The senior management of the Western Film Studio was unanimously optimistic about the project after reading the script, but when they heard that Liu Xiaowu should have the final cutting power, everyone had an opinion.

For such a high-quality project that has not been touched for several years or more than ten years, how can such an important right as the right to terminate the cut be casually agreed to a grassroots employee in a group who does not have a strong sense of existence?

No matter how you talk about seniority, you can't rank Liu Xiaowu!

There are also assistant directors, there are so many excellent directors in the factory, let's just say that there are several well-known domestic directors sitting here today? Of course, it is not necessarily rare for a well-known director to become an assistant director, but it is not nonsense to let a person who has never heard of a name, or even a director, become an assistant director?

What do people outside think of Western Film Studio?

Is there no one in the West Film Studio?

In the end, Director Yan Yiyun made the final decision: "This matter is so decided, Liu Xiaowu is an employee of the West Film Studio, his nephew is not, they can find the West Film Studio, or they may not find the West Film Studio, we will not be the only domestic unit interested in this project." Since we are optimistic about this project, then we have to agree to their conditions. ”

In the evening, Liu Xiaowu went to his sister's house to eat with a red face, and began to praise himself as soon as he entered the door.

"Sister, brother-in-law, Xiao Mu, the factory has basically agreed, all according to our requirements to talk, Xiao Mu is the assistant director, the remuneration is 500,000, all into the movie, as for me...... Hehe, continue to do the old job, edit, and write the final cut right into the contract. ”

Liu Xiaohui was pleasantly surprised: "Xiaowu, all your factory directors agreed?" ”

Liu Xiaowu said with a smile: "I agreed, and I promised very happily." ”

"Wait, 500,000?"

The three of them reacted suddenly, glanced at each other, and then Li Mu asked, "Uncle, the remuneration is 300,000, where did you get 500,000?" ”

Liu Xiaowu turned his face at this time, looked at Li Mu and said, "Xiao Mu, what did you tell your uncle yesterday?" What Qing University and Peking University are not as bold as they are, and what Harvard and Yale are not as good as daring themselves. Uncle looks at you on paper, but the actual operation still depends on the uncle. You are named as an assistant director, how can you not have an assistant director fee? Uncle told Director Yan for you, and Director Yan also agreed, the assistant director's labor fee is 200,000 yuan, and the screenwriter's fee is just 500,000 yuan. ”

Li Mu gave a thumbs up: "Uncle is still your cow!" ”

Li Yuansheng pondered for a moment and said to Li Mu: "I will go to see Cheng Long in the evening and tell him that your uncle is the editor of the West Film Studio, and your script is not only shown to Cheng Long, but also shown to your uncle to the West Film Studio, and it just so happens that the West Film Studio is also very interested in the project, so let's see when the two will make an appointment to talk together." ”

Li Mu nodded in agreement.

So will Cheng Long agree?

Hong Kong films began to decline in the mid-90s, and have declined to today, and the annual box office has fallen from billions at its peak to only three or four billion yuan now.

The number of films shot each year has dropped from a few hundred at its peak to less than 50 now, and the current Hong Kong film industry is facing an unprecedented tragic situation.

Where is the way out for Hong Kong films?

There are many reasons for the decline of Hong Kong films, but the shrinkage of overseas markets is undoubtedly one of the main reasons.

The rise of Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia's own films, the expansion of Hollywood films in the world, and the decline of the Baodao Film Market, the largest market for Xiangjiang films, ——— all of these have had a great impact on Hong Kong films.

In the final analysis, Xiangjiang has only a population of 7 million, and with such a small population, it is impossible to support the prosperity of Hong Kong films with its own market, and when it comes to the market, where is the largest market for Hong Kong films?

Today's Hong Kong filmmakers have gradually realized that the mainland is the biggest market for Hong Kong films.

This is the reason why Cheng Long, Zhou Xingzhi, Wang Jing and other Xiangjiang filmmakers have gone north to make films.

In June 2003, the Mainland and Hong Kong signed a CEPA agreement.

According to CEPA's policy, co-productions between Hong Kong and the Mainland can be treated as domestic films; Hong Kong-made films will no longer enter the mainland film market as imported films, i.e. they will no longer account for the quota of imported films.

In other words, even if Li Mubulasi Film Studio enters the game, Cheng Longfang will most likely have to find mainland partners to co-produce movies in order to get the treatment of domestic films.

Since you have to co-produce with a mainland company in the end, why can't you find a Western Film Studio?

West Film Studio is also a well-known unit with a glorious history, and even director Zhang Yimou came out of West Film Studio.

Li Mu guessed right, Cheng Long only showed some surprise after learning the news, and there was no other performance of rejection.

Three days later, Yinghuang's boss Yang Zhicheng flew to Xijing to participate in the negotiations.

