In Huayu, the career reward is spy

Chapter 219 Overcome difficulties yourself

In the quiet study, Ji Yu drank tea while reading the script.

He didn't need to read the script for "House of Flying Daggers"; he remembered the plot perfectly.

All I can say is that the plot is a complete mess, but the visuals are stunning.

The commercial martial arts film in front of me is passable.

Zhang Yimou is not purely a businessman; he wants to be both good and clever, but the key is that he can't grasp the balance between art and commerce.

The movie "Hero" was very well made; the plot and pacing in the beginning were top-notch. However, the ending was a mess, causing all the emotions and pacing built up in the beginning to dissipate in a flood, and it was even a floppy mess.

The plot and character design of House of Flying Daggers are even worse.

A jumbled mess of settings are mixed together.

The plot points that should have been explained are not explained, the conflicts between the martial arts world and the government are not shown, and the clashes of intrigue and trickery are not depicted.

They're quite enthusiastic about romance and sex scenes.

Zhang Yimou, there are no heroes after him.

Ji Yu couldn't help but sigh and continued reading the script in his hand.

This script is quite interesting. It was sent by Shanghai Film Studio, who want him to play the male lead.

The movie is called Brothers, and the story is set in 1930s Shanghai. The male lead is an assassin.

Ji Yu's debut work was about a psychopathic killer in Shanghai, and now he's doing another one.

It's likely that Shanghai Film Group is trying to create hype and gain attention by using him.

Ji Yu clicked his tongue, hesitating whether or not to take the role.

The male lead's character is quite interesting; he's a tough guy assassin with outstanding abilities, so he should be able to acquire quite a few skills.

He should have skills like disguise, assassination, and hand-to-hand combat, which would allow him to upgrade his existing skills.

This project is tentative. If we can't find a better one, we can consider taking on this film as a favor to Shanghai Film Studio.

As long as the pay is enough, that's fine. Actors just need to work and earn money.

Ji Yu continued reading the script, his mind racing with a thousand curses.

There are so many art-house film scripts! Why are there so few commercial films in China?
It's not that art films are bad, the problem is that these art films are all a bit mystical.

There are people selling meat, people involved in homosexuality, and people who delve into the dark side of society.

Ji Yu shook his head as he watched. Commercial films from the mainland are difficult, and art films are even more damn difficult. They're all made by a bunch of crazy directors with nothing but sour grapes.

There is no art at all; it's all personal agenda.

These directors don't care about the actors' lives or deaths; they only care about whether they enjoy making the film.

They'll try to fool you before filming, but then completely ignore you after something goes wrong.

Hao Lei is the best example. She took off all her clothes and filmed seven or eight nude sex scenes in one movie, but in the end, she didn't get anything.

No, that's not right either. Western white men saw the hair.

What's the point of an actor making art films if they don't win any awards?

Ji Yu threw all these messy art film scripts into the trash can.

Damn it, what bad luck!
Unfortunately, there are currently no commercial film projects in China.

Why is it so difficult to make commercial films in mainland China? Only two or three directors dare to make them.

No wonder Han Shanping was so eager to push out big-budget films.

He could even push away that piece of trash, Wuji, because he really couldn't find anyone else to help him.

Currently, for commercial films, you still have to look to Hong Kong directors.

Ji Yu took out his phone and called Lao Cai.

I'd like to ask her if she has any good projects that she can reserve for him.

Initial D can be filmed in a month, now is the time to look for new projects.

Hong Kong, Huaguoxing CEO's office.

Old Cai rubbed his throbbing temples, feeling like he was about to explode with annoyance.

How come listed companies spend their money so quickly?

On the table in front of her were more than a dozen film projects, all handed over by prominent figures in the Hong Kong film industry.

Or it could be a project to support artists within the company.

Each one requires an investment of at least several million, but the return is not guaranteed.

How much rice did the Xiang family actually wash with this stuff before? Did they make such a huge profit?
Just then, the phone on the table suddenly rang. She picked it up and glanced at it, her eyes brightening with newfound energy.

"Hey! Ji Yu, have you rested enough?" Old Cai asked quickly, with a lot to say.

Ji Yu hummed in agreement and asked with a smile, "You don't sound too good. You've been working hard lately, haven't you?"

Old Cai grunted and said with some grievance, "I'm exhausted. I don't want to be a female CEO anymore. My family workshop is fine."

Ji Yu knew that she was not quite used to it and was feeling a bit emotional.

So I coaxed her like a child for a long time before I finally calmed her down.

After Lao Cai had vented her emotions, Ji Yu asked her what was troubling her.

Old Cai gets really excited when this comes up, and he starts counting on his fingers to calculate the costs for him.

Gu Tianle is the company's top star, and he's going to film a Category III film with Chen Yixun? Is he crazy?!

Ji Yu was speechless. How did these two come up with the idea of ​​making a Category III film?

Upon further inquiry, it was discovered that the film was not originally rated Category III; it was simply that the director wanted to film nude scenes, and if there were too many nude scenes, it would be classified as Category III.

