Chapter 803 The Tail End of Summer
By the end of August, Lu Yanhe had recommended approximately nine movies in twenty days.
The frequency of these recommendations even led to some haters leaving comments in Lu Yanhe's comment section, saying: "Why don't you just recommend all the movies currently showing in theaters? How hypocritical! Chinese cinema is being ruined by your 'Mr. Nice Guy' attitude."
Lu Yanhe replied directly: "The producers of all 32 movies currently showing in theaters have contacted me, hoping I would recommend them. You think I'm a 'Mr. Nice Guy,' and you can ignore what I say, but I suggest you ask yourself if your own ass smells good before you accuse others of farting."
The person then asked: "So you've seen all 32 movies? You don't mean to say you've watched 32 movies in the last twenty days, do you?"
Lu Yanhe: I've watched 21 of them, so what? Any objections?
Lu Yanhe fully understood what it means to walk upright and sit straight.
With a strong backbone, you're not afraid of anything.
It is under these circumstances that Lu Yanhe is now quite free to express his preferences.
Others still say: You are Lu Yanhe, you should really cherish your reputation and shouldn't recommend movies casually. You should know that your recommendations are very valuable.
Lu Yanhe replied: When I recommended the movie, did I not say "the handheld camera style of this movie makes the picture less friendly to the viewer" or "actually, the ending is a bit of a letdown, a pity"? The greatest value is not my name, but that I speak the truth based on my preferences. If you watch the movie and think that what I said is undeserved, then naturally you won't believe me. You won't believe me even if I say it again in the future. For example, you can start thinking that my recommendation is worthless from today onwards. I accept that, okay?
Immediately, someone else came and said: "Everyone is saying these things because they hope you will cherish your reputation, and it's for your own good. Why are you so hostile?"
Lu Yanhe: If you've worked diligently and achieved some decent results, but then people nitpick and find fault with you simply for watching a few movies during your leisure time and recommending some that you thought were worth watching, wouldn't you be quite hostile? Furthermore, I only offered a few explanations and rebuttals, and you immediately stand on your moral high ground, asking me why my attitude was bad under the guise of "doing what's best for me," and labeling me as "hostile." Don't you think that's hypocritical and ironic?
...
Lu Yanhe wasn't trying to pursue any "human touch." He just... how to put it, since his debut, he hasn't really tried to please his fans. Even now, he doesn't have any official fan club. Since the disbandment, he has refused to accept any such organization.
He admitted that celebrities live off their fans.
But he hopes that so-called stars are those who have earned their star status through genuine talent and works.
He also hopes that the so-called fans are attracted by his talent and works, and that's why they "follow stars".
In any case, let's make fewer demands and lecture each other less.
Lu Yanhe really wanted to say something: he had never asked his fans to do anything, so why was there always a group of his so-called fans who wanted this or that from him?
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Fortunately, most people don't actually like the "fan circle" thing.
Lu Yanhe's relationship with most of his followers is one of quiet, profound understanding.
I appreciate his talent and his work. If I'm interested in his work, I'll take a look. If I'm not interested, I'll just let it go this time.
He recommends works, and everyone does the same thing.
In fact, this is exactly the kind of relationship between celebrities and fans that Lu Yanhe wanted.
Neither of us should force anything on the other.
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By the last day of August, the summer movie season had ended with a total box office of 9.8 billion yuan, giving the Chinese film market a much-needed boost.
Actually, when it comes to this year's box office performance, there has been a noticeable change since the Jose Film Festival in May.
After the Spring Festival holiday, daily box office revenue has been hovering between 20 million and 30 million yuan for a long time, reminiscent of the dismal situation ten years ago.
In May, the Jose Film Festival screened hundreds of films, attracting hundreds of thousands of foreign film fans and millions of domestic film fans to join the festival's festivities.
After two weeks, it was clear what "many hands make light work" truly meant.
After that, the film market seemed to be inexplicably ignited, and the number of casual moviegoers suddenly increased. Then, with the summer movie season, various types of films sparked heated discussions about movies.
"It's finally no longer in that half-dead state, where it can't even release a decent new movie a week."
This is a sentiment shared by many.
"This is also because major film companies have been envious of Lu Yanhe's box office success with small investments in recent years. They have adjusted their production strategies and started to make medium and small-budget genre films instead of pursuing big-budget blockbusters. Therefore, the pressure to recoup costs is not so great, and they no longer need to carefully select release dates and hold onto their films without daring to release them."
"I don't know what the market will be like in September, and I wonder if it will collapse too badly."
As everyone knows, the box office suddenly improved in the past few months, thanks to the summer season boost.
