1RomanceEB Chapter 77 Forming Alliances
Chapter 77 Forming Alliances
Chapter 76 Forming Alliances and Strategies (Seeking first subscriptions for 6 chapters)
For the next week, Jiang Yu's office practically became a "traffic hub" in Beijing's film industry.
Every morning starting at nine o'clock, Lin Xiaoxiao's phone rings non-stop, with appointments booked up more often than the number of specialist appointments at San Shen Hospital.
Lin Xiaoxiao has developed a unique skill in the past few days: answering the phone with one hand, recording appointments in the book with the other, and keeping an eye on the elevator, ready to welcome any unexpected "uninvited guests" at any time.
"Hello, Light Chaser Pictures — Who is this? Oh, Bona Film Group's General Manager Yu's office — General Manager Jiang's schedule is already full for today, the earliest he can be there is next Tuesday — Yes, next Tuesday at 3 pm is fine — Okay, I've got it —"
I had just hung up the phone when it rang again.
"Hello, Light Chaser Pictures—Enlight Media? Mr. Wang's office? Okay—what? Ah, this—"
She hurriedly hung up the phone and immediately sent an internal message to Yang Siwei: "President Yang, President Wang from Guangxian is already on his way, but he hasn't made an appointment. What should we do?"
Yang Siwei's voice was calm: "Understood. Arrange for me to stay in meeting room number two. Serve tea first, I'll be down in ten minutes."
These past few days, Jiang Yu has been like a spinning top, meeting with five or six groups of people every day, and each group has something different to talk about.
Some people were interested in investing, some in collaborations, some wanted roles, some wanted to insert themselves into the project, and some even came from local governments to attract investment and invite him to build a film and television base.
Wang Changtian is a typical intellectual businessman. He is in his early fifties, wears gold-rimmed glasses, speaks slowly and deliberately, and always has a gentle and refined demeanor.
He came alone today, carrying a simple paper bag, looking more like he was visiting an old friend than discussing business.
"Mr. Jiang, this is just a small token of my appreciation." He placed the paper bag on his desk. "It's Da Hong Pao tea from Wuyi Mountain, produced by a friend's own tea garden. They only produce a few dozen kilograms a year, and you can't buy it anywhere else."
Jiang Yu smiled and took the paper bag. He opened it and saw two exquisite tea canisters inside, each labeled "Zhengyan Da Hong Pao". "Mr. Wang, you're too kind. Please have a seat."
The two sat down on the sofa in the reception area.
Wang Changtian glanced around the office, his gaze landing on the movie posters on the wall: *The Witch*, *Black Swan*, and *Inception*.
The four posters for "2012" hung side by side, like a wall of honor showcasing their impressive achievements.
"Every time I come to General Manager Jiang's office, I gain something new," Wang Changtian said with a smile.
"Mr. Wang, you flatter me." Jiang Yu personally brewed tea, using tea leaves that Wang Changtian had just given him. "Enlight Media has been developing very well in recent years. 'Confession of Pain' and 'Flash Point' both received good reviews and box office results. Last year's 'Love Transfer' was also very promising."
"It's just a small-scale operation, nothing compared to General Manager Jiang." Wang Changtian waved his hand, took the teacup, and smelled the aroma. "Hmm, this is the taste. The rocky flavor is obvious, and the aftertaste is quick. It's a good tea."
He took a sip of tea and finally got to the point: "President Jiang, I'm here today mainly to discuss our collaboration on 'Bouquet'."
Jiang Yu raised an eyebrow: "President Wang is well-informed. We haven't announced this project to the public yet."
"Haha, if you don't have access to information, you won't get any food," Wang Changtian said truthfully.
Jiang Yu did not answer immediately. He walked to his desk and picked up the project proposal for "Bouquet"; this document had just been submitted by Shen Ao and Lu Yang yesterday.
The budget of 1500 million is not large.
Director Shen Ao is a key talent being cultivated, producer Lu Yang can ensure quality, and costs are controllable.
If we can bring Enlight Media on board, we can not only share the risks, but also leverage Enlight Media's distribution network.
More importantly, Wang Changtian is a reliable person.
Unlike some bosses who like to boss people around, he knows how to respect professionalism.
"Cooperation is possible." Jiang Yu handed over the project proposal and walked back to the sofa area. "Regarding distribution, Light Chaser Pictures needs to be involved in the decision-making process."
This film has a rather unique feel; it can't be categorized as a typical romance film.
"Of course!" Wang Changtian immediately agreed. "President Jiang's ability to manage projects is well-known in the industry. Enlight Media will fully respect Light Chaser Pictures' opinions on the publicity and distribution of 'Bouquet.' We can establish a joint publicity and distribution team, hold weekly meetings, and make all decisions together."
