stjorthotic Chapter 15 Investment
Chapter 15 Investment
A few days later, news about the cast of "Caught in the Web" began to appear in newspapers and online.
"Fan Binbin's transformative work! Joining the cast of Berlin-winning director Fu Yibai's new film 'Caught in the Web'!"
Fan Binbin has been cast as the female lead in the film "Caught in the Web," and Hu Jing will also play an important role!
From "Heartthrob" to "Ye Lanqiu"? Fan Binbin's portrayal of a complex and tragic woman is highly anticipated!
The news naturally brought joy to some and sorrow to others.
Those actresses in the industry who once held onto hope, now disappointed, can only lament that they were out of luck or that their "methods" were inferior to others.
Hu Jing was naturally overjoyed and immediately called Zeng Li to share the good news, her words filled with gratitude, assuming that Zeng Li's influence had played a role.
Zeng Li congratulated her with a smile on the phone, but after hanging up, she stared out the window in a daze for a long time.
Fan Binbin... it was her.
In the past few days, Fu Yibai has also confirmed several film and television investment projects.
One is Sugarman's "The Legend of Sword and Fairy 1". Because it is the first TV series adapted from a game in China, Sugarman is not confident in it and wants to share the risk.
A total of 40% of the shares were offered, valued at 12 million.
Fu Yibai gritted his teeth and ate all of these portions.
Although the initial revenue of this TV series was not high, its long-tail effect was amazing, and the revenue from subsequent rebroadcasting rights and online copyrights will continue for many years.
The second one is a proposal from Hairun Film and Television, with the project titled "Bright Sword".
According to available information, this is a war-themed TV series adapted from Du Liang's novel of the same name. It is planned to have 30 episodes and is currently in the stage of script improvement and pre-production. It is also seeking joint investors.
Hai Run hopes to bring in strong partners to share production costs and risks, and to promote distribution through more channels.
This TV series has been seeking investment since the beginning of the year, but it has not been well received, so 20% of the shares remain uninvested.
Fu Yibai did not hesitate and immediately decided to take the 20% share.
He was well aware of the viewership potential of the classic war drama "Bright Sword," and its long-tail effect was also astonishing, no less than that of "Chinese Paladin 1," and perhaps even higher.
The third document is much thinner, more like a creative prototype, and is titled "The Big Diamond".
He flipped through the thin, even somewhat rudimentary, proposal with great interest.
Under the title "The Big Diamond," there are only a few pages, including a rough story outline, brief biographies of several key characters, and a handwritten, slightly messy scene breakdown.
Although the proposal was rudimentary, the grassroots yet witty dark humor revealed between the lines, as well as the initial attempt at a multi-narrative structure, stirred something in Fu Yibai's heart.
He immediately thought of the film that later created a box office miracle with an extremely low budget and was hailed as a milestone in Chinese low-budget comedy—"Crazy Stone".
Fu Yibai immediately checked who submitted the proposal.
"Ning Hao, it really is you."
I never expected them to come to me of their own accord.
In the original timeline, the investment process for this film was extremely difficult. Ultimately, it was Andy Lau's "Asian New Star Director" program that recognized its potential and invested a small amount of money to get it started.
And now, it has appeared in Chenxi Media's project solicitation in such a way that it is almost like "testing the waters".
This is practically a "pre-IPO stock" delivered right to your door, with potentially amazing future returns.
"Sister Qi, contact this director Ning Hao."
Fu Yibai picked up the internal phone, his voice decisive.
"Arrange a meeting as soon as possible; I want to talk to him in person."
Three days later, Ning Hao was invited into Fu Yibai's office.
He looked younger than Fu Yibai had imagined, wearing a slightly faded denim jacket and sporting a buzz cut.
Judging from his appearance, he doesn't look like an artist at all.
"Hello, Director Fu."
Ning Hao shook hands somewhat awkwardly, his gaze quickly sweeping over the spacious and bright office, a hint of envy and nervousness in his eyes.
"Director Ning, please have a seat."
Fu Yibai was very friendly and personally poured him a cup of tea.
"I've read your 'Big Diamond' proposal, and it's very interesting."
