From Investing in 95-Year-Old Actresses to Becoming an Entertainment Tycoon

Chapter 38 Investing in a Small World

After listening, Han Ziming thought for a moment.

I never even thought of having a script-reading device! Could it be that he's reminding me to have one, so I'll have an excuse?

If this is him giving pointers to himself, then that's interesting!

A few seconds later, Han Ziming vaguely heard Li Feng calling him.

"Boss, are you listening?"

"Listen, don't worry! I can handle Ruonan's situation. Oh, and remember to have Teacher Zhang Songwen on set to guide their acting, and let him play suitable roles if they come across any."

Han Ziming explained with a serious expression.

Li Feng was speechless. Was this the time to talk about this?

"No, boss, the point isn't about Ruonan. I meant, could you please not cast Ida as the female lead?"

Han Ziming shook his head and said.

"We have two film and television projects. This time, for 'Cry Me a Sad River,' I don't plan to invest in Wanda, so we need to leverage Jingda's background to get theatrical releases."

Li Feng understood, but the risk was too great.

"I understand, but the well field..."

Han Ziming waved his hand, interrupting him.

"Trust me, there won't be any problems. Go contact their company to discuss cooperation. I spoke with Pengpeng before; has he contacted you yet?"

"I've already looked for it, and the contract has been sent."

"Okay, then let's make the arrangements quickly. The assistant director should also talk to Su Lun as soon as possible. We'll start filming after the New Year, and I plan to release it during the summer vacation."

"Okay, boss?"

Seeing that Han Ziming wouldn't listen to reason, Li Feng had no choice but to agree.

Suddenly, Han Ziming remembered Wen Muye's matter from that morning.

"Also, remember to sign the contract for Director Wen's new film 'Dying to Survive' as soon as possible, don't delay and something might go wrong. Sign the contract and make the payment early, so he can start preparing and making props for filming."

Li Feng nodded and said.

"Boss, don't worry!"

"I've been communicating with Director Wen about this."

As soon as the two finished talking, Guo Fan was led by Jingjing, the receptionist at Mozi Film and Television, to the outside of Han Ziming's office.

He simply knocked on the door and said, "Boss, Director Guo is here!"

"Please come in!"

Han Ziming responded.

At this moment, the office door opened,

The two then saw Guo Fan walk in.

Although it was Han Ziming's first time meeting Guo Fan, he had paid special attention to him in his previous life, and Li Feng had already researched the information, so he recognized him and quickly greeted him.

"Hello Director Guo, I am Li Feng, head of Mozi Film and Television. This is our boss, Han Ziming."

Han Ziming also greeted them.

"Director Guo, hello. I'm Han Ziming. Let's sit down and chat."

"Hello, Mr. Han and Mr. Li! It's great to finally meet you!"

As Guo Fan spoke with a smile, he looked around the simple office and thought that Han Ziming must be a person who gets things done.

Han Ziming went straight to the point and asked.

"Director Guo, what's the current status of 'The Wandering Earth'?"

Upon seeing Han Ziming's good looks, Guo Fan gave an irrelevant answer.

"Boss Han, it's such a waste that someone with your looks isn't an actor. How about you come and have a cameo role in 'The Wandering Earth'? It'll only take a few days of your time, and you can come on set and give us some pointers while you're at it?"

Han Ziming was speechless and retorted.

"Seriously, Director Guo? Didn't you come here to discuss investment? Why are you asking me to have a cameo role in the movie? I'm not going to be a big star!"

"There's no conflict here. My movie is going to usher in a new era for science fiction films. If you make a cameo appearance, you'll not only make your debut, but you'll also be remembered in history! Besides, the age of this role is perfect for you. Why don't you consider it?" Guo Fan got more and more excited as he spoke.

Han Ziming watched as Guo Fan became more and more engrossed in his speech, and thought to himself that he was indeed a big liar.

In his past life, he tricked Wu Jing into acting for free, and in the end, he even invested 60 million yuan in her.

Han Ziming thought about it and then politely declined.

"Director Guo, let's talk about investments instead. Forget about debuting."

Guo Fan thought for a moment and said:

"Okay, let's talk about investment. I won't beat around the bush. The initial investment of 1 million yuan for 'The Wandering Earth' came from China Film Group. Later, I negotiated some more investments, and now it's a total of 1.5 million yuan."

Currently, some filming studios are still under construction. If filming continues, the actors' salaries, post-production marketing, and other expenses will likely amount to no less than 2.5 million yuan.

After listening, Han Ziming felt that it was a little different from his previous life.

He remembered that in early 2017, media reports indicated that China Film Group had invested 100 million yuan. How come it's 150 million yuan now?

But he didn't pay much attention to it. There were changes, but the impact was not significant. Moreover, he estimated that the entire movie would cost 400 million or even more.

After thinking it over, Han Ziming said.

"If you put it that way, I'll invest 1 million, bringing the total cost to 2.5 million, which is 40%. Also, I've read the original novel, and Mozi Pictures wants the roles of Liu Qi and Zhou Qian. Is that okay?"

"No problem! As long as the person you recommend meets the requirements for participation, it's not an issue."

Guo Fan was overjoyed when he heard that Han Ziming had invested 100 million yuan. He immediately agreed to the role, since he and the screenwriter hadn't even finished the script yet.

Han Zimo continued:

"By the way, I'm not making a one-time payment either. I have other uses for the funds right now. I'll transfer 50 million after the contract is signed, and the rest will be transferred by the middle of next year."

He had just calculated the financial situation. After deducting the 300 million yuan from Lin Yun of Mozi Investment Company, they still had 300 million yuan left from bank loans.

However, the investment company's money won't be returned until the end of 2017. Moreover, he has other plans, so he intends to make the payment in two installments.

Guo Fan listened carefully and then smiled and said...

"It's fine to split the money in installments, but the second installment can't be too late. If you withdraw your investment after the contract period, the initial 50 million won't be refunded, and the investment ratio will be calculated based on the actual amount received."

"Okay, that's a reasonable request. But if we're going to sign a contract, do you need to discuss the film's share with China Film Group first?"

Actually, he asked on purpose, hoping that Guo Fan would contact Director La of China Film Group, since Director La was the one who spearheaded this project in his previous life.

Furthermore, increasing investment will dilute the share, and this needs to be made clear to other investors, otherwise who would dare to invest?

Fortunately, Guo Fan was smart. He told the small investors that he might increase their investment when signing the contract. The agreement also stipulated that he would not have to contact each shareholder below a certain share to make a decision.

After all, even Tencent's investment department only dared to invest a few million as a token gesture. At that time, science fiction films were practically considered a monstrous threat.