Huayu98: Starting with mentoring pop divas

Wong Jing's office in Kowloon Tong has a fairly large layout.

When Li Shuo arrived, Fatty Wang was nestled on the sofa, brewing Kung Fu tea, when he saw him come in.

"Come, come, try this Pu'er tea."

Li Shuo sat down opposite him, shaking his head with a smile.

"Coffee, please. It's too much trouble for you to brew Kung Fu tea, and it's tiring for me to drink it too."

Wong Jing chuckled, gestured to his assistant beside him, and then picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"Alright, let's get down to business."

He put down his teacup, his expression somewhat serious.

"Your 'Ju-on' videotape, two parts, each 74 minutes long, is exactly what you requested."

Li Shuo nodded.

"But the first batch is only 20,000 units. Are you sure?"

He tapped the tabletop with his finger.

"You know Golden Harvest's 'The Storm Riders,' right? The one with Aaron Kwok and Ekin Cheng, it's coming out this July. Its circulation is only around 20,000 copies. Yours is on par with a big-budget movie right off the bat!"

He stared at Li Shuo, but he was also feeling frustrated.

The drama he was particularly focused on this year, "Dragon in the Jianghu," was released around that time, and thinking about it now still brings him a lot of pressure.

"Isn't this too radical?"

Li Shuo picked up the coffee his assistant had just put down and took a sip.

"That website called 'Global Ghost Stories' was created to promote my American independent film 'The Witch in the Woods'."

He put down the cup.

Have you managed to promote the information in the newly added "Urban Legends" section?

Wang Jing nodded.

"It's out. Why not? It's even in Ming Pao. They've also contacted my Japanese partner company and discussed the promotional plan for the Ju-on urban legend. We're just waiting for the videotape to be sent over."

"That's fine then."

Li Shuo smiled.

I quickly went through the process in my mind.

What made "The Ring" transform from an ordinary movie into a social phenomenon this year?

It wasn't the first wave of the film's release; it was a videotape rental.

The core idea of ​​the movie is that "people who have watched the videotape will be G".

This concept and the widespread practice of renting tapes on the streets at the time created a fascinating real-world interaction.

After watching the movie, I couldn't help but feel uneasy about that plastic tape.

In addition, it spread by word of mouth.

In the era of videotapes, good movies relied entirely on recommendations from friends.

"I heard that watching it will get you killed..."

This sense of curiosity can drive young people to line up to rent belts at rental shops.

The Japanese publisher was very confident, and the first wave was 10 copies.

The gamble paid off, and the topic became a global sensation.

As for "Ju-on," its approach is even more different.

This was filmed directly for videotape, so there was no need to spend a lot of money on making copies.

The publicity he had Wong Jing arrange was nothing compared to the subsequent revenue; it only made the topic even more popular.

Most importantly, the multi-segment narrative and the sense of temporal dislocation in "Ju-on" were very ahead of their time in 1998.

Viewers who are tired of linear narratives will find the viewing experience very novel.

Moreover, the videotape version wasn't originally intended to make money.

Word-of-mouth marketing allows core horror fans to become "opinion leaders," waiting for the topic to gain enough buzz.

The theatrical version of the movie can be released.

Later on, there was also a North American version of the film.

The biggest profits are yet to come!

"The Ring" had already created the "right time," allowing "Ju-on" to follow closely behind even earlier, thus both riding the wave of popularity and taking advantage of the "right place."

Li Shuo snapped out of his thoughts and smiled at Wang Jing.

"Let the bullets fly a little longer, just wait patiently."

Wang Jing looked at him.

He felt the script was promising during filming, and when the finished product was made into a videotape, he felt even more certain of success.

He's in this state now, experiencing a long-lost mix of excitement and trepidation, like he's anticipating the success of a promising project.

The last time I had this feeling was with "God of Gamblers".

"...Alright, as long as you know what you're doing. I'll get started with the arrangements then."

He picked up his teacup, took another sip, and put it down.

Hesitant to speak.

Li Shuo looked at him like that.

"Just say what you have to say."

Wang Jing paused for a moment.

"I heard... you've been in quite a bit of contact with Shu Qi for a while?"

Li Shuo remained silent.

Wang Jing sighed.

"You little rascal, I'm telling you this because I think you have a bright future."

He was somewhat sullen.

"Shuqi is someone I brought back from Taiwan. Back then, she was over there... how should I put it, stuck in the mud. I pulled her out, took her to act, and watched her get to where she is today step by step."

He was a little sad.

