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

Three months is enough time to make a movie from scratch.

When Shen Qing was choosing his first film, he considered "Nightclub". After comprehensive analysis, he finally chose "Fame and Fortune", which was more likely to inspire his creative impulse.

But actually, "Nightclub" is a decent low-budget comedy and has produced many memorable scenes. It's not quite good enough to be a main course, but it's a pretty good choice to make for fun and relaxation.

The film is not difficult to shoot and can probably be completed in about ten days. It will be shot with high-definition equipment, and the cost can even be kept under 100 million. Selling the TV rights to the movie channel guarantees a minimum return of 60. With a little box office revenue, there is almost no risk of losing money.

Shen Qing will focus on making big-budget films that can enhance his status in the industry, but he also wants to make some interesting low-budget films. Making big-budget films requires concentration and consumes a lot of energy, while making low-budget films is a way to relax.

Not just nightclubs, but in the future, in between shooting blockbusters, he will also make low-budget films, such as "Lost in Thailand" and "The Coffin in the Mountain".

After acquiring the professional skills of Zhang Yimou and Cheng Long, Shen Qing felt his energy was increasing. He felt restless if he didn't work for three months.

Shen Qing finished writing the script for "Nightclub" in two days, and on the third day, he went to Dingxin Entertainment.

"A low-budget comedy?"

Zhao Hongwei was much more excited than Shen Qing had expected. He immediately took the script and put it down a dozen minutes later. Shen Qing saw an almost uncontrollable excitement in his eyes.

"Approximately how much will it cost?"

"100 million, at most 120 million."

"Only this much?"

"The film 'Winter Solstice' has been released in theaters. The country encourages the development of high-definition digital films, and this time I want to try out high-definition digital equipment..."

As she spoke, Shen Qing took out a list of equipment:

Sony HDW-F900 camcorder.

Angenieux 11.5×5.3AIF.HD(T/1.9) High Definition Cinema Zoom Lens.

FF-4 follow focus.

BVM-D9H5E and BVM-D14H1E HD monitors.

……

Seeing Zhao Hongwei pick up the list, Shen Qing continued, "This is the equipment list used for 'Winter Solstice'. I inquired and found that the total technical cost of the entire film is 50."

"You're playing He Sanshui yourself?"

"Yes, I'm somewhat famous. I'm just playing around with a low budget. It's better to do it myself than to hire unknown actors."

When will it be filmed?

"Since we're just idling around anyway, the sooner the better. We should register and prepare to start filming as quickly as possible."

"Brother, you've brought me money!" Zhao Hongwei exclaimed.

Shen Qing smiled and said, "Most of my money has been invested in 'Taken.' The company's account isn't enough, so we'll all make money together. For the 'Nightclub' project, I'll write, direct, and act, which will be 40% of the project. Dingxin will provide the production costs, which will be 60%. What do you think, Brother Zhao?"

Zhao Hongwei thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Dingxin will cover all the production costs, accounting for 30%, and you will take 70%."

"No, no, that would be too much of a loss for Dingxin," Shen Qing refused.

Zhao Hongwei said seriously, "The script for 'Nightclub' is more like your work than 'Taken,' or rather, more like 'Fame and Fortune.' 'Fame and Fortune' is a blockbuster proven by the market, so the market will have high hopes for 'Nightclub.' I think the story of 'Nightclub' takes place in a 24-hour supermarket, so there will inevitably be a lot of close-ups of products, which is perfect for product placement. There is a high probability that the entire cost will be recovered before filming even begins. You're making money for me and Dingxin, and it wouldn't be right for me to take the lion's share."

Shen Qing was silent for a moment, then said, "Then I'll take six and you take four. Brother Zhao, you can't refuse anymore."

Zhao Hongwei patted Shen Qing on the shoulder and nodded in agreement.

……

The film's preparation and development process was extremely fast.

Wang Damin was still the production manager. He found a supermarket on the outskirts of Beijing that was doing poorly and was planning to sell it. They agreed that he would rent it for 20 days, and it was very cheap.

The casting was also determined very quickly.

Shen Qing plays He Sanshui himself.

The female lead, Tang Xiaolian, sought out Yang Mi, who had just been admitted to the 05 class of the Beijing Film Academy but hadn't yet enrolled. She was, in a way, Shen Qing's junior.

