OBS Chapter 22: He single-handedly propelled the prosperity and development of Hong Kong cinema!
Chapter 22: He single-handedly propelled the prosperity and development of Hong Kong cinema!
Hong Kong cinema is by no means without potential; on the contrary, its potential is unfathomable.
As time goes by, whether it's art films that pursue artistic expression or commercial films that seek market returns, Hong Kong has been able to produce some truly outstanding works.
However, as time went on, Hong Kong films increasingly veered off course, eventually leaving only the police and gangster genre as a last resort. Even Louis Koo's "Warriors of Future," which he painstakingly crafted over ten years, felt like nothing more than a police-gangster showdown disguised as science fiction.
The further you go, the lower the quality becomes.
Under the powerful onslaught of Hollywood blockbusters, Hong Kong cinema suffered a near-total collapse. If it weren't for the support of the massive mainland Chinese box office market, Hong Kong films would likely have been long forgotten.
Of course, there are many reasons for the decline of Hong Kong films.
However, it is undeniable that Hong Kong cinema, at its peak, was a flagship of Chinese-language cultural export. Gu Yuhan thought to himself, now that he had transmigrated to this era, he should do everything in his power to help.
"Boss!" Huang Baiming looked at Gu Yuhan with excitement in his eyes.
"Just focus on your creative work!" Gu Yuhan said with a smile. "No matter what problems you encounter, the company will back you up and solve all your troubles perfectly!"
Huang Baiming took a deep breath and nodded vigorously: "Understood!"
Gu Yuhan's actions caused a huge stir within the company. It's worth noting that Huang Baiming was previously just an ordinary screenwriter who had only recently entered the industry.
But now, he not only writes, directs, and stars in his own films, but he has also broken Hong Kong's box office record.
That's not all. What's even more shocking is that Gu Yuhan directly offered one million yuan in cash as Huang Baiming's box office profit share. Moreover, this doesn't even include the box office profit share from Southeast Asia and Taiwan. If he's lucky, his final profit could even reach five million yuan.
Keep in mind that Hong Kong's current population is only 4.66 million.
Taiwan has a population of 17 million, which is about 3.5 times that of Hong Kong.
For a long time, Taiwan has been one of the most important box office markets for Hong Kong films.
The population of Southeast Asia is also considerable. Although the revenue share for local cinemas is higher, the final profit is still quite substantial.
Hong Kong cinema could never have developed so rapidly if it had relied solely on the small local market of Hong Kong.
Huang Baiming's colleagues gathered around to congratulate him.
The reporters wanted to interview Gu Yuhan, but he led his group into a private room, leaving only Shi Nansheng to give an interview.
Now it's time for Bright Pictures to really shine.
The current company structure under Gu Yuhan is as follows.
At the top is the Bright Group, which owns Bright Technology Co., Ltd., Bright Capital, an accounting firm, a law firm, and Bright Film & Television. Currently, Gu Yuhan focuses his main efforts on Bright Capital and Bright Film & Television.
Bright Capital is preparing for the upcoming second oil crisis.
Guangming Film Company focuses on the investment and production of Hong Kong films.
Guangming Film Industry has several subsidiaries. The president of Guangming Film Industry is Tsui Hark's wife, Nansun Shi. She was originally just a producer, but due to the company's initial shortage of talent, Gu Yuhan promoted her to president.
Among them, Oriental Entertainment Co., Ltd. is specifically responsible for artist management business, and signed actors, directors and screenwriters are all managed by this company.
SunMoon Films is primarily responsible for the development and production of films and television series.
There's also Shengguang Special Effects Company, which has signed a large number of stunt performers and special effects artists for the films. Gu Yuhan specifically recruited many core members from Jackie Chan's Stunt Team and Sammo Hung's Stunt Team, as well as many experienced martial arts instructors. All of these people were placed in the special effects company, where top-notch martial arts instructors receive very generous compensation. In addition, the company is also responsible for prop production, filming preparation, and other related work.
We can split it up when the time is right, and when the era of computer digital special effects arrives, we can quickly build a professional computer special effects team.
There is also a company that specializes in producing film and television merchandise, called Kaixin Interactive Entertainment, which mainly produces toys, various peripheral products, and film and television props.
In addition, Golden Princess Cinemas was also spun off from Kowloon Construction Group by Gu Yuhan and became an independently operated cinema chain company.
Although these are all subsidiaries of Bright Pictures, they all have relatively independent operating rights.
Take Golden Princess Cinemas as an example. It has its own criteria for selecting films, and the movies it shows are not limited to its own productions. As long as a good movie is a box office hit, even if it is produced by Golden Harvest, it will still be scheduled for release, with profit as the primary goal.
