How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 261 This movie is not very interesting.

The nickname "Da Mi Mi" comes from the movie "Mysterious Island".

At the time, she had just signed with Mei Ya Entertainment to work in the Hong Kong entertainment industry. In order to match the atmosphere of Hong Kong and her style transformation, she decided to perform in a large-scale role. However, she did not expect that "Palace" would become an unexpected hit. Mei Ya used Yang Mi's popularity to directly promote this film, which was disguised as a thriller but was actually a lewd and sexually suggestive film, into the low-budget film with the highest return on investment that year.

Of course, this is also the work that Yang Mi is least willing to mention later. But in fact, if it weren't for this movie, the influence of "Palace" alone would not have made her so popular so quickly. This movie directly brought her potential audience and topicality to a level that broke out of the circle.

It was after this unexpected chemical reaction that Yang Mi's team discovered a shortcut to "black and red traffic".

The movie "Mysterious Island" itself has no highlights. It is just a combination of the structure of the 09 hit horror movie "Jennifer's Body" and the original Hong Kong horror movie. If it hadn't caught up with Yang Mi's popularity, it would most likely have been a box office flop.

Therefore, as long as the classic scenes from the original drama are maintained and the popularity of "Palace" is capitalized on, it will be easy to break 100 million views.

However, the script that Wang Yao presented was not simply for making money. Although it had the same name, it was actually a new script created by the writing team of "Jennifer's Body".

Although this film is known for its explicit thriller and female lead, it is actually an avant-garde women's film that blends elements of youth campus, supernatural thriller, and dark humor, deconstructing symbols of sexiness and youthful anxieties from a female perspective.

The main storyline, in which the rock band cruelly sacrifices the female lead in their pursuit of fame, is a metaphor for Hollywood's bottomless pursuit of profit, while the female lead's demonization is another extreme form of resistance and sublimation.

While the plot appears to be a grotesque story about a beautiful woman eating people, it actually contains a sharp critique of the male gaze, adolescent female identity anxiety, and the alienation of friendship.

The relationship between the female lead and the second female lead represents friendship (ambiguity) and is a symbol of female awakening.

It provided a pioneering framework for later socially conscious horror films such as Get Out and Ready?

Because the screenwriter of *Jennifer* is Diablo Cody, a renowned American female-centric director and screenwriter, a woman who rose from a stripper to an Oscar winner. Before *Jennifer*, she participated in *Juno*, a phenomenal film that influenced a generation of young Americans. This film directly led to a sharp increase in the rate of unmarried births in the United States, a phenomenon known as the Juno Effect.

She is also the screenwriter of the popular American family sitcom "The Wrong Life," and a long-time collaborator of Steven Spielberg.

Coincidentally, she was also one of Deng Wendi's friends and an exclusive celebrity on Ms International. She played a significant role in previous global anti-submarine incidents and was one of Wang Yao's main candidates in his European and American idol-making project.

Wang Yao first invited Cody's team to customize the script for "Queen of Silicon Valley". Later, during the negotiation process, the two parties reached an in-depth cooperation and became an important partner for Tianhuo Films in the future of "women's films".

Using "Jennifer" as a template, a team of East Asian female screenwriters was assembled to rewrite the script of "Far Cry," which can be considered "East Asianized," while retaining the distinct American personalities of the female protagonists and the ambiguous atmosphere.

Wang Yao intended this film as a stepping stone into the East Asian market, especially markets like Siam and Malaysia that are interested in thrillers. As for the domestic version, it was simply to recoup the production costs.

If "The Island" gains popularity in East Asia, it will become a series of female narratives, and these regions with low status for women need this kind of comfort the most.

To ensure the quality of the "Island" series, Wang Yao even invested in Quantum Monsters, the studio recently established by James Wan, the "King of Thrillers" in Hollywood, and signed an agreement to invest in two films for Wan within three years with an average budget of no less than $2000.

So when they saw the director's and screenwriter's information, Yang Mi and Tang Yan both hesitated.

They are at best second-tier artists in China, and even in the film industry, they can only be background figures or decorative objects, let alone pursue an international career.

"The Island" is positioned for the international market, and although the director and screenwriter are not mainstream Hollywood figures, they are still quite famous. In some ways, this lineup is even comparable to Fan Bingbing's "Silicon King".

