Chapter 1787: Success

"Let us congratulate 'This Man from Earth' for winning this year's Berlin Film Festival Jury Special Prize! Congratulations!"

Following the host's announcement on stage, the performing artists in the hall cheered and applauded, with many timely displaying expressions of surprise.

But the core creative team seated in the audience was overjoyed; Shen Ranran tightly hugged Wang Yan's arm: "Brother Yan, we won an award, we won an award!"

Xin Baiqing beside her also clenched his fists and grinned foolishly with joy, while the people from the film studio could not close their mouths from smiling.

Although the Jury Special Prize belongs to the category of consolation prizes, in terms of actual value, it really cannot be considered that great.

But then again, among so many nominated films, not all of them won awards, nor were all of them consoled. And among the numerous works that applied, only a minority made it to the nominations.

Viewed this way, even if this is a consolation prize akin to receiving a small slice of pork, at least he received meat. With this title, the film is simply different.

Wang Yan went on stage to give his acceptance speech, humorously recounting his directing process, starting briefly from when he grilled lamb skewers, delivering a stand-up comedy routine lasting over three minutes.

This duration was quite long, and after being translated and relayed, it became even longer, but the audience below reacted very positively, so the organizers did not urge Wang Yan to leave the stage, instead letting him finish his speech.

Wang Yan's purpose was very simple: self-marketing, highlighting how he used to farm at home, then grilled lamb skewers on the street, later became a director, and moreover won an award with his very first film.

Indeed, speaking truthfully, his experience might be even more interesting to people than the movie he filmed. If, after watching the film, one discovers that the themes explored are quite profound, filled with philosophical thought, yet expressed in an accessible and easy-to-understand manner, then interest in Wang Yan, this director who started as a lamb skewer vendor, would likely grow even stronger.

Because as a director, he must understand what he is filming and know what he wants to express; although it cannot be said that he understands every single matter discussed in the film, he certainly grasps the essence.

And knowledge has weight, it has a price; people are not interested in a university professor understanding these things, nor are they interested in a lamb skewer vendor, but they will definitely be interested in a director who started as a lamb skewer vendor and achieved a certain level of success.

As long as there is talk, there is heat; with heat, the movie can sell for more money.

In fact, distributors had already made offers previously, some wanting North America, some Europe, others Japan, South Korea, and the like; this thing is like distribution, these distributors are channel merchants capable of releasing films in their respective countries, just like China Film Group domestically.

At the same time, there is DVD distribution; in recent years, DVD development has been vigorous, and the revenue from this sector is not bad at all.

Wang Yan was not spending all day enjoying life with Shen Ranran as a carefree couple; he was still getting things done.

This time, Han Sanping let him handle the business negotiations with foreign distributors. After all, Wang Yan himself is a businessman; even though the secret seasoning formula had already been cracked, the sales performance of various other seasonings was rising step by step, all achieved by Wang Yan and Liu Qiangdong together.

Especially since Wang Yan mainly negotiated with large entities, such as government units, large enterprises, and factory cafeterias, many of these businesses in Jingcheng were secured by Wang Yan himself.

Because his good brother was still too green, with a success rate too low, Wang Yan personally took charge, bringing his good brother along for hands-on teaching. Thus, the promotion in Jingcheng not only proved Wang Yan's sales ability but also served as the growth path for his good brother.

Now negotiating some film business here is just changing the soup but not the medicine; the goal is simply to sell for more money. Therefore, Han Sanping felt very assured about Wang Yan's business capabilities and left everything to him, with the people from the film studio acting more like assistants doing odd jobs.

The film Wang Yan filmed is above standard; everyone's eyes are not blind, so naturally, they had come to make contact early on. Wang Yan had talked with all of them, but the prices offered were relatively low; although already far exceeding Han Sanping's expectation of one million US dollars, it had not yet reached the ceiling.

The structure of this film is very good, the subject matter is novel, the story is exciting, the filming is above standard, and it even includes foreign faces with significant screen time, so one million is simply too low.

Therefore, Wang Yan politely rejected them all, waiting until later when reviews from critics and media evaluations were released, and with this Jury Special Prize plus Wang Yan's self-marketing, only then did negotiations restart.

This time the price was much higher than before; after some haggling, including DVD rights and remake rights for the US and Europe, the total sold for nearly five million US dollars.

