1990: Starting from Baojia Street

On the morning of the second day of the crew's holiday, Zhou Yan was reading the TV drama scripts sent by Huo Siqi in the studio. Huo Jian knocked on the door and walked in.

"Director Zhou, do you have time now? I want to talk to you about the concert scene."

Zhou Yan raised his head and glanced at Huo Jianqi, then stood up and pointed to the sofa, "You can sit down first."

Huo Jian nodded and went to sit on the sofa.

Zhou Yan poured tea for Huo Jianqi and asked, "Do you have any new ideas?"

Zhou Yan arranged for Huo Jianqi to plan this scene, and the plan had been finalized before.

"Well, I think it would be better to have a concert."

When planning this scene, there were two plans. One was to hold a real concert. In this way, not only would no money be given to the extras, but you could also make money and save costs for the filming of the movie. The other is to find group performers. Although this won't save money, it will be much easier to schedule.

In the end, after discussion, they chose the latter in order to ensure the filming effect of the movie.

But now, Huo Jianqi said that it would be better to hold a concert, which made Zhou Yan a little confused.

Zhou Yan handed the tea cup to Huo Jianqi's hand, "Director Huo, what do you think? There is only half a month left before the filming of this scene. If we change the plan now, we will encounter a lot of trouble."

"I don't actually want to save costs. I want to use this concert to promote our movie. Although hiring extras can better ensure the shooting effect, there is nothing special about it. And if we do it for If we organize a concert for this scene, there will be a lot of things to do when it’s announced later.”

Zhou Yan sat down opposite Huo Jianqi. He looked at Huo Jianqi with surprise on his face.

If Xiao Can came to say this today, he would not be surprised at all. Xiao Can's talent in directing is far inferior to Huo Jianqi and Lou Ye, but Xiao Can is more pragmatic and will take into account all aspects of the movie.

But Zhou Yan was really surprised when Huo Jianqi mentioned this matter. When did Huo Jianqi care about Xuanfa?

In Zhou Yan's opinion, Huo Jianqi should only focus on the filming effect of the movie.

Zhou Yan pondered for a while and said, "From a publicity point of view, organizing a concert is indeed a good gimmick, but I am thinking about two things now. The first is whether the concert can go smoothly in half a month. A large-scale concert cannot be held casually. The second problem is whether the shooting effect can be guaranteed.”

"I can answer the second question. I have planned carefully during this period. I want to shoot a movie while the concert is held. There is no problem at all. For this, I also wrote a plan."

Huo Jianqi handed the plan in his hand to Zhou Yan.

There were only two pieces of paper in the plan. Zhou Yan took it and took a quick look at it. Huo Jianqi had planned the shooting arrangements and personnel scheduling in the plan. The feasibility was indeed quite high.

"not bad."

"As for the first question, I need to ask you, Director Zhou. You are a professional in this area. Also, I have an idea, but I don't know if it is feasible or not."

"what idea?"

"Since we are not mainly trying to save costs, this concert can be free for everyone. However, in order to expand the publicity effect, you must participate in the lottery to get the opportunity to watch the concert."

Zhou Yan narrowed his eyes, Huo Jianqi really made things more complicated.

Originally, the time was so short that it might not be possible to hold a concert in time, and it would be even more troublesome to hold a lottery.

Now, no more than thirty years later in the Internet age, lottery draws can be conducted directly online.

It's very troublesome to run a lottery these days. Not to mention anything else, just counting the lottery results is enough for them to drink a pot.

Moreover, the lottery can only be drawn from Yanjing. It is impossible to expand it to the whole country in a short time.

However, Zhou Yan was impressed that Huo Jianqi had such an idea. Regardless of whether the plan was feasible or not, at least Huo Jianqi thought about it.

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Yan said, "Don't shoot this scene for the time being."

Huo Jianqi was stunned, "Director Zhou, what do you mean? Even if you don't agree with my plan, we can continue according to the original plan."

Zhou Yan said with a smile, "What I mean is that you can leave this shot for later. The Piano Youth Orchestra will go to the UK to hold a concert in the summer. Then the crew will organize some people to go there and shoot directly at the concert site. Just follow the instructions Here comes your plan."

