Chapter 705 Burning Fire (8000 words updated!)
"Mu Si didn't renew her contract with us; she went to find Ji Miao."
The agent told Zhan Yun.
Upon hearing this, Zhan Yun was somewhat surprised, but she wasn't too angry.
"It used to be the brand that Ji Miao endorsed. After the endorsement period ended, they said it was because Ji Miao had been focusing on movies and didn't have enough national recognition, so they came to us. Why are they coming back to us now?"
"Last year, the movie 'Even If I Fake My Death' had a high box office, which greatly boosted her fame and popularity. This time, another movie of hers has been shortlisted for the main competition of the Jose Film Festival. It's probably because they are optimistic about her further improvement, so they've come back to her."
Zhan Yun nodded.
“Okay,” she said. “I wasn’t really keen on endorsing this brand anyway.”
Agent: "Among the younger generation of actresses, you are firmly in the top tier. Originally, Ji Miao maintained her status purely by being a movie star. In reality, in terms of fame and popularity, she is far inferior to the rest of you. 'Even Fake Death Is Not an Option' has brought her a real boost."
"We just need to do our best," Zhan Yun said.
“Of course,” the agent said with a smile. “No matter how anxious others are, you don’t need to be anxious. With the Friends series in hand, you don’t need to worry about these things at all. However, did Lu Yanhe tell you how many seasons Friends is planned to run?”
"He didn't say."
"I hope we can film several more seasons."
Aside from "Friends," the other TV dramas starring Zhan Yun have generally received only average reviews, and none of them have reached the same level of popularity.
This actually has some impact on Zhan Yun's salary.
Because if she doesn't act in "Friends", her popularity and other aspects will be much lower.
Of course, this doesn't affect her achievements in other areas. The role of Li Lili has boosted her popularity in fashion, business, and other fields. However, audiences seem only willing to accept her as Li Lili and are less interested in seeing her in other roles.
Zhan Yun doesn't know how many more seasons of "Friends" will be made. She hopes that besides "Friends", she can have other representative works. She doesn't expect them to be as successful as "Friends", but at least she can gain the audience's recognition.
Zhan Yun asked, "Have any good scripts been sent over recently?"
The agent shook his head.
"They're all pretty average."
Zhan Yun: "What if we don't consider the salary?"
"It's not about the pay, but the scripts we received were all very similar in type, all featuring characters very similar to Li Lili," the agent said.
Upon hearing this, Zhan Yun said, "Then let me take a look at all the scripts that are passable."
The agent asked, "All of them?"
"Um."
The agent hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
Since breaking up with Yang Zhoujin, Zhan Yun has changed a lot, and even after getting together with Yin Xincheng, she remained the same.
In the past, Zhan Yun wasn't that interested in her career.
At least she won't ask her agent for the script.
This is also related to the fact that Zhan Yun became famous too early. She had many things at a very young age, and everyone around her fawned over her. She lacked nothing.
The agent didn't expect that a breakup with Yang Zhoujin would suddenly ignite a fighting spirit in this young woman who had never been particularly interested in her career.
She went downstairs with her agent.
"Xiaoyun!" the agent suddenly reminded her.
Zhan Yun noticed her reminder and followed her gaze. Yang Zhoujin, who hadn't appeared for a long time, was downstairs, holding a motorcycle helmet and chatting with the young lady at the front desk.
Seemingly noticing the commotion of Zhan Yun and the others coming down, Yang Zhoujin looked up.
Zhan Yun looked at him expressionlessly, but her heart was actually a little flustered. She hadn't yet developed the composure to remain calm in the face of Yang Zhoujin.
The agent asked, "Should I call bodyguards?"
Zhan Yun thought for a moment and said, "Let him call out. Who knows what crazy thing he'll do next?"
"Zhan Yun, it's been so many days since we last met, let's have a chat!" Yang Zhoujin said loudly.
Just as Zhan Yun was about to speak, she suddenly noticed that someone next to her was holding up a phone, seemingly taking pictures secretly.
She pointed it out directly and asked, "Did you bring people here specifically to film this?"
