Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 135 The Great Fire Wuxia Drama

After putting down his teacup, Wu Yuchen asked, "Xiao Gang, is your 'Good Dreams for You' adapted from Wang Shuo's 'I Am Not a Common Person'?"

Feng Xiaogang immediately nodded, assuming that Wu Yuchen also had a problem with him because of his name change, and explained with a worried expression:

"Yes, but I had no choice. If I didn't change it, it really wouldn't pass. Third Master knows that too. I put a lot of effort into coming up with a name!"

Han Sanping chimed in, "Director Wu, that's how it is. It's best to avoid getting involved with Wang Shuo right now."

Wu Yuchen shook his head: "No, what I mean is, isn't the movie title a bit too cliché?"

Feng Xiaogang's heart skipped a beat, and a fawning smile immediately appeared on his face. He replied, "Director Wu, why don't you suggest one?"

Wu Yuchen smiled and pretended to ponder for a moment:
"Your story is all about signing contracts to realize dreams, so isn't that just a matter of Party A and Party B? How about calling it 'Party A and Party B'?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Xiaogang clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Director Wu, you're truly brilliant! Your idea is far superior to any name I've been pondering for so long! Let's call it 'The Dream Factory'!"

Han Sanping nodded in approval, saying, "Good, it certainly has a better meaning than the original name."

Then Feng Xiaogang said to Xu Fan, "Come on, fill my glass. Just for the great name Director Wu gave me, I have to toast you again!"

Wu Yuchen knew he couldn't stop him; if he didn't drink, the man might even feel uncomfortable.

He glanced at Xu Fan, who was pouring wine for Feng Xiaogang. Although Feng Xiaogang now takes Xu Fan out to meet people everywhere, and everyone in later generations knows that Xu Fan is Feng Xiaogang's wife, Feng Xiaogang is actually still married. In other words, Xu Fan has been with him as a mistress for seven years until Feng Xiaogang divorced in 99, at which point Xu Fan was officially recognized as his wife.

Everyone in the industry knows, but nobody says anything. What's so strange about it? People live their own lives, it doesn't bother us. At most, we might gossip a little in private.

Although Feng Xiaogang has only just directed his first film, he has already directed TV series such as "A Native of Beijing in New York," "Forever Lost My Love," and "A Messy Life," making him a well-known figure. Otherwise, do you really think Han Sanping would just casually give a newcomer 400 million yuan to direct a movie?
In the entertainment industry, people are just that tolerant of directors; having a few more women is just considered a romantic affair.

The subsequent banquet proceeded in a similar manner. Through Han Sanping's introduction, Wu Yuchen got to know quite a few people from the film association, essentially those involved in domestic film awards. Although his impression of them was so-so, he still gave them the respect due to Han Sanping's arrangements, simply by sipping a few extra cups of tea.

……

Han Sanping organized a large celebration banquet for "My Brothers and Sisters," which spread widely, and his slogan of revitalizing Chinese cinema naturally also got out.

If he hadn't achieved results, he would have been ridiculed. But now that he has "My Brothers and Sisters" with box office success surpassing "Jurassic Park 2," his words have won over others. Many film newspapers and magazines have mentioned this incident and reprinted Han Sanping's words verbatim.

As one of the main figures at the celebration banquet, Wu Yuchen was naturally mentioned a lot, and Han Sanping's explicit support for him further elevated Wu Yuchen's status in the eyes of those in the industry.

After attending the big celebration banquet, Wu Yuchen and the staff of Miracle Films held a smaller celebration banquet, naturally for "The Passionate Years".

"The Passionate Years" was Miracle Films' first television production, and its instant success was undoubtedly a great start, boosting the confidence of the company's television department. Wu Yuchen naturally wanted to reward them handsomely.

Wu Yuchen picked up his teacup:
"Let me say this: the success of our drama 'The Passionate Years' is inseparable from the hard work of the entire crew!"

