Seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune, I became a legend in the entertainment industry by avo

Chapter 201 Do you even know what movie promotion is?

After seeing Jing Tian off, Zhang Qilin thought about the two million yuan shortfall that needed to be addressed.

While an eight-million-dollar startup project was feasible, he wasn't aiming for the typical performance effect.

He hopes to expand the reach of the Qin Liangyu IP through stage plays, allowing more people to pay attention to Qin Liangyu's story.

This means we need to put more effort into stage design, costumes, and props.

We need to expand our advertising and promotion channels, and all of this requires sufficient financial support.

Therefore, he still needs to find money.

Just as he was thinking about where to get money, a message appeared in front of him.

[Rewards: Luck Value +100, Clear Stream Mark Fragment +1, Luck Value 4000]

Seeing the reward, Zhang Qilin breathed a sigh of relief; he now had enough luck points to deal with the crisis.

After thinking for a long time, I couldn't think of a suitable candidate.

So Zhang Qilin thought of discussing with Dong Qiyu about starting the project first and paying in installments.

The call connected, and Dong Qiyu's slightly tired voice came from the other end: "What's wrong?"

Zhang Qilin said calmly, "Regarding the costumes and props for the Qin Liangyu project, there are some specific details I'd like to discuss with you in person. Would that be convenient?"

"Costumes and props?" Dong Qiyu's voice became more serious. "Okay, I was just about to talk to you about the progress of online promotion."

An hour later, the two met.

The first thing Dong Qiyu asked upon meeting was, "What happened to the costumes and props?"

Zhang Qilin didn't mince words: "Most of the support funds from the Beijing People's Art Theatre and my personal funds have been in place, but there's still a shortfall. The investors we had originally agreed to have changed their minds about this part."

Dong Qiyu grinned smugly: "Oh, got stood up?"

"There are some disagreements," Zhang Qilin ignored her teasing, "so I wanted to ask if you could—"

"Stop," Dong Qiyu raised her hand to stop him, looking somewhat troubled. "For this project, I've already poured all the funds I could muster into animation and online promotion. The collaboration fees with online platforms, the royalties for illustrators and cosplayers—which of these doesn't cost money? Right now, the accounts are emptier than my face."

She sighed, a rare look of worry on her face: "To be honest, I still don't know where to pay the final payment to those animation studios next quarter."

Zhang Qilin remained silent for a moment.

This was within his expectations. Although Dong Qiyu had a strong background, she might not have enough liquid funds available, and the scale of her operation was indeed too large.

"I understand your difficulties," Zhang Qilin said slowly, "but if the costumes and props are subpar, the stage effect will be greatly reduced, and all the previous publicity may become a joke. People are looking forward to a heroine, not a makeshift troupe."

Dong Qiyu was well aware of this principle.

She rubbed her temples in frustration: "Then what do you suggest we do? Money doesn't just fall from the sky."

"I understand," Zhang Qilin nodded, "but the costumes and props can't wait any longer."

"Then what do you mean?" Dong Qiyu looked at him warily. "Don't tell me you want me to spend more money."

"I'm not asking you to pay," Zhang Qilin said earnestly to Dong Qiyu, "I'm asking you to step in and find a costume and prop supplier to discuss whether we can advance the funds for production."

"Advance payment?" Dong Qiyu frowned.

Currently, the Hanfu industry is still a niche market, and most people in this industry are supported by their passion.

Many people have put a lot of effort into making Hanfu, but the profits are meager and the cash flow is not smooth.

Asking them to advance funds again is really asking too much of them.

Dong Qiyu looked up at Zhang Qilin, her expression quite helpless: "Your request is a bit unrealistic. These friends who make costumes and props aren't exactly well-off. They only get a few odd jobs to make ends meet. Asking them to advance the funds—"

Zhang Qilin understood Dong Qiyu's concerns and patiently explained, "I know this is not an easy matter, but we have no other choice. You have a wide network of connections in the industry, so they will give you some face. Besides, what we are doing is making the pie bigger. If they support us now, it will also benefit them when Hanfu becomes popular in the future."

Dong Qiyu fell into deep thought, clearly weighing the pros and cons.

After a long silence, Dong Qiyu seemed to have made a great decision: "This matter—I'll give it a try, but I can't guarantee it will succeed."

Seeing that Dong Qiyu agreed, Zhang Qilin secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The costume and prop issues have been resolved, but the funding gap still exists. However, at least the most crucial production cycle will not be delayed.

A few days later, Zhang Qilin was rehearsing "Teahouse" when his phone suddenly vibrated.

He walked down the corridor and answered the call. A cold female voice came from the other end: "Mr. Zhang Qilin? I am Wang Lan. If it's convenient, I would like to meet with you now. There are some things that need to be discussed in person."

Zhang Qilin provided the address of a relatively quiet coffee shop not far from the Beijing People's Art Theatre.

Half an hour later, Zhang Qilin saw Wang Lan in a private room at the coffee shop.

She was still wearing that sharp business suit.

Sitting next to her was a man in his thirties, dressed in a suit and tie, with a serious expression and a notebook open in front of him.

