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

Chapter 767 Collective Charge, Marching into the Lunar New Year Film Season
"You all say he makes movies fast, but just how fast is he? Faster than those fast-shooting directors in Hong Kong?"

"Hong Kong filmmakers make movies quickly because the industry is only so big, with only so many people. Everyone knows each other well, they cooperate seamlessly, and they have both good horses and good saddles."

Zhang Zhao took a drag of his cigarette and continued, "Li Mingyang's speed is a systematic kind of speed. To be honest, I didn't expect that he could master what I left him back then so quickly and even surpass me."

"As he himself said, he had never worked with film; he went down the digital film route. He made films quickly because of the powerful post-production effects of Pangu."

Wang Dajun pondered for a moment and then said, "You mean he's going to make a special effects blockbuster?"

"It's too late."

Neither of them believed that Li Mingyang's film, The Witch 2, would be the movie that would help him reach 20 billion yuan at the box office.

The female lead and the main actors are Korean, which is a natural disadvantage. The fact that the main actor is a newcomer makes it even more disadvantageous.

It lacks a mass base.

Even the most elaborate gore-filled action movies remain niche films.

To reach 20 billion yuan in box office revenue, we must first compromise with the market and make films that appeal to a wider audience.

“It’s a comedy…” Wang Dajun said.

“There are only so many genres to choose from, and comedy is the quickest and cheapest option, which happens to be his forte,” Zhang Zhao said.
"If only we could get hold of what kind of movies he's making, and even better if we could get the scripts, and make a dozen or so of the same genre. That would not only attract more viewers, but also ruin his film career," Wang Dajun said with a sly smile.

"Why do you have someone with you?"

Zhang Zhao and Lao Jia immediately became very interested!

Wang Dajun chuckled and said, "There's a saying: 'You can guard against a thief day and night, but it's hard to guard against a thief within your own family.' Bouquet has thousands of people; I don't believe that everyone is on his side!"

"Haha! Mr. Wang, you've got a brilliant idea. We'll leave this to you. We'll wait for good news!" Zhang Zhao and Lao Jia raised their glasses in unison, ready to toast Wang Dajun.

Wang Dajun cursed inwardly. He had only suggested the idea, never intending to do it himself. "Well, I still need to deal with Feng Kuzi. Why don't you do it, Mr. Zhang? You definitely know more about the whole story of the bouquet than I do!"

"What are you saying? I certainly don't understand as much as you do."

"Mr. Wang, Li Mingyang hit you! We were just helping out, what, are you scared?" Old Jia put down his wine glass, his expression changed, and he said unhappily.

"Forget it, forget it, let's each do our own thing!"

"Without LeEco, Huayi wants to block Enlight Media? What kind of pipe dream are you having? LeEco is the one that contributed the most." Old Jia slammed his fist on the table and said angrily.

Wang Dajun hesitated for only a second before quickly and shamelessly raising his glass to apologize to Lao Jia and Zhang Zhao, promising to get firsthand information about Li Mingyang's new movie.

"That's more like it! I knew Mr. Wang was someone who considered the big picture. Come on, let's have a drink."

"Then everything depends on President Wang. Remember to be quick. It's a long process from filming to release. Don't let it end up like Li Mingyang's movie is taken off the screen before our movie has even passed censorship."

Wang Dajun was inwardly cursing, but outwardly he smiled and nodded repeatedly in agreement.

……

The worst thing for the film market is not to compete head-to-head, but to use the same creative ideas to create conflict.

A flood of youth romance movies, released in the same period, might seem novel at first, but after a while, the novelty wears off. The same formula is repeated over and over, leading to a sense of apathy and turning the movies into instant flops.

The emerging genre of youth romance films in China eventually became overused due to its homogenized and melodramatic content, leading to a decline in audience interest and a subsequent cessation of production.

However, this theme is still quite profitable and resilient, generating profits for more than five years.

Movies rely on creativity and innovation, and the audience's viewing threshold will continue to rise as they watch more films!
Of course, old-fashioned doesn't mean trashy.

Audiences don't have high expectations for movies; sincerity is what matters.

Overall, Langlang Mountain is just average, but it is made with great sincerity. It breaks away from the main characters of Journey to the West and focuses on ordinary people, which is a very bold attempt!
It's about Journey to the West, but it's actually about the lives of oxen and horses...

