Entertainment: The Era of the Cantonese Circle

"Thank you all for staying. Let me introduce you. This gentleman next to me is Mayor Li, who is in charge of culture, tourism and other related work in Guangzhou."

Chen Yunfan waved to the Yangcheng leader next to him. Of course, the other party was a deputy; he would be stupid to say deputy mayor.

"Hello everyone, I'd like to take this opportunity to promote some film and television-related policies in your area today."

Leader Li from Guangzhou didn't use any bureaucratic jargon; he directly and clearly announced some key policies.

The first and most direct policy is tax incentives.

Entertainment companies such as film and television production companies, costume and prop companies, and talent agencies that establish themselves in Guangzhou will enjoy a three-year tax exemption and a two-year tax reduction of half price...

The second point is to attract film crews and provide support for their filming.

Basic fees for Guangzhou Film City, scenic area, and streets are waived, only a cleaning fee is charged. Professional studios are free for six months, and equipment rentals are free for the first month, 30% off for the first six months, and so on...

The third point is to provide real money.

Filming subsidies: Subsidies of 10%-20% of production costs are available for films covering themes such as local culture, tourism, and public welfare...

Awards: Outstanding films and television programs will be awarded in tiers, with the highest award reaching 2000 million yuan.

Article 4, the convenient point: approval.

Green channel: A film and television service center has been established to specifically handle the approval of filming permits, venue usage, and temporary labor. Meanwhile, the borrowing of venues by departments such as fire protection, urban management, and culture and tourism will be processed within two days...

There are countless other provisions regarding the care provided to relevant regions.

For example, the policy of facilitating co-productions between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao allows Hong Kong film crews and equipment to enter the country with fast customs clearance within 24 hours and simplified registration.

The last sentence states that the pilot program will be implemented in Guangzhou, and will be rolled out across the entire Guangdong province in the next year or two.

As soon as the words were spoken, discussions arose among industry insiders who were listening attentively to the policies.

"These policies sound good, but how do they compare to other places?"

"It's very attractive. Hengdian World Studios offers some free admission and some discounted admission, while Guangzhou Film Studios is completely free. The cleaning fee shouldn't be too much."

"The studios in Hengdian also offer discounted rates, but here you can get six months of free access, and all the subsequent discounts are lower than in Hengdian."

"The tax policy is the same as Hengdian's, with three years of tax exemption and two years of tax reduction. However, Hengdian is a small city with various inconveniences in the surrounding area. On the other hand, Guangzhou has convenient transportation, convenient food and accommodation, and it is a big city, which makes it convenient to entertain guests."

"The reward is unprecedented, 2000 million! Once we get it, we can recoup the cost of a whole film or television series."

"You have to win it. Although there is no limit to the number of entries, you have to be nominated for the Best Film award at the very least. At the very least, you have to have a significant impact on the culture and public welfare here to win it."

Industry insiders in mainland China are having a lively discussion about the various policies, comparing them one by one with those in other places. They found that even the worst policies are on par with the best policies in other places, and the best policies have even reached the top in the country.

For those in the Hong Kong film industry, the focus is on the policies that facilitate co-productions between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao.

With these convenient policies in place, it's no different for them to live in Guangzhou than in Hong Kong; coming and going is very convenient.

They've been observing things here for the past few days, and life is much more comfortable than in Hong Kong, especially in terms of food, clothing, housing, and transportation, where the pressure is much less.

"Next, Mr. Chen, an outstanding young talent from our city, will answer your questions."

After giving the audience time to discuss it for a while, Leader Li from Yangcheng said this and stood aside.

Many astute individuals realized something when they saw Chen Yunfan walk onto the stage: he was no ordinary person, he was definitely not ordinary.

Being able to answer questions on behalf of the authorities in such a setting, doesn't that mean he has connections with the government?

After taking the stage, Chen Yunfan immediately asked, "Does anyone have any questions?"

The people in the audience looked at each other, none of them daring to be the first to step forward.

Wang Jing, being the first to raise his hand, used to address Chen Yunfan as Chen Xianzai, but now followed Mayor Li's form of address. "President Chen, I'd like to ask how many indoor photography studios there are in Guangzhou."

As soon as the question was asked, many directors and film company owners nodded in agreement.

That's a good question. The more indoor studios there are, the more convenient it is for film crews. They don't need to travel all over the country to shoot any kind of indoor scene; they can do it all in one city.

"Recently, 20 new film studios of various sizes have been built at Guangzhou Film City."

"Among them, there are empty sound stages where the production crew can set up temporarily themselves, or they can rent ready-made sound stages with living rooms, bedrooms, studies, offices, and other scenes."

"These 20 are just the newly built ones; we plan to build dozens more later."

"My company is also building several. My company is small and can't offer the same discounts as Guangzhou, but we can still offer significant discounts."

