The more meetings he held, the more Lu Yanhe realized that he knew nothing about company management.
I don’t understand many of the operating principles, and I also realize how difficult it is to coordinate this matter.
When a sum of money is invested in a place, when is it expected to come out, how much is expected to come out, and where are the places waiting for the money to be used? What if the money waiting in the early stage is lost or cannot be come out? Many, is there any backup plan?
Lu Yanhe used to often hear the word "capital chain broken" and didn't understand why. But now after listening to what they said, he slowly understood it.
It’s not that we really have no money, but we are stuck in a certain project and can’t get out. We are waiting for money in other places. If we don’t have money, we can’t wait indefinitely. Then, there are many Things just fell apart.
Linghe's profits have been pretty good in recent years.
However, the early accumulation is far from enough for the scale and goals we want to achieve next.
Unless Lu Yanhe used his own money to make up for it - Chen Ziyan reminded him from the beginning that he couldn't do this.
This is not entrepreneurship. Once you need to use your own money to run a company, it means that the company is not in a healthy operating state.
Moreover, you can eat as much food as you want with your stomach.
After patching this end, if something goes wrong at the other end, should I patch it up? How much is the amount of supplement?
Financing is inevitably mentioned.
After all, this is the fastest way to make money.
However, the reason why Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan have not chosen financing is that they want to firmly control the company, and they need to sell some shares to repay the money. The value is too low, and The value of this company in the future will be very different.
I would rather the company develop at a slower pace and carry out primitive accumulation by myself.
After all, this is not an industry that is about speed or who is one step ahead.
As long as the content projects they make are good, the company will not be eliminated.
In the end, Linghe was sure of one thing.
First of all, reduce the investment amount in "Raise the Red Lantern". The producer of "Raise the Red Lantern" is director Wang Zhong's company, and there is no shortage of investment in this movie. It's just that because of Lu Yanhe's relationship, the investment share of this movie was given to Lu Yanhe first - but this movie It is not a box office hit. After its release, it will not be able to achieve big profits just by relying on the box office for a while.
In this way, part of the funds can be transferred first to increase investment in "The Legend of Sword and Fairy". For this drama, Linghe is the copyright holder and one of the producers. The drama was filmed this year and will take almost a year to post, and it may not be broadcast until the second half of next year. But before that, Northern Lights’ investment funds will be transferred, and various incomes such as advertising sponsorships will also be paid first.
But this puts forward relatively high requirements for "Householding". If "Householding" cannot be broadcast in the second half of the year, "Householding" cannot come back, and "Legend of Sword and Fairy" will have to absorb external investment. ——
Then Linghe will earn less. At this stage, Lu Yanhe's "Legend of Sword and Fairy" is a project that is 100% profitable and a big hit - no matter how popular the movie is in the early stage, it still needs to collect money from the box office, but TV series don't need to, Northern Lights pays the bill, even if the final movie The show is really good, Linghe has already received the money, and the only loss is the Northern Lights - and even the Northern Lights may not lose money. After all, the early advertising revenue may have earned back the initial investment.
-
After hearing this, Lu Yanhe said to Chen Ziyan: "No, Sister Ziyan, these are too complicated for me. I will not participate in the discussion process from now on, and it will be very complicated." It consumes my energy, I have to rehearse with everyone during the day, It’s so tiring to coordinate the promotional activities of the two crews every time during the filming. I’ll just know what the company is going to do after you come up with a result.”
Chen Ziyan also feels that she is worried about it recently. For Lu Yanhe, the consumption was too great.
She said: "You should not participate in the discussion during the filming of "Friends". When you finish filming the show, which is almost finished, you still have to join in. You have to understand these things and what direction the company should go in. , you can talk less about how to arrange it, but you have to listen more, and aside from other things, you will act in the future. Playing movies and playing roles in the workplace are all about experiencing life for you. You don’t always have to look at the world from an actor’s perspective. Linghe Company is another perspective for you to understand the world.”
< br>Chen Ziyan's words can always scratch Lu Yanhe's itch in the most critical places.
Lu Yanhe's current work and life are indeed very smooth. He rarely encounters any problems, nor does he encounter such a big headache.
If he continues to be self-proclaimed, his role in life will really be that of an artist.
Lu Yanhe nodded, accepted Chen Ziyan's statement, and said yes.
-
One week after "The Mist" was released in North America, the North American box office exceeded 60 million.
D19 Company arranged for several major actors to appear on several popular TV shows in the United States to promote "The Mist".
