Huayu: I Have a Doraemon

Chapter 81 The Night the Comet Came

"puff--!"

Lin Cong didn't waste a drop of the tea he had just drunk; he sprayed it all over Lin An's face.

She was bent over, coughing incessantly, one hand supporting herself on the sofa armrest, the other pointing at Lin An, her fingertips trembling violently:

"You're going to make a movie?"

Lin An sat opposite him expressionlessly, took two tissues from the coffee table, wiped the tea off his face, and corrected him:

"It's about participating in the production of a movie."

"What's the difference?" Lin Cong stared wide-eyed at Lin An as if he were a madman.

Do you know how much it costs to make a movie?

Before anyone could answer, she started counting on her fingers:

"Movies aren't TV series; those are made using film! Cameras, sound recording, developing... aren't those bottomless pits?"

She paused for a moment and said, word by word:

"Don't be fooled by the policy that says the production company gets 42%. In reality, after deducting copy fees, publicity costs, and layers of exploitation and underreporting, you're lucky if you get a quarter of the total box office."

This is also the fundamental reason why the domestic film industry has failed to develop.

The distribution system suffers from multi-level exploitation, rampant data fabrication, extremely low profitability for production companies, and excessive risk. (And this isn't yet a theatrical release system.)

"I know all of that."

Lin An tossed the soaking wet tissue into the trash can next to the coffee table.

"So I plan to shoot it directly with a DV camera, skipping theatrical releases and going straight to film festivals."

He spoke candidly: "As long as you can get into the Directors' Fortnight or Un Certain Regard sections, it's not too difficult to sell the rights for tens of thousands of dollars."

In Lin An's memory, Lan Yu seems to have been included in the Un Certain Regard section of Cannes in 2001.

Liu Ye and Hu Jun rose to fame with this film, and their careers took off from there.

Seeing that he had considered this step, Lin Cong knew that he was serious.

She knew someone had recently made a fortune and certainly had enough funds to shoot a low-budget film. After a few seconds of silence, she asked one last question:

Where do you find actors?

Lin An didn't speak, but looked towards the door.

There, Shen Teng, Deng Chao, and a few others were huddled together furtively by the door frame, their heads overlapping, having been eavesdropping for who knows how long.

Shen Teng wasn't embarrassed at being discovered. He casually pushed the door open and walked in, smiling slightly.

"Lin An, President Lin, Master Lin. You know me, I just love challenging myself to do things I've never done before."

Deng Chao followed closely behind, looking eager to try:

"Me too! I've acted in plays and have plenty of performance experience!"

Qiao Zhenyu silently followed in, and although he didn't say anything, his eyes were filled with excitement.

Gao Lu, Chen Shu, and Dong Xuan were also eager to try.

For actors, no opportunity to appear on screen should be missed.

Lin An looked at these uninvited guests and his lips twitched slightly.

"Don't you guys even look at the script first?" he couldn't help but complain.

"Whatever!"

Shen Teng waved his hand dismissively, "Let me tell you, this face of mine was made for the big screen; I can handle any genre!"

Deng Chao glanced at Shen Teng, instinctively wanting to say something sarcastic or make a joke, but remembering that they were competing for a role, it wasn't appropriate, so he swallowed his words.

The others shared similar sentiments.

It wasn't obvious on any part of his body, but his movements seemed to have become somewhat stiff.

Even the usually composed Qiao Zhenyu couldn't help but take a few steps forward, straightening his back considerably.

Lin Cong saw all of this.

She didn't say anything, but turned to look at Lin An and said calmly:

"The set will be set up soon, and they will be filming intensively right away. They can't film at the same time."

Lin An waved his hand, his expression calm:

"This movie is very simple; it can be filmed in just a few days."

Lin Cong's forehead veins bulged, and he gritted his teeth, saying:

"This isn't a matter of just a few days!"

Lin An understood what she meant and comforted her:

"Don't worry, the script requires a total of 8 characters. Apart from the female lead, the roles of the others are actually about the same."

Lin Cong was taken aback, but his expression softened considerably.

"It sounds like an ensemble piece."

Shen Teng leaned halfway out from behind the sofa, grinning as he said:

"Entertainment is great! It's not tiring at all. Let me tell you, ensemble acting is what I'm best at."