In 2001, Cheng Long chose to part ways with Jiahe, and Yang Zhi, the boss of Yinghuang, became Cheng Long, and he spent 300 million yuan to shoot a "Flying Dragon Regeneration" for Jackie Chan, although the results were not very good after the movie was released, but Jackie Chan still chose to join Yinghuang's camp.

The production company of the movie "Myth" is Cheng Long Yinghuang Film Co., Ltd., and this company is jointly funded and founded by Cheng Long and Yinghuang's Yang Zhicheng, and the company's first work is "New Police Story".

Cheng Long intends to invest in "Hurricane Rescue", so he will naturally discuss with his friend and partner Yang Zhicheng as soon as possible, Yang Zhicheng listened to Cheng Long's praise of the script on the phone, and naturally attached great importance to it.

Yang Zhicheng didn't see the script when he came, what he valued was not the project, but Cheng Long.

For example, the movie "Myth" project, with an investment of 160 million yuan, how much box office does it take to recover the investment? You must know that the current domestic box office champion is "Hero" released by director Zhang Yimou in 2002, "Hero" opened the era of mainland blockbusters, and the mainland box office is only 250 million.

The box office champion in 2003 was "Mobile Phone" directed by Feng Xiaogang, and the box office was far lower than "Hero", only 53 million, but this was already the box office champion in 03. "Mythology" has an investment of 160 million alone, and it would be hellish if it can make money, but Yang Zhicheng is optimistic about Cheng Long, so he invested.

In the same way, there is Jiang Wen, when Jiang Wen filmed "The Sun Also Rises", the investment was quickly spent by him, and the crew couldn't shoot it anymore, but later Yang Zhicheng saw the script and thought it was not bad, so he also voted.

Jiang Wen told Yang Zhicheng that there was a high probability that he would lose money in this film, and after Yang Shoucheng heard it, he replied happily: "I am a person who wants to save face, and I promise to invest in you, so I won't care about money." ”

Later, when Jiang Wen had a good script, he would first show it to Yang Zhicheng, and then "Let the Bullets Fly" exploded at the box office, so that Yang Zhicheng made a lot of money, and Yang Zhicheng wanted to give Jiang Wen a red envelope at the celebration banquet, but Jiang Wen in turn gave Yang Zhicheng a red envelope of 8 million.

After learning that Yinghuang's boss Yang Zhicheng came to Xijing, Li Mu found Cheng Long and Yang Zhicheng as soon as possible.

What he wants to talk about, of course, is the question of the ownership of the right to terminate the cut.

In a sense, in the film industry, whoever has the right to final cutting has the right to speak, and since Cheng Long and Yang Zhicheng are optimistic about this project, they will naturally not easily give up the right to final cutting.

And what Li Mu has to do is to convince them.

In fact, Li Mu didn't intend to hide from Cheng Long and Yang Chengcheng that he had an agreement with the West Film Studio in private, the most important thing in the world was smart people, and his little tricks couldn't hide it from anyone, let alone for long, and it didn't need to be hidden for long.

What he relied on was actually Cheng Long and Western Film Studio's recognition of the script.

If both parties think that the script has potential, then cooperate, if both parties feel that the script has little potential, then break up, Li Mu just do his best.

In the final analysis, Li Mu did not regard any of Cheng Long, Western Film Studio, Yang Zhicheng and others as a big man who could decide his own fate.

The big guy is right, he thinks too much about deciding fate.

That's right, Western Film Studio has a glorious history, and Cheng Long is a kung fu superstar with important influence all over the world.

Yang Zhicheng is a big man in Hong Kong, and his business covers real estate, finance, watches and jewelry, hotels, digital media, lifestyle brands and other industries, compared to the entertainment industry, which is more like Boss Yang's private harem.

Zeng Zhiwei is also a big man in Xiangjiang, but because of his smelly mouth, he alluded to the top artist Rong Zuer under Yinghuang on a variety show that he had a sausage mouth and looked ugly, and was violently beaten by a group of people at the door of the nightclub, and received 29 stitches on his face.

This shows Yang Zhicheng's power in Xiangjiang.

It's true that these three parties are all big guys, Li Mu must be extremely modest in his attitude when facing them, but from the bottom of his heart, he doesn't have any admiration for the three parties.

In his heart, he is equal to Western Film Studio, Cheng Long, and Yinghuang Yang Zhicheng, he did not wait for these three parties to give him a chance to succeed, he is trying to create an opportunity for the three parties to win.

That's why he used Cheng Long's reputation to impress the West Film Studio, and used the influence and financial strength of the West Film Studio to convince Cheng Long, everyone is an equal business partner, of course, business partners have cooperation and competition, honesty and deception.

Li Mu, who has been in the entertainment industry for decades in his previous life, will not easily worship anyone, no matter how big a boss he is, no matter how influential a star he is.