Chapter 854: Welcoming

Lu Yan He arrived in New York, and it was Hua Ruzhen who came to pick him up.

"Why did you come to the airport to pick me up yourself?"

Sometimes, facing Hua Ruzhen, Lu Yan He was very moved on one hand, and on the other, he couldn't help but feel a little pressure from Hua Ruzhen's attitude.

The kindness Hua Ruzhen showed him wasn't just once or twice, nor was it just a shallow gesture.

Although Lu Yan He was grateful, accepting it wasn't that smooth.

Of course, he was willing to become good, true friends with Muken Zorge and Hua Ruzhen, but they weren't in a relationship like Li Zhibai and Yan Liang, and Lu Yan He couldn't accept their kindness with peace of mind and without scruples, especially kindness that clearly exceeded the general standard.

Hua Ruzhen said: "I just happened to be here and had time, so what's wrong with picking you up? Why are you being so polite with me?"

Hua Ruzhen didn't feel that her actions exceeded the boundaries of an ordinary friend. In fact, in terms of Lu Yan He's collaboration with Muken Zorge and the years they had known each other, she seemed to think that she and Lu Yan He already had such a familiar and close relationship.

"Muken has an appointment to meet with D19, so he can't come right now. I'll take you to the hotel first, and I've booked a restaurant for dinner tonight," Hua Ruzhen said.

Hua Ruzhen had indeed discussed the dinner with Lu Yan He in advance.

Lu Yan He nodded and said okay.

"'Storm Calmer No. 1' is gaining more and more momentum now," Hua Ruzhen said. "Fortunately, the front is stretched long, and now everyone's discussion about this film focuses on the film itself, rather than those previous things. Speaking of which, Yan He, you are really amazing. You actually succeeded in sending such a film into the awards season. Even if it doesn't get an Oscar nomination in the end, it has already achieved a historic breakthrough."

Lu Yan He smiled.

"This is thanks to Sister Ruzhen. I know you have also done a lot of work here."

Hua Ruzhen: "We just pulled everyone together to promote the film, which really doesn't count for much. On the contrary, you are willing to use your reputation to push this film; you are the truly amazing one. Muken even said that doing this like you, if you're not careful, you might fall into a public opinion crisis and get involved with politics, and these achievements and advantages you've worked so hard to accumulate in North America would be wiped out."

Lu Yan He shook his head.

"If such a thing really happened, then it can only be said that everyone is taking things too seriously," Lu Yan He said. "I couldn't possibly do such a thing, running to someone else's doorstep and saying that our home is the best in the world, even if I think so in my heart. I'm not such an impolite person."

Hua Ruzhen laughed.

"Is your next film going to be 'Men in Black'?" she asked.

"I have to film Director Huang Tianlin's film first, then 'Men in Black'," Lu Yan He said. "It's a headache."

Hua Ruzhen laughed.

"Is your second collaboration with Director Huang Tianlin another preparation to kill it at the Oscars?" Hua Ruzhen asked.

Lu Yan He: "Who knows? I can only wait and see. Who knows what the reaction will be here in Hollywood."

"Then is this film of yours a Hollywood production?" Hua Ruzhen asked.

"No, it's made by Director Huang Tianlin's own company, but the North American distribution should still be Green Valley."

"Then the goal must be on the Oscars," Hua Ruzhen said. "If art and serious films don't go for awards, it's hard for the box office to break through the ceiling."

Lu Yan He: "Going for awards is a means of promotion."

"It's been like this for the past few years," Hua Ruzhen said. "Look at 'Storm Calmer No. 1'. Because of the Oscar run, Green Valley arranged for it to be shown in cinemas again. Although there aren't many cinemas showing it, only about 400, but just like this, showing a little bit every day, it can have tens of thousands to over a hundred thousand dollars in box office daily. As long as it can be successfully nominated for an Oscar, this box office performance can go even further. Now that this film is harvesting box office like this, it's expected to reach 30 million dollars in North America alone."

Lu Yan He: "Speaking of which, it's quite incredible that such a serious subject, a foreign-language film, could get so much box office."

"You underestimate how much attention a film gets now that you appear in it," Hua Ruzhen said. "The screening conditions and all aspects are top-tier for a foreign-language film. Think about it, you've been on three first-tier interview TV programs alone; this is already the scale of promotion that only A-level productions have."

Lu Yan He nodded.

It was indeed so.

