Volume 3: Taking Roots 2016 Chapter 607: Expanding Territory
"It's more than good. Whether it's from the script's conception, character creation, or the dialogue skills, every aspect of the script can be considered a very outstanding script..."
Wen Muye was full of praise, flipping through the script again and again, unable to put it down. Then he suddenly sighed, "If this script wasn't written so crudely, and it wasn't obviously written by an amateur, I wouldn't believe it was actually written by Mr. Zhou!"
"Mr. Zhou just said that I was born to be a director, but . I think Mr. Zhou was born to be a screenwriter!"
Then he seemed to remember the bits and pieces of information he had learned about Zhou Dongsheng from the Internet, and he couldn't help but speak again.
"Perhaps there really is such a thing as a genius in this world, and Mr. Zhou is obviously such a person. The phrase 'learning by analogy' is perfectly demonstrated by Mr. Zhou!"
Wen Muye looked convinced and gave a thumbs-up repeatedly.
After this round of flattery, even Zhou Dongsheng felt a little flattered. The flattery from this cultured person was different, it made people feel particularly comfortable.
"As the saying goes, a good horse deserves a good saddle. No matter how good the script is, it can only show its greatest effect in the hands of a knowledgeable director. I think Director Wen's directing style is just right."
Zhou Dongsheng was not to be outdone and praised Wen Muye in return, even though Wen Muye is still just an unknown little director.
Before coming here, Wen Muye thought he was still somewhat confident, but in front of this script, his confidence seemed a little untenable in front of Zhou Dongsheng.
After all, this is just a side job that others "come up with easily". I haven't even made a name for myself in my main business yet. Those international short film awards that should have been enough to make me proud...
In front of Zhou Dongsheng, he was more or less stretched, so Wen Muye spoke with a little hesitation.
"With such a good script, Mr. Zhou, won't you consider a better director? This script alone is enough to impress most directors, not to mention that Mr. Zhou is not someone who is short of investment..."
Listening to Wen Muye's hesitant tone, Zhou Dongsheng smiled slightly. Isn't the fish hooked? This is exactly the effect we want.
Instead of rushing to find a famous director to discuss a collaboration that would add icing on the cake, it is better to find a new and emerging director with potential to provide timely assistance.
The values embodied by the two are completely different, not to mention that this is Wen Muye's stunning and famous work.
If a different director or a different style were used, who knows what the film would turn out to be.
"Brother Wen, you are being polite. As the saying goes, everyone has their own expertise. I think this script can only be presented to the best effect under Brother Wen's lens. Even a famous director cannot do it otherwise."
"After all, when it comes to portraying marginal characters and shaping the image of minor figures, Brother Wen's directing style is absolutely first-rate!"
After Zhou Dongsheng fed Wen Muye the drug, he was completely confused. He thought that he had met his mentor, so today he must die for his friend!
"Mr. Zhou, you will be my brother from now on. I will toast you with tea instead of wine!" Wen Muye said with tears of gratitude.
Then he seemed to feel that his sincerity was not enough and was about to call the waiter to bring him a bottle of white wine. It would be unreasonable not to have some wine.
Zhou Dongsheng waved his hands repeatedly, "Hey, hey, hey, that's not necessary, Brother Wen. We don't like this. If you really care about this, the most important thing is to make the movie well, and then we can talk about investment..."
Now that things have come to this, isn't it a done deal for our autobiographical film?
Although in terms of appearance, they cannot be compared with those famous directors who have reached the ceiling of the industry, but when it comes to making movies, it is not surprising that the old wave is beaten to death on the beach by the new wave.
"In terms of investment, this kind of drama movie relies more on the actors' acting skills rather than the big-budget special effects. Therefore, such a movie should only be considered a small or medium-cost movie, and an investment of tens of millions is more than enough..."
Wen Muye gave a relatively conservative offer, while Zhou Dongsheng casually spread out his hands and waved them in the air.
"I'll invest 50 million, including the script, so it shouldn't be too much for me to take the lion's share of the film. The rest will be left to Brother Wen. If Brother Wen doesn't want to take care of it, I can take care of the production and distribution!"
"I think Principal Wang should be interested..." Zhou Dongsheng touched his chin and said casually.
For a movie, from production to distribution to release, the distribution of profits generally involves all aspects, ranging from a few to more than a dozen companies, as can be seen from the list at the beginning.
