Chapter 467 New Year's Plan
Liu Shishi turned her eyes away from the computer screen and looked at Jiang Yuanyuan, who was sitting across the desk from her. "Yuanyuan, the Chinese New Year is just a few days away. Have you finalized the studio's year-end bonus distribution plan?"
Although she renewed her contract with Tangren Film and Television, the studio has long been operating independently, and Cai Yinong rarely asks about matters here.
The daily operations of the studio, from artist schedules to project coordination, are all handled by Jiang Yuanyuan, who serves as both executive agent and general manager of the studio.
"I was just about to report to you." Jiang Yuanyuan handed over the documents and explained, "The studio's profits in 2012 were mainly from the drama 'Legend of the Mermaid,' and we also made some money from the artist management.
Projects like "Love Apartment" and "China Partners" haven't even reached the stage to go online yet."
Liu Shishi nodded slightly, her fingertips pausing on the edge of the document.
The studio started trying to independently undertake film and television projects last year, and now it has finally found the way and is getting on the right track step by step.
While flipping through the materials, he suddenly asked casually, "Has the filming of 'Day and Night' wrapped?"
"It's finished, and we're doing post-production editing now," Jiang Yuanyuan answered swiftly. "I've discussed it with Toutiao Video, and they've decided to release it during the summer, hoping to capitalize on the popularity of the student population."
"By the way," Liu Shishi looked up with a hint of curiosity, "What happened with Pan Yueming and Dong Jie in the end?"
A complex expression crossed Jiang Yuanyuan's face. "Dong Jie is completely ruined. Her reputation is almost ruined, and she has already retired from the entertainment industry. Now the two of them are still in a lawsuit over custody of the child. It's quite ugly."
Liu Shishi shook her head slightly and sighed: "Pan Yueming is really unlucky to encounter such a thing."
After he finished speaking, he lowered his head to look at the document again, his fingertips sliding across the densely packed text. The only sound in the office was the soft sound of flipping papers.
After a long while, he looked up and asked, "Is there a big difference between this plan and the Tang people's?"
"It's not that different. I showed it to President Cai before and she had no objection." Jiang Yuanyuan knew clearly that Sister Yi was worried that the two sides were too different and would make the employees of Tangren Film and Television feel unbalanced.
After all, the studio has close ties with Tangren, and the principle of "it's not the lack of wealth that's worrying, but the uneven distribution of wealth" must be taken into account.
"'Xuan-Yuan Sword' was a huge hit last year, so Tangren must have made a lot of money. Paying eight months' salary as a year-end bonus is already quite substantial."
Liu Shishi tapped the table with her fingertips and suddenly said, "Well, let's give each of our studio employees an extra iPhone. It's my personal New Year's gift and it won't be charged to the studio."
"That's great!" Jiang Yuanyuan agreed immediately. The boss paid for the benefits out of his own pocket, which would make everyone happy and win people's hearts. Naturally, she wanted it more than she wanted.
The plan was finalized. Liu Shishi picked up her pen and signed her name at the end of the document, her handwriting clear and powerful.
He handed the documents back to Jiang Yuanyuan, his tone tinged with New Year's cheer: "Ask the finance department to transfer the money as soon as possible. Everyone has worked hard for a year. If there is no urgent work, you can take a holiday at the end of the month and go home early for the New Year."
Jiang Yuanyuan couldn't help but smile when she heard this: "The employees at Tangren must be envious of us."
"Why don't they have a holiday for the New Year?" Liu Shishi was a little surprised.
"Yeah." Jiang Yuanyuan put away her smile and explained the company's arrangements, "Tengda Culture's mega-production 'Joy of Life' will start filming after the new year, and Chen Yao has to join the crew.
In order not to delay her schedule, President Cai moved up the start time of "Xuan-Yuan Sword: Clouds of Han" to give priority to filming her scenes, so during the Chinese New Year, their team had to work overtime to catch up.
"Sister Yao's schedule is so tight, this is the only way." Liu Shishi nodded gently and changed the subject, "By the way, 'Day and Night' has wrapped. Does our studio have any new dramas coming up after the New Year?"
Jiang Yuanyuan's expression straightened, and she immediately reported seriously, "There's a big drama about the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression called 'Battle Star City.' Director Kong Sheng was the one who arranged this project for Shanying, and they're willing to let us produce it."
Liu Shishi's eyes lit up, and she immediately said, "I can definitely take on Shanying's project. How much is the investment?"
"The war theme involves many large-scale scenes. The specific budget is still being calculated, but I estimate it will be no less than 60 million. Shanying hopes that we can invest 70% of the total."
"In principle, I agree. Please send me the script later." Then, Liu Shishi showed some concern again. "But our studio has never dealt with this kind of war theme before. Can we handle it well?"
