Chapter 648 Sometimes it depends on fate
The shock caused by "Nandu Weekend" in the Chinese news industry is still ongoing, but Lin Weimin's work and life are as normal.
Those who attacked him received the punishment they deserved, and the Southern Metropolis Weekend magazine itself was severely damaged. He finally got all the revenge he deserved.
Time flies and it is already the end of August. The first volume of "World Literature Classics Collection" has entered the intensive proofreading stage and will be printed soon.
Recently, Lin Weimin has been discussing the printing and binding of the "World Literature Classics Collection" with the printing factory.
As one of the most important series of books since the establishment of Guowen Publishing House decades ago, Lin Weimin intends to innovate in this series.
So he came up with a bold idea to use Bible paper as printing paper while pursuing exquisite and elegant binding.
"Take a look at this first."
Lin Weimin handed Mou Chunzhi a beautifully bound original English book. Mou Chunzhi did not know English and looked at the content with a confused look on his face, but he was the vice president of the Guowen Publishing House in charge of printing business.
His professional instinct made him immediately realize that this book was different from the books he usually read.
"Is this... Bible paper?"
"That's right."
What Lin Weimin handed to Mou Chunzhi was Alexis de Tocqueville's "Democracy in America" included in the "American Library". The printing paper used was thin but extremely tough Bible paper.
This is also the biggest promotional point of the "American Library". All books are printed on Bible paper.
Bible paper, as the name suggests, is the paper used to print the Bible.
In fact, it is a thin paper made from all wood fiber pulp. Because it is commonly used to print Bibles, it has always been called Bible paper.
This type of paper is characterized by being light and thin, with a basis weight of only 14 to 30 pounds. It also has other advantages such as a white and delicate surface, a tight and smooth texture, good toughness, good wear resistance, not easy to change color, not easy to fade, and the printed font color remains bright for a long time.
The only drawback is that it has high requirements for printing equipment and technology, and there are not many manufacturers in the world that can print.
Another disadvantage, which is not considered a disadvantage, is its high cost. The cost of this type of paper is 40% higher than that of ordinary printing paper.
Mou Chunzhi held the book in his hand and asked, "You mean..."
"I plan to use this kind of paper to print the World Literature Masterpieces Collection."
Although he was mentally prepared, Mou Chunzhi was still shocked.
The leader is really bold!
The "Democracy in America" in his hand is a 940-page book. If it were printed on the same paper that Guowen Publishing House currently uses, he would probably have to use both hands to hold it.
But now, this 940-page tome was in his hands. He held it tightly and felt that it was very solid, better than any book Mou Chunzhi had ever read.
He had to admit in his heart that if this kind of paper was used, the appearance would be unbeatable, and even he couldn't resist the collecting habit in his heart.
But at the same time, he was overwhelmed. His leaders had one idea after another. Not only was the Bible paper difficult to get and expensive, but it also required very high standards in printing equipment and technology.
"Editor-in-chief, Bible paper is rarely imported into China, it is very expensive, and the requirements for printing equipment are also very high. Our printing factory can't do it, not even Xinhua Printing Factory can."
Lin Weimin nodded, "Of course I know that."
“Do you know about the Amity Foundation?”
Mou Chunzhi shook his head in confusion. He never paid attention to charity matters, so how would he know about the foundation?
Lin Weimin had to patiently explain: "The Amity Foundation was founded by Mr. Ding from the CPPCC and was established in 1985. In 1986, the Amity Foundation and the United Bible Societies jointly founded Amity Printing Co., Ltd., which is the only printing house in China that legally prints Bibles in large quantities."
Mou Chunzhi understood what Lin Weimin meant, "You want to use their printing factory to print the World Literature Masterpieces Collection?"
"right."
"But..." Mu Chunzhi showed some hesitation on his face, "Can a printing factory like theirs take our business?"
"Everything is negotiable! The Bible paper used by Amity Printing House is donated by the United Bible Societies. It is fixed every year and is used exclusively for printing the Bible. We definitely cannot use it all.
So I contacted a friend in the United States, who is a publisher, and asked him to help purchase a batch of printing paper in the name of Amity Printing. Amity Printing is a joint venture and has no restrictions on the use of foreign exchange. We will then pay Amity Printing in RMB. "
Seeing that Lin Weimin was talking so clearly, Mou Chunzhi couldn't help but ask, "Editor-in-Chief, have you made all the contacts?"
"That's about right. I met Mr. Ding and the two leaders of the Amity Foundation when I participated in the foundation's activities before. When I told them about this matter, they were happy to help.
Our World Literature Collection is a national series, so it won’t hurt our reputation if they help with the printing. However, we have to let them take charge of the printing and binding, so the price won’t be cheap, after all, we are using their foreign exchange.”
Lin Weimin said this and looked at Mou Chunzhi, "Old Mou, now it's up to you!"
Mou Chunzhi was speechless for a while. He felt that he was just a tool that could only be used when bargaining.
But it’s a good thing this way, it makes the work much easier.
If Lin Weimin really just came up with an idea on the spur of the moment and had to implement all the specific matters himself, he would be exhausted.
