Fatty Wang's eyes widened in disbelief. This was outrageous! And they were trying to squeeze him out of his pay.
He boasted about earning two million, then betrayed his teammates?
Seeing Wang Pangzi's expression, Xing Baohua immediately knew that Xu Laoguai's price increase was a disguised way of refusing him.
“Alright, even if the deal falls through, we can still be on good terms, Mr. Xu. Sorry to have bothered you with this trip,” Xing Baohua said with a smile.
"You're too kind, Mr. Xing. If you let Zeng Xiaopang off the hook, I'll film the promotional video for you for free," Xu Laoguai said, standing up.
Xing Baohua waved his hand and said, "Two different things. I invited you here to film a movie, not to talk about feelings. Two million is nothing to me."
But do you think I can't hire anyone else besides you? Can't I hire those big-name Hollywood directors?
"Don't think too highly of yourself and use yourself as a bargaining chip. If you want to bid, I'll give you a million. Besides, your Cinema City still owes me a huge favor. How about we settle it?"
Seeing that things were about to escalate, Fatty Wang quickly got up and pulled Old Man Xu aside to persuade him. He was the one who had invited him, and if things got out of hand, he didn't want the big boss to have a problem with him.
No one knows how Fatty Wang persuaded him, but Old Monster Xu turned to Xing Baohua and said "ok".
The decision has been made; the rest is up to Fatty Wang to handle.
Xing Baohua previously said that money was not a problem, and then immediately asked for four million H coins.
Despite the actors' close relationship with Xing Baohua, things are separate. Wang Pangzi acts as an assistant director and personally negotiates the film's fee with Andy Lau and Zou Wenjuan's agents.
As for other expenses, Fatty Wang will make a budget.
According to Hong Kong directors' filming techniques, there's no script, so how can there be a budget? Being able to control the amount of money within the framework is the mark of a master among masters.
Four million to shoot a thirty-second promotional video—that's the most expensive in history, bar none.
But directors in the industry wouldn't see Xing Baohua as a sucker. He's known for his money-making skills; who would dare to fool him?
People in the industry immediately understood that Xing Baohua was spending money to promote Andy Lau and Zou Wenjuan as international superstars!
If I hire them to film in the future, will I feel bad if I charge them less?
Four million for a 30-second promotional video? Tsui Hark took one million. So how much did Andy Lau and Zou Wenjuan get paid? Many people say 500,000 each.
Is the fee calculated based on the number of seconds spent outside the country? A feature film would cost at least eight or nine million.
Hong Kong is only so big; how much box office revenue can it generate in total? Probably not even enough to cover the actors' salaries.
The film involves three items: a mobile phone, a tablet, and a laptop. Xing Baohua has already prepared all of these.
Normal shooting is simple, but the real challenge lies in post-production. How to make the images appear to be transmitted in mid-air is something that technical staff need to demonstrate during post-production.
Perfect timing, Xing Baohua has brought a large team here, which will come in handy.
The next day, Xing Baohua went to Hainan Holdings. He spent the morning handling some backlogged official business and then went to Huahong Group in the afternoon.
Call in the chief engineer from Ericsson who is in charge of the system here, bring out a sample of the digital machine, and tell them about the frequency band range.
This also involves the GSM card in the phone, which is what we commonly call a SIM card.
GSM card chips can actually be viewed as IC cards.
When foreign employees joined the company, Xing Baohua assigned them the task of manipulating the IC cards.
It can be used not only for access control and payments, but also for the SIM cards we're planning to use now.
We have made thorough preparations in advance.
By linking the GSM card's identification function with Ericsson's toll collection management system, a digital serial number can be formed.
This allows for inclusion in a paid service system where customers can be charged separately.
The behind-the-scenes procedures are quite complicated, but they are convenient to use.
Initially, five thousand cards were created, and their serial numbers and serial port data were recorded. These were then copied out and given to Xing Baohua to take back to China to manufacture chips.
Five thousand cards during the testing phase is indeed a lot. Once it's truly released, five thousand cards simply won't be enough.
Ericsson engineers and the technical staff brought by Xing Baohua worked together to complete the activation data for the SIM card.
Xing Baohua knew that early SIM cards were a single sheet, about the size of a bank card, with a yellow chip inside.
Xing Baohua hesitated when faced with the choice between using a large SIM card and a small SIM card.
His hesitation stemmed from the fact that he already owned a bank, and when promoting bank cards, he opted for a large-format card.
Can both be used with one card?
In other words, if you hold it in your hand, you can use it as a phone card. If you remove it, can you use it at ATMs and bank counters?
Do you want a two-in-one solution?
This way, you can also build up a loyal customer base.
Let's put this plan on hold for now and get the digital machine and the entire network up and running first.
After arranging the work, Xing Baohua informed his secretary that a board meeting would be held tomorrow, and that the shareholders should be invited for tea.
Just after giving the instructions, Xing Baohua's phone rang. He answered the call and heard that it was Master Zhou calling.
"Mr. Xing, I just heard you've come to Hong Kong."
"Um, is there something you need?" Xing Baohua asked.
"It's nothing. My agent at the company told me that you've arranged a role for me. I've never acted before, so I don't know if I'll embarrass you," Master Zhou said softly.
"Go ahead, there are big names here, it can help you increase your visibility," Xing Baohua persuaded.
The show is packed with big names, but there are only three actors in total. The other two are indeed big names, but they can't be considered a large group.
Even the director hasn't been famous for long.
"Thank you. I've moved into the company apartment. If you have time, I can cook for you."
Xing Baohua raised his hand to check the time and said to Sect Leader Zhou, "I have time now. Where are you? I'll come pick you up."
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