Wandering the world of film and television begins with the golden years

"The Beginning" unsurprisingly topped the charts. 😡🎀 6➈𝕤𝕙υⓍ.ᑕσΜ 🐊💚

But to put it bluntly, all of this was actually part of Li Haoyu's plan.

His other entertainment tycoon venture was also nearing completion. Jiangzhou TV was good, but ultimately it was just doing the work for someone else. Although there were profit shares, he was still essentially a high-level employee.

Movies are the cutting edge of the entertainment industry.

This is an undeniable fact. In the film and television industry, there is a hierarchy of contempt: stage actors look down on film actors, and film actors look down on television actors.

Of course, in today's world where science and technology are advancing rapidly and productivity is developing at an unprecedented pace, the general public has finally reached a consensus in this strict hierarchy of contempt: that is, they all look down on those brainless internet celebrities on Kuaishou and Douyin!

In truth, Li Haoyu didn't care. When it comes to art, who isn't a proud little princess?

To put it bluntly, everyone's just out there making a living; as long as they can earn money, that's all that matters. Why all the talk about high and low status?

Some top-tier internet celebrities earn a considerable amount, even far exceeding the earnings of most people in the film industry.

However, not everyone can disregard mainstream values.

In this world, everything can change, but prejudice can never be eliminated.

So Li Haoyu still plans to earn money while standing tall.

Anyway, it wasn't a difficult task for him.

Making movies is his next major project.

However, what troubled Li Haoyu was the close cooperation between Jiangzhou TV and him; they supported him to the greatest extent possible no matter what project he undertook. In retrospect, Jiangzhou TV, especially its director Ouyang Tai, had been incredibly kind to him.

Li Haoyu was a little puzzled as to why he didn't have a bunch of jealous and petty leaders ostracizing him like in novels.

This way, he can legitimately leave Jiangzhou TV and then independently build his own empire.

There was no other way but to let Jiangzhou TV station also invest in the film company I was going to open.

Actually, Li Haoyu didn't lose out by doing this; the film industry is a very complex and murky place.

Having an official background will make things easier for him, which might actually be a good thing.

Li Haoyu only filmed one TV series because entering the film industry was something he had planned long ago. After all, filmmaking and TV series production are completely different things, and the funding involved is on a completely different level.

Despite the immense popularity of Li Haoyu's drama "The Beginning," which has even the potential to become the top TV series of the year, his resume is impressive. While it wouldn't render him worthless in the film industry, he would likely not be recognized by the film industry.

It's not impossible for a typical TV drama director to transition into a film director. They can start as an assistant director, diligently gaining experience for a couple of years. Finally, they can try directing a low-budget film as a trial run; if the film performs well at the box office...

Congratulations! You can basically say that you've officially entered the film industry.

As for getting Jiangzhou TV to invest in his film production, Li Haoyu knew without even thinking that it was impossible. Even if the station director, Ou Tai, admired him, it wouldn't change anything. Putting aside the huge risks of film investment and distribution, it would be good if even one out of a thousand films made it to theaters.

Only a few hundred movies are released in theaters each year, and only about one-tenth of them are profitable.

More importantly, given the nature of a television station, venturing into film production would be more than just neglecting its duties. If Ouyang Tai insisted on pushing it through, he might even lose his own job.

If he insists on using his position to help him.

Even Li Haoyu began to believe the outrageous rumor that he was Ouyang Tai's illegitimate son.

So let's maintain a mutually beneficial investment partnership.

This is a good thing for both sides.

…………

The evening was a celebration banquet for "The Beginning".

It officially started at around 6:30 pm.

However, this celebration banquet was quite different from the usual ones; the scale of this dinner was exceptionally high.

Most of them were high-ranking officials in the television industry; they were all influential figures in the film and television industry.

A host of distinguished guests were present.

There were only a little over a hundred invitations in total.

Each invitation is valid for one person only.

Doesn't it look incredibly high-end? But whether it's just a gimmick is another matter.

The TV station's propaganda tactics are obvious to everyone!

The high threshold this time is actually a way to raise their own value.

Li Haoyu is a man of action; since he has already gone out to start his own film company, he has no intention of hiding it.

