After all of them were reborn, who would still be an actor?

Chapter 673 Great Power Science Fiction: A Multi-Pronged Attack
"Boss, Director Xu has arrived and is waiting for you in the conference room." The secretary, used to the mess on the floor, pretended not to see it.

"Okay, tidy up a bit." Yu Dong said, then turned and left the office with his hands behind his back.

Arriving at the conference room door, Yu Dongqiang perked up, put on a smile, and pushed open the door.

After a warm hug and pleasantries with Xu Ke, Yu Dong asked the question he was most concerned about: how were the preparations for the Forest of Snowfields going?

The Dongda Financial Film Project is a lucrative opportunity that's not something you can just take as easily.

First, there must be high box office revenue; only extremely high box office revenue can stimulate the market!

Directors of commercial films like Tsui Hark are particularly praised.

In October, filming for "Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon" was just completed, and post-production wasn't finished yet, so they had to get busy with "The Snowy Forest".

Xu Ke handed the prepared script and storyboard to Yu Dong with both hands.

Yu Dong flipped through the storyboard, glanced at it a few times, and laughed, "Director Xu! You should be considered the director in China who is closest to Li Mingyang's production philosophy, right?"

"Director Li is relatively young and likes new things." Xu Ke neither confirmed nor denied this.

Xu Ke disapproved of Li Mingyang's production philosophy.

One central hub, multiple branches flourishing.

It was something he had already done more than ten years ago.

Li Mingyang's production philosophy is merely a minor innovation within the existing production model. The reason it seems impressive is that Li Mingyang has made it public, while they haven't.

"Director Xu's storyboards are as beautiful as ever, but turning them into a movie must be very expensive, right?"

"I will manage the budget well."

"No, you can spend your time freely. I only care about the results. Forest of Snowy Forest is a revolutionary subject, and the higher-ups want to see something different."

"what do you mean?"

"The film industry."

"Understood." Xu Ke felt relieved; he had been worried about not having enough budget.

"We've been working on the production manual for Weathering With You for a year and nobody's come up with it yet. Old Han is very disappointed. Director Xu, you need to step up your game!"

"Technically speaking, Director Li's ideas are actually quite outdated. The current international trend is 3D movies."

"Whether it's a 3D movie or a special effects blockbuster, budget is not an issue, but we must follow Li Mingyang's example and release behind-the-scenes footage. This is a great publicity gimmick and also very much in line with the mainstream ideology."

Xu Ke was stunned. Yu Dong wanted him to make his things public, which he was very resistant to.

However, he dared not resist.

Ever since the Hong Kong Film Awards played a trick on China Film Group and made fun of Jiang Wen.

Hong Kong directors are in a very awkward position. Their cooperation with mainland capital is limited to an employment relationship, and their desire to acquire shares is wishful thinking.

The reason Li Mingyang doesn't care about money is because he owns at least 10% of Enlight Media's shares. He's making a killing in the financial film industry.

And these Hong Kong directors work themselves to the bone, yet they don't get any shares.

If you want to profit from movies, you either need to invest your own money in stocks or hand over your share of the movie's revenue and get a small slice of the profits.

Fluctuations of billions or tens of billions have little to do with them.

Many Hong Kong directors with mainland backgrounds have already fled and are returning to the mainland.

Wong Kar-wai, Stephen Chow, and Chen Kexin all associated themselves with the Cultural University.

Each person received HK$50 million... but not a single share.

By then, it was too late to surrender...

The current attitude of the mainland entertainment industry towards Hong Kong artists is to cut off all those who don't know how to behave, and only those who are obedient can make a living in the mainland.

Xu Ke, acting like a sycophant, followed Yu Dong's train of thought and explained the filming plan in detail, emphasizing not only the film industry in the snowy forest but also the importance of Yu Dong as the producer.

Yu Dong was very satisfied with Xu Ke's answer, and his mood improved a lot immediately.

"I highly recognize Director Xu's abilities. Keep up the good work. If the box office breaks 1 billion, I'll give you the same treatment as Xu Zheng, with 10% of the box office revenue."

A 10% share of box office revenue is 10% of 33%, which is quite a lot.

This kind of extra dividend payout was seen during Hong Kong's golden age and is now becoming increasingly common.

Once the box office exceeds one billion, the big-name director can receive such a high share of the profits.

This is a good thing... Actually, it's not even really soup...

After chatting for a while in the snowy forest, Yu Dong was about to take Xu Ke out for drinks when his secretary came to inform him that Zuo Shandiao had arrived.

