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

Chapter 768 The Weaknesses of Human Nature, A Bet Against the Three Great Directors
"Brother, is there really a problem with Derek Yee's movie?" Li Mingyang asked.

"I was just kidding, trying to fool him." Jiang Wen picked up the large teacup, took a sip of tea, and continued, "Director Er is a famous director in Hong Kong. If you invest in him, you don't have to worry about him running away. But he is very ambitious and concerned about his reputation. He won't release films casually."

"Now that I've invested, it's not up to him to decide. I say when to launch, and that's when we launch!"

Jiang Wen waved his hand, "If it's not filmed well, how can you go on? I've heard of this movie; it's about extras in Hengdian World Studios. He himself has never been an extra in Hengdian. What kind of information can he get by asking around? It's highly likely to be a disaster!"

"There's a saying, 'It comes from the heart.' His initial intention was very meaningful, but he has no experience living in mainland China. Haha, are the people he selected still considered 'Hengdian drifters'? That's a big question!" said Section Chief Jia.

"Let's not talk about him for now, let's wait until we've seen the materials before discussing it."

Li Mingyang lowered his head and lit a cigarette, then straightened up, leaned back, and his eyes roamed between Jiang Wen and Section Chief Jia before finally looking at Section Chief Jia.

“Senior, stop criticizing others. You have a lot of problems yourself. You’re so unsophisticated, always making movies about social conflicts. Audiences don’t like that kind of film,” Li Mingyang said.

"But this is all I know how to film! And I'm fast at filming this! I can finish 'Mountains May Depart' in a month!"

Jia Zhangke's filming speed and cost control are absolutely amazing!

He said he would never waste a single penny of the investors' money... This is what he said himself, and Li Mingyang didn't believe it!

How much investment do you need?

“Twenty million will do. We’re brothers, would I cheat you? Takeshi Kitano has already invested ten million. I plan to use that ten million to bid and use the twenty million for ticket subsidies.” Jia Zhangke grinned.

Li Mingyang immediately laughed, "Senior brother, you've finally figured it out! I was originally going to advise you to put down your damn rural expressionist tendencies and compromise with the market."

"Hey! My big honors are enough in the domestic market. There aren't many who can surpass me. Box office is the only thing that matters. I also want to make a living in financial films! These days, any Tom, Dick, or Harry can rake in hundreds of millions at the box office! The cost is only tens of millions, they make a killing, plus stock returns, they make even more. I'm an internationally renowned director, I have to make a living in this industry, otherwise, there will be a knot in my heart that I can't untie!"

Jia Zhangke became more and more excited as he spoke, wishing he could rush into the Lunar New Year film season right now to prove himself.

“I understand, I understand,” Li Mingyang said.

“Junior brother, you don’t understand.” Jia Zhangke sighed. “You became famous at a young age and became a legend overnight. When I was your age, I was still playing in the mud. You don’t understand my suffering!”

“If you’re into ceramics, then go for ceramics. What’s with all this talk about mud? It’s so tacky.” Jiang Wen took a couple of puffs of his cigar and rubbed his buzz cut. “Brother, don’t listen to all that he says. It all boils down to one thing: he’s short of money.”

"You talk as if you're not short of money."

"I'm richer than you!"

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Li Mingyang coughed heavily twice and said, "It's normal to want to make money. It's all about making money. It doesn't matter who you give it to, so why shouldn't I get it, right?"

Jia Zhangke and Jiang Wen burst into laughter simultaneously.

"I don't care what you do, I need box office revenue. I'll give you money, and you have to give me box office revenue. Even brothers should keep clear accounts. We need to sign a performance-based agreement."

"A performance-based agreement? What kind of performance-based agreement?" Jia Zhangke is no stranger to performance-based agreements. In the early days of his films, when he went overseas, all the big directors had performance-based agreements.

Li Mingyang revealed the inside story of the bet on the film, which involved a 1:30 conversion ratio between cost and box office revenue.

Jia Zhangke and Jiang Wen were completely stunned.

