69novels Chapter 196 Scorched Earth Policy: The Dark Web Strangulation of the Five Major Cinema Chains
Chapter 196 Scorched Earth Policy: The Dark Web Strangulation of the Five Major Cinema Chains
The Third Ring Road of Beijing.
A secluded private tea room.
The water in the purple clay teapot was churning, making the lid rattle softly.
White steam rose, and the aroma of aged tangerine peel and Pu'er tea filled the room.
Li Jianguo sat behind a rosewood tea table, twirling two walnuts with a smooth, oily patina in his hands.
The walnuts are of the "starry sky" type, and after being polished for more than ten years, the shells rub against each other, producing a dry, dull sound.
In the quiet private room, the faint noise was grating on my eardrums.
Across from the tea table sat Director Zhang, a leading figure of the fifth generation of Chinese directors.
"Lu Haiming is dead."
Li Jianguo placed the walnuts on the table, picked up his teacup, and blew away the floating leaves.
"The disciplinary committee investigated him overnight, and all his messy overseas affairs were exposed."
"Pulling out the radish brings out the mud; seven or eight people have already gone in from Tianjin."
Director Zhang didn't touch the tea in front of him, but only stared at the steam rising from the cup, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.
He tapped his fingers twice on his knee.
He needs to figure out the aftermath of this incident.
Lu Haiming was a well-known moneybag in the industry. With this big tree falling, the network of interests involved was too wide.
Lu Haiming also played a role in bringing director Zhang's new film "A Better Tomorrow" into the project.
The biggest fear right now is that the funding chain will break.
"What does this have to do with us?"
Director Zhang spoke up, steer the conversation back to a safer direction.
"Movies are movies, and business is business."
"How can it be alright?"
Li Jianguo snorted coldly, slammed the teacup down, and a few drops of tea splashed onto the rosewood tabletop, spreading water stains.
"That little brat Chen Yan used the Discipline Inspection Commission to kill Lu Haiming, and now he's riding high."
Li Jianguo stared at the puddle of water.
"Han, the general manager of China Film Group, took advantage of the situation and promoted 'The Wandering Earth' as a key project."
Li Jianguo must nip this trend in the bud.
Having worked his way up in the film industry for so many years, he knows all too well how power plays its games.
Seventy percent of the screens in the country are controlled by the five major cinema chains, and the screening rate is a matter of life and death.
If he doesn't give you screenings, no matter how amazing your film is, you'll only get zero box office revenue.
Chen Yan is an uncontrollable variable.
If Chen Yan can successfully develop the heavy industry science fiction genre, China Film Group will completely gain control, and the days when the five major cinema chains could manipulate production companies by scheduling screenings will come to an end.
"If we don't shut him down, the screening schedule for 'A Better Tomorrow' during the National Day holiday will definitely be affected."
Li Jianguo put the real benefits on the table.
Director Zhang remained silent.
He comes from a filmmaking background.
He also understood that without the support of the five major cinema chains, even the best art couldn't translate into box office success.
He needs Li Jianguo's cinema network to boost the box office of his new film.
Director Zhang, the release date for "A Better Tomorrow" has been moved up.
Li Jianguo tapped on the table, setting the tone.
"The release date was moved from National Day to Mid-Autumn Festival."
"I want Chen Yan to face our publicity blitz less than a month after filming begins."
"Moving the release date forward is possible, but the post-production editing schedule will be too tight."
Director Zhang offered his professional advice, as he had to ensure the quality of the film.
"The voice acting for Zhang Man and Tony Leung is not finished yet, and the special effects also need time to be combined."
"The competition during the Mid-Autumn Festival period is fierce, and the promotional materials also need to be redone."
Money is not a problem.
Li Jianguo leaned back in his chair and placed his hands on his abdomen.
"The theater chain will advance the overtime pay as needed."
"The key is that I need to cut off Chen Yan's escape route."
Li Jianguo paused for a moment.
"He shoots heavy industrial science fiction, which consumes a lot of film."
"If it's not printed, he won't be able to see the sample."
Li Jianguo pointed out Chen Yan's fatal flaw.
"If he can't see the sample footage, he won't know if the lighting and shadows are correct, or if the special effects compositing points are accurate."
