Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 45: Building Momentum in Advance
Finished shaking hands.

Han Sanping took out a cigarette case, flicked two cigarettes out of the case with just the right amount of force, and then handed one of them to Wang Sheng.

Wang Sheng waved his hand in refusal.

"Tsk~"

Han Sanping smacked his lips and said, "When I was your age, I was already a heavy smoker."

He lit his own fire as he spoke.

The atmosphere in the room became much more harmonious.

"Wang Sheng."

Han Sanping, exhaling a smoke ring, asked, "After being busy all this time, do you have a clear understanding of the 'personalized customization' business model? Have you finalized the specific procedures?"

Wang Sheng answered clearly: "It's basically settled. 'Personalized customization' can be divided into three core links."

"Oh? Tell me."

"The first step is 'front-facing shooting'."

Wang Sheng explained: "It is best to shoot a 'wedding movie' of about forty minutes long, at least a month or even earlier before the wedding."

The script can be adapted from their true love story. If the storyline isn't strong enough, or if the client has specific preferences, we can also provide several classic love story templates for selection. This part is purely creative, maximizing the 'cinematic feel' and uniqueness.

Shooting in advance allows time for post-production and shipping of the finished product.

"The second part is to provide full documentary filming of the wedding day. This goes without saying, but we need to use equipment and technology that match the price to ensure that every precious moment is filmed like a movie."

"The third aspect is 'cinematic presentation'."

Wang Sheng paused, then continued, "During the wedding ceremony, we can choose an appropriate time to play the 'wedding movie' we've prepared in advance, directly maximizing the emotional value the clients need. Later, we can also learn from Mr. Chen's idea and collaborate with local screening venues, such as cultural centers or cinemas, to book screenings of this exclusive film, inviting more relatives, friends, and even prominent local figures to watch. This not only satisfies the emotional needs of wealthy people, but more importantly..."

Emotional value...

While Han Sanping was still pondering this word.

Wang Sheng emphasized, "We can also take this opportunity to establish good cooperative relationships with grassroots film screening units in various places."

"If we accumulate this favor, won't we be able to speak with more confidence when it comes to scheduling our own films at the Beijing Film Studio in the future?"

hiss~
Han Sanping slammed his hand on the sofa armrest, his face beaming with surprise and admiration: "I didn't expect you to have thought of that too..."

He increasingly felt that collaborating with Wang Sheng was the absolutely right decision.

In his excitement, Han Sanping's mind started working: "Hey, Wang Sheng, since we can use resources like makeup, set design, photography, and lighting, why don't we package up the high-end wedding photography business as well? That way we can further increase our profit margin. Our factory's makeup artists have done makeup for Liu Xiaoqing and Gong Xue before, is that enough of a selling point?"

Wang Sheng nodded slightly: "This idea is very feasible. It can be offered as an added-value service or bundled with the 'personalized customization' package."

The emphasis is on promoting our makeup artist team's level and illustrious achievements, such as titles like 'Master Makeup Artist' and 'Celebrity's Personal Stylist.' However…

He then shifted his tone and pointed out a key point: "Our makeup artists and styling concepts must keep up with the times and even lead the trends. We can't work in isolation, thinking 'If I think it looks good, then it's fine.'"

It is necessary to research the most popular wedding photo styles on the market, or to customize them according to the client's specific requirements.

This requires some training and a change in mindset among our factory's experienced workers.

"It's natural!"

Han Sanping wholeheartedly agreed: "We will provide whatever the market needs. The old-fashioned aesthetics need to be changed. I will personally talk to the makeup and clothing workshops about this later."

After discussing business model expansion, Han Sanping got to the practical support issue: "What kind of support do you need most from the factory right now? Just tell me. Since we're going to go all out, we need to be well-equipped."

Wang Sheng had already considered this issue and said directly, "First, we need talent. To expand our business in the south and even across the country, we need someone who is tactful, adept at interpersonal relationships, and capable of working independently to build a business team, maintain customer relationships, and coordinate resources. My men are good at fighting, but they are too inexperienced in diplomacy and market expansion."

Han Sanping flicked his cigarette ash: "You've thought this through very well. This kind of talent is indeed hard to find. Do you have a suitable candidate in mind?"

Wang Sheng smiled and said a name: "Yu Dong, deputy head of the distribution department. I think he's quick-witted, has traveled all over the country, and is very reliable in his speech and actions. He's a suitable candidate."

"Yu Dong?" Han Sanping paused for a moment, then pointed at Wang Sheng with his finger: "You have a sharp eye, kid. Yu Dong is indeed a capable person, one of my trusted lieutenants in the publishing department. However..."

He pondered for a moment, realizing that the factory's future film production was bound to be reduced and the distribution business would also shrink, so Yu Dong's talents might indeed have nowhere to be displayed.

Rather than keeping him confined to the factory, it's better to let him open up new battlefields.

"Alright!" Han Sanping continued, "The studio will definitely produce fewer and fewer films in the future, and the distribution business won't be as profitable. Let Yu Dong go and help you; I'll talk to him later."

"Thank you for your support, Factory Director." Wang Sheng then stated his second request: "Secondly, it's about equipment. Currently, our high-end business relies entirely on film cameras, and the factory's equipment inventory and usage scheduling are limited."

