1978 Synthetic Writers

Chapter 534 Don't Break the Rules

Zheng Xiaolong thought he had misheard.

How much should we pay to buy "Stories from the Editorial Department"?
Not buddy.

Zheng Xiaolong went over Jiang Xian's words in detail.

If I heard correctly, Jiang Xian meant that their "Television Art Center" not only had to lend "Seahorse" filming equipment, but also that "Seahorse" would sell the TV series to their "Television Art Center" after filming was completed.

Saying it's "unreasonable" is being polite.

Do you really think our "Television Art Center" is some kind of innocent victim?
How come you got all the benefits?
"Uh, Teacher Jiang," Zheng Xiaolong hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Jiang Xian saw through his thoughts and said, "Of course, 'Stories from the Editorial Department' is a collaborative production between us and the 'Television Art Center.' We can't let you help us for nothing. How about this, how about we split the copyright 20/80? You get 20%, we get 80%."

"."

If it were anyone else here, Zheng Xiaolong would be cursing.

20/80 split?
Are you mixing sesame paste in here?
"Teacher Jiang, how much do you plan to sell this TV series for?" Zheng Xiaolong asked tentatively.

"Didn't we discuss this beforehand? The TV series will be filmed and broadcast simultaneously, and I'll sell it to you by the episode. How about 60,000 per episode?"

"Seize the young master?"

Zheng Xiaolong rubbed his ears to make sure he hadn't misheard.

Sixty thousand?

As far as he knows, the script for "Stories from the Editorial Department" now has at least a dozen episodes!

Even if we calculate based on ten episodes, this TV series would cost 600,000 yuan.

At least 600,000!
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a huge sum of money!
"This...this is too expensive." Even with Jiang Xian on his side, Zheng Xiaolong had no choice but to say this.

"Actually, it doesn't cost 60,000."

Jiang Xian smiled and said, "Look, we only own 80% of the copyright, and the remaining 20% ​​belongs to your TV Art Center. In other words, you only need to pay 48,000 yuan for one episode."

"."

Zheng Xiaolong was speechless.

Do you think I need one or two thousand from you?

"Teacher Jiang, how can you do it like this? We've never done this before."

"Then was then, and the present is now."

Jiang Xian smiled warmly, "Xiao Long, we have to look forward, times have changed."

“This is a huge matter, Teacher Jiang. This is also a lot of money. I... I can’t make the decision on my own. Please give me some time so I can discuss it with the station,” Zheng Xiaolong said.

"It's okay, I understand."

Jiang Xian was still all smiles. "You don't need to feel pressured. This isn't a one-off deal. If you're not comfortable with it, buy two or three episodes to try and get some feedback from the audience before we consider what to do next."

"understand."

Zheng Xiaolong felt much more relaxed after hearing Jiang Xian's words.

He can't easily make decisions about matters involving hundreds of thousands of yuan, but he can discuss it if it's only tens of thousands.

Moreover, Jiang Xian has now agreed to let their "Television Art Center" buy two or three episodes for trial broadcast, which Zheng Xiaolong is quite tempted to do.

Let's see the feedback.

If the feedback is unsatisfactory, the cooperation will be terminated, and the investment cost is not significant.

If the feedback is good, then we can use the viewership data to negotiate the price with Jiang Xian.

After all, according to Jiang Xian's current statement, they are now treating TV dramas as commodities and doing business with CCTV.

"Brother Jiang... no, Director Jiang."

Ge You grinned and leaned closer, "You really want me to play Li Dongbao?"

"how?"

Jiang Xian glanced at him sideways, "Afraid to act?"

"will not."

Ge You waved his hand dismissively, "I dare! As long as you let me do it, I'll be more than willing to act."

"That's incredible."

Jiang Xian didn't have time to waste words with him.

Ge You's portrayal of Li Dongbao is even more classic than Ge Ling's. Ge You is also a decent person, so we should continue to use him.

"Let's double-check."

Jiang Xian sat down in his office, and Zhu Hong handed him a list:
"Director, Zhao Baogang."

"Cinematography: Zhang Yimou."

"Li Dongbao, Ge You."

“Ge Ling, Liu Bei.”

"Yu Deli, Hou Yaohua."

"Liu Shuyou, Zhang Tong."

"Sister Niu, Tong Zhengwei."

"Editor-in-Chief Chen, Lü Qi."

"."

This is basically the list of the main creators of "Stories from the Editorial Department".

Jiang Xian had previously told Zheng Xiaolong that Zhao Baogang was not suitable, but Zheng Xiaolong still insisted on hiring Zhao Baogang. The director had already been chosen, and they couldn't just not use him now, especially since Zhao Baogang had been working on his role in "Stories from the Editorial Department" recently.

