Chinese Entertainment: Directors Start with the Fairy Sister

In mid-July, Initial D finished its run in theaters.

With a total box office of 63 million in mainland China and over 100 million in total box office across the three regions, the film made many big names in the industry realize for the first time the impact of idols on film box office and the power of fans.

The media has been reporting on this extensively, and it's said that many veteran singers are interested in moving into the film and television industry.

Zhao Yanxi could only lament that he had been given so many benefits in his life, so why couldn't he also be given a good voice?

With this kind of triple-threat approach—film, television, and music—she could earn all the money on her own.

However, this greed only lasts for a moment.

Zhao Yanxi was well aware of the lessons that too much intelligence can be harmful and deep affection can lead to a short life.

Don't be too powerful!

......

China Film Group is located in the old Beijing Film Studio area.

This was the first time Zhao Yanxi had seen the Soviet-style office building of China Film Group. It had no other special features except that it was tall, with three or four floors and a height of fifteen or sixteen meters. Almost every floor was more than four meters high.

There was no elevator in the main building, so Zhao Yanxi climbed the stairs to the fourth floor.

In the stairwell, I saw many elderly people in their fifties and sixties, panting as they climbed the stairs. They seemed puzzled when they saw Zhao Yanxi's unfamiliar, young face.

After reaching the fourth floor, Zhao Yanxi dialed the number Mu Deyuan had given her.

"Hello, Secretary Liu..."

"Yes, that's right, I've arrived."

A short while after I hung up the phone, a young man in his thirties came running out.

"Director Zhao?"

"Secretary Liu!"

Zhao Yanxi extended her hand and shook it. Secretary Liu then said, "Director Zhao, please come in with me. President Han is waiting for you in his office."

"OK, thanks."

Following her secretary, Zhao Yanxi finally met the legendary big shot—"Mountain Eagle" Han Sanping.

Yang Buting is now the vice chairman and vice general manager, but everyone knows that he is just a figurehead. In reality, most of the management is done by Han Sanping, even though there are several other vice chairmen.

His understanding of Han Sanping came only from online reviews and comments from his peers.

I know he has contributed to the development of the domestic film market, and I also know that he prefers big productions, is ambitious and eager for quick success, and is extremely domineering in film investment.

Take, for example, the film *The Promise*.

Before the release of "The Promise," with "Farewell My Concubine" preceding it, no one thought that Chen Kaige's "The Promise" would lose money.

Numerous investors in the industry are eyeing Chen Kaige, eager to get involved in his investments.

However, in the end, apart from Chen Kaige's own studio, almost all of the investment in "The Promise" was taken up by China Film Group.

This investment of two to three hundred million was decided by Han Sanping!

"President Han."

Zhao Yanxi met Han Sanping with his secretary, and her first impression was that the office was really big.

Once the policy is implemented, this area will likely be able to be divided into several single rooms...

"Director Zhao? Welcome, welcome!" Han Sanping greeted him warmly.

They should have been close friends. If the Beijing film circle is China Film Group's private territory, then the Beijing Film Academy is China Film Group's core base.

Directors who graduated from the Beijing Film Academy generally have close ties with the Central Motion Picture Corporation; even Han Sanping himself studied at the Beijing Film Academy's advanced training program.

"I saw the preview of 'You Are the Apple of My Eye,' and it's very well made. To be able to make such an excellent film at such a young age, Director Zhao has a bright future ahead of him!"

"Mr. Han, you flatter me."

Zhao Yanxi smiled modestly, naturally not taking Han Sanping's words too seriously.

The secretary closed the door and left.

"Have you found a distribution company yet? How about we hand it over to China Film Group?" Han Sanping paused and said, "Old Mu and Old Tian both called me. This film is considered a promotional film for your Beijing Film Academy, so they asked me to give them some preferential treatment in distribution."

"That's great!"

Zhao Yanxi smiled. He knew that Mu Deyuan had made the call, but he didn't expect Tian Zhuangzhuang to make the call personally as well.

It's true what they say, it's good to have a big tree to lean on!

When is it scheduled for release?

"Let's set it for September 24th!"

The competition during this year's National Day holiday is not too fierce; the only truly competitive film is "The Myth."

However, with Jackie Chan involved, there's not much to expect at the box office; it's destined to be low.

This is not because Jackie Chan's status or reputation is bad.

