Generation Z Artists

Chapter 187 Great Turmoil

Wang Chali began discussing investment matters with Wei Ping.

The original "Hero" was actually an ambitious collaborative attempt, with New Pictures leading the investment and Hong Kong and Taiwan capital providing a premium.

Wei Ping is bad, but she's really not incompetent.

In this day and age, it's truly remarkable that someone would dare to spend over 100 million yuan to make such a blockbuster and also manage to attract Hong Kong and Taiwanese capital to fund it.

If Fang Xinghe wants to get rid of the Hong Kong and Taiwan employees, he must first fill the funding gap; this is an undeniable prerequisite.

Wei Ping took advantage of Fang Xinghe's determination to get things done, making exorbitant demands and repeatedly pushing Wang Chali's limits.

Fang Xinghe won over Han Sanping in just one morning, but Wang Chali took a week to win over Zhang Weiping.

In the end, Fang Xinghe acted swiftly and decisively, agreeing to Wei Ping's conditions.

"Don't delay, give it to him."

“But it’s such a loss!” Wang Charlie was heartbroken. “The total investment was 2.5 million, and we contributed 1.5 million, but we only have 49% of the shares. And that doesn’t even include your salary!”

"Give it to him too."

Fang Xinghe's face remained completely unmoved, as calm as a deep pool.

“Zhang Weiping is certain that I am determined to win this matter. He has enough patience to drag it out, but we can’t.”

Kim Jae-hee, the South Korean agent who came to China to report on his work, nodded in agreement: "Yes, the boss's reputation is more important. Now many media outlets are mocking him for all talk and no action, saying he's just a braggart."

“Of course I know,” Wang Charlie sighed. “I’m just… too angry.”

As Fang Xinghe's agent, he has always been fawned over and flattered by his partners. When has he ever suffered such grievances?
They bear 60% of the funding but only enjoy 49% of the rights, receiving no salary or action choreographer fees, yet they still have to do their best for the project... Damn!

"But that's exactly the effect I wanted."

Fang Xinghe's eyes were deep and mysterious, and the corners of his mouth curled up.

"Hero is a role model. The greater the price we pay, the more it can warn future generations. You have to figure out what is most important to me."

"It is authority."

Kim Jae-hee firmly believes in the interface.

When it comes to cunning, she's far superior to Master Charlie.

"The boss wants to make a name for himself in this industry as a producer and director, but his age is a huge disadvantage, making him vulnerable to being deceived, mistreated, and looked down upon."

For example, in this incident, why did the media in Hong Kong and Taiwan dare to ridicule the boss so brazenly?

Isn't it because the boss has no influence in the film and television industry?

They didn't believe that the boss's ban could really do anything to them, so one after another they jumped out to play tricks, trying to gain benefits by stepping on the boss's reputation.

Building influence takes time, but building deterrence is very easy—just have money and be willing to spend it.

Even if we lose all of that 1.5 million, it won't be a pity.

The boss's personal image is already a high-value brand. This money isn't being spent on Zhang Weiping; it's being used to enhance the brand image. If you think of it as a marketing expense, you won't be so angry.

He was still very angry, but Wang Chali finally understood his junior brother's deeper meaning.

While Zhang Weiping's attempt to extort money from others is certainly despicable, Fang Xinghe's deliberate indulgence may also have played a part.

Otherwise, if he were willing to communicate with Zhang Weiping in person, Weiping, no matter how petty she is, would not dare to go so far and would definitely restrain herself a lot.

As a result, Fang Xinghe ignored him completely, adopting an attitude of "I'll accept whatever you shout," which only fueled the other party's greed.
The current situation is actually something both sides are happy to see.

"OK, OK, I'll get it sorted out quickly," Wang Charlie muttered. "But no matter what happens in the future, I will never work with this person again."

Kim Jae-hee once again hit the nail on the head: "It's a good thing that New Pictures is at the forefront at this time, supporting the boss's declaration of a ban. No matter how you organize it, the boss will owe a lot of favors."

Now, Zhang Weiping has bought back this favor with just a little money, which I think is a great deal.

