Hollywood Director 1992

"Mr. Lin, please have some tea."

In the living room, Chen Hong carefully placed a teacup on the table.

"Thank you! Miss Chen, how many years have you been an actress?"

Lin Ke put down the newspaper and asked.

"I started filming TV dramas in '85, almost ten years now."

Chen Hong sat on the sofa opposite him, her hands demurely pressing on her knees, her voice gentle, with a hint of Jiangnan melody.

"In China, which pays more, TV or movies?"

"Domestic film and television actors aren't paid much. Top-tier TV actors earn at most four or five thousand yuan per episode. Some movie roles can earn tens of thousands or over a hundred thousand, but there are few movies produced each year, so there are fewer acting opportunities. It's nothing compared to Hollywood."

Chen Hong had read in a newspaper on the plane that Hollywood's top actors were paid up to ten million US dollars, and top actors reached twenty million US dollars.

Lin Ke was even more impressive. He was paid a base salary of ten million by Warner Brothers, plus a percentage of the box office, earning tens of millions. One movie he made was more than all the domestic actors' salaries combined.

"It's different. The domestic film and television industry market is still in its early stages. Movie costs are low, and low actor salaries are normal. In a few years, domestic actor salaries might be even higher than Hollywood's."

"Higher than Hollywood?"

Chen Hong didn't believe it. In Hollywood, Schwarzenegger, Jim Carrey, and Tom Hanks had successively received 20 million salaries, equivalent to 140 million RMB. Earning over 100 million RMB for a movie in China and becoming a billionaire was something Chen Hong couldn't imagine.

Lin Ke smiled softly. If he didn't know what the future held, he wouldn't believe it either. In 1994, China's GDP was 4.8 trillion, equivalent to about 550 billion US dollars. At this time, there were very few people in China with personal wealth exceeding 100 million, and they were all wealthy tycoons.

Only a few decades later, with China's rapid economic development, becoming the world's second-largest economy and the number one manufacturing power, billionaires seemed to be everywhere, and actors in the entertainment industry with salaries exceeding 100 million were also common.

The entertainment industry at that time was like Hollywood now, becoming a place for all young people to pursue their dreams.

"Lin Ke, do you have time now? Would you like to take a look at the scripts I brought?"

Chen Chong came out of the kitchen, wearing an apron and holding a plate of sliced fruit, looking very much like a virtuous wife and loving mother. It was hard to imagine that she had taken the initiative to solicit him in the hallway not long ago.

"Where are the scripts?"

"Chen Hong, help me get them."

Chen Chong pointed, and Chen Hong quickly got up, took several scripts from the suitcase, and placed them on the table.

Lin Ke took them and looked at them. The first script was "The Emperor's Shadow," written by Lu Wei, who also wrote the screenplays for the films "Farewell My Concubine" and "To Live." The director was Zhou Xiaowen, one of the fifth-generation directors, who played the Sweeping Monk in the Hu Jun version of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils."

"The Emperor's Shadow" tells the story of the Warring States musician Gao Jianli and Qin Shi Huang, Ying Zheng, loving and killing each other. The script's story is ridiculous.

Historically, Ying Zheng was a hostage in Zhao, but here it became Yan, and he grew up with Gao Jianli, becoming childhood friends.

Later, Ying Zheng destroyed Yan, and Gao Jianli became a prisoner, working as a musician in Xianyang. He fell in love with Qin Shi Huang's disabled daughter, Princess Liyang, and even raped the princess, allowing the disabled princess to stand up again. Princess Liyang also fell in love with Gao Jianli because of this.

However, in order to win over his general Wang Ben, Qin Shi Huang married Princess Liyang to him. Princess Liyang committed suicide in the bridal chamber. After hearing the news of Princess Liyang's death and the killing of Yan prisoners, Gao Jianli assassinated Ying Zheng with a zither on the day of Ying Zheng's ascension to the throne.

The advantage of the script is that it is highly dramatic, with grand scenes and good character development.

There are also many shortcomings. In order to increase dramatic conflict, history is fabricated indiscriminately, making the plot look very bloody.

Also, the main line is unclear. It is neither about friendship nor love, nor does it delve into human nature, nor does it praise or criticize historical figures. It is only crudely imitating the settings of Hollywood movies, which also leads to this movie having little meaning and little investment value.

"Lin Ke, what do you think?"

Chen Chong asked.

"Not good! I've also read "Records of the Grand Historian." There's no such story at all. Generally, historical films, when adapted, either follow the official historical records, or can be based on unofficial history, folk tales, allusions, or anecdotes. Where does the story of Gao Jianli and Ying Zheng come from?"

Chen Chong and Chen Hong couldn't answer. They didn't expect that Lin Ke, who grew up in the United States, would have read "Records of the Grand Historian."

