The Rise of Chinese Entertainment in 2008

After the announcement of the new movie, Gu Ning, led by Han Sanpin, went from table to table toasting.

Gu Ning initially didn't plan to hold a celebration banquet. Besides finding it troublesome, another important reason was that his status in the industry was not high enough.

Despite winning awards and his films doing well at the box office, he is still just a newcomer.

If he had personally invited them, there definitely wouldn't have been so many people showing up.

Today's celebration banquet has ended, and the media reports on it will greatly enhance his status in the industry.

Although it's still a bit weak, it's better than nothing.

Although there are many big shots here today, the first to offer a toast will definitely be the teachers from Beijing Film Academy.

"Director Tian, ​​Director Li, Teacher Xu..."

Gu Ning greeted everyone in turn, raised his glass and said, "Please forgive me for the poor hospitality. I will punish myself with three drinks."

"Self-punishment is unnecessary."

Tian Zhuangzhuang waved his hand and said, "I know you're busy today, and you've brought honor to the school. Just have a drink; there are so many other guests waiting."

Just as Li Wei was about to speak, he was interrupted and could only reluctantly agree, "Old Tian is right, a token gesture will suffice."

"Get lost, you have no manners," Tian Zhuangzhuang said irritably.

"Haha~"

Everyone else couldn't help but laugh when they heard this.

When Li Wei entered the Beijing Film Academy, Tian Zhuangzhuang was already a senior figure in the industry. In terms of age, Tian Zhuangzhuang was a generation older than him.

Li Wei usually calls him "Old Tian" all the time. He was initially more reserved in front of Gu Ning, but now that they're more familiar, he doesn't care about that anymore.

"Doesn't calling you that make you sound young, Lao Tian?" Li Wei said nonchalantly.

"Alright, let's not waste Xiao Gu's time anymore," Tian Zhuangzhuang said, her smile fading.

"I salute all the teachers!"

As Gu Ning spoke, he tilted his head back and drank the wine in the cup.

Tian Zhuangzhuang and the others drank their wine and said, "Xiao Gu, don't bother with the postgraduate entrance exam. You've already surpassed most undergraduate directing students by winning the Golden Bear Award. I'll recommend you for admission."

"Uh~"

Gu Ning's expression stiffened. Seeing Li Wei and Xu Bing looking at him, he quickly said, "Thank you, Director Tian. Director Tian, ​​Director Li, please enjoy your drinks, everyone. I'll be going now."

"Old Tian, ​​you can't do that."

Li Wei looked at Tian Zhuangzhuang with displeasure: "Who would undermine their own family's interests?"

"Given his condition, will he still be carrying cameras in the future?" Tian Zhuangzhuang asked rhetorically.

Li Wei was speechless for a moment upon hearing this. In the film production environment, the director's role is indeed far superior to that of the cinematographer. Gu Ning is about to start filming his second movie, so how could he possibly still be doing cinematography?

……

"Learning by doing" is the right approach.

Han Sanpin praised, "The technology in film is constantly improving, and sometimes I feel like I'm falling behind."

"You're the leader, so you just need to keep an eye on the overall development of the film," Gu Ning said with a smile.

He didn't expect Tian Zhuangzhuang to talk about this in front of so many people and even promised to recommend him for graduate school. Now he couldn't refuse.

"Stop flattering me. I'm thinking of making a few more movies after I retire," Han Sanpin said with a smile.

"Then President Han must give me a chance to participate in the investment. China Film Group has made money off me, so you have to give me a chance to make it back, right?" Gu Ning said with a smile.

"The money China Film Group makes doesn't go into my pocket."

Han Sanpin chuckled and scolded, then noticed that Gu Ning's expression was a bit off and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

"I'm fine."

Gu Ning shook her head and asked, "Which table should we go to next?"

Upon hearing this, Han Sanpin recalled what had happened earlier and said, "You were so eager to pull me away just now, it couldn't be that you weren't originally planning to take the directing graduate entrance exam, could it?"

Seeing that Han Sanpin had figured it out, Gu Ning simply stopped hiding it and said, "Back then, Director Tian saw the short film I made and said that I should take the entrance exam for a master's degree in directing. I casually agreed to think about it. I didn't expect him to say it in front of so many people just now."