Yang Zhoujin glanced at the person taking the photos with some surprise, then strode over and, with a wave of his hand, knocked the phone out of the other person's hand.
"Who the hell gave you permission to take pictures?" Yang Zhoujin's face was extremely ugly.
Zhan Yun and her agent continued walking.
"How did he know I was here?" Zhan Yun asked.
She has a commercial photoshoot at this company today, but the schedule has not been made public.
The agent said, "With his influence, it wouldn't be difficult for him to find out your whereabouts."
The bodyguards arrived; four of them met Zhan Yun at the stairwell.
The person whose phone was knocked out dared not speak out in anger.
Yang Zhoujin turned around and looked at Zhan Yun.
"How about it?"
Zhan Yun looked at him silently for a while, then said, "You should know that what you did before was pretty despicable, right?"
“I admit I’m a pretty jerk, but I never mince words.” Yang Zhoujin walked up to Zhan Yun.
The bodyguard stood to the side in front of Zhan Yun.
Yang Zhoujin smiled and raised his chin. "You're being so wary of me now?"
"Who knows what's gotten into you this time?" Zhan Yun said. "I don't know what you want to talk to me about, but I don't want to talk to you. I also hope that we have nothing to do with each other in the future. Please don't come looking for me again."
Yang Zhoujin paused for a moment, then nodded.
"Fine, I've heard you say that to my face, that's enough." He turned and left without a trace of regret.
Such a swift and decisive action surprised Zhan Yun, leaving her somewhat taken aback.
The agent asked in surprise, "He's leaving already?"
Zhan Yun nodded, stunned for a moment, "It seems so."
"I don't understand."
“I don’t understand either,” Zhan Yun said.
At the same time, she also breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't know how to put it, but Zhan Yun had genuinely been a little worried that Yang Zhoujin would continue his madness because of her rejection.
The agent seemed to hear her inner thoughts and said, "It's a good thing you broke up with him, otherwise, to be honest, Xiaoyun, you wouldn't stand a chance against him."
Upon hearing this, Zhan Yun did not point out whether the word "opponent" was used incorrectly.
If the two of them are together, they are lovers, not rivals.
Perhaps, subconsciously, her agent never felt they were on equal footing. From the moment she met him, she was merely his prey, to be manipulated or discarded at his whim.
At that moment, Zhan Yun truly felt a blow to her self-esteem.
-
After departing for the Jose Film Festival, Chen Ziyan said to Lu Yanhe, "I'm very curious now, will Yang Zhouli still go to Jose?"
"Shouldn't he organize the Shijin Night?" Lu Yanhe asked. "What will happen to the event if he doesn't go?"
Now, most people in the industry know that Shi Jin is determined to enter the cultural and entertainment industry, including film.
The “Staying True to One’s Sense” event at the Jose Film Festival was a significant investment, aimed at making a name for itself.
Although Lu Yanhe has not yet agreed to attend, many celebrities have already confirmed their participation in the event that evening, including Shang Yongzhou and Jiang Yuqian.
Chen Ziyan hesitated to give in order to leave room for maneuver and observe the winds of change further.
Sure enough, Yang Zhoujin reappeared.
As soon as he appeared, Yang Zhouli "disappeared".
That's strange.
Although Yang Zhoujin is now being ridiculed by the entire internet, who call him a habitual violent offender and shameless, he is like a peacock with its tail feathers spread. No matter who criticizes him, he displays himself with great spirit and shows no restraint.
Basically, one live stream per day.
Every time he goes live, he'll say a few things to Yang Zhouli, calling him cunning, a sly old fox, ruthless, and very good at swindling people, etc.
After it was broadcast a few times, people started commenting in the live chat.
If someone harbors such intense hatred for another person, even to the point of being willing to be insulted, it indicates that the other person definitely has a problem.
Some media outlets have also emerged, making veiled accusations that Yang Zhouli wanted to seize power and take away the business from Yang Zhoujin.
Amidst the various opinions, just before the opening of the Jose Film Festival, Chen Ziyan suddenly received news.
