This director lacks vision.

Chapter 115 Web Series Can Also Burn Money

At 2:30 pm on the 28th, Jiang Yifeng took a car to the Warring States Film and Television City in Yi County, Hebei Province.

A surprise is something that is unexpected and exceeds expectations.

Jiang Yifeng deliberately told Jing Tian that he would arrive tomorrow morning, but in fact he had taken a car over after lunch today to give Jing Tian a surprise.

Of course, the premise for using this trick is that the couple has a good relationship and there is no "neighbor Wang" (a derogatory term for a man who is unfaithful to another woman).

Otherwise, surprises can easily turn into accidents, and flowing water can turn into tears.

Jiang Yifeng contacted Jing Tian's assistant, Qingqing, and then discreetly entered the film crew.

Jing Tian was filming at the time.

Jiang Yifeng arrived a little late; Sun Honglei's famous scene, "Too Brutal," had just finished.

In the Warring States period drama, Jing Tian plays Tian Xi, the daughter of Tian Ji, a fierce and powerful woman.

She beat up Sun Bin, who was played by Sun Honglei.

Sun Bin, with disheveled hair, shouted "Too cruel!" which became a well-known internet meme in later generations.

The scene currently being filmed is right after the fight with Sun Bin. King Qi asks Sun Bin why he was injured. On the surface, Sun Bin defends the female lead, Tian Xi, but in reality, he subtly mocks Tian Xi as a ruthless and inhuman beast.

This was supposed to be a hilarious love-hate relationship, but the production team filmed it terribly. Not only were the set design and lighting off, but the male and female leads were also completely out of place and had no interaction whatsoever.

Jing Tian's acting was certainly bad, but Sun Honglei's acting was also a mess.

No wonder Sun Honglei was heavily criticized after the release of "The Warring States," and eventually had to publicly apologize and return his salary.

Actually, he only returned the extra pay the production team gave him; his exact words were, "I returned the money that was thrown at me." He didn't return the normal pay, which was 1 million yuan.

Even if Sun Honglei wanted to retire, his agent and company wouldn't allow it.

However, the marketing accounts repeatedly rewrote the story, turning it into Sun Honglei apologizing for returning his salary, and many viewers believed it.

Sun Honglei salvaged his reputation, while Jing Tian was criticized even more harshly.

Of course, this cannot be blamed on Sun Honglei's lack of professionalism.

Jiang Yifeng observed that the entire Warring States period drama crew was filming in a completely disorganized manner. The scenes were large and looked very serious, but the coordination was chaotic.

The actors' makeup and styling were also a mess.

Sun Honglei was already ugly, and with his hair disheveled, he was even more unsightly.

It's no wonder Sun Honglei gave up and didn't want to act.

Anyone who encounters a film crew like this knows they'll just coast along, quietly making money, without expecting to produce anything good.

Jing Tian's makeup was also bizarre. She had an unusually tall wig on her head, along with two large sideburns, which looked like a strange tall hat that covered her face, making her face look very strange.

After seeing Jing Tian's look, Jiang Yifeng even wondered if the movie "Warring States" was actually tailor-made for her.

In fact, young Jing Tian didn't need much makeup or styling; she was beautiful simply.

Sweet and charming, brimming with youthful energy.

Anyone who has seen Jing Tian's early performance in "Anaconda" will understand.

"Director Jiang, how are you feeling?"

Seeing that Jiang Yifeng remained silent, his assistant Qingqing couldn't help but ask a question.

Jiang Yifeng smiled but didn't say anything.

This is, after all, someone else's movie; it's Lu Zheng and Jin Chen's show.

Even if Jiang Yifeng had a lot of complaints in his heart, he couldn't say them out loud.

After filming the scene, Jing Tian was about to take a break when she saw Jiang Yifeng next to her assistant.

"Feng Bao!"

Jing Tian excitedly shouted out Jiang Yifeng's cheesy nickname and ran towards him.

The entire crew was drawn to the shout.

Some people recognized Jiang Yifeng, but seeing Jing Tian chatting and laughing with Jiang Yifeng, everyone wisely refrained from disturbing them.

