I was just thinking about taking the arts exam and you said I've been playing supporting roles

Chapter 390 Returning Home! Electric Power Company Profit Settlement!
2012 4 Month 15 Day.

Amidst excited cheers in the editing room, the entire editing team of "Killer: Dragon," including Chen Jin, David, and others, believed that the best rough cut had finally been released.

This is the version that Lin Duo and Ye Ruchang felt was the best after professional discussion, based on Chen Jin's edited version.

Basically, everyone was very satisfied.

Even Chen Jin, after watching it many times, felt that this version was richer in detail than the original "John Wick".

In many places, it doesn't look as abrupt as the original.

2 hours and 48 minutes.

There's still room for fine-tuning, but basically it involves removing unnecessary details and keeping the film within a 2-hour timeframe.

Other tasks such as background music and voice-over can also be done.

"I can finally go back to China with peace of mind!"

The production team of "Grandma's Grandson," which is Wen Muye's team, has been urging him several times.

They were just waiting for him to join the crew and start filming, but the male lead was nowhere to be seen.

Several supporting actors have already finished filming their scenes, only his part is left to be filmed. Filming started at the beginning of the year.

Art films are easier to shoot; unlike commercial blockbusters and action films, which require shooting to be done in conjunction with special effects and involve frequent discussions, making the process much more complicated.

This is why many directors are good at and enjoy making art films.

Simple and inexpensive, all for the purpose of winning the prize.

Moreover, especially for newcomers, art films are the best training ground for directors, provided the script is good.

Commercial films, on the other hand, are somewhat polarized.

Either you fail to make a good film and get fired, as no investor will want to use you; or you become an overnight sensation and become increasingly popular.

Of course, some became arrogant after their initial success, only to have their second installment be a complete flop.

Excluding Chen Jin, David, Chad, and Guo Fan all belong to the category of commercial films that are getting better and better.

……

"David, Mr. Ye!"

"The rest is up to you two. If anything comes up, we'll contact you by phone or computer!"

After the celebratory dinner that evening, Chen Jin gave the entire crew a three-day break.

Three days later, the entire crew will begin post-production work on "Killer: Dragon" and will also need to liaise with Relativity Media to prepare for the upcoming release.

It's definitely not going to be ready during summer vacation. Even though the rough cut saved a lot of time, the post-production will still take two months.

With marketing and distribution added in, September is the fastest release date.

However, this period is not a good time to book, whether in China or North America.

Chen Jin was thinking about whether she could put it in the year-end holiday season to allow more time and make more thorough preparations.

It's possible that "Grandma's Grandson" might be released even faster than "Killer: Dragon".

That's how commercial films are; they have to find release dates.

"Understood, boss. You can go back to China with peace of mind!"

"Leave this to me!"

During the month or so that Ye Ruchang spent with Chen Jin, she developed a deep respect for Chen Jin.

This guy was born to make a living in the film industry.

It's not just acting; he's incredibly talented in directing, editing, even producing and marketing. This is something he, who only excels at editing, can't learn just by admiring.

Just like how he admired Guo Fan, who was also a polymath.

In this world, there are those who understand one method and understand all methods.

Guo Fan is also a producer, director, coordinator, and someone who can handle publicity and editing; but compared to his boss Chen Jin, he is still far inferior.

Take the rough cut of "Killer Dragon" for example, it's the level of a beginner.
All I can say is that they were blessed with natural talent.

That's god-level talent.

Guo Fan was at most a silver-level expert in his eyes.

"Understood. I was preparing for the filming of 'A Trip to Hong Kong' while also handling post-production!"

David Leitch is similar to Ye Ruchang.

Old Ye is at least one of our own, while David was brought into the team by Chen Jin halfway through, and now he is someone who truly respects him.

And then there's his follower, Banchad.

Chen Jin explained everything one by one, and finally walked up to Sun Nuo.

"I never expected our project to succeed; it seems pretty good..."

Sun Nuo chuckled, but the thought of Chen Jin calling him specifically to film a movie together in Hollywood made him quite uncertain.

He witnessed firsthand how Chen Jin, after arriving in the unfamiliar United States, gradually built up the business she has today, and also learned about relativity, legends... Now, his first film with Chen Jin, "Killer: Dragon," is just one step away from final post-production before its official release.

This can be considered his debut as an independent action director, which is very important to Chen Jin and also very important to him.

This movie is crucial to whether his career can reach new heights in North America.

The same is true for others, of course.

