The Wind of China Entertainment 2005

Chapter 530 Joint Production
"Mr. Lu, happy cooperation!"

After Song Ge solemnly signed his name on the contract, he closed the pen cap and said so.

"It's a pleasure working with you." Lu Yuan smiled and shook hands with him.

After a brief greeting, the two went straight to the point. The entire negotiation process was not long and went smoothly.

The total investment of the "New World" project is planned to be 8000 million, and Wanda will participate with a 20% share.

The content of the contract on paper is very ordinary. Even though it does not clearly list the additional conditions that will be specially taken care of when the movie is released, both parties know that after all, this is a project invested by Wanda with real money, so it goes without saying that it will receive attention and support.

Wanda is the result of Lu Yuan's careful consideration.

Since October 2009, Wanda Cinema Line’s market performance has surpassed that of veteran powerhouses such as China Film Group Corporation and has remained at the top of the domestic cinema box office charts in recent years.

In 2011, Wanda Cinema Chain’s box office revenue reached 17.7 billion yuan, accounting for 131% of the country’s total box office of 13.5 billion yuan, with a year-on-year growth rate of 26%, far exceeding the average level of the top ten cinema chains in the industry, making it the undisputed leader in domestic cinema chains.

In addition, Wanda is currently negotiating a merger and acquisition with AMC, the world's second largest cinema group.

Boss Wang is very wealthy, with company assets amounting to 2200 billion yuan. He waves his money around and buys things all the time.

However, although Wanda has unparalleled advantages in cinema chains, it has shortcomings in project reserves.

Although this cooperation with "New World" is not a direct project of Wanda, it can also enjoy similar treatment and support.

Of course, with the example of "Out of Time", even if the two parties do not cooperate, Lu Yuan is not worried about being suppressed in scheduling. After all, no one can resist money.

Previously, many film and television companies have expressed their intention to cooperate, including Star Media, Bona, Guangxian, and Pony.com.

He has many options for collaborating with.

But no matter what Lu Yuan chooses, those who are rejected may wonder why they didn’t choose him and who they are looking down on.

And there is one point that cannot be ignored. These film and television companies often attack each other and make some small moves when their rivals' movies are released.

So he needs a partner who can keep the situation under control and minimize unnecessary disturbances.

After chatting for a few more words, Song Ge stood up and prepared to leave the reception room.

Lu Yuan glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that it was already eleven o'clock in the morning. He immediately suggested, "The time is perfect. Why don't we have a meal together? There is a good restaurant outside the park."

Song Ge raised his wrist and declined with a hint of apology: "I'm afraid it's not possible today. I have an appointment in advance."

Seeing Lu Yuan's curiosity, he didn't hide it and said truthfully: "Director Zhang Yimou."

When Lu Yuan heard this, various recent reports about Zhang Yimou emerged in his mind, and he immediately understood.

Since the end of last year, "The Flowers of War" failed to win an Oscar, coupled with the controversy caused by Zhang Weiping's use of sex scenes as a hype point, and the film did not make a splash in the overseas market.

News about Zhang Yimou and Zhang Weiping parting ways has been reported frequently.

It is rumored in the industry that Zhang Yimou is dissatisfied with the current situation and intends to find another employer. He has contacted many film and television companies, including Huayi, Xiaoma Pentium, and even the international agency CAA.

Although Zhang Yimou and Zhang Weiping have remained tight-lipped in front of the media and there are many different opinions about the job-hopping incident, the conflict between the two has become an open secret on the Internet.

Now looking at Song Ge's expression, it is clear that no matter whether Zhang Yimou really wants to leave New Picture or not, they should talk about it first.

Although Lu Yuan believes that the Chinese film market is undergoing earth-shaking changes. With the continuous iteration of the audience group, especially in recent years, a group of young directors represented by Ning Hao have risen rapidly, and the status of older directors such as Zhang Yimou has gradually faded.

In terms of the box office of a movie alone, they might not be able to compare to Lu Yuan.

However, it is undeniable that big directors such as Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaogang still possess irreplaceable stability and security thanks to their personal brands and market influence accumulated over the years.

After all, for the ever-changing film market, it remains unknown whether the next work of a young director will continue to be successful.

It is generally recognized by Chinese film and television production companies that whoever can master a great director is equivalent to mastering the core competitiveness of the market.

Private film companies in the mainland are also accustomed to being tied to the same chariot with big directors, with the director as the center. The big directors have the right to speak and their influence is not to be underestimated.

For example, Huayi and Feng Xiaogang, New Classics Media and Chen Kaiquan, Pony.com and Wu Yusen, Ning Hao, Bona and Tsui Hark, Er Dongsheng, etc.

A single Weibo post by Feng Xiaogang caused Huayi's stock price to fluctuate, which is a clear example.

Although Huayi is trying hard to learn Hollywood's standardized production system, any discerning person can see that they cannot do without Feng Xiaogang.

Therefore, Wang Zhongjun thought about reducing the proportion of movies in the group.

Many new film and television companies in the industry also have this idea. Therefore, no matter who gets Zhang Yimou, no matter how well the company has performed before, it can quickly squeeze into the top three film production companies in the mainland.

Even though Zhang Yimou is no longer the only star in the domestic film market, his works are basically guaranteed to make a profit. For any company that wants to make a difference in the film and television industry, Zhang Yimou is a hot commodity.