"Silicon King" was released in the North American market, but Fan Bingbing was only a supporting actress. Although "The Island" was mainly targeted at East Asia, she was the female lead. Yang Mi and Tang Yan were both self-aware enough to know that it was basically impossible for Chinese actors to make it in Hollywood, but the East Asian market was not small.

The two took the script back and discussed it.

"Tangtang, do you think we should change it?" Yang Mi asked after reading the brief script.

"Is this considered Hollywood production quality?" Tang Yan blinked.

"Of course! James Wan, the director of 'Saw'! The screenplay is by the writer of 'Juno,' and Ellen Page is my idol!" Yang Mi said excitedly.

The influence of "Juno" in Europe and America is equivalent to that of "Tiny Times" in China. It has a huge impact on female audiences of the same age around the world. This movie is considered one of the must-see movies for Yang Mi and her generation of film industry professionals.

"President Wang is truly amazing; he actually managed to acquire these resources," Tang Yan couldn't help but exclaim.

Hollywood's big-name directors/screenwriters have a huge filter of admiration for her.

“But we’re both on B-level contracts, isn’t this resource a bit too generous?” Yang Mi raised an eyebrow, suddenly realizing a problem.

"It seems like President Wang didn't say it was for us directly. There might be internal competition later," Tang Yan said, frowning.

“However, in terms of the company’s ranking, we two are the most promising. Moreover, with the dual female lead best friend setting, if we both star in it, we will have a great advantage in terms of public relations and publicity. The only ones who can compete with us are probably Sister Lan and Sister Fu,” Yang Mi pondered.

Although they are all artists under Tianhuo Entertainment on the surface, Yang Mi and the others are actually artists under the "Spark System" and enjoy the benefits of Spark artists. Currently, in the internal ranking, only Qin Lan and Fu Rui have more seniority than them.

Actresses like Zhao Liying, Yang Ying, and Gulnazar are all C-level, and although they have a fan base, their resumes and experience are not as rich as theirs. The budget for "The Island" is 2000 million yuan, which is considered a big production in the industry, so it is highly unlikely that newcomers will be used.

"But I heard that Huang Shengyi and Zhang Yuqi also have close relationships with President Wang," Tang Yan said in a low voice.

Although neither of them signed with Xinghuo, rumors and gossip about them and Wang Yao circulate in the outside world. In particular, Huang Shengyi, an outsider, is now living in Xinghuo's employee dormitory area, which has aroused even more speculation.

Although these two aren't super famous, they are both serious film actors, and if they were to compete, they would certainly be formidable rivals.

"Tsk, I almost forgot." Yang Mi frowned upon hearing this.

"And according to the label, this movie is rated R, so it must be quite explicit. Can you handle it?" Tang Yan asked curiously.

Yang Mi has always insisted on following the 'academic' route. Since "The Island" is comparable to "Jennifer", the scale must be quite large. It even seems that there is a kiss scene between the two female leads.

Yang Mi hesitated.

She had seen the original film "Jennifer", and the role she was interested in was also a "hot girl" type, and the filming location was on an island, so she probably couldn't escape wearing a swimsuit.

She was a rather conservative girl, but when she thought about the scarcity of this resource and the script's theme of female awakening, she suddenly felt that she could dedicate herself to art.

"Moreover, the film is positioned for release in East Asia and overseas. If the box office is not good, there is still some risk. I filmed a movie with Wang Jing and others before, and now it is being used as a source of negative news by the media. Once you let go of the issue of 'daring', it is not easy to pick it up again." Tang Yan hesitated.

“But if we want to transition into film actors, in the domestic market we can only play supporting roles or slowly work our way up in small productions. If we can directly get these kinds of opportunities, starting from a higher level will be more beneficial for our future development. I really don’t want to do TV dramas anymore,” Yang Mi sighed.

The TV series "Dream of the Red Chamber" in which she starred premiered yesterday, and it received a lot of negative reviews. Even the halo of her previous role in "Chinese Paladin 3" couldn't stop the criticism. She was just a guest star and didn't get much money, but she took the most criticism, so she was naturally unhappy.

"Let's discuss this with the agent again, since it involves her future career development." Tang Yan has been resting for half a year. After the successful acquisition of Tianhuo, Ji Jin has only now begun to officially help her find scripts, and recently she has been in contact with several TV series.