The show is currently a huge hit, and Teacher Li, Teacher He, Xiao Ran, and Xiao Tian have all become household names, so I won't say much more. But I must give a special shout-out to our director, Kang Honglei!
People outside say that "The Passionate Years" is my work, Wu Yuchen's work. That's true in terms of the script, but as far as the TV series is concerned, those of you in the crew should know that director Kang Honglei is the biggest contributor!

Let's all raise a glass to Director Kang Honglei!

Everyone applauded and cheered upon hearing this, while Kang Honglei smiled憨厚ly, feeling a warmth in his heart.

At this moment, the male lead, Li Youbin, raised his glass and stood up: "Director Kang, today I, Lao Li, must toast you. I had a quarrel with you during filming, and I apologize for that! Without Director Kang, there wouldn't be such a wonderful 'Passionate Years'!"

Kang Honglei also raised his glass: "We're all doing this for the good of the show, I understand! Without your brilliant performance, Lao Li, this show wouldn't have been possible!"

Led by Wu Yuchen, many people expressed their gratitude to Kang Honglei, while Wu Yuchen watched with a smile. It was fine to use Kang Honglei's name during the initial promotion, but now that the drama was a success, he should speak up for Kang Honglei more; Kang Honglei deserved it.

Amidst the cheerful atmosphere, the most straightforward Yin Xiaotian asked directly, "Director Wu, do you think our TV series can win an award?"

Wu Yuchen declared boldly, "We'll definitely win! The Flying Apsaras and the Golden Eagle Awards, we'll win them both!"

Upon hearing this, everyone cheered again. Although they knew it was probably just encouragement, Wu Yuchen's current status meant his words carried weight, raising expectations among many.

Wu Yuchen wasn't making things up. In his previous life, "The Passionate Years" won the Feitian Award for Best Long-Form TV Series, Best Actor, the Golden Eagle Award for Outstanding Long-Form TV Series, Best Actor, and Best Actress. It's fair to say that he swept both major awards.

There's no way around it, this TV series is really popular, and the subject matter is very positive. It's loved by the audience and won the Golden Eagle Award, and it's also favored by the government and won the Flying Apsara Award.

As for why the Magnolia Award, one of the three major television awards, wasn't mentioned...

Because the Magnolia Awards are originally an international award, and Shanghai aimed to make it an international event, not only domestic films and television series but also many international works participated in the judging process, and most of the winners were foreign works. For example, at the next Magnolia Awards in 98, apart from one Best Actress award which was from China, all the other awards, including Best Television Series, Best Actor, Screenplay, Cinematography, etc., went to foreigners.

The chances of a domestic work winning an award are extremely low...

It wasn't until 10 years later, with the reform of the Magnolia Awards, that domestically produced TV dramas became mainstream. Therefore, for the next 10 years, don't even think about participating in the Magnolia Awards; the Flying Apsaras Awards and the Golden Eagle Awards are still worth considering.

While Kang Honglei and the others toasted and drank, Wu Yuchen chatted and laughed with another director from the company.

"Director Li, welcome, welcome! Your film 'Stock Fever' was fantastic. I'm sure you'll bring us another great film this time!"

The person in front of me was Li Guoli. He had previously accepted an invitation from the Shanghai Film Studio to film a movie called "Spring Breeze in Meilong Town," starring Jin Shijie, Wu Qianlian, and Chen Xiaochun. Therefore, he came over only after filming was completed.

Li Guoli, speaking in a slightly accented Hong Kong-accented Mandarin, said:
"Not at all, I'm nowhere near as good as Director Wu! I'm just lucky to be here for the celebration banquet, I'm just sharing in the joy~" Li Guoli has always been proactive in cooperating with the mainland over the years, and his attitude is quite good. Moreover, he doesn't dare to put on airs in front of Wu Yuchen.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Wu Yuchen asked, "Director Li, do you have any plans lately?"

Li Guoli knew that the question was about his filming plans. He also understood that since he had just joined the new company, it would be best if he could achieve some results before he could establish himself firmly.

