Abstract Art Award Winner

For some actors and directors, bringing their own funding to a production is simply not worth mentioning.

Because that's how they get funding.

If a sponsor takes money to a production and then doesn't promote the project afterwards, wouldn't that money have been wasted?

Like Yu Shuxin, some others joined the cast with their own investment. Although they don't openly promote it, they won't deny it behind the scenes.

However, when this topic comes up on TV shows, she has never denied it. Instead, she always openly admits that she is a "resource-backed" actress.

That's how it is in the entertainment industry. Some directors with high aspirations can choose actors based on their own standards and preferences to a large extent, but sometimes personal relationships still need to be considered.

To get ahead, you need resources. Some people might think this is unfair, but it's actually the fairest thing to do.

Everyone knows that celebrities earn a lot of money and that they are glamorous, so the competition is naturally incredibly fierce. At first, you can compete based on acting skills and appearance, but later on, it comes down to family background.

If you lack resources and connections, even if you have talent, you may be buried in the crowd. By the time your opportunity finally comes, you will have lost your original brilliance. On the other hand, those who come with their own resources, even if they have average talent, can slowly hone their experience through repeated exposure and even gain a foothold by relying on the popularity built by capital.

This is the reality of the industry; no one can escape it.

Zhou Le thought about it for a moment and realized that it was indeed true.

Being accused of bringing one's own investment to get a role in a production is not a big deal if it were another production. After all, it's quite common for people to bring their own investment to a small production.

Low-budget web dramas and local TV station commissioned dramas all rely on actors to attract sponsorships. Sometimes the actors pay out of their own pockets just to get a leading role and become familiar with the show; other times they have connections to get local companies to place advertisements, which saves the production team some money and allows the actors to get better roles. Everyone gets what they want.

But it wouldn't work if it were Zhang Yimou's production crew.

For Zhang Yimou, having an actor bring their own funding to a production was an insult and a desecration of art.

The reason why Director Zhang has such a high status in the industry is because he has spent his whole life playing the game with capital—not rejecting capital, but making capital serve art, rather than making art bow down to capital.

When filming "Red Sorghum," he couldn't secure investment, so he went to a winery to solicit sponsorships himself; when filming "The Flowers of War," he withstood pressure to use newcomers and refused to let capital inject popular celebrities.

In his production team, there is only "suitable for the role" and "unsuitable for the role," not "how much investment they bring."

Although sometimes the roles chosen were not so good, at least Zhang Yimou himself thought they were fine.

After giving Master Zhou a few instructions, Zhou Le went to find Zhang Yimou.

As Zhou Ye's boss, he is qualified to represent the other party in negotiating the film's remuneration.

As the boss, it's reasonable for Zhou Le to step in and negotiate the fee. It shows that he values ​​the role and also helps prevent Zhou Ye, a newcomer, from feeling awkward in front of a big-name director.

But since we all have such a good relationship, there's no need to discuss salaries like we would in a regular business meeting, where we each find our own negotiators to talk it over.

Zhang Yimou's film set office was very simple: an old wooden table piled with scripts and storyboards, a water dispenser in the corner, and two folding chairs next to it. This was where they discussed things.

There were no suits or ties, no detailed contracts; it was as casual as chatting with friends.

"Director Zhang is busy." Zhou Le pushed open the door and saw Zhang Yi frowning at the storyboard. He greeted him softly.

"Haha, it's alright. How's it going on your end? You've been filming for the past two days, are you getting used to it? The main problem is that the conditions here are a bit tough." Zhang Yi turned around, a smile on her face.

The conditions at the film and television base in Xuexiang were indeed poor. Although the actors' accommodations were acceptable, they were nowhere near the treatment Zhou Le usually received when filming commercial movies.

"Director Zhang, if you can adapt, I have no problem. To be honest, this environment isn't as bad as when I used to work. Back then, it was really below -20 degrees Celsius, and we'd work all night long. How could we work for a while and then rest for a while?" Zhou Le waved his hand with a smile.

