Generation Z Artists

Chapter 322 What?! You're going to play Li Mochou?!
Over the next two days, Galaxy Pictures opened up to accepting scripts, turning the entire entertainment industry upside down.

Fang Xinghe also saw many books that hadn't been filmed or sold in his previous life, which broadened his horizons.

Some of the themes are both groundbreaking and brilliant.

For example, urban light comedies similar to "Struggle" combine internet themes with online dating elements, which is quite innovative.

Another example is the urban fashion drama tailored for Fang Xinghe by a well-known screenwriter. It delves into the fashion industry and tells the story of a model from a small town who rises step by step in the tide of the times through personal efforts and achieves success in both career and love.

The subject matter itself is high-end and sophisticated, and coupled with Fang Xinghe's fashion sense, if it were filmed with cinematic visuals, it would probably have a chance to break into Europe and America.

However, the problem with urban themes has never been solved—the audience is too narrow.

Currently in China, there are 8 million farmers, 3 million residents of small county towns, and how many people are truly urban residents?
The TV series "Pink Lady," which aired this year, became a hit in Taiwan and achieved a 17% local viewership rating on Shanghai's drama channel. Its reruns on Hunan TV in Beijing were also very popular. However, what about its viewership in less developed regions?

It came in last place that year.

More than 20 provinces didn't even have a plan to broadcast this show, so its rebroadcast rights sold rather poorly.

There's no other reason; it's just too out of touch with reality.

Similarly, transplanting "My Love from the Star" from 2014 would certainly not be able to replicate its previous popularity.

If you let the residents of rural towns choose what they like to watch, the first priority will definitely be "The Wild Princess Looking for Her Father," which is suitable for all ages; the second priority will be martial arts dramas, with men watching for action and women watching for romance; and "My Love from the Star" might not even be ranked eighth.

Whether it's HOT or Meteor Garden, their popularity has never sank into the countryside.

Although "Country Love Story" is just a regional drama set in Northeast China, it truly captures the essence of rural life.

Fang Xinghe couldn't film anything down-to-earth, so he had to seek a personal breakthrough in martial arts dramas.

This is the essence of our times. Being half a step ahead of the times is just right; being too far ahead will only make you a lonely, highbrow individual.

Otherwise, given his foresight, what classic drama series couldn't he have replicated?

We are simply adjusting our pace according to the current fundamental goals.

He had already extended an olive branch; now, it was just a matter of whether Zhang Jizhong was willing to accept it… Old Zhang hurriedly shouted, “I’m willing!”

In less than three days, the bearded man came to our door with a more detailed shooting plan and submitted it.

This is not a difficult multiple-choice question.

Don't let Fang Xinghe monopolize all the profits, because the final return might only be tens of millions, and that will be divided among many families.

Become Fang Xinghe's steward, give up power, but follow Brother Fang out to sea to eat big meat and make a fortune in one fell swoop.

Normal people wouldn't dwell on something for too long.

"Director Fang."

The bearded man's eyes were bloodshot, and he had a kind of sickly, manic excitement that suggested he was about to die.

"I've invested everything I have. From today onwards, I'll be counting on your support!"

Fang Xinghe looked up in surprise: "You didn't go out to solicit investment?"

Zhang Jizhong grinned and said, "There's only so much quota in total, how could I bear to part with it? By selling and borrowing, I finally managed to scrape together that 3000 million!"

Wow, that's pretty ruthless.

At this time, Zhang Jizhong had not yet made much money.

The previous productions, "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" and "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," were financed by external investors. As the executive producer, he earned only a pittance. Otherwise, how could there have been rumors that Nie Yuan and Xiao Ming bought roles?
He was stingy even with his millions in film fees, which shows how poor he was when he first started out.

A 20% share of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" is no small sum; it almost cost him his life.

"My money is available anytime. When do we start filming?"

Perhaps due to the pressure of financial costs, the bearded man was even more anxious than Fang Xinghe at this moment.

"Let's finalize the budget and move on to the preparation phase."