So you don't need to worry, there will basically be no more opportunities for cooperation. We are in a state of complete stalemate, which is very comfortable.

"Charlie Oppa, you need to reorganize your value system. The boss will become increasingly powerful, and pure money will become less and less meaningful. We can afford to lose 1.5 million; how can we compare it to the boss's mood?"

Wang Charlie was dumbfounded.

Holy crap, if you're going to talk business, just get to the point. Why are you suddenly pinning me against the wall while you're sucking up to your junior brother?
It's one thing to flatter, but to flatter so well...

Damn, you Koreans are really awesome!
The American Taoist priest was completely convinced, gave two thumbs up, and then turned around to get back to work.

Kim Jae-hee stayed behind and reported on the business situation to Fang Xinghe.

Fang Xinghe has been very busy this month.

Several advertising teams from Japan and South Korea have had to travel to Beijing to coordinate and share their time.

There's no way around it; that's how it is for top celebrities—time is too valuable.

He hasn't even started the photo shoot promotions in South Korea yet, but Han Fei has already voluntarily had her kidney removed and then grown back several times.

With a population of less than 5000 million, compared to Japan's 1.12 million, the sales of "Born to Sing" are basically on par. Can you believe it?

Fang Xinghe was definitely startled.

"Boss, sales are already approaching 60 copies, but the growth rate is relatively slow. The market is highly saturated, and there probably won't be any big surprises later."

This is a very clear law of flow.

Sales are concentrated in the early stages, reaching about 50% of the total in the first week. Sales then plummet in the second week and slow down as time goes on.

The movie "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" had a pre-sale box office of 3.5 million yuan and a total box office of over 6 million yuan. The four-part "Tiny Times" series had a box office of more than half of its revenue in its first week. The same principle applies to both.

However, it's not just fans who are buying "Born to Sing Wildly". Because its artistry is recognized, word of mouth can also drive some sales, so it won't be too bad in the long run.

Kim Jae-hee's so-called surprise refers to an extremely violent sales peak, which is basically unrealistic.

"Boss, why don't you take a trip to Europe and do some publicity?"

To date, sales have reached 800,000 in Japan, 600,000 in South Korea, 450,000 in Singapore, 200,000 in mainland China, 120,000 in Hong Kong and Taiwan (sales have ceased), and 45,000 in Southeast Asian countries, bringing the total sales across Asia to 222 million.

The total sales revenue, converted to RMB, has exceeded 14 billion.

Because tax rules for publications vary from country to country, we can only roughly estimate the amount received – around 42% of the total.

Some countries have higher rates, exceeding 45%, while others have lower rates, falling below 40%.

That's roughly 6 million RMB.

This does not include income from Europe and the United States.

"Born to Sing Wildly" was released simultaneously in Europe, America and Oceania. It was priced at $88.88 in the United States and €66.66 in Europe, which is still considered slightly expensive compared to other celebrity photo albums.

However, things are very chaotic in Europe and America in this regard, so it's not easy to make direct comparisons.

Some individual photography collections can sell for as much as $200, while some compilation photo albums only sell for a few dollars. Fang Xinghe's individual art photo album is a rather novel thing, as it can be classified as both a book and a photographic work.

Due to a lack of promotion, "Born to Be a Madman" sold far less in Europe than in North America.

France had the highest sales, with over 3 copies sold, while Russia had the lowest, with less than 1000 copies sold.

The current sales success is also thanks to the hype from the fashion industry. France and Italy, as the birthplace of fashion, are very receptive to Fang Xinghe's style of marketing.

There are many photographers, artists, and even more models over there. This group generally has a very high opinion of "Born to Sing Wildly," and there is even a very famous gay man who calls Fang Xinghe "the Muse of the East."

Wang Chali received many invitations from Europe. If Fang Xinghe were willing to go, appearing on a mainstream French or Italian program would not be a problem.

In a sense, his image was quite sophisticated over there.

Unfortunately, the current total of 10 copies sold across Europe is far from comparable to the 35 sold in North America.

