2001 Media Godfather

Chapter 18 What exactly are you trying to do?
Xiang Lintao read the script carefully twice, then pondered the E-Road contract for a long time, leaving Chu An and Lu Mingze waiting for two whole hours before finally looking at them.

In a serious tone, he said, "I'll pay the penalty for E-Road's breach of contract!"

"So, Director Lu, how much sponsorship fee do you want? As long as it doesn't exceed the normal sponsorship price for film and television dramas, I can agree to it."

Seemingly generous, but actually cunning and treacherous.

This is tantamount to telling Lu Mingze not to ask for an outrageous price, and that it cannot exceed the normal sponsorship fee.

Lu Mingze opened his mouth, about to name a figure he considered exorbitant. "Hmm, Director Lu thinks 300 million... is quite reasonable."

But then I immediately realized, damn it, I can't make the decision!
He simply shut up, coolly pointing at Chu An, meaning: He's the one who's here to talk; I'm just a mascot.

Chu An waited for two hours before finally getting a chance to speak. Without saying how much money he wanted, he said, "Of course, regular sponsorship has a regular price, but I think what Green Field wants might be much more than regular sponsorship, right?"

He started counting on his fingers for Xiang Lintao.

"First, game elements can't be shown on CCTV; they won't pass censorship. But this drama can."

"Second, it is linked to the aerospace industry and the entertainment industry, which has raised the social image of games. There are also scenes of aerospace workers and celebrities playing games."

"Oh, right." Chu An said with a faint smile, "It's not the social image of the game, but the social image of your game."

Let's continue with the details.

"Third, the proportion of the storyline related to the game is extremely high. It can be said that no other form of advertising can achieve such a dense delivery of information."

"Fourth, the e-sports plot drives the storyline to a climax, which is conducive to the promotion of game competitions."

"Fifth, the game in the script is highly compatible with the game your company is developing. In fact, I think you can even borrow the game settings from the TV series. We will not charge you any extra fees."

"Of course, there's also a sixth point, which is also the most important one."

"So, as the absolute king of RTS games, StarCraft is trying to carve out a niche for your company's game and seize market share..."

"Enough!" Xiang Lintao interrupted Chu An. Almost every word this young man uttered hit the nail on the head.

In particular, his use of "StarCraft" threw Xiang Lintao into a panic.

As the leader in the real-time strategy game genre, StarCraft has swept the globe and almost completely dominated the market for this type of game, making it extremely difficult for Greenfield Games to break into the market.

In fact, Green Field's "Race Wars" has already reached a high level of completion and is ready to be released at any time.

However, they have been struggling to find a good marketing plan and are afraid that they will be crushed by StarCraft as soon as they are released, which is why they have been hesitant to launch.

The script for "You Are My Glory" was a godsend for Lvye.

The reason for interrupting Chu An was that Xiang Lintao still held onto a sliver of hope, wanting to obtain sponsorship rights at the lowest possible cost, just like the CEO of E-Road.

Now it seems he can give up his illusions; others see things much more clearly than he does.

Moreover, Xiang Lintao had figured it out: no matter how low his price was, as long as it was higher than E-Road's offer and enough to cover the penalty for breach of contract, the young man would accept it. Then, he would shamelessly take Green Field's contract and go find the next company willing to pay a high price.

Because that's what they're doing now.

After a long pause, he exclaimed, "1500 million!!"

Looking directly at Lu Mingze, he maintained that this seemingly profound director was the one in control of the negotiations. "This is all the funds Greenfield can provide on its books!!"

"If Director Lu still feels that this is not sincere enough, then there is nothing I can do."

Lu Mingze almost suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. Is this still the world I know?
A sponsorship of 1500 million?! Are you crazy?!
That's an absolutely astronomical price! If word gets out, it'll shake the entertainment industry for half a year.

Unfortunately, the mascot has no say!

Director Lu had enough self-awareness to look at Chu An, as if to say: Hurry up and agree, it's 1500 million!

Chu An pondered; he was damn hesitant.

Lu Mingze was getting anxious, thinking, "Don't be so greedy! That's not 1500 yuan, it's 1500 million! How much more do you want?"

Little did he know, Chu An was thinking on a completely different level from him.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, "1500 million, that's too much!"

"what?"

"???"

Neither Lu Mingze nor Xiang Lintao heard clearly whether it was too much or too little. Did they say it was too little?

Chu An didn't play by the rules at all. "1000 million, plus 15% of the profits from 'Race War', plus 50% of the revenue from related merchandise!"

Xiang Lintao: "..."

Sign it! It has to be signed! Sign it now!
This guy's either an angel or an idiot. Profit sharing is something you only pay when you have a profit, it's not money you have to give out right now.

He didn't even know if "Race Wars" would survive.

Meanwhile, Lu Mingze was really struggling to suppress his immense power, and he cursed Chu An countless times in his mind.

Does this guy have a grudge against money? He's lost another 500 million.

As they left Green Field, Director Lu couldn't stand it anymore. "Are you stupid? They've already offered 1500, and you're still asking for a 15% share of the profits. Whether you'll even get a share is another question!"

"Can't you do math? Can't you do math? Can't you do math?!"

Chu An glared at him and sent him flying back; this wasn't a film set.

On set, Director Lu is the absolute boss, but off set, he's just an underage, bald man.

"First, in terms of sensational effect, there is no difference between 1000 million and 1500 million."

1500 million can shake the entertainment industry, and 1000 million can do the same.