Wang Jing raised an eyebrow, already prepared, and was certain that you had connections.

The others were surprised to hear that there were 20 indoor sound stages. Was 20 a lot? Yes, a lot. Hengdian World Studios only has 12, not to mention that more are still being built.

Are there any restrictions on where this company can set up shop? Are there designated areas? Or are there different restrictions depending on whether it's a prime location or a less desirable area?

"There is no specific area, but there are definitely differences, and the rent is different."

The person who asked this question is almost laughing; your answer is beautiful.

Some film and television company owners attach great importance to this.

Some places offer significant preferential policies, but stipulate that companies can only be established in specific suburbs in order to stimulate the development of that area.

This is very inconvenient for a company, as time is wasted on the road and poor surrounding facilities make it inconvenient to do daily work.

But not in Guangzhou. If you open a car in a bustling area or a place with convenient transportation, wouldn't it be very convenient for picking up passengers and conducting business activities?

However, there is another point that should be emphasized.

This time, Wang Zhongjun raised his hand and asked, "President Chen, is this limited to the head office or a branch office?"

"Anything is fine, but there need to be at least 10 people."

Chen Yunfan gave Wang Zhongjun a meaningful look, and Wang Zhongjun suddenly shuddered, as if he had been seen through.

The industry's most common practice is to set up a shell company with just a receptionist and an accountant to take advantage of tax breaks. With 10 people controlling the operation of the shell company, it is no different from a legitimate company.

After the three people asked their questions, others who didn't understand those aspects raised their hands to ask questions as well.

The more I asked, the more excited I became. Although there seemed to be various restrictions, in reality, these restrictions were much more relaxed than in other places, even more relaxed than in the north.

Some people even asked about the housing prices here.

Aside from bustling areas, rent in Guangzhou is significantly cheaper than in Beijing and Shanghai, even in prime locations.

For those in the Hong Kong property industry, the housing prices here are like a bombshell.

In Hong Kong, you might not even be able to buy a room for a million dollars, but in Guangzhou, 100 square meters is more than enough.

"Does anyone have any further questions? If not, I'd like to take this opportunity to announce something small."

"Yangcheng Film City and Zhujiang Film City have become a film crew service company, providing not only set equipment, but also all behind-the-scenes personnel such as art directors, prop masters, makeup artists, lighting technicians, sound engineers, and production assistants."

"This company does all the behind-the-scenes work. To describe this company in one sentence, if you want a hassle-free experience, choose this company for a one-stop filming service."

"And the person in charge of this company is Mr. Tin Kai-man, a well-known actor from Hong Kong."

"Next, he will explain the situation of this company to everyone."

Chen Yunfan beckoned Tian Qiwen, who was standing to the side, to come up on stage.

Directors, producers, and film company owners are the three types of people who have the most contact with behind-the-scenes personnel, and many people can easily figure out the convenience of this company just by hearing its name.

This will save a lot of effort in the future, and it will be easier to find people without having to deal with shady intermediaries.

People in Hong Kong's film and television industry secretly cheered.

Some information from the wrap party for "The Legend of Bruce Lee" had already been leaked, and many behind-the-scenes staff had been asking them if they knew anything about it.

At the time, many people laughed, saying, "Such a good company? Is it another real estate agency?"

I never imagined it actually existed, and it's even official.

The biggest advantage is that Tianji is in charge.

He has a very good reputation in Hong Kong; he is dedicated, honest, and loyal. His appointment as the head of the film crew service company will make things much more convenient for them.

"If any of my colleagues have any issues with the film crew, feel free to contact me. I'll do my best to help if I can."

Tian Qiwen's speech was very brief. He mentioned where the company was located, the general scope of its business, and briefly stated that its commission rate was the lowest in the industry before stepping down.

After he stepped down from the stage, Chen Yunfan said with a smile, "Today's exchange almost ended here."

Everyone thought it was over, and some even got up to leave. But when they realized what was happening, they were either speechless or laughing.

It almost ended? You're something else, you almost got taken away.

"There's one more thing I'd like to tell you all: Director Wang Jing's next six films will be filmed at Guangzhou Film City."

"Changfeng Film and Television and Zhuhai Film and Television are collaborating on two films and two TV series, which will also be filmed in Guangdong Province."

"The two films are directed by Liu Weiqiang and Chen Jiashang, both from Hong Kong. Those who are interested can contact Pearl River Film Studio or the two directors."

"There are no directors available for the two TV series, and the actors haven't been cast yet. If you're interested, feel free to contact me privately."

His words were like the third bombshell of the night, even louder than the previous two.

The policy details still need to be investigated, and whether the film crew service company is truly convenient remains to be seen after further contact.

The projects are things that actually generate real money, especially since there are 10 projects.