Age of Legends

Chapter 145 Counterattack
It was released only after being reviewed, haha.

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"You mean, we won't hold exhibitions anymore?" Wang Bowen asked.

"It's not necessary for the time being, because we won't be able to make that much money in the future. But the cosplay competition idea can continue, after all, it can be combined with IT game companies, but it can't be made into a big deal, just treat it as a brand effect that earns a fixed amount of money."

The way of playing will change later. Rongcheng will soon replace this kind of expo with the model of convention and exhibition center, and only by building the convention and exhibition center can one earn a lot of money here. However, this task is not easy, so there is no plan to let godfather continue to do it. The capital operation behind it is very complicated and there are some pitfalls. I don’t want godfather to wade into it.

Apart from the convention and exhibition center model, if anyone wants to continue their current practice, then they will only be able to make small money.

"Godfather, how are you doing now?"

"Liu Bingrong has been arrested. People at the TV station are in a state of panic. The people involved in Liu Bingrong's case are all in a state of panic. Yu Shunhua is naturally in charge of the work, but he is not the beneficiary of this incident. It is estimated that soon another executive will be sent down from above and will eventually replace Yu Shunhua. So Yu Shunhua is also planning to leave. He is going to the provincial TV station and asked me to follow him."

Zhang Chen fell into deep thought. This incident had caused such a big stir that it would often disrupt the original structure of the unit, and Yu Shunhua would definitely not be the winner.

At times like this, the higher-ups will only strengthen supervision. The best thing would be to parachute in a person to take control of the situation. The situation is already chaotic anyway, and whatever the person who comes down now does makes sense. This is the time to reshuffle the cards and place people in place. Once the entire chaotic situation is sorted out, a new situation will begin.

The former director Yu Shunhua also knows this truth. He probably uses his connections to extricate himself from the issue while he can still do so and immediately move to the provincial station. His capital to go to the provincial station naturally depends on Wang Bowen.

"Have you ever given money to Director Yu?" Zhang Chen suddenly asked.

Wang Bowen said, "I have, but Yu Shunhua only asked for normal gifts and never accepted cash. I also asked if I could put money into his card, but he refused. In my opinion, Director Yu actually wants political ambitions. He said that his salary and the money from selling paintings are enough for him to live, so he doesn't touch my money, so as to avoid confusion in the future."

Zhang Chen nodded. Yu Shunhua was fond of Chinese painting and was a little famous in the province. He was considered a painter. Although he did not have any great responsibilities, he was indeed a very political person with ambitions to pursue a career in politics. Otherwise, with Liu Bingrong's strong backing, he would have been defeated long ago. However, it was during the period when Liu Bingrong was in charge of the executive affairs that Yu Shunhua still held his position as director, which was very unusual.

But now, Yu Shunhua has taken the initiative to tie himself together with Wang Bowen. If Yu Shunhua can delegate power in the provincial TV station and his godfather can do something, this result will still be acceptable.

“So next, we have to work hard to produce the program. We can’t figure out the exhibition route, right?” Wang Bowen felt helpless again.

But after a moment, Wang Bowen's expression became interesting again, and he raised his eyebrows at Zhang Chen, "Oh, by the way, someone wants to see you. Guess who it is?"

……

The next day, Zhang Chen met Chen Xiao from the headquarters in Wang Bowen's office.

When Zhang Chen heard that the person who wanted to meet him was Chen Xiao, he understood that this person was the chief director of "A Bite of China" in the future.

"Oh, oh, Teacher Wang, long time no see!" The man in front of her had a square face, a broad nose, and two thick lips, giving people a sense of solidity and stability.

"Director Chen! You, a glutton, are here to sweep the streets again!"

Wang Bowen and Chen Xiao shook hands and both laughed, obviously they knew each other for a long time.

Wang Bowen said to Zhang Chen again, "Zhang Chen, this is the director from CCTV, Chen Xiao. Your uncle Chen is currently the chief editor and director of CCTV's historical documentary "A Century of China", and the winner of the National Five First Project Award. Not only has he won these national awards, but as an outsider, he has also won many awards in our Sichuan Province!"

Wang Bowen said to Chen Xiao again, "Look, don't you want to know who is the planner of my Tongue of Rongcheng? The one in front of you is my godson, a top student from Yude! Do you want to set up a young director program and recruit him? He will have a good reputation when he goes to college in the future!"

Zhang Chen was at a loss for words, thinking to himself, he is truly my godfather, he cares about me more than my own son, and he is now trying to establish a relationship for me.

Chen Xiao looked at Zhang Chen, a high school student, in amazement. He was obviously very surprised. He was from CCTV. After graduating from the Communication University, he became very popular in CCTV. CCTV is a place full of talents. He was in charge of documentaries. Of the ten high-quality documentaries in the country, eight were produced by the Central Radio and Television Station. This was CCTV's official director. He was on a business trip to Rongcheng at the time. When he saw his old friend Wang Bowen performing "A Bite of Rongcheng" at the Rongcheng International Digital Culture Festival, he was quite amazed.

