Chapter 1379: Heart-Pounding

After the meeting on September 17, the "Gathering of Famous Actors" plan planned by Ning Weimin was officially implemented.

Those who participated in the production meeting were all veterans in the Japanese film industry. The power of their network should not be underestimated when they came together.

Japan is also a society of favors. Since everyone is working in the same industry, it is inevitable that they have three or five friends. Under the same conditions, it is an unspoken rule for friends to take care of each other.

Although this does not mean that they will definitely be able to get things done if they come forward, and will successfully persuade the big-name actors decided at the meeting to agree to star in this drama.

However, they can use their personal relationships to pass on the news in time, or directly meet with the person on behalf of the Mist Studio to talk face to face and ask about the other party's intentions and schedule, which is not a problem.

This is already a very remarkable convenience, and it can be regarded as a privilege brought by qualifications.

You know, ordinary people are worried about even contacting these famous actors, let alone contacting them like this.

Just like Ning Weimin, he couldn't contact the "Asian Sugar King" Guo family no matter how hard he tried, because he was not well-known in the business world and was just a small transparent person.

Otherwise, how could there be so many right and wrong now?

As for Matsumoto Keiko, as the owner of the Mist Studio, of course, she must make full use of her personal resources.

She immediately went to meet President Sakomoto of Shochiku Films with Ning Weimin and proposed to use Shochiku's stars to shoot a TV series.

The specific negotiation process is also very interesting.

Because their request far exceeded the other party's expectations, when they submitted a role request, even President Sakomoto, as the head of one of the "Big Five", was shocked and almost dropped his eyeballs to the ground after taking a look.

"What? This is the actor you requested? You specifically asked Atsumi Kiyoshi and Baisho Chieko to star in the TV series of Mist Studio together?"

"Yes, please help me, President." Matsumoto Keiko nodded with a smile on her face.

"But, you let them play supporting roles, but let them play villains? This... is not good, right? I'm afraid it will affect their image."

Facing President Sakomoto's doubts, Matsumoto Keiko tilted her head and smiled.

"I'm not happy when you say that. Haven't I played enough villain roles? Why didn't you consider my image at the beginning?"

President Sakomoto was really upset by these words.

"You are different from them. Their roles are almost stereotyped, but your acting skills are enough to make you competent for any character."

"Thank you, then I will take it as a good word. However, don't you think it's more interesting to let them try roles that are quite different from their inherent image occasionally? I think the audience who are used to seeing them always play Sakura and Torajiro will occasionally look forward to this."

President Sakomoto couldn't help but smile bitterly at Matsumoto's words. He was really helpless with this "daughter" in his career sometimes.

However, what he didn't expect was that Matsumoto Keiko then said a piece of news that shocked him even more.

"To be honest, there are really no good people in this TV series. Even my character is a 'villain' who is unscrupulous, greedy and cunning. And I don't just want to invite them to play the villains. According to our ideas, famous actors Mikuni Rentaro, Sugawara Bunta, and Fuji Junko are also people we want to invite. They can also play villains. Don't you think it's not okay?"

"What?" President Sakomoto was stunned.

Of course, he knew these names. Everyone was a pillar of the "Big Five" in the past. They were either the queen or the emperor, and they all had their own series of classic films.

Everyone has left a name in Japanese film history and can take on the box office responsibility of a movie.

"But... but using them to star... your production costs... I'm afraid you will have to bear a lot of pressure. Have you considered this? You are not talking to me in your sleep!"

President Sakomoto looked at Keiko Matsumoto with suspicion, waiting for her confirmation.

It's not that he doesn't want to believe it. The key is that the production cost of a drama and the price of selling it to TV stations are things that everyone in the industry knows.

As a production company, it is difficult to make a profit from TV sets, not to mention that she doesn't care about the cost of the cast.

This economic cost is not rational at all. Let them play in the same TV series. This is an unprecedented luxury, like burning money with fire.

Although the crew of "Black Leather Notebook" cannot start filming without actors.

Then he doesn't think Matsumoto Keiko has to take this step, unless she shoots a phenomenal work in one fell swoop.

