Huayu: Director started with art films

Chapter 196 206 [The most beautiful woman pays tribute to Qiong Yao and collaborates with Qiong Yao in a Qiong Yao drama]

what?
Chen Hong was stunned and quickly explained: "That's not the case. Even if it didn't win the award, I still like this movie very much."

"Haha, just kidding, don't be nervous, Miss Chen."

Li Yishu looked at Chen Hong who was a little out of control and said to the three people with a smile: "Recently, there are too many people congratulating me for winning the award. I am praised for my good film by everyone I meet. I am wondering if the film is really good or if it is just because I won the Palme d'Or."

Hearing this, Qiong Yao suddenly understood and said with a smile, "That's normal, Director Li. This is the Palme d'Or of the Cannes International Film Festival. So far, you are the only one in China who has this Palme d'Or trophy. No matter how much you praise me, it's not an exaggeration."

After a pause of one second, she continued, "Besides, it is possible that no one will be able to win the Palme d'Or in the near future."

A prophet?

Although Li Yishu knew that Qiong Yao said this only to compliment herself, she had achieved the only success in the country.

But I have to admit that Qiong Yao was right.

"Yes, Director Li."

Chen Hong took over the conversation and said, "Director Li, your talent is unquestionable. The movie was shot so well. I saw The Sixth Sense in Taiwan. Although it was a bit scary, it still moved people infinitely, especially the twist at the end, which was really amazing."

Chen Hong's eyes moved and she blinked her big watery eyes. Her look of admiration, coupled with her pretty face and countless compliments, who wouldn't be confused?
"Well, The Sixth Sense has some horror elements," Li Yishu responded, and then changed the subject: "The main actors of The Reader have basically been decided, so there is only one small role that may be suitable for her."

"It doesn't matter. There's no big or small role. Besides, I believe Honghong would be willing to be an extra in Director Li's movie, right?"

Qiong Yao smiled and looked at Chen Hong, who nodded quickly, "Yes, Director Li, no matter what role I play in your film, it would be my honor to be able to participate in it. I have always hoped to work with a great director like you and learn more from you."

Hearing this, Li Yishu pondered for a moment and said, "Ms. Chen has a very good image and temperament. There just so happens to be a role of a high school beauty in the script, but the role is not long, probably only a few minutes. I wonder if Miss Chen is interested?"

"The Reader" was adapted by Lai Shengchuan. The overall story remains unchanged, but in order to be more relevant to Taiwan in the 50s, many details were modified, with more characters and some inappropriate plots deleted.

The role of "school beauty" is to highlight the male protagonist's fantasy about the opposite sex during adolescence, and then he will develop a forbidden love with the female protagonist played by Qingxia.

"Yes! Director Li, I can play any role."

Chen Hong blurted out, she was very interested!

Even though it was just a small role, for Chen Hong, it was an opportunity to get close to Li Yishu.

Chen Hong, who has spent half a year filming in Taiwan, knows more about Li Yishu's achievements overseas than many people in China.

Especially in newspapers and magazines in Hong Kong and Taiwan, all kinds of gimmicks are constantly used to increase sales. Coupled with the various records and box office results achieved by Li Yishu herself, it is impossible for Chen Hong not to have any feelings for Li Yishu.

It's just that she never had the chance to get in touch with her before. Now she finally has a chance to get close to Li Yishu. Chen Hong feels that she can definitely win over Li Yishu.

Ever since Hong Kong's TVB produced a TV series called "Diamond Bachelor" in 1986, the nickname "Diamond Bachelor" has become popular in Hong Kong and Taiwan, referring specifically to those wealthy bachelors who are young, promising, good-looking and worth a lot of money.

So in Chen Hong's eyes, Li Yishu is a true "diamond bachelor".

The kind that is handsome, talented and rich!
She learned from Hong Kong and Taiwan newspapers that Li Yishu now earns several million dollars to make a movie, plus a share of the box office revenue.

A movie costs millions, in US dollars!
Compared to the 8 yuan Chen Hong received for filming "Between Water and Clouds", this is simply an unattainable dream.

Not to mention that Lee Ye-seok is a double-Award-winning director in Europe, and she has thick eyebrows and big eyes, which fits the aesthetic of this era.

A perfect golden bachelor!

Uh, that’s not right. It should be said that in Chen Hong’s opinion, even if Li Yishu is not a bachelor, has a girlfriend or is married, it will not prevent her from finding ways to pursue him.

It’s just because Chen Hong’s current boss is Qiong Yao and she is acting in a Qiong Yao drama.

Applying the formula of Qiong Yao dramas, it is probably:
[It doesn’t matter if you have a girlfriend or not, I love you! ]

[If you divorce, you will lose your husband, but if you don’t divorce, I will lose my love! ]

After the role was confirmed, not only Chen Hong was excited, but Qiong Yao was also very happy.

Because Qiong Yao is very optimistic about Chen Hong, with her joining the movie directed by Li Yishu, her future will not be limited to TV dramas.

In addition, Qiong Yao can also use this opportunity to establish a relationship with Li Yishu, and there may be a chance to invest in his movies in the future.