"Secondly, the 15% profit share and 50% peripheral share are just extras; whether they can make a profit is not even in our consideration."

"To put it bluntly, even if he doesn't agree to a profit-sharing arrangement, I'll still sign the contract for him for 1000 million!"

"Why?" Lu Mingze asked, confused.

Chu An, “1500 million, your funding gap is 50%, you have almost no need for funds, and the bank will not lend you money.”

“But 1000 million is a different story.” Lu Mingze, “??????”

Do we... need a loan?
No, you can even get a loan!

Chu An didn't want to explain to Lu Mingze.
With the CCTV premiere, the space agency collaboration, and the exorbitant advertising placement all secured, there was still one thing missing.

The question seemed to come out of nowhere: "Who is the female celebrity with the highest traffic and the most young fans in China?"

Lu Mingze, “What is flow…” Okay, the literal meaning is easy to understand.

He blurted out, "Xu Shu!"

Chu An frowned and shook his head, saying, "She's not suitable; she's too young."

Lu Mingze knew what Chu An meant. The female lead in the drama, Qiao Jingjing, spanned from high school to her thirties, while Xu Shu was only seventeen.

However, Director Lu sneered, "Then you haven't seen Xu Shu's performance in 'The Story of Taiping'?"

"She played a character from sixteen to forty years old without any sense of incongruity, and the character's tension was brought to life perfectly. Otherwise, why do you think she's so popular?"

It's easy for a 40-year-old to play a 16-year-old, but to be able to portray the feeling of a 40-year-old at 16 is truly a skill.

At this point, even Director Lu, who is extremely strict about art, showed admiration.

"Some media outlets have predicted that no female star in China will be as popular as her in the next twenty years. Although this is somewhat of an exaggeration, it does have some merit."

……

Chu An in this timeline had certainly read "The Story of Taiping," and he knew in his heart what kind of power Xu Shu possessed.

In fact, putting aside character, even though Chu An was very knowledgeable, he still looked at that girl with new respect.

The reason is simple: he couldn't find a single female star in the entertainment industry of another time and space who could serve as a reference point.

Whether it's looks or acting skills, Xu Shu is top-notch. Moreover, her versatility is unparalleled in Chu An's life.

But the problem is, she's an artist under Tiandu Entertainment, so how can we sign her?
After thinking for a long time, I decided, "Never mind, I'll just use her to fool you for now!"

Lu Mingze, “???”

What are you trying to fool?
Two days later, Shengjing Development Investment Bank.

Chu An held a letter of intent for joint production cooperation signed with the Space Administration, a key project certificate issued by the State Administration of Radio and Television, the production plan, script, investment budget, a high-priced sponsorship contract from Green Field Company, a letter of intent for procurement from CCTV, and the business license and related certificates of Lu Mingze's personal studio.

Of course, there's also the reason why the female lead of this drama is tentatively set to be Xu Shu, a top-tier domestic star.

Chu An originally wanted to sign a top-tier actress; having a contract would be more convincing.

But since Xu Shu is the best, this is the only way.

Because this drama can only use the best!

Fortunately, everyone knows that Xu Shu is currently in Lu Mingze's production team, so she naturally believes that signing on for the next project will not be difficult.

In short, it didn't take much effort to get Shengjing Development Bank to agree to a loan of 1500 million yuan for the filming and post-production promotion of "You Are My Glory".

Lu Mingze was stunned once again. Could it really be a loan?
The directive from higher authorities that financial institutions could provide loans to the cultural industry existed as early as 1995.

However, banks are relatively cautious, and given that China is in a phase of rapid development, they can easily meet their targets by lending money to anyone, so there is no need to lend to the film crew.

Therefore, this area is kept very tight and is generally not loosened.

But isn't this an unusual situation?

Looking at the pile of things Chu An brought out, the director of the credit department had no doubt that this would be a big money-making production of the year.

Since it fully met the loan requirements, the paperwork was started very quickly.

Director Lu, whether he was shocked or not, was genuinely pleased. He hadn't done anything yet, and he'd already received 2500 million.

I'm rich now!!

They filmed "The Best of Us" lying down, upside down, however they wanted.

Director Lu is shaking again!
"Xiao Chu, let's fight our way back to Ningyuan!"

Chu An: "Go cool off somewhere else!"

Director Lu, "???"

Chu An looked at him with disdain, but Director Lu was actually getting used to that look.
"Are you tired of being a director and want to go to jail?"

"what?"

Chu An said, "Whether it's Green Field's sponsorship or bank loans, they're all earmarked for specific purposes. Do you really think it's your own money?"

"To divert funds from 'You Are My Glory' to 'With You', especially when Tian Du is keeping a close eye on things, is tantamount to suicide!"

He launched into a tirade of criticism, leaving Director Lu speechless.

"I……"

Feeling bitter inside, I thought to myself, "What's the point of all this trouble? We have money but can't use it. What about 'The Best of Us'? What about the future?!"
Chu An said, "The money will come, but these two sums are definitely off-limits. You need to know the law!"

"But don't worry!" Chu An changed the subject, "All the necessary preparations have been completed. Next, we just need to resolve the funding issue and the timing for Tiandu."

Director Lu, "..."

His bald head was shiny, and his expression was adorable.

So, all that trouble was just to finish the preparations?
"What exactly are you trying to do? Blow up the headquarters of Tiandu?"

Chu An said, "If anyone's going to blow it up, it's you who should do it. What does it have to do with me? I have no grudge against Tiandu."

Lu Mingze, "..."

……

.

(End of this chapter)