Although the Peking Opera teacher he hired was highly professional, he just didn't feel that he was as good at teaching as Zeng Li. After teaching him step by step for a few days, Liu Hao understood it very quickly, and he always felt like he was about to learn.
Classes resumed and the drama skits were rehearsed together, and the burden of work was temporarily relieved. The days of studying at the Chinese Opera gave Liu Hao a sense of leisure and contentment.
But soon a group of uninvited guests arrived.
He dodged left and right, made a sudden jump shot, and the basketball drew a wonderful arc in the sky and hit the net.
The decisive victory made Liu Huohua look proud. He raised his eyebrows and breathed softly. He shook his long flowing hair, thinking that he was cool and unrestrained. He opened his arms and was ready to enjoy the cheers of the winner.
He was not discouraged by a loser even after losing in the game. Liu Hao gave Liu Huohua a thumbs up and took the towel and water handed over by the girls in the class with a smile.
Seeing that the eyes of the surrounding audience were all focused on Liu Hao, Liu Huohua curled his lips and cast another shot.
During the break, Liu Hao happened to see his elder brother in a suit and leather shoes appearing on the campus of China National Theater Academy, smiling and waving in this direction.
"It's very relaxing for you to hide in school!" The elder brother smiled and patted Liu Hao's arm. Seeing that Liu Hao was much thinner than during the previous concert, he nodded with satisfaction.
"What do you mean by hiding? I'm just a student, okay!" Liu Hao drank water and squinted his eyes to look at his elder brother, "Brother, you don't go to the Three Treasures Hall for nothing, tell me if you have anything to do with me..."
Then he added in a serious tone, "You can make your own decisions about the movie. As the saying goes, don't be suspicious when you employ people and don't use them when you don't..."
"You kid, you think of me as someone who works for you, right..."
The eldest brother smiled and kicked in the air, and then continued in a more serious tone: "Okay, no more joking, I will lead you to a few people..."
Then he took Liu Hao to the office building of China National Theater.
When I came to an office, several people were talking. The elder brother began to introduce Liu Hao:
"This is Director Kang of Xiaoxiang Studio, this is Director Huo Jianqi, and this is Teng Rujun..."
"Brother, no introduction is needed. Although Teacher Teng has never taught me, I am a student of Chinese Opera. How could I not know that this is our beloved Teacher Teng..."
Liu Hao warmly stretched out his hand to shake hands one by one, and took the initiative to introduce himself: "Director Kang, hello Director Huo, little Liu Hao, it's an honor to meet you two..."
"Young man, that's right, you're young and promising..." Director Kang suggested with a smile: "Teacher Teng still has something to do, let's go out and talk..."
In fact, Liu Hao probably understood what was going on when he saw these people. Sure enough, he exchanged a few simple greetings on the quiet alley. After being friendly, Director Kang handed over a script and asked straight to the point: "Xiao Liu, ah
, I wonder if you have read "That Mountain, That Man, That Dog" by writer Peng Jianming?"
"Is it a story about a rural postman? I think I've seen it before, but I can't remember it clearly. It's a very tender story..." Liu Hao pretended to be embarrassed and smiled, and began to read the adapted script.
While quickly flipping through the script, Liu Hao had already begun to brainstorm memories for later generations and recalled this novel.
"This is a very good story. We intend to adapt this novel into a movie and have Teacher Teng Rujun star in it, but..."
"Did you encounter any problems?" Liu Hao asked knowingly.
Director Huo Jianqi was a little embarrassed and answered truthfully: "There are not many investors interested in this film. We have not attracted enough investment so far..."
“This is alms that have come to my home!”
Liu Hao thought to himself, looking up at the two of them, and then at the eldest brother slightly behind him, then fell silent and fell into deep thought.
The novel "That Mountain Man That Dog" itself does not have ups and downs of the plot. In order to retain the essence of the original work, the adapted script is the same. The story is warm but the plot is simple, and the story pace is slow and cliche.
It tells a story from the countryside. Mainland audiences have long been tired of watching this kind of movie, and it is not popular at all.
If the audience doesn't like it, it means there will be no box office if they don't go into the cinema. If there is no box office, it means the investment will be a loss. Knowing that there is a loss means that no one is willing to invest in being taken advantage of.
Investors don't like literary films adapted from novels like this, but they are very popular with mainland filmmakers. Unfortunately, after the film reform, major film studios have to bear their own profits and losses. Even Beijing Film Studio, the best-run studio in the mainland, has to sell quotas at a loss.
Only in this way can we complete the shooting tasks, let alone other film studios.
It is simply impossible to provide the same level of protection as the previous literary and artistic films, and Director Kang of Xiaoxiang Studio is also powerless.
