Huayu: As a child star, I just want to be famous

Chapter 480: Faction confrontation, timeline is messed up
"May I ask if the final voting result was influenced by Chen?"

"Three Chinese films won awards. Is there something fishy going on?"

"Mr. Chairman, do you feel that there are too many Chinese films nominated and winning?"

"..."

A lot of questions came up, asking everyone.

After all, there was no formal interview process arranged that evening, so with the help of security personnel, the guests left smoothly and the crowd eventually dispersed.

But there is no point in avoiding it. At the press conference the next day, the media still raised these questions.

"Everything is the result of the judges' votes. There is no shady dealings as everyone thinks."

Chen Linfeng easily evaded the question.

He didn't feel guilty at all. He was just kidding. This was just the beginning.

Compared to what the big guys did in the past, this is nothing.

If they really want to cheat and make a "space robot" for you, that would be called a shady deal, okay?

The other judges on the jury unanimously opposed the "conspiracy theory" and the "influence theory", and all believed that the results were in line with their expectations.

Our votes all come down to Chen. What do you think of us?

The reporters had no choice but to accept this statement.

Then they focused the topic on the best actor.

The two most popular candidates this year are Wang Baoqiang and Michael Fassbender.

They were always filled with regret that Michael didn't win the award.

However, Wang Baoqiang's performance was also amazing.

The reporters kept asking Wang Baoqiang questions, and this was considered the regular interview process.

As soon as the press conference ended, Chen Linfeng received a call from Zhang Yimou.

"Xiao Chen, are you free now?"

"Well, tell me something."

"Why don't you come back to the hotel first? I have something to discuss with you. Wei Ping and Lao Han are here."

Afterwards, Zhang Yimou announced the room number of the private room they were in.

After hanging up the phone, Chen Linfeng wondered what would happen when these three people got together.

When he arrived at the place, he looked and saw that Han Shanping was there too.

When Han Shanping saw the person coming, he immediately called out, "Xiao Chen is here, come and sit over here."

He joked, "I just learned about the award. Xiao Chen, you have made a great contribution."

"Hey, that's because of the performance of these films this year."

Several people present shook their heads secretly. No matter how good a movie is, it needs someone to appreciate it. Obviously, the person in front of them is that person.

Zhang Yimou was a little curious about how Xiao Chen had managed to get things like this.

He has been the chairman of the jury, but it wasn't so exaggerated.

Chen Linfeng didn't care about their gazes. The awards had been given out. No matter how many ideas he had, they were all over.

In the future, people in the industry will only remember his huge influence on this film festival.

This helped his reputation grow.

But it was too early to think about these things. Chen Linfeng chose a sofa next to Han Shanping and sat down, and asked,

"Mr. Han, why are you here at this time? The film festival is over. I didn't hear you were coming before."

"I have something to discuss with you."

"Why do we have to talk about it in person? Can't we talk about it over the phone?"

"Mr. Han, this is showing your sincerity." Zhang Weiping said with a smile on his face, and poured a cup of tea and pushed it in front of him.

Chen Linfeng really didn't expect this combination of two people.

When Zhang Weiping scolded "Zuoshandiao" before, it was very severe and I can still remember it vividly.

Han Shanping even asked Huaying to revise the pictures several times, but he didn't expect that the two of them are now fine.

He looked at Zhang Yimou again. Apart from standing up to greet him just now, he was just sitting there drinking tea silently and didn't say much.

It seems that the main players today should be the other two.

After chatting for a while, Zhang Weiping opened the topic.

"Director Chen, Your Name grossed 21 billion yuan, which should have been a huge profit, but because of the profit-sharing ratio, it made much less money.

I remember you complained to the reporters at the time, right?"

"So they were going to talk about the box office revenue sharing, but what does this have to do with Han Shanping?"

Chen Linfeng picked up the teacup and took a sip, thinking in his heart.

By the time he had taken a sip of tea, he had almost figured out the whole story, so he answered.

