Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 478 I'll arrange a meeting with Wu Chen from Xingchen Pictures.
[Internationally renowned director Wu Chen's lecture at the Beijing Film Academy sparks renewed interest; many students at the academy found the content profound and it has been hailed as "the most insightful sharing on the industrialization of Chinese cinema!"]

[Wu Chen gives back to his alma mater, signing new directors on the spot during his speech, and giving literature students' works the opportunity to be adapted.]

【.】

Starry Night Pictures' every move is closely watched by the industry, and Wu Chen's signing of a new director has sparked much discussion within the industry.

"A new director? Is it another Lu Yang?"

"It's not that exaggerated, at most you can only say it has potential."

“Training new directors takes so much effort and resources, it’s not worth it. Even a company the size of Huayi Brothers wouldn’t put in the effort. Only state-owned enterprises like China Film Group can afford to spend money on training them.”

Wu Chen has good taste.

"."

While people are curious about Starry Night Pictures signing a new director, most can only wait and see.

Training a new director is a cost that most companies can't afford. It's okay to discover one occasionally, but if you have to train them for a long time and they fail, it's almost like sending the company into bankruptcy liquidation in advance for small and medium-sized companies.

In contrast, another piece of news made the industry more cautious.

However, the phrase "giving back to one's alma mater" in news reports makes many people hesitate.

Who knows if Wu Chen's efforts were just a token gesture or nothing at all.

In the China Film Group office, Han Sanping stared at the report and pondered the matter. Upon closer examination, he couldn't help but feel that something was amiss—what if it was a low-budget blockbuster?
After thinking for a moment, Han Sanping picked up the phone and made a special inquiry.

Wu Chen smiled and replied, "Chairman Han, you're interested in this news too? The story hasn't even been adapted yet, and besides, I don't have that much time for this project; Yi Fei will be the main person in charge."

"Yifei is in charge?" Han Sanping was taken aback, his fingers stopping tapping on the table.

The idea of ​​a "low-cost, high-volume hit" immediately faded by half.

In his view, it was very likely that Liu Yifei had taken a liking to him, and Wu Chen intended to give her a helping hand. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that his idea was absolutely correct.
After all, a top director has no reason to waste his energy on such a "small-scale" film.

"Are you planning to work as a couple?" Han Sanping teased.

"I suppose so," Wu Chen chuckled.

"So it seems the two of you can fill the quota? Here's what we'll do: if you're looking for investors, let Yifei approach China Film Group. China Film Group will help you make up the difference if you can't fill the quota."

Seeing this, Han Sanping still made a promise.

Although it may not be a blockbuster, I still want to say that Wu Chen's contribution of 400 million yuan at the box office is still fresh in my mind.

"As expected of a director with 400 million yuan in box office revenue, Chairman Han is truly impressive."

"Come on, come on, we're not there yet. We're not there yet."

Upon hearing this, Han Sanping couldn't help but burst out laughing, his face crinkling with wrinkles.

Who in the industry doesn't know that Han Sanping is about to become the second director in China to have a box office of 400 million yuan?
One move and the world knows!

However, compared to Han Sanping's casual attitude, Wang Changtian of Enlight Media had a different idea. After calling to inquire and learning that Liu Yifei was in charge, he had even more ideas.

In his opinion, Wu Chen had no reason to betray his girlfriend, and besides, Wu Chen said he didn't have time, so is it possible that this is a really good script?

Thinking of this, Wang Changtian said without hesitation: "Director Wu, please tell Yifei that Enlight Media wants to invest and will definitely be able to. If it can't be decided now, then we can discuss it later after the script is completed?"

"Later."

Early the next morning.

In the Starry Sky Pictures office building, before the morning sun had fully illuminated the lobby, Guo Fan walked into the front desk with a folder in his hand and a backpack on his back, looking quite solemn.

"Hello, I'm looking for Director Wu Chen. I'm Guo Fan."

"Director Guo, please wait a moment." The receptionist, already aware of their purpose, immediately stood up to greet them.

Not long after, the assistant led him into Wu Chen's office. A printed contract was already prepared inside.

