diymy Chapter 44: Soft Blockade
Chapter 44: Soft Blockade
Monday, August 2008, 5.
Jiang Yu stepped into the Beijing headquarters of Light Chaser Pictures in the China World Trade Center once again. It had only been half a year since he left, but his state of mind was completely different.
The girl sitting in the back was a stranger, very young. When she saw Jiang Yu walk in, she was stunned for a moment, then quickly stood up as if she remembered some important training content, with a nervous but professional smile on her face.
Good morning, Mr. Jiang!
Jiang Yu nodded to her and walked straight to his office.
He could feel the gaze behind him, and the girl's quiet sigh of relief after she sat down.
His office remained tidy, with the bustling East Third Ring Road visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
There were no piles of documents on the desk; everything was in perfect order, and the secretary cleaned it every day.
He put down his simple luggage and turned on the high-end desktop computer.
Start and log in.
The number on the email icon has changed to "99+".
He dragged the mouse and clicked.
The top few letters, bearing prominent congratulatory words, are formal thank-you letters from executives of Paramount and Marvel Studios, as well as "greetings" from prominent figures of several Hollywood talent agencies and production companies. The content is nothing more than praising the success of "Iron Man" and looking forward to future collaborations.
Interspersed among these were interview requests from dozens of domestic and international media outlets, ranging from The Hollywood Reporter to Caijing Magazine.
Further down are the company's daily operations reports: an update on the Twilight promotional schedule from David in Los Angeles, a briefing from Wu Na regarding personnel changes within the Light and Shadow Digital Los Angeles team, and a risk warning from the legal department regarding several new IP copyright contracts...
His gaze lingered on one of the emails for a while.
Jiang Yu quickly glanced through the text, then typed a reply on the keyboard: "Execute as planned. Pay attention to risk control and position diversification. Maintain daily briefings."
send.
At exactly 10 o'clock, there were two light knocks on the door.
Secretary Xiao Liao poked her head in; she was a quick and efficient young woman: "President Jiang, President Yang, President Zhou, and Director Lu Yang are already in the first conference room."
"Okay, I'll be right there." Jiang Yu closed a few unnecessary windows and got up.
In the first conference room, Yang Siwei sat by the window, with a notebook and several documents spread out in front of her.
Zhou Mu still had that unkempt look of a tech genius, his hair a little unruly, as he fiddled with his laptop. Lu Yang sat opposite him, looking a bit thinner than the last time he saw him.
"President Jiang." The three of them stood up when they saw him come in.
"Sit down." Jiang Yu walked to the head seat and sat down. "Zhou Mu, you go first. How is the situation with digital film and television in China?"
Zhou Mu adjusted his glasses, speaking quickly and getting straight to the core technology: "The technical coordination with the Olympic Organizing Committee's opening ceremony team is basically complete. Our real-time rendering preview system and large-scale particle simulation solution have been partially adopted for rehearsals and effect verification of some segments, mainly the scroll and starlight sections. This proves that our toolchain can meet the precision and stability requirements of a national-level event."
He switched computer screens and projected several charts: "On the other hand, in North America, Wu Na's team has already started the early concept design and some pre-shows for Iron Man 2. Our BJ team has undertaken about 50% of the early visual development and asset building work, mainly the upgraded armor design based on the data from the first film and the pre-rendering of new scenes. The progress is currently normal and communication is smooth."
"Are there enough people?" Jiang Yu asked.
"We've been recruiting. Our team in China currently has around 220 people, and their average technical skill level is improving rapidly. The feedback from the new technologies in Los Angeles is being absorbed and digested quite well by our staff here."
Zhou Mu nodded. "In addition, our self-developed 'Candle Dragon' renderer beta version has been tested on some internal projects, and its efficiency is 35% higher than that of commercial software on average, especially in complex lighting and hair rendering. Of course, its stability still needs to be improved."
"Very good. Maintaining a good relationship with the Organizing Committee is an important endorsement of credibility. The R&D investment in 'Candle Dragon' can be increased further. What I need is something that can replace foreign commercial software in the future," Jiang Yu instructed.
Zhou Mu took notes carefully.
"Siwei, over there." Jiang Yu turned to Yang Siwei.
Yang Siwei opened the folder in front of her, her voice clear and steady: "Regarding the acquisition of online film and television copyrights and novel IPs, we have completed the acquisitions according to the list you previously selected, with the total price kept within a reasonable range. Now our content library is taking shape, covering all types of content on the market."
She turned a page: "Cinema construction is the focus of the first phase. The first batch of 20 cinemas are mainly located in core business districts or emerging large communities in first- and second-tier cities, with a total of 140 screens. All of them are built according to the latest standards, including some IMAX and immersive sound halls. Construction is progressing normally, and it is expected that all of them will be operational before July, before the release of 'The Witch.' Related training for managers and technical teams is already underway."
