Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 132, Section 131: The King of Pit Makes His Move

Time flies, and we quietly entered May 1997.

The land of China is brimming with the vibrant life of late spring and early summer. However, the "television movie" storm, spearheaded by Beijing Film Studio and launched by an alliance of 31 film studios, has entered a brief period of strategic consolidation and adjustment after its initial rapid advance.

In response to the rampant problem of pirated VCDs,

The "unconventional" methods adopted by various film studios within their respective territories, though unorthodox, yielded immediate results.

Thanks to intelligence sharing and coordinated crackdowns within the alliance, several major pirate CD production sites and wholesale networks have been severely impacted, and the blatant sale of pirated CDs on the market has been effectively curbed.

Although everyone knows this is only a temporary solution, and piracy is like weeds that will grow back after being cut down, it at least buys the legitimate market a valuable breathing space.

At the same time, Beijing Film and Television Company quickly adjusted its strategy.

Under the joint decision of Han Sanping and Wang Sheng, the price of genuine VCD discs was reduced by an astonishing amount.

By simplifying packaging, optimizing production costs, and compressing the profit per disc to just 50 cents, the retail price of genuine discs was ultimately set at only three to five yuan more expensive than pirated discs.

This price is practically selling at cost.

The reason why prices cannot be lowered further is obvious.

Genuine products require paying copyright fees (because Beijing Film Studio holds a large number of copyrights, this is the main area for price reduction), and also incurring costs for proper master disc production, pressing, quality inspection, channel construction and marketing, as well as various taxes and fees.

Piracy, on the other hand, costs almost nothing; it only requires simple copying and pasting.

The fact that the price difference has been narrowed to this extent demonstrates the Beijing Film Studio's determination to make concessions and cut its losses.

Further price reductions would mean selling at a loss, which in the long run would be tantamount to self-destruction and is unsustainable.

This tiny price difference of a few dollars has become the last line of defense for the dignity of genuine products and the cost of the rule of law.

Although this price reduction strategy led to a significant drop in the profit margin and a sharp decline in revenue for the VCD distribution business, it stabilized the sales base of the "Movie World" audio-visual chain to some extent and curbed the rapid loss of market share.

More importantly, it has drawn consumers' attention back to quality and authenticity guarantees.

Fortunately, revenue from the television film business became the strongest pillar for the alliance and Beijing Film Studio.

The financial statistics for April have been released, and the revenue sharing from TV movies by the joint production center of Beijing Film Studio and Shengying Media reached an astonishing 55 million yuan!

This figure not only made up for the losses in the VCD business, but also made the Beijing Film Studio's cash flow more abundant than ever before.

The revenue of the various film studios in the alliance has also increased significantly.

The generous rewards made all the participants beam with joy, and they were filled with unprecedented anticipation for Wang Sheng's "series of TV movies" plan. They urged the screenwriters and production teams to speed up the process, eager to have a new "sword" to strike the market and seize more profits.

Amidst this anticipation, in mid-May, the script for the Lunar New Year film "30 Days," meticulously crafted by a team of screenwriters led by Wang Sheng, was officially finalized.

The script is cleverly localized, setting the story in Beijing during the social transformation period of the late 1990s, focusing on the collision and integration of different social classes, with both sharp observations of reality and warm and humorous comedic elements.

Han Sanping, holding a thick stack of scripts, gave a detailed presentation at the project demonstration meeting of the Forbidden City Film Company.

Attendees included representatives from Beijing's cultural departments, Beijing Film Studio, Beijing TV, and the city's film company.

The script's themes of marriage, class, memory, and re-choice have sparked heated discussions.

Despite some skepticism about whether this slightly fantastical realistic comedy could be accepted by the market, the project was ultimately approved and officially launched, thanks to Wang Sheng's track record of turning lead into gold, as well as the script's solid character portrayals and ingenious plot design.

Wang Sheng unsurprisingly took on the role of chief director, responsible for overseeing the film's overall style and core concept.

The executive director has been confirmed as Huo Jianqi, who has a pleasant working relationship with Wang Sheng and is known for his meticulousness. He will be responsible for the specific on-site shooting and daily scheduling.

Regarding the female lead, Wang Sheng strongly recommended Li Xiaoran. At this time, after her stunning appearance in the "veil kiss" advertisement and some acting experience, Li Xiaoran's temperament had become more mature, possessing both the independence of an urban woman and a unique fragile beauty, which was highly consistent with the image of the character Lin Weiwei.

This decision was also approved by Forbidden City Film Studio.

The selection of the male lead required considerable deliberation.

We need someone who can embody the image of Chen Shi, the skilled worker—someone who is both simple and stubborn, and who, after losing his memory, displays a kind and endearing simplicity, even a clumsy romance tinged with a touch of male chauvinism.

Such comedians...

You can't find it at all in mainland China.

Wang Sheng increased his investment and used his connections to bring in Stephen Chow, who had clearly stated in an interview with foreign media that he had "great confidence in the motherland."

The filming was scheduled for July, after the national college entrance examination, so that Wang Sheng and Li Xiaoran could fully dedicate themselves to the shoot.

Project preparations are in full swing, with casting, location scouting, and crew building proceeding smoothly under Wang Sheng's coordination.

However, at this very moment, Han Sanping mentioned another matter during a private conversation with Wang Sheng.

"Shengzi, there's something I need your help with." Han Sanping's tone was somewhat deliberate.

"Uncle Han, please speak."

"You know Chen Kaige, right? He's preparing a new film called 'The Emperor and the Assassin'."

Han Sanping: "He's built a pretty big operation, and he's got big ambitions. He came to the factory, hoping to attract some investment."

Wang Sheng's heart skipped a beat, and memories of the film's past flashed through his mind: grand scenes, gorgeous costumes, a star-studded cast... as well as the criticized narrative chaos, unbalanced character development, and ultimately dismal box office performance.

This film is considered by many film critics and viewers in later generations to be one of the representative works of "epic bad movies", with huge investment but no money.

They actually dared to throw this thing in? It's like throwing money into the water!
Wang Sheng remained calm and said, "Oh? Director Chen's film, and it's a historical epic, sounds pretty impressive. How much does the studio plan to invest?"

Han Sanping said, "We had a preliminary discussion, and I approved five million. This was mainly because of Kaige's ability. After all, the success of 'Farewell My Concubine' speaks for itself, and its artistic level is widely recognized. This time, he's making another historical film, and who knows, he might create another classic. It's just to support a director with ambition."

Upon hearing this, Wang Sheng shook his head even more inwardly.

Five million is no small sum these days. Investing in this film that's destined to fail means he can almost see his money go down the drain.

But what could he say?
Should we just tell Han Sanping that this film will flop?
Regardless of whether Han Sanping would believe it, this in itself is inexplicable.

He can't very well claim to be a "prophet," can he?

But then again.

It's a good thing to let Lao Han suffer a loss; he'll only rely on me more in the future.

The tuition is a bit expensive, but it's paid by the Beijing Film Studio, so... well, what else is there to say...

Wang Sheng: "Director Chen's artistic pursuits are indeed worthy of respect. 'Farewell My Concubine' is also a classic. Since you, Uncle Han, think highly of it, we've already invested. After all, supporting domestic blockbusters is our responsibility. By the way, is he planning to build a real-life film set and a cinema for this project?"

"Correct."

Han Sanping nodded.

After a moment's thought, Wang Sheng said, "Uncle Han, I suggest that the factory use this five million to invest in the cinema. After all, even if the movie loses money, the cinema's subsequent revenue can help them recoup their investment."

"That makes sense..."

(End of this chapter)