“This time, Yang Zhoujin is the one representing Shi Jin at the Jose Film Festival,” Chen Ziyan said to Lu Yanhe with a dark face. “He’s really like a persistent ghost.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Yanhe was surprised and astonished.
Where is Yang Zhouli?
"I don't know." Chen Ziyan shook her head. "Nobody knows. It's strange. After Yang Zhoujin claimed in his live stream that he beat up Yang Zhouli, Yang Zhouli disappeared."
Lu Yanhe: "This family is quite strange. It's like only one person can be out at a time. Before, Yang Zhoujin disappeared, so Yang Zhouli became very active outside. Now that Yang Zhoujin is jumping around, Yang Zhouli has disappeared."
“Who can really understand the internal struggles within a family? We’re just bystanders,” Chen Ziyan said. “Fortunately, we didn’t agree to go to Shijin Night before. Since Yang Zhoujin is representing Shijin Group, we definitely won’t go.”
"Hmm." Lu Yanhe nodded. "Dealing with Yang Zhouli is one thing, but dealing with Yang Zhoujin would be a nightmare."
"Shijin's stock price has been falling. I don't know why Shijin lets Yang Zhoujin keep running around outside," Chen Ziyan said, puzzled.
"No matter how much trouble the most spoiled child in the family gets into, there's always someone cleaning up their mess," Lu Yanhe complained.
-
For this trip to Jose, Lu Yanhe only needs to go three days before the closing ceremony.
Because the global premiere of "Burning Fire" was three days before the closing ceremony.
This all-star fantasy blockbuster is finally going to be released.
Lu Yanhe was really looking forward to seeing what the movie would be like.
Several people had already told him that the special effects in this movie were indeed quite good.
Longyan invested heavily in this film.
However, this also means that the film faces considerable box office pressure. Based on the current production costs, plus the estimated marketing and distribution costs, the film must reach 1 billion yuan in box office revenue to break even in theaters.
After all, the revenue generated by Chinese-language films is still relatively modest. Even including television broadcasting rights, streaming media rights, and overseas distribution, as well as subsequent copyright revenue, the total income brought to Longyan under normal circumstances is unlikely to exceed 100 million RMB.
These are not issues that Lu Yanhe needs to worry about.
Longyan is a professional producer of blockbuster films; if they couldn't even figure out the math in these areas, they would have gone out of business long ago.
In fact, everyone had high expectations for "Burning Fire". It was a blockbuster, starring two Best Actor winners, Lu Yanhe and Shang Yongzhou, with an all-star cast. Plus, it was produced by a traditionally strong company like Longyan. Everyone thought that a box office of 1 billion yuan was just a minimum guarantee.
However, those truly working in the film industry can't relax until the opening day box office figures are released. They can't relax; the film market is incredibly risky. Even for sequels, if audiences don't buy in, box office revenue can plummet just as quickly.
This time, Longyan is coming to Jose to hold the world premiere and sell the film, which is also to recoup some revenue in advance and reduce the pressure.
After all, the reputation of "starring Lu Yanhe" still has many buyers in the international market.
-
Even though this all-star cast Chinese blockbuster was only a film in the screening section, the Jose Film Festival gave it the largest theater for screening and held a grand premiere.
After arriving in Jose, Lu Yanhe, as usual, first went to the office of Jose Film magazine.
Now, almost every time he comes here, he meets with Evan Gardy, the magazine's executive editor.
This time, in particular, he came with a mission, personally delivering an invitation to attend the Jump International Critics Festival next month.
He came to support us last time.
Evan Gardy's participation was pre-arranged; Lu Yanhe's delivery of the invitation was merely a formality, a "show" to be posted on both of their social media accounts.
For Evan Galdi, attending prestigious international film festivals as editor-in-chief of Jose Cinema is perfectly normal. Not attending would be abnormal. However, it's extremely rare to see someone "announce" their attendance in advance like this.
Lu Yanhe's close relationships with media and commentary circles around the world have always puzzled many people.
Why?
If Lu Yanhe is now a filmmaker they are willing to befriend, what about before?
Why did the media and critics seem to favor him so much when he first became famous? Why did they sing his praises starting with "Three Mountains"?
