Literary Master 1978.

Chapter 380 One Tenth Is Enough

After staying in the editing room for a while, Chen Huaikai insisted on inviting Lin Chaoyang to dinner. "It just so happens that we have a new director. I'll take you to meet Lao Hu first."

Lao Hu is Hu Qiming, who started out as an actor and later became a producer, promoting the filming of classic films such as "Song of Youth" and "Little Soldier Zhang Ga".

Wang Yang had just retired at the beginning of the year, and Hu Qiming took over as the new director of Yanying Studio, and also the third director of Yanying Studio since its establishment.

The first major thing Hu Qiming did after taking office was to support director Xie Tieli in filming the film version of "Dream of Red Mansions".

Chen Huaikai talked about this matter with Lin Chaoyang on the way to the factory director's office, and he couldn't help feeling sad.

"How can a masterpiece like Dream of the Red Chamber be so easy to film? Old Xie wanted to do something big even when he was old, and wanted to film six episodes at once. The investment was said to be several million, but building the Rong and Ning mansions would cost two or three million.

In my opinion, even ten million is not enough."

It's no wonder that Chen Huaikai was envious. When he was making "The Chess Master", the investment was relatively large among the projects of Yanying Studio, just over one million, so he had to be frugal in every aspect.

But when it comes to Xie Tieli, he can get millions just by raising his hand. The treatment is like heaven and earth.

Lao Chen has been making movies all his life, but he has never fought such a rich battle!
Lin Chaoyang chuckled and said, "Think about it from another angle. This movie will definitely lose money. Director Hu and Director Xie will definitely be scolded by the people in the factory."

When a studio makes a movie, no matter how much the investment or box office is, China Film Corporation will only give the studio 90 yuan as a buyout fee.

"Dream of Red Mansions" cost several million or even tens of millions of dollars, so it is certain that it will lose money.

"Give me 10 million to make a movie, and I'm willing to be scolded!"

"Okay, you really have the awareness to devote yourself to art!"

The two of them jokingly came to Hu Qiming's office and met Lin Chaoyang. Hu Qiming's attitude was very enthusiastic.

He was very clear about the grievances between Lin Chaoyang and Yanying Studio, but now those were all things of the past.

"The Chess Master" is the legacy of the previous factory director Wang Yang, but it has not been released yet. If it performs well after its release, it will also be his credit.

You should know that Lin Chaoyang’s last two novels adapted into movies were both record-breaking achievements. “The Horse Shepherd” was two years ago, so I won’t mention it.

Since its release on December 12 last year, "The Garland under the Mountain" has set off a wave of movie-watching across the country, attracting countless audiences to the cinema and earning enough tears from the audiences.

The popularity of the movie is almost as high as that of "Shaolin Temple" released in 82.

It is said that China Film Corporation earned nearly 7000 million yuan in distribution fees alone for the movie "The Garland under the Mountain", which means that the final box office of the movie was nearly 1.4 million yuan.

In an era when the average movie ticket price was only a little over ten cents, this was undoubtedly a huge success. If there were a movie box office ranking list, "The Garland under the Mountain" would be a strong contender for the box office champion in 1984.

Even when facing many predecessors such as "Lush Mountain Love", "Shaolin Temple", "The Shepherd", and "The Gunfire of the Secret Service", the achievements of "The Garland under the Mountain" are not in vain.

And just as "Shaolin Temple" triggered a martial arts craze, the most obvious change in the domestic public opinion atmosphere after the release of "The Garland under the Mountain" was a new surge in patriotic sentiment.

What is even more commendable is that young people are inspired by the movie and are more enthusiastic than ever to sign up for military service. This year, the people's armed forces departments across the country will be very busy.

In the face of such a brilliant record, Hu Qiming would never dare to underestimate the movie "The Chess Master". Maybe it would be a bombshell to the Chinese film industry, just like "The Shepherd" and "The Garland under the Mountain".

After chatting in the office for a while, Hu Qiming offered to treat Lin Chaoyang to a meal.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the literary world has always had a huge impact on the film industry, and the popularity of many classic films is inseparable from the support of well-known literary works.

It was by promoting the adaptations of several classic novels, such as "Song of Youth" and "Little Soldier Zhang Ga", that Hu Qiming gradually emerged in Yanying Studio and took on a leadership position.

Therefore, he attached great importance to writers with outstanding reputations like Lin Chaoyang. He knew too well the benefits of establishing good relationships with these writers.

Hu Qiming did not invite guests to a restaurant outside, but to the canteen of Yanying Studio. Chen Huaikai also called the two leading actors of "The Chess Master" Tony Leung and Shum Kwun Chu.

After filming "The Chess Master", Tony Leung did not return to Hong Kong, but continued to live in the guesthouse of Yan Film Studio.

The reason why he stayed in the mainland was that Li Hanxiang might start shooting a movie "Fire Dragon" about the life of the last emperor Puyi in the second half of the year.

"The Burning of the Old Summer Palace" and "The Last Emperor" achieved huge success after their release last year, and can be said to be popular in countries and regions in East Asia and Southeast Asia.

If the trend had continued, Li Hanxiang should have continued to cooperate closely with the co-production company and shoot a series of films about Cixi according to his own ideas.

However, money is a powerful force and the two sides had an irreconcilable conflict over the profit distribution method.

After several months of struggling and failing to reach a consensus, Li Hanxiang finally had to abandon the co-production company and start anew.

According to Tony Leung, Li Hanxiang was looking for the China Television Drama International Cooperation Company this time, which was later known as the China Television Drama Production Center.

"So, Huizai will stay in the mainland for more than a year?" Lin Chaoyang asked with a smile.