These damn directors, can't they make movies without showing nudity?
Old Cai sighed, "We can't refuse to approve it; we have to keep Gu Tianle."

Ji Yu thought for a moment and said, "Then let's approve it. The investment shouldn't be too big, and with enough hype, we can recoup our costs."

"There's another one, a romance film starring Louis Koo and Sean Lau, which is a project in collaboration with Sil-Metropole Organisation. I don't have high hopes for it, but I don't want to offend Sil-Metropole Organisation."

“Yindu Institution is a special case; if the amount isn’t large, just approve it.”

Sil-Metropole Organisation, the only official film company from mainland China operating in Hong Kong, can have its films screened directly in mainland China without censorship or being counted in the import quota.

To open a film company in Hong Kong, you definitely need to maintain a good relationship with Sil-Metropole Organisation.

While Ji Yu was thinking, Lao Cai was still complaining: "Er Dongsheng also came looking for investment. He got half from Yindu Group and said that the Xiang family had promised to give him the other half. He hopes that I can keep my promise."

"Well, you should give it to them. Their family is large and powerful. When you make movies in Hong Kong in the future, you'll definitely need to use their family members."

Er Dongsheng's family background is quite complicated.

His father was a veteran in the Hong Kong film industry, and he had good relations with the five major left-wing film companies in Hong Kong back then. The current Sil-Metropole Organisation was formed by the merger of several of these companies.

It's not surprising that Er Dongsheng was able to receive investment from Silver City Group.

Ren Dongsheng's mother was a famous actress. She remarried with two sons in tow: one was the supporting actor Qin Tuo, and the other was the famous actor Jiang Dawei.

Most importantly, Derek Yee's family has deep roots in the Hong Kong entertainment circle, with dozens of members working in the film industry.

They belong to a powerful and influential family within the Hong Kong entertainment circle.

Such families must maintain a good cooperative relationship.

It's not bad to keep it for cheering and waving flags.

The Xiang family can get a frantic whitewashing from a bunch of Hong Kong celebrities; these people are still useful.

Having just acquired China Star Entertainment, they desperately need established film families like Sil-Metropole Organisation and Derek Yee to turn around their reputation.

It's not easy to rule a country you've seized.

Ji Yu could see Lao Cai's current situation through these projects.

Many of these projects are collaborations with other companies or with well-known directors in the Hong Kong film industry.

Several of them are co-productions with mainland China.

The film is a co-production, an art-house film called Jade Goddess of Mercy, directed by Ann Hui, with China Film Group leading the investment and Yinghuang Group following suit. It will be distributed in Hong Kong by China Star Entertainment.

A co-production, a family-themed film, "A Remarkable Father," co-produced by Tianjin Film Studio. A crime film, "Black and White Forest," directed by Wang Jin, used to win over veteran filmmakers and maintain morale.

After listening to Lao Cai's explanation, Ji Yu fully understood her pain.

It's all about personal relationships, not business.

The only one I felt was good was "Running Out of Time with Great Wisdom," which has already signed a contract with Andy Lau.

Ji Yu really wanted the role, but it was difficult to snatch it from Liu Dehua.

After all, mainland brokerage companies still need him to maintain their image.

The current problems of Huaguoxing are historical issues.

The Xiang family wanted to clean up their image, so they had to cooperate and build connections with various people to gain benefits.

Now that Ji Yu and Lao Cai have taken over, they also need to manage these cooperative relationships well.

Huaguoxing is a distribution company and needs to maintain good cooperation with various cinema chains and film production companies.

Otherwise, Huaguoxing's main business would be finished.

At this moment, Ji Yu almost forgot that he had come to look for a project and started to give Lao Cai advice on how to deal with the current situation.

As for his own problems, only he can solve them.

If you can't find good roles, then create them! With money, you don't have to worry about not having anyone to write scripts!

In the study, Ji Yu twirled the pen in his hand, lost in thought.

Once you embark on the path of capital, many things become complicated.

It's far more than just throwing money at it.

As for Hua Guoxing, Lao Cai can handle it for now, so there shouldn't be any problems.

As for himself, he still needs to figure out how to make his own movies.

Zhang Yimou's "House of Flying Daggers" is a step up in terms of star power, and has nothing to do with the film's reputation.

Even if the movie is terrible, everyone will only criticize Zhang Yimou.

From both a system reward and business perspective, "Ambush from Ten Sides" is a good choice.

Ji Yu recalled the plot and characters of House of Ten Sides and estimated that he should be able to obtain ancient martial arts, assassination, reconnaissance, hidden weapons, and physical enhancement.

These are all quite practical skills.

As for the Initial D movie that will be filmed in a few days, Ji Yu doesn't need to guess what the system will reward him with.

Grinding tofu, making tofu, delivering tofu, racing cars.
That's all Takumi Fujiwara knows.

The character's skill bonuses aren't very practical, but the movie has great commercial potential.

It's much better than those projects that don't benefit from either.