"What is he here for?" Yu Dong frowned and told Xu Ke to wait in the conference room, saying he would be right back.

Xu Ke hadn't waited long; he'd just taken a sip of tea when Zuo Shandiao and Yu Dong arrived together.

"Hello, Chairman Han."

"Hmm, have a seat!" Zuo Shandiao waved his hand, gesturing for Xu Ke to sit down. He then lit a cigarette for himself and sat down in the seat of honor that Yu Dong had just been sitting in.

"Has Li Mingyang contacted you recently?" Zuo Shandiao asked as soon as he came up.

"Have."

"When, and what were you saying?"

“Around the New Year, Li Mingyang wanted my help to persuade you to go to South Korea… but you didn’t listen in the end.”

Zuo Shandiao took a deep drag on his cigarette, flicked the ash into the ashtray, and asked, "Anything else?"

"Gone."

"You haven't talked about going back to China?" Zuo Shandiao asked, frowning.

"Return to China?" Yu Dong's expression suddenly changed. "What does it have to do with me whether he returns to China or not? Berna is listed on the US stock market."

Zuo Shandiao was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and changed the subject.

Yu Dong rolled his eyes inwardly.

Zuo Shandiao has given Yu Dong a lot of pressure again. He wants to make a good film about the snowy forest in the mountains, and to make it with a different style. The higher-ups are taking it very seriously.

Seeing this, Yu Dong pulled Xu Ke over to deal with Zuo Shandiao.

Xu Ke immediately placed the intuitive storyboard in front of Zuo Shandiao, then stood behind him and explained it to Zuo Shandiao bit by bit.

After listening to Xu Ke's idea, Zuo Shandiao was very satisfied and couldn't stop smiling.

Seeing that the movie discussion was almost over, Yu Dong smiled and said, "Mr. Han, I've booked a private room at Tianhui Pavilion. Shall we go there now?"

"No rush, no rush." ​​Zuo Shandiao stood up, patted Xu Ke on the shoulder, "Director Xu may be old, but he's not. He keeps up with the times and is always at the forefront of film technology. China Film Group has a project they'd like you to join. I wonder if you'd be interested?"

"What project?"

"Three bodies."

Xu Ke was taken aback. This project belonged to Li Mingyang! Why was he suddenly contacting him? "It seems to be Director Li's project."

"The Three-Body Problem is set in the style of science fiction about a major power, but he's not going back to China, so how can it be filmed? I understand the production difficulties of The Three-Body Problem. Zhang Yimou has already accepted the invitation. Are you willing to do it?"

This means he's going to collaborate with Zhang Yimou on the Three-Body Problem.

Xu Ke readily agreed. He was also very interested in The Three-Body Problem. As the first hard science fiction blockbuster in China, it was receiving a lot of attention from the authorities. What they lacked was a creative and technically skilled director like him!

“I do!” Xu Ke said firmly.

Zuo Shandiao laughed heartily and patted Xu Ke on the shoulder.

It was only at this moment that Yu Dong realized that Zuo Shandiao had not come to see him, but specifically to see Xu Ke!

After Zuo Shandiao had won over Xu Ke, he couldn't wait to leave with him.

Yu Dong wanted to follow, but was met with a cold shoulder. Zuo Shandiao closed the car door, showing he had no intention of taking him along.

Dejected, Yu Dong returned upstairs. As he passed the conference room, he saw the film materials for "Tracks in the Snowy Forest" on the conference table.

He pushed open the door and started tidying up.

"What kind of people are they! They've got the Three-Body Problem, and they just leave such important data lying around here."

"Ugh... what am I going to do?! My head is throbbing!"

In the quiet meeting room, Yu Dong took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one for himself.

After smoking one cigarette after another, Yu Dong felt like he was trapped in a dead end.

If Zuo Shandiao doesn't step down, everything else will be in vain!

When will Zuo Shandiao step down...?

"Given the usual practice that heads of central state-owned enterprises retire at 60, but most can work until 63, damn it, I still have to endure at least three more years..."

"Three years! Why should I have to endure three years of this?!"

"Damn it! I quit!"

Yu Dong took out his phone, hesitated for a long time, and finally dialed the number of Lao Wang from Wanda.

"Hey, Mr. Wang!"

"Oh, Mr. Yu, what's wrong? Is there some difficulty? Tell me, and I'll take care of it for you."

"Well... I'll thank you, Chairman Wang."

