Chapter 625 - Act First, Report Later
“Actually, he majored in film directing back in school. In the beginning, he had started out as a background actor. Later, when he had the resources, he started his own studio and became a director, and made a trendy style online drama. I think it looks promising but he couldn’t find anyone to invest in it and his studio is on the verge of closing business. He was desperate when he came looking to me for help, but I don’t know how I could help him. So, I was wondering if you have any ideas to help him out?”
Fang Xiaocheng briefly explained to Xu Xiyan about her friend’s predicament.
After listening to Fang Xiaocheng, Xu Xiyan pondered for a while, then said, “Can you take me to see your friend?”
“Sure. We can go there now.”
Xu Xiyan followed Fang Xiaocheng to look for her friend.
After arriving at the place, Xu Xiyan got to know Fang Xiaocheng’s friend. His name was Lu Zeyan, a young director who’d had a career change recently. He had no fame and his studio was small, and his production team was quite bare.
Lu Zeyan was also quite handsome and he was ambitious with his ideas. He told Xu Xiyan about the script of the movie he was preparing to shoot.
“This is the overall concept of my movie. The temporary title of the movie is “Those Beautiful Bygone Days.”
“I see, that sounds good.”
Xu Xiyan had analyzed the trend of movies released in recent years. They were filled with impressive stunts and effects and they had large casts of famous actors, but it was difficult to shoot a good film that could evoke the audience’s emotions.
She had briefly read through the script of “Those Beautiful Bygone Days.” She felt that if the film were to be released, it would either flop or become a blockbuster hit that paved a way for unconventional movies like it in the movie industry.
In short, she believed that the movie was worth investing in and decided to invest in it.
She was thinking ahead for her future. She knew she could not spend her whole life as an actor. She may need to retire one day and work behind-the-scenes of a movie production.
Now if she had a studio, she would already be halfway to her goal.
Originally, she wanted to go back and discuss with Huo Yunshen first. But on second thought, she decided to act first and report later.
Obviously, investing had a lot of risks. If it was successful, it could be used as a launching point for her career.
However, if it failed, it would have no effect on Huo Yunshen. She could bear the losses and responsibilities herself.
“I’ve decided, Director Lu. I can invest in this online movie. Can you tell me how much funds you need?” Xu Xiyan asked Lu Zeyan.
Lu Zeyan did not expect Xu Xiyan to be willing to invest. He said excitedly, “Thank you so much. I think we’ll need at least one million Yuan.”
This was a low-budget movie. Since they could not afford to hire famous actors, Lu Zeyan intended to hire newcomers. After estimating all the expenses in all aspects, it should total about one million Yuan.
Xu Xiyan was a little surprised. She did not expect the budget of this film to be so low. The money she had on hand now was enough to invest in this film.
“Then… what about this studio?”
Lu Zeyan assumed that she was just asking the question out of the blue. “At least 10 million Yuan.”
“What if I’m willing to invest 10 million and buy your studio? I want you to make this film into a masterpiece and you must work meticulously on it. Can you do it?”
Since Xu Xiyan decided to invest, she needed him to guarantee the quality of the film she was investing.
She didn’t want the film to become a big flop after it was released.
Ten million?
Lu Zeyan almost fell to his knees in shock. He had literally regarded Xu Xiyan as his savior. He thumped on his chest as he gave her his assurance, “Miss Jing Xi, if you’re willing to invest 10 million, you’re the boss of this studio. If you want me to make this film into a masterpiece, I shall do it.”
Only ten million required to buy a studio and a team of production crew members. Xu Xiyan felt it was worth it.
…