Chapter 674 Spin-off Series
This is why Lu Yanhe brought out the script for "Red Eye Flight".
For Jiang Yuqian, starring in a movie that doesn't solely carry the box office, boasts a stellar cast, and grosses over $100 million in the US, like "Doomsday," would be far less beneficial to her career than a movie that might only have a production cost of around $10 million but ultimately grosses over $50 million in the US.
For Hollywood, Jiang Yuqian is a foreign actress who has never carried a box office.
Compared to risking big for big, risking small for big is less risky and generates more buzz.
The smaller the project, the greater the bonus the person who ultimately carries the box office will receive.
Just like "The Mist" is to Lu Yanhe.
If the director of "The Mist" had not been Muken, but an unknown director with no past successes, Lu Yanhe might be even more sought after in Hollywood now.
Nevertheless, Lu Yanhe's starring role in "Misty" was a very typical example of an effective leading role.
Because everyone attributes a large part of the film's success to Lu Yanhe.
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"The film 'Destruction' is for others to see; it's to tell everyone that you are now considered by major production companies to be an actress who can star in A-list big-budget productions."
That's what He Heng said to Jiang Yuqian.
"However, 'Red Eye' is a film you made yourself. Whether 'Doomsday' is successful or not, in the eyes of the industry, it has little to do with you. But if 'Red Eye' succeeds, it's because of you; if it fails, it's also because of your lack of appeal."
Jiang Yuqian understood the reasoning behind this.
He Heng said, "It is said that Green Valley still plans to find a male actor with some fame to play this villain, and does not intend to let you carry the box office alone. But you can also see from the script that you are actually the main character. Yan He has carefully prepared this script for you. There is no script more suitable for you to break into Hollywood."
Jiang Yuqian took a deep breath.
"Sister Heng, aren't we planning to open our own studio after our contracts with the company expire?"
"Yes, didn't we already agree on this? You changed your mind?" He Heng asked.
Jiang Yuqian said, "Let's set up the studio under Linghe. Yan He has left so many projects for me. Although we are friends, it is obvious that I need him and he will continue to provide me with some good projects for the next few years."
He Heng pondered for a moment and said, "Yuqian, we have waited a long time for this moment to finally be able to separate and run our own studio."
“I know I don’t intend for Linghe to become the company that manages us. I just want to take this opportunity to strengthen our connection with Linghe,” Jiang Yuqian said. “So that both Linghe and Yanhe can benefit from my work.”
He Heng said, “I know that you are actually very grateful to Lu Yanhe and hope not to take too much advantage, right? So, you want our studio to be affiliated with Linghe, so that Linghe can legitimately enjoy the profits from our studio. It’s not that I care about anything else, but about independence. Once our studio is really affiliated with him, in other people’s eyes, we will be deeply tied to Lu Yanhe.”
"Isn't the bond deep enough already?" Jiang Yuqian said.
She hadn't expected that He Heng would have a different opinion on this.
He Heng said, "Yuqian, it's not anything else, it's just that, perhaps in your opinion, putting our studio under Linghe's umbrella won't affect the actual operation of our studio. Indeed, in my opinion, Linghe certainly has no interest in interfering in the specific business of our studio. But, Yuqian, don't forget, a few years ago we clearly had the opportunity to act in a movie, but because of Xingyu's arrangements, we had to give up that movie and act in a TV series produced by a partner company instead."
Jiang Yuqian: "This kind of thing is impossible now. We have the autonomy to choose which roles to take."
“I’m just giving you an example,” He Heng said. “The Ling River doesn’t belong to Lu Yanhe alone. Even if Lu Yanhe has complete control, let me ask you, if you were offered two opportunities in the future, one was to be the lead in a top Hollywood film project, and the other was to be the female lead in a low-budget film by Lu Yanhe, and you could only choose one, which would you choose?”
Jiang Yuqian: "I will tell Lu Yanhe that I will choose the Hollywood one."
"If Linghe is facing an operational crisis at this time and desperately needs you to act in the project, only if you act can the project successfully obtain investment and start filming?" He Heng asked.
Jiang Yuqian: "Do you think that if Linghe is in this situation and needs my help, I won't help even if I don't list my studio under Linghe's name?"
"It's better to be safe than sorry. What if you weigh the pros and cons and decide you can't help? What if, during this process, our studio has been unknowingly infiltrated by Linghe, and we don't even know when we've been set up, forcing you to give up a better opportunity?"
