Chapter 20

Money, money, money!

After returning home, having eaten the leftover food left by his mother, Ye Wei put his homework aside and, like Lola running, rummaged through his room nonstop.

First, he took out his bank passbook to check; there was $3,136. It was a miracle that there was still so much left.

Apart from his usual pocket money, most of his savings came from the Lunar New Year, the beloved New Year's red envelopes! From his mother's side in Los Angeles and his maternal grandparents' side in San Francisco, he received a large sum every year. If he had been saving systematically for all these years...

"Damn it, stop being such a woman and whining."

Ye Wei scolded himself, scanning the room. Although it's best to use other people's money for making movies, the situation was urgent, so he had to scrape together as much as he could.

He walked to the bookshelf, looking at the neatly arranged comic books. Many of them were rare collectibles. If he sold them, along with his other collectible toys, he could probably get three or four thousand dollars...

Sell everything? The more he thought about it, the more suffocating it felt, and his heart ached, "Oh no, am I having a heart attack..."

Despite experiencing that dream, these things still felt like a first-time experience. He, who had never worried about food or clothing and spent money recklessly, was finally being pushed to the brink by life.

The thought of these treasures leaving him, perhaps never to be seen again, made him feel, "God, I hate this feeling!"

"Please, please, be mature. You can't accomplish anything big like this. Difficult? Going to war like Grandpa was difficult! There will be many more challenges in the future."

Ye Wei's mood gradually calmed and then became resolute. To create a better future, sell, sell everything!

Back in the day, at 22, Kevin Smith sold his collection of comic books to raise a few thousand dollars, which he used to self-finance the film that made him famous, *Clerks*.

"Filmmaking first!" Ye Wei took paper and pen from his desk and began to record and estimate, including everything in the room that could be sold...

After a lot of work, the valuation result was as expected: around $40,000. Adding the savings, with good luck, he could reach $50,000.

But he was still short by $450,000. What to do?

Ye Wei sat down by the bed, deep in thought. The options were few.

Apply for funding from youth film foundations? The Los Angeles Film Commission has such a program. Forget it, dealing with these organizations requires a lot of time, preparing a lot of documents, and a long approval process, maybe one or two years, before getting a result.

Spend two years to get a "Sorry, you don't qualify... Honestly, we don't like you, we don't want to give you a penny, goodbye"? To hell with that!

Actually, the most suitable option now is crowdfunding.

Asking one person to invest $450,000 is a lot, but if 100 people or 1,000 people invest $450,000 in total, the difficulty and risk are greatly reduced.

In the dream, he learned about two classic examples of crowdfunding in his USC production course.

One is *Together* from 2001, whose $5.5 million production cost was jointly invested by over 9,000 Germans, averaging about $600 each.

Because Germany has tax incentives for investing in films, rather than paying an extra $600 in taxes, people would invest in films, so when there was an opportunity to invest in a film, they would flood in, like they were invading Poland.

The other is *Blood Simple* from 1984, the Coen brothers' debut, whose $1.5 million production cost was funded by 60 small businessmen.

This example became a classic in film financing because the money wasn't raised in places like Los Angeles or New York, but in Minneapolis.

That was the Coen brothers' hometown, a cold little place, but it made crowdfunding hot.

If you shout "I'm a filmmaker" on the streets of Los Angeles, an old man might say, "I'm Spielberg," and an old lady might say, "I'm Elizabeth Taylor"; in Minneapolis, people would look at you with curiosity and respect, "Wow, a filmmaker! What? I have the chance to invest in a film!?" Sure!

They weren't high-income professionals but small businessmen with a bit of spare cash, like a hair salon owner or a bowling alley owner, hard to find in big cities.

So after *Blood Simple*, independent filmmakers no longer just targeted the rich, but a new trend emerged to find "rural people with a passion for films."

But both types of crowdfunding take a lot of time, like the Coen brothers, who took a year and a half, which can't solve the immediate problem. Besides, he didn't even have a script, how could he gain the trust of potential investors?

