So what if I work with celebrities?

Inside the office, the three were arguing.

The scene was a bit strange. Xu Zan and Li Hanxiang were both directors and had a different understanding of film. Huang Jiaxi graduated from Ho Man Tin Government Secondary School and worked as a secretary in the secretariat. He basically knew nothing about film.

But who gave him the authority to approve film expenditures on behalf of Ms. Fang?

According to the work process, he needed to repeatedly finalize the various expenses for the film.

Regarding "The Golden Couple of Dream of the Red Chamber", after the casting was completed, the most important task was to develop a plan to save costs as much as possible.

Wong Ka-hei said, "The film is 90 minutes long, and we must keep the cost under one million. If we operate properly, we can recoup the cost in Hong Kong."

For every dollar more than that, the probability of us losing money increases dramatically.

These days, even low-budget Hong Kong films only cost around 200,000 to 300,000 Hong Kong dollars, and top-grossing films only reach around 5 million at most.

In recent years, the top ten earners in the Chinese film charts have only earned around HK$1.5 million.

"You mean, the movie I'm making will lose money? We're making 'Dream of the Red Chamber,' a classic, an art form! How can we let money sway us?" Li Hanxiang slammed his fist on the table, his originally dark face now turning a deep purple.

Xu Zan said, "Director Li, sit down and let's talk slowly. How about this, we'll make new clothes for the main characters, and we'll choose the supporting characters' clothes from Shao's costume warehouse. That way, we can save some money."

As for props, we'll borrow some from museums and also make some replicas based on antique designs.

"I also have some personal collections; I'll bring any that I can use. As for the location… how about the Guolian Film Studio?"

Li Hanxiang thought of the princely mansions in Beiping. If they could build a set there, the effect would definitely surpass similar works by a large margin, and they could even film a scene of the imperial concubine's visit to her family.

"I'll handle the arrangements at the Guolian film studio, but the set setup will require the involvement of the Shao family's team," Xu Zan said.

The Guolian Film Studio is where Li Hanxiang suffered a painful loss.

Back then, Cathay Organisation tried hard to poach Lee Hon-cheung to break Shaw Brothers' dominance in the film market. However, no sooner had this ruthless old man switched jobs than Cathay Organisation ran into trouble, and the entire senior management was purged.

He and his friend Zhu Mu established the Guolian Film Studio in Taiwan, bringing with them a large number of outstanding talents, and were almost the biggest driving force behind the industrialization of Taiwan's film industry.

Back then, the top beauties of the Guolian Group were all top-tier women. They held the resources of Taiwan and Li Hanxiang produced many big-budget films, but he failed to control the costs and squandered Guolian's wealth.

To help him through his difficulties, his three other director friends co-produced a film, but it didn't do well at the box office. Li Hanxiang then used the excuse of post-production work on "Ti Ying" to run away to Japan.

The League of Nations' bankruptcy was resolved by Ilizalov.

Huang Jiaxi took a piece of scrap paper and calculated for a while, then sighed and said, "Even so, it's still over budget. I've calculated it will be at least 1.2 million."

"Oh dear, you're so stingy, you're like a rat with tiny teeth, you're so picky you can't even find a fart!" Li Hanxiang said.

If all filmmakers were as stingy as Wong Ka-hei, how could they possibly make money? If they don't cut costs on costumes, props, and sets, the only way to reduce costs is to squeeze money out of the actors.

Ultimately, the burden falls entirely on the child actors and behind-the-scenes workers. These are the people who make a living off Li Hanxiang; how is he supposed to explain this to his subordinates?

"Well... Director Li, it's not that I'm good at calculating, it's just that I have to consider profits and losses. If we don't make money, the bosses won't be satisfied, and how will they invest next time? It's not a one-off deal," Huang Jiaxi said helplessly.

"An investment of 1.2 million, starting at over 2 million in Hong Kong, plus sales in Southeast Asia and Taiwan—how could it not be profitable?"

"Director Li, if you can earn 100,000, why do you only want to earn 8,000?"

Both of them were furious, and if Li Hanxiang weren't so old, he would have insisted on a one-on-one fight.

