Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 165 Returning to China next week
A secret has been circulating in the domestic entertainment circle these days.

"Lu Kuan has returned home!"

"What? Really fake!"

"Didn't he say last month that he would be back next week? It's been almost a month!"

"This time it's real! Someone saw him at the Peking Airport this morning!"

Boss Lu disappeared without a trace and returned to the Ice Cellar Palace exhausted.

I started answering calls and messages in the car, and when I got home I collapsed on the lounge chair in the yard.

"Boss, shouldn't you shave your beard?"

Ah Fei couldn't help but remind him when he saw his disheveled appearance.

Boss Lu touched his chin, seemingly unaware: "Is it very long?"

"Forget it, let's go to the company to deal with things first. It's so urgent."

I have been working hard in the United States for the past two months, not only to go through complicated procedures and sign contracts.

You also need to hire a crew, rent a venue, find a special effects director, and communicate the special effects content.

After deciding to shoot in Toronto, Canada, he quickly scouted the location himself, and then worked on the storyboards and the script.

The pre-production work for a film is already complicated, and a sci-fi blockbuster like this with a $7000 million investment is even more arduous and laborious.

Boss Lu felt like he was ten years older!

Fortunately, my Yang Yuan has not been drained during this period in the United States!
After some rest, Boss Lu punched in for work and dealt with the company's backlog of matters that required his personal attention in the office.

First, he called Yao Jia, who was from Hunan and Taiwan and was in Beijing on business, and asked her to come to Wenjie.

He also told her to arrange thank-you gifts and banquets to repay the key people who helped pass the star review.

Although the game restriction order was only introduced in 2004, it is not easy for game-adapted dramas to be broadcast on TV these days.

What to do? Find someone!
The current TV drama review department of the Radio, Film and Television is a 37-member review committee.

Among them, there are as many as 5 members from the Beijing Film Academy Department. Currently, there are Vice Dean Hou Keming and Professor Zheng Dongtian of the Directing Department.

The other reviewers asked Zhang Huijun to find someone to put in a call, and with the help of Xiang TV's Ouyang Changqing's own connections, it was finally decided that the show would premiere on Xiang TV's satellite channel in August.

The local station's top leader personally supervised the project, and the image of Liu Yifei Zhao Linger in this life was released earlier than Wang Yuyan.

In the previous contract, Lu Kuan asked both parties to agree on a repurchase clause in the 2002 contract, and thus gained a small advantage.

Because after 2003, cable TV and radio stations at all levels across the country completed their merger.

The number of purchasing entities in an administrative area has been reduced from two to one, and TV drama producers have to accept the price pressure from TV stations in the buyer's market.

This led to a nearly 2004% drop in the overall price of TV dramas in early 40. The purchase price of an episode of a costume drama on CCTV was around 50 yuan, and that of a modern drama was around 20 yuan.

Wenjie Culture holds a 65% stake in the "Legend of Sword and Fairy" project. Since the first round of first broadcast rights were internally absorbed by Hunan TV, the repurchase price was also returned to Wenjie in proportion.

After deducting the advertising expenses jointly spent by the two companies, this part of the revenue is about 1600 million.

In addition, the broadcasting rights of Taiwan's CTS have been purchased, and they will start the premiere one week after the mainland premiere.

This was a deal initiated by An Yixuan's father Wu Anguo. Based on the price of 70 per episode, Wenjie received a profit of 1550 million, and publicity expenses were calculated separately.

Advertising revenue will be settled after the premiere.

Because we have signed flexible advertising fee agreements with several advertisers, the price will fluctuate according to the ratings in the same time period after the broadcast.

Next came the release of Ning Hao's "Stone". After the boiling point, Beijing cinemas just returned to normal order in July.

这7、8、9三月里，7月有进口片《海底总动员》，8月有《终结者3》，9月有《天地英雄》，路宽果断指示在6月底首映。

The film has basically been taken off the screen nationwide, with a box office of 3400 million yuan, about 1100 million yuan more than the original time and space.

This is mainly due to the improvement of film distribution ideas under the guidance of Wenjie, as well as the investment in publicity expenses. Of course, the title of producer Lu Kuan is also indispensable.

