this man is not calm

Chapter 295 The general trend

When the meeting resumed and Jin Shang came back, it seemed that Nan Dalong took the time to chat a lot with other people, and he didn't know if a consensus was reached.

To be honest, although several major shareholders have similar interests, they are not acting in concert.

Jin Shang rarely participates in the specific affairs of Chang Di Culture and is a very low-key partner. However, the interests of the Nan brothers are all in the film industry and celebrity management business, while Xiao Jin will not hang himself on this tree, but There are many more to choose from.

This also causes the attitudes of both parties to the same matter to be inconsistent.

Fortunately, the company has not been established for a long time, and there are very few differences. They can be eliminated by sitting down and talking in person.

In addition, major shareholders and senior executives will inevitably have different views.

Looking at the problem from the perspective of project participants, they definitely hope that the budget will get higher and higher, and the room for operation will become larger and larger.

At present, the most troublesome thing is the organization model of film shooting studios. Is it a traditional director-centered system or a producer-centered system?

As for the so-called screenwriter-centered system advocated by some film critics, it was the first to be abandoned. The reason is very good. What falls on paper is very different from the movie screen. The level of the director is directly related to the presentation effect. In comparison, the limitations of the screenwriter are too obvious.

The difference between the director center and the production center is actually the difference between the management and film companies and the crew with the director as the core. The latter works with money and is responsible for making the crew run smoothly and filming the movie step by step. The former's main task is to invest money, manage accounts, and ensure that the film is completed and results are produced, that is, the final product - the movie is produced.

The former usually talks about art, audience recognition, etc. to fight for their own benefits, while the latter is responsible to investors, at least on the surface, and has to send out producers to coordinate with all parties in the crew, contact early preparations, post-publicity, etc.

Big directors and big stars generally have no shortage of investment, and can even serve as producers themselves, which is relatively powerful. This model can easily produce a generation of classics, but it also often produces big bad movies.

If we focus on production, we have more or less similar problems, but as long as we control the employment of people and don't mess around, the risks are obviously more controllable.

Of course, Jin Shang's position is also clear.

"I have nothing against big directors and big stars. They are the basis of market appeal and cannot be bypassed. However, from the perspective of Changdi Culture, the producer-centered system absolutely needs to be implemented. We are a formal company. It is not like a theater troupe in the old days. Input and output, revenue and profit must be considered. There is no guarantee that the film will be completed, so there is no need to talk about anything. We are not newbies in this industry, and some rights have been released. It’s too late. Those methods of swindling money are not unspoken rules. They will be put on the table soon. If they are meant to deceive laymen, please don’t mention them again..."

Nowadays, people in the film and television industry have not yet taken off the label of literary and artistic workers, and practitioners are still very respected. Because of this, there are endless cases of people with bad intentions using various means to seek personal gain for themselves.

Jin Shang didn't bother to deal with the unspoken rules of one being willing to fight and the other willing to suffer, and you and I were willing to do so, but he would never allow a part of his career to be complicit with those dishonorable and unsavory characters.

Nan Dalong said with some embarrassment:

"Those famous directors with bigger names and bigger tempers probably won't cooperate with us if they don't coax and flatter them. If you are used to being wild outside, how can you stand the constraints of harsh producers?"

"That's because the money is not spent enough. If you are really good at it and the cooperation is pleasant, you can win over it. You can even consider allocating part of the incentive equity. However, the bottom line cannot be exceeded. In the future, Changdi Culture will become bigger and stronger and develop and go public. Now If the system is not formal, it will be difficult to change it in the future.”

"Throw money?"

"We are all just making a living in this industry, why are we pretending to be noble? If you really want to judge the depth of culture and talent, come and compare with me. You can recite poems, compose music and lyrics, and you can choose whatever you want from all over the world. …”

"This……"

Nan Dalong and Dai Yiqin, who had been silent and rarely spoke, looked at each other, then responded with a wry smile,

"If you are willing to take on the task of the company's artistic consultant, then there is no need for me to flatter those so-called great directors whose nostrils are turned upward."

"I don't have time, let's not mention this."