It wasn't until Jing Tian went to film her next scene that Jiang Wu, who played Tian Ji, took the initiative to come over and get to know Jiang Yifeng.

Next up was Korean actress Kim Hee-sun.

This man got married and had children a couple of years ago and only recently made a comeback this year. His purpose in coming to China is very clear: to make money.

Therefore, he accepted a high-paying role in the Warring States period, playing a supporting role to Jing Tian.

Compared to Kim Hee-sun's slightly bitter face, Jiang Yifeng still thinks Bai Bing is prettier.

Jiang Yifeng chatted with several of the main actors in the crew for a while, and then he saw Lu Zheng walking over.

"President Jiang, you didn't even give us a heads-up before you came."

"I want to give Tian Tian a surprise, so I have to keep it low-key."

"Have you bought the items? Do you want me to make arrangements?"

"I've already arranged for fruit and tea; my assistant will distribute them shortly."

"Then I'll thank President Jiang on behalf of everyone for the expense. Shall we go to the tea room and chat for a while?"

Lu Zheng knew how to enjoy life; he even set up a tea room on set specifically for brewing tea and chatting.

While boiling water, he exclaimed, "President Jiang, you're so professional. You can even make a web series this well. I've watched Dark Glory, and it's really good."

Even I, someone who doesn't usually watch dramas, found it quite enjoyable.

"Mr. Lu, you flatter me. It's just a web series, a quick entertainment meal."

Hearing Jiang Yifeng's modest words, Lu Zheng sighed and asked, "You're a big director, what do you think of our Warring States period drama crew?"

Jiang Yifeng replied politely, "It's fine."

"Haha, you're an interesting person!" Lu Zheng said with a smile, "You're very arrogant when you don't have any achievements."

When we first met, you said you never cared about money and had no feelings for it. I was shocked. How could someone be so pretentious?
I didn't expect you to become so humble after achieving such success.

Jiang Yifeng shook his head and sighed, "It's lonely at the top, and fame brings trouble. My strength is too great, and my brilliance is too dazzling, so I have to restrain myself a bit."

There's no way around it; we always have to consider other people's feelings.

Lu Zheng: "..."

"I take back what I just said, you're still such a show-off!"

Lu Zheng made a comment, poured Jiang Yifeng a cup of tea, and then said, "After Dark Glory aired, although Tian Tian didn't say anything, I knew she wanted to film a web series with you. I thought about it, and I still think a movie would be better."

What are your plans for your next movie? How about we cast Tian Tian as the lead? You name the budget, I won't haggle.

"My next movie was decided last year. It's called 'Back to 20,' and it has very high requirements for the actress's acting skills. Tian Tian can't play the role."

Moreover, my film is still a low-budget comedy, which isn't suitable for Tian Tian.

Lu Zheng took a sip of tea and said, "Then I can only ask Tian Tian to ask you to film a web series."

Jiang Yifeng understood Lu Zheng's thoughts and said, "Actually, making web series can also be expensive."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng became interested and sat up straight.

Jiang Yifeng said, "The most expensive part of film and television production is not hiring star actors, but creating special effects."

Look at Avatar, two-thirds of the investment was spent on special effects.

The best special effects are often paired with suitable themes.

Therefore, there will be more and more Hollywood superhero blockbusters in the coming period.

This type of film is best suited for special effects, which can bring out the charm of the special effects visuals.

Web series also have this advantage because they have a wide variety of themes and fewer restrictions.

We can shoot supernatural films, urban superhero films, and science fiction films, all of which can utilize a large number of special effects scenes.

They all cost money.

If you spend 100 million on a movie, people will only think it's a big-budget film.

There are many movies like this; nothing special about them.

But if the money were spent on a web series, people would think, "Holy crap, has CEO Lu gone mad? He's spending 100 million yuan on a web series just to promote Jing Tian! He's got real money, he's incredibly generous!"

After listening to Jiang Yifeng's analysis, Lu Zheng exclaimed, "President Jiang is indeed a professional. Now that you mention it, I think we should produce a big-budget web series."

You deserve to earn this money!

