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

Chapter 698 The Inevitable Strategies for Winning the Cannes Palme d'Or
Before long, Lim Yoona and Seohyun arrived at the Cloud Reception Room. As soon as they entered, the two women habitually bowed and scraped, revealing harmless smiles.

The two women had visited the Cloud Meeting Room many times.

The space is vast, high above the clouds, offering a breathtaking panoramic view of Seoul.

This was the two women's first impression of the Cloud Meeting Room, and also the first impression of many Koreans who came to the Cloud Meeting Room.

At this moment, in the center of the cloud-based reception room, hundreds of white chairs are neatly arranged, blending seamlessly with the white marble floor with its ink-wash stone pattern.

Grand and solemn.

After the two women entered, they were directed by staff to their pre-arranged seats, the first row.

As she walked to her seat, Yoona's attention was focused on her rival sitting in the chair.

They were all idols and newcomers; there were no acquaintances among them.

After sitting down, she then went to check on the group of interviewers sitting in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.

Seven white single sofas were arranged in a fan shape. Kim Sae-ron and Kim Go-eun were at opposite ends. To Kim Sae-ron's left were Lee Jung-jae and Hwang Jung-min, and to Kim Go-eun's right were two unfamiliar middle-aged men.

Sitting in the middle was a very young girl. Lin Yoona had met her a few times, but she never expected that after Director Li and Zhang Wei left, the girl would actually take charge.

Over the next period of time, some female celebrities, both familiar and unfamiliar, came to the Cloud Meeting Room.

When the hundreds of chairs were almost full, the staff member guarding the door went out.

The interviews have begun.

Kim Sae-ron introduced the interview rules.

The interview process was very fast-paced, consisting of three rounds: the first round was an impromptu performance, the second round involved choosing a script and a role, and the third round involved a specific performance based on the script.

There are a total of 50 scripts, covering a wide variety of genres, including 8 R-rated films.

When Yoona went up first, I felt like the sky was falling. I was cursing inside, but I kept smiling.

She had originally wanted to see how others conducted their interviews, but now she was forced to set an example for them... Xu Xian, that ungrateful person, even clenched her fist and cheered her on.

Improvisation is the first step in the audition, and Yoona prepared many formulaic performances.

However, when she stepped in front of the microphone to introduce herself, she rejected the usual approach.

She decided to play an idol, to play herself... The reason she got the lead role in "Goodbye" was because of her idol cuteness.

She's still a newcomer... she shouldn't take on the challenge; if she fails miserably, it will be disastrous.

Im Yoona performed a song and dance routine, then sat on the floor and started complaining about her company...

After her two-minute performance, Yoona stood up from the ground, bowed to the interviewers, and waited with her lips pursed for their comments.

"Nothing new."

"Playing yourself..."

"Playing to your strengths and avoiding your weaknesses is a good approach."

“Let’s choose a script,” said Li Ming, who was sitting in the middle.

The script selection was done at a long table near the bar, where fifty scripts were neatly arranged, with two copies of each script.

Each script has a vertical label above it with the script's title, making it easy to identify at a glance.

Im Yoona suddenly realized that being the first to appear had a significant advantage, since the name was crucial to the success or failure of a script.

While Yoona was still making a decision, Seohyun finished her impromptu performance and started looking for scripts.

After the two women met up, the third female celebrity's interview began.

A strong sense of urgency compelled the two women to make a decision sooner rather than later.

"Unnie, let's pick this one together?"

Yoona's gaze followed the direction Seohyun was pointing and saw a vertical sign that read 'Strange Girl'.

"Why did you choose this one?"

"There are too many to choose from, it's making my head spin. This one is closer to me, but I feel like they're all the same..." Seohyun said, picking up two copies of 'Strange Her'.

"I want to try something different." Yoona didn't want the strange version of herself, so she took the script for the strange version of herself and was about to put it back when she was stopped by the staff.

"Ah! I didn't choose this script!"

"Sorry, the script that's off the table can't be put back. If you don't like it, you can give it to someone else."

Yoona tried to give it to the newcomers, but they politely refused, not even bothering to glance at it.

Everyone wants a good script, but if it's a good script, why would you give it to someone else?

Yoona gave up, went to her seat, and started reading the script.

I had just turned to the first page when I heard a splatter sound from the side.

Yoona was startled. She turned around and saw Seohyun close the script and slap herself on the forehead in obvious distress.

