usenovelgroup Chapter 15 Starting a Film Company
Chapter 15 Starting a Film Company
Wen Bixia was born in Tiu Keng Leng, Tseung Kwan O, in the New Territories of Hong Kong.
However, she has a total of eight siblings: four older brothers and three older sisters, and she is the youngest.
Wen Bixia's house is only 40 square meters in total. Even if we calculate based on the 1.5 times compensation standard given by Gu Yuhan, she can only exchange it for a 60-square-meter house.
Ten people are crammed into a 60-square-meter space, which means each person has only six square meters of room to move around on average.
The family's financial situation had reached a point of extreme poverty, and Wen Bixia's mother gradually began to consider selling her. After all, she was the youngest and the easiest to get rid of. The fact that Wen Bixia was standing in front of Gu Yuhan was not a coincidence at all.
It was just something Gu Yuhan had casually mentioned before, instructing his men to look for it.
He already knew that Wen Bixia lived in this area, so he casually asked his men to inquire about it. Unexpectedly, when they inquired, they stumbled upon the fact that Wen Bixia's mother was planning to sell her daughter.
As it happened, Gu Yuhan had the same idea, so he instructed his men to continue following up.
And just like that, Wen Bixia was delivered directly to Gu Yuhan.
As for the price, it's really not expensive, less than 20,000 yuan.
Did they really buy Wen Bixia's entire body for just 20,000 yuan?
However, Wen Bixia doesn't mind being by Gu Yuhan's side at all. In fact, her eyes even sparkle with a hint of eagerness. Although she is young, children from poor families are sensible at a young age and are much more mature than their peers.
Her father was a veteran of the Kuomintang army, and he disciplined her exceptionally strictly from a young age. This, in turn, aroused her strong rebellious spirit. Her childhood wish was to leave home and have her own world.
In the original timeline, she achieved financial independence at the age of fifteen, moved out to live alone, and thus entered the entertainment industry to start making movies.
In 1983, a newcomer to the film industry, she co-starred with Andy Lau in the romance film "Endless Love," where her bold performance quickly made her a rising star. However, not long after filming wrapped, she announced her retirement from the film industry to return to school.
It wasn't until three years later that she returned to the public eye.
Overall, she is quite an inspiring young woman. However, Gu Yuhan's deepest impression of her is still Su Daji in the 2000 TV series "Investiture of the Gods". That character was truly beautiful enough to topple kingdoms, and also had a bewitching charm that could bring ruin to the country.
In addition, there is Pan Jinlian from "Jin Ping Mei".
It's no exaggeration to say she's a natural beauty.
"Smile!" Gu Yuhan smiled at Wen Bixia.
A sweet and charming smile immediately bloomed on Wen Bixia's face. She was indeed a natural beauty, possessing a captivating charm even at a young age.
Oh shit!
Gu Yuhan glanced at Su Rongrong beside him out of the corner of his eye, secretly planning that he would definitely make Su Rongrong relieve his desire tonight.
Wen Bixia was born in 1966 and just turned twelve this year.
He is still a complete minor.
Gu Yuhan would never do such a heinous and beastly thing, and besides... he had never been interested in those immature, blonde girls anyway.
However, when Gu Yuhan saw Wen Bixia's smile, he pictured her as an adult, especially her role as Su Daji in "Investiture of the Gods".
Mature and alluring!
Gu Yuhan laughed and said, "Alright, you'll stay by my side from now on!"
"Thank you, Young Master Yu!" Wen Bixia said excitedly.
Gu Yuhan turned to Su Rongrong beside him and said, "Arrange accommodation for her, and then pick a good school for her to attend!"
Su Rongrong nodded quickly, and couldn't help but glance at Wen Bixia a few more times, secretly marveling that this little girl would definitely grow up to be a stunning beauty.
Is this how it starts to develop?
However, Su Rongrong was also well aware that with Gu Yuhan's current status and position, he could do whatever he wanted and play however he wanted.
Wen Bixia was settled in a hurry
Gu Yuhan, on the other hand, was not idle at all and began to plan the future development of Tseung Kwan O.
Tiu Keng Leng is actually a pretty good scenic area. The bay here is round and mirror-like, and the sea is calm all year round, so it is called "Mirror Ring" by local fishermen. Gu Yuhan's idea is to simply turn it into a leisure tourism resort.
Far from the industrial pollution of the city, this place will be very convenient to travel to and from the city once the infrastructure is improved. It is the perfect place to develop into a leisure resort that integrates tourism and entertainment.
Gu Yuhan thought about it and decided that if all else failed, it would be better to build the Tseung Kwan O Film City first.
First, film here. Once enough popularity and foot traffic have been accumulated, then demolish the film studio and either transform it into a film-themed tourist attraction, or simply tear it all down and rebuild it into a larger integrated tourist resort or a large amusement park.
Gu Yuhan is definitely going to get involved in the film and television industry.
