This star is wrong

Chapter 202 The script that asked Yan Lan to take the initiative to reduce the salary

"The boss wants to make a martial arts drama?"

Qiao Yinghong is very good at reading people. After managing the studio for so long, she has already figured out the boss's character.

Although Fang Xing looked very young, Qiao Yinghong could feel that the boss sometimes spoke wildly on the show, but in fact he was very calm in his work.

"I have plans to make a TV series. The current idea is a martial arts TV series, but it's not a traditional martial arts." Fang Xing explained a little.

Qiao Yinghong nodded for a moment, then asked, "Is the boss planning to invest by himself? Or is it a project to attract investment from a film and television company?"

Regarding the investment, Fang Xing has already considered it: "We invest ourselves. If a film and television company wants to invest, we can also consider it, but the premise is that the employer must not intervene in the production of the drama."

Qiao Yinghong probably understood what it meant, and asked again: "Is the boss planning to cooperate with the film and television company? Or find someone to recruit a crew? If we form a team by ourselves, I'm afraid things will be very complicated."

A crew is very complicated inside and out.

If you don't have a mature crew, it will take a lot of energy to pull a crew out from scratch.

More importantly, the crew itself also has circles.

If you are not a member of the circle and want to form a team, there will be many problems that are difficult to solve.

Not to mention the core members such as directors and photographers.

Just talking about the props group, if you are not an acquaintance, it is not easy to find a reliable props group.

Coupled with such things as lighting, scene management, actor coordination, and group performances, if you want to start from scratch, you will not be able to do it in a year or two.

"Find a mature crew to cooperate with. If you know a crew there, you can make an appointment to chat. I plan to invite Yan Lan and He Rongchang to have dinner in two days to see if there is any chance of cooperation."

Fang Xing doesn't plan to start a film and television company, so he doesn't need to set up a crew himself, it's easiest to find a crew to cooperate with.

Qiao Yinghong has been an agent for so many years. Although she has always managed singers, she occasionally involves actors, variety shows, and film appointments, so she still has some contacts in the film and television industry.

She thought for a while and said, "If that's the case, I'll try to visit Zheng Lisong's crew. Their play will be finished this month, so we can try to see if we can follow up the play they just finished and work together on a new one. "

Sometimes, when a play is being filmed.

The film and television company feels that this crew is reliable, and there will be situations where they will invest in another film.

……

After the work meeting is over.

Fang Xing sent Yan Lan a WeChat message: Sis, happy new year.

Yan Lan: The Lantern Festival is over, so you just remembered to pay New Year's greetings?
Fang Xing: The 2G network speed in my hometown is too slow, so it is only delivered now.

Yan Lan: Nonsense.Come on, what's the matter?

Fang Xing: Have a meal tomorrow.If Director He is free, call us.

Yan Lan: I wanted to talk about work, so I'm not happy about it.

Fang Xing: Let's talk about it when we meet, I promise to be happy.

After a few more words of nonsense, the chat ended.

The next night.

Fang Xing called Qiao Yinghong, and made a reservation at Shanghai Lilac Restaurant to have dinner with Yan Lan and He Rongchang.

Both parties arrived 10 minutes in advance, just in time to enter the restaurant.

They are all punctual people, so cooperation will save a lot of trouble.

As a manager, Qiao Yinghong met Yan Lan and He Rongchang many times during the Spring Festival Gala rehearsal.

She took the initiative to reach out her hand: "I haven't seen you for a while, and Teacher Yan is more and more radiant."

Yan Lan smiled happily: "Mr. Qiao is really good at complimenting people."

After the four of them sat down, they ordered a meal. Before the food was served, they drank some red wine and chatted.

Fang Xing took the initiative to bring up the matter: "I have a script that I am planning to make into a series. I am preparing for it. Director He and sister came to mind immediately."

Yan Lan laughed angrily and said, "I'll just say, how can it be so good, invite me to dinner, I really want to talk about work."

She said so, but she was very interested in the script that Fang Xing said.

Because the previous skit "Hello, Li Huanying" won the first place in the language program in the audience voting after the Spring Festival Gala, and there was a big gap with the second place.

The reason for the success of this sketch is firstly that the actors acted well, and secondly, the script is the basis of everything.

If you don't have a good script, no matter how talented an actor is, it's useless.

Therefore, Yan Lan was very curious about the script that Fang Xing said, and asked, "Where is the script?"

Fang Xing took out two scripts printed on A4 paper from his bag, handed them over and said, "This is the first half of the script, the rest has not been sorted out yet, let's see if you are interested."

Yan Lan was not too polite, she took it and opened it to read: "This is... a sitcom?"

Fang Xing nodded and replied: "Yes, I have seen the sitcom "Health Center" that you collaborated with, so I would like to ask if you are interested."

A few years ago, He Rongchang and Yan Lan collaborated in a sitcom.

This sitcom is not a big hit, but it has a good reputation. It is a sitcom with a small investment and a good rate of return.

Still, sitcoms have limitations.

The investment is small, so please don't invite big-name actors.

