Chapter 125

Lin Nan had carefully considered the issue of signing people to an agency before.

Some people are suitable for the actor route, while others are more suitable for being stars.

Lin Nan could accept both, and he could sign both.

However, he also hoped that all signed artists could have some acting skills, so they wouldn't be too embarrassing to show.

Therefore, the newcomer contract had a cultivation period, the purpose of which was to let them lay a foundation at school, so they wouldn't be completely ignorant.

"There are quite a few good seedlings who sign with agencies before taking the art exams. Later, we can slowly pick from the students."

Yue Jun and Jiang Xuerou toured the three major institutions this time, and in the end, they only harvested one newcomer.

But this could also be considered as having laid the groundwork; it would be much more familiar to go again in the future, unlike the first time when they were unprepared.

Lin Nan saw the admission list published by the Beijing Film Academy's acting department; there were quite a few familiar names, and several child stars were also all admitted.

Yang Zi, Zhang Yishan, Li Xian...

Lin Nan suddenly thought of Reba.

"Although we let her focus on laying the foundation at school for the first two years, she must have an agent and a reserve assistant. Arrange it as soon as possible."

"Mm, I will arrange it well in these two days."

……

Liu Dehua's *Future X-Cops* was officially released.

Since *The Martian*, domestic sci-fi films had a reference template for comparison, at least that's what netizens and audiences did.

The first-day box office of 5.9 million explained a lot of problems, and the internet was full of mockery.

"Wang Jing made another rotten movie!"

"It's completely pseudo-sci-fi, the special effects are knock-offs, the plot is shocking, plagiarism..."

"This movie shouldn't have focused on special effects, it's more like a low-budget action comedy..."

"An investment of 200 million, I can't understand where the money went?"

"China Film shouldn't have invested in this kind of deceptive movie..."

Lin Nan estimated that Han Sanping must be having a headache again at this moment; there was no need to guess, this movie was definitely going to lose a fortune.

Several movies to be released in April began their grand promotion.

Among them, *Ip Man 2* and *Go Lala Go! * were the most eye-catching.

The former had the blessing of the first one and was jointly produced by Lin Nan Film Industry and Yinghuang;

The latter relied entirely on Xu Jinglei to stir up topics, very good at creating buzz.

In the entertainment industry, it's not easy for a woman to get ahead; she must have a benefactor, and Xu Jinglei's benefactors had never stopped...

At the same time, Ning Hao's Bad Monkey announced the cast list for *Crazy Stone*.

The information in the male lead column made actors and artists in the industry look sideways.

Lei Jiayin, who had just signed with Shanhai Media, got the male lead in a big director's movie? Is it really not internally decided?

When Yang Mi heard this news, she was still very excited, which showed that her striving to sign with Shanhai Media was correct.

"In all likelihood, it's not internally decided. I heard that Lei Jiayin and Zhang Yi both went to audition, and it was Director Ning who chose the former."

Ceng Jia saw Yang Mi's thoughts at a glance and spoke up.

"Is that so?" The latter asked doubtfully.

"Mm. Recently, your announcements and endorsements have increased quite a bit, just in time to wait for *Painted Skin 2*."

Ceng Jia pointed out, and she saw Yang Mi's eyes light up.

"Don't even think about the female lead, you can strive for the second female lead. *Crazy Stone* is only a 50 million investment movie, but *Painted Skin 2* is different.

The first one's investment was over 100 million, the second one will only be higher..."

Yang Mi felt that what Ceng Jia said made a lot of sense.

It was rumored outside that the female lead of the second one would likely still be Zhou Xun. She had self-knowledge; she definitely couldn't compare to Zhou Xun, so she would strive to get the second female lead!

……

Lin Nan even admired Wu Ershan a little.

This guy heard that the *Painted Skin 2* script passed review and ran over again.

"Is your *The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman* finished?"

"Finished before the new year, just finished post-production recently."

Wu Ershan knew everything and said everything, mentioning the last matter again.

"Lin Dao, are you still planning to direct *Painted Skin 2* yourself?"

This question was asked very nakedly, without any cover-up.

Last time, Wu Ershan had come to the company to recommend himself and had prepared quite a few things.

Before, on the *Painted Skin* crew, Lin Nan could see that Wu Ershan was talented, but also a bit lopsided.