Jiang Xian, of course, wasn't as pessimistic about Zhao Baogang as he claimed.

"Yearning", "Addiction", "A Romantic Affair", "Like Fog, Like Rain, Like Wind" and "Struggle".

Having directed so many classic dramas, is there any doubt about this director's abilities?
If Zheng Xiaolong insists on giving it to him, then he'll just accept it.

He had no experience carrying a camera, but Zhang Yimou did. With one in charge of the steering and the other in charge of the camera, Jiang Xian was completely at ease with this setup.

As for the cast, they are all veteran actors, all of whom come from a theatrical background. Tong Zhengwei is an actor from the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center, while Zhang Tong and Lü Qi are actors from the Beijing People's Art Theatre.

The only one worth mentioning is Hou Yaohua.

While Teacher Hou may not be considered highly respected in later generations, he was not as infamous as Lü Liping.

He also had an ambiguous relationship with his female apprentice, and rumors about "keeping a female apprentice as a mistress," "master-apprentice relationship," and "unspoken rules" spread like wildfire.

Ah, it's only human nature.

Let me explain.

You know Hou Baolin and Hou Yaowen, right?
Hou Baolin was a master of crosstalk, known for works such as "Guan Gong vs. Qin Qiong," "Selling Cloth Scraps," "Drunkenness," and "Night Journey."
As for his apprentices, they basically encompass the entire crosstalk world, such as Ma Ji and Shi Shengjie, who were his disciples.

The old man had three marriages.

The first part is set before the liberation. After getting married, the old man discovered that his wife was addicted to opium, which terrified him. His wife gave birth to a child, but the child died not long after.

Then the old man remarried, but unfortunately it didn't last long. During that time, he had a son named Hou Yaozhong, who has a son named Hou Zhen, who is now in Deyun Society.

Then the old man had a third marriage, this time to Peking Opera actress Wang Yalan. They had four children in total, two boys and two girls.

The two boys were Hou Yaowen and Hou Yaohua.

Hou Baolin disagreed with the brothers pursuing a career in crosstalk, for a simple reason: it was the 1960s, a dangerous time.

Neither of the brothers listened; they both secretly learned from each other. However, Hou Yaohua soon gave up his crosstalk career, while Hou Yaowen continued to develop it and became a crosstalk master, becoming Gangzi's teacher.

Hou Yaohua went into film and television, but eventually returned to his crosstalk career. After Hou Yaowen's death, he got into a fight with Deyun Society and Hou Yaowen's descendants, which turned into a messy affair, no less serious than the falling out between Guo Degang and Cao Yunjin.

In short, there are very few clean people in the crosstalk circle. In Jiang Xian's opinion, Hou Yaohua's matter is basically nothing, and it is trivial compared to Lü Liping's.

Moreover, Hou Yaohua is the perfect choice to play Yu Deli.

Now that I think about it, why did Hou Yaohua act Yu Deli so well? Maybe he was just playing himself.

"Teacher Jiang."

Zhao Baogang eagerly approached, his face full of obsequiousness, "So we're not going to use Lü Liping anymore? Are you sure you want to use Liu Bei?"

“I have my own plans for Lü Liping. Liu Bei is also a good actress; let’s use her for now,” Jiang Xian said without room for argument.

"to make."

"What's wrong? Do you have a problem with her?"

"have opinions?"

Zhao Baogang was stunned for a moment, then quickly waved his hand, "No, absolutely not."

"So you have a problem with me?"

"what?"

Zhao Baogang froze. "Impossible! I swear to God, how could I possibly have a problem with you?"

"hehe."

Jiang Xian smiled, indicating that he was joking.

It was actually a roundabout way of asking questions.

Zhao Baogang was not his personal "hands-on" after all, yet he held considerable power and took on the role of "director".

We need to adjust the tune more.

As soon as Zhao Baogang left, Liu Bei hesitantly approached him, her face beaming with joy.

"director."

"Hey."

"Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I will definitely live up to your expectations."

Jiang Xian smiled like an elder, "Alright, stop being so polite. We're all family. Just act well."

"Hey."

Liu Bei actually acted in "Stories from the Editorial Department," playing a supporting role.

Jiang Xian has now officially recognized her as his wife.

Sigh, without you, Lü Liping, does the whole capital city need any more beautiful women?
If Zhu Lin hadn't insisted on taking a break from acting for a while, Jiang Xian would have wanted to arrange for her to become Ge Ling.

On the other hand, Liu Bei was also feeling quite uneasy during this period.

She had heard the screenwriters of "Seahorse" say that Jiang Xian must have a woman he particularly disliked, and that her name contained the character "Bei".

Liu Bei took a look.

Isn't that me?!

There aren't that many girls whose names contain the character "蓓" (bei); it's not a very common character.