She knew that Xu Lu, who was also from Taiwan, had collaborated with Li Yishu on two films, which not only made a lot of money, but also won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

"Oh, right." Li Yishu pretended to wake up and looked at Qiong Yao and He Xiuqiong: "Ms. Qiong Yao, Ms. He, I know your company is good at producing TV series. I wonder if I can have a chance to guide you?"

"Director Li wants to make a TV series?" Qiong Yao was stunned.

Li Yishu said, "I don't have this idea. I just have a company on hand and want to try to produce TV series. I know that Teacher Qiong Yao's company is very good at producing TV series, and the ratings are very high, so I want to cooperate with your company."

Hearing this, Qiong Yao thought for a while and nodded, "Of course it's possible. It just so happens that our company is going to shoot a costume film "Princess Xinyue" next. If Director Li is interested, you can leave your company's phone number and I will let Xiuqiong contact you later."

Qiong Yao's film and television company rarely cooperates with private individuals, mostly with TV stations, and even if they do cooperate, she is the one in charge.

However, since Li Yishu had brought this up, Qiong Yao naturally had to give her face. Besides, no matter how much money one makes from TV series, it is not as much as making movies. She was also hoping to have the opportunity to work with Li Yishu on movies.

"Haha, thank you very much, Teacher Qiong Yao."

Although Qiong Yao's dramas have incorrect values, they are very profitable. If she doesn't make the money, someone else will, so it's better for her to make it herself.

Li Yishu looked at He Xiuqiong with a smile and said, "Ms. He, after dinner, I will give you the manager's number at the Yanjing company."

He Xiuqiong smiled and said, "Don't worry, Director Li. We will be going to Yanjing soon. I will go there myself then."

Now that we have almost finished discussing things, the next step is naturally to have dinner.

Qiong Yao is old and it is easy for her to have indigestion if she doesn’t eat much at night, so after eating a little, she said goodbye.

Her daughter-in-law He Xiuqiong naturally went along to take care of her, and Li Yishu also gave the other party Yongmei's number.

After the two of them left, Chen Hong changed her ladylike image and became enthusiastic. Not only did she pick up food for Li Yishu from time to time, she also helped him peel river shrimp shells.

All the little thoughts are clearly visible.

Seeing Chen Hong's hands greasy, he showed no disgust but continued to peel shrimps happily.

Li Yishu also lamented that only he won the Palme d'Or, otherwise others would not have such treatment.

But he remembered that later poet Chen went on a show to show his affection for the couple and said that he personally cooked a bowl of braised pork and sent it to the crew, which moved Chen Hong and won her heart.

Now the situation is reversed.

It must be Chen Hong's bowl of river shrimps that moved Li Yishu, so he allowed the beauty to lick... and hug him.

The next morning, Qiong Yao, Chen Hong and others left.

In addition to meeting Li Yishu, their main purpose of coming to the mainland this time was to go to Yanjing to prepare for the broadcast of "Three Romances of Plum Blossoms: Between Water and Clouds" in the mainland.

Now people in the industry can see that the mainland TV drama market is booming, because of the population base. People like Qiong Yao who make a living from TV dramas are naturally envious of this blue ocean in the mainland.

Time passes little by little.

Before I knew it, it was the end of August.

During this period, Li Yishu spent almost all of her time in the editing room.

The plot of "Nobody" is not complicated, but because it is a multi-line narrative and has a strong parallel montage editing technique, the film's post-production had to be meticulous.

Otherwise, after it is released, it will give people a very confusing feeling, with a hammer here and a stick there.

It was not until August 8rd, when Izumi Sakai flew to Sichuan from Japan, that Li Yishu came out of the editing room and accompanied her to visit some famous attractions in Sichuan. The places they visited most were those related to giant pandas, including the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan and the Giant Panda Museum, which was just built this year. They also drove to the Wolong National Nature Reserve and followed the staff to see wild giant pandas hiding in the bamboo forest.

This made Izumi Sakai, who had only seen a few giant pandas, suddenly see more than a dozen giant pandas of all sizes. She was immediately excited. Not only did she take many photos with the giant pandas, she also asked Li Yishu to be her full-time photographer and took a large number of DV videos.

Later, after visiting the Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center, Izumi Sakai learned that there are only more than 1000 giant pandas left in the world and they are at risk of extinction. She directly donated 20 US dollars for the protection of giant pandas.

20 US dollars is not a small sum of money in this era. After learning about this, the leaders of the Giant Panda Conservation Center immediately held a meeting.

After learning that the donor, Ms. Izumi Sakai, is a famous Japanese singer, and that her companion is the now rising director Lee Yi-su, they immediately felt that this was a better opportunity to draw the international community's attention to giant panda protection.

A donation ceremony was immediately arranged, and relevant certificates and badges were also made.

"Ms. Sakai, this is the certificate and badge issued to you by our Giant Panda Conservation Center."

The leader of the Giant Panda Conservation Center said with a smile on his face: "From now on, with this badge, Ms. Sakai can visit any giant panda-related conservation unit in Chengdu without any hindrance."

