Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 56, Section 56: 'Using Little Han to Command Old Han'

The afternoon sun in July cast dappled shadows on the floor through the old but clean glass windows of the Taipei Film Studio's administration building.

In the factory manager's office, the ceiling fan turned slowly, stirring the slightly stuffy air.

Sitting opposite Wang Sheng, Han Sanping, with his usual thoughtful expression, put down his teacup and asked, "What are your thoughts?"

Wang Sheng sat on the sofa opposite him, his back straight and his expression not tense. He handed him several pages of manuscript paper filled with writing: "Factory Director, take a look at this."

Han Sanping took the manuscript paper, glanced at it briefly, and saw that it was a script outline titled "Harmony in the Family Brings Prosperity in All Things." He then read it quite carefully.

However, as he turned the pages, his expression became more cautious than one of amazement.

As for the script itself, this factory director, who is more adept at strategic planning and resource allocation, indeed found it difficult to immediately make a clear judgment.

"The story... it's certainly lively."

Han Sanping, seemingly puzzled but impressed, put down his manuscript, looked up at Wang Sheng, and cut straight to the point: "Tell me, Shengzi, what are your thoughts on this three-episode TV script?"

Wang Sheng didn't answer immediately. Instead, he leaned back slightly, met Han Sanping's probing gaze, and asked a question: "Factory Director, you must know about Wang Shuo being blacklisted, right?"

Han Sanping's expression hardened slightly, and a complex look flashed in his eyes.

He took out a cigarette, lit it, took a drag, and slowly exhaled the smoke, saying, "It's not a formal ban; there's no official document about it. But his creative path has indeed encountered obstacles, and several films he was collaborating on have all been canceled."

He clearly didn't want to delve deeper into this sensitive topic, waving his hand and saying, "Let's not talk about this anymore, let's get back to your matter."

Wang Sheng nodded slightly, then began to analyze the situation: "Director, with Wang Shuo 'out of commission,' a large area of ​​territory has been opened up in the Beijing film and television drama production sector. Although Director Zheng's side is very powerful, our Beijing Film Studio now has a technical alliance of nearly twenty sister studios, thousands of skilled workers, and can also mobilize equipment. This is a good opportunity for us to take advantage of the situation."

Putting everything else aside, skilled workers and equipment resources are readily available. Before, there was no work to do, so they were just sitting around doing nothing.

Now, if we can take the lead and integrate this force, we can shift our focus to television drama production.

We dare not say that we can create earth-shattering works immediately, but at least we have the ability to produce content on a large scale and professionally, to fill the gap in this market.

How many jobs will this create? And how much sustainable revenue will it generate?

His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable certainty: "My idea is that our Beijing Film Studio, together with the brothers in the alliance, should first take a large share of the Beijing TV drama market and become the largest content supplier for Beijing TV."

This isn't just about saving face; it's about genuinely creating more jobs and strengthening the foundation of our alliance.

Han Sanping listened and nodded slightly.

He had no doubt about Wang Sheng's determination and ability. In just a few months, he had gone from a loan of 50,000 yuan to a "customized" business with an estimated revenue of over 200 million yuan. This kid's drive and luck were nothing short of miraculous, and he sounded much more reliable than that Boss Mou who was always yelling about "blasting open the Himalayas."

The sponsorship promised by Boss Mou has yet to be paid!
Han Sanping picked up the three-episode script outline again and waved it around, saying, "So, this is an experiment?"

"Yes, it's an experiment, and also a stepping stone."

Wang Sheng further explained, "It's not just for the TV series. Director, I've positioned this series as a New Year's drama."

"A Lunar New Year drama?"

Han Sanping raised an eyebrow. "Yes, the plan is to release it at the end of the year or during the Spring Festival. You must know about the 'Lunar New Year film season' concept that Hong Kong has. Right now, directly using a film to test whether there's a release window in mainland China is not feasible, and the risk is too great."

"But using a TV series to test the waters, see audience reaction, and gauge the market is a low-cost, quick-return approach. If the response is good, we can then study how to leverage this release window for films," Wang Sheng explained clearly.

Han Sanping stared at the smoke rising from the cigarette butt in his hand and fell into deep thought.

He recalled the movie-going frenzy that "Rumble in the Bronx" sparked when it was released in mainland China around the Spring Festival last year.

He had long been aware of the enormous consumption potential behind the terms "New Year's film season" and "Spring Festival film season," but he was simply struggling to find a suitable opportunity and project to try it out.

Wang Sheng's idea of ​​using TV dramas to explore new avenues was indeed ingenious and prudent.

"That's one way."

Han Sanping finally nodded, a look of interest on his face: "Using a TV series as a preliminary step, to test the waters, is indeed much less risky than going straight to a movie. Tell me, what kind of support do you need from the factory?"

Seeing Han Sanping nod, Wang Sheng felt relieved and then put forward a deeper idea: "Factory Director, I want to take advantage of this TV series production to try some other profit models."

For example, product placement within the show, and pre-roll ads at the beginning and end of the credits.

If these models prove successful, they can be applied not only to films to increase revenue beyond box office earnings, but also to other television drama projects, representing a sustainable path to wealth.

"That's a good thing, that's a very clever idea," Han Sanping agreed.

"It's a good thing, but..."

Wang Sheng looked troubled: "This involves in-depth cooperation with Beijing TV, especially the negotiation of advertising revenue sharing. I'm young and don't have much say, so I'm afraid it will be difficult to negotiate ideal terms. Therefore, I would like to ask you to step in and communicate with the leaders of Beijing TV."

Upon hearing this, Han Sanping couldn't help but laugh and scold, "Hey, is there anything you can't do or have to ask for help with?"

Despite saying that, he didn't look embarrassed at all. Instead, he had a sense of relief that "this kid finally has a time when he needs my help": "Okay, I understand. I'll schedule a time to talk to Lao Yu from Beijing TV. We can discuss co-productions and advertising revenue sharing."

Han Sanping's administrative rank is half a rank higher than that of Director Yu of Beijing TV.

"Oh, thank you, Factory Director! With you in charge, this will definitely be a success!" Wang Sheng immediately offered just the right amount of flattery.

Han Sanping smiled comfortably and waved his hand.

After the matter was discussed, the atmosphere became much more relaxed.

Wang Sheng seemed to suddenly remember something and naturally changed his form of address, saying, "Uncle Han, I'm not too busy these days. Isn't Jia Nu on summer vacation? If you're not free, I can take her out for a stroll, to the zoo, a museum, or something. Kids get bored staying at home all the time."

Han Sanping glanced at Wang Sheng, but didn't stand on ceremony with him.

After observing him for a while, he was confident in his "nephew's" ability to handle things and his sense of propriety, so he nodded and said, "Sure, that girl is bored. It would be good for you to take her out for some fresh air so she won't cause trouble at home."

"No trouble at all, the young lady is quite lovely."

……

(End of this chapter)