Chinese Entertainment Intelligence King

Chapter 268 Studio Mode, Visiting Tang Ren and Little Liu Tianxian

In late March, "The Imperial Palace of the Qing Dynasty" premiered on four satellite TV channels, including Shanghai Satellite TV.

Although the online and media buzz wasn't high, the viewership was decent, especially Anhui Satellite TV, which performed exceptionally well, with the highest single-episode viewership reaching over 7% and its market share approaching 13%.

Other satellite TV channels also performed well, winning the ratings champion for period dramas and even TV series in several regions in the first half of 2007.

The media has called this drama the mainland version of "War and Beauty" and the mainland version of "Dae Jang Geum".

However, Yu Zheng, the screenwriter and producer of the show, does not agree with this statement.

He firmly believes that "The Imperial Palace of the Qing Dynasty" is "The Imperial Palace of the Qing Dynasty," and he has been arguing with some viewers and netizens on Tieba, Tianya, and other platforms who questioned the plagiarism.

While Yu Zheng was grumbling, he was also secretly glad that he had listened to Yan Li's suggestions to revise the script and downplay the borrowed plot points. Otherwise, he would have had a hard time getting rid of the "plagiarism" label.

Of course, he himself may not care that much about this; making money and becoming famous are not important to him.

However, Yu Zheng didn't care, but Yi An did care about his reputation in this regard, so she helped smooth things over and told him to keep a low profile.

Although Yu Zheng is a bit arrogant, he did make a significant contribution to the production of "The Imperial Palace of the Qing Dynasty".

Even though many people are unwilling to admit it, Qing Dynasty dramas do have a large market and a wide audience at present.

Yu Zheng is quite capable.

Even though the script had some flaws, the way it was handled was better than some screenwriters, and it captured the audience's attention, making "The Imperial Palace of the Qing Dynasty" a minor hit.

Not only were the results good, but the sales were also quite good. Although it wasn't exactly a pleasant surprise, it was still better than Yan Li and Yi An had anticipated.

This also made Yu Zheng, the newly minted screenwriter and producer of a hit drama, a hot commodity for Yi'an Company.

Originally, there was still some debate within the company about Fan Xiaopang's next period drama, but with Yu Zheng's rise to fame, it's basically confirmed that his work, "Rouge Snow," has been chosen.

In addition to "Rouge Snow," the company also promised Yu Zheng that he could organize another project as a screenwriter and producer.

Yan Li personally promised Yu Zheng that if "Rouge Snow" or another project was successful, the company would consider helping him establish his own studio.

Currently, only two people in Yi'an have studios: Ning Hao and Ju Jue Liang, who officially joined Yi'an after the Spring Festival.

The former is considered Yi An's current leading film director, while the latter is considered Yi An's leading television drama director. Yi An's most profitable Gu Long drama series were all directed or participated in by him.

In addition, Yi An has some directors and producers, as well as some who can be in charge of projects, but their achievements, abilities and resumes are not enough for Yan Li to support them in truly taking charge.

Yu Zheng wasn't actually good enough, but Yan Li "had high hopes" for him, so he was willing to give him a chance.

Yi An's studio system is currently in the exploratory stage, and the specific cooperation methods are not yet fixed.

For example, Ju Jue Liang's studio is simply an affiliation; Yi An does not hold any shares in the studio, and all the studio employees are Ju Jue Liang's people.

To put it bluntly, it's just a matter of putting a layer of skin over the original direct hiring.

Nominally, Ju Jueliang is Yi An's contracted director. Compared with other companies, Yi An has absolute priority in cooperating with him, and can also get a discount on the price.

Ju Jue Liang was able to obtain stable project cooperation and related resource support from Yi An, thus gaining a fixed financial backer and a powerful patron.

This is also a common form of cooperation in the industry, and many of Huayi Brothers' studios operate in this way.

The advantage is that one party invests less and the other party has more freedom, allowing each to get what they need at a relatively low cost.

The downsides are that the bond is somewhat shallow, the cooperation period is short and the stability is low, and neither party may necessarily regard the other as a true ally.

In comparison, Ning Hao's work style is much more loyal than Ju Jueliang's.

His studio is wholly owned by Yi An, but he does not hold any shares. It is more like he has set up a team and project group with himself at the core within Yi An, and he has a great deal of autonomy.

Of course, although they don't have shares, Ning Hao and his team receive project dividends and performance bonuses.

Moreover, the company provides substantial support for its projects and assumes all the risks.