While Liu Hao was thinking, the eldest brother quietly walked up to Liu Hao and whispered in his ear:
"Director Kang has a close relationship with Mr. Han. Director Huo Jianqi is a senior at Beijing Film Studio and was recommended by Mr. Han.
Mr. Han agreed to invest in the film. I originally wanted to ask Mr. Zhang from Forbidden City Pictures to solve the investment problem, but Forbidden City Pictures invested three million in my film. "Red Lover" will be released soon, and I want to ask for it again.
I have to pay a publicity fee, but I have no money to help...
That’s why we came to us..."
Hearing his eldest brother's explanation, Liu Hao couldn't help but sneered in his heart. It was bullshit that Forbidden City Pictures said they were running out of funds. The fundamental reason was that they were not optimistic about this film project and were unwilling to invest.
Liu Hao is not clear about the financial situation of Forbidden City Pictures, but Liu Hao knows one thing. The 3 million investment in the movie "Red Lover" in later generations was almost entirely borne by Forbidden City Pictures. This life has its own concerns.
To bridge the gap, Huayi Brothers helped to invest and shared half of the pressure. Even if they invested 3 million in the eldest brother's movie, after subtracting it, there would still be a difference of more than 10 million.
A peek inside the tube reveals that Forbidden City Pictures is rich.
The Forbidden City is unwilling to invest, and now they are looking for themselves...
Can I not invest? The answer is no.
Because Han Sanye asked them to come to him, the meaning was already obvious, that is, he would be responsible for the investment.
Liu Hao can't offend Mr. Han. After all, Mr. Han is Liu Hao's backing tree.
With the help of Mr. Han, theaters in various places would be more restrained from hiding the box office of Liu Hao's movie when it was released. Only then would there be a chance to achieve such a high box office, and the movie's box office share would be paid so quickly.
At this time, not only was box office fraud serious, but it was also common for box office accounts to be in arrears.
Because the number of moviegoers was decreasing day by day at this time, most theaters were operating with debt, and the movie split was often delayed as long as it could, which could be several years.
I don’t know how many film and television companies went bankrupt because their capital chain was broken because they were unable to get their box office payments back. This situation is countless.
No one above is involved in the muddy waters of movies. I don’t know how to write the word “dead”.
So having your back against a big tree is a good place to enjoy the shade.
In the adult world, you should not ask for help without asking for anything in return. Liu Hao was also very clear-minded.
Mr. Han spares no effort to help himself grow and develop his film company, not because he is greedy for his own company's shares, but because he hopes that he can repay the entire film industry after his development.
The so-called wealth first drives wealth later.
The money-losing business of film and television also needs someone to do it, and this time it was Liu Hao's turn.
But as the saying goes, losses are blessings. If the film and television project that Mr. Han asked you to invest in suffered losses, he would definitely make up for it for you somewhere. The more obedient you are, the more you will make up for.
And the most important point is that the film project "The Mountain, That Man, That Dog" is not a money-loser at all.
This movie will not be able to sell at the box office in mainland China, but it may not be possible abroad.
Others think this is a hot potato, but who would have thought it was a piece of beautiful jade wrapped in rocks.
How could Liu Hao miss the fat meat delivered to his door?
Liu Hao calmed down his inner excitement, showed his true qualities as an actor, pretended not to be interested, and asked with an embarrassed look on his face: "I wonder how much investment this movie requires?"
Director Kang replied: "The plan is three million..."
"Then how much investment have you attracted?"
When Liu Hao asked, Director Huo Jianqi stretched out two fingers in embarrassment.
Liu Hao pretended to frown and said to himself: "Two million, which means there is still one million missing..."
Director Huo Jianqi corrected him: "It's not two million, it's two hundred thousand..."
"..."
Liu Hao was speechless and felt a little embarrassed for them. It seemed that no one was optimistic about this movie project and no one was willing to invest...
Seeing that Liu Hao was silent again and seemed unwilling to invest, director Huo Jianqi quickly said: "It doesn't need as much as three million, two and a half million is about the same. I really think it's too much, and two million can be enough."
....”
Pay attention to Liu Hao's expression while bargaining.
Three million was beyond Liu Hao's expectation. He did not expect that the production cost of this film would be so small, and it was not even as high as the broadcast rights for the film he and Yu Feihong sold to TV and movie channels.
Liu Hao pretended to hesitate for a moment, then answered: "In that case, my film company will invest the remaining 2.8 million in this movie..."
Director Kang and Director Huo Jianqi looked at each other with surprise on their faces. They didn't expect it to be successful so easily.
"Thank you very much for your generous donation, which has solved an urgent need..." Director Huo Jianqi thanked him.