"I was a little upset at the time, but everyone was like that, so I didn't say much."

"If you ask me, the current revenue sharing ratio is a bit too low. Think about it, you finally made a movie with a box office of 21 billion, but you only made so little money. I feel sorry for you."

When Zhang Weiping said this, he felt like something was wrong.

But now is not the time to think about this, he continued.

"It's not just you, it's the same with our films.

As the producer, they took the risk of making losses, but in the end they could only get 43%, and the bulk of the money was earned by others.

If this continues, how can the domestic film industry survive? "

As he spoke, he seemed somewhat indignant, and at the same time he also figured out what was wrong just now.

He is the one who earns less money, but the guy opposite will not earn less.

The money he earned from one movie, "Your Name," is probably more than the total amount he earned from movies over the years.

Chen Linfeng remained silent for a while.

Han Shanping continued, "Zhang Weiping's second half of the sentence is correct. Producers always fail to make money. In the long run, this is not conducive to the development of the industry. We really need to find a way to correct this..."

Chen Linfeng listened to the other party's story with a thoughtful expression.

In his previous life, he only knew that this profit-sharing dispute was caused by Zhang Weiping.

Now it seems that Han Shanping also had a hand in this, and it is even possible that he was the main driving force behind it.

Yes, Huaying has cinema chains under its umbrella, but its more important identity is that of a distributor.

Distributors also feel that theaters are taking too much.

Moreover, Huaying shoulders the important task of promoting industrial development, which is also reasonable from an industrial perspective.

What was said here had been made very clear, and Chen Linfeng also sorted out his thoughts and asked directly.

"You came to me, what do you think I can do?"

Han Shanping and Zhang Weiping were in high spirits. They looked at each other, and finally Zhang Weiping said,
"Director Chen, none of your movies have done badly at the box office, and your influence is most effective with the cinema chains.

We hope that you can join the negotiations and put pressure on the theaters together."

"Pressure?" Chen Linfeng frowned and asked, "Can you tell me what you are going to do?"

He recalled the news from his previous life.

It seems that several major companies sent a notice to the cinema chain together.
The notice requires adjusting the distribution ratio of domestic films from 43% to 45%-55%, which is actually 45%, an increase of 2 percentage points.

And they also gave a deadline, requiring it to be signed before a certain day.

Now listening to Zhang Weiping's talk, it seems that he still has this idea.

The reason why Chen Linfeng was brought into the company was mainly because Kirin Company had already initially established a distribution system starting in the past two years.

Especially this year, after the development of Maoyan, it has become the sixth largest distribution company.

Secondly, it is Chen Linfeng’s movie itself.

If you want to threaten the theaters, you must have a trump card in your hand.

Cinemas need to make money, so they are bound to worry about powerful distributors and producers not giving them the right to screen good movies.

Chen Linfeng's movies are the kind that theaters are most reluctant to give up.

Chen Linfeng shook his head after hearing this. "Is it necessary to be so direct? It would be better if we all sit down and talk it over."

Zhang Weiping sighed deeply.

Xiao Chen is a soft-hearted person unless someone provokes him.

"Director Chen, I have experience in this area. As long as you are strong enough, the other party will definitely obey. I have done this many times in the past."

Han Shanping nodded. He had experienced all of this and it was indeed true.

If it is not necessary, of course, we should follow the old method.

"But this time is different after all. This time several companies have joined together to exert pressure, which is equivalent to forming two camps."

Chen Linfeng laid out the teacups on the table as an example, dividing them into two rows, three in one row and four in another, forming a 3-to-4 situation.

He pointed to the teacups on both sides and said, "For example, these are the six distributors, and those are the 13 cinema chains."

"Under normal circumstances, the two sides will definitely clash. It's impossible for you to send a notice and expect others to obey. After all, no one wants to cut their losses."

"Well, you are right,"

Han Shanping also used the cup as an example, "But this is the six of us. When we work together, we are definitely stronger than the other side."