It has gradually become a consensus in the industry that Ludao's products must be high-quality.

Such word-of-mouth accumulation is very important.

Just like people in later generations think of Feng Xiaogang when talking about Lunar New Year films, it is not easy for a director or a film company to establish a good reputation, which is an intangible asset of the company.

The Hong Kong and Southeast Asian copyrights of "Stone" were also sold to Jiang Zhiqiang for 300 million, which was almost a bargain price.

Because this kind of black humor with a dialect color is selective for the audience.

Just like Feng Kuazi’s movies and Zhao Benshan’s sketches, the response in the north is obviously much stronger than in the south, simply because of the different cultural environment.

Other actors who became popular at the same time included Huang Bo, Zhang Songwen and other leading actors.

Wang Baoqiang didn't appear much in the play, but he was arranged to participate in a wave of blog promotion because of "Blind Well".

The character he created for himself, from an extra to the leading actor in a film that won the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, gradually became popular.

In less than two years, the artists in the industry have become famous for their unique looks, acting skills and the same professionalism.

"Legend of Sword and Fairy" and "The Stone" from the film and television department of Wenjie are about to be released and have already achieved a good start.

In the eyes of other domestic entertainment competitors, this is far more terrifying than the box office success of Lu Kuan’s own movies.

Especially when considering people like Liu Yifei who have been involved in frequent scandals with Lu Kuan recently, it shows that under Lu Kuan's leadership, Wenjie has already had a mature star-making and film and television production system.

Internally, the entertainment resources can be seized, processed and sold, continuously completing the process of capital accumulation and reproduction.

Maybe what the industry lacks right now is the right artists.

For example, Professor of Beijing Film Academy and contract director Xue Xiaolu's "Love Is Not Blind" has completed its preliminary preparations and is about to begin the casting process.

There are few opportunities to make movies these days. A movie that can get into the entertainment industry is, if rounded up, equivalent to a movie that has reached Lu Kuan. If rounded up again, it is equivalent to a movie that has reached Lu Kuan.

Actresses: Give it a try! A bicycle turns into a motorcycle!
Sun Wenwen knocked on the door and came in: "Mr. Lu, regarding the establishment of the project of "Foreign Land", China Film Group, Shanghai Film Group, Huayi Film Group, and Bona Film Group have all sent letters of inquiry many times."

Lu Kuan signed the documents submitted by the finance department without even looking up.

"Make them wait."

The copyright of "Alien Land" is held by an American company, but his personal investment of 1000 million US dollars must be obtained from domestic Wenjie Culture to meet the requirements of co-production.

The investment from these institutions has little impact on him, because he is just using $1000 million as leverage to produce a $7000 million production.

Even if there is a loss, it will only be the $1000 million, which can be easily offset by Lionsgate's "Paranormal Activity".

He can still afford the 1000 million, and those who covet it want a share, so they exchange it for resources.

"hooligan!"

When Liu Yifei and Yao Jia came out of the elevator together, they saw the cold-faced younger brother sitting on the sofa in the living room of Wenjie, doing nothing.

Ah Fei stood up politely to answer, knowing that this was someone the boss valued very much. They had even celebrated the Spring Festival together in New York at the beginning of the year.

"A Fei, is your boss in there?"

"Well, I'm handling official business inside."

Yao Jia, who was traveling with Liu Yifei, silently observed Lu Kuan, the personal bodyguard,'s attitude towards Liu Yifei. He politely asked, "Little brother, please tell Director Lu that Xiangtai Yao Jia has arrived."

Anyone who has been in the system for a long time will know the importance of roles such as a leader’s driver and bodyguard assistant.

Especially looking at their attitudes towards different people, such as how he addressed Concubine Liu Yi, is very telling.

Concubine Liu Yi smiled and said, "No need, let's go in directly."

As he said this, he pulled Yao Jia and rushed in. Ah Fei was not good at speaking, and he couldn't say no for a long time.

Never mind, after all, he is the boss’s only lifesaver…

In the chairman's office, Sun Wenwen received a bunch of signed documents for financial receipts and was about to leave when she saw Yao Jia and Liu Yifei come in uninvited.

"Hello, Director Lu, sorry to bother you."

"Xiaolu, busy yourself!"

