1991: The Era of Hong Kong Dramas

Ho Ting-kwan is the current manager of TVB's production department and head of the drama group. He later became the group's general manager and director.

He sat down and watched both films, and by then he had already made up his mind.

No one wasted words; they started discussing it right after the broadcast.

"Jiahui!"

A producer named Poon Ka-tak spoke up.

His seniority is considerable; he's been with TVB for 17 years and has a close relationship with Leung Ka-shu. Sitting next to Leung, he has already made his stance clear, saying:

"You've been with the station for 10 years, why are you still filming like this?"

"How am I filming a movie?"

Wei Jiahui frowned.

"I admit the production quality is quite high, but..."

Pan Jiade paused, then laughed and said, "Look at what you've made. It starts with people jumping off buildings, their entire families dying. What kind of time is the anniversary celebration? You expect the audience to watch this in a cheerful mood?"

A stock market crash, a table covered in portraits of the deceased, and the Ding family father and son jumping off a roof—isn't that unlucky enough? Our station needs the momentum of its anniversary season, but this show has already started by bringing a sense of gloom.

"..."

With each word he spoke, Wai Ka-fai's expression grew more unpleasant, essentially criticizing "The Greed of Man" as utter nonsense from a metaphysical perspective.

This is a matter of strategy; Run Run Shaw placed great importance on feng shui and the Eight Trigrams.

Liang Jiashu didn't say anything, picked up his teacup and took a sip, his face expressionless.

Qi Qiyi sat opposite him and glanced at Pan Jiade.

He, Wai Ka-fai, and Tang Tak-hei were known as the "Three Heroes of TVB". They were good at business wars and palace intrigues. Their representative works include "War and Beauty", "Cold Blood Warm Heart" and "Healing Hands", and so on, too numerous to count.

He had a cigarette between his fingers, unlit, which he used to kill time while watching the film.

His hand unconsciously rubbed the filter tip repeatedly. Only after Pan Jiade finished speaking did he slowly open his mouth:

"Producer Pan is right. Dramas airing during the anniversary season do need to consider the audience's emotions; they can't just be made to the point of being horrific."

He paused, then looked up again: "But then again, what is the function of the anniversary season? It's to maintain appearances and also to test the waters. If we make it a family-friendly show every year, won't the audience get tired of it, and won't we get tired of it ourselves?"

I understand the problems with "The Greed of Man" and I understand the problems with Nick Cheung. I won't discuss whether the darkness of human nature exists philosophically, but did Producer Poon see its value?

It dares to focus its lens on the various aspects of life during a stock market crash, dares to let the protagonist lose everything, and dares to make the audience feel uncomfortable. This kind of unpopular choice is precisely what is rare in the anniversary film season.

The audience isn't stupid; if you just feed them sugary water, they'll collapse after a couple of sips. But if you give them bitter tea, they can actually taste the flavor.

He picked up the unlit cigarette and twirled it between his fingers: "As for bad luck, that's an emotion, and I don't believe in it. If we use something as ambiguous as emotions to cut into a scene, how can we dare to make films in the future?"

There was a two-second silence in the conference room. Pan Jiade's lips moved, but he couldn't find a way to refute it.

Leung Ka-shu's expression changed slightly, but he didn't dare to speak. Sitting next to him was his wife, Sister Ba, Xiao Xiaoming, the manager of the artist department. She had worked at TVB for nearly twenty years and held the power of life and death over all the station's artists. Her status was no lower than Ho Ting-kwan's.

She placed the notebook on the table, leaned forward slightly, and spoke softly, but seemed even more domineering than Liang Jiashu:

"Everyone, whether a drama gets aired during the anniversary celebration isn't just a matter for that one drama. Producer Wai just came back from ATV, where he filmed two dramas, and neither of them did very well."

In that case, I'm not sure if "The Greed of Man" can maintain TVB's style.

This statement is perfectly watertight; on the surface, it talks about risk control, but in reality, it's a reminder to others.