"Seems... only..." Ye Wei's eyes turned, naturally targeting a group: relatives and friends.

In fact, relatives and friends are the easiest investors to rally in crowdfunding, and they are the main source of funding for film school students. As the old saying goes, "You have family, you have friends, you have money."

But his relatives had just witnessed the failure of *The Wedding Is Near*, and given his age and reputation... they wouldn't invest.

So, friends!

"Guys, it still depends on you." Ye Wei was 99.9% sure that the *Little Miss Sunshine* script was worth far more than $500,000, and the 0.1% risk was worth taking!

He picked up his phone, walked to the window, and called Lev.

"Hey, Brother Wei, going out to play? All night! I know a new coffee shop opened near UCLA, with lots of beautiful college students working there, hehe..."

"Not today. Remember when I told you guys I was planning something big this morning?" Ye Wei stood by the window, looking at the starry night sky, "There's new progress."

"Wow, what big thing?"

"I'm going to produce a movie. I've found a good script, and it costs $500,000 to buy it, but I can only come up with $50,000. I need investors. Are you in?"

"Slow down, slow down! You mean...?" Lev drew a sharp breath, lowering his voice, "You mean, a movie, like a real movie?"

"Yes! A feature film, a real movie!" Ye Wei laughed, "Bro, are you scared?"

"Scared?!" Lev screamed, "I f***ing admire you! Brother Wei, you're a genius! You're absolutely right, how can those few-minute short films show our extraordinary talent!? A feature film, only a feature film, is what we should do! We'll become big stars, baby!"

Ye Wei smiled, "Bro, this is a very serious matter, but you're right. If we succeed, we'll definitely be the coolest kids in America, the world!"

"Oh my king! We'll go to the White House, Bush the war criminal will receive us, what should I say? Hello, George-W... BULLSHIT!"

Lev was lost in a wild fantasy, "And we'll attend the Oscars, Meryl Streep will definitely be there, she gets nominated every year! I want her autograph and a photo, she was amazing in *Sophie's Choice*..."

"When the time comes, you can call her mom, but for now, listen, this is a game of money. I need to know, are you in or out? Yes or No."

"I've been waiting for an opportunity all my life... almost 16 years," Lev's tone became deep, "An opportunity to become a heartthrob! Now I have such an opportunity, what do you think!? Yes!!!"

"Great!" Ye Wei punched the windowsill, "How much can you invest? Remember, the rule is not to use your family's money, only your own savings!"

"I'll see... uh, um, $10,000... God, I wish I could invest $450,000, but my total savings are only $10,000." Lev sounded helpless.

"$10,000 is fine. We're not the only players in this game. I'll call Bader and the others, I'll get back to you later."

Ye Wei ended the call and immediately called Bader, saying almost the same thing. Bader, munching on something, responded excitedly, "I'm in, I'm in! Brother Wei, you have to leave a share for me, I can invest... $15,000!"

"Wow!" Ye Wei was genuinely surprised, that must be how many burgers, tacos, pizzas... Bader hadn't eaten yet!

"Should I ask my dad for more..."

"No, no asking parents for money, that's the rule!" Ye Wei insisted firmly. A group of teenagers jointly funding a film is very different from adults seriously investing in a film, the latter means endless trouble, and what adults need to do is sign their names as guardians on various contracts.

"Oh, Brother Wei, you decide."

After Bader, Ye Wei called Chen Nuo. Chen Nuo wasn't particularly excited but didn't hesitate, "I'm in, but my mom is very strict with my money... $8,000, is that okay?"

Then it was Corwin's turn. His voice was soft, like a cold-blooded animal, "I'm in, I'll invest $20,000. Over $10,000 is for my 16th birthday car next year, I'll invest it all, but if you get a car next year, you have to give me a ride if it's on the way."

"No problem, unless there's a hot girl in the car." Ye Wei laughed, thinking for a moment, "So, the five of us together can raise around $100,000."

"We still need $400,000."

