1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 294 Episode Preparation
Overnight, the warehouse of Huaen Department Store was filled with Qvod brand VCDs.

The department store has launched a special display cabinet so that customers who enter the store can see life-size pictures of handsome men and beautiful women such as Zhang Guorong, Zhong Chuhong and the Happy Girls Group at a glance.

Advertising slogans were quickly posted all around.

At this time, Lei Juekun's connections had to be used. Although his share of Kowloon Motor Bus had been largely eaten away, he still had at least the right to speak. In Hong Kong, no one could compare to Princess Silver in terms of publicity and advertising.

Thousands of franchised buses were pasted with advertisements for Qvod VCD and traveled around Kowloon and the New Territories from morning to night.

The spokesperson on the car body poster is Wan Ziliang, the most popular person in the company. Wearing sunglasses and a suit, he looks like a big boss.

In the overwhelming publicity.

The market has been fermenting for a few days. Except for companies with some vision such as Sony and Sincere, most people at home and abroad are still taking a wait-and-see attitude.

The TVB local current affairs news program team went to the streets and conducted a survey among the owners of nearby digital stores regarding the news that Zhai Yuan's Qvod company was producing VCDs.

When the camera was aimed at the digital store owners, they all looked disdainful.

"VCD? It's just a gimmick! Several major electronic companies in Hong Kong don't dare to innovate, so how can a young man like him do it?"

"Just because you're a good movie actor doesn't mean you can do everything well. You haven't even learned how to walk yet, and you want to run like others? You think you're a god!"

"I've seen that CD before. It doesn't even have a plastic case. It breaks if you touch it. It looks good but is useless!"

The word of mouth among this group of people is quite different from that of the customers who have purchased and used VCDs.

At this time, there were nearly a hundred shops in Hong Kong selling VCRs and videotapes.

The advent of VCD suddenly brought together these previously scattered merchants, and they worked together to resist its influx into the market, so as to avoid having the VCRs in their warehouses become completely unsaleable.

But in the end it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

In early November.

Huaen Department Store set up a lottery box at the door, claiming that as long as customers spend more than 100 yuan in the department store, they will have a chance to participate in a free lottery.

The first, second and third prizes are all small gifts of little value.

Special Prize: A set of high-end suits, originally priced at RMB 3999, discounted to RMB , plus a free Qvod VCD when the suit is purchased.

As soon as the lucky draw was launched, the customer flow of several branches of Huaen Department Store in Hong Kong all increased that day.

There were also quite a few customers who won the special prize.

"Ms. Xue, we sold more than 500 VCDs today, and we also cleared out the backlog of suits in our inventory..."

Xue Wan'en sat at her desk listening to her assistant's report and rubbed her brows.

This consumption model of using lottery as a gimmick was naturally the idea of Zhai Yuan. In his words, as long as the special prize tickets are not thrown all over the streets, this activity can continue to be held.

"It's better not to continue like this. Open the store as normal tomorrow and remove the prize boxes and tickets. Otherwise, I'm afraid the industrial and commercial officials will come to our store."

Xue Wan'en's words made the Ivy League scam disappear in her own company. She adjusted her glasses and asked, "How did the talks with the owners of those video stores go?"

The female assistant reported: "We are still discussing it. Most of them hope to wait until the inventory in the warehouse is sold out before discussing cooperation with Hua En."

"I don't have that much time to give them." Xue Wan'en frowned: "How many video stores are there in Hong Kong now?"

“There are 127 companies listed.”

"Tell them that Hua En will only cooperate with 100 of them in the future. I will distribute a VCD to them at a price of 2900 yuan. If they miss this opportunity, they will have to hold on to their videotapes in the future..."

…………

As expected, the mainland version of "Journey to the West" disc that came with the VCD received unanimous praise from Hong Kong drama fans.

Some customers even bought VCDs specifically for watching this drama and put them at home.

Then a new problem arises.

The first five episodes of Journey to the West given with the machine were quickly finished. Many customers searched around Hong Kong and other places and found that many video stores seemed to have changed overnight.

Not only was there an advertisement board for Qvod VCD at the door, but piles of CDs were also placed in a prominent position in the store.

CD rental and sales business: 1 yuan per day for rental and 30 yuan per day for purchase.

For a monopoly on optical discs, any price is reasonable, as long as it is cheaper than competing videotapes.

In fact, it is indeed much cheaper. A box of videotapes sells for about one hundred yuan, which has no advantage over CDs.

"Boss, do you have the disc with the last five episodes of Journey to the West?"

"Yes~ Do you rent or buy?"

"Of course I rented it. I watched it all in one day and it only cost me a few dozen dollars."

"It won't cost that much. This Journey to the West has only been released to episode 11, and I heard that it is still being filmed. Don't worry, remember the name of my shop. I will be the first to stock new products as soon as they arrive."

The owner of the video store patted his chest to make a promise, and then he approached the customer and said with a smile: "You see, there is no need to buy these serious DVDs to collect them at home, but I still have a few good ones here, a collection of third-level movies produced by Jiuyi Entertainment, which are definitely worth buying home and savoring, handsome guy..."