Knowing you as I do, since you gave me suggestions, you must already have an idea and know what kind of web series you want to make for Jing Tian, ​​right?

Jiang Yifeng nodded and said, "In 2100 AD, humanity encountered an invasion of alien beasts, and a fierce battle ensued between the two sides."

At first, humanity was at a disadvantage, but the situation stabilized after scientists extracted new materials from the corpses of alien beasts and created humanoid mechs.

Humans used mechs to fight against alien beasts. This struggle lasted for 100 years. Alien beasts emerged one after another, and human mech technology also made rapid progress.

In 2201 AD, an ordinary young man with no talent for mecha warriors accidentally entered a cave while returning to his hometown to pay respects to his ancestors.

Deep inside the cave, he found a very beautiful woman lying among a patch of vines.

This woman is named Si Teng. She claims to be human, but her physical abilities are more terrifying than those of alien beasts, and she also possesses some of their abilities.

With the arrival of Sito, the secrets of the alien invasion and the mecha warriors are slowly being revealed…

Jiang Yifeng's idea was based on the TV series Jing Tian acted in in her previous life, which combined Si Teng and Pacific Rim.

The theme is mecha fighting monsters.

The main plot is similar to that of Si Teng, featuring a downtrodden male lead who encounters a beautiful, strong, and tragic female lead. The two create various comedic situations during their interactions, making the overall pace of the series more relaxed.

In Jiang Yifeng's view, since Lu Zheng was going to spend money to promote people anyway, why not use that money to support a special effects team?

In the future competition among film and television production companies, special effects studios will be of great importance.

In Guo Fan's words, special effects must be done in-house. If you find a foreign studio, they will send second- or third-rate people to do it, and their attitude will be very perfunctory, resulting in mediocre results.

Moreover, the technical barrier to entry for special effects is not as high as one might imagine.

The most important thing is to have a market that can support such a group of technical personnel.

Web series have relatively lower requirements for special effects.

Jiang Yifeng's plan is to first film two or three seasons of the mecha version of Si Teng, and then gradually cultivate a special effects team.

Once the technology is mature, we can release a major film.

Play mech battles against monsters on the big screen.

This is also beneficial to Jing Tian.

She first built her popularity and public image through web dramas, and then showcased her talent on the big screen; her path was very smooth.

After all, Da Tian Tian had already bled, and Jiang Yifeng couldn't just stand by and watch her be scolded.

You should cherish your own woman.

After listening to Jiang Yifeng's idea, Lu Zheng nodded and suddenly asked, "I heard that Dark Glory is about to be released on YouTube?"

"That's right, I already had an account on YouTube with over two million followers."

We've renegotiated a new partnership with YouTube, and Dark Glory will be available on YouTube this week.

The system evaluates influence metrics based on the number of viewers reached.

Jiang Yifeng has been uploading his web series to YouTube.

The short film "Old Boys" was released before, and it garnered over 300 million views on YouTube, making it quite popular.

Jiang Yifeng mainly capitalized on the death of Michael Jackson and the popularity of Susan Boyle.

The number of views for "A Little Wish" didn't go very well.

After all, many jokes in China are incomprehensible to foreigners, and comedies are commonplace abroad.

YouTube categorizes content creators into three main types: UGC, PGC, and PUGC.

Jiang Yifeng's account is PGC (Professionally Generated Content), which consists of videos produced by a professional team.

PGCs on YouTube can get better contracts and revenue sharing, and some can even sign custom contracts.

Around the same time, YouTube was also acquiring various TV series and collaborating with many overseas TV stations to enrich the website's video content.

After noticing the popularity of Dark Glory, they renegotiated a cooperation framework with Fengxing Media and launched Dark Glory.

YouTube's goal is simple: to use this show to attract overseas Chinese and other Asian communities, as well as users in the Pan-Asian region.

Jiang Yifeng was too lazy to negotiate with foreign TV stations about importing the content. Since the resources were available online, he wouldn't get much money selling them to overseas TV stations anyway. It was much easier to just put them on YouTube.

Anyway, Netflix isn't doing so well right now, and YouTube's influence overseas is still unmatched.

(End of this chapter)