The only sun in Huayu

Chapter 123 Borrowing a Chicken to Lay Eggs (24)

Ma Youde also laughed.

After last night's mind-blowing battle, international titles and artistic accolades have completely lost their allure in his mind.

“He’s right, no rush.” Shen Shandeng waved his hand. “Let’s wait and see. We’ll proceed at our own pace.”

"clear."

After Shen Shandeng finished asking his questions, Ma Youde reported on the progress of his work: "Boss, we've been communicating the details with CCTV. The 'Face to Face' program team attaches great importance to this interview and has sent Chai Jing as the interviewer."

As expected, it wasn't Wang Zhi.

But upon hearing the name "Chai Jing," Shen Shandeng's expression grew more serious.

He knew very well how biased this reporter would become later.

But in the present day, Chai Jing remains the investigative journalist who bravely ventured into the SARS-affected areas and was full of humanistic concern.

Shen Shandeng believed that most of the rumors about his private life, such as human pyramids and group sex, were false and not credible.

Putting aside the issue of political stance, Chai Jing is extremely capable in terms of professional skills alone.

She is adept at using a compassionate expression to evoke empathy from the audience and cleverly subverts the concept.

Using extreme cases to represent the general, and using specific problems to negate the whole.

Grasp a single point and magnify it infinitely, then use that point to overturn the entire surface.

The result is that the problem seems to exist, the arguments seem to be true, but the conclusions drawn are completely different!

For example, if you tell her that the success of "The Eunuch" is the result of market selection and the audience voting with their feet, she may steer the conversation towards whether "The Eunuch" contains "extreme nationalistic sentiments" or whether it is "detrimental to a healthy and diverse public opinion environment".

Through these maneuvers, it seems that the success of "The Eunuch" was not due to the quality of the work itself, but rather to the incitement of certain emotions.

Learning magic from journalism is nothing more than this.

In reality, anyone in China who manages to get into CCTV and rise to prominence is a shrewd and capable individual.

They are highly professional in their grasp of the discourse and their use of communication techniques.

Aside from our positions, there are no problems.

Even compared to the top Western professionals, their professional skills are not inferior.

Shen Shandeng cautioned himself against making hasty judgments about a person in the present based on a future-oriented perspective.

At this moment, it is still unknown whether Chai Jing's buttocks are crooked or not, and by how much.

After Shen Shandeng finished thinking, Ma Youde continued his analysis: "Boss, accepting this interview presents both opportunities and risks."

"The risk lies in the program's possible stance and interview methods. We unintentionally put Wang Zhi in an awkward position, and the production team may have a compensatory mentality, making the interview more provocative, or even biased."

“Chai Jing’s interviewing style, combined with the characteristics of the ‘Face to Face’ program, will likely keep asking questions to the end and dig out loopholes in the interviewee’s emotions and words, making her very difficult to deal with.”

"But the opportunities are equally huge. 'Face to Face' is CCTV's flagship program and a benchmark for in-depth news interviews, known for its 'hardcore' and in-depth style."

"It provides not fragmented information, but a complete narrative with background, conflict, and emotion, making it highly credible. If you can stand firm in this interview, or even perform well, the boost to your personal image and the 'Du Gong' brand will be unparalleled by any commercial promotion."

Ma Youde concluded by suggesting: "If you accept, I recommend conducting a mock interview to anticipate all sorts of tricky questions and make thorough preparations."

Shen Shandeng listened without commenting.

"Continue the communication. First, finalize the main topics and general scope of the interview with them. You take the lead in arranging the simulation exercise. I'd like to see what kind of questions she can come up with."

Shen Shandeng looked at Ma Youde with approval in his eyes.

Old Ma is making rapid progress.

"Youde, I'm at ease leaving things to you. You've been working non-stop lately, with countless things to handle, but you've managed everything perfectly."

"Hang in there a little longer, once the secretarial team is in place. For film-related fields, we'll prioritize graduates with engineering management backgrounds, but management and cinematography degrees from the Beijing Film Academy are also acceptable. You need to be quick-witted, willing to learn, and discreet. Your responsibilities will only get heavier in the future."

Ma Youde felt a surge of warmth in his heart; the boss was clearly indicating that he wanted to give him an important position and a bigger platform.

Ma Youde suppressed his excitement and started swiping away at the record!
"Understood, boss. I'll get it done as soon as possible."

After saying that, he respectfully left the office.

The office quieted down.

Shen Shandeng rubbed his temples, picked up his phone, and dialed a number.

The call was quickly answered.

Fan Bingbing's soft, charming, and slightly complaining voice came through: "Hey, it's all your fault. You were so fierce yesterday. My walking posture was so strange when I attended the event today, and my manager asked me about it."

Shen Shandeng comforted him, "It was my fault. Yesterday, I was probably a little too excited after I impressed Mark Müller with his methods."

"You have no sense of propriety, you don't treat me like an outsider."

Fan Bingbing, on the other end of the phone, felt a tremor in her heart and was flattered!

He actually apologized to her?

He even said he "didn't treat her like an outsider"?
Sure enough, Shen Shandeng did have feelings for her and loved her!
Fan Bingbing grumbled, "Hmph, now you know you're wrong? It hurts so much!"

Her tone carried a hint of joy and coquettishness.

Shen Shandeng was taken aback. What kind of physique is this?
Fan Bingbing then lowered her voice even further, her allure at its peak: "However, I've kept the box safe. The collar inside belongs only to you. You can come anytime you like to test its sturdiness."

