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

Chapter 788 Jiang Wen: With a gun in hand, this is deterrence.
"Your assumptions are based on the premise that the 10 billion yuan box office revenue for the Lunar New Year film season can be achieved. What if it isn't?" Li Mingyang said.

"With so many blockbusters, even if you just pile on the films and throw money at it, you can still make a 10 billion yuan New Year's film season. You've seen the recent news, right? All those internet companies have entered the market. Right now, the film industry has no shortage of money!" Jiang Wen said excitedly.

Li Mingyang raised his hand, interrupting Jiang Wen, "Stop! Brother, let me be frank with you, this 10 billion yuan Lunar New Year film is impossible!"

"Given the current situation, with no new movies releasing next weekend, the box office for December will not exceed 2 billion yuan at most. That means we need to make 8 billion yuan in January!"

Do you know what that means?

"I know! I'll do 500 million, you do 2 billion, and the others can do another 5.5 billion."

"Are you out of your mind? That's 55 billion a month!"

"You're the one who's confused. If you calculate it that way, it's unfair to the movies shown in the second half of the season. They're only shown for a few days before the Lunar New Year season ends. Just you wait and see, in the end, the time from the start of the movie's run to its end will be the determining factor."

That makes sense, since the Spring Festival film season is only seven days long.

Finally, when discussing box office figures, let's talk about the total box office revenue of a certain film during the Spring Festival period.

However, when calculated based on the release date, it refers to the total box office revenue for a single release period.

Ultimately, how to calculate it depends on what the mainstream opinion is.

The mainstream... whether it's capital or power, naturally hopes to see a blockbuster worth tens of billions.

"It's difficult to maintain a long-term relationship. Even if you achieve your goal, the passion will have faded. Do you think Jack Ma can accept that?"

"What's so unacceptable about that? It'll happen sooner or later anyway. Winning is the most important thing!" Jiang Wen took a puff of his cigar and said with a smile.

"Brother, you don't understand. You have no idea what those people in the internet industry are thinking. Winning or losing doesn't matter to them; what they care about is speed!"

"speed?"

"Internet speed! BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent) is expanding into the film industry, but the film industry is not their core focus. Everything they do is for their core business, so speed is the most important thing!"

Jiang Wen understands human nature, movies, and connections, but he lacks an internet mindset!

The core of internet thinking is speed—seizing the initiative.

The advantage of starting first is ridiculously large!

The most thrilling blitzkrieg in the history of Southeast University's internet industry!

Lei Jun recently made a rare candid statement in an interview: "If WeChat had been released six months later, MiTalk would likely be the national app it is today."

Pony Ma's response was even more assertive: "We're that fast!"

Looking back at this showdown, it's practically a textbook example of a business war—a quick move means survival, a slow move means death!

时间线致命差距：米聊2010年12月上线，微信2011年1月上线，仅差1个月！

Technological advantages: MiTalk initially supported voice chat and status sharing, while WeChat 1.0 could only send text and pictures.

User growth has skyrocketed: Registered users surpassed 400 million within six months of launch, with Lei Jun stating that "the server crashes three times a day."

Although MiTalk had a first-mover advantage, Lei Jun was facing Tencent.

Still not fast enough!
MiTalk encountered many problems upon its launch, such as server issues and the blocking of voice applications by telecom operators.

Lei Jun hadn't even had time to resolve the issue when WeChat went live.

If WeChat had been released six months later, MiTalk would have had a real chance of replacing it.

Because of this blitzkrieg, Lei Jun, in his reflection, uttered that classic saying: "If you stand at the right place at the right time, even a pig can fly—but if you arrive at the right place at the right time later than your opponent, you don't even have the right to be a pig!"

MiTalk's ability to make a penguin tremble is already quite impressive.

The rule of survival on the internet: the fast fish eats the slow fish!
The world will always reward those who take the lead, while the fate of those who follow is often to become stepping stones on the road to success…

The end of this year will be a payment war between Alipay and WeChat Pay!

Alibaba's Ma wants the traffic of the 10 billion-dollar Lunar New Year film season, and he wants to use this traffic to crush WeChat Pay!

WeChat has a massive user base, while Alipay's user base is far smaller.

It's all about having more money.

The two are evenly matched.

Compete in marketing.

Penguins are good at copying! They're like the number one player in the entire server who camps out to copy you, just like the number one player in the entire server who camps out to copy you.

Ali Ma wants to use some unreplicable methods to increase traffic.

A 10 billion yuan Lunar New Year film season is very suitable.

Alibaba's priorities for the 10 billion yuan Lunar New Year film season are still the merger of Chinese and South Korean films and this year's Spring Festival Gala.

