Global Film Emperor

Chapter 512 The Most Profitable Way

"Daze? Why didn't you tell your master you got home? Honestly, look at you, have you eaten yet?"

Seemingly having heard the noise outside, Old Madam Chen came out of the door, her expression mostly happy mixed with surprise, but her tone carried a hint of complaint. Before Lu Ze could speak, she turned around and prepared to go to the kitchen to make something for Lu Ze to eat to fill his stomach.

"Don't bother, Master's wife. I've already eaten. I'm on a diet recently, so I can't eat too much. You can rest."

The first thing to do upon returning home was to eat. This allowed Lu Ze, who had been wandering far from home, to experience the unique warmth and hospitality of the Chinese people that he hadn't felt in a long time. It seemed that only upon hearing this greeting could his soul, still on the plane, find its way home, returning to its place with the sound of the chopping board and the aroma of cooking food wafting from the stove.

"You can lose weight without worrying about this one meal. Dumplings before getting on the train, noodles upon arrival—you can't go home without a hearty meal first thing. Are two eggs enough?"

His master's wife was truly delighted, and once she got going, there was no stopping her. Lu Ze couldn't refuse again, so he smiled helplessly, went along with his master's wife's wishes, and let her go.

Outside the courtyard, Lu Ze reached out and covered Old Master Chen with a corner of his coat, picked up the covered bowl and took a sip of tea. He didn't say anything, leaned back in his chair, and watched Fifth Brother occasionally press down his messy hair with his hand, not hiding his smile. This scene was indeed rare. It was only when Fifth Brother was at home that he was a little unkempt. If it were Second Brother, he wouldn't come out to see anyone without waxing his hair.

There were no outsiders present at the time, and the topic of Lu Ze's participation in the department election came up to Old Master Chen Yongbin. With his eyes fixed on the teapot that was still heating in the stove after being baked, the old man said to himself, "Those who have votes know what they're doing. If you were to compete with Xiao Ge, I've done the math, and you wouldn't be able to beat him. The gap would be at least twenty votes."

These words did not disappoint Lu Ze in the slightest, because he could also calculate the difference in votes. Ge Yunzheng was older than him, had a wider network of connections within the system, and most importantly, he had much more seniority than Lu Ze. Not only did he come from the Southern Academy, but he had also been in the capital's circles for many years and had many good friends.

As for Lu Ze abroad, he is a commercial actor. Even though he joined the China Film Association, most of the leaders who rose through the ranks from within the system would not consider Lu Ze to be one of them. His network of relationships was mostly built with the help of Old Master Chen.

Secondly, Lu Ze now spends most of his time abroad and rarely travels within China. In the relatively closed Chinese entertainment market, the profit chains he once built in China have begun to weaken. In other words, Lu Ze's status in the business and entertainment circles is not as strong as it was when he was a dominant force in China.

The enemy is strong and we are weak, that is an indisputable fact, and Lu Ze must humbly accept it, but he has not completely resigned himself to fate. After all, if he really has no chance to compete with Ge Yunzheng this time, Old Master Chen will not allow him to come back to run for office.

"Then... Master, is there any advantage I haven't thought of?"

"If you have no advantage, what advantage do you have?"

"Forehead……"

The old man didn't give Lu Ze any face. In any aspect, Lu Ze can't compete with Ge Yunzheng now, unless they are abroad, where a hundred Ge Yunzhengs wouldn't be as strong as one Lu Ze. But in China, it's a different story.

Lu Ze was speechless at the old man's question. He picked up his teacup without a word, but before the cup even touched his lips, the old man, who was already in a bad mood, took over his anger.

"If you don't have an advantage, you're just waiting to die? If you're that spineless, then get lost. What's the point of choosing? You're a commercial actor, and in this situation, instead of thinking of other ways, you're just relying on this old man to feed you ready-made solutions?"

“Master, how can I not want to? But I really can't offer those people any value right now, and my new film project hasn't even been finalized yet…”

"Daze...you, you've gone crazy from filming. Is making money from movies or TV series now?"

Fifth Brother chuckled when he saw the old man start glaring at Lu Ze. He had been scolded all day, and now he was thrilled to see Lu Ze being scolded. He casually crossed his legs, only to be slapped back hard by the old man's teacup. He could only awkwardly bury his head and drink some tea, no longer interrupting.

"What's profitable right now..."

Recently, Lu Ze has been busy with work at Universal Brothers, inevitably gravitating towards Western entertainment industry operating methods in his business operations. After thinking about it for so long, without reminders, it's really hard to adjust back on one's own. This is a major reason why Lu Ze has gradually lost control of his network of relationships within domestic entertainment companies. If you ask what's the most profitable thing in the entertainment industry right now, it's actually the same both domestically and internationally: creating idols. Making movies and TV series are all high-stakes businesses; whether you make a profit or loss is purely a gamble. But if you can create an idol, that's a gold mine that can continuously generate value. Until the mine is exhausted, it's a steady stream of income.

Girls can't stay underage forever, but the number of underage girls is infinite. As long as they exist, the idol industry will never decline. Capital that recognizes this is unlikely to invest heavily in this area, which has led to the current idol debut craze.

