Chapter 159: Unexpected Gains and the Coming Storm

"Cut! Actors, take a break. Everyone else, clear the set. Prepare for the night shoot."

Wei Jin shouted through a megaphone. The props and stage crew began to bustle about, while the extras happily collected their pay and left.

Today's shoot was for the second large-scale magic trick, the one targeting the insurance company, which required quite a few extras.

With nearly 200 extras, it would cost tens of thousands of US dollars for just one day.

It must be said that a large portion of the expenses for filming this movie went to the extras. There were many big scenes in the film, and Wei Jin estimated that the cost for extras alone would reach several million US dollars.

Compared to Mainland China, extras in Hollywood are truly expensive, and they only accept an 8-hour workday. Any overtime must be paid, and overtime pay is often several times the base daily rate.

Wei Jin wasn't out of his mind; he would rather shoot for an extra day than spend money in such a wasteful way.

That is why many film crews in Hollywood, unable to afford the cost of extras, would rather spend money on using puppets for special effects and post-production rendering. Comparatively speaking, this is actually cheaper, which is quite a curiosity.

There is no helping it; the lowest-level Hollywood extras make 30-50 US dollars a day, while those with a slightly higher status make over 100 US dollars a day. Furthermore, some shots require special actors, the kind who make hundreds or thousands of US dollars a day.

Considering that once there are many people, various scheduling and filming requirements mean a single scene takes at least several days, it is truly money flowing like water. It is no wonder the producers are willing to use puppets for special effects.

Comparatively speaking, domestic extras are truly too cheap, so one cannot blame them for being perfunctory. With only a few dozen yuan a day, how could they be expected to risk their lives for you? — After finishing the day's shoot, Wei Jin and Jing Tian shared a moment of intimacy. Just as the two were planning to rest, a phone call from Hong Kong made him instantly sober.

"You mean, Chen Desheng wants to raise investment?"

Wei Jin knew of this person, Chen Desheng. He used to be Cheng Long's Assistant, but later resigned because he wanted to be a director, which made the Big Brother somewhat unhappy—it was the first time he, the boss, had been fired by someone.

Later, this person really did become a director, filming that very *The Accidental Spy* that caused Golden Harvest to lose its bottom line. He even got Cheng Long to star in it, so he could be considered quite capable.

However, he hadn't managed to pull off any projects in recent years. People in Hong Kong are superstitious about these things and feel this person is a bit jinxed.

These things were revealed when Boss Zou was chatting with Wei Jin about the history of Golden Harvest's development. In the years Wei Jin had been in the industry, he had truly heard many old stories and real gossip.

"Yes, Boss Wei. His script is alright, it's just that the project's capital requirement is a bit large, and I cannot make the decision."

Shi Nansheng, on the other end of the line, also gave her own evaluation. If this film were to be made, the investment would likely exceed 100 million, which indeed carried a huge risk.

"What is the name of the script?"

"*Bodyguards and Assassins*."

"Hmm? If it's convenient now, send the script to me to look at." — Half an hour later, Wei Jin looked at the script in his email; it was indeed called *Bodyguards and Assassins*.

But it didn't matter; Wei Jin already knew the content of the script. It was indeed that *Bodyguards and Assassins* from his past life—yes, the one starring Chun Ge.

Shi Nansheng also told Wei Jin the specific situation directly via email.

Chen Desheng had been polishing this script for seven or eight years and had revised it countless times. Originally, there had already been an investor, and the crew had already begun preparations, but unfortunately, the investor died unexpectedly, all the funds were withdrawn, and the project was shelved indefinitely. Chen Kexin had originally said he would help think of a way, but there had been no word since.

This time, Chen Desheng saw that Golden Harvest had a new owner, rumored to have strong backing in Mainland China, so he came to try his luck.

After reading Shi Nansheng's introduction, Wei Jin began to ponder in his mind.

After Wei Jin took over Golden Harvest, the company's stock price recovered to a certain extent, which could be considered the shareholders giving face to him, an Oscar Director, but overall it remained very sluggish.

But after the acquisition, it couldn't just keep rotting like this. However, Wei Jin already had plans in mind; there were three paths to choose from.

