Who are you calling "little fresh meat"? I'm the king.

Chapter 407 Scandal?

Huayi Brothers is a leading private film and television production company in mainland China…

However, they were crushed by Shen Yan's Spark Studio for two consecutive years, and this time they were even more crushed in the same period, twice!
"The Big Shot" suppresses "Tai Chi 1: From Zero to Hero";
"Sheep Without a Shepherd" overwhelmingly suppresses "Tai Chi 2: Rise of the Heroes"...

These two blockbuster films have a total investment of 2.2 million!
In terms of publicity, Huayi Brothers spared no effort…

They were still crushed!
The key point is that from the very beginning, Shen Yan had no interest in cooperating with Huayi.

Spark Studio has almost been tied to China Film Group, Enlight Media, Wanda Group, etc.

At most, a few more cinema chains could be added, such as Shanghai United Cinemas, Beijing New Film Union…

Huang Zhonglei tried to contact Ji Xiang… but Ji Xiang made it very clear: 'Our studio doesn't lack investment!'

Indeed, we don't lack it.
After "Sheep Without a Shepherd," Spark Studio's projects became high-quality resources, and major banks would provide special loans.

However, at this stage, Shen Yan is very popular and has an excellent rapport with the audience...

Then let's use excessive praise to our detriment.

Let me blow it for you!
Excessive hype about Shen Yan's role in the movie caused resentment among others...

For example, 'Following in Feng Xiaogang's films, Shen Yan has become a golden brand for any movie; if he's in it, he's the most important!' 'Crushing Hollywood productions!'

Yes, let's push him to the opposite side of Hollywood...

It's a very simple method!

Many people are now specifically going to Douban to give "The Big Shot" negative reviews...

It's unlikely that he'll develop PTSD like Wu Jing...

But... there are still quite a few people!

After all, "The Big Shot" is actually very much a patriotic film—we have the country behind us…

The solution was also very Chinese – the police and civilians worked together to capture the villain.

This is 2012, you know…

The era in which the colonists stand proudly in the mainstream!
Liu Jialin posted a picture of Tiananmen Square with the caption, "48 years... I have finally arrived here! The East is Red, the sun in my heart!"

It received a whopping 20,000 negative comments…

Oh, that was in 2013!

On one hand, it's to stir up controversy; on the other hand... it's probably to target "The Big Shot 2"...

Shen Yan was well aware of these things, but he didn't care...

From the perspective of the film market, the box office revenue of commercial films mainly comes from the silent majority!
Most of them are patriotic!
That's fine...

Therefore, Shen Yan didn't care: "Whether you promote it or not... Has 'Blind Witness' started filming yet?"

"Filming has already begun... The producer has approached Zhang Ning..."

What percentage of the investment does our company hold?

Yang Siwei said, "The total cost is 3500 million yuan. We account for 25% of the investment, China Film Group, Golden Shield Film & Television, Enlight Media, and Lu Yang Studio each account for 10%... The remaining 10% is Shi Shi's investment!"

Shen Yan was a little dissatisfied: "...Shi Shi only got 10%?"

"Brother, we only have 25%!"

"...And what about the remaining 15%?"

"Your share of the script!"

"…Alright."

Shen Yan nodded, then asked, "Are there any problems with 'Sheep Without a Shepherd'?"

"Yes, many people have given feedback that the ending was inappropriate... some have even suggested banning the movie..."

“…Sigh,” Shen Yan nodded, “It’s understandable, after all, it’s unjust from a legal standpoint…The Film Bureau really took the pressure this time…”

"It's all about the 50% red line..." Yang Siwei continued, "Is 'American Dreams in China' confirmed for next year's Spring Festival?"

"...Well, there's no better release window than the Spring Festival season..."

Shen Yan suddenly remembered something: "Is 'My Love from the Star' confirmed to premiere in January?"

"Yeah, CCTV-1, it's kind of a wrap-up for the year..."

"Okay, I get it!"

