Return to 88: Starting from Marrying My Sister-in-law

Chapter 599 Visiting the Crew
Although the mainland's film and television drama industry was still in its infancy in the 90s, a number of well-produced works emerged.

Just talking about the recent ones.

The 1993 long historical drama "Tang Minghuang" became a benchmark for costume dramas in the 90s. It has exquisite costumes and etiquette, and its shooting scenes are grand. It uses epic pictures to describe a vivid historical picture scroll from the Kaiyuan Prosperity of the Tang Dynasty to the Anshi Rebellion.

In 1994, a long costume TV series "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", one of the four great classics, was about to be released.

This "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" has set many records.

Investment record: It is said to cost 2000 million US dollars, about 1.7 million RMB.

The cost of a single episode was about 100 million RMB, setting a record for the highest cost of a single episode of a domestic drama at that time.

Maybe some people don’t understand.

Why is the unit of measurement above US dollars instead of RMB?

In fact, the reason is very simple.

Foreign investment was involved in the later stages of filming of this "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". The Japanese in Japan admired the Three Kingdoms culture of our China very much. When they heard that our mainland was preparing to film a massive production about the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, they shamelessly invested some money in it and bought the rights to broadcast it on Japanese TV stations in advance.

Such a good thing.

I couldn’t ask for more!

He came to my door on his own initiative, so I have to rip him off, right?

Therefore, the budget for filming reached new highs again and again, setting a historical record of spending over one million yuan. At the same time, it also created many famous costume scenes and established the standard for the production of domestic historical drama epics.

In the China Television News at the time, a viewer made the following comment: You can see the money being burned in every frame, and every penny is spent wisely.

This shows how much the audience loves it.

It is also said that although the filming of this drama cost over 100 million yuan, it did not lose money and even had a very high return rate.

The copyright alone has been sold to more than a dozen countries and regions overseas.

The Three Kingdoms City built during the filming has stood for 30 years without declining. When Lu Yang was reborn, it was still a popular tourist attraction in the country, with cumulative sales data exceeding 50 billion yuan.

But unfortunately, the income here has nothing to do with Lu Yang. Although Lu Yang was reborn, he did recruit a CCTV studio director to be his younger brother a year ago.

Then I invested some money, not much, just a few million, and set up a cultural media company for fun.

But it's really just for fun.

Just for fun.

If Lu Yang had paid a little more attention to this small cultural communication company, he would not have spent only a few million yuan on it.

It’s no surprise that you missed this epic historical TV series based on the four great classics because it’s just not worth it.

But don't rush.

It doesn’t matter if you missed "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

The crew that Lu Yang is going to take his precious daughter to next is also the scene of a historical drama that will leave a strong mark in this era.

The first historical milestone costume drama with a female protagonist, "Empress Wu Zetian".

If this film follows the original historical timeline, it would have been released in 1995.

However, the timing of filming does match, which is roughly this year or next year.

After Lu Yang invested a sum of money in the Lou Hua brothers, he almost became an invisible boss.

Warn them brothers not to bother me if there is nothing to do.

Even when Lou Hua's movie "Weekend Lovers" was released, Lu Yang did not attend the premiere because he was busy and it was not worth it. As I said before, he was just here for fun. If he was free, he would come and play. If he didn't have time, he would naturally be too lazy to come.

You wouldn't go out of your way to make another plate of dumplings just for that little bit of vinegar, right?
After its release, "Weekend Lovers" had just a so-so box office, not good, but not bad either. After all, it was just a low-budget art film.

What if you want to rely on box office revenue in mainland China to recoup your costs?
Then forget it!

Lu Yang had not counted on it at the beginning, but the reason why he insisted on investing was that Lou Hua himself was talented and worthy of investment, and the other reason was that "Weekend Lovers" was a low-budget literary film. Although it did not make any splash when it was released in China, after it was exhibited abroad, it suddenly became inexplicably popular at a certain Western film festival. Not only did it win a well-known international award, but it also sold for a considerable price for overseas theater release and video tape copyright buyout.

You know, the unit of measurement for this thing is US dollars.

Even if the copyright is only sold for a few hundred thousand dollars, it would be enough to break even when converted into RMB, and there might even be a small profit. But if the copyright can be sold for more than millions of dollars, then... just tell me, can you make a fortune?

It's no problem to earn a few million, and ten million is not too much. Besides, copyright is not a one-time deal. When the Internet media era comes, you can sell another wave of streaming media copyrights.

In short, if you buy this kind of well-made, low-budget art film, you will make a profit, and if you invest in it, it is almost like picking up money. Not to mention other things, just holding the copyright in your hands will ensure that you will not lose money in the future.

