Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 292 Selling the drama
In the internal screening room of Xingchen Entertainment, the lights came on and the broadcast of "Wulin Waijiao" ended.

Chen Xi operated the switch and the electric curtains rose automatically.

"How is it, do you feel okay?"

The person Dong Jianqiang was questioning was someone from Guangguang. The first season of "Wulin Waijiao" had actually been filmed a long time ago. They had also watched it internally and thought it was very good, but Dong Jianqiang had been holding back on selling it.

After the huge success of "The Accidental Murderer" and "Stone", the screenwriter team of Xingchen Entertainment had become famous at home and abroad, and Dong Jianqiang decided to sell the drama.

This time we specially invited someone to check the lighting.

Although Star Entertainment is strong in movies, it still has a blank in the field of TV dramas, so it has to ask Guangguang for help when selling a drama for the first time.

Wang Changtian not only came in person, but also brought the senior executives in charge of this aspect.

Guangguang started out by producing television programs and has very good relationships with many television stations.

He also understood that Star Entertainment's film studio had always been interested in Guangguang because it was attracted by Guangguang's resources in television stations.

The two parties are exchanging resources.

Now is the time to show your strength...

"If the quality remains the same in the future, I think there will be no problem."

Wang Changtian affirmed and looked at his executives. The latter understood and knew that it was time to show their professionalism: "This is the first time that a costume sitcom has been produced in China, but I think the quality of the film is really good. Nowadays, urban-themed TV series are subject to strict censorship, but costume dramas are easier to pass censorship..."

The biggest fear when making TV dramas is censorship. After the ban on TV dramas involving criminal cases was issued last year, many small film and television companies went bankrupt.

A former giant like Hairun has also been hit hard. It started out by making crime dramas, and popular dramas such as "Criminal Investigation Team 6" and "Jade Guanyin" were all produced by it. However, the ban on crime dramas is equivalent to completely abolishing one of its best skills, so it has no choice but to transform.

"I won't hide it anymore, I'll tell you the truth, the only shortcoming of our show is the cast, there are no big stars...

Nowadays, TV dramas are all about big stars.

If there are big stars, it will be easier for the TV station to promote the film, and the ratings will be basically guaranteed. If there are no big stars, it is not impossible to sell the film, but it will be difficult to sell it at a good price. "

Dong Jianqiang nodded. He knew that the other party was right. Although Zhang Chen relied on his connections to find many big stars to make guest appearances, a guest appearance is just a guest appearance. The TV station is looking at the star lineup of the main creators.

"So I plan to put Zhang Chen's name in the first screenwriter column, but I will have to let Brother Ning Caishen down..."

Ning Caishen who was standing next to him immediately said that everything was fine. This was not the first time he had directed a TV series, and he knew very well that a well-known name would help sell TV series more easily.

"As long as the play can be sold successfully, it won't be a problem for me to be the second screenwriter."

He knew very well that although the idea for "Wulin Waijiao" was his, a large part of the storyline was actually written by the screenwriter team of Star Entertainment.

Now both Zhang Chen and the screenwriter team have become famous, but he is still unknown.

If he encounters some unscrupulous companies, they might just kick him out.

It was very generous of Xingchen Entertainment to let him be the second screenwriter.

"Okay then. Zhang Chen will be the first screenwriter, Ning Caishen will be the second, and the screenwriter team will be the third..."

That's how it was settled.

"I have another idea..."

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, the executive continued, "Director Zhang is very popular now. He can definitely post a blog saying that the new drama he personally directed has been completed and is looking for a buyer. The media will definitely promote it. I believe that many TV stations will be interested...

The more TV stations come, the more intense the competition will be, and we can sell at a higher price."

The executives themselves were envious of the person who came up with this idea.

How he wished he could do the same, but unfortunately there was no public figure as popular as Zhang Chen.

"Yeah, that's a good idea. I'll talk to Zhang Chen about it later. It should be fine."

"Then let's prepare for both situations. I'll also arrange an appointment with several TV station's film purchasing directors in a few days. Let's sit down together. Selling dramas still depends on connections. Otherwise, if you sell the drama but don't get the balance, it will be very troublesome..."

Wang Changtian habitually adjusted his glasses when he spoke, appearing very elegant.

He is right, selling TV series and selling movies are two completely different concepts.

Movies are sold by cinema chains, while TV series are sold by TV stations.

In contrast, the latter places more emphasis on relationships.

Why can Zhang Da Huzi become a great producer?

It’s not because the dramas he made are so good, but because he can not only organize the event, but also sell the drama in the end.

He himself came from the TV Drama Center. When the drama is sold, he can receive an advance payment and also get the balance payment. This is the most important thing.

When a TV series is sold to a TV station, 50% is usually paid in advance, and the rest is paid in two installments.

If the ratings are not good, the remaining 50% will most likely not be given.

There is nothing you can do if they don’t give it to you, the TV station is the dominant party.

There are too many ordinary film and television companies that are unable to collect their final payments.