"If we could rent or borrow some idle film cameras and related equipment from other film studios, our production capacity and business capacity could be greatly improved." Han Sanping pondered for a moment, considering that film studios everywhere were copying the 'wedding film' concept, and he didn't dare to make a guarantee: "I need to try contacting them first."

“Okay.” Wang Sheng concluded, “Thirdly, there’s the start-up capital. To fully roll out the ‘personalized customization’ business, we need money for personnel travel, venue rental, relationship management, equipment transportation and maintenance, and advertising. Shengying Media’s current funds are needed to ensure the operation of the low-to-mid-end business, so the factory may need to advance part of the start-up capital for this new project.”

“No problem!” Han Sanping agreed readily: “Just make a budget for how much you need, and I’ll have the finance department prioritize it.”

"Okay, one last piece of support: I need your help to contact at least one newspaper that covers the entire Zhejiang province and arrange an exclusive interview for me. I want to first build up the project's momentum in Zhejiang Province."

"That's easy. Zhang Feng has an old classmate who works at the Qianjiang Evening News. I'll ask him to help me get in touch with him. I'll give you an answer tomorrow."

The two discussed the details for a while longer, and before they knew it, it was already past 1 a.m.

"Alright, let's stop here for today." Han Sanping stood up and stretched his stiff neck. "We'll finalize the details as soon as we get back to Beijing after we finish what we're doing in a few days. I'll handle Yu Dong and the equipment myself. You focus on getting the budget and a more detailed plan ready."

"Okay, factory manager. You should go back and get some rest too."

……

The following day, May 28th.

Sunlight shone through thin clouds, illuminating the slightly damp air of Lucheng.

Today's task is to film a "wedding short film" in the style of "Roman Holiday" for Ms. Chen and her husband, with a length of about forty minutes.

The filming location was chosen in a villa garden with a European style and a quiet and elegant tree-lined avenue nearby.

This was personally selected by Ms. Chen, who strived to capture the romantic atmosphere of "Roman Holiday".

When Wang Sheng arrived, Wu Yiyi had already directed the team to set up the machine.

The ARRI 16SR3 film camera gleamed with a cool metallic sheen in the sunlight. Compared to yesterday's wedding banquet photography, today's "story shooting" was more like a miniature, leisurely film crew.

Ms. Chen and her new husband were clearly a little nervous, especially the husband, whose body language appeared slightly stiff in front of the camera.

But the two were extremely serious, and they tried their best to perform their own "Roman Holiday" according to Wu Yiyi's simple explanation of the positioning and emotional requirements. It was nothing more than walking and smiling at each other on the tree-lined avenue, whispering to each other on the garden bench, imitating Hepburn and Peck's playful antics in front of the "Mouth of Truth", and finding a similar Chinese stone sculpture as a substitute. These classic scenes were strung together into a sweet little drama.

Wu Yiyi's directing style is calm and patient. He knows that these newcomers are not professional actors, so he is not demanding. He focuses on capturing the natural sweetness and happiness, as well as the aesthetics of the scene.

"Ms. Chen, just imagine that you met Mr. Zhao by chance, and you felt a connection, so you went for a walk together... Yes, be natural, link arms, and smile..."

“Mr. Zhao, could you look at Madam with a gentler gaze, yes, with a touch of appreciation…”

Wang Sheng watched from the sidelines with his arms crossed, occasionally offering a minor suggestion or two regarding the photography or lighting to ensure a cinematic feel.

As for the client's acting skills, it doesn't matter. After all, it's not a real movie shoot. As long as the newlyweds are relaxed and can show sweetness and happiness, the effect will be good with music and editing in post-production.

The film camera whirred, capturing the newlyweds strolling in the "Rome" sunshine, sharing ice cream on a bench, and laughing as they rode a rented tandem bicycle.

There were bound to be some NGs during the process, but the atmosphere remained relaxed and pleasant throughout.

For Ms. Chen and Mr. Zhao, this was also a rare life experience.

Many people may never even see a professional film crew in their lifetime, let alone experience making a movie firsthand.

Just as I was pondering this, my phone rang.

A few days ago, Boss Chen gave Wang Sheng a Nokia 2110, along with a SIM card and several thousand yuan in phone credit.

I pressed the answer button; it was Zhang Feng calling.

Zhang Feng said on the phone that reporters from all over Zhejiang Province, including reporters from Shanghai, who came to Lucheng yesterday to cover the "sky-high wedding" were still there because of the Lucheng publicity department's hospitality last night. Among them was a reporter from Qianjiang Evening News. He then asked Wang Sheng whether he would only accept interviews from Qianjiang Evening News reporters or take this opportunity to accept interviews from all reporters.

Wang Sheng chose the latter.

"Mr. Wang, let me arrange a press conference for you."

"Thank you for your trouble, Minister Zhang."

“No problem. Could you suggest a theme for the meeting now? That way, I can have them prepare their questions.”

Wang Sheng then revealed the interview topic he had been thinking about all night: "The theme of the meeting will be—exploring the 'limited justice' of the 'first to get rich' flaunting their wealth."

"Hmm, that's interesting. Okay, I'll have someone arrange it and let you know when it's done."

"Thank you, Minister Zhang..."

(End of this chapter)