At this time, the exchange rate of US dollars to Red Banknotes was over eight, meaning nearly forty million Red Banknotes, while the cost of this film was only six hundred thousand Red Banknotes; moreover, Wang Yan paid generous wages to everyone around him, ensuring the entire cast and crew ate and drank well, and everyone earned quite a bit.

For the domestic industry, such an achievement caused an earthquake. In fact, when the signed contract amount exceeded one million US dollars, Han Sanping called immediately, saying he would arrange film promotion right away. When it reached two million, Han Sanping called again. By the time all contracts were finally finalized, Han Sanping just laughed heartily, saying he would treat Wang Yan to drinks upon his return, already at a loss for words.

So, the day after the closing ceremony, numerous domestic newspapers published the news that a new director had won the Berlin Film Festival Jury Special Prize.

Just as the masses were wondering where this person had sprung from, two days later, newspapers published the news that the film had sold for five million US dollars. Subsequently, other newspapers reprinted this, allowing more of the masses to see and discuss it.

Two days later, some information about Wang Yan began appearing in newspapers, with You Qi Zhu Zhong mentioning his peasant background, coming to Jingcheng, setting up a stall in Zhongguancun to grill lamb skewers to establish a foothold, and building a family fortune.

The newspapers meticulously advertised for Wang Yan, mentioning that the barbecue seasoning, which became popular across Dajiangnanbei, sparked a barbecue and roast meat trend, and stimulated the taste buds of people nationwide, was created by Wang Yan.

Added to this was the song recently popular across Dajiangnanbei, which was also related to the film.

Thus, after a series of reports, the masses became very interested in both Wang Yan and the film he made, and both names spread widely.

It was amidst this buzz that Wang Yan, Shen Ranran, and the others finally returned to Jingcheng.

As soon as they disembarked from the plane and reached the exit, a huge crowd of reporters surged forward, wielding long guns and short cannons, scrambling to conduct interviews.

Everyone was just trying to make a living, and it was indeed beneficial for themselves, so Wang Yan, along with Shen Ranran and Xin Baiqing, accepted the interviews; however, the reporters who rushed over had zero interest in Shen Ranran or Xin Baiqing, focusing all their questions on Wang Yan.

However, after Wang Yan stated that if they did not promote his film, he would not cooperate with the interviews, the reporters wisely proceeded to interview Shen Ranran and the other two as well, promising to publish the articles later and simultaneously scheduling exclusive interviews with Wang Yan.

Wang Yan readily accepted the exclusive interview and even suggested that several outlets could interview together, proposing they go to the factory for the interview, thus a pleasant deal was struck.

"Aiyo, look at you, you're reporters, yet how can you be so insensitive? Didn't you see Director Han standing right behind me? Let me tell you, the film's success is entirely due to Director Han's unwavering support. Without his investment, there would be no film; without his advocacy to participate in international exhibitions, there would be no five million US dollar revenue, no such explosive news, and you wouldn't be here interviewing me, a lamb skewer vendor."

Han Sanping had been in his new position for less than a year; Wang Yan's project was his performance investment. From filming, post-production, to waiting, over half a year passed, resulting in a sudden hit that shocked the world, adding a massive achievement to his record.

It proved his investment acumen, proved his support for young directors, and proved that he judges people without rigid criteria; even if someone is a lamb skewer vendor, as long as they gain his approval, he will do his utmost to help.

Han Sanping, beaming with joy, greeted the numerous reporters, answered some questions, and then led Wang Yan and the others away.

In the car, Han Sanping offered cigarettes to Wang Yan, even lighting one for him: "Wang Yan, you truly gave me a huge surprise this time; no one expected you could sell for so much."

"This thing depends on who can bluff, and moreover, my film was unexpectedly popular over there; during the screenings, it was practically standing room only, with many people dragging me to chat about life and the universe..."

Listening to Wang Yan describe the grandeur in Berlin and how he bluffed the foreigners, Han Sanping laughed heartily: "I knew you would have no problems; if someone else had gone to negotiate, I'm afraid they would have sold it before the results were even out."

"That's different, Director Han; if someone else had negotiated, once they passed one million, the task would be considered complete, and any extra ten thousand earned would be credited as merit. But for me, it's different; I filmed this movie, I invested in it, and I hold a thirty percent share. This time it sold for five million; after taxes, that's still ten million for me, so of course I had to do my utmost."