The subsequent printing and binding matters of "World Literary Masterpieces" were handed over to Mou Chunzhi, and Lin Weimin had one less thing to do.
After returning home in the evening and coaxing the child for a while, Zhang Yimou and Han Zhuangzhuang arrived together.
"Please sit down for a while. The meal will take some time."
Lin Weimin handed the child to Tao's mother and started chatting with the two of them.
"Qiu Ju Goes to Court" has now been completed. In two days, Zhang Yimou will take the two leading actors, Han Zhuangzhuang and Gong Li, to Venice to attend the Venice Film Festival.
The meal the two of them had today was a farewell dinner, and Han Zhuangzhuang couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
"Red Sorghum" had just been completed five years ago and by chance it was qualified to participate in the Berlin Film Festival.
At that time, the unknown new director Zhang Yimou brought him and Gong Li, two newcomers in the film industry, to Berlin.
At that time, no one would have thought that "Red Sorghum" would achieve such great success and win the first international award in the Chinese film industry in nearly a hundred years.
Last year, Zhang Yimou took away a Silver Lion Award from Venice, and this year he is making a comeback and aiming for the Golden Lion.
But he was still a little nervous, and his words revealed a bit of lack of confidence.
Lin Weimin comforted him, "Don't worry. You won the Silver Lion in Venice last year, and you're going again this year. The organizing committee won't be so disrespectful. I went to Rome to receive the award some time ago, and I happened to know two of this year's judges. I talked to them about your film, and they were all very interested."
Before Zhang Yimou asked, Han Zhuangzhuang spoke first, "Uncle, do you know any of the judges? What are their names?"
Lin Weimin mentioned the names of Ennio Morricone and Gianni Amelio. Han Zhuangzhuang said, "I know Ennio Morricone composed the music for Cinema Paradiso and Once Upon a Time in America. What does Gianni Amelio do?"
"He's an Italian director. Last year, his film, 'Love Is Not Blind', was nominated for an Oscar."
"Oh, it seems like you have some skills to be a judge."
"nonsense."
During the conversation between the two, Zhang Yimou remained calm and did not interrupt, but Lin Weimin's words effectively eased his inner anxiety.
"When can I become a judge at a film festival?" Han Zhuangzhuang said in an envious tone.
Zhang Yimou then said, "This shouldn't be difficult. You are well-known internationally."
When Han Zhuangzhuang heard what he said, he said happily: "Really? If I have the chance, I must be a judge once. It must be very cool."
"Look at what you have accomplished! Are you satisfied with being a judge? If you want to be a judge, be the chairman of the jury. Otherwise, what's the point?"
After Lin Weimin finished speaking, he looked at Han Zhuangzhuang and said, "You are a little bit lacking. You don't have a best actor by your side. But if Yimou wins the Golden Lion this time, he will be more than qualified to be the chairman of the jury of one of the three major European films."
Han Zhuangzhuang patted Zhang Yimou on the shoulder and said, "Yimou is great. You have already reached this level."
Zhang Yimou smiled bitterly, "Teacher Lin, please stop making fun of me."
The meal was ready as they chatted and laughed.
While eating, they talked about "Sunny Days", which Jiang Wen had been filming for almost a year, and "Farewell My Concubine", which Cheng Kaige was currently preparing.
The filming of "Sunny Days" has lasted for eleven months since it started in November last year and is expected to be completed next month.
The mid-term shooting of a movie can take a year. Don’t ever believe that this is “slow work and fine work”. It’s simply because the director is an amateur.
Jiang Wen is not a layman in the film industry, but he is indeed a novice in the position of director.
Meeting Lin Weimin and Michael Phillips was the greatest luck for him in his directorial career.
Unlike later times when filming "Sunny Days", which encountered various difficulties due to lack of funds and experience, this time when filming "Sunny Days", Jiang Wen could be said to have given full play to his wild imagination and artistic touch.
Except that Lin Weimin occasionally restricted him due to production funding issues, everything in the crew was running according to his wishes.
Now that the film is finally finished and about to enter post-production, Jiang Wencai finally reacted.
Thanks to Teacher Lin for pressuring him before, otherwise the crew’s funds would have been used up by now, and they wouldn’t even have been able to get the money for post-production.
Michael Phillips originally raised $2 million in investment from Columbia Pictures, which was double the investment of the original "Sunny Days".
This is because the American people are stupid and have a lot of money. They don't care about the small investment of 2 million US dollars. The whole thing is under the control of the producer Michael Phillips. Otherwise, the financial review of Columbia Pictures alone would be enough to make Jiang Wen suffer.
Zhang Yimou learned that the filming of "Sunny Days" was about to be completed, and asked, "Is Jiang Wen planning to submit this film to the film festival?"
"Of course."
"Have you decided on a film festival?"
"No. This film was funded by Columbia, so we still need to seek their opinions. Besides, Jiang Wen is so slow in making a movie, and we don't know when he can finish the post-production."
Zhang Yimou said: "I went to see his rough cut in July. It was very interesting and had the potential to win an award."
"It's hard to say. Whether you win or not sometimes depends on fate."
(End of this chapter)
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