Entertainment: I just want to be the boss behind the scenes

Chapter 402 I'm not pretending anymore. I'm a billionaire. I'm telling you.

The impact of the cold winter in the film and television industry on the entire industry is reflected in all aspects. The most obvious of these is that the number of film and television projects that have been filed and started during this period has decreased significantly.

Take the film industry as an example. Before 2000, the number of projects filed by the Film Bureau was around 3500 each year. By , the number had soared to , and is still growing rapidly at a rate of to new projects each year.

When Meng Bai just graduated, creators like him had to take their scripts to seek investment everywhere. But when Arclight Films was established, it became the investors who took the money and looked for scripts everywhere.

The value of IP has quickly become a consensus in the industry, and film and television companies, large and small, are scrambling to buy copyrights.

These copyrights have now become useless in the hands of these companies.

I want to buy it but I don’t have the money, and it’s a waste to just leave it there. I want to sell it but when I go out, I see that other people are selling it cheaper than me. Even if I bargain at a loss, no one will buy it, after all, everyone’s situation is similar.

In the past, the major acquisitions were made by several large video platforms and leading film and television companies. Now that capital has receded, all companies have entered a cooling-off period and are out of money.

The same question that these industry practitioners have been thinking about every day recently is where to find a new big sponsor.

Just at this moment, Mr. Meng from Arc Light appeared on a colorful cloud, no, on the halo of a "billionaire".

For the film and television industry, which is currently in a period of transition, Arc Light Pictures, which is strong and well-funded, is like a beacon that illuminates the entire industry, attracting everyone.

More importantly, ArcLight Pictures did not stop external acquisition projects like several other leading companies, which is great news.

At one time, a large number of small and medium-sized companies that could not survive began to send their projects to Arc Light Pictures, and sincerely expressed that they would just give them a few small gifts.

IPs that used to cost millions can now be sold for hundreds of thousands, and if you think it’s too expensive, you can lower the price. Some even offer to give it away for free, as long as they leave some money for the project in the future.

The head of Arc Light Film and Television Department initially planned to talk to everyone one by one as before. However, he soon found that even if he split one day into two days, he would not be able to finish the talks.

In desperation, he could only ask his boss for instructions. Meng Bai waved his hand and said that no matter who sent it, they should accept it first, and then they should screen it again, and keep the projects that they think are okay, and then they can take a look at it themselves.

Of course, you have to make it clear to those companies first, so that you don’t complain after being rejected.

Meng Bai retrieved several project proposals from the company's system library and took a rough look. There were all kinds of themes, and the quality was also acceptable. It was obvious that the film and television department was quite serious in the selection, but the number was a little more than expected.

After thinking for a while, he said to Hua Yan, "Go talk to the Film and Television Department later and make the screening criteria more stringent, reducing the number to a quarter of the current level. Also, when selecting, give priority to projects with innovative content. For projects with acceptable quality but outdated themes, just exclude them directly."

"Okay, I'll go talk to them right now."

Watching Hua Yan leave, Meng Bai casually looked through a few more copies, and then a feeling of irritation arose in his heart.

As Arclight Films grew in size, he had more things to take care of, and now he didn't have the energy to focus on such trivial matters as project selection. But he was worried about handing it over to others, as he always felt that some good projects might be missed.

Alas, I need to find someone to share the burden. It would be best if it was someone who had a good vision and a full understanding of the industry's needs.

Liu Zhi is one of them in Arclight. He worked his way up from the bottom with Meng Bai, and he has been an independent producer for the past two years, with good results. He has no problem with experience.

However, for him personally, it is okay for him to be responsible for the online drama, but it would be a bit of a stretch to also take charge of TV dramas and movies.

Speaking of movies, Meng Bai thought of Chen Zhixi. It must be said that this elder sister has a great eye for finding a hit, and she dares to think and gamble, but it's a pity that she is already in Ruyi.

Do you want to poach people here?
It seems that there is no need for this. After all, Arc Light does not have much film business, and it would be a bit of a waste to poach people. It would be better to maintain the cooperation as it is now.

Weighing the pros and cons in his mind, Meng Bai remembered the plan of investing in Ruyi that his sister had mentioned before.

Thinking of this, he called Gu Fei over.

"Boss, after you told me last time, we investigated some information about Ruyi." Gu Fei said, "Currently, their shares are mainly divided into two parts. One is the founders, brothers Ke Jiuming and Ke Liming, and the other is Houyang Zaihong Fund, which entered the market earlier."

