Literary Master 1978

Tao Yushu's character has always been calm and majestic, and she rarely fully reveals her emotions. But when she came back tonight, her behavior was completely different from usual.

"The Hong Kong and Kowloon Free Association suddenly issued a ban order, requiring actors and directors in Hong Kong not to cooperate with our Lam Films."

"Where did the news come from?"

"The actors and directors of several movies being produced by the company have all been notified."

Tao Yushu's tone was full of annoyance.

Although this situation had been anticipated, the feeling of being threatened but unable to do anything was not pleasant.

"A few directors are doing better, but the actors are a little trepidatious."

Human beings seek advantages and avoid disadvantages, so the worries and fears of the actors are understandable.

The attitude of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Free Federation represents the attitude of the pseudo-Cultural Bureau of the Bay Island, once they are banned for cooperating with Lam Films.

What we are facing is not that one or two films cannot be made, but that no investors dare to use them anymore.

After all, Wandao is now the largest foreign market for Hong Kong films, and no film company wants to lose such a big piece of fat.

It's okay for the directors to say that the worst they can do is to film under a pseudonym, but the actors rely on that face to make a living, and they can't avoid it even if they want.

There is no movie to shoot, and no place to find food. No one wants to fall into such a miserable situation just because of filming a movie.

"Don't worry, the most important thing right now is to stabilize people's hearts. Aren't those actors afraid of being banned? Give them a contract.

Depending on their status, Lam Pictures will give them 10 film contracts in the next five years, and the film pay will be 20% higher than the market price.

You tell them whether they sign this contract or not, it is just a guarantee given by us so that they have no worries.

These actors have cooperated with us first, so they should not be blocked.

Both hands promise to let them finish filming the scene at hand first. "

Lin Chaoyang's expression was calm and clear, which immediately calmed down Tao Yushu's somewhat flustered mood.

"Okay, I'll do it tomorrow."

"Have the contracts with those companies been signed?"

"Signed, the investment money has arrived."

Lin Chaoyang nodded, "As long as the account is received, how many people can I tie up now?"

When he said this, there was a hint of joking on his face, and Tao Yu wrote: "You are still in the mood to laugh!"

"What if you don't laugh? Do you still want to cry?"

Lin Chaoyang looked relaxed and continued: "Wandao's biggest reliance now is their market, but except for "The Truman Show" and "A Better Tomorrow," our films have never been screened in Wandao.

It should be said that they have adopted a stance of blocking us from the beginning, but they have not stated it openly before.

I guess this time it should have been exciting to see us cooperating with Yindu and Xiying Studio on "Kids King". "

After getting over the initial panic, Tao Yushu's mood relaxed.

"That's right. We didn't have the Bay Island market to begin with, and now we mainly want to win over those collaborators.

I guess the bosses of these companies will call me tomorrow..."

As she was talking, Big Brother rang.

Tao Yushu answered the phone and said, "Hello, Director Wu. I just heard about it. Don't worry, it won't have any impact on our Lin family. Our films are rarely shown in Bay Island..."

Tao Yushu chatted on the phone for almost ten minutes. After hanging up the phone, he smiled bitterly and said to Lin Chaoyang:

"Wu Siyuan. Hearing the news about the Hong Kong and Kowloon Free Association, he was worried about the impact, and he wanted to break the contract."

Lin Chaoyang heard the content of Tao Yushu's phone call just now, and he could guess what Wu Siyuan said.

She warned Wu Siyuan forcefully about the consequences of breaking the contract, and then gave him a slap in the face, saying that he could continue to participate in Lin's Pictures' movies in the future.

"He handled it well. This matter had nothing to do with them in the first place, and the ban would not be able to stop them. He was just afraid that the movie would fail and lose money."

Tao Yushu sighed, "Yeah, but I'm just afraid of people like him following the trend."

"It doesn't matter. People like this will fall wherever the wind is strong. If they are really like Feng Suifan, then it will be difficult for us to handle them."