"The investment for the sequel is definitely over 100 million, do you understand what I mean?"

To Wu Ershan, these words were almost a death sentence.

A movie with a production cost of over 100 million really cannot be handed over to someone without much experience.

"I... I understand what Lin Dao means, then can I apply to be your assistant director?"

Wu Ershan asked very earnestly, and he saw Lin Nan didn't answer, but took a script out of the cabinet.

"How about this, I'll give you half a month to draw the storyboards. Bring them to me then."

"Lin Dao?" Wu Ershan was a bit confused; hadn't he already rejected him?

"At the very least, let me see what the sequel you envision in your mind looks like, then I can consider it."

Lin Nan knew very well that the same script would definitely have different effects when shot by different directors.

He wanted to see Wu Ershan's creativity, and he had other thoughts.

"I, within ten days, I will bring all the storyboards, and then I will ask Lin Dao for guidance."

Wu Ershan stated his position immediately, very decisively.

Twenty minutes later, only Lin Nan was left in the office.

"Let's look at his storyboards first. If it doesn't work, I'll direct it myself; if there's an unexpected surprise, that's even better, come over and be a 'wage earner', hehe..."

Lin Nan felt his idea was quite good.

…………

Outside, a post titled "Young Directors Must Not Be Narcissistic" caused a heated discussion in the industry.

The poster was a member of the Film Censorship Committee.

I don't know if it's because Ning Hao submitted *No Man's Land* too frequently recently, annoying this old man who holds great power.

This person criticized by name directly in the post.

"Ning Hao has been immersed, lost, and narcissistic in the honors of *Crazy Stone* and *Crazy Racer*, unable to extricate himself, unable to see reality clearly..."

Now it's good, everyone associated it with *No Man's Land* being shot down time and time again.

Although the other party deleted the post quickly, the impact caused could no longer be suppressed.

There was a lot of discussion online.

"He's already 65, why not retire? The old man is too 'diligent', hehe..."

"Old in age but not in heart, surfing the internet quite skillfully!"

"How many young directors are qualified to be narcissistic?"

"This isn't just talking about Director Ning Hao, right? Does Lin Dao Nan have a share in it..."

……

Lin Nan felt a bit inexplicable; the title of this post is very clear, targeting all young directors! Was he caught in the crossfire?

"Director Han, what is that old man doing?"

Lin Nan specifically called to ask Han Sanping.

"They are all over sixty, the bureau wants them to retire early, and they are stuck at this moment."

"And then? Inexplicably posting to find trouble?"

"*No Man's Land* is the fuse."

"Now I also tell you clearly, you can also tell Ning Hao by the way, this movie must either be reshot, or just pretend it was never shot. Consider China Film's investment as a loss..."

Being able to make Han Sanping say such things, it seems this group of old men is likely not going to retire early.

"Alright, I'll go tell him."

Lin Nan felt a bit of sympathy for Ning Hao; before it was an ambiguous answer, this time it was a direct death sentence.

When Ning Hao received the call and finished listening to Lin Nan's relay, he was silent for a few minutes.

"I know, it's impossible to pretend it was never shot...

Wait until I finish *Crazy Stone*, then I will rewrite the *No Man's Land* script and reshoot the second half."

Lin Nan could tell that Ning Hao's mood was very bad at this moment, so he didn't chat much.

"Focus on *Crazy Stone* first, take it slow later. If you lack funds, let me know, I won't disturb you."

The industry is really watching the fun this time.

…………

Qingming Festival can also be considered a good slot.

It's a pity that a group of domestic films didn't live up to expectations and were crushed by *Alice in Wonderland*, and the latter only had a 3D version.

"I went to see it with Changchang, that Anne Hathaway's White Queen is very pretty."

Liu Yifei was telling Lin Nan about this Disney movie.

"In my eyes, none are as pretty as you."

Regardless of whether there was a trap or not, Lin Nan treated it as if there was one.

"Ah? You are becoming more and more, um, glib..."

Obviously, Miss Liu was very satisfied with Lin Nan's attitude. She gave Lin Nan a white-eyed look with a smile and scolded.

……

Many netizens began to worry about Lin Nan's *Thieves*.

Because Liu Dehua's *Future X-Cops* was too much of a flop.