An actor often receives more praise when they first appear on screen, as people are generally more forgiving. However, such praise is often unsustainable because people become increasingly critical, especially of familiar faces.
However, Lu Yanhe broke this rule.
-
Nevertheless, before the release of the film "Burning Fire," Chen Ziyan was actually a little worried that the film might receive a lukewarm reception at the Jose Film Festival.
Commercial films starring Lu Yanhe have never been screened at film festivals.
"Burning Fire" is the first book.
Will the film attract negative criticism from critics because it's a commercial film?
Although Chen Ziyan knew that, in reality, critics weren't so hostile to commercial films while praising art films. Generally, they treated them differently and didn't use the same standards for art films to judge commercial films.
No one is foolish enough to try to find the subtle and complex aspects of human nature in commercial films.
However, commercial films can be divided into popcorn movies and commercial films with expressive content.
If it were a popcorn movie, everyone would definitely criticize it mercilessly.
Lu Yanhe wasn't worried that the themes and subject matter of "Burning Fire" would be unpopular. The play itself is a very classic narrative, focusing on revenge and patricide. In human history and culture, these two themes inherently represent the human spirit's resistance and struggle.
Under this theme, the transformations of the two characters, from antagonism to cooperation, all follow the character and story logic within the theme. In particular, Lu Yanhe and Shang Yongzhou's portrayals of these two characters express their reasons for their roles in a more restrained and subtle way, avoiding some superficial and direct interpretations, allowing for a deeper understanding.
Lu Yanhe wasn't worried about these things; he was only worried about whether people could accept the concept of "technique".
Of course, Westerners have magic, so there's nothing unacceptable about it.
However, Lu Yanhe still admires Longyan's courage in choosing to screen "Burning Fire" at the Jose Film Festival.
When "Burning Fire" was first conceived, although the slogan was to make it an international blockbuster, they were actually quite clear that "Burning Fire" was only hoping to break through the overseas box office record in several Asian countries.
However, two years later, Chinese films have been performing better and better at the overseas box office. In addition, international film companies are very interested in and willing to distribute films starring Lu Yanhe. This made Long Yan also have ideas about "Burning Fire" in Europe and the United States.
The screening time for "Burning Fire" is in the evening.
The red carpet event starts at 6:30 p.m.
According to the film festival's official arrangements, Lu Yanhe and Shang Yongzhou first walked the red carpet separately, giving the media present the opportunity to take photos of them individually, and then they walked the red carpet again with the film crew.
They are the biggest stars of the film, so it's normal for the film festival organizers to make this arrangement.
However, Lu Yanhe did not expect that Yang Zhoujin would also attend the premiere of their movie.
They were invited by Longyan.
Lu Yanhe saw him inside the venue, but didn't greet him or acknowledge him.
Longyan handled this matter terribly. He couldn't believe that Longyan was unaware of what had happened in their live stream. Even if they wanted to invite Yang Zhoujin for business reasons, they should at least have informed him beforehand, but they didn't even do that.
Chen Ziyan didn't come with him this time. Lu Yanhe thought for a moment but didn't say anything. However, when Huang Tai brought Yang Zhoujin over to greet him, he noticed out of the corner of his eye, turned around, and walked away in the other direction.
Maxine's Jong Bon-seok is here today too.
Jong Bon-seok had been keeping a close eye on this film and was determined to win it.
After all, Maxine is the largest streaming service in Asia, and this film received extensive coverage from film media across Asia from its inception. With Lu Yanhe and Shang Yongzhou in the lead roles, and so many Chinese film stars in the cast, this all-star lineup is appealing even in Japan, South Korea, India, and Thailand.
There are many such precedents.
South Korea produces several of these so-called star-studded blockbusters every year. Although their box office performance varies, none of them achieve good results on streaming platforms.
Therefore, Jong Bon-seok attaches great importance to this film and wants to secure the rights to it.
Zhong Benshuo was quite surprised that Lu Yanhe would take the initiative to come to him.
"Yan He, you are so hardworking! Another movie of yours is about to be released." Zhong Benshuo said enthusiastically, "I really want to make a documentary about you, to record your year, and see just how much you can accomplish in a year."