"My Love from the Star" is Shen Yan's greatest source of confidence!
If the movie becomes a phenomenal hit, the increased popularity Shen Yan gains from it can directly translate into increased viewership for "American Dreams in China"... Yang Siwei only spoke for a short while...

By the way, "Sound of My Dream" will start recording next month, directly competing with "I Am a Singer"!
Zhejiang TV has now completely clashed with Hunan TV...

……

Nini finished filming on October 8th…

After all, Su Mei doesn't have many scenes; she's just Cheng Dongqing's ideal woman!

Koh Samui used to be arrogant!

Those past ideals and dreams, however, proved too fragile in the face of harsh reality; they shattered at the slightest blow.

But when she returned to China and met Cheng Dongqing, she still insisted that people should not lose their dignity, precisely because she had not lived the life she wanted and had lost her dignity.

Originally, Nini planned to stay on set with Shen Yan…

But she wants to sue!

It's the lawsuit to terminate the contract with New Picture.

In mid-September, New Pictures issued a lawyer's letter stating that without the company's written confirmation, no company or individual may represent their performing arts activities, and actors may not sign performing arts contracts with third parties or participate in performing arts activities arranged by third parties. Otherwise, New Pictures will pursue relevant legal responsibilities.

But Nini acted in "American Dreams in China"...

Moreover, in one year, Nini shot for 26 magazines and did more than a dozen advertising shoots!
It never went through New Picture Company at all…

From a legal perspective, this is against regulations!
So, we have to go to court!
There's a high probability we'll lose some money...

She finally finished her busy work and had some free time.

At this point, filming for "American Dreams in China" had already wrapped up...

Then she contacted Shen Yan, who was giving an interview on Weibo, discussing the film "Sheep Without a Shepherd"...

"Yes, the body was hidden in the basement of the new police station. The male protagonist was the contractor for the new police station's network cable. When he went to lay the network cable, he also moved the body to a different location..."

"This story is based on a lack of trust in law enforcement... so it's unlikely to be changed to a confession; if a confession is made, the whole thing falls apart!"

"...Finally, we filmed the scene of repentance before the Buddha, which was the limit..."

"Brother Wah really liked this script, so I was definitely going to do it. To be honest, I didn't even think it could be released in theaters... My idea was that if it couldn't pass censorship, I'd release it in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia..."

……

After a brief chat, we saw the interviewers off.

"Sheep Without a Shepherd"... While its box office performance didn't match that of "The Big Shot," it was still a blockbuster—its second-week box office approached 2.3 million yuan...

It grossed 3.65 million yuan in box office revenue in two weeks.

It suppressed "Tai Chi 2" and "Cold War"...

The promotional material for "Cold War" touted it as "the best Hong Kong film since 'Infernal Affairs'," but unfortunately, it ran into an even better film, "Sheep Without a Shepherd"...

Based on box office trends, "Sheep Without a Shepherd" should be able to gross over 600 million yuan!
As the screenwriter and producer, Shen Yan naturally needed to cooperate in some promotion.

This isn't considered a public appearance, just a written interview...

Nini… I received her call at 5:30 PM, so I simply invited her to have hot pot together…

Nini asked in surprise, "Aren't you afraid of being photographed?"

Uh... a man and a woman went to eat hot pot!
The chances of being photographed are indeed quite high...

"It's nothing, it's just a good opportunity to promote 'Make a Name for Yourself'... Besides, it's just a meal."

Shen Yan replied casually.

Then, during the meal, he took a picture and posted it on Weibo, along with the caption: "During the filming of 'American Dreams in China,' I had a little inspiration and decided to make another movie with the original cast. The new movie is called 'Fame and Fortune,' with Nini as the female lead and me in it as well. In addition, I also invited my favorite Uncle Ge!"

I also explained to Nini, "It's better to be safe than sorry!"

"...I'm still involved in the lawsuit..."

"It's nothing," Shen Yan waved his hand, "It's a small matter, it won't affect me..."

"I mean, let's have dinner alone..."

　Going back to my hometown to pay respects at the graves…

　　I'll probably get back very late. I'll see how it goes, but it'll be at least past midnight!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)