Chinese Entertainment Intelligence King

Chapter 344 Yi An's Endless Stream of New Movies
Victory celebration banquet

As Yan Lizheng was talking to Fan Xiaopang, Xiao Huang, the general manager of Oriental Films, came over but didn't come over directly to disturb them; instead, he wandered around the area.

"Someone's coming. Go take a walk around first."

Yan Li gave a reminder, and Fan Xiaopang got up. As he passed by General Manager Huang, the latter greeted him with a smile, and Fan Xiaopang simply nodded politely.

She had no liking for this rich second-generation from Hong Kong; in her opinion, the yacht scandal was caused by this young Mr. Huang.

No woman likes someone who finds other women for her man!

Not to mention Fan Xiaopang, even Chairman Qin's impression of this young General Manager Huang was just so-so. When Yan Li organized a gathering in Hong Kong before, the two of them went to pay their respects and even treated him to a meal afterward.

Xiao Huang understood what was going on, but he couldn't afford to offend him, so he pretended not to notice Fan Xiaopang's cold treatment and chatted with Yan Li as if nothing had happened.

"Yan Sheng, thank you so much this time."

"It's simply about cooperation and mutual benefit."

Yan Li raised his glass and clinked it with Xiao Huang's; the collaboration between the two companies during this Lunar New Year film season had indeed been pleasant.

Let's not even talk about "Ip Man". The two companies jointly invested in it, with Oriental Pictures handling production and Yi An Pictures handling distribution. They made a fortune.

It was profitable at the mainland box office alone, and also made some money at the Hong Kong and Southeast Asian box office. More importantly, it was very popular for its various domestic and foreign copyrights.

Many people don't understand why popular action stars are paid more than regular popular movie stars these days.

Besides the difficulty in filming and the scarcity of actors, action films are also a genre that very few overseas film companies are willing to buy.

Thanks to the efforts of many kung fu superstars, as well as various films and cultural exports, the term "Chinese kung fu" has become one of China's labels to some extent, and has a certain number of fans worldwide.

Having fans means having a market, and even if that market isn't that big, there's still money to be made.

Therefore, successful kung fu films like "Ip Man" are different from ordinary popular movies in that they have a wider and longer period of dissemination and profitability.

Yi An has also participated in the overseas distribution of some films over the years. Among them, "Ip Man" may not have been the most expensive, but it was definitely the best-selling.

Oriental Films and Xiao Huang are focused on overseas revenue, while Yan Li sees overseas channels and the significance of going global. The latter two are of great importance to Yi An.

Yan Li has not paid much attention to overseas distribution in recent years, mainly because of limited channels and meager profits, and he has also seen through the difficulties of Chinese films and television going global.

But that was before!
In the past, Yi'an prioritized profits, and naturally did not pay attention to businesses that were laborious but did not generate revenue.

Now that Yi'an wants to go public and then relist to boost its stock price, it can't just focus on profits.

Overseas markets, international influence, cultural export, etc.—these are all things that can be used to tell a story, thereby boosting the company's stock price, industry standing, and official favor.

Yi An will establish a dedicated overseas business division in the first half of this year to work with the film, television, distribution, artist management, advertising, and even cinema departments to develop international markets and operate transnational projects.

Not only Yi An, but Weibo is also considering launching an overseas version to see if it can steal some market share from Facebook and Twitter.

"Ip Man," "Painted Skin," and the idol dramas and several films and television series without international barriers that Yan Li and Fan Xiaopang mentioned are all part of Yan Li's strategy to expand overseas.

How much market share we can capture is secondary; the key is to make a big splash and take a solid and stable first step so that Yan Li can tell a good story.

Hmm, Yan Li felt he was becoming more and more like the Fatty Yu and the Wang brothers he used to look down on…

Besides "Ip Man," Oriental Film Productions' "All's Well, Ends Well," also distributed by Yi An, grossed nearly 5000 million yuan, generating considerable profits.

Having tasted success, Oriental Films is increasingly eager to curry favor with Yi An. Boss Huang came to Beijing to attend the banquet, hoping to strengthen the relationship and inquire about this year's collaboration.

"I just spoke with Bullet. Summer's schedule is fine. Once your script is ready, let's start preparations."

Yi An didn't plan to interfere with "Ip Man 2". The Oriental Films made a good film with both critical acclaim and box office success, so she decided to let the original cast continue making the film.

Yi'an provides funding, assists with coordination and issuance; each party performs its own duties, achieving a win-win cooperation.

"Great! With Yan Sheng stepping in, everything will be fine."

Xiao Huang was overjoyed. Since the release of "Ip Man," Donnie Yen has been quite close to Yi An.

Although Yan Li had already made his intentions clear, the Huang family was still afraid that Yi An would leave them out and not include them in the activities.