"Holy crap, one to thirty, why don't you just rob someone?!" Jia Zhangke exclaimed.

"I have elderly parents to care for and young children to raise, so let's forget about this," Jiang Wen said.

"If you don't meet the requirements, we won't make you pay compensation."

Upon hearing this, the two immediately beamed with joy and asked, "What if we lose?"

“I’m not one of those capitalists. We’re on the same side. If we lose, we lose. If we win, I’ll give you 20% of the box office revenue.” Li Mingyang gave a thumbs-up.

Jia Zhangke was overjoyed, while Jiang Wen frowned deeply.

People's needs change when they reach a certain position.

Jiang Wen is also a director with a box office of over 1 billion yuan. In China, there are now many directors with a box office of over 100 million yuan, but the value of a director with a box office of over 1 billion yuan is still very high.

Even later, directors with a billion-dollar box office were still highly sought after.

He definitely invests in and takes a share when he makes movies, and 20% is not much for him.

Jia Zhangke never uses his own money to make movies... A 20% box office revenue share is extremely rare in China.

For "Lost in Thailand," Xu Zheng only received a 10% share of the box office revenue.

As for Stephen Chow's side... the excess share was all verbal agreement.

Compared to its predecessor, Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons has a higher production value! It's expected to gross over 1.7 billion.

According to the over-amount agreement, Huayi Brothers should give Stephen Chow more than 100 million yuan!

The two parties are currently in litigation, and there is no way that Stephen Chow can get the money.

Without even a recording, how can you expect to win with your face?

The cheapest brother has a big appetite, and he is also a key player in the Lunar New Year film season.

“This phone contains the content of our conversation just now. Senior, take this recording and go find Zhang Wei to sign the contract. We’ll discuss the specific details tomorrow.” Li Mingyang picked up the new phone from the coffee table and handed it to Jia Zhangke.

Jia Zhangke took the phone and gave a thumbs up, "My junior is so straightforward! Collaborating with him is the only way forward for filmmakers from Southeast University!"

"It's a pity I'm leaving next year, haha!"

"Stay! You have the Palme d'Or, who would dare kick you out!"

"Last time it was passive, this time... it was my own initiative, my business is overseas."

"Go sign the contract quickly, don't waste my time," Jiang Wen said impatiently.

Jia Zhangke stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, took his new phone, and left. As he went out, he glanced back at one of the rooms.

Then Jiang Wen waved his arms, exuding confidence and swagger, and started his pretentious and deceptive mode.

Li Mingyang sat there, unmoved as a mountain.

These two brothers are both extremely shrewd and cunning individuals, and both are directors in mainland China with films grossing over a billion yuan.

Jia Zhangke was very curious about how Li Mingyang would persuade Jiang Wen.

Unfortunately, Li Mingyang didn't give him a chance to sit in on the conversation.

……

On October 30th, filming for Witch 2 wrapped up, and the series entered post-production.

Li Mingyang prepared red envelopes for the lead actors and every staff member. Some received as much as 1,000 yuan, while others received as little as 100 yuan. He gave out 100,000 yuan in red envelopes alone.

There are too many people... The entire crew has over 500 people.

After filming wrapped, Zhang Daniu, Jin Duomei, and a group of Korean actors returned to South Korea.

The promotion for Witch 2 can start now, with Zhang Daniu and Jin Duomei as the main force for the roadshow.

Li Meijin is superstitious, prays to gods and Buddhas, and wants to have everything calculated.

Li Mingyang didn't believe in that.

Once the later stages of Witch 2 are completed, they will be immediately submitted to the committee for rating. After the rating is determined, the game will be released directly.

It has a complete top-down film industry chain and is free from various censorship measures.

The process from filming to screening a movie is very fast.

Two weeks for filming, one week for post-production, one week for rating, and it can be released in a month at the fastest!

The post-production of Witch 2 took two months, so now is the perfect time to start promoting it.

Appearing on Running Man, various variety shows, and talk shows, the timing is just right.

Li Mingyang handed all of these responsibilities over to Li Xiucheng.

