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

Chapter 757 Embroidered Spring Blade
Yang Mi was in a very arrogant and domineering manner.

The sight made everyone in the room lower their heads.

Even Zhang Daniu couldn't stand it anymore.

Director Li is too weak. If it were him, he would have slapped him across the face and kicked him a few times, and he would have been obedient from then on.

"Well... we were talking about Witch 2, why are you talking about your own things?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Mi realized she had been too excited and forgotten her best friend. She turned around, hugged Shishi, and said, "It's all the same thing. You always give the best resources to others and never think about your own people. We are shareholders of Bouquet."

Shishi pursed her lips, wanting to say something, but didn't.

Li Mingyang hadn't really figured out what to do either.

Both actresses have plenty of acting opportunities, with Yang Mi filming several dramas simultaneously and also frequently performing at commercial events.

Shishi is juggling endorsements and filming non-stop.

Those resources weren't bad at all... Liu Shishi's Invincible Detective, just by looking at the production process, who would have thought it would end up being ruined by massage...

Mimi is about to start filming "The Breakup Guru".

To be fair, Breakup Guru is a very good lowbrow comedy film, and it is Deng Chao's most representative work!

The Douban rating is below six points...

But it's really good.

None of Deng Chao's subsequent comedy films have surpassed this one!
Maybe it was the first time he'd ever let loose like that, unleashing his true nature! There were so many memorable moments!

Who would have thought that such a handsome face could be so funny!

Also... Mimi has an exceptionally high level of ambition!

Guo Jingming asked Yang Mi to film "Tiny Times" for LeEco more than once, but she just ignored him.

Zhang Zhao and Xiao Si paid a visit. Xiao Si practically knelt down, saying "okay" but then throwing the script in the trash.

And just like that, Mimi's masterpiece, Tiny Times, was gone...

When Li Mingyang found out, Tiny Times had already started filming, but there was still hope. When Guo Jingming heard that Yang Mi was willing to come, he immediately fired Yang Zishan, who was playing Lin Xiao!
In his heart, Yang Mi was the chosen one, Lin Xiao...

After much persuasion from Li Mingyang, Yang Mi finally went.

In less than a day, he fired Xiao Si!
I find Xiao Si too slow and a waste of time...

Xiao Si had no choice but to call Yang Zishan over again.

Then, when the film was being promoted, he barely smiled. Only when the box office exceeded 500 million did he start to smile.

He's really upset that Yang Mi didn't play Lin Xiao!
Actually, Yang Mi still has the opportunity to film Tiny Times. As long as she's willing to film it, Guo Jingming won't care if she acts like a diva and will still treat her like royalty...

After all, Xiao Si isn't a big star anymore...

Overall, Mimi and Shishi have quite a lot of resources... There are only a few popular actresses in the Chinese entertainment industry, and all the good resources are concentrated on them.

While listening to Mimi's endless rambling, Li Mingyang was thinking about how to fool the two girls.

I'm used to it. Honey's little mouth is like a machine gun, whether she's talking or slurping.

Just as Li Mingyang came up with a good idea, Lao Wu arrived.

As soon as he came in, he inexplicably said, "Director Li, what's the rush? Why do you insist I come back immediately? Can't we wait until I get back tonight? I'm still filming over there."

"When did I ask you to come back?!" Li Mingyang said speechlessly.

"I called it!"

The instigator, Mimi, jumped out!
"Old Wu, how's filming for Train to Busan going? How long until it wraps up?" Yang Mi asked with a smile while massaging Li Mingyang.

Old Wu was, after all, the second-in-command, and he started to have doubts, feeling that Yang Mi and he were incompatible according to their birth charts.

In fact, Mysterious Island was his first film as the director. Who knew that Yang Mi would cause trouble as soon as she joined the crew, throwing tantrums, faking a fever and refusing to film...

Da Peng and he wanted to dump her right then and there; she was so uncooperative!

Yang Mi.

He never wants to work with them again in his life!

"We're almost done filming," Old Wu said with a smile.

"Nonsense! You've only filmed half of your project, how could you say it's finished!"

Old Wu didn't say anything, sat down in a chair, looked at Li Mingyang, and his meaning was clear: I'll listen to you.

Li Mingyang touched his nose. Mimi was getting impatient. Seeing Guo Fan and Lao Wu take off, she wanted to join their movie.

Well... it's not impossible.

