09 May 026: DEALING WITH disasters on a Chinese film
Producer Alan Noel Vega shares tips on dealing with disasters and getting the green light.
Dealing with disasters in Chinese films is a key skill. Alan Noel Vega is a producer / stunt action director. We talk about the effect of Covid-19 on the film industry, the advantages of working with smaller players and what to do when shooting a film, your prop guy gets arrested for bank robbery.
Moreover, he also talks about the difference between Chinese and American producers’ way of doing business, the importance of knowing your audience and why a great script is never enough to get a green light.
Today’s guest is producer Alan Noel Vega. His company AMG Films is a registered official Chinese coproduction entity. And he has some great war stories. He talks about a Jet Li film he line produced – his prop guy – in the middle of the film – was arrested for bank robbery. No kidding.
3 KEY POINTS:
DEALING WITH DISASTERS – HAVE A PLAN B
Accordingly, you need to have a plan B-C-D all the way to Z. Noel’s funny story about his work on the film Once Upon In Time in America proves everything that could go wrong did go wrong. Including his prop guy get arrested for bank robbery. I like to hope for the best, plan for the worst. Always have a contingency plan. And if you’re lucky – you’ll feel like Noel afterwards – That after dealing with a disaster and making it through to the end – you feel that can do anything.
Check out our podcast 024: Writers: How to Protect Your IP in China
as well as podcast 021: Getting Money Out Of China
THE LITTLE GUY
Hence, Noel believes it’s easier to deal with the smaller companies. They may not have access to as much money or funds but your line to working with them is a lot shorter.
DEALING WITH DISASTERS – AVOID THE HARD SELL
Consequently, Americans tend to want to get down to business quickly. That doesn’t work in China. Get to know your counterparts. This is something so basic but needs to be repeated.
3 TAKEAWAYS
DEALING WITH DISASTERS – ATTACH ELEMENTS
However, this is no easy feat. How do you get a star without funding? How do you get funding without a star? (A) It all starts with the script. So, it’s got to be great. (B) If a star is typecast and might want a change – write something that is different from their normal roles. Listen / read previous interviews where stars talk about future plans or who they’d like to work with and weave that in. (C) If the star has their own production company (and many do) offer them the chance to produce it.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF REBATES AND AVOID DISASTERS
Additionally, Noel mentioned a producer friend in Belgium who could raise money by pre-funding rebates and doing presales based on who is attached to the script. So, look for states or countries that offer rebates. On top of rebates – you might also consider shooting your film as a co-production. Co-productions offers collective financing, wider distribution and avoids strict import quotas. According to the America’s Motion Picture Association https://bit.ly/2zjehDk China has co-pro treaties with Canada, Italy, Australia, France, Singapore, Belgium, Britain, South Korea, India and Spain.
DEALING WITH DISASTERS – THE LONG HAUL
Thus, Noel says – enjoy what you’re doing. For example, everybody says they want to write a script – but do they? No. You have to enjoy the process and ever day write those pages or make those calls or whatever your goal requires. Small steps add up. But do it because you enjoy it – not because you think you’re going to get rich and famous. That won’t sustain you.
China Hollywood Greenlight Podcast – Episode 026
Producer Alan Noel Vega
Show Notes
Host: Caryn McCann
Website: The China List – where Hollywood and China meet
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheChinaList
Twitter: @chnlist https://twitter.com/chnlist
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caryn-mccann-5718058/
Guest: Alan Noel Vega, Producer
A.M.G. Films https://www.amgfilmsusa.com
WeChat: NoelVega
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