Chapter 231 Negotiation for Investment
Most of Lu Yang’s filming locations are in the capital, and some of them will be arranged in Shanghai.

That’s right, modern drama is definitely inseparable from big cities.

On the way, Gu Wei and Liu Yifei went to see it. This was Liu Yifei's third time there. Whenever she had nothing to do, she would go and see her good friend Su Chang.

The choice of actors is quite good, and Zhu Yawen performed the role well.

Zhang Jiayi is also a veteran actor, a senior who graduated from the Beijing Film Academy. He entered the industry in 90 and has acted in many TV series but not many movies.

Another is Wang Yaoqing from Taiwan, who has a natural "president" temperament and is jokingly called by netizens as being unable to play a poor person.

Gu Wei chatted with him and found that in addition to his CEO temperament, he was also quite humorous and funny, and was the source of happiness for everyone on the crew on weekdays.

"This movie is a modern drama, so it can be embedded with some advertisements."

After returning to the company, Song Ge talked about this matter with Gu Wei. Recently, many advertisers have come to him.

"Okay, let's learn from Feng Xiaogang and try to make money before the movie is released."

In fact, this was the first time that Gu Wei agreed to insert advertisements in a movie produced by his own company. Even "A Dog's Purpose" did not have any advertisements at the time.

Not to mention Ning Hao's movies, let alone Wuershan. Both Painted Skins are costume dramas. If they really want to product placement, the audience will probably be able to tell the difference.

"Haha, it's so easy to make money before the movie is released. Lu Yang's movie didn't cost much, so two random ads will be enough."

Come to think of it, it's true. With a total investment of tens of millions, it's really not difficult to make money.

“Choose a few placements that are okay, but not too many to avoid audience complaints.”

He didn't want to be criticized by fans and end up with a title that inserted the movie in the commercials.

"I've made an appointment with Mr. Han and the others. The time is set after the premiere of No Man's Land. We are all busy and can't make it."

"no problem."

After thinking for a while, Gu Wei replied that these people must be feeling resentful after seeing Huayi Company's successful listing.

"Director Gu, are we considering going public?"

Song Ge said thoughtfully that after all, there was someone in the circle who was the first to try something new, and it was inevitable that others would want to follow suit.

"Why do you have this idea?"

Then, Song Ge talked about a lot of benefits of going public, which can be summarized into two points: one is money, and the other is fame.

After Huayi Company went public, the money on its books made other film and television companies envious. The Wang brothers also made a high-profile foray into the real estate sector, which was widely reported by media reporters.

"For now, I have no intention of going public. Even if I really want to go public, I won't issue too many shares. I want to occupy an absolute dominant position."

"I see. The company isn't short of money anyway, so there's no need to rush."

After listening to this, Song Ge said casually.

...

Wang Jinghua is known as the number one agent in mainland China, but in his early years he was just a salary earner. In 2000, he was even seen riding a bicycle to meet the crew.

But at this time, after leaving Huayi Company and Orange Sky Entertainment, she already had her own agency, but with the development of the times, her approach was no longer popular.

Despite this, most of the agents active in the film and television industry today are her disciples, and therefore she is respectfully called "Sister Hua" by people in the industry.

The reason why many artists are successful is that they have a good management team that can provide them with good resources and conduct negative public relations in a timely manner. As for what kind of artists are successful, there are too many to count. Huang Shengyi is a recent example, and there are even more in the past.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, the assistant brought a woman with great temperament into Gu Wei's office. She was Wang Jinghua, who was known as the No. 1 agent in the mainland.

However, her number one title is not enough in front of Gu Wei. After all, an agent needs to fight for good resources for his artists, and Gu Wei has one of the top resources in the film and television industry.

So after entering the door, the middle-aged Wang Jinghua behaved very politely and made a few subtle compliments. It was not the first time they met, and Gu Wei just laughed it off in response.

Unlike their first meeting, this time it was Song Ge's idea for the two parties to get together. He was also in the office, sitting with Gu Wei.

Regarding the company's artist management, Gu Wei had previously told Wang Chen that they did not plan to continue signing celebrity artists.

However, after Song Ge came over, he took over this aspect of the business. In his words, "The company can not sign artists, but it cannot do without the agent business. This is not conducive to the overall development of the company."

After that, Song Ge looked for Gu Wei several times, but Gu Wei still did not agree. In desperation, Song Ge came up with an idea.

If the company does not engage in large-scale agency business, it can invest in Wang Jinghua's agency. In his opinion, Gu Wei gave many film castings to outsiders, which is a bit too wasteful. After all, some roles can be used for resource exchange.

Just like the two Painted Skin movies, the male and female protagonists are both from Huayi Company, and they were chosen because Gu Wei has a good relationship with them privately, but from the company's perspective, it is a disadvantage.

After thinking it over, Gu Wei agreed with Song Ge's idea and asked him to talk to Wang Jinghua first.