Simply put, Ning Hao's studio is like the company's own son, while Ju Jue Liang's studio isn't even considered a godson.

Most likely, he's the sworn brother of the adopted grandson...

In addition to the two models mentioned above, the company also offers joint ventures, where the company and relevant responsible persons share shares proportionally.

The person in charge of the project will handle the funding, resources, and channel support provided by Yi'an. After other profits are shared, the studio's earnings from the project will be divided between the person in charge and Yi'an according to their shareholding.

This model involves Yi'an relinquishing its interests to secure long-term strategic partnerships with high-level and top-tier talent.

This will most likely be the mainstream approach for Yi'an Studio in the future, placing it in a position second only to the biological son as a godson.

Yu Zheng is reportedly planning to implement this model, and Ning Hao's studio will make appropriate adjustments if needed in the future.

To reiterate, Yan Li is not the type to keep things to himself.

If you let him make money and he gets rich, he won't hesitate to share some of the benefits with his family so that everyone can live a good life together.

Yu Zheng, emboldened by Yan Li's promises, is reportedly already drafting a new project and creating a script outline.

Because of the success of "The Imperial Palace of the Qing Dynasty", he had planned to start with the Qing Dynasty, but he may have written "Rouge Snow" and mixed in elements of the Republic of China.

Finally, the story is set in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, and even the title of the drama has a strong late Qing Dynasty flavor: "The Last Princess".

Upon hearing the name, Yan Li immediately suspected that Yu Zheng had plagiarized the play "The Last Emperor's Grandson".

There's nothing we can do; this guy's a habitual offender.

He rewrote the script for "The Imperial Palace of the Qing Dynasty," and he had someone review "Rouge Snow," removing many controversial plot points, which are now being optimized and revised.

Yan Li has developed a kind of conditioned reflex now. When he hears that Yu Zheng's script is plagiarized, his first reaction is that it is copied from someone else, and his second reaction is that it is rewritten.

Yu Zheng was somewhat wronged this time. He did borrow some settings from "The Last Emperor's Grandson", but he didn't plagiarize the plot, since the script was still just an outline.

The trope of aristocratic children in the late Qing Dynasty suffering various hardships and setbacks when they were forced to live among commoners was already being written into novels and screenplays during the Republican era.

Based solely on this premise, it's impossible to call it plagiarism.

Yan Li was relieved and instructed Yu Zheng to learn from it, even if it wasn't a direct adaptation, to make it more sophisticated.

To reiterate, Yi'an is a company aiming to become a leader in the film and television industry, and film and television belong to the content and cultural industry, one of the most taboo things is plagiarism.

Boss Yan may be shameless, but Yi An must have some sense of shame!
Besides Yu Zheng, who benefited greatly and was very happy, the main creators of "The Imperial Palace of the Qing Dynasty" also made an appearance.

The one who benefits the most is, of course, the female lead, Wang Ou. She has the most screen time, and it's impossible to avoid talking about her.

In the past two years, Wang Ou has starred in a series of hit dramas and popular series, including "The Migrant Workers' Survival", "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio", "The Investiture of the Gods", "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng", "Detective Dee 2", and "The Palace of the Qing Dynasty".

The roles vary in size and scope, some are memorable while others are rather unremarkable, but with so many roles, even if it's just for show, they still manage to become familiar faces and gain fame.

Not to mention that Wang Ou is backed by Yi An, a company with a mature artist management team.

Yi An was able to elevate Fan Xiaopang to the upper-middle tier of the "Four Dan and Two Soldiers" in just one or two years, which shows her considerable influence.

Even though Wang Ou's company resources and support are far less than Fan Xiaopang's, they are still quite considerable compared to other actresses.

With his film and television achievements as a foundation, and with extensive exposure and promotion in other areas, Wang Ou's career rises almost every time a show airs.

Dramas like "The Imperial Palace of the Qing Dynasty," which feature female leads, could potentially propel her career to new heights.

Yi An's management team aims to help Wang Ou secure her position as a popular young actress this year, or even rank her among the top-tier second-tier actresses, by leveraging other resources.

This is no low goal. There aren't many top-tier actresses, and even those ranked in the second tier are considered well-known in the industry.

She's in the upper-middle tier, a candidate who has the potential to become a top-tier actress. In many companies, this level would be considered the leading lady.

Wang Ou and Yi An were both quite confident.

Especially the latter, Huayi Brothers can support two of the four leading actresses and two supporting actresses, as well as some popular actresses and actresses.

