The director starts by learning from the abilities of renowned directors.

"Of the 30 yuan we saved, we'll give Shen Qing a big red envelope with 20 yuan after the film's release. That kid really has some skills!"

After filming wrapped, Shen Qing immediately immersed herself in the editing room of Beijing Film Studio, working closely with the editors to complete the post-production editing of the film in just one month.

Zhao Hongwei and Wang Damin had already seen the finished film yesterday, and they were still uneasy. Before the film's actual release, no one could say for sure whether the market would accept it; good films flopping is not uncommon in this industry.

But I was genuinely excited: a movie like this was produced by our tiny, insignificant company?!

Then, after calculating the costs, it turned out that of the 200 million yuan production budget the company gave Shen Qing, Shen Qing only spent 170 million yuan!

I've only ever heard of films running out of money halfway through production, but it's really rare to see one that finishes with 15% of its budget still left.

The movie was of high quality, and money was saved. Zhao Hongwei himself felt that it would be too petty and unmanly not to give Shen Qing a big red envelope.

But it wouldn't be appropriate to give all the 30 yuan saved to Shen Qing. If we did that, I'm afraid we wouldn't spend money where we should in the future.

However, a red envelope of 20 yuan is quite a lot.

Historically, "Crazy Stone" was made with a budget of 300 million yuan and grossed 2300 million yuan at the box office, so Ning Hao only received a 10 yuan bonus.

Even though "Crazy Racer" grossed over 100 million yuan, Ning Hao only received a 500,000 yuan bonus.

"Now it seems that Shen Qing wasn't exaggerating when he said he'd sell it for 150 million. This kid is really something!" Wang Damin said with a grin, his legs crossed.

Zhao Hongwei nodded and said, "If I don't mention the budget, at least the 66,000 yuan for Liu Yifei can be saved. There are also the set design, props, and costumes. If we mention the budget, these will all be polished to a high standard. It seems he can really make it to 1.5 million yuan."

Wang Damin slapped his thigh: "I think this kid still leaves room for maneuver in his words and actions. He did overspend quite a bit, and if the budget is raised, the quality has to be improved, no doubt about it. But who would have thought that this kid could still save money on a 1:3 film ratio?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Hongwei unconsciously slammed his hand on the table and exclaimed, "I truly didn't expect that the film ratio wouldn't even reach 1:3!"

As the two were talking, Shen Qing pushed the door open and came in.

Zhao Hongwei's eyes lit up, and he quickly said, "Oh, Shen Qing is here! Come, have a seat!"

Shen Qing smiled and sat down opposite Zhao Hongwei, who then stood up and made her a cup of tea.

"Actually, I was just thinking of looking for you, but I was afraid of disturbing your rest."

"What's going on? Why are you being so mysterious?"

"Regarding the application for the award."

Cannes?

"Cannes! I thought I wouldn't make it, but you actually managed to get it. I was thinking of going to Toronto in September, but now it's definitely going to Cannes. The movie might even break even before it's released, or even make a profit. Once it's officially released, the box office will be all profit."

Shen Qing pretended to be angry and said, "Hey, you're so eager to enter the awards. I was just thinking that you had confidence in me and that the movie could really win awards. I was so touched, but it turns out... you're just obsessed with money."

As she spoke, Shen Qing shook her head and even sighed.

Zhao Hongwei immediately retorted, "See? You're picking on me, aren't you?! Da Min and I think there's no suspense about Director Shen Qing winning the award? There's no suspense at all! What's there to discuss when there's no suspense, don't you think?"

As she spoke, she gave Wang Damin a look.

Wang Damin immediately chimed in, "Winning an award? We absolutely have to win an award! I reckon we should at least get a director's bi-weekly award!"

Zhao Hongwei waved his hand and said, "This is not enough. The prize for a high-profile event cannot be lowered any further."

Shen Qing did genuinely want to go to Cannes. Whether he won an award or not didn't really matter; he mainly wanted to see if there were any great directors he could take photos with. The idea of ​​winning a film festival or a major award was just a joke, as "Fame and Fortune" wasn't artistic enough.