Her voice was sweet and seductive, seeping in through the receiver.

Abstain from pornography!

Abstain from pornography!

This almost reignited Shen Shandeng's anger early in the morning, so he quickly muttered a prayer.

Just as Shen Shandeng was about to say something, there was a knock on the office door, and Zhou Qifeng poked his head in with a folder in his hand. Shen Shandeng immediately regained his composure and whispered into the phone, "Something came up, I have to hang up now."

Without waiting for a response, they decisively cut off the connection.

"Senior brother."

"Ok?"

"Director Shen."

Zhou Qifeng walked in, radiating youthful vigor.

Shen Shandeng saw it all. Yesterday's struggle was not only a testament to the loyalty of Marco Müller and Fan Bingbing, but also a valuable experience for the team.

Only after seeing it and actually doing it can you understand that it's nothing special.

This is also why we say that manufacturing is superior to the West.

Victory on the battlefield is worth more than any amount of empty talk.

"Speak," Shen Shandeng gestured for him to sit down.

"I have reviewed the progress of all three projects."

Zhou Qifeng opened the folder, his words clear and organized: "As per your request, 'Jiajing,' 'The Embroidered Uniform Guard,' and 'The Eunuch 2' are being developed simultaneously. Regarding screenwriter recruitment, the prices we've offered have caused a sensation in the industry, and many well-known screenwriters have already expressed interest."

Shen Shandeng nodded and emphasized, "Remember, we don't want the most famous people, but rather those who are passionate about it. Those who have studied and are proud of the history of the Ming Dynasty and ancient China, and who identify with the core of 'The Grand Eunuch'."

"Secondly, communication skills are essential. You can't be too self-centered; you need to be able to integrate into our industrial processes."

Zhou Qifeng was not surprised; the first part of "The Eunuch" used the same standard for selecting and appointing personnel.

"Understood. The selection criteria will not change, and the team will continue to search in this direction."

He turned to the next page: "Regarding funding, the three projects are currently bundled together with a preliminary budget of 150 million. China Film Group has confirmed a 30% investment, with us taking 30%, and Bona Film Group and Enlight Media each taking 10%. In addition, Huayi Brothers has also expressed a strong interest in investing, also taking 10%."

"Bona and Enlight Media both want a larger share, especially Enlight Media. Mr. Wang privately said that if 'The Eunuch 2' could be released separately, they would be willing to accept a premium investment."

Shen Shandeng listened, unconsciously clicking on the documents.

Wu Jing was not involved in the investment of these three projects.

Wu Jing took the initiative to propose his withdrawal to Shen Shandeng.

Shen Shandeng persuaded him to stay, saying he could help solve the funding problem. He suggested that Wu Jing's salary, combined with the profits from "The Eunuch," should be enough to cover about 10% of the earnings.

But Wu Jing persisted.

Funding issues were only one of the reasons for Wu Jing's withdrawal.

The bigger problem is that Wu Jing wants to take a gamble. He wants to focus on improving himself, seize the opportunity given to him by Shen Shandeng, and make a career in directing.

After the success of "The Supervisor", it was no longer a small project. You can tell just by looking at the composition of the investors.

The pie that Shen Shandeng created has become a huge prize pursued by mainland film and television capital.

Those who can get a share of this project are all big players with industry resources behind them.

Wu Jing didn't want to get involved in this murky power struggle, so he decisively gave it up and focused on securing what he already had.

Shen Shandeng thought to himself with admiration that Wu Jing was indeed someone who could emerge in the future, and that he had persevered for so long despite being suppressed by various forces.

Whether it's intuition or character, this kind of decisiveness is something that not everyone possesses.

However, even though Wu Jing has retired, Shen Shandeng will not mistreat the meritorious people who followed him.

In this project, Wu Jing's salary was at the maximum level.

Shen Shandeng is also short of money.

He personally couldn't come up with the 30% share, or 45 million in cash.

However, the record-breaking success of "The Eunuch" gave him the development rights to the IP, making his influence astonishing.

Through subsequent maneuvers, even if he doesn't invest a single penny, he can still nominally hold a 30% stake.

This is one of the benefits of not eating alone.

This is also the right way to play – not to eat alone.

By leveraging existing resources and partnering with the industry's best resources, project risks can be minimized while maximizing benefits.

Of course, all of this is predicated on the premise that what you have in your hands is a highly anticipated sequel like "The Eunuch," which has the backing of a brilliant predecessor and China Film Group, and is clearly a money-making hit.

Otherwise, investors aren't fools.

Shen Shandeng doesn't engage in shady dealings; he follows market rules.

However, Shen Shandeng's salaries as director, producer, and for sequel IP are all top-tier, and these salaries will be factored into the revenue sharing.

The actual investment was only a little over 20 million.

"Over at Huayi."

Shen Shandeng pondered for a moment: "In principle, we can agree to their participation, but we need China Film Group's approval. In addition, we can't just invest money; we need them to provide substantial industry resources to support the project's production, especially in terms of publicity and distribution. You go and negotiate."

“Okay.” Zhou Qifeng quickly wrote it down.

Just saying.

The office door was knocked open, and Bona's Yu Dongfeng rushed in.

The sound rang out before the person had even stood still.

"Director Shen! My dear Director Shen! My life is so miserable!"

(End of this chapter)