Become famous another day.

Uber Clark looked at Lu Yanhe with some surprise.

He had never expected that when he came over to say hello to Lu Yanhe, he unexpectedly received an invitation to a new film.

Lu Yanhe said: "Let's make an appointment later to chat?"

"Okay." Uber Clark nodded without hesitation.

An actor like Uber Clark will definitely not be arrogant towards talented filmmakers, including screenwriters.

In Hollywood, the status of film screenwriters is much higher than anywhere else.

Even the so-called "film is the art of the director" originated from Hollywood.

However, Hollywood is a place that takes scripts very seriously.

In order to create a good script, even in the screenwriting industry, there are many categories, including first draft screenwriters, polishing screenwriters, screenwriters who specialize in writing character dialogues, screenwriters who specialize in writing plots, and so on.

In Hollywood, no director would ever say that he could make a good movie without a good script.

Everyone is looking for a good script—that’s the premise.

Instead, everyone is looking for a good project - Lu Yanhe often hears this statement in China.

Lu Yanhe often tells actors like Huang Kairen that what they should do most now is to find a good story, and then use their industry status and influence to protect this good story, find the best and most suitable people in each department, and work together to make it a good project.

There is a Hong Kong actress, Michelle Ye, who once said something. The gist of it is that in the past, when everyone was filming a drama, the conditions were difficult, but everyone was fully committed and worked hard to make a good drama, because everyone could see the script and knew that they were making a good thing. Besides the money, they would also go all out to make a good thing. Now, many dramas, when everyone sees them, they know deep down that it is just a standard product, and they only have to do standard work. There is no other way. A script that looks mediocre cannot mobilize everyone's work enthusiasm.

That's actually what it is.

Why is it that many projects, which look so luxurious, with big-name directors, masterful production staff, and even luxurious casts, turn out to be so unsatisfactory in the end?

The story is unengaging and the characters are unattractive because of the basic foundation.

Having a good script doesn’t necessarily mean you can make a good movie. That requires collaboration from people in all departments.

But without a good script, unless you are a director like Wong Kar-wai, who plays with the atmosphere, otherwise, even a national master can "lose his reputation in his later years", and even Ang Lee can make a stale work like "Gemini Man" that seems to have crawled out of a coffin (the funniest thing is the Weibo post by Ms. Zhang Ziyi. She watched the movie and expressed her thoughts. She was obviously showing her support, but her first sentence was: what attracted the director in the first place must not be the story itself. She is really bold to say that. If it were not for "The Birth of an Actor", Ang Lee, who helped her career so much and whom she wanted to work with again, would not have praised the story against her will).

Lu Yanhe used the actual achievements of the two films "Home Alone" and "Buried" to announce his playwright talent to Hollywood, and it was not limited to being "critically and commercially successful" in Asia.

This made him an actor that all the big-name actors in Hollywood couldn't help but look at and want to have in-depth communication and collaboration with.
-
When Lu Yanhe met his agent Darren Wilson again, he apologized first.

"I forgot to mention you when I was giving my acceptance speech just now." Lu Yanhe took the initiative to bring up the matter. "I was so nervous and excited that I just talked about whatever came to my mind."

Darren Wilson patted him on the shoulder with a smile on his face and said, "Forget it this time. The next time you stand on the podium, I must hear my name called."

Lu Yanhe smiled and nodded, saying yes.

They were photographed together.

Lu Yanhe also put this group photo as the first one on the photo wall where he posted his updates tonight, and once again added his thanks to Darren Wilson in the update.

Darren Wilson really laughed when he saw Lu Yanhe's post before falling asleep.
-
That night, Lu Yanhe fell into a deep sleep, not at all unable to sleep due to the excitement of winning the award.

On the contrary, after he lay down on the bed, he felt a sense of relaxation as if he had finally reached the destination after a long journey.

I can finally relax.

Starting from December, he has been running for three months of award season and countless public relations activities, and finally, it all came to an end tonight.

Lu Yanhe slept for ten hours and woke up at eleven o'clock the next morning.

Chen Siqi was no longer around.

He grabbed his hair and opened the door. Chen Siqi was sitting on the sofa outside, holding a laptop, seemingly working on something.

"You're awake." Chen Siqi heard the voice, raised her head and smiled at him, "How did you sleep?"

"I was confused and dizzy," said Lu Yanhe.

Chen Siqi pointed to the table and said, "I've made coffee for you there."

Lu Yanhe nodded, sat over and poured himself a glass.

Chen Siqi said: "I will wait for the afternoon flight and return home first."

"So fast?" Lu Yanhe was a little surprised.

"Well, there's a lot of work waiting for me to deal with when I get back." Chen Siqi showed a helpless look, "So, I have to go back as soon as possible. You'll be back in two days, right?"

"Yes, I still need to meet a few people, and there are some things that I haven't finished." Lu Yanhe nodded, "I will return to China this Saturday."

