Chapter 637: Chapter 39: Striving for a Job
Chapter 39: Striving for a Job
(Sorry, another mistake! Thanks to my brother from the Superman era for the reminder, I’ll try to remember better. Maybe it’s true that Old Lai is sleep-deprived, slept more than a dozen hours today. Today there should be only two Chapters.)
Upon hearing Qiao Pan mention the Valentine’s Day deadline, Li Yan calculated the time—it was barely two months away, which was really too rushed. If the reception isn’t good, it could be a setback for this entrepreneurial project. He couldn’t help but suggest, "Valentine’s Day is a bit too rushed; how about we aim for the Qingming Festival?"
Qingming Festival!
On hearing this, Qiao Pan almost choked to death. If Li Yan weren’t an investor, he would have really started cursing!
Actually, Li Yan’s concerns were not unfounded, the time was indeed a bit too short. However, a shorter time frame doesn’t necessarily mean insufficient time!
Whether at home or abroad, those big-budget, large-scale films often take a long time to produce. If a movie isn’t taking two years, they even hesitate to call it a blockbuster. But the main time isn’t spent on filming; it’s mostly consumed in the pre-production and post-production phases. Take the A-Class productions from Si Country, for instance: they are mainly major genre films like sci-fi, superhero, and disaster movies, where money and time are primarily dedicated to post-production effects. Animated films are all effects; adventure films take time in various props and location setups during pre-production.
For example, James Cameron’s masterpieces, "Alien" and "Terminator," both involve a lot of sci-fi sets and special effects. "Titanic" required building a big ship for real-location filming according to Titanic. "Avatar" was revolutionary with its 3D effects. So even though "True Lies" is an explosively popular classic action film, it took less time than others.
Domestic blockbusters are mostly period martial arts films, demanding a lot of time in set-building, props, and makeup. By comparison, modern fashion films can save a lot of time and money. For instance, Feng Xiaogang’s "If You Are the One" took only two or three months to shoot. Due to Feng’s brand influence, all the indoor and outdoor scenes were sponsored by numerous scenic spots. With an investment of less than twenty million, the cost was mainly actor salaries, film stock, and copies. Having lots of product placements allowed them to break even before release, and more than three hundred million in box office gross helped Huayi earn a net profit of one hundred million.
When it came to "If You Are the One 2", theaters nationwide had already reserved a New Year slot for it, but four months before the confirmed release date, Feng Xiaogang was still busy with "Tangshan Earthquake" without any signs of starting the production. Lead actor Ge You didn’t know when filming would start either.
Now, they are preparing a modern urban romance film, which basically doesn’t require lots of historical props, costumes, or set, so two months is enough for shooting.
"Mr. Li, movies are judged not just by quality, but also by timing. Big directors and major productions can lead the trend with their release schedules, but we don’t even count as a medium production, so we can only follow the trend. Spring is the weakest release season in the year. If we miss the Valentine’s Day release, it’s hard to achieve good results," Qiao Pan explained. "As you know, today’s moviegoers, including students, white-collar workers, and couples, are the main consumers; we are targeting Valentine’s Day to attract couples."
Seeing Qiao Pan getting a bit anxious, Li Yan laughed and said, "Valentine’s Day it is then! I’m mainly worried we might not be able to deliver, and if we rush out a rough product, it might not box office well either."
"Don’t worry about that! Zhou Yuan and I will keep things in check; this isn’t just Heavenly Film’s entrepreneurial project, but our legitimation piece as well. We are ready to fight for these two months, and since our story is made up of several segments, if some actors are not available, we can film other portions first, so the overall progress won’t be affected. Some outdoor scenes can be shot by the assistant director, so in summary, just trust old Qiao here! I won’t be able to face you if I mess this up." Qiao Pan assured, with a military-like promise demeanor.
"OK! Then just expedite the process, and once the specific locations and schedule are determined, send it to me or contact the office. I’ll definitely visit the day after tomorrow!"
After dealing with Qiao Pan, Li Yan wondered whether Zeng Zixi would come over on Monday. If she could, he could take her directly to let her collaborate with Qiao Pan on movie marketing.
Just then, a phone call came in, from an unfamiliar number, causing Li Yan to chuckle. Could it be that speaking of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives? Was it a confirmation call from Zeng Zixi?
"Li Yan, who’s this?"
A familiar female voice immediately answered from the phone. "Hello, Brother Li Yan, it’s Nian Yufei..."
"Nian Yufei? Oh, hello, is this your Cloud Island number?" Having not seen the beautiful young pianist since D City, Li Yan naturally hadn’t contacted her proactively, and this was the first time she called.
"No, this is someone else’s phone," Nian Yufei said weakly.
Someone else’s phone? A person like Nian Yufei would have professionals managing her phone, so it surely hadn’t been lost. Besides attending school, performing, she would likely be at home resting or practicing in her spare time, so the possibility of using someone else’s phone was very low. Recalling her complex background and frequent assassination attempts, Li Yan wondered if she was in danger again.
