I really don't want to make bad movies!

Upon returning to school, Xia Ming immediately began writing the script.

He dug out all the scripts he had copied in his spare time and selected suitable content.

The script for Atlantic Rim 2 had actually been completed, but the plans changed.

Originally, I wanted to make some bad movies to make money while the revenue sharing for "The Swindler" was still pending, but I didn't expect iQiyi's investment to come first.

Now that we have money, we don't need to make bad movies anymore!

A budget of 100 million is really tight for shooting a heavy industrial sci-fi special effects film, but it's definitely enough for shooting humanistic sci-fi.

Works like "The Space Exploration Editorial Department" and "The Moon" are quite good.

If they had enough connections in special effects production, they might be able to grit their teeth and make a low-budget version of "The Wandering Earth".

Of course, this is all on the premise that everything goes smoothly for the production crew.

Xia Ming added a robot character named "Wawa" to each script, treating all the scripts as stories revolving around the character "Wawa".

So that the reason for passing the second review can be "script revision".

If what Huang Xuke said is true, and Ju Jingyi was causing trouble on set, then he'll have to pull out "Atlantic Rim 2".

Time is the most important cost.

Knowing that the film would get out of control, Xia Ming didn't want to waste four or five months acting as a nanny.

Of course, we still need to make money.

Regardless of whether the final film is good or bad, he cannot afford to lose money, as it concerns future investor interest.

Therefore, the initial publicity and promotion still need to be done well.

When it comes to publicity and promotion, Xia Ming's first thought is his own name.

With Tencent's strong promotion, "The Swindler" is about to replace "Chinese Paladin 4" as the hottest drama series at the end of the year.

It even has a chance to win the title of best web series of the year.

Currently, the average number of views per episode exceeds 60 million!

At the very end of each episode, the words "Director: Xia Ming" appear in large print, followed by the end credits and cast list.

Furthermore, the online discussions among many "Maoists," including one who claimed to be Xia Ming's roommate, further increased Xia Ming's fame.

From the widely ridiculed "The Big Hornet" to the universally praised "The Swindler," audiences are filled with curiosity about this young director.

Xia Ming planned to add fuel to the fire by imitating Tencent and having iQiyi do several interviews with him, steer the conversation toward his new movie.

However, most people are probably not interested in interviews.

Xia Ming's task was to reveal some information about the film in interviews, create hype, and then spread these clips on short video platforms, letting them spread.

For example, a movie with a numerical title in a previous life, before its release, was marketed for how difficult it was to get approved, how it was targeted by multiple countries, and how the truth was too cruel, etc.

Xia Ming could also say that his film project faced difficulties in getting approved, with initial funding amounting to only 500,000 yuan.

As a seasoned marketing professional, he could use these formulas with ease.

After writing a long and detailed script, Xia Ming contacted Wang Hui to prepare for an interview.

Wang Hui readily agreed, promising to complete all preparations within three days.

……

The next day, Xia Ming received a call from Yang Xianghua as soon as he finished class.

The two agreed to meet at a coffee shop near the school gate.

Upon meeting, Yang Xianghua said in a deep voice with a solemn expression, "Something unexpected happened..."

Xia Ming took a sip of coffee, waiting for him to continue.

Yang Xianghua gritted his teeth, rubbing his left hand incessantly on his trousers. Finally, unable to bear Xia Ming's stare any longer, he managed to speak with difficulty: "There's a slight error in the budget. Ju Jingyi's studio can only contribute a maximum of twenty million."

Xia Ming remained calm.

However, the calmer he was, the more uneasy Yang Xianghua became.

Xia Ming thought for a moment and decided to say something: "Hasn't Ju Jingyi's studio always wanted to push her into the film industry? But they're unwilling to invest money? I heard she made quite a bit of money in 'Chinese Paladin 4'."

Yang Xianghua was a little embarrassed: "Although she wants to make movies, it is still risky to bring your own investment to the production team, and the studio certainly doesn't want to take that risk."