However, the idol industry in Asia and Europe has very different production models. In Europe, most companies will first put promising trainees into film crews or tailor-make albums for them. Once the works become popular, when people like their works, they will instinctively want to learn more about the idol. At this time, the company will launch the idol to establish a persona, and the fans will take the bait.

Under a market-oriented, Western-style model, Lu Ze was naturally bewildered. After all, he didn't have that many production resources to package idols, and his resources in music were even scarcer. Moreover, Universal Brothers was struggling financially, almost to the point of selling their blood. They could afford to sign a few established actors and pay them for their work on set, but to send rookies to the set for free, and even then, the rookies might not become famous, was a game they couldn't afford.

But after Fifth Brother reminded him, Lu Ze's intelligence finally regained its footing, and he began to compare the differences between European companies and Asian companies in cultivating idols.

In contrast to Europe, Asian companies usually prefer to promote their idols first, establish their personas, and then put them into film crews or make albums to promote their works.

Compared to the low-cost approach of sending production teams to Europe and America, Asian companies offer idols with established personas and a certain level of fame who can then earn money from the production teams. This results in higher output, faster updates, and a quicker return on investment. Plus, they can get money from both fans and investors, which is incredibly appealing.

The only downside is that well-packaged idols die even faster, but Lu Ze felt that even if the idols he launched died quickly, it was still better than the kind of fierce competition in Europe and America where thousands of people competed for a single spot and a large number of nameless ghosts died. At least on the search engine, you could still find that he had been there.

Many people think that the Western model is better, but in reality, there is no superior or inferior model. Regardless of how idols are created, their essence is to make money. It's just that one is to pick up a big scythe and harvest the leeks in bundles, while the other is to take out countless small knives and stab them bit by bit. For a single leek, is there any difference?
"Fifth Brother, you mean... variety shows?"

"Right, your brain is still working pretty well."

"No, this is harming the child. If we have to do this, I'd rather not choose it... It's better to take it easy."

This is Lu Ze's bottom line, and he must uphold it no matter what. An actor is an actor, and an idol is an idol. Compared to idols, actors still have many more choices. Even if things don't go well, they can still make a decent living. After all, acting is a skill that can be relied upon for survival.

Idols are more like puppets manipulated by their sponsors. Only when you become famous will you gain respect, but what about those who don't become famous? Their plight is certainly not as bad as that of extras rolling in the mud, but how much better can it be?
Without ever having received systematic learning in an ivory tower, without friendly classmates or teachers to rely on, a group of trainees, the oldest being only sixteen or seventeen, are sent in batches into office buildings, bidding farewell to books and school bells, and being molded into the same shape. Is it a good thing to see the superficial glamour and the power of capital too early?
If they succeed, at least they won't have to worry about the rest of their lives. But what about those who don't? They'll still be held back by the company's exploitative contracts, waiting for their parents to pay to bail them out. What can they do then? Be slaves to money for the rest of their lives?

This is a scam, a terrible thing that will ruin your family and your reputation. It's one thing to scam adults, there's no place in this world that isn't scammed, but scamming children is unacceptable.

"What are you thinking? You're infuriating! Who do you think I am? The CEO of an entertainment company? If I wanted to do something like that, would I even have legs left?"

Fifth Brother was displeased. He was a graduate of a regular art college, studied under orthodox teachers, and was a leader in the Cultural Bureau! How could Lu Ze not think the best of him? He slammed his hand on the table, rolled up his trouser leg from under the table, and showed Lu Ze a hairy, white leg, while also glancing at Old Master Chen.

"Then what are you talking about making money? What variety shows? What nonsense are you talking about? Making money on variety shows, you need actors and stuff, isn't this just some kind of talent show you're going to make?"

"Listen to me!"

At home, no matter how high or low one's official rank, even if the two brothers were arguing, Lu Ze would never tolerate his fifth brother. In reality, his fifth brother was no different from Song Lao Ba in private; they were both unreliable. But how to put it? He was the older brother after all, and he couldn't stand being humiliated by his youngest brother. He pushed the covered bowl in front of Lu Ze, signaling Lu Ze to pour tea.

"We all know what the current state of the acting scene in China is like. The public's view of actors is generally negative. Yes, I admit, it's difficult to produce shows featuring actors. None of the previous shows featuring actors were truly successful. Singing shows, on the other hand, only require a good voice and good songs; a good talent show system is all you need to succeed. But the minimum standard for acting shows is very high. If you find a few actors to remake a classic scene without a complete storyline, the result will lack the tension of the original. If the acting is poor, even the most innovative talent show rules will fail. Therefore, most companies don't want to get involved in actor variety shows, but the market for actor variety shows is actually huge! The acting industry also needs..." We need variety shows as a promotional channel to correct public perception and dispel stereotypes about the acting profession. Otherwise, acting will truly become a disliked and unethical profession. If that happens, universities won't be able to recruit enough students, and no parent will want their child to study acting. Who will support China's acting industry then? Just idols? Or imported actors? That won't do! Therefore, our bureau, in conjunction with CCTV and major entertainment companies, produced a targeted variety show. Its success isn't important; what matters is that it promotes the acting profession positively. We should use this as a benchmark to continue spreading this positive energy, so that future generations don't even know the name of the Monkey King.

"..."

(End of this chapter)