"If you, boss, don't plan to acquire the company completely, then we can first invest in Houyang Zaihong Fund. About 30% of the shares will be enough to achieve actual control, and then we can indirectly control Ruyi. This is the most cost-effective way at present."

Meng Bai was thinking about Gu Fei's plan, and asked, "What do you think of the research rating of Investing in Ruyi?"

"We have studied it and found that for Arclight Films, investing in Ruyi is a very good project, both in terms of capital operation and industry expansion."

Gu Fei handed the analysis plan she had prepared to Meng Bai. After thinking for a while, she said, "Also, Boss, we heard another piece of news while we were investigating."

"what news?"

"I don't know if you have heard of Hengten Network, an Internet service company jointly established by Evergrande and Tencent. They seemed to have expressed interest in Ruyi before, but because of the current downturn in the film and television industry and the recession of the capital market this year, they suspended the planning of this project."

At this point, she lowered her voice and said, "I heard that Hengten Network's original Internet service business has been somewhat hindered. In addition, Evergrande has always wanted to enter the film and television industry, so it has never given up on Ruyi. When the situation in the capital market improves, it is very likely that this acquisition plan will be restarted."

"We are investing now to achieve cooperation and to enhance the attractiveness of Ruyi. If Hengten Network restarts the acquisition in the future, we will make a lot of money from this deal. Even if there is no acquisition, the cooperation itself is not a loss. I think we can give it a try."

Meng Bai thought about what Gu Fei said and felt that it was indeed as she said. Ruyi's own value was still good, and it was even more favorable to buy it at this time when the film and television industry was in decline. If he could really bet on an acquisition later, he would make a lot of money.

“How much money will it take?”

"The current asset value of Houyang Zaihong is not high. To complete the actual holding, it will not exceed 1.5 million at most."

"Dollar?"

Gu Fei was stunned when she heard this: "Renminbi... in US dollars it's about 20 million."

"Ahahaha, that's really cheap."

Meng Bai laughed dryly. Lately, he had been seeing news about his ranking frequently. All of his assets were in U.S. dollars, and for a moment he was unable to react.

The price of 1.5 million is not expensive. Of course, the control of this indirect shareholding is certainly not as good as direct capital injection. However, this is the common way of playing in the capital market, and the emphasis is on making a small investment for a big gain.

Meng Bai's previous practice of directly investing money was actually quite unusual.

Perhaps this is the difference between working in the real economy and working in finance.

After thinking for a long time, Meng Bai initially approved of Gu Fei's plan, but he was not in a hurry. He planned to go back with Gu Fei to Ruyi to talk to Chen Zhixi and Ke Liming in detail before deciding on the final plan.
-
The official media were quite quick in responding. Just one day after the interview, exclusive reports on Meng Bai were released one after another.

"The next wave is coming! The post-90s "first generation of entrepreneurs" show the power of youth"

"Interview with Meng Bai: Looking at the cultural confidence of a great power from the rise of Chinese drama"

Meng Bai: Actually I am just a creator

"No fear of 'winter', the future of the film and television industry lies in content quality"

"..."

The official reports are quite formal, and the content is mostly mainstream, without the gossip that netizens love to read. However, Meng Bai is currently gaining popularity, so even if it is an official report, the traffic is not low at all.

On the Internet, his popularity is even higher.

Meng Bai's Weibo account, which only posted one message every six months, has now been certified, and its number of followers has increased to more than 400 million.

Contrary to public expectations, Mr. Meng does not seem to be as aloof as imagined. He first posted a Weibo with a picture of Shen Teng's famous scene in "The Richest Tomato" -

I won’t pretend anymore. I’m a billionaire and I’m telling you.

When netizens saw this Weibo post, they were stunned at first, and then they couldn't help but laugh.

I have to say, this sentence is so appropriate here.

By the way, everyone also developed a sense of identification with this "rich peer".

Nowadays, being rich and down-to-earth is indeed a popular personality, but it also requires a certain method. If you say you eat simply while sitting on a private plane, people will just think you are showing off; but if you drink happy water in a board meeting, it will be more natural.

Of course, Meng Bai's memes are not just for the sake of personal image, after all, he doesn't intend to become an internet celebrity. Immediately after the first Weibo post, he launched a lucky draw event.

[Now there are 500 million fans, so I have set up winners, men and women. Just forward the topic #Lunar New Year's Day Watch "The Wandering Earth"# to participate in the lottery. Each winner can get a yuan red envelope, plus a ticket to the premiere of the Spring Festival movie "The Wandering Earth". ]

Just like the previous interview, his main purpose was to promote the movie. He didn't use the money from the production team's publicity and promotion funds, but paid it out of his own pocket.