The premise is that Guo Fan and Lao Wu are willing.

However, judging from their expressions, neither of them wanted to work with Mimi.

The filming cost for "July and An Sheng" was over four million yuan, of which Zhang Ruoyun reimbursed two million yuan, leaving an actual filming cost of over two million yuan.

Total box office: 4.9 million.

Bouquet was responsible for production, Enlight Media was responsible for distribution, and they received 43% of the box office revenue, totaling 2.107 million.

The publicity and marketing expenses were basically all poured into ticket subsidies, amounting to about 100 million yuan, of which more than 60 million yuan came from funds left by Jing Tian.

The company only raised less than 40 million.

That is, the total cost of the bouquet and lighting was over 4200 million yuan, and after deducting the cost, the profit was close to 1.7 million yuan.

Even though Wanda later felt it had suffered a loss, Li Mingyang said he would repay the money in 24 installments of 60 million yuan.

It also had a net profit of over 100 million.

"Soulmate" wasn't the highest-grossing domestic film of this summer's box office; "Special Identity," "Tiny Times," "Coming Home," "Blind Detective," and "No Man's Land" all made a killing...

But it is the most unique film in this summer's movie season. Other movies rely on big stars, Tiny Times relies on big IP, but it relies on Guo Fan and Lao Wu's amazing operation!

It has little to do with the actors... Xiao Yang was quite commendable, but he had too few scenes.

Zhang Ruoyun, Tang Yixin, and Li Xin were all heavily criticized by netizens; without comparison, there would be no harm.

These three pairs are Yoona, Seohyun, and Lee Kwang-soo!
The actors shouldn't be criticized so harshly; since the script was plagiarized, the credit naturally fell to Guo Fan and Lao Wu. The two were very decisive, directly spending money to buy trending topics for themselves, using the box office success of the Chinese-Korean remake to boast about themselves.

The response was excellent; both audiences and the media acknowledged that July was a superb remake.

Li Mingyang then introduced the concept of a Chinese-Korean twin version.

One script, filmed in both Chinese and Korean styles.

Overturning the concept of remakes, "Goodbye" and "July" were pushed into a new model of Sino-Korean co-production.

Before long, the official team acknowledged the existence of the Chinese and Korean twin versions and pledged to promote, develop, and cooperate on them vigorously!

Guo Degang and Wu Changshuo became famous overnight because of this. With their melodramatic youth dramas, they, like Yanzi, got on the table and became the most sought-after directors in the industry!
The project "July and Ansheng" went through many twists and turns, including various suspensions, script revisions, reshoots, cast changes, and more reshoots... The final result was beyond Li Mingyang's expectations.

This also exceeded the expectations of countless people!
The success of July and An Sheng is inseparable from the two's brilliant moves, which have brought them to the forefront!

"Mimi, wait a minute, let's talk about Witch 2 first."

After much deliberation, Li Mingyang decided to address Shishi's issue first, as Mimi wasn't in a hurry.

When Mimi heard Li Mingyang's inhumane words, she exploded. It was only because there were more people around that she definitely would have bitten someone!

"Shishi, I know you really want to make Witch 2, but I don't have any ideas for making a sequel... Witch 2 is actually a remake of Witch 1, similar to the Chinese and Korean twin versions of July and Goodbye. So Witch 2 is a Korean film, and I specifically chose a newcomer for the female lead. It's a low-budget film, aiming for big results with small investment."

Liu Shishi listened quietly, nodding as she spoke. As soon as Li Mingyang finished, she immediately asked, "So... will there be a Witch 3?"

“There shouldn’t be any more. The boss wants to terminate the Witch project,” Li Xiucheng interjected.

"Really?" Liu Shishi asked.

"Pretty much. The Witch 2 project is a bit of a waste of time. If it weren't for contractual issues, I wouldn't even want to release Witch 2 in theaters."

"Um...but it's very important to me..."

Liu Shishi has many representative works, but the only one that truly made her stand out in the film industry is "The Witch"!
This movie didn't do well at the domestic box office, but it was a phenomenal action blockbuster in South Korea!

The Korean outbreak, internal approval, a classic example of external influence.

"The Witch didn't do well at the domestic box office, so it would be too difficult to get a sequel approved..."

"The Witch's overseas box office is good, and the total box office is very high."

She's become addicted to playing blind women...

Indeed, this track queen is a champion...