Old Wang from Wanda was taken aback. He had just said it casually, but he didn't expect Yu Dong to actually agree!

Yu Dong has been pushed to the limit; he's going to rebel! Haha!

"Chairman Wang, Mr. Han from China Film Group just came to see me. It seems he's planning to remove Li Mingyang and let someone else take over the Three-Body Problem project."

When Yu Dong said the words "General Manager Han of China Film Group," Old Wang of Wanda found it extremely pleasing to the ear.

"This was expected. Li Mingyang doesn't plan to come back... The Three-Body Problem project needs to be pushed forward. We can't keep the higher-ups waiting too long. Who is he planning to contact?" "He's already found the people: Zhang Yimou and Xu Ke."

Did you tell Li Mingyang?

"No, I didn't tell anyone. I called you first."

"Good, good, good..."

Old Wang hung up the phone and suddenly burst into laughter.

If Li Mingyang knew that he had been kicked out of the Three-Body Problem project by Zuo Shandiao, that would be incredibly exciting!
He wanted to give Li Mingyang his full support and let Li Mingyang and Zuo Shandiao have a good fight!
The sooner Zuo Shandiao steps down, the sooner Wanda's good days will come!
……

2 month 22 day.

Li Mingyang's brief trip has come to an end, and the location shooting for the Miss's script has temporarily come to a halt.

It's about three o'clock in the afternoon.

The flight carrying Li Mingyang arrived at Incheon Airport.

There are only three days left until Ms. Park officially takes the stage.

Li Mingyang has a lot of things to deal with right now. The crew will take a four-day break and meet at the Dongyang Building on the morning of the 27th.

Zhang Wei was there to pick me up at the airport.

The two rode in the same car, and on the way home, Zhang Wei briefly told Li Mingyang about the important things that had happened in the past few days.

Through a year of exploration, the market rules for Dongda Financial Films have been figured out.

The prerequisite for Dongda Financial Film is high box office revenue. Only when the film's box office revenue exceeds one billion can it boost the overall financial market.

Movies that gross less than 1 billion yuan at the box office can boost stock prices, but they're not explosive enough.

Therefore, many investors wanted to bring him back to China to make financial films.

Zhang Wei interpreted it this way: she neither explicitly refused nor agreed.

Instead, he sent representatives of various capital groups to the Spider Cave, making them realize that he was not short of money.

There's nothing worth hiding this thing.

All the chaebols in South Korea, including the government, know that Pansidong is his territory.

The profits are indeed ridiculously high, but these good days will be over once Ms. Park takes office.

Those damn chaebols not only want to raise rents tenfold, but they also want to expand the Spider Cave... and then come back to continue their work.

The development of the conglomerate's new Spider Cave wasn't going very well...

Dapeng and Xiaoshenyang are geniuses at using vulgar humor!
The allure of being certified to work is too great for men!
in fact……

Whether he goes back or not has nothing to do with where he is.

It largely depends on the production model he uses to make the film.

Should we use the production model from Tokyo University or the production model from South Korea?

The differences between Chinese and South Korean co-productions also lie in their production models.

For example, "The Prostitute" is a Sino-Korean co-production, but it is essentially a Korean film, only the investors have Chinese backgrounds.

The film "Miss" will not be shown in the country.

And that R-rated film, which won both the Palme d'Or and an Oscar, is even less likely to happen!

For a film to have the ability to reach a global audience, its quality is one thing, but the network behind it is even more crucial.

Whoever controls the discourse is the boss!

Ne Zha 2 climbed to fifth place in global box office rankings, prompting Europe and America to change their rules and remove Ne Zha 2 from the global box office charts.

Rule discrimination!

This new regulation only applies to new films released after 2025, and explicitly sets a limit of "more than 95% contribution from a single market," which is actually tailor-made for Dongda Film.

Hollywood has long controlled the global film discourse, dominating not only box office statistics but also influencing audiences worldwide in terms of aesthetics and narrative patterns.

Only the sticks can save us!
Jiang Wen, the cheapest brother, said that the Koreans had no bargaining chips.

From the perspective of the film market, what the cheap brother said is correct; the Korean film market has already opened up to Europe and America.

But from the perspective of streaming media...

The Koreans possess the most unique bargaining chip in the world!
South Korea possesses the world's most unique streaming market and content production industry!
Parasite won the Palme d'Or and swept the Oscars, but at the cost of completely opening up the South Korean streaming market.

Li Mingyang wants to build a streaming media empire, so it's impossible for him to leave Dongda University.