The lottery worth 200,000 yuan is still very attractive. In just one day, nearly 100,000 people have participated in it, and "The Wandering Earth" has also received a lot of attention.

Guo Fan took advantage of this popularity and released a trailer for the movie, officially starting the movie preheating.

There were quite a lot of audiences attracted to the movie, but most of them subconsciously became calm when they saw that the movie was about science fiction.

There is no way. The "domestic science fiction movie" is really a big scam. The audience has been deceived more than once or twice. They are almost ptsd.

Let's look at the production team, the director Guo Fan, a name I haven't heard of. Check out his previous works, a 6.4-point "The Adventures of Li Xianji" and a 6-point "My Deskmate".

You are a youth film director, and you want to make a science fiction film? Who would think it is credible if you say this?

The same goes for the cast. The two young leading actors are unfamiliar. Uncle Da surprised everyone for a moment but that was it. When we saw Wu Jing again, wow, isn’t this “Wolf Warrior”? Is it a space version this time?

It can be said that judging from the information on paper alone, this movie is full of flaws.

Of course, not everyone is so pessimistic. After watching the trailer, some viewers felt that it was not as bad as they imagined.

[Not to mention, this snowflake special effect and the freezing effect look pretty good. ]

[Fuck, is that distant view at the end of the trailer the "planetary engine" in the novel? The modeling quality doesn't seem to be bad.]

[I advise you to be more cautious. Who knows if this is a trailer or a "trailer scam."]

[That’s right, nowadays these film crews are really good at playing. Who knows, maybe all the watchable parts of the whole movie were cut in.]

[Lian Liu is the same, why doesn't he find a reliable team? Guo Fan is a youth film director, what does he know about science fiction? 】

[……] It can be seen that everyone is satisfied with the effect shown in the trailer, but they are also worried about being deceived.

Meng Bai and Guo Fan had no other solution to this problem. Unless they could bring the movie online, it would be useless for them to explain it themselves.

Anyway, we have done everything we can. Now we just have to wait until the first day of the Lunar New Year, when the audience goes to the theaters to find out whether this movie is the beginning of "domestic science fiction" or just a step too far.
-
Blue Island, Oriental Movie Metropolis Studio.

"Ah-"

The sound of gears turning rapidly was heard, and Li Qin, wearing a black motion capture suit, suddenly stepped to the ground, and then flew up quickly under the traction of the wire. Then he did a forward kick in the air and landed accurately on the designated high platform.

"Very good, everyone cooperated very well this time."

On the ground, Lu Yang chatted with the action director for a few words, then praised everyone on the scene, and then quickly asked the wire crew to let down Li Qin who was still on top.

"Teacher Li, your movements this time are very beautiful. When we start the official shooting, just keep this level." The director Lu Yang took the initiative to greet him and said politely.

This is the crew of "Assassination of Novelist", but it has not officially started yet, and everyone is in the early stages of action practice and running-in.

"I'm sorry, Director, for causing trouble for everyone."

Li Qin's forehead was covered with sweat, and her face looked a little pale due to physical exhaustion. She said apologetically, "I don't have much experience in action scenes, so if there are any inappropriate parts, just let me know."

"No, no, it's fine now." Lu Yang said with a smile: "As for the action scenes, we were not familiar with them at the beginning, otherwise there would be no need for us to practice in advance."

After saying that, he looked at Li Qin's face and instructed: "Teacher Li, take a break first and continue in the afternoon."

Li Qin thanked him and then walked to the edge of the training ground.

A girl with short hair and a sweet smile was standing here. Seeing Li Qin walking towards her, she quickly waved her hand: "Qinqin!"

"Yixin!"

The person who came was Tang Yixin.

"Why are you here?" Li Qin asked in surprise.

"I wanted to ask you something, and then I remembered that you were filming here recently, so I came to take a look." Tang Yixin looked at Li Qin's motion capture suit with envy, "You looked so handsome in those few moves just now!"

Li Qin smiled bitterly: "I have been practicing for two days, and you just saw the best one."

She thought that since she had some basic knowledge of drama body movements, the action scenes should not be difficult. But when she actually arrived at the scene and saw the demonstration of the action director, she found that things were far from as simple as she thought.

She had no choice but to film the action director's demonstration while practicing intensively in private.

"It's so hard." Tang Yixin asked doubtfully, "I noticed your director was quite polite to you."

"It's because they are so polite that I have to practice to the standard." Li Qin sighed, "Otherwise, it would make it difficult for that guy."