Li Mingyang hung up on Zhang Zhao's call.

Upon learning that Huayi Brothers was going to pull a fast one and use the same type of film with the same creative concept to attack his movie.

He couldn't help but sigh, "A mix of truth and deception, Zhang Zhao! Whose side are you really on?"

The alliance between Huayi Brothers and LeEco is invincible; even BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent) have to take a backseat.

After Zuo Shandiao stepped down in his previous life, it directly led to the fragmentation of the country into warlord states.

Enlight Media's ability to compete with Huayi Brothers, the leading entertainment company in China, is precisely due to LeEco.

The two sides can fight to a draw.

Unexpectedly, Huayi Brothers and LeEco have now joined forces...

Huayi is already very powerful, and the alliance between LeEco and Huayi does not conform to the principle of prioritizing profit.

Jia Yueting was the spoiler; the fierce battle between Enlight Media and Huayi Brothers allowed LeEco to emerge as the biggest winner.

Li Mingyang took a minute to think and deduce.

The conclusion is that this is a personal grudge... Old Jia or Zhang Zhao hate him a lot!
According to Hughes' analysis, FBTV has over 3000 million paid subscribers, and the streaming war among the top giants is about to begin in Asia!

FBTV's internal and external wars will also break out simultaneously!

He won't be staying in the country for much longer, and their routes don't overlap.

LeEco knew he was shifting from internal to external operations, yet they still partnered with Huayi Brothers to work with Enlight Media.

If the light source fails...

LeEco is hoping to compete with Huayi Brothers on its reputation!
LeEco didn't bet on a merger between China and South Korea!

Was Zhang Zhao on his side, and came specifically to inform on him?

no no!

This guy is here to corrupt his resolve...

Plant a seed of doubt in him...

Li Mingyang suppressed his various guesses, left the lounge, and came to the Bouquet Street.

The interior filming for Witch 2 has been completed recently, and the exterior filming is currently underway.

Li Mingyang saw Zhang Daniu and Jin Duomei sitting under the rest shed from afar. One was as strong as an ox, while the other was as thin as a rake and looked frail.

One is violent, the other is adorable.

The pairing of the beast and the beauty creates an overwhelming sense of contrast; just standing together is enough to create a visually striking effect!

Liu Shishi's witch is a heavily modified, blind witch.

Although it was a bit... well, Shi Shi played the blind witch pretty well... and the effect was not bad.

The film portrays a stark contrast between the blind woman's vulnerability and the witch's cruelty.

But the feeling of cuteness and evil... isn't enough!
Kim Da-mi is different...

When she squints her eyes, she is an innocent and adorable girl.

When she opens her eyes wide and the corners of her mouth slightly upturn, a cute yet mischievous charm emerges!
The Chosen Witch!

Shi Shi's hard work is just the beginning for Kim Da Mi!
It was worth the nearly two years he spent searching for her!

Filming went very smoothly, and we should be able to wrap up in a few more days.

Then loyalty is maxed out!

100/100!

After the 'rallying ceremony', Li Mingyang delivered a highly persuasive speech, solidifying his loyalty at 79.

Once filming officially began, this loyalty remained unchanged.

Until a few days ago, when he was busy attending the Beijing Film Academy's anniversary celebration and the Battle of the Century, his loyalty suddenly started to rise.

When he returned from Dali, it was already full!

This is the first time my loyalty level has reached its maximum!
When Li Mingyang was filming Witch 2, he didn't even expect this thing to reach its maximum level; he would be lucky if it exceeded 90.

I didn't expect that going out would cause the price to go up to zero!
Loyalty at its peak is not just a number, but a very intuitive feeling!

Before he left, the entire crew of The Witch 2 worked very hard, but they were just going through the motions and lacked energy.

When he returned, the Witch 2 crew had changed dramatically. Everyone was full of energy, and even with panda eyes from staying up all night, you could still see their fighting spirit in their eyes.

There is a light in everyone's eyes!

The last time he saw this kind of light at the company was when Lao Wu was producing the One-Punch Man web movie.

Li Mingyang thought about it for a whole day and night but still couldn't figure it out. Why was this happening?