"Okay, that's good. I think you have a lot of potential in this film, Zhou Le. Just name your score. I think Zhou Ye is a good kid, he really deserves to be nurtured." Zhang Yi nodded and got straight to the point.

He knew Zhou Le wasn't one to dawdle, so there was no need for him to beat around the bush.

"I'm telling you, really, you can just give me whatever you think is appropriate," Zhou Le said, scratching his head, a little embarrassed.

Zhou Ye is a newcomer, and it's already a huge opportunity for her to play the second female lead in Zhang Yimou's movie.

It's really hard to ask for a high salary. If you ask for too much, you're afraid the other party will think you're being unreasonable. If you ask for too little, you're afraid the other party won't even look at you.

“It would be inappropriate for me to just say it directly. You should say it. You are her boss, so whatever you say is the price we’ll agree to.” Zhang Yi insisted that Zhou Le speak, knowing that Zhou Le knew what he was doing and wouldn’t quote an unreasonable price.

Zhou Le felt that this matter was still somewhat tricky, but he had to have it, and could only ask for a token amount.

He considered it in his mind.
"How about 80? That number is a bit more auspicious." Zhou Le stated the number in his mind.

But Zhang Yi could tell at a glance that Zhou Le was deliberately trying to lower the price.

Although he could simply nod.

But after all, he didn't spend his own money to make these films; he only received a percentage of the total box office revenue.

Zhang Yi frowned, her tone becoming serious: "80 is too little. What kind of leading lady gets only 80? People will think I'm bullying Zhou Ye. You're definitely number one, you get 400 million; He Wei is number two, he gets 300 million; Zhou Ye should get at least 180 million... Forget it, 180 million doesn't sound good, how about 280 million..."

At the very least, we need to meet the standards of a leading lady. Don't let it be that in "Cliff Walkers," the female lead only got 800,000 while the male lead got 4 million—a five-fold difference! Then people will accuse me of 'preferring sons to daughters' and 'exploiting newcomers.'"

Zhang Yimou has seen many such public opinion storms in the industry, so she had to consider this in advance.

“Okay, then we’ll listen to Director Zhang.” Zhou Le didn’t waste any more words on the matter of salary, since it was really unnecessary. Big directors are all rich and powerful, so they naturally don’t care about the difference of more than 100 million.

Zhou Le also knew that since the other party had given him an extra 100 million yuan, he could simply take it back to the production team in a different way.

That's how relationships work in the entertainment industry: if you treat me well, I'll repay you tenfold.

Whether it's treating someone to a meal, spending some money to help with publicity, or buying a small gift for Zhang Yimou, it's all acceptable.

Money is hard to earn, but it's so easy to spend it. The key is to spend it comfortably and meaningfully.

After discussing this topic, Zhang Yi suddenly looked towards the door.

"Teacher Fu is here."

Zhou Le also looked over.

A middle-aged man walked in from outside. He was wearing a simple jacket and glasses. He looked refined and gentle, but his eyes carried a calm and composed aura.

"Heh, we're chatting." Fu Ruoqing walked in with a smile, her voice not loud but very penetrating.

“Yes, Teacher Fu.” Zhang Yi introduced to Zhou Le, “Zhou Le, this is Teacher Fu Ruoqing, the current chairman of China Film Group Corporation.” As the “national team” of the domestic film and television industry, China Film Group Corporation holds the best resources and channels, so Fu Ruoqing’s position is very important.

Upon hearing the other party's name, Zhou Le felt a deep sense of respect.

In the industry, everyone knows the weight of China Film Group. Whether a film can get good screenings or be released in theaters depends heavily on China Film Group's attitude.

"Hello, Teacher Fu." Zhou Le quickly stood up and shook hands.

When dealing with big shots of this caliber, keeping a low profile is always the right thing to do.

Zhou Le wouldn't recognize him by his face alone, but he would recognize him as soon as he heard his name.