They actually wanted to call Lu Yanhe back to cooperate with the publicity. However, Lu Yanhe had no choice but to refuse this time.
The filming of "Friends" is still in full swing, and the rehearsals for the Spring Festival Gala have also begun. There is no time to go to the United States to promote "The Mist".
They only gave him a small remuneration, and now that the box office results are so good, they didn't say they would give him a bonus. In Chen Ziyan's words, there was no sincerity in asking him to continue to cooperate with the publicity, and he never mentioned remuneration. It seems that this is the voluntary labor of actors.
Although "The Mist" did well at the box office, it was also of great benefit to Lu Yanhe. But this does not constitute a reason for D19 to use Lu Yanhe’s labor force for free.
As a result, the next weekend, "The Mist" still received more than 20 million at the box office, and the movie officially exceeded 80 million US dollars. Adding in overseas box office revenue, the total global box office of "The Mist" reached 130 million US dollars. .
D19 sent out a celebration message——
According to this trend, it is certain that "The Mist" will exceed 100 million in the North American box office.
With such good box office results in theaters, other copyright prices have followed suit.
"The Mist" is about to become one of the movies with the highest return on investment in Hollywood this year.
At this time, many viewers and fans of "The Mist" suddenly gathered on Twitter and appealed to D19 Company, hoping to film a sequel to "The Mist". They wanted to see the Asian character played by Lu Yanhe The return of the ghost.
In Europe and the United States, this kind of petition often occurs - someone hopes that a certain drama can continue to have a sequel, or someone likes a certain character very much and hopes that a spin-off film can be developed for this character. This is not unusual.
Developing sequels is a normal thing in the United States, whether it is a movie or a TV series. It is rare for a work that is a box office hit to not develop a sequel.
It can be said that the "sequel industry" is also very mature and complete in the United States.
In fact, the movie "The Mist" has done so well at the box office that D19 will definitely develop a sequel for this movie. It’s just that D19 has some internal thoughts on whether to let Lu Yanhe return.
With Lu Yanhe's performance and popularity in this movie, as well as the praise he received from media critics, the salary for the sequel will definitely not be low. D19 has not yet started negotiations with Lu Yanhe for the sequel, but they have not decided what kind of remuneration they will give him.
Lu Yanhe is really popular in the United States now.
Among the actors in "The Mist", none of the other actors received as much attention combined as Lu Yanhe.
A very important reason why D19 is unwilling to give Lu Yanhe a high salary is that they believe that Lu Yanhe can become the actor who will benefit the most from "The Mist" because their early publicity strategy provided Lu Yanhe with a lot of topicality.
Now, Lu Yanhe has become famous in the United States with "The Mist", and they also have their merits and contributions.
However, they can just keep this to themselves. If they really use this to suppress Lu Yanhe’s salary, let alone Lu Yanhe, they will definitely disagree. If word spreads, it will even become a joke in the industry.
Of course, there is another important reason why D19 has not started negotiations with Lu Yanhe. They had previously sent Lu Yanhe another script, also a horror-thriller script, but it was declined by Lu Yanhe.
In that script, Lu Yanhe was even the first protagonist, from beginning to end from his perspective, but Lu Yanhe’s agent said that Lu Yanhe had just acted in a horror film, and next he wanted to act in something else. 's film.
This is no longer possible.
Will Lu Yanhe be willing to return to the sequel to "The Mist"?
How likely is it that Lu Yanhe will return without showing some sincerity?
This is the problem they need to face.
After being in contact with Lu Yanhe for so long, if they didn’t know enough about Lu Yanhe’s situation at the beginning, or their understanding was still at the stage where they arrogantly believed that Asian actors were eager to receive invitations from Hollywood, now they I don’t think so anymore.
Lu Yanhe’s popularity and topicality do not just stop in Asia.
For Hollywood stars, Lu Yanhe’s popularity and influence in Europe and Asia are even beyond the reach of many of them.
Just look at the overseas box office of the movie "The Mist" -
According to the current overseas media reviews and social media popularity of "The Mist", most media and film reviews People and those who commented on this movie on the Internet focused on Lu Yanhe. This is an indisputable fact.
Judging from data reported by box office survey agencies, especially in Asia, about 30% of the audience went to the cinema to watch this movie for Lu Yanhe.
-
This day.
After Lu Yanhe, Li Zhibai and Yan Liang completed a rehearsal of the Spring Festival Gala, they went to the audience to watch the replay of their own performance.
The director team is very satisfied with the new song that the three of them collaborated on.
