Unboxing, Director!

Chapter 78 Million Contract Renewal

The Nasdaq Composite Index reached its peak on March 2000, 3, when it reached a high of 16.

Not many people realized at this time that a huge bubble would burst starting from today.

Countless people are still dreaming of making a lot of money by soaring prices.

Some people's dreams have come true, such as Lao Lu.

“This house is really big.”

A three-courtyard courtyard in Houhai.

Lu Jiang stood in the middle of the yard and looked around.

This so-called ancestral home is indeed quite large, more than 1,200 square meters.

The bigger the courtyard house, the better. Even if the walls and floors are a bit dilapidated, it still looks elegant and luxurious.

"You lived here when you were two years old, have you forgotten?" Lao Lu was very excited now, pointing to the big vat in the yard and laughing, "You were much shorter than this vat back then, and you kept asking to climb up to take a look. When we really put you up there, you started crying non-stop, and your mother almost beat me to death."

What can a two-year-old remember?

But looking at Lao Lu who was lost in his memories, Lu Jiang didn't feel comfortable ruining his plans.

Today is a happy day.

The ancestral home has finally been transferred. The next step is to renovate it and then choose a day to move in.

Lu Jiang remembered that this area was later used as property by celebrities, including Lao Xu, Ali Ma, etc., all of whom had such a large courtyard house.

The buildings inside were built like bunkers, which were extremely secretive, so Lu Jiang decided to do the same.

The ancestral home was returned at a cost of 750 million, but perhaps because the money was "borrowed", Lao Lu's golden treasure chest did not fall.

Sure enough, after looking around, Lao Lu wiped his tears and said, "I'll pay you back when Guangguang gets its dividends this year."

It looks like it won't drop until the end of the year.

"Okay, as long as you're happy."

"What do you think about the renovation?"

"You decide for yourself. I only have one request: a private bathroom must be built."

"Don't worry, what I hate most is having to run long distances just to go to the bathroom."

After finishing the ancestral home, Lu Jiang returned to the company to continue working on the adaptation.

Dawn Company has formed a temporary screenwriter team. It is not large, with only two people at present, both of whom were introduced by Situ Zhaodun.

These two people are currently working part-time, because Dawn Company does not have many film and television businesses at present, with only the "Meteor Garden" project.

When Lu Jiang shifts his focus to film and television in the future, the team will continue to expand, and then we can recruit a few more talented people to facilitate the adaptation.

Ning Hao is here today too.

There were no admissions vacancies for the directing department at Beijing Film Academy this year, so Ning Hao continued to wait as planned.

He has been busy filming music videos these days. He has become somewhat famous in the industry and can earn at least 200,000 to 300,000 yuan a year.

However, when Ning Hao heard that Lu Jiang was going to start making a TV series, he came over happily.

Lu Jiang was very happy because he finally saw a new treasure chest after half a year.

Ning Hao's Green Treasure Chest: [Ning Hao wants to participate in the host's TV series production to gain experience]

This little problem.

However, after reading the original script, Ning Hao raised his eyebrows and asked, "Are you sure you want to shoot this?"

"It's terrible and pompous, right?"

"Yeah, you've already won the Golden Lion, it's really embarrassing to film something like this!"

"Not only will I be filming it, I'll probably be acting in it too."

"Are you crazy?"

Ning Hao's eyebrows were twisted to the sky, "You are a king, and you are acting in such rubbish?"

"Do you believe me when I say this drama will be a huge hit in Asia?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

Ning Hao didn't believe it at all.

In his opinion, it is difficult for something like this, which has no nutritional value and does not have a correct outlook on life, to become popular, let alone become popular throughout Asia.

Lu Jiang did not refute this, but explained: "Actually, I have prepared two contingency plans."

The first plan is to deeply adapt the script.

The idea has been mentioned before, which is to preserve the advantages of the original work, see if the risk of being banned can be avoided, and then reasonably deepen various themes.

It’s just that this kind of change is not just talk, it takes time and effort, and it also depends on the audit factors.

If a satisfactory version can be made, there will be less controversy about this drama in the future. It will certainly not be a problem for Lu Jiang to direct and act in it.

Lu Jiang also hopes that "Meteor Garden" can maintain its originality as much as possible, be broadcast in mainland China in a dignified manner, and show its good side.

But if it's too difficult to change it again and again, it's better to just stick with the original and make some minor adjustments to the plot.

This is bound to cause a lot of controversy.

Then Lu Jiang would have to cut himself off from this work, find someone to act as a white glove, and the signing of actors, funding, production, directing, etc. would have nothing to do with Lu Jiang.

This drama is just like the original version, filmed in Taiwan and broadcast in Taiwan, except that the female lead is replaced by Fan Binbin, everything else remains unchanged, and Lu Jiang can just sit back and reap the subsequent benefits.

Just like what Ning Hao said, it is not appropriate for a Golden Lion short film director, who is also a superstar, to make such a crappy drama, no matter how popular it is.

"That's a bit like being a big boss."

After hearing this, Ning Hao was envious. Who wouldn't want to stay behind the scenes and be the big boss who controls everything?

"Let's change it first."

Lu Jiang waved his hand, continued to work on the adaptation, and invited Ning Hao to join in.

Ning Hao was also very interested and wanted to try to improve this crappy script.

So Lu Jiang happily received his first green treasure chest in half a year.

No hesitation, just open it.

There was a flash of green light.

Oh hoo!

Xie Tingfeng's edited version of the MV "Viva".