“I don’t think making such assumptions is meaningful, because I’m not saying we have to hand over the operational rights of our studio. When we negotiate with Linghe, this point will be made clear, and it will be in the contract as well,” Jiang Yuqian said. “I can’t say what will happen in the future, but as long as Lu Yanhe is still in charge, he will definitely not cheat me on these contracts. Of course, we should still pay attention to what we need to pay attention to, and we should still find lawyers to review the contracts. But if we are worried about being tricked by Linghe just because we are affiliated with him, we might as well not open this studio at all. Once this studio is open, we will still need investors, we will still need to cooperate with people, and we will need to sign all kinds of agreements. If we are cheated by Linghe, then we are destined to be cheated by others.”
He Heng fell silent.
Jiang Yuqian: "I mentioned before that I could lower my fee a bit for Yan He's project, but you disagreed, saying that we only charged the market price and didn't overcharge. Yan He and his team didn't care about the fees, so I didn't say anything. It's true that if I charged less, everyone's income would decrease, which I understand. But my career over the past two years has relied entirely on Yan He to support me in key areas. To be honest, without Yan He, how could I have been given the role of an Asian woman in a movie like 'Red Eye Flight'?"
He Heng: "I admit that I didn't want our studio to be listed under Linghe's name because of my own selfish reasons. But I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Lu Yanhe has indeed provided you with many great opportunities, but isn't this mutually beneficial? You are a top-tier star. In China, is there any actress more famous than you?"
Jiang Yuqian: "Before 'The Squid Game,' I almost fell out of the top tier, as we all know."
“When we were making ‘The Squid Game,’ he needed you more than you needed him. He cast Jiang Jun, who was virtually unknown at the time, as the male lead. He needed a female lead with enough fame and national recognition to carry the show,” He Heng said. “Yuqian, yes, he helped us a lot, especially in your career development. But that’s a different matter. We can thank him, and we can even lower our fees to act in any production if they are short on funds. But to have our studio registered in Linghe? Sorry, I don’t agree.”
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Many things and many decisions cannot be made by an artist alone.
Many people wonder why an artist would take on a certain job?
That job was obviously a lousy job, low-class, and didn't help my career at all.
However, this is like when you're working and your team encounters two projects. One can bring in 10,000 yuan in revenue, but if done well, it might help your team move to the next stage. The other can bring in 50,000 yuan in revenue, but it's a quick way to make money and might even make people think that it lowers the prestige of your team.
Which one would you choose at this point?
Many people say, celebrities aren't short of money, why be so short-sighted? Of course, choose the first one.
But what if you were a member of this team? Your boss is rich, earning millions a year, while you earn only 5,000 a month. Which project would you want him to choose? Your income is directly tied to these two projects.
Can a boss disregard the well-being of team members and only consider their own ideas? We all know what the outcome will be for a team led like that.
Moreover, many artists are not the bosses of this team; they are just the ones who are pushed to the front to promote the team.
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Jiang Yuqian's thoughts were simple, and so were He Heng's.
Neither of them were short-sighted people who were greedy for money.
However, why is He Heng so open-minded and insightful in other matters, yet so strongly opposed to this matter that seems to be very beneficial to Jiang Yuqian?
Because the two people are standing at different angles.
Jiang Yuqian has many options. Even if her cooperation with Linghe doesn't go smoothly, she can still choose to leave when the contract expires, or consider other options.
However, in He Heng's view, Jiang Yuqian was the only card she had.
Of course she wanted Jiang Yuqian to be happy. She wasn't the kind of agent who only planned to work with Jiang Yuqian for a few years, make quick money, and then leave.
However, she didn't want to see Jiang Yuqian and Lu Yanhe getting closer and closer—especially in their work as agents.
This was already close to her own carotid artery.
Shihuo's development has been unstoppable.
The agency that Chen Ziyan and Lu Qingzhen built has now become one of the largest in China.
In particular, their practice of not requiring artists to sign exclusive, full-length contracts makes many artists willing to sign their commercial and film/television contracts with them.
These two aspects are also strengths of the fire-picking team.
He Heng was unwilling to let Jiang Yuqian sign over because he wanted to eliminate all such possibilities.