Hua Ruzhen said again: "The box office success of 'Storm Calmer No. 1' will allow your other films to get better screening conditions; these are all complementary. Among the films competing for Best Foreign Language Film this year, 'Storm Calmer No. 1' has the highest box office performance, and it's a runaway success. To be honest, the core reason why the film has such momentum in the awards season now is because it achieved such box office performance."

"Yes, Darren said the same thing," Lu Yan He said. "It really is a capitalist society, ha. Whether or not you can have a good result in awards also has to do with commercial performance."

"It's a capitalist society, after all; the most fundamental value is monetary value," Hua Ruzhen said. "Why Hollywood recognizes you and accepts you is also because you can bring them huge monetary value."

"Sister, then is your investment in film and television dramas now still mainly focused on the Chinese market?"

Hua Ruzhen nodded and said: "Mainly investing in Chinese film and television dramas, and will also invest a little in other Asian countries depending on the situation, but the share occupied is not much."

Lu Yan He nodded.

"Just like the projects of your Linghe, didn't you reserve a 3% to 5% investment share for me for every project?" Hua Ruzhen said. "For most projects, I actually only occupy such a share; I don't invest much."

Lu Yan He: "Then can investments like this generally be recovered? I'm a bit curious about what the general environment of domestic film and television dramas is like now."

Hua Ruzhen: "Generally speaking, for dramas, if you can get an investment share and it's not held back from airing for some special reasons, it's relatively stable. Basically, when you invest, you know how much can be recovered; it's predictable. Films are not; it's all a gamble. You basically can't squeeze into projects by big directors or directors with good box office performance; that's not something an outsider like me can handle. As for other projects, a large part of them, you don't even know what the situation is. Ten investments, nine losses; it's not even as good as investing in some literary films by new directors. At least they are seriously making films."

Lu Yan He understood.

So in reality, the domestic film and television market, especially the film market, is still relatively chaotic and unclean.

Hua Ruzhen said: "Of course, after doing it for a few years, I have a general idea now. To put it bluntly, the project proposal is secondary; it still depends on the helmsman. If the person is reliable, the project won't be too bad. If the person is unreliable, no matter how beautiful the project proposal is, it won't work out. This is different from Hollywood here."

Lu Yan He: "To be fair, the thing the Chinese market lacks the least is money. It's just that investors have money, but it's very hard to find reliable projects. Because of this mixed environment, good projects are also very hard to find investors willing to do them. For truly obvious good projects, without that connection, you can't squeeze in either."

Hua Ruzhen: "Yes, you are absolutely right; that is the situation."

She suddenly thought of something.

"However, this is also an opportunity," Hua Ruzhen said. "The more chaotic the order, the more opportunities can be found. Why they let me be responsible for investment in the Chinese market is because they saw this window. Previously, the Chinese film and television market hadn't developed, and everyone just treated it as a box office warehouse. Now the market has developed and started to establish order. Although surface order exists, the actual operating rules still have many blanks and chaos."

Lu Yan He asked: "Everyone will just treat you as a sucker, cheating you once is once."

"So, I can only cast a wide net to see people and see things," Hua Ruzhen shrugged her shoulders. "Fortunately, with you, Li Zhibai, and Yan Liang, I won't be completely confused and run into it, paying a tuition fee."

In Hua Ruzhen's work, Lu Yan He and the others indeed gave a lot of help.

On one hand, it was projects, and on the other, it was the extension of the network of contacts.

Just like the film 'The Boat', it had investment from the foundation behind Hua Ruzhen. Although it wasn't much, only giving a 50,000 dollar investment share, through this share, Hua Ruzhen got to know Luo Yuzhong and Yu Mengling, including other behind-the-scenes personnel participating in the project. Then for Luo Yuzhong and Yu Mengling's future projects, she got an admission ticket—

Many people would think that the investor is the boss, so why do they need an admission ticket? As long as you are willing to invest, wouldn't others open the door wide?

Of course, most of the time it is like this. But often for projects that open the door wide, investors don't look at them. For projects investors look at, the door is often hard to enter.

Muken Zorge is preparing his next work.

In the evening, Lu Yan He met with him and chatted about this work.

Muken Zorge said: "D19 has always wanted me to develop the 'Mist' series. Even if you don't return to star, they think that they can use the characters from the original two to develop spin-offs, but I myself want to stop for a while."

Lu Yan He laughed.

"Do they want to make the 'Mist' series that much?"

