The only sun in Huayu

Chapter 97 Listen to the Eagle's Cry!

Previously, Han Sanping lacked confidence!
It's not that he doesn't want to be confident, it's that there's no fundamental support for it.

It's important to understand that there was a period of discontinuity in domestic film production. In the 1980s, the local film industry could still be preserved by relying on the existing film studios and the inertia of the previous system.

By the 1990s, things had become extremely dire. External threats intensified, and various offensives continued. Under the threat of life and death, there was no time to spare for the film industry.

The market-oriented reform of the film industry officially began in 1994, but it was just a name. Substantial action was not taken until the environment improved in the 21st century.

One reason is that the US system is facing increasingly serious problems and its industrial hollowing out is intensifying, making it necessary for China to join the WTO in order to maintain its dollar hegemony and meet its industrial and daily consumer needs.

Another event occurred in the second half of 01, which was quite welcome and completely rewrote the international landscape.

Starting in 02, with the integration with international standards and the removal of internal obstacles by external pressures, the landscape of the film industry truly changed, and the cinema chain system was able to be implemented.

In the same year, the first commercial blockbuster, "Hero," was released, ushering in the era of blockbusters.

However, until this point, domestic film and television production relied entirely on a few big directors.

When needed, they would gather the film crew and recruit people, operating on a small-scale workshop model. They would work when there were orders and disperse when there weren't.

There's no system or industry to speak of; it all depends on the director's personal performance.

For this reason, even in commercial films, the auteur style remains very prominent.

These small workshops, far from being an industrial system, will cause disaster for the film market if any big directors have a bad day.

Just last year, all three major directors went out of business.

For Han Sanping, the most important thing is that Chen Kaige is no longer capable.

Of the three directors, he has the closest relationship with China Film Group, and can be considered China Film Group's top general.

Because of the infamous "The Promise," a bloody incident triggered by a steamed bun also led to a "bloody incident" for Chen Kaige, almost ruining the reputation of this once-renowned Palme d'Or-winning director.

Broadly speaking, the genre of period dramas died out in 06.

The official forces represented by China Film Group, as well as semi-official forces such as Huayi Films ("The Banquet") and New Pictures Films ("Curse of the Golden Flower"), all suffered a crushing defeat.

If we're talking about regions, the central area, the Beijing metropolitan area, and the Northwest region are all out of the question.

Doesn't Han Sanping know about the tactics that Wu Yusen and Chen Kexin are using?
Chen Kexin made money by giving Jet Li 100 million yuan, and Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro also received the maximum amount. Then, the male lead was given to an actor who was not from mainland China.

John Woo also made a fortune, not only by profiting but also by openly promoting people, showing no respect for mainland opinions whatsoever, without even pretending.

But the film industry is currently facing a life-or-death crisis, and the threat from Hollywood is no joke.

This is their area of ​​expertise, even a leading industry in its field.

Therefore, Han Sanping had no choice but to endure it.

We must survive first, even if it means suffering some losses, and preserve the market share of Chinese films.

Of course, China's biggest characteristic is its size.

A large market means a high margin for error, and fortunately, a new generation of market directors is also emerging in times of crisis.

Last year, Ning Hao brought us "Crazy Stone," representing the emergence of a new generation of directors.

By properly localizing Guy Ritchie's dark comedy films, a company with an actual budget of two to three million yuan achieved a box office of twenty to thirty million yuan, a tenfold return.

Moreover, considering that it relies entirely on word-of-mouth and was filmed with digital cameras, it will only be shown in digital cinemas.

If we strive for excellence and increase the scale of distribution, "Stone" could achieve even higher box office returns.

The success of "Stone" as a low-budget comedy is more significant because it proves that targeting domestic audiences and following the domestic circulation strategy is a viable approach, a different path from blockbusters.

Just when Han Sanping urgently needed a new generation to step forward, Shen Shandeng came into his view with an article titled "The Crisis of Chinese Cinema Under the Wave of Globalization".

Han Sanping was overjoyed, as the article had struck a chord with him.

He explained everything he had thought of and hadn't thought of, and also pointed out the future development direction he had vaguely grasped.

The domestic market is fundamental; we must prioritize serving Chinese audiences, tell China's story well, and build a solid foundation in the domestic market.

Subsequently, Shen Shandeng presented the "Brotherhood of Blades" project.

Although it was quite shocking that a newcomer could talk about a project worth hundreds of millions, he was impressed by the idea behind it.

Moreover, given that the film industry is facing enormous problems, even despair, Han Sanping is naturally willing to meet with them.

at first.

Han Sanping didn't actually want Shen Shandeng to be a director; instead, he wanted Shen to join China Film Group after graduation.

Unexpectedly, Shen Shandeng's career took off like lightning, and with just one film, he entered the 100 million yuan club.

To his surprise, and to the surprise of many others.