Fu Ruoqing is often referred to as Han Sanping's successor. In fact, the two are indeed on the same page. After all, Han Sanping was the head of China Film Group for so many years, and he directed a series of patriotic blockbusters such as "The Founding of a Republic" and "The Founding of the Party," bringing China Film Group to new heights. Now that he has stepped down, he naturally needs to find someone from his own circle to stabilize the situation.

Fu Ruoqing has a good reputation in the industry. She understands both art and the market, so China Film Group's development has been very stable in the years since she took over.

"Zhou Le? I know you. Third Master used to mention you a lot, saying you're a pretty good young man, with ideas and drive."

Fu Ruoqing patted Zhou Le on the shoulder, her tone friendly.

Han Sanping is known as "Third Master" in the industry. He has a wide network of connections, and there are not many young people who can be favored by him.

They quickly sat down and began to chat. There was no tea on the table, so Zhang Yimou asked his assistant to bring a few bottles of mineral water, and the three of them talked about the current state of the industry while drinking the mineral water.

Fu Ruoqing inquired about the filming progress of "Cliff Walkers," and Zhang Yi answered her questions one by one, occasionally mentioning Zhou Le's performance with praise in his words.

In front of such a big shot, Zhou Le toned down his sharp edge, trying not to stand out too much. He just listened quietly, occasionally interjecting a few words, all about filmmaking, avoiding any nonsense.

However, Zhang Yi did intend to cultivate Zhou Le, and would occasionally steer the conversation toward him, encouraging him to share his thoughts.

In fact, many well-known directors are now starting to cultivate their own talents. Some are mentoring apprentices, some are supporting newcomers, and some are indeed talented and can gradually forge their own path with the help of their mentors; others are simply unpromising, making one bad film after another, and in the end, they can only rely on their mentors' influence to make a living.

Although Zhou Le's main profession is acting, he has also shown considerable talent in directing. Although he hasn't been officially appointed yet, those who need to know about it already know quite a bit.

He has ideas and a style, so Zhang Yimou felt that it was indeed worthwhile to cultivate him before he fully gained momentum.

Therefore, after chatting for a few minutes, Zhang Yi suddenly brought up the matter of "Me and My Father's Generation", which was about to be prepared.

This film is the third installment in the "National Day Trilogy." The first two films, "My People, My Country" and "My Hometown," were both box office and critical successes.

It has become a golden brand for the National Day film season, and the directors who can participate in it are all top-notch in the industry.

“Professor Fu, I remember you are the executive producer of this movie, right?” Zhang Yi asked.

"Yes, we're looking for someone to direct. To be honest, it's really hard to find directors these days. It's best not to use directors who have been used before, in case the audience gets tired of them."

As I've already discussed, their idea is to bring in two former directors to set the tone, and then find new talent to inject some fresh blood into the industry.

You wouldn't believe it, I get so many calls every day, all from people offering their services, but firstly, they don't have much to offer in terms of work, and secondly, I want to reserve some spots for our own people.

Fu Ruoqing sighed, her tone filled with helplessness.

Everyone wants a piece of the pie in a project of this caliber, but few are truly capable of shouldering the responsibility.

Zhang Yi thought for a moment: "Who should we contact for those two former directors?"

"I've thought it through. If it's in the south, I'll look for Xu Zheng. He's done a great job these past few years. 'Dying to Survive' was very influential, and he also makes films with depth, combining commercial appeal and emotional appeal very well."

"We approached Wu Jing from the north, mainly because he's been quite popular in recent years. His films like *Wolf Warrior 2* and *The Wandering Earth* broke box office records, and he's also one of our own, with a strong sense of patriotism, so he'd definitely be good at making patriotic films."

Fu Ruoqing explained that the two candidates were indeed chosen after careful consideration.

“Then Professor Fu’s considerations are very thorough.” Zhang Yi nodded in agreement.

During the conversation, they didn't mention who the remaining people were, but they chatted for a few minutes and agreed to meet again after filming to discuss the specific details of the collaboration.

As the chairman of China Film Group, Fu Ruoqing had many responsibilities and was preparing to leave after a short stay.

