Started as an independent producer in 1988

Chapter 63 One million is too little, we need more money!

In the clean and bright hotel room, a gust of sea breeze blew, and the translucent white gauze swayed leisurely.

At the small table by the window, Chen Shiping was tinkering with the TV remote control in the room. The TV in the hotel room seemed to be broken and was covered in snowflakes.

Since he couldn't watch TV, Chen Shiping simply picked up a magazine and read it. After flipping through a few pages, he was so frightened that he threw it into the trash can.

Damn it, there are pornographic magazines in the hotel room! It’s still the kind with recruiting information!

Doesn’t this lead to crime?

Chen Shiping did not expect that the magazine would carry recruitment information.

Xiangjiang is really a diverse city. Chen Shiping, a good socialist young man, was deeply shocked!

When Chen Shiping was hesitating to pick up the magazine, the door to the room was pushed open again, and Liu Xiaoqing came in.

Liu Xiaoqing came downstairs to send off the person from Xiangjiang Film Company who had called before. Chen Shiping didn't even go downstairs when he knew he wasn't from Yindu.

As a socialist producer, I must cooperate with Z-school filmmakers.

Yindu is a state-owned enterprise, and the chairman of the board is appointed by the mainland. However, it has not been very successful in recent years. It has not kept up with the trend of Hong Kong movies and has become a little lonely.

The predecessor of Yindu was Z-film companies such as Great Wall, Xinlian, and Phoenix, which led the entire Hong Kong film industry before the 1970s. At that time, it was really prosperous.

It is a pity that these companies were not spared during the ten years in the Mainland.

At that time, "Shuangnan Cinema Line" was also forced to play model opera films such as Shajiabang.

More than 200 movies from Great Wall and several other companies were banned from broadcasting, and were even forced to stop the day before their premieres.

Fortunately, it has gained a lot of momentum in recent years and is still the first film company in Hong Kong.

In 1981, Great Wall and Xinlian jointly established Zhongyuan Film Company to film Shaolin Temple in the mainland, which directly triggered the craze of martial arts movies.

This is also what many viewers didn't understand when they first watched Shaolin Temple. How could a Hong Kong film company make the movie so mainland-style?

It's completely different from Shaw Brothers' martial arts movies where ketchup is sprayed all over the place, like limbs, limbs, and intestines.

In the old days of Xiangjiang, these Z-style filmmakers wore Chinese tunic suits and pens in their pockets, and they were extremely proud to walk on the streets of Xiangjiang.

Many people may not have thought that the Z-school filmmakers in Xiangjiang also emerged under the influence of Lu Xun and his Z-school Writers Alliance.

These Z-sect filmmakers have become the eight major film studios in the mainland. It can be seen from the logos of these film studios. Those who went to Hong Kong established Great Wall, Xinlian, Phoenix and other companies.

"What are you thinking about?" Liu Xiaoqing walked in and sat down on the bed, with a large dent in Rouran's big bed.

Chen Shiping came back to his senses and shook his head and said, "Nothing, let's go down and chat."

"What can I do? Just push three, four, five." Liu Xiaoqing laughed and joked: "Producer Chen has already given instructions, so I can only do it."

Chen Shiping rolled his eyes at her and kicked the trash can at his feet under the table.

Liu Xiaoqing glanced at it subconsciously, couldn't help laughing, looked at him and said, "Are you shocked by the opening of Xiangjiang?"

"What's the matter? I just think this hotel is not very formal." Chen Shiping coughed and said, "When are you going to Yindu?"

"Tomorrow at eight o'clock in the morning."

"Okay, then rest early today and let's talk tomorrow."

"Would you like to go out for a walk if it's your first time?"

"I'm not in the mood. Let's talk about it after we finish our business."

At night, Chen Shiping sat at the small table in his room, sorting out his movie plans and scripts, which he would use tomorrow.

Although Yindu is one of its own, it is not that simple to get investment, and it also has to find a way to deal with Li Lianjie and Guan Zhilin, which is a lot of trouble.

Li Lianjie was coaxed into joining Jiahe at this time, and although it wouldn't cost much to hire him to make a movie, communication with Jiahe might not be easy.

Li Lianjie's salary was very low, and Jiahe squeezed him too hard.

When he was filming Once Upon a Time in 1991, his salary was only 1.5 million, ranking sixth among male stars in Hong Kong.

After leaving Golden Harvest in 1993, his salary skyrocketed, and he suddenly became the second most popular male star in Hong Kong, with a salary of 12 million per movie!