Jiang Yuanyuan also hesitated. "Our team's background is Zhouyi Film and Television. We are indeed good at shooting costume dramas, but shooting large-scale war scenes like this may be a bit beyond our ability."
Liu Shishi thought about it and came up with an idea: "How about this, you discuss it with Director Jiang first. If he's not sure, we can cooperate with Tengda Culture and give up a portion of the investment share.
Tengda has even produced military blockbusters like "Bright Sword," so "Battle Star City" is definitely a piece of cake for them."
"Okay, I'll go and communicate with him right away." Jiang Yuanyuan agreed quickly.
"Apart from "War Star City", are there any other projects?" Liu Shishi asked.
"I have several film and TV series candidates that I'd like us to invest in. I asked the project team to sort them out and send them to your email the day before yesterday."
"Oh? Let me take a look." Liu Shishi immediately became interested and logged into the studio email. Sure enough, she saw a lot of organized project introductions and scripts.
He first clicked on the TV series section, scanned the list, and suddenly stopped at a name. He whispered, "Soul Ferry?"
Jiang Yuanyuan shook her head when she heard the name. "Shishi, I've read the script for this play. The story is indeed quite novel, but the subject matter is supernatural. It's likely to fail the review and has little investment value."
Liu Shishi clicked on the script with her mouse and quickly skimmed through it. "It's true that supernatural films are not going to be approved for review, but I could try investing in a web series. It's only a 3 million yuan investment, so I'll just consider it as adding some content to my husband's video website. I'll invest!"
Since the eldest sister had made the decision, Jiang Yuanyuan naturally would not object - 3 million was really not a lot of money for her boss, just a drop in the bucket.
Liu Shishi looked at the screen and chuckled, "Sometimes, small projects like these can produce miracles. Look at 'iPartment' for example."
Except for "Soul Ferry", other TV drama projects were not in Yijie's eyes.
Either they are romantic dramas full of melodramatic plots or spy films following the trend of "Silent Shorthand", she looks down on them all and has no desire to invest in them at all.
Skip these TV drama projects seeking investment and continue looking at movie projects.
As he was watching, he suddenly slapped his forehead and said, "By the way, how are the three film projects I mentioned to you before going?"
Jiang Yuanyuan immediately replied, "The budget for Deng Chao's 'The Breakup Master' has been approved, and the initial 10 million yuan in start-up funds have been transferred. The remaining funds will be arranged based on the filming progress.
As for Han Geng's "Ex-Files" and Chen Kaige's "The Taoist Goes Down the Mountain," the contracts haven't been signed yet and will have to wait until after the new year to be dealt with."
"Just hurry up and get it done after the New Year." Liu Shishi reminded him, then casually opened a movie script called "The Sword of the Assassin" and began to read it carefully.
After a while, he closed the document and sighed, feeling somewhat unsatisfied. "The story is good, but it's a pity it's a martial arts film. The martial arts film market is so sluggish right now, I'm afraid its commercial value is limited."
Jiang Yuanyuan nodded in agreement, "Yes, the martial arts film market is very small these days. I heard that the director of this film went to many places to seek investment but was rejected."
When he handed the project to our studio, his attitude was so sincere that even a grown man almost cried.”
Liu Shishi shook her head slightly. While she had no shortage of funds, she wouldn't invest in a project she didn't see fit for no reason. There were so many talented directors in the entertainment industry who felt underappreciated, and she couldn't possibly help them all.
After spending half an hour reviewing more than a dozen film projects, Liu Shishi said disappointedly, "There are really no decent film projects."
"Shishi, you know that film projects from famous screenwriters and directors in the industry are never short of investment. Often, before the project is even launched, a bunch of film and television companies are rushing to give money.
Most of those who find their way to our studio don't have many connections, and are just hoping to try their luck with a wealthy woman like you." Jiang Yuanyuan curled her lips, her tone full of disdain.
In her opinion, these film projects only require the studio to invest in them by sending a script and putting all the risks on them. This is simply like getting something for free. There is no such good thing in the world.
"That's true." Liu Shishi had to admit this reality.
The new directors who have emerged in the circle in recent years, such as Ma Xin and Xu Zheng, either have capital support or are actors who have transformed and are experienced.
It is really difficult for a new director to get any opportunity. Without working hard for ten years or so, there is no way he can make a name for himself.
After calming herself down, Liu Shishi's gaze returned to the script of "The Sword Identity".
I didn't pay much attention to it at first, but after reading more than a dozen movie scripts in a row, I still think the story of "The Sword of the Assassin" is the most exciting, and I can see the writer's intention. It seems a bit regrettable to give up on it just like that.