Now, Yan Li has reiterated and directly stated that the production will continue to be handled by Oriental Films, which implies that the Huang family will continue to benefit from the "Ip Man" franchise.

Having found the cigarette box, Xiao Huang quickly lit one for Yan Li, looked around, and whispered.

"The success of 'All's Well, Ends Well' has made my dad plan to continue making the 'All's Well, Ends Well' series. He'll also be relying on Yan Sheng's help. By the way, Baby and Yung Shan performed well before. They have suitable roles in this drama. What do you think?"

Yan Li laughed. No wonder Fan Xiaopang and the other two had a so-so impression of Xiao Huang and were trying all sorts of ways to pimp him out.

"You decide."

Yan Li pondered for a moment. After all, they had known each other for a while, so he decided to help the two women out. He didn't say it outright, but he did express his attitude indirectly, so as not to let the Huang family take it upon themselves to ask for favors.

...

After Mr. Huang left, several others came and went in quick succession.

Yan Li is quite busy right now, so it's not easy to meet him alone. This occasion is a good opportunity to have a chat.

Ning Hao, along with Xu Zheng and another young man, found Yan Li and introduced him as a new director named Yang Qing.

They're here to ask for investment!
Yan Li understood this configuration instantly; there was no way around it, he was just too familiar with it.

There aren't many channels to get Yi'an to invest. The most common approach is to submit articles directly to the company to discuss cooperation, but the chances of success are the lowest.

It's not that Yi'an employees are lazy, but rather that there are too many unreliable projects, making it like searching for a needle in a haystack.

After all, those who can only submit their work this way are mostly newcomers to the industry or even part-time laymen. They don't need connections, and many of them don't have the ability either.

Anyone in the industry with some skills or abilities knows a few people, and has established connections with some of Yi'an's middle and senior management, either directly or indirectly, and collaborates with them in various ways. A significant proportion of Yi'an's projects come about this way.

Another method is to get the project to Yan Li through connections.

The number is not large, because those who dare to directly approach Yan Li are either big shots of similar stature or close confidants and confidants. Those who don't have a close personal relationship with him only dare to ask if the project is exceptionally good.

There were also some hotheads who would directly approach Yan Li with a script or some kind of business plan, demanding investment.

However, Yan Li never encountered a single investment opportunity in this situation, which left him somewhat disappointed. Conflict-filled plots are better for storytelling.

Ning Hao recommended projects to Yan Li more than once.

As a leading director of the sixth generation, Ning Hao has been in the industry for many years and has a network of friends. It's normal for him to introduce Yan Li to suitable people, and Yan Li doesn't object; in fact, he encourages it.

He felt that given Ning Hao's skill level, anyone who could get along with him wouldn't be too bad.

If they come across a good project, the company makes money; if they don't, they just waste some time. Which film and television company boss doesn't read dozens of worthless scripts every year?

"Come, sit down."

Yan Li invited the three of them to sit down, and Xu Zheng took the initiative to pour wine and tea for everyone.

Xu Zheng has appeared in both "Crazy Racer" and "Love Transfer," and he also starred in a comedy TV series invested by Yi An.

In the eyes of many, he is also considered half of Yi An's faction, as Ning Hao and Huang Bo are very close to him.

Including this film, "Crazy Racer," the promotion also mentioned a comedic trio. Although the role of Xu Zheng is somewhat unreliable, he is quite famous and the comedic effect is good, so many people still buy into it.

At first, Yan Li was a little confused as to why Xu Zheng had come along. After chatting for a while, she learned that Xu Zheng was the one who had facilitated the project.

He knew Yang Qing, and there was even a role in the script that was tailor-made for Xu Zheng.

Xu Zheng thought the script and the characters were good, so he tried to help Yang Qing get investment through his connections. Among the big companies and big bosses he knew, Yi An and Yan Li were the top choices.

However, Xu Zheng felt he wasn't important enough and was afraid Yan Li wouldn't accept it, so he asked Ning Hao to back him up.

"President Yan, I've read the script. Although some parts of the plot are a bit awkward, it's pretty good overall. And the investment is very small; my initial estimate is two to three million."

If we compress this number, we can make a profit once the box office reaches 500 million, which is extremely cost-effective.

Yan Li wasn't tempted by the low cost. Low cost only means a low barrier to entry and low risk; it doesn't guarantee profitability.

A small profit is still a profit, and a small loss is still a loss!

Moreover, some of these new directors are careless, some are fearless, and some lack experience and cannot control costs, so budget overruns are common.

The sunk costs will be there eventually, and we can't just abandon them. It might be said to be two or three million, but after the bidding is done, the actual cost will be several times higher or even double.

Yan Li flipped through the script outline and plan that Yang Qing had brought.

