Global Film Emperor

Chapter 513 Conversation
Q: How can I quickly build a network with a brokerage firm?

A: Make money for the management company, or give them an opportunity to make money.

Unlike the system, commercial companies often lack human touch. If you make money, the boss will even pour you tea. If you can't generate profits, they won't even hire you for cleaning. It's not about personal relationships or connections, which seems great, but it's often the cruelest thing because capital is constantly creating a terrifying sense of disparity.

Heaven and hell are both in their hands.

Capital may be bad, but we still need the economic environment they create. So the point of contention lies in the balance between good and bad. Looking at the bigger picture, the biggest blame for the collapse of China's entertainment industry lies with them, but that doesn't mean they can't create good products.

It's just because your money is too easy to make.

At this moment, Lu Ze needs the help of his agency to win the election for the next Minister of the E-sports Association. Why can a commercial company have the power to influence the situation for a position within the system? Because they hold the jobs of graduates from various universities in their hands.

Company bosses don't want to antagonize the teachers at art schools because these teachers have countless students who can use the system to make the company boss cry. On the other hand, the teachers don't want to antagonize the boss either because their students might not be able to afford food, or they might only be able to afford bread.

In other words, the academic bigwigs within the system control the present of Huaxia Entertainment, while the talent agencies control its future.

Old Master Chen always told his apprentices to figure things out themselves and not wait for him to provide them with ready-made solutions. However, at the very beginning of the incident, he had already planned out a way out for his apprentices. The way out he left for Lu Ze was the variety show for actors that Fifth Brother and his team had started filming.

That's a good idea. Nowadays, the career planning for entertainment personnel in China is becoming increasingly unclear, and the public finds it difficult to distinguish between actors, idols, and singers.

Let alone ordinary people, even industry practitioners find it difficult to explain the differences between them. After all, it is now popular to operate on two or even three fronts, and single-attribute practitioners like Lu Ze who do not involve other industries are becoming increasingly rare.

Many people nowadays say it's normal for an idol-turned-actor to not act well because they're not actors, just idols. But this kind of talk doesn't hold much weight anymore. If someone who plays a lead role isn't an actor, then what is he? Officially, he is an actor, but it's hard for people to accept that the bar for becoming an actor has been lowered.

Judging from Fifth Brother's tone, the main purpose of this variety show is probably to showcase the professional qualities of actors in a variety show format, raise the bar for actors, vindicate the acting industry, and improve the public's current negative impression of the acting industry.

"So, Fifth Brother, you want me to film a variety show?"

"Yes, the current plan is to find four experienced veteran actors to be mentors. I wanted to ask you from the very beginning. It's difficult to film variety shows for actors, so many actors would rather film idol talent shows than touch this kind of show where it's hard to stand out. After all, they need exposure. How about it? Help your brother out?"

Lu Ze rarely participates in variety shows. People in the industry know this. Even when he was at the height of his career at Huaxia Entertainment, he did not enter the variety show circle to make a fortune. In his more than ten years as an artist, he has only appeared on a few shows. As for talent shows, he would not do them no matter how much money was offered.

Thus, Lu Ze earned a reputation for being willing to spend money for fame, which made Fifth Brother somewhat uneasy. After all, he was being forced into this situation, and it seemed like he was putting Lu Ze in a difficult position. If Lu Ze really didn't want to do it, not only would he lose face, but Lu Ze would also feel uncomfortable, and it would be a pity to damage their brotherly relationship.

He intentionally wanted to use the show to help Lu Ze rebuild his relationship with the company, but it's also possible that he hoped Lu Ze becoming a mentor would garner good attention for the show in its early stages. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement, but people's mindsets are different, and Lu Ze might think differently.

Fifth Brother picked up the gaiwan, lifted the lid, and gently scraped the tea leaves stuck to the lid on the surface of the water. He blew on it, glanced at Lu Ze without making a sound, and waited for his reply. Compared to Fifth Brother's reserve, Lu Ze was much more generous. He glanced at the silent Old Master Chen beside him, then at Fifth Brother scraping the tea leaves, smiled, and picked up the teapot to fill his master's cup to about seven-tenths full.

He doesn't see his fifth brother often and they're not very close, so it's normal for him to be so cautious. But it's too petty of him to think of Lu Ze like that. He came back this time to run for election, so he naturally has to listen to his master's arrangements. Even if his master decides to let him participate in this program, what complaints could he have?

He was somewhat resistant to talent shows, but not to the way talent shows are a way to debut. Instead, he was against the meaningless emotional manipulation, showmanship, malicious editing to create hype, and behind-the-scenes manipulation by the production team. They used children without connections or backgrounds as stepping stones. Most importantly, the so-called mentors could not provide any real help to these children, but they acted like know-it-alls on TV.

You want Lu Ze to be a mentor on stage who only yells and shouts, or suddenly stands up to applaud, argues with other mentors, and storms off in anger? Lu Ze simply can't do that. And that's the formula for all talent shows these days. That's the fundamental reason why Lu Ze doesn't want to participate in these kinds of shows.

To be a mentor, you must teach them real skills within a limited time, so that even if a newcomer is eliminated, they can still rely on the skills taught by their mentor to make a living in the industry. Everything else is just fluff.

"Fifth Brother, you think too little of me. You told me you had a variety show to film, how could I not go? Why be so cautious among family? But to be honest, this matter isn't settled yet. After all, I don't even know the name of the show. You just told me you were going to produce a variety show, how can I agree? At least let me see the script, the plan, or something. Otherwise, if you really trick me into going on the show, and then you make something like 'super salty candy,' you might not care about your legs, but I do, right?"

"You're really annoying, kid. Who complains about having too many legs? This is my fault. Wait a minute, I have some project proposals in my briefcase. I'll go get them for you to take a look."

Seeing that Lu Ze agreed without a kiss, the atmosphere was finally less tense than before. Perhaps Lu Ze's agreement really helped Fifth Brother solve some troubles. Without delay, he immediately got up and went upstairs.

Just then, the noodles were cooked. After cleaning up the bowl, Lu Ze turned and went to the dining room. His teacher's wife really remembered Lu Ze's weight loss. She didn't cook much noodles, only a small bowl, but she prepared eight side dishes, all of which were low-calorie shredded vegetables, paired with fried sauce, making it a very balanced meal.

“When your master was losing weight for filming, I made this for him every day. Daze, you should try it too.”

"Alright, I'll eat a lot this time. It's been too long since I've had your Zhajiangmian (noodles with soybean paste)."

"Eat up. If you're still hungry, your master's wife will make more. It's okay to eat a little more once in a while."

Perhaps there's truth to the saying that the best Beijing-style fried noodles are made at home; no matter where you go, no restaurant can match the aroma of Old Madam Chen's.

The noodles he made himself weren't as white as the ones sold outside; they were actually a bit yellowish. The slightly thicker noodles were the texture Lu Ze liked, and they were quite chewy. Paired with the fried sauce, the salty and sweet flavor made it hard for Lu Ze, who had been eating bland food lately, to control his appetite. He picked up his chopsticks and started eating heartily.

Before he could even take two bites, a thin business plan was placed in front of him.

"have a look."

"..."

(End of this chapter)