During my years at China Entertainment

Chapter 560: Paying Tuition Fee

Perhaps because the ratings of the Spring Festival Gala have been getting worse and worse in recent years, this year's Spring Festival Gala plans to publicly select the chief director from the public.

As the top Chinese director, Wei Jin was naturally among the invited guests.

However, being the chief director of the Spring Festival Gala is not an easy job, and Wei Jin does not have time to participate at the end of the year.

But if he refused directly over the phone, it seemed a little impolite, so Wei Jin had to put aside his post-production work and attend the symposium held by CCTV.

When he arrived at the CCTV building, he found that there were many cars parked outside, and it seemed that many people had already arrived.

"Boss Wei, what a coincidence!"

Wei Jin followed the voice and saw that it was Jiang Wen, who had just parked his car.

"Well, Director Jiang, it's quite a coincidence."

After Wei Jin greeted him, he asked, "Are you going to participate in the selection this time?"

"No, it would take up too much time. My new movie will start shooting at the end of the year, so I don't have the time."

At this point, Jiang Wen seemed to remember something, "Boss Wei, have you sent the film of your movie Nomadland?"

"Yes, it has been sent."

Wei Jin nodded. Generally speaking, one month after the end of the previous one of the three major European film festivals, the selection of films for the next one would begin.

He had already arranged for it to be sent over when he was filming "Star Luck".

But Wei Jin was a little confused. Why did Jiang Wen bring up this matter?
"Hey, I was invited a few days ago to be one of the judges. I hope I can give your masterpiece a good review then."

"Oh? Really? Then congratulations to Director Jiang, haha."

When Wei Jin heard this, his eyes lit up. Some things don't need to be pointed out, as long as everyone understands it tacitly.

Given Jiang Wen's personality, Wei Jin felt more confident about the trip to Venice this time.

The two chatted as they walked into the hall, and soon a staff member took them to the meeting room.

The moment he entered the room, Wei Jin showed an expression of "as expected", almost all of them were acquaintances.

Almost all the well-known domestic directors, such as Chen Kaige, Gu Changwei, Feng Dapao, Zhang Guoli, and Lao Mouzi, were present. In addition, there were also many academic directors.

However, when Wei Jin saw Lu Chuan, he felt a little disgusted. Isn't this just a fake person filling in the numbers?
Speaking of which, this guy is really shameless. Some time ago, it was revealed that he broke up with Qin Lan, and he was attacked a lot on the Internet.

You know, starting from "Nanjing", Qin Lan has been supporting his movies all the time, and even played the ugly Lu Zhi in "The Banquet".

Before The Banquet was released, Lu Chuan announced in front of the media reporters that he would marry Qin Lan if the box office exceeded 3 million.

The result was that the box office was not satisfactory, so he kicked the person out? What a joke.

"It's a pity that Qin Lan is such a beauty."

After complaining in their hearts, Wei Jin and Jiang Wen sat down next to Lao Mouzi, who also sat next to Gu Changwei.

Looking around, Wei Jin was delighted. "Hey, good guys, Director Zhang, Director Jiang, Director Gu, we are almost complete for the Red Sorghum crew."

"Hey, it's true. The leading actor, the director, the photographer, and the producer of your TV series, haha, what a coincidence."

Gu Changwei and Lao Mouzi were also happy. They had been roommates since college and had a very good relationship.

Jiang Wen felt a little embarrassed. "I was young and hot-tempered at that time. I argued with Director Zhang a lot. I feel ashamed when I think about it."

"Director Jiang, your temper hasn't improved much now, haha."

Wei Jin teased, and Lao Mouzi and Gu Changwei also laughed.

That’s right, Jiang Wen is a well-known troublemaker in the circle.

After chatting for a while, a deputy director soon came in.

It turned out that this time it was the big boss in the publicity department who gave the order, not only to select the chief director from outside, but also the artistic director and the program.

According to the requirements, directors participating in the selection must first submit a design plan, and then set aside at least three months to cooperate with preliminary work such as preparation and rehearsal.

However, the bigwigs in the system like to talk in a roundabout way. Something that can be made clear in just a few sentences will take more than an hour to finish.

Afterwards, Chen Kaige, Feng Dapao, Lu Chuan and others at the scene, as well as many academic and art film directors, directly stated that they would participate in the next selection.

After all, no matter what, the position of chief director of the Spring Festival Gala is considered an extremely impressive resume.

Wei Jin, Jiang Wen and Zhang Yimou said that they had subsequent work arrangements and could not spare three months' time, so naturally they could not participate in the selection.

