Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 345, Section 343: Tribute

During the lull while waiting for Jackie Chan to finish filming "Rush Hour 2", Wang Sheng steadily and surely pushed forward with all the planned work.

The primary task, of course, is to perfect the script for "Night at the Museum".

He would meet with the core writing team almost every two or three days to gradually bring the bizarre "Museum of Chinese Civilization" in his mind to life.

He repeatedly emphasized: "Imagination should be boundless, but writing must be based on evidence. The behavior and language style of every 'living' cultural relic must conform to its historical background and cultural symbols. We cannot just make things up for the sake of being funny."

Our humor should be based on a resonance and a sense of cultural misunderstanding; it should be sophisticated humor, not cheap gimmicks.

Under his supervision, the script became increasingly rich and complete.

……

Wang Sheng also took some time to visit the filming locations of "Lost in Thailand".

Filming began in late February and has been going on for almost half a month.

The atmosphere on set was lively, full of grassroots energy and everyday life.

When Wang Sheng arrived, they were filming a scene where Li Chenggong (played by Fan Wei) and Niu Geng (played by Wang Baoqiang) were forced to squeeze onto a dilapidated long-distance bus because they had lost their train tickets.

Fan Wei portrayed the successful boss he played with distinct layers of embarrassment, anxiety, and lingering sense of superiority as he fell from grace. Wang Baoqiang, on the other hand, vividly depicted the unassuming, heavily accented Niu Geng's honest, optimistic, and even somewhat stubborn kindness.

The two, one serious and the other humorous, one shrewd and the other clumsy, created a wonderful chemistry. Just a few glances and exchanges of lines were enough to make the staff on set burst into laughter.

After his inspection, Wang Sheng returned to Beijing.

……

End of March.

At the company, Wang Sheng met with Jung Tae-won, the president of South Korea's Tae-won Entertainment.

When Zheng Taiyuan saw Wang Sheng again, his attitude was even more enthusiastic than before, and even showed some respect.

After exchanging pleasantries and taking their seats, he did not rush to get to the point, but instead solemnly presented an exquisite gift box.

"Mr. Wang, this is just a small token of my appreciation, please accept it." Zheng Taiyuan's face was full of smiles.

When Wang Sheng opened it, he found a classic-looking and exquisitely crafted watch inside. The dial was understated and restrained, but the details exuded luxury. The brand's classic logo, Patek Philippe, was engraved on the back of the case.

Based on market prices in 2001, this watch was worth at least 500,000 RMB, which was quite a substantial gift for the president of an entertainment company.

"President Zheng, what is this?" Wang Sheng knew perfectly well, but pretended not to understand.

"Mr. Wang, this is to thank you! A huge thank you!"

Jung Tae-won's tone became excited, "Last year, I followed your strong advice and imported 'My Sassy Girl' for release in South Korea."

Guess what happened? The number of viewers surpassed six million! Six million people!

This figure was an absolutely sensational achievement in the South Korean film market in 2001.

Wang Sheng quickly compared the film to the 2001 South Korean box office champion, "Friend," which had over 800 million viewers.

"My Sassy Girl" is very likely to rank among the top three, or even the top two, in the annual box office, making it a phenomenal blockbuster.

This is not only a huge commercial success, but also has an immeasurable effect on enhancing Tae Won Entertainment's industry standing and Jung Tae Won's personal reputation.

"This movie has absolutely blown up a storm in South Korea!" Jung Tae-won continued excitedly. "Young people are all going crazy imitating Jun Ji-hyun's style and lines, and the 'savage craze' has swept the whole country. This completely proves how accurate your judgment was, Mr. Wang! I will never forget your kindness and guidance!"

Wang Sheng smiled slightly, gently closed the watch box, and pushed it back in front of Zheng Taiyuan: "President Zheng, you are too kind. The success of the film is the result of the quality of the film itself and the proper operation of your company. I was just saying something along the way. I am unworthy to accept such a generous gift."

"Mr. Wang, if you don't accept it, you're looking down on me, Zheng Taiyuan!" Zheng Taiyuan's attitude was firm, and he pushed the gift box back again. "This is not just a thank-you gift, but also represents Taiyuan Entertainment's sincerity in hoping to cooperate closely with you and Shengying Media in the long term!"

Seeing the other party's sincere attitude, Wang Sheng stopped being coy and gestured to Li Tingting to accept the watch.