Huo Jianqi's plan was very well done and basically it would not affect the normal progress of the concert.

Hearing Zhou Yan's words, Huo Jianqi's eyes lit up, "This is great. In this way, all the problems are solved, and if all the people sitting there are foreign faces, the effect of this scene will be even better."

The concert scene was originally meant to show that Lin Ai has become a well-known musician. In this case, the pomp must be sufficient. If the audience at the scene are all foreigners, the convincing power will definitely be stronger.

"Then please make a list of the people who need to go abroad, and report it to Tomson later. This matter must be arranged in advance. The procedures for so many people to go abroad are quite troublesome."

"I understand, Director Zhou. I'll figure it out when I get back soon."

After the question was settled, Zhou Yan asked with a smile, "Director Huo, I'm curious. When did you start caring about the issue of film promotion?"

Huo Jianqi smiled sheepishly, "Actually, it's not me, but my wife. She has nothing to do recently and is very concerned about the filming of our movie."

Hearing that it was Su Xiaowei's idea, Zhou Yan smiled, it made sense.

Su Xiaowei is a very enterprising woman and particularly supports Huo Jian's career.

Although Su Xiaowei is also a screenwriter, she wants to surpass Huo Jian in terms of business.

"Director Su hasn't been busy lately. Didn't you say before that she was busy writing scripts?"

Su Xiaowei is the deputy director of the Film and Television Department of the Central Propaganda Bureau of Literature and Art, and was also a top student at Yenching Normal University.

Su Xiaowei was the screenwriter for many of Huo Jianqi's later films, such as "Winner" and "That Mountain That Man That Dog".

"The script has been written."

When he said this, Huo Jianqi unconsciously picked up the teacup in front of him, lowered his head and drank.

Huo Jianqi's actions revealed some embarrassment, which was keenly captured by Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan guessed that Huo Jianqi might have something to say to him, and it was most likely related to Su Xiaowei's script.

Huo Jianqi has always wanted to make movies independently. A few years ago, he went to Yanjing Factory and volunteered to work.

Chen Zhigu was also very talented and expressed his willingness to help him, but he needed to find a good script.

In the past few years, Huo Jianqi has been looking for a suitable script.

When Zhou Yan invited him to join the directing team of "Spring of the Cowherd Class", he had not yet found a suitable script, and Yanjing Factory had changed a lot now. Even if he found a script, Yanjing Factory might not help him.

Even if Yanjing Factory is willing to help him, it will only help him form a team and will not provide money. After all, Yanjing Factory itself is short of money now, so how can it have any spare money to make movies for him.

Now that Su Xiaowei has written the script, Huo Jianqi must have an idea.

"Can you tell me what Director Su wrote in the script?" Zhou Yan asked.

Hearing Zhou Yan's initiative to ask, Huo Jianqi's eyes flashed with light. He immediately put down his teacup and said, "At the end of October last year, the Far South Games report group came to Yanjing. Xiaowei also went to the scene, and she saw a young man there. This The young man stepped on a landmine while participating in the Counterattack and became a high amputee. However, he had an unyielding spirit and through arduous training, broke the world sprint record for people with disabilities. Later, Xiao Wei wrote a story based on his story. The script, I said before that she wrote the script, this is it.”

After listening to Huo Jianqi's story, Zhou Yan knew that what Su Xiaowei was writing now was the movie "Winner", which was Huo Jianqi's directorial debut.

"The script is good. When are you going to film it?"

Huo Jianqi smiled and said, "After the filming of "Spring in the Cowherd Class" is completed, Xiao Wei and I are going to seek investment."

In fact, Su Xiaowei had already made several calls, but did not get any good news. He, Huo Jianqi, was not a big director, so how many bosses were willing to invest?

Zhou Yan held his chin and thought for a while, then said, "Bring me the script later and I'll take a look. If possible, I'll send the script to Tomson for a look. Maybe Tomson can help you solve the funding problem."

Huo Jianqi subconsciously wanted to be polite, but he swallowed the polite words back. In the end, he nodded and said, "Thank you, Director Zhou."