"Her background is indeed pitiful. She grew up in a poor family and was beaten by her mother's brutal parenting style, forcing her to go out and work in the streets when she was a teenager, where she suffered a lot. Everyone has sympathy... but..."

He looked at Li Shuo.

"But you're different. Your future is limitless. Judging from what you've been doing all this time, it seems like you've been laying the groundwork for your debut. Look at me? I'm just a seasoned veteran, and my reputation is just so-so. The public opinion can't do anything to me."

At this point, Wang Jing's eyes darted around for a moment, and he felt a pang of sadness... because he remembered a woman surnamed Qiu who got married this year.

He composed himself and said seriously.

"Anyway... listen to me, handsome guy, keep your distance. It's not that we shouldn't associate, but we shouldn't give anyone something to gossip about. You have a long life ahead of you, don't let these things affect you."

Li Shuo was completely bewildered by what he said.

No... I just happened to run into it right after I got the system...

I also remember that Shu Qi has a deep "work pool" of films and television series, which is why I formed a positive connection with the system.

What do you think?

If I had that idea, wouldn't the 85-born and 95-born actresses in China be more appealing in the future?

Aren't those female celebrities from the Korean Peninsula, Japan, and Siam all that appealing lately?

Fortunately, he had recently figured out his path. That day, he met Li Meiqi, who also had quite a few film and television works, and he passed on her without even frowning.

To be honest, after reviewing the list, he found that the actresses in Hong Kong who were decent in character were all much older than him; and as for those who were good-looking, none of them were reliable.

Anyway, he basically gave up on this film.

Unless I reach a higher position in the future, then we'll see how things go.

Li Shuo took a deep breath and looked at Wang Jing.

"Don't worry. There's really nothing between her and me. I just think we might have a chance to work together in the future. Any other thoughts? Not at all."

He paused.

"I may not be able to say anything else, but I do have a sense of propriety."

Wang Jing looked at Li Shuo's serious face.

"...Okay. As long as you're a smart kid."

The voice just fell.

The door was pushed open.

Three people walked in.

A man in his forties with a fleshy face, his shirt unbuttoned, revealing a gold chain around his neck.

The two young, brightly dressed followers behind him glanced furtively inside.

Wang Jing frowned but didn't move.

The one in the lead walked to the coffee table, but didn't sit down. He looked down at the tea set on the table, then looked up at Wang Jing.

"Excuse me, esteemed director."

The voice was polite, but not overly so.

Wang Jing calmly picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"What's the matter?"

"My boss heard that Director Wang is making a gambling film soon," the man smiled, "and wants to invest."

Wang Jing laughed in exasperation.

He did indeed want to make a film called "The Conman 1999", but he immediately understood what the other party wanted to do.

"Thank you for your kind offer, sir. However, the film's budget is already full, and the shareholders have all signed their contracts. Perhaps next time, we can work together again when the opportunity arises."

He then gave his assistant a wink.

The assistant understood and quietly moved towards the door.

The three people glanced at it, but neither left nor stopped it.

Wang Jing glanced at them.

"Hey you guys," he said slowly, "do you still dare to play like this? Broken Tooth Dog just got screwed up in Macau, didn't you hear?"

The one in the lead didn't change his expression.

"That's not a good point. We're legitimate business people; we have nothing to do with those kinds of people."

"A legitimate businessman?" Wong Jing laughed. "Then you have to knock before you come in."

After saying that, he looked at Li Shuo, deliberately making his voice sound a little disgusted.

"Alright, there's no suitable role for you right now, you can go."

Li Shuo glanced at him, a smile playing on his lips.

Not moving.

Wang Jing was getting a little anxious and gave him a wink.

During the stalemate...

Footsteps came from the doorway.

The soles of the leather shoes tapped on the ground, neither too fast nor too slow.

The three people turned around.

Li Shuo also looked up.

The man was in his early sixties, not very tall, wearing a casual suit, and his hair was neatly combed.

He had a smile on his face, but that smile... made you know at a glance that this was someone you couldn't afford to mess with.

The man entered, glanced around the office, and reassured Wang Jing.

"I was just finishing up the dubbing for 'Dragon in the Jianghu' when I came over to take a look."

Li Shuo's mind instantly conjured up background music!

"In 1974, I won the championship in my first freestyle fighting competition in Southeast Asia..."

Isn't this the real person who inspired this meme?

14K double-flower red stick.

The real boss of Tsim Sha Tsui.

Southeast Asian boxing champion.

"In fists, there's Chen Huimin; in legs, there's Bruce Lee."

That Chen Huimin, you know.