Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 954 Find Something to Do
With the company's approval and the individual's consent, the matter is basically settled.

Chen Fan is only responsible for negotiating; he won't get involved in the follow-up matters.

Actually, going to Hong Kong at this time is not complicated. As long as you can provide proof that you have immediate family members there or a business invitation letter from your company, the Public Security Bureau can issue a Hong Kong and Macao travel permit.

If it's for visiting relatives, "immediate family members" is crucial; cousins ​​are not acceptable. Moreover, the letter must contain the phrase "visiting relatives in Hong Kong." Without these words, the police will assume that your immediate family members did not invite you and will not grant permission.

As for the group tours that are common in later generations, they certainly don't exist now; they won't be available until the 1990s.

The simplest option is a business invitation from a company. As long as a legitimate company in Hong Kong sends a business invitation letter, it will almost always be approved, and it is the fastest way to get approval.

With this travel permit, you don't even need a passport. Just bring a letter of introduction from your neighborhood office or workplace, and you can directly buy plane or train tickets to Hong Kong.

By the way, the Guangzhou-Kowloon Railway also resumed operation in April last year, so you can take the train to Guangzhou and then buy a ticket for the Guangzhou-Kowloon Railway to go directly to Hung Hom, Hong Kong.

Of course, you can also use the land border crossing in Shenzhen.

After the second border checkpoint was established, starting in 1986, a border pass was required to travel to Shenzhen.

But now, you don't need that at all. It's just like going to any place in Guangdong; you can get through with a letter of introduction.

Chen Fan had been to Shenzhen several times but had never obtained a border pass. Neither had any of the other migrant workers in Shenzhen; they would have to get them once the second-line border was built.

……

After reaching an agreement with Yang Zhenlong and the others, Chen Fan washed his hands of the matter.

Zhou Yali wouldn't handle such a small matter herself. She directly called the Hong Kong company and said, "Yang Chenfeng and his grandfather have signed, along with more than twenty other people. Send them invitations as soon as possible. If you don't know what to do, consult General Manager Liao and the others at Zuodui Film Company. They have experience in handling this kind of thing."

The person who answered the phone was Shi Nansheng. Upon hearing the good news, she was still somewhat incredulous, saying, "Really? Don't lie to me."

Zhou Yali said, "There's no doubt about this. Besides, this is only the first batch. There are another twenty or thirty people who participated in the filming. They've all returned to Beijing. You'd better arrange for two more people to come and talk to them to see if you can bring them along as well."

I will arrange for Mr. Yang Zhenlong to cooperate with you then; the chances of success should be quite high.

Shi Nansheng immediately beamed with joy, "Okay, I'll arrange for someone to go over right away."

And so, Boss Zhou assigned the work and casually followed Chen Fan around like a third wheel.

However, she is not Jiang Lili. That girl could sit quietly for a whole day without doing anything, just sitting aside and watching Chen Fan.

Chen Fan is currently editing a movie, spending all his time in the editing room. To be honest, anyone who does the work finds it tedious, let alone just watching from the sidelines.

So after two or three days, Zhou Yali couldn't take it anymore.

After finishing her work that day, Jiang Lili was busy in the kitchen when Miss Zhou brought out a large tea mug and slammed it down in front of Chen Fan. Then, looking bored, she lay on the desk, staring at him with wide eyes.

Chen Fan glanced at her, put down the script in his hand, and said with a smile, "What is it now?"

Zhou Yali curled her lip, "Boring."

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan couldn't help but laugh out loud. "I told you long ago that I don't have that many interesting things to do here. This month I'm working on the post-production of the movie. After editing, I need to add music, sound effects, color grading, and special effects compositing. Once the movie is out, I need to hurry to Shanghai to prepare for shooting a film about the scenery of the Yangtze River."

For the next year or so, there will be almost no free time, which is why I suggested you go to either Shenzhen or Hong Kong. There will be jobs available there, and learning through practical experience will be more beneficial for your growth.

Zhou Yali pouted and said, "But work is boring too. When I was in the United States, all I did was study and work. I was dizzy and annoyed all day long. It was so annoying."

Chen Fan chuckled and said, "If you feel dizzy and lightheaded, it means your abilities are not yet commensurate with your position. Once you improve your skills and feel that you can handle anything with ease, it means your abilities have reached the level of general manager or chairman."

