Volume 3: Taking Roots 2016 Chapter 727 Could It Be That?
Xu Ruoan was wearing a contrasting black and white dress, exuding the intellectual aura of an independent woman in the workplace. Now that she has been promoted to the head of film and television investment at Dongsheng Group, her aura is even stronger.
When she walked in swaying, she looked like a strong woman, but after seeing Zhou Dongsheng, her expression suddenly melted away and she revealed a smile as warm as spring breeze.
"How is it? Are you feeling used to it after returning to your old job?" Before Xu Ruoan could speak, Zhou Dongsheng took the initiative to speak with a smile.
"I'm used to it. I failed in my previous business and left the entertainment industry in disgrace. I don't know how those people slandered me behind my back. If I hadn't met you, the chairman ..."
"How can it be compared to me now that I have returned to the entertainment industry in such a glorious way, and as an investor? The difference is like heaven and earth. Those people before have now changed their attitude 180 degrees, and are so enthusiastic that they want to stick to me and curry favor with me..."
"All this is thanks to the chairman~"
After expressing her feelings for a while, Xu Ruoan changed the subject and sat down opposite Zhou Dongsheng with a swaying figure, revealing a hint of charm in her eyes.
The establishment of Dongsheng Group is not only a qualitative leap for Zhou Dongsheng, but also a vivid interpretation of the saying "one person's success brings prosperity to the whole family."
Needless to say, for Zhou Dongsheng, this sense of accomplishment is really something he enjoys.
"You'll get used to it. After all, the group has just been established and there is still a long way to go. Also, the group's current film and television investment is relatively simple. There are only two projects at most..."
"But I think that after so many years of accumulation, the Chinese film market has reached a point where it is time for a breakthrough. It will surely see vigorous development in the next few years."
"So, although film and television investment started relatively late in the group, it has a very far-reaching significance in the future development of the group. You have to pay attention to it."
Zhou Dongsheng said this meaningfully. Those who didn’t know might think he was warning Xu Ruoan, but in fact, this was also what Zhou Dongsheng really thought.
Until the emergence of that "world-class turning point", the film market had indeed ushered in an unprecedented peak period.
In the past, in the small field of Chinese films, being able to become a member of the "billion box office club" was a heavy, golden honor, whether for a director or an actor.
As for an achievement of this level of box office of tens of billions, looking around the world, only the Hollywood film industry, which owns the global film and television market, has the qualifications to brag about it.
After all, what they earn is called knife-like joy.
After all, the gap is an objective fact, but after so many years of catching up, the gap is indeed narrowing little by little, and the Chinese film market has also ushered in its own period of explosive growth.
Not only are there many new faces in the "Billion Box Office Club", but even the new generation of directors are showing a trend of overtaking the old generation, knocking down a number of famous directors who have been relying on their achievements.
I have to sigh that the young are really formidable.
Of course, as an outsider, Zhou Dongsheng is not concerned about these things. Just looking at the Chinese film market in the next few years, it is undoubtedly an incremental market with a potential of hundreds of billions.
Even if one only drinks a scoop of the Three Thousand Weak Waters, it is measured in small units, so Zhou Dongsheng was not exaggerating.
Film and television investment is indeed a top priority in the group's strategy.
When it comes to film and television investment, Zhou Dongsheng also has his own limitations. He used to be just a simple moviegoer who could say a few words about whether a movie was good or not.
However, when it comes to box office and profits, it is impossible for him to know everything. At most, he only knows a few representative works with extremely high box office.
However, in the huge film market, it is not only these large projects with box office revenues of billions that can be considered money-making projects.
In addition to these big fish, there are still many small fish and shrimps with considerable return rates, but for Zhou Dongsheng, this is completely a blind spot in knowledge.
After all, judging from the experience of an ordinary moviegoer, it is impossible to cover everything. Even if a professional film critic came, it would be difficult.
Therefore, Zhou Dongsheng still kept his original intention in mind and believed that professional matters should be left to professionals. This gave Xu Ruoan an opportunity.
However, Zhou Dongsheng's earnest words made Xu Ruoan restrain his complacency a little. He quickly began to report his work to prove that he had not neglected his duties.