He adjusted the position of the cups to make it 4 to 3.

Many of the distributors are also producers, and according to past practice, they do hold the initiative.

"Okay, I agree with you, but what if this happens?"

Chen Linfeng pushed the extra cup over again.

Han Shanping was about to say that the other party had made a wrong judgment when he suddenly realized it.

"Do you think there will be traitors in the alliance?"

Zhang Weiping was watching the two people placing the cups with great interest. When he heard this, he suddenly looked up.

"Who would be stupid enough to be a traitor? Isn't it good to make more money?"

Chen Linfeng looked at him meaningfully, "If the theater chain comes to you and tells you not to follow those companies, I will increase the screening time of your next movie by 10%. Are you willing?"

The room suddenly became quiet, with only Chen Linfeng's calm voice remaining.

"If 10% doesn't work, how about 20%? That's definitely higher than the 2% share, right?"

"But," Zhang Weiping said anxiously, "we have to distinguish between one meal and another, right?"

"That's the problem," Chen Linfeng tapped the table. "Why do you think the theater chain completely disagrees?"

"If someone comes up with another idea, the entire tiered profit sharing would be 5% for the first 45 million, and 5% for the portion above 41 million."

He stared into Zhang Weiping's eyes and said, "Do you think those producers who are aware that the box office is not high will agree?"

"This..." Zhang Weiping was speechless for a moment.

Who the hell came up with this weird idea?

If this is done, only a few of their high-grossing movies will suffer.

It's not that he looks down on people, many companies are probably willing to do so.

Coupled with the scheduling preferences, the probability of agreement is even greater.

Chen Linfeng drank the tea calmly.

That’s right, this is exactly what theaters did in the previous life.

As a result, the issuer was completely defeated.

Han Shanping frowned, thinking carefully about what Xiao Chen had just said.

He deduced it in his mind and indeed felt that it was somewhat poisonous.

This will definitely split their camps.

You can’t think that this is just Xiao Chen’s idea and others can’t think of it.

He doesn't look down on the elites in the industry.

At this point, he had to pay attention to Xiao Chen's abilities and opinions beyond movies. It seemed that this genius was really an all-rounder.

"Xiao Chen, what you just said hit the nail on the head. So what do you think we should do?"

The time traveler who knows the general course of events is tough.

Chen Linfeng said confidently, "It's very simple. Our camp can be divided, and the other side is not invincible."

"How to differentiate?"

“The first point is not to be too tough, but to give people some face and allow room for maneuver.

The next notice will force people to comply, which is a bit insulting to be honest.”

He didn't know which little cutie came up with this idea.

Several major cinema chains in the past were furious about this and united in resisting to the end. Even when the deadline specified in the notice expired, they did not give in.

Instead, they tried to find ways to split up Star Media and Huayi, two of the distribution companies.

As a result, Xingmei firmly refused and Wang Zhonglei backed down.

That’s right, the traitor in the previous life was Hua Yi.

When Zhang Weiping heard Xiao Chen swearing, he touched his nose awkwardly and didn't say anything.

This isn't that stupid.

He originally thought that this was a good idea, very domineering, and the other side would definitely surrender.

Han Shanping nodded. "This is a correct view. What's next?"

"Next, we need to find out the other party's bottom line."

Chen Linfeng said earnestly, "We can't view each other as a whole, and we can't view cinemas and theater chains as a whole.

In the past two years, cinema chains have developed so rapidly that they often have to cut profits in order to attract more cinemas to join.

Think about it, they are not making much money to begin with, and now they are going to deduct two more points. They will definitely not agree to this.

In this case, we can relax with the cinema chains and focus on discussing with the theaters first. I think the theater chains will definitely not mind."

Han Shanping nodded slowly.

Huaying is an old cinema chain and does not have this problem.

He is mostly responsible for the company's film production and distribution, and he didn't know that this is how the new cinema chains have been doing it in the past two years.