Yi An has considerable resources and strength. Even though a lot of them have "flowed out," it's enough to promote Wang Ou, the second sister, to the top. I wouldn't dare say she's a first-tier star, but she's not even close to being a top-tier second-tier star. Yi An's artist management department can forget about working there.

Besides Wang Ou, many other lead actors also benefited to varying degrees.

For some people, the benefits may not be so obvious, but in the acting industry, it is often about accumulating little by little and climbing step by step.

Filming more movies and playing more roles can increase fame and make a bigger name for the audience. Not to mention the audience and fans, if someone in the industry notices it, it might be a new opportunity.

For example, Yan Li knew that Qin Lan had received two offers for Qing Dynasty films because of her good performance in "The Imperial Palace of the Qing Dynasty".

Huo Siyan was favored by Yu Zheng, who listed her as one of the candidates for the female lead in "The Last Princess".

However, Yan Li strongly suspected that there was something fishy about this choice.

After all, Yu Zheng and Qin Lan are quite close, and they have more or less interacted with that group of Teddy Sisters. Those who know, know whether there are any personal connections involved.

Qin Lan is no ordinary leader in this sisterhood; she doesn't hold that position for nothing. If she doesn't fight for some benefits and rewards for her sisters, how can they stay firmly united around her?

Yan Li didn't mind the casting of Huo Siyan in "The Last Princess".

Fan Xiaopang definitely won't act, and Wang Ou isn't short of resources. The company's artists aren't needed, so they'll always "leave." Huo Siyan is quite sensible; giving her to her is acceptable.

However, Yan Li didn't care; it was hard to say whether others would try to take it.

Qin Lan wants to support her own people, Dong Xuan also has her own people, Fan Xiaopang may not be willing to let her have her way, and there are probably many other miscellaneous people who have the same ideas.

The case of Yang Rong and Huo Siyan vying for the role in "The Difficult Love of a Diamond Bachelor" is a prime example.

If nothing unexpected happens, there will be many similar situations in the future, where everyone will rely on their own abilities without any pre-arranged deals.

Regardless of who gets it, for Yan Li, it's all in the family; moreover, it gives him the opportunity to act as a referee and profit from the allocation.

Direct arrangements are much better than "grabbing" them!
...

In late March, Yan Li finished filming "The Investiture of the Gods 2". Before returning to Beijing, he visited the set at the neighboring Xiangshan Film and Television Base.

The cast and crew of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes"

Accompanied by Cai Yinong, Yan Li watched the filming on site with some emotion.

"President Cai has real guts."

Jin Yong adaptations, despite their prestigious reputation, are not easy to film, especially with Zhang Jizhong's version as a benchmark. However, this particular adaptation of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" is a good choice, as Zhang Jizhong's Jin Yong adaptations are the most controversial, and there has been a gap of about 5 years between them.

Given the relatively long time interval and the poor reception of the previous version, audiences and the market will have certain expectations for the new version.

After thinking about it for a while, Yan Li even considered whether he should follow the trend and make a Jin Yong film.

Zhang Da Hu Zi's version of "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" was also highly controversial and had a long interval between adaptations.

However, Yan Li gave up in an instant, as the Gu Long drama about Yi An hadn't been filmed yet.

Moreover, he is not optimistic about the current martial arts market, believing it will decline. Gu Long dramas are at least Yi An's signature and have enough appeal, but Jin Yong dramas are different and carry considerable risk.

Therefore, even if Yi An were to remake a Jin Yong drama, it wouldn't be now; at least we should wait until the martial arts market becomes clearer.

Cai Yinong, who was standing next to Yan Li, was unaware of what Yan Li was thinking. Upon hearing this, she sighed and said, "We have invested a lot in this film and are under a lot of pressure. We hope that President Yan will take good care of us in terms of distribution."

Yan Li understood Cai's meaning. It was said that Tangren was under pressure to protect Hu Ge, who had been in a car accident, which delayed the production team a lot.

This has increased both costs and risks, putting considerable pressure on Tangren.

"They're all old friends, so we at Yi'an will definitely do our best."

Yan Li and Tangren have collaborated more than once or twice, and overall it has been quite pleasant.

Tangren's dramas have a good market acceptance and have achieved impressive results. Yi'an can earn a lot of money and fame from them, making them a high-quality client among Yi'an's many distribution clients.

Otherwise, Yan Li wouldn't have come to visit the set in person; his purpose was to build rapport with the Tang people.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Yan. I feel relieved to hear you say that."