Zhou Yan waved his hand and said, "You're welcome. In the end, it all depends on whether your script can impress Mr. Xu. The most I can do is help with the introduction."

"Don't worry, Director Zhou. No matter what, I will help you finish "Spring of the Cowherd Class" and I won't be distracted by other things."

"It's okay, as long as you finish your work, you can decide what you want to do with the rest of the time."

"oh, I understand now."

The two chatted for a while, and Huo Jianqi finished his tea and stood up to leave.

He is a person who is not very good at expressing himself. Although he is very grateful to Zhou Yan in his heart, he cannot say anything too disgusting. Although Zhou Yan said that in the end Tomson still had to look at the script, Huo Jianqi knew that it was a huge favor for Zhou Yan to help introduce him.

Xu Feng is a boss who really loves movies. Huo Jianqi has known it for a long time, and he has confidence in Su Xiaowei's script, which will definitely impress Xu Feng.

Moreover, Zhou Yan's relationship with Tang Chen is unusual. With his introduction, the success rate will naturally be higher.

……

That night, after Huo Jianqi returned home, he happily shared the good news with his wife.

After Su Xiaowei heard this, he was very excited and kept praising his husband, "You idiot, you finally have the nerve to talk to Director Zhou."

The script "Winner" was written by Su Xiaowei in December last year.

Huo Jianqi was on the crew of "Spring in the Cowherd Class" at that time. Because he knew that Zhou Yan had supported Wang Xiaoshuai and Senior Lu, Su Xiaowei suggested to Huo Jianqi that he go talk to Zhou Yan and ask Zhou Yan for help.

At that time, Huo Jianqi was not very embarrassed. He felt that he had just joined the crew of "Spring of the Cowherd Class" and the movie had not yet been officially shot, so it was a bit shameless for him to ask Zhou Yan for such a big help.

Moreover, even before the movie was finished, he was just thinking about his own movie, which could easily cause Zhou Yan to misunderstand.

"Actually, I didn't mention it, but I just happened to be talking about you today, and Zhou Yan took the initiative to mention it."

Hearing what Huo Jianqi said, Su Xiaowei said with emotion, "Director Zhou is such a benevolent and righteous person. No wonder your crew has such strong cohesion. Who doesn't want to work with someone who can make him develop? No matter whether Tomson Company can succeed or not, , we all have to thank Zhou Yan. All you can do now is help him make the movie."

"It's my job to make a good movie."

"Then I'll find a chance to thank him properly later."

"That's for sure." Huo Jianqi breathed a sigh of relief, "If this can happen, we won't have to contact other investors."

"Yeah." Su Xiaowei nodded.

In fact, what Huo Jianqi didn't know was that Su Xiaowei had made many phone calls during this period.

Huo Jianqi felt embarrassed, but Su Xiaowei had to make plans for her husband.

Seeing that the filming of "Spring in the Cowherd Class" was coming to an end, Su Xiaowei made many calls every day during this period. After all, she was the deputy director of the Film and Television Department, so she had some connections.

But after encountering something, you will find that many relationships are not very useful.

She didn't count them specifically, but she made at least seventy or eighty phone calls during this period.

I made seventy or eighty phone calls, but I didn't get a single piece of good news.

After all, she was the deputy director. Most people were polite and said they would consider it, but in fact they just refused because they didn't ask about the script at all.

There are also some people who, after listening to the script, said they could invest, but it would only cost a few thousand yuan, ten thousand to twenty thousand.

Su Xiaowei's goal is not high, as long as he can raise one million, but if one person has tens of millions, how long will it take to raise it?
During this period of time, after making so many phone calls, Su Xiaowei’s biggest feeling was: it’s really difficult to make alms.

However, Su Xiaowei did not give up. She was ready to continue calling. If there was no news after 70 or 80 calls, she would call 100 calls. If 100 calls failed, she would call 200 calls.

My husband’s debut novel must be a success.

……

The next day, the "Spring of the Cowherd" holiday was over. Huo Jianqi returned to Jiangjuntuo and brought the script of "Winner" with him.

Zhou Yan read the script carefully. There were some differences between the script and the finished film, but they were basically the same.