Later, before Lu Yang came to Beijing, the two brothers also learned the news, so they contacted Lu Yang in a hurry.

They begged the big boss Lu Yang very nicely, asking him to give them brothers a chance to perform this time. Recently, the company is investing in a historical TV series with a female protagonist in ancient costume, and it just so happens that the filming location of Ganye Temple is in a temple in Beijing. They warmly invited Lu Yang and his family to visit. Oh, no, it’s to give them advice, no, it’s to support the two brothers.

The total investment in the costume TV series "Empress Wu Zetian" is definitely not comparable to that of the historical epic "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

First of all, the length of the series is not as long as others.

Other dramas filmed a total of eighty or ninety episodes, while "Empress Wu Zetian" only filmed about 40 episodes.

But if you really want to be precise, the cost of producing a single episode of the TV series "Empress Wu Zetian" is actually not low. In this era when the cost of a single episode of a general costume drama ranges from 10 to 20 yuan, a single episode of "Empress Wu Zetian" costs more than 50 yuan, and the total investment budget is 1500 million yuan.

The majority of them come from CCTV TV Drama Center.

Accounted for 55%.

With the support of local government, Wuxi Film and Television Base provides venue exemption...

Accounts for 20% of the shares.

There are also some small shareholders.

Finally, I would like to focus on New Century Culture Media Company, which is owned by Lu Yang.

The entertainment company that Lu Yang started as a hobby has become well-known in the Beijing entertainment industry since the release of the low-budget art film "Weekend Lovers".

In addition, the two brothers Lou Hua, one graduated from the directing department of Beijing Film Academy, and the other was a non-famous executive deputy director of a CCTV program.

It's full of bugs.

It certainly doesn't work to fool big directors, big stars, and artists, but it can definitely be used to fool outsiders and small actors...you can fool them as soon as they come, and don't think of escaping once they come.

But the Lou brothers are also people with dreams.

There were two of them at the beginning: one was determined to become a big director. In order to shoot the movie "Weekend Lovers", he slept in the basement, ate steamed buns, and his girlfriend ran away.

One of them is even more desperate. He gave up his stable job as a live director for a CCTV program and went to work for Lu Yang. Could it be that this is just for... you fool me, I fool you, and we fool each other?
What a joke!

The two of them have great ambitions and want to prove themselves. They also want to give an explanation to the big boss Lu Yang, so this first shot, no, the first project, must be a well-made large project that the company will put all its efforts into.

God helps those who work hard. The first person the Lou brothers found was the crew of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". Unfortunately, the crew had no shortage of funds and were not interested in a small investor like him. What's more, the show was already halfway through filming, so it would be extremely difficult for him to join.

Unless they are short of money.

But does the crew of Romance of the Three Kingdoms lack money? Just kidding, the total investment budget is more than 100 million.

So we had to settle for the next best thing, and it just so happened that CCTV TV Drama Production Center had a new costume historical drama project to start filming.

The two brothers (please ask grandpa or grandma) took a piece of meat from it and ate it.

It’s not much. I invested 400 million and only got 20% of the equity. I used a premium to buy the opportunity, but people still looked down on me.

What might be done?

Who says they are newcomers in the Beijing entertainment industry?

That's it. If one of them had not graduated from the directing department of Peking University Film Academy and the other had not come from CCTV, people would not have agreed to give them a chance because of their relationship. Otherwise, with a mere 400 million, haha, they wanted to knock on this door. What do you think?

Why do the two Lou brothers want their big boss Lu Yang to visit the crew?
He just wants to borrow Lu Yang's reputation.

Please tell me, the billionaire, the nationally renowned entrepreneur, the boss of little prodigies and geniuses, the owner of the tallest building in Asia, Mr. Lu, the president of New Century Group, who invests in entertainment companies, can get more respect.

Or, a graduate of the directing department of Beijing Film Academy, a non-famous film director, a former non-famous on-site executive director of CCTV programs, and an entertainment company founded after leaving his job...

Choose between the two. Who is more awesome? Who can get more respect from people around them? Whose voice can speak louder when getting a project?
Isn’t this simple and clear?

"so what."

"You brothers want to use me to bully others?"

The next time Lu Yang saw the Lou brothers was when they were filming the Ganye Temple scenes for "Empress Wu Zetian".

The two brothers were scolded obediently in front of Lu Yang.

But after scolding the two, he was completely attracted by the camera shots at the scene.

At this moment, in the early morning of late autumn, the fog in the mountains has not yet dissipated, and frost and dew have condensed on the steps.