He paused, then added, "Moreover, Enlight Media has a very mature ground promotion team, with a well-established approach to campus tours, shopping mall events, and social media operations. These resources can all be used to support 'Bouquet'."
Jiang Yu nodded.
These advantages of Light Chaser Animation are precisely what Light Chaser Animation currently lacks.
Light Chaser Pictures excels at big-budget, international projects, but it does need partners for distributing small- to medium-budget domestic films.
"Okay." Jiang Yu made the decision. "Then let Siwei and your team handle the specific contract. Filming will start in November, and it will be released during next summer's prime time."
"Great!" Wang Changtian laughed, taking a document out of his briefcase. "Actually, I brought the preliminary letter of intent for cooperation with you today. Mr. Jiang, take a look and see if there's anything that needs to be revised. If there are no problems, we can sign the letter of intent first, and then work out the specific details later."
Jiang Yu took the document and quickly browsed through it.
The terms and conditions are very well written, taking into account the investment ratio, profit sharing method, publicity and distribution responsibilities, dispute resolution, and even the additional reward clause if the box office reaches a certain target.
This time, Lightspeed China was indeed well-prepared.
He picked up the pen and signed his name on the last page: "Mr. Wang, it's a pleasure doing business with you."
"It's a pleasure working with you!"
After seeing Wang Changtian off, Jiang Yu said to Yang Siwei, "Guangxian was very proactive this time and is a good partner. We should consider cooperating with them more often for medium-cost projects in the future. Wang Changtian is down-to-earth and doesn't play games."
Yang Si nodded slightly and took notes: "Understood. Also, when President Wang left, he mentioned that Enlight Media is currently preparing a talent show commentary program and would like to invite directors Lu Yang and Shen Ao as guests. What do you think?"
"You can participate," Jiang Yu said. "Let's discuss it beforehand, what we can and cannot say."
"OK."
At 9 PM on September 7th, Huo Wenxi arrived with Nicholas Tse and Charlene Choi.
This top agent from Yinhuang wore a smart white suit skirt and ten-centimeter high heels today. She walked with a brisk pace and exuded a powerful aura.
"President Jiang, President Yang, it's nice to see you again!" Huo Wenxi's Cantonese-accented Mandarin was very distinctive. "The last celebration banquet was rushed, and we didn't have time to talk in depth about many things. I've come here today to pay you a formal visit."
Nicholas Tse was dressed casually today, wearing a black T-shirt with ripped jeans and a baseball cap backwards, but his star quality was still undeniable.
Charlene Choi (Ah Sa) was dressed sweetly in a pink dress with white sneakers, her smile as bright as a girl next door.
"Mr. Huo, Mr. Xie, Ah Sa, welcome." Jiang Yu shook hands with them one by one. "Please have a seat."
After taking his seat, Huo Wenxi got straight to the point without beating around the bush: "President Jiang, you mentioned last time that there was an opportunity to collaborate, and we went back and held three meetings to seriously study the project of Chasing Light Pictures. Yin Huang has over twenty years of production and distribution experience in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, especially in action films, where our resources are top-notch."
She glanced at Nicholas Tse: "Nicholas has been studying post-production for the past few years and has a deep understanding of action scenes. He has also directed music videos and has a director's mindset. Although Charlene Choi mainly acts in romance and comedy films, she is very versatile and has a great fan base in Southeast Asia."
Jiang Yu understood; they were here to ask for projects and roles.
He wasn't in a hurry, slowly sipping his tea and waiting for Huo Wenxi to continue.
Huo Wenxi continued, speaking quickly but clearly: "I heard that Light Chaser Pictures is preparing an action film, to be shot in Hong Kong and Thailand?"
"Mr. Huo is very well-informed," Jiang Yu smiled. "We are indeed preparing for this project, but we haven't announced it to the public yet."
"When filming in Hong Kong, SoundWong can be a huge help," Huo Wenxi said confidently, starting to count on his fingers, "Location coordination, we have long-term cooperation agreements with SoundWong for filming on sets and streets in Hong Kong: government relations, SoundWong, and the Hong Kong Film Development Council,
We're very familiar with the tourism bureau; we have a complete team of local staff—from stuntmen to lighting technicians; and we even have long-term production companies working with us in Thailand.
She paused for a moment, then threw out a major bargaining chip: "As a token of sincerity, Yin Huang can increase his investment in 'Let the Bullets Fly' to 30% and transfer it to Light Chaser Pictures."
Jiang Yu narrowed his eyes slightly; Yin Huang's willingness to offer this bargaining chip showed genuine sincerity.
Jiang Yu quickly calculated in his mind that "Let the Bullets Fly" ultimately grossed 6.6 million yuan, which was a decent return on investment, but not very high.
Trading 30% of the "Man of Vendetta" share for 30% of the "Let the Bullets Fly" share, it's hard to say who would have made the better deal.