So he went to talk to Ouyang Tai immediately, in case Ouyang Tai found out about his departure from other sources later.

It was Li Haoyu who was impolite.

Li Haoyu recalled what happened last night.

Surprisingly, Ouyang Tai accepted the matter calmly.

He even asked Li Haoyu with great concern, "How are the procedures for the new company going? Have they all been completed? Just let me know if you need any help."

Li Haoyu shook his head, then asked Jiangzhou TV if they were interested in investing in his film company.

Ouyang Tai expressed great interest in Jiangzhou TV and was willing to invest proportionally and take 20% of the investment.

Li Haoyu refused, saying he could only accept a maximum of 10% from Jiangzhou TV.

He wants to maintain a 60% controlling stake to ensure that his work is not subject to outside interference, or that he is not inexplicably forced out of the company he founded by capital.

But Ouyang Tai, who had been so easygoing just moments before, has now completely changed his tune and become incredibly calculating. 😾♛ ❻➈ˢ𝕙𝕌Ⓧ.ᶜ𝐨Μ ★😾

He poured Li Haoyu a cup of tea and said emotionally, "Actually, from the first moment I met you, I knew you were destined for greatness. Although Jiangzhou TV Station is not small, it still can't satisfy your future."

"Alright, 10% it is. I'll vote for this project on behalf of Jiangzhou TV."

Li Haoyu smiled and said, "Well, then it's settled. Although the shares of Jiangzhou TV Station can't be increased any further, I'm willing to contribute one or two percentage points from my private equity pool. I wonder if the station director would be interested in investing one or two points himself."

Upon hearing this, a glint flashed in Ouyang Tai's eyes.

He continued, "The future ultimately belongs to you young people. It's a pity I'm too old now, all I have left are these old bones and a head of white hair. Otherwise, I would have gone out and started a business with you. Of course I'm interested. Fortunately, I still have some savings, so I'll make a private investment and take 2% of your shares."

"Although it's not a lot of money, it's still a little fuel to help your entrepreneurial fire burn brighter. The film industry is a money-guzzling business; no amount of money can keep up with this money-devouring beast."

Li Haoyu was somewhat surprised by the result.

He underestimated Ouyang Tai's strength. Li Haoyu originally thought that with Ouyang Tai's strength, 1% of the shares would be quite good.

Unexpectedly, Ouyang Tai acquired two percentage points of the shares in one go, and it seems that this is not even his bottom line. If I hadn't kept my mouth shut, he might have acquired even more shares.

Li Haoyu and Ouyang Tai exchanged a few more pleasantries.

Just as he was about to leave Ouyang Tai's office, Ouyang Tai called out to Li Haoyu.

"Since you're leaving to pursue your dreams in the film industry, I still have some valuable connections in the film circle. Let me introduce you to them at the 'Beginning' celebration party."

…………

This is also the fundamental reason why this celebration banquet for "The Beginning" suddenly became so high-class.

He had also looked at the guest list for the gala in advance, which included the names of several famous film industry veterans.

There are also department-level leaders in the media sector, which is indeed a very prestigious position.

Li Haoyu couldn't help but suspect Ouyang Tai if, in the end, he didn't privately give him shares.

Will he still put in this much effort? It seems this is indeed Ouyang Tai's most treasured connection over the years.

However, Li Haoyu thought about it again and realized that this was actually quite normal.

He's a shareholder now, so working hard for his own company is definitely worthwhile.

The shares that Li Haoyu gave away this time can basically be recouped.

Even though he has achieved some success and gained some recognition, it is still insignificant compared to the overall film industry chain.

Even if he is confident in making the best film, it will still be difficult for him to easily get a share of the profits.

In fact, the film industry and everyday life have some similarities.

Every circle has a central figure, and also people surrounding the center.

In our lives, there are all sorts of circles. People in the most basic circles may have commonalities or share certain hobbies.

Going deeper, there are alumni circles and other social networks, and further still, there are television and film circles linked by various interests.

It's difficult to define the true depths of this industry using standard answers.

He felt that they could be interpreted, in a simplistic way, as a self-imposed, self-serving relationship. Each person—yours, mine, his—had created numerous circles around themselves, small circles, large circles, nested within each other, forming a unique social phenomenon.