At that time, there was no need to ask others for everything or rush to learn; one only needed to stay informed about emerging trends and management methods to ensure one didn't fall behind.

Zhou Yali blinked. "But I don't want to go to Shenzhen or Hong Kong. If I go, Sister Yufeng and the others will definitely do the same thing as before, telling me everything. I want to express my opinions, but they won't take them into consideration. It's pointless."

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan raised an eyebrow. "What opinion did you express?"

Zhou Yali blinked repeatedly, paused for two or three seconds, and then suddenly changed the subject, "How about you find me something to do?"

Chen Fan grinned. "Don't avoid it. Who doesn't start out innocent and naive but become adept at handling things? Tell me about it."

Zhou Yali's pretty face darkened. "How annoying! How annoying! There's nothing to say."

Then he tilted his head to the side and slumped onto the table, sulking.

Chen Fan smiled and shook his head, thinking to himself, "She really is a pampered young lady who has never experienced setbacks. She's over twenty years old and still has some childishness."

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and asked, "I haven't checked on them these past few days. How are Old Yang and the others doing?"

Hearing that there was something serious, Zhou Yali stood up and sat down. After thinking for a moment, she said, "It's only been a few days. What can be accomplished? The invitations haven't even arrived yet."

After a pause, she continued to speak about what she knew, "Director Kuang seems to be preparing for a new movie, but I don't know if it's a movie or a TV series. I heard that roles were originally reserved for Old Yang and the others, but now they're suddenly leaving, and they need to hand over some of their work."

Chen Fan nodded slightly, "Of course. Anyway, it's just a little handover work, it won't take more than a few days."

Zhou Yali nodded and continued, "I estimate that Elder Yang and the others will return to Beijing in the next day or two. The invitation letter should arrive by then, and we can proceed with the procedures to go to Hong Kong."

Regarding the procedures, General Manager Shi specifically consulted General Manager Liao of Zuodui Film Company. General Manager Liao was very pleased to hear that Yang Chenfeng and his team were going to Hong Kong, and even specially recommended an official from the Film Association to help.

Ms. Shi said that she had already contacted the cadre, who was very cooperative. In addition, she arranged for Ms. Chen Shufen, along with several staff members, to come to Beijing to handle this matter.

At the same time, we'll try to find out how many of the remaining twenty or thirty people you mentioned can be brought over.

Chen Fan took a drag of his cigarette, flicked off the ash, and said, "These people aren't in any important units or particularly important positions, so there's no reason for the government to obstruct them. Plus, with Elder Yang involved and the Film Association officials helping, I estimate that in the end, everyone except those who can't move will go." He clicked his tongue as he spoke, "Money can move people's hearts. Hong Kong has high salaries and abundant resources. After they go, they can send back a lot of scarce supplies. Even without considering supplies, just based on the official exchange rate, a minimum monthly salary of two thousand Hong Kong dollars is equivalent to more than six hundred local currency, which is more than their annual income."

Not to mention this is just the basic salary; if you're filming, there's additional pay. Anyone who isn't tempted would be a fool.

Zhou Yali nodded slightly, about to say something, when suddenly an idea struck her. She looked at Chen Fan and said, "Hey, brother. I just thought of something. Since we can poach them, can't we also poach other filmmakers?"

She suddenly pouted again, "Last time, the Freedom Club used tricks, which really disgusted me. Apart from the lowest-level handymen, no one with real skills applied for the job."

Although Nansun Shi and Tsui Hark poached a few people after taking office, I still felt uneasy.

As he spoke, he looked up at Chen Fan, his face beaming with excitement, "Since we can poach Elder Yang and the others to work as stuntmen, can't we also poach other filmmakers?"

Forget about the actors; unless they're like Yang Chenfeng, Hong Kong audiences won't accept them. But surely cinematographers, producers, art directors, and composers can be hired interchangeably?

Hearing this, Chen Fan thought for a moment, then slowly nodded and smiled at her, "Didn't you just say you were bored? Why don't you go make the trip yourself?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yali's face froze instantly. After a couple of seconds, she forced an awkward smile, "I'm not familiar with the mainland..."

Before she could make an excuse, Chen Fan said, "Qianfan Company doesn't have any branches or staff in mainland China right now, so it's actually the most suitable thing for you to do it yourself. And as the company owner, it will naturally show the most sincerity for you to personally go and invite them."