"Okay, I'll wait for you to come back." Chen Siqi nodded, "I thought you weren't going back for the time being. Buried Alive also needs to be promoted here."

"Buried" won't be released until April." Lu Yanhe shook his head. "I have to go back. There are several movies coming out this year, and I still have a lot of things to do."

Chen Siqi nodded.

"Indeed, but do you have a lot of dramas to shoot this year?"

"It's not bad this year." Lu Yanhe shook his head. "The second season of 'Burning Fire' and Midoriya's 'Godless', and then the fourth season of 'Friends' at the end of the year."

Compared with previous years, he has indeed had fewer films to shoot this year.

Chen Siqi was a little surprised and asked, "Isn't the movie you and Chen Bige are filming this year?"

She was talking about the one that Wang Zhong wrote the script for them.

"I haven't heard any news yet." Lu Yanhe smiled, "Director Wang should have made some revisions to the script."

Chen Siqi: "Okay, that's good, you can rest more this year."

"Yes." Lu Yanhe said, "By the way, Sister Zixing is restarting the "City Travel Notes" series. In addition to the regular recordings, they are also preparing to record some specials and have invited me. For this program, they are still planning to make it in the same documentary format as before, without any variety show settings. I just really want to go out for a walk. If you have time, would you like to go with me?"

"Okay." Chen Siqi nodded. "Does it take a long time to record a special?"

"I don't know." Lu Yanhe shook his head. "It's relatively free. From what Sister Zixing said, she just doesn't want the program to be constrained by too many rules and regulations, so the whole program is just a pure record."

Chen Siqi immediately laughed, "It sounds like that's exactly what you want."

"Yeah." Lu Yanhe nodded. "If it's a reality show or variety show, I don't want to go."

"Very good." Chen Siqi nodded, "In fact, I am also discussing with Bingyuan Video about making a reading program."

"Huh?" Lu Yanhe was a little surprised.

Chen Siqi said: "On the one hand, we have many contracted authors for Jump Up, and many of them have accumulated popularity, readers and fans over the years. By doing such a program, we may be able to further expand their popularity through this media form. On the other hand, this kind of vertical program is becoming more and more popular, and the audience now has a greater demand for humanities content."

Lu Yanhe said: "But it's generally difficult for this kind of program to get a high number of views, right?"

"Yes." Chen Siqi nodded. "However, we don't expect this program to make money or anything. As long as we don't lose money, it will be fine. We can also further build the 'Jump Up' brand. The cost of this program will not be too high. We don't need to invite celebrities or find those first-line program teams to do it. Li Bi's team can do it."

Lu Yanhe understood.

The program made by Chen Siqi is more of a derivative product of the "Jump Up" brand and "Jump Up" magazine than a commercial program.

The main focus is on the range of "jump up". Lu Yanhe nodded.

Chen Siqi: "On the other hand, I think it is meaningful to do such a program. Besides the secular significance of 'jumping up' for us, the most important thing is, you know, now there are all kinds of self-media and all kinds of entertainment products. In fact, fewer and fewer people read books. I was in a meeting once, and Linyu and others said that they had little time to read. Sometimes, when they were on a business trip, they wanted to read well on the plane, but they couldn't read. But sometimes, when I was on the subway, I saw someone holding a book and reading, and suddenly I felt stimulated and had the idea and impulse to read. I think, at least, the action of reading can be more common in the field of mass media."

Lu Yanhe understood Chen Siqi's thoughts.

"Aren't we doing book clubs with many cooperating bookstores and school literary clubs? In addition to sharing in small circles, we also share on social media." Chen Siqi said, "Many people will buy one or two books they discuss after seeing these updates, and then join the sharing and discussion. These phenomena are not on a large scale, but in the comment sections of some books, including the comment sections of some of our own media, you can often see people saying that they bought the book because XXX recommended it."

Lu Yanhe: "A little bit adds up to a lot. It's good to be able to form such an atmosphere in a certain group."

"Yes." Chen Siqi nodded. "Besides, nowadays it's all about attention economy. If we can't attract more attention, we might be ignored and forgotten over time. I'm a layman, and I have only one goal. No matter what, the name of the magazine and the brand "Jump Up" must exist in everyone's impression in a mainstream way and cannot become a passing thing."

Lu Yanhe: "It's a long and arduous journey."

"Yes, there is still a long way to go, but we have been established for almost seven years." Chen Siqi said with some pride, "It has not gone downhill, and its vitality is still strong."

Lu Yanhe: "Now, Jump Up has one issue per month for a total of twelve issues. Then, we have a special issue in summer and winter each year, and a special issue of Jump Up Theater every quarter. That makes eighteen issues a year?"

“Yes,” Chen Siqi said, “Last year, we published 102 works for 315 authors.”

Lu Yanhe was surprised.

Chen Siqi: "The first issue of the literary magazine edited by Bai Yu is about to be published. When she left, I felt a little unhappy, although I was very happy for her... but now I think it's good. Another magazine is published, and there is another carrier that can provide a platform for those writers."

