Chapter 265: Scheduling: Filling the Void Left by Liu Shishi

After returning to the country, Wei Jin didn't even rest for two days before receiving news from Chen Xi that the post-production of *Passengers* would be completed in about a week, the implication being that he could now choose a release slot.

Although he had confidence in his own film, he was, after all, responsible to his investors, so Wei Jin intended to pick a good slot and, incidentally, wanted to see where his upper limit lay in the current market environment.

Familiar with the route, he arrived at the China Film Group office to find Han Sanping working at his desk, and Wei Jin couldn't help but greet him.

"Chairman Han, you're in good spirits."

"Yo, Oscar-winning director, you've finally decided to leave the glitz of North America?"

Seeing Wei Jin arrive, Han Sanping stopped his work and teased him.

"Chairman Han, if you're going to talk like that, I might just go back."

Wei Jin didn't indulge this old codger and made a show of leaving.

"Hey, I'm just joking. Why are you, a kid, more serious than someone like me who's inside the system?"

Han Sanping took a sip of tea to hide his awkwardness and immediately brought up business.

"It's about *Passengers*, right? Calculating the time, it should be about ready. Here, the schedule is right here, take a look yourself."

Taking the table from the desk, Wei Jin sat on the sofa and began to browse.

There were quite a few familiar names: *Three Smiles: Scholar and Beauty*, *Flirting Scholar 2*, *Silent Witness*, and *Cold War*. These two films produced by Golden Harvest were scheduled for June 18th and August 6th, respectively.

The former was mainly hyping up the Father's Day topic, while the latter was mainly capitalizing on the tail end of the Summer Slot.

Among them, the one that caught Wei Jin's attention most was Feng Dapao's *Aftershock*. Even without the memories of his past life, he knew that this subject matter, combined with its investors, held an inherent advantage and was destined to have official screenings, making it difficult to deal with.

The New Year Slot already had *If You Are The One 2* and *Sacrifice*. Although neither had finished filming, it didn't stop the two from staking their claims early, and besides, the wait was too long; he couldn't wait that long.

After some thought, Wei Jin made his choice. He hadn't tried the National Day Slot yet; perhaps it would yield unexpected results.

"Chairman Han, let's set it for September 30th."

"Good, you kid are finally not targeting the big directors anymore."

Han Sanping was quite satisfied with the slot Wei Jin chose. For domestic big-budget films, it was best to minimize internal friction, and since China Film Group was also an investor, he naturally hoped the box office would be as high as possible.

"Hey, that was just because I was young and ignorant."

Wei Jin's face showed some embarrassment. In those first few years after his debut, he really hadn't played by the rules and had been too aggressive; it was no wonder some in the industry called him overbearing.

"But you've been idle for half a year now, have you thought about your new project for this year?"

Regarding Wei Jin's career, Han Sanping was more concerned than Wei Jin himself.

In fact, Wei Jin producing one commercial film almost every year already made him a model worker in the country; in terms of efficiency alone, probably only Feng Dapao could rival him.

But Wei Jin's films made money, so Han Sanping naturally hoped he would maintain this frequency.

"I'm still pondering. I have a lot of ideas in my head, just don't know which one to shoot first."

Wei Jin really wasn't being humble; he truly hadn't decided whether to choose a commercial film or aim for Venice.

However, this left Han Sanping speechless, and he immediately began to probe:

"How about you be a bit more diligent and shoot them all?"

Wei Jin believed that Han Sanping definitely wasn't joking. He rolled his eyes at him and replied irritably, "Chairman Han, even a donkey on a production team can't be worked like that."

"Hahaha"—From China Film Group, Wei Jin had barely sat down at his company when Ning Hao knocked and walked in.

They were too familiar, so Ning Hao couldn't be bothered with pleasantries; he sat down on the sofa and got straight to the point:

"Junior brother, I'm all set on my end, just waiting for the script to pass censorship. I've reserved a 30% share for you, 15 million."

"Oh? The budget has reached 50 million? How are the remaining shares arranged?"

Wei Jin was somewhat surprised by Ning Hao's boldness. After being demoralized by censorship, his first comeback project was such a large investment. However, given his cautious personality, he would definitely have to find others to spread the risk.

"The Studio is putting in 15 million, and the other 20 million is from Xiaoma Pentium."

"Hmm? Xiaoma doesn't have many resources. Pulling them in is not as good as pulling in China Film Group or Wanda, even Bona or Enlight would be better."

Wei Jin didn't quite understand Ning Hao's move. He wasn't lacking investors, so why choose one that was of no help to the film? "Uh, China Film Group refused..."