He waved his hand hastily, Jin Shang didn't want to get involved. Except for a few important projects that needed to be handled by himself, it was really troublesome to serve as an art consultant for a film and television company.

Managing a huge Jinxi culture, with a lot of official and private matters, it is impossible to devote too much energy to the details of film shooting.

"I'm just saying..."

Nan Dalong laughed at himself and said,

"Ashang, you also know that although our company is called Changdi Culture,... the educational level of the person in charge is just that. Many of the contracted trainees have not finished high school. They are not familiar with the literary and art circles, so , we can only entrust many things to professionals, and it won’t work if we don’t rely on them.”

"If you don't understand, you can learn slowly. You must not make compromises when it comes to matters of principle. Your butt determines your head, and your position determines your stance. Since we represent the film company, we must need the support of directors, screenwriters, actors, etc. A mutually beneficial relationship must not be manipulated by others."

Jin Shang certainly understands what Nan Dalong said, but investors are driven by their instinct to eliminate unstable factors, eliminate risks to the greatest extent, and maximize profits without risk. How can they be allowed to be manipulated by closed and conservative insiders?

It is conceivable that in the entertainment industry during the Internet's maturity period in the previous life, the so-called big data success model, traffic stars, various variety shows, etc. were actually capital trying to weaken the role of professionals in the film and television industry, using all kinds of weird and bizarre methods. Quantitative data and algorithms replace more emotional and subjective artistic creation.

To say success, they have indeed succeeded. They have knocked off the halo of the big directors and big stars who used to be so arrogant in the past, and used batches of instant traffic stars to continuously impact, destroying the old predecessors. The "position" they held was completely captured.

Although the so-called traffic and big data algorithms failed in the end, the golden age of famous directors and celebrities will never come back.

Several people chatted for a long time. In terms of eloquence, no one present could compare with Jin Shang.

"Okay, let's do what you said first."

Nan Dalong reluctantly nodded in agreement, and Jin Shang, who was a little more relaxed, concluded:

"We only cooperate with directors, stars and crews who are willing to be responsible to their sponsors and film companies. It is very unethical to mess around with other people's money to realize our so-called ideals. Art is not a fig leaf. It is a matter of business and belongs to business. Art By the way, the key is that people like it."

After the most important things were agreed upon, the solemn atmosphere in the meeting disappeared.

Nan Dalong took out several scripts and project plans that passed the internal review meeting and gave them to the bosses and executives present to discuss which ones should be filmed and which ones should be postponed.

The film lists announced in the first half of the year have already begun preparation or filming. For the second half of the year, the company has received many applications, including screenwriters, directors, and even well-known movie stars.

Of course, most of them are current students trying to get lucky, or newcomers who have just graduated a few years ago and have not yet made their mark.

After reading several copies, Jin Shang couldn't help but worry about the pretentiousness of today's literary and artistic youth.

From the script creation and shooting plan, we can see that these immature children have not been smoothed by society, and the plots that fall on the paper all expose their innocence and whims. There is only one thing that deserves our appreciation for this enthusiasm and vitality.

"Everyone of these, the budget is as high as the sky, the director needs to be a big name, the star needs to have box office appeal, and even lighting, art and photography have requirements. The shooting, framing and detailing are all important. Why not go to the sky?"

After reading for a while, Jin Shang threw the manuscript on the conference table and couldn't help but chuckled,

"You don't have any self-awareness? How can any regular film company dare to shoot this kind of stuff? That's not how you invest money and lose money..."

"Throwing stones to ask for directions, you can buy horse bones for a thousand gold..."

Nan Dalong shrugged nonchalantly.

Even if you are not particularly knowledgeable, after working hard for so long, you have become more or less sensitive. You know that the quality of these things in your hands is not very good.

"There are really good works, but they rarely come to us. It's not easy."

Nowadays, the market is sluggish, and there are very few good projects. If one appears, it will be snapped up. Changdi Culture's reputation and strength are not enough, and its connections and resources are average. Senior practitioners in the industry will basically find people they know to cooperate.

"It's better to focus on our own projects, and pick a few from outside that are barely acceptable, and try the waters. The main thing... is to build a good relationship with the new generation of practitioners. Maybe there will be big names in the future hidden among them." star."

"I hope so."

