Shadow of Chinese Entertainment

Chapter 256 Becoming Yourself

Ever since the airport blockade, Hu Xiaobei had guessed that there would be a lot of trivial matters to deal with back home.

As he expected, many celebrities, actors, film and television companies, and distributors wanted to connect with Qianbeifeng Entertainment.

Some wanted to sign with Qianbeifeng Entertainment, some wanted to get their faces in advance and arrange a film with Hu Xiaobei, some came to ask for investment, and some came to ask for cooperation.

Such examples are countless, all revolving around the pursuit of fame and fortune.

Hu Xiaobei had no intention of dealing with these people or companies, and entrusted all external affairs to Liu Xiaoli.

He has money, free time, powerful connections, and the ability to make whatever films he wants.

As long as he doesn't make films on prohibited themes, the domestic market will be a smooth road for him.

As for the domestic release of "Sissi's Dog," he didn't need to worry about it, and Liu Xiaoli didn't even need to concern herself with it.

Because the domestic box office revenue and audio-visual income of this film have all been donated in the names of him, An Xiaoqian, and the company.

In other words, Qianbeifeng Entertainment will not take a single penny of the film's revenue in China; instead, it will donate it all to the top ten film and television-related colleges in the country.

For example: Beijing Film Academy, Central Academy of Drama, Shanghai Theatre Academy, Communication University of China, Nanjing University of the Arts, Zhejiang University of Media and Communications, National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts, as well as special institutions like Beijing People's Art Theatre and PLA Academy of Arts.

(P.S.: Beijing People's Art Theatre is not a traditional film and television school primarily focused on academic education, but rather a renowned professional drama theatre with a unique performance style, both domestically and internationally. However, it also undertakes the task of cultivating talent in drama and related arts to a certain extent.)
Therefore, the subsequent release, promotion, revenue, donations, and other matters of the film will be jointly supervised and managed by personnel from these schools.

Given the quality of the film "Sissi's Dog," its current popularity, and the added boost from An Xiaoxi, the box office performance shouldn't be too bad.

Hu Xiaobei estimates that the box office revenue in mainland China will be at least 30 million yuan, not including revenue from Hong Kong and Taiwan, as well as audio-visual revenue.

If all of them are included, the conservative estimate is 50 million RMB.

Of course, he no longer cared about such things; the film had already made enough money at the Berlin Film Festival.

Everything in excess is bad. Sometimes, indirectly spending money to buy fame and connections is a pretty good option.

Furthermore, donating this money can also bring certain tax deductions to one's own company, so why not?

In fact, there are relevant official film foundation organizations in China, such as the China Film Foundation, which was established in 1989. Its purpose is to unite groups and individuals at home and abroad who are enthusiastic about supporting the Chinese film industry.

To raise funds for the prosperity and development of Chinese cinema, carry out public welfare activities, and fund and support film creation, talent cultivation, and academic research.

There is also the National Film Industry Development Special Fund, established in 1991. Because it was approved by the State Council, 5% of the box office revenue of films in cities at the county level and above can be extracted as a special fund.

These funds will also be used to support the development of the film industry, including supporting the production of key films and promoting the construction of film infrastructure.

This special fund, due to its fixed allocation, is mentioned in many Chinese entertainment novels.

If the money were donated to these two organizations, it would be a complete waste for Hu Xiaobei, serving no purpose whatsoever.

Donating to schools is a different story. It can not only cultivate more outstanding film and media talents, but also provide additional support out of thin air.

These supportive factors are intangible and elusive, yet they exist in a very real way and influence the development of the domestic film and television industry.

After a week of preparation, Hu Xiaobei's new film "Becoming Yourself" will officially begin filming on March 1st.

This week is not only the basic preparation time for the new movie, but also a time for An Xiaoxi to have a break.

Given An Xiaoxi's recent international Best Actress win, if she isn't given time off to deal with the news media, Qianbeifeng Entertainment Company won't have the resources to prepare for a new movie.

In addition, it is also worth considering that the TV series "The Return of the Condor Heroes" will premiere on Qilu TV on March 14.

As the female lead of this drama, An Xiaoqian has to set aside some time to cooperate with the production team of "The Condor Heroes" for promotion.

This would allow her to accept numerous media interviews, thus resolving the issue of her popularity as a Best Actress winner.

It can also serve as a form of publicity for the TV series "The Return of the Condor Heroes".

Although they didn't invest in this drama and received very little compensation, they still put a lot of effort and hard work into it.

If it can make this show more popular, then the hard work will be worthwhile. Of course, it's only for one week.

There are many characters in the movie "Become Yourself", but the main one is An Xiaoxi.

However, there is no trace of Hu Xiaobei in this movie.

Or, even if they exist, they are merely hidden within a single online post, unknown to the public.

To all Chinese people, this will be a futuristic science fiction and biographical film adapted from An Xiaoxi's own growth experience and simulated future experiences.

The entire film spans 24 years, from 2002 to 2026.

Of course, the female lead's name will not be An Xiaoqian, but Liu Qianqian.

However, everyone in China knows that this Liu Qianqian is actually An Xiaoqian.

Because of the time span, people won't completely apply the events after 2006 to real life.

Besides Liu Qianqian, the most important character in this film is the female lead's mother, Liu Xiaoli.

This role will be played by Yu Feihong, who played An Xiaoxi's mother in the previous film.

In addition, the roles of Liu Qianqian's family, rivals, friends, and classmates will also be selected from actors she has worked with before, as well as real classmates and friends.

Among them, Shu Chang, who plays Liu Qianqian's best friend, is playing herself, and the actors who play Liu Qianqian's classmates are also her real-life classmates.

Because of the upcoming promotion of "The Return of the Condor Heroes", Hu Xiaobei specially invited Big Beard, Yu Minjie, Zhou Xiaowen, Huang Xiaoming and others to make cameo appearances.

After hearing part of the relevant plot, Big Beard and Yu Minjie really didn't want to make a cameo appearance.

After all, the female lead, Liu Qianqian, suffered a lot while filming "The Return of the Condor Heroes," which could easily have a negative impact on them.

However, Hu Xiaobei has already decided, is certain, and is absolutely certain that he will submit the film "Become Yourself" to the main competition section of the Cannes Film Festival.

With such a tight filming schedule, Hu Xiaobei's powerful backing, and his own company's substantial financial resources, the filming was a challenge.

Getting him to change the script or cancel this part of the story is definitely not going to work.

Since Hu Xiaobei has extended an invitation to them, some things can be kept within an acceptable range.

On the contrary, if they don't film, it's easier for them to cause misunderstandings among the audience and industry insiders.

In this situation, it's best to participate in the filming openly and honestly, which can also help avoid unnecessary trouble later on.

Zhou Xiaowen has a clear conscience and wouldn't consider these things.

As an actor, Huang Xiaoming was naturally eager to star in Hu Xiaobei's movie.

Moreover, there was no scandal about him in the play; it was just a cameo appearance. Naturally, he would do this favor.

Similar to him are Xiu Qing, who plays the cousin, as well as Cheng Kun and Dong Jie.

Since the movie "Become Yourself" requires a lot of futuristic elements, props were also a problem.

Fortunately, it was just a movie shoot, so these props didn't need to have any real function.

Therefore, props can be easily made through pre-ordering.

For example, a mobile phone doesn't need to have all the features of the future. Just make a shell and have the most basic video playback function.

The video is prepared in advance and displayed and played on the "phone". The actors only need to follow the procedure and operate at the specified times.

To the audience, it looked as if they were actually operating a mobile phone system step by step.

(End of this chapter)