Oh no, this is a terrible script!
Yoona's heart sank to the bottom. Seohyun, you jerk, you've ruined my life...

Desperate, Im Yoona started reading the script, hoping it wouldn't be too bad.

After reading the first page, I felt nothing; after reading the second page, I felt nothing; but on the third page, my eyes suddenly lit up—it was like being young again!

A few minutes later, Im Yoona suddenly gave Seohyun a big hug and beamed, "Maknae, I'll treat you to barbecue tonight."

"No, I'd like to treat you to barbecue."

Yoona laughed and ruffled Seohyun's hair, as if to say, "You want to compete with me? I'm going to be the female lead!"

Seohyun felt wronged. How lucky she was to have chosen such a great female lead role. How tragic, though, because her competitor was Im Yoon-ah.

'Strange Girl' is especially suitable for female idols. The female lead has one strict requirement: she must be good at both singing and dancing!
Seohyun and Im Yoona were secretly competing with each other, burying themselves in their studies.

However, what the two of them didn't know was that their biggest rival was IU!

IU also picked someone strange.

Today's interview is actually part of the China-Korea flower bouquet project.

More than half of the 50 projects were restarted because Li Mingyang was dissatisfied with the casting.

Among them, CJ's strangeness and the bouquet CJ's journey with God are of paramount importance.
……

The only Korean film series that can rival The Outlaws is Along With the Gods.

This film series is based on the comic book of the same name and has already ended.

While Li Mingyang was promoting the industrialization of Korean comics and boasting, he accidentally discovered this comic, bought the copyright, and adapted it into a movie.

An unexpected surprise.

Before leaving South Korea, Li Mingyang made several preparations, including buying the copyright to "Along with God" and promoting the project.

Li Ming was also promoted to the position of acting vice president of CJ Flower Bouquet.

Li Ming's "give up" mentality is perfectly suited to FBTV right now.

FBTV's aircraft carrier is not yet capable of setting sail!
There is still much preparation work to be done.

The establishment of the Gold Watch Club, the formation of a circle, requires a symbol, and even more so, a leader who can command respect from everyone.

Seoul Spring broke the box office record for Korean films, opening a new world of 2000 million moviegoers.

Korean films are the strongest, above the pinnacle!

Overwhelm everyone!

No one is more suitable to be the leader than him. Even though he is not Korean, he is still supported by the film emperor who joined the party!

In the future, this area will become the inner ring of Chungmuro, and will be the core of FBTV.

The final move involves the interaction, convergence, offsetting, and integration of the flower bouquet entertainment and Pangu special effects, forming a self-sufficient Sino-Korean closed loop.

He can tolerate these people's failures, and he can also tolerate FBTV's staggering deficit.

It's normal for streaming media to lose money. Without a huge scale and market share, making money is just a pipe dream.

Li Mingyang is prepared for FBTV to suffer huge losses in the next few years.

What he needs most right now is not talent, but a group of hardworking and loyal tools.

The more helpers the better!

The direction of content creation is in the hands of a few, but the power to drive content creation is in the hands of the majority!

There's nothing fancy about it; it's just about having a huge crowd.

The human wave tactic is always the most effective.

iQiyi, Youku, and Tencent Video monopolize the domestic entertainment industry by relying on sheer numbers.

iQiyi, Youku, and Tencent Video directly or indirectly affect the livelihoods of millions of people in the Chinese entertainment industry!

Zhang Chaoyang has devoted tremendous energy to streaming media, and his self-produced dramas are a decade ahead of the rest of the Chinese entertainment industry!
Despite performing so well, it was ultimately eliminated by the market.

why?
There are many reasons, but the funniest one is that in the end, Zhang Chaoyang was all alone, so what was the point of continuing?
Everyone's run away... How can we start the show?!
They can't even be sold...

Feeling disheartened, I lay down.

Li Mingyang worked his way up in the industry for many years before finally taking off with the rise of short dramas.

He understands the true nature of people in this industry better than anyone else.

He once wanted to use fresh talent from academia to build a stronger team.

As it turns out, this path is not easy. The inherent arrogance of academics, without experiencing hardship and adversity, makes them unable to recognize reality, unwilling to accept their fate, and truly believing that the school is their safety net…

A good student is one who can give back to the school; that's what a true academic is all about!
Li Mingyang didn't want to waste any more time; he wanted to use the methods he had learned in his previous life to build an even larger Mingyang.