Li Guoli thought for a moment and said, "Director Wu, I don't know if you've seen the very popular TV series 'Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils' recently?"

Wu Yuchen smiled and nodded: "Of course I've seen it, it's very popular in mainland China!"

Li Guoli continued, "Actually, it's not just popular in mainland China, but also in Hong Kong Island, Taiwan, and even Singapore! So I had an idea to make a martial arts drama."

Wu Yuchen's heart skipped a beat, as if he remembered something, but he still asked, "Oh? Director Li, do you have any goals?"

Li Guoli nodded: "Yes, I want to film Gu Long's 'The Legendary Twins'."

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen thought to himself, "As expected." In his previous life, Li Guoli filmed "The Legendary Twins" around next year. After its release in 99, it swept across the country and became a screen memory for a generation. Lin Zhiying also saw a significant increase in his television drama salary thanks to this series, and his portrayal of Xiao Yu'er was truly excellent.

Many people only learned about Tangren Media after watching "Chinese Paladin," but in fact, they had already produced hit dramas like "The Legendary Twins." Later, Tangren Media also participated in the production of well-received dramas such as "The Legend of the Mermaid" and "Love in the World."

However, Tangren did not make much money from these dramas, which is due to Tangren's operating model.

In their previous life, after Cai Yinong and Li Guoli founded Tangren, they didn't have the money to produce TV dramas. So they chose to write their own scripts and produce them for TV stations, simply earning money through their skills.

For example, the hugely popular "The Legendary Twins" was copyrighted by Taiwan, and Tangren Media was just an employee.

Many people believe that Tangren Media made a lot of money from "Chinese Paladin," but that's not actually the case. Tangren didn't have enough funds when they were preparing to film it, and they sold the mainland China rights for the first seven years of "Chinese Paladin." In other words, all the revenue from "Chinese Paladin 1" during its seven years of release in mainland China was unrelated to Tangren.

However, Tangren Media has set up a buyback clause. After 7 years, Tangren Media has the right to buy back the mainland copyright of "Chinese Paladin" for 2000 yuan per episode. In other words, it only costs 60,000 to 70,000 yuan to buy back all the copyrights.

At the time, a company called Shanghai Yitong agreed, believing that "Chinese Paladin" would be worthless seven years later. This is normal for TV dramas, but "Chinese Paladin" became a huge hit. When Tangren Media paid 70,000 yuan in 2012, Shanghai Yitong immediately backed out. Seriously? How could "Chinese Paladin" be worth only 70,000 yuan at that point?! The online rights alone were worth hundreds of times more!
Later, the two parties went to court, and in 14, Tangren finally regained the mainland copyright of the TV series "Chinese Paladin" for 7 yuan based on the original contract.

While Cai Yinong and Li Guoli's management style is undoubtedly prudent, it also caused Tangren Media to miss out on the lion's share of profits from several hit dramas. This reveals that Cai Yinong herself lacks decisiveness and is very risk-averse, which explains why she joined Miracle Pictures as soon as Wu Yuchen invited her. She can be a competent manager, but she lacks the ability to steer the overall direction of a company and make sound decisions.

However, these problems do not exist for Wu Yuchen. It is a great thing that Li Guoli is willing to film "The Legendary Twins"!

At this moment, not only Li Guoli, but also Cai Yinong next to him looked at Wu Yuchen with expectant eyes, after all, Li Guoli was invited in by Cai Yinong.

Seeing this, Wu Yuchen smiled and said, "Director Li, you have a good eye. These past few years have been a time of great interest in martial arts films. I also have great faith in your abilities, and the company will support you in making 'The Legendary Twins'!"

Cai Yinong breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, but she didn't interrupt. Li Guoli smiled, then thought for a moment and said:
"Director Wu, this time when I'm making 'The Legendary Twins,' I want to target the entire Chinese-speaking world across Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. So I've invited some actors from Hong Kong and Taiwan to play the main roles, since they have a higher appeal."