Therefore, it's no exaggeration to say that the film industry is a battleground.

There is no smoke of gunpowder, no swords or spears, but sometimes various undercurrents are secretly surging.

Li Haoyu was at the main table in the center.

He picked up a glass of red wine and looked around the banquet hall at all the well-dressed people coming and going...

For some reason, Li Haoyu suddenly felt a surge of excitement.

Although he was just a newcomer in the film industry, he was excited to think that one day he would be the center of attention.

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Isn't it happy!

…………

Ouyang Tai walked over at this moment.

He said to Li Haoyu with a smile.

"Didn't you want to make your own movie? This is Mr. Han from China Film Group, my best friend from college."

"President Han?"

Li Haoyu's eyes lit up, but he never expected that it would be such a big shot in the film industry.

Don't be fooled by the fact that some of them are award-winning actors or bigwigs in the industry. Anyone who wants to make a movie in the country can achieve this.

Upon meeting him, everyone had to respectfully address him as Third Master Han.

It can be said that Han Sanye alone represents half of the history of Chinese cinema.

His name alone is enough to explain it: he was formerly the chairman of the Bank of China Group.

I wonder just how powerful China Film Group really is?

It is not only the largest film company in China, but also the only company with the right to import foreign films, and one of only two companies that control the distribution rights of imported films. It can be said to be an absolute monopoly.

In other words, the power of life and death over the entire domestic film industry is in the hands of Third Master.

Even if ordinary viewers don't know the company's background, they will definitely see this familiar name in many popular TV series and movies.

He was planning to shoot a patriotic film with a budget of only 3000 million yuan, but he wanted to hire hundreds of stars to star in it.

If this were someone else, it would be an unsolvable problem.

But for this Third Master, it wasn't even a problem.

Even though he demanded that all the stars act for free, his doorstep was practically worn out from being constantly knocked down. Strictly speaking, it wasn't so much an invitation as it was a flurry of self-recommendations from the stars; dozens of people would compete for a single role.

So much so that when the movie was released, what audiences were most interested in was not the plot, but how many celebrities made cameo appearances.

To be honest, calling him the godfather of cinema is not an exaggeration.

Li Haoyu also said, "President Han, it's been a long time since I've heard of your name. It's an honor to meet you today."

Han Ping nodded. "I also know that your most popular TV series recently, 'The Beginning,' is your work, and it was indeed very well made."

Li Haoyu said, "Actually, I also benefited from the market boom. There weren't any TV dramas with this kind of theme before. So everyone was just a little curious."

Han Ping had been hearing his old classmate praise Li Haoyu all along.

He couldn't help but feel more curious about Li Haoyu, especially now that he saw Li Haoyu being so humble and low-key.

This naturally increased my positive impression of them.

"Shall we talk?"

Han Ping smiled and gestured an invitation.

Li Haoyu naturally wouldn't refuse, and the three of them found a relatively quiet table to chat.

Han Ping wanted to test Li Haoyu's true worth.

So he asked, "Since you want to work in the film industry, what are your thoughts on the industry as a whole right now?"

Li Haoyu wasn't intimidated. He bluntly stated, "Actually, the domestic film industry has already developed to a certain stage. Because when our films reach a certain number and our box office reaches a certain level, what should we do next? I think quantity and box office are not our goals. What's important is improving the quality of films."

Han Ping nodded and continued, "So, do you have any specific measures in mind?"

Li Haoyu spoke candidly and without fear, saying, "It's very simple: the audience's yearning for a better life and their pursuit of excellent films have always been there. We just need to tell a good story."

Han Ping looked at Li Haoyu's confident demeanor.

"Then you must have a good story ready. Since the story of 'The Beginning' seems so unremarkable to you, I'm actually quite curious about your good story."

Li Haoyu recounted the movie story he had prepared long ago.

Han Ping's expression remained normal at first.

But Li Haoyu's storytelling skills are indeed very high; he not only tells stories vividly but also leaves a lot of room for imagination.

Han Ping became increasingly engrossed in Li Haoyu's story.

They were completely unaware that the ashes from their cigarettes had fallen onto their hands.

This is indeed a wonderful story.

………………