This director is so innocent.

Chapter 100 Yang Mi: Want to use connections? No way.

Evening, at a private restaurant.

The environment is elegant and the food is delicious.

Su Jin, Huang Jiaqiang, and Zhao Shan ate their food and chatted.

I have to say, the chef at this private restaurant is really skilled. I couldn't forget it after just one meal, and now I like to come here whenever I treat people to a meal.

"Old Huang, what do you think our company should do in the future?" Su Jin asked.

Upon hearing this, Huang Jiaqiang put down his chopsticks and began to ponder. This was the boss's consideration for him, and it could not be taken lightly.

"Boss, I think we should take two paths: make money from TV dramas and build up our prestige with movies."

"Oh? What do you mean?"

"I used to really enjoy making movies. I thought movies were very high-class and could boost the company's reputation."

But movies involve too much gambling. Before the movie is released, no matter how well you plan it, it's all just a pipe dream. You might lose everything after the movie is released.

"But TV dramas are different. As long as the big stars are there, the script is fine, and you have good connections with the TV station, they'll buy your rights even before you've filmed it."

For example, after the huge success of "Struggle," the production company made a fortune. Director Zhao Baogang's new drama, even before the script was finished, already had television stations approaching him to discuss collaborations.

"What's the focus?" Su Jin asked.

Huang Jiaqiang is absolutely right; the movie involves too much gambling.

No matter how awesome Jiang Wen is, "The Sun Also Rises" still lost everything.

The same thing happened with "The Forbidden Kingdom," and then there was no second one.

Jet Li once said that if the box office met expectations, they would make a second film, but then the project was shelved.

"The Forbidden Kingdom" did not lose money. The salaries of Jack and Tony Leung were converted into investment, and the actual cost was not even 7000 million US dollars.

TV dramas are different. TV stations basically don't care if your script is good or not; they only care if there are big stars involved.

This is also why the salaries of actresses born in 1985 later rose to 30 to 40 million yuan, because the TV series they starred in were pre-ordered by TV stations even before filming.

"For TV series and movies, we'll just make low- to medium-budget productions to maintain a certain level of sophistication, and that'll be fine," Huang Jiaqiang replied.

Su Jin remained noncommittal, turning her gaze to Zhao Shan and asking, "Zhao Shan, what are your thoughts?"

"Boss, Mr. Huang and I have similar ideas, but I think we should focus more on the film," Zhao Shan said.

Upon hearing this, Huang Jiaqiang had some thoughts in his mind; he thought, "This guy wants to take over!"

Su Jin smiled and asked, "What's the reason?"

"Boss, this is what I'm thinking: TV dramas can make money, and there's not much risk involved, but I think your ambitions go beyond just making money."

you are wrong.

Your boss, all I care about is making money; that's how narrow-minded I am.

After Su Jin finished complaining in her heart, she heard Zhao Shan continue, "You often tell us that our goal is the stars and the sea, and that we need to broaden our horizons."

What is the ultimate goal of film and television companies? International – to compete with Hollywood studios and export our culture in reverse.

Western audiences don't like watching our TV dramas at all; they only like movies. If we make good movies, we can export our culture in reverse.

Zhao Shan spoke very seriously, without any hint of flattery; her words came from the bottom of her heart.

However, she didn't think far enough ahead. Culture is a continuation of politics, and aircraft carriers determine the breadth of your cultural dissemination.

Only when your country becomes strong will people from other countries like you and gradually understand your culture.

"Battle: Los Angeles" and "Battleship" are both widely recognized as bad movies, but the world is willing to accept them.

Because the person has an aircraft carrier as a backing, just having a good story isn't very effective!

After Zhao Shan finished speaking, Huang Jiaqiang expressed his different opinion.

"Boss, what Mr. Zhao said makes a lot of sense, but I still think it's better to focus on TV dramas. The current film market is still too small."

Last year, the total box office revenue in China was 57.3 billion yuan, while domestic films only accounted for 26.2 billion yuan. After deducting the blockbusters and co-productions, we only received tens of millions of yuan.

