Global Film Emperor

Chapter 299 Meeting Trailer Released

"Mr. Li, all the preparations for assembling the production team are complete, and the funds have been transferred and are ready to be used. I will compile the project proposal and submit it to you in an hour. What is still lacking is that the production team has not yet been assembled, the casting process is not yet complete, and the contract with the outsourced special effects company has not been signed. The filming budget is approximately between 400 million and 450 million, and the estimated publicity expenses are no less than 50 million. With the addition of various arrangements, the total investment will be around 550 million, which should not deviate too much."

Feng Changhao placed his pen on the document and finished describing the current situation. Li Shanjun frowned after listening, looked at Lu Ze, and smiled.

"Lu Ze, you're in charge of the script. Do you have any further needs regarding the script?"

Lu Ze thought for a while, then shook his head. The script was now very mature, and Lu Ze couldn't find any fault with it. There was really nothing that needed improvement. It was much, much better than the previous script that Lu Ze found too stale to even use as a cover. Lu Ze was quite satisfied with it.

Moreover, since Lu Ze was already in charge of the script, any problems should be discussed between Lu Ze and Bai Xiqun. There was no need to provide feedback to Li Shanjun. Besides, Lu Ze knew that Li Shanjun was just asking the question and wouldn't care about any problems with the script.

As for whether the fact that Lu Ze was in charge of the script would ruin his reputation or make him look arrogant, Lu Ze wasn't worried about that. He knew that it was bad news if actors made changes to the script during filming, and that was what people meant by being arrogant. After all, if you thought the script was bad, why did you sign the contract in the first place?
Lu Ze was different; he was appointed by the company to be in charge of the script from the very beginning. Although such cases are very rare, it was a case of one party willing to give and the other willing to receive, and no one could say anything about it. It can only be said that Qian Shijia trusted Lu Ze very much and was willing to entrust Lu Ze with the responsibility of a movie script with an investment of more than 500 million yuan.

Ultimately, this matter should be judged by its performance. If the film achieves great box office success, then the public can only say that Qian Shijia had a keen eye and made the right choice in selecting Lu Ze, and everyone will be happy.

If the movie is badly made, then the outside world will criticize Lu Ze, saying things like, "Actors are only responsible for acting, and the script is not something actors can interfere with." It's normal for people to say such things.

This is a gamble, but Lu Ze feels he has a high chance of winning. The soul of a movie is the script. As long as you have a good script and a director with solid professional skills and talent, the risk can be minimized.

There are two risks that Lu Ze is still uncertain about. One is Bai Xiqun's ability to direct. Lu Ze had previously looked into Bai Xiqun's directing career. He had previously directed two films and a TV series for a small film company. Of the two films, one lost money and the other barely broke even. However, the TV series performed quite well and made some money.

Lu Ze couldn't directly judge Bai Xiqun's abilities. After all, how well a director can make a film depends on opportunity. If he comes across a good script that happens to be a subject and genre that he is good at, it's not impossible for him to soar to great heights.

On the contrary, there are very few examples like Zhuang Yu, who took off with just one film. Most directors still have to choose to take a long time to mature in the early stages of their filmmaking careers.

Another decisive factor is the actors. From any perspective, this factor is no less important than the director. After all, it is the actors who truly enter the audience's view, and this film is destined to cultivate new talents for Qian Shijia.

So it's clear that Lu Ze's job has changed from simply making a good film himself to leading a group of young actors with mediocre basic skills to reliably complete the film.

Is it possible for a group of artists who are good at singing and dancing to make a decent film? It is indeed possible. After all, acting is something that is easy to learn. As long as you can memorize the lines, you can just talk without looking at the camera. Because of this, as long as you have a good teacher and study hard, your progress will be very fast in the early stages.

However, this means that Lu Ze will have to film, mentor his "students," and discuss filming issues with Bai Xiqun at the same time, making the filming of this movie extremely tiring for him.

But there's nothing we can do; it's a movie our own company invested in, right?

After questioning Lu Ze, Li Shanjun turned his attention to Bai Xiqun and He Guohui for the first time, picked up the water on the table, took a sip, and asked.

"Now that the script has changed, there are more roles needed, right? The company's internal artists probably can't fill such a large number of vacancies, right? Director Bai, how do you plan to find actors?"

"That's right. The roles will definitely be mainly played by our own artists. I will arrange the roles for our company's artists as soon as possible. I already know who will play whom. Currently, there are one-third of the roles vacant. I plan to send film contracts to artists from other companies and conduct auditions."

How many main characters are we short now?

"Fourteen short."

Without Bai Xiqun having to say anything, He Guohui reported the number of people. The division of labor among Lu Ze and the other five people seemed chaotic, but it was actually very clear. Bai Xiqun was in charge of the crew's management and filming, Lu Ze was in charge of the crew's planning, Meng Nixin was in charge of the filming procedures and project plans, He Guohui was in charge of the company's internal artist transfers, and Feng Changhao was in charge of the operation of funds and film production.

"Okay, I understand the details. Minister Meng, please get the necessary paperwork and contracts for filming done as soon as possible. Director Bai, please also get the crew ready as soon as possible. As for the auditions, Director Bai, Minister Feng, Minister He, and Lu Ze, the four of you will have to work a little harder. The auditions will be handled by the four of you. As for the assistant director position, Lu Ze, you're capable enough to do more, how about you take on the role?"