Just then, Linghe suddenly announced that the two films would be released in September.
One of them is the film "Red Shoes," produced by Linghe Investment and directed by Zhang Zheyi (a Malaysian Chinese director).
The other one is the Spanish film "The Phantom of the Opera," which was distributed domestically by Linghe.
The former is a drama film, and the latter is a thriller film.
The latter, in particular, was a film for which Linghe had only secured the Chinese distribution rights in August. This had nothing to do with Lu Yanhe; it was Chen Yin who did it.
Linghe is now slowly starting to distribute its products domestically.
Chen Yin's strategy was to first test the waters with some "small but beautiful" foreign films.
There's only one holiday in September: the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Such short holidays are often not favored by film companies.
Because it won't generate very high box office revenue.
But Linghe didn't mind.
Because Linghe only makes movies with an expected box office of only 100-300 million.
Films like *The Red Shoes* and *The Phantom of the Opera* only had an expected box office of around 10 million.
With just around 10 million, you can make a profit from the box office revenue of theaters.
Of course, this is still very difficult.
Because foreign films don't have stars that are well-known to Chinese audiences, and they're not special effects blockbusters.
Getting audiences to watch a movie is actually quite difficult.
Fortunately, Linghe already has a wealth of experience in film promotion.
Linghe did not invest a lot of publicity funds and resources in these two films.
The film "Red Shoes" was fully funded by Linghe and only cost 3.2 million RMB.
This is a film produced entirely in Malaysia by a Malaysian crew.
The salaries of both actors and production staff are much lower than those in film production powerhouses like China and Europe.
Originally, Linghe also wanted to send "The Red Shoes" to a film festival.
However, after watching the film, the general consensus was that it was not suitable for film festivals.
Lu Yanhe said the same thing after watching it. It's a drama like "The Bélier Family" or "Heidi and Grandpa," similar to the heartwarming short stories in "Reader's Digest."
This kind of film, although it's a drama, isn't exactly artistic.
Although Linghe initially intended this film to be an art film.
"The Phantom of the Opera" was entirely selected by Chen Yin's film selection team from movies all over the world.
It was only released in Spain this May.
Even in Spain, it didn't achieve record-breaking box office results.
However, its subject matter and style were acceptable to Chinese film censors, and its overall reputation was indeed quite good. Furthermore, after negotiations, Spain only asked for $600,000 for the film's distribution rights in China. This perfectly met Chen Yin's criteria for a "trial run," so he secured the rights.
Linghe couldn't afford to provide high-profile promotional resources for these two films, otherwise it would easily result in losses.
However, the premiere and media screenings were all included. In fact, Linghe even sold the video platform broadcasting rights for the two films in advance in exchange for two days of fixed screen time and trailer push notifications.
Of course, they didn't miss out on any of the celebrity resources either.
Having put on so much of a show, Linghe no longer needs Lu Yanhe to personally greet her.
At the request of Linghe's acquaintances, celebrities who have worked with or are about to work with Linghe have shared the trailers for the two movies.
Inspired by the joint promotional approach of "You Are the Apple of My Eye" and "The Sea, My Dear" (a popular Chinese film), Linghe even organized an internal screening for the two film crews who were currently shooting, using it as promotional material.
This not only promoted the two films but also served as a warm-up for Linghe's own new film.
All of this stemmed from the tone Chen Yin set for the promotion of these two films—
They have no money, no fame, and no stars, but the films have substance and are of good quality. They should try their best to increase their visibility and let more target and potential viewers know about these two films.
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Lu Yanhe departed for the Venice International Film Festival on September 5th, and "The Red Shoes" was released in China on September 8th.
Chen Yin arranged for Chen Qin to take "The Red Shoes" to Venice, firstly for a special screening of the film, and secondly to sell copies.
After working with Xu Tianming and Chen Yin for several years, Chen Qin has gradually taken on more of the company's business, such as selling films, starting from a junior legal position.
Chen Qin studied law and had excellent English skills. In addition, Lin Yu's love for movies was so profound that he learned a great deal from her. As a result, he was quite adept at this kind of work.
But this was his first time selling a film independently; before, he had always worked as an assistant for others.
Xu Tianming focused all his energy on the company's top projects, leaving smaller projects like "Red Shoes" entirely to Chen Qin.
Lu Yanhe never expected that among all his classmates, Chen Qin would have the deepest connection with his film company.
However, Chen Qin did a pretty good job.
Of course, under normal circumstances, his classmates wouldn't do so badly either.
Apart from Li Pengfei, they are all top students. Unless you are a bookworm who only knows how to study, or someone who is naturally lazy, it is really hard to do poorly in a normal and healthy work environment.