But the Korean versions of The Witch 1 and The Witch 2 were actually based on the same script and were filmed in two different versions.

To create a series, he needs to create original content.

Just as Li Mingyang was about to try to fool him and get away with it.

There was a knock on the door. Zhao Wenzhuo had arrived!

Zhang Wei, Lu Yang, and his father also came along.

Lu Yang is an incredibly powerful second-generation rich kid. His father, Lu Haibo, is the director and professor of the Television Department at the Central Academy of Drama, and a member of the film censorship committee.

My father was a student at the Central Academy of Drama, but he himself was a student in the directing department of the Beijing Film Academy.

Li Mingyang was somewhat puzzled by Zhao Wenzhuo and his group's arrival.

It wasn't until Zhang Wei briefly mentioned it that Li Mingyang remembered he had promised Zhao Wenzhuo a big-budget film to be released at the same time as Zhen Zhidan's film, giving them a chance to compete...

The budget is 200 million! Zhao Wenzhuo is the producer and he's in charge of setting up the stage.

Then... the script for "Brotherhood of Blades" appeared on Li Mingyang's desk!
Brotherhood of Blades: The last hurrah of Chinese-language martial arts films!
If he hadn't climbed so fast, he was prepared to film this movie himself.

However, seeing the date on the final script, it was written 10 years ago... so there's basically no chance of it being filmed.

Li Mingyang chatted with Zhao Wenzhuo, Lu Yang, and Zhang Wei for more than half an hour and roughly understood the ins and outs of the Embroidered Spring Blade!
Lu Yang finished writing the script 10 years ago and spent more than two years looking for investment, but no one was willing to invest because martial arts films had long since declined and were a niche genre...

Finally, his father swallowed his pride and went to the bandit leader Zuo Shandiao to help his son.

Therefore, the Brotherhood of Blades project belongs to China Film Group.

Because of the "Battle of the Century," Zhao Wenzhuo became incredibly popular again. Lu Yang then approached Zhao Wenzhuo for a collaboration, and Zhao Wenzhuo, seeing that the script was good and that he was looking for projects, immediately agreed.

However, Zhao Wenzhuo had one condition: he had to invest.

Lu Yang agreed without much thought.

Then the funny thing happened: Zhao Wenzhuo said he had a budget of 200 million yuan, which shocked Lu Yang so much that his eyes practically popped out of their sockets.

Upon inquiry, it was learned that Li Mingyang had promised to give it to them.

Lu Yang immediately decided he didn't want to associate with China Film Group anymore, so he went home and discussed it with his father. Although his father disapproved of Li Mingyang and Wang Changtian's character...

But in the film industry, both of them are evil dragons.

What a master of marketing! And it involved an investment of 200 million!

So his father went to China Film Group and used his connections to get the 30 million yuan investment back, and then worked with Zhao Wenzhuo.

After discussing for several days and settling all the details, Zhao Wenzhuo excitedly led the Lu family father and son to Zhang Wei, who was on a business trip in Yanbei.

Before leaving, Lu Yang threw away the original male lead, Zhang Zhen.

Ever since Zhang Wei set her sights on becoming a producer, she has been looking for projects, but she doesn't like the small ones and the big ones don't like her.

She couldn't really tell whether the Embroidered Spring Blade project was good or bad, but Old Man Lu Yang was very capable and directly solved the biggest censorship problem.

Funding is not an issue.

Actors are not a problem either. Both Lu Yang's father and Zhao Wenzhuo have powerful connections and can bring in a lot of people.

After Zhang Wei used the most common formula in the film industry to determine that the Brotherhood of Blades project was a very good project, she made a request that put the three of them in a difficult position.

That means she wants to be the producer, and everyone has to listen to her!
Zhao Wenzhuo immediately changed his expression and disagreed.

Lu Yang was more tactful and didn't object on the spot, but instead asked Zhang Wei what she could offer.

Zhang Wei said she could increase the budget.

Faced with tangible benefits, the shrewd Mr. Lu was the quickest to compromise.

With Mr. Lu taking the lead, Lu Yang and Zhao Wenzhuo, though unhappy, still nodded in agreement.

But Zhang Wei disagreed again; she wanted the three of them to persuade Li Mingyang to increase the budget.

She will only become the producer if Li Mingyang agrees to increase the budget.

