Chapter 31: The Film Crew, Approaching the Art Exams

"Why did you give him so much?"

Ning Hao asked, puzzled.

This practice wasn't very common yet, but Lin Nan knew the importance of doing it.

"In the future, there's no harm in being friendly to these media friends, as long as they aren't the kind of bottom-feeding paparazzi."

Lin Nan wasn't this friendly to every reporter; at the very least, they had to be from a legitimate media outlet. For those who exposed others' home addresses, he certainly wouldn't give them a pleasant look.

Lin Nan flew back that same evening, and by dusk, news about him had already appeared on Sina.

"Sina Exclusive Report: The new film solely scripted by Director Lin Nan."

"Presenter, producer, screenwriter, executive producer. Director Lin Nan is not personally directing his fourth film."

"New film scripted by Lin Nan, directed by Ning Hao..."

The news spread was quite large, featuring a photo of Lin Nan chatting and laughing with everyone on set, with almost all the main cast members visible.

The next day, Ning Hao called to say that many media outlets had rushed to the set. Lin Nan told him to take it easy, that filming was the priority, and not to meet every reporter who showed up.

In fact, it wasn't just the set; a group was also waiting outside the school, but they couldn't get in. Living in the dormitory had that advantage.

Opening his computer, he found that there were even photos of Lin Nan getting off the plane last night.

Generally, entries for film festivals need to be submitted two months in advance. Lin Nan was waiting for a return call from Li Yang, and he believed it would come within these next few days.

Tang Mu contacted Lin Nan. As Lin Nan's agent on the other side of the Pacific, he helped Lin Nan register many film scripts and acquired many novel copyrights. Recently, someone took a liking to one of Lin Nan's scripts and found Tang Mu.

"Let them make an offer first," Lin Nan said to Tang Mu quite bluntly, telling him not to make concessions just because the other party was a big company.

Tang Mu had only been thinking about helping Lin Nan open up the market, since Lin Nan didn't work in Hollywood, but he hadn't expected his employer to be so confident. So, he decided to do just that.

In the morning, Lin Nan took a walk around the academy, mainly to take calls. The confidentiality for "Crazy Stone" was handled even better than for "Return to Dust."

Many people had seen the news through media reports.

Shanghai Film Group could be considered a benefactor to Lin Nan, as they provided over half the investment for his first film.

Fortunately, Lin Nan had invested in "Crazy Stone" himself, otherwise, it would have been difficult to explain.

"Director Han also asked. This script only took an afternoon, and I'm not the director, so the cost isn't high, which is why I didn't tell everyone. Director Ning Hao has talent and ability; when the time comes, I'll introduce him to Director Ren..."

Having anticipated this day, Lin Nan was mentally prepared. It was fine for actors he was familiar with, but since the crew had already started filming, they couldn't just come over asking for roles, right? After brushing off China Film Group and Shanghai Film Group, only Enlight Media remained.

Lin Nan promised to let them handle the promotion and distribution. Enlight Media was very happy about this and claimed they would absolutely not let Lin Nan down.

Lin Nan had considered the issue of connections and social circles. He was a director, not an artist manager; for actors, he was in the active position, and others needed to come to curry favor with him.

Having a few friends was enough; he didn't need to be a social butterfly. Having too many would only be troublesome.

Regarding partners, he currently only had dealings with China Film Group, Shanghai Film Group, and Enlight Media. He would be very cautious about broadening his partners in the future. At the very least, they had to be upright; there was too much nonsense in this industry, and it was frustrating.

As a famous director, Lin Nan was the most unique one. He lived in a school or hotel and owned no property; he started a company but with very few staff, and he didn't do artist management; he didn't socialize or attend banquets, only going to meals with acquaintances. The key was that he didn't even have an assistant.

Many capital firms wanting to get close to Lin Nan couldn't find a way in.

"This is just fine," was how Lin Nan explained it to those around him.

Strolling on campus, Lin Nan saw some new faces—newcomers who were about to take the art exams and were visiting. The group leader was an incumbent teacher who also ran a tutoring class outside the school.

Lin Nan looked at the group of over a dozen people, and they noticed him too.

"It's Director Lin Nan..."

The voice was very soft, but Lin Nan could hear the discussion. The lead teacher even greeted Lin Nan upon seeing him and used the opportunity to introduce Lin Nan to the art examinees, mentioning things like him being the most outstanding student of the '02 class, a well-known director...

As Lin Nan walked away, he inexplicably thought of the term "star class."

Speaking of star classes, one couldn't avoid the '96 class, whether it was the Film Academy or the Drama Academy.

The representative figure of the '96 class next door, Zhang Ziyi, was filming "Memoirs of a Geisha," and there were acting types like Liu Ye and Yuan Quan. Here, there were also Zhao Yanzi and Yan Danchen, but in the end, the ones next door were much more formidable.

"Kung Fu" was killing it, with domestic box office already reaching 150 million. "Star Girl" Huang Shengyi was now the representative figure of the '01 acting class at the Film Academy; even the Goddess Dragon could only rank behind her. Who told her to be an artist under Zhou Xingchi?

He wondered how many of those ten or so newcomers would eventually succeed, but they all looked quite good—the type the Film Academy liked.

After the New Year's holiday, Lin Nan received a call from Li Yang. This older brother was very helpful and had contacted a film festival judge for him. In Li Yang's words, this judge was a loyal fan of realist themes.

With this problem solved, Lin Nan felt much more at ease. That day, he went to China Film Group. The film backup had to be taken there, but Lin Nan chose to mail it, as the film festival had that channel.