"Let's forget about this script. If they want to make a historical film, they should adapt a more famous historical allusion, such as Jing Ke's assassination of the King of Qin, Zhuan Zhu's assassination of King Liao of Wu, or the Feast at Hong Gate. Don't fabricate a story to film. This kind of movie lacks both interest and meaning."

Lin Ke remembered that "The Emperor's Shadow" was the first large-scale historical film in China, and because of its fabrication, it was banned from screening in domestic theaters, and the box office performance was also a complete loss.

Later, using this theme, Chen Kaige made "The Emperor and the Assassin," and Zhang Yimou made "Hero."

In comparison, the latter two films had better reputation and quality.

"If they revise the script, can we invest?"

Chen Chong asked.

"Yes! China has five thousand years of history, with countless historical allusions. As long as you dig carefully, you can write good stories and make good movies. These types of movies also have some commercial potential."

"Okay, I'll have them revise the script when I get back. If they don't revise it, we won't invest, let them do whatever they want."

Chen Chong sat next to him, stroking his arm, as if to appease him and prevent him from getting angry.

Lin Ke flipped through the other scripts and eventually selected three scripts: "Siao Yu," "A Brighter Summer Day," and "The Sino-Dutch War of 1661."

The first two are literary films with female themes and low production costs.

"The Sino-Dutch War of 1661" is a historical war film. The script's story is relatively complete, with detailed historical materials. The shortcomings are that the scenes are not grand enough, the dramatic conflicts are not strong enough, the character development is relatively thin, and the lines are not infectious enough.

Lin Ke plans to revise the script himself, and then arrange for a Hollywood crew to go to China to guide the filming, making this movie like "Titanic," creating an epic film, and also as a gift for the 97 handover.

"You choose the others yourself. Don't worry about losing money. With the current situation of the domestic film market, you won't make much money making movies anyway."

Lin Ke put down the script and said.

"If we don't make money, why are we investing in movies?"

Chen Chong asked in surprise.

"To expand the market, cultivate the audience, and of course, for film art."

At this stage, it is difficult to make money making movies in China, but investing in movies also has benefits, such as revitalizing the domestic film market, accumulating connections and reputation, and being able to share the dividends when the film market matures in the future.

"Okay, I'll listen to you."

While looking at the scripts, Chen Chong and Chen Hong brought dishes to the table and put a bottle of Moutai on it.

The three ate, drank, and chatted. The two Chens sat on both sides, diligently urging him to drink, seemingly wanting to get him drunk.

But he was healthy and had a high alcohol tolerance. He drank most of the bottle without getting drunk. On the contrary, after drinking a few glasses of wine, their cheeks became flushed, and the fragrance of their bodies and the aroma of the wine filled the air.

Chen Chong also became more amorous, her clothes gradually loosening, and finally she leaned into his arms to toast him.

Chen Hong was no longer restrained, sitting beside him, urging him to drink and pick up food for him, her laughter and words were soft and charming.

Lin Ke stayed overnight in the apartment that night.

Before leaving the next day, he left Chen Chong a check for 100,000 US dollars as their recent expenses in Los Angeles, and told her to call if there was anything else.

He had a lot of work recently and probably wouldn't have time to come over often.

Chen Chong reluctantly said goodbye at the door, and only returned to the house, leaning against the wall, after he entered the elevator.

Back in the bedroom, seeing Chen Hong still curled up in the blanket, her slender figure looking exquisite under the thin blanket, she walked over and patted her on the raised part, "Don't sleep, I'll take you shopping."

"Not today, it's inconvenient for me."

Chen Hong said shyly.

"Haha, now you know what a real man is like, right?"

Chen Chong leaned down and teased.

Chen Hong nodded with a flushed face. This encounter did give her a great shock and opened her eyes. It turned out that there were such amazing men in the world.

"Sister, Lin Ke just gave you a check, how could you accept it? Isn't that bad?"

"There's nothing bad about it. For someone of Lin Ke's status, money is nothing. His willingness to leave a check is not to look down on us, but to care about our lives in Los Angeles and hope we live comfortably. It would be foolish of me not to accept it."

"So that's how it is."

Chen Hong nodded, seemingly understanding.

"Guess how much money Lin Ke left?"

"How much?"

"One hundred thousand US dollars."

"So much? Converted to domestic currency, that's more than seven hundred thousand, enough to buy a high-end apartment in Beijing."

"Small-minded! "Fortune Magazine" says Lin Ke is worth more than two billion US dollars, richer than a country. We can live comfortably as his women, and with his resources, we can earn countless money in the future. One hundred thousand US dollars is nothing."

"Sister, I'll listen to you."