Ning Hao's expression was calm, without any embarrassment at being rejected. He could understand Han Sanping's choice; after all, *No Man's Land* was still a mess of an account, and since China Film Group was a state-owned enterprise, there were many restrictions, and Han Sanping couldn't support him recklessly.

"As for the others, I've talked to them, but I don't have as much face as you. They would more or less interfere with the creation. Only Xiaoma Pentium, Zhong Lifang promised not to interfere with the film production at all, and would only send one producer."

Hearing this, Wei Jin nodded to show he understood. He had thought about it wrong; currently, film was still a high-risk industry. Even Zhang Yimou would be interfered with by investors, let alone Ning Hao. Only he himself, being both capital and director, and having never tasted defeat since his debut, had forged a golden myth, which was why other investors trusted him blindly.

"That's true. Xiaoma is new to the film circle and wouldn't dare to cross you. Only by holding the right to speak can you ensure the quality of the film. Then let's do it that way."

Ning Hao was clearly well-considered, and Wei Jin had no objections. Investing in this project was also out of respect and personal connection.

"By the way, regarding roles, I will arrange for people to come for auditions. Don't worry, I won't make you pull strings, just give them a chance."

As a director himself, Wei Jin understood a director's desire to control the crew, so he was only providing opportunities for his artists and wouldn't force it.

"That's fine. I'll notify you when it's time for casting. I just hope those old guys don't cause any trouble this time."

"Don't worry, it will definitely pass." — In the film market, the highly anticipated *All's Well, Ends Well 2010* was released.

A large number of viewers walked into the cinemas carrying "sentiments."

What was somewhat puzzling was that the film's word-of-mouth was very strange; there was a lot of scolding, but also a lot of praise, making it truly difficult to judge whether it was good or bad.

Amidst the controversy, the film's box office soared, exceeding 60 million in just 4 days of release, looking like another film that would surpass 100 million at the box office.

This made industry insiders feel a bit unfamiliar. Is it already this easy to pass 100 million now?

"President Wei, the Asian International Film Festival has sent an invitation."

"Hmm? Isn't it already starting? Why invite me? To present an award? Turn it down."

Ever since *Bodyguards and Assassins* drove the resurgence of Golden Harvest, the Hong Kong circle had begun to frequently contact Wei Jin.

Two days ago it was an invitation as a guest for the Hong Kong Film Awards, and now it was the Hong Kong International Film Festival; their calculations were quite good.

It was nothing more than seeing that the Mainland film and television circle was becoming increasingly prosperous and wanting to use the big boat of Shanhe Media to integrate into the Mainland circle as soon as possible. Unfortunately, these people were a mixed bag, and there were quite a few with crooked stances; Wei Jin had no interest in playing with them.

In terms of stance, Wei Jin was very firm. Even for Golden Harvest's projects, the actor lists had to be sent over for him to review personally.

Even for the directors signed under him, Wei Jin had specifically warned them that when it came to film casting, they must be cautious in choosing Hong Kong actors, and those from Taiwan could almost be ignored. — Inside the dedicated screening room of the Shanhe Building, Wei Jin and Chen Xi and others watched the film together.

The runtime of the finished film *Passengers* reached two hours, which was relatively long among Wei Jin's films.

However, after watching it, Wei Jin discovered that some adjustments were still needed; the initial rough cut had indeed been poorly considered.

"Put the cameo shots at the very beginning of the film, starting with Han Dong and ending with me; keep the duration to about 3 minutes."

Placing them at the opening can attract the audience's attention, and it also serves as the time for the credits, so it won't have any impact on the main content of the film.

However, for this small change, the editor would need to spend at least two hours, and Wei Jin didn't have the time to wait here.

"Chen Xi, send someone to the Film Bureau this afternoon."

"Alright, President Wei, but we still need to come up with a plan for the advertisements."

Chen Xi's tone was somewhat emotional; the film had just wrapped, and already quite a few brands had come to approach her. As the release date approached, their offers kept getting higher and higher, as if they were afraid of losing the opportunity. This was unique in the country.

"How much are they offering now?"

Unlike Feng Dapao, who could take on a dozen or twenty product placements and embedded ads in a single film, Wei Jin only accepted trailer ads and generally no more than three. This made other investors feel a bit pained, yet helpless.

"The highest has already reached 12 million."

Seeming to notice that Wei Jin had no emotional fluctuation, Chen Xi added another sentence.

"That's for a single ad."

"Hmm? One?"

Now Wei Jin was a bit surprised. If three trailer ads brought in at least 30 million, that was likely more expensive than Feng Dapao's dozen or so ads, right? These rich spenders were truly wealthy.