Cai Yinong expressed her gratitude, saying that while Tangren Media and Yi An had made a lot of money and fame from their collaboration, the former had also benefited.

In the past few years since Yi'an's issuance began to gain momentum, many partners and some industry insiders have also made a rough calculation.

TV series distributed through Yi'an generate 10% to 30% higher revenue than those distributed through other channels, and potentially even more if the project and market are favorable.

Don't underestimate this percentage. Many TV drama production companies only earn a meager living, so even a few percentage points of increase adds up.

Besides the increased revenue, dramas distributed through Yi'an have a significantly higher probability and speed of being broadcast on satellite TV, and the security and speed of repayment are also much stronger than those distributed through other channels.

These two points are more appealing to film companies and distributors than the potential for higher profits.

The former enhances the project's influence and can bring various benefits.

The latter goes without saying. For those in the film and television industry, the most painful thing is getting paid. The numbers on the contract and the actual amount earned are often different. There are all sorts of problems, including delayed payments, defaults, and bad debts.

Yi'an's ability to generate as much and as fast a return on investment as possible is enough to make many film and television companies and producers eager to cooperate with them.

The reason why Yi An was able to do this is not complicated.

One approach is to gradually identify and select stable and high-quality partner television stations through various intelligence gathering and extensive cooperation, thereby minimizing the bad debt rate from the source.

Another advantage is that when Yi'an has enough film and television projects and cooperating television stations, she has the confidence to negotiate with them.

Many TV stations, concerned about Yi An's resources and the threat from competitors, will not make things difficult for or offend Yi An's projects; after all, they will pick on the weakest link.

Therefore, any business needs to be scaled up. The bigger the business, the more leverage you have. With more leverage, you have more capital to move forward or backward.

Tangren had previously considered insisting on streamlining distribution channels, arguing that they couldn't entrust such an important matter as distribution to other companies and become dependent on them.

They even took action on this, but stopped after completing one project.

Yi An smells so good!
The advantages of high returns, low risk, and quick returns are simply something that Tangren cannot compensate for on its own.

So after some hesitation, the Tang people still chose to curry favor with a powerful figure, and even in order to secure a stronger bond, they would concede some benefits to Yi'an.

If the TV series "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" hadn't been delayed, Yi An would definitely have been able to get one or two roles.

It's hard to say about Guo Jing and Huang Rong, but Yang Kang, Mu Nianci, and Ouyang Kehua are very promising.

Speaking of this, Yan Li glanced at a girl in the waiting area and then turned to Cai Yinong to ask.

"Is that Liu Tianxian from your company?"

Cai Yinong grinned. This could be used to release a press release to ride the wave of popularity, but the parties involved and the company would definitely not acknowledge it publicly.

"Shishi, come here for a second."

Cai Yinong called out. She didn't really want her artist to get too close to Yan Li, that playboy. If he made any excessive demands, Tangren, which relied on him for money, would find it hard to refuse.

However, since Yan Li had already asked her questions, she couldn't pretend to be stupid and ignore him.

She could at worst help mediate, and as far as she knew, although Yan Li was lecherous, he had a decent reputation and didn't engage in any underhanded dealings; it was a consensual relationship.

Be romantic without being vulgar, and appreciate beauty without being impatient with it!

Liu Shishi walked over somewhat blankly, noticing that Yan Li seemed a little reserved and nervous.

It wasn't that she was afraid of Yan Li's reputation, but rather that as a newcomer, she was bound to feel flustered in the face of such a powerful figure.

"Hello, Mr. Yan, I am Liu Shishi."

Liu Shishi greeted him politely, and Yan Li sized her up a few times.

She does resemble that person somewhat, but her appearance is a bit plain, her temperament is more aloof and gentle, and her eyes are a bit dull. However, her physique is quite good, so she must be from a dance background.

Yan Li had dealt with many dance students and was very experienced in this area. He could guess their general condition just by looking at their temperament and physique.

Speaking of this, Yan Li glanced at Liu Shishi again and felt that she was somewhat similar to Wu Jiani.

Perhaps due to their shared background as dance students, their facial features and overall appearance are similar, leaning towards a classic, understated look. So at first glance, their eyes and brows appear somewhat alike.

However, it's only worth two or three points, at least not as prestigious as Liu Tianxian's.

She doesn't even look as much like Sun Li, the former leading lady of Tangren Media.

