Chapter 375 If no one knows I opened it, then it doesn’t count
“The script has been completed. Mr. Cao, please take a look at it first.”

When Cao Bentao heard Xu Kong say this, of course he wouldn’t be polite.

Or maybe this is what he was waiting for.

Although this was the first time Fengxiang Pictures was collaborating with both Xu Kong and Feng Ge.

But Cao Bentao is definitely familiar with Xu Kong’s works.

After all, he had read almost all of Xu Kong’s works more than once.

For example, for the previous movie “Sweet Honey”, not only did he go to the cinema to watch it twice himself, he also bought tickets for his company’s employees and asked them to go and watch it.

……

That’s not to mention another thing.

That is, when Cao Bentao was young, and even now, he still has that kind of literary youth character.

Although it’s not obvious now.

But when he was young, Cao Bentao invested in many art films that were not well received.

Even when Fengxiang Pictures was first established, the first film it shot was an art film.

Unfortunately, the public is more familiar with those commercial works during the heyday of Hong Kong films that set various box office records.

After all, starting a company is not charity, and he is not a rich second-generation. Even now, making money is still the first factor.

But in terms of vision, the fact that Cao Bentao has so many former Hong Kong superstars and movie actresses under his management is proof enough.

He does appreciate Xu Kong’s works.

That’s why when the two of them didn’t know each other very well at that time, he asked Shi Rui and Ji Banghe to help introduce him to Xu Kong, because he wanted to get to know Xu Kong.

And there was almost no hesitation before finalizing the cooperation.

It doesn’t matter whether Xu Kong has time or not. We have already identified this person. As long as he opens his mouth, all the resources of Fengxiang Pictures can be used.

Moreover, it is definitely a movie with a big investment, which makes Xu Kong’s transition from TV drama director to film director smoother and without obstacles.

Of course, now there is actually no need to say any of this.

The drama “Sweet Honey” is enough for Xu Kong to get rid of the label of being just a TV drama director.

The box office and word of mouth are both good, and now that Xu Kong has become one of Fengge’s bosses, it is impossible for him to lack so-called investment.

……

Fortunately, although they had known each other for a short time, Cao Bentao still guessed some of them correctly.

That is, no matter what kind of personality Xu Kong has, he is most likely the loyal type.

Because of all the preparations made before, Xu Kong still accepted the previous cooperation invitation.

“Infernal Affairs?”

When Cao Bentao saw the name, he was stunned for a moment.

Mainly because I didn’t understand it the first time.

“Well, the name is taken from a hell in Buddhism, but it’s not the supernatural or horror type book you think Mr. Cao is talking about.”

“I think it’s a relatively orthodox police and gangster film with Hong Kong as the background, and it’s a bit different.”

Xu Kong opened his mouth to explain.

In fact, the script was in the other party’s hands, and Xu Kong just wanted to find something to say.

……

“A police movie?”

Cao Bentao was stunned for a moment.

The requirements he put forward at the beginning, in addition to the normal need to use some actors and crew members from Hong Kong.

In fact, on the other hand, we need to try our best to maintain the style of Hong Kong films and use Hong Kong as the background of the story.

Strictly speaking, Cao Bentao does have some of his own feelings about this.

But if Xu Kong really felt embarrassed, he could give in.

After all, even he had to admit that the once glorious Hong Kong film style was no longer popular.

Clues can be seen from the sluggish film market in Hong Kong in recent years and the frequent record lows in the box office of Hong Kong films in the mainland.

What he didn’t expect was that Xu Kong actually met his requirements.

Moreover, it is a type of police and gangster film which is almost a classic among Hong Kong films.

……

When Cao Bentao heard Xu Kong’s words, he was not happy at first.

Although the other party came exactly according to his request.

However, many police and gangster films released in recent years are still the old Hong Kong-style police and gangster films, including those invested by Fengxiang Pictures itself, and almost few of them can make a profit.

This naturally made Cao Bentao start to worry.

Of course, he hoped that Xu Kong could meet his conditions.

But apart from these, compared to these, the quality of the film itself, its reputation, and box office are what he cares more about.

Yes, there is also word of mouth. There are so many types of police and gangster films in Hong Kong.