"Fine, you filter them; the brands must match the theme of the film."

Wei Jin specifically mentioned this, remembering that for *The Martian* previously, damn it, even a sanitary napkin brand had made an offer; it had left him completely numb.

"Don't worry, President Wei, I understand." — The review for *Passengers* went without a hitch, and it successfully obtained the public screening permit.

All production companies were now waiting for Shanhe Media to announce the release date of this film, seemingly appearing even more proactive than Wei Jin himself.

This was no wonder; the fates of several big directors were still fresh in their minds; they were truly scared of being beaten.

The media was also fanning the flames, with headlines directly tearing off this fig leaf:

"*Passengers* has obtained the public screening permit; some films without a set date may consider avoiding the same slot."

Wei Jin's deterrence did not stop there; even those that had already set their dates might need to consider adjusting them.

Sure enough, some meddlesome media ran directly to interview Feng Dapao, asking if *Aftershock* might change its date, and the latter looked at the camera with a livid face.

"The release date for *Aftershock* will not change. I think it should be other films considering avoiding me."

Wei Jin didn't keep everyone waiting too long; after all, since the Dragon Mark had been obtained, it meant there were no more variables.

The next day, Shanhe Media publicly announced that *Passengers* was set for the National Day Slot.

Many films originally scheduled for the National Day period either moved forward or pushed back; only a small portion of low-budget films held their ground, hoping that Wei Jin's new film would drive the market so they could follow along and have some soup.

Jiang Wen was also very concerned about the schedule. Seeing that Wei Jin had chosen the National Day Slot, he followed up by announcing that *Let the Bullets Fly* was set for mid-December, aiming for the New Year Slot.

This guy's meaning was very clear: among domestic directors, besides Wei Jin, he didn't take anyone else seriously. It was unknown what Chen Shiren and Feng Dapao thought of this—receiving a call from Liu Shishi, Wei Jin was somewhat caught off guard.

Since the premiere of *Lucy*, this girl had not taken the initiative to contact him again; he had thought the fish had already jumped out of the pond.

However, with a beauty extending an invitation, Wei Jin naturally wouldn't refuse. Familiar with the path, he arrived at the Golden House, only to see Liu Shishi already standing prettily inside.

Since they had chosen this place, naturally, some lingering intimacy was unavoidable.

Liu Shishi seemed exceptionally strong today, actually managing to hold on for three whole rounds before being defeated.

"Shishi, shouldn't you be busy with promotions lately? How did you think to contact me?"

Wei Jin asked with some surprise; *Palace* had already started airing on Mango TV in the middle of this month.

The premiere ratings reached as high as 2.98, and the audience share was as high as 14.24%. As of now, the peak rating had reached 4.48, and the audience share had reached a maximum of 24.28%.

According to Mango TV's projections, breaking 5 in subsequent ratings would be no problem, which meant it was another hit TV series. The entire crew, under the leadership of director Lin Yufen, had been busily arranging second and third rounds of promotional activities.

"I missed you, is that not allowed?"

Nourished by the man, Liu Shishi radiated light, but what moved Wei Jin even more was the confidence overflowing on this young girl's face.

But thinking about it, he understood; as the saying goes, success nourishes a person. The huge popularity of *Palace* caused Liu Shishi's national recognition to rise instantly.

Coupled with that song "Love's Nourishment," although her singing skills were average, the song's brainwashing level was irresistible, comparable to the theme song of *Temptation of Going Home* back in the day, truly helping her expand her fame quite a bit.

Nowadays, relying on Qingchuan in *Palace* and Long Kui in *Chinese Paladin 3*, Liu Shishi was absolutely considered a popular young actress in the country, and she was on par with Bai Bin, who debuted with *Startling by Each Step* and reached the summit with *The Myth*. The two were even called by netizens the most powerful contenders for the next Four Dan Actresses.

"Of course it is. Honestly, I missed you too."

Wei Jin wasn't lying; although there wasn't much affection, this young girl before him had a simple mind, and being with her was truly quite relaxing.

"Then why didn't you contact me?"

Hearing the man's words, Liu Shishi was very happy; at least it showed she wasn't without any competitiveness.

"You know, I can't give you what you want."

"Then just like now, occasionally taking time to accompany me, is that not okay either?"

Although Liu Shishi had gained confidence, her posture remained very low; she knew this was a long-term battle.

With the girl having spoken to this point, what could Wei Jin do? He could only turn over and fight again to show his sincerity.

This night, Liu Shishi, who had been empty for several months, was filled to the brim. Second update of the day (End of this chapter)