1990My Entertainment System

Chapter 123 is about to miss the best taste~
At the end of May, Xia Tian attended the "China Song Chart" hosted by Yanjing Music Radio!
Isn't this the start of economic development? The cultural and entertainment sector is also developing, so they've adopted the pop music chart model from Hong Kong.

This Chinese music chart is the first inland chart to encompass all original songs from across the country…

But to be honest, I'm not very optimistic about summer.

Although the "China Song Chart" became a trendsetter for the mainland music scene as soon as it was launched.

However, domestic rankings and awards are always tainted by too many personal relationships and social niceties.

It's estimated that it will lose its original flavor after two or three years, and the award will lose its status because it no longer has any prestige.

People are extremely impatient these days, wanting to make quick money instead of thinking about long-term goals.

Anyway, the awards/programs aren't yours, but the favors and benefits you get are yours, right?
Can't you tell the difference between public and private?

After attending the event hosted by Yanjing Music Radio, Xia Tian flew to the United States alone.

There's an award notice here, and Shenlong Pictures needs to check it out themselves.

……

On the plane, Xia Tian took a nap and ended up having a dream!

I dreamt that fiery meteors were falling from the sky!
Is this the end of the world?

Summer woke me up!

He opened his eyes, looked around, breathed a sigh of relief, and removed the blanket covering him... Wait, where did the blanket come from?
Then he saw a pretty flight attendant smiling at him from not far away.

Summer nodded in thanks.

"Looks like I'll have to watch fewer sci-fi movies from now on," Xia Tian murmured.

It must be because I watched an American sci-fi movie videotape last night, plus I've been thinking about a sci-fi book lately. What I think about during the day, I dream about at night, and I'm having nightmares!
Silently reciting the six-syllable mantra to calm her mind, Xia Tian glanced out the window and thought, "Oh, we're already in New York?"

Outside the window lies a major city along the coastline, with skyscrapers standing side by side...

Wait, which way is this plane flying?
How did it end up in the city?

Holy crap, the airport isn't this way, is it?

Then in the summer, I saw two very tall buildings—the Petronas Twin Towers!
Summer suddenly opened her eyes, glanced at the cabin and outside the window, and couldn't help but cover her face.

I had a lucid dream, and it was a dream within a dream!
Why did I dream about a plane crashing into a building? Isn't that still ten years away?

A dream within a dream...

In the summer, he took out his notebook and wrote down the words "dream, dream within a dream, Inception..."

……

The plane did not crash into the building, but landed smoothly at the New York airport.

This wasn't the America of thirty years later, where a plane crashed every day.

This was the time when America was at its strongest, a time of great prosperity and prosperity.

It wasn't until after the building crash and the subprime mortgage crisis that its decline gradually became apparent.

Then, with the complete failure of its Middle East strategy, it gradually fell behind the University of Tokyo...

We still have to wait for my golden retriever friend to take over!
Summer couldn't help but smile as she thought about how the US had declined since her blond friend became president.

Then a pretty flight attendant who looked to be of Latin American descent came over and asked, "Sir, would you like a guide?"

As he spoke, a note was slipped into his hand.

"No thanks."

They were laughing so hard that the other person couldn't help but laugh too.

If we weren't still on the plane, it would probably be sticking to our bodies.

Summer quickly grabbed her suitcase and boarded the shuttle bus. Little Pello and Peggy were already waiting for her outside.

On the last day of May, summer arrived in New York City.

There are four main reasons for this visit:

The first is the religious horror novel "Hereditary," published last summer, which won the Bram Stoker Award for Best Novella.

I will be going on stage to receive the award on June 4th.

The second thing is to organize Shenlong Pictures' business for the past year and determine this year's filming plans and other business.

The third thing is the work at Huanguang Comics Studio. In the summer, I need to look at the comics that are planned to be published this year, as well as a batch of works that are about to be created.

The last thing is that tomorrow, June 1st, is Peggy's birthday, so I came over to celebrate her birthday.

At Shenlong Pictures, Xia Tian reviewed a bunch of reports and checked last year's revenue.

Last year, I filmed the movie "Home Alone 2" and two low-budget horror films.

Needless to say, Home Alone 2 is a huge success, and this one is expected to be very profitable as well! Moreover, Summer has already made it clear to Macaulay Culkin's mother on the phone that if her son signs with a big company, his life might be ruined.

However, you will absolutely not see those disgusting things in our Shenlong Pictures productions.

Unlike many child stars with vampire-like parents, Culkin's mother loved him very much.

After confirming that Xia Tian was telling the truth, they chose Shenlong Pictures without hesitation.

Besides, the money they paid in the summer was substantial. For the second movie, Culkin's salary was increased by 80%, and they also received a share of the box office revenue.

That's already very particular!

Big companies aren't that kind.