It's not that Americans love Fang Xinghe that much. There are fewer than 30 core fans in the entire United States. Americans are the kind of fans who are easy to like and easy to dislike—they get really into it when they're high, but they immediately move on to the next thing after they're done. If you don't give them enough opportunities, they'll lose fans even faster than Fang Tonghui.

The reason for its high sales in the United States is mainly due to novelty and curiosity. Fang Xinghe's literary works have not yet officially entered North America, and this strong curiosity can only be satisfied by purchasing the photo book.

This shows that the potential of "Born to Sing Wildly" in Asia has been almost exhausted, but it has not yet been fully realized in Europe and America, and there is still huge potential to be explored.

If a photobook that is ahead of its time and has a well-known reputation doesn't sell 100 million copies in Europe and America, then it can only be blamed on its marketing.

"If you go and make a move, get featured in LV magazines and TV shows, doubling your sales will definitely not be a problem."

"I originally wanted to go."

Fang Xinghe shook his head and sighed, "I'm afraid there's no time now."

"Assemble a martial arts choreography team?" Kim Jae-hee nodded knowingly. "That is indeed a big deal. To film the action scenes for the 'Hero' project well, a lot of work needs to be done in advance."

She is now a top-notch China expert.

Sure enough, the one who was nearby was among them.

"Yes, there are other shortcuts to publicity in Europe and America, so there's no need to rush. Right now, the most important thing is definitely 'Hero,' and we can't worry about anything else."

Fang Xinghe felt a little regretful; he really wanted to go to countries like England, Italy, and France to make his connections.

Cultural export is not primarily about exporting culture, but about establishing people's identity.

The current economic gap between the East and the West is enormous, and the divide is extremely deep. Breaking the ice cannot be achieved through the path of rapidly increasing national power; it can only be done by relying on individuals with sufficient influence to establish radiating points.

The impact of Hendrik Willem Van Loon and Jeremy Li is greater than that of all the Confucius Institutes combined; that is the reality.

Fang Xinghe is not the kind of person who just talks the talk but doesn't walk the walk. Of course, he is willing to spend some time building up his base in Europe and taking advantage of the situation.

Unfortunately, there probably won't be another chance anytime soon.

A new storm is brewing.

On August 17th, Starry Sky Films finally reached an agreement with Zhang Weiping's New Pictures.

On August 18th, Master Zhong and a group of his fellow students arrived in the capital after a long journey.

Zhong Shi was certainly not a martial arts choreographer; he was completely unsuitable for the role. However, he was able to gather a group of real martial arts experts for Fang Xinghe to choose from.

This includes, but is not limited to: various Taoist kung fu schools under the Taoist Association, judges and coaches from the martial arts department of the State General Administration of Sport, founders of martial arts schools from all over the country, and well-known individual martial arts enthusiasts...

Here are a few names: Yu Chenghui, the Sword Saint; Zhao Changjun, a ten-time all-around martial arts champion; and Sun Jiankui, the "Grand Eunuch Liu Jin" who could act, fight, and design...

When a group of people in charge went to the capital for a small meeting, they still had many doubts.

Firstly, they had only heard that Fang Xinghe was highly skilled in martial arts, but they didn't know just how skilled he was.

Secondly, the direct benefits that Fang Xinghe can bring are too limited. Even if he is really good at kung fu, what does that have to do with me?
However, when Master Zhong stroked his long beard and smiled as he announced on behalf of his disciple that he would be assembling a purely mainland martial arts choreography team for a mega-production with an investment of 2.5 million RMB, the senior figures immediately recognized the Wudang Sanfeng School as the leader of the martial arts world.

"Master Zhong, if you don't mind, I'm willing to be your brother!"

It's no secret that Zhang Yimou is working on "Hero." Ever since Wei Ping first started bragging about it, it's been a frequent headline in the entertainment section.

The specific investment has not been determined, but Wei Ping has always claimed that she will invest more than 2 million RMB. The male lead and the second male lead are Li Lianjie and Fang Xinghe, respectively.

While Gou Fang was having a blast in the US, the domestic entertainment industry was buzzing with excitement for "Hero".

