Huayu: Are you even sitting up straight? You're going to be the director?

Chapter 25: Xu Zheng Joins the Team, a Publicity Plan for a Non-Big-Name Director

For Cao Zhong, the moment he received the money, his preparations were already progressing rapidly.

The first thing to do is to sign a contract with China Film Group.

Make things completely and thoroughly.

Cao Zhong invested the money he received into Chengying Studio.

I originally wanted to use Wang Hongwei's help to apply for 50,000 yuan in creative funding from the Beijing Film Academy, but Wang Hongwei was unsuccessful in his application.
The Beijing Film Academy refused to invest, citing that Cao Zhong's film project had already been approved and that an investment of 50,000 yuan was not a problem.

Wang Hongwei said that in fact, it is already the second semester of senior year, and it is also the end of the year. The quota has long been filled, otherwise some people would not be able to have a good holiday.

Cao Zhong understood, but not completely.

Did they also give 50,000 yuan to their children?
Or is this 50,000 yuan a New Year's gift from someone?
Cao Zhong was puzzled, but didn't care.

Turning around, he went to China Film Group and talked to Han Sanpin again to gain a deeper understanding of the topics to be discussed at the upcoming National Film Work Conference. From there, he learned that there would be a funding plan for young directors early next year.

I checked and found that it was already open for registration at this point.
Unfortunately, the funding programs are all in a situation where they are already filled, even though other programs are very suitable, such as those for people under 45 years old who have potential and innovative spirit, to create a good artistic environment for them and encourage them to continue to produce excellent works.

However, one clause within this agreement, which had yielded initial results, effectively shut down Cao Zhong.

"It seems like they're all just filling one hole after another."

Compared to the things that can be obtained within the system, which are close at hand yet far away, the down-to-earth Jing Tian is more relevant to reality.

Cao Zhong was helpless.

The plan to secure more funding has essentially fallen through.

My roommates and I do have some money at home, but compared to the investment in the movie, it's just a drop in the ocean.

Ultimately, it was a pity that I could only invest two million to intervene independently.

The person who came to negotiate with Cao Zhong was Zhao Haicheng, the secretary of Han Sanpin from China Film Group.
Since China Film Group is the largest investor, and previous negotiations did not delve into the copyright ownership stage, this negotiation mainly focuses on these details of interests.

Upon learning that Cao Zhong had independently raised two million yuan, Zhao Haicheng gasped in astonishment.

According to Mr. Han, a performing arts student with no connections, where did he get two million?
Could it be that there's a powerful figure in your family?

Zhao Haicheng pursed his lips, and couldn't help but look at Cao Zhong with newfound respect.

Cao Zhong clearly articulated the fearless and noble act of the team that had been assembled, especially the recognition of the fact that Zu Feng, Mei Ting, and others, as natives of Nanjing, were willing to act without receiving any payment.

Furthermore, the relevant actor salaries and director fees will be included in Chengying's investment ratio.

Zhao Haicheng was even more shocked!

He genuinely didn't understand what kind of magic Cao Zhong possessed that could make so many people willingly act for free.
But he found it hard to refuse what Cao Zhong said.

Cao Zhong, representing Chengying, demanded that China Film Group take the actors' interests seriously, provide Chengying with a share of the profits, and ultimately have Chengying responsible for paying the box office revenue.

In order to show sufficient respect to China Film Group, Cao Zhong offered to give up the revenue from the sale of foreign copyrights, but requested that China Film Group grant Chengying a limited set of restricted rights for free.

Furthermore, they continued to make concessions in other negotiations regarding fame and fortune, fully acknowledging China Film Group's status as the primary producer, only making a few minor requests.

The request to include Chengying in the co-production is mainly to enhance Chengying's reputation and Cao Zhong's personal brand.

In reality, it's still an affiliation, completely handing over the dominant position to China Film Group.

Cao Zhong chose to leverage the actors' and directors' salaries to convert them into investment and secure film shares, and then decide whether to give red envelopes to Zu Feng and others depending on the situation.