Han Sanping nodded: "As soon as the money arrives, I will settle your payment immediately; if you are in a hurry, I can find a bank to loan you money. With this accounts receivable, I guarantee you can get a loan of eight million."

"That would be excellent; Director, please take extra care, as the success or failure of my seasoning company hinges on this. With this sum of money, riding the wave of the film's popularity, I can expand my seasoning business across North China, Central China, and East China, firmly establishing our foothold."

"By then, you will be a successful entrepreneur." Han Sanping nudged Wang Yan with his shoulder, appearing very close, "It really pays to make films, doesn't it? Look, you ran a factory for over half a year, and the output value barely reached ten million. With one film, you worked for less than two months, including post-production less than three months, and now you have ten million in cash."

"And that's not all; we haven't even released it domestically yet. Regarding the Document No. 3 you learned about earlier, our studio connects with cinemas across the country for direct revenue sharing. With such sensational promotion, the box office should be at least over ten million, and your share after splitting should be at least over one million; won't your big house materialize from that?"

Han Sanping saw Wang Yan's potential and wanted him to continue making films, producing good movies with larger investments and grander scales. He felt that Wang Yan doing business was completely a waste of talent.

But he also had to admit that Wang Yan was awesome at business; otherwise, how could he have sold for so much money? Especially as Wang Yan said, with this money for expansion, the business would likely grow even larger; he feared Wang Yan might not want to make films in the future, which would be a great pity.

Wang Yan also laughed heartily: "Rest assured, Director; once I stabilize the business in a year or so, I will definitely return to filmmaking. I truly find movies quite interesting, and in the future, when I have money, making films will be more relaxed."

"That is indeed true; with money, you can film however you wish, with no one holding you back or swaying your ideas." Han Sanping glanced at Shen Ranran and Xin Baiqing sitting upright in the back and said, "Actually, you could establish a film and television agency, find some reliable people to manage it; the two leads you chose are quite good and could be cultivated."

"Cultivation requires resources; to be honest, in this circle, I only know you, Director Han. There are many projects in the film studio, but there are also many people watching them; what resources do I have to cultivate anyone? However, establishing a film and television company is feasible, after all, we wouldn't just be making movies; we could also do advertisements and other things."

"See, your thinking has opened up, hasn't it?" Han Sanping was very happy; as long as it was related to film and television, as long as there was contact, Wang Yan, this director, would eventually remember to make movies.

Thus, they went straight to the restaurant, where Han Sanping, along with a few people from the film studio, shared a welcome banquet with Wang Yan and the others.

Considering everyone's fatigue from the long journey, and since everyone could drink quite well, this meal ended in less than an hour, after which everyone dispersed.

"Brother Yan~"

At the entrance of Winter Departs Spring Arrives, Shen Ranran looked affectionately, her big eyes full of reluctance to part.

"Go back; you've been tired from the long journey, so get some good rest."

"I'll find a place to move out and live tomorrow!" Shen Ranran stated with certainty.

Although before sleeping she had said something about things being just like before, meaning absolutely not to freeload off Wang Yan or cause him trouble, after falling asleep Shen Ranran completely forgot what she had said earlier...

After exchanging a few words, Wang Yan mounted his small motorcycle and chugged chugged chugged toward the factory in Yanjiao.

At this moment, the factory was still in full swing with production; due to the promotion over recent days, Wang Yan's seasoning factory had become widely known, and many people, driven by the desire to have a taste, purchased the seasoning, so with so many wanting to try it, sales naturally surged greatly.

However, the factory was currently well-prepared; long ago, Wang Yan had already expanded production capacity and stockpiled quite a lot of goods in advance, all sufficient for supply. It would only be when the movie was released that the real test would come, with orders pouring in from everywhere across the nation, where even if the machines smoked until they burned out, they still couldn't keep up with supply.

In the factory director's office, Zhuang Zhuang, wearing a sweater with her hair coiled up, was intently flipping through a magazine, while the radio beside her played a music program featuring her own cover version of "On the Field of Hope."

Thanks to the recent movie promotion, her songs were being requested frequently, and she simply could not listen to them enough.

At this moment, the sound of knock knock knock came from the door.

"Come in."

Creak, the old door was pushed open; Zhuang Zhuang looked up and saw that smiling face she had longed for day and night...

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