novellhall Chapter 41 Displaying Divinity in Front of the Mountain Eagle
Chapter 41 Displaying Divinity in Front of the Mountain Eagle
When Han Sanping put down the teacup, his fingers trembled slightly—not because he hadn't held it properly, but because the weight in his heart had finally been lifted, and the strength in his hand loosened.
The Beijing Film Studio was truly poor. Its cash reserves were just over six figures. It received a few hundred thousand yuan in funding from above, but it had to find its own way to cover the remaining deficit.
To fill the gap in "The Birth of a Nation", he went to every possible door and begged every possible person. Finally, a newspaper article about Lin Dong gave him a hint, which made him decide to go to Hong Kong.
Before coming, he wasn't sure what to expect—no matter how generous Lin Dong was, he was still a businessman. And it was almost certain that the tribute film would lose money, so he didn't hesitate to bring his last trump card.
Now that the business is done, we can move on to a more meaningful discussion.
"Before Titanic, I never imagined that a movie could have such a crazy box office performance."
When Han Sanping talked about these things, there was a complicated feeling in his tone, like envy and resentment at the same time. "It was released in mainland China last month, and in just over a month, the box office is about to break 300 million yuan."
Three hundred million—how much is the total annual box office for movies nationwide? This one film accounts for more than a quarter of that.
He shook his head, picked up his teacup, and took a sip. "I went to the cinema to see it. To be honest, I stood at the door for a long time after leaving the theater. I was thinking about one thing—when will we be able to make a film like this?"
Jiang Wen twirled his teacup twice, unusually remaining silent. As the director, he understood the weight of this issue better than anyone.
"Big investment, big director, big production."
Han Sanping held up three fingers and pressed them down one by one, "Titanic paved the way. Cameron spent two hundred million US dollars to make a movie that everyone thought would lose money, but it turned out to make over a billion dollars worldwide."
What does this mean? It means that audiences aren't avoiding cinemas; there aren't enough good films to draw them in.
Lin Dong picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then slowly said, "Director Han, you're talking about the result. Have you considered the core?"
Han Sanping looked at him.
"Special effects." Lin Dong put down his cup. "Titanic isn't selling a love story—Hollywood makes dozens of love stories every year."
What it sells is the ship itself. It's the audience sitting in the cinema watching a real, massive ship sink before their eyes. That kind of impact can't be achieved through dialogue, lines, or the actors' performances.
He leaned forward slightly. "China has no shortage of stories. Myths, martial arts, fantasy—just pick a passage from the Classic of Mountains and Seas and it's enough to crush the ancestors of those Hollywood superheroes. But we lack one thing—technology."
Han Sanping's eyebrows twitched slightly.
"So," Lin Dong leaned back in his chair, "I voted for Xu Ke."
Jiang Wen raised his eyes.
"His 'Legend of Zu Mountain'." Lin Dong's tone was very calm. "It's something Director Xu has wanted to film since the 1980s. Last time I told him, don't think about saving money this time—use whatever special effects are needed, and hire whatever people are needed. The budget came out a few days ago, 25 million."
He paused for a moment.
US dollars.
Han Sanping stopped holding the teacup.
Jiang Wen's eyes lit up.
"The special effects alone cost about 20 million yuan to produce this film." Lin Dong turned his head and glanced at Chen Xinjian.
Chen Xinjian took over the conversation at the opportune moment. He didn't open his notebook; he clearly knew all the numbers by heart.
"Director Han, based on Director Xu's preliminary storyboard, the total number of special effects shots in the film is approximately 1,600."
He spoke slowly but clearly, “The publicly quoted price from Hollywood’s top special effects companies—Industrial Light & Magic, Digital Domain, etc.—is about $10,000 to $15,000 per shot.”
The specific price depends on the difficulty level. About half of the 1,600 lenses are A-level lenses, and their prices will be higher.
"Converted to Hong Kong dollars—" Han Sanping calculated silently in his mind, but the number was too large, so he stopped halfway through.
"Converted to Hong Kong dollars, it's roughly 150 million," said Chan Yan-kin.
There was a silence in the office for about three seconds.
Jiang Wen put down his teacup, leaned back on the sofa, and grinned. "Goodness gracious. The special effects alone cost 150 million. Lin Sheng, you're burning money."
His voice contained no disbelief, only an irrepressible excitement.
