Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 537, 535: Want to sit at the table?

As the noise of the groundbreaking ceremony gradually subsided, the leaders left by car one after another, leaving only the construction unit and staff from Shengying and China Film Group to carry out the final finishing touches.

The gentle spring breeze still carried a slight chill, fluttering the hem of Wang Sheng's clothes.

He and Han Sanping were standing in front of the foundation stone that had just been covered with soil, talking in hushed tones about the details of the site's future plans, when a middle-aged man in a dark jacket with a sharp and capable demeanor walked over with a smile.

Wang Sheng recognized him; he was a close associate of a key leader in Beijing, surnamed Chen, and usually addressed as "Director Chen" or "Secretary Chen" by people in the circle.

"Chairman Wang, Chairman Han." Director Chen smiled warmly and shook hands with the two men. "Congratulations on the groundbreaking ceremony of the base. This is an important piece of the puzzle for the industrialization of Chinese film. The leadership attaches great importance to it."

"Director Chen, you flatter me. This wouldn't have been possible without the support and guidance of the leaders," Wang Sheng replied politely, while Han Sanping nodded with a smile.

Director Chen then changed the subject casually, asking, "Is Chairman Wang's schedule packed for the next period of time?"

"It mainly involves some strategic deployments after the company's listing and the follow-up of several key projects," Wang Sheng replied, leaving room for ambiguity.

“Oh,” Director Chen nodded, gazing into the distance, and said seemingly casually, “The Athens Olympics will start in August. We’ll be organizing a cultural and sports exchange and observation delegation, a high-level one. The leadership thinks that Chairman Wang, you’re an expert in large-scale events and productions, with a keen eye. If you have time, you might as well go and see how the opening ceremony of such a mega-international event is run, especially the integration of cultural presentation and technology.”

Wang Sheng's heart stirred slightly.

Athens Olympics?
August 2004...

His thoughts flashed like lightning, traversing time.

The bidding and preparation work for the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics officially started on March 1, 2005!
The seemingly casual invitation from the leader at this moment carries a deeper meaning that is self-evident.

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Wang Sheng's mind, but he remained calm on the surface, only showing a humble and knowing smile, and his tone became more solemn: "Thank you for giving me this opportunity, leader. Such an important international event is indeed a very valuable learning experience. Please tell the leader, Director Chen, that I will definitely make time and have my secretary coordinate all the schedules so that I can report on time."

Director Chen's smile deepened, clearly satisfied with Wang Sheng's reaction. He patted Wang Sheng on the shoulder: "Alright, then I won't disturb your business discussion with Chairman Han any longer. The office will officially notify you of the specific arrangements later."

After saying that, he turned and left decisively.

"You figured it out?" Han Sanping's voice rang out from the side, tinged with a barely perceptible sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of mixed emotions, including admiration and awe). Being within the system, he was more sensitive to such signals.

Wang Sheng withdrew his gaze, nodded, and said nothing more, but they understood each other implicitly.

"Let's talk about something more immediate," Han Sanping changed the subject. "Your Sino-American Film Festival is very supported by the higher-ups. The coordination work is progressing more smoothly than expected. We've had some informal contact through diplomatic and cultural channels, and the relevant American institutions have also expressed their welcome. After all, promoting cultural exchange is politically correct, and they're happy to see it happen. With the official backing, many things are much easier to handle."

"Yes, Zhao Jingsong reported to me." Wang Sheng was not surprised. This was part of his plan: to use official power to clear obstacles and allow private capital and the market to operate flexibly.

“These are all just preludes,” Han Sanping waved his hand, clearly not interested in the details. He was more concerned about the specific projects. “How’s ‘Havoc in Heaven’ going? How’s Xu Ke’s script being polished? This is the benchmark project we plan to use to establish our prestige after the base is completed.”

"The script outline and main character settings are basically finalized. Tsui Hark has put a lot of effort into this," Wang Sheng replied. "We've also communicated with Liu Xiao Ling Tong. He attaches great importance to this and has already begun rehabilitation training and script reading. The art and concept design teams are working hard to combine the magnificent imagination of Eastern mythology with modern audiovisual language. We expect... to officially start filming next month."

"Great! This is a crucial project, it can only succeed, it cannot fail."

Han Sanping breathed a sigh of relief, then remembered something else and frowned slightly: "There's another thing. The Korean Film Council has sent a message through official channels, hoping, well, I should say 'eagerly anticipating' that you can personally lead a world-class Sino-Korean co-production blockbuster."

They stated that they could cover the majority of the production costs and were willing to relinquish some of the global distribution revenue, simply to have their name, Wang Sheng, credited as director and producer.