The box office success of "The Eunuch" gave Han Sanping great confidence and refreshed his preconceived notions.

Shen Shandeng told him that there were many regrets about the film, and that things he wanted to do were not done.

With tight deadlines and heavy workloads, Han Sanping witnessed Shen Shandeng's work model throughout the process. It was truly industrialized management, multi-line operation, and its efficiency was several times that of a small workshop.

Even so, it only took ten months from project initiation to release. The martial arts special effects that Shen Shandeng wanted most were only completed for three or four minutes.

The peak battle lasts only two minutes, and funds are limited, so they can only be used wisely.

The film's production cost was 12 million yuan. China Film Group initially invested 8 million yuan in marketing and distribution, with additional investment to be made later.

Of the eight million, the bulk went to film prints and distribution.

With one million each from Enlight Media and Bona Film Group, plus online marketing from Shen Shandeng's personal company, the total production and distribution cost came to 24 million.

With the addition of an all-star cast, salary reductions by celebrities, Shen Shandeng's talent for saving money, and the resource support from China Film Group, the actual investment in this film will double, but it will still only be a little over 40 million.

The film's box office performance was less than half of Jet Li's salary for "The Warlords," yet it's about to break records?

What does this mean?
One reason is that the domestic market is so large that even Han Sanping has begun to re-examine Shen Shandeng's statement, "Is it difficult to achieve a box office of 1 billion?" Perhaps that statement was the truth.

This also shows that they did a bad job.

The audience's reaction clearly indicates that they have been starved for a long time, their cultural needs have not been met for a long time, and they are extremely excited to finally see a work of decent quality, or even a normal quality.

This also shows that as long as the work is of good quality, it can achieve good results.

"They want a topic of conversation, right? Fine, I'll give them an even bigger one!"

Han Sanping gave Liao Yun his orders, his tone decisive and ruthless.

"We shouldn't suppress their voices; instead, we should let more people hear them. Then, we should have our media friends focus on reporting the box office miracle of 'The Eunuch,' highlighting Shen Shandeng's brilliance and strength as a leading figure of the new generation of directors. Let's get straight to the point: Chinese cinema needs new blood, new syntax, and new rules!"

"What is the essence of the new generation of directors? They are the emerging forces in the film industry, born from the wave of marketization, and representatives of the advanced forces in the film industry!"

Shen Shandeng presented a new path and even shared the practical results, which received tremendous feedback and support from the audience and the market.

"Du Gong" is the perfect practice and concrete embodiment of Shen Shandeng's theory.

Prioritizing industry, then commerce, and finally art, the film aims to gain influence by building a strong film industry and cultivating the local market. "The Eunuch" is a culmination of this philosophy, thoroughly serving local audiences and the market with its exceptional industrial standards and exploration of commercial genres.

It can be said that the box office success of "The Eunuch" has shown the industry and Han Sanping that the path of being rooted in the local area, prioritizing industry, and taking commerce first is not only theoretically feasible, but also practically feasible.

It's not just feasible; to be precise, it's a grand and promising path.

In Han Sanping's view, the success of the film "The Eunuch" marks a victory for a new direction in blockbuster strategy.

China's path to becoming a film powerhouse should begin with "The Eunuch," and be achieved step by step through solid works that are rooted in local culture, have strong industrial capabilities, and are commercially successful.

"The Eunuch" is a complete work that Shen Shandeng produced in this wild era when he was beginning to explore new production and narrative techniques.

Of course, this road now belongs to Han Sanping.

It was his foresight, his willingness to invest resources, and his courage to make exceptions for young directors!

He bet big from the very beginning!

At this point, what Han Sanping needs is not to balance all sides, but to strengthen the direction and reap the victory!
With a clear focus on serving local audiences and markets, and an extreme level of industrial production and exploration of commercial genres, it has paved a new path for blockbuster strategies!
Upon hearing this, Liao Yun gasped.

Chen Kexin and Wu Yusen are in trouble!
After being reprimanded, there is still plenty of room to back down; choosing to fight back is undoubtedly courting disaster.

Han Sanping continued to issue instructions to Liao Yun.

"The notice was issued that the official response to any questions raised by Hong Kong Island would be non-existent. Privately, it was stated that China Film Group would act in accordance with the contract and support all 'creations' that are conducive to the healthy development of Chinese films, conform to market rules, and meet audience expectations."

"China Film Group has the right and responsibility to supervise any non-compliance."

"We must ensure that every penny of the country's funds is used where it is needed and is implemented effectively."

The fact that Hong Kong directors like John Woo and Chen Kexin are making period epics is like the film genre twitching after it died.

Han Sanping sensed something was wrong, but in order to buy time for the development of Chinese cinema, he had to pretend he didn't know and go through the process.

Now, period dramas are back in vogue!

