The Rise of Chinese Entertainment in 2008

There's a saying in the investment world: investing is about investing in people.

Han Sanpin had this idea in mind when he invested in movies.

However, he had poor judgment; he suffered a huge loss investing in Chibi, and later dared to invest in Taiping.

But it must be said that he was very bold. Gu Ning only mentioned the type of the next movie, without looking at the script or asking how much investment was needed, and directly agreed to invest.

"President Han, won't you even look at the script? Won't you ask about the budget?" Gu Ning said with a smile.

"Unless a film like this is made entirely by top stars, it will only cost at most 20 to 30 million."

Han Sanpin waved his hand and said, "China Film Group can invest all of its money within 30 million, and it will also provide maximum support in terms of publicity and distribution."

"Mr. Han is basically asking me to work for China Film Group."

Gu Ning shook his head and said, "I and a few friends will also participate in the investment, and we will give China Film Group a maximum of 20%."

"Twenty percent is too little. Since you're going to invest, then China Film Group should take fifty percent, and the publicity and distribution should be as I said before."

When Han Sanpin heard that Gu Ning wanted to invest, he had even more confidence in the film.

It's not that Gu Ning's investment guarantees a blockbuster movie.

All directors are confident in their work; poor box office performance is the audience's problem, not the directors' problem.

Confidence does not guarantee a good movie.

But if you participate in the investment yourself, you'll definitely be more attentive during filming, that's for sure.

"Fifty percent won't do. I definitely want to take control myself," Gu Ning said, shaking his head.

Gu Ning didn't mind giving away a portion of her share.

The idea that a film about someone who was popular in their past life will definitely become popular is a false premise.

Movies also depend on timing, location, and people. Many movies become box office hits, but the movie itself is only one aspect; various other factors are also involved.

Wolf Warrior 2 is good, Ne Zha 2 is good, but frankly, would the box office be that high if it were normal?

Secondly, if a movie changes its director and lead actors, it will definitely be different from the original, and the release date will also be different.

Gu Ning couldn't guarantee that his movie would be a huge success.

He could only be sure of one thing: at the very least, he wouldn't lose money.

Secondly, he has limited funds and other uses for them, so getting others to share the investment is the best option.

After some negotiation, China Film Group agreed to take 30% of the contract, and also agreed to handle the publicity and distribution.

The specific investment amount will be budgeted after the script is completed.

After finishing their business, it was already noon, and Han Sanpin invited Gu Ning to have lunch at the China Film Group cafeteria.

Although it's a cafeteria, the food at the China Film Cafeteria looks ordinary, but it tastes very good.

After dinner, Gu Ning asked, "President Han, has 'Jinling! Jinling!' been given a release date?"

"Little Gu, you're still young. Many things may seem unbearable now, but when you look back in a few years, you'll find they were all trivial matters," Han Sanpin said, wiping his mouth.

"What President Han said makes sense."

Gu Ning smiled and said, "I just wanted to ask about the specific release date so I can go and watch it and learn something. War films are a big genre, and I might try them out in the future."

Upon hearing this, Han Sanpin felt relieved, as he was naturally aware of the conflict between Gu Ning and Lu Chuan.

When Gu Ning asked him about the release date, he thought Gu Ning was up to something.

Upon hearing Gu Ning's words, he assumed that Gu Ning wanted to go see a movie and make a similar film in the future to embarrass Lu Chuan.

He actually welcomes this kind of retaliatory behavior.

…………

"April 22nd, there are still two months or so, which is plenty of time, no rush."

Gu Ning smiled slightly after getting into the car.

As for Han Sanpin's words, he didn't take them to heart at all.

Once you've vented your anger, you'll realize it was a small matter when you look back in the future.

If you keep dwelling on it and can't get out of it, you'll only end up cursing yourself for being a coward.

Gu Ning called Liu Sanxi and chatted for a few minutes, then called Tian Yusheng.

Half an hour later, the car stopped outside the residential area where the sanctuary studio was located.

"Director Gu!"

Tian Yusheng, who was waiting at the entrance of the residential area, saw Gu Ning get out of the car and quickly greeted her with a smile.

