Chapter 1372: Chapter 714: Back to the Company (2)
Zhou Yun said, "You should shoot more films. I’ve told you, you need to work hard to gain a firm foothold internationally. It’s even harder for our dramas to make a name for themselves overseas."
"It’s not that bad now. The development of streaming has actually created a really good environment for dramas. Look at one of my previous shows, Deep Sea. Its performance on streaming was pretty decent, and that was without any promotion from their side," Zhou Yun said. "If we have a really good story that isn’t suitable for domestic broadcast, working with overseas streaming platforms is actually a great option."
Kang Xin smiled.
"It’s not that easy. Do you know why Korean dramas succeed so easily? Because their domestic market for film and TV is small to begin with. So almost everyone can get better terms and treatment shooting overseas; all the top talent is running to streaming platforms. Our situation at home is different. Think about how big our market is. The record-breaking pay that top Korean actors get for streaming—if you put it in our market, it’s just top-tier, but still within reach for a lot of actors." Kang Xin bluntly laid out the reality. "Under these circumstances, why would everyone flock abroad to shoot? For me, the conditions those overseas streaming platforms offer aren’t actually better than what I can get at home. If one day I really do go shoot a streaming project, there’ll only be one reason: they can give me something I can’t get domestically—like greater freedom and more creative control."
Zhou Yun fell into deep thought.
With different identities and roles, what you think about is different too.
Kang Xin asked, "How’s the shoot for Female Assassin going? I remember you’ve been filming four or five months now, right?"
"Yeah." Zhou Yun nodded.
Kang Xin said, "That’s long. Shooting a film for that long."
Zhou Yun said, "We mainly did on-location shoots in several countries. It really took a lot of effort."
Kang Xin said, "I’ve never shot an action film yet. I’ve always wanted to make one."
In the industry, the impression people had of Kang Xin was that of a major director of serious dramas, best at period costume dramas or realist works.
Like Heart Inquiry and Chen Yin—those were the types of projects Kang Xin excelled at.
Every successful person probably has this urge to keep pushing outward, wanting to see if they can succeed in areas they haven’t tried before.
Zhou Yun said, "So have you come across a suitable script?"
Kang Xin said, "Haven’t run into one. Sometimes when I see a decent script, it’s already been snatched up, haha. People don’t really think I’d make action films, so these scripts don’t even get sent to me."
Zhou Yun said, "Then, Director, you could commission a screenwriter to write something in that genre just for you."
Kang Xin said, "I’ve actually always had that idea, but I’ve got so many projects on my hands, I’ve never managed to free myself up to really do it."
"Actually, Director, you already shot a lot of action scenes in Heart Inquiry," Zhou Yun said. "In Song Chi’s main storyline, there are a lot of action sequences, aren’t there?"
"That was still just an interlude, not a proper action-focused shoot," Kang Xin said. "When your film comes out, I’m definitely going to see it. That brat Wen Bing is something else. His first film was Life, that kind of romantic art-house piece, and his second, Two tigers, jumps straight into action, and he did a really good job. He’s got some real skills."
Zhou Yun asked with a smile, "Do you know Wen Bing? How about I set something up one day and introduce the two of you properly?"
Kang Xin said, "Sure, we’ve met before, but never had an in-depth talk."
Zhou Yun nodded.
"By the way, my agent asked me to sound you out about something. She wants to know if you have any other projects in preparation besides Elm Spirit. She’d like to get some information in advance, and if there’s anything suitable for Huang Zicheng or Lu Zhongting, she can try to fight for them," Zhou Yun said. "Those two are very serious young actors. If you have any suitable roles on your side, no matter how big or small, however long they’re on screen, please give them a leg up. Working with you, they can learn a lot."
Kang Xin smiled and nodded. "That’s easy. No problem."
Zhou Yun and Kang Xin had dinner, then went to see a newly released movie together.
It turned out not to live up to its reputation. Despite the big name and star-studded cast, it was genuinely awful.
The two of them held out until the final third, but really couldn’t take it anymore and left early.