When Bouquet Entertainment's head studio left the Korean entertainment scene, there weren't many academics.

More than a year has passed, and the production capabilities of top studios have improved, with several good dramas produced.

However... the top studios have gradually become the stronghold of the academic school, and other studios have gradually been taken over by the academic school.

After letting a large number of talented people escape using the "wolf pack" tactic, he deliberately put most people on the same starting line.

The final result...

The academic school quickly regrouped and became the 'backbone' of bouquet entertainment.

Break and then stand!
Li Mingyang deliberately gave the studio time to withdraw people from Bouquet Entertainment, in order to eliminate the academic faction from Bouquet Entertainment.

While flying to Cannes, Li Mingyang was busy dealing with this matter and had no time to pay attention to Kim Tae-ri and Kim Min-hee.

Bouquet Entertainment currently has more than 2300 members.

There are so many misshapen and cracked fruits, and so many abstract masterpieces.

This is perfect for making short dramas!

Many of them have academic backgrounds, some are frustrated in their careers, and others, like Han Jia Nu, have powerful connections; it's unclear who they are.

Cleaning it too thoroughly isn't good either...

There are no direct flights from South Korea to Cannes, France; a transfer in another city is required.

Li Mingyang didn't arrive in Cannes until after 6 a.m. the next day.

Li Meijin personally came to pick them up at the airport, her face beaming with a kind smile.

"President Li, it's really kind of you to make this trip in person," Li Mingyang said.

"It is my honor to personally welcome the director of this year's Palme d'Or. No matter how hard it is, I have to come!" Li Meijin smiled, her face flushed, her excitement overflowing.

Li Mingyang's eyes widened, and he asked with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty, "Is it stable?"

"Let's talk on the bus, haha!"

Perhaps I've been misled too many times in the country.

Next time, next time, next time...

No grains were harvested.

As soon as he sat in the back seat of the Mercedes-Benz van, he couldn't help but get nervous, and his hands were sweating with anxiety.

Wall Street capital is targeting him; he desperately needs a Palme d'Or to save his life!
"Director Li, this year's Palme d'Or is yours! Hurry up and think of your acceptance speech!"

"Won't we be scammed?"

"I've taken care of everything, including the organizers and the judging panel. Everything is perfect. Just wait to go on stage and receive your award."

Li Mingyang rubbed his hands together excitedly, making a rustling sound, his emotions a mixture of excitement, joy, relief, and disappointment, followed by calm.

Li Mingyang's emotions were like a rollercoaster, fluctuating wildly; he was overjoyed.

He was finally able to win the Palme d'Or at Cannes, one of Europe's three most prestigious stages.

At that moment, he felt incredibly refreshed, a joy and elation that came from the depths of his soul.

The Palme d'Or!

Of all the directors from Dongda University who have won the Cannes Best Film award, only one is Kai Zi Ge.

He'll be the second one soon!
With the Palme d'Or, he is Asia's number one director, combining commercial success with artistic merit!
A national hero!
So what if he got the money from a Korean film? It doesn't change the fact that he's a director from Dongdaemun!
During this honeymoon period of Sino-Korean cooperation, this Golden Palm will surely become a milestone in Sino-Korean cultural exchange!

A classic co-produced by China and South Korea!

But... this long-awaited Palme d'Or came too quickly, and Li Mingyang was worried that his joy would turn into sorrow!
“President Li, I don’t want to be a clown… Tell me the truth, I don’t mind if I don’t get it.”

"Haha! My dear Director Li! Why are you suddenly so insecure? Where did your unparalleled, all-conquering confidence go?"

"Hey! I was prepared to fight to the death, to burn my bridges, and then, before I even got there, you tell me I've won! The enemy has surrendered! How am I supposed to accept that?!"

Li Meijin laughed heartily without any regard for her image, laughing so hard she fell onto the car mat.

Li Mingyang reached out to help Li Meijin up, feeling utterly speechless.

After sitting down, Li Meijin paused for a moment, then reached out and grasped Li Mingyang's hands. Like a kind elder, she said earnestly, "Director Li! You can't show weakness in Europe and America. If you do, you'll be attacked by everyone. Bullying the weak and fearing the strong is the norm!"

"clear."

"This Palme d'Or was bought with public relations money, it cost a lot of money... You know CJ is short on funds right now, are you going to cover this cost?"

