In the entertainment industry, everyone has been reborn, but who will be their servant?

Chapter 22: Taking charge of the family
In fact, many people at the bottom of society have backbone; it's not that they are silent, but that they have limited abilities and their voices are not heard.

They are also very united. For example, when the screenwriter of "Blossoms" was exposed for misappropriating his work, many grassroots screenwriters published articles to boycott Wong Kar-wai and the person who misappropriated his work.

Even those who support them face criticism and condemnation. For example, Pau Tak-hei publicly took sides and was criticized by many people.

They were just too powerful. They not only whitewashed the occupiers by claiming they donated money for charity, but also smeared them by saying they took the crew's materials.

In addition, with the vested interests in the industry taking sides on a large scale, the screenwriters had no choice but to accept it.

This creates a stark polarization: those at the bottom of the entertainment industry are always emotionally opposed to the vested interests because the vested interests have blocked their path, yet they still have no choice but to rely on this industry to make a living.

This is the current state of the entertainment industry, unchanged for decades, which is why so many people responded when Qin Xuan raised his voice.

"It was indeed written by me personally, there was no third party involved. Of course, the story 'Twelve Citizens' is an adaptation, based on the American story 'Twelve Angry Men,' with localization." Qin Xuan did not hide anything.

Those movies are from fifty years ago; I guess some people haven't seen them.

"I was wondering why this looked so familiar. Have you paid the copyright fees?" Shen Ao asked, looking at him.

"What are we going to pay? Where would we get the money and the connections to contact them? Let's just film it first, and then we'll buy the copyright later," Qin Xuan said.

Currently, copyright laws are not strictly enforced in China. Even if the other party realizes something is plagiarized after the film is released, it's usually long after the film's release.

Of course, he could play the timing game, releasing the movie last and then using the money from the earlier movies to buy the rights later if they did well at the box office.

It's a very old movie, so the copyright fee shouldn't be too expensive.

"That's one way to do it," Li Miao said, looking at the others and agreeing.

The others didn't say anything either; they just told them to do what they were told. They didn't care about a US film copyright.

“These three scripts are indeed good. Now it’s just a matter of who will direct and who will invest. Mr. Xuan, who do you plan to find to invest?” Shen Ao didn’t say anything and skipped over that question.

Copyright issues are not something he considers.

“You all,” Qin Xuan said, pointing.

"Us?" Everyone was surprised and puzzled. Where did they get the money?

"As you all know, it's definitely not feasible to find investors within the film and television industry; they won't invest in us. We also lack channels for external capital, and they aren't currently interested in the film and television industry. So, we have no choice but to invest ourselves," Qin Xuan said.

“But we don’t have that much money!” Zhang Linke said.

"Don't worry, we can use crowdfunding. Everyone can contribute a little, a few thousand or tens of thousands is fine. As long as there are enough people, we can easily spread the cost. The investment for these three movies isn't very high," Qin Xuan said.

These words left everyone present looking at each other in bewilderment; it was the first time they'd ever seen anything like this.

If it's several thousand or tens of thousands, they can definitely afford it. They can take some out of their own pockets or borrow some from their families; it's more than enough.

“I agree with President Xuan’s proposal. Let’s crowdfund and use our own capital. We won’t be controlled by anyone else and can do whatever we want.” Zhang Linke immediately raised his hand in agreement. He could ask his family for tens of thousands of yuan.

Many students who can get into Beijing Film Academy or Central Academy of Drama come from relatively well-off families, roughly middle class.

Although the economy is not as large as it was later, people nowadays don't have the pressure of car loans or mortgages, and they can save money.

"I also think it's feasible; it shouldn't be a big problem if everyone pools their money." Some people also expressed their agreement.

Others were also interested, mainly because of the feeling of being in charge.

"But how much will this cost?" someone asked.

"Let's not talk about the actors' salaries for now, we'll discuss that later. As for the script copyright fees, we don't need to worry about that, we can save that. We can just find a deserted factory to rent for a month or two, that won't cost much. The main expenses will be for set design, props, and lighting, which might be a bit higher. With three films, three scenes, and three styles, that part will cost around 60."

In addition, the rental cost for medium-sized filming equipment is around 20, and the cost for post-production effects such as mixing, editing, color grading, and visual effects is approximately 45 (for three films).

Then there are the labor costs for the crew members, which could range from 30 to 50 yuan.

Qin Xuan was interrupted by Li Miao before he could finish speaking.

"President Xuan, we don't need to pay our salaries. Since we're investing ourselves, we can just take a cut of the profits later. We'll provide meals during filming."

"Yes, why should we ask for a salary for our own films!"

The others nodded in agreement; they hadn't planned to ask for any salary for helping President Xuan with the film.

President Xuan himself has helped them a lot.

"That won't do. If you put in the work and don't get paid, you'll be treated like cattle. Investment is investment, and labor is labor." Qin Xuan waved his hand.

“President Xuan, you wrote the script without asking for royalties, so you’re making a contribution. We’re just starting out and still in the early stages, so let’s not be so particular,” Li Miao said.

"Yes, as long as the movie is made and makes money, don't forget about us," someone said.

Everyone else agreed and had no objection; working for someone else was like being a beast of burden.

Working for Boss Xuan and getting paid is a form of hard work!

The nature of the situation changes completely once everyone is involved.

"Alright then, I won't be coy. It's true that these are difficult times, and we can't take care of many things right now. But don't worry, everyone who invested in these three films will receive a share of the profits. We won't let anyone down," Qin Xuan promised.

"No need to say so much, we all believe in you," Shen Ao said.

President Xuan's character is reliable.

“Okay, excluding labor costs, the budget is around 125 million. Of course, this is an ideal budget. There are still many food and accommodation expenses not included, and we also need to reserve some for actors’ salaries. Of course, we can’t find famous actors. If we are more generous, 150 million to 200 million can be done,” Qin Xuan said.

In this era, you can hire an ordinary actor who is not famous for tens of thousands of yuan; you don't need that many.

Then Qin Xuan added, "After you go back, you can encourage your trusted friends and alumni to participate in the investment."

This is to get them to mobilize their own social circles.

“Sure, I’ll go back and tell my mom to bring me thirty to fifty thousand.” Zhang Linke was very generous.

If everyone could contribute 30,000 to 50,000 yuan, the number of people involved would be much smaller, and it wouldn't involve so many people.

"Let me make this clear from the outset: investment involves risk. No one should invest too much; it must be within their own risk tolerance," Qin Xuan cautioned, worried that they might act impulsively.

"Don't worry, Mr. Xuan. We can afford tens of thousands. It won't affect our families. Besides, we're doing legitimate business, not thievery. If we succeed, we'll be well-known in this industry, and our families will definitely support us." Li Miao saw things clearly.

The others nodded in agreement, agreeing that what he said made sense.

If you say you play games and chase girls, your family will be more cautious. But if you say you're investing in making movies, your family will support you, since that's what you're in.

Of course, this is all on the premise that their family members don't think they've been scammed; only they can explain that themselves.

(End of this chapter)