The same scene is played out in different video stores in Hong Kong.

Less than a month after its release, CDs have already begun to rapidly eat into the market share of videotapes.

…………

"The source of the film, Fatty."

In the tea room of Jiuyi Entertainment, Wang Jin was greeted warmly by Zhai Yuan as soon as he entered the door: "In half a month, only 15 commercial films were selected, and 4 of them were black-and-white movies. Customers who bought the discs all said that the films were too old-fashioned. Are you willing to accept them?"

Wang Jin rubbed his red and swollen eye sockets and said aggrievedly, "Boss, 15 is not a small number. I have watched hundreds of videotapes in the past half month. Now I feel like vomiting when I hear the sound of the tapes turning. Damn it! I never knew Hollywood could make so many bad movies. I thought they were all Martin Scorsese."

Zhai Yuan smiled and said, "Of course, the movies you can watch are all the best ones that have made a name for themselves. North America produces thousands of movie cassettes a year. In addition to the best movies that are imported, there are at least 900 movies left that you need to slowly choose from."

The other people in the tea room nodded secretly when they heard this.

Li Xiuxian teased, "Brother Jin, it looks like you'll have to spend Christmas in the film review room this year."

"I can't figure it out. I've watched too many bad movies and sooner or later I'll become crazy."

Wang Jin waved his hands repeatedly, looking like he couldn't stand it: "Mr. Zhai, when you were in Yanjing, Li Lizhen and her team had already started filming my movie "Police Story". I think I should continue to devote myself to the film industry. It's better to ask someone else to review the film."

"We still have to review the films. We should pick a few good films in the early stage to improve the reputation of our discs."

Zhai Yuan said to Wang Jin: "Once we have established a firm foothold in the market, it won't matter. By then, the company will even remove the Film Review Department."

Wang Jin asked: "When will you be able to gain a firm foothold?"

Zhai Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Wait until you see shops taking away VCRs and replacing them with VCDs."

Wang Jin suddenly felt that he had a long way to go and a heavy responsibility.

Chen Xunqi smiled and said, "Mr. Zhai, let's get back to the topic we were talking about just now. I think if you want to make a TV series, it's best to choose a famous author. Although it's a bit disrespectful to the deceased, Gu Long's fame is definitely better than Jin Liangyong's now."

Gu Long passed away in September this year, which caused quite a stir in the Hong Kong entertainment circle.

Chen Xunqi continued, "I have worked with Gu Daxia before, and now I have the film and TV rights for Lu Xiaofeng. Can you consider filming related series?"

Zhai Yuan shook his head upon hearing this.

Li Ying said next to him: "Mr. Zhai doesn't like Jin Liangyong, does he?" Wang Jin said immediately: "No! Mr. Zhai sent feces to Jin Liangyong..."

Zhai Yuan glared at him and said, "Let me be clear. This was sent by my fanatical fans. It has nothing to do with me. I always urge everyone to be rational, rational!"

The topic was then brought back to the origin of the conflict between Zhai Yuan and Jin Liangyong, and several new employees were reminded of old gossip.

Huang Boming didn't know much about the TV drama industry, so he asked, "Why do we want to make a martial arts film? Even martial arts movies are declining now. I think we can make a fashion film. The prototype of the story is you, Mr. Zhai, and tell the story of how you made a lot of money in the stock market and became a respected stock god."

Zhai Yuan glanced at him and said nothing.

Wang Jin, who was the most influential, said: "Although martial arts movies are declining now, TV series are still more popular. And when shooting fashion films, you have to consider the values and identity backgrounds of audiences in different regions. It seems that some TVB dramas were not allowed to be exported overseas. Why? Because they made Hong Kong look too prosperous, and they were worried that audiences in underdeveloped areas would feel unbalanced when watching them!"

"But when shooting a martial arts drama, you don't have to consider these things. The word chivalrous spirit runs through the entire Southeast Asia, and the Chinese can accept this set of values. Besides, Mr. Zhai also needs to open up overseas channels to buy VCDs and optical discs, and can't just focus on Hong Kong."

Zhai Yuan glanced at Fatty Wang again, thinking that he was indeed a gold medal director from the Zhao family, with a clear sense of the market and risk assessment.

In fact, Zhai Yuan has also thought about shooting other types of dramas.

But there is already a fantasy drama called "Journey to the West".

The audience for romance dramas is still somewhat narrow.

Fashion dramas touch upon the issue that Wang Jin mentioned. In addition to values, there is also the hidden danger of backward regions not being allowed to introduce them.

If we bring out "Breaking Bad" and "House of Cards" now, they are too advanced and the market may not accept them. Besides, there are no conditions for filming them.

After all the calculations, martial arts dramas are still the safest choice.

Combined with Wang Jin’s words, this drama set its genre.

Soon, several grown men were heard arguing in the tea room.

"Although Mr. Zhai is not Jin Liangyong, I still think his novel should be remade. Liu Dehua made The Return of the Condor Heroes two years ago, so we will make Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils."

"It's a big deal to film "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils". I agree with what Chen Xunqi said just now. We should take advantage of the time when Gu Long was buried to film "Lu Xiaofeng" to commemorate the deceased."