Lin Nan planned to head to Berlin in early February, arriving ten days before the opening ceremony. In any case, he had no other arrangements in the country.

Lin Nan contacted Li Baotian and Jiang Wenli to tell them that he had already sent "Return to Dust" to the film festival.

If they were lucky enough to enter the main competition section, he hoped they could find time to attend. Both agreed readily; no one could refuse the three major European film festivals.

"Chinese Paladin" was about to be released, and the forums had been very lively lately; Lin Nan often visited them too.

Talent agencies already had the awareness of internet marketing. Lin Nan even specifically searched for it and found that there was actually a forum about him, with over nine thousand members, though it was very loose and many were just slacking off.

Art academies across the country, or art colleges within universities, were all starting to prepare for the art exams.

Those taking the college entrance exam relied on their strength, and those taking the art exams also relied on their strength.

Lin Nan had to compete with thousands of people for both of his art exams. He had even prepared to enroll in a vocational class, but in the end, he was lucky and managed to get into an undergraduate program.

The industry was developing rapidly, and policies were favorable. The school expected even more applicants this year. Meetings were already being held to arrange the art exams; on-site order, judging standards, and requirements all had to be prepared in advance.

Of course, that didn't exclude leaving some spots for those with connections.

Many students were not flexible. If you can't get into the acting department, you can try other majors—the Fine Arts Department, Chinese Department, or even the Animation Academy or Dubbing Department would work. As long as you get into this school, your future development depends on yourself. Huang Bo is a good example.

Lin Nan also took the time to go to CCTV for an interview. When the "Sixth Princess" calls, do you dare not go?

There was a pre-prepared script, with questions and answers all set. Once the script was out, they even let Lin Nan look it over, and he could suggest changes if he wanted.

They talked about movies, life, and evaluated several hit films. Finally, they chatted about the only TV series Lin Nan had directed, "Lotus Lantern," which would be airing on CCTV-1 this year.

The "Sixth Princess" spent two million to buy the broadcast rights for two of Lin Nan's films for many years to come, so he hadn't worked in vain this time.

The release date for "Return to Youth" in South Korea had been set for February, with CJ handling the distribution.

Back at school, he would write down any good scripts he could remember. If he was truly tired, he would go out for a walk; the cinema was a good choice.

"Raise Your Hands!" was a war comedy. Lin Nan liked Teacher Guo Da very much, and he had even recommended the actor who played Guan Er Ye.

It could be said that "Hero" was not only the first domestic Chinese blockbuster, but it also stimulated the development of the film industry. After two years of warming up, several blockbusters would be seen this year.

Walking out of the cinema, Lin Nan even saw a few posters: "Seven Swords," "SPL: Sha Po Lang," and "Initial D." Regardless of whether they were finished filming, the posters were there. Singing well led to acting; Zhou Dong had started to cross over.

In 2004, Lin Nan became a big director because of "Return to Youth," and he also earned quite a bit from the box office share. Finance contacted Lin Nan; the year-end bonus was ready, and he needed to sign for it.

Returning to the company, Lin Nan looked at the bonuses. Roughly speaking, everyone got an extra three months' salary. For Lin Nan, who only had a dozen or so employees, this was small money.

A dozen people served Lin Nan alone. Besides administration, reception, and finance, Lin Nan also hired two law students and a few graduates from film-related majors. The company structure was very simple.

After holding a simple meeting, Lin Nan announced the bonus. Besides that, there would be an extra red envelope when they went on holiday at the end of the year.

Leaving the company, Lin Nan received a call from Zhu Yawen, who seemed to have something to say.

Zhu Yawen thought Lin Nan was at school, so he went straight back, only to find out upon arrival that Lin Nan wasn't there.

Rushing back to school, Lin Nan met Zhu Yawen. During this time, Zhu Yawen had taken on many notices, working hard on advertisements and fashion magazines, and he looked much more energetic.

"What's the matter that couldn't be said over the phone?" Lin Nan teased, seeing that Zhu Yawen looked troubled.

"Sigh, it's really frustrating," Zhu Yawen sighed.

"I've only been signed for a few months, and I've already encountered this kind of thing..."

Listening to Zhu Yawen's story, Lin Nan realized it was 2005, and Wang Jinghua's contract with Huayi had only a few months left.

As a major agent, Wang Jinghua's influence over the artists under her was far greater than that of the two bosses of Huayi. Under the conflict of power, a collapse was inevitable.

"Sister Hua even explicitly asked me recently if I would be willing to go with her if she left; Young Master Wang also hinted at similar questions to me—choose the company or choose Sister Hua, as the company is the producer of resources."

Hearing Zhu Yawen's words, Lin Nan was also surprised. So these issues were clear behind the scenes; they hadn't been put on the table, probably because the interests hadn't been settled yet.

"Didn't you sign with Wang Jinghua?" Lin Nan asked. How could he choose when he had a contract on one side?

"Sister Hua said that if I'm not willing to follow her, she won't make things difficult for me with the contract."

As expected of Wang Jinghua. Lin Nan wanted to say she was magnanimous.

"So you want me to give you some advice?"

Zhu Yawen nodded.

Lin Nan said huffily, "Big brother, you really think highly of me."

Lin Nan changed the subject, "However, Young Master Wang is also right. Huayi is the side that produces resources. If you are aiming for fame and profit, you can definitely stay."

Before Lin Nan could finish, Zhu Yawen said, "But Sister Hua's side..."

The sentence stopped halfway. Zhu Yawen looked at Lin Nan, and Lin Nan laughed, "Doesn't that mean you've already made your decision?"

Deep down, Zhu Yawen was still inclined to follow Wang Jinghua.