And the two low-budget films that were shot and invested in:

One is the monster movie "Deep Sea Man-Eater," which is a copy of Spielberg's "Jaws," even though that was made more than a decade ago.

But the trend-following effect is indeed quite good!
This aligns with the strategy Xia Tian set for Shenlong Pictures—on the one hand, producing high-quality, commercially successful works, and on the other hand, making low-budget films, mainly following trends and skirting the edges of those big-budget "side films"!
There was a film company in the original timeline that specialized in making these kinds of knock-off movies, like *Atlantic Rim*, *Transformers*, and *The Hobbit*.
You know what, it's actually quite profitable!
Moreover, Shenlong Pictures is not without its merits; it's essentially one company with two brands.

One type is to build a reputation and make big profits by producing high-quality goods; the other is to make a steady profit by producing low-cost knockoffs.
Last year's "Deep Blue Sea" cost $1.2 million to make and grossed $6 million, making a small profit.

Another film is "Paranormal Activity," a mockumentary-style horror film shot with a handheld camera, which was an idea given to me in the summer.

The film consists entirely of handheld video recordings and monitor footage. There are no ghosts or monsters in the entire film, but there are many supernatural phenomena.

Moreover, because many shots are close-up shots, the emotions are conveyed very directly!

This movie was hyped up before its release. The filming cost $40, and the hype cost $80!

They wrote many ghost stories as advertorials in numerous tabloids, television stations, and radio stations.

The box office results were very impressive; the cost was 1.2 million, and the box office was over 19 million!

Nearly ten times the return!

In addition, Shenlong Pictures invested in Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs last year.

Although the film suffered a small loss at the box office, it made a small profit from selling the distribution rights because it won a few minor awards. Furthermore, the videotapes sold very well.

Finally, they became the distributor for the summer film "Farewell My Concubine," which had a huge boost from winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes and the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, making them very wealthy!
Overall, Shenlong Pictures made a profit of about 50 million last year!

It crushes a bunch of small Hollywood film companies. Although it can't compare to the Big Six, it's still considered a top player among the second-tier studios!
As a partner and general manager, Xiao Pai Luo can also receive three to four million!

He's quite accomplished at a young age. Haven't you seen he's gotten a new car now—a Cadillac, costing over $30,000?

Cars are so cheap in the US! This car would cost hundreds of thousands of yuan in the country!

Upon arriving at Shenlong Pictures and meeting dozens of employees, Xia Tian discussed this year's filming plans with Xiao Pailuo in the general manager's office.

Peggy listened quietly to the side.

This year, Little Pyro plans to continue his efforts with two low-budget films: "Double-Headed Python" and "Land Shark"!
Then they found someone to start writing the second part of "Paranormal Activity", planning to turn the original haunted house into an exorcism haunted house!
The practice of exorcising evil spirits seems rather perfunctory to East Asians—it involves sprinkling holy water on a cross, reciting the Bible to demand the name of the demon, and that's it?

Not satisfying at all.

But Europeans and Americans buy into this!
Summer suggests creating some spectacular scenes. This movie could feature some bizarre and abnormal scenes like human levitation or human climbing. Even exorcism needs to have some impact!

If the second movie is also good, then the third movie can feature physical evil spirits!

Ghostly figures with horns, ghostly claw marks... basically, they never show their faces, but these things definitely exist. It's all about building up emotions!
You can let the previous exorcism fail, and then call in someone even more powerful to perform the exorcism.

Finally, find a mummified corpse in the basement or a hidden compartment in the wall of this house, then fabricate a story to reveal the origin of the corpse and the demon...

In short, as long as the box office is good, there's no story that can't be made up!

They could make sequels forever!
In addition, Xia Tian presented a suggested script outline: "Before coming here, I came up with a horror movie story about a serial killer..."

The movie is called "Scream," and if it's made well, there could be many sequels.
……

The next day was June 1st. Summer gave Peggy the gift she had prepared and also arranged a small party.

Michael, who had nothing to do recently, also came, bringing gifts for Peggy, but mainly to see Summer.

“Oh Charlotte, my brother, it’s great to see you again! The ‘gymnastics’ moves you taught me have been so effective. I’m sleeping so well now…” Michael came up and gave him a hug, his mouth practically stretched to his ears.

John Lone couldn't come; he wasn't in the United States, but he sent a gift through someone.

The party lasted from noon until night. Eating, drinking, singing, dancing, and rapping!

After saying goodbye to his friends, Summer drove Peggy to the hotel—Peggy said her mother had gone to Pennsylvania, supposedly to find a new boyfriend.

But actually, I don't know...

Anyway, when Summer was about to leave after dropping her off at the house, Peggy stopped him.

"I think I'm ready to eat!"

"We white people mature earlier than Asians, and we don't have such a long shelf life. If you don't eat it now, you'll miss the best taste!"

Summer: You know your food!
(End of this chapter)