But how easy is that?

However, Matsumoto Keiko insisted on her attitude.

"Yes, I have already thought about this. For this TV series, I will organize the most gorgeous cast like I do for a movie. Of course, I will not make it difficult for you to do so in terms of pay. I leave everything to you. We really hope that these two good friends from Shochiku will join us. I believe that with their superb acting skills and fame, they will bring more attractions to the show."

"What? You are too optimistic. In my opinion, a good cast may not necessarily make a good show. It still depends on the reaction of the performance and the degree of fit between them. Anyway, they are not needed to play the leading role. You might as well consider the ordinary actors under Shochiku..."

President Hakomoto could not believe his ears and continued to persuade him.

Of course, Ning Weimin knew that he had good intentions, so he helped to provide additional explanations.

"President Akimoto, your opinions are based on experience. Thank you very much for your kindness. However, we also have our own considerations for our current situation. You should know that we are being targeted by the burning entertainment agency, right? So we are now What is needed more is actually not to produce profitable dramas, but to let everyone know that Wu Studio has hard power and can definitely complete the works it wants to make. It is by no means a mere entertainment agency. It can be banned. In the Japanese entertainment industry, no one can use artists to coerce us."

This was quite reasonable, and the president was stunned for a moment, then sighed.

"I can understand your feelings. In fact, we at Songzhu have long been dissatisfied with these new entertainment agencies. No matter from the perspective of our cooperative relationship or the standpoint of being both traditional actors, I should support you. I also hope that you can succeed and make those who look down on our studio look good. But the question is, whether this method succeeds or fails, it will definitely cost a lot of money, do you think it is really worth it?”

President Omoto was speaking from his heart.

You know, compared to records and movies, which traditional singers and actors mainly rely on, television has a huge advantage in attracting audiences.

The music carried by records has a certain lag, and you can only listen to it after it is played by radio and television.

The images in the movie are not sufficient and the time is too short.

There is no doubt that from any perspective, as long as you are a member of the studio, you should hate those new agencies that rely on idols and almost dominate the TV screen.

It was they who took the audience that originally belonged to the film studio away from the cinema, and that made the studio's life so difficult.

But the problem is that nowadays, new types of studios are more prosperous than traditional studios. To a certain extent, even TV stations have been kidnapped by them.

In this kind of confrontation, in the opinion of President Omoto, Fog Studio really doesn’t have much chance of winning.

And his hesitation was just because he was really worried about the financial situation of Fog Studios.

But it doesn't matter if he doesn't have confidence, because Ning Weimin has more to say.

"President, let me say a few more words. In terms of finance, you don't have to worry about it. Frankly speaking, although the cost of this drama has greatly exceeded the budget, we also think it is worth the money. After all, it can bring so many stars together, so naturally It’s good for ratings.”

"In addition, we also have a response strategy. We will not count on the Japanese market alone. Overseas markets are also channels for cost recovery, especially China. I am certain that we can send this drama to be broadcast. Although due to institutional reasons , playing in the Republic will not generate much direct income. But I also have ways to exchange interests in other aspects, so please be assured that you will not suffer any loss."

"If you still think it's not enough, then I have a better proposal. For example, we can further increase business cooperation and make more money together. To be honest, I recently brought back several copies of Chinese movies from the Republic. , one of them was selected for the Tokyo Film Festival, and Keiko also got a few copies from France. Although they are all old movies, almost all of them feature big stars. There are cartoon movies. I think if Shochiku is willing to use two or three small halls of multiplex theaters to play these movies, it will effectively make up for the current lack of film sources. As for our losses in filming, we can also make up for it through profits. "

That's not all, Matsumoto Keiko also added later.

"President, in fact, the video tape market is also worth looking forward to. I think the video tape craze has just begun, and this home entertainment model will become more popular in the future. It may be difficult for us to directly recover the cost now, but sooner or later we will realize profits. So at present, We are more focused on the impact of this drama. After all, it is Fog Studio’s first attempt at filming a TV series. It must be successful, otherwise we will never be able to film another TV series in the future.”