"For a series with such a high return rate, of course they want to do it," Muken Zorge said. "Both films got about 300 million dollars in global box office. For horror films, this is a very high box office, close to the ceiling. Even if the spin-off only has half the box office of it, if it still maintains the cost of the first two, it's still a big profit."

Hua Ruzhen added: "Especially after 'Get Out', it's even more so. D19 is so enthusiastic about Muken."

Lu Yan He smiled.

"Alright."

Muken Zorge said: "But after I filmed 'Get Out', I actually had new ideas. The project I'm doing now is also a similar concept. I'm filming a protagonist group encountering a storm on the ocean, accidentally arriving at a mysterious island. They encounter an ancient tribe on the island and experience a series of horror and thriller things, and finally escape."

Hearing this, Lu Yan He was a bit pleasantly surprised, "Is this combining horror and thriller with adventure?"

"Yes," Muken Zorge said. "Actually, I really like this kind of story." Lu Yan He said: "If it doesn't involve gods and ghosts like this, this film can be shown in China. Are there any Asian characters in your script?"

"Yes," Muken Zorge said. "I went to communicate with D19 today, and I specifically communicated about this matter. The protagonist group has five people in total. They want to change that Asian character into a male character that a Korean actor can play. It was originally a female."

Lu Yan He said: "Do you have any intended actors?"

Muken Zorge nodded: "According to my initial setting, this should be a female scholar who is usually obsessed with ancient cultural research. Her personality is a bit eccentric, but not that kind of weirdo. She is a very cute and lively girl herself. I wanted to find Bai Jin to play it. In 'Friends', my favorite character is the one she played."

Lu Yan He showed a look of surprise.

This was really beyond his expectations.

Muken Zorge: "But a Korean capital party started a collaboration with D19, so D19 wanted to leave this role for a male actor recommended by that Korean capital party. I looked at the photo, sigh, it's completely not the way I set this character at the beginning."

Lu Yan He said: "Then what is D19's attitude?"

"I am relatively persistent, and they didn't oppose it, but they set their sights on another character, wanting to change the character originally set as a British man into a Korean," Muken Zorge sighed. "They don't understand that the settings I made for the five protagonists were specially matched and are all closely related to the plot. If you change the settings casually, the script has to be changed accordingly."

Hua Ruzhen said: "Do they definitely want to stuff that Korean actor in?"

Muken Zorge said: "They think that for this type of film, changing the character setting isn't something that hurts the bones; it can be changed, and they don't really care about the matching I emphasized."

"Then what are you planning? If D19 insists on modifying the script, are you willing to compromise?" Lu Yan He asked.

Muken Zorge said: "If I really can't communicate with them, I will go and contact other film companies to see their attitude."

Hua Ruzhen: "If you take the project to any film company now, they will open the door wide."

Lu Yan He nodded and said: "Muken, why do you want to accept such an arrangement from D19? You no longer need to listen to such unprofessional opinions."

Muken Zorge sighed, feeling a bit embarrassed, and said: "But D19 is the only one willing to promise me an 80 million production budget."

"How much? 80 million dollars?" Lu Yan He was suddenly startled, stunned. Is this number too exaggerated?

You know, 'Men in Black', a film that needs a lot of special effects, only has a production budget of about 100 million dollars.

Just now, hearing Muken Zorge's description, Lu Yan He didn't feel that this film needed such a high production budget.

Muken Zorge said: "Because this film will need a large amount of special effects production. A very important part of the horror and thriller elements of this film is the bloody and horrific scenes presented by oral narration, murals, and notes in the first half of the film, which are finally truly presented before the eyes."

Lu Yan He suddenly realized.

Muken Zorge: "And, for the male lead of this film, I plan to invite Alexander Ryan, and his salary alone requires 15 million dollars."

Alexander Ryan, one of Hollywood's popular actors, a male actor who almost reached the 20 million dollar club.

Saying it like this, the 80 million dollar budget for this film is not a castle in the air.

Alexander Ryan's salary budget alone is 15 million dollars. Adding the other four actors, the salary for the leads alone is at least 20 million dollars. Muken Zorge's current market value is about 10 million dollars—

Lu Yan He thought to himself, it really is expensive.

Muken Zorge suddenly winked at Lu Yan He and asked: "If D19 insists on changing the character settings in the script, are you interested in doing this project?"