"Mr. Wang, who is this?" Zhang Qilin sat down and looked at the unfamiliar man.

"Chen Jiasheng, the company's PR manager," Wang Lan said calmly, her tone revealing neither joy nor anger, "Mr. Zhang, there are some issues regarding Tian Tian's upcoming promotional strategy that we need to clarify together."

After the waiter brought the coffee, Wang Lan cut straight to the point: "Mr. Zhang, in recent promotional interviews for 'The Warring States,' Tian Tian suddenly changed her tune, downplaying the leading lady role and even making some self-deprecating remarks. She said it was your suggestion?"

"I did give her some personal advice," Zhang Qilin frankly admitted. "I felt that at this stage, this strategy was more beneficial to her."

Wang Lan looked at Zhang Qilin with dissatisfaction: "Mr. Zhang, publicity and marketing are professional fields. The plan we developed for Tian Tian is based on a comprehensive assessment of the market, the audience, the film's positioning, and Tian Tian's own strengths."

"Your suggestion has almost completely scrapped all the previous preparations and disrupted the entire publicity campaign—you're just a stage actor, what do you know about film promotion?"

At that moment, Chen Jiasheng spoke up with a professional smile: "Mr. Zhang, I understand that you are Jing Tian's friend and want to help her, but publicity is a highly specialized field. When laymen instruct professionals, it often backfires."

His tone was polite, but his words were anything but: "The Warring States project has an investment of over 100 million yuan. With Sun Honglei and Wu Zhenyu as the main cast, plus the epic feel of the Warring States theme, it's a project that naturally attracts a lot of attention."

"In such a project, Jing Tian is the female lead. The company has tailored a positioning for her that is sophisticated, international, and a rising star with strength. This is the optimal solution derived from market research and professional analysis."

Zhang Qilin asked calmly, "And then?"

Chen Jiasheng spoke in a professional tone: "What you call advice is essentially proactively exposing the shortcomings of the project before its release, which is a major taboo in crisis public relations. Once Jing Tian mentions her shortcomings in an interview, it will be fatal to the film's reputation."

"Mr. Zhang, your intentions are good, but your advice is completely wrong from a professional point of view."

Zhang Qilin listened quietly, without immediately refuting, and instead looked at Wang Lan: "Does President Wang also think so?"

Wang Lan did not answer directly, but said, "I believe that professionals should do professional things. Chen Jiasheng has handled the publicity of many artists, and his judgment is rarely wrong."

Zhang Qilin did not rush to refute.

He looked at Chen Jiasheng intently and said, "Mr. Chen, I have a few questions for you."

"Please speak."

"You just said that your publicity plan is based on market research and professional analysis. So let me ask you, in this research, what is the ratio of positive to negative perception of Jing Tian among the audience?"

Chen Jiasheng paused for a moment: "This—the specific data involves company secrets and cannot be disclosed."

"Okay, then I'll ask a question you can answer," Zhang Qilin said. "In the public's perception, are Jing Tian at the same level as Sun Honglei, Wu Zhenyu, Kim Hee-sun, and Jiang Wu?"

Chen Jiasheng's expression was somewhat unnatural: "Jing Tian is a new generation actress, and compared with these seniors, she naturally has a gap in experience. But this does not prevent us from creating a positioning that matches her. Through this 'Warring States,' it is a good opportunity for her to raise her status."

"Let me ask you one more question," Zhang Qilin interrupted him, "Jing Tian, ​​as a newcomer, plays the female lead in a star-studded production. If the pre-production publicity focuses on the female lead, what will be the audience's first reaction?"

Chen Jiasheng opened his mouth, but did not answer immediately.

Zhang Qilin answered for him: "The audience's first reaction is—why? Because of their background, of course."

The private room fell silent instantly.

Zhang Qilin continued, "Your promotional plan is entirely based on the assumption that 'The Warring States' will be a huge hit and that Jing Tian's performance will be recognized. Have you never considered what might happen?"

Chen Jiasheng frowned: "Mr. Zhang, you're presupposing a negative outcome. This kind of mentality is a hindrance to the publicity and promotion work itself."

"You don't consider negative consequences in your marketing?" Zhang Qilin chuckled. "Then let me ask you another question: Mr. Chen, what are the chances of 'The Warring States' becoming a huge hit?"

"More than 80%," Chen Jiasheng said confidently. "The director, the cast, the investment scale, and the popularity of the subject matter all point to this, and Tian's performance in the film is also remarkable. It is fully capable of surviving the high exposure and high expectations in the early stages."

"So, there's still a 20% chance it won't be a hit, and its reputation might even fall short of expectations?" Zhang Qilin smiled as he looked at the other person.

Chen Jiasheng said with dissatisfaction: "Mr. Zhang, every project has risks, but when we make contingency plans, we can't give up the strategy of maximizing profits just because of a small probability. If we adopt an overly conservative strategy because we are afraid of that 20% risk, it is a loss of opportunity for the artists."

Zhang Qilin's eyes sharpened. "Mr. Chen, what specific factors did you consider when assessing that 20% risk?"