Jin Shang chatted with Nan Dalong and Dai Yiqin for a while, picked out three low-cost literary films and a light comedy, and handed them over to the company. After preparing to contact the company to organize the film, he put the matter aside for the time being.

At the end of the meeting, Nan Dalong took Jin Shang to the side hall, lit a cigarette, and after taking a few puffs, he revealed his original slightly frivolous character.

"Previously, I was a little dissatisfied with Dabiao's huge investment in upgrading and renovating theaters. After listening to your words today, I have some ideas..."

"Oh? Tell me..."

After blowing out a few puffs of smoke rings, Xiao Biao replied calmly,

"Having been a producer for so long, I feel more and more that making a movie is not difficult, it just requires a little more thinking to make it well. There are so many movies submitted for review every year, and only so many of them actually go to theaters, most of them They will all sink into the sea and never see the light of day again. Then..."

Raising his finger and shaking it, Nan Dalong pretended to be mysterious and smiled:

"Those films that no one cares about are really much worse than theatrical films, and there aren't any better ones among them?"

The answer is very clear.

Among the short ones, there are always some who are more attractive, and a few are even very good.

But...what's the use?

There are only so many movie fans and the market is so big. How to expand the scale of theater chains and let people enter the cinema is not an easy task.

The cake is so big, if you take more, others will take less.

"Also, TV is becoming more and more popular, the screen size is getting larger and clearer, and old-fashioned movies have almost no advantages anymore. Why should people spend money to watch movies? Aren't free TV series good? So, We have to think of something! Upgrading the viewing experience and developing 3D giant screens is almost an inevitable trend that is hard to stop. In addition, the advancement of audio-visual effects and the immersive viewing experience of blockbusters are far beyond the enjoyment of TVs and home theaters..."

Movies in the past were too simple, so they had to invest money in making blockbusters and spend a lot of money on special effects.

It wasn't obvious in the summer of 1996, but it would be a matter of time.

Nan Dalong, who has not been in the industry for a long time and is still half a layman, can see it more clearly.

"Dabiao is probably aware of this, so he agreed to go abroad for inspections, introduce advanced equipment, and make arrangements in advance so as to catch the first wave of dividends and widen the gap with his peers."

"That's right, is it too early to make special effects films now? The market hasn't picked up yet, and the audience may not buy it..."

The popularity of television has had an impact on movies, but it is not fatal. On the contrary, the great development of video tapes and VCD/DVD players in the past ten years has given practitioners a serious sense of crisis.

Just like Jin Shang, the TV and sound effects in the living room at home are not necessarily worse than those in a messy old movie theater with hundreds of people crowded together. Moreover, video tapes and CDs can be replayed infinitely, and you can pause and rewind at any time for on-demand playback, which is much more comfortable than watching a movie.

To put it bluntly, people are indeed richer than before, but they also have more choices in their spare time, and they don’t have to go to the movies.

“Are special effects movies a good medicine?”

Nan Dalong said with some expectation and some worry,

"With such a large investment, many small and medium-sized film companies will no longer be able to continue to play, and resources will inevitably be concentrated at the top. In the future, there will probably be three or five giants, with a group of juniors, controlling the current situation of the entire industry market. We... …can it stand out?”

These heartfelt words made Jin Shang look at Nan Xiaobiao with admiration.

"We've been apart for three days. I treat each other with admiration. I didn't expect you to have such understanding."

"So, you think so too?"

"Serious business competition and development, with its inherent monopoly power, certainly cannot be suppressed by oneself. The cultural industry is relatively complex and has many influencing factors. Let's... wait and see."

In the previous life of Hollywood, the original "Big Eight" film industry giants competed and merged with each other, leaving only the "Big Six". After entering the new century, only two or three can be considered worthy of the name, and the others are not so good.

After taking off the shackles of "art", commercial films experienced a magnificent golden period and began to show signs of decline.

"If you focus on movies instead of TV series, I would be much more relaxed."

Nan Dalong sighed and complained, while Jin Shang smiled and said nothing.

After all, Changdi Culture is the business of the Nan brothers. Jin Shang is just a partner. How can he put down his own business and do other things?

(End of this chapter)