Chinese entertainment: What's wrong with actresses wanting to improve?

Chapter 49 Recruiting Ning Hao

December 25, 2003, Christmas Day.

Fine snowflakes drifted down from the Beijing sky, but Chenxi Media was a hive of activity.

Zhao Qi has already started looking for a new office space, as the company's rapid expansion has made the existing space insufficient.

Fu Yibai sat in his office, reviewing the quarterly artist development report submitted by Lin Wei.

Huang Bo and Lei Jiayin performed diligently on set, and the director gave them positive feedback.

The newly signed Qin Lan, Gao Lu, and Wang Ou have all made their own arrangements.

What surprised Fu Yibai the most was Tang Yan.

In her report, Lin Wei specifically mentioned that although Tang Yan's acting skills were somewhat immature, she had outstanding physical appearance and great potential, and suggested arranging professional acting training for her.

"That's interesting."

Fu Yibai leaned back in his chair, his fingertips lightly tapping the table.

Just then, there was a knock on the office door.

"Enter."

The door opened, and Ning Hao entered.

He was wearing a black leather jacket today, and his hair was a bit long and messy because he hadn't been taking care of it while editing videos.

"Director Fu! Are you busy?"

Ning Hao's voice was a few octaves higher than usual.

"What's wrong, Director Ning? Why are you so agitated?"

Fu Yibai put down the report in his hand and gestured for him to sit down.

Ning Hao didn't sit down; he walked directly to the desk and placed the script in his hand on the table.

It was the book "The Nameless" that Fu Yibai had given to Lin Wei and Wang Peng a couple of days ago.

"I want to film this script!"

Ning Hao was direct, his eyes burning.

Fu Yibai raised an eyebrow, but did not answer immediately. Instead, he picked up the script and flipped through a few pages.

"Have you seen it?"

"I didn't just watch it! I stayed up all night watching it three times!"

Ning Hao pulled up a chair and sat down, leaning forward.

"Multi-narrative structure, dark humor, warmth amidst absurdity, depicting the struggles and dignity of a group of marginalized people in society."

This is totally my style! No, it's like it was made for me!

His excitement was palpable.

"How do you think it compares to 'Stone'?" Fu Yibai asked calmly.

"no the same!"

Ning Hao immediately shook his head.

"Stone" is a pure comedy, fast-paced, full of jokes, and has a stronger commercial appeal.

"The Nameless"... It has laughter and tears, but its core is heavier and more profound.

If filmed well, it can achieve both commercial success and critical acclaim!

He paused, then took a deep breath.

"Director Fu, I know the company may already have other directors in mind, but I really... I really want to make this."

Give me a chance, and I promise I'll make it a great film! I can control the budget, and I'll even go to great lengths to find the right actors, as long as you approve!

Looking at the almost devout longing in Ning Hao's eyes, Fu Yibai nodded inwardly.

This is exactly the effect he wanted: to attract talented directors with good projects, creating a virtuous cycle.

"Sit down, don't get agitated."

"How do you want to film it?"

Ning Hao immediately followed the train of thought.

"..."

He began to speak at length about his vision for each scene, his understanding of the characters, and his grasp of color tone and rhythm.

Fu Yibai listened quietly, nodding occasionally.

Twenty minutes later, Ning Hao finally finished speaking and looked at Fu Yibai with some trepidation.

"Director Fu, what do you think...?"

"Can."

"This project is entrusted to you."

Ning Hao's eyes lit up instantly, and he almost jumped off his chair.

"Really? Thank you, Director Fu! I..."

"Don't rush."

Fu Yibai raised his hand to interrupt him, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

"However, there's one condition."

"Tell me your terms! I'll agree to anything!"

Ning Hao did not hesitate.

Fu Yibai looked at him and said slowly.

"Sign up with Chenxi Media and become a contracted director for the company."

Ning Hao was stunned.

Signing a director contract means he will be completely tied to Dawn's ship and will no longer be an independent director who takes on freelance work.

However, it also means stable project support, better resource allocation, and longer-term development planning.

"I know you've always been a freelancer and didn't want to be tied to a company."

Fu Yibai continued, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable weight.

"But the dawn is different."

At dawn, I can give you plenty of freedom.

The company promises not to interfere with your creative work, but it will have priority investment rights in your future projects.

In the future, if the company has any good proposals, we will give them to you first.

This includes notebooks that are eligible for awards.

Ning Hao raised an eyebrow when he heard about the award-winning proposal.

Fu Yibai observed Ning Hao's reaction and continued.

"Of course, you also have a choice."

If you insist on remaining a free agent, I can still entrust this project to you, but the subsequent cooperation may not be as close.

That's a frank and clear statement.

Ning Hao remained silent, his fingers unconsciously stroking the script cover.

"Director Fu."

Ning Hao raised his head, his eyes hardening.

"I'll sign."

A smile appeared on Fu Yibai's face.

"very good.

Zhao Qi will discuss the specifics of the contract with you.

After seeing Ning Hao off, Fu Yibai was in a good mood.

Signing Ning Hao signifies a solid step forward for Chenxi Media in terms of its director pool.

A talented director who is on the rise is a core asset for any content company.

"Knock knock knock!"

"Enter."

Liu Yan walked in carrying a stack of folders and gently placed them on the table.

Today she wore a light gray turtleneck sweater and black straight-leg pants, with her long hair flowing smoothly over her shoulders, making her look gentle and capable.

"Mr. Fu, these are the TV project investment proposals and scripts we've received recently."

"So many?"

Fu Yibai picked up the document with some surprise and began to quickly browse through it.

Most of them were mediocre works that hadn't made a splash in their previous lives.

He read very quickly, almost skimming through ten lines, until he reached the project proposal for "The World's Number One".

The list of investors prominently includes several Hong Kong companies and mainland private companies, with a total budget of 3000 million, which is considered a large-scale production in the current TV drama market.

However, the space left for external investment is indeed only a mere 5%, or 150 million.

Fu Yibai lightly tapped the number "5%" with his fingertip.

150 million is not much for Chenxi now; investing in it might yield a small profit.

However, such small-scale co-investment, apart from sharing some profits, does nothing to help Chenxi's brand building, resource accumulation, or even its say in projects.

He doesn't want this kind of piecemeal financial investment.

"Liu Yan".

"Mr. Fu."

"In the future, TV series projects with an investment share of less than 20%, or where we cannot participate in the main creative process, will be filtered out directly and will not be sent to me."

Did Fu Yibai put the "Number One Under Heaven" proposal aside?

"Tell General Manager Zhao that the investment department should focus on projects that it can lead or be deeply involved in."

"Understood, I will inform General Manager Zhao immediately."

Liu Yan quickly wrote it down.