It can be said that the film industry, which has been developing for many years, is the most standard model of collective wisdom and effort. Those who have money contribute money, and those who have strength contribute strength. Only when multiple parties work together to provide support can a movie be successfully launched.
Of course, it’s not that no one is willing to keep all the profits, but film investment is a standard high-risk and high-return business with so many uncertainties that even those who often walk by the river will get their feet wet at some point.
Even giants who have the ability to monopolize the market will still choose to cast a wide net to catch more fish. The risk of betting the same amount of money on one movie is definitely much greater than spreading it across several movies.
In comparison, Zhou Dongsheng has a huge advantage as a prophet, but the film industry cannot be conquered by money alone, especially for a film like this one which is already risky!
If we don't give others some room for maneuver and share some profits to allow others to contribute, then it is still unknown whether such a movie can be released.
After all, many movies with huge investments ultimately fail at the last step, ending up losing all the money.
Fortunately, Zhou Dongsheng has always been self-aware and knows that the consequence of eating alone is often not death from obesity, but death from overeating.
Wen Muye couldn't help but be moved. If what Zhou Dongsheng said before were just "nice words", then this 50 million yuan of real investment strength truly made his words and deeds consistent.
Although the money did not go into his pocket, the trust of having such a large project handed over to him was worth a thousand dollars.
"I won't say any polite words. Fortunately, Mr. Zhou trusts me so much. I will give my best to this movie. If I mess it up, I will be beheaded!" Wen Muye made such harsh words, and it was obvious that he was sincere.
"Brother Wen, you don't have to feel so stressed. If it fails, we can just use it as a practice. An investment of only 50 million is nothing big..."
He used the calmest tone and pretended to be the most ruthless. However, after this drastic measure, Wen Muye was completely confused and lost.
With such a good mentor, what more could I ask for?
Even though they hadn't drunk any alcohol, Wen Muye already felt like he was getting high and couldn't wait to sacrifice his life for Zhou Dongsheng. He even wanted to swear an oath of brotherhood on the spot.
Looking at Wen Muye's excited expression, Zhou Dongsheng felt secretly happy. It feels so good to be a cheater, and you can do whatever you want.
Knowing that the project has a high probability of not losing money and will make huge profits, it is naturally the best way to use it to win people's hearts.
And so far, the effect seems to be excellent.
"With the support of Mr. Zhou, I have enough confidence to handle both the production and distribution. Moreover, with this solid script, we also have enough initiative in selecting actors!"
"After all, if Lu Yong's deeds are filmed well, it will definitely be able to win a film award. This temptation is hard for most actors to refuse!"
Wen Muye spoke with full confidence, revealing his ambition without any reservation in his words, and showing his determination to sprint for the award. Firstly, he wanted to show his confidence, and secondly, he wanted to show it to Zhou Dongsheng.
"I have always believed in a principle that professional matters should be left to professionals, so I will leave all matters related to filming to Brother Wen. Whether it is actor selection or script revision, it is all decided by Brother Wen!"
"I will just be a good investor, a hands-off boss, and wait for good news from Brother Wen. When the time comes, I want to be the first audience. Is this request not too much?"
Zhou Dongsheng clasped his fingers together and spoke slowly, leaning back in his chair.
But it must be said that this unreserved trust was no less than that of ancient kings entrusting tiger talismans to generals, and it completely conquered Wen Muye.
At this moment, Wen Muye felt that apart from kneeling down and kowtow to Zhou Dongsheng twice, the only way for him to live up to Zhou Dongsheng's trust was to make the movie well.
Wen Muye suddenly felt like he had returned to the golden age of movies in the early years. The coal bosses at that time were so generous and magnanimous. Apart from giving money directly, they rarely interfered with the filming of the movie.
It is this trust that has allowed many young directors to unleash their creative desire and create countless masterpieces that have left their names in the history of Chinese cinema.
In that golden age of movies, the three words "coal boss" definitely made an indelible contribution.
Zhou Dongsheng's performance was far better than that of the coal boss. After all, he not only got money, but also a high-quality script...
The fortune teller under the overpass said that he had a noble person in his life who would help him rise to prominence and gain both fame and fortune. Now it seems that he has really met that person!
"Not too much, not too much at all. I will do my best to select the actors. Then I will let President Zhou personally review it and you will make the final decision. If anyone in our company wants to make a cameo appearance, that's fine too..."