As for not being familiar with it, that's simple. You don't need to go to other places. Just the three major film studios, Changchun Film Studio, Beijing Film Studio, and Shanghai Film Studio, plus the August First Film Studio, are enough.

These film studios have the strongest talent pool, but they only produce a limited number of films each year, leaving many directors, cinematographers, art directors, and other talented individuals with little opportunity to showcase their abilities.

At this point, he suddenly remembered something, threw away his cigarette butt, looked at Zhou Yali, and said seriously, "There is something that is more important than poaching people, and you must take it seriously."

Seeing his expression, Zhou Yali stopped joking and looked at him seriously. "Okay, go ahead."

Chen Fan gestured, "Movie special effects. Lucas founded Industrial Light & Magic to make Star Wars, which means that American movie special effects have entered the digital age."

Hong Kong's film special effects are still in their infancy, even lagging behind the mainland.

Based on the development trends of the American film industry, and to predict the future direction of Chinese-language films, special effects will undoubtedly be a crucial element of the film industry.

Zhou Yali listened to his words and nodded thoughtfully, "I understand."

She then looked at him and said, "Just tell me what I should do?"

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly. "You really should change this habit of relying on others."

Zhou Yali waved her hand dismissively, "I'll definitely change once you're not in front of me."

Chen Fan, “…”

After pausing for two seconds, he said seriously, "Before the advent of digital special effects, film production had already widely used a variety of special effects techniques, such as optical effects like scene painting, glass screen projection, exposure compositing, and moving masking, physical effects like miniature models, and camouflage effects like makeup and costumes, etc."

Although China's film industry is far less developed than that of the United States, and even less developed than that of Hong Kong, it does not mean that the special effects technology in mainland China is weak.

After all, counting from "Dingjun Mountain" in 1905, it has a history of over seventy years. Especially after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the production of numerous military-themed films has accumulated a very deep foundation and experience for my country's film special effects technology. From the perspective of special effects, Taiwan and Hong Kong may not be able to compare.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yali suddenly stretched out her hand and clenched it tightly. "Now, we need to take these special effects technologies!"

Chen Fan's face darkened. "Can't you be normal for once? We're not the villains."

Zhou Yali pursed her lips. "But when I think about how it took China more than seventy years to accumulate this little bit of special effects technology, and now we're about to take it away, I feel like I'm the villain."

Chen Fan couldn't help but roll his eyes. "You should read less novels in the future. You're always thinking about nonsense."

Zhou Yali's expression changed, and she looked at him calmly, "I'm reading your novels now."

Chen Fan immediately coughed twice, "Well, let's get back to the special effects. Do you know how to talk to the film studio?"

Zhou Yali looked at him calmly and said, "I don't know."

Chen Fan: "...Generally speaking, there are two methods. One is that we pay them to send people with the technology to Hong Kong to directly teach our people. The second is that we pay them to invite them to send people to Hong Kong under the guise of cooperation to do things for us, and then train a group of special effects artists for us in the process of doing those things."

Zhou Yali nodded in realization, "I understand. Just pay up."

Chen Fan sighed softly, "Reputation is also very important."

Zhou Yali chuckled, "I'm not stupid. Of course I know that reputation is also important. It's all about united front work, cooperation, and our common cause. It's all just polite talk. Anyone can say it."

Chen Fan glanced at her. "Can't you be serious for once?"

Zhou Yali immediately stopped talking and looked at him seriously. "Brother, you just said you were going to poach people from several big factories, but you also said that they are big factories, and Mr. Yang's resistance to going to Hong Kong that day also reminded me."

What if—and I mean just what if—some people genuinely value money above all else, others are reluctant to give up their jobs at big companies, or the big companies simply won't let them go, and they can't be poached?

Chen Fan smiled slightly, "What did I just say?"

Zhou Yali blinked, looking at him with a completely bewildered expression.

After several seconds, she suddenly realized and slapped her forehead. "I understand, I understand. Individuals in a company must listen to the company. If you can't poach them, then go to the company, propose cooperation, and send them to Hong Kong in the company's name."

She clicked her tongue as she spoke, "But in this way, the money that could have been given directly to individuals now goes to the company. Surely no one would be that stupid?"

Chen Fan raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "That's hard to say."

(End of this chapter)