Chapter 769 "2 Broke Girls" is here!
"It's a good thing that Xu Tianming can see this market and took the initiative to propose to develop it."
Chen Ziyan told Lu Yanhe on the phone, "I'm not surprised that he wants to do this. Currently, Linghe's film and television production and distribution business is basically managed by Chen Yin. As the CEO, although he participates in the decision-making of major projects, he is not responsible for specific management. This has made him somewhat disconnected from Linghe's core business. It's normal for him to want to increase his weight in the company's business segments."
Lu Yanhe said, "But if we do things this way according to his idea, wouldn't many of Linghe's businesses have to be transformed?"
"Why the transformation?" Chen Ziyan said, "Xu Tianming can easily expand this business segment."
Lu Yanhe thought for a moment and said, "It's probably because I'm worried that this will affect Linghe's own production business."
Chen Ziyan said, "I understand your concerns, but I don't think they're necessary. Every company inevitably aims to grow bigger and stronger. Linghe's initial positioning was not that of a traditional film and television production company. Moreover, if film and television production is the company's main business, it is easily affected by the overall environment. Having multiple business segments can reduce the company's operational risks. If we can develop derivative products related to film and television dramas, it is a completely new field that is different from the production side, but because it is closely related to the film and television industry, it can still support the production side."
Chen Ziyan's words made Lu Yanhe fall into deep thought.
Lu Yanhe's initial resistance stemmed from his reluctance to change the nature of the Spirit River. However, Chen Ziyan's words made him realize that they made a lot of sense.
A company's ability to withstand risks is greater only if it has more business segments.
If any unforeseen circumstances arise that create a 2-3 year gap in the film and television business, it will severely impact the company's cash flow. This is especially true for new companies; once cash flow problems occur, the company's rent, utilities, employee salaries, and various other payments can easily be wiped out.
Lu Yanhe nodded.
He certainly understood these principles.
He had previously thought that Linghe had already exceeded his expectations, growing into a tree far beyond his imagination. Was it necessary for it to continue growing?
He felt a little awkward, but it wasn't that Chen Ziyan convinced him; rather, he figured it out on his own.
When there's an opportunity to expand further, why not give it a try?
His life story itself is intertwined with numerous instances of other fields contributing to the film and television industry's rapid growth. He should be the one most aware of these things; he's not someone whose work is truly unrelated to "Linghe's main business."
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Chen Ziyan supported Xu Tianming's idea, and Chen Siqi also supported it.
Lu Yanhe wasn't complaining to Chen Siqi about this. When he told Chen Siqi, he had already thought it through, and he was just mentioning it to her.
However, Chen Siqi said, "The film and television industry has always been quite unique; it leans towards the service industry, right? It's actually very similar to 'Jump Up,' both are about content creation. Of course, we all say that the audience's demand for content will always exist. But what I think is that Xu Tianming's idea has the potential to allow Linghe's business to expand into the front-line manufacturing industry. Right now, you're doing brand collaborations, or what's more like MCN-like derivatives of film and television IPs. But as you become more familiar with this area, perhaps when the right opportunity arises, you could acquire some factories and directly develop the entire supply chain. One of my own profound feelings is that I've always really wanted to acquire a few printing plants, but I haven't found any with a suitable price. After all, there aren't many printing plants now; many have already gone bankrupt, and most of the ones that are still standing are not so easy to acquire."
Lu Yanhe had not previously considered the direction Chen Siqi had mentioned.
Chen Siqi's words gave Lu Yanhe some ideas.
Indeed, the manufacturing industry is different from their film and television production.
Chen Siqi added, "If we can truly expand into different business segments, it means we'll have more options and greater initiative with each future industry upgrade, instead of being led by the nose by industry changes every time. Do you know why I wanted to acquire printing plants? It's because the changing environment of printing plants has forced us to change our partners for 'Jump Up' almost every year. We have about twelve long-term partners, and each change means that 'Jump Up' might miss the best time to launch and sell, affecting sales. Only by controlling the printing plants can we effectively manage the impact of various factors. The same principle applies to Linghe."
Lu Yanhe nodded.
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If someone is stubborn, they might say something like, "What kind of impact can a peripheral or derivative business have on film and television production?"
Lu Yanhe would certainly not ask such a stupid question.
Putting everything else aside, this adds another way to recoup costs.
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At this point, Lucy Bates' team had finally finished revising his new look.
Lu Yanhe went to try on makeup again.
This time, Lu Yanhe was very satisfied.
They definitely have real skills.
They took another set of costume photos and sent them to the director and the others.
Ignaz offered a few more suggestions.