If I take on "The Island," I won't be able to take on any TV dramas in the short term, and I'll definitely be tied to Yang Mi for a period of time. I need to weigh the pros and cons.

"Yeah, let's think about it some more. It seems like Shadow and the others' movie has a release date, and my agent asked me to help with the promotion and hype." Yang Mi nodded and changed the subject.

"I've also received the news, but with Nazha and the others from 'Sister Flower' already so popular, it's not our turn to promote it," Tang Yan said with a smile.

Wang Yao has recently been dealing with the issue of 'Tianwang Private Equity' shares. Ever since the hit show "Sister Hua" gave the industry another variety show category to choose from, Huayi seems to have suddenly figured it out and directly raised the subscription amount to 5 million yuan in sync with Bona (Wang Yao 50%, Souhu 25%, Bona 12.5%, Huayi 12.5%), directly completing the initial fundraising.

However, as more and more people realize the potential of online variety shows, and as Tianwang is currently the most professional variety show production company in China, they have come to Tianwang wanting to invest in it.

Although Tianwang doesn't have much liquid cash on hand, it's not short of money. Wang Yao directly rejected all investors, but they took a different approach and wanted to indirectly hold shares through "Tianwang Private Equity". This time, they bypassed Wang Yao and found Shanghai Commercial Investment, which is both the issuer of the private equity and a shareholder of Tianwang.

Guo Guangchang and Wang Fan have been taking turns trying to persuade Wang Yao to provide a new round of financing for Tianwang in the past two days.

"Mr. Guo, it's not that I don't want to raise funds. I wanted to raise funds in July, and you all thought 60 billion was too high. Now the company isn't in a hurry to expand, and we still have Tianhuo as a financing channel. I really can't think of what to do with the money." Wang Yao said, both amused and exasperated.

Guo Guangchang scratched his head, feeling somewhat regretful.

If he had known that Wang Yao could acquire Tianhuo Entertainment in less than two months and achieve a new round of asset appreciation, he should have agreed to Wang Yao's financing in the first place, when Wang Yao's target price was only 50 billion.

But if we bring it up again now, I wonder how much of an exorbitant demand that kid will make.

"I admit that I underestimated the speed at which assets in the film and television industry expand, so I'm correcting my mistake now." Guo Guangchang waved his hand with a smile: "Based on the current revenue of Tianwang plus the valuation of Tianhuo Entertainment, 80 billion should be no problem, right?"

Wang Yao raised an eyebrow slightly: "Tianhuo's acquisition of AMC has already begun, and the funds have been raised almost. By then, the assets held by Tianhuo alone will be worth 40 billion. We also hold shares in Leshi. President Guo thinks Tianwang is only worth 40 billion?"

"The acquisition of the AMC project hasn't been finalized yet, and the private equity funds can't be used elsewhere. In the short term, it's only worth about 10 billion. I valued Skynet at 60 billion," Guo Guangchang said with a smile.

"It didn't meet my expectations." Wang Yao shook his head.

"Then how much do you want?" Guo Guangchang asked, frowning.

"I can't say for sure, but if we wait another six months and the Tianhuo system's model becomes successful, we can definitely aim for 200 billion," Wang Yao said with a smile.

Guo Guangchang's lips twitched; as expected, he was asking for an exorbitant amount.

"If Mr. Wang is so confident in the development of the Tianhuo Group, he could try to raise funds first and then go public through a backdoor listing. Otherwise, it will take at least three years for Tianwang to go public, and the situation may not be so clear by then." Guo Guangchang wanted to test whether Wang Yao really wanted to go public through a backdoor listing.

If they go public through a reverse takeover, they can skip the three-year preparation period required for listing and directly cash out at a premium based on the hype. Their market value will definitely exceed 10 billion. Even if the acquisition of AMC fails later, the drop in stock price will not have a significant impact.

It's better to secure the money than not.

“The cost of a backdoor listing is not low. Xingmei has a very high percentage of the shares. If we use other shell companies, the cost may be even higher if they ask for more money.” Wang Yao said, feigning hesitation.

Seeing that he seemed to really intend to go public through a backdoor listing, Guo Guangchang smiled more: "We can start looking for one, but it is indeed a bit inconvenient to use financing methods."

