In February 1988, Chen Naixu, Ouyang Fenqiang, Yuan Mei and others took the art exam to prepare for college entrance examination.
According to them, their test scores were pretty good and their rankings were quite high.
…
In April 1988, after half a year of preparation, the filming of "Red Sorghum" finally began.
Before filming started, Zhang Yimou specially invited dozens of farmers to plant more than 200 acres of sorghum on the Loess Plateau.
However, because farmers cannot afford fertilizer and there is insufficient water, the sorghum seedlings are short and thin. Zhang Yimou asked Xiang Nan to bring two trucks of nitrogen fertilizer and put them into the sorghum fields.
Fire trucks were specially invited and flooded with water, so that the sorghum could grow thick and strong, meeting the requirements of filming.
In addition, before filming started, Shi Ke was arranged by Zhang Yimou to experience life in rural areas of northern Shaanxi so that she could become more like a villager. This caused Shi Ke to suffer a lot, and he wrote many times to complain to Gong Li, Jin Lili, and Wu Yujuan.
He said that he might as well not be selected. In that case, he wouldn't have to suffer such foreign crimes.
But in Gong Li's view, she was clearly showing off.
"If she really doesn't want to do it, she can just run back to Beijing. Does Zhang Yimou still dare to kidnap someone?" she said to Xiang Nan.
"Okay, don't be jealous of her. You have me here, and I won't let you suffer." Xiang Nan comforted her with a smile.
Gong Li nodded after hearing this.
The national hit of "Desire" has made Xiang Nan almost the most popular screenwriter in the film and television industry. He said that if he can be popular, he will be popular, and she firmly believes this.
…
However, Xiang Nan said so, but it was not that easy to fulfill his promise.
The reason is that in the 1980s, the film industry was still firmly controlled by state-owned film studios. Private individuals were not allowed to make films at all, and even if they were made, they would not be released.
Because nowadays movies are purchased and sold under a unified system, and the state is responsible for purchasing and distribution. Therefore, there is no way for privately filmed movies to be released.
If Xiang Nan wants to support Gong Li, he can only arrange for her to play the heroine through connections. Of course it's not as satisfying as investing in a movie yourself.
Moreover, among current directors, there are very few who are as capable as Zhang Yimou. Xiang Nan also doesn't want to throw away good scripts and good actors casually.
In this way, not only is his script wasted, but Gong Li is also delayed. So Xiang Nan is also worried about how to make her famous.
Fortunately, Gong Li still has one year to graduate from college. Moreover, she was very confident in herself and did not press her with questions every now and then, so overall, Xiang Nan's life was relatively carefree.
…
In the same month, the filming of "Prime Minister Liu Luoguo" officially started, starring Li Baotian, Zhang Guoli, Wang Gang and Deng Jie.
Li Baotian debuted in the 1980s and won the Golden Rooster Award for Best Supporting Actor; Zhang Guoli was originally an actor at the Tianfu Repertory Theater. He came to Beijing in 1987 to develop, and starred with Ge You and Liang Tian in the film "The Stubborn Master" adapted by Wang Xi; Wang Gang Originally hosted by an announcer, the show "Harbin at Night" became a hit. In the mid-1980s, he started hosting the Spring Festival Gala again...
These leading actors were also recommended by Xiang Nan. Unlike Zhang Yimou's rejection, the Television Arts Center valued Xiang Nan's opinions. After research, it was decided to adopt his opinions, and the starring lineup was officially finalized.
In addition, Deng Jie, recommended by Xiang Nan, plays the heroine Xia Gege, Guo Xiaozhen plays Deng Jie's maid Yancui, Hou Changrong plays Liu Yong's friend Li Jing, and Gao Hongliang plays Hu Sheng, the eunuch beside Qianlong. As for the other important supporting actress Yin Hong, Shen Lin plays the role.
It can be considered that everyone has their own duties, which is a good thing for them.
…
In July 1988, the college entrance examination officially began.
Xiang Nan didn't pay too much attention and just wished Yuan Mei, Chen Naixu, and Ouyang Fenqiang good grades in the exams.
Because he is also busy with his own things.
In July, Xiang Nan released "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban", which became a hit again.
Today, the "Harry Potter" series has become a well-known IP in the European and American fantasy field. In terms of popularity, it is even better than "The Lord of the Rings", "Legends of Earthsea" and "The Chronicles of Narnia".
After all, these three books were all written decades ago, so they are difficult for young readers to read. In comparison, the "Harry Potter" series is much easier to understand, so it is more popular.
Seeing that it is so popular, other companies are trying to find ways to capitalize on the popularity.
For example, some game companies hope to adapt it into a video game, some card companies hope to produce tabletop games, some comic companies hope to turn it into comics, and some animation companies hope to turn it into animation...
What excites Xiang Nan the most is that the six major Hollywood film companies have also extended an olive branch to Xiang Nan, hoping to turn "Harry Potter" into a movie.
However, the price they offered was not very good. Because in the 1980s, life for major Hollywood film companies was not very good.
For example, Columbia was on the verge of bankruptcy and was acquired by Sony; Universal Pictures was also acquired by Panasonic in 1990; Fox Pictures was acquired by News Corporation in 1985; Paramount was acquired in 1993 Acquired by Viacom in year...
So don’t look at the big six names in Hollywood, but in fact, most of them are now embroidered pillows. The cash that can be taken out is not even as good as Xiang Nanduo.
Therefore, Xiang Nan was not in a hurry to give them the film and television adaptation rights. Without decent special effects, the fantasy and magnificent magical world of "Harry Potter" would not be possible. A shoddy movie will do more damage to the value of the "Harry Potter" IP.
Therefore, after Xiang Nan considered it, he was still prepared to wait a few more years.
However, he agreed to all the requests from game companies, comic companies, and animation companies, and not only received huge licensing fees of millions. And you can also get a certain share in the future. It can be said to be very good.
And this is also thanks to Guan Xiaoguan.
It was because she returned to the United States, helped Xiang Nan find a brokerage company, and negotiated for him that she achieved such a good result. Otherwise, if you just rely on Xiang Nan, even if you can get the money, you will waste a lot of energy.
It is worth mentioning that Xiang Nan’s agency is the famous CAA.
CAA was founded in 1975 by five unlucky guys who were fired from the William Morris agency. At the beginning, the start-up capital was less than 10,000 yuan, and the only valuable thing was a second-hand car.
And they started by representing writers' copyrights. Because there were a lot of depressed writers on the West Coast of the United States at that time. No one read their works, and their scripts couldn't be sold. Naturally, no agency was willing to deal with them.
So CAA saw the business opportunities and signed all these writers, and took the opportunity to control the film and television adaptation rights of their works.
Then they use their professional vision to select suitable works and recommend them to major film and television companies. He also took the opportunity to recommend his own artists to participate in the show.
As a result, CAA's business slowly expanded and eventually became the most influential agency in Hollywood.
They also took a fancy to Xiang Nan's influence, so they signed him under their wing.