But unlike Sun Nuo and Chen Jin, who are Chinese and have come overseas to make their way in the world, they lack the urgency and effort to prove themselves.

"Bro, you can start designing action sequences for the next film!"

Chen Jin patted Sun Nuo on the shoulder, and Sun Nuo grinned: "The Hong Kong Trip?"

"The movements are easy to explain, simpler than the Killer Dragon!"

"You should have David find a top-notch team of prop masters and makeup artists!"

"I know that, he's already looking for it!"

The rare thing about zombie movies is actually the zombies, not the lead actors.

To create a zombie-like effect, the requirements for extras are quite high, as are makeup and props. Actions are secondary; computer simulations can be used for them to learn.

The makeup and props are bad; the zombies look very fake.

Chen Jin toasted with several team leaders one by one, explained the details, and then boarded the plane to China with peace of mind.

After circling over the Pacific Ocean for nearly 13 hours, Chen Jin finally arrived in the long-awaited capital.

Chen Jin discreetly got into the car sent by the company to pick him up.

I'll be off tomorrow, but I have to go to the company today to handle some business that's been left over since the Lunar New Year.

I've been in the US for almost a month and a half, and there's still a lot to take care of.

First of all, filming for "Coming Home" has already started in Beijing, and Zhu Yanmanzi is currently filming in the production team, so Chen Jin didn't bother her. Apart from their daily routine of contact, they are both working hard for their careers.

Besides "Coming Home", Zhu Yanmanzi has also started filming "Black Coal, Thin Ice" and "Silent Witness". She has a role in all three of these films.

Apart from "Coming Home" where she played the second female lead with limited screen time, she was the female lead in both "Daylight" and "The People".

Of course, both "Daylight" and "The People" are male-centric films, and even the female lead doesn't have many scenes. So Zhu Yanmanzi can join three different productions in three months, and there's no issue of filming multiple projects at once; the schedules are seamless.

Moreover, they are all from our own company, so it's easy to arrange.

As for the highly anticipated film "Lost in Thailand" for next year's Spring Festival, it is currently in the final stages of production and is expected to be completed around the same time as "Killer: Dragon".

Chen Jin was unavailable, so she had Guo Fan spend a few days there, acting as supervisor and producer.

Chen Jin was quite reassured about him in this regard.

Meanwhile, "The Wandering Earth" has been making pre-production preparations, including building a sci-fi base and coordinating with domestic special effects companies. Mojing Tiancheng is also learning technology from Nolan. Nolan is clearly giving China Film Group a chance to capitalize on this opportunity, taking advantage of the honeymoon period surrounding the mainland release of "The Dark Knight Rises."

Yes, this is a project spearheaded by China Film Group and the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television. It is said that several new directors will be sent to Hollywood to study next year.

In the original timeline, Guo Fan was supposed to be on the list, but since he had already returned from his studies, they decided to send a special effects team to learn from him as well.

Hollywood is quite welcoming to "guests from China".

The Dark Knight Rises has been officially scheduled for release on August 27th, catching the last train of the summer season. It is already the earliest to be released among a group of Hollywood blockbusters eager to make a fortune in China's summer movie season.

This is, of course, thanks to the connections with China Film Group; now, Han Sanpin's position is unshakeable.

Judging from his close cooperation with the Hollywood and Chinese film industries, his merits outweigh his demerits.

As for the other projects in film science, such as "Love is Not Blind 3", which has already started filming, and "American Dreams in China", which is a collaboration with China Film Group, just finished filming a few days ago.

The combined box office of "So Young" and "The Battle of Nanjing" reached 35.2 billion yuan. After a month of extended release, "The Battle of Nanjing" finally reached 17.89 billion yuan.

The proceeds from the profit-sharing have now been arriving in the accounts one after another.

With a total box office revenue of 9.9 million yuan, plus income from streaming media rights and other sources, the company's working capital finally exceeded 10 billion yuan.

This does not include the nearly 4000 million US dollars in overseas funds.

There was also nearly 2 million yuan in the account previously, for various investments.

Liaoliao, Dida, and others have all launched their second and third rounds of financing, with CETC Holdings participating in all of them.

Even so, CETC still has ample funds in its accounts.

"Conservatively speaking, 'American Dreams in China' will be released during the Lunar New Year holiday season!"

"It's a bit of a stretch to release it during the National Day holiday, and we definitely have to release 'Love is Not Blind 3' on Singles' Day, which will compete with our own films!"

Chen Jin was talking to Chen Su.