After agreeing that they could meet up with Jiao Hongsen, Yang Shoucheng, and Yang Zhenglong for a meal and get-together after returning home, Fu Ruoqing left first.

Only Zhang Yimou and Zhou Le remained in the office. Zhang Yimou looked at Zhou Le with expectant eyes: "See? They're short of a director right now. Do you have any ideas?"

Zhou Le: "..."

He was taken aback, not expecting Director Zhang to ask that question so suddenly.

Directing a project of the caliber of "My People, My Fathers" would be a tremendous opportunity for any director, let alone a newcomer like him who has never seriously directed a feature film for theatrical release.

"Director Zhang, I don't know either. To be honest, I haven't achieved much as a director. I have made a few movies, but none of them have been released yet."

Zhou Le hesitated. He knew this opportunity was rare, but he was also afraid that he was not capable enough.

The more important issue is the relationship.
"What's there to be afraid of? You just lack some directorial works right now, but you have plenty of buzz. Some of the projects you participated in before became quite popular online, and many people in the industry know you. You have official status, as you have cooperated with many state-owned enterprises and have a positive image. You have connections, as even Master Han approves of you. You have talent, as your sense of camera presence and storytelling ability are stronger than many professionally trained directors. You also have a lot of connections, so if you really want to make a film, finding investment and actors won't be a problem."

If you really have an idea, I'll help you organize a meeting later, and we can sit down and have a good chat with Teacher Fu.

And here's something you probably don't know: he only mentioned two directors, but actually this year, in addition to Wu Jing and Xu Zheng, Zhang Ziyi and Shen Teng will also be directing this series.

They are somewhat similar to Deng Chao in "My Hometown". Shen Teng was given a spot by Happy Twist. They have been working closely with China Film Group in recent years, and they made a lot of money with films like "Goodbye Mr. Loser" and "Hello Mr. Billionaire".

Zhang Ziyi, needless to say, is an international film queen. In recent years, she has also begun to transition into directing, and directing a segment of "Me and My Father" is a way for her to enhance her resume.

Zhang Yi told Zhou Le all the inside information, just to reassure him.

"If that's the case, when will filming start?" Zhou Le was starting to waver. Such a good opportunity might be lost forever if he missed it.

“It will be next year at the earliest. It definitely can’t be filmed this year. You have to finish filming ‘Cliff Walkers’ here this year. This film is very important to you. It can hone your acting skills and help you gain a foothold in the industry.” Zhang Yimou said with a smile. He had already planned Zhou Le’s development path.

"Okay, then how about I agree?" Zhou Le gritted his teeth and decided to seize this opportunity.

“Okay, if you have any ideas, I’ll help you inquire further. Anyway, I’ll introduce you to the people you need to know. You can also ask me any questions about the scriptwriting, and we can work on it together.” Zhang Yimou smiled with satisfaction when Zhou Le agreed. He really thought highly of Zhou Le, believing that the boy was both talented and sensible, and worth nurturing.

Zhou Le knew that there was no love without a reason in this world. Even if the other party wanted to promote him and label him as part of Zhang Yimou's faction, he would not use his personal connections to help him make connections for no reason.

He had to show some sincerity; he couldn't let people help him for nothing.

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Le asked, "But Director Zhang, the teams I used to work with were all borrowed from friends. If I want to do it myself this time... I might have to find some more people."

A mature directing team is crucial. Assistant director, script supervisor, cinematographer, lighting technician—if any one of these roles fails, it will be disastrous. When I was making short films, a small team was manageable, but for feature-length films, a short film series definitely wouldn't have enough people.

"If you're looking for someone, I can offer some assistance. I know quite a few experienced old guys who I can introduce you to. But if you don't have an assistant director, I can also recommend someone."

My son, Zhang Yinan, is studying directing at the University of Southern California. He's been studying it for several years and has a solid theoretical foundation. He also grew up on film sets, so he's very familiar with the filming process. I reckon he'll be in this industry in the future. I'll have him work as your assistant director then, so he can learn from you and help you with the workload.”