After the box office reached 50 million, it was almost dead, and in all likelihood, it wouldn't reach 60 million.

Sometimes Lin Nan was also curious; logically speaking, the Heavenly King Liu's acting skills were okay, but the movies he took frequently lost money, as if he never picked scripts.

However, Lin Nan still had confidence in the quality of *Thieves*.

Yinghuang couldn't wait for the release of *Ip Man 2*.

"Lin Dao, we are prepared to move the premiere forward a bit, to stir up the heat and topic early."

Yang Shoucheng still had a lot of ideas.

"Of course you can."

"When the first premiere was held, Lin Dao didn't come, this time you must be at the scene."

For this request, Lin Nan didn't refuse; with the first one as a foundation, the second one's results would definitely not be bad.

"I will reserve time."

"Lin Dao can bring Yifei along, hehe."

What a real old fox! Lin Nan muttered in his heart.

If he went alone, and if he brought Liu Yifei along, obviously the latter had higher topic value.

……

The annual Cannes Film Festival began its final round of film selection.

Lin Nan was fortunate to be on the invitation list, but he had self-knowledge.

*Thieves* was just a pure commercial film, it was impossible to get a nomination, so Lin Nan declined.

And sent a thank-you email, promising that in the future, if there is a suitable work, he will definitely take it to Cannes. After all, of the three major film festivals, Lin Nan had only not been to Cannes.

"Palme d'Or, Palme d'Or..."

Muttering a few words in his mouth, Lin Nan felt he was a bit floating; he was really fantasizing about the Palme d'Or.

After thinking for a while, Lin Nan decided to put the Golden Bear and the Palme d'Or into his director career plan; he had to try it no matter what.

"Director Chen can do it, then I can too..."

…………

There are very few graduate students at the Beijing Film Academy who apply for graduation extension for two consecutive years.

Zhao Yanzi contributed a record this time.

Because they belonged to the same period, Lin Nan, Huang Xiaoming and others were even taken out by the media for comparison.

Lin Nan Film Industry, third floor.

This should be the first time all signed artists gathered at the company.

Lei Jiayin, who had just gotten the role of "Little Northeast", was clearly in a very good mood. He was greeting Reba, the prospective junior, but the smile on his face really didn't look like a good person.

Zhang Yi was much steadier, perhaps to take care of the atmosphere at the scene, chatting with Yang Mi.

When Lin Nan came in, the four of them instantly quieted down.

"Lin Dao."

"Lin Dao."

……

Lin Nan nodded and looked at Reba.

This girl's first impression was indeed not bad, and it felt like her personality should be the very good kind.

"Nothing particularly important, just to let you see each other and get to know each other."

Several people smiled and relaxed a bit.

"In the future, when there are more people, there will definitely be competition for resources. This is unavoidable in any agency."

Lin Nan's words made the four of them instantly calm down, especially Reba, the cute newcomer, who was vaguely a bit nervous.

"Of course, there are few people now, you don't need to think about these, haha..."

Lin Nan tightened and then relaxed, really making people gasp for air.

"Hi, Lin Dao can really bluff people. I eat by acting skills. As long as the acting skills are better than mine, I'll accept it if I can't compete, haha."

Zhang Yi was not ashamed at all, and also meant to liven up the atmosphere.

"I'm treating you to dinner today, the meaning is very simple. Whether there are few people now or many people in the future, don't have internal strife.

In addition, Shanhai Media will not have any talk of 'First Brother' or 'First Sister', understand?"

Lin Nan knew that it might be very harmonious in the short term, but after a long time, when there are more people, there will definitely be cliques and groups, which cannot be blocked.

But at this moment, the agency was newly established, and he still hoped to avoid this situation as much as possible.

The four of them nodded tacitly.

"Understand, the First Brother is you, the First Sister is Yifei, hehe..."

Lin Nan looked at Zhang Yi speechlessly; this old hand can really talk!

Lei Jiayin and Reba on the side followed with a laugh, while Yang Mi was a bit introverted.

"Lin Dao, when will the company's *Painted Skin 2* cast be set?"

Yang Mi couldn't help but ask. Among the four, only she cared about this.

The other three, Lei Jiayin took *Crazy Stone*, Reba was not considered for the first two years, and Zhang Yi had just signed with another crew.