The main reason is that "The Man from Nowhere" really needs resources from Hong Kong and Thailand. Although Lu Yang is a good director, he is not familiar with overseas filming. With the assistance of Yin Huang, it would save a lot of trouble.
"The budget for 'The Man from Nowhere' is 6000 million," Jiang Yu said slowly. "Yin Huang wants a 30% share, which is 1800 million. In terms of production, Yin Huang will be responsible for all local coordination work in Hong Kong and Thailand, including venues, personnel, government approvals,..."
It complies with local laws.
"No problem!" Huo Wenxi immediately agreed. "These are our strengths. Moreover, we can send our best action choreography team to ensure the quality of the action scenes. Nicholas Tse can also serve as an action consultant; he has studied Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in recent years."
"Also," Jiang Yu looked at Xie Tingfeng, "Mr. Xie, would you be interested in having a cameo role in the movie? It's not a big part, but it'll be very memorable."
Nicholas Tse's eyes lit up, and he leaned forward: "Of course! What role?"
"A Hong Kong police officer, a member of Interpol, crosses paths with the male lead while investigating a case in Thailand," Jiang Yu briefly described. "There are more than ten fight scenes, using a combination of Muay Thai and police combat techniques. There's also a dramatic scene that showcases the character's complexity; he was once an idealistic police officer, but reality has worn him down."
"I can!" Nicholas Tse said without hesitation. "When can I see the complete script? I want to prepare in advance; learning Muay Thai takes time."
"Next month," Jiang Yu said. "If Mr. Xie is interested, we can arrange a makeup test and martial arts training. As for the fee, 'a friendly price!' Huo Wenxi interjected, 'For Nicholas Tse's cameo role, we'll charge one-fifth of his normal fee. It's mainly for collaboration, for a good project.'"
Jiang Yu smiled; Yin Huang had indeed shown his utmost sincerity this time.
"Then it's settled." He made the decision. "Yin Huang will take a 30% share of 'The Man from Nowhere,' contributing HK$1800 million and handling all coordination for the Hong Kong and Thailand parts. Nicholas Tse will have a cameo role, and his fee will be calculated at a friendly rate."
Huo Wenxi chimed in, "The specific contract will be handled by our legal team. We can arrange a meeting between you and Director Jiang Wen; he's also very interested in you."
"Great. It'll be a pleasure working with you!"
After seeing Yin Huang and his group off, Yang Siwei sighed, "Huo Wenxi is really amazing. She knows what we need most. So many people want to invest in the 'Let the Bullets Fly' project but can't. Director Jiang Wen is very selective about investors, but she was actually willing to offer it up in exchange."
"It's just a win-win situation," Jiang Yu said. "If Yin Huang wants to enter the mainstream film industry in mainland China, co-productions alone are not enough; he needs to be deeply involved in mainland projects. Although 'The Man from Nowhere' isn't an S-level film, Lu Yang has already proven himself and has the potential to become a dark horse. Moreover, through this collaboration, our relationship has become even closer."
He walked to the window, looking at the traffic below: "Siwei, have you noticed? These days, those coming to us for cooperation aren't simply offering money for roles, but rather resource exchanges. Huayi is exchanging original shares and project shares for roles, Enlight Media is exchanging its distribution capabilities for investment shares, and Yinhuang is exchanging Hong Kong and Taiwan resources and another project share for investment shares—what does this tell us?"
Yang Siwei thought for a moment: "This shows that people no longer see us as nouveau riche or suckers, but as partners with real resources and capabilities. Moreover, they know that money alone cannot impress you; you have to offer tangible resources."
"Yes." Jiang Yu nodded. "This is a good thing. Only relationships based on mutual benefit can last. Moreover, this kind of resource exchange can make our ecosystem more complete."
Yang Siwei's eyes lit up: "Indeed! Looking at it this way, our plan is now quite complete!"
"It's not enough." Jiang Yu turned around, his gaze deep. "We're missing two things: one is physical infrastructure like production bases and theater chains, and the other is a talent development system. These two things take time to build, but once they're established, they'll be a true moat."
Just then, Chen Min knocked on the door and came in: "President Jiang, Third Master Han's driver has arrived and is waiting for you downstairs. He said the family banquet would start at seven o'clock, but Third Master Han would like to have some tea and chat with you first."
Jiang Yu glanced at his watch; it was four o'clock in the afternoon. It was almost time.
"Let's go," he said to Yang Siwei. "We're going to Third Master's house for dinner tonight, you come too."
September 8, penthouse apartment at Yintai Centre.
Jiang Yu was finally able to sleep until he naturally woke up, and it was already 10 a.m. when he got up.
He made himself a simple breakfast: fried eggs, toast, and coffee, then took the plate and sat on the balcony.
