2001 Media Godfather

Chapter 104: Close to the face and open up

Ma Liangchen's reminder was pertinent and not without reason.

Moreover, there are some historical issues involved. In other words, the difficulties that "Honor of Kings" faces are not just the unreasonable release schedule and the crisis of competing products.

"You and Old Sun have a pretty good relationship, right? Why don't we talk about changing the release date, even if it's just a month later?"

Ma Liangchen was genuinely concerned for Chu An's well-being: "Once August arrives, there won't be any competitors left."

Chu An pondered, knowing that whatever he said now would only make Lao Ma think he was being stubborn.

He simply said, "How about this, the edited versions of the first few episodes should be ready next week, and then the leaders from CCTV's film purchasing center will also be reviewing them."

"Should I invite them to the Central Academy of Drama, and have Uncle Ma offer his opinions as well?"

Upon hearing this, Ma Liangchen's face turned serious, but he didn't hesitate at all. "Okay! The director of CCTV's program acquisition department has a pretty good relationship with me. I'll help you persuade them. It's not a bad thing to avoid the limelight for now."

Chu An simply shrugged after hearing this and didn't say anything more.

He took out the script for "Love, Death & Robots" from his bag. "Uncle Ma, could you take a look at this for me? If you have time, could you revise it for me?"

The script for the first season of Love, Death & Robots was naturally mature and did not need to be changed.

Chu An asked Lao Ma to make the changes, actually to repay a favor.

Chu An is a cunning and shameless man, and he's rotten to the core.

But he still has a strong sense of chivalry; if someone treats him sincerely, he will definitely reciprocate.

This way, having Ma Liangchen listed on the school's payroll will be somewhat beneficial to his promotion within the school.

Ma Liangchen didn't take it seriously and casually accepted it.

The key point is that Chu An didn't tell him how many big names had already gathered for this project.

Xu Shu, Lin Wanxing, Su Manqing, Zou Qingsong
Lu Mingze, Shen Jin, Wang Zheng.

In addition, there's Nicolas Cage and Sofia Coppola.

This lineup would be well-known not only domestically, but also internationally.

Of course, if things continue this way, Nolan won't be able to escape either.

I only glanced at the script title, "Love, Death & Robots? Interesting."

Thinking it was just a director's assignment that Chu An had casually put together, he casually put it aside, saying, "I'll help you check it out when I have time."

Okay!! I must clarify here that Lao Ma really thought it was homework.

The assignments for the directing class at the Central Academy of Drama can drive people crazy, especially the "Directing Segment Creation" and "Short Film Shooting Practice," which are the most difficult.

Moreover, the intensity is greatest during the first and second years of university.

The purpose of intensive training is simple and straightforward.

The Central Academy of Drama stipulates that directing students must complete six directing works during their undergraduate studies, four of which must be original scripts, and they must write and direct them themselves.

Each semester, students must participate in or lead a short film shooting practice assignment.

Although Chu An took leave last semester, he still had to make up for his directing assignment and short film. If he didn't meet the requirements, no amount of help would help, and the Central Academy of Drama wouldn't issue him a graduation certificate.

Ma Liangchen planned to help Chu An revise the film before CCTV's review next week. Then, he could help Chu An finalize the release date for "Glory" with CCTV, allowing Chu An to focus on his homework at school.

For this reason, Lao Ma even worked an extra shift.

I didn't go home after dinner; I stayed in the office revising the script.

When I opened it, I found...
"Ok?"

This isn't homework! It's far beyond the level of student assignments!

And the assignment doesn't require more than a dozen short stories, right?
Ma Liangchen then realized that Chu An was not asking him for help.

This pleased Lao Ma greatly, and he became even more meticulous in reviewing the manuscripts.

We can't just take advantage of students for nothing, can we?
Chu An had no idea that Lao Ma was taking it seriously and wanted to give him a heads-up.

At this moment, Chu An was leisurely lying under the plum tree in the courtyard, enjoying the cool breeze under the moonlight.