"The Vita team is also unable to start work."
Li Jianguo took out a document and pushed it in front of Director Zhang.
The paper rustled as it brushed against the table.
This is an internal memorandum jointly signed by the five major cinema chains.
"I have already called the directors of the film processing plants at Beijing Film Studio, Shanghai Film Studio, and Changchun Film Studio."
Li Jianguo tapped his finger on the memo.
"Anyone who dares to take a single sheet of film from Yanying Culture will be refused screening any film they have invested in next year by the five major cinema chains."
Director Zhang looked at the memorandum; it was white paper with black ink, and the official seals on it were glaringly red.
This is a radical solution.
In the film era, film processing plants were the lifeblood of cinema.
The film shot by the camera is a latent image, which must go through a whole set of chemical processes, including developing, fixing, washing, and drying, before it can become a visible image.
Without a film processing plant, the negatives produced are just a pile of waste plastic that can't be exposed to light.
With their throats severed, the production crew had no choice but to halt filming.
With daily revenue in the hundreds of thousands, even a god couldn't handle it.
"This is a scorched earth policy."
Director Zhang's comments.
"To deal with a disobedient mad dog, you have to use a 'extermination strategy'."
Li Jianguo picked up his teacup again and drank it all in one gulp.
That afternoon.
Well-known entertainment critic Zhou Man's column articles have made headlines in the entertainment sections of major evening newspapers.
The headline, taking up half the page, in bold black font, reads: "Science Fiction Blockbuster Halted: Funding Crisis or Technological Scam?"
The article made no mention of the print processing plant boycott or the joint suppression by the five major cinema chains.
Zhou Man cleverly attributed the production shutdown crisis to Chen Yan's poor command and the break in the funding chain.
In her article, she detailed Weta Digital's exorbitant hourly salaries, Richard Taylor's team's daily expenses which, when converted to RMB, amounted to six figures, as well as the huge costs of the Shougang plant area renovation.
Every single account suggests to the public that the 400 million investment is being squandered by an arrogant young director.
Once the newspaper was released, public opinion began to ferment.
Meanwhile, the production team of "A Better Tomorrow" officially announced that the film would be released earlier, around the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Promotional materials began to flood bus stops in major cities, and posters of Zhang Man wearing a high-slit cheongsam covered the subway station's "GG" seats.
Newspapers and television entertainment news were filled with press releases about this martial arts epic.
Li Jianguo has spent real money; he wants to use overwhelming exposure to push "The Wandering Earth" out of the public eye.
The two-pronged approach of information warfare and capital strangulation is being employed simultaneously.
Shougang Third Factory, the residence of the Yanying film crew.
Inside the makeshift finance office.
Su Wan slammed a thick stack of reports onto her desk, the papers kicking up fine dust.
Chen Yan stood by the window, looking outside.
On the open ground, piles of unwashed film cans were neatly stacked.
The silver aluminum round box reflected the light in the October sun.
They were piled up into a small metal mountain.
This is all money.
A 1,000-foot can of Kodak film costs several thousand dollars.
Since the photos can't be developed, they're just sitting here collecting dust.
They also need to assign someone to watch over it 24 hours a day to control the temperature and humidity and prevent it from getting damp and exposed to the elements.
"The results for this morning's consumption are in."
Su Wan's eyes were bloodshot and her voice was hoarse.
She has barely slept these past two days, constantly dealing with various investors and suppliers, trying to stabilize the situation.
"Venue rental, equipment depreciation, staff salaries, and daily expenses for the Weta team."
Su Wan flipped to the top report and pointed to the bolded numbers in the last line.
"As long as the crew stays here, the fixed daily expenses are 300,000."
Three hundred thousand.
This was without the camera being turned on or filmed.
Hundreds of extras were idly waiting in the factory area for their boxed lunches, while more than a dozen generators were running idle.
Once the machine is turned on, the film starts spinning like water, and the numbers double.
Su Wan walked behind Chen Yan and handed him a red-headed document.
"The final payment from Yan Haishan hasn't arrived yet."
Suzhou Evening News crossed the line.
"The money in our account can only support the losses from a two-week shutdown at most."
She had to let Chen Yan know the real situation; the Ponzi scheme had reached its limit.
