Chapter 229 – Heavy Weights
A lovely little sister was added to Professor Yoon’s house. Three-year-old Joon-suh and his father went to the nursery to see his younger sister Eun-suh. When the nurse wasn’t paying attention, the naughty Joon-suh switched the name sign of Eun-suh and the neighboring child born on the same day. In this way, the children of the two families were switched.
More than a decade later. Joon-suh has grown into a handsome boy, and his brilliant painting skills has made him a popular figure in the school, while the 14-year-old Eun-suh has grown into a smart and lovely girl, and she was loved by the whole family.
Elder Brother Joon-suh doted on his sister Eun-suh. The siblings were very close to each other.
Not to mention the care of the mother, Lee Kyung-ha, to her only daughter. With a generous family environment, gentle and attentive mother and excellent brother, Eun-suh was the envy of her friends at school.
…….
The paper was an ordinary A4 paper with a normal price of 5 cents, the DPI of the Song typeface1 printed by the laser was very high, every stroke was very clear, and the layout was very regular, which made people feel comfortable when looking at it.
The outline of the screenplay was almost 5,000 words and covered five sheets of paper. The cost of both paper and printing was negligible compared to the story itself.
As the business manager of Qiande Brothers Pictures, Lu Yi has had a number screenplays that have passed through his hands.
He deeply understood the value of a good screenplay.
Lu Yi was one of the veterans of Qiande Brothers Pictures. He worked with the Zhange Gan brothers and endured hardship all the way to the present in Beijing. He has no lack of experience and eyesight.
The screenplay that Lu Chen gave him was called “Autumn in My Heart”. One could tell from the name that it was an urban romance drama. Since Lu Chen was going to play the leading actor himself, it must be the route of youth idol.
The story began with an interesting scene in which the two girls were switched at birth, and their fate was bound to arouse strong interest from the audience.
Lu Yi, this business manager, naturally knew the business of the company like the back of his hand, out of the need of his work. He has seen at least thousands of movies and TV dramas, and he has the impression that no similar plot has been filmed.
As a weekend drama, the opening has an attractive selling point.
At present, the domestic film and television industry was developing rapidly, and the IP2 fever would not go down. The great prosperity of the market has also brought a lot of problems, such as repetition of old-fashioned themes, imitation, plagiarism and so on.
If a TV series was a hit, imitators were bound to flock in and would made a similar story until it was overused. The country’s intellectual property law has no strict regulations on following the trend, and lacks the means to restrain it, leaving the market to mediate itself.
Therefore, having a good story idea was equivalent to half the success.
Lu Yi was quite optimistic about Lu Chen’s story.
But as he read on, he soon understood why Zhu Minghe would lack interest in the screenplay.
Melodrama!
Such style could be said to go against the trend and challenges the audience’s taste.
Usually, if this kind of trend-opposing work3 was made with quality, it would either be a big hit or a big fail!
The probability of the latter was much higher than the former.
It wasn’t like there weren’t any film and television companies and directors who dared to do it. Basically, they all flopped and couldn’t find the north.4
After so many years of development, the positioning of the TV drama market has been very clear.
The current youth idol drama took the route of comedy, farce and thunder drama.5
If one wanted to make a melodrama, then make a middle-aged drama!6
If one wanted to cross the boundary, one must have the consciousness to bear failure and lose everything.
After reading this outline carefully, Lu Yi felt a toothache.
The risk was too great. Shooting this drama was like a gamble. If he won the bet, he could make a lot of money. If he lost the bet…
The reason why Lu Yi didn’t give up immediately was that, first of all, this was a weekend play. The cost was easy to control, and the method of shooting and broadcasting at the same time would prevent the situation where no one cared about the results of dozens of episodes.
It was like writing a web novel. If the number of subscriptions was too poor, it was possible for the novel to end abruptly. However, of course it was definitely not possible for it to be left unfinished.
Moreover, Lu Chen, the leading actor, still has a selling point.
Manager Lu’s entanglement, Lu Chen saw it clearly. He said with a wry smile: “I know, this theme is not easy to shoot.”
He also regretted not having made an in-depth study of the domestic film and TV drama market before writing the screenplay.
Had he known this would happen, it would been better to write “My Love from the Star”. It might have cost a lot more to produce, but at least it was easy to find collaborators.
However, the thought of regret only flashed in Lu Chen’s mind. If no one was willing to invest in the film, at the worst, he would invest all his own money – of course, this would lead to a significant increase in cost and risk, and it was the last resort.
Lu Yi said with a smile: “The theme is different. The story is really good. I think girls should like it.”
After a pause, he asked, “Mr. Lu Chen, if our company cooperates with you, what are your requirements?”
Lu Yi only overheard some of the conversations between Lu Chen and Zhu Minghe, and he didn’t really hear them very well.
Lu Chen thought for a moment and replied, “The requirement is joint investment. I can convert the screenplay and film salary into the shares without any additional payment. In addition, the leading actress has been determined, and I hope to recommend a director. Of course, the choice of director can be discussed again.”
