Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 30: The Moat
The lunch with Hu Gang wasn't exactly enjoyable, but at least we got some initial results.

Wang Sheng and Liu Xuri walked out of the restaurant; the afternoon sun was a bit too bright.

“Shengzi,” Liu Xuri patted Wang Sheng on the shoulder, his tone carrying a hint of elder’s concern, but also revealing a touch of business shrewdness, “Director Hu is just like that. Once he’s in a high position, he always likes to take advantage of people. But his words may be rough, but they’re true. If your ‘Shengying Media’ wants to make a bigger name in Beijing, you’ll definitely need to deal with TV stations.”

In that era, there were only two main channels of propaganda: television and print media. The internet was still in its infancy in China at that time.

Liu Xuri took out two cigarettes, offered one to Wang Sheng, who waved it off. Liu Xuri then lit one for himself, took a puff, and said, "If the commercial shoot is really finalized, just let us know if you need any support from our advertising department. We have everything ready, from equipment to skilled workers. To be honest, most of our advertising department's work is actually outsourced to Beijing TV; we don't do much work ourselves."

This is also one of the important reasons why the position of director of the advertising department of Beijing TV carries a high level of power.

When some brands expand nationwide, they will place advertisements on local TV stations in key cities and create ad versions that are tailored to local characteristics.

Many local companies also prefer to cooperate directly with advertising channels, with the advertising department or its production department of the TV station producing the advertisements, because this often allows them to obtain more favorable advertising broadcast time slots.

If Beijing TV couldn't handle all the orders, or simply didn't do them themselves, they would outsource them to earn more profit. Liu Xuri relied on this channel and advantage to become the director of the advertising department of Beijing Film and Television Company.

Wang Sheng nodded: "Thanks, Brother Liu. If I really need anything, I definitely won't hesitate to ask."

He understood that this was Liu Xuri's gesture of goodwill, and also a prelude to future cooperation. After all, if Shengying Media could continue to secure advertising production orders from television stations, it would be a mutually beneficial situation for the advertising department of Beijing Film Studio, which also relied on the production resources of Beijing Film Studio and the distribution channels of Beijing TV.

……

Back at Beijing Film Studio.

The two parted ways at the entrance of the Beijing Film Studio. Liu Xuri returned to the audio-visual company, while Wang Sheng went straight to the editing workshop deep inside the studio.

Although the footage for the first "Golden Jubilee Collection" project was delivered to post-production yesterday and edited by the editors arranged by Director Sun, Wang Sheng still habitually wanted to personally oversee the progress and quality.

Upon entering the editing workshop, the familiar smell of film and the operation of machines hit you.

Having located the corresponding editing console, Xiao Ma was intently operating the equipment.

Wang Sheng didn't disturb them, but instead looked at the monitor.

The image quality captured by broadcast-grade equipment is truly exceptional.

The advantages of dual-camera setups are fully demonstrated in the editing: the main camera's panoramic shots are grand and majestic, while the secondary camera's close-ups capture delicate emotions.

Xiao Ma also has a good grasp of editing points. He is very familiar with the whole process, from finding the entry and exit points, setting the editing points, to recording and editing.

If we were to pinpoint the "moat" that allows Shengying Media to operate and monopolize the wedding industry, it wouldn't be the equipment or the photographers. These can be bought or hired. The real "company moat" is the complete post-production production line provided by Beijing Film Studio. This is one of the core strengths that allows "wedding films" to command exorbitant prices and maintain a firm foothold in the market.

In the days before non-linear editing systems became mainstream, a set of professional editing equipment could easily cost hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars, and the investment in an entire post-production production line was even more staggering. In addition, training a skilled editor also required time and project experience.

This is Wang Sheng's first-mover advantage, and also Han Sanping's trump card that allows him to "mess around".

Looking across Beijing and even the whole country, apart from a few established film studios and top-tier television stations, there are probably very few other companies with the hardware and technological reserves to follow suit and compete for business.

They haven't yet considered large-scale technology transfer, and the prestige of being a long-established film studio has become a hindrance to their expansion into new industries.

Leaders like Han Sanping, with the courage and drive to get things done, are rare within the system. Of course, only packages priced at 9999 or higher are carefully edited; for mid-to-low-end orders, apprentices can handle the editing later.

……

After spending nearly two hours in the editing workshop, confirming that the overall progress and quality were above expectations, Wang Sheng finally left with peace of mind.

Looking at the time, it was already past four in the afternoon.

Chen Liang and his team arrived with the equipment around 7 p.m.

To welcome them back, to celebrate the successful completion of their first high-end business shoot, to welcome the more than twenty new colleagues who have joined the company in the past few days, and to motivate the more than one hundred children of Beijing Film Studio employees who are about to receive photography training, and to enhance team cohesion, Wang Sheng specially booked the factory canteen to host a celebration banquet.

The cooks in state-owned factories are quite skilled at preparing special meals.

Just as Wang Sheng stepped out of the workshop, his pager suddenly started beeping.

Wang Sheng took it off and saw that it was Li Xiaoran calling him.

As a big boss, shouldn't I buy a cell phone?

While pondering, Wang Sheng walked to the nearest workshop gatehouse and returned the call using a public phone.

The phone rang a few times before being answered, and Li Xiaoran's clear voice, tinged with a hint of reproach, came through: "Director Wang, your business is booming, and you're famous all over the country. Have you almost forgotten who I am?"

"No way, the success of the veil kiss ad wouldn't have been possible without you."

"Oh ho, you even know I'm the female lead in the 'Veil Kiss' ad? Come to think of it, I'm a 'hero' of Shengying Media,' right?" Li Xiaoran's tone sounded half teasing and half with some indescribable, subtle emotion as she said, "When President Wang held his celebration banquet, didn't he even think of sending me an invitation?"

Wang Sheng suddenly realized that she might have heard about the celebration banquet tonight from some source.

After all, quite a few people were invited tonight.

After a few days of no contact and being busy with work, Wang Sheng really didn't think of Li Xiaoran. In his view, the intersection between the two had temporarily stopped at that advertising collaboration.

Wang Sheng hesitated for a moment, then thought that she was, after all, the female lead in the advertisement, and in a way, she was indeed a "hero" in some respects. Moreover, her future development in the entertainment industry was still uncertain, so there was no need to strain the relationship. Therefore, he went along with her words and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it was my oversight. Ms. Li, you are of course a hero. The veil kiss advertisement was a huge success, and you deserve a lot of credit."

Tonight we're having a simple celebratory dinner at the factory canteen. Firstly, to celebrate the successful business launch; secondly, to welcome back colleagues returning from their business trip; and thirdly, to welcome our new employees. If Ms. Li is free tonight and would like to join us, we would be very happy to have her.

Having received the invitation, Li Xiaoran asked excitedly, "What time? Where?"

The tone quickened noticeably at the end.

"7 PM, Beijing Film Studio canteen."

"Okay, okay, I'll be there on time."

(End of this chapter)