This is the first time I got a Cantonese song.

And it belongs to Xie Bi Wang.

Lu Jiang couldn't help but ask, "Haozi, what do you think of Xie Tingfeng?"

"Ah, what's so good about this? What, is he trying to scam you again?"

"Nothing, go on."

The next day, Warner's Zhou Jianhui came in person to make the final offer.

Ever since the huge hit of "Lu Jiang·Chinese Style" in the second half of last year.

Lu Jiang has firmly established himself as the king of Chinese pop music.

As his net worth and reputation soared, he also became a hot commodity in the industry.

So far, Lu Jiang has received offers from many record companies.

Everyone knows that Lu Jiang and Warner only have a contract for two albums.

Now that both albums have been released, it’s time to grab people.

Big companies offer high prices to recruit people.

For example, EMI contacted us again last week and the offer has reached 55 million.

Sony's bid was even more generous: five albums for 65 million, including various supporting resources, which was higher than Wang Fei's.

Warner has not made any offer, but Zhou Jianhui also told Lu Jiang not to rush to agree and to wait for his news.

He finally called me yesterday afternoon and said we could meet and talk today.

I think the newly appointed president of Warner Greater China has already prepared a suitable offer.

"Mr. Zhou, long time no see."

"Long time no see Lu Jiang. You've lost a little weight. Have you been active lately? You should take care of yourself."

Zhou Jianhui smiled and was full of concern.

After some pleasantries, Lu Jiangxian asked, "Have you settled the matter with the Taiwan TV station?"

"It's a small matter. I'll let you two discuss the details sometime."

Sure enough, this kind of thing was not a big problem for Zhou Jianhui.

But Zhou Jianhui quickly added, "You have to be mentally prepared for one thing."

"You said."

"The heroine is definitely Fan Binbin, right?"

"Correct."

"If it's her, the final cooperation might not be very effective. You can discuss the details with him."

"I know it well."

Lu Jiang didn't take it too seriously.

With the golden finger, as long as there is a gap, the effect will be achieved in the end.

After chatting for a while, Zhou Jianhui officially got to the point.

"Lu Jiang, I won't beat around the bush with you. My base price is five albums, 100 million RMB!"

Zhou Jianhui's face was full of sincerity.

A purple treasure chest appeared above his head again: [Zhou Jianhui hopes to renew the host's contract for five albums at a price of 100 million RMB]

It’s indeed the lowest price.

But this one hundred million did surprise Lu Jiang a little.

After all, this is nearly half higher than EMI and Sony.

Of course, if you think about it carefully, this price is not too much beyond your expectations.

Because it's not pure cash.

It's a complex combination of solutions.

First, the five albums will be distributed in cash installments based on performance, or combined with other resources.

The copyright of albums, performances, etc. will be calculated separately in the normal way.

At the same time, commercial endorsement agency contracts will also cover part of it.

So it’s one hundred million.

Actually, there are not as many as you might think.

If Lu Jiang's popularity continues to decline, after the final five albums are completed, Lu Jiang can theoretically only get a minimum of 6000 million for the first three, and the remaining 4000 million will not be paid in the form of contract termination.

This is the normal market quotation rule, and the same applies to EMI, Sony, and Wang Fei's previous HK$6000 million.

But no matter what, Warner did offer a price of 100 million, far exceeding that of other record companies.

Lu Jiang’s current popularity and commercial value are indeed worthy of this price.

In the past two years, Warner has made a lot of money from physical records, concerts, copyrights, etc.

The legitimate sales of the first two albums have exceeded 600 million in Asia. Lu Jiang earned to million, and Warner certainly earned more than Lu Jiang.

In the future, physical album sales will decline, but concert box office revenue will continue to rise.

Last year, including the fan club in Taiwan, Lu Jiang held 10 concerts, with an average attendance of nearly 4 people per concert.

After 10 trial runs, it is enough to prove Lu Jiang’s commercial appeal. Now it is time to fully roll it out.

Lu Jiang doesn't make 200 million per game, but Warner makes at least that much.

Moreover, other top popular singers, such as Ren Xianqi and Andy Lau, hold far more than 10 concerts a year.

Therefore, as Lu Jiang's popularity continues to rise in the future and he is very dedicated, Warner will definitely make a profit.

Zhou Jianhui is more confident than anyone else that Lu Jiang's popularity will stabilize and increase.

Because Lu Jiang currently has 6 songs stored in the warehouse and have not been released with "Lu Jiang·Chinese Style".

Zhou Jianhui knows the quality of the songs, so at least Lu Jiang’s next album will definitely not fail.

In addition, there are huge profits from peripheral products, copyrights, etc.

The most important thing is that Aaron Kwok is about to leave the stage.

Warner has signed new artists, such as Stefanie Sun, but their future is unknown.

The competitors were eyeing Lu Jiang covetously.

Warner wants to maintain its current position and absorb more strong players, such as A-Mei, Yehenara, and potential newcomers, such as Wang Feng, to continue to explore the Chinese-speaking and mainland markets.

Warner must continue to maintain the Lu Jiang brand.

So one hundred million is worth it.

"As long as you agree, we can give you 50 million as the first payment."

Zhou Jianhui finally increased the bet.

A year and a half ago, Lu Jiang's signing fee was 100 million.

Now a 50-fold jump has been achieved.

Fortunately, this is not a bubble.
　The MV songs opened in the treasure chest are by default free of copyright disputes, saving you the trouble
　　
　
(End of this chapter)