Chapter 101 The rich woman is tempted [Thanks to Euna’s war dance, craliapple for the reward! ]Zhong Zhen knew that Du Sheng would not make fun of them, so he thought for a moment and said: "In fact, at the beginning, the first thing we considered was to remake Mr. Jin's play. But Lao Ju has consulted, and the only novels left by Jin Yong that are suitable for remake in the next two years are "Flying Fox of Snow Mountain", "Untold Stories" and "The Return of the Condor Heroes"..." "Snow Mountain Flying Fox" was remade only three years ago, but the response was mediocre and it failed to become a hit like the previous versions. The TV version of "The Untold Story" was remade 12 years ago. The adaptation is difficult and not many people dare to touch it now. The remake rights of The Return of the Condor Heroes are in the hands of Zhang Da Huzi, and they did not withdraw, so they set their sights on the Wen Rui'an series. "No! Actually there is another one." Du Sheng smiled mysteriously and corrected: "And if I remember correctly, the copyright of this film has been sold a long time ago, but due to lack of investment, it has never been prepared." Zhong Zhen finally became interested. Ju Jueliang suddenly remembered something and blurted out: "Are you talking about The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber?" Du Sheng didn't play dumb, but smiled and nodded: "Eight years ago, the version directed by Lai Shuiqing had a viewership rating of 26%, making the leading actors Ma Jingtao, Ye Dong, and Zhou Haimei famous overnight.
But Director Lai was still not satisfied, thinking that some things could be done better, and he vowed to remake the film again. He did keep his word and bought the copyright for HK$70 the year before last, but was stumped by the budget of HK$2000 million..." Ju Jueliang nodded slightly and thought for a moment: "It's an opportunity, but we're not sure we can convince him." Lai Shuiqing is also from the Hong Kong circle, so he has naturally come into contact with them. In addition to his ability to 'make new versions of old plays', the other party also has a good eye for identifying gems. He just has a stubborn temper and won't listen to advice. When it comes to investment cooperation, it's still unclear who will be in the lead. "That's not necessarily the case!" Du Sheng smiled playfully: "This director hasn't been doing well lately. Perhaps you could try to contact him." Some time ago, he asked Wang Yaoyang to inquire about the relevant information. In order to avoid being accused of relying on past achievements, Lai Shuiqing aimed to surpass his previous version and prepared everything according to the most stringent standards. As a result, he overestimated his influence and set aside 2000 million to start with, which instantly scared away many investors. Then there is the all-important constraint. That is, Hong Kong's TVB remade "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" last year. Not only was it released ahead of schedule, it also received very good ratings. The time periods are so close that they are bound to conflict. Can I make a profit by continuing to invest? Moreover, there is a high probability that the wireless channel will be sold to mainland China for broadcast. The audience gets tired of watching just one movie, how can we compete? So, Lai Shuiqing’s hair has turned white recently due to worry. In his previous life, this great director finally had to bow his head, seek cooperation between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and Hong Kong, and consciously handed over the dominant position.
Zhong Zhen hesitated for a moment and said to Ju Jueliang: "This is a bit unexpected. We can try to contact them." Zhongyao Pictures has invested in more than ten dramas in the past few years, and almost half of the profitable ones are Jin Yong dramas. It is not an exaggeration to say that she has a special liking for Jin Yong's dramas. As for the conflict with TVB? Actually, the problem is not that big. First of all, the mainland audience is large enough. Secondly, unless the TVB version is broadcast on YangTV, the probability of a collision is very small. Because there are still barriers to local stations and the audiences are all in the jurisdiction of each prefecture, there is the situation of purchasing secondary and tertiary broadcasts. In addition, what surprised Zhong Zhen was that Du Sheng actually paid more attention to the industry's work trends than they did. These are things that ordinary actors would not do. Even many directors have never considered it. This young man really cannot be judged by common sense. Thinking of this, she looked a little strange and asked; "You are so enthusiastic in recommending this drama, aren't you aiming for the lead role?" "I do want to, but I still have some self-awareness." Du Sheng shrugged and smiled calmly: "The reason I brought this up is not only because we can get along well, but I do have a little thought in mind." He does have ideas about "The Heaven Sword and the Dragon Saber". Not to mention the popularity and far-reaching influence of this drama, the two female protagonists alone are worthy of his kindness... But I’m not a big enough star now, and no one would believe me even if I said it. I might as well wait until "Dragon Girl" and "Big Guy" are released. At that time, there should be some possibility of competition. According to the current situation, Lai Shuiqing will definitely have to struggle for a while, and it will take time for Zhongyao to contact the other party. If the status is still not high enough, then we can make up for it with investment. “Is it about investment?” Zhong Zhen vaguely guessed something and asked tentatively: "As long as the ratio is acceptable, are you willing to join Zhongyao?" Du Sheng saw Ju Jueliang looking at him, so he smiled and asked instead: "You two should have heard of the drama that I invested in and produced, right?" Zhong Zhen was startled, then said with a half-smile: "So, it's a problem with the release channel?"