Not only have they come back to life, but they've also come back to life in a completely new way, so I'm sorry!

Liao Yun thought to himself, and sure enough, Wu Yusen and the others had run into a brick wall.

This is no ordinary heavy punch; it's at least ten punches per second!

Liao Yun has seen the finished film of "The Warlords" and can only say that the director's vision was too narrow.

They remained the same as before, except that Han Sanping now had Shen Shandeng, a daring and aggressive "Pang Qingyun," and he had to give Shen Shandeng an explanation.

This time, the directors will finally get a taste of what a grand vision truly is, though they may not understand or appreciate this reality without the dark tropes of "using lackeys to cook dogs."

"Of course, they should retreat if they need to, and if they cooperate, we will also provide a way out."

"What we want more is an attitude."

Han Sanping did not intend to kill them all.

We can only say that we have found a new path, but we are still not rid of external threats.

The Hong Kong entertainment circle, represented by figures like John Woo and Chen Kexin, is still needed; it's just that the cooperation model has changed.

It's not just about cooperation, it's also about struggle.

The days of using the titles of international directors and Hong Kong and Taiwan directors to cheat and swindle are over.

"besides."

Han Sanping lowered his voice, with a do-or-die determination: "Use all available resources—scheduling, publicity, even administrative coordination—to ensure the sustainability of 'The Eunuch'! There is only one goal."

He slammed his finger on the table: "Give it a push, sink this big ship!"

It turns out that he intended to use these resources for "The Warlords".

After watching the whole movie, he almost cursed.

Shen Shandeng's prediction about the movie was right again!
The film goes a step further than "The Hidden Dragon and the Hidden Tiger," even eliminating traditional martial arts moves.

This really puts us in a dilemma: highlighting national sentiments might give the impression of being overly patriotic, while belittling the court's support for local areas might suggest a separatist tendency, which doesn't suit the audience's taste.

The film is full of reflection, depicting the cold-blooded calculations of the central government and the tragic narrative of the local protagonists.

The metaphors are one thing, but the quality is just too low.

They hired Jet Li for 100 million and then made a dark, art-house film full of metaphors that didn't make any sense.

They act mysterious, but they don't actually understand history.

The director's vision and understanding of the country are still at the level of tribal groups. It was Li Hongzhang who captured Suzhou and the Zeng brothers who captured Nanjing. The director has no idea what the concept of a governor with a powerful army is!
The main cast was overshadowed by the group of old men, including Jiang, Di, and Chen!

It can only be said that Shen Shandeng was indeed right.

The most classic thing about "The Warlords" is its title.

They treat each other as human beings, but the other party has a colonial mentality. They want to make money, show that they are being kept and have an independent personality, and even complain while eating.

Since the resources would be given to anyone anyway, Han Sanping decided to give them to "The Eunuch".

With the box office performance of "The Eunuch," theaters are willing to cooperate, and unions are giving away tickets to employees who are also willing to watch the film.

If Han Sanping were to forcefully promote a film like "The Warlords," everyone from theaters to various parties would be cursing him.

That would damage his prestige.

He didn't need to invest too much to help "The Grand Eunuch," the dark horse he personally selected, cross the finish line and ascend to the throne; he could simply go with the flow.

Moreover, the creation of a film that tops the box office history under his guidance will, in turn, influence his career path.

The investment paid off, and Han Sanping experienced the joy of a positive cycle!

In comparison, "The Warlords" required ten or even a hundred times the determination and resources.

It's a thankless and futile effort, rubbish!

Since there were some dissenting voices when "The Eunuch" was first conceived, including debates about the suitability of mainland actors, let the market decide.

"The Warlords" will be released during the Lunar New Year season this year, and China Film Group will distribute it as usual. Let's see if they have the ability to deliver.

While directors of the old era were still arguing over the small boats in front of them, he, Han Sanping, was going to personally inject the last and most powerful force into the newborn dragon, sending it straight to the heavens and changing the world!
This is not only a commercial success, but also a complete reclaiming of the right to speak!
This time, Han Sanping wants people to hear his voice as the head of China Film Group.

Listen to the eagle's cry!

The full support of China Film Group, coupled with the statement from Huixingzhen, the director of "The Evil," cleared the final obstacle for "The Eunuch."

Box office revenue is secondary; due to limitations in the scale of cinema construction, there is a cap on box office revenue.

The main reason is that the phenomenal influence of the film has become even more apparent, and it has taken off to new heights!
At this time in 2007, a movie that grossed 80 million in its opening week, then surpassed 100 million in its second week, and grossed 200 million in two weeks, deserved no praise whatsoever.

No one will support my lofty ambitions; I will tread through the snow to reach the mountain peak myself!
Shen Shandeng did it with one movie!

From audiences to the market, from offline to online, "The Eunuch" has swept across the internet!
(End of this chapter)