"Yes, if you hadn't come back, I was going to call you about this!"

"It's mainly about your movie!"

Chen Su knew, of course, that Chen Jin focused her main energy on the films she starred in and directed, and that her own projects were currently earning less than a single film by Chen Jin.

This is, of course, because "Lost in Thailand" hasn't been released yet.

What's wrong with my movie?

Chen Jin hadn't reacted yet.

"Didn't you say that you wanted to release 'Killer Dragon' globally? But if it's released during next year's Chinese New Year, what will happen to 'Lost in Thailand'?"

"Correct!"

Chen Jin has actually come to her senses in the past few days.

Although the movie "Killer Dragon" is very exciting, "Lost in Thailand" is still the most suitable movie for the Spring Festival.

And barring any unforeseen circumstances, his competitor for this year's Spring Festival film season will be Stephen Chow.

This guy is here with the big IP "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons".

The only thing that can beat him is the phenomenal "Lost in Thailand"!

It's not that Chen Jin lacks confidence in his work, but rather that there's no need to compete fiercely during the Spring Festival film season; he can make money in other periods as well.

Most importantly, he mainly wanted to make money off of Killer Dragon!
US dollars are his target.

Domestically, let "Lost in Thailand" compete with it.

It's possible that Stephen Chow's comedic legend might be dethroned by Xu Guangtou's directorial debut.

Although "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" is a good film, "Lost in Thailand" is even better.

Let's hope the audience enjoy some good things this Spring Festival, unlike before when "Jinling" made many people cry.

"Let's put 'Killer: Dragon' on hold for now!"

"Let me see what happens in North America first..."

Chen Jin naturally wanted to achieve perfection, scheduling a time slot in China and also taking a popular vacation in North America.

But there's no such thing as a free lunch, so we need to think things through carefully before making a decision.

"Okay, let's secure the release dates for these three movies first!"

Love is Not Blind 3, Singles' Day!

"American Dreams in China" is a Lunar New Year film.

Lost in Thailand, next Chinese New Year!

Killer: Dragon, tentative title.

This is also a key project that CETC will focus on promoting next year. If all goes as expected, even more movies will be released next year.

That might be the moment when they truly clash with Huayi.

"Actually, it started this year!"

"We don't have any films for the summer season, but Huayi Brothers' 'Painted Skin 2' is coming out; and they'll definitely be releasing one for Singles' Day this year!"

"Jackie Chan's 'Chinese Zodiac' and Feng Xiaogang's 'Back to 1942' will definitely be released during the Lunar New Year holiday!"

"Next year will see Stephen Chow's 'Journey to the West'!"

Chen Su knew his rival in the same city very well.

Even though the two companies keep to themselves, they are often compared in the industry. If they were to actually clash head-on, they would still have to be prepared.

After all, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse, and Huayi is no camel either. It is now rich and powerful, and this is Huayi's most domineering period.

Just look at the movies it's going to be in; they're either Jackie Chan, Stephen Chow, or Feng Xiaogang.

These three people are now all cooperating with Huayi.

"It's okay if you run into them, just try not to do them on the same day!"

If we can avoid it, we should; if we can't avoid it, we should confront it head-on. Huayi's lineup is very strong, but that doesn't mean Chen Jin wouldn't dare to go for it!
Isn't there still a "Killer Dragon" project in the pipeline?

"What are you going to do with so much money in the account?"

After talking with Chen Su, Chen Jin did not rush home. Instead, she pretended to rest in her office, but her mind was on the system.

Let's see if we can invest in some films, or other projects.

We can't let 10 billion yuan sit idle in a cold account.

With that in mind, Chen Jin began quickly flipping through movies from 2013 onwards... as well as some news about business investments.

Goodbye Mr. Loser, Blossom in the Wind, The Continent...

Chen Jin watched them one by one; many of these films had no shortage of funding.

However, since CETC is a well-known name in the industry, they would definitely want to find a major production company to share some of the risks and secure screen time.

The main focus is still on marketing and distribution. Take "Goodbye Mr. Loser" for example. It was Happy Twist's first time making a movie, so they definitely wanted to find someone familiar with the industry to help them out, so that they could achieve a win-win situation through cooperation.

The model is similar to Chen Jin's collaboration with Relativity.

It's all about getting screen time and market share.

Therefore, these are all investment opportunities.

"Let Chen Su keep an eye on it..."

Chen Jin was only responsible for assigning him projects; as for investments and collaborations, those were definitely left to his subordinates!

(End of this chapter)