Soon after it was decided that Akina Nakamori would play Ba, Xu Wangqiu and they had an interview with the famous actor Rentaro Mikuni. Mikuni Rentaro is the best candidate for Matsuba in Sato Junya's heart, not only has excellent acting skills and is quite famous in Toei, but his experience is similar to Matsuna.

Born on January 20, 1923 in Ota City, Gunma Prefecture, Rentaro Mikuni was born on January 20, 1923 and worked as a painter in Ogu after graduating from high school, and traveled to Qingdao, China, on a random sailing ship. In 1943, 20-year-old Masao Sato received a red summoning order from the Toei government. He was afraid of going to war, he didn't want to fight, he thought that if he went to war, he would die, and tried every means to escape, but in the end he didn't escape. Masao Sato was caught by the military police and forcibly put on a ship in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture, and was subsumed into the Shizuoka Prefecture Army, where he was sent to Hankow along with more than a thousand enlisted soldiers. In June 1946, Masao Sato was returned to Japan as a soldier of Toei, first working at the Tottori Prefectural Farmers' Association, and then going to Tokyo alone in 1950 to do business with a friend without a license.

It was in this year that Masao Sato met Takashi Koide, the producer of Shochiku, on the streets of Ginza. Koide Takashi felt that Masao Sato had a good image, so he asked him, Would you like to audition and become a film actor? Sato Masao was so poor at the time that he asked, "I don't care about food and train money when making movies?" After receiving a positive answer, he entered the Shochiku Ofune Photography Studio to study acting. In 1951, he starred in the famous film director Keisuke Kinoshita's "The Good Devil", which was an instant success on the big screen, and then began a long film career under the stage name of Rentaro Mikuni.

As a member of the Japanese invasion of China, Mikuni Rentaro was very aware of what the Toei soldiers were doing in China. After filming, he made a large number of anti-war films, such as Yamamoto Safu's "War and Man", such as Ichikawa Kun's "Harp in Burma", and he was a relatively staunch anti-war element.

After reading the script of "A Game of Chess That Hasn't Been Finished", after listening to Xu Wangqiu and Sato Junya's thoughts, Mikuni Rentaro said to Xu Wangqiu: "Participating in the filming of this drama is the most glorious thing in my life, and this glory must be passed on to my sons and grandsons from generation to generation." ”

Shortly after returning to Beiping from his trip to Dongying, Wang Lanxi called Xu Wangqiu to his office. He had already heard Fang Zhenwu's report, Xu Wangqiu asked the Chinese staff of the crew of "A Game of Chess That Didn't End" to get the same salary as the staff of Dongying, otherwise he would quit the movie. It is obviously impossible to get the same salary as Dongying staff, and the national policy does not allow it at all, but "A Game of Chess That Has Not Been Finished" is not possible without Xu Wangqiu, so he can only persuade Xu Wangqiu in person.

Wang Lanxi and Xu Wangqiu did not have the need to beat around the bush, and said directly: "Your idea is good, logically speaking, it should indeed be treated the same as the Dongying staff of the crew, we Chinese cannot be the enemy, but this matter is not operable, and the national policy does not allow it at all." Our staff are paid, and the salary is a state regulation, and it is impossible to change it because of a movie. ”

Xu Wangqiu has a different view on this: "The salary is indeed fixed and it is impossible to change it, but it is not that there is no workaround. ”

Wang Lanxi knew that Xu Wangqiu had a lot of ideas, so he said, "Is there any workaround?"

Xu Wangqiu said directly: "Our export company needs to borrow personnel from other film studios, and the secondment must pay remuneration to the film factory where the seconded personnel are located, up to four times the salary, and generally twice the salary. This money is paid to the film studio, and then the factory pays me according to my salary. The use of domestic actors in co-productions can be counted as secondments, and the price of the secondment cannot be lower than the minimum wage of the foreign party. When our company or film pays salaries, it can be paid according to the original salary, and the rest of the money is donated to the country and contributed to the country. In this way, we are at least equal to Dongying people in terms of personality, not inferior. ”

Wang Lanxi felt that Xu Wangqiu's idea was good, which not violated national policies, but also gave the Chinese staff the dignity they deserved, and said with a smile: "You kid has a lot of ideas." That's a good suggestion. ”

Xu Wangqiu grinned: "Dean, I haven't finished yet." ”

Wang Lanxi scolded with a smile: "If you have a fart, let it go." ”

Xu Wangqiu continued: "I think so, how much salary is a national policy, and it is impossible to change this. However, the state does not stipulate how much the daily subsidy is, and our export company is an enterprise that operates independently and is responsible for its own profits and losses, and has autonomy. Then should we pay subsidies a little higher? For example, ten dollars a day. ”

Wang Lanxi said speechlessly: "You really dare to speak, other crews subsidize three cents a day, and you have ten yuan a day, what do you let other crews think, what do other film studios think? ”

Xu Wangqiu shook his head and said: "If you don't do this, the film system will be in a big mess." The film system is different from ordinary factories, and ordinary workers do not know much about the situation abroad and do not have too many ideas. In the past two years, many foreign film crews have come to our country to shoot, and those who can use the film system have come into contact with foreign filmmakers, and we also send a large number of film delegations to visit abroad every year. Many people know what the situation is like abroad, how developed it is, and how much money foreign workers can get.

It's like a person who has been closed for many years from a poor country to a bizarre flowery city, and under all kinds of dazzling eyes, does he still have the heart to return to the mountain village to live a peaceful and stable life?