"How about this, I'll try to see if I can get some subsidies from the Cultural Committee, that way we can cover some of the costs," Hsu Tsan said, acting as a peacemaker.

If you're making period dramas like martial arts or kung fu films, you can basically forget about any subsidies. The Taiwan Cultural Affairs Committee also has its pride.

However, making art films is different, especially films that can reflect traditional culture, which are more supported by the government.

Of course, while we support it, some resources require connections to secure. It's better to have a project first and then apply for subsidies.

Upon hearing this, Huang Jiaxi wanted to say that if he was cutting costs, wouldn't he be making even more money? However, seeing the unpleasant expressions on Li Hanxiang and Xu Zan's faces, he shut his mouth and stopped talking.

"By the way, could we find some historians from Hong Kong University to serve as consultants and endorse our costumes, props, and sets?"

"Huh? Why are we going to them?" Huang Jiaxi didn't understand why they had to spend this extra money.

In the 1970s, Chinese-language films were still in a workshop-style model, and there was no professional group doing professional work.

They always do whatever is easiest and cheapest. Otherwise, there wouldn't be Qing Dynasty dramas featuring people not shaving their heads.

Even after the turn of the millennium, this practice did not take hold in the Chinese entertainment film industry. Historical dramas were nothing more than historical cosplay, and research institutes were no better than elementary school laboratories, with everything wrapped in elements of romance.

Perhaps the Confucian cultural sphere lacks expressions of love? As a result, movies, TV series, and popular songs are inseparable from love.

Li Hanxiang also disagreed with hiring any so-called historians. "I understand Dream of the Red Chamber. We just argued for ages about saving money, and now you're hiring someone else? Wouldn't that be a waste of our time?"

He wasn't bragging, but in the history of Chinese-language films, the best director to film the Ming Dynasty was King Hu, and the best director to film the Qing Dynasty was Li Hanxiang.

These two have a deeper understanding of history than most directors.

Whether it's the current "Tears of Blood at Yingtai" or the future "Burning of the Yuanmingyuan" and "The Empress Dowager's Reign," Li Hanxiang's solid acting skills are evident.

"Director Li, this film is all up to you. I've brought you some great actors, and I've given you the best possible funding. If it flops, haha!"

Xu Zan is not only a director, but also an investor in this film, so naturally he can't keep saying nice things.

Li Hanxiang grinned, "No problem. Putting everything else aside, I'm an expert at making movies of this genre!"

"The box office revenue in Hong Kong must not be less than 2.3 million!"

"No problem. If you're asking for five million, I think that's very difficult, but two million is definitely achievable!"

"Has Director Li made a solemn pledge? He'll be held responsible if he fails to meet it!"

"Hey~ are you trying to provoke me? If I don't finish this, I'll run naked in Port Elizabeth!"

One sentence made Xu Zan and Huang Jiaxi laugh, and an image of a dark-skinned, fat man wearing sunglasses appeared in their minds, running down the street.

It was dusk as the sun set, a time of youth he found hard to recount.

"That'll be quite a sight!" Xu Zan quickly pulled a business card from his pocket. "I'm still the owner of *Gunstone* magazine. When you're going to streak, remember to have my reporters take a few pictures!"

"Get lost!" Li Hanxiang laughed and patted him on the back.

Whether or not to streak is just a joke. No one can guarantee that making a movie will make money; it's just about presenting the director's intentions on the screen as much as possible.

The rest is up to God!

Xu Zan promoted "The Dream of the Red Chamber" for two reasons: firstly, the film was expected to be profitable; and secondly, he wanted to discover Brigitte Lin's ability to play a female role.

Her current "pure and innocent" image has long been a consensus among the public; only by breaking the mold can she achieve a breakthrough.

He sometimes lamented that perhaps Brigitte Lin was held back by the small island of Taiwan; if she had debuted in Hollywood with her beauty, her stardom would have been even more dazzling.

Following Li Hanxiang, Xu Zan went to his home and saw many antiques: crowns, jade locks, and porcelain. It seemed that Old Li had spent all the money he had earned over the years on these items.

"How about it? My collection is basically enough. The rest can be replicas. Borrowing from museums is practically impossible. If something mysteriously goes missing, you'll be in big trouble!"