It wasn't until Kim Da-mi and Jang Daniu were filming an outdoor action scene with multiple people that they suddenly realized what was going on!
Kim Da-mi and Zhang Daniu won over the crew with their performances and action scenes!

This has filled everyone with anticipation and confidence for The Witch 2!
Building confidence!
If everyone unites as one and works together towards a common goal, we'll have the energy to do anything!

How can anyone be motivated to make a terrible movie?

Striving for a masterpiece—just thinking about it gives me so much motivation!
Loyalty is not loyalty to an individual, but loyalty to the film...

If the crew members think they're making garbage, what kind of loyalty is that? It's just a job... not worth wasting any effort on, and putting in even a little more would be a disservice to themselves!
The Witch 2 crew was a mess, but organized within the chaos, with everyone contributing as much as possible to the production of Witch 2.

Some people even dared to approach him and offer suggestions.

This is quite rare... The main reason he valued Fu Xiaolin was because the kid was very brave... and dared to speak his mind.

Moreover... after the filming of the dating reality show "Semi-mature Men and Women" began, Li Mingyang discovered that this kid not only had outstanding command abilities.

And a talent for camera work...

This kid actually copied his sister's camera work and turned a dating reality show into a movie...

Using the camera work of the young lady, the emotional tug-of-war between the male and female leads in the dating reality show is presented in a smooth and cloying way... making Li Mingyang scratch his head in disbelief.

I miraculously finished watching all the material!

This is quite remarkable; he wouldn't have the patience to watch all the footage from ordinary movies.

Fu Xiaolin has not received any systematic training; his films, shot purely on intuition, are more interesting than those shot by 99% of academic filmmakers.

He had a picture in his mind...

If Fu Xiaolin hadn't never acted in a movie or TV series before, this would have been his first time on a variety show.

Li Mingyang really wanted him to make a youth romance movie and put it to the test in the film market!

In mainland China, the system is director-centric, requiring directors to be versatile, especially in film.

Finishing the movie is just the beginning.

Publicity and roadshows are also a very important part.

In mainland China, distribution companies don't have complete control over publicity and distribution; they must communicate with the director and sometimes even listen to the director's decisions. This is particularly evident in Ning Hao's case.

He himself is a marketing master!

The film crew wrapped up work around 8 p.m.

Li Mingyang handed over the finishing touches to the assistant director, hopped on his Emma electric scooter, and headed towards Cyber ​​Flower and Fruit Mountain. When he arrived at the Rose Hall...

No one in the room touched their chopsticks.

"Sorry I'm late. Here, I'll punish myself with a bottle first." Li Mingyang picked up a bottle of Moutai, twisted it open, and poured it directly into his mouth.

"Brother, you're treating wine like water! Don't waste it!" Jiang Wen said with a loud laugh.

"Director Li, that's impressive!" Section Chief Jia, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, stood up and applauded.

One bottle of wine down the drain.

Li Mingyang then sat down, picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of braised pork, and invited everyone to eat.

The others only started eating after they saw Li Mingyang begin to eat.

There were 13 people in the private room. Apart from Han Jianu and Zhang Wei, the rest were all men, all of whom were directors.

The reason why he was supported by cinemas, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, and the notorious bandit leader Zuo Shandiao was that the box office of 10 billion yuan during the Lunar New Year season was that if he couldn't achieve it, it would be too embarrassing, and no one would believe him anymore.

He used his fame to sweep away Hollywood blockbusters and kick off the Lunar New Year film season battle.

Li Mingyang was originally very confident about the total box office of 10 billion yuan.

The box office explosion during the seven-day Spring Festival holiday was like a dragon crossing a river! Its power was overwhelming!

To his surprise, Zhang Wei told him that the Spring Festival film season had already been set, and that the Lunar New Year film season was separate from the Spring Festival film season!

Li Mingyang felt like he'd been struck by lightning!

Actually, there wasn't a Spring Festival film season at the beginning, because cinemas were closed during the Lunar New Year.

First came the Lunar New Year films, which gradually formed the Lunar New Year film season, mainly concentrated in December to February. However, cinemas would still close for a few days during the Spring Festival, as people had not yet developed the habit of watching movies in cinemas during the Spring Festival.

It wasn't until the box office potential of the Spring Festival season gradually became apparent that it separated from the Lunar New Year season and became an independent period.

