Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 191: Mutual Attacks
"Stop making trouble and focus on watching the movie!"

"Let me tell you something."

Su Chang gently turned his head and stared at the big screen.

"Well, tell me."

The movie was showing Feng Yuanzheng and Zhang Yishan stealing something, which made Su Chang tremble with fear, fearing that they would be discovered.

"How about I sign you in?"

"What!?"

Su Chang turned sideways in horror, and the two little girls bumped heads heavily, each covering their heads and crying out in pain.

"What do you mean? Why are you signing me?"

"I'll cultivate you!"

Concubine Liu Yi felt inexplicably sour in her heart, and she didn't think about the fact that she was the one who gave up the offer on her own initiative.

With her experience and scheming, she couldn't see for the time being that this was Lu Kuan's "love for the house and the dog".

She used the opportunity of signing her best friend Su Chang and bringing the two of them to the premiere to send a signal to the domestic entertainment industry.

Su Chang is also a little silly, and judging from her strange development path in later life, she is also a person who has no plan for her career.

"Should I go, Sissi? He's so... horny!"

Xu and Dong's small-scale "Me Too" uprising failed, but Boss Lu's reputation for a chaotic private life has long been well-known in the domestic entertainment industry.

In particular, these two girls had eavesdropped in the VIP seat.

"Promise! It's okay, he won't dare to do anything."

Concubine Liu Yi solemnly swore to guarantee Lu Kuan, but she actually had her own ulterior motives.

"I heard from Siwei that currently in China, only Wenjie, Huayi, Hairun Film and Television, and the newly established Xiaoma Pentium are considered to be legitimate companies."

"Lu Kuan may not have a good reputation, but his character is also terrible! He always manages to trick others. It's right to be friends with such a person!"

Su Chang looked at her analyzing the situation for him in a very logical way, feeling both amused and helpless.

He's bad? That's why you refused and asked me to go?
You are a traitor to your best friend!

"Why don't you go yourself?"

Concubine Liu Yi said pitifully: "He looked down on me, saying that my acting skills were too poor, and asked me to learn from you!"

Su Chang was very pleased. Director Xiao Lu did have some vision!
Back in the crew of "Gold Powder", Liu Yifei, who had just entered the entertainment industry, was the one who made everyone the most crazy, while Su Chang, who was of the same age, was much less troublesome.

Seeing that Su Chang agreed reluctantly, Concubine Liu Yi revealed her true purpose.

"Changchang, can you do me a favor when you get there?"

"what?"

"Help me keep an eye on him!"

"what!"

Seeing her startled, Concubine Liu Yi quickly covered Su Chang's mouth.

"That's right, let me explain (cover up)."

"Lu Kuan isn't a bad person by nature, but he's young, and you see, things like the social environment and his family background can have an impact on him."

Shit, I memorized all the exact words that Boss Lu used to trick you.

"We are friends now, how can I watch him suffer?"

"so!"

Concubine Liu Yi solemnly held Su Chang's shoulders and said in a serious voice, "Please help me keep an eye on him. If any woman with bad intentions approaches him, call me and I will find a way to stop him!"

Su Chang was stunned when she heard this. As smart as she was, she had already seen through her best friend's true intention!
"Liu Yifei! Are you in a premature love relationship? Doesn't your mother beat you if she knows?"

"Nonsense! What puppy love?! I'm doing this to uphold justice in the entertainment industry!"

"He's like a beast. How many female celebrities have suffered from him? How can you not stop him when you see him?"

Su Chang listened to her inconsistency and laughed at her openly: "Come on, take off your pants and fart."

Concubine Liu Yi feigned anger: "Just tell me whether you will help me or not? If you agree, I will help you sign into the world of inquiry, otherwise I will ignore you!"

She really learned it, and took advantage of the time difference when Lu Kuan found someone to sign Su Chang, and did something called "borrowing flowers to offer to Buddha".

"Then I'll discuss it with my uncle!"

"Row!"

Lu Kuan initially wanted Yang Siwei to be his spy and use him to control Liu Yifei, but the effect was not good.

I had no choice but to develop a temporary Hu Ge.

Concubine Liu Yi was also smart. When she heard that he wanted to sign Su Chang, she immediately started the spy training.

After they finished talking, they immersed themselves in the fascinating plot of the movie.

Liu Yifei and Su Chang have similar family experiences. They both lacked fatherly love since childhood and longed for a warm family.

Like many ordinary audiences, they ignored their identities as actresses and wholeheartedly felt the spiritual power brought by this tear-jerking drama.

Zhang Yimou and others evaluated and appreciated Lu Kuan's works from a professional perspective.

