Japanese Entertainment: From special effects actor to action superstar

Chapter 144: Plan
TBS, broadcasting department.

Yoji Hashimoto straightened his collar and also helped Gu Ming straighten it.

"Furuya-kun, for some reason, after seeing that plan, Mr. Kagi Ieki expressed his desire to meet you! I think this plan is feasible, but whether it will be approved or not depends on Mr. Kagi Ieki."

Gu Ming nodded, and after confirming that everything was correct, he and Hashimoto Yoji walked into the office in front of them.

Although he was the minister, the office was not that spacious. Qi Jingwei first asked the two to sit down. On the desk was the plan that Gu Ming had sent.

"Hashimoto-kun, please go out first."

"Yes."

Yoji Hashimoto bowed his head, turned around and left, but did not forget to look at Gu Ming again.

He is very nervous now!
Gu Ming didn't have so many thoughts. He just looked at Sugai Wei and said, "I didn't expect that this plan would alarm Mr. Sugai Wei."

"It's not shocking." Kashiwagi put down his pen and said, "Gugu-kun, would you mind telling me about your idea?"

"Yes, because I run an action agency with some people I know. As the number of people increases, I think we should make the agency famous so that we can get more and better work. After all, I am no longer alone."

Kagi nods slightly. "Those Yakuza. I've heard about that incident."

Gu Ming continued, "So this project came about. On the one hand, the action scenes can show off our agency's action design skills. On the other hand, because of the famous 'Flower Trio', if we can find three outstanding girls to play the leading roles, it will surely have a certain appeal."

Of course, Gu Ming will make some changes. For example, there were a lot of borderline and unnecessary scenes in the Cat's Eye Sisters, and these will all need to be changed.

Necessary temptation is still necessary, but if this is used as a selling point, it will be boring.

Kagiwa remained silent, listening to Gu Ming's story before saying, "Gugu-kun, where are you going to find the actors? Are you going to find the real Flower Trio?"

"Of course not! It's too expensive! We can use some new actors I've met recently, and their prices aren't too high. Of course, to be attractive, we still need to find an actor with some fame. I'm thinking that I've saved some money, and it would be great if I could apply for a loan. Or, we could try to get help from TBS. I heard that TBS has a plan for its own drama."

Qi Jingwei narrowed his eyes slightly and looked Gu Ming up and down. Gu Ming looked into his eyes calmly, without seeing the sharp gaze behind the glasses.

"A TV series? I thought it was a movie."

Gu Ming said, "Can't we take pictures of both?"

"Both?"

"Take both."

The conversation seemed like a question, but the two of them smiled at each other.

Yes, of course you have to take pictures of both!

This is a certain characteristic of Japan. Popular TV series will definitely have corresponding movies, and popular movies will also be adapted into corresponding short dramas.

There are quite a few TV series in Japan that are limited to one season and are adapted from the movies of the same name.

So, you can shoot both.

Among them, TV dramas are the most important.

Japanese customs are very unique and different from those in other Asian countries.

Of course, movies have a higher status in terms of artistry, but from a commercial perspective, TV series have a higher status. The pay of Japanese drama stars is even higher than that of movie stars, and the influence of a popular TV series is greater than that of a popular movie.

"It seems that Furuya-kun already has an idea in mind. So, please elaborate on it."

Kagi Wei leaned forward slightly, becoming somewhat interested in this plan.

Gu Ming then shared some of his previous ideas.

“I positioned this work as an advertisement to showcase our firm’s capabilities, but at the same time, it is also…”

Gu Ming paused, outlined the noun, and then said a word that Qu Jingwei could not have imagined.

"A fashion kung fu film."

Qujing Wei was stunned.

This term has never appeared.

Gu Ming explained, "It's a kung fu film that showcases the glamour of the city. Well, it's a modern swordplay film with excellent action. That's not wrong to understand it that way."

"For example, the three heroines and the hero, Utsumi Toshio, would change into clothes from various brands, looking glamorous and beautiful. The men and women were handsome, which made the audience feel pleasing to the eye. Seeing such attire, they wanted to set a trend."

“The action design will also reflect the characteristics of the firm, aiming to show the women’s boldness and attractiveness, while the men’s will also be sharp and free-spirited.”

"At the same time, it's supplemented by the love stories between the characters... Of course, you can also trade stocks." Stock trading, a classic routine.