Lu Yanhe nodded.

"That's great."

Chen Siqi: "Yes, by the way, I was invited to the Red River Awards ceremony next week. They said they would give me a special award from the organizing committee to commend Jump Up Theater for discovering and providing many outstanding creators for the TV drama industry in the past two years."

Lu Yanhe showed a bit of surprise.

"congratulate."

Chen Siqi looked at him with a smile and said, "When you go back this time, I guess you'll be busy for a while."

"I can't be busy at all." Lu Yanhe shook his head, "I must have a good rest so that no one can find me."

Chen Siqi heard this and asked, "Where are you going?"

"Just stay at Ziyuan Bridge." Lu Yanhe said, "After a few days, I will go to Lingyang. I now think that you bought a house there, which is very wise. The house can be used as the editorial office of "Jump Up", and there is also a yard around it to prevent others from coming in."

The most important thing is that the house has a special room for sleeping and resting.

Chen Siqi smiled.

"I gritted my teeth and bought it, which really saved me a lot of trouble," Chen Siqi said. "I plan to buy the two buildings next door as well."

Now if Chen Siqi wants to buy the two houses next door, it is no longer as difficult as when she bought the current one.

In recent years, the money earned by "Jumping Up" is enough to buy out the entire area and even buy twenty buildings.

Of course, the main reason is that Lingyang District is remote and the housing prices are much cheaper than places like Ziyuanqiao.

Lu Yanhe thought about it and said, "This is good. If there is a suitable one, we can buy it and renovate it. If we live there in the future, the environment will be much better."

Chen Siqi nodded.

"I think so too."

Lu Yanhe asked: "What are you going to do with the two buildings you are planning to buy now?"

That area was actually a residential area for villas, but Chen Siqi converted it into an editorial office for office use.

Chen Siqi said: "There are more than 200 permanent employees in 'Jump Up' now, but only the editorial department of the magazine and the media integration team work in Lingyang District. Li Bi's shooting team and our marketing and publicity team all rent offices in other places. The current site can't accommodate so many people. I plan to renovate these two houses first and give them use."

Lu Yanhe nodded, "This is also good. Otherwise, we will be scattered in different places and have to run around everywhere."

"Yes." Chen Siqi said, "Your annual rent in Linghe is not small, right?"

"Yes, we expanded last year and rented an extra floor. Now the rent alone is more than 20 million yuan a year." Lu Yanhe said, "In the long run, it is indeed better to buy a house myself."

The two of them chatted about trivial things.

At twelve o'clock, I went to the hotel to have lunch.

Afterwards, Chen Siqi set off for the airport.

Lu Yanhe went out in the afternoon and went to Green Valley.

He made an appointment with Schmidt Laurie to have a good chat about cooperation on several projects before returning.

The box office success of "Home Alone" has given Lu Yanhe, a collaborator, a new weight in Schmidt Laurie's heart.
-
"Home Alone 2 has been filmed and will be released in China during the Chinese New Year next year, at the same time," Lu Yanhe said to Schmidt-Lawley. "If Midoriya still wants to be responsible for the North American distribution, we can't give it to him based on the first film."

Schmidt Lawley said without hesitation: "Of course, $2 million, I hope you can give us the European and American distribution rights of Home Alone ."

The 20 million US dollars are not included in the share of box office revenue that Linghe can normally get.

Schmidt-Lawley gave such a price that included what should have been given for the first film.

Lu Yanhe smiled, nodded, and said, "I have one more condition."

"What conditions?" asked Schmidt Laurie.

"The movie 'Red Eye' needs to be released in more than 3000 theaters," Lu Yanhe said bluntly.

Schmidt Lawley smiled helplessly.

"We will release Home Alone 2 in more than 4000 theaters."

"I know, but Red Eye Flight, 3000 theaters." Lu Yanhe said, "If the first Home Alone movie could be released directly in more than 3000 theaters from the beginning, I believe its box office performance in North America would be better."

For this kind of thing, the window period is very important.

When it was at its peak, the movie was not available in many theaters.

After the film is released, many viewers who wanted to watch it at that time may not still have the desire to watch it.

Just like stocking goods.

Schmidt-Lawley said: "The male lead of Red Eye has not yet been decided."

"This is another thing I want to discuss with you. What do you think of Uber Clark?" Lu Yanhe mentioned.

Schmidt Lawley was stunned.

"This villain requires both acting skills and popularity," said Lu Yanhe. "Uber Clark, who has just had huge exposure during the awards season, is well-known and has good acting skills, should be a good choice."

Schmidt Lawley nodded.

"He's a good guy, but he might not be willing to act in this movie, right?" Schmidt-Lawley said. "The films he has chosen in recent years have always been mainly for winning awards."

"If you have no objection, I will go and talk to him." Lu Yanhe said, "I will convince him." (End of this chapter)