For a film like "The Red Shoes," it's actually very difficult to create a copyright-based adaptation. At best, it might be picked up by other film and television companies for a remake or a TV series. This is also why Xu Tianming didn't personally oversee the film.
The distribution of "The Red Shoes" in Malaysia remains with the director and producer's own film company. Furthermore, the film's copyrights will be held by Ling He for thirty years.
Since this was Chen Qin's first time independently managing the sales of a film, he didn't think about "making a quick buck and leaving." Instead, he made various preparations, including brochures, recommendations from well-known filmmakers, and so on.
Even the special screening of "The Red Shoes" at the Venice International Film Festival was planned by Chen Qin and obtained Chen Yin's consent.
This special screening alone will require an additional expenditure of 50,000 RMB.
Regarding Linghe's vision for "The Red Shoes," this expenditure was actually unnecessary.
After all, it's difficult for this film to gain attention in Venice.
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Many people may wonder why a movie doesn't try to get itself seen by more film distributors and more people.
Regarding Chinese-language films, many people are also puzzled. Although the international market doesn't really accept Chinese-language films, even a small amount is better than nothing. So why don't many Chinese films even try to be screened overseas, or go directly to streaming media or release DVDs?
A harsh reality is that finding buyers for a film overseas isn't as simple as just taking the film with you.
You'll have to bear the costs of transportation and accommodation. Foreign language subtitles, and even dubbing, need to be prepared in advance. Back-and-forth communication, negotiations, contract drafting, and so on—these are all upfront costs.
Given the difficulty in selling the film or the inability to fetch a high price, would a film company be willing to pay such high costs to gamble on the "possibility" of overseas sales?
Why are so many distribution agencies able to survive between film studios and distribution companies?
It's essentially a more centralized approach to film brokerage.
Taking ten or twenty films to market at once saves costs in all aspects and increases the success rate. Surely a few of them will be accepted?
There are many more detailed rules, but that's the general situation.
There's only one film, "Red Shoes," and Chen Qin took it to Venice for two reasons. First, Linghe needed to use this film to "train" Chen Qin and cultivate a capable "salesperson." Second, Lu Yanhe was going to Venice to promote "Dingfeng No. 1," so his two screenplays, "My Sassy Girl" and "If Love Has a Destiny," would also be promoted and sold in Venice. To some extent, Chen Qin didn't go there specifically to bring "Red Shoes."
-
Lu Yanhe asked Chen Qin out of curiosity.
Why do you want to go to Venice to promote this film?
In Lu Yanhe's view, "The Red Shoes," a film without a famous director, without stars, and with a rather "unremarkable" subject matter and style, is not suitable for finding buyers at film festival markets.
Chen Qin smiled shyly, as if embarrassed, and said, "Actually, besides promoting this movie, I have a selfish motive of my own."
"Um?"
"This is the first time I've sold a film independently, and I also need to promote myself."
Lu Yanhe immediately understood.
For "The Red Shoes," the Venice International Film Festival may not be the best trading platform. But for a film salesperson, such a platform is the world's premier one.
Lu Yanhe gave him a thumbs up.
-
Lu Yanhe doesn't mind at all that everyone is using the company's platform to "grow bigger and stronger".
To be honest, if a person doesn't know how to use a platform to improve themselves, it's difficult to truly do their job well.
Chen Qin's approach is exactly what Lu Yanhe admires most.
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Upon arriving in Venice, Lu Yanhe learned that director Ning Zhiyuan had also come with Zhou Yuning.
I arrived on the same day as Lu Yanhe, but on a different flight.
They brought "The Magistrate Runs Away" to Venice for screening and to sell copies.
The overseas sales performance of the wuxia film *Nine Yin Manual* is quite good among Chinese-language films. Of course, Chinese wuxia films have never lacked buyers internationally; it's just that the prices aren't as high as they were in their golden age. This genre has a very stable audience.
The international poster for "The County Magistrate Runs Away" also features Ning Zhiyuan, the director of "Nine Yin," as the new work.
The other name is "Jiang Jun".
The poster features the faces of Zhou Yuning, Liu Zi, and Jiang Jun, divided into three groups.
Liu Zi gained some international recognition with "Dragon Inn," and Jiang Jun is even more so.
Because both the director and the actors are considered to be part of an "internationally influential lineup" in Chinese cinema, there are high hopes for the film's overseas distribution performance.
In fact, films with a distinctive yet highly unified style have always been quite popular in the international market.
"Will they attend the premiere of 'Dingfeng No. 1'?" Lu Yanhe asked Liu Bige after meeting him.
