Magic City, a restaurant Wei Yang met Fatty Yu from Bona, who enthusiastically introduced the guests who were attending the party today.

"Mr. Sun, we are the vice president of Bona and the person in charge of the film. You have gone through all the previous procedures, so you must be very familiar with it."

The plump Vice President Sun smiled and shook hands with Wei Yang. "President Wei, I invited you here three times. I guess you must be tired of me."

"Boss Sun, what you said, Boss Yu, you must think I wronged you, you have to explain this clearly, Boss Sun is treated as a VIP in my place, Boss Xia thought I was trying to poach you."

Fatty Yu joked, "That won't do. Mr. Sun is my trusted and beloved general."

Wei Yang added, "Does it cost extra?"

The scene was suddenly filled with joy. "Knife of the Assassin" was just released in August, and the box office wasn't that high, but it had a good reputation and was a hot topic, especially for Mr. Jia Qian, who was quite popular on the Internet. At least what Wei Yang said wouldn't be a dull occasion.

Vice President Sun is the third most important person in today's scene, second only to the two big guys Wei and Yu, so he can join in the fun and make jokes.

The three of them chatted for a while before continuing with the introduction: "You must know this person, Director Dante Lam, a famous director in Hong Kong."

"I have studied Director Lin's The Witness and The Untold Story. I am honored to work with him this time."

Dante Lam has a bald head. He does not yet have the status of a Hong Kong director that will be carried by future generations. Currently, he is barely securing his position as a first-line director.

In his early years, he worked with "Painted Skin" director Gordon Chan. He did not start directing independently until 1997. He is considered a junior among Hong Kong directors.

However, his performance is not bad. He is good at action, police and gangster movies. The box office is not high, but he is very good at promoting people.

In 2008, "Witness" only had a box office of 17 million in mainland China and about 8 million in Hong Kong, but it allowed Jacky Cheung to win both the Golden Horse and Golden Image Awards for Best Actor.

In 2010, "The Insider" grossed over 50 million in the mainland, allowing the so-called Hong Kong prince, Chef Xie, to finally realize his dream of winning the Best Actor Award at the Hong Kong Film Awards.

Last year's "SPL" grossed 117 million yuan in the mainland, allowing Jacky Cheung to win the Best Actor trophy at the Hong Kong Film Awards again.

It can be said that although Lin Chaoxian is not ranked high in commercial films, his status among male actors is not low. Some people, including Bona's Yu Pangzi, believe that Lin Chaoxian was partly responsible for the invitation of Wei Yang this time.

In the director-centered Chinese entertainment industry, even though Dante Lam is not considered a big director, first-line actors still want to get close to him and even try to please him when they meet him.

But Wei Yang is obviously an exception. He is a big shot in the industry and is on par with the big bosses in the Hong Kong film industry. In fact, because he has the support of the Shanghai circle and many cards in his hand, he is even stronger than some Hong Kong capital in some aspects.

Wei Yang called him Director Lin, and showed great respect in his words. This was to give face to Dante Lam, but the latter did not dare to take advantage of the situation and remained very humble.

"No, no, Boss Yu said that we can invite Mr. Wei. We are also very happy. This role is perfect for you. You are the best choice. Mr. Wei is also a great screenwriter and a talented director. He is also a great help to our crew."

"Director Lin, you are too kind. You are a famous director and I still need to learn from you."

“…”

The two of them praised each other in business, but only they themselves knew how much truth there was in their words.

At least Wei Yang heard that at the beginning, Lin Chaoxian intended to work with his favorite co-star, Eddie Peng, with whom he had worked in "SPL", but after Bona and Blue Whale came into contact, the matter was no longer under his control.

It's not just about casting, but also about some of the power of the crew.

Wei Yang's identity is not just an actor, he is also the nominal screenwriter of the crew and has certain rights to suggest and modify the script.

In addition, he is also the supervisor and producer of the film crew. Theoretically speaking, if Lin Chaoxian did not have Bona behind him, his words would not be as effective as Wei Yang's in the crew.

This also makes Lin Chaoxian love and hate Wei Yang's joining.

What I love is Wei Yang's popularity and exposure. His acting skills are decent. I'm not flattering him about his screenwriting ability. He is indeed very capable in the industry, which will be helpful to the movie.

At the same time, this movie requires a relatively large investment and involves many aspects. There are many benefits to having Boss Wei mediate in the middle.

The hatred is naturally because Wei Yang has a high status and is in charge of more things. No director would like to have an emperor above him.

Imagine that if both parties agree on the same idea, it would be fine. But if there is a disagreement, his days as a director will be in vain.

Boss Wei mostly shoots his own dramas. His reputation as a drama tyrant is not as exaggerated as Jiang Wen, but he has never been a good guy. Anyone who is interested can find out how much say and control Wei Yang has in the crew by asking around.

It’s still okay for those who have some abilities, but those who don’t have the abilities will simply become tools and puppets in the hands of Boss Wei.

Therefore, Lin Chaoxian had very complicated feelings towards Wei Yang at this time, but on the surface, he was still very welcoming and cooperative.

You have to cooperate!

