Entertainment: I just want to be the boss behind the scenes

Chapter 132 The Arclight Alliance
Having spent so much time on the set of "The Disguiser", what Meng Bai envies most is the production team of Noon Sunshine with solid foundation and outstanding capabilities.

From Kong Sheng, to Li Xue, and then to the various assistant directors, executive directors, photographers, and lighting staff, they have established a complete talent echelon training system.

Of course, to be honest, it was mainly because we brought a group of people away from Shanying that we had such a good foundation.

Compared with the "rich second generation" like Noon Sunshine, Arc Light Pictures started from scratch.

Fortunately, with the formation of the Arclight Alliance, Meng Bai finally has his own production team.

The first work of Arclight Alliance is the long-planned "Forensic Qin Ming".

"How many novels are being sold now?" Wu Bai asked curiously, "By the way, are there really so many people interested in the profession of forensic medicine?"

"Don't underestimate the curiosity of young people." Meng Bai flipped through the data file in his hand: "Before New Year's Day, the total online and offline sales of the first book of "Forensic Qin Ming" were nearly 130,000 copies."

The traditional publishing market has been shrinking in recent years. If the sales of 130,000 copies were ten years ago, it would only be considered average, but now, it is truly a bestseller.

The original author Qin Ming is very happy, as the royalties so far alone have reached 300,000. And this is only the sales volume for three months. As time goes by, coupled with the broadcast of the web series, it will definitely reach a higher level.

As the copyright owner and publisher, Boji Tianjuan was also very happy. Not only did it get a best-selling book, but it also had the opportunity to cross over from the publishing industry to the film and television industry.

They have reached an agreement with Arclight Pictures and will participate in the investment and production of "Forensic Qin Ming".

Meng Bai also reaped a lot of benefits. His agreement with Boji Tianjuan also included the release of other novels such as "Psychological Crime", "Soul Ferry" setting collection and novels of several future works, which can be regarded as an additional channel for IP development.

They discussed the specific rules and operational measures of the "alliance" for a while. Several other technical personnel behind the scenes left first, leaving only the "Big Three".

"Who of you two will be the director this time?" Meng Bai asked Wu Bai and Wang Wei.

The two looked at each other, and Wu Bai said, "Let Dawei do it this time. Because of the sudden plot addition to Soul Ferry 2, I intervened a lot. This time, let him direct it independently. And it just so happens that I saw a new project recently, and it feels quite interesting."

"Oh? What project?" Meng Bai asked.

Wubai introduction: "It's an animated film called "Painting Rivers and Lakes: The Bad Guys". In terms of genre, it's a costume suspense."

"Domestic animation?" Meng Bai shook his head. "I haven't watched many domestic animations in recent years. My impression is still stuck on Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf and Boonie Bears."

"This is for teenagers, and the style and content are more mature." Wu Bai didn't know whether he had learned about this animation specifically or had always been paying attention to it, so he explained: "In fact, domestic animation has been quite strong in the field of 3D in recent years. Whether it is content or production, there are works that can be shown off."

"Okay, if you're interested, just propose a project plan and we'll discuss it later. If you think it has good prospects, it can be used as the second work of our Arclight Alliance." Meng Bai said.

Although it is centered around Meng Bai, it does not mean that "Arc Light Alliance" will only shoot works for Arc Light Films.

On the contrary, no matter who in the alliance sees a good project or has a new idea, they can discuss it within the alliance. As long as they think it is promising, they can invest, produce or create it. Seeing that Wubai gave him the opportunity, Wang Wei did not hesitate and agreed.

"Don't worry too much. The framework of this drama is actually similar to Soul Ferry." Meng Bai comforted him: "The protagonist group is also a 'threesome' of two men and one woman. It has a unit drama plus a weak main plot. It also follows the style of comedy and suspense."

Wang Wei nodded. Indeed, if you just look at the structure, then apart from the slightly different subject matter, the two dramas are really of similar types.

"Do you have any ideas about the leading role?" Wang Wei asked.

"As for the trio, the male lead is Qin Ming, and my current choice is Zhang Ruoyun." Meng Bai smiled and said, "Look, the people I arranged for you are all acquaintances."

Wang Wei also laughed: "Indeed, Xiao Zhang is quite cheap and useful."

"Well, I agree that it is useful, but if it is cheap, it is not cheap now." Meng Bai said.

Not to mention that several dramas Zhang Ruoyun had previously filmed with his father have already been broadcast one after another, the popularity accumulated from the two "Soul Ferry" dramas alone has increased his current pay several times.

The specific remuneration will be discussed after the project is approved, but it will definitely not be the hundreds of thousands of yuan price like "Soul Ferry 1".

"Then there's the second male lead, the criminal police captain, Lin Tao." Meng Bai said, "I only have a few candidates for this one, so I still have to see who is more suitable."

"Or else we can also find Teacher Yu Yi." Wang Wei joked.

"Zhao Li and Dong Qing have been reincarnated and started working as detectives, right? I might as well call Teacher Li along, and we can just shoot the extra episode."

Meng Bai smiled and shook his head, saying, "It's okay if it's just one person, but if it's two people, it's too easy for the audience to lose interest. Besides, 'Forensic Qin Ming' belongs to the 'Green Ivy Series'. As both are criminal police captains, it would be best if he could be distinguished from Tai Wei in 'Psychological Crimes'."

Wang Wei nodded. "What about the female lead? I remember that when I read the book before, apart from Mr. Qin Ming's girlfriend, Lingling, there were no other female characters. But if I use the name Lingling, it seems to be a bit far from the plot."

"It's true that there's no such character in the original novel, but for a film and television adaptation, it can't be all men." Meng Bai said, "My idea is to replace the original book's partner 'Zhao Dabao' with a girl. In terms of setting, it can be a new forensic doctor who takes over the job, and then change the name to something similar, such as 'Li Dabao' or something like that."

Is it so casual? Wang Wei took a deep breath, but it is true that it is OK for a text novel to have a female protagonist or not. But if it is changed to a concrete film or television work, it would look a bit strange if all the characters are men, and it would also narrow the breadth of the plot.

However, Meng Bai had no idea about the choice of the heroine. The few girls he knew didn't seem to be suitable for this role.

I can only wait until I prepare for the audition.

"The crew will prepare for the show after the Chinese New Year," Meng Bai joked, "It's a good opportunity to see how strong the 'censorship reform' is so we can decide on the scale of our production."

(End of this chapter)