Sung Tae Hee arrived at the Showbox headquarters in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam District at around eight o'clock. It was already busy here.
This start-up film company, named by that man himself, is basically run by the small team that Sung Tae Hee worked for.
Quan Zhengting serves as the president, and Sung Tae-hee, who has risen all boats, is the vice president. In addition, except for Quan Zhengting's wife Yuan Xinhui, five of the six people who passed the test are gathered here, and they have been following Quan Zhengting. Cui Zaixian of the imperial court, as well as Wen Lingzhi and He Mindu.
This was a personal decision made after a meeting between Quan Zhengting and Chen Qing.
Cheng Taixi was also present at that time, and Chen Qing gave Quan Zhengting two options. One was to wait for a while, and then he could join a certain consortium as a senior executive. The position would be higher than he had been, but not much higher. Or, just manage this start-up film company with Sung Tai Hee. As long as you do a good job, you can get the stock.
The pros and cons of both options are pretty obvious.
The former is definitely more stable, but given Quan Zhengting's age and ability, and even if it is supported by the Westeros system, it will inevitably encounter the squeeze of the consortium's internal personnel system, the room for improvement will not be too high.
The latter is very risky, and it is an unfamiliar field. If you mess up, the future is uncertain. However, if you do a good job, you will receive more generous returns from stocks in the future, and you will become like a boss, which is much better than serving as an ordinary executive in a huge financial system.
Everyone knows that we would rather have a chicken head than a phoenix tail.
Quan Zhengting finally chose the latter.
On the one hand, there is the general environment. The 146-day fixed quota system for Korean films ensures the survival space of local Korean films.
On the other hand, even if Quan Zhengting does not believe in Sung Tae Hee, it is absolutely impossible not to believe in Simon Westeros. The super tycoon who left all other rich people far behind started his career through movies. Since the other party let If Sung Tae Hee comes to do this, he will definitely not go wrong.
As for not being familiar with movies, what does it matter
Many people who have flooded into this industry due to the film quota system in the past two years also don't understand. Just like Lee Mi-kyung, the eldest daughter of Lee Meng-hee, the second-generation eldest son of the Samsung Lee family, she crossed over to the film and television entertainment industry in recent years without knowing anything and established CJ Entertainment.
Although it does not have the capital strength of Li Meijing, in terms of background, Showbox is not bad at all.
Quan Zhengting also learned from Cheng Taixi that the Westeros System seems to have reached a cooperation agreement with CJ Entertainment recently, but the specific situation is unknown.
No matter what, everyone is basically on the same starting line.
Quan Zhengting actually left a way out for himself, asking Chen Qing to arrange for his wife Yuan Shin-hye to join SK, a very stable job. Even if he messes up, the family will not fall into the situation where Kia just went bankrupt. That embarrassing situation.
The current Showbox headquarters is the same five-story office building where Quan Zhengting's small team was stationed. There is no need to change the location.
When Cheng Taixi came to the company, he first had a meeting with Quan Zhengting and other management, mainly discussing the audition in the morning.
In the next few days, we will mainly conduct auditions for the heroines of the two horror films "Rose Flowers and Red Lotus" and "The Story of a High School Girl". On the one hand, the genres are similar, and on the other hand, the casting targets are also young girls, and the age limit is Between the ages of 16 and 22, restrictions will be slightly relaxed for those with particularly good qualifications.
Both movies are female-led horror films, and there is a huge need for young actresses. The audition announcement was recently issued, and even though Showbox required amateurs who could sign a management contract with the company, they still received more than 3,000 auditions in a short period of time. resume.
After preliminary screening, the team selected about 300 people to audition.
Expect to be busy with this for at least the next two weeks.
As for the other projects "The Day the Pig Fell into the Well" and "Kidnapping the Doorstep Dog", they are also in preparation. However, due to the subject matter, no one pays much attention to these two projects with not much commercial potential.
This is actually affected by the success of two consecutive horror films in Hollywood. "The Conjuring" and "The Conjuring 3" have also been released in South Korea. Judging from the current box office trends, although they are not among the top ten or top 20 of South Korea's annual box office But it's more than enough. Therefore, not only Showbox, but many companies in the Korean film industry are also looking for horror film projects recently.
Who doesn't like to use small things to make big things happen
It is almost conceivable that the Korean film market next year will be full of demons and demons.
However, compared with the large number of low-quality horror films that many small studios plan to invest hundreds of millions or even tens of millions of won, "Rose Flower", which is planned to be the main feature of Showbox next year, is not trivial at all.
It is only a preliminary plan. The budget of "Rose Flower" will reach 3 billion won. According to the exchange rate that is generally predicted to be stable at around 1,500 won against the U.S. dollar, it is equivalent to 2 million U.S. dollars. This is certainly true in Hollywood. It’s a small project, but in Korea, it’s already a big production.