After parting in New York, Liu Yifei hadn't seen him for several months.

She had just been discussing the promotion of "The Legend of Sword and Fairy" with Yao Jia in Hongxingwu. When she knew Lu Kuan was looking for her, she took a ride here.

Boss Lu looked up, startling the two of them.

Why are there such dark circles under his eyes? And with such an unshaven beard, he looks like he just came back from America by plane. He looks like a beggar.

Lu Kuan looked at their expressions and slapped his forehead!
"Wait a minute, I'm going to shave."

Ah Fei reminded him when he went out in the morning, but he was busy dealing with things in the company and forgot about it.

That’s not right. Why didn’t those people from Butian Film remind me?

On second thought, these people have been very busy recently, just like the programmers in later generations. They are busy with the special effects production of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" and "Chinese Paladin", and have begun to study the basic special effects of "Alien Land" which is temporarily kept secret from the outside world.

Each of them looks not much different from Boss Lu, with unkempt hair and dirty faces.

Yao Jia covered her mouth and chuckled. She didn't want to look at anything inappropriate in front of her leader. She just sat on the sofa and waited.

Concubine Liu Yi followed him into the bedroom, shaking her head and wagging her tail.

That's not right, how come there's a bedroom in this office?!
Lu Kuan faced the bathroom mirror, rubbing foam on his chin while speaking righteously, "You should know how dedicated I am, right?"

"I often work overtime in the office, so it's normal for me to have a bedroom for rest, right?"

The little girl looked around without hesitation, touching and looking here and there, and it seemed that there was indeed nothing suspicious.

"By the way, Xiaolu, did Harper's Bazaar give you the invitation?"

Lu Kuan's hands paused for a moment before he remembered that Sun Wenwen had indeed mentioned it to him just now, and the letter should be on his desk now.

"You have one too? Someone invited you, a little star?"

Liu Yifei Hongwen: "Bullshit! My album has sold nearly 8 copies, and the ratings for "Golden Age" are also very high. My online fans have even set up a personal website for me!"

"Do you have it? Do you have it? You washing machine!" Lu Kuan finished washing his face leisurely and glanced at Liu Yifei who was questioning him with glaring eyes.

"I'm a washing machine, but Zhuo Wei revealed that you're one of the clothes. What are you so proud of?"

Concubine Liu Yi blushed slightly: "Get lost!"

She herself did not take the groundless negative information seriously, but when the person involved brought it up unscrupulously, she seemed a little embarrassed to talk about it.

Yao Jia listened to the two people talking to the crosstalk performer inside, and was afraid that she would know something, so she really wanted to cover her ears.

Lu Kuan walked out of the small room with a new look, and regained his handsome and elegant appearance.

"Director Yao, how was the pre-launch ceremony for 'Chinese Paladin' last week?"

"Return of the Condor Heroes III" was first aired in early July, also aiming for the summer season. It has now reached its finale with an average viewership rating of 7%, winning the championship.

"The Legend of Sword and Fairy" also took advantage of this favorable trend and seamlessly connected with "My Fair Princess III", and started airing in August, catching up with the second half of the summer season.

I believe it will unexpectedly become a carnival for gamers, students, and idol fans.

"It was very successful and received great feedback, especially the strong promotion on Blog.com. Thanks to Director Lu for introducing us to Mr. Zhuang, who was very cooperative."

Concubine Liu Yi stood aside, looking at her nose and mouth without saying a word.

Outsiders don’t know, but she knew the relationship between Lu Kuan and Zhuang Xu, or the relationship between Lu Kuan and Blog.com, from the very beginning.

It’s just that Lu Kuan himself gradually faded out and took the initiative to reduce his connection with the blog network.

"Well, if we do all the preparatory work well, I believe that 'Chinese Paladin' will leave its mark in the history of domestic TV dramas."

Boss Lu teased Yao Jia: "Director Yao, you are also one of the great contributors!"

"I dare not, Mr. Lu, it's just my job."

Yao Jia almost risked her own future to strongly advise the old director in the car.

He also said with certainty that if this drama was acquired by the ambitious and wealthy Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai TV stations, it would jeopardize the current position of Hunan TV station, which is second only to the top.