Her Zhong family started out as a videotape distributor, so they are familiar with all kinds of channels. It is naturally extremely difficult for a small crew with no knowledge of any film to release a film, especially when the producer is a half-baked crossover. By the way, the drama "Dragon Goddess" also sought investment from Zhong Zhenla at that time. She was quite interested in the novel setting of a female protagonist and also considered investing. It’s just a few million anyway, the previous drama made more than that. Unfortunately, it fell through due to the issue of the female lead, but I didn't expect it to come back after so many twists and turns. "Mr. Zhong is indeed a man of great insight. This kind of thing cannot be hidden from you." Du Sheng did not mind praising him for the sake of publicity, and then changed the subject: "Thank you for inviting me twice. It would be tactless of me to decline again. How about we make a bet on this?" Ju Jueliang, who was looking through the script and thinking about how to make changes, stopped involuntarily. Even Zhong Zhen, who had been quite agitated, showed some interest and said with a smile: "Tell me, how do you want to bet?" She knew that the young man in front of her was very opinionated and would not make promises easily. There is such a sudden change at this moment, either he is full of confidence or he is trying to get enough benefits in disguise. No matter which one it is, Zhong Zhen welcomes you to chat. Being a person is like doing business. We are not afraid of you bargaining for a higher price. We are just afraid that you are worthless or refuse to budge. Come to think of it, she did value Du Sheng more than last time. Even the preliminary planning has been made for his development direction as an 'action star' after joining the film. Just wait for the other person to nod. Now that you've let go, everything will be easy. "It's very simple. Isn't Director Ju in contact with Southern Television right now?" Du Sheng knew that the rich woman was moved, and said calmly: “With your connections, it shouldn’t be difficult to recommend “Snow Goddess Dragon”. It doesn't matter if it's broadcasted in the evening on Pearl River TV, Southern TV, or Guangzhou Satellite TV. If the ratings don't break 4, I'll be a member of Zhongyao at any time. If by luck it works, I will start a joint venture with the studio..." Zhong Zhen and Ju Jueliang looked at each other and could see the surprise in each other's eyes. Yes, very surprised! Such a simple condition?
Is this a risk? The ratings exceeded 4! It's not as easy as it sounds. Last year, out of 4 local dramas released nationwide, more than % failed to break the rating mark. Even "Tian Long" which was hyped by Zhang Da Huzi, only broke 5 recently. It is conceivable how difficult it is for a small drama without big investment, fame, or big names to break this barrier! Not to mention, it’s just the evening slot. But it didn’t specify that it was prime time! If Ju Jueliang hadn't known that this guy was slippery, he would have almost suspected that he was looking for an excuse to seduce the boss. "That's what you said. I'll make a phone call and ask." Despite his thoughts, Ju Jueliang was unwilling to let go of such a capable person, so he said directly: "We have a pretty good relationship with Guangzhou Television. As long as the quality of the drama is acceptable, there shouldn't be any major problems." Zhong Zhen thought about it and didn't know why the other party was so confident. He nodded slowly: "My second uncle is at the Press and Publication Bureau over there. It would only take a word for him to say hello." Those who understand will understand the value of the Press and Publication Administration. Du Sheng breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "Then it's settled." In the past, "Dragon Goddess" was broadcast at 10 pm and it could break 5, not to mention that it has a chance to be included in the prime time. As for whether the other party will deliberately make trouble for the TV station? Let’s not even talk about whether the TV station leaders would damage their reputation by following your orders. For a small pawn, Zhongyao spent so much time and effort, how much respect does this show? That means he is no longer treated as the boss, but as a big boss, so there is nothing wrong with him signing in. …… That night, Du Sheng was recording a demo for "Dragon Goddess" when the good news came back. "Ah Sheng, it's done!" The person who called was Li Leda, his voice was slightly excited: "The production director of Pearl River TV is very optimistic about this drama. It is tentatively scheduled to be broadcasted in a month, taking over the 10pm slot..." If one wants to promote the drama and take the master tape to introduce it, it naturally has to be done by the producer Li Leda. Otherwise, this is just too watery. Du Sheng suppressed his dissatisfaction and thought for a moment: "Then hurry up and finish the finale, and do it as the Cantonese version for the first broadcast. The opening song has been recorded here, and it will be later..." Pearl River TV is really good.
It is considered to be one of the top three TV stations in terms of ratings in Cantonese, not to mention the evening slot. It is estimated that the content, setting and other aspects of "Dragon Goddess", which were revised according to his proposal, were improved and caught the director's eye. If it had happened in the past, after the drama flopped on Southeast TV, it was passed around among several major TV stations in Guangzhou, and after going around for several times, no buyer was found, before it was bought by Pearl River TV at a very low price. Now the property has been returned to its original owner, and it’s also the first broadcast! Although the selling price is not high, as long as the broadcast effect is good, there will be many opportunities to make money in the future. As for the issue of betting with Zhongyao? Du Sheng remembered that in the previous life, this drama had exceeded 5 when it was broadcast on Pearl River Channel. This time, everything was much better, so he was not worried at all. In addition, there is also half good news: Zhongyao Pictures actually listened and started to communicate with Lai Shuiqing about co-production matters. The reason why it is counted as half is because it is unknown how long it will take for both sides to negotiate and adjust. Since this involves interests, it may not be possible to prepare for it in a short time. But this is also good news for Du Sheng. Because his status needs time to improve. This period of time is enough to do a lot of things. (End of this chapter)