Song Ge has big ambitions, and there is no reason to miss this great opportunity.

After watching Song Ge's car gradually disappear from sight, Wu Lang turned around and asked, "Boss, do you think Wanda has a good chance of signing director Zhang Yimou?"

"Not too possible."

Lu Yuan looked at the rear of the car and analyzed, "In terms of capital flow and cinema chains, Wanda is a very ideal partner. But Zhang Yimou doesn't lack these. He doesn't have to worry about investment when making movies. Besides, except for Zhang Weiping's dissatisfaction with the profit share that led to a joint boycott by the eight major cinema chains, he doesn't have to worry about scheduling films for the cinema chains." He changed the subject and said, "And did you notice that Song Ge's attitude today was problematic?"

"It's indeed a bit urgent." Wu Lang pondered for a moment.

Song Ge's attitude, especially the contract, clearly favored Yuanfang Media, as if urging them to start filming quickly. Considering that Wanda Film and Television was not valued within the group, this person probably wanted to make some achievements and seek credit and support from Wang Jianlin.

"He has said many times just now that Wanda's internal procedures are cumbersome and he has missed many opportunities because of this. Do you think my senior brother can stand this?" Lu Yuan chuckled.

Wu Lang nodded in agreement. A great director has artistic pursuits and talents, and naturally also has personality and pride. How could he be willing to be harnessed like an ox or a horse?

He suddenly sighed and said regretfully: "Oh, it would be great if you could sign with our company."

Lu Yuan glanced at him and thought it was a nice thought.

Just as the two were about to turn around and go back, another business car slowly approached.

"Chen Zhixi and the others are back." Wu Lang reminded.

Soon, Chen Zhixi, Wen Muye, and a young man in his twenties, thin but energetic, walked out of the car.

Lu Yuan had already planned for the film "New World".

In addition to Wanda, given the particularity of the subject matter, he contacted Milkyway Image early on.

Milkyway Image, a unique film company in the Hong Kong film industry since 1996, is famous for its unique style and profound works.

As the Hong Kong film industry gradually declined, core members such as Johnnie To and Wai Ka Fai led Milkyway Image to emerge as a new force. They not only worked hard to maintain the vitality of local culture, but also continued to explore new boundaries of film creation.

"Neighbors" released after the millennium marked the official start of the dual routes of auteur films and commercial films by Milkyway Image, but the results were not ideal.

After 2005, Hong Kong filmmakers flocked to the mainland to seek cooperation.

After continuing to create local works and delivering works of different styles such as "Underworld" and "Detective", Milkyway Image could no longer hold on and chose to move north in 2011.

However, constrained by the lack of creative space and freedom, namely the unfamiliar creative background and special review system in the mainland, Milkyway Image is no longer as sharp as before.

As this collaboration was a subject matter they were familiar with, they naturally agreed readily. Milkyway Image became one of the co-producers of "New World", accounting for 15%.

Chen Zhixi and Wen Muye went to Hong Kong to prepare for the filming in advance.

"Boss, everything is OK!" Wen Muye said with a smile on his face after getting out of the car.

When he learned that Lu Yuan was going to cooperate with Galaxy Image, he was actually a little worried that Lu Yuan would replace him. Fortunately, he was overthinking it, and the boss supported him as always.

So work extra hard.

Lu Yuan nodded. He had already learned about the specific progress through emails.

After exchanging a glance with Chen Zhixi and chatting for a few words, he turned his gaze to the young man standing aside.

Li Weng!

Wen Muye's classmate in the directing department of Beijing Film Academy, who is also Li Xuejian's son, was seduced by Wen Muye through some unknown means and signed a contract with the company to serve as the executive director of "New World".

For this purpose, he also contacted teacher Li Xuejian.

The group walked back, with Lu Yuan and Chen Zhixi lagging behind. They asked, "How's the casting for Border going? You don't want to cast Zhang Mo for the role of the policeman, do you?"

Last year, Huang Bo and Jiang Yiyan starred in a movie called "Pretend Couple". Chen Zhixi was asked to be the executive producer and Zhang Mo played an important supporting role. When she saw the script of "Border", she thought Zhang Mo was quite suitable for the role of a policeman and mentioned it to Lu Yuan and Cheng Er.

结果
"No, no." Chen Zhixi shook his head hurriedly.

He asked again: "Has Director Cheng Er been selected?"

Chen Zhixi glanced at him and said hesitantly, "He wants Deng Chao to play the male lead, and for the role of the policeman, he has invited Luo Jin to an interview."

Deng Chao is currently signed to Huayi.

"What are you looking at me for?" Lu Yuan said in a depressed tone.

I don’t know when it started, but Wu Lang, Chen Zhixi, Zhang Wenbo and others got used to guessing his thoughts. Many times, he didn’t even have that idea at all.

Although he had some minor unpleasantness with the company during his time at Huayi, it involved an investment of tens of millions and it was not a game, so he naturally had to respect the director's ideas and choose the most suitable actors.

"I've said before that as long as the role fits, the business ability is OK, and it doesn't break the law, it's fine."

He waved his hand, quickened his pace and went upstairs.

The company invested in three dramas this year, namely "New World", "Border" and "See You Tomorrow".

Next, it’s time to consider the cast for the New World.

(End of this chapter)