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

May 19th, Tuesday, 8:00 AM.

With the project application acceptance receipt numbered 2009001 in his hand, Chen Yang began the review process.

According to Taiwan regulations, the four pre-requisite special reviews can be carried out in parallel, but in practice, most project teams have to wait and see how each department works, and it can take three to five days just to get all the department heads together for a meeting.

Chen Yang did not wait.

He prepared all four sets of materials for review a week in advance, three sets of each set: one original and two copies, packed in four different colored document bags: blue for the Publicity Department, yellow for the Legal Department, green for the Technology Department, and red for the Finance Department.

8:15, Publicity and Management Department.

The deputy director in charge of the initial review of the content is surnamed Wu. He is in his early fifties and has worked in the propaganda field for most of his life. He looks at proposals like he is looking at an X-ray, and he can find the cracks in the bones at a glance.

He spent twenty minutes flipping through Chen Yang's "Program Content Orientation Analysis Report".

The policy alignment of the National Fitness Regulations is documented with the original sources for each clause.

The program's positive value orientation, from unity and cooperation to striving for progress, is right on point with the main theme.

The plan to prevent the risks of excessive entertainment even includes a tiered explanation of the appropriate level of physical confrontation that could potentially cause controversy.

After turning the last page, Deputy Director Wu took off his reading glasses and glanced at Chen Yang.

"Young man, this guidance analysis is written with more expertise than several of the staff in our department."

"Who brought you here?"

Director Sun Bin.

No wonder.

Deputy Director Wu signed and stamped the document, issuing the "Preliminary Approval Letter for Program Content Orientation".

It took less than half an hour in total.

Nine o'clock, legal office.

Originality verified, zero overseas copyright disputes.

The artist contract framework fully complies with the station's artist management regulations.

The authorization schemes for portrait rights, music copyrights, and venue usage rights are listed item by item.

Old Zhou from the legal department is notoriously difficult to deal with; he can find three or five problems with any case that comes into his hands.

But this time, after reviewing the materials, he remained silent for more than ten seconds before asking only one question.

"In this name tag ripping game, are there any written guidelines regarding the limits of physical contact?"

Chen Yang pulled an attachment out of the file bag.

The document, titled "Regulations on Physical Contact Behavior and Standards for Judging Violations in the Name Tag Ripping Game," is seven pages long and is divided into four levels, from permitted gripping areas to prohibited dangerous actions, and includes illustrations.

After reading it, Old Zhou put the attachment back, signed and stamped it.

"Young man, you are more meticulous in your work than most of the older directors I've met."

9:45, Technical Management Office.

The multi-camera deployment plan, equipment selection list, and post-production technical specifications were all written according to CCTV broadcast-level standards.

Old Zhao, the head of the technical office, was wearing an engineering cap and kept clicking his tongue while looking at the plan.

"Have you considered crosstalk in your wireless audio recording solution for outdoor filming?"

"I've considered it."

Chen Yang turned to the third page of the attachment.

"Each guest's wireless microphone frequency interval should be no less than 1MHz. We will arrive at the filming location 48 hours in advance to scan the frequency and lock in a clean frequency band. We will also have two sets of backup frequencies preset."

Old Zhao nodded.

"What about image transmission? In 2009, the effective transmission distance of wireless image transmission devices on the market was at most 200 meters, and the signal weakened as soon as it went through a wall. How do you solve this problem for your full-scene tracking?"

"Fixed camera positions use wired transmission, while follow-up camera positions do not rely on real-time image transmission; all footage is recorded in-camera, and all footage is collected and edited after shooting."

Chen Yang's answer was straightforward.

"The director monitors the footage using wired cameras from fixed positions and coordinates it via walkie-talkie. The camera crew shoots independently according to pre-planned routes and key points, and the footage is then combined in post-production."

Old Zhao closed the plan.

Sign and stamp.

"The plan is feasible, but unexpected problems are bound to occur during actual filming, so be prepared."

"clear."

10:20, the last stop.

Planning and Finance Department.

Within the entire CCTV system, the finance department is widely recognized as the most difficult hurdle to overcome.

It's not because they're being difficult, it's because they're strict.

Every penny of the station's budget must be auditable; exceeding the budget by even one dollar will not be tolerated.

The head of the finance department, surnamed Fang, was 45 years old, with a round face and wearing gold-rimmed glasses. There was always a Casio calculator and a well-worn copy of "Compilation of CCTV Financial Management Systems" on his desk.

He took Chen Yang's "Full Season Budget Details," said nothing, and directly flipped to the expense breakdown table.

He turned two pages, and his eyebrows twitched.

He flipped through two more pages, then pulled the calculator over and typed in a string of numbers.

After checking, he looked up at Chen Yang.

"Your budget breakdown is so detailed, down to the document level?"

"right."

"Does every travel expense specify the departure point, destination, mode of transportation, accommodation standard, and meal allowance?"