Wen Muye thought he was a person with certain artistic pursuits. He was very dissatisfied with some of the unspoken rules in the industry and disdained to associate with them...
But what Zhou Dongsheng gave was really too much, so much that Wen Muye felt that principles were something that could be compromised. It was no big deal to just give in.
"Well, everything should be based on Brother Wen's opinion. I won't do anything that would spoil the whole barrel. At most, when the time comes to finalize the actors, you can just let me open my eyes!"
Zhou Dongsheng waved his hands repeatedly, showing that he completely trusted Wen Muye. Of course, Zhou Dongsheng also kept it in mind. If there were any changes to the main characters, he could also take the initiative to introduce them.
Even so, Wen Muye was still deeply moved. He opened up completely and spoke to Zhou Dongsheng from the bottom of his heart.
As for the investment, Zhou Dongsheng decided to put his Dongsheng Investment and two major media companies under his name together, which could also be regarded as a way to build a reputation on the big screen.
This was advice that Principal Wang gave Zhou Dongsheng when he was preparing to invest in "Wolf Warrior 2". Zhou Dongsheng put his knowledge into practice and planned to continue using it on this project.
Among the three major companies, only Xiaorenwu Media is not wholly owned by Zhou Dongsheng. Therefore, Xiaorenwu Media will only have a name, and the other two companies will pay the majority. This is the option that maximizes profits.
After speaking his heart out to Zhou Dongsheng, Wen Muye left Yangcheng with his back held high. He was very confident and before leaving, he patted his chest and told Zhou Dongsheng not to worry and to wait for good news from him!
The film investment matter came to a temporary end, and Zhou Dongsheng also had a rare chance to relax and spend a few days in peace.
However, the fact that Zhou Dongsheng, the hands-off boss, has some free time does not prevent his projects from running at full speed and moving forward, expanding the territory of Zhou Dongsheng's business empire.
Among them, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, which is currently making a fortune, is undoubtedly one of the most dazzling talents.
As time goes by, the National Internet Cafe League jointly organized by United Banana Games and Netfish Internet Cafe has been progressing in full swing and is already halfway through its schedule.
The 25 four-person teams that have emerged from Internet cafes across the country will gather in Shanghai under the arrangement of the organizers for a two-day points elimination tournament to ultimately determine the three teams that will become the champions, runners-up and third place winners of the first National Chicken Internet Cafe League!
Although the entire tournament has a prize pool of only 1 million, as a phenomenal game that is popular offline and has swept Internet cafes of all sizes across the country, this first Internet cafe league has naturally attracted a lot of attention.
And after many veteran e-sports clubs announced the establishment of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds divisions, they all kept their eyes on the stage of the first Internet Cafe League, ready to select their own team members.
After all, the Internet cafe league is just an appetizer. What is really important is obviously the professional league stage established by the official, which is the territory where their clubs compete.
Countless young e-sports players who consider themselves gifted are also gearing up and making every effort to use the Internet cafe league as a stepping stone to enter the e-sports arena and make a name for themselves!
As all parties moved, the popularity of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds naturally continued to rise. At this juncture, Brandon Green, who had learned the essence of Chinese culture from Zhou Dongsheng, incorporated the refined elements of the twelve zodiac signs into the set of Spring Festival skins for re-creation.
The Monkey Year series of skins for the Chinese Zodiac Year are officially out, and the four words "Golden Monkey Celebrating Spring" named by Zhou Dongsheng are retained as the name of the skin.
Brandon Green immediately handed it to Zhou Dongsheng for review. After receiving Zhou Dongsheng's approval and praise, it was naturally put online for sale without delay.
And it is launched simultaneously around the world!
As the second set of skins in the game "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds", it is full of gimmicks with the Chinese zodiac elements. Once it was released, it was directly praised by countless players.
On the Shark platform, the baboon, who firmly sits on the top of the Shark platform, is drooling at the golden monkey tail in the display of the second set of skin prizes on the interface...
"Brothers! Do you see this tail? After the first gold 98K in the server, I must get this first monkey tail in the server. Don't you like to call me a baboon?"
"I am determined to get this monkey tail!" As soon as the words fell, the curly-haired baboon let out its signature baboon laugh, and immediately the live broadcast room was filled with a happy atmosphere.