To put it bluntly, at this point, Wei Yang's position in the crew is much more stable than his. Once things get awkward, the director Dante Lam will definitely be the one to leave.

"Zhang Hanyu, I don't need to introduce this one."

Zhang Hanyu, a man with dark skin and a beard, shook hands with Wei Yang with a smile on his face, and his voice was still that familiar subwoofer.

"Haha, I'm much more familiar with President Wei than you are."

Wei Yang smiled and nodded. Although he and Zhang Hanyu had never worked together before, they had met each other many times at ceremonies of all sizes and also at gatherings in the circle.

He was a rising star in the entertainment industry, so Zhang Hanyu naturally wanted to get to know him. Wei Yang also admired him very much, and after a few interactions, they became familiar with each other.

Wei Yang and Fatty Yu had no friendship before, and Vice President Sun only became familiar with him recently. Lin Chaoxian had called him several times before, but this was the first time they met. So, by this calculation, Zhang Hanyu was indeed the person he was most familiar with.

"Well, you must help me keep Mr. Wei company. If he doesn't enjoy himself, I'll hold you responsible."

Fatty Yu gave the order in a pretentious manner. He really had the qualifications because Zhang Gaoyu was an artist under his company.

In many people's impressions, Bona is more about distribution and film and television production, but in fact, it has always had the business of artist management, and its artist lineup is very strong.

It has been mentioned before that Bona imitated Huayi and set up a celebrity shareholder mechanism to attract a group of big names.

The most outstanding ones are Huang Xiaoming and Zhang Ziyi, followed by Zhang Hanyu and Chen Baoguo.

Huang, Zhang and Chen are relatively more of a collaboration and have a certain degree of independence, while Zhang Hanyu is very closely tied to Bona. Most of his later representative works have the participation of Bona, making him one of the top generals.

In addition, Yuan Quan, Xin Baiqing, Tong Yao and Huang Yi are also Bona's artists or have affiliated cooperation relationships, so they often appear together.

It seems that Bona Group is very keen on talented actors, but in fact, they still have many newcomers and young actors, but they have not promoted them yet.

Bona has no shortage of film resources, but when it comes to promoting people, the success rate of its films is too low. This is also the reason why Bona artists have little presence.

The popularity of the talented artists who have come to the fore has low exposure, and the artists who are suitable for traffic marketing cannot be promoted. Many people simply don’t know that Bona has this business.

Fatty Yu was very envious of Wei Yang for this. In terms of company size, Blue Whale did not dare to claim to be number one in the industry, but in terms of comprehensiveness, no other company dared to challenge it.

It is one of the best in the industry in terms of television and artist management, and is also very outstanding in variety shows. It now has its own video platform. It is only a little behind in the film industry, but it is still developing and making progress.

In the entertainment industry in the past, artist management was actually just that, and most of the time it was done to save money on filming.

When Wei Yang and even a new generation of traffic artists rise up and become top stars with the help of the Internet, the celebrity economy can truly become a pillar industry in the entertainment industry.

But obviously, by the time everyone discovered this, it was already a little late.

Wei Yang joined forces with Tangren and Fan Xiaopang, recruited Tang Yan and Da Mimi, and also promoted Zhao Liying, the two beauties of Xinjiang Province, Zhang Ruoyun and others. At this stage, he and his family almost occupy more than half of the top stars in the circle, and others are also more or less connected with him.

The most infuriating thing is that not only does Wei Yang have many top stars, but other companies are unable to poach them all.

There is no need to say much about him. Almost all of those women were won over by him using his beauty, leaving only two male artists.

Hu Ge is not only Wei Yang's old friend, but also the boss of Tangren. Recently, it seems that he is going to become a shareholder. Unless he offers a sky-high price, there is no need for him to jump ship.

The same is true for Zhang Ruoyun. Now the Blue Whale faction is promoting him. Apart from Wei Yang, he is the only one who has countless resources and is considered a direct descendant. He has nothing better to do than to become a traitor.

Haven’t you seen what happened to Lin Gengxin, the last person who ran away? He has almost become a joke.

He was once a popular young actor, a first-line reserve, and a top-tier talent, but now he has fallen to become a hanger-on for Young Master Wang.

This work is organized and uploaded by Liujiu Book Bar~~

It’s not that Mr. Wang is not qualified. Most of the celebrities in the entertainment industry will give him face when they meet him, but praising him is one thing, and licking him is another.

Being ordered around and scolded, he still had to put on a smile. Lin Gengxin said that he was Wang Dashao's friend and even like a relative, but from the attitude he showed when they were together, it could not be seen how equal they were.

Many people either laughed at or felt sorry that Lin Gengxin had chosen to stay in Blue Whale. Maybe he would be more popular than Zhang Ruoyun now.

He has a career, popularity, and a backer, so at least he doesn't have to be a follower of Mr. Wang.

In fact, sometimes Wei Yang did not expect that Lin Gengxin, who made him sad and even regarded as a major "failure" since his entrepreneurship, has now become a typical negative case.

Constantly simulating the misery of job-hopping for his artists has greatly enhanced their loyalty and cohesion.

Well, there are some words from our ancestors that you must listen to: A blessing in disguise.