Wai Ka-fai just returned from ATV, so why is he given a prime-time slot for the anniversary celebration?

Wai Ka-fai slightly closed his eyelids. Strictly speaking, he could indeed be considered a traitor to TVB.

Sitting in the corner, Zeng Lizhen immediately chimed in, "Sister Ba has considered everything thoroughly. However, Wei Jiahui was invited back by Director Fang, so he must be quite talented."

Zeng Lizhen may not like Wai Ka-fai, but she dislikes Leung Ka-shu even more. She's happy to have him sing a different tune at this time.

Now, all the positions that needed to be expressed at this film screening meeting have been expressed, and all the sides that needed to be taken have been taken.

Fang Yihua's gaze swept across Zeng Lizhen's face, then looked at Ba Jie, and finally landed on He Dingjun.

"Dingjun, you're the production manager, you speak."

He Dingjun closed his notebook and pondered for a few seconds: "I don't have much to say. Ultimately, the quality of the play matters."

The editing pacing, cinematography, and acting in "The Greed of Man" are clearly a cut above the rest.

After he finished speaking, he leaned back in his chair and said no more.

The meeting room was silent for about ten seconds.

All eyes were on Mona Fong and Run Run Shaw.

Fang Yihua nodded slightly and smiled, "Now that you've said everything, let me share my thoughts."

"TVB has been producing anniversary dramas for 25 years. Every year we want high ratings and a good reputation. Simply put, we want to do both: market share and quality."

The market is the foundation; without an audience, everything else is just empty talk. But quality is the lifeblood; a market without quality is like water without a source—it won't last long.

She paused, as if she were using the film review as a pretext for a meeting.

"Over the years, TVB has been expanding its market. From Hong Kong to Southeast Asia, from Southeast Asia to North America and Europe, wherever there are Chinese people, there are our dramas."

This is an empire built up over generations; it wasn't easy. But if the market grows too big and the content doesn't keep up, it's like opening a store but having nothing to sell.

So for the past few years, I've been thinking, which direction should our productions take?

She looked down at the pen in her hand, then looked up again.

"I watched 'The Greed of Man,' and it is somewhat dark. But the value of a show is not measured by its popularity or buzz, but by whether it leaves a lasting impression on the audience."

TVB produces dozens of dramas a year, most of which are fast-moving consumer goods that viewers forget after watching. But anniversary dramas are not fast-moving consumer goods; they should be something we can be proud of throughout the year, something that will make viewers remember TVB.

She put the pen on the table and leaned back in her chair.

"The Legend of the Condor Heroes is not bad; it's lively, safe, and can be broadcast at any time. But a show like The Greed of Man isn't something that can be made all the time."

It dares to touch the stock market, dares to explore human nature, dares to make the protagonist suffer, and dares to make the audience feel uncomfortable. These are not choices to please everyone, but it is precisely these unappealing elements that give the drama its weight.

Fang Yihua took a sip of water, caught her breath, and continued:

"TVB has come this far not by pandering to the audience, but by staying ahead of them. We think of things the audience hasn't thought of yet; we offer new ideas before the audience gets tired of them."

Mr. Shao has proven this principle to be correct over twenty-five years, and "The Greed of Man" follows this path.

The meeting room was silent for a few seconds.

Having said all that, everyone understood that this wasn't just Fang Yihua's intention, but also Run Run Shaw's. Therefore, after a moment of silence, they all expressed their stance:

"Agreed!"

"Agreed!"

"Agreed!"

"Sister Fang is right!"

Almost in the blink of an eye, the tone was set: harmony and unity.

Shaw lowered his eyes, his scarred fingers tapping on the table.

Silence, an even longer silence than before.

Finally, Run Run Shaw raised his head and slowly said, "For the anniversary celebration, let 'The Greed of Man' be on TVB."

A hammer is fixed.

As for "Human, Ghost, and Fox," it returned to the late-night slot that Huo Sheng couldn't recall at all.