First, lay out cinema chains in Mainland China and Nanyang, shifting Golden Harvest from a production company to cinema development. The benefit of doing this is steady progress, but the disadvantage is that development is too slow; this is what Orange Sky did in his past life. Second, sell remake rights. One must know that Golden Harvest's film library contains quite a few classic movies, although many of those films at the time were copying North American styles and didn't have much adaptation value.

But there are still some that suit the tastes of North American audiences. Summit Entertainment could be allowed to purchase Golden Harvest's rights to film them as foreign-language films. Once the box office is successful, Hong Kong can write some small articles, and it would be another wave of benefits.

In fact, Wei Jin had already identified a few films suitable for adaptation in North America, such as *Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky* and *Naked Killer*, those kinds of bloody and violent films, but they still needed long-term planning.

Third, film blockbuster movies. Wei Jin hadn't decided what to film for the series he had originally set, so he simply let Shi Nansheng scout for scripts in Hong Kong.

One must know that film and television practitioners in Hong Kong haven't had it easy these past few years, with many unable to even find work. However, Hong Kong has many film talents, and there are countless screenwriters. Wei Jin believed he could always find a hidden gem, and hadn't one just bumped into his door? Wei Jin had seen the film *Bodyguards and Assassins* in his past life; the original film was released in 2009 with a box office of nearly 300 million, so it could be considered a decent project.

But according to Chen Desheng's claim, the investment would exceed 100 million, which was a bit exaggerated. Looking at the script alone, it simply didn't need that much.

However, thinking of the relationship between Chen Desheng and Chen Kexin, Wei Jin understood a bit. This guy Chen Kexin had a criminal record.

After some deliberation, Wei Jin took out his phone and called Shi Nansheng: "Boss Shi, the project can be invested in. Let him polish the script a bit more. Let's start filming early next year. We will send a producer to handle the budget and supervision, keeping the cost under 80 million."

"Very well, Wei Sheng." — "Hey, guys, what's wrong?"

As soon as he arrived on set today, Wei Jin noticed that several actors seemed distracted, so he couldn't help but ask.

"Oh, Wei, don't mention it. That damn stockbroker, my entire salary for this year has gone down the drain."

Captain America patted his head with a look of annoyance, and the others had similar expressions.

Seeing this, Wei Jin already understood; these few had likely lost quite a bit in the stock market.

Since mid-October, the North American stock market had experienced a major plunge. For several consecutive trading days, the market index had fallen by more than 10%.

"If possible, I suggest you sell as soon as possible. The subsequent market is not optimistic."

Wei Jin gave his advice; as for whether they listened, that was their business.

Wei Jin knew that this was just the beginning. For the next dozen months, North American investors would live in dire straits. This wave of the bear market would smash through the North American market index, falling from a high of over 14,000 points to over 6,000 points—it could be called an avalanche.

This time, Wei Jin didn't chase the highest point. He had already sold off his holdings in North America before July, and in Mainland China, he had also gradually sold off before going abroad, so he had managed to get out clean.

Moreover, Wei Jin had already found a new investment direction for the money in his account.

"Hey, guys, cheer up. I can guarantee that once this movie is released, you will definitely earn even more."

For the smooth filming of the movie, Wei Jin could only encourage the actors, but this wasn't exactly a bluff.

"Really, Wei?"

"Of course, you must have confidence in my movies."

Wei Jin said this with absolute confidence. *The Invisible Guest* had officially finished its run, with a North American box office of 142 million US dollars and a global box office of 265 million.

Wei Jin believed that the domestic release in November would bring another wave of box office revenue. This was simply a classic case of using a small investment to gain a large return. One must know that the film's cost was only 25 million, and Wei Jin had taken a 5 million salary and a 10% box office share. He was now worth this price.

Although purely in terms of profit, this film couldn't compare to his previous horror series, it undoubtedly proved Wei Jin's strength; he was not just a horror movie director.

Sure enough, the actors had already begun to perk up, as if they saw their market value soaring after the box office success of *Now You See Me*. Today's first update, I implore all book friends to reward me with a subscription, follow-up read, and collection. Please flip to the last page for the follow-up read, thank you everyone! (End of chapter)