"Li Jianguo's move was too vicious."
Su Wan placed the documents on the windowsill.
"He won't fight us head-on; he wants to wear us down through a war of attrition."
If the production team can't pay salaries after half a month, morale will drop.
The Vita team may also withdraw directly if the breach of contract penalty is not paid.
At that point, without Li Jianguo even lifting a finger, "The Wandering Earth" will become a mess on its own.
Zhang Yuan pushed open the door and walked in.
He held a light meter in his hand, his forehead was covered in sweat, and the collar of his work clothes was soaked with sweat.
"Director Chen, the photo printing plant is still not giving in."
Zhang Yuan walked to the table, threw the light meter on it, and the plastic casing hit the wooden table with a loud thud.
He just made a round of phone calls, using all his personal connections.
The equipment maintenance at Beijing Film Studio has been extended indefinitely.
The environmental inspection of Shanghai Film Studio is not over yet.
Changchun Film Studio even changed its chemical supplier.
The entire industry was blacklisted, leaving no loophole for even a single private job.
"What we're shooting now is all green screen composites and heavy industrial scenes."
Zhang Yuan frankly stated that he needed to provide a professional judgment from the perspective of a director of photography.
"Without sample photos, I can't guarantee the accuracy of the exposure."
The lighting and shadows in science fiction films are incredibly complex.
The metallic sheen of the mecha, the cold light source of the hibernation pod, the color temperature control of the green screen in the background—every detail requires sample images for calibration.
Even a half-stop difference in exposure can result in fatal edge overflow during post-processing.
"If the highlights are overexposed or the shadows are completely black, Weta Digital's effects simply won't fit in during post-production."
Zhang Yuan watched Chen Yan's retreating figure.
"I suggest we postpone filming and resolve the printing issue first."
Work has been suspended.
This is the safest approach.
This is also the result that Li Jianguo most wanted to see.
If production stops, the funding chain will break within half a month, morale in the crew will plummet, and the project will collapse on its own.
Chen Yan turned around and looked at Zhang Yuan and Su Wan.
He had to make a decision, a decision that would determine the life or death of the 400 million investment.
"Work will continue without interruption."
Chen Yan gave the order, his tone crisp and decisive.
Zhang Yuan grew anxious and took a step forward.
"How can we film without stopping production?"
Zhang Yuan pointed to the film cans outside the window.
"Reshooting a bad take costs even more!"
"That's hundreds of thousands of rolls of film every day!"
"Blind shooting".
Chen Yan uttered two words.
The office fell silent.
The humming sound of the blast furnace cooling tower outside the window seeped into the room.
Su Wan didn't understand photography techniques, but she could see the shock on Zhang Yuan's face.
"Blind shooting?"
Zhang Yuan's voice changed tone, and his eyelids twitched wildly.
"Director Chen, are you crazy?"
Zhang Yuan gestured with his hands in the air.
"This is a heavy industry science fiction film with a 400 million investment!"
"It wasn't a DV camera used to film students' homework!"
"Hundreds of light sources, complex mecha reflections, and green screen color temperature control."
Zhang Yuan spoke faster and faster.
"After the film is shot, it becomes a latent image, but the chemical solution makes it impossible to see the image."
"Without sample photos for reference, are you just guessing the exposure parameters based entirely on experience?"
Film has a limited latitude.
"If the parameters are wrong, millions of dollars worth of film will become a pile of waste plastic!"
"All the special effects from Weta Digital have to be scrapped!"
"We can't afford the cost of this trial and error!"
Blind shooting.
This means that the filming process was pushed forward without any visual feedback.
This is unprecedented in the history of world cinema.
"I have the parameters in my head."
Chen Yan looked at Zhang Yuan.
Zhang Yuan wanted to argue, and his lips moved slightly.
"Zhang Yuan."
Chen Yan addressed him by his name, his gaze fixed on him.
He offered no explanation.
No explanation is needed.
He is a director.
"implement."
Zhang Yuan stood there, his anxiety and doubts suppressed by those two words.
Chen Yan stopped looking at him and turned to Su Wan.
"Pass the word: the filming schedule remains unchanged."
"Also, book me a flight to Hong Kong tonight."