"Yes, all expenses are calculated at 80% of the maximum allowable rate for domestic travel expenses, leaving a 20% margin for flexibility."

Director Fang took off his glasses, wiped them, and put them back on.

"Xiao Chen, I've worked in the finance department for twelve years, handling dozens of program budgets every year. You can count the number of people who can do this level of detail on one hand."

He opened the drawer and took out the company seal.

"I'll issue you the 'Project Budget Review Opinion' right now."

When stamping the document, Director Fang added another sentence.

"But you also know that this opinion letter only proves that your budget proposal is compliant. The actual allocation of funds will have to wait until the editorial board issues its final approval document."

"Before this, we didn't have a single penny."

"clear."

Chen Yang put the four approved documents into his briefcase and zipped it up.

From 8:15 a.m. to 10:50 a.m.

Two and a half hours.

All four pre-approval special reviews were passed.

When the news reached the third floor of the variety channel, the jaws of the veteran directors in the corridor almost dropped to the floor.

"One day? Passed all four?"

"Not a day, but a whole morning."

"That can't be right. Back then, when Lao Qian did that cultural project, the finance department alone was stuck for a whole week."

"It's said that the finance director himself praised it, saying he hadn't seen such a detailed budget in twelve years."

Chen Yang couldn't hear the murmurs.

He's already thinking about the next step.

The four reviews are complete; the next step is to create a mockup.

The regulations in Taiwan clearly state that no budget will be allocated before the official approval is granted.

Zero funding.

But sample footage must be filmed, and it must be filmed to CCTV broadcast standards.

The equipment can be borrowed from Sun Bin's "Happy Journey Through China" series.

Sun Bin made the decision that very afternoon.

"I'll coordinate the equipment for you—cameras, audio equipment, lighting equipment—I'll get them from our team's warehouse."

He leaned back in his office chair, twirling the walkie-talkie in his hand twice.

"But one thing is certain: my team isn't made of iron. You can't let the 'Happy China Tour' project fall behind."

"It won't delay you."

Chen Yang moved a chair and sat down.

"I only need seven people to act as mock guests. In addition to the filming crew, we'll shoot during our weekend breaks when our team isn't filming."

"Seven people?"

Sun Bin frowned.

Whom do you plan to use?

Chen Yang took out a piece of paper from his pocket, on which seven names were written.

"The camera crew's Liu is 1.85 meters tall and weighs 190 kilograms. He plays a strength role."

"The script supervisor, Xiao Zhou, is 1.67 meters tall and as thin as a bamboo pole, but he has fast legs and is good at speed acting."

"Fat Tiger from the lighting team weighs 210 pounds. He gets out of breath after running only a few steps. He's a natural comedic relief."

"Xiao Zhao from the directing team is quick-witted and good at playing intellectual roles."

"Xiao Meng from the production team, the only girl in our group, plays a role from a female perspective."

"Old Ma from the camera crew and Xiao Liu from the sound engineer, fill in the remaining two positions."

Sun Bin looked at the paper, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

"Big Liu has a terrible temper, Fatty Tiger can't run fast enough, and Little Zhou was complaining to me yesterday about working too much overtime and wanting to take a day off..."

"Can these seven of you even manage together?"

"I'll handle it."

Chen Yang put the paper back into his pocket.

……

The next morning, in the closed stadium inside the CCTV compound.

This hall is usually used by the station's employees to play badminton and table tennis. The space is not large, but it is sufficient.

Chen Yang applied for the right to use the venue a day in advance. The venue was free of charge, which was one of the benefits of the station's employee welfare facilities.

The seven behind-the-scenes personnel who were "conscripted" arrived one after another at nine o'clock in the morning.

None of them had a good time.

Da Liu arrived last, strolling in at 9:10, carrying a thermos and looking reluctant.

"Chen Yang, I was supposed to be off today, but you insisted on calling me over. What's the meaning of this?"

He, a tall man of 1.85 meters, leaned against the wall with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"It's a deal, I'm not doing this free extra work. I'm a cameraman, not an actor."

Gian is more direct.

"Director Chen, it's not that I'm being disrespectful, but you can make me carry the equipment all day long. You want me to run? I weigh 210 pounds, and my knees will be ruined after just a few steps."

Xiao Zhou sat on a bench by the field, head down, scrolling through Snake on his Nokia phone, without even looking up.

"No payment for your work, and what are you doing running around here in this sweltering heat...?"

Seven people, seven different expressions, but the core meaning is the same.

I'm not happy about it.

Chen Yang stood in the center of the venue, with a row of white T-shirts with name tags attached in front of him.

He looked around but didn't speak immediately.

"Okay, I understand, everyone has emotions."

He picked up the first T-shirt, unfolded it, and revealed the name tag on the back that read "Da Liu".

"But I'll only ask one question."

"Has anyone here ever played the name tag ripping game?"

The seven people looked at each other in bewilderment.

"What's 'tearing name tags'?" Da Liu frowned.

"It's about tearing this name tag off your back."