Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 151 Speeding up the pace
In his 70-square-meter Chinese-style bedroom in the courtyard, Boss Lu suffered from insomnia.

Since his rebirth, he has been playing around in the world with a leisurely attitude, flirting with actresses, making movies, and raising little girls.

But a chance encounter with Iris Chang at the Berlin Film Festival made him a little anxious.

Historical disaster films are difficult to make.

Such a subject that reveals the scars of our compatriots is even more difficult to film.

His original intention was of course to use the movie to tie Zhang Chunru down so that she would not collapse and commit suicide a year later.

He wanted to hire Zhang Chunru as a film screenwriter and consultant, and let her live in the mainland for a long time to escape the harsh environment in the United States.

It is also to get rid of the ubiquitous CIA and Japanese right-wing forces.

For Zhang Chunru, setting a goal for her, a goal she has been pursuing all her life, is her hope in life.

This movie may not be a box office hit, but it must be well-received.

This is also to gain positive reputation and political capital for himself.

Including various main-theme movies in later periods.

The core theme of correct values, the special effects shots that are above the standard, and the narrative structure that sees the big picture from the small details...

He wants this main-theme film to truly attract Chinese people and audiences around the world with its quality rather than its subject matter.

The Berlin Film Festival is an excellent partner. They are a political correctional institution and they love films of this type of tone.

The 2003 Berlin Film Festival came to an end. "Blind Well" won the Silver Bear Award for Artistic Contribution, while "Hero" failed and only won a consolation prize.

However, news soon came that Zhang Yimou's film was nominated for an Oscar, so it cannot be said that he had achieved nothing.

Boss Lu directed the entire film sales process. "Blind Well" negotiated with film producers in more than 20 countries and regions, and reached copyright agreements ranging from long-term to buyout.

He exchanged his share of long-term profits with Li Yang, and took away about 200 million US dollars in direct profits based on the original investment of 240 million.

It seems like a lot, but when I think about the 5 million I’m going to spend to acquire Golden Harvest a year later…

Hey!
It’s dawn, don’t sleep anymore, get up and go make money!
The mountain king began to inspect his territory.

He first visited a special effects company and set up his office in Zhongguancun Science Park, naming it "Butian Film".

Xie Ning was in charge of management. In addition to the core personnel recruited from Taiwan's Xiji Animation and mainland China's Hualong Digital, Lu Kuan also hired visual effects artist Huang Hongda from Hong Kong.

He was hired by Columbia Pictures in 2005 and later worked on special effects for films such as "New Police Story", "Fearless", and "The Warring States".

Butian Film's first business deal was "The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" and the currently filming "The Chinese Paladin".

The former has fewer special effects projects, but has the advantage of a large crew and a high budget;
"Chinese Paladin" is a project that both the TV series and Hunan and Taiwan have put a lot of effort into. They have spared no effort in the production of special effects, striving to create a precedent for domestic fairy tale dramas.

Back in the Wenjie Culture office, Zhuang Xu and Wang Xing had already been drinking tea for half an hour.

"Mr. Lu!"

Wang Xing stood up excitedly and greeted.

A year ago, he was "persuaded" by Lu Kuan to drop out of school and return to China to start a business. His perception of Lu Kuan also changed from suspicion to acceptance, and then to admiration.

The idea of ​​blog.net was not so amazing to him.

However, the key to attracting traffic to Blog.com in its early days was to start with entertainment stars, cultural stars, and grassroots stars and carry out a series of dazzling marketing projects.

The topic of Mei Yanfang's cancer, Jay Chou's first movie, and Liu Yifei's Venice red carpet.

This includes the casting hype and voting jointly released by Hunan TV and Wenjie some time ago, as well as the Golden Horse Awards controversy.

Blog projects of portals such as Xinlang and Wangyi were also launched at the beginning of the year. They seem to be coming in with great momentum, but they are far from catching up with the pace of the industry.

First, the number of Internet users in China is limited, and blog sites have developed strong user stickiness, especially since they have left so many posts and replies on blog sites and are unlikely to switch sides easily.

Secondly, blog.com has the largest celebrity group on the Internet. The Hong Kong side is led by Mei Yanfang, and recently Eagle King has also frequently shown goodwill and arranged for its artists to join.

Directors and screenwriters from the Beijing Film Academy in the mainland, as well as actors who came here after hearing the news, as well as people from Huayi, Guangguang, Bona, and even some people in the Beijing circle influenced by China Film Group have registered accounts.

Taiwan is led by the most popular Jay Chou, with other godfather and godmother-level figures such as Chai Zhiping and Wang Zhongwei also leading the way.

These are the resources that Lu Kuan developed during the roadshow.

In other words, he has a steady supply of good projects, which he can then exchange with various circles to share what he has.