As for being shortlisted for the main competition or even winning the Palme d'Or, Shen Qing sees no possibility of it happening except in his wildest dreams.

After more than two months of hard work, I have finally completed my first theatrical film. It's time to plan my future path.

Shen Qing hadn't decided what to film next, nor who to take photos with this year. The only thing he wasn't hesitating about was registering a company for himself.

Beijing Magical Film & Television Co., Ltd.!

The names Shenqing and Shenqi are homophones of their own names.

Then he bought a train ticket back to his hometown in Northeast China.

The film crew only had half a day off on Lunar New Year's Eve, and started working again on the first day of the Lunar New Year, which made my parents unhappy.

If it were just working for the government, good jobs are hard to find, but his son is a director, so whether or not a project starts is entirely up to him. And yet he didn't come home for the New Year! Is that even fair?!

So, having finally finished working on "Making a Name for Oneself," Shen Qing quickly returned to his hometown.

I bought my mom a gold bracelet and my dad two bottles of good wine. Then I boarded the train and headed home!

Once we crossed the Shanhaiguan Pass, we felt like we were almost home.

She naturally felt a genuine longing for her original parents, whom she had never met in person.

The original owner's hometown was a very small town in Liaoning Province. After getting off the train, Shen Qing took a long-distance bus and a black tricycle before finally arriving home.

He had called ahead, so his parents knew he was coming home today.

As soon as you enter the courtyard, you can smell the aroma of meat wafting from the kitchen. Mother Xu Li is tending the fire in the kitchen, while father Shen Jianxin is chopping firewood in the yard.

Upon seeing Shen Qing, the two elders put down their work.

"Your dad and I were just saying that we should be arriving soon."

"He's such a grown man, how could he possibly get lost?"

"Come inside quickly, your room has been burned for two days."

Shen Qing carried her bag back to her room in the west wing. She touched the kang (heated brick bed) with her hand and found it was burning hot.

Before long, the father came in and saw the wine that Shen Qing took out of his bag, and he scolded Shen Qing.

"No wine is as good as a cheap basket!"

Then her mother came in, and Shen Qing took out the gold bracelet, only to be scolded again.

"Who in our rural area wears this? If you lose it while working, you'll be heartbroken. Don't waste money. If I wear it and Old Zhang's wife doesn't say I'm showing off, Mom will keep it for you and give it to your future daughter-in-law."

Shen Qing stayed in her hometown for less than a month before boarding the train back to Beijing.

The day after returning to Beijing, Shen Qing was summoned to Dingxin Film and Television Company by Zhao Hongwei.

The other person's expression was quite serious.

Wang Damin, standing to the side, was exactly the same.

"This year's Cannes Film Festival has broken with convention."

Zhao Hongwei lit a cigarette and said in a heavy tone.

Shen Qing was somewhat puzzled. He glanced at Wang Damin beside him.

Wang Damin also lit a cigarette, his face expressionless.

"So what if it breaks? What does it have to do with us? We never really expected to be shortlisted anyway."

Zhao Hongwei said in a rather heavy tone, "The announcement date for the shortlist has been postponed to the 26th. In previous years, the film list was announced in the middle of the month. This time, even the usual practice has been broken, which shows just how fierce the competition is this year."

Shen Qing still didn't understand why Zhao Hongwei was so serious. So what if it was intense? His own "Making a Name for Oneself" was just for selling the copyright. The chances of it being shortlisted were slim anyway, so there was nothing to regret if it wasn't.

Besides, it's already April 21st, and the film list will be announced in 5 days. If it's going to be heavy, we should wait until 5 days later to feel heavy!

"Brother Zhao, what's wrong...?"

"Fortunately, I've been in the industry for so many years and I still have some connections. Through various channels, I finally managed to get the exact results of this year's Chinese-language film nominations."

"You got the results? Wait a minute..." Shen Qing suddenly had a flash of inspiration and asked, "Brother Zhao, Brother Wang, after all that buildup, our 'Make a Name for Yourself' isn't actually in the finals, is it? Are you two just kidding me?"