Chapter 185: The Overlord of Mainland China Film and Television and Han Sanping's Troubles

Time entered July, and having cast off the gloom of the previous two months, everything slowly returned to calm; Beijing was even becoming increasingly lively due to the arrival of the Olympic Games.

Entertainment activities that had previously been suspended or kept low-key one after another also began to gradually recover.

In terms of film, *Red Cliff* had long since begun large-scale promotional activities, and the premiere press conference held in Beijing was quite boisterous; it is said that the global premiere will be held in Shudi, hoping to use this to comfort the people of Shudi.

In terms of variety shows, *The Voice* only just began its audition promotions now; the gimmick of focusing on listening to voices rather than looking at appearances actually attracted the attention of quite a few talented performers.

In terms of television dramas, it was much worse; the Olympics were about to be broadcast, which would inevitably squeeze out a massive amount of the viewership market, and no matter how stubborn a production company was, they wouldn't think their own drama could compete for ratings against the Olympics being held right on their doorstep.

*The Empress of China* was delayed by the television stations for this very reason, and Wei Jin was very much in favor of this.

This drama was jointly acquired by Su Province TV and Mango TV at a price of 1.2 million per episode; the 96-episode drama sold for a total of 115 million, which could be considered a record for the highest total price for a television drama purchased by domestic stations.

However, one must know that the production cost of this drama alone was as high as 100 million, and with a production cycle lasting a full year, the profit margin was not considered very high.

However, the Taiwan capital was actually quite satisfied; they achieved profitability in the first round, and wouldn't the subsequent second and third rounds just be piles of red banknotes? This only strengthened their resolve to cooperate with Wei Jin.

But what they didn't know was that this cost had already been significantly adjusted by Shanhe Media.

The Shanhe Media artists, including Fan Bingbing, were paid almost at the top of the market rate for this project.

In addition, the post-production by Shanhe Ink was also based on the publicly announced prices, without a single bit of discount.

Although the Taiwan capital didn't lose money, Shanhe Media definitely made a killing.

It is worth mentioning that because this drama had too many episodes, the television stations had to split it into two parts to air, and it is unknown whether this will affect the ratings.

The dramas from Shanhe Media over the past few years were repeatedly pulled out to be aired again this summer; *My Love from the Star*, *Zhu Xian*, *Temptation of Home*, *Let's Get Married*, *Lurking*, *Beauty's Rival in Palace*, and many other dramas were active on major satellite and local channels.

At its peak, Shanhe Media's dramas actually directly influenced nearly 40% of the audience in front of their television sets, causing some panic in the industry for a time.

Originally, people thought Shanhe Media only had an advantage in film and didn't release many television dramas each year, but no one expected this rebroadcast to show such strong market dominance; this was already worthy of the title of overlord in the Mainland China television drama field. —— Beijing, Shanhe Building.

"Hmm, well done."

Looking at the freshly completed first two episodes of *Starry Transformation* from the animation production department, Wei Jin spoke up to praise them.

"But isn't this efficiency too low?"

This novel was the debut work of the animation production department, but after two full months, they had only produced this much; Wei Jin still couldn't help but complain.

"President Wei, the initial work is bound to be more cumbersome, and the efficiency isn't very high; once the scene design and character modeling are finished, the subsequent production will be much faster."

Chen Chu, the person in charge of the animation production department, explained, as he didn't want his boss to think the department was slacking off.

"Fine, I was just saying it; follow your own rhythm, but quality must be guaranteed. Can you guarantee two episodes a week for now?"

Regarding animation production, Wei Jin didn't know much and was unwilling to be a layman directing experts; professional matters should be left to the professional team.

"That's possible, but the volume is still too low right now; I suggest we produce a portion first to ensure a margin for error."

"Hmm, that works too; you can coordinate directly with Tudou when the time comes."