"Is Lu Xiaofeng qualified to compete with Qiao Feng?"

"Fool, we still have Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuxue, what are you blowing?"

……

Seeing that the discussion was about to turn into a fight, Zhai Yuan quickly called a halt.

I thought to myself, what's the point of arguing? Mixing them together to make beef balls is stupid!

"Stop arguing, let me sort it out."

Zhai Yuan closed his eyes and thought for a moment. He opened his eyes with a bit of shame and sighed softly to Wang Jin.

Wang Jin looked puzzled.

Zhai Yuan slowly said, "That's right. I just thought of a plot and I'll share it with you all for your reference."

When the new employees who had just joined the company heard this, they all became interested.

I've heard that Zhai Yuan is the bridge king in the film and television industry. Is he planning to improvise today?
"There was a prince in the Ming Dynasty who had four secret agents, Tiandi Xuanhuang, under his command. Each of them was a master in charge of a region."

Everyone exchanged glances: Oh? This is the story of the Four Famous Detectives.

"The top spy was an expert in swordsmanship. He went to Japan to study swordsmanship and got a good swordsmanship. He also married a Japanese wife. But when his wife died, his sister-in-law came to him..."

"The number one spy in the world has lived a lonely life, desperately looking for the murderer of his father..."

"Xuanzi's number one secret agent is a woman..."

"The Yellow Number One Agent is a local thug..."

……

Zhai Yuan talked a lot, and the plot he described was exactly the hodgepodge of martial arts dramas created by later director Wang Jin, which combined the strengths of various schools.

"World First"

It is also regarded as the last peak of domestic martial arts dramas.

Except for a few knife-throwing scenes, the entire series is almost a pure happy story structure, without the usual bitter and vengeful plots of Hong Kong dramas.

One of the reasons why Zhai Yuan has never liked Hong Kong dramas is that the love lines are too long and complicated.

"Anyway, that's pretty much the story. The prince is the villain, and the three brothers have a final battle with him in the end. That's it."

Zhai Yuan gave a brief introduction to the story. It was impossible to cover all the minor details, but it took more than ten minutes.

Chen Xun and others around were all stunned after hearing what he said.

Just from this story outline, one can find the prototypes of most of the characters in Jin Gu's novels.

Huang Boming smiled and said, "Will we not be sued for copyright infringement if we do this?"

Lao Huang attaches great importance to copyright. He bought the script of "Happy Ghost" from a school student for 5,000 yuan.

Zhai Yuan was dissatisfied and said, "How can it be an infringement? Isn't it very common for creators to collide with each other?"

Everyone laughed dryly, thinking that you didn't hit a bridge, but a plane hitting a kite.

"Good!" Amidst the dry laughter, Wang Jinzhong praised with full energy: "As expected of Mr. Zhai, although there is a bridge crash plot, it is very cleverly used without leaving any trace!"

The others realized that the young man in front of them was the big boss, and quickly followed suit and applauded.

Zhai Yuan looked at this group of hypocritical faces, curled his lips, and said to Wang Jin: "Fatty, you don't want to review the film, right? This drama is just for you. Work with me to review the script for five episodes in the next two days. After shooting the five episodes, make a CD to test the waters. If the effect is good, continue shooting. If the effect is not good, change the subject matter."

Wang Jin rubbed his hands and laughed, "My director's fee is calculated based on the filming of a movie. Do I have to recalculate it for a TV series?"

Zhai Yuan said unhappily: "As usual!"

Wang Jin smiled brightly: "Thank you, Mr. Zhai. I will definitely help you make this movie "Number One Under Heaven" and make your company's CDs number one in the world!"

Li Xiuxian pondered for a moment and asked, "Mr. Zhai, have you decided on the actors?"

Zhai Yuan shook his head: "Not yet, but I think the main characters should still be the people in the company, and the extra roles will need to be loaned out."

After saying this, a group of people frowned.

Jiuyi Entertainment is full of movie stars. According to the usual operating rules of the film and television industry, movie stars cannot easily appear in TV series, otherwise it will make the audience lose their sense of mystery and they will not buy tickets to enter the theater next time.

However, seeing how calm and composed Zhai Yuan seems now, he doesn't seem to have any such concerns at all.

That’s right, not all the employees in the company are of Wan Ziliang and Zhang Guorong’s level. There are also not all-rounders like Liang Xiaolong and Luo Jiaying.

Li Xiuxian nodded silently, and smiled again and said, "Mr. Zhai just mentioned the role of Huang Zi's number one secret agent, Cheng Shifei. I would like to recommend an actor."

Zhai Yuan frowned and said, "Could it be Chen Kuian?"

"No!" Li Xiuxian smiled and waved his hand. Seeing that the people sitting around him were all familiar with him, he did not hide anything. "Everyone knows my background. Before Xin Ji Fu Tou Jun fell, he had a brother who came to work with me. He also made a living in the entertainment industry. Now he is the host of a children's program on TVB. I think he is very suitable for the role of Cheng Shi Fei. Mr. Zhai, would you consider giving the newcomer a chance?"

(End of this chapter)