Instead, we should focus on low-budget films, gain experience, and then shift our focus to feature films when the time is right.

Zhao Shan immediately retorted, "Mr. Huang, since you know last year's total box office, you should also know the total box office of the year before, 48..."

The total box office revenue for domestic films reached 20 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 20%, and the number of screens also increased by 366.

Su Jin ate her food while watching the two argue. It was good that they were struggling; if they were in cahoots, then they would be doomed.

After a while, seeing that their voices were getting louder and louder, I realized that if they continued arguing, their friendship might be broken, which wouldn't do.

The company is still too small. Disagreements are okay, but they shouldn't damage relationships.

"Alright, stop arguing," Su Jin scolded them, then continued, "What you said is right, but only children make choices. I want it all."

Huang Jiaqiang and Zhao Shan were slightly taken aback. They put aside their argument and Huang Jiaqiang said, "Boss, if we want both, we might not have enough funds."

"Yes, boss, our company is still too small. If we try to have both, we might lose both," Zhao Shan chimed in.

"If there's a shortcoming, we can bring in outsiders to do it together! There's no need for us to invest all of it ourselves. What I want is to quickly establish Jianmu Media's brand influence."

Seeing that the two of them wanted to speak, Su Jin raised her hand to stop them and directly stated the purpose of their visit.

"I plan to make a blockbuster, a real blockbuster, the kind with an investment of over 80 million."

The two men frowned slightly, and the same thought popped into their minds at the same time: Had their boss become arrogant after winning the award at Cannes?

Blockbuster movies are simply beyond their reach right now; one wrong move and all their previous efforts could be wasted.

"Boss, the blockbuster is great, but shouldn't we reconsider?" Huang Jiaqiang said cautiously.

"Yeah, boss, isn't it a bit too ambitious to make big-budget films now? We have no experience at all. We can start with mid-budget films," Zhao Shan advised.

"Zhao Shan, weren't you just so confident that you would go international and take over Hollywood? What, you've chickened out?" Su Jin's lips curled up slightly, with a hint of teasing.

"Boss, I'm not a coward. I just think we can take it slow and there's no need to rush it," Zhao Shan quickly explained.

"Boss, I agree. Let's take it slow. The domestic market will be ours sooner or later," Huang Jiaqiang chimed in.

"I know you mean well, and you might even think I've gotten arrogant because I won an award."

The two men were fine when they heard the first half of the sentence, but when they heard the second half, they immediately became flustered and hurriedly waved their hands, saying, "Boss, we didn't mean that."

"If not, then so be it! But we absolutely have to make big-budget films. If we keep making these low-budget movies, the company will never amount to anything."

.

The two were somewhat helpless when they saw that Su Jin wouldn't listen to their advice. How could someone who usually seemed so wise and capable have made such a foolish mistake?

Huang Jiaqiang felt his boss could still be salvaged, so he asked again, "Boss, what are the plans for this big-budget film?"

"Yes! Let's analyze stories from 'Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio,' like the one about the painted skin—it would be perfect for a blockbuster film."

Making a blockbuster was not originally in his plans, but since the timeline for "Painted Skin" had come to an end, if he didn't make it himself, someone else would benefit.

He couldn't accept that.

It's important to understand that the movie "Painted Skin" was not just about making money; it rewrote the history of Chinese cinema.

From then on, mainland actors stood up, began to take charge, and became the mainstream.

Prior to this, apart from actresses, mainland male actors had always appeared in co-productions in supporting roles.

The reason for this is that investors believe mainland actors cannot carry the box office and lack box office appeal, and they firmly believe this.

But "Painted Skin" proved to them that mainland actors can also carry the box office.

Breaking 100 million in six days, breaking 200 million in nineteen days, and selling copyrights to more than 50 countries and regions, making a fortune.

Don't mention the "Cosmic Pill"; it has absolutely nothing to do with him.

These days, Donnie Yen hasn't evolved into the "Universe Donnie" yet; he doesn't have box office appeal.