"Please rest assured, Chairman. Since the Chairman has entrusted this business to me, I will definitely not let him down. I have not been idle these days."
"I've followed up on the progress of the two major film and television projects I'm working on. Director Wu's Wolf Warrior 2 is about to wrap up and will soon enter the post-production editing stage. It's expected to be officially released during the summer of next year..."
"As our first film and television investment project, its significance is naturally extraordinary. By then, our media department will certainly be able to play a significant role in publicity and promotion..."
"Especially since this is your big screen debut as the chairman, we cannot let you embarrass yourself in any way, right?" Xu Ruoan offered just the right amount of flattery at the right time.
With the establishment of Dongsheng Group, their group of managers naturally found an excuse to have a meal together and learn from each other.
Among them, Xu Kaidao, as the earliest and most trusted minister following Zhou Dongsheng, was naturally the object of everyone's learning.
Especially with Zhou Dongsheng's earth-shaking changes in his identity, they were somewhat nervous, feeling that "serving the king is like serving a tiger."
At least with the establishment of the group, the future is bright, and they naturally don't want to miss this rare opportunity in life because of a momentary confusion.
In this regard, Xu Kaidao was very generous and shared everything he knew and his experience.
To sum it up in one sentence, "Flattery never wears out, no matter how many holes there are."
Obviously, Xu Ruoan has grasped the essence of it.
"I don't worry about that. I trust Director Wu. What about Medicine God? Is the casting going smoothly?"
Zhou Dongsheng is as steady as an old dog. Three thousand Vietnamese soldiers can conquer Wu, but I only need one general. This ruthless man has caused countless people to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, commonly known as PTSD, by his own efforts (funny).
Now that the filming is about to be completed, I have been involved enough, and the rest is up to time.
On the contrary, on Yaoshen's side, the project hasn't even reached the final stage yet. Although they are both in Shanghai, he is busy with the group's affairs and naturally has no time to care about the affairs over there.
"With Director Xu as the producer, and him originally graduated from the Shanghai Theatre Academy, it will be smooth sailing for him to return to his alma mater for casting. Moreover, Director Xu also has some status in the Shanghai theatre industry..."
"I heard that they are interviewing a young actor who is immersed in drama to hone his acting skills. Both Director Wen and Director Xu are quite satisfied..."
"Oh, there's one more thing I need to report to the chairman. A director introduced by Director Ning recently came to Modula to invest. He wanted to find an opportunity to talk to you. He said he wanted to make a science fiction film..."
"However, if Director Ning hadn't introduced this person, just by looking at his previous works, I would have thought that this person was a liar..."
At the end of the conversation, Xu Ruo'an couldn't help but look strange, and then he muttered, "Science fiction, is this kind of big production something that the Chinese film market can do?"
Obviously, the title of a science fiction film alone is enough to discourage experienced insiders like Xu Ruoan.
After all, the meaning behind this title is about the entire film industry system, not just a director, a few actors, and a crew.
If movies represent the soft power of cultural output, then the film industry system behind it is pure hard power, which is why Hollywood can dominate the world.
It is this unquestionable hard power that matters. The gap in soft power may have room for improvement, but the gap in hard power is simply not possible.
It's like when people are pushed to the limit, they can do anything, but they just can't do math. There's no chance of fooling around at all, and the best they can do is write down a "Solution:".
Therefore, after Xu Ruoan heard about this project, she had already sentenced it to death in her heart. If it weren't for Ning Hao's face, she might not have reported it to Zhou Dongsheng.
It is even possible to treat it as a whimsical joke and casually say it when chatting and laughing with old friends in the circle.
Zhou Dongsheng also looked strange when he heard this, especially at this moment, when everyone was in the Magic City, could it be...
A closed-door production of the famous Chinese science fiction film, right?
Don't mention it, it's really possible at this time point. After all, this closed-door work is also a "masterpiece" that has been polished for several years, but the shit is bigger...
Well, although Ning Hao's introduction was a guarantee, Zhou Dongsheng was not a worm in his stomach, so naturally he had no way of knowing whether Ning Hao really had a friendship with such a director.
