novellhall Chapter 17: Farewell to the Flower of Wealth
Chapter 17: Farewell to the Flower of Wealth
Gu Qing returned from her trip to Berlin with a wealth of experiences.
In terms of reputation, the 23-year-old short film Golden Bear director undoubtedly earned him the title of a child prodigy.
Most importantly, he is no longer unknown in China; a Golden Bear trophy is enough to shut most people up.
Then came the economic aspect: $450,000 in North America, €150,000 in Europe, approximately €100,000 in Asia, and a few scattered sales of €30,000 in other regions.
All of these gains add up to a considerable amount.
Based on the current exchange rate, this amount is approximately 640 million!
The copyright fee alone is more than twenty times the film's investment! This movie is really profitable.
Even with his two lifetimes of experience, Gu Qing was still shocked. Most importantly, the money belonged entirely to him.
Gu Qing immediately gave Chen Zhou a red envelope, but he refused to accept it.
He was well aware that the film's success was due not only to its strong performance but also to the backing of China Film Group.
Needless to say, he remembered China Film Group's kindness, and even when they asked for his next film investment in advance, they still gave it to him.
The 07 million in 640, while not a huge sum, was enough for his next move.
On February 18th, Gu Qing arrived at the Capital Airport with bags of luggage.
Upon landing, he was a little worried that reporters might try to ambush him, but he was wrong; there wasn't a single one!
"Wait, what happened to the big-name director we were promised?"
"What big director? Kid, you're so young, it's not good to be a fan of celebrities."
"Okay, Auntie, I just heard that a famous director has returned to China, so I was just asking."
"What big director or big star? Just look at whether there are reporters at the airport. The one you're talking about is probably some nobody director."
"Let me tell you..."
Gu Qing gave an awkward smile, picked up her luggage, and left without looking back.
Dele, the most important thing is to find a way to gain the approval of the people in the capital.
Upon landing in the capital, his first action was to let his family know he was safe.
Although the film industry is quite lively, people in rural areas don't pay much attention to it. Hearing that he had returned home safely, the two elders were relieved.
Tomorrow, he will have to send some sausages back to China so that his parents can taste them and see if they taste the same.
Then he had a phone call with Chairman Han of China Film Group.
Aside from some polite words of congratulations, as expected, Han Sanping also inquired about his plans for his next feature film.
Gu Qing simply stated that it was still in the planning stage and that she would notify the other party as soon as she had any news.
Since China Film Group is interested in investing, they won't make some kind of arthouse film to disgust people, even though that type of film can fetch a good price.
However, this does not help the mainland film market at all.
After resting for a day, he immediately returned to his studio.
Currently, it's just a finance and front desk position.
"Boss, I've suddenly received a lot of calls these past few days, saying they want to come and discuss business. Since you're not home, I've written them all down."
"Here is the list, please take a look."
Thanks to the Golden Bear Award, this small studio has gained some fame, which startled the young lady at the front desk.
"No need to look, just refuse any business from now on."
Gu Qing didn't even need to look; those coming to his door right now were all looking for him to make films, and some might even be trying to scam investments using his name.
I went to the finance department, and the copyright fee has been credited to my account. After deducting some taxes, there are more than four million RMB in my account.
Gu Qing felt incredibly happy, and at noon, he generously took two girls from the company out to a restaurant.
Strictly speaking, this was the company's first team building activity.
It was only then that these two employees realized their boss was a director.
"Boss, I heard you and Fan Binbin are a couple, is that true?"
"Ahem, that's pure nonsense. It's all smear campaigns and rumors spread by unscrupulous media."
"Huh? Fan Binbin doesn't seem to be responding either. I thought it was true."
"Celebrities have opportunities to gain popularity, so who wouldn't seize them? Just take these news stories with a grain of salt; taking them seriously is a losing proposition."
Gu Qing had just given the other party marketing advice not long ago, but he never expected to be taught a lesson as soon as he returned to China.
However, this is not the other party's doing. Gossiping is human nature, and sometimes he still enjoys eating melons.
After having a meal, which served as a way of showcasing the company's potential to its employees, they realized that they hadn't considered becoming a film and television company yet; the studio's current business was simply organizing film and television copyrights for him.
With the money, he was finally able to focus on organizing the script.
Many people approached him, hoping to reach an agreement, and even provided detailed plans, but he rejected them all.
His short film has not yet been released in China because there are currently no ways to monetize it.
CCTV came over and inquired about the price, and he quoted a friendly price.
To his surprise, Sohu also contacted him, wanting to buy the rights to the short film.
Sohu is a company that most people may not be familiar with, and it didn't make a splash afterward. Zhang Chaoyang himself even went to teach.
But at that time, the other party could truly be called the number one person in the Internet age.
Sohu went public in 2000, and subsequently put immense pressure on Sina and NetEase.
Both Ma and Pony Ma had applied for interviews at Sohu, and even some of their key lieutenants went on to achieve great success after leaving Sohu.
Unfortunately, Lao Zhang was a person who lived for the moment and devoted himself to the entertainment industry, neglecting the development of the Internet.
However, it is still incredibly powerful now.
Gu Qing could roughly guess Sohu's intention to buy the short film copyrights. Sohu Video's high-definition film and television drama section was about to launch, and at this time, it was rapidly accumulating copyrights.
This sparked a frenzy in the market, ushering in a second spring for the film and television industry.
Unfortunately, as the pie expanded, internet capital rushed in, and the pie was completely taken away.
Old Zhang, with his billions in market value, bullied those poorer than him, but in the end, he was bullied in the same way.
Gu Qing was naturally delighted to receive the call from Sohu, after all, it was a chance to earn some extra money for free, so why not take it?
But before that, he had to go to the Beijing Film Academy.
The short film won the Berlin Golden Bear, and it was from the Beijing Film Academy. The academy leaders invited him, so he couldn't refuse, could he?
Having returned to Beijing Film Academy, Gu Qing had no intention of returning home in glory, nor did he feel any sense of fortune or change.
Because there are too many people right now.
It was during the entrance exams for the Beijing Film Academy, and the place was packed with people.
Gu Qing first went to the photography academy and received praise from the school leaders before submitting the backup video to the school.
Beijing Film Academy generally has a large inventory of award-winning and banned films, and has extensive access to them.
"Huh? I have to go on stage and give a speech? Forget it, let them see."
Gu Qing was somewhat speechless. He was a photography academy graduate, a self-taught individual, and yet he was teaching those professional photographers. Wasn't this just inviting hatred upon him?
However, such opportunities are rare, and since their leaders and teachers don't care, he doesn't care either.
Meanwhile, on the Beijing Film Academy campus, Jing Tian followed Lu Zheng quietly through the procedures.
"Sweetie, the procedures still need to be followed, but just do your best."
"Okay, Uncle Lu."
Jing Tian nodded obediently, understanding what it meant.
Arts entrance exams still require ability, but given her experience of appearing in a movie and a music video, it shouldn't be too difficult for her.
"Hurry, hurry! I heard that Director Gu Qing is back at school and is even screening a Golden Bear short film in the auditorium. I heard he's one of our seniors."
"Huh? Is he from Beijing Film Academy?"
"Hmm, I heard it's in the photography department."
Two voices rang in Jing Tian's ears, and the information they conveyed made her feel a surge of joy.
"Uncle Lu, let's go to the auditorium to watch a movie too."
"This Gu Qing?"
"Yes, it's the one who filmed our movie before."
Jing Tian was in a bright mood and smiled sweetly.