Who would have thought that Lin Gengxin, a "traitor", would inexplicably become the "political commissar" for Boss Wei...

…

After the introductions, several people sat down but did not order any food. Wei Yang actually came not too late, as the real finale was yet to come.

After a few minutes, Fatty Yu's secretary came over and whispered something in his ear. Fatty Yu nodded to Wei Yang, and the two of them stood up and took the lead to go out to greet them.

Soon, the visitors arrived at the door. There were six or seven of them in a group. Behind them were drivers and secretaries. The two who were really the key were the ones.

Director Zhang of the Public Security Department’s Golden Shield Film and Television Center! Chairman Ren of Shanghai Film Company! This is also the real behind-the-scenes organizer of their film “Operation Mekong”.

"Operation Mekong" is based on the Mekong River case that became famous overseas a few years ago. After the incident happened, several film and television companies wanted to obtain the adaptation rights.

However, the public security department attached great importance to this project and did not give up easily. In the end, Fatty Yu got it after much hardship.

At that time, Blue Whale was actually one of the companies, and it wanted both TV and movie roles, but the former was snatched away by CCTV, while the latter was won by Fatty Yu, who was more capable in the film industry.

However, some of the Blue Whale's filming plans left a deep impression on the public security department.

So later when Fatty Yu was preparing for the filming, the relevant person in charge took the initiative to ask if Blue Whale could be brought in to collaborate. Fatty Yu was envious of Wei Yang's popularity and box office appeal, so they hit it off.

But Wei Yang is not easy to invite. He has his own business, so he has to give up enough profits, and he also has a big boss to help him.

Therefore, Ren Dong, the director of Shanghai Film Group, who was closely involved with Blue Whale, also got involved.

At that time, Wei Yang was busy with another movie, but Mr. Ren came over to talk and brought up the banner of the public security department and the main theme, so Wei Yang had to consider it.

First of all, the project "Operation Mekong" is definitely promising, and its quality and box office are impressive among mainstream blockbusters.

In addition, Wei Yang has always intended to develop in the direction of the mainstream theme and build a golden image for himself. This film is directly under the jurisdiction of the public security department and the level is high enough, which is a good opportunity.

So Wei Yang sent people to contact and negotiate with Bona, striving for sufficient benefits and finally reaching a cooperation.

Unlike the original film, Operation Mekong increases the role of Fang Xinwu, played by Wei Yang.

This is not surprising. With his status, Zhang Hanyu could not be the leading actor. At that time, Fatty Yu once wanted to let Wei Yang play the policeman, and then arrange Zhang Hanyu or another person to play the undercover.

However, he was stopped by Wei Yang. He felt that his image was somewhat different from that of a refined and steady criminal police captain.

Zhang Hanyu is a very suitable candidate. He is more suitable for walking in the gray area and disguising his undercover identity with a cool and dissolute manner. Therefore, he did not agree with the role change, but adjusted his role relatively.

In the early stage, Wei Yang, an undercover agent, found out the culprit of the crime, and then cooperated with Zhang Hanyu and others to investigate and launch operations in the local area.

"Operation Mekong" is originally an ensemble drama, and there are many undercover scenes. The story structure remains unchanged, and with a slight change in the plot, Wei Yang becomes the real male protagonist.

Wei An was very familiar with Director Ren, but this was his first time dealing with Director Zhang, who was of a high rank and held great power.

Let’s put it this way, if Wei Yang can open up this path, Blue Whale will be able to avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble when it wants to make some police and crime films in the future.

This is also one of the reasons why Wei Yang is willing to take part in "Operation Mekong". This is a big subject and he has always wanted to curry favor with it.

Although Director Zhang met Wei Yang for the first time, he was very nice to him. Later, Wei Yang tried to probe him and found out that it was because of his movie "Criminal Police Storm".

Although this drama is not very eye-catching among Wei Yang's works, it is a representative work on police themes in recent years. This is also the reason why the public security department trusts Wei Yang.

They felt that Wei Yang understood the police and was capable of filming a good police story.

This was another surprise. Wei Yang had never expected that a script he wrote to make money would bring him such great benefits a few years later.

Boss Wei is really smart. He immediately took advantage of the situation. He has quite a few police-themed scripts in his hands. If he can get support from the public security department, he can even open a special show on this topic on PPTV.

Director Zhang was also very considerate. Although he did not give a definite answer, he also hinted that he was willing to deepen cooperation.

Normally, these units all have publicity tasks, and film and television dramas are one of the important channels, otherwise a special agency would not be set up.

Blue Whale is a well-known film and television company in the industry with a strong reputation. If it can produce some high-quality films and television programs and conduct positive publicity for the public security group, it will be a win-win situation for both parties.

Unfortunately, after asking, Wei Yang found out that Director Zhang’s Golden Shield Center was affiliated with the public security department, and there was another Golden Shield Center affiliated with the General Logistics Department.

The name is the same, but they are not from the same company. It doesn’t matter, otherwise he would have been thinking of putting “In the Name of People” on the agenda…

Sorry, I forgot to post the timer last night. I just saw it when I woke up.

(End of this chapter)