Lu Kuan rarely goes to the headquarters of Blog.com.cn. He called Zhuang Xu and Wang Xing over today in order to make some targeted marketing arrangements for the boiling point in the first half of 2003.

There was still a month before the first imported case was officially reported in Beijing.

"My friends in Hong Kong and Guangdong have reported that there are multiple outbreaks of respiratory diseases with unknown sources. The situation may not be optimistic."

"I think Blog.com needs to prepare in advance."

He didn't dare to be too sure, nor could he just brush it off lightly, otherwise these two people would not take it seriously, which would inevitably affect the subsequent marketing results.

Zhuang Xu frowned: "This kind of thing is very taboo, we must be careful."

Wang Xing was a quick-witted man. He immediately formed a plan framework based on Lu Kuan's previous various tricks.

"If it really spreads to the north, we can really play the role of an online public opinion center."

Boss Lu knocked on the table, setting the tone for the matter.

"Whether it's true or not, let's prepare for a rainy day. I have a few requests."

"First, [Audit Upgrade]."

"Blog.com's review staff and compliance program need to be upgraded. If the epidemic spreads, this will be the first time Blog.com has to deal with a nationwide public opinion incident. The review standards for dealing with the government and the general public are completely different from those for the entertainment and cultural circles."

Zhuang Xu nodded. "We have always maintained zero tolerance for politically charged speech. This is also your request. We currently have good relations with many official organizations."

Lu Kuan agreed, "As a tool for public opinion, we must clearly position ourselves. It can be summed up in eight words."

“Be close to the government and stay away from politics.”

Wang Xing and Zhuang Xu's eyes lit up. These words were insightful.

"Second, [unit access to the network]."

"This is a good opportunity to launch official blogs for all the city's counterparts, such as the epidemic prevention and health departments, the propaganda department, and the public security department. You guys go and do the customer relations for the grassroots departments, and I'll find people to do the public relations for the higher-level units."

"With these higher-level departments setting the example, it will not be difficult for vertical management departments across the country to open official accounts on Blog.com."

Wang Xing blurted out excitedly, "Then we've become the center of both public and official opinion, right?"

"That's right, you have to strike a balance here. Auditing and compliance are very important. Algorithms need to be iterated, staff needs to be increased, and sensitive word libraries need to be updated."

“Third, [print media goes online].”

"Carry out a blanket sweep of the print media in the Beijing area and incorporate them all into the blogging army."

Boss Lu was talking so much that he felt thirsty. As soon as he picked up the teacup, Wang Xing couldn't wait to express his opinion.

"Mr. Lu, this is probably quite difficult. After all, print media and online media are naturally competitive."

Boss Lu thought that Wang Xing’s skills were not good enough yet, no wonder he couldn’t do well at Fanfou.

"Print media and internet media not only compete, but also complement each other."

"This complementarity is reflected in the communication methods, styles, number of users, and one very important point at the moment: the issue of the scale of public opinion."

Every word and sentence in print media is strictly reviewed by the authorities, while the standards on blogs are much more relaxed.

In the early days of Tianya, there were a lot of posts criticizing the country, but as long as they were not too excessive, the authorities did not target them.

If you don't believe me, just look at the "Xinjing News" that was about to be established in 2003. They will definitely be the first one willing to go to the blog to talk nonsense and sensationalize.

"The main purpose of introducing print media to open blogs is to enrich our product content. We cannot allow blogs to be purely entertainment-oriented, otherwise our target customers will be too small."

The people who chase stars and read gossip are mostly young men and women in the age group of 18-35. There is also great potential for development of potential customers other than these.

Professional print media are all providers of high-quality content. The information they share in blog posts for free will become the reason for many people who rely on print media in this era to use blogs.

Boss Lu spoke a lot in a very eloquent manner, but it was only mid-February and that was all he could tell them.

When the incident progresses to a white-hot stage, event marketing targeting hot spots will take advantage of the situation and not miss any opportunity to attract traffic and get rid of opponents.

Zhuang Xu suddenly spoke up: "By the way, we have a good grasp of the scale of political involvement, but now a new problem has arisen."

He came to Lu Kuan's computer, opened the blog interface without any hesitation, and entered the homepage of the user "Mu Zimei".

"Love Letter".

The writing style is explicit, the content is open, and the first-person perspective narration is highly credible, making it a masterpiece.

"This was reported by the reviewers yesterday. There have been similar cases before, but this is the first time it has received such high attention."

Lu Kuan moved the mouse to the interactive comment area at the bottom. The post, which had been posted for two days, already had over 3000 comments.

The appeal of color content is evident.

"Keep it and talk about it later."

A natural traffic generator, the first internet celebrity in the era of big entertainment. If we don’t squeeze out all her value, should we send her to Xinlang and Wangyi?
After the two men left with their mission, Lu Yao came in to report on his work.

The development of several "powerful" actors under the company is going on track, and the newly signed Hu Ge has also been given a contract for "Chinese Paladin".