It was the common way to co-produce films and TV series with multiple parties. Lu Yi would certainly not have any objection. Converting the screenplay and film salary into share was also beneficial to the film and television production company and reduced the investment risk.
It was just that, not only did Lu Chen asked for the leading actor, but also the leading actress, and the director…
He also could not help frowning like Zhu Minghe. He asked, “Mr. Lu Chen, which director would you like to recommend?”
Lu Chen said calmly, “Do you know Director Fang Hui? I want to recommend her.”
Fang Hui was a well-known director in China. She was well known in the circle for shooting dramas that express women’s delicate emotions. She has also made a lot of music video and has extremely rich experience.
Compared to the real big names, she didn’t have big hits, but her reputation has always been very good.
The last time Lu Chen and MSN made the music video of “Not Yet Lovers”, the director was Fang Hui.
The final result of this music video was excellent, and it was broadcasted by Flying Stone Records in all major media, which was why the album sold so well in QQ Music. At present, the crowdfunding for the CD and peripherals was also in full swing.
It was through this cooperation that Lu Chen has a good impression of Fang Hui, and the two have had a lot of communication. He believed that Fang Hui could manage the story and produce the effect he wanted.
Otherwise, why would Lu Chen insist on this condition?
“Director Fang Hui!”
Lu Yi suddenly said: “I know her. Although I have not cooperated with her, I have watched the TV series she made.”
Lu Yi thought about it carefully. Lu Chen’s recommendation was not unreasonable. It was reliable.
Because Fang Hui’s shooting style was very suitable for this “Autumn In My Heart”.
Lu Chen explained: “Actually, I haven’t yet mentioned this matter to Director Fang, and I don’t know if she has time, so I only recommend it. If you have a better candidate, we can discuss it.”
He originally wanted to discuss it with Zhu Minghe of Baolong Pictures. However, the other party didn’t give him the opportunity.
Lu Yi seemed more sincere.
Lu Yi said with a smile, “Well, let’s put aside this question for a moment. Who did you choose for the leading actress?”
The film and television industry has a rule: While the heavens are large and the earth is large, investment is the largest and most important. The people who pay are the bosses. Whoever pays the most is the biggest boss and definitely has the greatest decision-making power.
Lu Chen wanted to be the leading actor as well as decide who the leading actress. First of all, he has to invest. Otherwise, who would pay attention to the screenplay alone?
Lu Yi was very curious about the leading actress he chose.
Who was Lu Chen trying to win the favor of?
He had read the outline, and the leading actress was undoubtedly the most outstanding and the most central character.
An artist like Lu Chen, who became famous at a young age, and also has money, if he wanted to win the favor of a girl, what could be more romantic and more touching than letting her be the leading actress of TV drama.
Lu Chen hesitated for a moment and said, “it’s Chen Fei’er.”
“Chen Fei’er…”
Lu Yi pronounced the name subconsciously.
The next moment, he suddenly opened his eyes wide, his face showed a look of disbelief: “Which Chen Fei’er?”
Lu Chen said with a smile, “It’s the one you’re thinking of.”
Lu Yi was immediately stunned.
He was also an experienced and sophisticated figure, and rarely has such a gaffe.
It was just that the news revealed by Lu Chen was really shocking.
Who was Chen Fei’er? She was a big name in the circle with tens of millions of fans and a Heavenly Queen who has been in the music industry for more than ten years.
But Lu Yi soon came to his senses, and his face broke into a smile.
If he had only two or three points of assurance about the TV series before, it has soared to seven or eight points now.
In a TV series or a movie, having a big star in it and not having one were two different things. Although Chen Fei’er wasn’t an actress, she has also made guest appearances in several blockbuster films.
If what Lu Chen said was true, then this drama would be Chen Fei’er’s first time as a leading actress. The hype gimmick was there, but at least there was no problem in selling it. It was nothing more than a question of price.
With Chen Fei’er joining, the biggest problem of “Autumn in My Heart” has been weakened. As long as it could be watched by her fans, the ratings were basically guaranteed.
She was equivalent to a heavy weight. Enough to be the key to victory.
If Qiande Brothers Pictures could take over the production of this drama, it could gain a lot of benefits.
Even if they lose money, it was not something they couldn’t consider!
How could Zhu Minghe of Baolong Pictures miss this opportunity?
The only answer could only be that the other party gave up without talking to Lu Chen about this issue.
Then Qiande Brothers Pictures must not miss it!
He really wanted to laugh, and there was no doubt that he was glad for his patience and sincerity.
Lu Yi restrained his excitement and couldn’t wait to say, “Mr. Lu Chen, on behalf of Qiande Brothers Pictures, I hope to have formal negotiations with you about the cooperation of ‘Autumn in My Heart’!”
Lu Chen pondered for a moment, then nodded: “Okay.”
He found that he really underestimated Chen Fei’er’s influence. If he had said it when talking to Baolong Pictures, it was estimated that Zhu Minghe’s attitude would be different.
Of course, Lu Chen was just thinking about it.
Qiande Brothers Pictures might be a good choice.