CHAPTER 710: CHAPTER 496: ARRIVAL IN CANNES (PART 2)

"Mm."

Song Chi suddenly asked, "Is that web series Yuehai is doing called ’Left Hand’?"

Zhou Lan asked with some surprise, "Brother Chi knows about it as well?"

"The script passed through my hands. Originally, Yuehai planned to have us take on the production, but because we already have quite a few projects on our hands and can’t manage more, we gave up on it," Song Chi said. "The script is good, the story is great. If they let Wang Jing direct it, I would suggest that they get a well-known male actor for Yuehai."

"Gu Huaichun?" Zhou Lan asked.

"Yuehai wouldn’t be willing to have Gu Huaichun act in this series. These types of youth growth-themed web series already have a significant market with a stable viewer base. They’d prefer to use these series to cultivate new talent. But if they’re bringing up new actors, considering Wang Jing’s current fame, it’d be hard to make this series popular. It might have a good reputation, but achieving greater success would depend on luck. If they could get a well-known male actor with a solid fanbase, rather than leaving it all to Wang Jing, I actually see good potential for this series to become popular," Song Chi said. "In recent years, youth growth-themed web series either have good reviews but aren’t popular, like ’Run for Young’ and ’Suddenly This Summer,’ or they are high in discussion but have terrible reviews—I won’t talk about those. I believe if ’Left Hand’ is well-made and seen by enough viewers, it can become a hit."

"So, you mean I should go talk to Yuehai? The condition for Wang Jing to act in this series is that Yuehai needs to get a male actor with a decent reputation, not a newcomer?"

"Exactly, getting a newcomer would just turn into Wang Jing supporting a newcomer," Song Chi said. "Additionally, the role of the female lead’s older sister is also good. You should try to secure it. If Yuk Chu’s schedule works out, I think it would be good to have her play it. As long as you can negotiate with Yuk Chu, and leverage her as a part of the negotiation terms, Yuehai would agree to it. Wang Jing plus Yuk Chu would be considered an A-grade cast in the web series circle."

"I’ll talk to Yuk Chu’s agent," Zhou Lan nodded.

Song Chi smiled and said, "Hasn’t Yuehai asked you about Zhou Yun’s schedule? In their communications with me, they’ve repeatedly mentioned wanting to work with Zhou Yun on another project."

Zhou Yun rolled her eyes and said, "Not on the same path as them, too lazy to film."

Song Chi smiled and said, "Find the projects you want to do and let them produce for you, taking care of everything else. They’ll pretty much accommodate all your demands. You’re an actor whom advertisers are eager to sign; as long as you’re willing to star in a project, they can take it and make back several times the money."

"The more success I have, the more selective I must be with the roles," Zhou Yun said. "I don’t want to repeat the mistake of ’Eighth Heartbeat.’ It all sounds good, but who knows what they’ll want to do once filming starts. If they give me an A/B script and end up fooling me big time, I’d be so mad."

She had refused to film the second part of "Eighth Heartbeat," so they immediately cast Yin Zhou and Xu Siyao in the sequel.

To make money, they would do anything.

"However, Xiao Yun has lots of film contracts coming up," Zhou Lan said helplessly. "Wen Bing has booked her for two projects in a row. There’s also a New Shield project in discussion. At this rate, everyone will think that Zhou Yun is a signed actor with New Shield."

"I’ve heard that many at New Shield are dissatisfied with Yao Yuanfeng giving roles to an outsider like me instead of their own signed actors, good resources never come their way," Zhou Yun said.

Zhou Lan: "The main issue is that Chengqian’s own film and television company can no longer satisfy Xiao Yun’s current needs."

"’Under the Grand Dress’ is being made by Chengqian Film and Television, right?" Song Chi said. "But Chengqian won’t get much out of it; real control is in your and Zheng Xiaowen’s hands. They are more like workers helping you out, solving technical issues."

"But with Zhou Jianfeng as the male lead in ’Under the Grand Dress,’ those dissatisfied with He Yong would be appeased," Zhou Lan said. "Moreover, many of the smaller roles are taken by Chengqian’s actors."

Song Chi: "Can Xiao Yun get a share of the profits for this drama?"

"She gets a share of the profits by investing her salary," Zhou Lan said.

"That’s a better deal. Nowadays, getting a salary alone isn’t worthwhile. ’Under the Grand Dress’ can break even before it airs; it’s a sure-fire profitable venture."

"Exactly."

Zheng Xiaojue was listening to the side. She could understand some of the conversation but not the nuances. She just felt that their discussion was very professional. She knew it superficially but didn’t understand the reasoning behind it, vaguely taking notes and pondering it repeatedly.