The turning point for the Spring Festival film season was Stephen Chow.

This year, he chose to release "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" on the first day of the Lunar New Year, which grossed over 17 billion yuan at the box office.

The current box office champion has a very clear lead over other films.

Starting with Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons, the industry began to separate the Spring Festival film season from the Lunar New Year film season.

He wasn't in the country, nor was he personally involved. He knew some things, but he stirred up too many wings, causing a lot of butterfly effects.

He didn't expect the industry to have already decided on the Spring Festival film season so quickly... They didn't even wait for Donnie Yen's "Havoc in Heaven"!
The most exciting film during the 2014 Spring Festival was undoubtedly "Havoc in Heaven".

The novel *Journey to the West* had a profound impact on the film industry at Dongda University.

It was the phenomenal success of Journey to the West and Havoc in the West that truly established the Spring Festival film season...

It's ahead of schedule now.

We won't be able to enjoy the billions in box office revenue from "Havoc in Heaven"... nor will we be able to enjoy the super benefits of the Spring Festival film season!

The difficulty has increased exponentially!

What else can we do but rely on volume!
Da Peng's "Men's Diary", Lao Wu and Guo Fan's "The Left Ear", Xiao Yang and Wang Taili's "The Way of the Dragon", and Fan Binbin and Bai Bin's "Miss Republic of China" are all entering the Lunar New Year film season.

Xiao Yang and Wang Taili are thriving in South Korea; the "Dragon Crossing the River" deal was finalized just last month.

The "Miss Republic of China" project has gotten a bit out of control. Fan Binbin and the "Miss" from the Southeast University version have attracted too much capital, with investors flocking to it...

The investment in this movie has exceeded 3 million yuan.

Where did all that money go? God knows...

In addition to these five films, some new films will also be produced.

So he brought in his older brother Jiang Wen and his senior colleague, Section Chief Jia.

Among so many Hong Kong directors, Li Mingyang ultimately chose Derek Yee, the chairman of the Hong Kong Film Directors Guild, rather than Wong Jing, Benny Chan, To Kei-Fung, Chan Ka-Shang, or Chong Man-Keung.

After looking around, only Director Er can handle things; no one else can!

He doesn't get along with most people in the Hong Kong entertainment circle!
Both Ip Man 3 and The Monkey King: Havoc in Heaven, starring Donnie Yen, are produced by Hong Kong capital.

Ip Man 3 is very transparent; it's just Old Huang.

The story behind the "Havoc in Heaven" is quite complicated, involving Star Shine Entertainment...

Huang Chanchan, the most beautiful campus belle of Wuhan University, is signed with this company.

The company's top female employee is Liang Yongqi.

There are more than a dozen branches in mainland China.

Old Huang and Zhen Zhidan were still arguing. Zhen Zhidan sided with the director and was very firm, saying that they would not film if the director was changed to Ye Weixin.

Xinghao was unwilling to advance the release date of "Havoc in Heaven".

Lu Yang's Embroidered Spring Blade was too late, and the script wasn't even finalized yet, but Li Mingyang still called him over to broaden his horizons.

Xiao Ye and Ah Huo were also there; they were in charge of your name.

This movie is Li Mingyang's trump card!

Within Asia, the animated film Your Name is a blockbuster hit with a nationwide audience!

However... aiming for 2 billion in box office revenue, the animated film "Your Name" seems unreliable no matter how you look at it.

I still want a live-action movie.

The animation market at Tokyo University isn't very big...

After the meal, everyone else left, but Jiang Wen, Section Chief Jia, and Director Er stayed behind.

The four discussed a new movie.

“Director Li, I’m very grateful for your kind invitation… I’m not very good at making commercial films, but don’t worry, I have a new movie ready, it’s called Mountain May Depart!” Jia Zhangke said excitedly as he took out a script from his bag.

"Director Li, I'm currently filming a new movie. It's about the drifters in Hengdian World Studios, and I think it's very meaningful." Derek Yee also took out a script from his black briefcase.

"Brother, I heard you bought the copyright to the love letter! That bastard is holding onto it and planning to live off it for the rest of his life. How did you get your hands on it? You're fucking awesome!" Jiang Wen came empty-handed and set his sights on the love letter in Li Mingyang's hand.