“In addition, there are differences in cinema chains. Large cinema chains are definitely different from small cinema chains, and the interests of several large cinema chain companies are also different.

In fact, as far as I know, increasing the ratio by 2 points will not exceed their expectations.

We can sit down and talk slowly, maybe we can get better terms."

Only then did Zhang Weiping understand what Xiao Chen meant when he first suggested sitting down and talking.

So that's how it's talked about.

It seems that Xiao Chen's heart is much dirtier than mine.

"There are many ways to divide people. As long as you consult with the elites under you, they will definitely have more methods than I do."

"Let's do as Xiao Chen said and think about the strategy when we get back." Han Shanping made the decision.

Next is the issue of movies. No matter what method is used to negotiate with theaters, it is essentially a means of gaining benefits.

If you want to make someone vomit out the food they have, you have to have proof.

Han Shanping lists several movies that will be released at the end of the year as far as he knows.

"'The Flowers of War', 'Flying Swords of Dragon Gate', 'The Great Magician', 'The Feast of Hongmen' and 'The Grandmaster', I think these are the more gimmicky ones, with more publicity, and the final box office should be good."

and many more!

Why these?

Chen Linfeng felt something was wrong. The news he saw in his previous life seemed to involve movies like "1942" and "Lost in Thailand".

Oh, there is "The Grandmaster", and I think there is also "The Banquet" which is embarrassing.

He carefully searched the memories in his mind and found the problem.

Fuck, I lost track of time.

In the previous life, it was indeed a dispute over profit-sharing initiated by "The Flowers of War".

Zhang Weiping even achieved his goal, and the final settlement was based on a 45% profit sharing ratio.

But this was only one precedent set by the cinema, and the ratio for other films remained at 43%.

It was not until the end of 2012 that several other distributors united and demanded that theaters give in and form a system in the future.

I think this wave a year later in the previous life was initiated by Han Shanping and others.

No wonder, I was wondering why Zhang Weiping and Han Shanping got together this time.

It turns out that President Han launched the plan a year in advance. Was this because of my influence?
Chen Linfeng made some guesses in his mind, and at the same time, he completely understood the development of this matter in his previous life.

What puzzled him was that since the event was advanced this year and the situation was different, why did they still have to give such a notification?

Chen Linfeng glanced at Zhang Weiping and instantly understood that it was probably this guy who came up with the idea.

It really is a one-trick pony that can make you successful everywhere.

"Well, Xiao Chen, what do you think of these movies? Do you think any of them are unreliable?"

Han Shanping looked at the other party with full expectation. He absolutely trusted Xiao Chen's opinion on the movie.

"The other films are OK, and they should have no problem grossing over 100 million yuan,"

Chen Linfeng recalled their box office performance in previous lives. These films were indeed some of the top films during the Lunar New Year period.

only……

He asked with a strange look on his face, "Why is this "The Grandmaster" on the list? Mr. Han, are you sure Director Wang can finish filming it?"

"Hmm?" Han Shanping was stunned. "I seem to have seen their promotional posters before. What's going on? Is there something going on here?"

Chen Linfeng was speechless. "Boss Han, don't think about it. This will probably be shown in the Lunar New Year film next year."

When it comes to filming speed, no one can be trusted except Wang Jiawei.

Han Shanping frowned and said, "I'll verify this later."

"Xiao Chen, over here, I heard that the filming of "Police Incident 2" has been completed?"

"Well, it's almost the end of the season now, so it should be able to catch up with the Lunar New Year holiday."

Chen Linfeng knew what the other party was thinking.

He had no objection to using "Police Incident 2" as a bargaining chip.

"That's good. I'll be waiting for you as my trump card."

Han Shanping said happily, but also a little regretful.

"It's a pity that Your Name was released too early. If we had this movie now, it would be a done deal and we could have just announced it."

But think about it, if there wasn’t such a vivid example as “Your Name”.