"Are you okay? Why are you using someone else’s phone? Are you in some kind of danger? Where are you now?"
Upon hearing his rapid inquiry, Nian Yufei paused for a moment, then happily said, "Thank you for caring about me, Brother Li Yan. I’m fine, actually... I was just afraid you wouldn’t pick up my call, so I used someone else’s phone." Towards the end, her voice revealed a hint of guilt, like a child who had done something wrong.
Li Yan couldn’t help but laugh, "Is it really necessary? Even though your identity and mine make me not want to interact too much with you, in the end, let’s not get too familiar. But if you need to call me, I won’t avoid it and not pick up."
"I understand..."
"You suddenly called me out of the blue; you must have something on your mind, right? Go ahead, as long as it’s something I can do."
Though Li Yan said this, he didn’t really believe she needed help. She had people around her to protect and care for her; she could instruct others for anything. Calling him was likely because she hadn’t been in touch for a while and missed him a bit. It’s a special lingering feeling buried deep in her heart!
"Here’s the thing, didn’t I meet Sister Wen Qianyi last time? I got bored and searched for her, and then learned she’s working at Paradise Group now. I guess you are too." As she said this, Nian Yufei felt even more guilty.
However, Li Yan didn’t mind. Given her status, she could have asked someone else to investigate his situation, but she didn’t. The fact that she learned about him through Wen Qianyi and by searching, those indirect means, showed that she was putting in her own personal effort to understand his current status.
"Oh."
"So, I’ve been paying more attention to news about Paradise Group lately. There’s been quite a lot of news these past few days, though I can’t help much. But I discovered something new: you’ve set up a new subsidiary company called Heavenly Film and you’ve invested in a movie, with the producer named Li Yan—is that you?" Seeing Li Yan just agree without giving away whether he’s pleased, Nian Yufei worried he might hang up, so she hurriedly brought up the question.
Is she actually asking about movie gossip?
Li Yan found it quite bizarre. He thought the little beauty who had a deep impression of him as a hero during her childhood was trying to forge a connection, which he didn’t want to entertain. But it turned out she was only inquiring about movie gossip, making him relax instantly.
"That’s right, it’s me. Since I no longer work in the same department as Wen Qianyi, I’ve been reassigned as the general manager of Heavenly Film. As the representative of the investing party, my name was put as the producer. Why? Does this movie have any stars you like? Do you want to visit the set?"
He wouldn’t mind just giving a call to arrange this; it’s not cumbersome.
Upon hearing his response, Nian Yufei felt relieved knowing he wasn’t upset. "No, actually... I wanted to ask if you have someone to compose the soundtrack yet?"
"Soundtrack? Composer? You?" Li Yan was a bit dizzy; although she was known as a young piano virtuoso, she was actually a pianist, not a composer. You’re only a teenager, what do you know about composing and arranging music?
Nian Yufei could sense his doubt, blushingly said, "I... I’m not capable, you know, I don’t lack this job. But I have a friend on Cloud Island who is pretty good at it and has composed soundtracks for some movies. She’s not a mainstream pop star, doesn’t earn much, so..."
"Oh, you want to help your friend secure a job, right? Frankly, I’m not sure about this. I’d have to inquire first. If a composer hasn’t been decided yet, I can discuss this with the producer and director. If your friend is capable, it should be fine."
Li Yan was primarily concerned with the broader direction of the project. For production aspects, he focused on actors, directors, etc., and only skimmed over things like soundtracks, not keeping them in memory.
"Really? Thank you so much! As a token of appreciation, there can be a buy-one-get-one-free deal."
"Buy one... get one free?"
"Yes! If there are piano pieces, I can help with the performance for free." Nian Yufei said with a bit of embarrassment, "Although it wouldn’t save much money, it is a token of our gratitude..."
Li Yan’s heart was moved. Although Nian Yufei isn’t a mainstream star, judging from the ticket sales for her concerts, she still has a certain fan base. If she participates in the soundtrack, it could be a promotional gimmick! Though the impact might not be huge, for a small-budget movie unable to afford big stars like Wang Fei or Zhang Liangying to sing the theme song, this would be taking an alternative path.——Declaration: Since the book’s launch, Lao Lai has consistently expressed gratitude to readers who have supported him financially, without reducing thanks when donations decrease in subsequent months. Those who respect the author by subscribing and further encourage Lao Lai with rewards also receive special acknowledgment. The gratitude content comprises the names organized from previous day’s supporters, added to the Chapter when updating the first Chapter daily, transferred from Word. Regardless if there is extra content before or after Chapters (like this declaration), it is beyond the exact 1000 words charged. Some think they’ve discovered a major secret, claiming Lao Lai pads Chapter lengths with acknowledgments—can’t you be less malicious? By subscribing officially, you’ll see it’s basically added to the first Chapter except when forgotten sometimes.)
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