Chapter 194 Good Movie, Good Production
Lin Ruoyan then built the first cinema in the Yicheng complex. Mr. Zheng had been worried about what cinema chain to bring to his high-end mall, but Lin's company opened its own, a joint venture with Haocaiwu Huana. Mr. Zheng was naturally delighted. As long as Lin's company paid for the cinema installation, he already had a plan for how to collaborate with the retail side of the business.
With the example of the first completed studio and the cooperation agreement with Hua Na, it would be very easy for Lin Ruoyan to find a place to discuss the cinema project and obtain land.
She first went to Hangzhou, where she was more familiar. Yuhang was not popular enough, so the Yuhang leader recommended her to Xihu District, where she wanted to open a cinema by converting an existing department store, which would open in two months.
Jiang Fang used her connections in Jinshi to find a suitable plot of land in Jinshi and built a large cinema directly. She could also obtain land for an urban complex later.
Therefore, the location of the cinema was not a problem. The pressure mainly focused on Lao Dai and Luo Sihai, who had to find good domestic film sources.
Feng Qiang was the general manager, but he couldn't create a movie on his own. He'd followed the production process of that award-winning film once and understood the intricacies of investment, so he could handle this responsibility himself. Lin Ruoyan, based on a monthly quota of 100 million yuan, approved a monthly investment of 10 million yuan for the film. If they found a good project in the future, they'd discuss whether to increase the amount.
As for production, distribution, screening, and subsequent peripheral product development, these were areas Feng Qiang wasn't familiar with, so he had to rely on Lao Dai and Luo Sihai for the effort. Hua Na also had to provide technical support.
What Feng Qiang needs to do is to coordinate the interests of multiple parties and keep the right to speak firmly on the Lin side.
With the news of selecting films, finding directors, and investing in domestic films, the Lin family's Hua Na Film and Television Media Company's appeal gradually grew. Old Dai's character was undeniable within the industry. Although he was only the company's vice president, he was a shareholder and a professional. Luo Sihai's overseas connections, as well as his role as Hua Na's coordinator, were also highly valued.
Only Feng Qiang was considered too young and unprofessional, likely a "supervisor" placed in the general manager's position by the majority shareholder. In fact, through their previous collaborations, Feng Qiang's practicality and networking skills had already impressed Old Dai and Luo Sihai. When it came to the grand occasions of welcoming and seeing off guests, it was Feng Qiang's ability to forge close ties with higher-ups over the dinner table that proved this general manager was no mere figurehead.
Fu Ying, known for her ability to organize events, became a specially hired consultant for the company. After all, she had a permanent position at the university, so she didn't resign. However, she focused most of her energy on promoting the company, cultivating talented individuals from the university and eventually transferring them to the company. Finally, she had a career of her own to work hard for.
After a while, Feng Qiang met a director named Feng Gang through a friend's recommendation.
This man is already a bit of a celebrity in the industry, and every Lunar New Year holiday, everyone eagerly awaits his new film. Previously, other companies have invested in Feng Gang's films, but this time, Feng Gang heard about Lin's Hua Na Film and Television Media Company and their partnership. With the resources, connections, and money, he naturally wanted to explore opportunities, perhaps even getting his own film to Hollywood.
There are also many Chinese people in North America, and the global demand for Chinese-language films can no longer be met by the production capacity of Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Feng Gang needed investment and resources, so he brought in the script and the lead actors himself. After all, he already had a mature core team for the Lunar New Year film. He just needed money.
Feng Gang's script and project have been discussed at the professional and technical level within the company and submitted to several major shareholders for approval.
Lin Ruoyan thought, "Isn't this the movie "Cell Phone"? Mobile phones have become increasingly common in big cities this year, but there aren't any dual-SIM dual-standby models. Business owners carry multiple phones with different numbers for different people. It's a real thing. It complements the movie perfectly, making it very immersive."
This film was also mentioned in the original book. It cost several million yuan to invest and eventually grossed over 50 million yuan, becoming the box office champion of mainland China in 2003. It really made a lot of money, and the film also won a well-known domestic award the following year.
In the original book, due to some unspeakable events in 2003, people's enthusiasm for going to public places to watch movies was dampened, so the overall box office was sluggish. However, that film was still able to rush to 50 million and won the title of mainland box office champion, which shows the skills of the director and actors.
But now, the events that Lin Ruoyan was worried about did not happen in the world of the book, and the box office of the film might exceed expectations after its release. Of course, she would invest in such a thing that would definitely make money.
But why didn't the original studio invest in such a good film? Or did Feng Gang invest in it just for the chance at Hollywood?
Lin Ruoyan's film and television media company was, after all, a rising star, and they needed to show more respect to established domestic companies and not steal their business. She had someone privately investigate and confirmed that Feng Gang had indeed concealed his secrets and was genuinely surrendering with his best assets.
Furthermore, based on previous Lunar New Year film budgets, Feng Gang's new investors are demanding an even higher price tag, requiring a total of eight million yuan. He's increasing the salaries of his chosen actors, and has Dai Yi cover all the supporting roles. He's even begging for the location, not paying for it himself. To put it bluntly, the majority of the investment is still going to go into his own pocket.
With the exception of the film starring Wei Xu, domestic films generally struggle to achieve high returns on a small budget due to their high-quality investments and subsequent fame and financial success. If you're only after box office success, you can't overly pursue artistry; if you prioritize artistry, the box office won't be stable. Most films only have a few hundred thousand yuan in investment, and a few million is a rare achievement. It's even rarer for someone like Feng Gang to consistently produce hits during the Lunar New Year holiday.
Feng Gang is known for his comedies, and he enjoyed a long period of success in the book. However, he often uses the same male actors. However, the female leads are often replaced. Therefore, when the female artists on Dai's staff learned that they were investing in Feng Gang's films, they competed for the best actress.
Wei Xu still doesn't have any suitable movies.
He'd finished filming all the movies and TV series he'd been offered, but still had some free time. Now, with Old Dai, he'd joined Lin's Hua Na Films and Media, and was seriously considering filming for the company's productions. Old Dai also wanted Wei Xu to improve his acting skills, not just continue playing the second male lead. Even if he did, he'd have to be a strong lead. Besides, wouldn't Wei Xu's skills be better suited to playing the lead in a film with a good subject matter?
If the film directed by the famous director Feng Gang is not suitable for him and he doesn't have the opportunity to play the leading male role, he can always find a good director and a role that is more suitable for Wei Xu.
Later, Lin Ruoyan saw in the project plan submitted by the film and television company that the film that Lao Dai had carefully selected and arranged for Wei Xu to participate in was "Ambush" directed by Zhang Mou. Thinking about it carefully, there was such a movie in the original book. Although the leading actor did not win an award, the box office in 2004 was 150 million yuan. With the support of the well-known director and future evergreen in the film industry, Lao Liu, it is definitely a good movie.
Lao Liu is definitely the male lead, but this drama features two men and one woman, with the other key male actor being Wei Xu. The subject matter is a fictional, martial arts-themed Infernal Affairs drama, and every frame is beautiful enough to be a desktop screensaver. Crucially, there's nothing fishy about this drama.
Of course, Lin Ruoyan approved this film not just for the box office. Wei Xu would be able to use this film to connect with truly top-tier directors and actors, so he wouldn't have to worry too much about his future.
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