Huayu: This producer has no bottom line.

Chapter 157 You Don't Want to See This Either

Han Sanping agreed to China Film Group's 10% stake in "Ghost Blows Out the Light," pending the completion of necessary internal procedures.

He did not ask Ren Pingsheng to make a low-budget feature film to prove himself.

Now that we understand what's presented in "Li Xianji" and see the resources tied to the proposal, there's no need to bring up some unspoken things.

China Film Group wants to plant its flag in this benchmark project and act as the decisive anchor.

But Han Sanping's silence doesn't mean Ren Pingsheng was unaware of the situation.

There is a chasm between a short film of just over forty minutes and a blockbuster film with an investment of 300 million yuan.

This chasm cannot be bridged by prophets and enthusiasm.

As he sat in the taxi on his way back, Ren Pingsheng pondered the journey ahead.

"Li Xianji" could be produced by a team of a dozen or twenty people, but "Ghost Blows Out the Light" couldn't.

It was a blockbuster with a budget of 300 million yuan, involving thousands of people both in front of and behind the camera. The credits alone took several minutes to scroll through the end credits.

From early concept design, art direction, set design, costumes and props, to the scheduling of hundreds of crew members, a large lighting and machinery team, and a special effects team during filming, and then to the year-long post-production work including visual effects, sound mixing, and even 3D conversion.

Every step is a money-devouring beast.

Each step requires professional knowledge and practical experience.

To date, he has never even touched a proper movie camera, let alone anything like motion capture or special effects pre-visualization.

Regardless of whether you participate in this project as a director or a producer, if you don't even understand the basic process of shooting Red Dragon 6K dual-camera 3D, there are only two possible outcomes.

Either an amateur directs a professional and ruins the production, or they get fooled by seasoned veterans and lose everything.

The project started in Q3 of 2012, leaving only two years at most.

To defeat the big boss of "Ghost Blows Out the Light," you need to spend the next two years leveling up and upgrading your equipment.

Anyone who has played games knows how to level up quickly.

The answer is spending real money.

Use money to cultivate a top-notch team, use money to invest in projects and experiment, and use money to lay a solid foundation for your company.

The film and television production team at LifeShow is still too small.

Xiao Ai is good at shooting short dramas, and Zhang Yibo is good at editing micro-movies, but if you throw them into a 300 million yuan industrial assembly line, they won't even make a splash.

He had to upgrade the makeshift team into a professional one, requiring top-notch art and action directors in the country, as well as an executive producer capable of coordinating a crew of thousands.

These talents don't just fall from the sky; you have to spend real money to acquire them one by one.

But that's a story for another time.

Before that, the script must be completed.

Without a script, everything is just empty talk.

The art department didn't know what to draw, the set design team was at a loss, and the special effects company couldn't even do a preview.

Moreover, for a fantasy epic like "Ghost Blows Out the Light," it would take at least one or two years to develop a usable script.

Therefore, a screenwriting team must be assembled immediately.

The first person that popped into Ren Pingsheng's mind was Zhang Muye, the original author of "Ghost Blows Out the Light" (also known as Tianxia Bachang).

There is no better brand and endorsement than the original author.

He didn't want his movie to be a huge hit, only to be sued by the original author.

Bringing Zhang Muye into the screenwriting team not only stabilizes the original fans, but also provides a legal and public safety guarantee for the project.

As long as the original author is there, they have the confidence to make any changes.

June is drawing to a close.

With China Film Group's approval, the investment puzzle for "Ghost Blows Out the Light" was officially completed.

搜弧7500万占25%，生平视1.05亿占35%，中影3000万占10%，万达3000万占10%，普思3000万占10%，奇艺网3000万占10%。

This news has not been officially announced, but it has indeed moved from the financing stage to the preparation stage.

The money started moving.

With Gong Yu's special approval, the 800 million yuan copyright fee for "Lost in Thailand" was deposited into Shengping TV's account.

7 month 1 day.

The initial investment from Sohu, Wanda, Pusi, and iQiyi was deposited into the dedicated account for the "Ghost Blows Out the Light" project on time.