Lucy Bates, however, argued her case and explained to Ignaz her reasons for designing it that way.
Generally speaking, stylists don't go against the director's wishes.
However, Lucy Bates is no ordinary stylist.
What Lu Yanhe least expected was that Ignaz would eventually compromise.
This was the most unexpected thing for Lu Yanhe.
Based on his previous understanding of Ignaz, he should be a director who is very self-reliant.
Lu Yanhe called Darren Wilson and told him about it. Basically, whenever he encountered something he couldn't understand or found strange here, Lu Yanhe would call Darren Wilson to ask and discuss it. He was really unfamiliar with the environment here, so often, a phone call might reveal things he should have known but didn't.
Sure enough, after hearing his doubts, Darren Wilson told him something he didn't know before.
“Lucy Bates has been Ignaz’s stylist for a long time; she’s basically the stylist for every one of Ignaz’s films,” Darren Wilson said. “So, Ignaz listens carefully to Lucy Bates’s opinions, and generally speaking, Lucy Bates’s opinions on character styling are very accurate. She designs different looks and costumes for each actor in the film based on different plots and settings. In Hollywood, even in Hollywood, there aren’t many stylists like her; she’s one of the top stylists.”
Lu Yanhe understood immediately upon hearing this.
Ignaz will listen for two reasons: first, because the two are old partners and have worked together for a long time and trust each other; and second, because Lucy Bates is very professional and her opinions are highly regarded.
Actually, Lu Yanhe had a pretty good impression of Lucy Bates after working with her this time.
Because the initial design didn't look good when he actually wore it, Lucy Bates herself pointed it out before he could even say anything.
However, the problems with the design are understandable.
They weren't deliberately neglecting him; it's just that the styling she designed didn't suit his image. Stylists, too, rely heavily on experience.
Lucy Bates works in Hollywood and usually does styling for Europeans and Americans. She probably doesn't have much experience with Asian characters like Lu Yanhe, who have important roles and key identities. So, designing the sketches is one thing, but actually putting the design on someone else is another.
When problems arose, she neither shirked responsibility nor hesitated to lead her team to make changes, demonstrating professionalism and efficiency.
Lu Yanhe does indeed enjoy working with people like that.
After working with her once, he would value her opinions highly if they worked together again.
For example, this time, Ignaz suggested that Lu Yanhe's hairstyle could be made a little "oily" and "dirty".
Lucy Bates said, "This character doesn't need a contrast between his appearance and his nature in the movie. In fact, he is a very charismatic character in the movie. Would people believe a dirty, greasy-haired Eastern sorcerer? In the movie, there is no such question. His biggest characteristic is mystery—because he comes from a mysterious place that is not familiar to everyone. At the same time, his clothes, speech and behavior are different from everyone else's, and his magic is also different from everyone else's. But he is charismatic. This charisma does not need to be established through a contrast in appearance. If it were changed like that, I would feel that such a look would deliberately move closer to the idea of wandering rather than the word 'mysterious'."
Her reasons were very valid, based on the characters and closely related to the overall positioning of the film.
A stylist who can truly understand the script, the characters, and create their looks is a treasure in any production crew—except for those crews that don't know their worth.
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On the day Lu Yanhe first arrived at the film set, he did his homework and learned in advance which actors were in the movie "Godless".
It's not that he didn't prepare in advance, but in Hollywood, especially for big films like "Godless," the cast is usually not finalized before filming begins.
Of course, it's not that the film company doesn't want to finalize it, but rather that there are many things that need to be communicated and coordinated depending on the shooting schedule and the actors' availability.
Therefore, you will often see news from time to time after a movie has started filming that "XXX is in talks to star in the movie". After about three or four days, or a week, the actor is confirmed to star in the movie.
Generally, actors like this are already famous, playing minor supporting roles with only a few scenes. For example, in Christopher Nolan's *Oppenheimer*, Florence Pugh played a character with very little screen time. For such roles, film companies certainly have backup options; if the role hasn't been finalized by the time filming is almost complete, they'll use those backup actors. But if they manage to get a well-known actor to play the role, it's basically a matter of signing the contract today and arriving on set tomorrow.
In "Godless", there are actually many such roles that are currently vacant and it is uncertain which actor will play them.
Even within a week of filming starting, two actors who were originally slated for a role were replaced.
The protagonist of "Godless" is a seventeen-year-old boy, similar to "Harry Potter," but the structure of the whole story is completely different.
"Athena" tells the story of a seventeen-year-old boy who accidentally enters the "world of sorcerers," comes into contact with the truth of the world, and gradually gets closer to the truth of the gods' fall.