By the way, "Painted Skin" also pioneered the genre of Eastern ghosts and monsters.

Su Jin then recounted the plot of "Painted Skin" and asked, "Old Huang, how much money can your Shenmu company raise from the coal mine owners?"

Huang Jiaqiang previously sold a portion of his investment in "Sheep Without a Shepherd" to a certain boss, and to facilitate management, he established this Shenmu Film and Television Investment Company.

"Twenty million is no problem at all, and anything over thirty million depends on the lineup." Huang Jiaqiang was afraid that Su Jin would think he was bragging, so he continued to explain, "When I came back yesterday, I received a lot of calls from coal mine owners asking if our company had any new projects."

"If the lead actors were Zhao Zhetian, Zhou Xun, and Chen Kun, how much money would those coal mine owners be willing to pay?"

"Thirty million, I'm confident I can raise thirty million."

Huang Jiaqiang's tone shifted, and he said with some concern, "Boss, with an investment of 80 million, isn't it a bit risky not to hire an actor from Hong Kong?"

"There's no need. A commercial blockbuster like 'Painted Skin' is naturally excluded from the Hong Kong Film Awards and Golden Horse Awards. Since it won't win any awards, why waste money on it!"

Huang Jiaqiang wanted to argue, but he knew it would be useless. He had mentioned it before, but it was of no use. The boss still did things his own way. The key thing was that the boss was always right, which was really strange.

"Boss, do you want to be a director?"

"I'm busy."

"If you're not coming, then hire a great director. I think Tsui Hark is good; he's very suitable for this kind of ghost story."

"He's no good, too expensive." Su Jin shook her head and said, "What do you guys think, how about finding a novice director?"

"Boss, a novice director is unreliable! Besides, we can't attract investment with a novice director! We can't invite any big names either."

Indeed, investors tend to invest in companies with celebrities and directors.

Celebrities, on the other hand, value directors.

A complete novice director, who would invest in you?!

"If you add my name, it will be me co-directing with a novice director."

Huang Jiaqiang didn't answer, but instead asked, "Don't you already have someone in mind?"

"Yes." Su Jin nodded.

He originally wanted to have the original director, Chen Jiashang, direct the film, but his version of "Painted Skin 1" was clearly not as good as "Painted Skin 2".

The visual quality is far inferior. Since the skill level is so low, it would be better to save four or five million and let Wuershan take over directly.

Another reason is that nowadays, when audiences watch movies, apart from a few big directors, who cares who the director is? They all watch for the big stars.

"Who is this newcomer?" Huang Jiaqiang asked curiously.

"Wuershan, he makes gay porn, you can go and have a chat with him later."

Wuershan is a director widely recognized for his exceptional talent in character design, sets, props, photography, visuals, and effects.

Of course, the plot and script of his movie are a bit weak.

But that's not a problem. He's not someone who does nothing. If there's a problem, he'll fix it for him.

"What's your budget?"

"Eighty million, eighty million should be enough."

"So what share do we get?"

"Let's invest 30%, leave 20% for the coal boss, the price is the same as always, China Film Group will keep 15%, and you can approach Shanghai Film Group and Chengtian Group for the rest, see if they are interested."

For films like "Painted Skin," which deal with borderline themes, it's essential to have the backing of Shanghai Film Group or China Film Group; otherwise, they won't even pass censorship.

They chatted about other things for a while, then went home.

After returning to the hotel, Su Jin spent five nights finishing the first draft of the "Painted Skin" script, then handed it to Huang Jiaqiang and asked him to give it to the screenwriting department for polishing.

It was already mid-June.

Pirates of the Caribbean 3 has been released and is generating tremendous buzz.

It grossed 5195 million in its opening weekend and another 3200 million in its second week.

Media reporters shouted, "The Hollywood tiger is here, and no one can stop it!"

By the way, the mainland version is the edited version, cut by more than 15 minutes. Most of the cuts were of Chow Yun-fat's scenes, leaving him with only two or three scenes in the end, which was quite pitiful.