Yeah! Forget about how many mosquitoes there are, what I want is to relax.

Old Lu was annoyed just looking at him, rocking his rocking chair creaking and groaning like an old cadre.

"Even though we have the resources, we can't just do nothing, can we?"

Old Lu has been making TV dramas for over twenty years, and this is the first time he's done this. It's about to air, but he feels empty inside.

This is the first time in his more than 20 years of filming TV dramas that he hasn't needed any publicity. Once the footage is finished, he doesn't have to do anything else.

In the past, even if a product was sold ahead of schedule, wouldn't they have to cooperate with TV stations to produce special programs or appear on variety shows?

But with "Glory," CCTV believed Chu An's nonsense and decided to keep the suspense until the very end.

They ignored the lackluster mainstream narratives and evaluations from the internet and media.

There was no question of a special program or any advance publicity.

He moved closer to Chu An and said, "Hey?? What do you think about us starting a conversation and encouraging netizens to criticize 'Glory' as a poorly made mainstream drama? How about that?"

"Is this something you're good at?"

As a result, he was met with a roll of his eyes from Chu An.

"I may have no bottom line, but I'm not stupid! If we mislead the audience, won't we get criticized?"

Lu Mingze retorted, "Wasn't it you who had Xiang Lintao mislead the audience?"

Chu An said, "He's different; he's shameless."

Besides, what are the bottom lines for a businessman?
Old Lu got impatient. "Then you have to find me something to do! I'm not at ease."

In the past, Chu An would definitely have called him pretentious.

But this time he didn't say anything, tilted his head back and pondered for a long time, then suddenly blurted out, "Let's wait!"

Lu Mingze: "Waiting for what?"

Chu An muttered to himself, "Three major films vying for a summer blockbuster season, surely some people can't resist?"

"What do you mean?" Old Lu didn't understand.

Who couldn't resist, and why couldn't they resist?

Who couldn't resist? That's easy to guess—it's their competitors, "Palace Lock" and "Burning Human World."

As for why I couldn't help it...

This was beyond Lao Lu's comprehension. He thought to himself, "Suppressing competitors for ratings?"

Well, he only guessed half right.

Who doesn't want their show to be a huge hit? Who doesn't want to suppress their competitors?
But
The general public isn't stupid. If you randomly slander someone, who won't see through it? It will backfire.

Therefore, a legitimate reason must be found to justify the act of blackening it in a logical and natural way.

Shengjing, Tiandu Culture Headquarters.

Chen Ru frowned as he looked at his recent work schedule.

These past two years have been extremely unlucky for Tiandu.

Lu Mingze left, and Xu Shu hid at the Central Academy of Drama and stopped taking on new roles.

Coupled with the stock market's repeated setbacks, Chen Ru could be said to have had no good days.

That's not all. There's also that idiot Liang Guoliang inside, who's always causing trouble for him.

All I can say is that life is incredibly difficult.

The highly anticipated drama "Palace: The Lock of Spring" is about to premiere after two years of production.

It even clashes with the dramas starring Lu Mingze and Shen Jin in terms of airing time.

Logically speaking, the premiere of "Palace Lock" has already been sold for a high price, so the one who should be worried is Hunan TV, not the production company.

But
What outsiders don't know is that Hunan TV's 6000 million yuan acquisition of the first broadcast rights came with conditions.

The two parties signed a performance-based agreement, stipulating that if the viewership rating reaches 8%, Tian can receive 50% of the full 6000 million yuan premiere fee, which is 3000 million yuan.

This figure is from 03, the average price for a first broadcast of a first-class production. CCTV only paid 3800 million for the first broadcast of Honor.

If the viewership rating reaches 10%, you can get 70% of the contract price.

A 15% viewership rating is needed to secure the full 6000 million yuan. And 15% is also the average premiere viewership rating for the Palace Lock series directed by Lu Mingze.