"No problem!" Li Mingyang said confidently.

Li Mingyang's upper limit for the Palme d'Or is 200 million US dollars. He can borrow that money from the bank after winning the award.

This is a great honor for the country, and the price is really reasonable.

Li Mingyang thought to himself, "After arriving at the InterContinental Carlton Cannes Hotel and settling into my accommodation..."

Enjoy breakfast together on a scenic seaside balcony.

Only then did Li Meijin reveal the price.

A price that infuriated Li Mingyang.

"Are you crazy?! Why should the organizers of Cannes want FBTV's shares, let alone 50%? They don't even deserve it!"

"You disagree with Cannes' 50%, but do you agree with Spielberg's 10%?" Li Meijin seemed to know that Li Mingyang would be angry, took a sip of red tea, and said calmly.

"agree!"

"He wants not only shares, but also cash, a hundred million US dollars. Would you accept?"

Li Mingyang didn't want to play games. He placed his hands on the white dining table and said, word by word, "Get straight to the point. Don't beat around the bush with me. I don't have the patience for that right now. If this is what you call the Palme d'Or, it's ridiculous! I can't accept it."

Li Meijin smiled and recounted her experience of winning the Palme d'Or in recent days.

The so-called 50% at Cannes is just a bluff; if it works out, they can resell it to Wall Street or Hollywood and make a fortune.

Cannes has no interest in operating an expensive streaming service; it's time-consuming, laborious, and thankless.

Cannes prefers to use its influence to make money from the red carpet, service fees, venue fees, hotel and restaurant fees... and even pimping... high-end escorts with clearly marked prices.

In short, do whatever makes money!
The two-week Cannes Film Festival generates hundreds of billions of yuan in tourism revenue, media revenue, trade services, and exhibition income that can be calculated on the surface alone!

Spielberg really wants 10%, plus $1 million!

The specific process involves buying the film rights; he's willing to pay a premium of $100 million to sell the rights to his own movies!
The actual transaction price could be more than one hundred million US dollars.

It was $1.78 million, or $7800 million, which was the original copyright price he negotiated with Netflix.

Hollywood has now formed a coalition to boycott Netflix, so it can no longer sell its services.

The only option is to find another job!
If he agrees to the price, then they will be business partners.

In addition, many companies in Hollywood want to sell the rights. If he is willing to buy them, then he will be one of Hollywood's own.

Hollywood is never stingy with its own people; it's just a Palme d'Or, and this year it's definitely going to be his!

Upon hearing this, Li Mingyang could no longer contain his rage. He picked up the glass of ice and gulped down a large mouthful.

Crunch… Crunch…

While chewing on an ice cube, Li Mingyang said, "Damn it, it's one thing after another. This is basically making me pay money to increase my chances of success!"

Li Meijin smiled and said, "That's right. All three options are 100% certain, whether it's doing business with Cannes or with Hollywood. As for Spielberg, he's only 50% sure."

"How much will it actually cost in Hollywood?"

"Around 10 billion US dollars... This price was what they extorted from Netflix at the time. Netflix was willing to buy, but they refused to sell... the streaming rights to more than 7000 movies and more than 300 TV series."

"Global online broadcasting rights?"

"Only in Asia."

"It's a scam!"

"I've negotiated a four-year term instead of a three-year one. If we dominate Asia sooner, we shouldn't lose too much, and we might even make a profit."

"With Wall Street capital attacking us, we can't break even on our own. If Dongda doesn't buy iQiyi, Youku, and Tencent Video, we'll lose at least half..."

“That’s the situation now. Which one do you choose? Of course, it would be even better if you had a fourth option… but you have to be quick. Hollywood is pressuring Cannes to give you the award, and it takes time,” Li Meijin said with a smile.

Li Mingyang was in a dilemma.

Li Meijin's public relations efforts were very successful, opening up three paths... actually, just two.

Choose 50% of FBTV's shares in Cannes.

Choose a 10% stake in FBTV in Hollywood and a super premium deal worth billions of dollars!
Cannes is the darkest, and the safest.

Hollywood doesn't want many shares, but the transaction amount is huge, and there's a possibility of breaking even.

Will Wall Street agree? Success is difficult, failure is easy!

Will Cannes accept it? There must be a deal between Hollywood and Cannes, but who will pay the price?
It must be him...

Then you'll be in a difficult situation...

(End of this chapter)