Rebirth 09: Starting from taking charge of Running Man on CCTV

"Tear off name tags".

Chen Yang pointed to the three large characters on the screen, slowing his speech by half a beat.

"Each guest has a name tag with their name on it. Once the competition starts, everyone can freely chase and compete within the designated area."

"There's only one rule: tear off your opponent's name tag, and they're eliminated."

"The person who still has the last name tag is the winner."

The conference room was so quiet you could hear the hum of the fluorescent lights.

Chen Yang turned to the next page, and a hand-drawn aerial view of the site appeared on the screen, with red and blue arrows marking the pursuit route.

"You might think, 'Isn't this just a kids' game of tag? What's so interesting about it?'"

He paused for a moment.

"no the same."

"First, physical confrontation. Tearing name tags isn't just about chasing each other; it requires head-on combat. You have to use one hand to protect your back while using the other to reach for your opponent's name tag. Physical fitness, strength, flexibility, and reaction speed are all exposed to the camera; there's no room for performance."

"Second, strategic alliances. Seven people in the arena can't just run around mindlessly. Who will team up first? Who will betray first? Can two weaker ones surround a stronger one? Can a three-on-three alliance be instantly destroyed by a traitor? All alliances and betrayals happen naturally in real confrontations, not based on a script, but on human nature."

"Third, a dramatic comeback. When only two people are left, all the advantages accumulated before are wiped out. It's a one-on-one, extreme confrontation, and the audience's emotions will be pushed to the highest point."

He took his hands off the keyboard and let them hang naturally at his sides.

"The suspense in studio-based variety shows relies on the accuracy of answers to questions. The suspense in music programs relies on the judges' scores."

"The suspense in the name tag ripping game comes from every decision, every run, and every second of hesitation made by the real players in the real competition."

"This kind of thing can't be made up or acted out; it can only happen because it actually happened."

"And that's exactly what the audience wants to see most."

When he said his last words, his gaze swept calmly across the entire room.

There was no deliberate emphasis or inflammatory performance.

It is a statement.

It's like stating a proven fact.

There was a full four seconds of silence in the conference room.

Zhao Guisheng, sitting on the side of the second row, moved his hands, which were folded across his chest, to the armrests and tapped his fingers unconsciously twice.

The director next to him leaned over, his lips moved, and his voice was so low that only the two of them could hear it.

"This thing...sounds really interesting."

Zhao Guisheng didn't reply, but his brows furrowed even deeper.

It's fresh, but what's the use of being fresh?

CCTV programs are not like street vendors; no matter how imaginative your ideas are, if they can't be implemented, they're just a pile of waste paper.

He waited.

Waiting for Zhou Wenbin to speak.

really.

"I understand the concept."

Zhou Wenbin's voice came from the left seat, unhurried but each word was sharp.

"Tearing name tags, physical confrontation, chasing and grappling. To put it bluntly, it's just making a bunch of celebrities roll around on the ground in an outdoor venue."

He leaned forward slightly, his hands resting on the table with his fingers interlaced.

I have two questions.

"First, outdoor chasing inevitably involves pushing, shoving, falls, and collisions. How can we prevent stampedes? What about sprains and fractures? If a guest gets seriously injured, tomorrow's national headlines will be about a CCTV program causing a celebrity's disfigurement. Who will take responsibility for that?"

He paused for a moment, his gaze fixed on Chen Yang.

"Secondly, you know what domestic celebrities are like. They bring five or six assistants to film a movie, and they discuss the size of the dressing room before even joining the crew. Who would want to come running around in the scorching sun, covered in mud, with their makeup all ruined? This isn't a talent show; you can't force people to come if they don't want to."

"Artist coordinator, what's your job?"

The moment the two questions were asked, the atmosphere in the conference room visibly plummeted.

Zhao Guisheng leaned back in his chair, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.

coming.

That's the proper way to ask the question.

No matter how fancy the concept, the core boils down to two words: implementation.