With the arrangements for Witch 2 complete, Li Mingyang went to the China World Trade Center to continue his conversation with Jiang Wen.

The two failed to reach an agreement a couple of days ago.

It wasn't that Jiang Wen was unwilling, but rather that he didn't want to give a love letter.

Li Mingyang and Jiang Wen have completely different backgrounds and circumstances!
Jiang Wen is a typical child of a privileged family!

He has red blood flowing through his veins, is a typical bigwig in the Beijing entertainment circle, and also has close ties with the Hong Kong entertainment circle and Japan.

Top-notch artistic achievements, top-notch box office returns.

Whether acting or directing, he is a top figure in China!

The resources that Zuo Shandiao (a notorious bandit leader) showered upon him were considerable.

They can all make a fool of Lu Sang...

A classic example of "Hello, I'm happy, everyone's happy".

Li Mingyang, however, was not accepted by the circle.

Jiang Wen's reason for wanting a love letter is simple: he wants box office success, critical acclaim, and awards!

In his vision, he would use the framework of love letters to create a Republican-era version of love letters.

This idea is absolutely brilliant!
The exploration of life and death in love letters can also be applied.

Li Mingyang plans to follow the original Love Letter formula and make a youth romance film.

From the very beginning, Jiang Wen was far superior to Li Mingyang...

Once the love letter was given to Jiang Wen, it basically had nothing to do with him anymore, and Mimi's love letter was gone too.

Moreover, there will be copyright issues later on. Shunji Iwai didn't authorize any unauthorized changes; he needs his approval before the film can be released.

In his past life, Shunji Iwai first created a love letter substitute, Hello, Hua.

The film was released in mainland China with domestic actors, and only after that did the rights to "Love Letter" be sold to the Chinese side.

Chen Yi-han plays the female lead.

However, for various reasons, the film was never produced.

Shunji Iwai, that little devil, is incredibly cunning...

Jiang Wen got the copyright to the love letter and managed to get it sorted out, but then he couldn't get rid of Iwai Shunji, so he had to personally step in to settle things.

He worked tirelessly, but in the end, he benefited others and only got the title of producer, earning a share of the box office. The actors weren't his favorites, and the fame and fortune had nothing to do with him!

What the hell?! What a fucking rip-off!
If you want box office success, let him direct; he'll earn more!
Jiang Wen is adamant about the copyright to Love Letter and has no interest in other movies.

“Brother, I still have a movie project in the scriptwriting department. I only came back to work with you because I saw the love letter! You only gave me a little over a month. If I hadn’t worked on a script for a Republican-era love letter before, I wouldn’t have been confident at all,” Jiang Wen said with a sigh.

What he meant was that he was confident he could handle the love letter project, but he wasn't confident he could get the other movies done in a short time.

“You’re overthinking it…” Li Mingyang spread his hands. “With your box office appeal, even a terrible movie would be bought by people. Brother, if you’re not willing, I won’t help you with the script.”

"No way! I only went to the notebook because I listened to you. Why are you always so quick to betray me?" Jiang Wen said anxiously.

"Guess why I sent you to the notebook to get the Palme d'Or?" Li Mingyang said with a smile.

Jiang Wen took a puff of his cigar. "There are connections over there."

"But you can't do without movies. You and those Japanese guys can't produce a Palme d'Or film together." Li Mingyang paused. "Just like Derek Yee couldn't film the joys and sorrows of Hengdian drifters, you can't film the social structure of Japan. Have you ever lived in Japan?"

“Who said I haven’t lived in Japan? I know that hellhole better than you,” Jiang Wen retorted.

Li Mingyang chuckled, "Don't let the Japanese make a fool of you. The Japanese have no integrity whatsoever. The price of betrayal is bowing. If you're still angry, then you're in the wrong."

"..."

"I sent you to the scriptwriting studio not so you could work with the Japanese, but because I have a great script that could win an award and needs to be filmed in the studio."

"Can they win the Palme d'Or?"

"Half and half..."

"Let me take a look at the script." Jiang Wen straightened up, getting excited!