Feng Suifan is the rhinoceros skin in the "Lucky Star" series, the backbone of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Free Association.

Tao Yushu said: "Wu Siyuan is fine. What I'm most worried about is the theater chain. Golden Harvest and Xinyi City will definitely add insult to injury when they get this news. Shaw Brothers may also take the opportunity to cause trouble."

"The strength of the Double South Line is a bit lacking, but it's better to have it than not. That's our basic market. Shaw Brothers Cinema Line is bound to increase prices if it is based on land, and it doesn't matter if we share a little profit.

Making money has never been our first priority. Surviving and living a more and more prosperous life is the most important thing.

Xiangjiang movies now seem to be blooming, but in fact they are just cooking oil. Only the one who laughs at the end is the winner. "

Listening to Lin Chaoyang's words, Tao Yushu nodded.

"Originally, I planned to have "Autumn Fairy Tale" compete with Golden Harvest's "Oriental Condor" in July, but looking at it now, it would be safer to release it earlier.

If it's successful at the box office, it can boost morale, but I'm worried that the box office won't be ideal. "

Lin Chaoyang said with a smile: "You have to have confidence in Ah Fa. He is very popular now. From last year to now, no matter how bad the movie he starred in, there is no box office less than 10 million. The quality of "Autumn Fairy Tale" is good. The box office won’t be bad.”

Tao Yushu felt much more relaxed after hearing this.

After talking to her for a while, Lin Chaoyang finally said, "Call Ah Jing and ask him to come to the company tomorrow."

"Tell him to go to the company? Why?"

"Give Lin some more ammunition!" Lin Chaoyang smiled, with a somewhat mysterious expression.

Tao Yushu saw that he was mysterious and curious, but Lin Chaoyang said that he would tell her later.

She added: "The comrades introduced by Du Feng have all been arranged. I'm wondering whether to recruit more people from Yanjing."

The hostility from the Bay Island and the Hong Kong and Kowloon Free Association became more and more obvious, which made Tao Yushu feel a little uneasy.

She is not afraid of fair competition, but what she is afraid of is the other party's dirty tricks.

Lin Chaoyang took a close look and felt that Tao Yushu's idea was right.

But Tao Yushu was a little worried about how to arrange the arrival of people.

"Come here and become a martial artist, and give them better martial arts skills. Two or three low-budget action movies a year are enough to feed a group of people."

No matter how many soldiers there are, it is not the essence.

Lin Chaoyang believed that the person sent by his uncle Du Ruolin must be good.

"This is a good idea. I'll contact my uncle now."

After Tao Yushu finished speaking, he excitedly went to make a phone call. After more than 20 minutes, he came back and made an OK gesture to Lin Chaoyang, with a bright smile on his face.

It feels good to have someone's back.

The next morning, Wang Jing drove his newly purchased Mercedes-Benz to the downstairs of the Prince's Building. After getting off the car, he couldn't help but admire his car, and then turned around and went upstairs.

Within half a year of joining Lam Pictures, he made two movies for Lam, both of which grossed more than HK$20 million at the local box office, not counting the box office in other places.

With the huge sales of these two movies, he himself also received nearly 7 million Hong Kong dollars in dividends.

This does not include the brand value generated by Wang Jing Film Studio, which is affiliated with Lam Pictures, due to the success of "Girls" and "Best Friend".

In the words of many media reporters, Wang Jing has become the "second Tsui Hark".

But Wang Jing knew very well that he was much luckier than Tsui Hark.

Although Tsui Hark opened a film studio that seemed independent, in fact the big boss behind him was still Boss Lei, and he still relied on New Art City for film production and distribution.

Nowadays, the internal fighting in Xinyi City is becoming more and more fierce. The Maijia family is the dominant one and has control over many others. In the end, the money is still not distributed properly.

There are not many good and generous bosses like Lin Sheng and Mrs. Lin in the Hong Kong film industry.

"Mrs. Lin!"