Because the 10 billion yuan Lunar New Year film season happens to coincide with the payment war between the two giants!
Li Mingyang used a few simple examples to explain to his older brother Jiang Wen the survival rules of internet companies.

The Laws of Speed!
After listening, Jiang Wen stroked his beard and laughed, "Isn't this just a running race? In a sprint, whoever starts first basically wins. Everyone's abilities are about the same. But the film industry is different. Just like you and I have won awards at Cannes, you even won the Palme d'Or standing up. Just being a director from Tokyo University is your invincible golden armor. You have nothing to be afraid of. It's others who should be afraid of you!"

"Alright! I see now. Big brother, you're not clueless, you just want me to take action!"

Jiang Wen waved his hand dismissively, "No! A gun in hand is a deterrent; firing is the worst possible course of action!"

"Running away is the best policy! Haha!"

Li Mingyang and Jiang Wen got along well, and most importantly, Li Mingyang could help Jiang Wen win the Palme d'Or.

Therefore, Li Mingyang trusts Jiang Wen very much, and Jiang Wen also cares about Li Mingyang a lot.

The two talked for an afternoon, and Jiang Wen discovered that Li Mingyang was determined to stay in Hengdian!
I'm so angry!
Go out for a walk to clear your head, and maybe think of other solutions.

Jiang Wen arrived at Bouquet Street, strolling around for a while before discovering something very strange.

That means no one surrounded him! No one asked him for an autograph!
He is, after all, a famous director at Tokyo University.

They didn't even bother to hide their identities; their trip was incredibly smooth.

Jiang Wen was standing on the street, puzzled, when he saw a large group of people walking out of the parking lot and heading in his direction.

As they got closer, Jiang Wen realized that the leader was Wu Zhikui.

Before Jiang Wen could greet him, Wu Zhikui jogged up to him and greeted him warmly.

Jiang Wei grinned and said, "Xiao Wu, you did a great job this year. You didn't let Director Li down."

"I still need to work harder. I've noticed that this business is doing well at the box office, so I'm thinking about winning an award. I don't know if I can win one this year," Wu Zhikui said frankly.

"The fact that you have this idea proves that you've really entered the industry."

Jiang Wen patted Lao Wu on the shoulder and said with satisfaction, then he turned to look at the group of people behind Wu Zhikui.

Many people don't recognize him...

"Xiao Wu, what are you filming? You're a director with a budget of 400 million now, why don't you get some talented stars? That way it'll be easier to get box office returns and awards," Jiang Wen said earnestly.

"Director Jiang, you don't know Yuan Bin?" Wu Zhikui asked in surprise.

Why would I know him?

Jiang Wen glanced around again and saw that among the people behind Wu Zhikui, some didn't look like students from Dongda University, and there were also a few handsome guys.

"Is this the Train to Busan film crew? You're wrapping up so early?"

"Yes, it's not that we're wrapping up filming, it's that we've finished filming, so we're coming back for a wrap party."

"Hey, congratulations on wrapping up filming! I wish Busan a huge success!" Jiang Wen said with a fist and palm salute.

Wu Zhikui returned the gesture with a fist and palm salute, but he wasn't very confident and could only manage a forced laugh.

At this moment, Li Mingyang, who had received the news, also arrived.

The first thing he did upon arriving was not to ask about the filming of Train to Busan, but to call Kim Sae-ron over directly.

"Brother, what do you think of this girl?" Li Mingyang said.

Jiang Wen stroked his beard, his brows furrowed, his head bobbing from side to side as he pondered deeply.

Kim Sae-ron was very reserved, intimidated by Kang Moon's serious aura.

As the most famous domineering actor in the Chinese entertainment industry, Jiang Wen's intimidating power is no joke.

When he's making a film, not only Lu Sang, but even Zhang Yimou can't interfere with him.

We must follow his line of thinking!
"It's alright," Jiang Wen said ambiguously, mainly because the girl wasn't pretty enough.

When making movies, acting skills are unpredictable, so using beautiful women is definitely a safer bet.

The girl has a somewhat gloomy temperament, lacking in sunshine...

It doesn't suit his temperament.

“This is my god-sister, Kim Sae-ron,” Li Mingyang said.

"Hmm? This girl is the sister you adopted in Korea! No wonder she looks so nice to look at. Come on, call me 'big brother'."

Kim Sae-ron blinked and looked at Lee Myung-yang with some difficulty.

Li Mingyang understood immediately.

"How old are you? You could be her grandfather. Why are you calling me 'big brother'?" Li Mingyang shoved Jiang Wen and said with a grin.

"Do you think I'm that old, you bastard?"

"He's thirteen."

Holy crap! So mature for only 13!