It has almost become the norm in the industry.

That’s why relationships are important, and relationships mean you can get money.

"Can you hurry up? Zhang Chen is leaving for Venice on the 20th, and I want to get there before he leaves..."

"Okay, I'll arrange it as soon as possible."

...In the afternoon, Zhang Chen received a call from Dong Jianqiang.

"You still need me to accompany you to sell the drama?"

Of course he knew that it was important to have a good relationship with the people at the TV station, but he was just too lazy to socialize.

In fact, it was successful. It floated~
When I first started making movies, I treated theater managers like my grandfather.

Now that I'm successful, I'm too lazy to deal with these social engagements.

For managers of large cinema chains of the level of Gao Jun and Wu Hehu, it’s okay to make a phone call to keep in touch, but for normal times, there’s no need for that, as people always beg them for help.

Now I have to have him accompany me to dinner to sell a TV series, which makes me a little unhappy.

"You don't have to accompany me from beginning to end. Just show up and chat for a few minutes. Give them face and make it easier for Lao Wang to explain..."

"Well, okay."

Things like socializing are usually left to Dong Jianqiang to handle, but as the company's biggest name, sometimes you really have to show up, because people are coming for you.

"Oh, by the way, there is one more thing. You can post a blog and say that the filming of "Wulin Waijiao" has been completed and we are looking for buyers. See if any TV station will contact us. And Zhang Guoli, didn't he promise to help us sell the series? We should work hard when we should, and don't just rely on Guangguang..."

"okay, I get it."

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Chen continued watching "Taken".

The post-production of "Hurricane" was done by China Film Group, and the results were very good. As one of the investors, China Film Group also charged the cost price.

The finished film was very effective, especially the long shot in the slums, which made Zhang Chen's adrenaline surge.

Columbia contacted him a long time ago and wanted to acquire the overseas rights of "Taken" again, but Zhang Chen refused this time.

He wanted to try selling it himself. Although it was a little troublesome, at least he would have the initiative in his hands.

Just like Dong Jianqiang doesn't want all channels to be controlled by Guangguang.

Now the two companies are still in the honeymoon period. If they fall out one day, it will be easy to be strangled. Therefore, it is best to keep the channels in one's own hands.

After the movie, Han Sanping rubbed his eyes and said, "I am already this old, but I still feel excited after watching it. You have created a new genre."

Zhang Chen laughed: "Third Master, it's not as exaggerated as you say, but we have indeed made a lot of innovations."

"If nothing else, just for that long shot, you will definitely go down in film history."

"That's a fake long shot. I'll be very lucky if the artists don't find fault with me."

"Haha, you're such a slippery guy~"

"Tell me, when do you plan to release this movie?"

"eleven."

"Oh, I thought you were going to say the Lunar New Year movie."

Zhang Chen smiled and said, "There's The Promise during the Lunar New Year holiday, I don't want to lose both of us."

The Third Master patted Zhang Chen's shoulder with satisfaction and said, "It's great that you think so. I was just thinking about how to convince you.

"The Promise" is China Film's key annual project. We invested more money in it than in "Hurricane". If there is anyone in the world who least wants to see two movies fighting, it's me.

Now you can choose eleven, which saves me a lot of trouble."

Zhang Chen smiled and said, "How can I make things difficult for you, Third Master?"

In fact, he knew what happened in the previous life of "If Love".

"A Moment of Love" was Chen Kexin's first film to enter the mainland, but unfortunately it ended up running into "The Promise", and he fully experienced what it means to cry out to the heavens and the earth and get no response.

"The Promise" is China Film Group's annual key project. What is an annual key project?

Everything has to give way to him.

"Zhang Side", "The Promise" and "The Founding of a Republic" are all such projects.

……

In the evening, Zhang Chen’s new blog was just released and was immediately reprinted by various media.

Zhang Chen is very popular now. His blog is being watched by countless media. Whenever a new article comes out, it will be reprinted immediately regardless of whether the content is popular or not.

Then starting from the next day, TV stations began to show interest in "Wulin Waijia" one after another.

After eliminating some local TV stations and third-tier satellite TV stations with little influence, Dong Jianqiang finally kept four.

As of August 8, it has been one month since the official release of Stone, with a box office of 15 million yuan, and Seven Swords with a box office of 1.37 million yuan, but neither film has been taken off the screen yet.

The reason is that "War of the Worlds", which was originally scheduled to be released on August 8, has been postponed.

"Seven Swords" is a living example. After the "Super Girl" finals, the box office growth was almost negligible.

It had already reached 7 million by the end of July, and halfway through August, the box office had only increased by 8000 million.

Therefore, "War of the Worlds" was decisively moved to September, with an obvious intention to avoid "Supergirl".

The consequence is that no other film in August could compete with "The Stone" and "Seven Swords" at the box office. Although the growth is slow, it is still growth.

It was not digital projection at that time, so there was no such thing as a secret key. Just tell China Film.

(End of this chapter)