For example, various "blank narratives" from the third perspective:
Xiaotong didn't know that when Bingbing saw her wearing her favorite swimsuit and refusing to take it off, he seemed to see his childhood self;

Feng Yuanzheng didn't know when he was running after the bus that Zhang Yishan on the bus finally said "Dad" silently;
No one knew that Zhou Xun gave up his job in order to keep Xiaotong, nor did they know that grandma silently said "thank you" on the beach.

To give an inappropriate example, Zhang Yimou's view of the road width today is like Kurosawa Akira's view of Zhang Yimou one day in the 90s.

Master Akira Kurosawa and producer Masahiko Kumada watched Zhang Yimou's "Qiu Ju" together.

Less than 5 minutes into the movie, Kurosawa Akira told Kumada: This director is very talented.

Kumada was puzzled, and Kurosawa explained that his opening almost drew me into this exotic story.

Similarly, Zhang Yimou, who had just switched from art films to exploring commercial blockbusters like "Hero", also saw the ambition of a young director in Lu Kuan's films.

And he possesses abilities that are generally lacking in domestic directors of this era.

The ability to tell a good story.

The long yet short movie viewing time ended with the whole audience sobbing.

Liu Yifei and Su Chang rubbed their red eyes, stood up, and gave warm applause along with all the audience present!

The reason why Boss Lu dared to invest heavily in Focus Media when he was short of funds was not only because he found a bargain, but also because two expected profits were about to arrive.

The first one was "Paranormal Activity", which was planned at the beginning of the year.

The second round of DVD distribution revenue for "Paranormal Activity" in North America dropped significantly due to the film's release in theaters, with only 33 copies sold in the third quarter.

After deducting all expenses such as issuance and transportation, the actual profit was US$300 million.

Fortunately, Lionsgate is professional enough in independent films, and the 1000 screens it controls have gradually increased the number of screenings, starting with midnight shows.

It has been released for half a month and the North American box office is less than 9000 million US dollars. Compared with the later 1.93 million, it has not yet fully released its box office potential.

However, this exaggerated number is also the cumulative result of multiple paintings.

After deducting the share of theaters, publicity and promotion costs, and various taxes, the United States received a profit of 1100 million US dollars.

To be fair, this is not a small amount. It is because of the bet between Boss Lu and Jason that the distribution cost ratio of the film was reduced.

Take Nolan’s masterpiece “Interstellar” as an example. The film’s global box office was 6.7 million US dollars, and the total cost and publicity and promotion costs totaled 3.1 million. Judging from the box office figures alone, it was almost a dead end.

If it weren't for the DVD, rental and sales revenue and peripheral products, Warner would definitely have suffered huge losses.

But even so, Warner only earned $4500 million from "Interstellar".

The second was the massively profitable "Chinese Paladin." The film and advertisers had signed a flexible advertising fee redemption mechanism, with a base price of 1200 million yuan, 300 million yuan less than "My Fair Princess III."

However, due to the surge in ratings, advertisers need to pay according to a coefficient of 1.5, and the total advertising revenue is 1800 million.

In the second round of broadcast rights sales that just ended, it was sold to four satellite TV stations in Shaanxi Province, Anhui Province and other provinces that won the bid at a price of 100 million per episode, with a total price of 3400 million.

The reason why it can be sold at a high price despite the continuously declining prices in the costume drama market is, firstly, because four companies jointly purchased it, and secondly, because its reputation is too good and the subject matter is scarce.

The first game-adapted drama, the first fantasy drama.

With a 65% stake in Wenjie, the second season of "Legend of Sword and Fairy" brought in 4570 million in revenue, which made Boss Lu smile from ear to ear.

It’s true that TV dramas still make money these days!
In this way, the company's financial pressure was greatly reduced, and he could safely invest in Focus Media first, and prepare the early shooting funds for the filming of "Foreign Land".

After all, tax refunds and pre-sales still take time. The crew can't just stop and wait for the money to arrive before starting work, right?

After the premiere, the attending entertainment media, guests, and lucky audience members published comments in the media and blogs to promote "Thief".

[Zhang Jizhong]: Director Lu's films have always had the power to shock people through small things. The leading actors also have explosive acting skills, gentle and silent. Highly recommended!

The bearded man's blog was the first to be published, and it was placed at the top like a slogan expressing his stance of abandoning the dark and joining the light, just to gain the favor and forgiveness of Boss Lu.

