NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 289 My only problem is that I can't control my lower body after drinking, the driver says it's normal for young people, I say I peed in the car.
April 3rd, overcast, 6 PM.
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Xu Qingyan held a cup of strong tea, Wei Wufeng smoked a cigarette, and several people gathered in a screening room to watch an encrypted final version of "The Legend of Martial Arts."
After nearly half a month of effort, the final cut was finally ready. Zhou Mian, Xu Qingyan, and Wei Wufeng, the core members, had sat in their seats watching "The Legend of Martial Arts" all day.
Wei Wufeng said, "If there's no problem, let's contact the head of the sales department."
"Alright." Xu Qingyan stood up, holding her teacup as she prepared to leave, casually said, "You and Zhou Mian go ahead, Crouching Dragon and Hidden Phoenix can definitely get great things done."
"Get great things done my ass, where are you going?"
"Got something to do."
In fact, there was nothing to do; Xu Qingyan had played video games in the studio all day. The next morning at eight o'clock, she received a call from Wei Wufeng who told her it was all taken care of.
"Hmm? What's with your voice?"
"Don't even mention it. Drinking, accompanying singing, the meeting ended at three in the morning, but things were settled," Wei Wufeng said, "They agreed to purchase it, will go back and do some research."
"Really? Foster father?" Xu Qingyan sprang up from her seat instantly.
"Not necessarily, the outcome might change after some research," Wei Wufeng said with a hint of exhaustion, "But they'll definitely buy it; at most they'll haggle."
"Okay."
Under the current system, TV dramas primarily earn money from TV stations through per episode licensing fees. However, how much money this can bring in entirely depends on the psychological appraisal of the buyer.
It's not about what you think, it's about what they think.
Furthermore, if you're just honestly selling a TV drama, it's akin to begging with a bowl; once you've sold the whole thing, there are very few who can eat from both ends like Qingyan does.
Apart from traditional TV stations buying TV drama rights to boost ratings, the big three internet giants—Penguin, Oil Library, and iQiyi—also like to purchase popular TV dramas.
Some charge per episode, while others rely on pay-per-click revenue. In addition, product placement in TV dramas is also a source of income for film and television companies.
Usually, after a big hit, large film and television companies have no difficulty finding TV stations and video platforms for collaboration just as they finish writing the script for their next drama.
However, "The Legend of Martial Arts" didn't have any of these advantages.
Being a new company without any hot drama successes for endorsement, and having no follow-up drama after this one, hoping for one's major break was almost like a dream.
Selling to either television stations or video platforms obviously required effort.
Luckily, Wei Wufeng was an old hand at this, selling TV dramas was routine for him. Even if it was a flop, he could sell it seriously as if it were a classic for the ages.
After all, any embarrassment was on his father; it had nothing to do with him. When outside, it doesn't matter what reputation you have, good or bad, what's important is to live out your own eccentricity.
Xu Qingyan didn't know much about the intricate dealings with TV stations, but the video platforms were somewhat more straightforward.
Eight o'clock, Penguin Video's web drama department.
Jiang Fangmao arrived at work on time, and after having breakfast in the company cafeteria, he went to his office. First, he ordered a cup of coffee, and then he started reviewing submitted videos on his computer.
Someone had called him, asking him to prioritize the review of a martial arts situational comedy.
To this, Jiang Fangmao was used to it; it was just a matter of prioritizing the review. As long as it did not touch the bottom line, the rest was simply a matter of giving it an extra look.
Inside the Penguin Video website, there were numerous job positions, including operations, data analysis, and the grueling work of scriptwriters and directors. Jiang Fangmao's position was special; he could decide the worth of a drama.
To buy or not to buy hinged on their recommendations and discussions, somewhat akin to a product manager.
"The Legend of... Martial Arts; the name alone suggests it's doomed to flop," he muttered to himself, but out of respect for a friend, he still had to take a look.
His performance bonus was tied to the success of the work; if a drama became a hit, his bonus was high. If he picked a flop, it would reflect poorly on his job performance.
Thus, there were limits to how much one could pull strings; if trash got promoted, it was tantamount to digging your own grave. At the very least, it had to be passable and achieve some measure of success.
He had agreed to his friend's request reluctantly; in recent times, he had negotiated several drama deals that all ended in failure, either snatched away by others or turned out to be flops.
Although the corporate atmosphere indeed allowed for relaxation, continuous poor performance made it difficult to relax. If things didn't improve, he'd have to consider jumping ship before his reputation tanked.
"Found it, here it is, 'The Legend of Martial Arts,'" Jiang Fangmao clicked open the video, feeling a bit impatient, well-aware that haste wouldn't bring success.
But he still felt a slight annoyance towards these kinds of social obligations.
"A martial arts theme with this kind of gimmick, impossible for it to become a hit," Jiang Fangmao said as he clicked past the intro, "I'll give it ten minutes; if it's uninteresting, I'll decline politely."
It wasn't that Jiang Fangmao was pragmatic, but he received dozens or even hundreds of web drama and TV series submissions daily. Even more irritating was that many film and television companies cast a wide net for interest, only to find out upon inquiry that the series had already been sold.
He dragged the progress bar backwards, and the director's name appeared on the screen.
"Wei Wufeng, that second-generation flop?" Jiang Fangmao scoffed mercilessly at the name, widely recognized within the industry—his father, Wei Darui.
Wei Darui, a renowned director, it's said that a dragon begets a dragon and a phoenix begets a phoenix, but Jiang Fangmao thought otherwise. For instance, Wei Darui, a tyrant on set, somehow fathered a black sheep in the directing world.
As for how to evaluate Wei Wufeng, Jiang Fangmao tended to agree with the opinion of an internet user with a high number of likes.
"It's okay if you can't make it work; producing garbage itself is quite a tough process. Next Thursday's 'Crazy Thursday,' come find me, and I'll give you a good theme."