Especially for the horror film genre, the budget of 3 billion won is not unprecedented, but certainly unprecedented.
Because this story is worth the investment.
By analogy, "Rose and Red Lotus" is to South Korea what "A Chinese Ghost Story" is to China.
This Korean classic ghost story roughly tells the story of a pair of sisters who were mistreated by their stepmother and threw themselves into a lake to death and turned into ghosts. With the help of an official, they not only redressed their injustice and severely punished their stepmother, but also resurrected and lived a happy life.
As early as 1924, "Rose Flowers and Red Lotus" was put on the big screen by Koreans. It was remade many times for more than half a century. It can be said to be a well-known horror IP in South Korea. In addition, the latest story of "Rose Flowers and Red Lotus" has been set in modern times and has been adapted very wonderfully.
This is also the basis for Showbox to receive 3 billion won in investment.
In comparison, the other three projects, "The Ghost Story of a Soprano," "The Day a Pig Fell into a Well," and "Kidnapping a Dog from the Doorway," all have budgets of less than 1 billion won. The lowest budget, "The Day a Pig Fell into a Well," plans to invest only 1 billion won. 600 million won.
With an investment of 3 billion won, according to the current ticket price in South Korea, not counting the investment in promotion and distribution, 1.7 million moviegoers will be needed to recover the production cost.
Calculated according to 1996 data standards, it is equivalent to the third place in South Korea's box office list for the whole year. This is obviously not an easy task, so we can only look forward to some more gains overseas. Overseas channels are a major advantage of Showbox, which is backed by the Westeros system.
When the meeting ended, it was past nine o'clock.
Auditions on the third floor have already begun.
Cheng Taixi did not go to the audition site immediately. He first came to his office on the fifth floor for another meeting.
Entering his office on the fifth floor, Cui Zaixian's wife Yu Meihe immediately greeted him, indicating that the guests had arrived.
Chen Qing can help Kwon Jung-jeong's wife Yuan Shin-hye arrange work, but others do not have this kind of treatment. Showbox happens to be short of people. Choi Jae-hyun, who was also shocked by unemployment after Kia's bankruptcy, asked Kwon Jung-jeong and Sung Tae-hee to treat their wives who used to be full-time housewives. Placement into the company. After sharing weal and woe, Cheng Taixi accepted the other party as his assistant.
Yu Meihe was once a college classmate of Yuan Xinhui. Even if she has been a housewife for many years, she can still be qualified for such a job with a little practice.
The key is reliability.
Moreover, Sung Tae Hee did not rely entirely on favors. In addition to Woo Mi Ha, he also hired two other college students who just graduated this year, 23-year-old Lim Gyu Ri from Seoul National University and Gong Ji Yeon, who graduated from Dankook University's film and television content major. Own secretarial team.
After greeting Yu Meihe, Cheng Taixi nodded to his two assistants and opened the door to enter his office.
A woman who was sitting on the sofa in the reception area immediately stood up when she saw Cheng Taixi coming in.
Another greeting.
The woman's name is Lee Mi-sook. She is 37 years old. She was one of the famous Korean actresses in the 1980s. She retired after getting married. She divorced her husband a few years ago and began to seek a comeback, but unfortunately it never went smoothly. It was not until South Korea implemented a film quota system last year that the production of domestic films increased significantly, and Lee Mi-sook began to get some acting opportunities.
Today is the third meeting between Lee Mi Sook and Sung Tae Hee. They mainly discussed participating in "Rose Flowers and Red Lotus" and joining Showbox.
Although she is 37 years old, Lee Mi-sook takes care of herself as well as Sung Tae-hee, and some people believe her even when she says she is 30 years old.
In previous auditions, for the role of stepmother in "Rose Flowers and Red Lotus", Showbox's Kwon Jung-jeong, Sung Tae-hee, and the film's director and screenwriter, Kim Ji-woon, all felt that Lee Mi-sook was very suitable for the role in the film, both in terms of appearance, temperament and acting skills. Stepmother role.
Even if the role of stepmother is not serious, Lee Mi-sook, who is well aware of the popularity of the story "Rose Flowers and Red Lotus" in South Korea, also understands that this role is crucial to her ability to regain a foothold in the Korean film industry.
The main disagreement between the two parties is the brokerage contract.
Just as JY Entertainment's artist management department is headed by Sung Tae Hee's sister-in-law Han Yunxiu, at Showbox, Chen Qing has also assigned Sung Tae Hee to take care of the artist department personally.
There was an audition going on downstairs. Sung Tae Hee did not exchange too many greetings with the other party. After Lin Gyu Li gave her a cup of coffee and left, he asked Li Mei Sook: "Senior, have you thought about it?"