There's no need to praise the love letters anymore.

This is the big-screen debut of Shunji Iwai, a master of Japanese youth films.

When "Love Letter" was released, it caused a sensation in Japan and even throughout Asia. It is a classic among classics and a defining work of Asian youth romance films!
Looking at the world, when listing benchmarks for pure love films, "Love Letter" is the benchmark, and no one can ignore it.

"Who are you planning to cast as the female lead?"

"Xu Qing! What do you think? Not bad, right?"

"Damn it! Xu Qing is so slutty, are you sick in the head?!"

"I think she's great! A woman in her forties, yet she's in her prime at thirty!"

"You're using Xu Qing? You might as well let my wife play the role." Section Chief Jia was trying to get his wife a chance.

"Tao's acting is good, but she's not pretty enough! When I choose a female lead, the first requirement is that she's pretty, the second requirement is that she's pretty, and the third requirement is that she's pretty!" Jiang said with certainty.

"Heh." Section Chief Jia lit a cigarette for himself, gave Jiang Wen a disdainful look, and said, "The female lead is pretty and easy to sleep with, right?"

"Bullshit!" Jiang Wen roared.

"You're the one who's talking nonsense!" Section Chief Jia retorted.

Many directors in the domestic film and television industry are afraid of Jiang Wen, but Director Jia is a rare exception; he is not afraid of him.

Section Chief Jia is a playboy, but he frequents brothels.

The production crew never engages in those unspoken rules. I wouldn't dare, my wife's here!

Jiang Wen is a senior figure in the industry, from Liu Xiaoqing to Ning Jing, Qu Ying, and his sister-in-law... This is all public knowledge.

"Alright, stop arguing. You're both grown men," Li Mingyang said coldly.

Li Mingyang's words worked very well; Jiang Wen and Section Chief Jia immediately stopped arguing. One was promoting his script, and the other wanted the copyright to "Love Letter."

Li Mingyang ignored the two of them and picked up Er Dongshen's script. Although it was called a script, it was actually just a compilation of content and did not have a coherent main storyline.

This film is one of Ernest Heilongjiang's representative works, "I Am Somebody".

Filming for this movie started in March of this year.

Filming is still ongoing...

The investor is Bernard.

I'm just a passerby. Li Mingyang really likes this movie. The celebrity cameos as supporting actors are really awesome!

The male lead is Wan Guopeng... who became known to audiences because of this movie.

Among the grassroots extras in Hengdian, he has made a name for himself. Although he is far behind Bao Bao, he is still a well-known and irreplaceable grassroots celebrity.

Li Mingyang and Er Dong had a long chat. Great directors are all quite talkative. Er Dong took a deep breath and talked for more than an hour.

If Li Mingyang hadn't stopped him while he was drinking water and expressed his willingness to invest, he would have continued talking.

"As for this investment, Da Donggua and I are old friends. He will definitely welcome my investment. But how long do you need to film? I need the film for the Lunar New Year season."

"Almost done, almost done, I've almost finished filming."

Li Mingyang rolled his eyes, while Jia Zhangke looked up at Director Er with a half-smile.

Jiang Wen laughed out loud, "Director Er, what do you mean by 'quickly'? We're all in the same industry, so stop with the perfunctory words. Bring over the filming materials. Director Li, we don't have time to wait for you."

"It's almost done! If you don't believe me, I'll go get the footage right now!" Er Dongshen adjusted his glasses, stood up, and smoothed out the wrinkles in his suit jacket.

"Fine! As long as it's in time for the Lunar New Year holiday, I don't care how much money it costs. I have hundreds of billions in debt, I don't need your little bit of money."

"Director Li is such a straightforward person, I'll go right now, you have to wait for me!" Er Dongshen was afraid that Li Mingyang would go back on his word! Because this film didn't seem like it could make money at all.

But Li Mingyang is rich!
Can an ordinary person shoulder a debt of tens of billions?!
As Er Dongshen walked towards the door, he kept turning back to say he would wait for him. The distance of a dozen meters took him more than a minute to walk. He even ran back halfway and punched Jiang Wen on the shoulder.

Jiang Wen said his movie started filming in March, but it hadn't wrapped up by the end of October, so there must be a problem.

(End of this chapter)