To be honest, do you think these senior martial arts practitioners who are still teaching martial arts and making a living from traditional martial arts are itching to try it themselves?

The problem is, during that time, the itching was pointless.

Even Zhao Jian, who is known as "the best action choreographer in mainland China," can't match this level of blockbuster.

Sure enough, Cheng Xiaodong's Hong Kong team was confirmed soon after.

Actually, when the news came out, martial arts performers in China were quite calm, because such an outcome was inevitable and not surprising.

But things are different now. Fang Sheng has arrived, and dawn has broken!
Some people still couldn't believe it: "Master Zhong, is this really true?!"

“Hmm.” Master Zhong was very reserved, speaking slowly and deliberately. “My troublemaking monkey apprentice, who was just messing around, took on the action director role for ‘Hero.’ He’s currently assembling a team, and he decides who to use and who not to use.”

Everyone present was just a bystander in this matter.

Fang Xinghe's "big joke" of reversing the ban on Hong Kong and Taiwan is a recent hot news story, with new gossip to be had every day.

It's both surprising and delightful to suddenly find yourself caught in the middle of this drama.

How many people exactly are needed?

What position is it?

"Is this a one-time collaboration, or is there a set of terms?"

"Uncle, do you think I'm suitable?"

What was supposed to be a small gathering of elderly people in the martial arts community turned into a chaotic scene, resembling a bustling market.

However, this was very kind to Fang Xinghe – in less than half a day, about 200 more documents appeared on his desktop.

Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that those who haven't won martial arts championships are not worthy of being on the list; the majority are direct descendants of certain martial arts schools.

Although most of the faces and names were unfamiliar, Fang Xinghe wasn't picky—if you can do the splits, you can do somersaults; if you can do somersaults, you can be suspended by wires; if you can be suspended by wires, you can be a stunt double; if you can be a stunt double, you can be a stunt double forever…

Isn't this the kind of grassroots team that Starry Sky Films is lacking right now?

With a wave of his hand, he reimbursed the travel and accommodation expenses for more than 200 people. "Come on, come for an interview! The Fang Family Troupe needs your blood and tears!"

Kidding.

He plans to offer the best treatment to cultivate a group of the most promising behind-the-scenes elites.

Stunt work is not a high-yield unit. The effect that a top stunt team can achieve is at most slightly higher than the industry average, and its contribution to the increase in film box office is negligible.

But Fang Xinghe wanted to cultivate a top-notch team, and through the experience of working together on "Heroes," gradually weed out and replace them with new talent.

To improve the quality of a film by even one point, I'd spend millions every year; I can afford to lose that much.

The goal is simple—to give the audience the best food.

I don't make movies to make money, I'm just being idealistic, so what?!

You have no ideals, all you want is to make money. If you can't make money, you curse and complain. Aren't you ashamed?

Cheng Xiaodong didn't feel ashamed; he only felt angry.

On the very day that the idealist had dealt with his henchmen, The Sun accurately broke the news: "It's confirmed that the action choreography team of Cheng's Stunt Team has been kicked out of the 'Hero' production team, and Fang Xinghe has taken over as the action director! Zhang Yimou has lost his mind, he's simply making a fool of himself!"

In an interview, Cheng Xiaodong sneered, "Martial arts design isn't just about being able to fight. Without our Hong Kong team, mainlanders can't handle it! Just you wait and see!"

Actually, Lao Cheng was still concerned about saving face and didn't really criticize.

The real reaction came from Hong Kong and Taiwanese actors—"My god, does that barbarian think he's serious?!"

Will Heroes really wipe out Hong Kong and Taiwanese people completely?
On August 22nd, Wei Ping once again stood up and spoke out, proudly confirming the facts.

"The production team of 'Hero' will use an all-Chinese cast!"

One stone stirs up a thousand waves.

Since making his bold statement on August 8th, Fang Xinghe has remained silent, refusing to respond to the outside world's clamor, which has led to increasing ridicule.

But now, everyone is panicking.

How dare you?!

How did you manage to do that?!

Wei Ping gave her reason, and that reason led to the biggest upheaval across the country this year…

(End of this chapter)