Lu Yan He said: "With an 80 million dollar production budget, I don't have such powerful influence. Of course, if it really comes to this step and you need to raise money yourself to film, I can help you introduce a few companies, especially Solon. I think, given Solon's current situation, they would be very willing to take over this film."

Muken Zorge, however, seemed to have been insulted.

"The first one to reject me was Solon," Muken said. "They said that even if this film sold to the box office performance of 'Mist', with such a high production budget, it wouldn't make much money."

Adding the promotion budget, indeed, according to the standard that horror and thriller films with a global box office of 300 million dollars are considered big hits, it's very difficult for this film to make a profit directly from the theater box office.

It's just that Lu Yan He felt that Muken Zorge, having filmed so many popular films, is fully qualified to helm a film with an 80 million budget.

This is not a horror and thriller film in the conventional sense; it already belongs to the category of mainstream commercial films. Of course, because of the limitations of horror and thriller, it might make many audiences afraid to walk into the cinema to watch this film, which is also a problem.

Lu Yan He didn't know how Muken Zorge would balance these problems.

He just felt that this film, as it sounded to him, wasn't that unreliable.

Alexander Ryan being able to get a salary of 15 million dollars is definitely not something created by data marketing. In the global market, he is a serious film superstar. He hasn't reached the top, but he is not far behind. Whether it's popularity or appeal, he can guarantee that this film won't flop silently.

And Muken Zorge's talent—Lu Yan He knows very well. He is a person who understands films very well and knows how to film.

With this combination of two people, there is strength, there is starlight, and the subject matter isn't that extreme.

Solon doesn't understand.

D19 understands the business, so he will promise Muken Zorge an 80 million dollar budget.

Lu Yan He said: "Leave Bai Jin's role to her, she won't let you down. However, when are you planning to film this movie? She is going to the UK for graduate studies in the second half of the year, so the time might not be coordinated."

Muken Zorge said: "Ah? She is going to the UK for graduate studies?"

Lu Yan He nodded, "She wants to continue studying while filming 'Friends' in these few years."

Muken Zorge's brows immediately twisted together.

"Don't listen to me about this; perhaps she will change her mind later," Lu Yan He said. "What I want to say is that she is an actor with a very unique style. I never thought she could act in horror films before, but when you just said you wanted her to play a role, combined with the her I know and the story style of your film, I suddenly felt that it's a very interesting combination, and she will be very suitable for this film."

Muken Zorge was a bit confused: "Really? You don't even know what this film is about specifically, right?"

"Although I don't know what it looks like specifically, I have already imagined some scenes in my mind based on the elements you just mentioned," Lu Yan He said. "Especially the scene where she suddenly screams in an ancient, gloomy environment full of traditional exotic symbols—"

Lu Yan He said bluntly, "If you told me this was a role that especially needed acting skills, I might not have said that, but if I'm not mistaken, this role is actually a typecast role. You need more of the actor's own temperament and image. It's best if this actor has an image familiar to the public, and then you put this familiar image into the film and scream, forming a huge contrast to create a sense of powerlessness and horror from civilization falling into barbarism and backwardness."

Muken Zorge was stunned, then turned to look at Hua Ruzhen.

Hua Ruzhen immediately said: "It has nothing to do with me. I haven't mentioned a word of your film to him. Everything he said, he thought of himself."

Muken Zorge looked at Lu Yan He in disbelief.

Lu Yan He laughed.

"It seems I guessed right."

So, Muken Zorge thought of Bai Jin.

What he wanted was the public impression Bai Jin formed in 'Friends'.

"I'm defeated," Muken Zorge shook his head in disbelief and helplessness.

Lu Yan He smiled slightly.

"Of course I have to ask for leave to film this movie!" Bai Jin raised her volume on the phone without hesitation, "Yan He, are you telling the truth or a lie? Does Muken really have a role for me?"

"Yes," Lu Yan He said. "I thought you really wanted to study."

"I really want to study, but I don't want to give up my identity as an actor and become a scholar in the future," Bai Jin said. "I just want to learn and accumulate more things, things that I can't come into contact with as an actor and artist."

"Alright, then I'll call Muken again tomorrow. Don't let him misunderstand because of my words and not look for you," Lu Yan He said. "He should be very eager to have you play this role."

After all, there aren't many actors who can meet those conditions.

The image is widely known, the actor's own popularity is not that big, and the public's impression of her is concentrated on one role—

This is Bai Jin's advantage.

Lu Yan He was very happy that Bai Jin had such an opportunity. ===== CHAPTER 855 =====