"Oh - so it's the power of love."

Tang Yixin smiled jokingly. She naturally understood who "that guy" her best friend was talking about.

"Oh, it's really hard to believe. I knew that our Boss Meng was rich, but I didn't expect him to be so rich. Mrs. Meng, why are you still working so hard to film? Just let Boss Meng support you."

"What Mrs. Meng? That sounds weird." Li Qin suppressed a smile and acted like a proud and indifferent person. "Besides, who wants him to support me? It's not like I can't make money."

"Tsk tsk, what a hypocritical woman! When she heard 'Mrs. Meng' just now, she must have been so happy that she almost flew away." Tang Yixin exposed her without hesitation.

Li Qin angrily responded: "How dare you say that to me? Humph, I wonder who is talking about 'my Mr. Zhang' all day long..."

The two best friends reveal each other's "weaknesses" and try to hurt each other.

"Okay, you just said you had something to talk to me about, what is it?"

Tang Yixin smoothed her hair and said a little embarrassedly: "Well - Mr. Zhang proposed to me two days ago."

"Wow!" Li Qin's eyes widened instantly: "So, you are planning to get married?"

"Yeah." Tang Yixin had a happy smile on her face, "It's currently scheduled for June next year."

"So early!"

"It's not too early actually. I'll be thirty next year."

"Ah, this..."

Li Qin was a little dazed. Although she knew her age, she still felt like she was traveling through time when she suddenly heard the news of her friend's marriage.

Fortunately, I am only twenty-two years and seventy-two months old, still very young.

Well, she is too embarrassed to start counting from the age of eighteen now.

"Is the wedding in Jingbei?"

"No, to Ireland."

"So far?" Li Qin asked in surprise.

Tang Yixin smiled and said, "It is said that there was a law in Ireland in the past that prohibited lovers from divorcing."

"Well, how romantic..."

Li Qin's eyes flickered, and she couldn't help but imagine the scene of Tang Yixin and Zhang Ruoyun getting married. After thinking for a while, the two faces turned into her and Meng Bai again.

If Meng Bai proposed to me, should I say yes, yes, yes, or yes? It was really annoying.

"Hey hey hey..."

Tang Yixin looked at her best friend who suddenly laughed: "What are you laughing at?"

"Ah, nothing." Li Qin shook her head and threw away the fantasy picture: "June, right? I will definitely be there by then."

"Uh, actually I wanted you to be my bridesmaid."

"Bridesmaid? Okay!" Li Qin agreed without thinking.

"Hehe, I know that you are the best to me, Qinqin."

"Then do you want me to talk to Meng Bai?"

"No need, my old Zhang went to find him."

……

"marry?"

In the villa, Meng Bai paused the game, put down the controller, and looked at Zhang Ruoyun in surprise: "Getting married next year?"

"Yes, it has been decided."

"No, brother..." Meng Bai patted his shoulder, "You are in your prime, why are you so desperate to get married?"

Zhang Ruoyun glanced at him and said, "I'm already over 30, it's normal to get married."

"Well, that's right..."

Meng Bai sighed, then stood up, looked out the window, and put his hands together in a prayer gesture: "Today, a friend is leaving. I hope he can enjoy peace in the future..."

"Hey, that's enough." Zhang Ruoyun said helplessly: "I'm getting married, not dying."

"That's about it." Meng Bai waved his hand. "Forget it. Everyone has to go through this step. You've grown up now. I'll be relieved once you find a wife..."

"Fuck you!" Zhang Ruoyun cursed with a smile, and then said: "It's agreed that you have to come when the time comes."

"No problem." Meng Bai said cheerfully, "Be your best man?"

"Well, if you become the best man, I'm afraid no one else will dare to do it." Zhang Ruoyun said, "How about you be our witness."

"Fuck, I suddenly feel a great responsibility." Meng Bai said: "Anyway, if Teacher Tang has no objection, I don't care."

"I told her, it's settled."

Come to think of it, although elders are usually the witnesses, there are no strict rules. And considering the complexity of Zhang Ruoyun's family, it might not be easy to find an elder to come out.

"Next June, Northern Ireland."

Meng Bai raised his eyebrows and said, "China is so big, can't it accommodate your love?"

"She likes that style." Zhang Ruoyun said, "And it is said that there is a law in Irish history that once a couple gets married, they cannot divorce. It can be considered a good omen."

"Hmm..." Meng Bai nodded, "The marriage rate in this place shouldn't be high, right? No wonder it has become a legend."

"Fuck, what you said...seems to make sense."

(End of this chapter)