Extracting skills from movies

Chapter 791 Where is the way out?
Charlie Hotel, Beverly Hills.

Boucheron Jewelry's internal team has been here for several days.

The atmosphere was tense as soon as the morning routine meeting started, like we were about to go to war.

Adam from the Department of Justice adjusted his glasses and spoke first:
"I've met with Pitt's agent and lawyers several times in the past few days."

He's currently under house arrest in his villa and can't leave. We need to handle the contract matters in person.

Group leader McKay tapped the table, his tone crisp:
"Get this sorted out quickly!"

The entire Hollywood is now distancing itself from Pitt, and the entire American public is criticizing him.
If we keep arguing with him, our brand image will be ruined!

Adam nodded:
"Terminating the contract isn't difficult, but the penalty for breach of contract will probably cause some disputes."

"Terminate the contract first, then we'll talk."

McKay interrupted him:
"Every day we delay, we lose money. We can deal with the penalty for breach of contract slowly, but first we need to clear our names."

Adam responded:
"I'll get it done as soon as possible."

McKay turned to look at Regina from the planning department:
Have you made any progress in choosing a spokesperson?

Regina opened her notebook, her tone calm:
There are several alternatives at present.

Someone recommended Matt Damon; "The Bourne Identity" made him a star, and he might even be a contender for Best Actor in Europe next year.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than someone curled their lip in disapproval:

"Damon's face looked like he was in debt, which doesn't suit Boucheron's target customers, who are all successful people."

Regina nodded:
"I also think it's not quite appropriate."

"What about Jason Statham?"

Someone interrupted.

Another colleague shook his head:
"He's bald, that's not a good look for him."

Moreover, after his film "The Wandering Swordsman," which he co-starred in with Jet Li, flopped at the box office, his popularity plummeted, and now he's not even considered a second-tier star.

After everyone had finished their discussion, Regina slowly spoke:
“Actually, I have another option, but he is not white, or even European or American.”

The meeting room fell silent instantly, and everyone's eyes turned to her.

McKay raised an eyebrow:

"As long as you're famous enough, race isn't a problem."

For Boucheron, whether someone is a person or not doesn't matter, as long as they are famous worldwide.

Regina smiled slightly:
"Du Sheng, a Chinese star who has risen to international stardom in the last two years."

She paused, then continued:
"With success in film, music, and boxing, he enjoys international recognition, has been named an honorary citizen of Los Angeles, and is himself a celebrity and wealthy individual..."

With a positive image, high media attention, and crucially, currently on the rise.

The person who had just opposed Damon immediately slammed his fist on the table:
"This is much more suitable than Damon!"

The others nodded in agreement:

"Their appearance and temperament match quite well."

"In 'The Departed,' I acted alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, but I wasn't overshadowed."

"Young but mature, which perfectly aligns with our strategic direction of expanding into the Asian market."

McKay stared at the USB drive Regina handed him; his assistant had already plugged it into the computer and started playing the PowerPoint presentation.

The screen displayed clippings of Du Sheng and photos of her attending events.

Regina pointed at the screen with a laser pointer:

“From his debut until now, Du Sheng has always exuded a gentlemanly style in his clothing, speech and behavior, no matter what occasion he attends, which is very consistent with the tone of our brand.”

McKay flipped through the clippings, some of the photos taken two years ago. The more he looked, the more satisfied he became, nodding and saying:
“Regina, you’re in charge of contacting Du Sheng and his agent. The endorsement terms… should be based on Pete’s standards.”

Regina made an "OK" sign:

"I'll do it right away."

The meeting concluded, and both agenda items were finalized.

Stepping out of the conference room, Regina dialed Haders' number:

"Mr. Hades, hello, I'm Regina from Boucheron Jewelry. I'd like to talk to you about Mr. Du Sheng's endorsement."

Haders' slightly amused voice came from the other end of the phone:

"Oh? You've changed your spokesperson too?"

Regina smiled:

"Yes, we believe Mr. Du Sheng is the most suitable candidate at present."

"Okay, I'm fine with it."

Haders responded readily:
"However, Du Sheng's schedule is quite full right now, so you need to finalize the time as soon as possible."

"Understood, we will arrange a meeting as soon as possible."

Regina hung up the phone, looked out the window at the Los Angeles skyline, and smiled slightly.

She knew this was not just a simple matter of changing a spokesperson.

This is a brand rebranding, a market shift, and an opportunity to bet on the future.

And they chose to be the ones standing at the forefront of the trend.

.........

In December in North America, the cold wind howls, as if trying to blow people back into bed.

During this period, Du Sheng was so busy that he didn't even have time to rest.

why?
With the Oscars and Grammys just around the corner, plus nearly ten million dollars in prize money from sponsors...

If it works out, they could earn hundreds of thousands of dollars a day on average.

Converted to RMB, it's more than someone earning 208 million a day ten years from now. How can you not be careful with this business?

As he tied his tie in front of the mirror, he muttered to himself:

"Getting something for free feels completely different from earning it through hard work and starting your own business."