If we can't find a suitable role this year, then let's bring out Wesley and make a movie!
Wesley's abilities are too comprehensive.

They can speak alien languages ​​and their biotechnology is among the best in the world, which allows Ji Yu to repeatedly hone his biological research skills.

You don't need to be too good at fighting; even the best martial arts skills are no match for a kitchen knife.

Living to a ripe old age is the ultimate goal; biotechnology is far more useful than martial arts.

If you play Wesley repeatedly, you should be able to raise his biotechnology abilities to a fairly high level.

In the future, medical aesthetic companies will be able to scam a lot of money.

That's it for now this year. Initial D, House of Flying Daggers, and Wesley—three movies in total, just right.

The "Ambush from Ten Sides" project also has potential.

I'll have a good talk with Zhang Weiping tomorrow.

The next day, Ji Yu went to see Zhang Weiping.

The other party was very friendly and warmly invited Ji Yu to participate in the film, and offered to set any conditions he wanted.

Ji Yu smiled slightly and said, "Two requests: I hope to invest in this movie, and secondly, I would like to replace the female lead."

Zhang Weiping: "???" You actually brought that up!

Ji Yu pouted, "You get upset when I actually make a request."

Investment is necessary; this movie did well at the box office, and we can make a profit.

Most importantly, Ji Yu wanted to collaborate with Jiang Zhiqiang through this film.

Jiang Zhiqiang's Edko Films will be the biggest film company in Hong Kong's future.

This old guy has money and connections, now it's a good time to use them to replenish Hua Guoxing's resources.

You could hire him to handle the overseas distribution of Initial D.

Neither Huaguoxing nor Yinghuang have overseas channels, making it difficult for them to sell their films in the North American market.

Jiang Zhiqiang was the most attractive aspect of the "Ambush from Ten Sides" project to Ji Yu.

Sitting opposite Ji Yu, Zhang Weiping had no idea what he was thinking; he only felt that Ji Yu was too greedy!
It's going too far for an actor like you to invest in a project and then change the female lead!

There are too few Chinese actors with a certain degree of international recognition.

If not Zhang Ziyi, who else could they use? They all want to sell their products overseas to make money.

The main reason why Zhang Ziyi has been able to become the leading lady in blockbuster films in recent years is that she was lucky enough to be selected for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and also collaborated with City Dragon on Rush Hour 2.

These two films gave her a certain degree of recognition in the North American market.

Overseas film companies are willing to pay her; otherwise, with her high salary, who would want to use her?

Although Zhang Weiping really wanted to use Ji Yu, he couldn't agree to this.

“Ji Yu, I can’t agree to either of your requests. How about this, I’ll increase the fee by another 500,000.”

"Is this really difficult?"

"This is really difficult. Investment decisions are not something I can make alone, and Yi Mou's side won't agree to it if the female lead is replaced."

"Alright, then we won't change the female lead. As for the investment, call over the people who can make the decisions so we can discuss it together."

Ji Yu was just saying it casually when he mentioned changing the female lead; he didn't expect Zhang Weiping to actually agree.

It's really hard to find a more suitable actress. There are plenty of actresses who are prettier than Zhang Ziyi, and many who are better at acting than her, but there are very few actresses who are better at acting, prettier, and have international fame than her.

We can't exactly cast Gong Li or Zhang Manyu, as they're not the right age for Ji Yu.

The female lead can stay, but the investment must be secured!

Even a small percentage, like 5%, would be good news for Huaguoxing's stock price.

With "Hero" just grossing hundreds of millions at the box office, Zhang Yimou is riding high.

Ji Yu looked at Zhang Weiping and continued, "How about this, you call Jiang Zhiqiang and tell him I want to invest, he'll definitely agree."

Zhang Weiping was surprised that Ji Yu would address Jiang Zhiqiang by his first name so casually!
This is very wrong!
Is the news from the Hong Kong entertainment circle true?

Did Sugar Man really wipe out the Xiang family and swallow up Huaguo Star?
There is very little information about the Xiang family and Hua Guoxing in mainland China, and no one in Hong Kong dares to spread rumors, after all, they have all seen what happened to the Xiang family.

There are only scattered pieces of inside information on the mainland, and what people hear are just boring and fake gossip.

But Ji Yu's reaction at this moment made Zhang Weiping realize that perhaps those rumors were not just rumors.

He suddenly regretted contacting Ji Yu.

His mind raced, and he smiled, saying, "This condition is really not suitable. I'll find someone else. I hope we can cooperate again in the future."

Ji Yu smiled and put his hand on his shoulder, saying, "I said I'd take this role."

Zhang Weiping's eyes lit up, thinking that things might take a turn for the better.

"What about the conditions just now?"

Ji Yu smiled and continued, "You have to overcome any difficulties yourself. I want the role, but you have to agree to the conditions. If you can't make the decision, then let Jiang Zhiqiang make it."

They've come knocking on our door, and you still want to run away!

Did I give you permission to run away?!

(End of this chapter)