Chinese Entertainment Intelligence King

Chapter 394 Producing Three Blockbuster Films? Building Yi An's Original Project

The new Dream of the Red Chamber suffered both a ratings and critical failure, but it still made a lot of money.

Thanks to the increased price per episode driven by "New Three Kingdoms," the first-run broadcast rights for "New Dream of the Red Chamber" approached 200 million yuan per episode.

Yes, some say it sold over 200 million copies per episode.

"New Three Kingdoms" has a high production cost and can have many episodes, while "New Dream of the Red Chamber" has fewer episodes.

Generally speaking, the more episodes a TV series has, the higher the total price, and the lower the price per episode. Conversely, the fewer episodes a TV series has, the lower the total price, and the higher the price per episode.

However, according to rumors, this data may not be accurate and is likely promotional material.

Anyway, Yi An's financial report has some data on how much money "New Three Kingdoms" made.

But only the production team knows how much "The Dream of Red Mansions" made.

This drama is very complicated. Putting aside issues like the Golden Hairpin, the change of director, and the mismatch of the characters, let's just talk about the cost.

The new Three Kingdoms series had 80 episodes and countless battle scenes, yet it only cost less than 1.4 million yuan in total.

"The New Dream of the Red Chamber" was a stage play, with few stars, and only 50 episodes. In the end, its cost was almost the same as "The New Three Kingdoms".

Don't even mention how expensive the costumes, props, and sets are. Even if they were expensive, they wouldn't cost this much. You could rent some real stuff and still not spend this much, unless you're playing with it every day.

Cost is a sum of money, selling is a sum of money; with one in and one out, there are many things that can be done.

For Yan Li and Yi An, whether "The New Dream of the Red Chamber" makes a profit or a loss, or what kind of shady dealings the project may have, is not important.

The important question is whether it will affect the release of the new Four Great Classical Novels, or even the new Water Margin and the new Journey to the West.

The outstanding performance of "New Three Kingdoms" gave several projects a good start, but "New Dream of the Red Chamber" dampened the momentum.

The TV stations that bought the broadcasting rights and the platforms with related copyrights lost a lot of money.

As far as Yi An knows, the distribution of "New Journey to the West," a collaboration between Zhejiang TV and Yongle Media, has been hampered by "New Dream of the Red Chamber," and advertising and sales have also been affected.

The new Water Margin and Zhang Dahuzi's version of Journey to the West naturally suffer from similar problems.

The former is alright, after all, it's produced by Yi An, and with "New Three Kingdoms" as a precedent, the market is still taking a wait-and-see approach, but overall it's still holding a positive attitude.

The problem lies with the latter; Zhang Dahuzi has been making a mess of things for the past two years.

Since Huang Xiaoming's "The Deer and the Cauldron," every drama he's made has flopped.

Well, to be more precise, the performance of "The Sword Stained with Royal Blood," which came before "The Deer and the Cauldron," was actually not very satisfactory.

After "The Deer and the Cauldron" revived his career, he went on to make "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber." However, he failed to learn from his mistakes and, like "The Sword Stained with Royal Blood," boldly cast newcomers, even more aggressively.

Of the main characters Zhang Wuji, Zhou Zhiruo, Zhao Min, Xiao Zhao, and Yin Li, only Ady An has some fame; the others are not well-known.

As a result, due to its poor quality and lack of star power, it flopped spectacularly, setting a record for the worst performance of Zhang Dahuzi's Jin Yong adaptations, and none of the actors made it big.

At that time, Zhang Dahuzi's "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" flopped, and Yi An's "Xiao Shiyi Lang" also failed to achieve the expected popularity.

The two leading martial arts dramas have lost their appeal, directly ruining the once-booming martial arts market.

Yi An immediately suspended the production of martial arts dramas, but Zhang Da Hu Zi refused to believe it and produced another one, "The Legend of the Great Tang Heroes," which flopped even more badly.

Afterwards, Zhang Dahuzi saw that historical themes were good, so he pulled Huayi Brothers to produce a film called "The Art of War", starring Zhu Yawen, who became very popular after "Crossing the Guandong". Then it flopped.

Zhu Yawen was originally very popular after "Crossing the Guandong". After signing with Huayi Brothers, he was once considered Huang Xiaoming's successor. However, his career did not continue because of this drama. Now he is not as well-received by Huayi Brothers as the actors from "Soldiers Sortie".

As the saying goes, when a wall falls, everyone pushes it down. Old Zhang with the big beard already had a bad reputation, and in the last two years, as things have gone downhill, all sorts of voices have been coming out of him.