For example, Oriental Entertainment doesn't limit its artists to filming its own movies; they are subject to flexible decisions based on the specific circumstances. For instance, if Golden Harvest is willing to offer Jackie Chan millions in film fees, why would they refuse such a collaboration? Of course, they still ensure that he receives his due commission in full.
Even if Golden Harvest is willing to pay a commission, the company still has to take its own cut according to regulations. Generally speaking, B-level artists receive 30%, A-level artists receive 10%, and S-level artists only receive a symbolic 1%.
Gu Yuhan has a very open business philosophy. He believes that there is no need to restrict himself too much, and that a single company cannot support so many employees.
Each subsidiary has a high degree of autonomy and must aim for profitability, as this directly affects the year-end bonuses of the subsidiary's management.
However, when negotiating business with external parties, such as discussing box office revenue sharing with Taiwanese cinema chains, the negotiations must be conducted in the name of Guangming Film Industry as a whole.
Faced with the reporters' cameras and microphones, Shi Nansheng quickly got into the zone.
She spoke elegantly and behaved gracefully, leaving a very good impression on the reporters present.
Subsequently, these news reports were published by major media outlets, immediately causing a huge uproar in Hong Kong's entertainment industry.
Huang Baiming received a million yuan in cash in one go, and he will also receive a share of all the subsequent box office revenue from "Happy Ghost" for the next three years.
This news is absolutely a bombshell.
No one has ever done this before. Gu Yuhan's actions are simply subverting the rules of the entire industry!
In addition, Golden Princess Cinemas announced its full openness to the public, agreeing to screen any high-quality film. Bright Pictures is willing to cooperate with all film companies with an inclusive and open attitude, including the two giants, Golden Harvest and Shaw Brothers.
There's an even bigger piece of news: Gu Yuhan has decided to invest 30 million yuan to expand the Golden Princess Cinema Line.
The news immediately excited countless directors, producers, and actors.
Major media outlets proclaimed this a groundbreaking new chapter in Hong Kong film history, marking the beginning of a new era for Bright Film Productions. The announcement sent Hong Kong's entire film industry into a frenzy.
Small and medium-sized film companies, in particular, were extremely excited.
Previously, if they wanted to release a film, they could only collaborate with Golden Harvest or Shaw Brothers.
If the theaters directly buy out the film with a minimum guarantee, then the box office performance after the film's release has little to do with the production company; even if they choose a revenue-sharing model, the percentage offered by the theaters is pitifully low.
Not only that, they will also be given a very low screening rate, with theaters always giving priority to their own films.
However, the conditions Gu Yuhan offered were very simple and clear.
All films will be split 50/50.
The only standard for judging whether a movie is good or bad is two words—box office.
High box office revenue means more screenings; low box office revenue means fewer screenings.
We operate entirely in accordance with market principles.
This means that they no longer need to be mindful of Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest's opinions; they can simply focus on making good movies.
besides……
Gu Yuhan actually put up a huge sum of 30 million yuan to expand the cinema chain.
Keep in mind that this was 1978, an era when the box office of a single film generally had not yet exceeded ten million. To invest thirty million in a cinema chain was an absolutely groundbreaking move.
The true golden age of Hong Kong cinema will not arrive until the 1980s, when cinemas will spring up everywhere like mushrooms after rain.
Gu Yuhan's move now is aimed at seizing the market opportunity ahead of time.
He knew that Hong Kong cinema would eventually experience a boom, as the small city of Hong Kong could accommodate at least 240 cinemas. He planned to invest 30 million to lay the foundation, and after the oil crisis was resolved, he even intended to invest another 300 million.
Tseung Kwan O, Guangming Film Studio.
The film and television city here has begun to be developed and constructed gradually.
At this moment, Jackie Chan is simultaneously filming two movies, "Snake in the Shadow" and "The Young Master," with a planned completion time of two months. Overall, both films have undergone significant adjustments and optimizations based on the original works.
This is mainly because Gu Yuhan had in-depth exchanges with Jackie Chan, which provided him with many new creative ideas.
In his previous life, Gu Yuhan had seen a documentary on Douyin (TikTok) where Jackie Chan explained his action choreography philosophy, but he only watched it briefly. However, after his rebirth, his memory became exceptionally sharp, and he clearly remembered all of that content.
Now he passes on this experience to Jackie Chan, enabling Jackie Chan to quickly grasp the essence of action scene design.
After these two movies are finished, the next step is to start filming the "Drunken Master" series.
Although the first "Drunken Master" film was the one that truly made Jackie Chan a star, Gu Yuhan believes that "Drunken Master 2" surpasses the first film in every aspect, from the fight scenes and dialogue to the overall scope.