Recently, "Taken" has been on fire, with its global box office reaching $2.5 million.

It's only a matter of time before it surpasses $3 million.

If you include the profits from the CDs and related merchandise, an investment of less than 3 million yuan has yielded more than ten times the return, which is comparable to robbery!
Therefore, Du Sheng was frequently invited to dinners with North American industry insiders and judges, and he attended almost every available time, considering that he was aiming for awards, as if he was doing his last bit of effort.

WMA went even further, organizing over fifty free screenings in major cities like New York and Los Angeles, specifically inviting film critics, journalists, and online influencers to watch the film.

Producer and director Lin Chaoxian also attended every single event, praising the show to everyone he met:

"Look at the scar on Du Sheng's shoulder, it was cut by a real knife!"

At the end of each screening, the audience members were able to leave with a spy suit.

The academy judges were also treated well, each receiving a souvenir and a deluxe DVD set, and the production crew even "thoughtfully" lent them their players.

After all, nobody knows if a judge has an old DVD player hidden in their home!

"Is this operation against the rules?"

Lin Chaoxian privately asked the person in charge of MGM.

The other person blinked, a sly smile on their face:
"Just say it's a loan, you can pay it back whenever you want!"

What's even more amazing is Elisa's stand-up comedy. Before Du Sheng could even open his mouth, Elisa launched into a barrage of praise, practically swearing "Vote for Brother Sheng" on her forehead.

As for lobbying, Du Sheng had long since relinquished his responsibilities, leaving it all to Li Yixin and the PR team.

This industry is very complex. Veteran judges like Nixon and Warren started receiving free gifts as early as October.

Du Sheng was equally shrewd, throwing in over three million US dollars. This was just the beginning.
In my past life, a South Korean film spent over ten million US dollars on public relations to compete for an Oscar, setting a record. That amount of money would make a huge splash even if it were poured into water!
Therefore, it's impossible to cut corners during awards season; several million dollars are unavoidable.

Lately, Du Sheng sometimes travels between two cities in a single day, and even when he's in Los Angeles, he has to go to three different venues.

In order to win awards, top veteran artists like Meryl Streep and Brad Day Lewis have to do promotional work, so he, as a foreigner, naturally can't be pretentious.

Besides, the college is clearly encouraging competition; it would be foolish not to engage in these kinds of practices.

"If you ask me, the Oscars are like a blind date."

Du Sheng posted a tweet at midnight while lying in her hotel bed:
"First, you have to get the judges to see you, then make them remember you, and finally, you have to win them over!"

The accompanying image shows a mountain of invitations and a row of empty coffee cups, with the location showing as Canada International Airport.

Charlize Theron commented immediately after the tweet was posted:
"You have almost as many coffee cups as you have Oscar trophies."

Du Sheng smiled and replied with a "boom boom boom" emoji, then rolled over and continued to lie there sprawled out.

Meanwhile, things weren't idle in China either.

Early that morning, a bombshell news item was prominently displayed on the homepage of YY's portal website:
Miracle Animation invests 4 million yuan to create the animated film "Painting Rivers and Lakes"!

The moment this news was posted, the entire entertainment and film industry was in an uproar.

Because artists under Star Media, such as Girls' Generation, Fan Bingbing, Lu Yi, Song Ji, Gulnazar, G.E.M., and Zhang Liangying, personally reposted it.

This topic is trending everywhere – on blogs, Douban, Hupu, Tieba.

The comments section was even more lively, with netizens arguing fiercely, much like a scene of quarreling in a vegetable market.

In fact, everyone in the industry knows perfectly well that the actual production cost of "Painting Rivers and Lakes" was only a little over 200 million yuan.
Including post-production marketing and special effects polishing, the total cost will be at most a little over 300 million.

However, in order to generate buzz and attract attention, they adopted a unified narrative to the outside world, proclaiming it as a "400 million yuan mega-production."

These days, if you don't brag a little, who will even notice you?

"I admire Sheng-ge's move, but wasn't he moving a little too fast?"

Some netizens dug up old grievances:
"They just spent 600 million on 'How to Train Your Dragon' and haven't even started showing yet to recoup their investment. Now they're throwing another 400 million into 'Painting Rivers and Lakes.' The two movies together have grossed a billion!"

Have you seen the list of investors?

Aside from Miracle Animation itself, the fact that other familiar names like China Film Group didn't participate in the investment suggests that people in the industry are also somewhat hesitant.

"Don't worry about things upstairs!"
Back when Brother Sheng was developing Miracle Motors and investing in real estate, how many people were pessimistic?
Didn't everyone eventually find it surprisingly delicious?

I support it!
When the movie is released, I'll definitely take the whole family to rent out the entire theater!

"Rational observers expressed concern."

Some movie fans have provided very insightful analyses:

"Take 'Wanted' which was taken off the screens recently. Its global box office of 25 billion sounds scary, but after taking into account the theater revenue share and distribution costs, Brother Sheng's investment is at most breaking even."