"Eighty million...can we afford to bid?" he asked cautiously.

Xia Ming mentally weighed the scripts in his hand, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "Does Mr. Yang know any special effects companies? Can you get a friendly price?"

"A special effects company?"

Yang Xianghua was taken aback at first, then realized that Xia Ming was going to shoot a science fiction film, which would definitely require special effects.

"I know many people in second-tier companies who are responsible for post-production work on web series. For first-tier companies, you can get in through connections."

"What about the price?"

"They charge by the second; a five-second visual effect can be negotiated for 50,000."

"If you want to discuss detailed pricing for shots or per-frame pricing, you'll have to do it in person."

Xia Ming did a quick calculation and found that if it was truly a top-tier special effects production, 10,000 yuan per second wasn't too expensive.

No matter what script you're filming, at least a quarter of the film should have special effects shots.

Based on a film length of 120 minutes, 18 million dollars would need to be allocated for special effects production.

This is an extremely conservative estimate; in fact, it's quite normal for half the budget of a science fiction film to be used for special effects.

"Here's what I'll do. I'll give you a special effects plan. You can find a special effects company to create a shot first and see how much it costs."

Xia Ming took out the visual design and basic motion module of "Wawa" from his bag, which also included more than a dozen dynamic shots.

The inspiration comes from the robot character "WALL-E" from a previous life.

Yang Xianghua took the visual design draft, glanced through it briefly, and said with concern, "It's so complicated, these few shots alone might cost a million."

"So I'd like to ask you to tell me how much it will cost to complete this visual effect first, and then I'll consider the subsequent allocation of funds."

"These are all key modules for the character, and they will need to be reused in the project files later, so we can't save money on this."

"Okay..." Yang Xianghua put away the manuscript, carefully observed Xia Ming, and then said, "There's one more thing."

"Is the script finished?"

Xia Ming opened his backpack, which was filled with thick stacks of first drafts of various scripts.

With the budget suddenly reduced by 20 million, many scripts are no longer presentable.

As he was pondering which script to choose, Yang Xianghua added, "Ju Jingyi's studio has another requirement: Ju Jingyi must play the female lead, and her image must be positive, capable of advancing the plot; otherwise, they will not invest."

Xia Ming stopped what he was doing and frowned as he looked at Yang Xianghua.

With so many requirements, what's the point of even filming?

"I don't want the 20 million, I'll bid 60 million."

Even with only 60 million, there are still many scripts to choose from.

Xia Ming finished his coffee and got up to leave.

"Hey, no, no, no."

Yang Xianghua immediately stood up to stop him, laughing, "We have to film it, we have to film it! If Ju Jingyi hadn't joined the crew, we might not have even made 60 million."

Seeing Yang Xianghua's fawning smile, and recalling what Huang Xuke had said to him yesterday, Xia Ming raised his eyebrows slightly and made a judgment in his mind.

Yang Xianghua is determined to promote Ju Jingyi.

No wonder he raked in 100 million yuan in fees from iQiyi for filming a web series. I bet Mr. Yang also got a lot; he's in cahoots with their studio.

This is an attempt to use their abilities to whitewash Ju Jingyi's reputation!

Once the movie is released, they'll probably capitalize on the hype by making a web series to cash in on the fan economy!

Xia Ming smiled and sat back down in his seat.

He has no problem with capital supporting celebrities, as long as the celebrities can act according to his ideas, he can make some concessions.

There are also sci-fi films with a lot of female characters!

Xia Ming slammed the heavily modified script of "Arrival" on the table: "This is just the first version; there may be further changes later."

This budget is barely enough to make "Arrival," but if we're frugal, it should be just about enough.

Yang Xianghua took the script, glanced at it, and immediately beamed with joy.

"Great script! They'll definitely agree to join the cast!"

Xia Ming returned a polite smile.

This adds another gimmick to the publicity – the power struggle between capital and the stepping stones of celebrities, and how a new director can find common ground while reserving differences in a difficult situation!