The movie Ma Xo, when released, was well received by audiences even though the film does not have a box office star. How do you see this success?
- When embarking on a film project, the biggest pressure is not how to achieve 100 or 200 billion VND, but how to ensure that the film does not fail. Audiences often only look at the final result, but behind it is a lot of pressure on capital, personnel, progress and release. For me, the milestone of 70 - 80 billion VND is already happiness for the crew.
Because that is a safe number, giving us a little profit to think about the next projects.
Ma Xo's production cost is only about 20 billion VND. The investment is not a large number, is this a strategy or another calculation of the crew?
- Cinema is a field with very high risks. People often only see films that achieve hundreds of billions of VND in revenue and forget that behind them are many failed projects.
I never go to meet investors and promise that the film will definitely achieve huge revenue. The only thing I can commit to is to carefully study the market, carefully calculate financial problems and minimize risks to the lowest level. That is the responsibility of a producer.
Why did you choose a cast that is not a prominent box office star for the movie Ma Xo?
- I think this is a calculated choice. With horror movies, audiences come to theaters first because of the story, because of curiosity and fear. That does not mean the actor is not important, but the most important thing is still that they must be suitable for the role.
I always prioritize people who can become characters rather than the most famous. Audiences may forget the actor's name after leaving the theater, but they will remember a well-built character.
You once emphasized studying the audience before making a film. How is that applied in Ma Xo?
- I come from the field of market research, so I always ask the question "what do audiences want?". We spend a lot of time surveying viewers, reading feedback on social networks and monitoring how audiences react to horror movies before.
I realize that Vietnamese audiences don't hate Vietnamese movies. They just don't accept movies that don't meet expectations. If it's a horror movie, it must scare them, if it's a romantic movie, it must move them. It sounds simple, but many movies fail because they forget this.
One of the issues of concern today is the artist scandal. How does that affect the producer?
- This is a common concern of all producers. Just one incident related to an actor can affect the entire project worth tens of billions of VND.
Of course, current contracts all have certain binding clauses. But in reality, not everything can be resolved by contract. Cinema is a human industry, so everything still has to be based on trust.
The most important thing is to choose people who are responsible for the profession and have a sense of collective protection. When entering a film project, each individual is carrying on their shoulders the efforts of hundreds of others.
Currently, are contracts with movie stars different from before?
- Actually, now the story of signing contracts with actors, especially stars with great influence, is much more complicated than before.
The contract always has clauses requiring artists to comply with the law, not to violate state prohibitions or seriously affect the film.
However, in reality, things cannot always be resolved with a few lines of legal terms. If an artist is involved in a private life controversy or is attacked by public opinion because of a story, determining the extent of the impact on the film, who is responsible and what the actual damage is is extremely complicated.
That is why I always think that contracts are only a part, and the most important factor is still trust between producers and actors. Because it is impossible to bind strict contracts with famous stars.
Some opinions suggest that heavy compensation clauses are needed to limit risks?
- If requiring an actor to bear full responsibility for the damages, they may not accept signing, because their lawyers must also protect the rights of their clients. Conversely, the producer must also protect their investment.
Therefore, the negotiation process is always a story of finding common ground between the two sides. For me, the most important thing when choosing actors is not only whether they are famous or not, but whether they are responsible for the profession, aware of the value of the collective and understand that behind a film is the effort of many people.
When that consensus is obtained, the terms on paper will truly promote their value.
Thank you for the conversation!