Only China Film Group is still going through the approval process due to its complicated internal procedures, but the contract signed by Han Sanping has already been stamped and is in effect, so it's only a matter of time before the money arrives.

Lifeview Media has officially become a rising star in the film and television industry with substantial financial resources.

The release date for "Li Xianji" has also been set.

After repeated communication with Gong Yu, the release date was finally set for July 17.

The timing was brilliant, perfectly timed, just one week after "Lost in Thailand" premiered exclusively on iQiyi.

They can easily capitalize on the hype by claiming it's a new work from the original production team of "Lost in Thailand."

Moreover, this also complies with the Youth Image Project's rule of submitting finished films by July 20th.

Meanwhile, the auditions for "China's Got Talent" are in full swing.

The grassroots contestants from Northeast China, sent by Ben San Media, have begun to take the stage one after another.

In addition to Xiu Ruihe, Xu Ri Yang Gang, and Da Yi Ge, who were previously selected internally, Zhao Bensan also followed Ren Pingsheng's advice and sent people to dig out a disabled contestant nicknamed "Chopsticks Brother" from Liaoning Province.

This guy was born without limbs because he suffered from congenital phocomelia.

But with sheer tenacity, he mastered the unique skill of playing the piano while holding chopsticks in his mouth.

It's not that Ren Pingsheng deliberately wanted to use people with disabilities to attract attention, but the stage of the talent show is a battlefield. Talent is certainly important, but the tear-jerking effect of comparing misfortunes and the indomitable spirit of people with disabilities is always the ultimate weapon for ratings.

The champion of this year's competition was a ruthless person who played the piano with his feet. If I don't find someone even more miserable and ruthless, how can I compete with him?

Magic can only be defeated with magic.

Inside the studio.

Ren Pingsheng picked up his phone, found Zhou Hongli's number from Shanda Literature, and dialed it.

The call was answered quickly.

"Director Ren, what brings you here?" Zhou Hongli's laughter rang out. "Lost in Thailand is a box office hit, I haven't congratulated you yet."

"Congratulations, Mr. Zhou. The copyright I bought from you last time has come in handy," Ren Pingsheng said, leaning back in his chair with a relaxed tone.

"Oh? Which work is it?" Zhou Hongli perked up.

"Ghost Blows Out the Light," Ren Pingsheng revealed directly, "a total investment of 300 million yuan, from Sohu, Wanda, China Film Group, iQiyi, and my company, Shengping Vision."

Zhou Hongli gasped on the other end of the phone.

Three hundred million!

This number is countable even when looking at the entire industry.

What's even more frightening is the lineup of investors behind it, including cinema chains, online media, and state-owned enterprises.

"Director Ren, you have a good approach," Zhou Hongli's tone suddenly became serious. "If there's anything we need to cooperate with, just let us know."

"There is indeed something I need to trouble you with, Mr. Zhou. The script is about to be put into production, and I need Tianxia Bachang to join the team. He is the original author, and no one understands this world better than him. I would like to ask Mr. Zhou to arrange a meeting and invite him out for a chat."

"Zhang Muye?" Zhou Hongli pondered for a moment, "No problem, I'll put together the funds for this round."

"Thank you very much then," Ren Pingsheng smiled, then changed the subject, "Also, there's something I need to clarify with President Zhou. The copyrights to the first four books aren't in our hands, so the movie's plot can only start from the last four. The audience knows nothing about Hu Bayi. If this first film adaptation with such a large investment is a flop, the 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' brand will be mostly ruined. That's not what Shanda wants to see, is it?"

Zhou Hongli fell silent.

These words struck a nerve with him. Although Shanda Literature sold the copyright, the success of the adaptation directly affected the value of the other IPs, and no one wanted to see the IP suffer a major setback on the big screen.

"you mean....

"What I mean is, could you please pass on a message to the other half of the copyright holders, saying that Shengping Vision wants to discuss a development collaboration for the first four installments? If they want to get a piece of the pie, now is their only chance."

>