As a director, he knew all too well what this meant. Sixteen hundred special effects shots, a top-notch team, and the absolute maximum budget—no one in all of Asia had ever done anything like this.
He had made up his mind that "Devils on the Doorstep" had to be filmed well before he would have the confidence to ask Lin Dong for permission.
He really wanted to try it.
"Burning money?" Lin Dong looked at Jiang Wen, a slight smile playing on his lips. "No. I'm using money to buy things."
He put down his teacup and turned to Han Sanping.
"The offer I made to Hollywood was the absolute top-tier. Industrial Light & Magic and Digital Domain have already made initial contact. Why the top-tier ones? Because I need to get people in."
Han Sanping leaned forward slightly.
"It's better to have your own than to have your own parents." Lin Dong repeated what he had said to Shi Nansheng before, without changing his tone.
"I had Chen Xinjian poach thirty people from Xiantao Digital. Led by Huang Hongda, they were all core technical personnel."
They will work and learn alongside the Hollywood team on the "Legend of Zu Mountain" project as employees of Tengda Company—following them through every step of the process, from modeling and rendering to motion capture and compositing.
Chen Xinjian opened his notebook and added, "The final work on Xiantao's side is expected to be completed next month. The resignation procedures and non-compete clauses for the thirty people have been processed."
Meanwhile, the new company, "Tengda Fantasy," has been registered and established. Once they finish the remaining work, they will officially transfer to the new company.
The "Legend of Shushan" project served as their practical training camp.
Upon hearing this, Han Sanping instinctively picked up his teacup, only to find it empty, and put it down again.
"What about Industrial Light & Magic?" Lin Dong asked.
"Preliminary negotiations have begun." Chen Xinjian closed his laptop. "Their global business director replied to the email last week, expressing interest in the subcontract and providing a preliminary quote."
The digital domain responded faster—they had seen Director Xu's initial concept sketches and believed that the project had a lot of room for visual innovation.
The legal team is already preparing the specific scope of subcontracting and contract terms.
Lin Dong nodded and looked at Han Sanping again. "Once these thirty people have completed their training and returned, we'll have the talent pool for a special effects company. From now on, I'll outsource all the special effects for my own films to my own company."
Mount Shu is just the beginning—the Classic of Mountains and Seas series, the Investiture of the Gods series, these are all lined up in my mind.
Han Sanping's mouth opened slightly.
He certainly knew what those were—they were a visual treasure trove of Chinese culture, and for thousands of years no one had been able to turn them into a true film that matched the imagination of the Chinese people, because the technology was insufficient.
The young man sitting opposite him was already making keys for that mine.
His gaze toward Lin Dong was filled with an undisguised fervor.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then stopped himself from speaking.
He certainly wanted to ask "whether Beijing Film Studio could participate," but he knew better than anyone that Beijing Film Studio had no money.
He had begged for those 30 million just now while sitting here; he couldn't bring himself to ask for more.
He tapped his fingers lightly on his knee, the rhythm a little off.
Lin Dong noticed it.
He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then spoke. "Director Han, I can offer Beijing Film Studio a 5% share of the 'Legend of Zu Mountain' project."
Han Sanping suddenly raised his head.
"You don't need to put up any real money. Just use the factory's logo as collateral, and use any resources you can coordinate."
Han Sanping's lips moved slightly.
"And there's more," Lin Dong held up one finger, "I'll give you five spots for people to study in Hollywood. You can choose them yourself—the youngest, the most eager to learn, and the most willing to stay."
Join my team at Industrial Light & Magic and work on the "Legend of Zu" project. After they complete their training, it's up to them whether they return to Beijing Film Studio or stay with me.
Han Sanping did not answer immediately.
He was silent for about three or four seconds, then stood up, extended his hand to Lin Dong, and extended his hand very solemnly.
"Mr. Lin, this gift is too much. But I, Han Sanping, will accept it."
Lin Dong grasped his hand. "Director Han, let's broaden our horizons—we are all Chinese!"
"well."
Han Sanping said "good" twice, then released his hand. "Mr. Lin, I'll remember what you said today. From now on, as long as I, Han Sanping, am in this position, the Beijing Film Studio will be your most secure seat on the mainland."
It's not just the Beijing Film Studio. Lin Dong nodded with a smile, thinking to himself.