Ning Hao's eyes lit up for a moment, but then dimmed again. He had obviously heard similar "opening remarks" before, but they were usually followed by "but".
"Thank you, Director Fu, for taking the time to watch this."
He rubbed his hands together, organizing his thoughts.
"This script... I've been working on it for a long time. It's about a group of ordinary people..."
It might be a bit unconventional, not quite in line with the mainstream…
"Being unconventional isn't the problem; being interesting is the key."
Fu Yibai interrupted him, leaning forward slightly with focused gaze.
"What interests me is, how do you plan to film it? What's the budget? Does your team have any ideas?"
Ning Hao perked up and immediately pulled out more detailed information from the old canvas bag he was carrying. He quickened his pace and began to explain his ideas for the film's style, pacing, casting, and filming locations.
"...
Preliminary estimates suggest that if costs are strictly controlled, digital cameras are used for filming, actor salaries are kept to a minimum, and real locations are used as much as possible, it is possible...
It can be bought for around three million.
I know this amount is small for a film, but I'm confident I can spend the money wisely and produce a high-quality film.
After Ning Hao finished speaking, he looked at Fu Yibai with some trepidation.
Three million.
Fu Yibai quickly made a mental calculation.
Even following the original timeline, this film will still achieve great success with a small budget, garnering amazing box office returns and critical acclaim.
Not to mention, if we could intervene earlier and provide better production conditions, we might achieve even better results.
"Here's what we'll do: Morning Light Media will invest the full amount in you. Let's not go for three million. If it turns out well, I'll give you five million."
"Five...five million?"
Ning Hao paused for a moment, almost thinking he had misheard.
He originally thought he would have to explain his "unreliable" project at length, and was even prepared to be politely turned away, but to his surprise, the other party not only listened attentively, but also took the initiative to increase the budget.
"Yes, five million."
Fu Yibai spoke with certainty, pushing a prepared letter of intent in front of him.
"Morning Media will cover all the costs."
We hold 90% of the investment and corresponding rights in the project, while you, as the director and core screenwriter, will have 10%. Furthermore, I guarantee you final artistic decision-making power in the creative process—provided it doesn't exceed the budget.
He looked at Ning Hao with clear eyes. Fu Yibai was so generous this time for two reasons: first, he knew the film would make money, and second, he wanted to win over the tool in front of him.
After all, with this timely help, it will be easier for him to recruit Ning Hao in the future.
"I trust your ability to control the story, and I appreciate your approach of using ingenuity and creativity to make up for insufficient funding."
Five million. I hope you can handle the dark humor and multi-narrative structure you want to express more skillfully, and improve the overall quality.
Ning Hao held the letter of intent; the paper seemed almost too hot to handle.
His eyes welled up slightly, not because of the money, although the amount was an astronomical sum for him.
It's also because of that feeling of being understood and trusted.
At a time when my script was facing numerous setbacks, this act of kindness and recognition is incredibly precious.
"Director Fu..."
Ning Hao's voice was a little hoarse. He cleared his throat forcefully, trying to make himself sound more professional and reliable.
"Thanks!
I... I definitely won't let you down!
Every penny of this money will be used for the movie!
"I can still polish the script, and I can start refining the storyboard tonight!"
"No rush."
Fu Yibai waved his hand and smiled.
"Don't get excited."
Take the letter of intent back and have a knowledgeable friend or lawyer review it.
If there are no problems, sign it as soon as possible, and then we will officially launch the project and assemble the team.
I have great confidence in this project; it might bring us unexpected surprises.
After seeing off Ning Hao, who was so excited his steps were almost unsteady, Fu Yibai returned to his desk.
Including the 12 million from "Chinese Paladin 1", the 2 million from "Bright Sword", and the 5 million that was just promised to Ning Hao, most of the 30 million investment has been used up, but the potential of the projects he has gained has made him very satisfied.
These are all "hard currencies" that have stood the test of time.
In particular, "Crazy Stone" has low costs and high returns. If it is operated well, it may generate profits next year and quickly recover funds, becoming one of the important cash flow projects for Morning Light Media in its early stages.