In autumn, Beijing is blessed with clear skies and gentle breezes.
Looking out from the 33rd floor, the entire CBD is laid out before you.
The China World Trade Center Phase 3 resembles a giant pencil, the China Zun is still under construction, and the CCTV building has a unique "big pants" shape.
The week's achievements were spread out on the coffee table, and Yang Siwei's summary was written clearly:
1. The "Bouquet" project: Enlight Media invested 30% and is responsible for distribution. Directed by Shen Ao, produced by Lu Yang, and starring Shu Chang.
Zhu Yilong. Budget 15 million yuan, filming to start in November, targeting next summer's box office.
2. *The Lone Agent* Project: Yin Huang invests 30% and is responsible for coordinating the Hong Kong and Thai parts. Directed by Lu Yang, starring Zhang Jin and Wang Zhi, with cameos by Nicholas Tse and Charlene Choi. Budget: 60 million RMB, filming to begin in January next year.
3. The "Let the Bullets Fly" project: Light Chaser Pictures acquired a 30% investment share, investing 36 million yuan. Directed by Jiang Wen, and starring Chow Yun-fat, Ge You, and Carina Lau, filming is expected to begin next March.
4. Film Production Base Project: Led and coordinated by China Film Group, the project is located in Huairou District, covering an area of 500 mu (approximately 33 hectares). The total investment is 1 billion yuan, and the project will be constructed in three phases. Phase one includes sound stages, a post-production center, and a training base, and is expected to be operational in 2010.
5. Inception Character Trade: Huayi Brothers acquired two Asian characters (Li Binbin as the Dream Builder and Ge You as the Businessman) in exchange for 1200 million original shares plus a 20% stake in Aftershock.
6.《2012》选角筹备：公开选拔公告已发布，收到报名资料327份（女演员214份，男演员113份）。导演罗兰·艾默里奇11月来华面试。
7. Progress of Light and Shadow Cloud: Wang Jian's team has completed the architecture design and begun building the test environment. The first phase of funding of 10 billion yuan has been received, and server purchase orders have been placed.
8. Chasing Light Holdings: Chen Jingming's team completed the registration of the Beijing headquarters and began to establish a RMB fund with an initial scale of 20 billion RMB, focusing on investing in cultural technology, film and television content, special effects technology and other projects.
In addition, there are more than a dozen small and medium-sized projects with cooperation intentions, involving TV series, web series, animated films, documentaries, etc., which need to be further screened.
Jiang Yu rubbed his temples.
This week, he met with more than 20 groups of people, signed seven or eight letters of intent, and discussed cooperation worth hundreds of millions of yuan.
Light Chaser Pictures' ecosystem is expanding at an astonishing pace. Upstream, it has core technologies (Light & Shadow Digital, Light & Shadow Cloud); midstream, it has content production (films and TV series in the planning stages); downstream, it has a distribution network (Light Chaser Cinemas and its developed ticketing software); and it also has a capital platform (Light Chaser Holdings). In addition, with the production base under construction, a complete industrial closed loop is beginning to take shape.
The phone rang; it was David calling from Los Angeles, his voice as excited as if he'd won the lottery.
"Jiang! Great news! We showed the preview clips of 'Black Swan' to the executives at Fox Searchlight, and they were extremely satisfied! Especially Crystal's solo Black Swan dance. You know Fox's Vice President Carlson, right? That usually picky old man actually got teary-eyed while watching it! Afterwards, he pulled me aside and said, 'This Chinese girl is incredible; she has the potential to become an international superstar!'"
Jiang Yu smiled: "That's good. How's Yifei's training going?"
"Excellent! This girl is incredibly dedicated. She practices for eight hours every day without ever complaining. Even the director said she's the most dedicated Chinese actress he's ever met."
David paused, then lowered his voice, "But Jiang, there's something—Scarlett Janssen's agent contacted me, saying she wants to invite you to dinner. I guess it's about the lead role in 'Lucy'."
"Lucy" is a science fiction film directed by Luc Besson, which is currently in development by Light Chaser Entertainment and is expected to begin filming next year.
The female lead has indeed not been decided yet.
"How did you respond?" Jiang Yu asked.
"I told you you're coming to the US at the end of the month, and we can arrange a meeting," David said. "Boss, I need to remind you that although Scarlett isn't at her peak yet, she has a great reputation in the art-house film genre after 'Lost in Translation' and 'Girl with a Pearl Earring.' And her agent hinted that she's willing to lower her salary if she can get this role."
"I'll decline; I already have a role in mind," Jiang Yu said. "What's Luc Besson's opinion?"
"Okay, Director Besson said it's up to you to choose. But he said Scarlett's temperament does fit his vision of a female lead: delicate on the outside, strong on the inside."
"Okay, got it."