So the three of them, who had been lifted up, followed Zhang Wei to Hengdian and arrived at Li Mingyang's office.

"The script is good, and I agree to the additional budget. However, we need to sign a performance-based agreement. Don't worry, my performance-based agreements are very fair. I'm the fairest person in the Chinese entertainment industry."

"..."*N
Li Mingyang, shameless and ignoring all the questioning looks, continued, "This bet guarantees that I won't lose money. For example, I'll give you 200 million, and you have to reach 600 million in box office revenue to ensure that I won't lose money. If the box office revenue is less than 600 million, you'll make up for any amount of the losses you incur."

Those in the office who understood the rules of the film industry were all shocked. This bet was truly generous to the capital; it was a sure thing!

But it's anything but kind to the creators!

“No problem,” Zhang Wei said.

“This Sister Zhang doesn’t represent us. I need to go back and think about it,” Lu Yang said.

“I’ll have to think about it too,” Zhao Wenzhuo said.

Their idea was simple: two hundred million!

If you're afraid of the eggs being smashed, you'll go bankrupt!

Even if a contract is to be signed, the responsibilities must be clearly defined, including who pays how much and who pays. All of this must be clearly written down in black and white beforehand!

“Director Li’s concerns are valid. This is my son’s first time directing a martial arts film, but I have a lot of confidence in Xiao Yang. We’ve signed this bet!” said Mr. Lu.

Lu Yang was stunned! Zhao Wenzhuo was stunned! Yang Mi was stunned! Liu Shishi was stunned! Li Xiucheng was stunned!

Li Mingyang gave Lu's father a deep look. "Professor Lu, I don't care who you are. If you lose the bet, you have to pay up. I'm not afraid to make a big deal out of it."

"Of course, I know Director Li's personality all too well." Mr. Lu took a puff of his fine cigar and smiled, "Given how much Director Li dislikes us, his willingness to take this bet with us shows my trust in my son... A bet is a bet, let's sign it now, in black and white!"

"Dad...should we go back and discuss it again?" Lu Yang backed down.

"What's there to discuss? With your level of ability, I had to pull strings to get you the award. Where are you going to find 200 million in investment?" Mr. Lu said, exasperated.

"..."

Seeing that Li Mingyang didn't move, Mr. Lu became very anxious and was about to urge him when a piece of paper floated down in front of him.

Upon closer inspection, Mr. Lu realized it was a simple betting contract with Zhang Wei's signature on it.

"Manager Zhang's handwriting is beautiful; you can tell he's practiced," Mr. Lu praised, patting his son on the shoulder. "Son! Sign it quickly!"

Lu Yang was speechless. This was like selling his son.

But just like my dad said, where is he going to find 200 million in investment? It's simply not his turn!
Anyway, if we lose the bet in the end, Dad will pay for it...

With this in mind, Lu Yang understood and quickly signed the document.

Lu Yang signed, Zhang Wei signed, and now only Zhao Wenzhuo is left.

Zhao Wenzhuo didn't want to sign, and said with a smile, "I'm just an actor. I'll listen to the producer and director."

"Okay, I agree with what you said. You don't need to sign this." Li Mingyang waved his hand, glanced at the simplified contract for the betting, then picked up the phone and called his lawyer.

We're preparing to draft a formal contract.

When the lawyer arrived, Li Mingyang, holding the script for "Embroidered Spring Blade," gave instructions to Lu Yang and Zhang Wei.

Is there a problem with casting Yang Mi as Zhou Miaotong, the female lead in "Brotherhood of Blades"?

"No problem, absolutely no problem!" Lu Yang exclaimed.

If Lu Yang were to approach Mimi, Mimi might not openly refuse out of respect for her father, but she certainly wouldn't pretend.

Despite the budget of 200 million yuan and the fact that Zhao Wenzhuo was the lead actor, Yang Mi was still willing to participate and stood up with a smile, agreeing to take on the role in "Brotherhood of Blades".

Lu Yang smiled happily. Mimi is one of the four little actresses, with huge popularity. Many directors have tried to get her to star in movies, but none of them have succeeded.

Looking at Lu Yang, who was smiling happily, Li Mingyang silently prayed for him. Mimi had many bad habits while making movies... She was very busy.

In his past life, Lu Yang asked Mi Mi to film "Brotherhood of Blades II," while Mi Mi was filming "Eternal Love" at the time.