Li Meishu did not answer, but asked: "Ms. Taixi, I heard that you were working at the Daenerys Entertainment Korea headquarters in Hannam-dong some time ago. Why did you suddenly move here again?"
"Because she established her own company," Cheng Taixi said straightforwardly, but he also understood what the other party was concerned about, and added: "Daenerys will also participate in investment in our project and will also assist in overseas distribution."
Li Meishu was indeed concerned about Daenerys Entertainment, the hidden backer behind Cheng Taixi. After hearing what she said, although it was impossible to prove the authenticity of Daenerys' participation in the investment for the moment, it was impossible to dig deeper and she nodded. , turning to the topic: "Ms. Taixi, you know my age. A 7-year contract is too long. I don't know if my career can last for another 7 years. I prefer to only sign for 3 years. Is that okay?" "
Cheng Taixi also knew that what the other party said was the truth, but he shook his head: "Senior, our company will have good development in the future. Every actor currently signed is expected to receive sufficient resources, just like this time in "Rose" "Hua Honglian". With a 7-year contract, we have considered your specific situation. Newcomers are all 10 years. Moreover, if you want to take a break during the agreement period, or even stop acting, we will not force you to perform. Showbox just hopes Making sure that the actors we develop don’t move to competitors.”
"Or, five years," Li Meishu still bargained: "I can guarantee that when the five years are up, as long as I continue my career, I will give priority to renewing my contract with your company."
Cheng Taixi shook his head: "Senior, it seems you haven't thought it through. In this case, please go back. I still have a lot of work to do."
Cheng Taixi said and was about to stand up. Li Meishu hurriedly raised her hand to make a blocking gesture. She knew that this 'please come back' would have no follow-up, including the role of "Rose Flowers and Red Lotus": "Miss Taixi, okay , I am willing to sign for 7 years, but is the 30% commission too high? If you have worked on Daenerys, you should know that Hollywood only takes 10% of the actors' remuneration."
The two parties met three times in total. The first time was an audition and an invitation was issued. The second time was a preliminary discussion about joining, and Li Meishu also took away a draft agreement. This time, the other party is still bargaining. Sung Tae Hee really has no intention of quarreling with the other party. There are many actresses of Lee Mi Sook's age in South Korea who have been waiting for opportunities all year round. She is willing to spend more time because the other party is suitable.
[Collect free good books] Follow vx [Book Friends Base Camp] to recommend your favorite novels and receive cash red envelopes!
Cheng Taixi finally said: "Senior, in the 7-year agreement, 30% commission cannot be changed. Regarding the commission, as a senior, you can only get 70%. In addition, in the draft agreement you took away before, we have I have promised that I will have the opportunity to participate in a film and television drama at least once a year. This is a guarantee. Regarding the priority for future contract renewal, this is also in the agreement. Maybe you didn’t see it. What I mean is that if you are willing to sign the contract, I We can immediately ask the legal team to come over and discuss a formal agreement with you, including the actor contract for "Rose Flower and Red Lotus". If you still want to bargain, then please go back."
When Cheng Taixi mentioned this, she knew very well that if she missed this village, she would not have this store. Even if she was still reluctant, she could only nod.
She also knows how many older actresses like her are waiting for such an opportunity in the industry.
However, after nodding, he still struggled for a moment: "Miss Taixi, regarding at least one opportunity every year, I think that even if it cannot be the protagonist, it should at least be a key supporting role, isn't it?"
The relevant agreement is too general.
If in the future Showbox randomly uses any character as small as possible to fool her, and it counts as an opportunity, there is no room for reasoning.
Cheng Taixi shook his head: "Senior, I understand what you are worried about, but as long as we cooperate well, Showbox will not deal with you with an insignificant role."
Li Meishu smiled bitterly in her heart.
The subtext of these words is that if she is unhappy, she will be hidden in disguise.
She has to admit that if she were sitting in Cheng Taixi's position, she would indeed do the same thing, because now she has no bargaining chips at all.
"Last question, Miss Taixi," Li Meishu gave up her struggle and continued: "After I join, who will be my agent?"
Cheng Taixi said: "I will take charge personally for the time being."
Li Meishu suddenly felt worried again.
Even though it looks very lively here, it's obviously a grassroots team.
Li Meishu also discovered that chaebols such as Hyundai and Samsung have recently established entertainment companies with great fanfare and started recruiting people. She has also contacted them, but unfortunately there are no suitable opportunities for her there. Otherwise, signing under those big chaebols will definitely be better than here. The grass-roots team is more secure.
However, after all, I still missed this village without this store.
After all, this is the well-known "Rose Flower", and she has also read the script. It is very good, and to a certain extent, it has the feeling of "The Sixth Sense", which was a hit in Hollywood back then. Cheng Taixi once worked at Daenerys's Korean headquarters. She also confirmed 100% that this connection was definitely not fake, and finally nodded again.