But Gu Changwei also refused, which surprised Wei Jin a little. He asked him about it when he left.

"Director Gu is also preparing a new movie?"

"Well, I signed a contract with Huayi this year, so I have to do something, haha."

"Oh? What kind of subject is Director Gu planning to shoot?"

“Isn’t WeChat very popular now? I thought of shooting something that young people would like to watch, haha.”

Gu Changwei stopped there and Wei Jin didn't ask any more questions. After chatting with Zhang Yimou about "Coming Home" for a while, he went straight back to the company and continued to focus on the post-production editing.

The filming launch conference of "The Man from Macau" which was rejected by Jing Tian was held in Beijing.

In addition to media reports, there were even live broadcasts online, making it a very high-profile event.

"The co-production "The Man from Macau", jointly produced by Bona Films and China Star and directed by Wang Jing, held its launch conference in Beijing today. The scene was star-studded and the stars were shining!"

"After many years, Chow Yun Fat once again continues to write the chapter of "God of Gamblers."

"The young 'Zhang Ziyi' Tong Yao from the Central Academy of Drama, following 'The Killing', is back on the big screen, working with Chow Yun Fat as the leading actress in a movie."

Looking at the news online, Wei Jin was somewhat impressed by the nursery rhyme.

The incident with Liuzi caused a lot of uproar and lasted for nearly a year with all kinds of twists and turns.

In the end, Tong Yao was shelved, Liu Zi was expelled from school, and a teacher from the Chinese Academy of Drama was implicated.

It was not until two years ago that Tong Yao, Huang Bo and others began to come to prominence after starring in "The Militiaman Ge Erdan". After signing with Bernard, they were further promoted.

She partnered with Huang Xiaoming and Fan Bingbing in "The White-Haired Witch", and later partnered with Liu Ye to play the leading female role in "Killing".

Even if the box office of "The Killing" is less than 10 million, which is a huge loss, it will not affect her continued access to resources.

I can only say that this woman is truly extraordinary.

Lu Yang's "No One in My Eyes 2" passed the review, and the Film Bureau announced the information immediately.

In an instant, countless eyes in the industry gathered together.

While Wei Jin was still working at Shanhe Shuimo, he received calls from several companies.

However, the total investment in this play was not large. With China Film holding 30%, there was no need to further disperse the investment shares. Wei Jin finally chose only Fiber Optic and Wanda, and arranged to meet at the company for detailed discussion.

Lao Wang was very proactive. He came over in less than an hour and gave Wei Jin a hug as soon as they met.

"Brother, I have been blessed by you during this period, hahahaha"

Lao Wang couldn't hide the smile on his face. It was so great to follow Wei Jin.

"The Mummy" has been released for more than 20 days and the box office has exceeded 4 million. Although the single-day box office has fallen below one million, it is certain to make money.

To be able to achieve such a result was actually beyond Lao Wang's expectation. He was very clear about how much contribution the screenwriting department of Shanhe Media made.

The momentum of "Dragon King of the Gods" is even more unstoppable. In just a few days, the box office has exceeded 3 million.

Even though fiber optic cable accounts for only 30% and has a considerable premium, it is definitely a win-win situation.

Including the drama "The Legend of Yue Fei" which he took the lead in initiating, the ratings also performed well, and the subsequent second and third rounds will definitely make a lot of money.

During this period, because of these three projects, the share price of Fiber Optic has been rising rapidly. Lao Wang has earned at least several small goals. Now he really wants to worship Wei Jin.

So when he came here today, he had to get more market share no matter what.

However, Wei Jin had already made arrangements, and when Ye Ning came over, he went straight to the point.

"You two, I have already agreed to 30% from Mr. Han this time, so the share I can get is not that much. How about 15% each for Fiber Optic and Wanda?"

Lao Wang frowned and said nothing. He didn't expect that the share was so small.

Ye Ning, on the other hand, was concerned about the core issue. "Boss Wei, how much is the total investment this time?"

"The production cost is 60 million, and if you include the publicity, it's about 80 million."

Wei Jin also knew that the share was indeed a bit small. If calculated based on the production cost, one company would only have less than 10 million, so he simply included the publicity and promotion into the cost.

"1 million, right?"

Lao Wang suddenly spoke up, "Brother, make the cost 1 million."

When Ye Ning heard this, he understood that this was a fuss about the gambling agreement with the cinema chain.

"That's fine. I conservatively estimate that the 5 million threshold for this drama should be no problem."