Liu Bige said, "Yes, sigh."
"Huh?" Lu Yanhe was taken aback.
Liu Bige: "Originally, Longyan wasn't too keen on inviting them?"
"Why?" Lu Yanhe asked in shock.
For the premiere of "Dingfeng No. 1" at the Venice International Film Festival, the more star power the better.
Not to mention, they are also very influential filmmakers themselves.
Liu Bige said, "I feel ridiculous even now. The people in Longyan think that they are here to sell their films, and that inviting them to attend and walk the red carpet will only make them ride on their coattails."
"..." Lu Yanhe held back for half a second, swallowing the words "shortsighted".
Liu Bige rubbed his hands together, then stretched them out and placed them on Lu Yanhe's shoulders, saying, "Yanhe, I wish us continued success in winning awards this time."
"Okay." Lu Yanhe nodded and smiled. "Your film company has been officially established, right?"
“Yes.” Liu Bige nodded. “I haven’t even told you about this yet. You don’t know what happened to you later. They are very dissatisfied with the fact that I only left them 15% of the shares, especially after they found out about your shareholding.”
Lu Yanhe: "Why bother with them? They're troublesome, short-sighted, and love to nag."
Liu Bige: "I'm worried they might complain to your face when they turn around."
"Let them complain," Lu Yanhe sneered. "Anyway, I'm used to their tactics. Last time their PR director messed with me, they had to spend a lot of money to smooth things over. If they think it's okay to keep spending money, fine, then let them continue like this."
Liu Bige: "Anyway, you will still make a third installment of 'Burning Fire'."
“Hmm.” Lu Yanhe nodded. “It’s about seeing things through to the end. It’s about being responsible to the fans of this series. But after filming the third installment of ‘Burning Fire,’ I can keep my distance from Longyan.”
Liu Bige: "To this day, I still don't understand why they didn't give you the respect you deserved in their cooperation with you."
“That’s just how it is in Longyan. Both you and I started cooperating with them before they became so powerful. So, no matter what the situation is now, their attitude towards us still subconsciously carries a sense of contempt, as if we’re naive newcomers,” Lu Yanhe said. “Forget it, let them be. There’s nothing you can do about them. They may be disrespectful, but they respect filmmaking. Even if I wanted to curse them to go bankrupt, it wouldn’t be that easy. From now on, let them go their own way, and I’ll go mine.”
Liu Bige nodded.
Lu Yanhe asked, "So, starting with your next film, can you do it entirely according to your own ideas?"
“How could that be? Even if I have my own company, Longyan is still a shareholder. And, barring any unforeseen circumstances, they will still be the main investors in my next film.” Liu Bige shook his head. “I can only say that I have a little more control.”
Lu Yanhe: "Longyan is indeed the best in China in terms of distribution, and you still need them for the time being."
Lu Yanhe was referring to the temporary situation.
Liu Bige smiled knowingly.
-
Lu Yanhe's trip to Venice this time will only last three days.
Because he's going to the United States later.
As for whether the "Dingfeng No. 1" production team will receive a recall notice, that's a matter for later.
Due to his tight schedule, Lu Yanhe had not agreed to any media interviews during his trip.
However, while browsing news on his phone in the hotel, he saw many media outlets complaining that although many big names attended this year's Venice International Film Festival, everyone came and went in a hurry, none of them were willing to give an exclusive interview, and very few were even willing to attend media interviews related to the event.
Lu Yanhe was stunned. Why was this happening?
Lu Yanhe sent the news he had seen to Chen Ziyan and asked what was going on.
Chen Ziyan said that this was because the Toronto International Film Festival in North America was just a week away, and many big names from Europe and America were rushing to Toronto to attend the film festival.
The Toronto International Film Festival has a much greater impact on North America than the Venice Film Festival.
Lu Yanhe suddenly realized.
The Venice International Film Festival has become increasingly difficult to organize in recent years.
In terms of film, it faces stiff competition from the Toronto International Film Festival, which is practically right around the corner, vying for its film selections. And in terms of star power at the festival, many celebrities will be snatched away.
No wonder the Venice International Film Festival's influence has been declining in recent years.
Backed by the North American market, the Toronto International Film Festival has a very clear advantage.
Venice is about to face a tough battle.
However, after learning this background information, Lu Yanhe understood why the media was so dissatisfied and even complained publicly.
The media come to Venice not to watch movies.
They have their own jobs and their own needs. They're not like film critics who can just go home and write articles after watching a movie.
If you celebrities and big shots don't give interviews, where do they get their material? Where do they get their articles?
(End of this chapter)
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