As a director, Lu Yang rarely sees Mimi. When he does manage to see her, he tries his best to explain the scenes to her, without expecting her to understand them on her own...

After the release of Brotherhood of Blades 2, Yang Mi gave an interview.

When asked by a reporter if she had done any pre-production preparation for the role, she simply replied, "No."

The reason given was being busy...

She is indeed busy...

There's only so much data available, and everyone's incredibly busy.

Behind them are several interest groups, numbering in the thousands, who rely on them to make money and for their livelihood.

“Xiao Lu, my advice for making films is to minimize production costs and invest all the money in ticket subsidies. For example, if I give you 200 million, you can’t use 200 million to make a movie. Instead, use 20 million or 30 million. The money saved can be used for publicity and to buy ticket subsidies.”

"Judging by the time, when your 'Brotherhood of Blades' is released, the subsidies from ticket platforms will probably be drastically cut. They're already cutting them now, from double subsidies to investors and platforms splitting the cost equally. By the time your movie is released, I estimate the platforms will only contribute a maximum of 50%."

"You know the power of ticket subsidies. Most of the high box office in China is achieved through ticket subsidies, so reducing production costs and investing the money in ticket subsidies is the best strategy."

"I'm telling you to cut costs not to make bad movies, but to work harder, with a do-or-die attitude, and make a good film!"

"We all know where the film's production costs went. Don't even think about embezzling my money. I'll announce the production cost to the public as 200 million. You'd better watch out."

Lu Yang is much older than Li Mingyang, ten years older!

He was not unhappy at being addressed as "Xiao Lu"; on the contrary, he was flattered. He nodded whenever Li Mingyang said something.

This kind of director is very suitable for the future entertainment industry.

He has a powerful father and knows how to please those in power.

Let's not cause trouble... let the movies speak for themselves.

Although this guy idolizes Japanese culture at heart and his movies heavily borrow from it, he's not biased.

The story of Embroidered Spring Blade was inspired by Japanese writer Ryotaro Shiba's novel, "Okita Souji's Love".

The original work mainly focused on the ordinary emotions of marginalized people, but he elevated this to the resistance of marginalized warriors against the control of fate.

As for *The Assassination of a Novelist*, it's packed with anime and manga references, even including *Parasyte*...

To be honest, Li Mingyang didn't understand Lu Sang. He also had a powerful father, so why was he so biased?

We're not in the same circle, so I don't understand these people's mentality.

These people can bypass censorship and get inside information in advance.

Capital will naturally offer some benefits.

In reality, capital doesn't favor this industry... but there's nothing that can be done about it.

Thinking about what the future of the Chinese entertainment industry will look like, Li Mingyang suddenly missed Zuo Shandiao. At least he could truly unify everyone's thoughts and work together to accelerate Dongda Film to the point where it could compete with Hollywood.

Hollywood's universal values ​​and messianic narrative are too powerful!

What is the messianic narrative?
Personal heroism!

Marvel movies are the ultimate messianic narrative, unparalleled!
Use magic to defeat magic!
Isn't Zuo Shandiao (a famous bandit leader) a kind of magic in itself, resisting the magic of Hollywood?
Thinking of this, Li Mingyang's mood suddenly turned sour. "Xiao Lu, you need to use your imagination. The script for 'Brotherhood of Blades' is the best one I've read this year. I really like it... Keep it up and try to create a 'Brotherhood of Blades' series. I hope we can continue to work together."

Lu Yang was flattered and moved to tears. He never expected that the person who understood him best and was the greatest benefactor in his life would be Li Houzi, the biggest traitor in the entertainment industry.

If he had known that Director Li appreciated him so much and was so easy to get along with, he should have listened to Director Tian and had a drink and a chat with Director Li after the Golden Rooster Awards ceremony!
We took two extra years of detours!
Lu Yang excitedly grasped Li Mingyang's hands, "My greatest misfortune in this life is not having met Director Li sooner, and my greatest fortune is gaining Director Li's appreciation today. I, Lu Yang, will certainly live up to Director Li's trust, otherwise I would be unworthy of being a son!"

"You're exaggerating. Your dad's right here, haha!"

Mr. Lu smiled without saying a word. His son had grown up. He spoke very well. A wise man knows when to yield.

However, seeing Li Mingyang, who is already a promising young man, Mr. Lu felt that his son still had a long way to go.

……

(End of this chapter)