Liu Bei hurriedly found "The Playboy" and read it through. The novel was indeed captivating, but after finishing it, Liu Bei felt a chill in her heart, wondering what she had done to offend Director Jiang.

Later, Zhu Hong comforted her, saying that the story of writing about a girl whose name contained the character "蓓" had already been written in "Ferocious Animals," back when she didn't even know Jiang Xian yet, so how could it be because of her?

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei felt less nervous.

It wasn't until Jiang Xian gave her the lead role in "Stories from the Editorial Department" that Liu Bei finally felt completely at ease.

Filming for the TV series began quickly, and spring arrived in Beijing. Bertolucci rushed back to Beijing from Europe to reshoot the recent scenes.

After returning, I took the opportunity to learn about the current situation in Beijing and discovered that the Chinese literary and artistic circles were surprisingly lively in the first few months of 1987.

There are highly anticipated movies, highly anticipated crosstalk performances, highly anticipated songs, and highly anticipated novels.

Of course, there are also novels that don't receive much attention.

".
Before long, the six people from both families sat down at the round table laden with food and drinks.

Shao'an, his hand trembling slightly as he held the glass, said, "I'm so happy, I don't know what to say. A few years ago, we never dreamed this day would come."

His eyes glistened with tears, and he swallowed hard.

"It's because times have changed that we have such a bright future. Now, Shaoping and Jinbo are both workers, and Lanxiang and Jinxiu have been admitted to university. It's truly a double celebration! Come, let's raise a glass to celebrate this joyous occasion!"

The six men stood up and raised their glasses in unison.

Inside the Federation of Literary and Art Circles building, Jiang Xian had just finished reading the manuscript of a novel.

The second part of "Ordinary World".

After reading the last line, he raised his eyes and looked at Lu Yao, who was sitting opposite him with a sallow complexion and an uneasy expression.

"Comrade Jiang Xian, what do you think?" Lu Yao asked after Jiang Xian finished reading.

"I can tell you've put a lot of effort into the novel," Jiang Xian said.

"It's better than when I wrote the first book." Lu Yao smiled.

The first draft of the first part of "Ordinary World" was written in a remote coal mine hospital, while the first draft of the second part was written in a small county town in the heart of the Loess Plateau. In terms of conditions, it was definitely much better than when the first part was written.

"Smoke, smoke."

As he spoke, Lu Yao took out a pack of Hongtashan cigarettes, which had recently become popular, from his bag.

Hongtashan hasn't fallen from grace yet; at this point in the country, it can be said that only Zhonghua has any rival.

"You should smoke less," Jiang Xian sighed.

This time, Lu Yao came to find him because of the publication of the second part of "Ordinary World".

At that time, there were two publishers of the first volume of "Ordinary World": one was "Flower City" and the other was the newly established China Federation of Literary and Art Circles Publishing Company.

Unfortunately, after Huacheng magazine published "Ordinary World", it was met with indifference from readers and critics.

At the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles Publishing Company, the first volume only sold less than 20,000 copies. Li Jinyu, the editor who commissioned the first volume of "Ordinary World," was criticized by her superiors for "losing the watermelon for a sesame seed" and was under tremendous pressure.

Therefore, the release of this second installment has become particularly difficult.

Not a single major domestic literary journal paid any attention to Lu Yao.

Even the first installment of "Flower City" that they signed on for last time has become very hesitant this time.

However, Li Jinyu, who had helped Lu Yao before, still offered her help and promised to continue publishing "Ordinary World" for him.

"I also met a great benefactor."

Lu Yao said, "I recently visited West Germany with a delegation of writers."

"Ah."

When Jiang Xian heard about this, he also heard that Lu Yao's foreign exchange savings had been stolen in West Germany. He was so anxious that he burst into tears. In the end, the comrades on the diplomatic side saved up the catering expenses little by little to make up for Lu Yao's huge loss.

However, the benefactor Lu Yao mentioned this time was someone else entirely:
“I met Ye Yongmei, an editor at China National Radio. I gave her the first volume of my novel, ‘Ordinary World.’ I didn’t expect her to like it so much that she wanted to record the novel into a radio program so that it could be seen by ordinary people as soon as possible.”

"Really? Congratulations!"

"Well, it's not really congratulations, I just feel really lucky."

The two chatted for a while longer. Seeing that Jiang Xian was hesitant to mention the quality of the novel "Ordinary World", Lu Yao, being sensitive, assumed that Jiang Xian was embarrassed to refuse the manuscript.

So Lu Yao spoke up: "Old Jiang, if it gets approved, it gets approved; if it doesn't, it's fine. Just don't let our friendship ruin the rules of *People's Literature*."

(End of this chapter)