Zhang Yi suggested that he also wanted his son to gain more experience, and since Zhou Le was one of his own, he could feel more at ease.

"I'm fine with it, but I don't know about him..."

"He'll be fine, don't worry."

"That's settled then, so I can have some peace of mind too."

Zhou Le also knows a lot about Zhang Yimou's son. He is studying abroad and started learning from his father on film sets at a very young age.

Therefore, Zhou Le always felt that some people were born to be beasts of burden, while others were born to be in Rome.

Putting everything else aside, just look at Zhang Yimou's sons and daughters. If they were to make it in the entertainment industry, they would definitely be very successful, provided that they don't cause any trouble.

He inexplicably got another movie role, but this matter still needs to be discussed. However, Zhou Le felt that since Zhang Yimou had said he could help him get it, it was basically a done deal.

If he can go, Zhou Le also plans to contact Han's daughter to be a producer, which would further solidify their relationship.

However, after filming that night, Zhou Le returned to the hotel and planned to take a hot shower and go to bed early. But as soon as he came out of the bathroom, he saw Zhou Ye lying on his bed with his toes curled up.

"What are you looking at? What brings you here all of a sudden?"

"I'm watching 'Rock & Roast'. Didn't you go on one season before? This season is airing now, and everyone says it's amazing, especially you. You're so outspoken, so I came to check it out."

Zhou Le also piqued his curiosity. He wasn't curious about what he would say, since he had been there in person; he was mainly interested in seeing what people were saying online.

Sure enough, things were a bit better at the beginning, but when it was my turn to speak, the number of comments on the screen surged instantly.

Not a single second of what I said on stage was cut; the platform played exactly what I said on stage.

"They really dare to release them out like that, aren't they afraid of offending people?"

Zhou Le smiled and said, "What else wouldn't they dare to do? If you watch a few more episodes, you'll know exactly what they want. As long as they're not banned or taken down, they'll say anything."

This is also why Zhou Le stopped participating later.

Luo Yonghao's main profession is as an entrepreneur, and now he also has the persona of repaying debts, so he needs all sorts of topics to generate buzz.

Li Dan is the face of the show. On the surface, everyone chats without any problems, but in private, he actually belongs to the capital side, and all his actions are aimed at taking capital interests into consideration.

But I'm different. If I were just a boss, a pure capitalist, it wouldn't matter if I stayed there. But I'm also an artist, and I need to take on endorsements. So I can't let that show ruin me.

Fortunately, everyone parted ways without any disputes when they left.

While Zhou Le was telling jokes, apart from the vast majority of comments like "Zhou Le is really daring and awesome," the rest of the comments were mostly arguments, because revealing information meant that some people would project their own favorite celebrities onto the story.

Even if Zhou Le doesn't explicitly say it, many people will automatically claim it, while passersby feel that it doesn't matter if he says it or not. If he comes forward without the other person mentioning his name, isn't he just asking for trouble for his master?

However, Zhou Le's remarks were not directed at any one person, but rather "sweeped" everyone equally, including friends and those with whom he had a bad relationship.

That being said, if it can actually be promoted, it's not really a bad thing.

The most typical example is Cai Xukun's fans. Although his fans are relatively younger, after talking with Zhou Le, he intentionally or unintentionally guided his fans and instilled in them that it was okay to use memes, and that there was no harm in using them normally.

Therefore, when Zhou Le mentioned Cai Xukun on his talk show, his fans voiced their support, saying that there was nothing wrong with saying that.

But those who are vulnerable will always find a reason to nitpick, and before long, things escalate into a major battle.

"I've discovered that you're a real troublemaker; you start arguing wherever you go."

This started with their fans arguing with your casual fans, but then other people started arguing too. I bet Weibo will be flooded with comments again tomorrow.

"What do you mean by 'troublemaker'? It's none of my business if they want to argue. Let them do what they want. In a week or two, they won't care about this topic anymore, and then something even more interesting will come up."

So I need to prepare myself, otherwise, if someone catches me off guard and I say the wrong thing, it won't be good. (End of Chapter)