Youthful and energetic, in line with their age, it is also what the audience expects most from their trio.
The song itself is very central. "Let the whole world speak Chinese" has been a very popular cultural trend in the past two years. By integrating RAP into this song and adding traditional Chinese elements such as tongue twisters, they made the main melody refreshing and pleasant to listen to.
Coupled with the fact that Lu Yanhe has been a hot topic around the world recently, he, Li Zhibai and Yan Liang completed this performance together, which is a perfect stage answer.
The director team was very polite to the three of them.
On the contrary, some staff from the technical departments such as photographers and lighting teams did not have a very good attitude towards them.
Lu Yanhe was a little surprised, but later he found out that because Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang were too busy during this period, they had not participated in the previous couplets - according to the standards of the Spring Festival Gala, it was actually difficult for their work had an impact. In an activity of this magnitude, any small problem may have a huge negative impact on your career. A performance stage is not only the business of the performing artists, but also the business of many staff behind the show.
And here, no matter how big an artist you are, you are just a label on this stage, a tool to complete a certain job. Nothing can describe their work attitude better than "not asking for merit but seeking no faults". As long as it can be completed smoothly and without problems, it is already a great achievement.
Of course, there is another very important reason.
People who can participate in the Spring Festival Gala program basically have a good background behind them, and it is normal for them to be indifferent to big-name celebrities like you - you are a star, and I am not inferior to you.
After the rehearsal, Lu Yanhe went to eat with Li Zhibai and Yan Liang.
"I read that some media said that D19 plans to make a sequel to "The Mist". Is it true?" Li Zhibai asked.
"Is it true?"
"Really? Don't you know they are going to make a sequel?" Li Zhibai asked.
Lu Yanhe nodded and said: "They have probably communicated this intention to me, but they have not formally talked about it, and they have not officially invited me to return for the sequel."
Li Zhibai : "Fuck, they won't let someone else play the role, right?"
"Generally not." Yan Liang is still more calm and rational than Li Zhibai. From common sense, sequel movies will not do this. The reason why a sequel is a sequel is to replicate the success of the first one, or even to go further. How could anyone give up on the box office selling point of the first film?
Lu Yanhe said: "Sister Ziyan guessed that D19 has not yet decided what contract conditions to give me."
Li Zhibai: "Then do you plan to act?"< br>
“Let’s see what direction they plan to develop the sequel. If there is a different It’s a good idea and a good story, so it’s good to be in a sequel.” Lu Yanhe said, “At least there is a character that is well-known in Europe and the United States.”
Like "Late Spring" and "Path of Glory", although. It won awards at international film festivals, but to the public, most of them have never seen it.
The commercial purpose of Lu Yanhe's appearance in "The Mist" is to increase his popularity and expand his influence in Europe and the United States.
He has never shied away from this.
"Actually, it's probably because "The Mist" did well at the box office and a foreign horror film came to me." Yan Liang said suddenly.
Li Zhibai sighed and asked: "Is it also from Hollywood?"
"No, it was a script given by a British film company." Yan Liang said, "But I read the script. It’s just a very ordinary horror story, not much different from the ones we’ve seen.”
"Then you don't plan to accept it?"
"Zhou Pingan hopes that I will accept it." Yan Liang said, glanced at Lu Yanhe, and said bluntly, "Zhou Pingan thinks that Yan He is popular in Hollywood, so he must There will be many script roles to look for him. He can't take so much by himself. I can play Yan He. So, the same horror film, the same Asian actors, let Europe and the United States know that there is someone like me who is your age. Chinese actors like me will have many opportunities come to me. Come here."
Lu Yanhe rolled his eyes and said, "Zhou Ping'an can't stop eating shit. You don't need to mess with me. "Friends" and "Gold Rush" have already made him. You have been banned by many European and American film and television companies Note."
Yan Liang: "But I think what he said makes sense, so I'm thinking about it."
Li Zhibai asked: "The horror that comes to you. Is the film the protagonist? ”
"Yes." Yan Liang smiled, "However, my character is a mysterious ghost hunter from the East, not a ghost."
"It sounds very interesting."
"It's actually a police and gangster film that's a bit scary and thrilling. Just think of it as the police arresting criminals." Yan Liang said, "It feels like this script is completely in the pattern of a police and gangster film."
"Hahaha." Li Zhibai laughed.
Lu Yanhe: "Where is the director? If the director is good, even though the story is old wine in a new bottle, the film will still look good."
