Chinese Entertainment Intelligence King

Chapter 142 The leading male role in "Jingwei Filling the Sea"

"...Boss Yan, 'Water Moon Cave Heaven' will be broadcasted this month on Guangxi Film Channel, Heshi TV Station in Anhui Province, and Fushi TV Station in Fujian Province."

"We will send the ratings data and related information to your email address simultaneously."

"The two satellite TV stations in Sichuan and Guizhou have agreed to broadcast the show on satellite in June. We will try our best to get it to the summer season."

"We've already arranged for someone from the Hunan Provincial TV Station to watch Tangren's 'Dandelion.' We'll report back to you if there's any progress."

"According to your instructions for the list of terrestrial and city TV stations to partner with, 'Detective Di Renjie' has contacted six TV stations. However, only two have shown signs of cooperation, and the rest are taking a wait-and-see approach."

"..."

Yan Li held his cell phone and listened to the report from Xiao Guan, the head of Yian's marketing department, nodding from time to time.

"We'll continue to promote 'Water Moon Cave Heaven' on terrestrial channels. Zhou Yi's reputation is very effective. If the broadcast data is good, many TV stations will be willing to buy it."

"I personally coordinated with the two satellite TV stations about their broadcast times. June is also a good time. After increasing their popularity, they can broadcast a lot of reruns. Children can watch TV during the summer vacation. The daytime market is equally important."

"You will be fully responsible for the Dandelion project. Try your best to make back your investment. If you can't make it, I'll take over."

"There's no rush for Detective Di Renjie. The project isn't well-known, so it's hard to get started. Only after CCTV premieres will it be time for you to get started."

"..."

"I'll be back in Beijing in a few days, and we'll talk in detail then."

Yan Li ended the conversation and once again expressed his gratitude for having made the right choice of the head of the marketing department.

He has strong execution ability, is meticulous in his work, and has good sales skills. Having someone to help him saves him a lot of energy.

However, as Yi'an's publishing projects became more and more numerous, Xiao Guan alone was unable to lead the team, so Yan Li considered recruiting or promoting two more deputy directors.

It not only shares some of the work pressure with Xiao Guan, but also provides a certain amount of checks and balances.

It would be a stupid move to suppress such a business expert, but it would be even more stupid if we don't take any precautions.

Rebellion and backstabbing are too far-fetched. What Yan Li is afraid of is that Xiao Guan will change jobs or be poached.

Many of Xiao Guan's people are in the marketing department. If he takes a few key members away, half of the marketing department will be paralyzed.

Yan Li doesn't want to suppress Xiao Guan, but he can take advantage of the company's rapid development to recruit more people. The expanded marketing department will still be under Xiao Guan's management, but will no longer rely on him alone.

“It’s not easy being a boss.”

It's easier said than done. Just know how to use people, clearly distinguish between rewards and punishments, and then control the overall situation.

But when there are hundreds of people of all kinds, it becomes difficult to coordinate and manage between the responsible persons and departments.

Knowing people and using them well, how to discover talents, how to use them specifically, and whether to make mistakes or not.

The rewards and punishments are clearly defined, the scale is clear, and how to make everyone convinced.

Yan Li needs to figure this out bit by bit.

Fortunately, he loved to play since he was a child and had been involved in some gangs, so he had some experience. In addition, he was smart and had the help of the system. Although he had experienced some bumps, it was generally smooth and there were no major mistakes.

If it were other young people who had just graduated from universities and had no similar experience and knowledge, they would inevitably make trouble and be fooled.

There is a company next to the office building where Yi'an Film and Television is located. It is also a startup founded by young people. It is said that the boss graduated from a prestigious university and is engaged in the Internet industry.

A small company with less than 30 employees has seen nearly double-digit employee resignations in less than three months, and it seems like it is about to be ruined by their boss.

Sometimes when Yan Li feels a little confused, he likes to walk to the door of that company, and his self-confidence will immediately boost.