To be honest, all kinds of stories are written to the point that not only the audience but even the screenwriters are a little tired of them.

There is almost no such thing as innovation.

So after hearing Xu Kong say it was a police and gangster film, all kinds of scenes such as gun fights and hardcore action scenes probably emerged in his mind.

This does not mean that he can break the stereotype just because he is optimistic about Xu Kong.

To put it simply, the police and gangster film genre in Hong Kong has been raking in box office revenue from various film and television companies in that golden age for many years to come.

Companies that continue down this path in the future must be prepared for a high probability of losing money.

……

However, based on his trust in Xu Kong, Cao Bentao did not express his opinion first, but silently read the script in his hand.

As for Xu Kong, he was not worried.

Nonsense, he even took out “Infernal Affairs”. He is definitely worthy of Cao Bentao’s previous care and attention to him, right?

The main reason is that in Xu Kong’s plan, it is actually unlikely that he will shoot too many Hong Kong films.

Many so-called classic Hong Kong films from the previous generation may not actually achieve very ideal commercial results due to various reasons such as the era and actors.

So just do it all at once.

Pull out this godly movie.

There is no need to say much about the status of “Infernal Affairs”.

As Xu Kong’s favorite Hong Kong movie in his previous life, he has watched it countless times.

At the same time, this film seems to be a remake of the American version and also won the Best Picture award.

For example, the Korean movie “New World” was also inspired by “Infernal Affairs”.

It can be said to be a classic among classics.

Even in today’s world, he has full confidence in this film, both in terms of commercial performance and word of mouth.

Of course, more importantly, the two protagonists in the movie are also very suitable for Fengxiang Pictures’ two best actor Ji Banghe and Shi Rui.

He had already considered all the factors when he was selecting the script.

……

Looking at Cao Bentao who was already absorbed in the content, Xu Kong did not continue to disturb him.

Instead, he lay down on the bed out of boredom and started replying to messages.

When it comes to work, Xu Kong either asks Guo Zihao to handle it or asks Zhu Yu to be in charge.

In fact, as Fengge’s current vice president, he is essentially a hands-off boss.

Of course, no one would say anything, after all, he had more important work to do.

Xu Kong had already planned some of Fengge’s subsequent developments and plans. If he were to take care of everything, he would probably be exhausted to death.

But even if there is no work to disturb him, he is still very busy at this time. The main reason is that many people do care about him when he comes to Hong Kong City this time.

Youyou even wanted to come and join him in person.

But Xu Kong refused.

……

Apart from that, I will probably only stay for a little over a week this time to finalize some details of the cooperation with Fengxiang Pictures.

But the gifts that should be bought definitely need to be bought.

This is also quite vexing.

There are too many people, Youyou, Su Zhi, Sister Yu, Shang Green Tea, and Mr. Yu. We definitely cannot favor one over another, and everyone must have a share.

In addition, what made Xu Kong a little hesitant was that Su Yuwei also knew about his coming to Hongcheng.

If I don’t buy it, there’s really something wrong with me as a boss.

After all, he dug it out himself.

But if I buy it, it will be troublesome if Su Yuwei has more associations.

In the end, Xu Kong bought it, along with a pair of singers signed by Fengqing Entertainment.

Send one copy uniformly.

Fortunately, although he went out alone today, he brought Guo Zihao, his assistant and several assistant directors of the crew with him, so he didn’t have to worry about it being difficult to get it when the time comes.

I’ve picked out most of the things today, so I can just ask Guo Zihao to buy them tomorrow.

Although Haozi is not very good at business negotiations and some related aspects, he is still quite reliable in doing this kind of work.

……

Just as Xu Kong was thinking about this, Cao Bentao had already finished reading the script.

He felt that he had looked carefully enough, but he was more shocked the more he looked, and he still felt that he had missed a lot of details.

The key point is that Xu Kong’s script is too detailed.

Even the storyboards for some key plot parts and the story descriptions of the environment and background were taken into consideration.

Generally speaking, for a director who writes his own script, it is impossible to write the script like this.

This is even more true for Xu Kong. Cao Bentao doesn’t think that Xu Kong himself can remember the details and ideas that emerged in his mind for the script he wrote.

The only explanation is that he did not read the script himself.