"Aren't you good at all kinds of genres? Now you're good at ensemble pieces too?" Deng Chao finally couldn't help but laugh and scold him.

"There's no conflict between them!" Shen Teng said confidently.

Lin Cong ignored the two clowns and turned his gaze back to Lin An.

"Where's the script?" she asked, holding out her hand.

Lin An pulled out a stack of bound A4 papers from under the coffee table and handed them over.

The cover has only one line of text: "The Night the Comet Came".

Lin Cong took it but didn't open it, then asked:

"Who are you planning to choose as the female lead?"

Several girls present looked over.

Without hesitation, Lin An replied, "Gao Yuanyuan."

This concerns his money, so it absolutely must be taken seriously.

Lin Cong was silent for a few seconds, then sighed:

"Alright."

……

……

Huayi, Chairman's Office.

Wang Zhongjun sat behind his desk, flipping through a project schedule, his brow slightly furrowed.

Over in the sofa area, Wang Zhonglei sat with his legs crossed, a cigarette between his fingers, listening to Feng Xiaogang's conversation in a casual manner.

"Relying solely on the domestic market is not enough; we must engage in collaborative production."

Feng Xiaogang's voice was slightly hoarse, a lingering effect of years of staying up late.

Wang Zhonglei nodded repeatedly: "I'm already in talks with Columbia, but we'll have to negotiate the revenue sharing for a while."

Wang Zhongjun lifted his eyelids from behind the report and glanced at him:

"Revenue sharing is secondary; the main purpose of this collaboration is to standardize the production process and promote the company's reputation."

Wang Zhonglei nodded slightly:

"That's natural."

Once a movie is finished, it becomes an asset that can be valued.

Hollywood co-productions and independent films produced in mainland China are not considered the same thing by banks.

Following the topic, the group started discussing revenue sharing, production costs, and actors' schedules.

Just as the conversation was about the company's future prospects, Wang Jinghua, sitting on the single sofa, interjected:

"It seems Lin An is going to start a film and television company."

The room fell silent instantly.

The cigarette in Wang Zhonglei's hand hovered in mid-air, with a long ash accumulated.

Feng Xiao swallowed back the words that were about to come out, her brows furrowing slightly.

This is a name that some of those present do not want to recall, yet cannot forget.

Wang Zhongjun's expression remained unchanged, but his back subtly straightened:

"Have you found out who's behind him?"

Yes, even today, the Beijing elites do not believe that Lin An won the game through his own efforts.

The whole thing was done too ruthlessly; it really doesn't seem like the work of an 18-year-old.

Wang Jinghua shook her head and said calmly:

"It was Ji Tao who went to register; it should be Lin An's company alone."

Wang Zhonglei chuckled, about to make a sarcastic remark, when Wang Zhongjun asked first:

"you mean?"

Wang Jinghua turned her head and glanced at Wang Zhongjun.

"Now that Shanghai Electric has taken over 'iPartment,' it's only a matter of time before the series airs smoothly, and it's only a matter of time before those actors become famous."

Wang Zhongjun nodded slightly, signaling to continue.

Wang Jinghua said, "Movies are ultimately too risky. When it comes to increasing national awareness, we still have to rely on TV dramas."

She implied, "Regardless of whether Lin An has powerful backers or not, his creative ability is undeniable."

Upon hearing this, Feng Xiaogang raised an eyebrow slightly, but said nothing.

Wang Zhongjun fell into deep thought.

After a long pause, he shook his head again:

"That kid has too deep a grudge against them; I can't make contact with him."

Before Wang Jinghua could persuade him, he continued:

"No matter how good you are, you're just a screenwriter at best. Making films and television shows isn't just about writing good scripts."

Wang Zhonglei chimed in, "Sister Hua, don't overestimate that kid. No matter how popular sitcoms become, he'll be just another Yingda at best."

He said, "In this industry, the most important things are box office revenue and awards."

Wang Jinghua glanced at him and said in a cold tone:

"I don't believe that Lin An's scripts are only good at making sitcoms, since Miramax has taken a liking to them."

Wang Zhonglei scoffed, "A good script doesn't necessarily make a good movie."

He said, "Leaving aside the distant future, just looking at locations, without connections, he couldn't even get through the gates of the film studio!"

Wang Jinghua glanced at the two brothers, remained silent for a few seconds, and then sighed softly:

"I hope so."