Although the script framework for "Lost in Thailand" was provided by Gu Ning, their studio's name was still added to the list of screenwriters.

Although this film was not particularly outstanding among the films released during the Lunar New Year season, it has garnered significant attention within the industry.

Because "Lost in Thailand" had a very low budget, but in terms of return on investment, no other film could compare.

As a result, the Holy Temple Studio has gained a certain reputation in the industry, and recently many companies have contacted them to write scripts.

Gu Ning shook hands with him and smiled, "Mr. Tian, ​​besides the script, there's something else I'd like to discuss with you. Perhaps we could find another place?"

Tian Yusheng was taken aback upon hearing this, and said, "There's a coffee shop nearby, about a five-minute walk away. Do you think that would be alright?"

"Okay." Gu Ning nodded.

"Director Gu, this way please!"

Tian Yusheng led Gu Ning toward the coffee shop.

"We haven't congratulated Director Gu on winning the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival yet," Tian Yusheng said with a smile.

Gu Ning corrected, "Best Short Film, this is easy to misunderstand."

"Even so, it's still very impressive, considering Director Gu is still young."

Tian Yusheng asked, "When will this short film be available?"

"It should be soon. To be honest, I didn't dare use my old SIM card after returning to China, so I temporarily switched to another one. Once we've finalized the deal with the online platform, it will be broadcast online."

After Gu Ning returned to China, his phone kept ringing. There were companies that wanted to sign him, people who wanted to invest in his next movie, and platforms that wanted to buy his short films.

He was so annoyed that he simply changed his phone card.

Those people couldn't contact him, so they all called Liu Sanxi instead.

When Gu Ning called Liu Sanxi before, Liu complained that he was almost becoming Gu Ning's secretary.

"When I can see it, Director Gu must let me know," Tian Yusheng said with a smile.

"must!"

We chatted casually along the way and soon arrived at the coffee shop.

The two found a corner spot, each ordered a coffee, and waited for the coffee to be served. Gu Ning took a sip.

Gu Ning put down his coffee and, without beating around the bush, said, "I would like to invite Sanctuary to join my company."

"Um?"

Tian Yusheng was stunned. He had thought about what Gu Ning would say to him on the way, but he never expected that Gu Ning would invite him to join the company.

"Is this a company that Director Gu co-owns with someone else?" Tian Yusheng asked.

"No, it's my own company."

Gu Ning smiled and said, "You should know the ceiling for screenwriters in China. Are you content to be just a screenwriter forever?"

"I studied screenwriting, what else can I do if I'm not a screenwriter?" Tian Yusheng said with a wry smile.

He was well aware that screenwriters in China did not have a high status; in the film and television production chain, screenwriters had the lowest status.

Not only do directors and producers have more say in the script than screenwriters, but even some big-name stars have more say in the script than screenwriters.

Moreover, over 90% of screenwriters in China earn very low incomes. Even the very few top screenwriters, while earning more than the average person, still have relatively low incomes within the industry.

Most importantly, most of the time, scripts are adaptations, part of a collective creation, and the actors may not even be credited.

Even if you create your own original script, someone has to appreciate it.

"You could try becoming a director."

Gu Ning patiently persuaded, "If you bring your team to join my company and create a good script, I can invest in it and you can be the director."

When I'm filming, you can work on set with me and learn from my directing skills.

Gu Ning wanted to sign Tian Yusheng and his studio not only because he recognized their screenwriting abilities.

Furthermore, it's because Tian Yusheng will create the "Ex-Files" film series in the future.

Although this film received poor reviews, the four-part series grossed over 2 billion yuan, making it the most successful Chinese-language romance film series.

Making money is secondary; the most important thing is to cultivate Tian Yusheng so that he can be given the lead roles in urban films in the future.

"I need to think about it," Tian Yusheng said.

Gu Ning was not in a hurry upon hearing this, and began discussing the script with Tian Yusheng.

After explaining the general framework of the script to Tian Yusheng, Gu Ning handed it over to the Holy Temple Studio for refinement, and then took some time to go back to her hometown.