Especially after listening to Xu Ruoan's comments, Zhou Dongsheng couldn't help but ask subconsciously: "Is the movie script adapted from the writer's novel?"
"The chairman is indeed very good at foresight. You have guessed it all. It is true, and it is adapted from a famous writer who is quite well-known in the circle..."
When Xu Ruoan heard Zhou Dongsheng's words, he couldn't help but flatter him again. At the same time, he muttered to himself, could it be that Director Ning had already given a heads up in advance?
At the same time, I couldn't help but feel lucky that I didn't reject this project on my own initiative...
When Zhou Dongsheng heard this, his heart skipped a beat. Oh no, could this really be a work done behind closed doors?
But just in time, after Xu Ruoan said this, science fiction movies, a genre that is rare in the Chinese film market, suddenly flashed through Zhou Dongsheng's mind like a flash of inspiration.
When thinking about the closed-door work, one naturally thinks of the pioneering work. The closed-door work naturally cannot be mixed in, but the pioneering work is definitely a milestone that cannot be missed.
"If the chairman is interested in science fiction, then he must have heard of this writer. He just won the Hugo Award last year. He is the first Asian to win the award. The value of this award in the field of literature is no less than that of the Nobel Prize..."
After hearing this introduction, Zhou Dongsheng finally reacted a little. It turned out that he was in the Magic City and had misunderstood it. It can be seen that the power of the Magic City's cannons is so great that it makes people feel scared.
"Not only this director, but also the movie that Director Ning is preparing is also adapted from the masterpiece of this writer..."
While Xu Ruoan was still telling the story in detail, the answer was already obvious to Zhou Dongsheng.
"From an investment perspective, although both are adapted from science fiction novels, Director Ning has more experience as a director and is more experienced. It is precisely because of this that Director Ning has no shortage of investment."
"Especially since this is the third installment of his famous Crazy series, even though it is still in preparation, investors have already lined up, and it is not our turn yet."
"And the director that Director Ning introduced used to make youth films, which is totally incompatible with science fiction movies. Not only am I not optimistic about it, but other investors are also deterred..."
"I heard that even the investors who had originally agreed to invest in the project are starting to hesitate and are not ruling out the possibility of withdrawing. That's why the director had no choice but to start looking for investment everywhere to fill this hole..."
Hearing this, Zhou Dongsheng felt relieved. It was obvious that this was almost certain. Apart from the unmentioned Magic City Fortress, the only one who dared to work hard on Chinese science fiction movies was this genius director.
"Since Director Ning introduced me to this person, it's no harm to meet him. I'm also quite interested in science fiction movies. I happen to be in Shanghai, so let's make an appointment..."
Zhou Dongsheng interrupted Xu Ruoan without further ado and spoke directly.
In response to this, Xu Ruoan tactfully kept quiet. After all, she had already explained the pros and cons clearly, and had fully fulfilled her responsibilities to avoid risks for the group.
But if Zhou Dongsheng insisted on making the final decision, she couldn't stop him.
However, in Xu Ruoan's opinion, Zhou Dongsheng was just trying to give Director Ning face. After all, their friendship was there.
Any smart person would choose to invest in such a film project, right?
A little-known director who makes youth films right away declared that he wanted to challenge himself to make science fiction, which can almost be called the most difficult film.
At first glance, this matter sounds sci-fi enough, as ridiculous as a law student threatening to rub an atomic bomb with his hands.
Judging from the name, Hand-Rubbing Fireball is obviously more in line with the identity of a law major...
Well, compared to the investment in youth films, an investment of hundreds of millions is definitely considered a big production, and this is because the lead actors’ pay accounts for the bulk of the investment.
But science fiction films are different. Hundreds of millions of dollars is the starting price. Any amount of money can be spent. If Hollywood is used as a standard...
They invest hundreds of millions of dollars, which translates to more than 1 billion dollars...
Even famous directors are vying for such a large-scale project. For example, Zhang Yimou's upcoming Sino-US co-production masterpiece is said to have an investment of up to 150 million US dollars, which is nearly 1 billion when rounded off!
Why should such an investment project be handed over to a mediocre new director?
But perhaps, those who can create miracles are often those who have sincere hearts and are full of passion.