"Expand the crowdfunding, I, the 'Chief Bridesmaid,' have a large bridesmaid group."

Ye Wei had already planned this, his eyes shining, "Brothers and friends, teammates, after covering for them for so long, it's time for them to contribute something to VIY..."

The next day, November 11th, Veterans Day, a legal holiday, no school, but some students returned to school to study or play.

At the same time, a hidden current quietly surged in the campus...

Early in the morning, Lev, Bader, and Chen Nuo made many calls and sent many messages, notifying the guys to come, and whispered to the boys in the school...

Most people nodded, excited. If anyone showed hesitation, they would immediately be met with contemptuous looks from their peers, like Li Ming, who just said, "This seems a bit big, shouldn't we...?"

"What do you know!? Are you VIY?!" A few people around him immediately scolded, "You idiot, do you want to stay like this forever? Or be a cool kid!" "Movies, make movies! Isn't it more meaningful than buying some junk soap stocks? What, do you like soap? Or picking up soap?"

"Stop, I'm wrong, take me to see VIY, I'm in!"

When Li Ming was led by a few people to the corridor outside the academic center's storage room, he was stunned. It was as lively as a party, with rock music playing from the room, and familiar and unfamiliar faces forming a queue, waiting to enter.

The Dream Chasers Club would have people there almost 24 hours a day.

After a while, it was Li Ming's turn. He walked into the room a bit hesitantly, seeing several people sitting or standing on the sofa, with VIY smiling in the middle.

The TV was playing a movie montage, with a lively and dynamic song. The scene he glimpsed was from *Revenge of the Nerds*.

"Welcome, welcome." Ye Wei smiled warmly, pointing to a seat, "Please sit, Bader, quickly get Li Ming something to eat."

Bader then handed a pack of Oreos to Li Ming, who was somewhat flattered, "Thanks, Boss."

"So, how much do you know about our plan?" Ye Wei asked with a smile.

Li Ming sat down, scratching his head, "Not much, just that Boss wants to make a feature film to clear the recent humiliation, and is raising money."

Ye Wei shook his finger, "You can say that, but strictly speaking, it's not, because the current crowdfunding is to buy the script, not directly related to making the film."

"Oh..." Li Ming, confused, nodded, "I trust Boss, I want to join, I'll invest $1,000."

"Only $1,000!?" The big-nosed Lev, like a gatekeeper, glared and shouted, "Li Ming, your Nike shoes cost $300, right? And this Versace shirt! You flirt! Why don't you paint your nails, a different color for each finger!? Do you know the meaning of making a movie!? You're really mean, mean!!"

"$2,000... I'll invest $2,000." Li Ming was somewhat ashamed and scared.

"Record $1,000 for him." Ye Wei nodded to Chen Nuo, who was doing the paperwork, and smiled, "I never force anyone. If you want to invest $1,000, that's fine, but you can help me spread the word to your trusted friends. Remember, we have three rules."

Lev cleared his throat and announced, "First, no asking parents for money, only use your own savings. Second, be prepared to lose money, don't cry like a little slut later. Third, we are chasing dreams. When you invest, hold your head high and tell others, 'Now I'm a film investor!'"

"Li Ming, go ahead." Ye Wei waved his hand.

Li Ming, feeling a surge of excitement and even more shame, almost on the verge of tears, said urgently, "Boss, I was wrong before, let me invest $2,000! If I'm short a penny, I won't have the face to leave this room, give me this chance!"

"OK, I accept this friendship, add $1,000 for him, give him a small gift, Ming, it's time for you to grow up."

Li Ming walked out of the storage room with his head held high, as if he had just received a sacred baptism, with Oreo crumbs on his lips and a *Playboy* magazine hidden in his shirt.

He was no longer called Li Ming; he was Li - the cool kid who chases dreams and invests in movies - Ming!

The corridor became even more lively, with a steady stream of students coming in. The next one to enter was a Latino kid, and the sound of VIY's laughter could be heard, "Hey, Bub! My boy, long time no see, please sit..."