Financing and bond issuance are both earmarked for specific purposes, which can easily create risks for legitimate businesses. However, there are other ways to deal with this.

"Borrowing and mortgaging? SkyNet already has more than 40% debt, so mortgaging it again won't get much more, right?" Wang Yao frowned.

"We can create a subordinated bond on top of the Tianwang private placement, as leverage to find shell companies or acquire Tianhuo," Guo Guangchang said with a smile.

There are many ways to issue subordinated debt, but because it is the last in the repayment order, it is risky, but also has high returns. It depends on whether the content of the bond issuance is promising enough.

"Has someone approached President Guo, trying to get involved with Skynet?" Wang Yao narrowed his eyes.

The fact that they were confident enough to produce subprime debt, and that it was clearly a large-scale project, suggests that someone wanted to buy Skynet at a suitable price.

“Indeed, the concept of the SkyNet model has become quite popular recently. Many people originally wanted to participate in SkyNet private equity, but because the on-exchange market is already full, they can only try to find a way on the off-exchange market,” Guo Guangchang said with a smile.

"They weren't in a hurry when there was still a 70% shortfall, but they got anxious after it was all distributed?" Wang Yao scoffed.

It seems that my 20 billion hook has already had an effect.

"That's normal. After all, Skynet's scarcity wasn't obvious back then. If it were just a simple acquisition of cinemas, there wouldn't be enough room for imagination. But who can blame us when the online variety show model became so popular? But next time there's such a major positive development, could you let me know in advance? Otherwise, I'll be in a very passive position." Guo Guangchang chuckled.

When Tianwang was doing private equity, Wang Yao specifically asked him if he wanted to invest further, but he refused. Now he's blaming Wang Yao for not informing him of the good news. "I didn't know the online variety show would be so successful, considering it's only the second season," Wang Yao chuckled.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Guo Guangchang, having achieved his goal, prepared to return to launch his new project.

After some thought, Wang Yao shifted his focus back to promoting the Ms/MLS mobile app. He reasoned that domestic investors were all penniless, and it would be better to look for more suitable targets abroad.

On September 9.2nd, the Shanghai Opera School opened, and Dilraba received a lot of attention upon entering the school because of her role in "Sister Hua".

On September 9.5th, the start of the new semester at Beijing Electric Power University, and Gulnazar's enrollment, which has also garnered much attention, became a trending topic.

In conjunction with Bilibili's campus beauty pageant, the phrase "two beauties, one in four thousand years, have emerged this year" was created, further reinforcing the image of the twin lotus flowers of the Northern Frontier as rising stars, and officially launching this year's "Campus Beauty Contest".

Riding on the wave of popularity surrounding the campus beauty pageant, the news of the release of "22.22" was spread once again, attracting the attention of many industry peers.

Internet campus beauty pageants can be traced back to the BBS era. Later, Tianya, Hupu, Mop, Douban and other platforms held similar campus beauty pageants every year. In addition to being popular among netizens, they were also used by the entertainment industry to select candidates.

Many brokerage firms use online popularity polls and organic traffic to determine whether there are any promising talents or promising individuals among them.

The movie "Sisters Who Make Waves" made Dilraba and Gulnazar famous, but many people are hearing for the first time that the movie Gulnazar is involved in will be released today.

Knowing that the huge success of "Sister Flower" would provide a free publicity boost for "22.22", Wang Yao did not arrange much related publicity, but only arranged a few movie screenings and private screenings for the main creative team.

The public and media mainly focused on gossip surrounding Nazha's participation in movies and variety shows even before her debut, and speculated about her relationship with Wang Yao.

Meanwhile, his peers began to inquire about the situation of this "22.22" and discovered that it was produced by Skyfire, but why was there no news about it?

Even if it's because of the use of a completely new lineup, the presence of Kwan Kam-Peng and Skyfire should still generate some buzz beforehand, which isn't like Wang Yao's style.

Since Skyfire disrupted the industry by adopting an online variety show format, no one dared to underestimate them anymore. Moreover, they are now the largest cinema chain in the industry, and their first self-produced film is bound to have a story to tell.

Soon everyone found out the relevant information and discovered that the main producer and investor was Xingmei Entertainment, and Tianhuo was just the producer.