Since the cost has been increased, there is no need to pay a premium for the market share, otherwise it would go against the original intention of Wei and Jin to maintain the relationship between the allies.

Hearing this, Ye Ning nodded in agreement.

"Okay, then let's do as Mr. Wei wishes."

After finalizing the share, the four parties were very efficient and signed the agreement the next day, and announced the news immediately.

Many production companies in the industry can only sigh in despair. Who made these four companies maintain good cooperation?

But Wei Jin didn't expect that Ren Zhonglun would call him when the share had already been finalized.

"Boss Wei, you guys are moving too fast this time. That's not fair."

"Well, Mr. Ren, the investment this time is indeed not large. There is not much left after the four companies share it. Next time, if there is a chance, we can cooperate again."

Wei Jin felt a little apologetic. Although he had not collaborated much with Shanghai Film Group, Ren Zhonglun had always been very supportive of him, but his presence was really low.

"Okay, I'll remember what President Wei said, haha."

Ren Zhonglun's voice sounded a little elegant, and he was joking, but he soon changed the subject.

"Boss Wei, Old Han will retire in a few months. He has been too overbearing over the years. He has no choice but to retire. There is no other way.

So if you have any problems later, remember to ask. Lao Han can help. Shangying and I can also help solve the problem."

Wei Jin found it difficult to respond to Ren Zhonglun's words. This was no longer just a simple desire for cooperation, but a blatant attempt to pull himself into the Shanghai Film Group's camp.

However, Han Sanping is indeed quite domineering. In recent years, Shanghai Film Group has hardly gotten any of the well-known domestic commercial blockbusters or projects by big directors. All of them were the work of China Film Group.

"Thank you, Mr. Ren. If you need anything, I will not be polite."

"Well, don't be polite to me, let's get closer, hahaha."

After hanging up the phone, Wei Jin felt a little emotional. It is said that when people leave, the tea gets cold. Old Han hasn't even left yet, but the tea seems to be getting cold already.

"Hey"

The movie "Man of Tai Chi" was released, but the box office on the first day shocked the industry.

"The Sino-US co-production "Man of Tai Chi", jointly produced by China Film Group and Wanda Film Group and invested 1.5 million yuan, had a box office of 498 million on the first day. The producers may have no hope of making a profit."

"Co-productions once again fail to adapt to local conditions. Domestic filmmakers should learn from Pacific Rim"

Wei Jin was still holding a 100-day banquet for his son at home when he received a call from Han Sanping.

"You have a really bad eye, how do you know this won't end well?"

Wei Jin thought: Is this even worth watching? The name is so fake, and with Keanu Reeves being the director with absolutely no experience, it's clear with just a toe that this movie is bound to fail.

Mr. Han, consider this as tuition for your tyranny.

However, it was not easy to say this to hurt Old Han's self-esteem. After all, he was almost sixty years old. What if something happened to him? So he tried to comfort him:
"Boss Han, take it easy. It's only tens of millions. Once 'The Killing Cycle' is released, the losses will be made back."

"."

Han Sanping on the other end of the phone fell silent. This summer, "Hero of Tai Chi" and "Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains" had directly lost more than 100 million yuan.

It directly wiped out the combined profits of "No Man's Land" and "Partners", which is really painful.

Holding back the heartache, Han Sanping became concerned about the publicity of "Reincarnation of Killing", and Wei Jin did not hide it.

"Director Han, Warner has already prepared a promotional video, which will probably be sent to us in a few days. We will then cooperate with them.

In addition, the main creative team will also arrange to come to China for publicity, and the approximate time will be around mid-November."

After chatting with Old Han for a while, Wei Jin turned around and went back into the house.

This time, the hundred-day banquet was still not a big one. Only the parents and relatives of both parties were invited, and even close friends in the circle were not invited.

In Da Meiyuan's words, it is enough to have fun with family members, and Wei Jin agrees with this.

Including Sister Li and Dudu, they all deliberately avoided it this time.

After all, their relationship goes against the customs. It's okay for him to behave however he wants at home, but it's still inappropriate in front of Gao Yuanyuan's parents.

At this moment, Dad was chatting with Sister Yuanyuan's parents, while Uncle was holding his son beside him, with his face wrinkles showing from smiling.

Seeing this scene, Wei Jin felt a little complicated. His uncle is already in his sixties and looks much older than he was 10 years ago.

Wei Jin thought that this time he had to let the two elders stay in the capital for a while longer.
(End of this chapter)