Hunan TV isn't stupid either; they've been very cautious since the Palace series changed directors.

However, if Lu Mingze's "Palace Lock Autumn" hadn't flopped...
It's not even considered a complete failure. If it's below 8%, that day will be terrible. They'll only get 30% of the contract price, which is only 1800 million.

1800 million! That's not even enough to cover production costs. And the severe decline in reputation could very well affect its value in subsequent runs, and even in third and fourth runs.

In other words, Chen Ru might lose money.

Although the foundation laid by Lao Lu was still there, and the audience base of the Palace Lock series was quite considerable, it was unlikely that the ratings would be lower than 8%, but Chen Ru was a little skeptical of luck.

I'm still feeling quite anxious lately.

Frustrated, he flipped through his work schedule and called his secretary in.

"Any promotional news about 'Blazing Inferno' and 'Glory' lately?"

The secretary was quite competent and well-prepared. "There's no news about 'Glory,' and Lu Mingze and Chu An are keeping a low profile this time, but the promotion for 'Blazing Human World' has already begun."

Chen Ru raised an eyebrow. He was actually mainly guarding against the combination of Chu An, Lu Mingze, and Su Manqing.

Chu An has buzz, Lu Mingze has a good reputation for his TV dramas, and with Su Manqing added to the mix, this is a winning combination.

And you're telling me this place is peaceful?
"Is Shen Jin's side very active?"

The secretary said, "There's nothing we can do about it! Last year, Ji Yang's case caused quite a stir, and it already attracted a lot of attention."

"During the promotional period, Director Shen and the crew frequently appeared on various variety shows and gave interviews."

"Moreover," the secretary paused, clearly knowing that what she was about to say would displease her boss, "they have Lin Wanxing, who has been cooperating with the publicity."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ru indeed felt a surge of frustration. Even Xu Shu, from *Palace Lock*, was no less impressive than Lin Wanxing. However...
Xu Shu, who works at the Central Academy of Drama, refused to cooperate with publicity efforts during the promotional period, citing the school's refusal to grant her leave.

Oh, what a worry!
He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, clearly exhausted.

The secretary didn't know what to say, so she could only offer words of comfort.

"Actually, we still have a lot of advantages."

"Based on the current Reuters reports, 'Glory' is an urban mainstream drama, while 'Burning Humanity' is even more profound, a Republican era mainstream drama."

"Neither of these two dramas is very entertaining, and they can't compare to Palace Lock."

Chen Ru smiled wryly. Of course he knew what was going on, but he couldn't help it because of Lin Wanxing and Su Manqing!

Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly paused, "What did you say?"

The secretary froze, thinking she had said something wrong: "I...I didn't say anything!"

Chen Ru perked up, "No, no! You're saying both of these are patriotic films?"

secretary:"."

Chen Ru had already stood up; he seemed to have found a breakthrough.

Two patriotic films versus a highly entertaining Qing Dynasty drama.
If viewers are guided, then viewership ratings are not necessarily out of reach.

But then another problem arises: publicly attacking competitors might provoke public resentment and backfire.
Even Heaven cannot be the villain.

So who will come?

As if by some strange twist of fate, the secretary thought the boss was still struggling with the unresolved issues surrounding the new drama and intentionally changed the subject.

He tentatively said, "Mr. Chen, Mr. Liang has asked the public relations department to create buzz for a minor celebrity again!"

Liang Guoliang is all he's good for; he's dating minor celebrities and often uses company resources to promote them.

Ding! ! !
A voice seemed to echo in Chen Ru's mind, a voice of enlightenment, like that of "Ikkyu-san"...

Got it! !
After a moment's thought, he smiled at his secretary and said, "Spread the word that the company's performance is not good this year, and the palace lock may lose money, so there will be no year-end bonus."

The secretary had no idea what the boss was planning, so she could only do as he said.

then
Then Liang Guoliang was furious when he got the news.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Vice President Liang doesn't seem to do anything productive all day. Try taking a penny less from him and see what happens.