After Li Yishu's translation, Sakai Izumi immediately said excitedly: "Thank you, thank you so much! Can I make a small request?"

"Of course Miss Quanshui, what do you want?"

"That's right, I..." Izumi Sakai said a little embarrassedly: "Can I claim a giant panda?"

"what?"

The leader looked at Li Yishu in surprise, thinking that he had translated it wrong.

"No, no, what I mean is that I pay for a giant panda, but this is just on the surface..."

Izumi Sakai's speech was a little incoherent because it was something she had just suggested.

Li Yishu, who was standing nearby, understood what was said and said to the center leader with a smile, "Ms. Sakai's intention is to adopt a giant panda in her name. From now on, all expenses of the giant panda will be paid by her, which can be regarded as a contribution to protecting the endangered giant panda."

"This...we need to go back and discuss this."

The leaders of the center finally understood what it meant. Isn't it just donating money under the name of adoption?

In fact, he personally thinks this is a very good thing.

After all, although the country's economy is on the rise, there are still many places where money needs to be spent.

If someone can fund giant panda conservation in this way, why not?
However, considering that Izumi Sakai is Japanese, the center leaders did not dare to agree blindly.

Li Yishu could probably guess what his leader was thinking. To be fair, if Izumi Sakai was not his woman, he probably would not be happy to let the Japanese spend money to adopt a giant panda, even if it was just in name.

However, we can try to open this loophole. I believe many overseas wealthy people would be happy to do so.

China is not yet the world's second largest economy in thirty years, and many areas are still extremely poor. Saving the country some money in this regard is actually a good choice.

After leaving the protection center, Izumi Sakai has been looking forward to the leader's reply, but this kind of thing cannot be resolved in just a few words.

Until Izumi Sakai had to return to Japan to prepare for a new album, she still hadn't received a reply.

Sichuan Airport.

Li Yishu smiled and said, "Don't worry, Quanshui. If the meeting at the conservation center comes to a conclusion, I will contact you as soon as possible, and if they agree, I will also adopt a giant panda."

Before leaving the protection center that day, Li Yishu communicated with the leader privately and donated 30 US dollars, but there was a request that his identity could not be made public.

Later, after so many celebrities and wealthy people fell, Li Yishu realized the truth that wealth should not be shown off.

"Yes, when the news comes out, you must notify me, Li Jun."

"rest assured."

"By the way, Mr. Li, I'm sorry to trouble you with the photo matter."

"Once I'm done washing them, I'll send them to Japan."

"..."

After bidding farewell to Izumi Sakai who was reluctant to leave, Lee Yi-su once again devoted herself to the editing of "Nobody".

Lee Yi-shu was not very proficient in parallel montage editing. Most of the films he shot in his previous life did not require this editing technique. This time he was learning as he went along, which resulted in very slow progress.

But fortunately, there is plenty of time and I can take it slow.

A few days passed in the blink of an eye,
Amy is back from America.

In a hotel in Chengdu, Li Yishu looked at the North American financial statements in his hand and frowned, "Why is it so little?"

The total number on the report showed more than 3500 million US dollars.

Of the global $4 million, Li Yishu only got $3500 million, which he did not expect.

"Boss, I asked a lot of financial experts to calculate it, and it is indeed this number."

Amy said: "The North American box office is 1.7 million US dollars, and the producer's share is about 9000 million, and some additional expenses such as distribution fees must be deducted."

Hearing this, Li Yishu didn't say anything else, "What about the box office in other overseas regions?"

Amy said, "I've already urged Columbia. Normally it will take at least half a year, but President Morishima said he will help us get it done before October..."

"about how much?"

"It's estimated to be around $2500 million, but the real big money is the videotapes that come later."

Li Yishu didn't pay anything, just directed a movie, and received nearly 6000 million US dollars in return, plus subsequent profits from videotapes and other peripheral products.

It was a good deal, and Li Yishu was quite satisfied with it. However, when he thought of the high taxes in the United States, he couldn't help but feel a headache and asked, "As for taxes, what did the financial advisor you found say?"

"He suggested to the boss that it would be better to invest the money in the United States. Only in this way can more taxes be reduced."

“Is investment necessary?”

"There are other ways, but he doesn't mind you doing this, boss. It's a bit risky."

"Then invest. I'll talk about it when I go to the United States in the second half of the year."

Li Yishu doesn’t know much about the American market, but she knows some American technology companies, such as Apple, Microsoft, etc.

If things don’t work out at that time, just buy some of their stocks. Buying now is a sure win and will definitely beat inflation.

Then the remaining money will be used to develop an art film company in the United States, and to invest in Li An's "Sense and Sensibility".

Thinking of this, he suddenly asked, "By the way, I don't have to pay taxes in the United States on my overseas income, right?"

Amy said, "No need, boss. We have already handed over the overseas share to the art film company in the mainland. The US IRS cannot control Hong Kong."

"Ah."

Li Yishu nodded, thought for a while, and said, "Help me find a professional accounting team to sort out the company's and my personal financial accounts. From now on, my personal accounts will belong to me, and the company's accounts will belong to the company."

"Good boss."

(End of this chapter)