Lu Yanhe smiled gently.
“If you want to make this documentary and have a good shooting plan, it’s not impossible,” Lu Yanhe said. “You’re here today to secure the exclusive streaming rights?”
Jong Bon-seok said, "Of course, I'm a big fan of yours. I've fiercely competed for every one of your dramas."
"Thank you. It seems my ever-increasing salary is partly due to you," Lu Yanhe said with a smile.
Zhong Benshuo: "But we've given you so many scripts, and you haven't acted in any of them."
“It’s not really suitable. Of course I’d be willing to act in a suitable script,” Lu Yanhe said with a smile. “But you guys always give me scripts that other people don’t want, so of course I don’t like them.”
Zhong Benshuo was shocked and immediately said, "How is that possible? You were the first choice for the actors in the scripts we gave you, how could it be that others didn't want to cast you?"
"Then why didn't you contact me about 'The Past' and 'Burning Portrait' that you made last year?" Lu Yanhe asked directly.
Both "Past" and "Burning Portrait" were films produced and released by Maxine last year. One starred a Korean actor, and the other starred an Asian American actor. They were nominated for the four major international film festivals and were also featured in the annual reviews of various film media.
Zhong Benshuo said helplessly, "Both of these films are projects controlled by the directors. Maxine is only responsible for providing funding. The actors were all found by them."
Lu Yanhe: "I believe what you said, but as you can see, this is what kind of movies I'm willing to act in."
Jong Bon-seok: "..."
Zhong Benshuo found Lu Yanhe's scripts, which were mainly TV series, but also included movies. However, these were all action or comedy films that catered to the preferences of streaming users. In short, they were the new generation of "popcorn" movies.
Lu Yanhe, of course, wouldn't accept.
Lu Yanhe stopped there, smiled at Zhong Benshuo, and said, "However, I really won't be able to handle things for the next year or two. I really don't have time to act in your project. Let's wait until I'm done with this project in the next year or two."
-
The screening room for "Burning Fire" was very large.
Many people came to watch this film. As I said before, although it is a commercial blockbuster, the fact that Lu Yanhe and Shang Yongzhou co-starred is enough to attract all filmmakers to come and see for themselves.
After a lively exchange of pleasantries, the movie began.
...
Lu Yanhe was quickly shocked.
What is a fantasy blockbuster?
When he was filming on set, he never imagined that the movie world presented on the screen would look like this.
Magnificent and grand.
In particular, the construction of the world of sorcerers reminded Lu Yanhe of the film series "The Lord of the Rings" and "Harry Potter," as it created a completely new worldview.
Instead of presenting a panoramic view, the film unfolds gradually as the characters move.
Lu Yanhe's focus on this film was entirely on its world-building and special effects.
In many places, Lu Yanhe was amazed. It has a typical Chinese aesthetic, and it is not limited to the beauty of architecture such as pavilions and towers, but also includes the application of every technique.
During the on-site filming, Lu Yanhe had no idea what the spell he was casting would look like; it was all based on his imagination.
Now, when these effects are brought to life on the silver screen, each one is unique. In Lu Yanhe's view, they can be described in just one word: stunning.
-
"This movie must be seen in the theater." Lu Yanhe posted on Weibo immediately, his excitement and enthusiasm overflowing. He said, "This is the first time I've seen the finished film of 'Burning Fire,' and it completely exceeded my expectations when I was filming it!"
The audience erupted in enthusiastic applause.
Many people were filled with amazement.
Lu Yanhe looked at Shang Yongzhou.
Shang Yongzhou also looked at him.
They both saw a sense of relief in each other's eyes.
The more top-tier the actor, the more afraid they are of participating in the filming of such blockbusters. It's not just a matter of artistic pursuit and aesthetics, but rather that these kinds of films are actually quite difficult to imagine.
Once you get the script for "Love Letter," you basically have an idea of what the movie will be like.
However, to be honest, the script for a movie like "Burning Fire" only has a few lines of text for the final fight scene, which lasts about fifteen minutes.
What do you think?
Therefore, it really takes courage and determination to take on this kind of film.