The setting is indeed simple; a supermarket or convenience store would suffice. As long as the actor costs are controlled, and a seasoned producer is hired, there shouldn't be any major problems. However…

"This script has a bit of the feel of the South Korean film 'Attack on the Gas Station'."

Yan Li is being polite in saying this. In reality, the plots of the two stories are quite similar, and to put it bluntly, they are suspected of plagiarism.

"no……"

Yang Qing instinctively wanted to refute, but Ning Hao stopped him and explained: "President Yan, I have read the complete script. Although the plot, structure and style are similar, the characters are different, the core motivations are different, and the final plot climax is different. Moreover, it has Chinese localization. It can be said to be inspired, imitated and referenced, and it cannot be called plagiarism."

Yan Li laughed. Ning Hao has the right to speak on this matter, as "Crazy Stone" was embroiled in a plagiarism scandal back then.

Ning Hao, Yan Li, and Yi An's publicity team spent a lot of time refuting them.

Ning Hao's statement just now contained many of the arguments that Yi An had made back then.

"Now you know what to say, right?"

Yan Li turned to Yang Qing and said, "Don't be stubborn. There are many people in the industry who have seen a lot of films. Being stubborn will only escalate the conflict and create confrontation."

"Be humble and sincere. Story creation is inherently blurry and difficult to discuss. Many people don't care about this. Whether it's borrowing or paying homage, just be upfront about it. On the contrary, not many people will target or make things difficult for you."

At present, the mainland film and television market is in a stage of unbridled growth, with little copyright awareness and still retaining many lingering effects from the Hong Kong film era.

Hong Kong filmmakers never cared about plagiarism; in fact, they copied on a large scale. Later, they became a little more civilized and it wasn't so obvious, but they were still good tailors.

After these people went north, they brought this habit with them.

Movies are relatively better off, but TV series are the real disaster area, with many plots showing echoes of classic films and television shows.

Yu Zheng, who has been criticized by Yan Li many times, learned his plagiarism techniques from his teacher in Hong Kong.

It's not just domestic copying; foreign countries are also copying, copying, copying. Japan, South Korea, and Hollywood have also paid homage to Chinese films in many ways. All crows are black.

Yan Li was already used to these industry rules and didn't care much about them.

The reason for mentioning it was twofold: firstly, to warn Yang Qing about his petty tricks, and secondly, to remind him to clean up his mess so as not to damage Yi'an's reputation.

Yi'an invests money to make money, not to create trouble for herself.

Yang Qing didn't quite understand, but still said, "I've learned something."

Yan Li nodded: "Leave your phone number and send me the script. Ning Hao knows my email address, I'll take a look first."

Xu Zheng was overjoyed and hurriedly asked Yang Qing for his business card. Although Yan Li did not directly agree, judging from his attitude and the fact that he specifically asked for the script, he felt that there was still hope.

After receiving Yang Qing's business card, Yan Li put it away and, without letting them leave, started talking to Ning Hao about his new movie.

“You need to revise the script for ‘No Man’s Land’; it’s too explicit. It won’t be released without revisions.”

The Wang brothers were having a headache because Feng Kuzi kept trying to prove himself, and Yan Li was also a little worried about Ning Hao.

Having grown tired of Feng Xiaogang's comedies, Feng is going to challenge himself with "Aftershock"; Ning Hao, tired of his dark humor, is going to challenge himself with a Western crime film.

Even before "Crazy Racer" was released, he had already written the script for his new movie "No Man's Land," which he planned to shoot in March or April of this year.

Yan Li is a bit better than the Wang brothers. He doesn't just focus on making money, and he controls Ning Hao's willingness to make films, supporting him to step out of his comfort zone and explore new opportunities.

But to his surprise, Ning Hao's approach was too ambitious, and the script's scale was so large that even Yan Li had second thoughts.

This would not dampen Ning Hao's enthusiasm, but it would also affect Yi An's plans. Yan Li specifically took the script to talk to some people in the Film Bureau, and that's the conclusion they reached.

The original script is no good, it needs to be changed, otherwise it's unlikely to pass the review!
Ning Hao was somewhat reluctant. He asked for suggestions on the revisions and retorted, "My movie is called 'No Man's Land.' The title itself reveals the ending. It's about the darkness of the animal world. If we change it like that, the meaning will change."

"It has to change, Lao Ning. I'm not trying to be harsh, but I also think your film is too bleak. It only shows the evil in human nature, and the style is too depressing and hopeless."

Yan Li thought about the script for "No Man's Land," which featured a cast of villains who all died. If it weren't for Ning Hao, he might not have voted for it.

This style of film is unlikely to achieve commercial success.