Wei Jin intended to put the animation on Tudou as a weekly series, but the production team's suggestion was also very reasonable; one must not be too hasty. —— Inside the China Film Building, many people greeted Wei Jin when they saw him, and he returned their smiles; they were all familiar faces.

Familiar with the path, he arrived at Han Sanping's new office; this was Wei Jin's first visit since he took office.

"Whoa, Han Dong, your office is quite impressive; you truly are a big leader."

"You kid, are you trying to get me in trouble? Compared to you, the big boss Wei, this temple of China Film is too small."

Han Sanping was also used to trading barbs with Wei Jin, feeling that he was still quite young.

However, what he said wasn't false; starting this year, Wei Jin Company's moves were getting bigger and bigger—several films with investments over 100 million had already been launched, and he was buying Huayi stocks, buying a headquarters building, and even buying a private jet; there was just too much money.

"By the way, Han Dong, you called me personally to invite me; what do you want?"

"Hehe, a good thing; you know about *The Founding of a Republic*, right?"

Han Sanping had a smile on his face and appeared very sincere, but Wei Jin always felt he was setting a trap for him.

Wei Jin naturally knew about *The Founding of a Republic*; the script had received approval from the highest levels at the end of last year, and it was said that preparations had already begun, but what did this have to do with him? "Are you interested in directing? This is a great opportunity to show your face."

"Hold on, wasn't Director Huang decided on before? Han Dong, are you trying to change generals before the battle? That's not a good thing."

Director Huang was Huang Jianxin, Han Sanping's old partner of several decades; the two had known each other since the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and had always cooperated tacitly. Wei Jin didn't quite understand why he wanted to change. "Sigh, I won't hide it from you; neither Old Huang nor I have much confidence, but the task from the superiors is..."

Wei Jin had a guess in his heart; no wonder Han Sanping had made such a big joke during this period; it turned out he had something on his mind.

At the *Red Cliff* premiere a few days ago, Han Sanping made a huge joke; when speaking, he referred to *Red Cliff* as *The Promise*, drawing a burst of laughter from the scene.

A large number of media reports claimed that Han Sanping might be worried that *Red Cliff* would become another *The Promise*.

However, after the premiere, the guests' evaluations of *Red Cliff* were all very tactful, only saying the scale was magnificent, and there weren't many media reviews either, as the film hadn't been released yet and the producers were intentionally controlling it.

In fact, this was where Wei Jin had misjudged; although *The Founding of a Republic* was important, it wasn't enough to make Han Sanping lose his composure; it was mainly due to the impact of the global financial crisis, as the listing plan that had been in preparation for nearly a year had been shelved again, which was his real heart-ache.

Speaking of which, China Film's path to listing was truly exceptionally bumpy; as early as 2005, China Film already had a listing plan, preparing to list in Hong Kong. But at that time, the regulatory authorities intended to restrict foreign capital from entering the Mainland China media and entertainment industries, and as the leader of Mainland China film, if China Film raised funds in Hong Kong but couldn't bring the capital back to Mainland China for use, then the listing would become meaningless, so the listing plan had to be shelved.

"That's simple, just use your strengths: big production, big cast, and the box office will be easy..."

Having understood the ins and outs of the matter, Wei Jin also became relaxed and began to tease Han Sanping.

"You kid, don't play tricks with me. How exactly should we do it? Why don't you take the helm? I can report to the leaders..."

Han Sanping really wanted Wei Jin to take over; with his ability and box office appeal, he could definitely complete the task perfectly, and his own credit would not be lacking then.

"That won't do; I'm so young, I can't shoulder such a big responsibility. Besides, my own new film is about to launch, where would I find the time..."

Wei Jin wasn't prepared to take on this kind of job; although it looked like the supreme honor, it was easy to be targeted if things didn't go well, so it was completely unnecessary.

"Oh? You have a new film plan? What are your plans? Don't forget about China Film."

Han Sanping was indeed his old self; seeing that Wei Jin had a new project, his attention was indeed diverted.