"Chinese Paladin" which premiered in August was also a big test for her.

If you do well in the exam, it won't be difficult to go further and become the deputy director of the film purchasing department.

If you don't do well in the exam, you might become the target of public criticism in a company surrounded by wolves.

Because Xiangtai and Wenjie gave up the copyright dispute in the contract, this was also the negotiation bottom line that Lu Kuan set for Lu Yao.

It was rare for Yao Jia to meet this young director, whose vision, pattern and understanding of the industry's development trends were commendable in the circle, so he hesitated and asked another question.

"Director Lu, do you know that Korea is showing 'Jewel in the Palace' right now?"

Liu Yifei quickly responded: "I've seen it, and many people are discussing it online now."

Lu Kuan said expressionlessly, "I've heard that Hunan and Taiwan are interested in introducing it?"

Yao Jia nodded: "The director asked me to study this project."

"Jewel in the Palace" was the first Korean wave to enter the mainland. It was first broadcast in the mainland in 2003 and on Hunan TV in 2005, and received great response.

To be fair, the quality of the drama is indeed quite good, but the resulting "negative" Korean cultural input is also not small.

As mentioned earlier, this was also a major decision made by Ouyang Changqing in the first few years of his tenure. Relying on its own public opinion and hype capabilities, Hunan TV successfully promoted this Korean drama into a hit.

They collaborated with media outlets such as Sanlian Life to publish various soft articles.

For example, a housewife who is obsessed with "Jewel in the Palace" quarrels with her husband, causing family conflicts;
For example, Korean cuisine, the delicious kimchi entered the Chinese land and set off a culinary storm;
For example, the hottest template of wedding photography this year, newlyweds have chosen to dress up in the Dae Jang Geum style for their photo shoots;

Even from the perspective of a reborn person like Lu Kuan, these hype methods can be said to be very sophisticated. In the domestic entertainment industry in 2005, it was almost like a dimensionality reduction attack.

It was not until the introduction of restrictions on Korean culture due to cultural input, geopolitical factors and other reasons that this trend was slightly curbed.

But then it was swept up by Internet capital to hype topics such as the "Four Returnees", girl groups, and trainees, and it changed its appearance and continued to reap the wallets of domestic entertainment fans.

From the perspective of national development and resistance to cultural invasion, Korean Wave is a tiger about to knock on the door.

Considering Lu Kuan's own interests, the artists he trained, including Huang Bo, Wang Baoqiang, Zhang Songwen, and even the newly signed Hu Ge, all took a relatively powerful route.

Needless to say, Liu Yifei has been doing morning exercises for almost two years.

She was only fifteen or sixteen years old, and there was still time for everything and room for growth. Lu Kuan never dared to give her any important movie roles.

The invasion of Korean Wave is bound to change the aesthetic taste of a generation and have an impact on the star-making model of domestic entertainment.

Unless he opens his arms and actively embraces the Korean Wave and SN's assembly line artist model, there will be a conflict between the two sooner or later.

Because the channels and resources in the entertainment industry are limited.

A very direct example is that "Legend of Sword and Fairy" and "Jewel in the Palace" are scheduled at the same time in Hunan and Taiwan. If the Korean wave is still strong and sweeps across the country at this time, "Jewel in the Palace" will definitely take the position in the summer prime time.

As a result, the influence of Korean artists in the domestic entertainment industry has doubled, and their ability to reap fans' wallets has doubled.

Mainland entertainment artists have always been overshadowed by Hong Kong and Taiwan stars, and with the addition of imported products from South Korea and Japan, when will they be able to come to the fore?

Top works, endorsements, and especially resources in the fashion circle will be taken over by others, which is not what Lu Kuan wants to see.

"Dae Jang Geum, right? I'll keep an eye on it. We can talk about it later when we have time."

"Okay, thank you, Guide Lu!"

Yao Jia was very excited. She actually had her own ideas, but when facing a superior, she could not cater to everything.

Now that you've spoken, what did the leader say? How does the leader add to it?

She seemed to be humbly seeking advice from Lu Kuan, but in fact she was also establishing a bond between the two of them, just to provide an additional topic besides "Chinese Paladin".