Instead, it is a special version for him, the actors who will appear in the film, and some of the staff who have worked on the crew.

When shooting, everyone can understand his ideas at the first time and improve efficiency.

……

“Mr. Cao, what do you think?”

After hearing Xu Kong speak, Cao Bentao hesitated for several seconds before speaking:
“Eye-opener!”

If we talk about the person who understands Hong Kong films best, Cao Bentao may not be the first one, but he is definitely one of the best.

After all, the other party founded Fengxiang Media, a well-known Hong Kong film and television company.

He was also a witness and participant in the entire process of Hong Kong films from its initial development to its golden age and finally to its decline.

So if some people in the film and television industry in Hong Kong heard Cao Bentao say “it’s eye-opening”, they would probably be stunned for a moment.

……

“Director Xu, I have seen many geniuses, but compared to you, they are really nothing.”

Cao Bentao was not stingy with his praise.

However, Xu Kong’s face turned red.

Although I have long been accustomed to it, I can see words like “genius” everywhere on the Internet.

But Cao Bentao was the first one to praise him like this in person.

But he soon calmed down.

There’s nothing I can do. If no one knows I opened it, then it doesn’t count.

Xu Kong coughed twice, then said:
“Mr. Cao, I personally prefer Mr. Shi Rui and Mr. Ji Banghe to play the two protagonists in this movie…”

……

Cao Bentao nodded as a matter of course.

“Of course, the moment I read the script, I guessed your idea.”

“You don’t even have to ask specifically. I’ve agreed to take the call on their behalf in advance.”

“And I think after they read the script, they probably won’t be able to refuse it.”

In fact, what Xu Kong had been considering before was that the two male protagonists in this drama, although their characters were not young, were not that old either.

Fortunately, Ji Banghe and Shi Rui, both of whom are movie stars in Hong Kong, are relatively young and well-maintained.

At the age of just over 40, he is still almost ten years younger than some of Hong Kong’s so-called superstars.

In fact, Xu Kong also thought about the idea of ​​acting in the film himself. After all, this is “Infernal Affairs”. If it comes to acting, how could he not want to act?

But there is no way, I am in my early twenties.

In the end, he had to settle for the second best and choose to play the young Liu Jianming.

Ensuring the final look and feel and rationality of the entire film is indeed Xu Kong’s top priority.

The previous film “The Bad Kids” was a similar situation.

……

Xu Kong was fine, as he had considered most things in advance.

At this time, I just came to Cao Bentao to discuss things.

But Cao Bentao is over 50 years old, and he became more and more excited the more he thought about it, including the filming of the entire drama, the casting, and the final film. In the end, he even had a sense of déjà vu.

“Boss Cao, it’s so late now. How about I go to Fengxiang Pictures in person tomorrow and we can discuss this properly?”

In the end, Xu Kong couldn’t stand it any longer.

Cao Bentao spent more than two hours just reading the script, and then he continued to discuss it tirelessly with the director and screenwriter.

Judging from his enthusiasm, he doesn’t seem like a simple film and television company boss at all.

Because the other party’s points were not about commercial topics such as how this movie will make money or how much it will earn at the box office.

Instead, they are all discussions about various plots.

How should I put it? I’m more like an avid movie lover.

……

“Ah, it’s so late?”

I looked at the time and found that it was already two o’clock in the morning.

Only then did Cao Bentao realize that he had gone too far.

To be honest, since traveling through time, Xu Kong has always tried his best to maintain a good habit of going to bed early and getting up early.

The only exceptions would be due to situations like Youyou’s sudden attack, Mr. Yu’s appointment, or his competitive spirit when facing Su Zhisheng.

This time, Cao Bentao is a special case.

The main reason was that the other party was the chairman of a large company, and he seemed so enthusiastic that Xu Kong felt it was difficult to discourage him.

But it’s not like he was exercising so he didn’t have to worry about falling asleep, so it was inevitable that Cao started yawning early on.

“See you tomorrow then.”

“By the way, can I take this script back with me…”

Cao Bentao looked as if he was still unsatisfied.

Xu Kong naturally couldn’t wait to speak:
“Of course, it was originally prepared for you, Mr. Cao.”

……

(End of this chapter)