"Don't, Han Dong, *Inception* is enough for China Film to eat; don't set your sights on this project of mine, it's to promote a woman..."

This script was prepared specifically for Jing Tian; the young girl was almost 20 years old, and Wei Jin had to show some gesture.

"You kid, I don't know what to say about you..."

Han Sanping looked as if he was angry at his lack of ambition, feeling that he had lost several hundred million again, and then he chatted back to the main business.

"Then tell me, how should we handle this main melody film?"

"Since the script is already there, you're just worried that the box office won't be ideal and it will make the leaders look bad, right?"

"That's it, otherwise I wouldn't have come to you."

Han Sanping looked as if he were clinging to Wei Jin, pointing at him to offer some ideas; in truth, this kind of task was both an honor and a burden, and the pressure was too great.

"How about this: get an all-star cast. Just for that, the audience will be interested, and the box office definitely won't be low."

"With so many stars, won't the costs be too high?"

"It's their honor to participate, so why would they need a salary? Besides, the stars are just making cameos; for the main cast, we still need to find veteran actors who fit the character profiles."

Han Sanping nodded thoughtfully, already pondering which actors would be suitable for the roles.

"However, Han Dong, I suggest—and this is just a suggestion—don't look for foreign-born Chinese, and definitely don't hire anyone with a skewed political stance. Otherwise, if something happens later..."

Wei Jin didn't finish his sentence, but Han Sanping already understood, secretly thinking, "This kid's political awareness is actually higher than mine." Still, he took the advice to heart.

Yet Wei Jin also knew that this was impossible to completely prevent; there were many people who hid it well, and without evidence, you couldn't just go around spouting nonsense.

Seeing a major matter settled, Han Sanping's mood improved, and he began to show interest in affairs in North America.

"When exactly will *Inception* start?"

"The pre-production for this project takes a long time; I estimate it will take another month or so."

The preliminary site scouting, storyboarding, and communication regarding special effects all took up a massive amount of time for Nolan's team, so it really couldn't be rushed.

Han Sanping nodded, seemingly having thought of something else.

"Actually, you shouldn't have rejected the domestic awards so directly. You started a trend, and many people are following your lead; the old guard is going to have opinions about you."

Han Sanping wasn't just talking about the Shanghai International Film Festival; including last year's Golden Rooster and this year's Hundred Flowers Awards, Wei Jin hadn't participated in any of them, and there were already quite a few voices in the circle.

Regarding this, Wei Jin only found it amusing.

"Heh, Han Dong, it's just like selling goods. If the product you provide isn't up to par, is it wrong for me not to want to buy it?"

"That's the logic, but you still have to pay attention to the methods and approach."

"I'm a person with a stiff spine; I can't bring myself to grovel, and I just don't see eye-to-eye with that bunch."

"Fine, pretend I didn't say anything."

Han Sanping wasn't a mouthpiece for that group of old-timers; once he had expressed the sentiment, he didn't say anything more and instead brought up another matter.

"Tell me, why is the *Twilight* series not doing well domestically?"

When he said this, Han Sanping's eyes were red with envy; the profits were simply too high.

*Twilight 2* had already finished its theatrical run, and thanks to the increasingly perfect distribution system of Summit Entertainment and the boost from the promotional songs, it raked in 350 million at the North American box office, with a global box office as high as 800 million USD.

It was a pity that the second installment was already a mature work and couldn't accept investment from China Film Group; Han Sanping could only look on with envy. Plus, because the first film's domestic box office performance was so dismal, he was even hesitant about the method of importing it as a Flat-fee Film.

"It's very normal. This series has no fan base in the country, so the box office naturally won't be high. In any case, I suggest you don't import it."

Besides, the price for a Flat-fee Film isn't high, and Wei Jin didn't want to listen to Han Sanping's nagging later. Today's first update, I implore all book friends to reward me with subscriptions, follow-up reads, collections, monthly tickets, and recommendation votes. Thank you, everyone! (End of chapter)