When the new Four Great Classical Novels were being prepared, Zhang Dahuzi's "New Journey to the West" and "New Three Kingdoms" had the most off-set news.

However, "New Three Kingdoms" is a new approach. Even if some of the old tricks are used, they are all given a new look and then marketed and promoted through the internet, with Weibo as the central platform.

Zhang Dahuzi is out of touch with the times, still sticking to the old formula: casting, bragging, and cursing. This has led to a lot of ridicule from viewers and netizens who are tired of this kind of thing.

Now that "The New Dream of the Red Chamber" has flopped, "The New Journey to the West," which has a very poor public image, will naturally be greatly affected.

Even within Yi An, there are disagreements about whether to release the drama.

Previously, Yi An wasn't afraid of bad TV series because they had a guarantee from the distributors. Even if the series was bad, it wouldn't stop them from making money. Besides, Yi An wasn't the producer, so the blame couldn't be placed on them.

But now, with one of the four new classic novels featuring a ghost and the other a god, the attention given to subsequent projects has suddenly increased.

Since Yi An became a positive representative because of producing "New Three Kingdoms", she had to consider whether she would be implicated, such as lowering her positive reputation, affecting the release of "New Water Margin", or even interfering with the stock price.

After discussion, the distribution department made the proposal, which was put forward by Xiao Guan, the vice president in charge of distribution.

Set up a branch company to handle distribution, and then have this branch company handle the distribution—one team, two names.

Pushing away profits that are offered to you is far too aggressive.

Putting aside other things, the total revenue of "New Three Kingdoms" is close to 400 million, and even if "New Journey to the West" is discounted, it will still be 200 to 300 million. If the distribution cost is calculated at a relatively low 10%, that's 20 to 30 million that's just being handed over to someone else.

In all the years that the distribution department has been established, we've rarely encountered a project of this size, so we can't just push it away.

Why not take a roundabout approach, put on a shell, and still make money? If something goes wrong or the project gets a bad reputation, the branch office can take the blame.

This could even become a rule in the future: good projects will be listed under the name of Yi'an Issuance Department, while risky projects will be listed under the name of branch offices.

It sounds like burying one's head in the sand, but sometimes, putting it in this kind of box makes all the difference.

Many large companies set up branches and subsidiaries in a frenzy, one of their purposes being to maintain the brand image of the parent company.

Fame and fortune go to the head office, while hard work and blame go to the branches and subsidiaries.

It's not just the distribution department that can do this; the TV drama department, film department, and advertising department can also set up shell companies to target projects whose quality is uncertain but which are profitable.

In this way, one can make money comfortably, gain substantial benefits, and minimize negative impacts while preserving face.

Therefore, Yi'an Publishing Department withdrew from the distribution of Zhang Dahuzi's version of "New Journey to the West" and replaced it with a new company whose name had nothing to do with Yi'an, but the person in charge and the team remained the same.

The production team of "New Journey to the West" didn't have much of an opinion. The name was changed, but the actors and resource channels remained the same. As long as they could make more money, who cared what tricks Yi'an played?

In contrast, Yi'an had more confidence in the new Water Margin.

The core team of the publishing department personally took charge, aiming to match the revenue of "New Three Kingdoms".

Behind this lies a power struggle between Xiao Guan, the head of the distribution department, and Du Guowei, the head of the film department.

Achieving a higher position requires solid results.

The film division has been quite strong in the past two years, which is Du Guowei's biggest source of confidence. Although the distribution division does not lead the business, it can still earn a lot of credit by selling more dramas through distribution.

Faced with the efforts of the distribution department, Du Guowei did not sit idly by.

He didn't actually have high expectations for becoming president. In a large group like Yi'an with many departments and veterans, the fact that he didn't have enough seniority was a real problem.

Even if they don't win the presidency, they can still use this opportunity to expand the film division's strength, such as by acquiring film distribution rights. If they could get involved in theatrical releases, that would be even better.

Alternatively, we could encourage YiAn to establish a CCO position, which is the so-called Chief Content Officer, to be fully responsible for YiAn's content business.

Yi'an City is an entertainment and film company with a very large scope and authority over content business. Once this position is established, it can be said that all departments can get involved, greatly increasing its real power. It can be considered the company's third-in-command, and a rather powerful one at that.

I'll use this Chief Content Officer position as a transitional role to build reputation, achievements, and experience, and then I can naturally take over as president.