After all, this industry is very lucrative, and more importantly, it makes it easier to pick up girls.
Gu Yuhan tilted his head, pondering which people he should win over. After the thought swirled in his mind a few times, he decided that Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, and others were not worth considering at this stage.
We still need to find some potential stocks that aren't famous yet.
Those guys from Cinema City?
Several candidates suddenly popped into Gu Yuhan's mind. These people were all truly talented and would have a significant influence on the Hong Kong film and television industry in the future.
We could try to win them all over.
Now that Wen Bixia has been accepted, finding a few more young actresses of similar age to her shouldn't be too difficult.
Gu Yuhan stroked his chin and looked at Su Rongrong, saying, "Go and contact someone named Huang Baiming for me!" In fact, he had many, many more people to choose from.
At that time, Stephen Chow had not yet entered the entertainment industry. Apart from Stephen Chow, Chow Yun-fat, although already somewhat famous, was still recognized as box office poison.
Lam Ching-ying had not yet made a name for himself.
The options are simply too numerous to list.
However, Gu Yuhan wasn't in a hurry to go find them immediately.
The most urgent task is to establish the company.
The company's name is Guangming Film and Television.
"Mr. Gu!"
Raymond Wong looked at Gu Yuhan with trepidation. Raymond Wong was far from making a name for himself. It wasn't until this year that his screenplay "Vortex" was adapted into a film for the first time, and he officially entered the film industry as a screenwriter.
In 1979, he co-founded the Struggle Film Company.
In 1980, he co-founded Cinema City Ltd., holding a 9% stake.
Before Cinema City was even established, Raymond Wong was a complete nobody, with no presence whatsoever. So, when he met a financial tycoon like Gu Yuhan, he naturally behaved with utmost respect.
"Sit down!"
Gu Yuhan pointed to the sofa next to him and said with a smile, "Ah Ming, I've read your TV dramas 'Huang Feihong' and 'Forced to Join the Liangshan Rebels,' and the scripts are both very good. I've also read your movie script 'Vortex,' and they're both quite interesting!"
Raymond Wong seemed a little reserved and quickly said politely, "Young Master Yu, you flatter me!"
Gu Yuhan said calmly, "I won't beat around the bush. I'm planning to build a film studio in Tseung Kwan O, and I also want to enter the film industry. I personally think you're very talented. What do you think? Are you interested in joining us?"
Raymond Wong's eyes widened suddenly: "Me?"
Gu Yuhan nodded: "Yes, it's you!"
As he spoke, Gu Yuhan casually pulled out a contract and said indifferently, "Take a look first. This is a contract, minimum ten years!"
Raymond Wong took a deep breath, looked down at the contract carefully, then looked up and asked, "You want me to be the director? And the company will provide all the filming equipment?"
Gu Yuhan nodded: "That's right! The venue and filming equipment will all be provided by the company. However, our contracts are tiered. Look at this, I've divided the contract levels into five: D, C, B, A, and S!"
"Level D contracts are standard, with a fixed salary; Level C contracts pay slightly more; Level B contracts allow for profit sharing from film and television box office revenue, up to 10%; Level A contracts can reach 30%; and Level S contracts offer 50% to 70% of the profits!"
"However, once you reach S-level, the company will support you in establishing your own studio, and then the collaboration will continue in a company-studio partnership model!"
Huang Baiming carefully examined the contents of the contract that Gu Yuhan handed over.
It must be said that Gu Yuhan's considerations were quite thorough.
His company, Guangming Film & Television, has two subsidiaries, one of which is Oriental Artists Co., Ltd., which is mainly responsible for artist management business.
The other is Guangming Media Film & Television, which is mainly responsible for the production and distribution of film and television projects.
Whether you're a director, screenwriter, or actor, as long as you reach the corresponding level, you can enjoy project dividends.
The main source of revenue is box office revenue sharing.
In summary, Gu Yuhan established a very clear and specific promotion system, giving everyone a goal and something to look forward to.
After briefly reviewing the company's rules and regulations, Raymond Wong couldn't help but ask, "So, what's my level?"
"As a director, you naturally fall into these five levels. However, I personally admire your talent very much, so although your contract level is D, I'll temporarily give you B-level treatment. If you can achieve results, that would be best; if you can't, then it's just that I misjudged you!"
Gu Yuhan smiled and asked, "You shouldn't have any problems, right?"
"No problem, absolutely no problem!" Raymond Wong exclaimed excitedly. "Absolutely no problem whatsoever!"
Gu Yuhan smiled and continued, "Besides, I'm not part of your circle. If you have any friends in this circle, and you think they're talented, you can recommend them to me. I desperately need people with real talent!"
Raymond Wong nodded: "Understood!"
After saying that, he eagerly signed his name.
"Oh, right!" Gu Yuhan smiled, casually took out a script, placed it in front of Huang Baiming, and said with a smile, "This is a script I wrote in my spare time. Take a look and see if it can be filmed!"