The two sides had contacted each other several times before this meeting. Wang Jinghua came to Xingchen Film and Television today, and he was also mentally prepared. The artists under his company need resources, otherwise they may fall apart at any time.

In addition, he knew Song Ge and had a good relationship with her, so he agreed to the other party's investment. After all, after the previous two incidents, she knew the feeling of not having the initiative.

After the two sides greeted each other and chatted for a few minutes, the topic soon turned to the issue of equity investment. "I wonder what specific ideas Director Gu has on the proportion of equity investment?"

Gu Wei smiled and said, "The request is simple. We want to get more than half of the shares of your agency. But don't worry, the company will gradually release resources to you after you get a stake."

Hearing this, Wang Jinghua felt a chill in her heart. She still agreed with Xingchen Film and Television's investment, but such a high proportion of shares was a bit against her idea.

I chose to leave Huayi and Chengtian because I couldn't get the initiative. If I had agreed to the other party now, why would I leave Huayi at that time?

After thinking for a moment, Wang Jinghua gently stroked his hair and said with a smile: "This is it, Director Gu, Song Ge and I have been friends for many years, and he has been lobbying me to let Xingchen Film and Television invest in my agency.

As for me, I trust Song Ge, and I also think highly of Director Gu, so in principle I have no objection to the investment, but this ratio is indeed too high."

"Thank you Sister Hua for your support for our Xingchen Films!" Gu Wei said with a smile.

"So what I want to say is that if Director Gu wants to invest in the company, that's fine, and I welcome it, but I can't accept this share ratio."

Wang Jinghua spoke up and directly refused.

Gu Wei was not surprised by this result. He left the office under the pretext of making a phone call, giving space to Song Ge and Wang Jinghua to talk further.

Wang Jinghua still hasn't faced up to the reality. In the entertainment industry, capital is king and there is no such thing as a happy ending for everyone.

The reason why Wang Jinghua was not allowed to join Xingchen Film and Television in the beginning was due to the company's size. Now that the two parties are discussing cooperation, having the right to speak is Gu Wei's bottom line.

"Old Song, this is different from what you and I said."

After seeing Gu Wei leave, Wang Jinghua couldn't wait to ask.

"Director Gu has always been quite assertive, and I can't change that. But you know the current situation in the industry. If you wait any longer, your artists will have to find other ways out."

This undoubtedly hit Wang Jinghua's weakness, making her a little hesitant for a moment.

Seeing this, Song Ge continued, "In addition to domestic resources, the company also has many film projects in Hollywood, which is something that other domestic companies do not have. If you miss this opportunity to invest, you will never have another chance in the future."

In the office, the two continued chatting. Gu Wei picked up his phone and called Wuershan. The filming of "Painted Skin 2" was about to end. He had planned to go there to attend the wrap party, but now looking at the schedule, he probably couldn't go.

At the same time, the news that Wang Jinghua came to Xingchen Film and Television Company was also posted online by reporters, along with photos of her entering the company.

Generally speaking, the casting for Gu Wei's new films is basically designated, and the casting of directors under his company is mostly by invitation. The two met several years ago.

"Director Gu's next movie will most likely be a Hollywood blockbuster. I haven't heard that auditions have started yet."

“It is estimated that the two sides have reached a cooperation.”

No one guessed that the two parties were discussing the issue of investing, after all, Gu Wei had not agreed when he had the chance before.

Not only netizens, but even the artists from Company 18 are secretly speculating that most of them are very concerned about the opportunity to cooperate with Xingchen Film and Television, as it is related to their own future and development in the circle, and everyone is concerned.

After finishing the call with Wuershan, Gu Wei looked at his watch, got up and returned to the office.

After arriving at the office, Song Ge gave Gu Wei a look, and the two of them played the good cop and the bad cop respectively, with the goal of taking over Shiba Culture Company.

In the subsequent conversation, Wang Jinghua did not agree directly, but only said that she would go back and think about it. However, from the look on her face, she was obviously softening.

Gu Wei did not force her and asked her to go back and discuss it before making a decision. After sending Wang Jinghua out of the company gate, he immediately returned to the company.

"It's not a big problem."

Hearing Song Ge's words, Gu Wei nodded slightly. Whether it would succeed or not had no impact on him. It was just that success could prevent a lot of resources from outflowing.

...

On the 9th, "Painted Skin 2" was officially announced to be completed.

This movie, which took nearly five months to shoot, finally had its lively wrap-up day.

Wuershan and his main creative staff booked the entire hotel and celebrated grandly together with the reporters who came to interview them.

"The release date has not been decided yet, but post-production will begin in two days."

"We can still work together if we have the chance in the future. Zhou Xun and Huang Xiaoming are great actors."

At the wrap-up ceremony, Wuershan answered reporters' questions, and he looked very high-spirited.

...

(End of this chapter)