He manages companies with dozens of people and crews with hundreds of people in an orderly manner.

He's a fucking genius!

If it were in ancient times, Yan Li might have followed the example of his predecessors, such as Liu Bei, Cao Cao, and Zhu Yuanzhang, and started a "real business". They were all from the Huaihai area, so who would be afraid of whom?

...

On April 4, with the last shot, "The Seven Fairies" officially wrapped up.

Yan Li was not stingy and arranged a high-quality wrap-up banquet to reward and thank all the cast and crew members.

At the wrap-up party, Yan Li, as the producer, was inevitably "besieged".

Actors and actresses as well as heads of some production departments came to toast him and look forward to working with him next time.

After the wrap party, the cast and most of the crew members dispersed and went home, with only a small number of staff members left to clean up the mess.

For example, handling used props, costumes, and scenery, returning rented hotels, machines, and equipment, organizing various materials for subsequent post-production, etc.

Yan Li stayed in Wu City for two days, and after sorting out the issues, he handed them over to Wang Decai.

Then he left the film and television city with Dong Xuan, but they parted ways on the way.

Dong Xuan returned to the capital, while Yan Li went to Shanghai to discuss the contract for "Chinese Paladin" with Tangren.

As mentioned earlier, Cai Yinong’s goal is to share risks. He doesn’t have that strong desire to cooperate, and funds are not that tight.

So Yan Li did not lower the price too much, but he did strive for benefits in other aspects.

The cost of "Chinese Paladin" was 1800 million yuan, and Yan Li accounted for 650% of the share with 35 million yuan.

However, the payment cycle is long, and "The Legend of Sword and Fairy" must be handed over to Yi'an Film and Television for distribution, and Yi'an Film and Television must share part of the copyright of the drama in the name of a co-producer.

Tangren has no major objections to the distribution, share, and payment cycle, but does not want to share the copyright.

The reason is simple. There is more than one "Chinese Paladin" game. The second and third games were released as early as last year.

Tang Ren and Yan Li are not fools. They predicted that if this drama becomes popular, a sequel will be released later.

If there is a copyright dispute with this drama, and it is combined with the original game, it will be a lively scene.

We just discussed the copyright issue for a day and a half. In the end, because Cai Yinong didn't have the same confidence in the project as Yan Li, they agreed that Yi An would jointly hold the film and television copyright, and Yan Li also made concessions on the payment period and distribution share.

"Mr. Cai, it's a pleasure to work with you."

Yan Li extended his hand with a smile, and Cai Yinong shook hands with him, with a slightly unhappy look on his face.

"Boss Yan, I finally understand how you negotiated such a good contract for Zhou Yi."

In this negotiation, Tangren did not gain much advantage in terms of share. The copyright was also divided by Yan Li, and the distribution share was reduced. Yan Li, as an investor, also benefited.

Yan Li is not very old, but he is good at understanding people's hearts during negotiations.

No matter which side is in charge of the negotiation, you should test the bottom line little by little, and then reach a cooperation at a price that is as close to your bottom price as possible.

Although the Tang people did not suffer any loss, Cai Yinong felt a little frustrated at being at a disadvantage.

Are the young people born in the 80s so fierce now?
Yan Li didn't take it seriously. He had gained something in the negotiation, so what was there to worry about if someone said something sour to him? He was even used to it. Only two or three out of ten people could still be in a good mood after negotiating with him.

After signing the contract, Yan Li did not leave Shanghai, but instead discussed "The Seven Fairies" with Shanghai Satellite TV on the spot.

The latter is also interested in the drama and is willing to co-broadcast it with other TV stations.

The price of exclusive broadcasting in Hunan Province is quite tight. Yan Li tasted the sweetness of joint broadcasting in "Water Moon Cave", and began to think about releasing "The Seven Fairies" in the same way.

Several satellite TV stations share costs and risks together, so they are more open-minded and the prices are easier to negotiate.

But cooperation between TV stations is not easy to achieve.