But looking at the cast, almost all of them are newcomers from Skyfire, so everyone can naturally see the trick. After all, in the eyes of others in the industry, these two companies are practically inseparable.

However, since it was under Xingmei's name, most people in the industry couldn't express their opinions much. They just secretly asked someone to get the first round of movie tickets so they could go and see what was going on.

Hua Yi Lao Wang, along with Feng Xiaopao, were ready to see what was going on with this film, which dared to be released so suddenly in the fiercely competitive September season.

They went to the designated cinema of Yaolai Cinema. Inside, they saw many familiar faces, such as Yu Dong from Berna, Wang Changtian from Fiber Optics, Li Ming from Xiaoma, and even Lu Chuan, who was dressed in green.

The group greeted each other and waited for the movie to start.

After the familiar animations of Xingmei and other studios at the beginning, the unfamiliar animations and logos of Tianhuo appear on the big screen for the first time, featuring an adorable little flame.

Then the time stamp 2010 slowly appeared on the screen, accompanied by a faint broadcast voice saying "China's sovereignty is inviolable." In a dimly lit old-fashioned earthen house in a southern rural area, the face of a round-faced girl of five or six years old slowly appeared in the camera. The girl put down the sand map model in her hand and looked up at the dim map on the wall.

Another childish, angry roar came from beside me: "I'll kill you!"

The round-faced girl quickly got up and ran out. The camera followed and the scene suddenly opened up. Outside the yard, another girl, about five or six years old, was fiercely chasing and beating a group of boys. The round-faced girl quickly went out to break up the fight. In the corner, there was an even smaller girl, covered in dirt and grinning foolishly.

At the same time, Zhao Liying's voiceover began: "My name is He Ji, and I am six years old. The one chasing and hitting me is my five-year-old second sister, He Hui. The one standing to the side with a missing tooth and a silly grin is my youngest sister, He Yuan, who should be three years old."

A smooth transition and empty shot, very much in Kwan Kam-pang's style, introduces the three main characters and the story's background, which takes place in a fishing village.

The protagonist's age and timeline raised a wave of doubt among all the viewers.

The female lead was only 6 years old in 2010? Isn't this movie supposed to be an urban light comedy?

Why is it a children's film?

Amidst everyone's puzzled thoughts, the narration and background music introduced various information about the protagonist, and then the scene changed.

The appearance of '2022' directly jumps to the timeline.

Not a children's film? Or is it a futuristic sci-fi film?
The audience gasped again; this was quite a rare sight.

On the big screen, it's still the same slightly dilapidated fishing village courtyard, except the three He sisters have grown up. 18-year-old He Ji (Zhao Liying) is poised and elegant, 17-year-old He Hui (Zhang Tianai) has short hair and looks like a tomboy, and 15-year-old He Yuan (Nazha) is quiet, gentle, bright and beautiful.

The three sisters and their parents sat in the courtyard, enjoying the cool air and chatting, gazing up at the night sky.

“Dad, tutoring for art high school entrance exams might cost over 30,000 yuan, and after you get in, you'll need another 10,000 yuan for tuition,” He Ji said.

Mr. He (Gu Tianle), with his dark skin, looked like he came from a fishing background. He frowned upon hearing this, but simply replied, "You really have to go?"

He nodded several times, his tone firm, "I definitely have to go."

He's mother (Kara Hui) standing next to her seemed hesitant to speak.

Upon hearing this, Mr. He nodded and said, "Okay."

"University tuition is so expensive? I feel sorry for my parents, so they don't have to go to school." He Hui joked with a grin.

"Is that because you feel sorry for me? It's because you can't get into university!" Mother He roared.

He Ji's gaze swept over the courtyard and house, which hadn't changed much in over a decade, and he lowered his eyes and pursed his lips.

Around midnight, Mr. and Mrs. He tossed and turned, unable to sleep, worrying about their eldest daughter's art exam fees. They were talking in hushed tones when suddenly their second daughter, He Hui, burst in: "It's just 50,000 yuan, Dad, come here, look here."

He Hui held up a phone that looked even more advanced than an iPhone 4 and said to his father, "Nod, yes, shake your head, open your mouth, okay."

"What's good?" Mr. He subconsciously did as instructed, showing his trust in his second daughter.

"It's an online loan. Check your bank card; the loan should have been approved." He Hui smiled mischievously.