After all, the interesting news about this person "returning to China next week" has spread throughout the domestic entertainment industry, and it is not easy to get in touch with and make friends with him.

Because of her collaboration with "Chinese Paladin", she is in a good position to get the upper hand. I wonder how many people in the station are jealous of her!
Having achieved his goal, Yao Jia became clear-headed and looked at the joyful Concubine Liu Yi, and stopped getting in the way.

"Director Lu, I'll be in Peking this week. If you need me to do anything, just let me know."

These words were used to praise Lu Kuan as if he were Ouyang Changqing. People in the system could always say such heartwarming and subtle words to those in higher positions.

"Okay, Wenwen, please send Director Yao off."

When Concubine Liu Yi saw the two of them leave, she also slumped down on the sofa in an unruly manner.

"I'm so tired lately, there are so many announcements!"

Capitalist Lu Kuan scolded his subordinates: "It's not good enough to be famous, but other actresses can't even get announcements?"

He pointed at the invitation on the table and said, "If they weren't famous, how could they send this to Hongxingwu? They are all people who serve different people to different people."

Liu Yifei suddenly remembered: "Where's the DVD of 'Paranormal Activity'? Did you bring it back for me?"

At Sundance earlier this year, she had collaborated with Lu Kuan to trick Emil into falling into their trap, so naturally she knew about this low-budget horror film.

"I didn't know you had this hobby. Do you dare to watch it alone?"

"It's in the car. I'll let Ah Fei bring it to you later."

Concubine Liu Yi remained noncommittal: "You used this thing to cheat Lions Gate out of a lot of money again, didn't you?"

Boss Lu was furious: "What do you mean by cheating? What intellectuals do, how can that be called cheating? It's a win-win situation!"

"cut!"

"My birthday is coming up next month. You're a millionaire now, so why don't you show some appreciation?"

Lu Kuan glanced at her suspiciously. From 15 to 16, her face had become much thicker.

"You still haven't paid me back over 100 yuan for breakfast on 'Golden Age'. How can you be so ashamed?"

"Why should I be embarrassed! I even gave it to you on your birthday..."

Concubine Liu Yi was halfway through her words when she suddenly felt a little embarrassed. She then glared at him fiercely, "We agreed that I would help you get rid of Dong Jie and then we'd cancel everything. Are you still a scoundrel?"

Lu Kuan changed the subject: "Where's Aunt Liu? Why isn't she following you?"

"She...she went to do something with her godfather. Besides, she feels relieved to have Siwei with me."

Concubine Liu Yi thought that she was quick to change her words, but how could she hide it from Lu Kuan, who was able to see the big picture from the small details?

But the little girl really didn't want him to know that Liu Xiaoli and Cheng Jingfei were called away by Liu Zeyu.

Lu Kuan did not expose her. If it was a matter of personal gain, Concubine Liu Yi would tell the truth, just like the two times she had informed on others before.

Liu Yifei skipped to the table, picked up his invitation, and flipped through it. The content was similar to her own.

She picked up the invitation and gestured to Lu Kuan: "Are you going?"

"If I don't have money, I won't go."

It’s not that Boss Lu doesn’t have a kind heart and is afraid to spend money on charity, because these people are not doing charity for the sake of charity.

"Let's go, otherwise I won't know anyone there, it's so embarrassing!"

"Don't you know Zhou Xun, Fan Bingbing, and the others? No matter who you sit at the same table with, you'll become familiar with them after chatting!
The invitation was sent to the crew of "Shoplifters", which won the Jury Prize and Best Director at Cannes. Several actresses also called to ask if he would attend.

"No, this is my first time going to such an occasion. I'm really scared!"

Lu Kuan looked at her with amusement as she pulled her arm and shook it hard.

What, are you trying to increase the intensity for me?
"Xiao Liu! You're not a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl anymore. You need to be confident!"

"Although you have a chubby face, your legs are thicker than theirs!"

Concubine Liu Yi was originally trying to tease him, but when she heard Lu Kuan teasing her maliciously again, she became bolder and pinched him hard.

“Fei, fei, fei!”

Boss Lu hurriedly pulled his arm out, but before he could say a word, he was interrupted by the ringing of the phone.

(End of this chapter)