When he came to the office, Wang Jing saw Tao Yushu writing and drawing on paper with his head down and said hello.

"Ajing is here, sit down!"

After Wang Jing sat down, Tao Yushu joked with him for a few words, his expression was full of relaxation and not at all depressed.

After chatting for a while, she asked: "Have you heard about the rumors in the past two days?"

Wang Jing's face turned serious and he nodded.

He thought Tao Yushu asked him to come to the company to appease him, "Mrs. Lin, don't worry, those things outside will never affect my filming for the company!"

Wang Jing's guarantee was resounding. With his philistine nature, he certainly could not be the kind of loyal minister and good general, but his words were not entirely false.

The Hong Kong and Kowloon Free Federation has a great influence in the Hong Kong film industry, but it has not reached the level of covering the sky with one hand.

Especially now that Lin's Film Industry is booming, the ban may have some impact, but there should be no major problems for Lin's in the short term.

As long as he can make money, Wang Jing will not change jobs easily.

He has been working hard in the Hong Kong film industry for ten years, and he knows very well what kind of ethics the bosses outside have.

Ever since "Chasing Girls" became popular, film company bosses had been contacting him, and some of them offered better terms than Lin's Pictures.

But Wang Jing knew clearly that if he really changed jobs, it would be great if half of the promised conditions could be fulfilled.

Tao Yushu had a smile on his face and seemed very satisfied with his statement.

Then asked Wang Jing, "How is the script writing going?"

After "Best Friend" was released, Wang Jing did not continue to play. Instead, he played for a few days to relax and then started writing the script behind closed doors.

The box office sales of "Girls" and "Best Friend" both stopped at 20 million. He plans to polish a high-quality script and strive for higher box office results.

On the one hand, it is to earn more dividends, and on the other hand, it is also to attack the position of first-line directors in the film industry.

He has never had a film with a box office of more than 30 million Hong Kong dollars in the local area, and he is always far behind the top directors in the Hong Kong film industry.

"I've written more than half of it, and I'll finish it next month."

Tao Yushu nodded slightly. She did not speak in a hurry, but handed over the notebook in her hand, "Look at this."

Wang Jing took the notebook and glanced at the contents quickly, her face changed slightly, "Mrs. Lin, this is..."

"Please perfect these three scripts. In "The God of Gamblers" let Ah Fa play the male lead, in "The Gambler" let Ah Xing play the lead role, and in "The Gambler" the male lead will be played by Andy Lau. He is currently in the entertainment industry.

The one you wrote, "The Supreme Being", will be released next month after it is finished. It can be considered as a guide for this type of film. "

In the notebook that Tao Yushu handed to Wang Jing, he wrote the plot summaries and synopses of three movies, namely "The God of Gamblers", "The Saint of Gamblers" and "The Gambler".

Among these three movies, "The God of Gamblers" and "The Gambler" were originally written by Wang Jing. The other "The Gambler" is also an imitation of "The God of Gamblers" and can be said to be in the same vein as the first two works.

The Bay Island side is now beginning to exert extreme pressure on Lin's Pictures. Lin's Pictures must take action. The "God of Gamblers" trilogy is Lin Chaoyang's big move for Lin's Pictures.

In later years, in 1989 and 1990, the local box office of the three films "God of Gamblers", "The Gambler" and "The Gambler" each exceeded 40 million Hong Kong dollars, and a total of 120 million Hong Kong dollars was earned in Hong Kong.

If you include other places, the cumulative box office exceeded 300 million Hong Kong dollars, almost sweeping the Hong Kong, Bay Island and Southeast Asian film markets at that time, setting off a wave of gambling movies.

Let Yongsheng, a film company that started out as a pornographic film company, quickly rise to become an important force in the Hong Kong film industry.

In addition, "The God of Gamblers" also made Chow Yun-fat reach new heights, "The God of Gamblers" made Andy Lau a box office star, and "The God of Gamblers" made Stephen Chow the "Star Lord".