The second male lead, Li Junwei, is a dull and introverted guy. Shen Qing found Wang Chuanjun, a student from the 04 class of the Shanghai Theatre Academy.

The robber was played by Zhang Jiayi, and many other actors were also from the original version. They weren't big stars, and their salaries weren't expensive.

The role of the landlady was played by Liu Yan. Shen Qing had just seen her on TV a few days ago. She had just left Hunan TV and moved to Beijing to work as a host at Enlight Media. She was a girl with an extreme lack of security, living in a very poor rented house, constantly worried that her mother's cancer would relapse, and her mind was full of saving money to prepare for unexpected events. She was known as a workaholic at Enlight Media, never letting go of any opportunity to make money.

Of course, the middle-aged customer who insisted on having a straw when buying hot soy milk still went to Wang Xun, who had never acted in a movie before and whose fee was very cheap.

In less than 10 days, all the actors were finalized, and Shen Qing called everyone to a meeting at Dingxin Film and Television. Shen Qing's own Magic Film and Television was just him as the sole commander, without even a meeting room. Shen Qing himself rarely went there. He was in a hurry to set up a company because investing in his personal capacity was not cost-effective.

"Director, what's wrong? Is there something wrong with my makeup?"

Yang Mi glanced at him several times out of the corner of her eye and finally realized it wasn't her imagination; the director was indeed watching her, and the frequency seemed a bit high. She thought there was something wrong with her makeup, so she took out her small mirror and asked him while looking at herself.

Shen Qing smiled and said, "Let's see if you can become famous."

Yang Mi was pleasantly surprised to hear this. So many people had praised her for being beautiful, but only her parents and Li Xiaowan, who had signed her to Rongxinda, had said that she would become famous. Her parents were mostly encouraging, but Shen Qing was the one who truly predicted that she would become famous. This made her feel like she had met a mentor and a kindred spirit.

The key point is that Shen Qing is not an ordinary person; he is a rising director who made "Fame and Fortune".

Actually, Shen Qing was checking whether Yang Mi's face was as square as described on La Fang's blog. The conclusion, under normal observation, was not obvious, at least not at the moment. A normal person seeing Yang Mi at this moment would only notice that she was beautiful, truly very beautiful.

When she first went to the company after signing with Rongxinda, the entire company came to see her, and everyone admitted that she was incredibly beautiful.

However, if you look at it from a lower angle, you can still see that the chin is somewhat square.

All I can say is that she's a stunningly beautiful woman with terrible photo angles.

After the meeting with the actors, the crew entered the final preparation stage for filming. That day, Shen Qing went to Dingxin Film and Television to discuss some details of the start of filming and found that Zhao Hongwei was in an excessively good mood. As soon as he saw Shen Qing, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha... Shen Qing, you've come at the perfect time! Guess how many GG implant intentions have been accumulated?"

"How many?"

"550 million!"

"More than Taken? Impossible!" Shen Qing denied, somewhat incredulously.

Zhao Hongwei laughed even louder upon hearing this, saying, "I didn't believe it at first either, but now that I think about it, GG Company isn't stupid. We don't know how well you make kung fu movies, but everyone knows how well you make comedies. Besides, this script is too clever. A 24-hour supermarket—there are so many GG products that can be integrated without it feeling out of place. Putting aside the box office performance, the TV rights to the movie will definitely be sold to the movie channel. A single broadcast during prime time will conservatively get a viewership rating of over 2, which means over 2500 million viewers will see it. And the movie channel isn't just broadcasting it once."

Shen Qing was somewhat taken aback. He knew that "Nightclub" was prone to product placement, but he still didn't expect so many. 550 million? They've already made money before filming even started?

"Don't accept projects that are too stiff or awkward. Even though it's just a hobby project, it can't be too shoddy."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. If I hadn't been so strict, it would have cost much more than this."

Okay, Shen Qing is convinced.

However, considering the 3000 million RMB in product placement revenue from "If You Are the One," it doesn't seem so outrageous.

Zhao Hongwei walked over to Shen Qing and patted him on the shoulder. No need for extra words, but you should keep it in mind.

Shen Qing proposed the "Nightclub" project to work with Dingxin, with Dingxin covering all production costs. Those who didn't know the details might think Dingxin was losing out, but those in the know understood that Shen Qing was leading Dingxin to make money.

As a result, the movie has already earned millions even before its release.