"Huh? There really is an extra 60,000 yuan. But what is an online loan?" Looking at the text message on her phone, Mrs. He's face lit up with joy, but then she became puzzled.

Upon hearing this, Mr. He flew into a rage: "Online loans? I'll beat you to death, you little bastard!"

The once quiet courtyard was suddenly filled with the sounds of chasing and arguing.

He Ji got up but didn't go out. He sat quietly by the window, listening to his father's shouts and curses as he chased and beat his second sister, his face expressionless.

The third sister, He Yuan, stood alone in the courtyard bathed in moonlight, looking beautiful as she watched the commotion and giggled foolishly.

Accompanied by a shot of space, the narration begins again.

“In 2022, my parents sent me to university through online loans and I was admitted to my ideal broadcasting major. However, because my second sister neglected to repay the loan, the online loan became overdue three months later, and my father became a blacklisted person.”

The audience laughed out loud at the online loan and the tomboy He Hui, confirming that it was probably an urban light comedy, no, a future light comedy? A new genre?
The timeline jumps again to '2026'.

It was still that same small courtyard in the fishing village. The three He sisters had grown up to be even more beautiful and charming, and their parents showed no signs of aging. The whole family gathered around the dinner table.

He Ji, whose attire already clearly exuded a 'big city' vibe, spoke again: "Mom and Dad, I got a spot in the department for studying abroad."

As soon as he finished speaking, the expressions on everyone's faces at the dinner table turned somewhat surprised, not delighted.

"Study abroad? Go abroad?" Mrs. He asked subconsciously, frowning.

Mr. He looked at his daughter meaningfully and asked, "How much money do you want?"

"I saved 100,000 yuan while I was in school, and maybe another 100,000 yuan." He Ji pursed his lips, not daring to look up and meet the eyes of his parents and sisters.

"Do you really have to go?" This time, it was the second sister, He Hui, who asked the question.

Although she grew her hair long and became more and more beautiful, her skin turned into a tan second only to her father's. Although she looked healthy, you could feel the hardship of being exposed to the wind and sun.

"I definitely have to go." He nodded several times, his tone firm.

"Heh." He Hui sneered, put down his chopsticks and went back into the house.

"Eat your food, don't worry about her." Mr. He waved his hand, a hint of melancholy in his eyes.

The third sister, He Yuan, blinked her big eyes but didn't say anything.

At midnight, Mr. He knocked on his second daughter He Hui's door with his phone in hand: "Loan some more to your sister."

“We can’t bear to spend 50,000 yuan to repair our boat, but we are willing to spend it to send your daughter abroad. Studying abroad will take three or four years. Aren’t you afraid of wasting your money? Besides, she’s going to Japan!” Although He Hui was muttering complaints, he still opened the online loan app.

"What can we do? She's your sister." Mr. He smiled.

On the other side, He Yuan, the third sister, who looked like a typical school beauty in a white dress, found He Ji to chat with, because she had also been admitted to her sister's university.

"Sis, is university fun?" He Yuan asked.

"It's alright, but I don't have time to play. When you get to university, experience university life properly so you don't have any regrets." He Ji gently patted his sister's head.

The camera then cuts to the scene of He Ji's parents and third sister seeing him off at the airport, while simultaneously switching to the second sister, He Hui, staring blankly at the waves on a fishing boat.

"The character of He Ji is not likable. I can guess that they wanted a resilient and hardworking style, but he is more like a family vampire. On the contrary, the second sister is a well-developed character, and her appearance design is very innovative and beautiful," Wang Zhongjun commented in a low voice.

"I understand the structure of this movie now. I estimate that the final timeline will be set in 2032, and it interweaves a lot of visions for future life."

I estimate the main selling point is the novelty of this sci-fi genre, coupled with the female lead's growth. However, there hasn't been a romantic subplot yet, which will likely lose a lot of viewers.” Feng Xiaopao, based on his experience, analyzed and predicted the entire film.

I felt the story was mediocre, and it couldn't hold my attention with just these futuristic sci-fi highlights.

However, this model is a good gimmick, and it even has a bit of the feel of the movie "Big Shot's Funeral" from back then.

Finally, Feng Xiaopao mocked.

"This movie is not very interesting, and I estimate that the box office will be very poor."

(End of this chapter)