Therefore, Gu Yuhan personally wrote the complete script for "Drunken Fist 2" and drew detailed storyboards. He then forced the screenwriters to polish the script for "Drunken Fist 1," demanding that the first book's depth of thought, overall structure, and dialogue quality must reach the level of "Drunken Fist 2."
This really stumped the screenwriters.
However, Gu Yuhan also offered a generous reward: if the theme of "Drunken Master 1" could truly reach the level of the second film, the screenwriting team would be entitled to 5% of the box office revenue.
Gu Yuhan implements a screenwriter-centric system at his company, integrating upstream and downstream resources with outstanding screenwriters at the core. In his view, screenwriters are the soul of film and television creation; they have the right to select actors and directors, are responsible for all matters during filming, and their influence permeates the entire production process.
Once the script is finalized, it cannot be changed arbitrarily; only minor adjustments can be made to some insignificant details.
The screenwriter's fee must not be low, and as long as the script reaches the B-level standard, the screenwriter can receive a corresponding share of the profits based on the film's profitability.
This has greatly motivated the company's screenwriters, who are all striving to secure B-level contracts as soon as possible.
At that very moment, Gu Yuhan was having tea with Zou Wenhuai.
"You want to borrow Huang Baiming to film a movie?" Gu Yuhan slowly sipped his tea, then smiled and said, "Boss Zou, you know my company's rules. I never restrict my artists from taking jobs with other companies. As long as you've agreed on a price, and he doesn't have any urgent work, then it's perfectly fine!"
Then, Gu Yuhan put down his teacup and continued with a smile, "However, I think this is probably a bit difficult. He's currently busy filming 'Happy Ghost 2,' and I doubt he'll be able to get away anytime soon!"
"Regardless, I still need to greet you, Mr. Gu, first!" Raymond Chow said politely. "Furthermore, I hope to further deepen our cooperation!"
Raymond Chow has changed his address to Gu Yuhan as Mr. Gu, clearly indicating that he now regards him as an equal.
Gu Yuhan put down his teacup, smiled, and said, "Please speak!"
"Golden Harvest's cinemas are also willing to screen Bright Pictures' films!" Raymond Chow said with a smile, "Let's follow Golden Princess's standards, let's see how the box office goes, and split the profits 50/50!"
"Boss Zou's magnanimity far surpasses that of Shaw!" Gu Yuhan laughed heartily. "I think I have no reason to refuse!"
Raymond Chow also laughed.
In fact, Golden Harvest is currently in a very difficult situation.
For the past decade, Golden Harvest could only barely surpass Shaw Brothers when Bruce Lee was alive. But as soon as Bruce Lee passed away, Golden Harvest was immediately overshadowed by Shaw Brothers.
Even at the height of Bruce Lee's popularity, Golden Harvest could only take the top spot on the box office charts, with Shaw Brothers almost monopolizing the remaining nine spots.
That's why Golden Harvest treasured Jackie Chan after discovering him, sparing no expense in investing resources and funds in him, hoping to cultivate a second Bruce Lee and thus surpass Shaw Brothers.
But now the situation is different. Jackie Chan hasn't really become a star yet, but Wong Pak-ming has created a box office miracle.
Raymond Chow had considered trying to win over Huang Baiming, but when he heard that Gu Yuhan had not only given him a cash bonus of one million, but also promised a share of the box office revenue in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, he knew that such an attempt was impossible.
Raymond Chow couldn't possibly come up with that much money. A million in cash wouldn't be difficult, but the real issue was the continuous stream of revenue sharing that would follow, which he couldn't afford.
Fortunately, Gu Yuhan wasn't opposed to collaboration, nor did he forbid his artists from filming movies for other companies. Since he couldn't win him over, Raymond Chow simply took the initiative to approach him to discuss cooperation.
Of course, Golden Harvest also had to pay a price for this, but in Raymond Chow's view, these prices were entirely worthwhile.
It's just opening up movie theaters, right?
Moreover, Gu Yuhan was right; the company's ultimate goal is to make money, and cinemas can't rely solely on their own films to survive. Once he understood this, Raymond Chow's attitude changed.
No business is a charity; the ultimate goal is to make a profit.
The two parties reached a cooperation agreement on this matter.
Gu Yuhan smiled. With the support of Golden Harvest's cinema chain, it should be a sure thing that "Happy Ghost 2" would break 10 million at the box office.
But before that, let's release Jackie Chan's two movies and see how the market reacts.
It can be said that Gu Yuhan is now single-handedly driving the entire Hong Kong film industry toward a new era of prosperity!