MWC – Chapter 99 Nadu Films (Part 1)

I AM DROPPING THIS NOVEL. IF ANYONE WANTS TO CONTINUE THEY CAN. IF POSSIBLE PLEASE SHARE THE LINK SO I CAN BINGE READ TOO.

He hadn’t slept all night, and yesterday had been exhausting, but Lu Ming still felt quite energetic.

Perhaps it was a kind of adrenaline fueled by anger, or maybe his physical condition had indeed significantly improved.

Nadu Film Industry was located in a satellite town in the southern part of the East Sea, quite far from Beiguan.

Nadu Film Industry had once been incredibly prosperous, to the point where the town council unanimously decided to rename the town Nadu.

Currently, Nadu Film Industry was rather dilapidated, and all the equipment had once been packed up and shipped away, only to be returned recently.

Moreover, out of the original three filming sites, the two best ones had been sold off, leaving only a simple venue within the company, with a small dirt hill where backgrounds were created using curtains.

Lu Ming felt that it was similar to the most rudimentary martial arts films from his previous life, where the fake mountains moved noticeably when someone leaned on them.

The three-story office building had many people today, including staff, contracted directors, actors, and more.

Nowadays, the empire’s film companies followed this model, with directors and actors contracted to specific companies, either on long-term or short-term contracts.

Today, with the arrival of the two new bosses, the nervous employees had been queuing up since early morning.

However, the company’s most famous director, Nelson, and his team did not show up. Nelson’s contract would expire in a few months.

The five most famous signed stars were also absent. Among them, the biggest name was Luna, who was made famous by Nadu. Rumors had it that Luna was preparing to switch to another film company, especially since Nadu hadn’t given her any new roles for a long time. According to the original contract, she had the right to terminate the contract herself with a relatively low penalty fee.

…

In the office, Lu Ming and Wei Baozeng listened to the general manager, Peeldon, as he introduced the company’s situation.

Peeldon was an elderly man in his fifties who had been working at Nadu since his teens, and it was clear he had deep feelings for the company.

At his age, finding another job would be difficult, especially with his current debt pressure due to past failed investments, making it even more crucial to keep this job.

On the way there, Wei Baozeng had briefed Lu Ming about the situation of the retained and newly appointed executives.

Throughout the journey, Lu Ming had been reviewing the profiles of these employees and contracted artists.

In the office, sitting with them was the newly appointed CFO, Gao Yi, whom Wei Baozeng had appointed after taking over Nadu.

Also present were the managers of the copyright department, distribution department, public relations department, and other divisions.

Though the names were slightly different, Lu Ming understood their functions.

The company’s former legal advisor, exhausted, had not renewed their contract upon expiration.

Wei Baozeng had already handed the company’s legal affairs to the Wang-Lu Law Firm without prior notice to Lu Ming.

Currently sitting in the legal advisor’s position was Charlie Tang. Considering Nadu Film Industry was a big company, aside from Lu Ming, Charlie Tang was the most capable lawyer from Wang-Lu Law Firm.

Charlie Tang felt somewhat nervous sitting there, knowing that without Lu Ming’s connection, he wouldn’t have been qualified for such a prestigious position in a big company like Nadu, even if it was now in decline.

Now, he felt even more grateful for his wise decision to switch to his current firm.

“I’ll go meet the directors,” Lu Ming said, standing up, tired of listening to the managers’ various reports, which were basically filled with problems.

Wei Baozeng nodded, “Alright!” and glanced at Peeldon.

“I already understand the company’s situation. I’ll accompany Chairman Lu!” Peeldon stood up as well.

Pu Xiuna, who had been standing behind Lu Ming all this time, followed closely.

The boss had told her there might be some danger recently, so she was temporarily relieved from her duties as a driver, replaced by Datou. But she didn’t know why she was brought to Nadu Film Industry today.

Everything here was new and intriguing to her.

…

There were still five directors and assistant directors under contract.

However, there was only one main director, with the rest being assistants or directors specializing in small projects.

Moreover, this main director was a woman named Lin Jingyin, a very knowledgeable and elegant lady specializing in romance dramas. Her breakout work, “Swan Lake,” had a great reputation despite not being a big hit. However, she seemed to have lost her direction afterward, with her films being more artistic but less commercially successful.

Lu Ming briefly chatted with her but didn’t say much.

He also had short conversations with the other assistant and specialized directors.

Peeldon sighed internally, clearly sensing that the new boss was not satisfied with the director team.

The problem was that good directors were rare, and none of the top ones were with Nadu.

“Bill? I heard you were also a director once? Your results may not have been great, but I watched some of your films recently and found them to have good imagination and clever scene setups.”

That was back in the silent film era.

Peeldon felt a bit embarrassed, “Really?” He never thought his films were anything special, only seeing them as awkward.

Lu Ming laughed, “What’s missing is the sound. The silent film era didn’t suit you. But with narration, dialogue, and specific music to enhance the atmosphere instead of just background music, it’s a different story.”

He sighed, “I originally prepared twelve scripts for the company to film from this autumn to next autumn, one per month.”

“But now, Director Lin will start with a male version of Cinderella. She will certainly capture the subtleties well. The Cinderella story’s simplicity appeals to all audiences, so she doesn’t need to make it overly simple. She can make it elegant and artistic, turning a common story into something sophisticated, giving the audience a delightful experience in beautiful scenes.”

While speaking, Lu Ming thought of “Roman Holiday,” but since a direct copy wouldn’t fit his fast, small-budget concept, it needed some adaptation.

Peeldon had no idea what the new boss was talking about or what Cinderella meant, so he could only smile awkwardly.

As for the new boss talking about shooting twelve movies in a row, he was worried they might have encountered a fraud.

Lu Ming pondered and said, “Including Director Lin’s project, that means we’ll be filming thirteen movies. As for the series of twelve…” He glanced at Peeldon. “Bill, how about you give it a try?”

Peeldon was startled and immediately shook his head. After all, he had left the director’s seat for twenty years and was out of touch.

Lu Ming smiled, “Alright, at least look at my concept for the first movie, the entire story, and some thoughts on how to set up certain scenes.”

He pointed to a booklet in Pu Xiuna’s hand, which she quickly handed over. The boss had instructed her to bring it, and she hadn’t dared to look at it. She didn’t expect it to be the script or something the boss had prepared.

Lu Ming handed the booklet to Peeldon, smiling, “This, whether it works or not, you have to keep it secret and not tell others.”

“I’m thinking that our surrealist films are mostly about gods and monsters. This ties to the difficulties faced in exploration in our world. Early humans were puzzled by unexplored areas, believing them to be divine gates to hell, with no return. Now we know it’s due to harsh environments and electromagnetic storms. However, our traditional culture still has a strong influence of supernatural beliefs.”

“This is also reflected in films, where most surrealist films are about gods and monsters.”