The large-scale talent show "Dream of the Red Mansions" has come to an end after a year.

In the end, Li Xudan won first place in the Daiyu group, Yao Di won first place in the Baochai group, and the Baoyu group was left vacant.

Then Yang Mi got really angry and was seething with rage.

"Do you think Li Shaohong is mentally ill?"

"Dream of the Red Chamber is a mistake. Out of so many roles, they specifically gave me the role of a maid."

Yang Mi sat on the bed, completely naked, her two full breasts trembling with her excitement.

She boasted that after Xun Ge went to Huayi, she would become Li Shaohong's favorite and the future top female star of Rongxingda.

But to everyone's surprise, the company's major production, "Dream of the Red Chamber," didn't land any lead roles; in the end, they only gave it to a maid named "Qingwen."

Role.

"Keep your voice down, be careful, walls have ears. If Li Shaohong finds out, you'll be in big trouble." Su Jin said, gesturing...

Hou Yan said slowly and deliberately.

"She can do such a terrible thing, and I'm not allowed to say anything?" Although Yang Mi was still stubborn, her tone was much softer.

"Where's your agent? Didn't she cause trouble at Li Shaohong's place?"

"I told her, but it was no use at all. I was just playing games with her. She said my acting skills weren't mature enough, that I couldn't handle Baochai, and that I needed to practice more."

"Didn't Li Shaohong give you any compensation?"

"No compensation whatsoever, not a single thing. They just want me to focus on my studies. I really want to terminate my contract with this lousy company."

"Did you offend Li Shaohong?"

"Impossible. I've been studying diligently at school for the past six months, without even a single acting role. How could I have offended her?"

Forget it, let's not talk about her anymore, the more we talk about her, the angrier we get.

Yang Mi picked up the bottled water from the bedside table, took a few sips, and asked, "Have you finished filming?"

"No, filming won't wrap up until mid-next month."

"Sigh—I heard your company is preparing to produce a blockbuster film with an investment of over 100 million. Is that true?"

"Really." Su Jin did not deny it.

Because news about "Painted Skin" has already been leaked through the media.

He didn't specify the details, only that the investment was over 100 million yuan, he personally directed the film, and invited big stars to participate.

Like other blockbuster films, it featured a mix of top actresses, actresses, and celebrities from Hong Kong and Taiwan.

However, it is still in the preparation stage, and the script is still being polished, so the actors have not yet been invited.

However, after the news was leaked, quite a few actors called the company to inquire.

They are mostly second- or third-tier actors; the big stars are still observing.

The investment was also finalized: our own company invested 30%, China Film Group 15%, a coal mine owner 20%, Chengtian Entertainment 20%, and Shanghai Film Group 15%.

Wuershan agreed to direct and signed with Jianmu Media.

Han Sanping served as the executive producer, Huang Jiaqiang as the producer, and Su Jin as the supervisor and director.

He was just a figurehead director who attracted investment; all the filming details were handled by Wu Ershan.

Wuershan, this "tool person," is very dedicated. For the past two weeks, he has been eating and drinking at the company, discussing scripts and storyboards with the screenwriting department.

"Are there any roles that would suit me?" Yang Mi blinked her big eyes and looked at Su Jin expectantly.

"If you let me use a back door, I'll tell you."

"Get out! Last time I told you to leave, I couldn't walk for a whole day." Yang Mi refused without hesitation.

She only believed Su Jin's lies last time, but this time she refused to let him leave no matter what, saying it hurt too much.

"Last time was the first time, this time it won't happen again."

"No, I'd rather die than let you leave."

"I'll give you the second female lead role."

Yang Mi was stunned. It turns out that even the second female lead can leave.

"Is she really the second female lead?"

"If you don't believe me, then so be it," Su Jin said directly.

He wouldn't neglect Yang Mi; now it's Yang Mi who needs his help.

The second female lead is the demon hunter played by Sun Li. Originally, the role was intended for Xia Jie, but Hu Ge's health improved and "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" was to be restarted.