Indeed, Jiang Yuqian might think that He Heng's actions were somewhat petty.
But Jiang Yuqian was He Heng's only card. After leaving He Heng, Jiang Yuqian had become a top-tier star, and she had nothing to worry about.
He Heng shouldn't think like that.
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"Once an agent reaches a certain level, it's impossible for them to part ways amicably with their artists."
Lu Qingzhen smiled slightly at Jiang Jun and said, "However, at Shihuo, we want to change the traditional agency model. Although it's difficult, we still try our best to make the company a centralized resource provider to help artists achieve better career development—even if it's just a phased collaboration. So, although nominally, externally, I'm responsible for your business, if you have a good agent and team, you can bring them all over. Our self-positioning is very simple: a logistics support team, especially for an established actor like you."
After Jiang Jun's contract with his previous agency ended, he signed a new contract with Shi Huo.
He didn't bring his long-time agent with him.
It's said that he didn't have a good relationship with that agent. Of course, no one knows exactly what the problem was.
Jiang Jun said, "I didn't have a very pleasant working relationship with my previous agency. To be honest, I don't want to have anything to do with them again. However, my assistant has been with me all along, and I do plan to bring him back with me."
“Okay.” Lu Qingzhen nodded. “Then I will arrange an executive agent for you to handle all your brokerage business. Since you already have an assistant, I won’t make any further arrangements. The company will provide you with a full-time driver who will also act as your bodyguard. When needed, the company will also send additional personnel. You don’t need to worry about logistics; we are professionals with rich experience. However, Ms. Jiang, regarding your future career planning, although I am your nominal agent, Ziyan will actually be in charge. The reason for this distinction is that your overseas agent is signed with CAA, but Ziyan’s relationship with Williams is unpredictable. Also, everyone in Hollywood knows that Yan He is her client. If you were also her client, there would be some competitive trouble in the United States, which is why we made this separation.”
"Okay, I understand." Jiang Jun nodded.
Lu Qingzhen: "But you can contact me anytime if you need anything. Ziyan and I, I take care of the home and she takes care of the outside world. Generally, I will handle all your services and needs."
Jiang Jun asked, "You said before that the company would assign me an executive agent. Can I meet with him first?"
“Of course.” Lu Qingzhen nodded. “If you are not satisfied, we can make adjustments at any time. It would be best if you had your own suggested candidate. We all know very well the importance of an agent to an artist. If you cannot trust him, many tasks will be difficult to carry out. Shi Huo is a new company for you, and there must be a process of getting used to it. If you have a familiar candidate for this position, it will also make it easier for us to communicate with each other.”
Jiang Jun smiled and said, "Although I just signed here, you have already taken care of a lot of my work, so I trust you a lot, that goes without saying."
Lu Qingzhen: "I also promise you that we will not let you down."
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The second season of "The Seventeen Floors" has premiered.
Lu Yanhe hosted a live stream, inviting the creators and actors of the second season of "The Seventeenth Floor" to chat in his live stream room.
He simply didn't want to participate in some of the promotional activities for Beijing and Taiwan, but that doesn't mean he didn't want "The Seventeenth Floor" to do well.
In particular, Lu Yanhe learned a lot from director Lian Bei and screenwriter Feng Qiyue while filming this drama.
Lu Yanhe asked Lian Bei what the next steps were.
Lien Pei said that they are revising the script for the third season of "The Seventeen Floors" and are striving to start filming next year.
Lu Yanhe immediately smiled and said, "It's okay, take your time writing. Even if you finish writing, I might not have time to film next year. I have several films to shoot next year, and time is very tight."
Lian Bei laughed, "Then I need to finish writing the script first so I can coordinate my schedule with you. Otherwise, I might not be able to make it to your schedule the year after next."
“That’s true.” Lu Yanhe nodded. “Director Lian, after you finish ‘The Seventeenth Floor,’ do you have any other plans?”
"I have quite a few projects on hand, but they're all still in the development stage. I haven't thought about what to do next," Lian Bei said. "Let's focus on finishing 'The Seventeenth Floor' first. So, if I ask you to act in my next project, will you still come?"
“I’ll take on any projects that interest me. The key is your next project; I bet the actors will be fighting tooth and nail to get on board, right?” Lu Yanhe laughed. “Don’t you really want to work with people you’ve never worked with before? We’ve already done three ‘Seventeen Floors’ movies with you, aren’t you tired of it yet?”