[Weekly News]: Kindness is instinctive, love must be learned. Welcome friends to bring their families and join us in the "tear-jerking" activities during the National Day holiday!
[Fan Bingbing]: I cried several times during the filming of the movie, and I couldn't get out of the role until the end. I look forward to your thoughts after watching it. You can write them below this blog post!

[Yu Dong]: I am once again impressed by the storytelling of Director Lu's films. He can always find a glimmer of light in humanity from the filth and darkness. Highly recommended!
Fatty Yu failed to send his daughter away and did not release "The Thief", but he initially booked the release of Wenjie's "33 Days of Broken Love".

Such a good opportunity, why don’t you lick it with all your might?

[Jay Chou]: My concert ended on September 9th, but I delayed it for a few days and came to watch A Kuan’s movie today. I saw the scary Mr. Feng suddenly turned into a timid middle-aged man. I was really impressed by his acting skills. It’s definitely a great movie!

Han Hong: One day at the beginning of the year, Director Lu approached me and said he wanted me to sing a movie theme song. I listened to the demo of "Daybreak," and immediately my eyes welled up. No matter the time or the place, family love is always the most powerful force. I highly recommend everyone to go see this touching movie in the cinema!

Celebrities such as Nayoung, Kelan, Chen Kun, and Huang Xiaoming also posted on Weibo to show their support.

Before the press conference of Wenjie that shocked the domestic entertainment industry, such a situation would not have been formed spontaneously.

However, Boss Lu, who owns TV stations and top Hollywood projects, has shown a tendency towards capitalization, and everyone can't help but move closer to him.

The audience was led by these celebrities and big Vs in the discussion, and began to look forward to the young director's second masterpiece.

White-collar workers in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen were also surprised to find that they saw advertisements for "Thief" in front of and inside the elevators when they went to work every day!

"Kindness is instinctive, love must be learned. During the National Day holiday, Shoplifters will steal your tears. Stay tuned!"

Lu Kuan’s blog account also started to do some “weird stuff” half a month before the release.

The crew of "Shoplifters" has decided: in the first week after the movie is released, that is, during the National Day holiday, large cinemas in first- and second-tier cities across the country will prepare tissues for the audience to wipe their tears!
After the movie, fans are welcome to visit the on-site staff and register with the number of remaining tissues. The first three people to use the least amount of tissues will receive a prize!
The event is euphemistically called "Tear-jerking challenge, come and accept it if you don't agree!"

Movie fans and audiences were interacting, checking in, and setting flags under the blog post.

"Dragon Knight Lu Kuan, what are you so arrogant about? Just wait and see if your father cries when the time comes."

"Are you kidding me? What are you going to do with onion juice on a tissue?"

"Last time on Whiplash, they said there were no pee breaks and we couldn't go to the bathroom, and this time they're saying we have to pee as much as we can. Washing machines, you just can't stand bodily fluids, right?"

Liu Yifei laughed out loud while watching this, and [Road Roller] gave a thumbs up!
She also cut her size, and with the help of Yang Siwei, a top student at Communication University of China, racked her brains to post a very literary film review.

[Liu Yifei]: I stole my childhood in the store, and you buried your scars in the dirt. The innocence that should have been possessed was used to commit crimes, and the truth that should have been revealed was covered up.

The most cruel thing in life is also the most healing disease for the family. I cried so hard after watching the movie that I just wanted to give my mother a hug immediately!
The movie reviews were excellent, but the fans quickly went off topic.

"You filthy Dragon Knight director, you made my Zhao Linger cry, and you want to make us cry too?"

"Wang Yuyan, I'm actually your long-lost mother. Can you give me a hug?"

"Wow, Sister Fairy is so talented! I was also chosen to attend the premiere today. When I saw you and Lu Kuan standing together, I wanted to kick him to death!"

As soon as this marketing method of topic came out, the distribution teams of Berna, China Film Group and Shanghai Film Group held closed-door meetings!
Study them all carefully!
The employees of domestic film distribution companies hate Lu Kuan so much, can you just shut the fuck up?

It’s okay to just shoot the movie, but once it comes to release, it gets delayed and we have to work overtime.

You also have to research your plan, hold meetings, summarize, and write reports!

Topic marketing and hype can be imitated, but they cannot imitate the 24-hour looping advertisements in elevators in major first- and second-tier cities.

From now on, at least this advertising channel will no longer be available to competing films of the same period.

On Saturday, September 2003, 9, countless fans of "Legend of Sword and Fairy" sat in front of their TVs to watch Liu Yifei's first variety show appearance.

Kuaiben is not a live broadcast, what is being played now is a pre-recorded program.

After the "Thief" press conference, Yang Siwei took advantage of the situation to continue to threaten the program team to give her artist Liu Yifei the program treatment commensurate with her status.