Jiang Yu nodded slightly.
Building your own cinema distribution channels is a crucial step in creating a closed-loop industry chain and gaining control over film scheduling.
140 screens were not a small number in 2008; they were enough to form a force to be reckoned with in major cities.
"In addition," Yang Siwei added, "Based on our multiple communications with Lionsgate and China Film Group, and taking into account the market environment, the film's post-production completion, and... the recent public opinion atmosphere, the three of us have jointly decided that the final release date for 'The Witch' will be July 28th, a Monday, to seize the tail end of the summer movie season at the end of July and the beginning of August."
7 month 28 day.
Jiang Yu quickly went through the time in his mind. This timing avoided the potentially too noisy months of June and early July, while still retaining some of the lingering heat of the summer movie season.
More importantly, there are still more than two months to go, which is enough time to carry out a round of publicity.
"Lu Yang, what do you think of this release date?" Jiang Yu asked the young director.
Lu Yang sat up straight: "President Jiang, I think it's fine. The film is completely finished, including the final digital special effects shots and sound mixing. Now we just need to wait for the release date to be set before starting the promotional campaign as planned. I'm confident in the quality of the final product; two months is enough time for the initial word-of-mouth to slowly build up."
"You take the lead on the specific publicity and distribution plan, and finalize the details with Lu Yang, China Film Group, and Lionsgate as soon as possible. The tone should be stable, highlighting the film's innovation and production quality," Jiang Yu set the tone.
"Understood." Yang Siwei noted it down.
Zhou Mu and Lu Yang briefly reported on a few details before leaving the meeting room to attend to their respective tasks.
......
Yang Siwei closed her notebook, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "President Jiang, there's one more thing. As you mentioned before, I've been keeping an eye on Ms. Liu Yifei's situation."
Jiang Yu picked up the water that Xiao Liao had just brought in, took a sip, and said, "Okay, go ahead."
"The situation isn't good." Yang Siwei carefully chose her words. "According to what I've learned through various channels, she has indeed been effectively blacklisted by the industry, especially the mainland film industry. The source is very likely Wang Zhonglei from Huayi Brothers. He has privately spoken with many production companies and directors' studios, citing reasons such as difficulty in working with them or low cost-effectiveness. After the release of The Forbidden Kingdom, negative news about her, especially smear articles about her acting skills, background, and private life, has increased significantly, and many of them show signs of being manipulated by online trolls."
Jiang Yu listened quietly, his face expressionless.
"Since falling ill during her audition for 'The Witch' at the end of last year, she has made very few public appearances and has had almost no commercial activities. She really listened to professional advice, rested and recuperated, and quietly went to a rehearsal room at the National Theatre of China to rehearse a play with a veteran actor. Perhaps she wanted to calm down and hone her acting skills, and also avoid the spotlight."
Yang Siwei paused for a moment, then continued, "Her mother, Ms. Liu Xiaoli, tried to access some film resources, but nothing came of it. The current situation is that she can't get into the film industry, and she can't get any significant television roles either; her public profile has plummeted."
Jiang Yu remained silent for a moment, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the conference table.
"What about Chen Jinfei? No movement?" he asked.
"President Chen seems to be in some trouble." Yang Siwei's voice was lower. "His influence is mainly in the real estate industry, and I heard he's involved in a lawsuit. This kind of blockade of specific project resources, especially the tacit agreement formed by several companies in the industry, is not impossible for him to break, but the cost would be very high. They seem to be trying to contact some Hong Kong-funded projects, trying to achieve their goal indirectly, but progress is slow."
The conference room fell silent, with only the faint hum of the central air conditioning vents.
A young actor who once stood at the forefront of controversy is being slowly pushed to the edge by an invisible hand due to complex power struggles and industry unspoken rules.
Jiang Yu recalled the way she held back her tears and said "Thank you for showing me a way" in the hospital, and the unwillingness and stubbornness in her eyes.
"Understood." After a long silence, Jiang Yu spoke, his voice steady. "Continue to monitor the situation. Let me know immediately if there are any new developments."
"Okay, Mr. Jiang." Yang Si nodded slightly and packed his things to leave.
"Also," Jiang Yu called after her, "send me a copy of the final trailer for 'The Witch' and several key poster designs. Also, have the North American project team compile a more detailed report on 'Black Swan' for me, the sooner the better."
A knowing glint flashed in Yang Siwei's eyes, but she didn't ask any further questions. She simply replied crisply, "Understood. I'll send it to your email before I leave work today."
(Hoping those with monthly passes can give me some support!)