Actors, directors, screenwriters...a lot of filmmakers have risen to high status due to the success of these films.

This kind of film that can not only create huge profits for the film company, but also be popular is exactly what Lin's Pictures urgently needs. "Given you one year and a total investment of 40 million, can you finish filming these four films?"

Tao Yushu didn't give Wang Jing much time to think and asked straight to the point.

Wang Jing was startled by Tao Yushu's generous words.

Shooting four films in one year is definitely a bit tight for many directors, but it is not difficult for Wang Jing.

It can even be said that three months is a long time to make a film, and what he cares more about is the "40 million" Tao Yushu said.

An investment of 40 million for four movies means that the cost of a single film is 10 million. This is definitely a big investment in the current Hong Kong film industry.

For ordinary movies, it is only possible to get such investment by hiring a star of Chow Yun-fat's level, but Tao Yushu clearly said that only "God of Gamblers" would star Chow Yun-fat.

Wang Jing asked tentatively: "Mrs. Lin, 40 million seems a bit much."

Tao Yushu smiled and said, "Is it much? I plan to increase the salary of everyone on the crew by 20%."

Hearing this, Wang Jing was immediately surprised.

In recent years, the film market in Hong Kong has been booming, and actors' salaries have also risen accordingly. It has become normal for first-line stars to be paid more than 1 million for one movie after another.

But most of the time, the rise and fall of an actor's salary depends on the performance of the movie he participates in. Wang Jing has never heard of a film company boss taking the initiative to increase the salary of an actor.

What's more, Tao Yushu wants to raise not just the actors, but all members of the crew, whose salary will increase by 20%.

Looking at it this way, the investment of 10 million for a single chip is not much at all.

No one who can be a boss is a fool.

Wang Jing knew that Tao Yushu was a generous boss, but he also knew that Tao Yushu would never be kind without reason.

Thinking of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Free Association's ban on Lin's Pictures in the past two days, he immediately understood that Mrs. Lin was planning to resort to the method of spreading money.

Why can the Hong Kong and Kowloon Free Federation give orders to the Hong Kong film industry, but almost everyone dares not to obey?

It’s not just because it controls the channel for Hong Kong films to enter the Bay Island market. To put it simply, it controls a considerable part of the lifeblood of Hong Kong filmmakers.

Once the ban order was issued, Lam Films was likely to be isolated from the entire Hong Kong film industry due to the power of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Free Association.

Faced with this situation, Lin's Pictures doesn't have much room to maneuver, so throwing money is undoubtedly the simplest and most effective way.

Some top stars and directors may be afraid of cooperating with Lam Pictures for fear of affecting their financial prospects, but for most filmmakers, they will not miss such a good opportunity to make money.

Wang Jing prides himself on knowing the psychology of film professionals in Hong Kong very well, so he deeply admires Tao Yushu's operation.

Everyone knows how to survive with a broken arm, but very few can actually do it.

Tao Yushu's decision also gave Wang Jing a little more confidence in the future of Lin's Pictures.

"My colleagues in Xiangjiang are lucky, especially those at the bottom of the crew. They have to support Lin Sheng and Mrs. Lin." Wang Jing complimented with a smile.

Lam Films' increase in wages to employees not only benefited its own crew, but also in disguise forced other film companies in Hong Kong to increase their employees' salaries.

Although it is impossible to raise the salary level all at once, in the long run, as long as Lin can persist, it will definitely become the general trend.

However, doing so will inevitably offend many film companies.

Wang Jing only took a moment to think and understood that Mrs. Lin was no longer afraid of offending others.

There is the threat from the Hong Kong and Kowloon Free Association in the past, and the hostility from Golden Harvest and New Art City in the future. If we continue to hesitate and hesitate to move forward, we will only end up in complete defeat. It is better to give it a try.

Anyway, the remaining small and medium-sized companies will hardly pose any threat to Lin's Pictures.

In a moment, Wang Jing had already mentally figured out Tao Yushu's various methods to deal with this crisis and the reasons behind them, and thought he had figured out the boss's mind.