However, when it comes to signing directors, the staff is too short.

For Mr. Lu now, the 5 million yuan acquisition payment he expected for Golden Harvest is like a bet agreement, forcing him to speed up the expansion of his film and television business.

Scripts and ideas can be copied, but someone has to implement them, right?

"Stone" has finished filming and entered the post-production stage. Lu Kuan plans to arrange the next movie for Ning Hao immediately, and just take time out to do publicity and promotion in the middle.

2003 was a bit too early. The domestic film industry was just starting to gain momentum, and there weren’t many young directors emerging. Where could we find some good talents?

Guo Fan, Wen Mu, and others who made good commercial films in later generations are all in college, so it’s not appropriate to force their growth. Now the only ones who can be enlightened by him and quickly trained like Ning Hao...

Lu Kuan thought of Wu Ershan. (Note 1)

He should still be running an advertising company now.

Other director resources still need to be explored from Beijing Film Academy. Jiang Wei and Zhang Jiandong are both good at making TV dramas. Professor Xue Xiaolu from the directing department can go and shoot some chick flicks and youth films.

Lu Yao carefully noted down the leader's request for poaching and prepared to meet with Wu Ershan in the afternoon.

"Mr. Lu, Zhong Lifang is here too. Should we invite her in?"

"can."

Zhong Lifang originally worked in the marketing and network department of Phoenix Satellite TV in Hong Kong, but was later poached by Big Dog of Xiaoma Pentium to be a professional manager.

He is also a rare compound talent who understands both cultural media and marketing.

This was the greeting Lu Kuan asked Jiang Zhiqiang to convey to Phoenix TV. The latter has resigned from his job to pursue a master's degree in the UK and will graduate in June.

"Hello, Mr. Lu."

"Please take a seat, Ms. Zhong."

Lu Kuan leisurely looked at the professional manager who later had an affair with Huang Xiaoming.

As expected of someone from a TV station, her temperament and demeanor are quite outstanding.

"Mr. Lu, I'm honored to receive your invitation. I hope we can have a communication today."

She tried hard to package herself as a collaborator rather than a job seeker. After all, it was Wenjie who extended the olive branch to her with the instruction of Lu Kuan.

In her eyes, Wenjie Culture is a latecomer in the domestic film and television industry.

But this company is full of mystery in the eyes of the public, because all the high-level decisions and poaching instructions in the industry come from Lu Kuan.

We have never proposed any leadership positions at the division level to the outside world.

Even if there is, Lu Kuan will personally interview the candidates like today and make the decision on whether to hire them and the related treatment.

In today's industry, everyone only knows that it is a film and television production company headed by director Lu Kuan, and it has also signed some unknown artists.

These artists don’t make many announcements, so it’s difficult for outsiders to find out about the company.

Boss Lu flipped through the resume in his hand and said, "Ms. Zhong, you studied international marketing abroad, right?"

"Yes, major in Marketing and minor in Television and Film Production."

"Well, that's more in line with the company's employment needs."

"We've also done a background check on your work experience at Phoenix TV's network department, and your past achievements are quite good. So, how about this?"

"You will first be assigned to the Media Operations Department and the Film and Television Production Department as the Deputy General Manager. We don't have many artists in our company right now, so the work should be a bit easier."

"Your focus should be on film and television production. The company will soon sign contracts with full-time and part-time directors and provide them with opportunities to collaborate on films. You will be the production director, and I will personally guide you."

Zhong Lifang was stunned.

Speaking of which, media and film and television production were her original main business and expertise, but even if she was confident that she could do these jobs well, why would she be entrusted with such an important task right from the start?

Isn’t this young director afraid of messing up?

Lu Kuan was certainly not afraid. Firstly, he would take Zhong Lifang to make a movie. Secondly, Zhong Lifang was the real core figure of the later Xiaoma Pentium.

In other words, it would be no problem for her to set up a film and television company and become its boss now.

The key is that she possesses very rare compound talent traits, including knowledge of production, marketing, mergers and acquisitions, and financing.

She once helped Xiaoma complete a sky-high financing of 7.5 million yuan.

He also broke into New York Manhattan alone and fought head-on with the six major Hollywood studios, and finally took over the famous American special effects company Digital Domain.

This will also allow him to shoulder the responsibility and share his worries when Wenjie Culture takes over Golden Harvest next year or the year after.

It takes three to make a hero. Lu Kuan had to speed up the pace and recruit a large number of people to speed up the company because of the severe short-term goals in the situation.

Wenjie, a film and television industry chariot that has begun to take shape, is about to go full throttle and gallop into the center of the domestic entertainment stage.

　Note 1: Some book lovers may think that his butt is crooked.

　　We'll wait and see, and everything will depend on the official stance. If it's confirmed, we'll get rid of him in the book.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)