They initially accepted this film because the company in Longyan was reliable, and because Wan Renhai was a mature and renowned director who had worked on such large-scale productions. However, this didn't give them complete peace of mind.
After all, even with such a setup, they still managed to make a lot of bad movies.
There are far too many bad movies like this in the history of Chinese cinema.
What excited Lu Yanhe so much was that even with the special effects he had achieved, Wan Renhai had not forgotten his original intention to tell a good story.
Many blockbusters pursue spectacle, visuals, and special effects, but forget that the story is the foundation of everything.
Even more remarkably, Wanrenhai preserved the final scene of Lu Yanhe's departure, retaining that unforgettable look in his eyes.
Lu Yanhe breathed a sigh of relief.
As an actor, he felt that the real highlight of his performance in this film was actually this one look.
Other scenes, to some extent, are just "process scenes" for him, even the "key scenes" where emotions erupt.
-
After the premiere, Longyan also held a special post-screening reception.
Media outlets, film critics, producers, film distributors, and others were all invited.
Of course, in this context, the main role is "public relations".
What Lu Yanhe cares about most is everyone's opinion of this movie.
"This is a truly great movie." Some people might use such an exaggerated tone to describe it.
Some might say, "It is indeed a very good movie, but I still prefer movies like 'Road to Glory.' Your collaboration with Shang Yongzhou again shouldn't be in such a special effects blockbuster. Although you both did your best, the main focus of this movie is actually the various dazzling special effects scenes."
Lu Yanhe listened attentively.
Lu Yanhe can actually accept all of these things.
What Lu Yanhe found somewhat unacceptable was that some people felt the film "Burning Fire" resembled classic Western fantasy blockbusters.
shadow.
This word is used very cleverly. It shows that the speaker couldn't actually find any similarities between "Burning Fire" and other films—or to put it bluntly, evidence of plagiarism. However, they used this word to vaguely refer to something.
Lu Yanhe said directly, "Really? This movie is actually derived from the Eastern sorcerer in traditional Chinese culture. What aspect makes you feel that it resembles other movies?"
The other party was a British film journalist.
He said, "This system of techniques is actually very similar to magic."
“That’s really different,” Lu Yanhe said. “Records from various countries and ethnic groups contain information about supernatural powers. If you know a little about it, you should know that the foundation of magic is not something like magic, but rather a unique logical system, such as Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, wood generates fire, fire generates earth, earth generates metal, metal generates water, and water generates wood. These things shouldn’t exist in magic, right?”
After being lectured by Lu Yanhe, the British journalist gave an embarrassed smile and said, "I just said they look very similar."
“They do have similarities because they are both supernatural forces, but they are not shadows.” Lu Yanhe didn’t mind at all that he seemed a bit stubborn at the moment.
-
Meanwhile, Chung Ben-shuo has already offered $15 million to acquire the distribution rights for the film "Burning Fire" outside of mainland China.
However, Longyan did not budge.
If it's a streaming rights deal, they might consider getting global distribution rights outside of mainland China. Do they think they're being taken advantage of? Given the current state of the film, its box office revenue in Asia alone would exceed this figure.
Zhong Benshuo wasn't in a hurry. As for quoting prices, it's just a matter of me quoting a price and you negotiating it back and forth.
He had dealt with Longyan many times and was very familiar with their tactics.
In fact, Midoriya also came.
Midoriya is willing to offer five million US dollars to buy the distribution rights for this film outside of mainland China.
This is different from the exclusive rights of streaming media, which is a one-off deal, while the former also allows the user to enjoy box office revenue.
Five million US dollars for distribution rights is not a low price. However, Longyan is not a small company either, and they know better than anyone else that the key is the scale on which Green Valley intends to distribute "Burning Fire".
If Green Valley doesn't ultimately plan to release the film globally and instead opts for leasing or other similar methods, then Longyan's revenue won't be as high.
Longyan hopes that Green Valley can promise that the film will be shown in at least 800 theaters in North America for more than two weeks, and that it will also be shown on a large scale in other countries.
Midoriya had some doubts about this.
(End of this chapter)
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