Chapter 9 Starts a new movie
During the following period, Gu Wei ran between school and company every day. In the meantime, he took some time to visit the crew of "Big Shot", where he met Fu Biao, Yingda, the young Zhang Hanyu and others. They had a meal together, exchanged contact information, and got to know each other.

During this period, Feng Xiaogang brought Gu Wei to meet with Huayi Brothers alone. The Wang brothers were also very enthusiastic about Gu Wei and said that if there were new movies that needed investment in the future, Director Gu could just ask directly and Huayi would definitely follow suit.

Gu Wei was not very fond of the two of them, but he was not going to go against the money, so he agreed without thinking and said that they could cooperate again if there was a chance.

Everything was operating normally at Xingchen Film and Television. Gu Wei read the novels and newspaper articles selected by Wang Chen, and selected a few that were famous in later generations and suitable for adaptation into movies and TV series. He asked Wang Chen to discuss the issue of copyright acquisition with the authors.

"This is the script of my next movie. Go to the General Administration tomorrow and submit it for review," Gu Wei said to Wang Chen as he took out a document from the drawer in the office.

"Okay, boss."

Wang Chen took the script out of the office and took a look at it. The first page of the document had the words "Time and Space Lovers" written in large letters.

This is the script that Gu Wei just wrote recently, and it is also the next movie he is going to shoot, a romantic commercial film.

The original time and space of the movie was called "ABOUT TIME", which literally means "About Time". It was released in the UK in 2013 and grossed over million US dollars worldwide.

The name "Time and Space Lovers" sounds a bit like a third-rate movie, so when Gu Wei was writing the script, he changed the name to "Time and Space Lovers" and also made changes to the content to make it more suitable for the domestic market.

In the first half of the movie, elements of urban romance films cover the entire shot, while in the second half, the family atmosphere permeates the entire screen, making it seem like an ethics drama.

From this perspective, the framework of this film is a novel viewing experience at this stage. In addition, as a commercial film, Gu Wei changed some details within the film to make the story line look more complete, without the feeling of being haphazard.

The next day, at the China Film Office.

"No, Mr. Han, you called me here in a hurry just for this matter," Gu Wei said speechlessly.

"That's why I called you here. I've read the script and the subject matter is good. When will the filming start?" Han Sanping said in the office.

"Boss Han, this is clearly a violation of the rules."

"It's not a violation of any regulations. I just took a look," Han Sanping said with disdain.

"What is the budget for the film? Are you directing it yourself?" Han Sanping asked.

"Boss Han, the script hasn't been approved yet, you're too anxious," Gu Wei said helplessly.

"Auditing is not a problem. As long as it does not violate the regulations, everything else is easy. I will handle it in the bureau."

After hearing this, Gu Wei had an idea in his mind that there should be no problem with the script.

"The budget for the film is tentatively set at 1500 million. I will be directing it myself. Once the script is approved, I will start casting. It is expected to start filming in mid-July at the latest."

"Budget of 1500 million", the huge office is a little quiet at this moment.

"How much are you going to release?" Han Sanping asked eagerly.

"I am going to invest 500 million yuan, 500 million yuan for China Film, and the rest will be reserved for other companies."

"You've thought it through. OK, China Film Group will invest 500 million."

"The distribution is left to China Film Group. China Film Group can provide the manpower needed for filming. China Film Group can also do the post-production of the film, so the quality is guaranteed."

Han Sanping then made another suggestion.

"That's great. I plan to release this movie in multiple regions. I'd like to trouble Mr. Han to help me with the process."

"That's no problem. China Film Group is also the producer. I will be personally responsible for the distribution and promotion in the later stages."

Han Sanping simply waved his hand and took them all.

"Okay, Mr. Han, you go ahead and do your work. Once the script is reviewed, I'll have the company send someone over to sign the contract."

At this stage, China Film Corporation is the big brother of the domestic film industry. Whether it is shooting equipment, personnel, or promotion and distribution channels, it is the best in the country. Now that China Film Corporation is responsible for these things, Gu Wei is so happy that he doesn't know what to do.

After leaving China Film Group, Gu Wei went straight back to the company. As soon as he arrived at the company, he received a call from Wang Changtian of Guangxian.

"Director Gu, I'm planning to register "Tuya's Wedding" for this year's Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival, and I called to discuss it with you," Wang Changtian said directly.

Afterwards, Wang Changtian mentioned Gu Wei's new movie for some reason.

"Mr. Wang, let's be frank. From what I hear, you mean it's not just about registering for the film festival," Gu Wei understood what Wang Changtian meant and spoke directly.

"Haha, Director Gu, you are so direct. Then I'll just say it straight. I heard that your new script has been sent for review, and I want to ask about the film investment," Wang Changtian said happily on the other end of the phone.

"Mr. Wang, you are really well-informed. You knew everything as soon as I handed in the script," Gu Wei said helplessly.

"There are only a few famous directors in the country, and the company will definitely keep a close eye on them. Director Gu, what are your plans for the film's budget?" Wang Changtian asked.

"The current budget is tentatively set at 1500 million. I and China Film will each invest 500 million, and the rest..." "Light Media will invest all the rest," Wang Changtian said hurriedly before Gu Wei finished speaking.

"Mr. Wang, I plan to give part of the remaining 500 million to Huayi. The Wang brothers told me about this a while ago," Gu Wei said directly.