Yan Li couldn't help but complain that CEO Cai seemed to have a fixation on one type of female artist. After Sun Li, they failed to sign Liu Yifei, but then signed a "little Liu Yifei".

If Wu Jiani's contract with the company expires and Yi An doesn't want to renew it, she can be introduced to Tangren Media.

Judging by her looks alone, Cai Yinong probably wouldn't treat her badly.

After a brief chat, Yan Li dismissed Liu Shishi. Sensing Cai Yinong's relaxed mood, Yan Li couldn't help but say something.

"Is President Cai treating me like a monster?"

What do you mean? I didn't do anything. You called these people yourself, and now you're making it seem like you're going to do something to the other person.
Cai Yinong realized that she had gone a bit too far and quickly made a joke to smooth things over.

"Mr. Yan is too charming. He's my only good prospect. I'm afraid you'll use your good looks to seduce him?"

Although the meaning was the same, saying it this way made Yan Li feel much better.

As they were business partners, Yan Li said a few words and then brushed it off lightly.

As for that Little Fairy Liu, Yan Lizhen had no interest in her.

She was a young girl who had just entered the industry, with no name or reputation, and no fame whatsoever.

Although she is good-looking, Yan Li already has Wu Jiani. The only highlight is that she is with Wu Die, but he is too lazy to bother with that. He doesn't need that.

Cai Yinong was worried that he was still interested in this person, but actually he was afraid that Tangren would create some kind of scandal to try and gain popularity by associating with him.

Of all the people in the "Legend of the Condor Heroes" production team, Yan Li was only interested in Hu Ge.

This guy is quite popular and is a real gem for Tangren right now. If Yi'an didn't have a shortage of people, he would really love to wield a hoe.

During his visit to the set, Yan Li had a special chat with Hu Ge, inquired about his recovery, and mentioned that he knew several people in the medical field who he could introduce to him later.

Apart from Hu Ge, Yan Li, one of the other actors, simply greeted them politely and then left.

Tangren Media's decision to use newcomers Yuan Hong and Liu Shishi is understandable; after all, they have their own artists, so they have to invest resources in them.

But when Yan Li thought about it, he could only attribute the casting of Ariel Lin, who played Huang Rong, to funding from Taiwan.

However, this girl has such a round face, she doesn't look like Huang Rong at all!
All the way back to the capital from Xiangshan, Yan Li carried this question in his mind, and couldn't help but complain about it to Fan Xiaopang.

The latter was used to it; on the one hand, there were too many such things in the industry, and on the other hand, she felt that the role of Huang Rong was hard to find.

"Ariel Lin is alright, she's barely lively. If we don't cast her, there aren't many suitable actresses to cast her."

Yan Li thought about it and agreed. The influence of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" is so great that a thousand people have a thousand different Huang Rong in their hearts, not to mention that there is also the excellent version played by Barbara Yung.

Yan Li, who personally oversaw the casting for two Gu Long dramas, understands the difficulty involved.

It's not just Ariel Lin; Hu Ge's original roles were all clever and witty, so his portrayal of the simple and honest Guo Jing feels somewhat out of place.

"This show is not easy to release."

Yan Li questioned the casting of the male and female leads for Tangren's "The Legend of the Condor Heroes".

With a large audience for Jin Yong dramas and the wuxia craze still going strong, plus a good cast, this drama is likely to be a box office hit.

But if you expect Cai Yinong to achieve the same sales record as "The Return of the Condor Heroes" or "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng," you'll probably be disappointed.

Compared to this drama, Yan Li was more interested in "Chinese Paladin 3" that Cai Yinong had mentioned to him before leaving.

When the original "Chinese Paladin" was filmed, Yi An and Tangren jointly held the copyright. Now that Tangren wants to film "Chinese Paladin 3", it is natural that they cannot avoid Yi An.

Actually, if you really want to go around it, you can. You can skirt the rules, then go to court. At worst, you'll lose and have to pay some money.

This situation is not uncommon in the film and television industry. There are many loopholes to exploit, and the law is difficult to define, resulting in both winning and losing lawsuits.

However, the Tang people could not afford to offend Yan Li, so they could only share a portion of the profits with Li Qingzhao.

Fortunately, Yan Li trusted Tangren's production capabilities and did not interfere with the production, but he inevitably lost some roles and related say.

The first installment of "Chinese Paladin" was quite successful in promoting its characters, and Yan Li plans to revisit it to see if he can promote one of his own...

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(End of this chapter)