……

Filming for Train to Busan has wrapped. It took over five months to complete.

Many actors finished filming earlier and left before the deadline.

For example, Choi Min-sik, Song Joong-ki, Kim Go-eun, and Ma Dong-seok.

After the wrap party, Won Bin and Son Ye-jin left that same night.

Kim Sae-ron stayed behind; she'll be handling some domestic business, as Xiaomi enjoys considerable popularity in China.

Around 9 p.m., Li Mingyang, Jiang Wen, and Wu Zhikui arrived at the editing room to begin editing the Busan episode.

Li Mingyang's editing skills are not only top-notch in the Chinese entertainment industry, but also among the best in the entire Asian region.

The more you know about movies, the more awesome you feel!
Wu Zhikui has watched it, participated in it many times, and even edited it himself.

However, in the end, Li Mingyang would always get involved, using a very mysterious method to achieve amazing results.

In response, Wu Zhikui could only lament that Li Mingyang was incredibly talented, but he could only learn the techniques, logic, and structure, without any inspiration.

Jiang Wen participated in the editing of "Wen Ji Qi Wu" (roughly translated as "Hearing the Rooster Crow and Getting Up to Dance"). He felt that the filming was not very good, with all sorts of problems and flaws. The time was too short, less than a month from the start of filming to the end!
In other words, the actors he chooses are willing to breach their contracts to film his movies; it would be difficult for anyone else to get a large number of good actors to fit their schedules together.

However, the materials that he was not satisfied with ended up with Li Mingyang.

There's no one who's overly pretentious, making a flurry of moves that leave you dazzled.

Li Mingyang casually smoked a cigarette, looked at the footage, and chatted while editing the video.

It really can be deleted!
Seven or eight hours of footage, roughly half of it can be cut out in the rough cut, and then another half can be cut out in the fine cut.

The final runtime was less than ninety minutes...

He deleted most of the parts he was proud of, and kept most of the parts he was dissatisfied with...

The finished product looks decent and not bad...

The story is still the same story, the one he wanted to tell, but the pacing is completely different.

fast!
The pace is very fast, basically following a single main storyline.

Many dry humor, dark humor, and witty remarks are no longer needed.

The final product... was surprisingly good.

Jiang Wen smoked a cigar, watching Li Mingyang direct Train to Busan.

After watching for a while, Jiang Wen suddenly exclaimed, "Did you cut it, or not?"

"Never cut it."

"This shot is so smooth, it looks like it's been edited."

"It's smooth because it's a one-shot film."

"..."

After a while, Jiang Wen spoke up again, "Was this deer created with special effects? You even did the special effects?"

"We can't add special effects while filming; we can't just finish filming and then add them."

Um, shouldn't the special effects be finalized after filming is complete?
The special effects are a real money pit!
At least after the final cut is completed and the overall tone of the film is determined, then special effects can be added.

What if you take the photos and then feel they were unnecessary, a waste of money and time?

"I only start communicating with the special effects team after I've finished filming and editing," Jiang Wen said.

"That's too tedious."

"Filmmaking is a process of inspiration fermentation. An idea that seems good today may feel like a pile of crap tomorrow. You have to take it slow to create a good film," Jiang Wen said.

"you are right."

After saying that, Li Mingyang flipped through the storyboard. It had been a while, and he couldn't quite remember the order of the storyboard.

Jiang Wen got up out of curiosity and went behind Li Mingyang. Half an hour passed as he looked at him.

His shock was palpable.

"You're drawing comics first, then making movies!"

“Of course.” Li Mingyang tapped the space bar with his index finger, pausing the movie footage.

"Awesome!" Jiang Wen gave a thumbs up.

Want to experience it?

"Forget it... I'm improvising, you're following the steps. Whether it succeeds or not depends on the preparation work beforehand."

Jiang Wen waved his hand, declining Li Mingyang's offer, and sat back down, his mind filled with thoughts.

The storyboard for Train to Busan was actually a comic, and it was even a full-color comic with dialogue and inner monologues!

They've taken Hollywood's pursuit of perfection to an even higher level!
Jiang Wen had only heard rumors until he actually came into contact with the industrialized production process of the flower bouquet film.

The Bouquet is like an animated film and a live-action film, running on two parallel storylines!

Li Mingyang's investment in animation is far greater than they imagined!
This is just like Disney's usual trick!
The advantages of centralized power! You can do whatever you want!
Jiang Wen thought of the ordinary people on Bouquet Street who didn't react when they saw him.

It's likely that Li Mingyang frequents Flower Bouquet Street and doesn't want to be disturbed.

This is what led them to develop the habit of not idolizing celebrities.

His word was law, he was invincible, and everyone revolved around him.