Of course, Ning Hao has his own career aspirations, and Yi An also needs some high-quality art films to achieve cultural success. After all, the film and television industry is closely related to art, and projects are also becoming more diversified from time to time.

But it would be even more perfect if it could satisfy artistic and cultural needs while also being commercially viable.

Yan Li isn't expecting to make a fortune from "No Man's Land," but his investment was substantial, so he should at least recoup his costs.

However, Yan Li absolutely could not accept Ning Hao's decision to have the film never released.

If a company loses money at the box office, it can recover through word-of-mouth, awards, and influence, thus achieving soft benefits.

If it can't be shown in theaters, many things can't be done, resulting in a pure loss.

Besides the script, Yan Li also hopes that Ning Hao will revise the casting.

Ning Hao had previously suggested that Xu Zheng and Huang Bo be the lead actors, but Yan Li felt that it wasn't quite right.

He had no opinion on the two actors' acting skills, but when these two were paired with Ning Hao, the audience would subconsciously think that "No Man's Land" was a comedy, which was extremely detrimental to the promotion of a film project.

Don't even mention how good the publicity is. Anyone who has ever done publicity knows that many people don't pay attention to it, and many people can't explain it clearly.

Some people are like that; even if you lead them to the toilet door, they'll still jump onto the roof.

If you see Huang Bo and Xu Zheng in the cast list and on the poster, you'll assume it's a comedy. If it's not, you'll be disappointed and even feel cheated.

Furthermore, even with effective promotion, the biggest audience for these two is comedy viewers, including Ning Hao.

Many people will support the three of them when they make comedies, but they might not be able to watch their road movies.

Therefore, Ning Hao can abandon his core audience, but there's no need to drag two "dragging down" comedians into the picture. It would be better to replace them with two film actors who are more likely to attract casual viewers.

If Ning Hao wants to break through, then he should be bold in doing so. He shouldn't get stuck with the old team.

There are plenty of good actors in Yi'an, and many talented actors who are close to her, so Xu and Huang are no less capable.

Ning Hao and Yan Li had a private chat for a while, and there was no particular opposition to changing the actor.

As far as the film "No Man's Land" is concerned, Xu Huang is not an indispensable actor. It's just that Ning Hao prefers to use acquaintances and those who have good personal relationships with the two.

However, he was still quite resistant to revising the script, and even made some outrageous remarks about the censorship.

Yan Li shook his head. This is a common problem among artists: they prioritize creative freedom. As long as something hinders their creative work, they immediately label it with various values.

"Sing the song appropriate to the mountain you're on; don't eat your meal and then curse your mother."

"Don't think that only we are strict. I've talked to Hollywood too. There are plenty of taboo and sensitive plots there. Creative freedom doesn't mean there are no limits to creation."

"As for your plot, there is artistic embellishment, isn't there? The no man's land amplifies the evil in people's hearts, but there are also some kind people. And I specifically asked, the no man's land is not as good as the city, but it is not a lawless place. There is still a stable order there."

"You're allowed to embellish the story with artistic license and embrace absolute darkness, but others aren't allowed to advocate for light and retain hope?"

Yan Li is a businessman, and he has a high perspective, so he doesn't view problems in a crude way.

Ning Hao has his own reasons to support his claims, and the reviewers are not making baseless accusations or deliberately finding fault.

Both sides have their reasons, so it comes down to who stands firmer. Whoever doesn't will have to compromise.

"I understand. I'll go back and discuss it with the screenwriters."

Ning Hao sighed. The subject matter of "No Man's Land" was quite risky, but Yan Li still strongly supported it. His interference in the scriptwriting was not for commercial reasons, but to get it approved. He couldn't stubbornly stick to his boss's opinion.

"Don't be discouraged. If it really doesn't work, shoot a couple more versions and add some subtle details or metaphors. I'll pull some strings for you. If you can use the original version, great. If not, we'll use the modified version."

"I'll listen to you."

Ning Hao picked up his cup, somewhat gratefully: "I was a bit willful, and I'm sorry to have troubled you."

"Hey, didn't we agree on this already? You're in charge of filming, and I'll take care of the rest."

"Old Ning, have you seen the news about Huayi Brothers giving Feng Xiaogang shares? What Huayi can give him, I can give you too. Work hard, and when the company goes public, maybe I can make you a billionaire."

Yan Li put his arm around Ning Hao, making empty promises as usual.

With the huge success of "Crazy Racer," Ning Hao's popularity soared, making him a hot commodity in the industry. If he doesn't cultivate relationships with more people, he risks being controlled by others...

---

P.S.: Just got back to my hometown after dropping off students at school, and I'm experiencing some writer's block. Starting tomorrow, I'll revert to the 8000 minimum guarantee plus debt repayment.
　(7000/220000)

　　
　
(End of this chapter)