On the contrary, it was precisely because of Jackie Chan's status and good reputation that he accumulated a large number of loyal fans in the 1980s and 1990s.

Therefore, Jackie Chan's movies are always at the top of the pirate market. Sometimes, pirated copies of the movies are already on the market before the movies are even released.

Fans are also used to buying pirated DVDs of Jackie Chan's movies to watch at home, or waiting for them to be shown online or on TV for free.

When piracy is rampant, going to the cinema to support something makes you an outlier.

Unlike Jackie Chan, most readers of "You Are the Apple of My Eye" are college students or young people who have just entered the workforce.

These people also possess a clear-eyed stupidity and a faint sense of integrity. Given the right timing, they will actually go to the cinema and buy tickets to support the cause!

"Okay, this date is not bad either, we can also take advantage of the National Day holiday period."

As Han Sanping spoke, he found a calendar and marked September 24th.

"How about we hold a premiere?"

"Let's hold one, on September 23rd."

After thinking it over, Zhao Yanxi decided to hold a party.

The premiere ceremony was still a tradition that originated in Hollywood, spread to Hong Kong Island, and then to the mainland.

Typically, two days before a film's release, celebrities, media reporters, film critics, and others are invited to gather together to preview the finished film and then promote it to the audience, attracting unfamiliar viewers to the theater.

The history of mainland China premieres can be traced back to the 02 premiere of "Hero." The premiere of "Hero" held at the Great Hall of the People that year can be said to have generated a lot of momentum for the film's release.

After "Hero", major film companies also witnessed the promotional effect of premieres and began to hold premieres for their own films at the beginning of their release.

Gradually, premieres have become an essential part of the process.

After leaving Han Sanping's place, Zhao Yanxi went straight to the publicity department of China Film Group.

Although Han Sanping gave instructions to his subordinates, the specific distribution and promotion still needed to be handled by a designated person.

Her own studio had only a handful of staff, including some crew members and one accountant responsible for making payments and keeping accounts. Zhao Yanxi had to handle all the coordination work herself.

We still need to find a professional manager to handle these trivial matters!

...

By the time everything was finished, it was already noon.

As Zhao Yanxi was still thinking about what to eat for lunch, she turned around and bumped into "a wall".

"Haozi?"

Upon meeting the real person, Zhao Yanxi realized just how stupid those idiots who wrote entertainment novels in her previous life were. She, a director in the industry, had actually found them so enjoyable.

This utility pole looks like it's come to life; the man with sunken eyes, where did his "face full of fat" come from?

It's not easy for a man who stays up all night editing videos and goes around seeking investment for his movies to develop a face full of fat.

"Xiao Zhao? You're here too."

Ning Hao knew the original owner of the body. He was studying photography in a two-year associate degree program, and the two even took classes in the same classroom in 03.

He should have addressed him as "senior," but Ning Hao said that his associate degree to bachelor's degree program was at most from the class of 03, while Zhao Yanxi was from the class of 02.

In terms of age, Ning Hao is older; but in terms of schooling, Ning Hao still has to call Zhao Yanxi "senior".

So the two of them decided to each call their own names.

You call me "Xiao Zhao", and I call you "Haozi". We don't care about the age difference.

"I heard your first film as a director has wrapped up filming. Congratulations!"

"Thank you," Zhao Yanxi smiled and asked, "What brings you here?"

"Sigh," Ning Hao laughed nonchalantly, "It's all about investment. I'm itching to make a commercial film after seeing you guys make them. It's just that finding the right investment is hard."

"Okay, Ning Hao, I wish you all the best in securing investment soon and that all your wishes come true!"

"Absolutely!"

...

Once downstairs, Zhao Yanxi remembered.

The movie Ning Hao is going to shoot during this period is "Crazy Stone," isn't it?

A production cost of three to four million, with a box office of over thirty million.

Ten times the box office revenue and three times the return on investment—it's an absolutely lucrative business!

However, the process of raising investment for this film was also very bumpy.

The script was rejected one after another.

In the end, it was Han Sanping of China Film Group who supported the young director and invested a little money; then Liu Dehua invested in the "Asian New Star Director" project and invested another three million, which finally enabled the production of this dark comedy.

I could consider investing in a share myself!

But not now, I don't have any money right now.

Let's see if we have any money in our pockets after "To Youth" is published.