer", and Zhang Zhao wanted this film to be the first on demand on 1 million LeTV TVs to create marketing momentum before the film was released. Lu Chuan was anxious, "First the film was gone, it was filmed digitally, and now it was first published on Internet TV instead of in the cinema." Although we are good friends, if you do, I will sit quietly in your office and pull up banners. ”
Just like the situation of "囧Mom" turning to the Internet, the theaters and theaters also rebounded violently at the beginning, and adopted strong resistance methods such as "withdrawal" and "ticket refund". Under pressure, the broadcast of "Vanishing Murderer" on Super TELEVISION was canceled.
"Lu Chuan sees me now and still says that." And Zhang Zhao still insists on his original point of view, "For the Internet, don't refuse, don't be afraid." ”
When "囧Mom" was screened in the cinema, Zhang Zhao also went to see it, and many people guessed that the Douban score was at least 7 or 8 points, because they all cried. But finally transferred to the Internet, the response is relatively poor.
Why? The logic is simple, the cinema is a place to create empathy, 120 minutes of black lights, sound effects and visual effects, the audience has an emotional connection with the characters and the theme. And looking at this story on the Internet, there are lights around, a bunch of people next to me, as soon as the mobile phone rings, I quit, and I can't cry if I want to. Watching movies online only provides 'entertainment', and cinemas can provide 'happiness'. ”
"One more movie scene is not a bad thing for the content. You want the immersion of the brand, the emotional resonance, the mobile phone can never do it. And even streaming media, it is impossible to absorb so much movie cost, will not all go online. Zhang Zhao thought.
<h2>"By asking me about my choice, you actually asked why the movie doesn't die."</h2>
An epidemic has broken through the window paper of the slowdown in box office growth and the decline in the net profit of film and television companies, and even made the film industry, which was already swinging, almost face "life and death". What is more serious is that not only is the film industry facing difficulties at present, but the overall economic situation is not optimistic. Can the film and television industry, which was once favored by capital, still attract the look back of capital again?
"I don't think you can think about it at this stage." Zhang Zhao asserted, "Face up to the crisis and abandon illusions!" Spend a small amount of money to adjust the business model and revitalize the money in the industry. In fact, it really doesn't take much money to make movies and adjust the mode, 'poor is thinking about change', do it slowly, do it patiently, make a model, and make growth. Capital is not philanthropist, and when you're done adjusting, value capital will naturally come. ”
At present, there are many blockbusters in the hands of major film and television companies, and now they are facing an uncertain timing and a locked performance reporting time, and the pressure is indeed great.
Zhang Zhao said bluntly: "In the end, how much time is needed to digest these inventories, and whether digestion will cause some investment losses, I think it is still difficult to say."
"I hear that filmmakers are all 'mournful', but which industry is not difficult now? We must first save ourselves when we make movies, don't wait for others to save, movies should be strong, don't be jiao'e, and be self-reliant to be strong. ”
Looking back at Zhang Zhao's growth, it is the experience of "elitism", his father is China's first generation of nuclear submarine research experts, when he was admitted to the university, he ignored his parents' opposition, applied for the Department of Military Art Directing, and after being known by his father, he had to reply to the computer. When Zhang Zhao was studying for a master's degree in philosophy in Fudan, Zhang Yimou came to the Fudan Auditorium with the unreleased "Red Sorghum" to see the post-viewing reaction of Fudan students. On the stage, he sang "Drink our wine, see the emperor does not kowtow"; offstage, Zhang Zhao's blood boiled, and the feeling of watching Vietnamese black and white movies in the crack of the door when he was a teenager was awakened again.
The Vietnamese movie "Forest Fire" that left a shock to the young Zhang Zhao Image source: Maoyan Professional Edition
Later, Zhang Zhao went to New York University to study for a doctorate in philosophy, and after much trouble, he changed his major to film production. Life is just a big dream, he still follows his heart and chooses the movie dream.
"I've had so many interviews, and for the first time someone asked me that question." Whenever the reporter mentioned his elitist education background, why he had a special love for the film industry, which was still in a state of chaos and the entry threshold was not high, Zhang Zhao paused for a while.
"I think by asking me about my choice, you actually asked why the movie doesn't die. We are a group of people who take the film as the supreme thing, because we have all been deeply influenced by the film, and I hope that the filmmakers can continue to do it from generation to generation, so that my children can also capture the value of the film. Zhang Zhao said.
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