Several domestic companies will not consider adjusting their profit sharing so quickly.

There are gains and losses.

At this point, Han Shanping has achieved his goal for today.

The four then talked about this year's Lunar New Year movies and the key changes in the Spring Festival period.

Not long after that, the show ended.

When Chen Linfeng went out, he found Wang Baoqiang waiting in the hotel lobby.

"Bao Qiang, who are you waiting for?"

Wang Baoqiang turned his head and smiled.

"Director Chen, have you finished your talk? I just came to see you. Xiao Chang told me that you had something to do, so I thought I would wait here for a while."

As he said this, he bowed deeply and said, "Thank you, Director Chen. I know without you, I wouldn't have won this actor award. Thank you."

Chen Linfeng quickly took two steps forward and lifted up his arm.

"No need, let's not talk about this between us."

Wang Baoqiang chuckled, "I understand. I should keep it in mind."

Oh, this guy is too honest.

Chen Linfeng finally understood how Wang Baoqiang survived in the entertainment industry.

After a while, Zhang Meng and Wang Qianyuan also came and expressed their gratitude.

Zhang Meng won the Grand Jury Award. His future career as a director, although not necessarily a meteoric rise, is at least bright.

Maybe he will be another rising big director.

It is precisely because of knowing this that Zhang Meng's gratitude becomes even more obvious.

It was Chen Linfeng who persuaded (hinted) them to participate in Venice, and now they are reaping a lot of benefits.

He certainly knew who to thank.

The Venice Film Festival ended here, and Chen Linfeng went to London by the way.

Under the arrangement of BBC, he appeared on several programs to promote the upcoming TV series "Sherlock Holmes 2".

The specific broadcast time has been confirmed, January 2012, 1, which can be regarded as the British version of the opening drama of the year.

After returning to China, Chen Linfeng devoted himself to the editing and post-production of "Inception".

This film still needs some work in editing, especially the superposition of three dreams in the climax, which requires editing to maintain the tense atmosphere.

Chen Linfeng watched almost the entire process, making sure it was exactly the same as the previous life's version.

Nolan has been famous for his editing since his debut. He is not stubborn and will not make random changes in this regard.

In mid-September, Liu Xixi came back.

"Has the time been decided? When will it start airing?"

"It's settled, October 10th, so I have to go again next month." Liu Qianqian looked a little worried.

"It's okay, it shouldn't take more than a few days."

Liu Qianqian said, "That's right. Fortunately, it doesn't conflict with the Golden Rooster Awards."

As she spoke, she enthusiastically discussed the announcement of the century-old classics in film history.

"Starting from the 200th place and counting forward, a new batch will be announced every week until the Golden Rooster Awards ceremony. Whoever came up with this bad idea, it's too torturous."

Liu Qianqian condemned it verbally, but in fact she felt it was very interesting.

The same is true of public opinion on the Internet, which has almost become a carnival.

It is discussed with great interest every week and has become a hot topic among the nation.

And every movie that is announced always attracts public attention.

Some things that may have been niche or old in the past have been given new life because of this.

The Sixth Princess was very cooperative and played the movies on the list for two or three days after the announcement.

This happens week after week.

It also took advantage of the popularity.

Liu Xixi pays attention to the newly announced movie lists every week and is dreading seeing "Whiplash" or "Your Name".

At the same time, thinking about getting down to earth as soon as possible and settling down to earth is really a bit torturous.

I think the main creators of other works should be in the same state.

Oh, how pitiful.

It’s time for the announcement at 8 o’clock tonight, and there are only more than minutes left until o’clock.

She pushed Chen Linfeng's shoulder and said, "Hey, do you know the specific list? How about revealing it in advance?"

Chen Linfeng said helplessly, "I told you earlier that I didn't go to see it on purpose. If I really knew, it would be meaningless."

"Too,"

Liu Qianqian was bored and looked through the comments at the bottom of the announcement page.

(End of this chapter)