Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 27 Should I eat this cake or not?
“The Dark Side is positioned as a thriller and suspense film, telling the story of a woman who pretends to be missing in order to test her boyfriend but ends up losing him.”

Wu Chen stood between the two of them and talked slowly.

Zhang Zemin flipped through the script and lost interest in it, but became very interested in Wu Chen's story.

The script is not written for the general public. Ordinary people will probably be confused when reading it.

"Suspense films are great. I like watching suspense films. I still occasionally watch those Hong Kong suspense films and reminisce about them."

Zhang Zemin took over the conversation cheerfully and interjected while Wu Chen was drinking water.

Mu Deyuan also nodded with satisfaction. He could not find any fault with Wu Chen's narration just now, but the real focus was still the next topic.

"By the way, Uncle Zhang, have you seen Feng Xiaogang's 'Never Ending'?" Wu Chen suddenly changed the subject after drinking the water.

"Feng Xiaogang's? I haven't seen it!" Zhang Zemin shook his head. "I don't like his movies. I don't understand some of the jokes."

"To be honest, I am too. But now that I'm studying this major, I have to study it." Wu Chen agreed with a smile, "But his film has contributed a lot of value to the company."

"Oh?" Zhang Zemin was a little curious.

"There's a scene in the movie where the driver, played by Ge You, is holding a Bank of China Great Wall Card, which was also China's first credit card.

But because of this scene, the number of credit cards issued in 1999 surged 217% year-on-year, exceeding 80, and the monthly printing volume of "Ge You's same credit card" application forms reached 50!

Zhang Zemin's voice rose three degrees when he heard this, "So exaggerated?"

"More than that! Jacklyn Wu held Wahaha pure water throughout the event, and the angle of the bottle logo facing the camera was adjusted 37 times. This also directly led to Wahaha's Q4 sales increasing by two times month-on-month, and its market share in North China soared from 11% to 39%."

Wu Chen casually recounted the case of movie marketing.

"That's a pity. I don't have my own brand yet. If I put a brand on the samples, customers won't buy them." Zhang Zemin said with some regret.

Zhang Zemin felt very sorry, but Wu Chen didn't feel the same at all.

If there is a trademark, it is useless!
What I want is no trademark.

He had already made up his mind. After all, his film had to be released to compete in film festivals. If it contained trademark advertisements, it would have too much of a commercial flavor and would make the audience feel lost.

"Uncle Zhang, it's a shame there's no trademark, but in the script, the heroine is a women's shoe designer, and most of the movie takes place in a villa.

The shoes of the two female protagonists and the sample drafts of the shoes are all selling points to customers."

Wu Chen stood next to Zhang Zemin and described, "Uncle Zhang, think about it. After this movie is finished and released, I'll cut a suitable clip for you, and you can put a DVD at the counter to repeat the scene. Even for this, wouldn't it be more impressive than others?
Clothes make the man, and saddles make the horse. The same goes for shoes. Having been in a movie and not being in a movie are two different things.

The former is art, the latter is a commodity, just like the difference between advertising on CCTV and handing out flyers on the streets!"

After hearing what Wu Chen said, Zhang Zemin, who already had this idea in his heart, became even more tempted and rubbed his thumb and index finger slightly.

Seeing this, Wu Chen immediately increased the pressure, "Uncle Zhang, I remember that your shoes were mainly sold to Hong Kong after being branded, and the ones sold abroad were..."

"Russia and Italy!" Zhang Zemin replied casually.

"That's right, Hong Kong and Italy will fall for this!" Wu Chen said decisively.

"Hong Kong has a strong film atmosphere. Florence, Italy, is also the world's art capital. These shoes, with the addition of our film, naturally have a more artistic feel than shoes from other stalls.

Uncle Zhang, let's change it. If you were a customer from Hong Kong or Italy, and you walked into these stalls, which brand of women's shoes would you choose to put on the brand label? And my two female protagonists, apart from anything else, are absolutely young and beautiful. They will definitely look good in these women's shoes.

When the movie comes out, Uncle Zhang, your stall sales will increase several times, then you can register a brand
Then follow this routine, first highlight the product features, emphasize user experience, then find the target audience, and finally find a celebrity endorsement. With this series of moves, it will be difficult not to succeed!

Of course, my tricks are just superficial. Uncle Zhang, you've been fighting in the business world for many years, so these little tricks probably wouldn't catch your eye. I'd appreciate your guidance when you have time!"

Wu Chen not only completed the plan, but also gave Zhang Zemin enough emotional value.

Always remember that humans are emotional animals.

Although it may sound false, it is very useful.

Pleasant words and humble expressions in communication may not change the final result, but they will affect the process and details.

Wu Chen's promotional idea is actually very low-level in later generations, but it is very effective now. It depends on whether Zhang Zemin can understand it in advance.

No, I let you give your best, but you are here giving speeches and making promises, and in the end you even fail to provide any emotions?

At this time, Mu Deyuan looked at Wu Chen in surprise. He didn't expect that his student's level of "deception" was so high.

I thought I would have to do it myself, but I didn't expect Wu Chen to do it directly.

But on second thought, what Wu Chen said seemed to be true, and the probability of success was not low.

Zhang Zemin was very pleased, but after years of working in the business world, he was already thinking about the blueprint that Wu Chen mentioned.

Although he doesn't understand movies, he knows that everything depends on people.

People come first.

And the impression Wu Chen left on him was quite outstanding.

He has a good background. Although he is young and aggressive, he is humble and steady, speaks sophisticatedly, and has a high emotional intelligence.

It's somewhat feasible.

Zhang Zemin's eyes flashed slightly. As long as there was a chance of winning, it would be a matter of whether to gamble or not.

Mu Deyuan could see that Zhang Zemin had basically made up his mind, and suddenly said, "Actually, Principal Zhang and I are quite optimistic about Wu Chen's script, and we are willing to invest all the school's support funds.

The script is a good one. After so many years in the film industry, I can see that clearly.

But young people are full of youthful vigor and are determined to achieve some results and prove themselves." Mu Deyuan smiled and shook his head.

This statement may seem "derogatory", but it is actually a compliment, and it also subtly expresses the scarcity of resources.

"Wu Chen, he's just like his father. I met his father a long time ago. At that time, I had just started making women's shoes. His father came to the stall in the shoe city to spy on the 'military intelligence'.

Women’s shoes were easy to make back then, and the market was going smoothly, but his father insisted on making men’s shoes, saying he was fighting his way out of it.

Zhang Zemin talked about the past happily, and the relationship seemed to become closer.

(End of this chapter)