It's all just castles in the air, nothing but empty talk about tearing name tags and the 4.0 era.

He had even begun to mentally rehearse the scene of Chen Yang stammering and unable to answer.

A 24-year-old assistant director from a local TV station was stumped by two questions from the channel director and slunk off the stage. This was the ending that this seminar should have had.

But Chen Yang didn't mince words.

He didn't even pause.

"Director Zhou, I have prepared complete practical solutions for these two issues. Please allow me to directly present the documents."

He turned around, bent down, and clicked the mouse twice on the Lenovo desktop computer.

The image on the projection screen has changed.

The PPT disappeared.

Instead, there was a densely packed document.

"Safety and Medical Response Plan for the Outdoor Filming of 'Run, China' (V3.2)"

Several directors in the second row leaned forward at the same time.

The first page of the document is a table, with all possible competition stages listed on the left and the risk level classification and protection standards for each stage on the right.

Chen Yang's voice was steady.

"Let's answer the first question: safety."

"In my plan, all competitive elements are divided into three categories: A, B, and C, based on their risk level. Category C is low risk, such as intellectual quizzes and clue-finding games. Category B is medium risk, including parkour, chases, and water sports. Category A is high risk, such as name tag ripping games, which involve direct physical contact."

He turned to the second page.

"Before each Category A stage is executed, the site must undergo three rounds of surveying. In the first round, the production team eliminates any physical hazards on site, including protruding objects, sharp edges and corners, and slippery areas. The buffer distance at each corner must be no less than 1.2 meters."

"In the second round, the safety specialists conducted a second inspection with professional equipment. All guest activity areas must be covered with non-slip flooring or soft cushioning mats, and guardrails must be installed near steps and terrain with elevation differences."

"In the third round, the day before the recording, the director led the entire team to rehearse the process. The directing staff simulated the guests and experienced the whole process. If there were any safety issues that could not be addressed on the day, the segment was cut."

He spoke slowly, but every piece of data seemed to spring forth like a nail.

Zhou Wenbin's brows changed from being tightly furrowed to being slightly furrowed.

Chen Yang turned to the third page.

"Medical response. For each episode, two certified first aiders and one ambulance are always on site. When selecting filming locations, it must be confirmed that there is a top-tier hospital within a three-kilometer radius, and the ambulance response time is no more than five minutes."

"Guest insurance. Each resident guest will be covered by personal accident insurance with a minimum coverage of 200 million yuan per period. The same standard applies to guest stars. All insurance contracts will be signed and become effective 72 hours before recording."

He scrolled down the document a bit.

"In addition, all guests must submit a medical examination report before recording. Those with a history of heart disease, serious bone and joint diseases, high blood pressure, etc., whoever has contraindications to exercise, no matter how famous they are, will not be allowed to participate in Category A segments."

"No exceptions."

He spoke the last four words very softly, but no one in the entire conference room took it as a polite remark.

Zhou Wenbin remained silent.

His fingers went from being crossed to lying flat, and his right index finger tapped the table twice unconsciously.

The level of detail in this contingency plan exceeds the safety standards of most CCTV's officially broadcast programs.

A 24-year-old assistant director had already developed a safety plan to this extent during the proposal stage.

He's either crazy.

Either they really have some skills.

Chen Yang didn't give him time to process it and switched directly to the next document.

"The second question is about artist management."

A table appeared on the screen, with seven numbers on the left and each person's assigned role on the right: the master of control, the strength expert, the speed expert, the brain expert, the comedic expert, and the good-looking expert, along with the selection criteria for each role.

"Director Zhou is right. It's really impossible for the top-tier celebrities in China to come right now."

"But my plan never involved hiring top-tier celebrities."

As soon as those words were spoken, a buzz of whispers arose again in the second row.

Zhao Guisheng gave a cold laugh.

Not inviting A-list celebrities? CCTV's prime-time program isn't inviting A-list stars? Who are you planning to hire? Extras?