This time, Wu Yuchen didn't nod directly, but instead said slowly:
"Director Li, what you said makes some sense. If we want to sell the copyright to Hong Kong and Taiwan, we do need someone who is well-known there. So, we can choose someone from Hong Kong or Taiwan for Xiaoyuer, and a mainland actor for Hua Wuque. That way, we can satisfy both sides!"

Li Guoli actually wanted to cast a Taiwanese star and a Hong Kong star for the dual male lead roles, so that the rights would sell well in both regions. As for mainland audiences, based on his observations over the past few years, they don't value local actors; instead, they are more attracted to Hong Kong and Taiwanese actors.

However, Wu Yuchen is the big boss of the company. Since he said so, Li Guoli can accept it. Finding a well-known Hong Kong and Taiwan actor is enough for Xiaoyuer.

Li Guoli's heart skipped a beat, wondering if Wu Yuchen had an actor in mind, so he asked, "Director Wu, do you have any suggestions for the casting?"

Wu Yuchen smiled and said, "Director Li, if you want to give me some advice, I do have one. You can listen to it for now."

Li Guoli smiled and raised his hand: "Director Wu, please speak."

"We can find a Hong Kong or Taiwan actor who is suitable for this kind of quirky and clever TV series. There are two suitable candidates. One is Cheung Wai-kin, a Hong Kong actor who starred in 'Journey to the West' last year."

Upon hearing this, Li Guoli gave a wry smile: "Director Li, I'm afraid Zhang Weijian won't be able to do it!"

At this point, Cai Yinong asked, "Why? Wasn't Zhang Weijian's 'Journey to the West' a huge hit in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia last year? Is it because his salary is too high now?"

Li Guoli shook his head: "No, just two months ago, he had a falling out with TVB, and TVB decided to freeze him out. He has no way to take on any roles before his contract expires."

"Huh? What happened? He's so popular!" Cai Yinong was very surprised when she heard this.

Li Guoli sighed and began to recount the whole story. He had previously worked as a producer at TVB and was very familiar with this recent incident, which stemmed from TVB's notoriously stingy nature.

Cheung Wai-kin starred in "Journey to the West" last year, which earned TVB a whopping HK$200 million. However, his salary for the entire series was only HK$70,000 to HK$80,000, averaging less than HK$3,000 per episode. In Hong Kong, this income was barely enough to make ends meet, making life very difficult.

After "Journey to the West" became a huge hit, when it was time to film a sequel, Cheung Wai-kin asked for a raise. He didn't ask for an exorbitant amount, but only requested HK$10,000 per episode, which would actually only amount to a few hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars.

But TVB executives wouldn't agree, bluntly saying, "If you pluck the monkey's hair, who would recognize you!"

These words chilled Cheung Wai-kin to the bone, causing him to break down and fall out with TVB. He then shaved his head, vowing to prove that he could still be famous even without hair!
Cai Yinong opened her mouth, unsure of what to say. She knew TVB was stingy back in Hong Kong, but she never expected them to be so stingy with the absolute male lead who had already starred in a hit drama. If it were her, she would definitely treat him like royalty!
Wu Yuchen naturally knew about this, and Zhang Weijian later really put on a "don't underestimate a young man's potential" kind of comeback story. A year later, his contract expired and he left. A few years later, he became a TV ratings prince, becoming popular across the mainland, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, which slapped TVB in the face. TVB executives had to find someone to negotiate before he was able to star in "The Monkey King: Quest for the Sutra".

You could say that actor Zhang Weijian is very popular with audiences, especially children and teenagers; you could call him the TV version of Stephen Chow.

However, Zhang Weijian wasn't Wu Yuchen's first choice to begin with. He smiled and said:
"Then let's talk about another one, Lin Chih-ying from Taiwan. His performance in 'Whirlwind Kid' shows that he has potential. I think you can consider him."

(End of this chapter)