Fang Xinghe, who was focused on the project proposal, suddenly looked up and said, "By the way, give me a Sony CineAlta HDW-F900. I don't need standard definition."

The bearded man readily agreed, "Okay, okay, use whatever you want!"

This thing was the main camera for Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Pandora's Box, and everything from the accessories to the lighting to the team and post-production was expensive.

To put it simply, the overall cost of using it will be more than ten times that of producing a regular TV series.

Its main feature is high definition (HD), with image quality more than five times that of standard definition (SD).

The so-called cinematic feel often comes from the picture quality.

Even when filming dramas, Fang Xinghe maintains his aesthetic standards. His version of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" must be more than ten times better than his previous one, becoming a classic and benchmark in the history of Chinese television dramas.

Otherwise, wouldn't it be a waste of my rebirth?
In reality, such shooting quality would inevitably be excessive, because currently, domestic home televisions do not support high-definition playback.

As of 2003, the mainstream television set in Chinese households was the cathode ray tube (CRT) television set, with a physical resolution that could only reach standard definition (SD) level, namely 720×576 pixels in PAL system.

Those so-called high-end rear-projection TVs and early plasma (PDP) and liquid crystal (LCD) TVs were not actually HD; they were merely "enhanced definition TVs (EDTV)," and did not reach the level of 1080i or 720p.

Furthermore, even if high-definition content is available, no television station in China has launched a high-definition channel.

Without high-definition program sources, even if you have a high-definition television set, you cannot watch high-definition programs.

Does this mean that high-definition shooting is meaningless?
of course not.

Firstly, the picture quality of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" is still up-to-date even 20 years later, and it will always be worth re-broadcasting.

Imagine that today's audiences cannot see high-definition versions because of poverty, and children consider this a regret in their lives. When living conditions improve in ten or twenty years, will they pay the price for their childhood regrets?
Please refer to the situation of Cyndi Wang's concert to make your own inference.

Secondly, even when played on a CRT television, the footage captured by high-definition equipment is still different from that of ordinary products.

Superior encoding and color sampling: The original material contains richer color information, resulting in more accurate and vibrant color reproduction.

Greater dynamic range: More detail is preserved in both bright and dark areas. When converted to standard definition, the overall image appears more layered, avoiding blown-out bright areas or completely black dark areas.

Less loss during production: In post-production, all special effects, editing, and color grading are done on the high-definition master tape, with the final step being the conversion to standard definition (SD). This results in fewer steps and less loss. In contrast, shooting and producing directly with SD equipment requires multiple copies, leading to significant image quality loss.

It's like taking a photo with a top-of-the-line DSLR and then shrinking it down to your phone's screen saver; it's much more detailed and has a better texture than a photo taken directly with your phone.

Therefore, the essence of this matter is that Fang Xinghe chose to use 10 times the cost to improve the quality by 1 time.

Anyone would feel it's not worth it, but Brother Fang is just that rich and willful.

At the very least, teenagers of this era are truly enjoying good food.

Perhaps many years later, they will realize with regret that Fang Ge's capriciousness brought such beauty to their youth...

……

After finalizing the equipment, we started finalizing the location shooting.

Fang Xinghe waved his hand and started throwing money around again: "Shoot everything on location that can be filmed on location, and only shoot indoor scenes in the studio."

That means you can go anywhere in the country.

Zhang Jizhong was quite supportive of this decision, because he had done the same thing himself.

"Yes, let's take pictures of all the beautiful landscapes of our motherland! Don't be like those small-minded films from Hong Kong. It's a martial arts story; without the grandeur of a long river under the setting sun and a lone plume of smoke rising straight from the desert, how can the spirit be expressed?"

When talking about location shooting, the bearded man knew it all like the back of his hand.

Coincidentally, Fang Xinghe had also just finished exploring remote mountain areas and was very familiar with famous mountains in China. After a quick discussion, the two identified several suitable filming locations, namely—

Zhejiang Yandang Mountain, Sichuan Jiuzhaigou, Jilin Zhangjiajie, Fujian Wuyi Mountain, Yunnan Lijiang and Dali, Hebei Yi County, Inner Mongolia KSKTQ, etc.