Chen Shiping just came early. If he had been a few years later, no one would have been able to afford him. After 1991, the salary increase for actors in Xiangjiang was frightening. However, in the late 1980s, the salaries of Hong Kong stars were very low. There were very few stars with a salary of more than 1 million, and Guan Zhilin did not even get 600,000.

Chen Shiping's budget of 5 million is completely enough to hire people. The only uncertainty is whether Li Lianjie and Guan Zhilin are willing to go to the mainland to film.

I don’t know if the impact of the disbandment of Shaw Brothers a few years ago has passed. These days, many celebrities still rely on Wanwan Market for their meals.

However, in recent years, the film industry on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and the three places has indeed been very magical. With funding from Bay Area, technology from Hong Kong, and labor from the mainland, this cooperation model is very popular.

Chen Shiping thought about it for a while and then went to bed. He would wait to find out more about the situation when he goes to Yindu tomorrow.

The next day, as soon as Chen Shiping and Liu Xiaoqing came down from the hotel upstairs, they were blocked.

As soon as the visitor met, he enthusiastically held Chen Shiping's hand and said that he was a fan of Chen Shiping's books and movies.

Chen Shiping felt really strange listening to the other party's awkward Mandarin.

The other party introduced himself as someone from Xiangjiang Hailong Film Company, but Chen Shiping had never heard of this film company.

It was Liu Xiaoqing who took the initiative to help introduce it, and Chen Shiping learned that Dragonsea Films and Henan Film Studio had co-produced The Three Heroes of the Ruan Family.

"I heard that Mr. Chen came to Xiangjiang this time to look for investment. We, Hailong, are very interested!"

Chen Shiping frowned slightly. He didn't know how he knew the news. He turned to look at Liu Xiaoqing and found that she also looked confused.

"My friend is from Xinlian. I heard the news when I was drinking with him." The other party said with a smile: "I have been paying attention to Mr. Chen's schedule since I found out about it. I came to meet you as soon as I knew you were coming."

Chen Shiping smiled and nodded, wondering why the film company in Xiangjiang was so enthusiastic about people like him who make literary films.

Has Yindu revealed all the themes it wants to shoot?

It would not be surprising if this is the case. A Cannes winner is filming a martial arts movie, which is full of gimmicks, and the investment will definitely not be lost.

What's more, the film was about Huang Feihong, which is very popular in Hong Kong!

It's just that Chen Shiping has no time to argue with him now, and he is not ready to accept investment from outside Yindu, unless Yindu doesn't intend to invest.

"Sorry, I made an appointment with Director Liao from Yindu to meet at nine o'clock. Let's talk next time."

As Chen Shiping was about to leave, someone from Hailong Films immediately said, "Then I'll wait here for Mr. Chen to come back. We are really sincere and hope that Mr. Chen can give him a chance to have a good chat tonight."

Chen Shiping saw that he was so enthusiastic and there was no time now, so he agreed perfunctorily, and then hurried away with Liu Xiaoqing.

On the way, Liu Xiaoqing said with emotion that Chen Shiping was so respectable that he took the initiative to ask for cooperation when he first came to Xiangjiang Film Company.

Chen Shiping doesn't feel that he has any face, it's just that he has become famous because of the popular filming.

When the two came to Yindu, they received very good treatment. The person who received them was Mr. Liao, the chairman of Yindu.

This is an old filmmaker, and like Chen Shiping, he is also a writer.

As soon as he saw Chen Shiping, Mr. Liao happily stood up and shook hands with Chen Shiping.

"Mr. Chen, I have long admired your name!"

Mr. Liao held Chen Shiping's hand and said happily: "Congratulations on becoming the first Chinese winner of the Cannes Grand Prix, allowing Chinese-language films to shine in front of world cinema!"

"Director Liao, you are so polite." Chen Shiping felt the old man's enthusiasm and acted very modestly.

After Director Liao and Liu Xiaoqing shook hands and said hello, they sat down together and chatted about business. As for the purpose of Chen Shiping's visit, he had already received a call and knew.

"I know Mr. Chen's purpose very well, but I have to read the script first. There have been many co-produced martial arts films in the past few years, but not many of them have become popular."

After hearing what Mr. Liao said, Chen Shiping directly handed over his movie plan and script.

Half an hour later, after Mr. Liao read the script and movie plan, his eyes were full of surprise.

He took Chen Shiping's hand and said, "The script is well written! This is the kind of martial arts movie we should make! It's good to elevate small love to the level of national sentiment!"

Chen Shiping smiled and said: "Then are you willing to invest?"

Mr. Liao said with a smile: "I have to invest! But one million is too little! I need to add more money!"

(End of this chapter)