Chapter 239 - 223: Mr. Lin is a Good Person (1OO/1)_1
A1 million profit for the company.
It was not out of generosity that Lind Yuan did this, but he couldn’t let the company work for him for free. Isn’t it objectionable for someone to sell a product they’ve worked hard on for months, without considering any profit margin?
He felt justified.
Actually, his sudden decision to broadcast “Flirting Scholar” online was not just due to a lack of confidence in the film’s summer box office comeback. Lin Yuan had a deeper purpose—
He wanted notoriety!
Lin Yuan had realized the reasons why “Flirting Scholar” couldn’t secure screenings—it was being treated as a three-nothing film. If the first movie is doomed to be undervalued, then why stubbornly focus on holding it to cinemas?
What if it flops?
Lin Yuan still wanted to continue making movies with the company’s investment. If his first movie turns out to be a failure, on what grounds can he encourage the company to continue investing in him? This isn’t logical.
So, going with an online movie premiere is a wise choice.
The bar for online movies is quite low.
Because the threshold for online movies is sufficiently low, “Flirting Scholar” can garner more attention. If the movie were to be screened in theaters, everyone would be focused on the big shots— who would buy a ticket for a three-nothing movie?
So…
Just use “Flirting Scholar” to gain fame, then take on theaters when the opportunity arises. If this movie becomes successful online , at least Lin Yuan will have some credentials, and people will at least acknowledge him as a screenwriter.
Not just Lin Yuan.
If this movie proves successful, the initial crew and actors will no longer be nameless people behind the scenes. If and when Lin Yuan decides to film a new movie, the company would definitely support him.
It’s not the company’s fault.
Nor can it be blamed on the theaters.
They are just subject to reality.
However, when Yi Chenggong found out that “Flirting Scholar” would not be screened in theaters, he was inevitably disappointed.
Every director has a dream of having their film on the big screen.
The last movie Yi Chenggong made was a low-budget independent film and had no opportunity to hit theaters.
This time, he thought that “Flirting Scholar” would make it to the big screens because of Mr. Lin’s backing. Yet, in the end, the plans fell through.
“Are you familiar with the ways online movie collaborations work?”
Lin Yuan asked Yi Chenggong – the latter had had experiences with online collaborations in his previous film.
Yi Chenggong spoke, “I’m slightly aware. There are mainly two types: one is a buyout, and the other is revenue sharing…”
“We choose revenue sharing,” Lin Yuan said without hesitation.
While Lin Yuan lacked confidence in the cinematic prospects for “Flirting Scholar,” he was quite optimistic about online streaming.
Yi Chenggong nodded his head, “Most production companies choose buyouts. But revenue sharing has its advantages too. As for the specifics, Mr. Lin, I suggest you get somebody else to handle this, perhaps Mr. Shen. He should have the necessary connections.”
Shen Qing was the producer of “Flirting Scholar.”
Lin Yuan called Shen Qing “Mr. Shen,” so Yi Chenggong followed suit.
“Understood.”
Lin Yuan immediately contacted Shen Qing.
Strictly speaking, this deal no longer had anything to do with Shen Qing, as “Flirting Scholar” now entirely belonged to Lin Yuan. Still, Lin Yuan felt that Shen Qing would assist in liaising with the video streaming websites.
When Shen Qing heard that Lin Yuan had purchased “Flirting Scholar” in a personal capacity, his feelings were somewhat mixed.
Everyone had expected that the company would inevitably lose money by deciding to film this movie.
Yet, with Lin Yuan taking it upon himself to pay for it, the movie had strangely balanced out to neither make a loss nor gain?
In the end, Lin Yuan was the one who lost out.
At least from the company’s perspective, they neither lost nor gained anything.
Because strictly speaking, the minimal loss they made was not worth mentioning.
After all, everyone knew from the beginning that this film was being produced to accompany Mr. Lin, the Crown Prince, in his studies.
If Mr. Lin had a good time, then any loss incurred would be worth it.
The Crown Prince just had a throw away kind of game.
But Mr. Lin did not use the company’s money to play around…
In the end, he took his own money and threw it away.
At this moment, Shen Qjng was somewhat admiring of Lin Yuan.
The company bore the cost of Lin Yuan’s capriciousness, yet Lin Yuan ended up footing the bill for the company’s indulgence.
It’s clear that Lin Yuan sticks by his principles!
So, when Lin Yuan called and asked Shen Qjng to help contact suitable video-hosting websites to broadcast “Flirting Scholar,” Shen Qing agreed.
Mr. Lin is a good man!
Although he isn’t cut out to be a screenwriter, as a producer, he should do his utmost to help Mr. Lin recoup the investment.
An investment of to million…
There’s no way to recoup it all, but if a little of it, like one or two million, could be recovered, that should be doable, right?
Shen Qing has seen many online movies.
Some of those he thought were garbage somehow managed to attract viewers, proving the bar for these is indeed quite low.
Although “Flirting Scholar” isn’t exactly decent, Shen Qing had a great time filming it.
He thinks that some of the comedic parts, though odd, have an inexpressible charm that makes it impossible not to laugh along with them. That’s much better than those mediocre ones.
With this in mind…
Shen Qing made a call to a friend who worked in a video hosting website to discuss streaming “Flirting Scholar.”
Meanwhile…
Over at the company’s Film Department…
Everyone also knew about Xian Yu’s personal purchase of “Flirting Scholar.” For a moment, they shared Shen Qing’s mixed feelings.
“So he did pick up the tab himself in the end?”
“It’s like someone exclaimed for others to treat him, so the others reluctantly ordered a tableful of expensive dishes. But when the meal ended, he was the one who paid. It might not be the perfect analogy, but it kind of fits the situation right?”
“We shouldn’t have spoken about him that way.”
“Yeah, the guy just wanted to have a bit of fun. Considering it objectively, who doesn’t get a sudden urge to do something new once in a while?”
“Why do I feel like your words are an excuse you made up on the spot when you were caught in a vice raid last week?”
“Nonsense, I wasn’t caught.”
II II
A few may have been displeased by Lin Yuan’s willfulness. So, when Lin Yuan picked up the tab for the movie himself, there was a slight shift in the public sentiment within the Film Department.
Everyone thought…
Lin Yuan was considerate. He must have known that his movie would lose money, which is why he bought the rights to “Flirting Scholar” – he didn’t want the company to bear a loss.
“Good kid.”
Even 01′ Zhou couldn’t help but sigh.
If Lin Yuan hadn’t voluntarily backed out from the cinemas, 01′ Zhou and the others might have thought that Lin Yuan bought the rights to “Flirting Scholar” because he was confident in the movie.
But Lin Yuan didn’t even want to go to the cinemas…
This showed that Lin Yuan was actually aware that his movie was terrible, and could only recoup some money by broadcasting it online. Either way, he got to make his movie.
This kid, he’s truly straightforward!