Zhao Haicheng and China Film Group were only concerned with saving face, so they weren't too difficult about the profit sharing requirements.

They only engaged in some negotiations and resistance.

Zhao Haicheng didn't think he could make much money from a low-budget film.

Despite the fact that "Crazy Stone" grossed over 26 million yuan, China Film Group only received 2 million yuan in the final profit sharing.

There's really no need to get bogged down in those trivial details with Cao Zhong.

Ultimately, Cao Zhong used his silver tongue to secure film investment by exchanging actor and director salaries for film funding, obtaining a 39% share of the box office revenue, without receiving a director's fee.

China Film Group invested four million yuan, which may not seem like much, but it was enough to make Cao Zhong happy.

Because of all this, following the usual pace, Cao Zhong could at most earn a director's fee of 100,000 to 200,000 yuan, which would already be the maximum profit he could make.

Now, Cao Zhong holds a 39% share of the box office revenue!

Cao Zhong was very proud.
He highly values ​​his achievements, because of all of this.
He earned it all through his own talent and hard work!
It's definitely not because of getting something for nothing!

The negotiations with Cao Zhong went very smoothly. Zhao Haicheng didn't have to put in much effort; in just over an hour, all the details were finalized.

Zhao Haicheng was actually quite puzzled. In terms of copyright, Cao Zhong not only did not include the script fee in the overall film investment, but also took the initiative to give China Film Group the full copyright. This situation is actually quite rare.

As a screenwriter and investor, Cao Zhong could absolutely demand that the copyright be distributed proportionally.

But Cao Zhong did not.

However, this is a good thing for Zhao Haicheng, indicating that he has completed his work quite satisfactorily.

After finishing his task that evening, Zhao Haicheng sat on the sofa at home, excitedly enjoying the warmth of the heating in his house during the winter.

……

After signing all cooperation agreements.

Cao Zhong went to Shanghai and met Xu Zheng there.

Xu Zheng and Ning Hao had already had many exchanges with Cao Zhong and understood the general role he would be playing.

“I’m very interested in this role,” Xu Zhengdao said. “I’m currently seeking a strategic transformation, so any role that suits my abilities is a good thing for me.”

Cao Zhong was well aware of this; in fact, Xu Zheng's roles had always been stuck in the same old pattern.

He was already thirty-five years old, entering the most complicated period of a man's life.

In fact, if Cao Zhong hadn't offered the role of Wang Guanghai, Xu Zheng would have joined Ning Hao's "No Man's Land" project at the end of next year, playing the role of a villainous lawyer.

"I cannot compromise on the issue of salary." Xu Zheng still values ​​salary quite a bit.

Cao Zhong had anticipated this, and he didn't intend to cut back on Xu Zheng's salary. The main reason was that Wang Guanghai, although a character with great depth of humanity, was still a rare one.

After the contract was signed.

Xu Zheng also noticed the issue of liquidated damages that the other party emphasized, but he did not have any questions about it.

Xu Zheng was signed.

Cao Zhong began preparing for the project launch ceremony.

He knew that as a non-major director, he couldn't possibly have the same publicity resources as a major director.

"Nanjing Photo Studio" happens to be a film that places great emphasis on publicity.

Cao Zhong believes in the quality of the film and also in word of mouth.

However, he must admit that if his film had been released in 2007, it would have been easily drowned out by dissenting voices and lost in the crowds without some other means.

It's worth noting that 25 years ago, the opposition to this film was still as strong as a tidal wave.

Without the dissemination tools like TikTok, the consequences might have been unimaginable.

Not to mention the year 2007 when my nephews were all partying.

In this regard, Han Sanpin probably doesn't have any solutions either.

Because China Film Group is an official entity, it is difficult for the government to express any biased views on public affairs.

Therefore, Cao Zhong could only rely on himself.

But that's good, he had already chosen a very practical and suitable entry point.

Furthermore, a complete publicity plan was prepared for this purpose.

(End of this chapter)