As for the final interior scenes, Zhang Jizhong wanted to use the existing studios at Xiangshan Film City because: the existing facilities were already in good condition, and the efficiency and cost of manually constructing sets were high.

But Fang Xinghe waved his hand and rejected it.

"Don't worry about this. I'm going to Qingdao to discuss with the government about building another ultra-high-standard film and television base... Hmm, let's build a separate studio first, that should be enough time."

"Huh?" Zhang Jizhong was taken aback. "Making it that big?"

“It’s not included in the total investment.” Fang Xinghe glanced at him. “That’s Xinghe Pictures’ own project.”

"Hey, that's not what I meant!"

The bearded man hurriedly explained, "I just don't understand, is it really necessary?"

It's definitely unnecessary for making TV series, but it's absolutely necessary for making movies, especially blockbusters.

In the future—perhaps 5 years, perhaps 8 years—Fang Xinghe will definitely be working on a super big project, such as the movie versions of "The Legend of the Primordial Era", "Investiture of the Gods", and "Black Monkey".

Currently, none of the existing photography studios in China can meet the shooting requirements.

Ten years later, still nothing.

The Qingdao Oriental Movie Metropolis Film and Television Industrial Park, in its previous form, was officially founded in 2013 and officially put into use in 2018.

The reason is simple: high investment, low return, and thankless work, so people only think of doing this when their economic situation is quite comfortable.

Starting ten years in advance would be even more troublesome and less cost-effective, but it is an inevitable path for the rise of Chinese cinema.

If he won't do it, who will?
Of course, Fang Xinghe didn't intend to become an expert overnight; he planned to take it slowly.

First, build a large 5000-square-meter studio to meet the needs of the next few years. Then, as the money increases, we can add more and gradually upgrade it piecemeal. We are sure that the entire project will be completed before 2013.

As an aside: After the news spread, the leaders back home were in a panic and blocked Fang Xinghe's home in Beijing overnight.

Fang Xinghe was both amused and exasperated, and tried to explain, "It's really not appropriate for our family to be involved in this kind of thing!"

The high latitude and extreme climate of Gigi make the maintenance and filming costs significantly higher than in the south during the long winter, not to mention the various troubles that occur during filming.

Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning are famous for producing celebrities, but the fact that they haven't developed into a large-scale film and television base is actually a historical inevitability.

The beautiful northern scenery in winter is only suitable as an outdoor filming location.

If ten southerners come to the Northeast to film, nine of them will fall and go back home a few times. The remaining one will break his hip and have to go back to bed early...

When the leaders of his hometown heard Fang Xinghe's explanation, they could only nod helplessly. In stark contrast, the current leadership team of QD City was beaming with pride.

Actually, Qingdao doesn't have a complete plan for the film and television industry yet, and it can't take care of that at all. It was just like a huge pie suddenly fell into its lap, and it's still in a daze.

They cautiously inquired: "Brother, what do you value in us? Like some beer and clams?"

of course not.

It's simply a matter of finding it suitable.

Whether it's the diversity of natural resources or urban landscape, Qingdao is a great filming location. In addition, the city lacks historical sites but wants to develop into a tourist city, so its sincerity in investing in the film and television industry is naturally very strong.

The Qingdao government offered preferential treatment to other places in terms of land acquisition, supporting facilities, and policies, and that's how the matter was settled.

Construction on the cinema began at the end of November.

The first phase of the project consisted of only a solitary, oversized film studio and corresponding supporting facilities, with a total investment of 1.2 million yuan. It was not cheap, but it was still within the financial capacity of Galaxy Pictures.

After expedited construction, the crew of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" will be able to move in around February or March of next year to focus on filming interior scenes.

At the same time, the "Condor Heroes" project has been officially announced, causing a sensation in the domestic entertainment industry.