"No, we are all mainland filmmakers and we all contribute to the development of mainland films. We should help each other and benefit..."
But Liu Hao changed his voice and said: "This is an investment using my company's money. Investment is about returns. I hope that my investment should have the benefits..."
"That's no problem..." Director Kang replied with a smile. He actually didn't have confidence in the "money scene" of the movie. He had previously planned to give up all the profits to investors as long as there were villains willing to invest.
.
Liu Hao naturally agreed if he was willing to take over.
Next, Liu Hao asked his eldest brother to take charge of this matter and said to him: "The film company also has your share, and you can make your own decisions on matters. There is no need to seek my opinion..."
The eldest brother replied with a smile: "You have a lot of shares in the company, so you should make the decision..."
The Liu Hao brothers greeted a group of brothers and sisters politely. Director Kang and others, who had received Liu Hao's investment commitment, seemed to have no intention of leaving.
"Is there anything else?" Liu Hao asked.
Director Huo Jianqi said: "You have also read the movie script. Teacher Teng Rujun promised to play the role of father, but we have not yet decided on the role of son. This time we came to China Theater to choose the right actor.
..."
Liu Hao remembered that this movie was Liu Huohua's film debut, so he clapped his hands and suggested: "It's a coincidence that you came, there happens to be someone who I think is very suitable..."
After speaking, Liu Hao stretched out his hand to point to the basketball court.
But Director Huo Jianqi focused his eyes on Liu Hao's face, nodded with satisfaction and said: "Indeed, I think you are quite suitable..."
Liu Hao looked away from the innocent boy on the basketball court and said in surprise: "You don't think I'm suitable for such a country-style character..."
"The idol temperament you have now is indeed not suitable, but I am confident that I can train you well. You won't have no confidence in your acting skills..."
When he saw Liu Hao's photo for the first time, Director Huo Jianqi really felt that Liu Hao didn't fit the bill, but he still accepted Director Kang's suggestion.
Liu Hao has so many fans, and movies starring him will have a certain box office guarantee. Liu Hao's first movie proved this.
It will be more challenging for Liu Hao to play such a rustic role, but if the training is successful, it will also produce a corresponding sense of satisfaction.
Now Liu Hao is his best choice.
Making his film debut by robbing his own dormitory and harming his friend is indeed a bit jarring, and Liu Hao has some reasons.
"The film of yours is going to be shot this year. I will soon join the crew of my elder brother, and then I will join the crew of "Jing Ke Assassins the King of Qin" directed by Brother Chen Kai. I also have to prepare a new album. I don't have that much time..."
"This is easy to handle..." Brother Liu Hao said: "After you join my crew, I can focus on filming your scenes first. Your summer scenes can definitely be filmed in a month. I called Director Chen
, you can join the group after mid-October, so you can squeeze out two months..."
Director Huo Jianqi responded and assured: "Two months is enough for you to complete the filming..."
"Uh..." Liu Hao looked at them and suddenly laughed, "So you guys came prepared..."
Liu Hao pretended to be serious and continued: "It's very expensive to hire me to film a movie now. Now there are film crews offering me a salary of more than one million to make a movie. For my eldest brother's movie, I only paid five yuan as a friendly price.
One hundred thousand..."
Actors with box-office appeal will naturally be paid well. Liu Hao's first movie has already proved that fans are willing to pay for the movie...
Director Huo Jianqi began to bargain: "This is a literary film and I cannot offer a high salary. I hope you can also give me a friendly price and a lower salary..."
"How much lower? My classmate Zhang Ziyi was roped in by director Zhang Yimou to film "My Father and Mother" and was given a salary of 270,000. It can't be lower than this number..."
"Director Zhang is a great director. It's easy to attract investment. Since he is rich, he is willing to pay high box office. The production cost of my film is limited, and Teacher Teng Rujun doesn't want such a high salary..."
"Okay, then how much remuneration do you plan to give me?"
Director Huo Jianqi started to stretch out five fingers, but he was too embarrassed to bend down four of them, and gritted his teeth and said: "I am willing to pay 100,000 yuan for the film!"
Although this number is not high, after all, film investment is limited, so it is already quite sincere.
After all, the movie was invested by his own film company, and it was considered as a contribution to his career. Liu Hao thought about it again and again, and finally reluctantly agreed.
Liu Hao then thought of something else and asked: "There is a Dong girl in the movie script. Is there a suitable actor?"
Director Huo Jianqi shook his head and said: "Not yet, it's not decided yet. Do you have any good suggestions?"
When Liu Hao was thinking about who was suitable in the class, a young and beautiful girl happened to pass by chatting and laughing.
"What do you think of her? I think she's very good..."
"Huh?" Liu Hao looked up and saw that she was indeed very beautiful.