This seventeen-year-old boy was a child star, having acted in two movies and one TV series, though not as a lead. Generally, these kinds of roles are cast with child stars who have prior acting experience, because they've been in the industry since childhood, understand the film set, and are more controllable. His name is Ivan Paterson.
Well, he's not exactly handsome; he's just average-looking, and even a bit thin.
Of course, such a character fits the setting of the script "Athena".
It is essentially a story of a boy growing into a man, a "coward" growing into a "hero".
Hollywood blockbusters generally have this kind of tone.
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Lu Yanhe prepared a small gift for everyone on set: a panda keychain.
These will be delivered to each person by Wang Biao, Xing Lecheng, and Yu Xiaoyan.
But to Lu Yanhe's surprise, as soon as he entered the film set, Ignaz and everyone on set applauded and cheered to welcome him.
This is the first time Lu Yanhe has received such treatment at the very beginning of filming while shooting abroad.
Ignaz also prepared a special gift for him: a scarf printed with the name of the movie "Godless".
“There are only three of these scarves; they were custom-made,” Ignaz explained. “We will make other scarves later, but there will only be three of these.”
One was in his hands, one was in Ivan Paterson's hands, and the last one was given to him.
What this means is self-evident.
Ignaz gave it to him in front of the entire cast and crew.
Lu Yanhe accepted the gift, hugged Ignaz, and shook hands with and greeted the other main creators present.
What Lu Yanhe found incredible was that everyone treated him with even more respect than they had shown him during "The Mist 2".
It's important to know that The Mist 2 is a sequel film developed entirely around him.
His role in "The Mist 2" is definitely more significant than his role in "Godless".
Lu Yanhe didn't know why.
Afterwards, Lu Yanhe went to put on makeup.
There were three people in the dressing room who were responsible for Lu Yanhe's makeup.
Because it's special effects makeup, it's not easy to do.
Lu Yanhe chatted with them while putting on makeup.
One of them said, "You've won an Oscar at such a young age, I'm so envious."
Lu Yanhe then realized that these people's attitude towards him was probably because he had just won an Oscar.
The Oscars carry more weight in Hollywood than any other award in any market.
Sometimes I think, isn't this a kind of mutual reinforcement between Hollywood and the Oscars?
Every blockbuster aims to include all the newly crowned Oscar winners in its own universe, and those commercial blockbusters always show a covetous attitude towards those top actors.
This is something we wouldn't even dare to dream of in other markets.
In China, even if you have the most famous actors, a blockbuster film may not be a box office success, let alone casting so-called Best Actor and Best Actress winners.
This is determined by the stage of the market.
However, it still left Lu Yanhe with mixed feelings.
He lamented that there is no award in China that is recognized by the Chinese industry and market from top to bottom.
Even if we narrow the scope down to just actors, no other award has this level of credibility.
This is undoubtedly a regrettable situation.
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"Lu Yanhe is now acting in 'Godless,' which is a similar type of film to 'Burning Fire.' Is it possible that if 'Godless' becomes a global hit, it could boost the box office of 'Burning Fire 2'?"
At a high-level meeting of the Longyan company, Vice President Cheng, who is in charge of overseas sales and distribution of the film, said...
"Personally, I don't think it's necessary to sell the overseas distribution rights for 'Burning Fire 2' so quickly."
"By the time it's finished filming 'Godless' and released, that'll be several years from now," Mrs. Wong said. "'Burning Fire 2' will be released domestically next summer. Are we really going to wait until then to talk about overseas sales?"
“By next summer, ‘The Godless’ will have finished filming.” Vice President Cheng said, “Most importantly, by next summer, Lu Yanhe’s first Hollywood film, ‘Mist 2,’ will also be released. If ‘Mist 2’ performs well at the box office, ‘Burning Fire 2’ will also rise in value.”
Huang Zhongjing said, "But now Green Valley has already offered a high price."
"It's called a high price, but it's not even as high as the price of 'Dragon Inn'," said Vice President Cheng. "The box office performance of the first 'Burning Fire' outside of Asia was indeed very average, which made Green Valley not very optimistic about the box office in Europe and America. But if Lu Yanhe has a movie that he can really carry at the box office and that sells well, they will have more confidence in the distribution of 'Burning Fire 2' and will naturally offer us higher terms."
Huang Zhongjing asked, "Do you think Green Valley will offer a higher price than it has now?"