The key moments are THAAD and the ban on Korean entertainment!

We must seize the Japanese, Korean, and Thai markets before the ban on Korean entertainment is imposed, and then return to Tokyo University! Embrace our motherland!
Now I'm going back to China...

Not to mention whether the internet capital led by BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent) and the Beijing circle can accommodate him, there is also the behemoth Wanda!
Everyone welcomes those who honestly make movies and earn money, but they also want to be seated at the table.

The table is too crowded, who can he push off?
There's no room for maneuver left domestically...

His only bargaining chip right now is FBTV.

By handing FBTV over to CJ, Lee Ming-yang was essentially insuring his streaming service.

This is something that people in China really want!
But even if it's handed over, it will ultimately go to BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent), and it has nothing to do with him...

"Money! Money! Money is the last thing I need. If you don't give me any other benefits, then forget about it. Don't bring this up again." Li Mingyang interrupted Zhang Wei, speaking impatiently.

"But speaking definitively is not good for you."

"You don't need to tell me, I'll tell you myself. Anyway, given my character, not many people really believe what I say."

"..."

Back at the company, Li Mingyang went to the Cloud Meeting Room and held a meeting with all the company's senior executives.

Not only high-ranking officials in South Korea, but also high-ranking officials in domestic entertainment companies.

The meeting mainly focused on everyone's work arrangements after CJ's IPO, as well as the stock option issue that everyone was concerned about.

This part was handled by Zhang Wei.

After Zhang Wei finished speaking, Li Mingyang and the others calmed down and said, "Last year was the year the bouquet took root and sprouted, and this year will be the year the bouquet grows strong."

"I won't go into details about the company's prospects, as everyone understands. As for benefits, President Zhang has already mentioned them to everyone, so I won't repeat them."

"I have three main things to say now. First, I'm not going back to China."

Most people were happy about this, and the happiest was Mimi, who took the lead and was the first to applaud.

Next up are Dapeng and Xiao Shenyang...

Mimi is probably the one who least wants him to go back to China...

Li Mingyang raised his hand and pressed it down, signaling everyone to be quiet.

"The second thing is that the company will undergo a group change, becoming Bouquet Group. The main entities of each subsidiary will remain the same. I have already prepared a list of the management team for Bouquet Group, and I will inform everyone tomorrow."

This incident sparked a heated discussion, with everyone curious about who would be promoted to the group's management.

However, Li Mingyang did not provide a detailed account of the matter.

"The third thing is that the company has too many people. We will be streamlining internally. Except for Pangu, which will not be laid off, all other companies, departments, studios, and teams will be laid off. Please submit the specific layoff list and I will approve it."

"Alright, that's all for now, meeting adjourned."

Before anyone could start arguing, Li Mingyang ended the meeting!

All the companies under his name are part of the Bouquet Group, with the four largest being Bouquet Hotel, Bouquet Entertainment, Bouquet Technology, and Pangu Special Effects.

The Pangu special effects alone involved thousands of people.

Bouquet Technology has more than 800 employees.

Bouquet Hotel has more than 500 employees.

Bouquet entertainment involves the most people and is the most complex.

With a total workforce of over 5,000, the monthly salary alone amounts to more than 30 million yuan.

This year, double salaries plus bonuses were distributed at the end of the year, totaling over 80 million yuan...

In 2012, Bouquet Group achieved total operating revenue of 19.04 billion yuan and a net loss of 1.85 million yuan.

Apart from the Flower Bouquet Hotel, Pangu Special Effects did not lose money; all the other companies lost money.

Bouquet Entertainment benefits from local and national subsidies, Bouquet Technology's self-production and self-purchase, and iQiyi's assistance in purchasing content.

It's a case of neither making a profit nor incurring a loss.

The loss of 1.85 million yuan was mainly due to losses incurred by Bouquet Technology.

The biggest problem facing Bouquet Technology, or Bouquet CJ, this year is how to turn a profit.

"Zhang Wei, I'm planning to appoint you as the general manager of the Bouquet Group. Would you be willing?" Li Mingyang asked with a polite smile.

coming!

Zhang Wei had been waiting for this day for a long time, and immediately said, "I don't want to."

"..."

"The company will definitely be changed into a group company, and the change will definitely be made through Bouquet Entertainment... I'm not going back to China."

“I’m not discussing this with you,” Li Mingyang said coldly, his expression changing.

"I relinquish control of FBTV! I also relinquish control of the finances; I only request to retain control of the girl group business."

(End of this chapter)