This concept and shooting philosophy were very consistent with what he had imagined a food documentary to be like. It was a sense of soul connection. It was a pity that he had something to do at the time and had to leave in a hurry to go abroad for research. When he returned to China and came to Rongcheng, he contacted Wang Bowen as soon as possible to express his congratulations on the cultural festival he hosted.

The International Digital Culture Festival, where Wang Bowen was the operator, made him famous. People were deeply impressed by the promotional video, and Chen Xiao was recommended after returning to the headquarters.

If nothing unexpected happens, Wang Bowen might win a few awards just based on that promotional video.

This time I met Wang Bowen and wanted to have a deeper chat, but I uncovered a big secret: Wang Bowen actually has a Zhuge Liang behind him and a military advisor who is in charge of his plans. Surprisingly, this person is actually a high school student.

When Chen Xiao heard it for the first time, he didn't believe it at all and insisted that Wang Bowen arrange a face-to-face meeting.

He wanted to see whether his godson Wang Bowen was a real person or a fake one.

"Although I am not from Rongcheng, when I first started working, my colleague's wife was from Rongcheng. At that time, in the tube-shaped building, his wife pickled kimchi at the door. The fragrance of the kimchi jar could be smelled throughout the entire building. I couldn't eat without her kimchi. Later, I even stole kimchi from her kimchi jar to eat!"

"I am a foodie. I go to Rongcheng more than ten or twenty times a year. It's the food capital. I have tried all the delicious food in the streets and alleys here! Your godfather often tells me where there is a delicious place. If I tell you, I will come in two weeks. I will come to eat it no matter how hard I try! If the food is not delicious, I will scold your godfather and we will end our friendship! I will keep an eye out for delicious food and come again next time!"

Wang Bowen spat, "You're really rude."

"Don't be surprised. When we were young, our family was very poor. We ate husk rice, which means some rice still had husks. The husks were not completely removed. Industry and agriculture were not developed, so we couldn't eat such fine food. We ate rice and picked out the rice with husks. After eating the rice, we peeled the husks and ate them as melon seeds snacks. At that time, greed and eating became the most primitive motivation for hard work!"

"So I've always wondered if I could make a documentary about food someday. The film "A Bite of Rongcheng" that you shot just hit my heart, and I felt like it was something I really wanted to shoot. Later I heard that it was you who planned it, and that's perfect, so I came to you today. I actually have an idea, and I hope you can give me some advice on it..." Wang Bowen also pricked up his ears.

Zhang Chen understood that this person was testing him, and this was a more sophisticated test. Compared with direct questioning, this method was more sophisticated. I made a move, and you were wondering if you could handle it.

As a member of the CCTV director team and a winner of the Five One Project, since you said that this was planned by you and your film really touched me, then you must have the ability to touch me as well. This move will test your quality.

As for Wang Bowen, he was still quite nervous. He certainly knew Chen Xiao's ability. He had been a CCTV documentary director for ten years. He had made documentaries about floods, the life of a nanny for a small person, and historical documentaries such as "Zhu De" and "Liu Shaoqi".

To be honest, although Wang Bowen was satisfied with "A Bite of Rongcheng" and the social evaluation of Rongcheng people was high, he was still unsure until even Chen Xiao recognized and expressed great interest. Wang Bowen felt relieved and stable. It was like having a certification from a higher level.

And now, he also hopes that Zhang Chen's talent can be recognized by this favorite director.

Zhang Chen listened attentively and waited for him to make a move.

"That's right. I have an idea. Can we tell the story of the origin of Chinese food? Divide it into seven episodes, starting from the Zhoukoudian Ape Man Site. There are many historical researches. Each episode is led by a historical or legendary story. For example, for vinegar, we can use the story of Fang Xuanling and Emperor Minghuang of Tang who were jealous of women. For salt, it is the story of Pan Dongzi delivering salt to the Red Army!"

"And the actors in these stories will be played by celebrities. For Fang Xuanling, we will find Zhang Chaoyang who is very popular... He is a famous person now, listed on NASDAQ, and Sohu has exceeded 40 billion US dollars! Let him play the role, it will also attract people's attention!"

Then Zhang Chen listened to Chen Xiao's exaggerated talk about his ideas, which made Zhang Chen a little confused. It's not bad, maybe some of them are good, but man, this is not "A Bite of China"! Yours is "Chinese Food in the Museum" or "Chinese Food Examination". Maybe this set can be changed into a form like "National Treasure" in the future, which is also possible.