Plot background: Wu Zetian was demoted to Ganye Temple as a nun after the death of Emperor Taizong of Tang. In despair, she wrote: "I don't believe that I have been crying recently. I will open the box and check the pomegranate skirt."

The costumes and props on the scene were also extremely exquisite.

The nun robe worn by the heroine Liu Xiaoqing is hand-sewn from coarse linen and deliberately made to look old and white. The Buddhist beads on her wrist are made of century-old agarwood borrowed by the crew from Lingyin Temple.

There is no foundation on her face, and the makeup is natural. Only the "yellow-toned oil paint" specially mixed by makeup artist Mao Geping is used to highlight the haggard look, and half of the end of the eyebrow is shaved off to restore the ritual of nuns in the Tang Dynasty.

Under the help of the staff at the shooting site, water was poured on the bluestone slabs in the temple to form a thin layer of ice to create a cold feeling, and the ashes from the incense burner were mixed with mugwort powder, creating smoke in front of the camera.

Liu Xiaoqing holds a candle as real fire, and his eyes are sad but not hurt." In the long shot, tears fall precisely on the rice paper where the poem is written.

In the close-up shot, the pupils reflect the candlelight, implying: "dormant ambition."

When she kneels down, her neck is slightly stiff, revealing her unwillingness, and her thumbs unconsciously rub the beads. Her beautiful face seems sad, desperate, and unwilling... The mountain wind suddenly blows over the scriptures, and she improvises by leaning down to pick them up. When she lowers her head, a tear falls on the page. Director Chen Jialing exclaimed: "This is a God-given shot, this is a God-given shot, it's great, hurry up and get someone to help her up."

It turned out that after the call for cut, the heroine Liu Xiaoqing had almost fainted due to kneeling for a long time. When she stood up, her whole body was swaying in the morning light, and she was still mumbling her lines while being supported by the crew members.

"Liu Xiaoqing is not beautiful."

"Besides, she's not young anymore. She should be almost 40 this year, right?"

Lu Yang muttered to himself.

"But damn, this is Qing Nai! Qing Nai is 70 years old and still radiant. How many people of our generation regard her as their dream lover?"

Every generation has its dream lover.

As an actress who has performed in many classic scenes, Liu Xiaoqing should have a lot of fans among the generation born in the 1960s and 1970s, right?

"Fuck."

"Do you want to ask her for an autograph?"

Lu Yang admitted that he was excited.

Because he used to be a fan of Liu Xiaoqing. When he went south to work before his rebirth and lived in a work shed, perhaps the happiest time for him was when he fantasized about his favorite heroines in movies and TV series.

It is only limited to fantasy.

Real star-chasing is very costly, and poor people don’t deserve to be star-chasing.

Buy a few posters and stick them on the wall, then desperately collect pirated VCDs, watch them secretly in bed, and smile at night. This is the most economical and cheapest way to chase stars.

Lu Yang's expression was written all over his face. It was so obvious that not only the Lou brothers, but also his precious daughter in his arms and his wife Yin Mingyue standing beside him, had noticed it.

"Damn, is the big boss interested in the heroine?"

"It's a pity that the boss lady is here too."

"Yeah, otherwise I'd have to pimp."

The two brothers looked at each other and spoke with their eyes. They saw the gleam in each other's eyes, but unfortunately they were too close and they were afraid that the boss's wife would hear them. Otherwise, they would have to help the boss and try to sneak a little. What if it worked?

"What are you looking at?"

"Still looking? Humph, be careful or I'll dig your eyes out."

Yin Mingyue quietly pinched the fat around Lu Yang's waist.

Lu Yang came back to life and laughed dumbly. Seeing his wife stamping her feet and pouting, as if she was a little angry, he did not intend to hide it and said frankly: "This actress's acting is very soulful. It really looks like the real thing. It makes people travel back to the prosperous Tang Dynasty. I feel that I will become her fan. Please ask her for an autograph for me later."

Yin Mingyue asked curiously, "Aren't you going to go by yourself?"

Lu Yang shook his head: "This is not good. If I go to her in person to ask for her autograph, it will be easy to be misunderstood and cause a scandal. This is not good. I just admire her acting skills, not like her as a person. It's unfair to be rumored to have a scandal with an actress for no reason."

Yin Mingyue immediately put down the heavy stone in her chest, took Lu Yang's arm and said, "Brother Lu, you turned out to be her fan. This is easy. I will go and get her autograph for you later."

A rare little girl's posture appeared on both sides of her dimple-like cheeks.

(End of this chapter)