"In that case, I am unworthy of such praise. Congratulations to President Zheng on your outstanding achievements."

Seeing that Wang Sheng accepted the gift, Zheng Taiyuan's smile widened, and he then began to get to the real purpose of his trip.

"Mr. Wang, to be honest, the success of 'My Sassy Girl' and the positive response to the previous Sino-Korean co-production 'Happy Family' in South Korea have made me deeply aware of the enormous potential of Chinese stories and the Chinese market."

Especially Cha Tae-hyun, whose outstanding performance in "Happy Family" earned him the Blue Dragon Award for Best New Actor, propelling his career to new heights! This further strengthens my resolve to deepen our cooperation with you.

He paused, took a document from his briefcase, and respectfully handed it to Wang Sheng: "Our company recently signed a group of very promising newcomers, especially several female artists. I think they have excellent potential. I would like to ask Mr. Wang, with your 'golden touch,' to take a look and see if there are any talents suitable for development in the Chinese market."

Wang Sheng took the document, opened it, and sure enough, it was a list of artists, all of whom were women, with resumes and photos attached.

His gaze swept quickly across the room and he saw two familiar names: Son Ye-jin ( ) and Han Ga-in ( ).

While casually flipping through the photos, Wang Sheng said to Zheng Taiyuan without looking up, "President Zheng, let's get straight to the point. You didn't come here just to show me a few new faces. If you have any thoughts, just get straight to the point."

Seeing Wang Sheng's directness, Zheng Taiyuan chuckled twice, leaned forward slightly, and lowered his voice, saying, "Mr. Wang has excellent insight. I do indeed have a request. You see, the influence of Chinese culture in South Korea is growing day by day, and our movies and TV dramas are very popular among young people."

So, could we... also have the opportunity to have our Korean films screened in mainland Chinese cinemas?

Wang Sheng put down the list, raised his head, looked calmly at Zheng Taiyuan, and slowly said, "President Zheng, how much do you know about China's film distribution policies?"

"I know a little bit, please enlighten me, Mr. Wang," Zheng Taiyuan said humbly.

"Our country implements a film import monopoly system," Wang Sheng explained. "Each year, the number of overseas films allowed to be imported through box office revenue sharing is mainly Hollywood blockbusters, and there are strict quota restrictions on the number."

This segment of the competition is extremely fierce, and is basically controlled by a few powerful state-owned publishing companies and a very small number of private companies that can pull strings, with the goal of introducing the most market-appealing global blockbusters.

Given the current influence and box office volume of South Korean films in the international market, it will be difficult for them to snatch these coveted revenue-sharing slots from Hollywood.

He paused, then continued, "Besides that, there is another method called 'bulk distribution,' which involves buying out films in bulk for distribution."

This means that Chinese film distributors buy out the distribution rights of a foreign film in mainland China at a fixed price, and bear all profits and losses themselves.

This method has no explicit limit on the amount, but the approval authority for the 'quotas' is still in the hands of the relevant competent authorities. Moreover…

Wang Sheng's tone carried a touch of realistic calm: "Currently, Chinese film distributors generally prefer small- to medium-budget genre films from Europe and America, believing that they are well-made, have clear genres, and have a certain market foundation."

Most film distributors lack understanding of South Korean films and do not believe they possess sufficient commercial value to warrant the risk of purchasing and promoting them. Therefore, even with film quotas available, it is difficult for them to be allocated to South Korean films.

Zheng Taiyuan's smile was somewhat stiff, but he was clearly somewhat prepared for this, and he hurriedly said, "President Wang, I understand the difficulties. I don't expect to be selected, I just hope that President Wang can help make connections and secure a few opportunities, a few slots for film distribution! We can provide the best quality films, and we can also offer a discount!"

Wang Sheng did not answer immediately; he pondered for a moment.

“This matter,” Wang Sheng finally spoke, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger, “I need to consider it. I also need to see the timing and the market reaction.”

He didn't make a definitive statement, leaving a way out.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Taiyuan did not receive a definite answer, but the fact that Wang Sheng did not directly refuse gave him hope.

He quickly stood up and bowed again: "Yes, yes, it's my duty! Everything is up to President Wang's discretion! No matter the outcome, Taiyuan Entertainment will always be Shengying Media's most loyal partner!"

Jung Tae-won then left, but the list remained.

……

(End of this chapter)