At this point, Zhang Chen suddenly understood that the ideas for some future documentaries might come from your ideas, right?
Of course, if Zhang Chen is to rely on his real level, he is not even worthy of carrying shoes for CCTV's Chen Xiao. But sorry, this is my era's home court.

At that moment, Zhang Chen had no choice but to interrupt him forcefully. Otherwise, if he continued to speak so eloquently, he would not be able to keep up.
Seeing Zhang Chen shaking his head, Chen Xiao was shocked, "Is this not possible?"

"That's totally unacceptable! You're using celebrities to film. You're just riding on the popularity of celebrities. A true food documentary tells a story with the camera and the pictures. You're using celebrities to attract attention. People come for the celebrities, so how can they truly appreciate the meaning behind a documentary?"

Chen Xiao looked at Zhang Chen deeply. This sentence seemed to be a wake-up call, which really made Chen Xiao feel the power of the young man in front of him. He simply didn't have a good idea and his mind was messy, so he put forward some ideas, but he didn't expect to be rudely rejected by Zhang Chen.

Yes, as the chief editor and director, with CCTV's director team below him, who would dare to say "no" so bluntly? If there were any different opinions, they would express them in a euphemistic way.

This is a rude veto of leadership!
But Chen Xiao was secretly shocked by this blow. He put away his contempt for the young man and looked at him seriously and silently.

Wang Bowen was watching the duel between Zhang Chen and Chen Xiao from the side, and felt a little nervous for a moment. A talented director-editor like Chen Xiao was like the Qin Shi Huang in his field, and he, Wang Bowen, did not dare to express a different opinion on this. Seeing Chen Xiao's solemn expression, Wang Bowen thought, at worst, he would just give it a go. If you dare to call me your godson, I can't even be your friend.

"What do you mean?" Chen Xiao asked.

"I wonder if you have noticed the difference between Chinese and foreign documentaries? I have a deep impression. I watched a documentary about the Grand Canal, which was directed by our own director. It started by saying that it has a history of 1400 years, connecting the north and the south, and describing its political and economic status... This is the form of our documentary.

The camera of the Western director is quite special. He starts with a cargo ship and focuses the camera on the ship. The narrator says that the ship has no famous name, no beautiful mermaids on the bow, no pirates jumping up and down, no vulgar words painted on the stern, and no mountains of shells piled up in the cabin. There are only letters and numbers printed on the side! Then the camera expands, and the ships are spread out on the ripples of the river. They form a part of this canal and form a unique mode of transportation... Isn't it more vivid? What is this? This is the details.

Westerners started television earlier than us, and they have long understood the eighth art. We started later. We have a deep cultural heritage, but we don’t know how to express it, or how to really make the audience interested in documentaries. In this regard, the West is currently ahead of us.”

The art of television is at the forefront, and so is how to tell a good story, which means that the publicity derived from it is also at the forefront.

This allows the other party to use advanced communication tools to wantonly attack the country's backward productivity.

"Is the filming method you just proposed exactly the same as the documentary about the Grand Canal directed by a Chinese director? To be frank, it is a cliché that makes people want to sleep. Why are documentaries from Britain and the United States so popular? Because their filming methods are indeed different. If you want to shoot this, I suggest learning from their methods and shooting documentaries in the BBC way!"

Damn it! Chen Xiao was actually aroused by what this high school student said, and beads of sweat broke out on his back.

"So what do you think, then?"

Zhang Chen looked at him and said, "I read a book before. I can't remember the specific title, and the content may be biased. It basically talks about how wheat planted in Eurasia promoted the evolution and development of human society, and how it triggered human military expansion and killing across the ocean, thus changing the world pattern."

"You see, this kind of deduction has its own logic and gives the documentary a higher dimension of meaning. You should know the National Geographic magazine. We can use the humanistic stories about food in this magazine as the overall narrative tone. In the seven chapters, we start with the various dimensions of food.

In the first episode, we will film plants themselves, a kind of food from the most primitive ecology of nature, and derive botanical thinking. In the second episode, we can study food cooking from the perspective of physics and chemistry. In the third episode, we will start with agriculture and animal husbandry, and pay attention to the production and diversity of raw materials. In the fourth episode, we will start with ecology and observe the process of human beings changing nature, storing and transporting food..."

"In the seventh episode, we look at art and human knowledge, and seek to preserve food at a high price and through processing, and the inheritance of craftsmanship, to describe how humans preserve this knowledge from generation to generation, just to taste the first bite of freshness and preserve the delicious food on earth.

This could be the taste of mother, the taste of memory, the taste of first love, or even the taste of reunion. If it can still be broadcast on the eve of the Chinese New Year, the effect will surely be overwhelming!"

Wait for Zhang Chen to finish speaking.

What I saw was Chen Xiao and Wang Bowen looking dazed.

(End of this chapter)