"Don't mention it, even this director's previous works were mediocre." Yan Liang said, "If it were better, I wouldn't be so hesitant. I'm not the kind of actor who has to accept a script that is particularly good. I haven't At that level. Moreover, this movie is not expected to be released in theaters, but directly to streaming media. "That's right, it hasn't been decided yet," Yan Liang said. , "This is what I hesitated too. Another point is that because of streaming movies, you may have to work hard for two or three months, but in the last week there will be no success. I have never seen a movie on streaming media that caused a big discussion. , the influence is also very average."
Lu Yanhe: "This is indeed the case."
Li Zhibai: "Then if you refuse to accept it, will Zhou Pingan force you to accept it? ”
"Probably not now." Yan Liang said frankly, "My hesitation is not that he insists on letting me take it, but that I am afraid of missing an opportunity."
"The roles you take now are all based on dramas. Mainly based on episodes, but in terms of the current entertainment industry ecosystem, if you want to go further, you either have to make a movie For more popular dramas, you have to go to the film industry," Li Zhibai said, "Movie actors are more advanced than drama actors - although we don't think so, this is how the industry believes."
< br>Yan Liang: "Yes."
He sighed quietly.
Lu Yanhe said: "It's okay. I think since you are hesitating, it means that this project still impresses you. I think you can try it. If you fail, it won't affect you. When I took on "The Mist" , actually I’m also nervous, after all, horror movies, they say It's relatively low-level, crude, and simple, but later I felt that the worst thing was that it didn't perform well at the box office, and I couldn't afford to fail. It's the same as you. You have two series, "Gold Rush" and "Friends", which have been successful in the past few years. Don’t worry about failure.”
Li Zhibai also nodded.
"Zhou Ping'an, apart from his bad character, still has a good eye for choosing movies. If he said this movie is worth filming, then there must be something worth filming."
Yan Liang glanced sideways at Li Zhibai.
“Are you telling me what I said to you before?”
Li Zhibai: “You said it yourself, take what others have learned and make up for your own. Short, since Zhou Pingan is so good at choosing scripts, you can trust his judgment.”
Lu Yanhe shook his head in disbelief and sighed: "I never thought that I would hear such words from Li Zhibai one day."
Yan Liang also said: "Who doesn't? It's difficult to Believe it."
Li Zhibai: " ...You two are enough."
-
The average episode ratings of "Friends" have remained above 3% since the two episodes in which Lee Chi-baek guest-starred. Ratings have remained high as students begin their winter break.
This is especially true for online playback.
Both Yuehutai and Northern Lights Video are very satisfied with the results of this drama.
Not to mention Maxine.
When "The Mist" grossed over 100 million in North American box office and exceeded $170 million in global box office, Maxine paid a high price to grab the streaming rights to "The Mist" from several streaming media competitors, and D19 finally He made up his mind and expressed his willingness to offer Lu Yanhe a salary of US$6 million for the sequel.
Because from the negotiation process with Maxine, D19 felt that their interest in Lu Yanhe was actually greater than the movie "The Fog".
The salary of six million U.S. dollars is not even a slight increase compared to the one million U.S. dollars that Lu Yanhe received for his first film. Converted into RMB, it is more than 40 million RMB.
Lu Yanhe has never received a salary of this amount when he acted in movies in China.
D19 thinks he is generous enough.
But Chen Ziyan is not satisfied, not with this number, but with Lu Yanhe's inability to enjoy box office dividends.
However, from a market perspective, Lu Yanhe, an actor who has just arrived in Hollywood to make movies, is not yet at the stage where he can negotiate for box office dividends, even if his first film does so well at the box office.
This is rarely done in the industry.
Chen Ziyan’s attitude is very clear.
“The development of the sequel is not based on the popularity of the movie "The Mist". In fact, we all know that the sequel can be developed because everyone likes the character of the Asian ghost played by Yan He so much. ." Chen Ziyan said, "This sequel will definitely revolve around Yan He's character. Developed by Se Lai, the selling point is also this character, Yan He. In other words, without Yan He, this sequel will not work. In this case, I think Yan He deserves to enjoy the box office dividends. This is what Yan He deserves.”
D19 The person in charge of negotiating with Chen Ziyan had an ugly face.
Because he thinks six million US dollars is high enough and Chen Ziyan is not satisfied yet, which is greed.
Chen Ziyan didn't care whether he looked ugly or not, nor did she care whether he was angry or not.
She just expressed her thoughts. Let D19 hold a meeting to discuss the next thing. (End of this chapter)