"Do you think he said that on purpose, to cut off your escape route?"

Han Sanpin shook his head slightly and said, "Little Gu, given Lao Tian's status, do you think he needs it? Even if you achieve great things, how much benefit will it bring him?"

"President Han's words were a wake-up call; I had been overthinking things."

Although Han Sanpin's words were somewhat hurtful, Gu Ning realized that given Tian Zhuangzhuang's status, he had no need to scheme against him.

"Good that you understand."

Han Sanpin patted Gu Ning on the shoulder and said, "Old Tian may not say he is without desires, but he would never spend so much time on a student. He can only say that because he appreciates you."

Graduate students don't have many classes; they can attend them whenever they have free time.

There's no need to worry about Director Li. You're not going to work in photography anyway, so what difference does it make which department you go to for graduate school?

"Um."

Gu Ning nodded; there's no harm in pursuing a master's degree anyway.

Let's go!

Seeing that Gu Ning had come to his senses, Han Sanpin led him to the table where Hua Yi was.

Upon seeing Han Sanpin bring Gu Ning over, both the CEOs, Mr. and Mrs. Wang, stood up first.

After exchanging pleasantries, having a drink, and exchanging contact information, the two parted ways.

"Brother, do you think he'll agree?" Young Master Wang asked in a low voice.

The king smiled and said, "Everything is about interests. If the benefits are offered, why wouldn't he agree?"

Han Sanpin thought highly of him and spared no effort to carry his sedan chair, which shows that he was worthwhile.

This type of director, capable of writing and directing their own films, is exactly what the company needs.

"Should we secure his share of the film's budget?" Mr. Wang asked.

They were unaware that Gu Ning's next film was already in the works. Although Han Sanpin said it had been approved, Gu Ning definitely had a share in it.

This is an unavoidable issue if you want to negotiate a contract with Gu Ning.

"Han Sanpin values ​​him so much, most likely because of this movie. He's willing to pay a higher price to acquire it, as the company needs some positive news to boost its stock price before going public," said Boss Wang.

"I understand." Mr. Wang nodded slightly.

After following Han Sanpin around, Gu Ning received a bunch of business cards, which meant she had truly established herself in the industry.

The celebration banquet didn't end until nearly 11 p.m. Gu Ning saw off all the important guests before finally letting out a sigh of relief.

"If you want to make it in this industry, you'll have to get used to these kinds of social engagements all the time," Han Sanpin said.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Han!" Gu Ning said gratefully.

Han Sanpin didn't need to show up himself; he could have just arranged for someone of sufficient influence from China Film Group to do so.

It was precisely because of his involvement that this celebration banquet was so grand.

"If you want to thank me, make more good movies!" Han Sanpin said.

He's aware that many people in the industry dislike him.

But he also faced immense pressure, as foreign films had a huge impact on the domestic film market.

The number of imported films each year has already met the minimum standards, so it's inevitable that they will clash with some domestic films.

Are we going to let small companies compete instead of domestic blockbusters?

Even if large companies are involved, they may not necessarily lose money; even if they do, they can make up for it in other ways.

For big-name directors like Zhang Yimou, some product placement before filming can recoup some of the costs, and even if the box office loses a little, they can make up for it with subsequent copyright acquisitions.

Overall, you won't lose much at all.

This is also why many companies blindly trust big-name directors; they are not certain that these directors' works will definitely make a lot of money, but rather that they can guarantee a certain minimum return.

However, it's different for small companies and some new directors. They rarely get product placements in the early stages because they lack fame and the copyrights don't fetch a good price.

If we really let them get involved in those foreign films, they'll lose everything. Who would be willing to invest then?

This is very detrimental to the development of the film industry.

He hopes that more directors with box office appeal can emerge in China.

Gu Ning may not succeed, but it's still worthwhile for him to invest.

"I will definitely work hard in this regard."

Gu Ning smiled and said, "However, I still need President Han's help a lot. For example, could you speed things up a bit regarding box office revenue sharing? I'm really looking forward to making money."