That is, there are a lot of heroines, and in the end the protagonist only chooses one of them, but who it will be cannot be seen before the ending.

Each character's love story is simulated as a stock, which is the so-called stock speculation.

Stock trading is quite popular in Japan.

"I only have one idea. We can add some short jokes, some dirty jokes, etc. to the plot, but these things cannot be the main theme. We need to show the beautiful side of women, but we can't treat women as tools for the zither. The male protagonist has his own little thoughts, but he can't be a lustful and cowardly man."

Whether it is Cat's Eye or City Hunter, Hojo Tsukasa has created many meaningless small plots, such as teasing beautiful women under the guise of a search, or peeping at beautiful colleagues while they are changing clothes, etc.

Gu Ming still hopes to make some changes.

It’s okay to have dirty jokes, but you can’t use them as a selling point.

Qujingwei fell into deep thought.

"Furuya-kun, I'm very optimistic about your idea. And according to current market research, threesomes, women, action, and phantom thieves are all popular terms. But there's just one problem."

Kagi held up a finger. "TBS is looking to export its works overseas! We hope to increase its influence overseas. If we focus too much on the present, I'm afraid it will be difficult to succeed."

Gu Ming smiled.

Overseas, that’s easy!
"In fact, I met a Hong Kong martial arts star not long ago. Through him, I found a Hong Kong action actor who can star in the work. If we use this as a name, we may be able to expand into the Hong Kong market."

"Besides that, you can also look for it in more overseas places."

Gu Ming also has a candidate.

For example, the American actor Cynthia Rothrock!
This American woman has been performing in kung fu movies for many years. She has actual fighting skills and her appearance can be described as majestic and heroic.

Moreover, since Cynthia Rothrock wasn’t an actor yet, her price was super cheap!

In this way, with Americans and Zhou people in the crew, it is natural to expand overseas markets.

"Of course, there will still be Japanese elements in the work, but we can also add some overseas elements, such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, South Asia, even Europe and the United States, Zhou Dynasty, the Soviet Union, etc. These elements can be added. Since it is a modern kung fu film, of course we can add the characteristics of various places. The three thieves will also travel to various places to steal."

Although we didn’t go to the local area to shoot the scene, the gimmick was definitely done.

Finally, Qiu Jingwei's hands loosened.

Now, he was completely convinced by Gu Ming.

"Is Furuya-kun still filming the main character? Can you spare some time?"

"Of course, I can't release it right now, but the project is still in preparation. I plan to find screenwriters I know to write the scripts for the first few episodes, and also work on the deeper design. The actors haven't been finalized yet, so all of this needs to be prepared. We should be able to start filming around June or July of this year."

There was a crackling sound, and Qujingwei clapped his hands.

"In that case, let's make it a deal! This drama will be one of TBS's original series. We'll air a pilot episode first. If it goes well, I'll move it to the Thursday 10 o'clock slot."

Gu Ming's eyes brightened slightly.

The prime time for Japanese TV dramas is from 7 to 11 o'clock.

At ten o'clock, when the children are asleep, it is the best time for adults to watch TV.

Especially for adult works like Cat's Eye, Ten O'Clock is absolutely golden.

Although the concept of "Mu Shi" has not been proposed yet, Mu Shi is also a very important time period, basically equivalent to the 8 o'clock and 9 o'clock TV series after the Zhou national news broadcast around the millennium.

From a business perspective, even if Kagi Wei values Gu Ming a little, it is impossible to broadcast it directly during this prime time. It needs to be tested first, and only when the ratings and audience feedback are good will it be moved to the prime time.

"This drama can be considered a co-production between TBS and Furuya-kun's agency. TBS needs credit, videotapes, and the related copyrights of the series. Furuya-kun can contact the people for all other copyrights himself. As for Furuya-kun's money, it's better to save it for more important things. As for the producer..."

Kashii Wei smiled and said, "What about Hashimoto-kun? You two have worked together before."

Hashimoto Yoji and Tani Ming were not very familiar with each other, but they had met before and could call each other by name, so they were not strangers.

Gu Ming pinched his fingers secretly.

It worked! I didn’t expect I didn’t even have to pay for it myself!

Although, we have to wait until at least June or July to start filming.

　Who the hell spread the rumor that my story was going to end badly... Take him out and play JJ until he dies!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)