"After the Lunar New Year film season," Li Mingyang grinned and said.

Jiang Wen didn't hesitate for long before agreeing.

His main goal in applying for the Palme d'Or was to win it through foreign channels, which was a viable approach.

Even if we don't win the Palme d'Or, some flowers and plants would be nice too.

At film festivals of the same caliber, awards from abroad are automatically considered one level higher than those from domestic festivals!
“Brother, don’t make movies that are too complicated, and tone down your damn desire to express yourself. Do something comedic, with some plot twists, and get some handsome men and beautiful women involved. It’ll definitely sell well,” Li Mingyang said.

"Let me tidy it up properly," Jiang Wen said, stroking his beard. "I can't tarnish my lifelong reputation."

“Fame my ass. Reputation is meant to be used up. If you don’t use it now, you won’t even have the chance to use it later. If you can’t think of anything, I’ll give you another notebook.”

"My goodness, how many notebooks do you have?!"

Li Mingyang smiled but didn't say anything. Instead, he took out a performance-based contract and asked Jiang Wen to sign it.

Both Er Dongshen and Jia Zhangke have signed performance-based agreements.

Jiang Wen took out a pen from his shirt pocket and was about to sign when Li Mingyang stopped him.

"Brother, you should take a look at the contract before you sign it."

"I believe you, there's no need to look at it."

"Trust is one thing, but this betting agreement will result in losses."

Jiang Wen was stunned. He picked up the betting contract and started to look at it. "They don't have to pay money, so why do I have to pay money?! Holy crap, 100 million in costs, 500 million in betting, and if I lose, I have to pay you 100 million of the difference? You're trying to kill me!"

"They don't have much box office appeal, but they are famous. I'm going to use their fame to boost the Lunar New Year film season. Big brother, you are my box office steed. Whether I can win or not depends on you!"

"Five hundred million, and that's enough to decide the winner?"

"You all have a misconception: ticket subsidies are not a panacea, and box office revenue is not so easy to achieve... During the summer season, they followed suit with super ticket subsidies of 5.9 yuan, and many Lunar New Year films moved up their release dates. Now, there are hardly any films that can compete in the Lunar New Year season... I feel that 500 million yuan in box office revenue is enough to win the Lunar New Year box office championship."

"No way..." Jiang Wen was startled, feeling scared by what Li Mingyang said.

"Just look at last year's box office. Excluding Hollywood movies, there are very few domestic films that have broken 500 million yuan. Of the top 20 films in the overall box office, only six are domestic."

Jiang Wen became even more frightened after what was said.

Li Mingyang smiled and said, "That's why my brother's 500 million is so important."

"I'm here to help; I don't want to lose money!"

Jiang Wen kept saying no, but he didn't put down the betting contract.

“Every gift that fate bestows has a price tag attached in secret… Brother, do you understand?”

Jiang Wen gave Li Mingyang a deep look, then glanced at the betting contract in his hand.

After hesitating for five seconds, he placed the betting agreement on the coffee table, picked up a pen, and signed his name where it was required.
He and Li Mingyang were not related by blood, but were practically brothers.

The Palme d'Or was that gift to him.

And part of the price is this performance-based agreement.

There's no point in continuing negotiations unless a contract is signed; otherwise, there's no point.

After the contract was signed, Zhou Yun, the sister-in-law, brought out drinks to celebrate.

After a few drinks, Jiang Wen suddenly asked, "Brother, I've signed the betting agreement. How's your 2 billion yuan movie preparation going? You're the key player! You don't have much time left!"

"I don't know what to film..."

"Ah! Don't you have a lot of scripts?"

"Reaching the 2 billion ceiling is no easy feat."

"A trip to Lingya? That'll definitely work!"

"It's too late... Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Big brother, sister-in-law, I'm leaving now. I have an appointment with Er Dongshen."

"That old guy is pretty arrogant. We're brothers, so we can say whatever we want, but he can't. If he loses face, he'll ignore you."

"Damn! It's true! That old guy is really concerned about his reputation! He wants to make money, but he also wants fame."