Even in Du Guowei's heart, there was a small ambition to become the chairman of Yi'an in the future.

After all, Yan Li's business is so large. Now that he intends to delegate authority, it is possible that he will eventually step down, retire behind the scenes, or busy himself with other businesses.

When the time comes, a successor needs to be capable, loyal, and prestigious. Who is more suitable than Du Guowei?
Of course, this is just a wishful thinking right now; pushing things forward won't be so easy.

Du Guowei needs to demonstrate his value to the company and Yan Li; otherwise, forget about becoming chairman in the future, he might even be used as a scapegoat by Xiao Guan after he takes over.

So these days, Du Guowei has been asking the company for funds and planning new film projects to maintain and promote the glory of Yi'an Films and gain more leverage for himself.

Yi An, Chairman's Office

Yan Li flipped through the project proposals that Du Guowei had handed him.

Du Guowei's moves are quite significant, starting with three blockbusters: "The Flowers of War," "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate," and "Wu Xia."

All three films were collaborations with renowned directors, including Zhang Yimou, Tsui Hark, and Chen Kexin, and featured a number of big-name stars, including Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Deng Chao, Fan Xiaopang, Li Bingbing, Yang Mi, and even Hollywood stars.

Yan Li closed the proposal: "Let's not talk about 'The Flowers of War'. It was decided beforehand, but the script still needs to be discussed. However, the tone has been set, and we'll discuss it later. Let's talk about your thoughts on the remaining two projects first."

Du Guowei nodded and then explained his thoughts.

Yi'an is now the leading company in the film and television industry and has just gone public. It needs to aggressively compete for market share, demonstrate its strong position, give the market confidence, and boost its stock price.

In this situation, Yi'an's previous low-cost strategy is no longer very effective.

Yi An wants to make a blockbuster, one that requires a large investment, a big director, big stars, and a huge scale.

The "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" project belongs to Tsui Hark.

Huayi Brothers previously collaborated with him on "Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame." Although the film has not yet been released, there has been a lot of news in the industry, and many people have even seen the unfinished product, which has restored their confidence in Tsui Hark, who has had a rough couple of years.

"Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" is adapted from Tsui Hark's representative work "New Dragon Gate Inn". It is a new wine in an old bottle. With the influence of "New Dragon Gate Inn", it is more favored by the industry.

China Film Group, Shanghai Film Group, Enlight Media, Bona Film Group, and Yinghuang Film Group have all shown varying degrees of interest in the project. Du Guowei is also quite optimistic about it and has already contacted Tsui Hark, expressing his willingness to collaborate with Yi An.

Tsui Hark is currently developing his business in mainland China, and he can't do without someone to protect him. He has already finished his cooperation with Huayi Brothers, so it's time for him to pay his respects to Yi An.

Du Guowei and Tsui Hark discussed casting Jet Li or Donnie Yen as the lead in "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate".

Deng Chao plays the villain Yu Huatian, who is more memorable, while Fan Xiaopang plays the female lead. Then, Yang Mi or Sun Li and Jiang Xin, who have signed contracts, are arranged to play the second female lead. This will not only enhance the project's influence but also promote our own people.

The "Wuxia" project was a collaboration with Chen Kexin.

"Bodyguards and Assassins" brought Yi An a lot of success, and those in the know understand that although the film was directed by Teddy Chan, it was actually spearheaded by Chen Kexin.

Given the success of "The Warlords," Chen Kexin can be considered the most highly regarded Hong Kong director in the industry right now.

While many people still have doubts about Tsui Hark's "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate," Chen Kexin's new work "Wu Xia" is so popular that various companies are vying to collaborate with her.

Du Guowei had contacted Chen Kexin. She seemed hesitant, but she didn't refuse and was generally willing to talk.

The film "Wu Xia" is also planned to be defined as an action star, with Cheng, Li, and Zhen to be chosen, plus Jin Chengwu, who was specifically requested to collaborate with Chen Kexin, plus a popular actress, making the lineup very impressive.

Du Guowei is confident that these three blockbusters will compete for the top five spots in Chinese-language films and the top ten in total box office next year, solidly consolidating Yi An Films' strong position.

Yan Li listened silently, tapping his fingers lightly on the sofa armrest.

To be fair, Du Guowei's strategy and ideas were correct. Yi'an had just gone public, so it was bound to invest in big-budget films. Even if it didn't make much money, or even lost some, as long as the market share and momentum were there, there wouldn't be any problems.