"Take a look," Wu Chen said with a smile, even joking, "I remember you went to law school for your undergraduate degree, so could you also take a look and see if there's any room for improvement in this contract?"

"Senior, your company's legal counsel is far superior to mine." Guo Fan shook his head with a smile, carefully reviewed the document, and then decisively signed his name.

After signing the contract, Wu Chen asked, "I remember you said yesterday that you most wanted to make a science fiction movie?"

Upon hearing this, Guo Fan immediately became interested and nodded repeatedly, "Senior brother, personally, what I most want to make is science fiction films, whether it's hard science fiction or soft science fiction."

"Hmm." Wu Chen nodded slightly, quickly going over the details in his mind.

Actually, Source Code was a very suitable script, but Wu Chen had seen it in Paramount's copyright library before. The screenwriter had already completed the first draft in 2007, and it was even put on the Hollywood blacklist in 08. Paramount then bought it.

After some deliberation, Wu Chen smiled and said:

"Okay, I'll finalize a story framework for you later, but the scriptwriting will require you and the company's writing team to work together to complete it."

He didn't want to be a nanny, preparing everything for him.

Furthermore, the company's screenwriting team also needs to improve its capabilities through projects.

Guo Fan could not hide his surprise and asked questions repeatedly.

"You'll find out then, so prepare well."

Just as Wu Chen and Guo Fan were discussing the matter, Wang Jianlin convened a meeting of all senior executives of the Wanda Culture Group in the conference room at Wanda headquarters.

Wang Jianlin sat in the main seat with a serious expression:
"I am particularly dissatisfied with Wanda Film Media Co., Ltd. Since the company was announced, not a single film production investment has been finalized, and the entire company's cultural strategy has been slowed down!"

Upon hearing this, Vice President Zhang Lin's face turned pale, as he was the person in charge of Wanda Film Media.

He was also quite helpless.

This film and television industry is a bit hard to please.

"Chairman Wang, film and television production and our real estate land acquisition are somewhat similar in nature."

Wang Jianlin was immediately dissatisfied with this excuse: "Can't we just use money to buy land? Wanda has plenty of money!"

No one had any objection to the second half of the statement.

In terms of money, Wanda is not short of funds at all.

Wang Jianlin paused, then turned to look at Ye Ning, who was in charge of the cinema chain:

"Ye Ning, you tell us. You're in charge of the cinemas, so you know a lot about the film market."

“Chairman Wang, throwing money at a film industry might not necessarily work.” Ye Ning paused. “Like last year, the film industry produced about 400 films throughout the year, but more than 90% of them did not enter theaters for public release or had dismal box office results after release, and about 80% of the films lost money.”

"If you throw money at the problem, it's easy to invest heavily in loss-making films, the profit-loss ratio is too poor, and production companies tend to hoard good resources."

Wang Jianlin wasn't stupid; he understood immediately.

He's setting up a cultural group to serve the entire conglomerate. Short-term losses are acceptable, but the ultimate goal is to make money. Under such circumstances, unless he throws money around like crazy, there's a high chance it will all go down the drain.

"Then why can't we train our own directors? I saw in the news that Wu Chen of Xingchen Pictures just signed a new director and is training him these past few days."
Wanda could totally follow suit. Besides, I saw Ye Ning's previous report that Starry Night Pictures hasn't lost money on movies in recent years. Wanda should try every means to cooperate with them. In business, you become familiar with someone the first time, and friends become friends after three or four times. If someone invests ten million, we can't just invest fifteen million.

Upon hearing this, Ye Ning and Zhang Lin exchanged a glance, both seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes.

Ultimately, it all comes down to throwing money at it.
Other people have good taste in training directors, but they don't.

Training a director, if you're unlucky, can easily result in losses of 50 million or even 100 million over several years, which is considered a small amount.
Although Wanda is not short of money, it cannot withstand such continuous losses, especially since many people inside are eyeing the senior management positions, and at the slightest sign of trouble, someone wants to take their place.

Wang Jianlin had a good idea of ​​what his subordinates were thinking, and after a moment's thought, he made the decision directly:

"If you can't solve this, then go and arrange a meeting with Wu Chen from Xingchen Pictures. I'll talk to him personally!"

(End of this chapter)