HuaYu2003: This producer is a bit reckless!

Chapter 1: Subduing Ning Hao

Summer 2003, Beijing.

Xinghan Pictures.

This is a relatively new company located near Nortel.

Ling Yuan, a handsome young man from the 02 class of Beijing Film Academy, was sitting confidently in the boss's chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the table as he listened to Ning Hao's report, who looked travel-worn.

Ning Hao had just returned from filming "Incense" in his hometown in Shanxi. His face still bore the marks of the Loess Plateau, his hair was a little messy, but his eyes were shining with excitement from having just finished the project.

"President Ling, the film is finally finished. It was really tough, like fighting a war!" Ning Hao said excitedly and emotionally. This was his first film, and he had finally managed to get it done.

"Let's go to the conference room and project a screen."

The two went to the conference room, set up the large projector screen, turned off the lights, drew the curtains, and sat together to watch the rough cut of the film.

The screen started flickering.

The editing and soundtrack are not yet complete.

Filming was rushed, completed in 15 days, and we had to rush back. Due to limited resources in Shanxi, only a rough cut was done.

In his previous life, Ning Hao graduated from the Beijing Film Academy in 2003. He self-financed, wrote, directed, and filmed his debut film, "Incense," in his hometown of Shanxi, spending 15 days shooting the film. All the actors were his high school classmates, and he didn't receive a penny. After the film won a major award at the Tokyo Filmex Film Festival, Ning Hao and his classmates split the prize money.

However, in this life, Ling Yuan found Ning Hao ahead of time, signed him, and spent 10 yuan on Ning Hao's book "Incense".

In his past life, Ning Hao only budgeted 4, a very tight budget. In this life, he invested 10, and appropriately allocated funds for the actors' salaries. Although it's still a small production, the filming quality has undoubtedly improved significantly, making it much more competitive for awards!

Ning Hao played the video while providing commentary like a tour guide:

"Look here, this long take, we waited two hours for that light... And this part, that old lady's acting is so realistic, she's my elementary school classmate's mother, she's never left the county town her whole life..."

"And this scene, in order to find a suitable 'prop' donkey, we squatted at the entrance of the village for most of the day, but that donkey was so stubborn, it just wouldn't cooperate..."

Ning Hao spoke with great enthusiasm, sometimes grinning, sometimes frowning and clicking his tongue, weaving all the joys and sorrows of filming into his words.

Ling Yuan crossed his arms, leaned forward slightly, and watched with exceptional focus.

After the film finished, Ling Yuan gave a thumbs up, a smile playing on his lips: "It was really well made. I have high hopes for this film! It's sure to win awards left and right!"

"Oh, thank you for your kind words! Thank you so much!" Ning Hao was overjoyed, but in truth, he himself wasn't very confident.

After all, he was a newcomer, this was his debut work, and he had been worried about funding. He never expected to suddenly meet a benefactor, namely, the generous boss, Ling Yuan.

"However, this film can only be considered an art film. It's fine for winning awards, but if it's released, the box office will probably be terrible, the kind that loses a lot of money."

Ling Yuan then changed the subject and commented on "Incense":

"Non-professional actors, dialect, struggles at the bottom of society, slow pace, absurdity tinged with melancholy—this style is completely different from the popcorn blockbusters and action comedies that the market currently favors."

Although the filming cost was only 10 yuan, getting it into theaters required promotion, distribution, and prints, which were very expensive these days. Sometimes a premiere was needed, along with inviting various media reporters, and sometimes private arrangements, as well as roadshows, all adding up to significant costs.

If it's released in theaters, it's guaranteed to be a huge financial loss!

Ning Hao's smile faded slightly. He scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "Mr. Ling, you're absolutely right... spot on. Actually, I've always wanted to try making a commercial film, but... I'm a bit lost. Good scripts are hard to write, and finding investment is even harder."

He paused, as if making a decision, and pulled a thick laptop from the bulging old laptop bag at his feet: "I do have a script I've been working on for years, revising it over and over again, but I'm never satisfied. I've approached a few companies, but they just glance at it and shake their heads... Could you... could you take a look?"

"Oh? Hurry! Open it and see!" Ling Yuan's eyes lit up instantly, and he sat up straight with a "whoosh," his eagerness just like a child waiting to unwrap a present.

I chuckled to myself, thinking, "This is the 'Big Diamond' I've been waiting for!"

Ling Yuan knew that the notebook Ning Hao had taken out must be this one.

In his previous life, Ning Hao wrote this script in 2001 and then looked for investors everywhere, but no one was optimistic about it. Later, he waited until 2006 to participate in Andy Lau's "Asian New Director Project" script competition and won 300 million yuan in investment.

Ning Hao originally wanted 6 million, but there were too many participants and Liu Dehua didn't have that much money, so he gave him 3 million.

……

Ning Hao opened his laptop, clicked on a document, and projected it onto the projector. Sure enough, it was "The Big Diamond".

"I started writing this in 01, and after all the revisions, I still feel like it's not quite right... Sigh, finding a discerning eye is harder than finding a diamond." He spoke with a sigh.

He felt extremely ashamed. Looking at himself, and then at Ling Yuan, Ling Yuan was the true young talent, a winner in life.

I also graduated from the Beijing Film Academy, and I even have an extra degree from the Art Department of Beijing Normal University compared to Ling Yuan. And what happened? I've been writing the script for two or three years, and it's just been gathering dust.

Meanwhile, Mr. Ling, who is much younger than me, already owns such a very good startup company.

He had heard a bit about Ling Yuan's rise to wealth; he was considered a legend and a prominent figure at the Beijing Film Academy. It was said that this kid came from an ordinary background, but in that "big event" in the first half of the year, while everyone else was trembling with fear, he made a fortune.

First, he made a fortune by hoarding Banlangen (Isatis root), and later he traded "honeysuckle futures contracts" with a leverage of twenty times!

Just four days after Ling Yuan placed the order, news reports began featuring experts discussing the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine. The spot market price of honeysuckle skyrocketed.

In just a few days, Ling Yuan earned a huge sum of eight million!

These days, eight million is certainly a lot of money.

Do you think they'll keep playing futures forever? Will they play until they lose everything and then jump off a building?

No, they immediately said goodbye to futures trading and turned around to establish "Starry Night Films" to focus on film production.

That mind, that guts... while I'm still hitting walls over a script, it's true what they say...

Ning Hao shook his head, composed himself, and began explaining the script.

Ling Yuan listened very attentively, nodding occasionally and sometimes thoughtfully touching his chin.

When the script reached a crucial point, Ling Yuan suddenly raised his hand to interrupt: "Wait!"

Pointing to the projection screen: "The Big Diamond?... This name," he clicked his tongue, shook his head, "is a bit... too straightforward, isn't it? Not captivating enough."

"Huh?" Ning Hao was taken aback. He had used this name for several years and hadn't thought there was anything wrong with it.

Ling Yuan's eyes gleamed, as if he had discovered a new continent: "I'm thinking... how about changing the name?"

Leaning forward, a hint of excitement in his voice, he said, "How about we call it—'Crazy Stone'? What do you think?"