All three directors are renowned, and all three projects seem promising. If Yan Li were to take charge himself, after only a cursory look, he would likely also have some inclination towards them.

The problem is that a famous director and good looks don't guarantee a good movie, let alone a successful project.

Yi An went public, her attitude changed, and profitability was no longer the top priority. Yan Li could accept the film losing money, but not a huge loss or a crushing defeat.

Making a movie like "Red Cliff" or "A Simple Noodle Story" would damage Yi An's reputation and cause a series of negative consequences.

Therefore, Yan Li does not object to Yi An's participation in these three projects, but hopes that Du Guowei will not rush into it, but rather conduct a more detailed and prudent evaluation of the project.

Yan Li has seen it all after so many years in the industry.

These great directors have a very high ceiling and a very high floor when making movies; the gods are truly gods, and the ghosts are truly ghosts.

When investing in their films, don't look at the director or the actors; look at the project itself, evaluate it from multiple perspectives, and then analyze its prospects and risks.

Even so, there is still a considerable possibility of misjudgment, and luck plays a significant role.

Therefore, rather than gambling on the performance of these big directors, Yan Li prefers to keep the project in Yi An's own hands.

She found the script and the director herself, and then Yi An took the lead in the production and operation of the entire project.

Yi'an has been established for many years, and its teams in all aspects are very mature. Even if the projects they create are not very good, at most they will produce some mediocre work, but they will not be so bad that they will be ridiculed and hated by the masses.

“We are a production company, not an investment company. We can’t put the cart before the horse.”

Yan Li felt that Du Guowei was too eager to achieve results, so his thinking was somewhat utilitarian and radical, so he gave him a warning.

The company has its own screenwriting team, a large number of film scripts, and top directors like Ning Hao. Why is it always eyeing what other directors are doing?

Du Guowei noticed Yan Li's displeasure and repeatedly agreed. After chatting for a while, he left the office and immediately went straight to Yi An Screenwriting Center.

Since recruiting Yu Zheng, Yi An has never given up on cultivating a team of screenwriters. The screenwriters behind popular films and television series such as "New Three Kingdoms", "Legend of Chu Liuxiang", "Painted Skin" and "The Message" are all there.

Du Guowei had worked with some screenwriters before, and even had a few scripts he liked, but he trusted the authority of famous directors more.

Now that Yan Li has personally given his approval and is even more supportive of his own project, he can be a little bolder.

"Xiao Tao, tell me again about that Primordial Trilogy you mentioned last time."

A young man wearing glasses looked up, saw that it was Du Guowei, and was instantly overjoyed: "Mr. Du, you're going to film 'The Great Wilderness'?"

"Don't rush, tell me about your notebook and related ideas first."

Du Guowei is very interested in this prehistoric trilogy because it has a large scale, involves many mythologies, and has a huge influence, making it quite marketable.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Tao quickly explained her ideas and script.

His so-called "Primordial Trilogy" is adapted from the "Primordial Era" genre popularized by the online novel "Buddha is the Way," and its style is similar to mythological epics.

The trilogy consists of three parts: "The First Calamity of the Dragon and Han Dynasty," "The Appearance of the Saints," and "The Great War of the Lich King," each featuring a different protagonist.

If the results are good, we can develop the "Investiture of the Gods" trilogy or related mythological IPs.

When Du Guowei first heard this, his eyes lit up slightly, but as he listened, his brows began to furrow.

It's not that the "Primordial Era" IP is bad, but it's too massive. It's also going to follow the path of mythological epics, which means a larger scope, more content, and more characters. Three movies simply can't tell all the so-called major events.

A movie is only two hours long, so there can't be too many characters, and the story can't be too complicated, otherwise the audience won't understand it.

If Du Guowei were to consider it, he shouldn't make any mess of things with "The First Calamity of the Dragon Han Dynasty".

It was a great war between the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin clans. At most, Rahu and Hongjun were involved. One was on the right and the other on the wrong. In the end, Hongjun destroyed Rahu, and the prehistoric world was at peace. Hongjun became a saint.

And don't mention any saints, that involves the Three Pure Ones and Buddhism, which is somewhat sensitive, and it might not be allowed to be filmed. If it is to be filmed, it can only be about the war between the Lich King and the rise of the human race.

Du Guowei considered the project and concluded that it had potential, but the current technology might not be sufficient to capture scenes of sufficient scale, and the investment would be too large.

Don't let it turn out that you spend so much money to make a film, and although it's critically acclaimed and commercially successful, the market can't handle it, and the box office doesn't cover the expenses. That would be a disaster.