Wang Changtian on the other end of the phone was a little helpless, but there was nothing he could do. Having something is better than having nothing. No matter what, he had to get in the car first. There would be opportunities for cooperation in the future.

"Okay, Director Gu, it's settled. Once the script is approved, I'll send someone to your company to sign the contract."

After hanging up the phone, Gu Wei called the Wang brothers again and told them about the script review and investment. The other party agreed immediately and said they could send someone to sign the contract at any time.

Gu Wei also had his considerations for bringing Huayi to invest in movies.

Firstly, film investment is risky. The current domestic film market is too small, and Gu Wei cannot guarantee that he can make money. If two more companies invest together, the risk can be reduced.

Secondly, although these two brothers are not very good people, it will not prevent him from taking advantage of Huayi in the future. The reason why he cooperates with them in advance is also because he thinks that when Huayi goes public in the future, Gu Wei will have the opportunity to enter the market.

With Han Sanping's help, the script review was no problem. It took only two days for Gu Wei to receive the news that the script had been reviewed and approved.
The next morning, as soon as he arrived at the company, Gu Wei was told by Wang Chen that the company had received a lot of consultation calls, most of which were asking about movie casting and auditions.

"I will send you the requirements for the movie roles. You can reply to them and submit your resume first. I will arrange the audition time," Gu Wei instructed.

"Okay, boss, I'll let them know."

.........

Huayi Company, Wang Jinghua’s office.

"Sister Hua, Xingchen Film and Television Company has replied to the email and sent over the role requirements. Currently, they are only accepting resumes. Director Gu will arrange a time for auditions," the assistant reported the contents of the email to Wang Jinghua.

"Send the resumes of all the artists in the company who meet the role requirements, and pay attention to the audition time," Wang Jinghua instructed his assistant.

Wang Jinghua is known as the number one agent in the mainland entertainment industry. She has dozens of well-known artists under her, including Hu Jun, Chen Daoming, Carina Lau, Li Bingbing, etc. In 2000, Huayi Brothers invited Wang Jinghua to join with a 50% stake. In just over a year, Wang Jinghua led her artists and made Huayi show signs of becoming the number one entertainment company in the mainland. At the same time, it also allowed the Wang brothers to live a life of extravagance.

That afternoon, Gu Wei had just sent out audition requirements to various film and television companies, and then reports appeared on major portals.

"The script of Gu Wei's new film "Time and Space Lovers" has been approved by the General Administration."

"Xingchen Films has released audition requirements for roles, and various film and television companies and artists have sent in their resumes."

As a newly-crowned Golden Bear Award-winning director in China, Gu Wei's new film has attracted attention from all parties, especially actors in the circle, who are trying to get movie roles through various channels.

During this period, Gu Wei also received calls from many film and television companies, hoping to directly secure roles through him. Gu Wei politely declined, saying only that he would take care of the people they recommended during the auditions. This was his first commercial film and he could not afford to make any mistakes. He even only gave Dong Xuan the role of a supporting actress, and all other roles had to be decided through auditions.

This circle is like this, full of human relationships and social conventions. Some big-name stars contacted him directly, including Yu Nan, who also called to ask if there was a role suitable for her. Gu Wei simply replied that he would seriously consider it and make comparisons.

In addition to the male and female protagonists, the main characters of the movie "Time and Space Lovers" also include the male protagonist's first love, roommate, father, sister and sister's boyfriend, which together make up four men and three women. The others can only be considered extras.

The next day, Gu Wei came to the company and looked at the resume emails on the computer. He couldn't help but feel a headache. There were at least two or three hundred resume emails of various types. These were basically all those that met the role requirements. Otherwise, the number would be at least several times higher.

During the whole day, Gu Wei ate in the office except for going to the bathroom. It was almost evening when he roughly looked through the resumes and picked out the ones that met his requirements. There were about fifty of them in total.

"These resumes can notify them to come for auditions."

"Are you auditioning right here at the company, boss?"

"Yes, the time is set to start on July 7th. The auditions will be conducted in batches, and the time will be notified to them in the order of their resumes," said Gu Wei.

After finalizing the audition list and time, Gu Wei left the company.

As soon as he left the house, the company employees started a heated discussion.

"Let's see which celebrities are there?"

"There are Yan Danchen, Gao Yuanyuan, Zeng Li, wow, and Zhou Xun and Li Binbin."

The next day, the media reported the list of artists who had received auditions for Gu Wei's new movie, many of which were confirmed by celebrities who had received audition invitations.

On the same day, Xingchen Films, China Film, Light Media, and Huayi announced the news at the same time, confirming their participation in Gu Wei's new film "Time and Space Lovers". Subsequently, Xingchen Films announced the film type and production cost.

The artists who received audition notices were also discussing the audition two days later in their own small circles, inquiring about the director's preferences and requirements, etc. Many artists who did not get audition roles opened smurf accounts and made sarcastic remarks on the Internet, saying things like the director was too young, had no experience in commercial films, and the script type did not suit the market.

At night, lying in bed, he read some comments online, but did not take them seriously. He was not RMB, how could everyone love him? He would wait until the movie was released and achieved high box office before slapping them in the face. Gu Wei thought silently as he read the comments.

In the following two days, Gu Wei stayed at China Film Group, selected the film crew, and contacted Hengdian Film and Television City to arrange some of the people needed by the crew. He would start filming as soon as the auditions were over and the film roles were confirmed.

(End of this chapter)