"Mrs. Lin, if we film "God of Gamblers", will there be no problem with Afa?"

Tao Yushu looked indifferent, "It's not a big problem. If he makes our movie, the big deal is that it won't be released in Bay Island. If the Hong Kong and Kowloon Free Association dares to ban him, the film producers in Bay Island will be the first to stop."

Wang Jing couldn't help laughing when he heard this.

"A Better Tomorrow" made Chow Yun-fat famous all over East Asia. As far as Wang Jing knows, he is currently filming five films. If you count the film appointments and those that have been completed but have not been filmed, there are at least ten.

Most of these films have been purchased by film dealers in the Bay Island. It is true that the Hong Kong and Kowloon Free Federation is very popular in Hong Kong, but the film dealers in the Bay Island are their ancestors.

If you cut off your ancestors' wealth, isn't that asking for death?

Banning this kind of thing is also based on people's preferences.

After Wang Jing left, Tao Yushu called Tao Yumo and said, "Yumo, take people to register a few more film companies."

Tao Yumo didn't understand what he meant, "Sister, why are you registering so many companies?"

As soon as she finished asking the question, she realized, "A cunning rabbit has three holes?"

Tao Yushu smiled, said nothing, and agreed with her statement.

"You will be in charge of these companies from now on. There is no need to build high-quality products. You can do it as efficiently as you want.

I contacted people in Yindu and suggested that these films could be sold in Wandao. "

Tao Yumo immediately understood what she meant and joked: "Sister, you are trying to break into the enemy!"

"In order to cope with the ban on Wandao, our company has spent so much money, can't we make some money from them?" Tao Yushu said easily.

Tao Yushu's trick was taught to her by Lin Chaoyang.

Transforming into a satellite company, cooperating with the film producers of the Bay Island, breaking through the blockade of the Bay Island, this is not Lin Chaoyang's first initiative, Yindu Organization is doing this now.

This situation reached its peak after entering the 1990s. Satellite companies such as Jinhe, Yingzhidao, Huaying, and Phantom Production under the Yindu Organization have almost infiltrated the Bay Island into a sieve.

The most outrageous thing is that the movies produced by these satellite companies will be released in the Bay Island first, and then the film producers in the Bay Island will return the copyright to the Yindu agency, so that the movies can continue to be released in Hong Kong.

Don’t those Bay Island film producers know the details of these satellite companies?

Of course they know, but who would have trouble with money?

After strategizing in the company all day, Tao Yushu was still thinking about the company on the way to get off work.

It has been a month and a half since the company's last movie "The Best Friend" was released, and the company currently has more than 110 million Hong Kong dollars in funds on its account.

There is quite enough ammunition, otherwise she would not dare to send out 40 million at once to propose a plan for Wang Jing to make four films a year.

In addition, there are the satellite companies she asked Tao Yumo to register, which will inevitably require an investment of 20 to 30 million, plus the company's other filmmaking plans.

Even if some investment can be brought in from outside, most of the money on the account will probably be consumed in the next year.

Fortunately, "Autumn Fairy Tale", "Alang's Story" and "Wealth and Power" will be released one after another in the next few months. I hope that they can restore blood for the company by then.

Tao Yushu felt a headache just thinking about it. Why was it that the more money he made, the less money he could spend?

When she returned home, Lin Chaoyang was not there.

He agreed to give lectures to the students at the Lu Xun Institute of Literature and has already returned to Yanjing.

"Sister Yu Shu!"

When Maggie Cheung saw Tao Yushu coming back, she quickly greeted her with a trace of concern in her eyes.

"Maggie, you're here. You sit down first. I'm going to change clothes and tidy up."

When Tao Yushu came out of the room, Maggie Cheung took the initiative and said: "Sister Yushu, I know everything. If your Lin family is short of actors, I'm available at any time."

Listening to her words, Tao Yushu felt a little warm in his heart.

