HPDBC Chapter 153 Buying Movies
Chapter 153 Buying Movies
The news that the all-star cast of "The Founding of a Republic" acted without receiving any payment was not kept secret at all.
China Film Group didn't intend to keep it a secret. With so many big shots in the meeting room, the news spread like wildfire, quickly becoming a hot topic in the industry.
In an instant, the entire entertainment industry in Beijing went completely crazy.
That's a film commemorating the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China! Just being able to appear in it would be incredibly beneficial to one's future career. This isn't about money anymore; it's about status and political correctness!
As a result, resumes flew to China Film Group's offices like snowflakes.
Some idiots even sent their resumes to Vision Entertainment.
Gu Heng stared at the stacks of photos Su Qing had sent him on the table, speechless.
Why the hell did you send this to me? Han Sanping is in charge of this production; I'm just a nominal director who added some of his own people to the cast!
Besides, is it something you can just act out whenever you want?
They don't even bother to look in the mirror and see if they fit the style of that era. Do they really think patriotic films are like cabbages at the market?
Gu Heng simply told Su Qing to pack up the resumes and throw them into the storage room, out of sight, out of mind.
Two weeks have passed since the creative session.
As expected, Jiang Wen, that old rogue, kept his word. With dark circles under his eyes, he swaggered over with the script for "Let the Bullets Fly" and stormed into the door.
Gu Heng sat on the sofa and quickly flipped through the notebook.
The plot flows smoothly, the dialogue is sharp, and the pacing is even tighter than the original timeline—it's flawless. Jiang Wen's talent is truly undeniable!
Jiang Wen picked up his teacup and took a big gulp of water, then eagerly asked, "Is the script okay? How do we discuss the investment?"
"Third Master from China Film Group will definitely get involved. And there's also Boss Yang from Emperor Entertainment Group. He helped me a lot when we were making 'The Sun Also Rises,' he's been very kind to me."
Gu Heng nodded upon hearing this; he had already thought of this.
This film will definitely be released in Hong Kong, Taiwan and overseas in the future. Why not take advantage of Emperor Entertainment's cinema distribution channels?
Gu Heng waved his hand and said, "No problem, bring what you need to bring."
Then, looking up, he asked, "You've calculated how much investment is needed?"
Jiang Wen stroked his stubble and chuckled, "This time I listened to you and replaced Chow Yun-fat with Li Xuejian, which saved a lot on his salary. All things considered, we can definitely get it done for 7500 million!"
After hearing this, Gu Heng decisively raised four fingers and waved them in front of Jiang Wen.
"4%."
Jiang Wen was taken aback, then frowned: "How come it's only 4%?"
Gu Heng rolled his eyes and said irritably, "Forty percent of it is mine!"
Jiang Wen finally realized what was going on, and grinned, laughing out loud: "Alright, alright! Forty percent is yours, then I'll take thirty percent!"
The two of them had now divided the lion's share.
Now that the share had been agreed upon, the rest was simple. Gu Heng made a phone call to Han Sanping, and Jiang Wen also contacted Albert Yeung of Emperor Entertainment Group.
Coincidentally, Albert Yeung happened to be in Beijing at that moment. He was also running around trying to get his artists into the film "The Founding of a Republic" so they could get some screen time.
Without saying a word, Albert Yeung canceled his plans for the evening and rushed to Vision Entertainment.
The four bigwigs sat down in the conference room, and before they had even finished their tea, the deal was done.
The final result reached through discussion is clear and unambiguous:
Vision Entertainment accounts for 40%.
Jiang Wen was having a great time, accounting for 30%.
China Film Group takes 15%.
The Emperor takes 15%.
After all the shares were distributed, Gu Heng dumped all the messy things that came up during the production, such as setting up the crew, scouting locations, and arranging costumes, props, and sets, onto Bu Yi Le.
Gu Heng was only responsible for two things: providing funding and finalizing the script.
A few days later, the four companies jointly released a new announcement on major media outlets:
Movie: Let the Bullets Fly
Director: Jiang Wen
Production Companies: Vision Entertainment, Bu Yi Le Hu, China Film Group, Emperor Entertainment
Producer: Ma Ke
This news caused a huge uproar in the entire entertainment industry!
Who doesn't know that Gu Heng lost a fortune investing in Jiang Wen's "The Sun Also Rises"? People in the industry secretly mocked Gu Heng for making a mistake.
Well, this time it's clear that Director Gu is determined to get back up wherever he falls!
Despite the impressive lineup of producers, many seasoned veterans in the industry were secretly laughing their heads off.
In their eyes, Jiang Wen was a box office poison for making art films, and Gu Heng was just being reckless and throwing his head away by investing 30 million!
However, Gu Heng didn't care what outsiders thought.
Making money is a business that those in the know will understand.
Time is the most fleeting thing; in the blink of an eye, 08 has passed and 09 has arrived.
This year's New Year is coming early; there's less than a month left until Lunar New Year's Eve.
Vision Entertainment was scrambling to keep up with the pace of the entire operation, with the publicity machine for "American Dreams in China" running at full speed, bombarding the Spring Festival film season with a deluge of press releases.
Huang Xiaoming, Deng Chao, and Tong Dawei, the three partners, were dragged all over the world on promotional tours, and they were exhausted like grandsons.
Meanwhile, the TV series that Vision had been keeping hidden away was finally completed.
The finished film of Kang Honglei's "My Chief and My Regiment" has been released!
As soon as the film passed censorship, Gu Heng immediately had Su Qing spread the news within the industry.
The phenomenal success of "Soldiers Sortie" was evident to all, directly breaking through the ceiling of domestic military dramas.
Now that Vision Entertainment and Kang Honglei are collaborating again, "My Chief and My Regiment" has naturally become a priceless treasure in the eyes of major TV stations.
Before the news had even been out for a night, the heads of the program acquisition departments of four satellite TV stations—Jiangsu, Dragon TV, Yunnan TV, and Beijing TV—rushed into Vision's conference room.
The heads of the four television stations stared at each other, none of them willing to concede to the others.
When it comes to buying films, Su Qing has truly mastered Gu Heng's skills, and she doesn't even blink when it comes to playing the scarcity marketing game.
"Distinguished leaders, you've all seen the quality of this production. Our boss said we should settle the price right here today to avoid any unpleasantness."
The representative from Jiangsu TV, brimming with money, slammed his teacup on the table: "Stop dawdling! Jiangsu TV is offering 70 yuan per episode!"
The representative from Beijing TV sneered, "You dare ask for 70? This is Beijing, we'll offer 80!"
Dragon TV, not to be outdone, announced: "85!"
Just as the three companies were arguing heatedly, the representative from Yunnan TV, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, slammed his fist on the table with red eyes.
With a "bang".
"One million! Damn it, this drama tells the story of our Yunnan Expeditionary Force's resistance against Japan, so the premiere must be on Yunnan TV!"
"Anyone who dares to compete with me, I'll go back and smash the sign of the film purchasing department!"
The scene was even more chaotic than the scene of middle-aged women scrambling for discounted eggs at the market.