“Tired? I’ll never get tired of filming with you guys.” Lian Bei shook his head. “I don’t think any other drama will ever surpass the cast of ‘The Seventeenth Floor’.”
"The main problem is that it's really difficult to get Sister Bige to star in a TV series. It's been so long since Sister Bige has acted in a TV series, and she's already done three in a row," Lu Yanhe laughed. "After filming 'The Seventeen Floors,' who knows when she'll act in another TV series?"
Lian Bei: "What about you? Will you be acting in TV dramas again?"
“Of course, I film one episode of Friends every year without fail.” Lu Yanhe sighed. “However, I probably won’t take on any more TV series before Friends and The Seventeen Floors are over. There are too many projects to film every year. Even if I split myself into two people, it wouldn’t be enough. Right now, the hardest thing for me to coordinate is my schedule, and my most precious thing is my time.”
Lian Bei: "You have too many successful series. It's a good thing you didn't star in 'The Squid Game' and 'My Own Swordsman,' otherwise, I guess you wouldn't even have a chance to catch your breath."
“I think so too.” Lu Yanhe laughed. “Every year I say I want to take on fewer roles and give myself more time to rest, but I never actually get to rest for more than a month. I’m basically just shuttling between different film crews.”
“It’s good to act in more plays,” Lian Bei said. “Isn’t that what everyone says? If you don’t start a project, we’ll have one less good work.”
"That's too much flattery," Lu Yanhe said with a smile, waving his hand.
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By the time the live stream ended, a hashtag related to Lu Yanhe and the Beijing-Taiwan region had become a trending topic:
What exactly is the relationship between Lu Yanhe and Beijing-Taiwan?
The relationship between Lu Yanhe and Beijing and Taiwan is simply too unpredictable.
They break up one minute, make up the next, and then things aren't so good again...
Even Lu Yanhe's fans were puzzled.
This time, with the premiere of the second season of "The Seventeenth Floor," Lu Yanhe did not participate in any related promotional activities like the other main actors. However, whether it was on social media or in this live broadcast event, Lu Yanhe did not seem to be trying to distance himself from the show.
Moreover, during the live broadcast, Lu Yanhe clearly stated that he would participate in the third season.
If Lu Yanhe really broke ties with Jingtai, why would he still participate in the "Seventeen Floors" series?
This is indeed puzzling.
Many so-called insiders have come forward to respond to and interpret the relationship between Lu Yanhe and Beijing and Taiwan.
Opinions also differ.
So much so that the attention and discussion surrounding this matter even surpassed that of the show's content itself.
Some even say that in recent years, apart from "Friends" and "The Seventeen Floors," Beijing TV has not produced any dramas that have reached this level of influence. If Lu Yanhe really stops cooperating with Beijing TV in the future, what will happen to Beijing TV?
Both "Friends" and "The Seventeenth Floor" remain top contenders for attracting investment from Beijing and Taiwan.
The show "Friends" has now been renamed "Old Friends" and is being produced on Yuehu TV, with Beijing TV sharing the profits.
"The Seventeen Floors" is made in one season every two years.
Advertising revenue in Beijing and Taiwan has plummeted this year, falling far short of previous years.
On the contrary, Yuehu TV has always maintained its position by relying on its large audience when it was thriving in Beijing and Taiwan. After Lu Yanhe brought "Friends", "My Own Swordsman" and the Jump Theater, it further boosted Yuehu TV's ratings. Now, among local TV stations, no one can challenge Yuehu TV's position.
This year, Yuehu TV is preparing to launch the new year with two trump cards: "Friends" and "My Own Swordsman"—
Originally, they wanted to release the second season of "My Own Swordsman" in the summer to boost summer ratings. However, since both shows are sitcoms and coincide with the Lunar New Year, many brands are promoting the "New Year Shopping Festival" concept. Brands are more willing to spend money during this period. Therefore, the second season of "Friends" premiered in December, while the second season of "My Own Swordsman" premiered during the Lunar New Year.
Compared to Yuehu Terrace, Jingtai Terrace appears particularly desolate.
Little did anyone know, while everyone was discussing it, Beijing and Taiwan suddenly announced some news.
The series "The Seventeenth Floor" will be developed into a spin-off, starring Chen Pinhe.
(End of this chapter)
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