The college student agent who brought the little girl Liu Yifei into the entertainment industry was full of regrets about the fickleness of the world.

Boss Lu is right. The most important thing is to improve your own strength.

Lu Kuan was on a roadshow in Hong Kong. When he saw Yang Siwei's text message, he just laughed it off. With nothing else to do, he turned on the TV and started watching "Happy Camp".

He was examining the significance of this program for a satellite TV station and pondering how to replicate and innovate it on Travel Channel.

Even replace.

As mentioned earlier, there are various circles in the domestic entertainment industry, each with its own characteristics. The characteristics of Xiangtai come from its inherent corporate nature.

The Hong Kong and Taiwan circles have been on the road of decline;
The Northwest Circle relies on a few core directors of the Fifth Generation to barely maintain its status quo;
The Beijing circle has been constantly reshuffling, and the leading figures of each generation are different;
However, the Hunan Army has always been aloof and unique.

The key here is that their circle is not centered around any person or force, but rather serves as a large state-owned platform, constantly seizing resources and making the pie bigger.

No matter which director is in office or which host leaves, it cannot damage its foundation.

This is the advantage of the system.

But Boss Lu also knew that the disaster of Xiangtai was precisely because of its nature!

The attributes of the state-owned capital platform are very special. It requires enterprises and institutions not only to create economic value, but also to serve as official mouthpieces and assume the responsibility of guiding public opinion!

In other words, you must not only follow the trend of entertainment to create benefits, but also quickly withdraw after the official guidance is clear and return to the social value of your own mouthpiece media.

Hunan TV is the most outstanding representative of the reform of local satellite TV stations. It was the first to implement the host-centered system and the first to establish the development policy of an entertainment-based station.

In 2021, the Cyberspace Administration of China officially launched the special operation "Clear and Bright, Rectify the Chaos in Fan Circles".

It was also in this year that Kuaiben was suspended indefinitely, with the excuse of upgrading and revising the show to cover up the problem.

But all discerning people in the circle can see that this is being used as a raft and a warning to others to rectify the culture of a certain circle.

How deep are the entertainment roots of Xiangtai, or the Kuaiben that Boss Lu is watching?
He saw a piece of data:
As early as 2018, the sponsorship fee of Kuaiben was as high as 7 million yuan, and there was almost no cost except for software, hardware and host remuneration.

Because at that time the artists were already begging to be on the show, so why should we pay them appearance fees?

Why is the “Clear and Bright Movement” targeting Hunan TV and its popular TV programs?
First, Hunan TV's entertainment has become close to capitalism, and its influence is too great! Officials feel it is difficult to get rid of it.

Their market value reached a peak of over 1600 billion yuan after the listing of Mango Super Media alone!
Second, Xiangtai and Kuaiben are the leading representatives of the over-entertainment of domestic entertainment.

In 2015, Internet capital entered the entertainment industry in a big way and started producing its own variety shows. They poached a group of veterans from Hunan TV at high prices, all of whom were from the "Super Girl", "Fast Boy" and "Singer" series.

Among them, the core teams of the talent shows of the two major video platforms, Penguin and Kiwi, are all from Hunan TV.

The Internet capitalists’ pursuit of profits is far more crazy than the previous wave of coal bosses entering the market. Various dazzling talent shows and paid voting projects are emerging in an endless stream!
It's even worse than the country where fan clubs originated, South Korea. South Korea is a capitalist country, so they can ignore it, but we can't.

Including the fall of a certain Chu Yuxuan, in addition to various reasons that she could not excuse, it was also because Xiangtai Tianyu made her famous.

What's more, since the introduction of "Jewel in the Palace" in 2005, Hunan and Taiwan have been the practitioners of letting the hungry wolf of Korea knock on the gate.

What happened to Kuaiben is a clear message from above to Internet capitalists!

We don’t want to make any money! We don’t want to hire anybody! We are serious this time!
"Learn from history", the 20-year development process of Hunan and Taiwan has been a great inspiration to Boss Lu.

Where will the Travel Channel, which he actually controls, go?

How to ride the wave of entertainment, build barriers when the Korean wave is raging, and create a golden image before the official de-entertainment?
This includes complying with the country's major policy of cultural confidence and making preparations in content and public opinion in advance!
Tell the story of Chinese culture well, promote our own positive stars and cultural products, and export them to South Korea, Japan, the United States and the West!

To put it nicely, what Boss Lu is doing is a cultural investment by an artist and filmmaker.

To put it in a dark way, this is also a political speculation of rebirth and cheating.

(End of this chapter)