Upon hearing this, Wang Sheng asked, "Want to sit at the table?"
Han Sanping didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point: "To put it bluntly, it's about using someone else's boat to cross the sea. Seeing your great success in Hollywood, although you obtained the pilot qualification to import Korean films in the past two years, the two films that you imported each year have been lukewarm in the mainland market, not even making a splash."

On the contrary, one Sino-Korean co-production per year, which we lead and strictly control, like that previous romance film, has done quite well at the box office. They're not content with just operating in the Asian market; they want to ride your coattails to truly break into Hollywood and go global.

Wang Sheng gestured to his assistant to bring a bottle of water, unscrewed it, took a sip, and his mind quickly flashed through his assessment of the current state of the South Korean film industry.

At this time, South Korean cinema, with films such as "Shiri" and "Joint Security Area," achieved great success in the domestic market against Hollywood. Its internal creative vitality was strong, and its exploration of genre films was in-depth. Indeed, a number of talented directors and actors emerged, and the scale and level of industrialization of the industry ranked among the top in Asia.

But precisely because of this, they crave international recognition, especially from mainstream Western markets.

However, their path of "going global" is similar to that of Hong Kong films in the past, and even to the current impetuous mentality of some domestic entertainment industries. To some extent, they have fallen into the predicament of being "defined" by Western film festivals and market evaluation systems. They either deliberately cater to the West's curiosity about the East (such as certain themes that over-emphasize violence and dark history), or they try to get closer to Hollywood in terms of genre films but can hardly break free from its clichés and lack the confidence to express their cultural subjectivity.

They desperately needed an opportunity to break through this ceiling, and Wang Sheng, in their view, was the one who had the "key to success."

"Borrow my boat to go out to sea?" Wang Sheng put down his water bottle, his tone calm but with a hint of detachment. "Not a bad idea. By co-producing top-tier blockbusters, we can indeed promote each other technically and complement each other's strengths in terms of resources."

He then changed the subject, "But, there's no need."

Han Sanping raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.

"From a certain perspective, the current predicament of South Korean films is similar to the predicament of Hong Kong films in their later stages."

Wang Sheng slowly said, with a slightly "conspiracy theory" but not entirely unreasonable analysis, "To some extent, it has been 'defined' and 'domesticated' by the Western discourse system and market rules."

They strive to make films that meet 'international standards,' but who sets those standards? It's nothing more than a few film festival judges and buying managers from major Hollywood studios. Why should we repeat this path and reinforce this pre-defined identity for them?

He looked at Han Sanping and revealed his true plan: "My next plan for Sino-Korean co-productions is not to target Hollywood, but to compete in the three major European countries."

"The three major European film festivals?" Han Sanping was slightly taken aback, then realized that he was referring to the Cannes, Venice, and Berlin film festivals.

“Yes.” Wang Sheng nodded. “I plan to take advantage of South Korea’s relatively mature art film production environment and their technical sophistication to launch and produce a film in South Korea. The story can be set in South Korea or a fictional East Asian setting, but the core creative team and lead actors will be led by our people, guiding promising Chinese actors to compete for awards.”

He further explained: "Since the story does not take place locally, there are fewer unnecessary sensitivities and red lines in terms of censorship, allowing for greater creative freedom and making it easier to touch upon some universal and profound human issues, which is exactly what the three major European cinemas favor."

We can produce auteur films that possess the essence of Eastern aesthetics and resonate with Western intellectuals. Our goal is the Palme d'Or, the Golden Lion, and the Golden Bear.

"This..." Han Sanping pondered for a moment, "To cultivate a group of domestic entertainment artists with international influence, to enhance our image, and to increase our voice in the international film industry... This idea is quite unique. The risks are also relatively controllable."

“Yes,” Wang Sheng affirmed, “Everything follows South Korea’s film censorship system, so it’s compliant and legal. We provide the creative ideas, capital, and core artists, while they provide the production team and the local market base. It’s a win-win situation.”

If successful, it will not only train our team and actors and bring international honors, but also avoid overly stimulating the sensitive creative environment in China, and in turn promote the development of domestic art films.

As for South Korea wanting to use a boat to go to Hollywood... it's not too late to go after they've proven their worth in the three major European countries..."

Han Sanping pondered for a moment, then a smile gradually appeared on his face. He pointed at Wang Sheng and said, "You're quick-witted, kid! Okay, you handle this. Anyway, you've always been in charge of co-productions. But be careful not to go too far. After all, they are an important neighbor and cultural exchange partner of ours. Don't provoke them."

"Don't worry, teacher," Wang Sheng smiled calmly, "Everything will proceed within the rules. Cooperation and mutual benefit are the only way to achieve long-term success."

(End of this chapter)