This guy isn't just scared out of his wits!
It's clearly a case of shrinking and developing!

……

Shanghai, Sheraton Hotel.

"You're only just realizing he's blazed a new trail?" Zuo Shandiao shook his head speechlessly.

"This kid is full of secrets, how would I know he had so many tricks up his sleeve?" Jiang Wen said excitedly.

There was a snap.

Zuo Shandiao lit a cigarette, puffed out smoke for a while, and then said, "Ever since Li Mingyang won the Palme d'Or, he has directed a movie, The Witch 2. We originally wanted to give The Witch 2 a chance to be released in mainland China, but after watching the movie, no one said anything. The violence and gore in this movie are even higher than The Witch 1. The Koreans directly rated The Witch 2 as 19+."

"Moreover, this 'Witch 2' is just a copy of itself. The plot is exactly the same, just with a different actor. It doesn't have the qualities of a Palme d'Or-winning director at all. It's lazy, sloppy, and completely unoriginal. It's just a money-grabbing rip-off."

"No way... Li Mingyang's adaptation skills are amazing!" Jiang Wen said.

"He just didn't want to make a proper film... He just wanted to make a quick and easy one to fool people. His mind was on the company. He wanted to forge a new path and walk his own way. How should I put it, he basically succeeded."

"Yes, we can basically produce and sell our own products."

"This is what you see. There are also some things you don't see. The inside of the bouquet is very complicated. It looks like it's riddled with holes, but that's all intentional. You think he's wrong for doing this, but later you realize that he set up the whole thing in advance. It's a mix of truth and deception, and you can't figure out what he's trying to do at all."

Zuo Shandiao rubbed his forehead and sighed, "Take my daughter's department for example, it's full of academics, and Li Mingyang hates academics the most. He doesn't consider himself an academic at all. You must think that Li Mingyang doesn't value my daughter's department at all, right?"

Jiang Wen nodded. The most outrageous thing Li Mingyang said after returning to China was that he refused to acknowledge himself as a cultured person.

Even a Palme d'Or-winning director is not a cultured person.

What about the other directors?
What about those older generation directors who consider themselves cultured?
This statement completely offended the entire cultural circle and severed ties with the academic establishment. It was only because the Palme d'Or was so prestigious, and because the higher-ups had created a persona of Li Mingyang as a paragon of virtue and morality, that no one dared to say anything.

Who the hell would dare to defy the law and commit a crime?

But in a few years... things will be different.

"Actually, Li Mingyang has been quite considerate of the academics. At least many of them can get involved in some projects, from preparation to filming. There is a process system, and this thing is transparent. Anyone can see it and anyone can use it... A group of people with cultural backgrounds learn this kind of industrialized film process, so their starting point is higher than that of ordinary people."

"Logically speaking, Li Mingyang should hate me and wish I would step down as soon as possible, but he is very restrained. Apart from hoping that I would step down, he treats Jia Nu very well. He made Jia Nu the producer of Lingya's Journey. This film will be worth at least 1 billion. Jia Nu will directly enter the industry. With my connections, her upper limit is the highest among all the actresses in the industry."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Wen subconsciously stroked his beard and asked suspiciously, "You're not trying to fool me, are you...?"

"I was going to say he was just fooling you."

Jiang Wen chuckled but didn't answer.

Li Mingyang can get me the Palme d'Or, can you?

After chatting with Zuo Shandiao for over an hour, the two took a car to the airport together and arrived in Yanbei in the early hours of the next day.

When Zuo Shandiao went to a meeting, Jiang Wen didn't go home. Instead, he found a hotel near the airport to stay at.

Early the next morning.

Jiang Wen ate breakfast while scrolling through Weibo on his phone.

He didn't have this habit before.

Even when "Let the Bullets Fly" was released, he didn't have this habit.

The main reason is that mobile internet is becoming more and more convenient, and coupled with Li Mingyang's precarious situation, he needs to browse Weibo more often to get firsthand information.

I didn't find any useful information.

Jiang Wen put down his phone, scratched his head, and said, "By the way, isn't Sina Weibo part of the Alibaba group?"

I picked up my phone and searched, and sure enough! In May of this year, Alibaba announced that it would acquire an 18% stake in Sina Weibo for $5.86 million.

In addition, Sina granted Alibaba an option to increase its fully diluted stake in Weibo to 30% in the future, at a pre-agreed price, making it the largest shareholder of Sina Weibo.

"Sina Weibo is valued at $33.6 billion? And Weibo isn't even listed yet?"

Jiang Wen let out a soft "hmm," but before she could think about it further, her phone rang. It was Chen Fusheng, the mainland public relations manager of Yinghuang.

(End of this chapter)