Looking at the 50 million investment amount, Liu Shishi felt conflicted. After pondering for a moment, she decided, "Why don't we invest in one?"
Jiang Yuanyuan didn't comment on Yijie's idea: "Shishi, if you really want to invest, the studio can do it. But I don't recommend investing all of it, just half will be fine, that way the risk will be smaller.
With our studio leading the investment, it shouldn't be difficult for him to find other companies to raise funds. If he still can't raise the money to launch the project even with our help, then we can only blame him for not being qualified to make movies."
When Liu Shishi heard this, she felt Jiang Yuanyuan's words made sense, so she made a decisive decision: "Okay, let's do as you say. The studio will invest 25 million, and the director can figure out the rest."
After finishing the serious business, the two sisters started chatting, and Liu Shishi became concerned about her best friend's love life.
At the same time, in Xu Zheng’s studio in Peking.
Xu Zheng was curled up on the soft sofa, looking at the exquisite handover poster of the Chinese-language film box office champion sent by Liu Shishi's studio on the screen of his mobile phone.
His fingertips slid across the screen, carefully admiring the cloud patterns, golden peaks, and the "ice crystal" crown supported by auspicious clouds, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously rose.
From then on, he had completely established his foothold in the film industry and became a billion-level director.
Tao Hong suggested, "Why don't you respond on Weibo? Creating some buzz and interaction would be good for the promotion of Lost in Thailand."
"Of course, the copywriters are already preparing for it." Xu Zheng responded.
Seeing that her husband had already made arrangements, Tao Hong stopped talking and asked, "By the way, is the 'Heart Flower Road' thing settled?"
"It's settled." Xu Zheng's face showed a hint of resentment, "Tengda and Huaying have reached an agreement, what else can I do!
I'm also guilty of being obsessed. Tengda Culture shouldn't have been involved in the new play. Capital is capital after all, and once it affects their profits, they will suppress it without mercy!
"Every failure makes you wiser," Tao Hong couldn't help but sigh. "Besides, there's a gap between different investors. No one in the industry can compete with the combined strength of Tengda and Huaying."
Xu Zheng suppressed his anger, knowing full well that fretting over a matter that had already been resolved would be pointless. To reach his current position, the ability to assess the situation was essential.
"Forget about 'Lost in Thailand'. I've found another company for another new drama."
Tao Hong asked curiously, "Are you talking about the movie 'Hypnotist'?"
"Yeah." Xu Zheng nodded gently, "I contacted Wanda Films."
Tao Hong worriedly asked, "Will Tengda Culture have any objections? After all, you're the director they supported."
Xu Zheng said calmly, "I'm just the lead actor and producer of this drama. No matter how overbearing Tengda is, they can't stop me from taking the role."
Tao Hong understood clearly that her husband's talk of being the producer was just a cover-up, and he was definitely the one who really made the decisions on the crew.
So he advised, "It's better not to fall out with Tengda. Forget about 'Hypnotist', but for the next installment in the 'Lost' series, you should continue to cooperate with Tengda Culture."
Xu Zheng waved his hands irritably: "Alright, I know what I'm doing. You don't need to worry about this."
At that moment, his phone vibrated slightly. It was a copy from the PR department. Xu Zheng glanced at it, confirmed it was correct, and posted it on Weibo.
Actor Xu Zheng v: "Just in the studio, I was hit by this 'Ice Crystal Crown' that fell from the sky and got a shock! What a great lady! @刘师师v
"Charlotte's Troubles" soared to over 1 billion last year, which opened up a new world for all of us Chinese-language filmmakers.
"Lost in Thailand" simply followed the path taken by its predecessors and took a few steps forward. Thanks to the audience's love, it was lucky enough to get a big bargain.
This 'crown' is so heavy, it's held up by countless spectators. We're just the little helpers who help lift it for a while! [Bow]
One billion is just a new starting point. I hope that this "crown" can be passed like a baton, faster and farther among the hands of Chinese filmmakers!
"Lost in Thailand" was already extremely popular, and Xu Zheng's Weibo post immediately ignited the enthusiasm of netizens.
"This poster is so creative, it feels like passing on the torch. I hope Director Xu can pass the 'crown' to a new box office champion in the future."
"Lost in Thailand is hilarious. I look forward to Director Xu's next work."
"The best spark of Chinese cinema is the baton passed from the predecessors to the successors."
. . .
Tao Hong was also reading the comments, feeling overwhelmed: "From 'Hero' breaking the 100 million yuan mark to the two films standing side by side today, this 'title ceremony' will surely go down in the annals of Chinese cinema!"
(Looking forward to the next Qidian art and the cover!)
(End of this chapter)
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