So President Ben stopped talking again.

He lowered his head and thought about it, and now he understood the necessity of their move better.

I really admire their courage, I didn’t expect them to think very carefully.

Indeed, China is a market with as many as one billion viewers.

For Chinese people like Ning Weimin, if the broadcast channels are really opened up, there will be countless benefits, which should be enough to make up for the production costs in Japan.

Moreover, the film sources brought back by Ning Weimin and Matsumoto Keiko are indeed a way for theaters to increase profits. It is at least worth trying. It doesn't cost him much anyway, so why not?

As for the future of the video tape market, he is not so optimistic, but Matsumoto Keiko's perspective on the problem is not wrong.

The first TV series really cannot fail, otherwise it will damage the credibility too much.

If Fog Studio's TV series fails this time, not to mention ending the current good cooperative relationship with TBS, other TV stations will also lose their basic sense of trust in them.

What's more, Fog Studio was able to think of this method and didn't ask for help in terms of filming funds. At least it proved that they had enough financial ability to meet the filming needs.

Thinking about it, it seems that since the beginning of their establishment, every work they have produced has been a large-scale production that exceeds specifications.

Now it seems that "Li Xianglan" may be the lowest-cost movie, which is incredible.

In short, he is really looking forward to an alliance that can spend billions of yen to make movies, as well as a partner who can import film sources.

At least it's a good thing for Shochiku, as it can have big-budget movies to screen without having to invest its own money.

So he really had nothing to suggest, "Okay, now that you have given it full consideration, I have nothing to say. As for the movie screening just mentioned, let's talk about it first. , let’s talk about other things.”

"Thank you, President, for your support." Seeing that his goal was finally achieved, Matsumoto Keiko finally breathed a sigh of relief.

However, President Okumoto was not so quick to agree, "Don't thank me so early. If you need people right away, I can't help it. We still have to discuss some details. For example, the schedule and shooting time, what do you have? Request?"

These words were as they should be, and Matsumoto Keiko immediately made a considerate gesture.

"How can I force someone to do something difficult? Of course, it's mainly based on Shochiku's schedule. I also know that they are filming the new movie "The Pain of Men". If possible, can we invite them to our crew when the movie is finished? As for the filming time, Judging from their scenes, thirty days should be enough.”

"Well, that's no problem. You're lucky. The 39th episode of the "Men's Pain" series, which will be filmed in the second half of this year, is progressing smoothly. Director Yamada is expected to finish filming one month in advance, that is to say, around early October. The filming will be completed and the editing process will begin. How about waiting for another twenty days? "

"Thank you so much!" Matsumoto Keiko nodded again, feeling more stable this time.

At the same time, she also expected that if the other party suddenly became easy to talk to, he would probably have some additional conditions. After all, this is how it is in the industry, and mutual fulfillment is a good deal.

Sure enough, just as she smiled politely, President Omoto also spoke.

"I also have a request, would you please consider it?"

"Please tell me."

"Since you have invited Torajiro and Sakura from Shochiku away, can you also arrange for a heroine in this drama? She is Kumiko Akiyoshi who may join Shochiku recently. Her reputation and acting skills are passable? Her appearance is also It’s very beautiful. It shouldn’t be difficult for me to cultivate it.”

Matsumoto Keiko didn't expect such a request.

Judging from President Omoto's tone, his attitude has obviously changed.

From the initial hesitation and resistance, now I want to go through the back door to squeeze people into the crew and actively take the express.

The reason is obviously because of Fog Studio's heavy investment and recruitment of famous actors, which allowed him to see a promising future worth looking forward to.

She thought about it, but it wasn't difficult.

Currently, the female characters to be determined by the crew include the waitress Chengjiang, the female publicist Bozi who is jealous of the heroine, and the home nanny who inquires for the heroine.

No matter what, I should be able to find a suitable role for Akiyoshi Kumiko.

So I agreed without hesitation.

And in addition, she also has more optimistic expectations for the announcement of this matter.

Because even our president was surprised like this, this news must be as frightening as an exploding bomb for the Japanese entertainment industry as a whole!