It’s easy to add icing on the cake, but difficult to provide help when it’s time.

"It's okay. I've already made arrangements. There shouldn't be any big problems for the time being."

Maggie Cheung was filled with worry yesterday when she heard the news that the Hong Kong and Kowloon Free Association had banned Lam Films.

In order to help Tao Yushu, she had been mentally prepared. It was just a ban for a few years. In the end, if she couldn't survive it, she would probably write a letter of repentance. Now she only regretted that she couldn't help Tao Yushu.

"Sister Yushu, is it really okay? I see it was reported in the newspapers today."

Tao Yushu said harmoniously: "There will definitely be an impact, but it won't be that big..."

Tao Yushu chatted with her for a few words about Lin's current situation, and Maggie Cheung felt a little more at ease, and asked again: "Why hasn't my brother-in-law come back?"

"He will go back to Yanjing for a while and come back in the second half of the month."

At noon on the second day after returning to Yanjing, Lin Chaoyang came to the Lu Xun Literary Institute located near Balizhuang, Chaoyang District.

Lu Xun Literary College moved to Shilibao a few years ago. The school building is not big. A gatehouse and a five-story building are all the buildings in the courtyard.

There are many trees planted in the courtyard, mostly ginkgo and fruit trees, and there is also a pavilion.

The only relatively spacious place is the basketball court in the courtyard.

Lin Chaoyang entered the hospital after registering with the guard and heard shouts from the basketball court.

The small venue seemed to be crowded with twenty or thirty people. It didn't look like they were playing basketball, but more like they were robbing basketballs.

As soon as Lin Chaoyang entered the hospital, someone noticed him, and a scribbled puppy ran out from the crowd to greet him.

"Teacher Chaoyang!"

"Yu Hua, are you from this class of students?"

"Yes, not only me, but also Mo Yan. I heard that you also know Liu Zhenyun, and he is also in this class."

Yu Hua enthusiastically introduced Lin Chaoyang to their current student class. There were 48 people in his current student class, as well as several auditors.

The two chatted for a while, and Lin Chaoyang was invited to Tang Yin's office to chat for a while.

Two minutes before the class officially started, Tang Yin accompanied him into the large conference room on the fifth floor, where the Luyuan students usually held classes.

Before the lecture, Lin Chaoyang took a look at the roster. In addition to the few people he knew, there were many famous writers in this class.

For example, Chi Zijian, Bi Shumin, Xu Xing, Yan Geling, Hong Feng, etc.

Not only in the future, even now, a considerable number of these people have already gained national fame and are the leaders among young writers.

Otherwise, they would not be qualified to study in Luyuan.

"Our classmates this year are really talented!" Lin Chaoyang joked, and there was a burst of laughter from the audience.

The writers present were mainly young and middle-aged. Lin Chaoyang was younger than many people, but no one dared to look down on him.

Even in the eyes of many people, Lin Chaoyang is now an idol-like figure, and the reason is naturally that his works are widely circulated and deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

Lin Chaoyang called out the names, checked their names and appearances, and then began to teach.

"Our class is called "Creative Practice and Research". I think many of you have been engaged in literary creation for longer than me.

It's called a class, but it's more about communication and discussion..."

The morning passed quickly in Lin Chaoyang's talk. When the bell rang, many people felt that they were still reluctant to leave.

After the class, Lin Chaoyang didn't leave in a hurry, but communicated with everyone for a while.

"Chaoyang, have a meal here and try our Luyuan food."

While Lin Chaoyang was chatting with the students, He Zhenbang came over and pulled him to the cafeteria.

Lin Chaoyang declined. When some people left, he had the opportunity to talk to Liu Zhenyun alone.

After graduation, Liu Zhenyun was assigned to the "Farmer's Daily". In the past few years, he has continued to write and has published several works.

He is not very famous, but he has long been out of the category of literary enthusiasts.

"We haven't seen each other for a long time. Let's have dinner together tonight," said Lin Chaoyang.