"'the dark side' is positioned as a suspense thriller, telling the story of a female protagonist who pretends to be missing to test her boyfriend, but ultimately loses him..."
Wu Chen spoke eloquently, standing between the two.
Zhang Zemin flipped through the script, then lost interest in it, but was very interested in Wu Chen's narration.
A script is not written for the general public; ordinary people would probably be confused reading one.
"Suspense films are good, I love watching suspense. I still occasionally take out those old Hong Kong suspense films to re-watch..."
Zhang Zemin chuckled and interjected while Wu Chen was drinking water.
Mu Deyuan also nodded in satisfaction. He couldn't find any fault with Wu Chen's narration just now, but the real Key Points had to be the next topic.
"By the way, Uncle Zhang, have you seen Feng Xiaogang's 'Endless'?" Wu Chen finished his water and suddenly changed the subject.
"Feng Xiaogang's? No, I haven't!" Zhang Zemin shook his head. "I don't like his movies; some of his jokes I just don't get..."
"To be honest, me too, but now that I'm studying this major, I have to take them out and study them," Wu Chen said with a smile. "However, his movies did contribute a lot of value to businesses."
"Oh?" Zhang Zemin was a little curious.
"There's a scene in the movie where Ge You, playing a driver, has a close-up shot holding a Bank of China Great Wall Card, which was, of course, China's first credit card.
But because of that shot, in 1999, credit card issuance surged by 217% year-on-year, breaking 800,000 cards, and the monthly printing volume for 'Ge You's credit card' application forms reached as high as 500,000!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Zemin's voice rose by three points, "That exaggerated?"
"More than that! Wu Qianlian held Wahaha purified water throughout, with the bottle's logo adjusted 37 times to face the camera. This directly led to Wahaha's Q4 sales increasing twofold quarter-on-quarter, and its market share in North China soaring from 11% to 39%..."
Wu Chen casually recounted cases of movie marketing.
"That's a pity then. I don't have my own brand yet; if the samples had a brand on them, customers wouldn't buy them," Zhang Zemin said with some regret.
Zhang Zemin was very regretful, but Wu Chen wasn't at all.
Having a trademark would be useless!
What he wanted was no trademark.
He had already planned it out. After all, his movie still had to be submitted for film festival competitions. If it had trademarks, it would be too commercial and would also make it difficult for viewers to immerse themselves.
"Uncle Zhang, it is indeed a shame not to have a trademark, but in the script, the female protagonist is a women's shoe designer, and most of the movie takes place in a villa.
The shoes of the two female protagonists, the sample drafts of the shoes—these are all selling points for customers..."
Wu Chen stood next to Zhang Zemin, describing, "Uncle Zhang, think about it. Once this movie is made and released, I'll cut a suitable segment for you. You can just play this scene on a DVD loop at your stall. Even just for this point, isn't it more impressive than others?
People are judged by their clothes, and horses by their saddles; shoes are the same. Having been in a movie and not having been in a movie are two different things.
The former is art, the latter is a commodity, just like the difference between advertising on CCTV and distributing flyers on the street!"
With Wu Chen's words, Zhang Zemin, who already had such an idea, became even more moved, subtly rubbing his thumb and forefinger together.
Seeing this, Wu Chen directly intensified the persuasion, "Uncle Zhang, I remember your shoes are mainly sold to Hong Kong after being private-labeled, and for overseas..."
"Russia and Italy!" Zhang Zemin replied casually.
"That's right, Hong Kong and Italy, they fall for this kind of thing!" Wu Chen said decisively.
"The film atmosphere in Hong Kong is so strong, and Florence in Italy is also a world art capital. With the boost from our movie, these shoes naturally have more artistic flair than shoes from other stalls.
Uncle Zhang, if you were a customer from Hong Kong or Italy, walking into these stalls, whose women's shoes would you be willing to put your brand label on?
Moreover, my two female protagonists, putting aside everything else, are definitely young and beautiful. When they wear these women's shoes, it's a hundred percent bonus.
When the movie comes out, Uncle Zhang, your stall's sales will multiply several times. Then you can register a brand...
Then follow this routine: first highlight product features, emphasize user experience, then find target audiences, and finally find celebrity endorsements. With this series of moves, it'll be hard not to get rich!
Of course, my approach is just a shallow opinion, Uncle Zhang. You've been fighting in the business world for many years; these small tricks probably don't impress you. When you have time, I'd still like to ask for your guidance!"
Wu Chen's speech not only painted a good picture but also provided Zhang Zemin with ample emotional value.
Always remember one thing: humans are emotional creatures.
Although the words might sound fake, they are undeniably effective.
Pleasant words and humble expressions in communication might not change the final outcome, but they will affect the process and details.
Wu Chen's promotional idea would be very low-end in later generations, but today, it is extremely effective, it just depends on whether Zhang Zemin can grasp it in advance.
......
No, I told you to perform well, but here you are giving a speech, painting a picture, and even providing emotional support?
At this moment, Mu Deyuan looked at Wu Chen with considerable surprise. He hadn't expected his student's 'bluffing' skills to be so profound.
He had originally thought he would have to step in, but Wu Chen had already finished the job.
However, on second thought, what Wu Chen said did seem to be the case, and the success rate was not low.
Zhang Zemin felt extremely pleased, but having been in the business world for many years, his mind was already calculating the blueprint Wu Chen described.
Although he didn't understand movies, he knew that everything depends on people.
People come first.
And Wu Chen had left him with an excellent impression.
He had a good background; although young and sharp, he was humble and steady, spoke maturely, and had high emotional intelligence.
There was some feasibility.
Zhang Zemin's eyes flickered. As long as there was a chance of winning, it was a matter of whether to gamble or not.
Mu Deyuan could tell that Zhang Zemin had basically made up his mind, and suddenly said, "Actually, Zhang Xiao and I are quite optimistic about Wu Chen's script, and the school's support fund is also willing to invest fully.
The script is a good script; having made movies for so many years, I can see that clearly.
But young people, you know, are full of youthful vigor and insist on achieving something to prove themselves..." Mu Deyuan smiled and shook his head.
These words seemed to be 'demeaning' but were actually complimentary, and subtly expressed the scarcity of resources.
"Wu Chen, he's just like his father. His father and I met very early on. At that time, I was just starting to make women's shoes, and his father came to the shoe city's stalls, perhaps to 'scout' the competition;
Back then, women's shoes were easy to make; it was a smooth-sailing market, but his father insisted on making men's shoes, saying he wanted to carve out his own path..."
Zhang Zemin chuckled as he spoke of past events, and their relationship seemed to have grown closer by three points.