……

Li Mingyang didn't have much contact with Er Dongshen, but after getting to know him better, he discovered that, just as his older brother had said, Er Dongshen was someone who valued face extremely much.

He's very concerned about gains and losses!
There are all kinds of directors.

Being friends with someone like Erdao is fine, but being colleagues with him, or even being his investor, is a real pain.

He's so conflicted! Extremely conflicted!

No wonder Yu Dong abandoned the project after investing the money.

A nagging, indecisive dilemma—wanting it all!

There was so much footage of me as a passerby, it took over ten hours!
But there is no main body!

Derek Yee was so conflicted! It really got him all torn!
I want this, I want that.

But a movie is best kept to 100 minutes long.

Time can only be added if there are multiple narrative threads.

Otherwise, the audience will easily get distracted and become impatient...

The pacing of movies follows a template, especially commercial films, where the plot progresses quickly when there is a sufficient amount of information.

Li Mingyang arrived at the hotel where Er Dongshen was staying.

In Derek Yee's room, I am just a passerby, but the main behind-the-scenes figures and several main characters are all there.

As soon as Li Mingyang sat down and lit a cigarette, Er Dongshen couldn't wait to ask the others to share their feelings about filming and their opinions on the movie.

The main actors were all extras working in Hengdian, and they all spoke praises and compliments, while the crew mainly talked about how difficult the filming was.

After they finished speaking, Li Mingyang told them to leave.

"Director Er, your crew is a typical Hong Kong team; they all listen to you. What's the point of letting them give their opinions?!"

Li Mingyang scratched his head. "The way documentaries are filmed is indeed very expressive and objective, but it's hard to empathize with someone who is objective. You added a story about a nobody's growth, but that storyline was filmed too blandly. It didn't capture the joys and sorrows of being a struggling actor in Hengdian."

"I feel like all these materials you've put together are a mix of sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy flavors. One person portrays sour, another portrays bitter, another portrays sweet, and yet another portrays spicy. To be honest, you're challenging the audience's ability to empathize. You have to re-empathize with each new character!"

"With no clear priorities and no major events, everyone is being brought together on one track. Even if there are major events in Hengdian, the Hengdian drifters are just small fry, not even qualified to be spectators."

"It's not that there aren't any... For example, when Director Li conducted a large-scale recruitment of behind-the-scenes staff in Hengdian, regardless of education, age, or gender, it caused quite a stir."

"You're not trying to use my hiring process to your advantage, are you?"

Er Dong smiled and nodded vigorously.

"This kind of thing doesn't make any sense in a movie. I'm just an extra, the extras are the main characters, I'm just a passerby, I'll just make a brief appearance. Making it into a story would be too boring..."

"Director Li, your cameo appearance is a huge boost to the film!" Derek Yee said excitedly.

"You can't solve your film's structural problems with this..."

Derek Yee is also having a headache. He hasn't finished filming yet because he's not satisfied with what he's made. It's good as a documentary, but it lacks soul as a film!
"Director Li, how about this..." Er Dongshen said, taking out paper and pen, and immediately sketched out a new film structure, character structure, and plot structure for Li Mingyang...

Li Mingyang listened patiently, not because he thought Er Dongshen's words were particularly good, but because he wanted to learn from his way of thinking about film.

Excellent theory...

The theoretical foundations of the three major film academies are either from abroad or from Hong Kong, while their practical operations largely come from the Hong Kong film industry.

Hong Kong cinema's golden age was a leading period in Asian film, and many new cinematic ideas emerged during that time and are still used today.

Er Dongshen is a theorist and a passionate person.

His creative structure is quite unconventional, with the plot being developed in both the beginning and the end.

The beginning and ending are well-organized, but problems usually arise when it comes to bringing things together in the middle, which is particularly frustrating.

Li Mingyang watched as he tormented himself for hours, sweating profusely, and taking medicine for liver pain.

I knew the opportunity had arrived!

Serious face! Genuine smile!
He revealed his true thoughts.

"Director Er, stop worrying! I'll be the lead! I'll save you!"

(End of this chapter)