In particular, he and Chen Ru didn't get along. Upon learning that the news had been leaked by Chen Ru's secretary, he kicked down Mr. Chen's door that very afternoon.

"Hey Chen! Explain yourself! It's only April, and you already know the future? You know the company isn't making money?"

Chen Ru remained calm. "Old Liang, calm down. I didn't say anything about this!"

Chen Ru vehemently denied it, but also indicated that there was a high probability that there would be no profit sharing.

This infuriated Vice President Liang. What he disliked most about Chen Ru was his unpleasant attitude.

Continue to cause trouble with Chen Ru.

Left with no other option, General Manager Chen had to do some calculations for Liang Guoliang.

"We've invested so much money in Palace Lock, and now it's clashing with the release schedules of Glory and Blazing Fire!"

“If the ratings are affected, all our investment over the past two years will be wasted.”

Liang Guoliang was furious, "Damn it, I refuse to believe we can't beat two patriotic films!"

Chen Ru: "That's hard to say! The country does have support policies for mainstream themes."

Liang Guoliang: "Bullshit! That's all ancient history!"

Staring wide-eyed, he said, "You watch me, I refuse to believe it!"

With that, Vice President Liang turned and left.

Two days later, the Beijing News published an exclusive interview with Liang Guoliang, vice president of Tiandu Culture, a leading domestic film and television production company, on its front page.

In the article, Vice President Liang pontificated and spoke eloquently, offering unfounded and irresponsible remarks about the domestic film and television industry.

In particular, it mentioned two A-list production dramas that premiered during the summer – "Blazing Human World" and "You Are My Glory".

"The country strongly supported mainstream films and television works ten years ago."

"Many of our colleagues only know how to rest on their laurels and fraudulently obtain subsidies and benefits. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they are just occupying positions without doing any work!"

"Open your eyes and look at this world! Times have changed, and so has the mission of our film and television industry!"

"Making works that are loved by the general public is the mission and responsibility of filmmakers in the new era!"

"The mainstream themes are out of touch with reality, and the content is too homogenous. I think it's time to stop and reflect on this!"

"Do ordinary people really want to watch it? Will the market really accept it?"

The article resonated widely with the public.

The general public practically treated the Beijing News like a Weibo account, giving Vice President Liang a thumbs up.

Finally, someone has spoken the voice of the people!
At this moment, Ma Guoliang, holding a newspaper, was worried for Chu An.

One person complained, "Isn't this just walking into the line of fire?"

Zhang Zhi, the purchasing director of CCTV, advised, "Old Zhang, listen to my advice, postpone it for a month, and let it air after this storm has passed!"

After saying that, he moved closer to Sun Jianyi and said, "Teacher Sun, you have to help Xiao Chu this time. He's the apple of our eye at the Central Academy of Drama!"

Today, CCTV came to the Central Academy of Drama to review the film. Originally, Mr. Sun should not have come.

However, Liang Guoliang, that idiot, must have been out of his mind to dare to criticize the mainstream ideology.

Regardless of whether this person is mentally ill, he certainly had an impact on "Glory". So, Mr. Sun was worried and came to watch the film to have some peace of mind.

After Ma Liangchen said that, Sun Jianyi felt even more uncertain.

He simply said, "Let's see how the final product looks with Xiao Chu and Xiao Lu first!"

If it's really as uninteresting as netizens say, then postponing the broadcast wouldn't be a bad idea.

"Wait!" Old Sun suddenly remembered something. "Where are those two?!"

After searching for a long time, they couldn't find Chu An, but instead saw Lu Mingze holding a newspaper, hiding under a tree root and secretly enjoying himself.

"Amazing, Chu Shikuai was right again."

Some people couldn't resist and spoke out.

Even Sun Lao, Ma Liangchen, and Zhang Zhi were baffled by what they saw.

People are stepping on your face, why are you still laughing?
.

(End of this chapter)