When Lee Sun-kyun mentioned the position of assistant director, Lu Ze thought for a moment and then shook his head to refuse. He already had a lot of work, and even though he was capable of being an assistant director, he was simply not up to the task.

"I'm afraid not, Mr. Li. My time is indeed a bit tight right now. To be honest, the job of assistant director is also quite busy, involving the coordination of the crew. I probably don't have time to do that."

"Alright, then let Han Chen be the assistant director. He won't be in charge of the actual filming; he'll just be responsible for the crew's coordination. I believe he can handle it."

Afterwards, the people present discussed the details before filming in detail and took notes. This is the current arrangement.

After more than two hours, once all the details were arranged, Lee Sun-kyun announced the end of the meeting, only stopping Lu Ze before leaving.

"Is this film to your liking now? If you think it's acceptable, when can we sign the contract?"

Lu Ze slung his bag over his shoulder and glanced at Li Shanjun. He hadn't expected the company to give him so much power. To be honest, Lu Ze was very satisfied with his current authority and naturally wouldn't refuse.

"Anytime is fine." The temperature today is ridiculously high. Just walking from the company to home from the paid parking lot, such a short distance, Lu Ze was already sweating profusely.

After taking a cold shower, I hesitated for a moment in front of the refrigerator before taking out a bottle of beer, opening it, and drinking half of it in one go. Then I let out a long, satisfying sigh.

After a simple meal of two stir-fried dishes, Lu Ze picked up the lame cat and put it on the sofa. The two of them then snuggled up on the sofa to watch TV until 7:30 p.m., when Jinxiu Media's official Weibo account released the first promotional video for "Find You." Lu Ze forwarded and commented on the video, which was one and a half minutes long.

This was truly his first time watching.
Jinxiu Culture Communication Co., Ltd., and China Film Studio.

Co-producers: Cao Hanliang, Bi Qiang, Ge Wenfang.

Directors: He Ruikuan, Wang Yizhuo, Liu Ying.

Starring: Lu Ze, Tang Renxuan, Ge Yunzheng, Zheng Yubing, Ren Dingran, Song Guiyuan.

Found You.
"Do you know what the Five Elders mean? Old Rong is a thief, Old Chai is a constable, Old Yue is a cheat, and Old He is a镖师 (bodyguard/escort) from an ancient镖局 (escort agency).

"Aren't there only four?"

"There's also an old scumbag, who traffics people. The 'scumbag' in 'scumbag' is the same as the 'old scumbag' in 'scumbag.' These are the five professions, plus eight shady ones, which is what we call the idiom 'a wide variety.' By the way, I don't know your name yet. My name is Wang Hanlin. It's nice to meet you."

"My name is Du Xuemei, and it's a pleasure to meet you."

The girl met a handsome guy who was good at talking. She looked a little shy, gently tucked her hair behind her ear, and looked at her toes as he kept trying to find topics to talk about. They got off at the same subway station, and the girl seemed happy. For her, this might be fate.

"Wife, come home with me! Stop making a scene! Come home with me right now! I know I was wrong!"

"Let go! I don't know you! Help! I don't know him! Help!"

"Du Xuemei! Can't you fucking get any better?! If you want a divorce, then fucking get one! You want bags, I'll buy you bags; you want clothes, I'll buy you clothes! I just lent my buddy my salary this month, so I don't have money to buy you lipstick! Is it really that big of a deal?!"

The two were pulling and tugging in the street, and passersby did not intervene but just stood by and watched the spectacle, whispering among themselves. A kind old woman stepped forward to mediate the conflict between the "young couple."

“Child, you can’t spend money like this. I think this young man is a good person, but you can’t live like this. Listen to your aunt, go home. It’s too embarrassing to argue in public. Young man, go home and coax your wife. Don’t keep arguing. It will ruin your relationship. You have such a good wife. You’ll regret it when she really doesn’t want you anymore.”

"I understand, Auntie. Thank you. Good daughter-in-law, Dapeng is here to pick us up. Hey? Where are you, grandson? Hurry up and pay me back my salary. Our family is almost falling apart; I don't have the heart to lend you money."

Soon, a car pulled up beside them, and the man, under the watchful eyes of onlookers, dragged the girl into the car and drove away from the street.

In an old, dilapidated house, the group of passersby and the man were eating around a table. The old woman, carrying a kerosene lamp and some food, opened the cellar door and went downstairs.

The dim light made the old woman's face look a little strange. She threw the food on the table in the cellar and coldly said something to a naked girl covered only by a black cotton quilt and several children who looked no more than four or five years old.

"Have a meal."

The snow was falling heavily, but it had clearly just started, with only a thin layer of snowflakes on the ground. A man in an orange sanitation worker's uniform came running from a distance with an unsteady gait.

He exhaled a breath of air, looked around, licked his dry, bleeding lips, vigorously wiped the sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his cotton-padded jacket, and shouted out two words at the top of his lungs.

Double happiness!!!

"boom!"

A muffled thud startled the audience, and a line of large, blood-red characters appeared on the screen.

"Find You, released nationwide on August 13, 2021."

"."

(End of this chapter)