They were all competitors, so how could they cooperate? It was also necessary to ensure they wouldn't gang up on the filmmakers. This was a much more difficult task than negotiating with each company individually, and Yan Li was also feeling his way forward.

However, if it is really successful, not only will it make a lot of money, but several satellite TV stations will broadcast it simultaneously, and the TV series can quickly spread its influence.

After staying in Shanghai for a few days and making some progress, Yan Li flew back to Beijing, and then he received some unexpected news.

"Looking for me to film?"

Yan Li looked at his secretary Hu Ya in surprise, but quickly reacted.

"I'll just turn down any scenes involving rapists or gangsters."

"Heroes of Sui and Tang Dynasties" was a hit and achieved good results, even making it into the top three in ratings in several regions.

The TV series became popular, and naturally the characters and actors in it also showed up, including Yan Li.

Yan Li had received an invitation from the crew for the first time before.

Yan Li was a little excited at the time. After all, he had fought for all the roles since his debut. It was the first time that a mentor discovered his talent in the acting industry.

But when I saw the specific situation, my heart sank.

In a Republican drama, he played a bully who raped the protagonist's sister, and finally surrendered to bandits, where he was beaten to death by them.

I guess the director or someone saw the role of Yuwen Chengdu in "Heroes of Sui and Tang Dynasties" and thought his acting was good, but without knowing his background, they directly offered him a film contract.

This incident made Yan Li a little hurt!

He obviously has a good image and his acting skills are okay. Apart from the queuing scene, there are actually many roles that he can fit into as Yuwen Chengdu. But in the end, he only focused on his crotch.

Therefore, as an actor, Yan Li is actually in a rather embarrassing situation now.

Those who know him well don't dare to ask him to play ordinary roles, or perhaps they think he won't take the role, so they won't ask Yan Li to film.

If you don't know him, the information you have about him is rather one-sided. Not only does the role he is given have few lines, but it is also rather weird.

Fortunately, Yan Li no longer relies on film pay to make a living, otherwise he wouldn’t even be able to pay his mortgage.

"Not those roles, but the leading male role."

Secretary Hu Ya explained, and Yan Li was stunned: "Male No. 1, looking for me?"

However, Yan Li was really interested. Regardless of whether he would act or not, this was his first invitation to be the male lead.

"What drama?"

"'Jingwei Filling the Sea', Hou Yi, the director is the director of 'Water Moon Cave', and the female lead is said to be Shu Chang."

Yan Li was a little confused about how Hou Yi emerged as the male protagonist in the story of Jingwei filling the sea, but what he didn't understand even more was why he was chosen as the male protagonist.

He is still self-aware. He knows that his image and acting skills are okay, but he is not famous.

Of course, there are some crews that use newcomers and unknown actors as male and female protagonists, but they have contacted them in advance, or have conducted multiple inspections and interviews, and they have not been directly invited.

Yan Li was a little skeptical. Would the crew of "Jingwei Filling the Sea" be soliciting investment under the guise of looking for a male lead?

He heard Liu Xiaoqing chatting about this kind of thing when they were filming "The Seven Fairies".

At that time, Liu Xiaoqing was rich, and a film crew asked him to play the female lead.

Everything went smoothly. After the crew started filming, they said they were out of money and asked Liu Xiaoqing if he could invest some money.

Liu Xiaoqing thought the crew was pretty good, so she paid the money and successfully transformed herself from the heroine to the investor.

Yan Li asked himself, and between the two choices of someone in the crew taking a fancy to him and someone trying to cheat him out of his money, he decisively chose the latter.

“It’s all a routine.”

Yan Li shook his head and directly told Hu Ya to turn down the role.

----

P.S. I'm really sorry, my eyes are sore, I'll take a day off today, and I'll make up for it in the next three days.

(P.S. Don’t worry about updates being later or less frequent. The momentum of this book is still good. I’m still thinking about getting 10,000 subscriptions. As long as I’m healthy, I won’t give up.)
(End of this chapter)