Then he didn't waste any time and called Xu Feng in front of Huo Jianqi.

Xu Feng was very happy when he received Zhou Yan's call, "What, did the crew encounter some problems and need sister's help?"

Zhou Yan said with a smile, "Sister Feng, why do I hear this tone from you? If something goes wrong with the crew, you would be very happy?"

"Mainly, you are so worry-free. I don't have to worry about anything, which makes me feel no sense of accomplishment."

"I'm going to disappoint you. There are no problems with the crew at all. Everything is going on in an orderly manner. I'm calling you and I have two things to say. One is that we are planning to postpone the filming of the concert scene. "

"Postponed filming, why?"

"Isn't the Piano Youth Orchestra going to hold a concert in the UK in the summer? We are planning to film on location in the UK. Isn't this going to save you money?"

"Hey, how much money did the crew save by going abroad? It's not bad without spending more money." Xu Feng smiled, and then said, "But don't worry, I will definitely support this matter, even if it exceeds the budget, it will be no problem. If the budget exceeds one million, you can decide directly.”

Huo Jianqi was astonished when he heard this. He wanted to raise one million to make a movie, and he was scratching his head anxiously. But with Zhou Yan, he didn't have to report to investors if he overspended one million.

There is really no comparison between people.

But this is understandable. After all, Zhou Yan has made two movies, both of which were huge hits, and he has already helped Tomson earn a lot of money.

In the past two years, Tomson Film Company has been at the peak of its power and momentum. In addition to the previous success of "Farewell My Concubine", there are two movies produced by Zhou Yan.

Many people said that Xu Feng, a bole, was so lucky that he found two thousand-mile horses at once.

Directors Chen Kaige and Zhou Yan are now the faces of Tomson Film Company.

However, there are still some differences between Zhou Yan and Chen Kaige. Chen Kaige only cooperates with Tomson Film Company. He is also the director of Yanjing Studio. But Zhou Yan is different. Zhou Yan is outside the system. He not only has a film contract with Tomson, but also Brokerage appointment.

In the final analysis, Zhou Yan is his own family member, while Chen Kaige is just an outsourcer.

In addition, although Zhou Yan's awards are weak, Zhou Yan's ability to make money is much stronger than Chen Kaige.

When Zhou Yan heard Xu Feng's words, he also said with a smile, "Thank you very much, Sister Feng, for your support. I will think about where to spend this million later."

"Are you worried that you can't understand the matter of spending money?" Xu Feng laughed and asked, "Didn't you talk about two things? What about one more thing?"

When the second thing was mentioned, Huo Jianqi immediately became nervous and looked at Zhou Yan expectantly.

"Another thing is that I found a particularly good script for you, and I also thoughtfully found a good director for you. Now you only need to pay a little money, and you can get an excellent movie."

Xu Feng burst out laughing, "How do you have the nerve to talk about investing so confidently?"

"Because it's a really good script and a good director."

"Okay, then tell me, who is the director you want to recommend to me?"

"Huo Jianqi."

"Huo Jianqi...sounds a bit familiar. Is he from your directing team?"

"Sister Feng, you have a really good memory."

"Then I understand. Since I can be selected by you to be in the directing team, there must be no problem with my ability. What about the script?"

"I won't tell you the script on the phone. I'll send someone to give you the script in the next two days."

"No problem. I happen to be in Shanghai during this period. If the script is suitable, I will go to Yanjing to chat with Huo Jianqi and take a look at your crew."

"A warm welcome. I'll put up a banner for you when the time comes and create a scene."

"You kid, don't be a monster."

"What a demon, it's just to express the gratitude of everyone on the crew."

"Okay, okay, stop talking nonsense. If this script is good, I will be the producer later. I have some free time during this period and I need to find something to do."

Zhou Yan raised his eyebrows. It seemed that things in Xu Feng's family were settled well, but he didn't ask about these things in front of Huo Jianqi.

"Okay, let's talk about it later."

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Yan said to Huo Jianqi with a smile, "I will have the script sent to Shanghai in a while. I estimate that there will be news in a week at most. You can just wait with peace of mind." (End of Chapter)