"A script? You wrote it when you had nothing better to do?" Raymond Wong was taken aback for a moment, then took the script from Gu Yuhan with both hands.
Raymond Wong was somewhat surprised by "Happy Ghost".
An hour later, Raymond Wong's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets: "Boss, this, this really was written by you?"
"Otherwise what?" Gu Yuhan glanced at Huang Baiming: "So, can we film it or not?"
"I think this movie will definitely be a huge hit!" Raymond Wong said with great confidence.
"That's good, go ahead and film!" Gu Yuhan stretched his limbs and said calmly, "Just tell me if you need anything, and I'll take care of it. My company was only established yesterday, so there are many things I don't understand. Just handle it as you see fit!"
"I..." Raymond Wong suddenly had a very bad feeling, as if he had accidentally boarded a pirate ship.
A company that was just established yesterday?
Does this company have a future?
At this moment, Raymond Wong felt a genuine sense of unease.
However, upon further reflection, Huang Baiming realized that the man in front of him was the eldest son of the Gu family, who had just acquired Hutchison Whampoa, and his concerns immediately vanished.
Putting everything else aside, as long as Gu Yuhan is willing to invest real money, he is absolutely confident that with his years of accumulated talent and experience, he can definitely handle things beautifully.
"I'll allocate 30 million in start-up capital. You'll be responsible for building the team, recruiting staff, and handling all specific tasks!" Gu Yuhan stretched and loosened his limbs before continuing, "I only need to check the company's financial statements periodically. Don't even think about trying to pull any tricks on the accounts to fool me, or the consequences will be very serious!"
Raymond Wong nodded vigorously, "Understood!"
During this period, in addition to establishing Guangming Technology Co., Ltd. and Guangming Film and Television, Gu Yuhan also simultaneously set up Guangming Accounting Firm, Guangming Law Firm, and a special Guangming Investigation Firm. Their core responsibility is to supervise the operation of all subsidiaries and thoroughly investigate any possible corruption or fraud within them.
The core members of the investigation agency are almost all senior anti-corruption investigators that Gu Yuhan poached from the ICAC at great expense.
These firms are independent of each other and report directly to the Guangming Group headquarters, taking orders only from Gu Yuhan.
Accounting firms are specifically responsible for auditing the financial accounts of all investment companies, eliminating any falsification of accounts or false reporting of expenses from the source.
Lawyers handle legal disputes, and investigators crack down on internal corruption.
As the company grows larger, Gu Yuhan can't personally oversee everything. This necessitates establishing a comprehensive system to ensure the group can operate normally and orderly even when he's not in the company.
After receiving authorization, Raymond Wong immediately began assembling his core team.
The first people he thought of were his two good brothers, Mackay and Dean Shek. According to the original historical trajectory, the three of them should have joined forces to found Cinema City in September 1980. This company belonged to Golden Princess Entertainment Limited and was backed by the real estate conglomerate "Kowloon Development".
However, at present, Cinema City is just an idea in their minds and has not yet been established.
Gu Yuhan, however, got there first and poached all of these key figures.
Raymond Wong didn't beat around the bush and directly brought his two longtime friends into Bright Film Productions. To Gu Yuhan's surprise, in addition to these three, Raymond Wong also brought Tsui Hark, Nansun Shi, Eric Tsang, and Teddy Robin, which together formed the famous seven-person creative team.
These seven people later became known as the "Seven Wonders of Cinema City," a golden combination that always sparked countless creative ideas when they got together. Almost all of Cinema City's early classic films were the crystallization of their collective wisdom.
Each member of the seven-person team possesses unique skills and strengths. McGa majored in electrical engineering during his studies in the United States. After becoming an engineer, he went on to study filmmaking at New York University. During his time in the United States, he also participated in the filming of three Hollywood action movies as an assistant director.
Among the original three giants of Cinema City, Maka held 35.28% of the shares, making him the largest shareholder. His shareholding even exceeded the combined shareholding of Dean Shek and Raymond Wong. This extremely unbalanced shareholding distribution laid a deep hidden danger for the future disintegration of Cinema City.
Then in 1986, Mackay secretly filmed "The Best of the Best" for Golden Harvest, Cinema City's arch-rival, without Golden Princess's knowledge. This incident thoroughly enraged the Golden Princess Group.
This ultimately led to a complete break between the group, and Cinema City began its decline from that point onward.
However, these messy issues simply don't exist with Gu Yuhan. Everyone's income is strictly calculated based on project performance. If the project is done well and the box office is high, the dividends will be more; if the project is a failure, there will naturally be no dividends to be received.
Here, everything is determined by merit.
Whoever can make a high-grossing movie will earn more real money.
If you can consistently produce several blockbuster movies, you can apply to increase your share of the profits.
At worst, I, as the boss, will just earn a little less.
It doesn't matter at all!