Tony Leung nodded, "Yes. But I plan to go back to Hong Kong after a while. Once Director Li confirms the start of filming, I will come back in the second half of the year."

"It's as it should be. It's been a while since it came out. I guess that after Director Li finishes filming this movie, the ban in Taiwan will be over.

After "The Chess Master" and "Fire Dragon" are released in Hong Kong, your fame will be further expanded, and then there should be some work coming to you."

Liang Jiahui's face was full of gratitude, and he said: "It's all thanks to the support of Mr. Lin and Director Li." "You're welcome. Director Li is your mentor, I can't help you much."

Tony Leung is the lead actor in "The Chess Master". Lin Chaoyang also watched some of his performances in the editing room, and he really brought the character of Jiang Nansheng to life.

Actors like this add luster to the film and deserve help.

While Lin Chaoyang was talking to Tony Leung Ka Fai, Shen Guanchu stood up and toasted him.

Shen Guanchu is the actor who plays the second male lead Kondo Jiro in "The Go Master". He is also one of the young actors that Yan Film Studio has been promoting in the past two years. He has a handsome appearance and a quiet and introverted temperament. When he puts on glasses, he fits the image of Kondo Jiro, who appears gentle on the surface but is cruel inside.

Lin Chaoyang drank a glass of wine and said a few polite words to him.

Liang Jiahui asked again: "Mr. Lin, I heard from Director Li that New Kunlun has registered "Behind the Scenes" for this year's Hong Kong Film Awards. Do you think this movie can win an award?"

What he called "The Behind-the-Curtain" is actually a general term for "The Burning of the Old Summer Palace" and "The Behind-the-Curtain".

Lin Chaoyang asked with a smile: "Why? Are you thinking about the movie emperor now?"

Listening to his teasing, Tony Leung Ka Fai blushed, "It would be a lie to say I don't want to, but Mr. Lin and Director Li are more qualified than me."

Lin Chaoyang shook his head, "That's not necessarily true."

"Why?" Tony Leung asked puzzledly.

In his opinion, the success of "The Burning of the Old Summer Palace" and "The Last Emperor" is all thanks to Lin Chaoyang and Li Hanxiang.

Given the box office and influence the movie created after its release, how could it not win an award?

“I remember that the Hong Kong Film Awards was organized by Film Fortnightly, and judging from the results of the first two awards, it was obviously influenced by the French New Wave.

I heard that you Hong Kong films are also developing the 'New Wave' now. Aren't Alex Fong and Ann Hui, the two previous directors, both New Wave directors?

Compared to their films, Behind the Scenes is an old favorite, and if we talk about awards, the acting awards are more likely to win.”

Lin Chaoyang methodically analyzed the awards for Tony Leung Ka Fai, and at the end he patted him on the shoulder, "Maybe you can be crowned the best actor this time!"

Lin Chaoyang's praise made Tony Leung feel a little excited and expectant, but what he admired more about Lin Chaoyang was that he knew everything about the Hong Kong Film Awards.

This is rare among the mainland filmmakers he has come into contact with.

Hu Qiming, who was listening to the conversation between the two, interrupted and asked, "Our film "The Chess Master" is also a co-production. Should we be able to sign up for the Academy Awards next year?"

"Of course. If you can sign up for 'The Empress Dowager', there's no reason why you can't sign up for 'The Chess Master'."

After listening to Lin Chaoyang's words, Hu Qiming felt relieved and said to Chen Huaikai: "We need to think about this matter. We should also sign up to participate in "The Chess Master" next year."

Chen Huaikai nodded. The leader wanted the film to participate in film awards, which would be a good thing for all the staff involved in the film, both in front of and behind the scenes.

Not only is there a possibility of gaining honors, but more importantly, there is a bonus for winning the award, which is also of great benefit to one's future development.

After the banquet, Lin Chaoyang rode his bicycle back home.

A few days later, Li Tuo suddenly ran to Lin Chaoyang's house. As soon as he saw him, he asked excitedly: "Chaoyang, are you going to have your book "Crossing Guandong" published by Huacheng Publishing House?"

Lin Chaoyang didn't understand what he meant, "Yes!"

"So you're getting royalties this time?"

Li Tuo's expression was exaggerated and his voice was so loud that it was almost ear-shattering.

Lin Chaoyang frowned, "How did you know?"

"How could I not know? Is there anything big and small in the literary world that I don't know?" Li Tuo's face was full of smugness.

As a socialite in the literary world, it is natural that Li Tuo is well-informed.

It’s just been a week since Lin Chaoyang signed the publishing contract with Huacheng Publishing House, and the news has already reached Li Tuo. Isn’t this efficiency a bit too fast?
"Tell me quickly, did you really get the royalties? This is the first time since the founding of the country. It will go down in the history of literature!"

Li Tuo kept asking Lin Chaoyang questions with an excited expression. Since he knew everything, Lin Chaoyang had nothing to hide and explained the situation to Li Tuo in detail.

When Li Tuo heard him say the royalty rate of "12%", he did some calculations in his mind and came up with a number that left him dumbfounded.

Shock was written all over his face. “Won’t that make me a millionaire soon?”

Lin Chaoyang shook his head. "It's not that exaggerated. How much does a book cost?"

Li Tuo felt the blood boiling in his chest as he listened to his words. He felt an indescribable jealousy boiling in his chest and shouted, "Don't you even look at the sales of your novels?"

After shouting, he ignored Lin Chaoyang's reaction and muttered to himself: "It would be great if these sales were given to me. I don't want much, one tenth is enough, just one tenth."

His expression was a little dull and he looked like he had suffered a great shock.

(End of this chapter)