Lin Nan glanced at Yang Mi, "Wait a few days, you should have a chance."

Hearing this, Yang Mi instantly felt at ease. In her view, this was no different from a promise.

"Mm, thank you Lin Dao."

At noon, Lin Nan fulfilled his promise of treating them to dinner, which could be considered the first gathering of several signed artists.

Not two hours later, photos of Lin Nan and his group appeared online.

Among them, Reba, as a newcomer, was particularly conspicuous.

The industry knew that this was the newcomer signed by Shanhai Media at the Shanghai Theatre Academy.

…………

Cai Yi looked at this news and sighed.

She really didn't expect that Lin Nan's agency would go to the Shanghai Theatre Academy to sign a newcomer, and one from an ethnic minority at that.

But this look was quite good, she felt that Tang Ren could also sign one later.

Cai Yi called the assistant in.

"How is the budget for that TV series?"

"President Cai, the budget has been made, but the script is not ready yet.

After all, the screenwriters have to read the original novel thoroughly before they can start adapting."

The assistant was a bit curious why Cai Yi suddenly asked about this.

"What about the casting on Li Dao's side?"

Cai Yi knew that casting and script creation were carried out simultaneously.

The script would follow the original work, and casting could also be selected according to the original novel.

"Li Dao said that Hu Ge's makeup photos are really not good-looking, he is not suitable for this kind of play."

Cai Yi frowned when she heard this.

If you want to say which actor Tang Ren has that can really be taken out in the industry now, it's only Hu Ge, others... are all far behind.

"What about Shi Shi? Should be no problem, right?"

"No problem, the styling is very good."

Cai Yi felt relieved when she heard this.

This play was originally meant to promote Liu Shishi, it's just a pity that Hu Ge couldn't be added, otherwise it would be even more perfect.

"Notify Director Yue Jun of Lin Nan Film Industry, tell him the budget first."

"Alright, President Cai."

After the assistant left, Cai Yi leaned back in her chair; after this TV series, Tang Ren and Lin Nan Film Industry would have no more dealings.

……

"No need to prepare clothes so early, right? *Ip Man 2* premiere is still a few days away."

They say there are no ugly women, only lazy women, but Liu Yifei is also very pretty when she is lazy, let alone when she is diligent.

"Precisely because it's only a few days away, that's why we need to choose in advance.

These sets were all picked by them for me, which set do you think matches well?"

Liu Yifei raised her eyebrows at Lin Nan and asked with a smile.

"Close your eyes and pick a number, whichever set it lands on, that's it, haha..."

Lin Nan made a joke, not expecting Miss Liu to really do it, silly and cute.

…………

Yinghuang sent out the *Ip Man 2* premiere invitations many days in advance.

This movie, jointly produced with Lin Nan Film Industry, was favored by many industry insiders.

Regardless of whose face they were giving, everyone agreed fully, promising to arrive on time.

"Lin Dao, Tang Ren's budget has arrived."

"How much?"

"Initially set at 50 million."

Lin Nan nodded.

"For a costume drama, this amount is okay, anyway we only account for 40%, you connect with them as soon as possible."

Yue Jun had just left Lin Nan's office when the latter's phone vibrated.

"Cai Yi?"

"Hello, President Cai? Mm, I already know the budget... anything else?"

……

When Lin Nan asked that question, he guessed what Cai Yi was going to say.

The benefits brought by Hu Ge's participation in *Painted Skin* were far from what Tang Ren's TV series could compare to.

At the very least, there are quite a few movies willing to send audition invitations for male lead or second male lead to Hu Ge now, it's just that there aren't many high-class ones.

"The core actors of *Painted Skin 2* haven't changed, this was decided long ago. Others haven't started casting yet, I will consider it then."

Lin Nan didn't give Cai Yi an accurate answer, but believed she could hear the meaning.

Although Hu Ge and Lin Nan can be considered friends, it's not like there aren't those with better relationships.

"Mm, then thank you Lin Dao..."

As soon as Lin Nan finished speaking, Cai Yi understood the meaning; Hu Ge had no chance this time.

Hanging up the phone, Lin Nan smiled and shook his head.

"After this Qing Dynasty drama, the cooperation will end..."

Still missing a thousand words today.

Tomorrow, three updates, will make up for it.