Fang Xinghe's first TV series, which he both directed and starred in!

Jin Yong's martial arts classics!

Zhang Xiaobei and Chen Nian team up for the second time!

With a total investment of over 2.7 million, it's the biggest drama series in history!

High-definition camera, cinematic quality!
Fang Ge spearheaded the script, and international stars joined the cast!
Chaotic news dominated the entire month of December and is still spreading into 2004.

Previously, the media criticized him for neglecting his duties and indulging in self-degradation. However, after the news of his 2.7 million yuan fortune broke, they immediately changed their tune, calling him "the revitalizer of Chinese martial arts culture."

I have to praise it; no other TV series has ever generated such anticipation among the entire nation.

From the streets and alleys of the city to the fields of the countryside, the topic of this matter is being discussed everywhere.

方星河的个人武力迭加上《神雕侠侣》的光环，带来的期待感可不是1+1=2，而是1×1=8。

Many middle-aged people in rural towns who are unfamiliar with Fang Xinghe, or even don't know who he is, are immediately educated by their family or friends, who then confidently say, "Uncle, trust me, this show is definitely going to be great!"

It is estimated that over 100 million Chinese people have watched "Hero" through pirated DVDs. The trust and expectations these people have for Fang Xinghe's action scenes are probably only comparable to those of Hendrik Willem Van Loon and Jet Li combined.

Normally, you can't tell how good someone is at kung fu from their performance, but Fang Xinghe is an exception.

I wonder how many people firmly believe that Brother Fang is a true modern martial arts master, and that he definitely held back during filming, otherwise he could have killed Brother Jie...

This kind of talk also led to a large-scale conflict between fans of Mantianxing and Li Lianjie. Surprisingly, most neutral bystanders believed that Fang Xinghe was stronger and wished he could make action movies every day.

Now you're neglecting your proper job to film TV dramas? Wow, dramas are even better!

In contemporary China, television dramas are truly a form of consumption for the poor. Even if a village only has three or five television sets, everyone can still experience the charm of film and television.

The only two words to describe Fang's version of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" are "it was a hit even before it aired, and the whole nation is looking forward to it!"

Therefore, when the casting process for "The Return of the Condor Heroes" began, 90% of the actors in China sent in their resumes.

Well, those who send out resumes are people without connections; those who do have connections have already found a way to visit in person.

Galaxy Pictures has high entry barriers, but Zhang Jizhong's entry barriers aren't.
If I can't handle Fang Wusheng, do you think I can't handle you, Big Beard?
Old Zhang was experiencing both pain and pleasure, constantly being besieged and intercepted by various groups of people.

It's not that he doesn't want to accept the money, but the problem is, he really doesn't dare.

The main characters in the TV series "The Return of the Condor Heroes" are almost all women. Would he dare to make decisions for Fang Xinghe?

Guo Fu and Guo Xiang, Li Mochou and Lu Wushuang, Cheng Ying and Huang Rong... Except for Huang Rong, who did not violate any taboos, the others all had some connection with Yang Guo.

If Director Fang doesn't give his approval, what good are you little vixens clinging to me?
However, the bearded man was eventually won over by an actress in the industry using both money and beauty. So, he took some time to visit Brother Fang, hoping to muster up the courage to ask for a role.

He thought: Li Mochou is just a character who is already over 30 years old and mature. Director Fang shouldn't care about such a character, right?

As long as the dramatic scenes are convincing, it doesn't matter who's acting!

As a result, when he walked into Fang Xinghe's office, his eyeballs almost popped out and hit his feet.

Gong Li, the number one actress in China, is holding a script for Li Mochou and discussing acting direction with Fang Xinghe!
"Your drama is worth making."

Sister Li spoke up, nodding casually to Zhang the Bearded Man: "You're here? Producer Zhang. I'm Gong Li, the actress who plays Li Mochou."

Zhang Dahuzi's eyes widened, his heart filled with both surprise and joy, feeling as if he were in a dream...

(End of this chapter)