Not to mention a purely animated film like *How to Train Your Dragon*, without Sheng Ge himself acting, trying to replicate the box office miracle of *The Man from Nowhere*? Difficult!

"The worst part is that the fate of 'How to Train Your Dragon' is still uncertain, and they're already working on a new project. I really don't understand this operation."

This debate directly propelled the popularity of "Painting Rivers and Lakes" and "How to Train Your Dragon" to the top of the trending searches.

This is exactly the effect Zhong Zhen wanted.

It's worth noting that "How to Train Your Dragon" is scheduled for release next Chinese New Year and will be simultaneously shown in 29 countries and regions around the world; the promotional campaign has already begun.

At the same time, Stephen Chow's "CJ7", Jay Chou's "Kung Fu Dunk", and Hollywood blockbuster "National Treasure 2" all targeted the emerging Spring Festival film season, creating intense competition.

These blockbuster films have been heavily promoted, overshadowing their competitors.

The film "The Warlords," starring Jet Li and Takeshi Kaneshiro, has been moved up to mid-to-late December.

At this time, a major news story about "Painting Rivers and Lakes" suddenly broke out. On the surface, it was investment news, but in reality, it was free advertising for "How to Train Your Dragon".

Next year's Spring Festival film season will be even more exciting.

Those comments that are causing the most heated arguments online might actually be fueled by online trolls arranged by Zhong Zhen and Ye Jingzhi.

Seeing that public opinion had fermented to a certain extent, official media outlets even stepped in themselves.

CCTV-6's movie channel produced a special program titled:
Where exactly does the future of Chinese animation lie?

The host first took the audience on a journey through the past glories of Chinese animation:
"Havoc in Heaven", "Little Tadpoles Looking for Their Mother", "Calabash Brothers", "Black Cat Detective"...

He recounted each classic IP with great familiarity, which ignited the passion of the listeners.

But then the conversation abruptly shifts, the screen goes black, and they start playing Japanese anime like *One Piece*, and Hollywood films like *Frozen* and *Transformers*...

Once the data charts are presented, the gap becomes immediately apparent, and domestic animation is utterly crushed.

"Where exactly does our animation fall short?"

The host posed the question earnestly.

The comments section exploded instantly:
Is it a lack of technology? A lack of funding? A lack of talent? Or a lack of patience?

"It's not that no one is trying, it's just that it's too difficult. The investment is large, the return is slow, and the risk is high."

"Brother Sheng is really going all in with this 10 billion yuan investment, but can he succeed?"

"Hopefully he can lead Chinese animation to a breakthrough."

If we're talking about the Chinese animation industry right now, the one that spends the most money and dares to take risks the most, then Miracle Animation is definitely at the top of the list.

This company is like it's on fire, sprinting forward at breakneck speed, holding two big cards in its hand—

One is the 3D animated film "How to Train Your Dragon," which will be released globally next January, and the other is "Painting Rivers and Lakes," which was just officially announced and boasted a budget of 400 million yuan.

How much of a splash will this money make?

CCTV-6 brought their cameras and stormed into the headquarters of Miracle Animation for an immersive visit:
"Can a billion yuan really rewrite the fate of Chinese animation?"

The reporter was stunned by the scene before him as soon as he stepped into the company gate.

Previously, people's impression of Chinese animation was still stuck in the "hand-drawn + Flash" stage.

Now they're using motion capture and AI rendering, making it look like a Hollywood special effects factory.

As the reporter walked through the entire production process, filming along the way, he couldn't help but remark:
"This isn't an animation company, it's a tech company, isn't it?"

Finally, I met Zhong Zhen, the head of Miracle Animation.

This powerful woman settled into the leather sofa, exuding an aura of authority, and got straight to the point:
"What Chinese animation lacks is not an audience, but works that can make people stand tall!"

These words stunned the reporter, and the camera almost missed following them.

The 60-minute documentary on CCTV went viral online the night it aired.

Not only did the movie channel repeatedly rebroadcast it, but the general channel and news channel also broadcast it.

YY website and TVING platform even featured the video on their homepage recommendations.

The comment section exploded, with netizens turning into enthusiastic supporters and flooding the comments section with messages:

"I used to think that Chinese animation was just about 'Black Cat Detective' and 'Calabash Brothers,' but after watching this, I realized that we haven't even come close to Hollywood yet!"

"I admire Du Sheng's performance!"
They don't use their money to buy yachts and date internet celebrities; they genuinely invest in technology. That's true cultural investment!

"A classmate studying in the Americas just sent me a video saying that his foreign classmates are discussing Chinese culture and kung fu, and some are even asking what 'Journey to the West' is. This is what cultural export should look like!"

"Keyboard warriors, stop being so sour!"

Brother Sheng worked his way up from the bottom to become a world-renowned billionaire. Does he have the same vision as you?
They're looking at trends ten years from now!

Even if "How to Train Your Dragon" flops at the box office, it's still worth it!

How many animation talents have been trained with this billion-dollar investment?

The spring of Chinese animation has truly arrived!

.........

(End of this chapter)