Chapter 26

Just after Chen Zhixi sent the message, an Assistant arrived in the lobby to invite the two inside.

Said Manager Lei wanted to meet them.

The two exchanged glances—this big flag was still useful; there was no choice, they hadn't lied, it was just that these big shots were too hard to see.

Even Fang Hong, this reincarnator, had to use every trick, every lie, every borrowed advantage just to get by—think of those who made films but had no connections, how hard it must be.

Films get made, but if they aren't distributed, it's useless; even if they finally get distributed, poor Propaganda makes them flop—there are too many such examples.

They went to the third floor, to an office.

The office was large, spacious and bright, with a work area, a reception area, and a rest area.

In the work area, besides Manager Lei, there were two others: one was Wang Laoer, the other was his investor partner.

This investor was from Baodao, the eldest son of Boss Guo from Foxconn, young but unimpressive in appearance.

When Wang Laoer saw Fang Hong walk in, his pupils slowly widened, as if unable to believe it?

"Hey, Wang Laoer, how's it going!" Fang Hong was also quite surprised.

But it was predictable—the film "Love Announcement" had already received partial investment from China Film Group and was distributed by them too!

Hong Kong and Taiwan artists making films must co-produce with Neidi companies—that's the rule; China Film Group and Bona are the top choices.

"How can you be here?" Wang Laoer blurted out.

This guy was so pragmatic, showing not a shred of respect—he used to call him "Brother" on set.

Now he was calling him by name right to his face, giving him zero face!

Fang Hong no longer relied on him, so of course he could act without fear, revealing his true colors!

"If you can come here, I can too!"

Fang Hong finished, then turned to Manager Lei: "I came because I made a film and would like you, General Manager Lei, to watch it and help with distribution."

"Please sit!"

Manager Lei, seated in the main chair, gestured for them to sit across the desk.

He was middle-aged, wore glasses, and looked somewhat well-fed; behind him hung a calligraphy piece: "The Sea Takes in a Hundred Rivers!"

The characters were written in extremely sloppy script!

Fang Hong, Chen Zhixi, and Wang Laoer sat on one side; across from them sat Manager Lei in the main seat.

"Manager Lei, I am Fang Hong, Chairman of Yutu Film Industry; this is Chen Zhixi, General Manager; this is our completed film." Fang Hong introduced them, placing the hard drive on the desk.

Chen Zhixi stayed silent, feeling this boast was a bit too much—she didn't even know when she'd become General Manager.

She didn't even know which way Yutu's door faced.

Wang Laoer stared at the hard drive—how short a time had passed since this man left him? Had he really made a whole film in such a short span?

He hadn't believed it at first, but the object was right before him—he couldn't help but believe; in this place, no one could fake it!

But then again, how could funding be raised so quickly? How could the crew be assembled?

"You didn't just shoot some random junk to fool us, did you?" he suspected.

Fang Hong turned to him and said: "Want to take a look? It's really good."

Wang Laoer hadn't filmed the kiss scene with Liu Tianxian—he had, so of course it was brilliant.

Let's see what Wang Laoer thinks after watching it!

"I won't watch stuff from some small workshop."

Wang Laoer cared about face—this man who once groveled before him now openly defied him.

Where would his face be then?

To preserve his dignity, he had to say this—to highlight his superiority and show everyone he was above them.

Fang Hong smiled, ignored him, and turned to Manager Lei.

Manager Lei didn't care about their grudges; he said: "Did your film really get funding from above?"

That's what he cared about!

"No—it's from the Support Fund, established for arts schools and cultural institutions." Fang Hong said.

This couldn't be hidden; anyone could easily check.

Wang Laoer and his investor exchanged glances—no wonder a broke student got funding so fast; he had powerful backing.

"I see." Manager Lei leaned back in his chair and said: "How do you want to distribute it?"

"Don't you want to watch the film first?" Fang Hong asked.

"First tell me how you want to distribute—buyout or revenue share?" Manager Lei said.

Since the film was made, it had to be screened—that's one of the state enterprise's responsibilities; even if it's clearly unprofitable, they still have to release it.

Otherwise, with hundreds of films released each year, don't they know they're losing money? They're cultivating the market.

If no one takes responsibility, the market can never bloom like a hundred flowers.

The more resources you have, the heavier your responsibility!

"Revenue share!" Fang Hong said.

Buyout recoups costs fast, but the film's value is severely undervalued—it might earn him a little, then he'd move on to the next film.

In that case, Fang Hong would never get rich—he'd be a lifelong employee.

Manager Lei sat upright, hands on the desk, and said:

"Let me explain the rules: there are two distribution cooperation models. First, entrusted Propaganda—you pay the promotion fee, and the agency fee is 12%.

Second, advance-funded Propaganda—the agency fee is 15%, and you must pledge your copyright as collateral. Which do you choose?"

The second model demands copyright because if the film flops, the advance-paid promotion costs might not be recovered, so the distributor sells your copyright to cover losses.

Both models guarantee the distributor's profit—losses fall entirely on the producer!

There are two other distribution models: guaranteed minimum promotion and box office betting!

But neither of these two models has become popular yet, and the one who later mastered them best was Chen Zhixi, standing beside Fang Hong!

Fang Hong leaned close to Chen Zhixi and whispered, "What do you think?"

"What do you think?" Chen Zhixi countered.

These two were truly alike—both wanted to hear the other's opinion before stating their own.

Fang Hong thought Chen Zhixi was clever and insightful, so he wanted to hear her view.

But Chen Zhixi had noticed that since the film began shooting, Fang Hong had always made decisions on his own, acting independently and rarely listening to her.

Now he suddenly wanted to hear her opinion—it felt unreal. When had this man become so democratic?

"General Manager Lei, we need to discuss something. May we borrow the reception area over there?" Fang Hong said.

"Go ahead!" General Manager Lei gestured.

"Then you two talk!"

Fang Hong glanced at Wang Laoer, then stood up with Chen Zhixi and walked toward the reception area.

Wang Laoer watched them leave, then turned back to continue talking with General Manager Lei about the matter they hadn't finished.

"The second option—China Film Group funds and handles the Propaganda Department," Chen Zhixi said as soon as she sat down.

Mainly because they were running out of money!

"The first option—we hire a third party for Propaganda," Fang Hong wanted to earn more.

That meant China Film Group would only distribute, not help with Propaganda!

China Film Group's services were very expensive—higher than market rates. For example, Propaganda outside cost one million, but they'd charge about two million.

"If we do that, we won't get access to China Film Group's resources and platform," Chen Zhixi said.

"It's fine—I've already planned a Propaganda strategy. If executed properly, it won't cost much," Fang Hong said.

Seeing he'd made his decision, Chen Zhixi thought for a moment and said, "Since you say that, then on top of the first option, I think we should add something."

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(End of Chapter)