"Are there any scripts with smaller scenes, not so grand and epic, just real stories?"

Is traditional Chinese martial arts any good?

Xiao Tao's reply left Du Guowei somewhat confused: What exactly is "national martial arts"?
"National martial arts are Chinese martial arts that can kill people. They are very popular now. Ip Man Wing Chun is an example. Mr. Du can take a look at 'The Legend of the Dragon and the Snake' later."

This Xiao Tao must be a die-hard fan of Mengrushenji, as both of these ideas are from the latter's masterpiece.

However, Xiao Tao's script is not only about traditional Chinese martial arts, but also has some influences from "Ip Man" and "Fearless", blending martial arts elements with family and national legends.

However, "Ip Man" leans more towards a personal biography, while Xiao Tao's script is more like a new-style martial arts story, revolving around the martial arts world, the imperial court, and the nation, with decisive killings and passionate narratives.

Du Guowei was somewhat interested in this idea and asked him for details.

Xiao Tao's script is called "The Pinnacle of Tai Chi," which incorporates some legendary stories of modern martial arts, but it's quite heavily modified.

The first half of the story is about learning martial arts in Chen Family Village, the middle half is about fighting against bad guys in the imperial court, and the second half introduces the real villain, a foreigner, turning martial arts into gunfights.

Some plot points are a bit outrageous, but they're not without merit. There are scenes, there's passion, and action scenes and patriotism are popular themes in the last two years.

Du Guowei thought for a moment and said, "You should organize the script and then submit it to the evaluation meeting."

The evaluation meeting is a discussion meeting held before Yi An's script is approved for production. Not only do people from the film department come, but people from other departments also come to analyze the feasibility of the project from various angles. Only after passing the evaluation meeting can the project be approved for filming.

After instructing Xiao Tao, Du Guowei turned to the other screenwriters who had been watching them closely and began discussing the script with each of them.

The project was recommended for evaluation, but it's just that Du Guowei personally thinks it's promising; it's not certain that it will be approved, let alone filmed.

Yi An is now preparing for a major undertaking, with three to five blockbuster films to be made in the next year or two, and even more low- to medium-budget films.

Du Guowei not only needs to select more scripts internally, but also needs to collect more scripts externally, so as to accumulate more ammunition for Yi An.

The film department's extensive search for scripts couldn't be kept secret. First, there was excitement within Yi'an itself, and then the news spread outside, attracting various artists to join in.

With so many movies and TV series, Yi An's own artists couldn't possibly handle it all, so they inevitably had to share the pie with outsiders.

Yi'an is now rich and powerful, and the cakes she makes are incredibly fragrant and sweet. There are quite a few people who want to eat them, so they all have to use their own unique skills.

In a short time, the number of celebrities and artists coming and going in and around Yi'an increased visibly, and many powerful figures were constantly entertained.

The women around Dong, Qin, Wang, and Huo were all bustling with activity, not to mention Yan Li himself.

He now goes out with bodyguards and assistants at all times, otherwise he's afraid some woman might trip over and fall into his arms and refuse to get up. He even tries to keep social engagements private, otherwise some women might get drunk and start taking off their clothes because they're hot.

Even the women around him either asked for favors or had something in mind, which annoyed Yan Li.

The only thing that could give Yan Li some peace and quiet was Fan Xiaopang.

She doesn't have to worry about resources; Yi'an's projects can't bypass her, and only after she's chosen can others get a turn.

Even if someone asks her for help, Fan Xiaopang doesn't need to beg Yan Li to agree. She can arrange things herself if the request isn't too big, and she can also mediate and recommend people for more demanding requests. She rarely bothers Yan Li.

So, unable to bear the harassment any longer, Yan Li decided to take a short break and accompany Fan Xiaopang to the Cannes Film Festival.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: Let me talk about Yi An's original scripts and projects. I know many friends don't like them and feel they lack a sense of immersion.

Logically, as a leading company, Yi'an should have its own screenwriting team and directors, and therefore must have its own original scripts and projects.

Yan Li is a local; he can't rely solely on poaching projects for a living, and he doesn't have that many good projects to poach anyway. Therefore, it's inevitable that Yi An will launch original projects once it grows larger.
Of course, there's no need to worry too much, because there won't be much space for it. Unless it's related to the main character, I won't go into detail, nor will I overly praise them. I'll try to avoid self-indulgence, and the plot will mostly be based on real-life film and television.

If you have any good ideas, feel free to share them; they might just be adopted.

(End of this chapter)