In the next few years, there will be a wave of going abroad in the film system, and actors, directors, and related personnel will give up their domestic careers and go abroad to pan for gold. Many people would rather wash dishes abroad than be actors at home. Being an actor in China costs about 50 yuan a month, and washing dishes abroad can earn thousands of yuan. When the time comes, all our best talents will run out, so how will we do our film career?"

Wang Lanxi nodded slightly, this is indeed a problem, and now many people who have connections in the family are operating in secret to let their children go abroad. However, he feels that the problem is not so serious: "We in China lack everything, but there is no shortage of people." ”

Xu Wangqiu felt that Wang Lanxi thought about the problem too simply: "We may not lack actors or general staff, but we lack excellent directors." Our company's films are to be exported to foreign countries, to earn foreign exchange, and we need excellent genre film directors. You also know the current situation of domestic directors, the movies they make are okay in China, but they can't be sold abroad at all. Directors who can make good commercial films are really a scarce resource. When the time comes, others will dig up our excellent directors, so should we still engage in the film export business?"

The inability to retain talented people is one of the important reasons why film studios have been left behind by private film companies after entering the new century.

Zhang Yimou was an employee of the Guangxi Film Factory, and the first film he directed was directed by the Chang'an Film Studio. However, after entering the 90s, he has not made any more films for film studios, and his films are basically invested by Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Feng Xiaogang's famous work "Party A and Party B" was jointly invested by China Film Company and Forbidden City Pictures, and after the film was released, it was a great success. At this time, the Wang brothers, who were engaged in advertising, saw Feng Xiaogang's potential, so they found Feng Xiaogang and said to him, sign with our company, you should film and film, even if you don't film, you will be given 4 million every year. Feng Xiaogang didn't dare to agree, returned to the Forbidden City Pictures, and said to the general manager Zhang Heping, the Forbidden City and the New Film Federation are so kind to me, I haven't even said thank you, if you can give me 2 million, I won't sign a contract with them. Zhang Heping said helplessly, our system is just on hold, let alone 2 million, 200,000 is given, how to settle the account?

If the talent problem is not solved, the film studio's situation in the future will not be much better than in the previous life.

Wang Lanxi said with a smile: "Who will poach our excellent directors, and will foreign film companies invite our directors to make movies?

Xu Wangqiu shook his head and said: "Not in other places, but won't Xiangjiang Film Company?" When filming "Falcon" last year, Yuan Heping, a martial arts instructor in Xiangjiang, suggested that I go to Xiangjiang for development, and he said that a director like me can get hundreds of thousands of dollars for a movie when he goes to Xiangjiang. I can refuse him, but it's hard to say if anyone else can resist the temptation. ”

Wang Lanxi was speechless for a while, "Hoe Rape" sold more than 5 million in Xiangjiang, and the people in Southern Pictures were so excited after watching "Falcon" that they danced excitedly, saying that the box office would definitely surpass "Hoe Rape", and it was even possible to win the annual crown. If "Falcon" is a big hit at the box office in Xiangjiang, I am afraid that there are really many Xiangjiang film companies that have the idea of Xu Wangqiu.

Xu Wangqiu saw Wang Lanxi's solemn face and knew that he realized the seriousness of the problem: "If our talents are constantly poached by others, then it is impossible for Chinese films to have a bright future." If Chinese films want to really rise, not only can our talents not run, but also absorb talents from the surrounding areas and use them for our own use. ”

Wang Lanxi nodded slightly: "You are right, if we can't stay in talent, then it will be difficult for our film industry to get started." The reason why we were able to defeat the Kuomintang at the beginning was that we relied on the united front and let all kinds of outstanding talents stand on our side. Since you have thought deeply about this issue, don't hide it and say whatever you think. ”

Xu Wangqiu didn't sell it either, and said directly: "My idea is to give our company a higher subsidy to workers, five yuan a day for ordinary films, and ten yuan a day for co-productions." Exactly how much the subsidy will be can be discussed. With this strategy, we believe that the export company will be stable in three or four years. After three or four years, we have enough strength to implement the contract system at that time.

Just like in Hollywood, the producer can co-direct the studio to set up a studio, organize the script by himself, make his own budget, and gather his own manpower, we don't care about anything, the studio takes the drama to talk to the company, and as long as it passes the review, the company will invest money to shoot it. The final proceeds of the film are divided among everyone, with the export company taking 70% and the director and producer taking 30%. In the end, the cost should be deducted, and after deducting the issuance fee, the account should be shared with them. If the movie loses money, then sorry, not a penny.

In this way, not only the best directors in China will be used by us, but also directors from Xiangjiang, Taiwan, and even Dongying can cooperate with us with projects. In this way, the entire Asian outstanding filmmakers can be used by us, and then China can become the center of Asian cinema. There is Hollywood in the United States, Bollywood in India, and of course we can build Warlywood too!"

Wang Lanxi was shocked by Xu Wangqiu's idea to make China the center of Asian cinema and build Hualywood, this kid really dared to think of it! But his idea is not utopian, it is really operable.

This also has the advantage of being able to carry out a united front against Xiangjiang and Taiwan. Most of the Hong Kong film industry is pro-Taiwan, and if this happens, then the Hong Kong film industry will soon turn around and all stand on our side.

Wang Lanxi looked at Xu Wangqiu and said solemnly: "In this way, you come up with a detailed plan." ”