"If Lu Yanhe's 'Mist 2' is a box office success, the price will definitely be higher," said Vice President Cheng. "Right now, in the eyes of Hollywood film companies, there are no more than ten actors who can truly drive box office success with just their name, but Lu Yanhe is one of them. Since Lu Yanhe won the Oscar at the beginning of this year and then starred in 'Home Alone' and 'Buried,' his reputation in Hollywood has completely changed. If it weren't for the poor box office performance of the first 'Burning Fire' in Europe and America, Green Valley would definitely have offered even higher terms for 'Burning Fire 2.'"
Huang Zhongjing and Huang Tai exchanged a glance.
Mrs. Wong asked, "How much box office do you think 'Burning Fire 2' will achieve in Europe and America?"
"If it can be released normally and screened in 1,000 to 2,000 theaters, I think 'Burning Fire 2' has a chance to gross over 10 million in North America, and in Europe and America combined, it has a chance to break 20 million," said Vice President Cheng. "The reason I make this judgment is based on the fact that the first 'Burning Fire' had very good streaming data, especially the audience reviews after watching it. This gives us a good foundation for the second film. The premise is that we have a large enough distribution scale so that those who watched the first film on streaming can easily watch the second film, instead of having to search for it and find that they have to drive at least 10 or even 20 kilometers away to see it. This will definitely dampen the enthusiasm of many viewers, and then we will once again face the so-called criticism that Chinese films are not popular."
Huang Zhongjing and Huang Tai exchanged another glance.
If Lu Yanhe were here, he would definitely applaud Vice President Cheng's speech.
Vice President Cheng's words truly resonated with him.
Are Chinese-language films really unable to achieve good box office results?
Or is it that Chinese-language films simply don't have the opportunity to achieve good box office results?
During the years when Chinese-language films were selling like hotcakes in North America, anything with the word "kung fu" on it could sell like hotcakes—even if it couldn't be shown in theaters, it could still thrive in the DVD market.
After seeing it so much, "kung fu" has become outdated and seems to have lost its appeal.
Chinese-language films began to "recede" from the mainstream film markets in Europe and America.
However, the reason for the "ebb tide" is that the European and American markets have not given other types of Chinese-language films a chance.
Of course, one of the reasons is that Chinese-language films themselves have abandoned many of their unique characteristics and started to produce large-scale Hollywood-style "standard commercial films".
To put it bluntly, many of the selling points of later movies were things that Hollywood had already done long ago.
The biggest selling point of Chinese-language films in the European and American markets used to be "kung fu," but now they don't make many films like that anymore.
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At this time, Yuehu TV, Aurora Video, Icefield Video, and Linghe began promoting a new drama.
2 Broke Girls.
This sitcom has no famous actors.
However, this drama has the highest-level promotional campaign.
The promotion for this drama was remarkably simple, employing the kind of promotion Lu Yanhe disliked most among his other film and television works—
They directly promoted "highlights" and "jokes" from the show on various video platforms.
The reason why "2 Broke Girls" can do this is because it is a sitcom, which has a lot of "highlights" and "jokes", so you don't have to worry about running out of things to watch after watching a little bit.
How exaggerated was the promotion for the show "2 Broke Girls"?
First, in the first episode of this season of "The Days of Youth", the two of them became guest stars and were also NPCs for this episode's theme. The first episode of "The Days of Youth" was directly themed around "2 Broke Girls" to promote the show.
Secondly, Linghe directly purchased land in the most prosperous areas of first-tier cities across the country. Many film and television productions have long abandoned this type of promotion because of its small coverage area and low conversion rate.
However, Linghe was not afraid.
Because of its theme, "2 Broke Girls" doesn't have to worry about low conversion rates. It's a comedy, which naturally attracts audiences, and it's also a sitcom. Besides the "2 Broke Girls" on the promotional posters, there's only one line of large text: "Produced by the team behind 'Friends' and 'My Own Swordsman,' with Lu Yanhe as the script consultant."
Yes, the key point is this sentence.
What is the biggest advantage of "2 Broke Girls"?
It is the success of "Friends" and "My Own Swordsman" that has brought us the audience, and the love that people have for the sitcom genre.
Third, the writers of "2 Broke Girls" wrote four or five different sitcom segments, each about three minutes long. The two main characters, each with their own segments, appeared on top variety shows on Yuehu TV, Bingyuan Video, and Northern Lights Video, directly advertising the show.
No other drama can generate such a massive promotional campaign.
This isn't about whether the stars are famous or not; it's about various platforms using their best resources to promote this show as a new hit.
In fact, everyone thinks so.
Lu Yanhe felt that it was normal for domestic publicity to reach this level, until someone asked him on the set of "No God" if he wrote the script for the show "2 Broke Girls".
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I wrote all night long...
(End of this chapter)
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