The investment is large, and it is difficult to recover the cost.

The main reason is that the management does not have much confidence in sitcoms, and it is difficult to make large investments.

The sitcom itself is not the kind of project that is suitable for large investment. It is best to find actors with good acting skills and low prices to act.

Besides.

Sitcoms are not like idol dramas. You can find a fresh meat to act in. The drama itself does not need to be high-quality. You can harvest a wave just by relying on your face. If you stir up CP, it will easily become popular.

This has also led to the endless online puppet dramas on the market, which can make a lot of money after filming without the need to polish the script.

Sitcoms are different.

It's not an idol drama, just relying on appearance is not enough.

Moreover, most comedians can't rely on their faces to eat.

This leads to screenwriters needing to polish scripts and actors needing to polish their acting skills.

The crew spent a lot of energy filming the drama, but the result may not be as popular as the ancient puppets who rely on their faces and filters to make money.

It was a thankless task.

Under the vicious circle, investors have become less and less confident in sitcoms.

He Rongchang has filmed sitcoms, so he knows that sitcoms are a thankless genre now.

As a director, he must want to become famous and earn more money.

Therefore, he heard that the script was a sitcom, and he was interested, but he didn't have much confidence.

However, he still opened the script and read it for a while.

Judging from the scripts of the first two episodes, this book is still good.

This was He Rongchang's first feeling.

However, to truly determine whether the script has potential, you need to go back and read the script carefully.

It's dinner now, I don't have time to read the script slowly, I can only briefly browse the first few episodes, and I probably have an impression.

He closed the script and said, "The first few episodes looked pretty good. However, the market for sitcoms is not so good now, and it's troublesome to raise investment. Are you going to vote yourself, or find a film and television company to cooperate with?"

Fang Xing didn't hesitate, and replied directly: "I voted myself. If there is a film and television company that wants to vote, we can also talk about it, but the premise is that the employer does not interfere with the filming of the drama."

He Rongchang could tell that Fang Xing was very confident in the script.

He thought about it and said, "The current situation of sitcoms is different from that of ten years ago. The situation of sitcoms ten years ago only cost [-] yuan per episode.

"Now the cost of filming has increased, and the cost of filming per episode has approached one million. It can't be suppressed much."

If the price of 100 million yuan per episode is calculated, it means that at least 40 million yuan is needed to shoot a 4000-episode drama.

If 80 episodes are to be filmed, then the investment will have to go up to 8000 million.

The reason why He Rongchang asked about investment from the very beginning is because he knew that the investment was too big. If he personally invested in shooting, the risk would be too high.

Once the shooting is bad, it will lose everything.

Fang Xing's current funds in the studio account, plus the income from the songs in the next six months, can support this investment, but if the investment fails, he will return to before liberation overnight.

Hearing He Rongchang's worries, Fang Xing said with a smile: "I can handle the investment, there is no problem. Director He doesn't have to worry about the investment."

As a director, my favorite sentence is: "Don't worry about investment."

He Rongchang couldn't help showing a smile on his face, and asked, "Are you so confident in this drama?"

"Yes, very confident. Besides, I can afford it, so I have nothing to worry about."

Fang Xing really deserved it.

After the Spring Festival Gala was broadcast, the brand owners have stepped through the threshold of the studio.

Even if they really lost money, it would be a big deal to get a few more endorsements.

Besides, if this show can lose money, it would be hell.

He Rongchang was more rigorous in his work, nodded and agreed: "In that case, I will give you an answer after I go back and read the script."

Fang Xing nodded and agreed: "Okay, I hope we can cooperate."

He Rongchang looks at the script from the director's point of view, and will consider whether the script can be made, whether it will be a bad movie, and whether it can pay back.

Yan Lan is different.

She is an actor, and she habitually substituted into the role after reading the script.

So, she looked at it and became a little fascinated.

The waiter started to serve the dishes, but she was still watching, completely ignoring the people beside her.

Then, when she began to eat, she ate the soup with a spoon, her eyes still fixed on the script on the table.

Under normal circumstances, her behavior is actually not very polite.

However, Fang Xing gave this script, the more she likes it, the happier Fang Xing will be.

It took over an hour to eat this meal.

He Rongchang felt that the matter was almost finished, and he needed to go back and read the script carefully, so he proposed that today's dinner would end here.

The two stood up and shook hands to say goodbye.

Yan Lan also stood up, looked at He Rongchang, and said with a smile on her face: "I like this script, I want to act."

After she finished speaking, she looked at Fang Xing again and asked, "Are I free to choose the role?"

Fang Xing nodded and replied: "Basically yes. However, there is a character in it, which is basically tailor-made for you."

When Yan Lan heard it, she became even happier: "That's it. Then I know which one it is. Anyway, I like this script. If you can't get investment, I can help."

Fang Xing nodded and agreed: "Okay."

……

Two days passed.

Yan Lan and He Rongchang took the initiative to make a dinner appointment, upon hearing the news, Fang Xing probably guessed the result.

As expected, He Rongchang was also very interested in this script.

Still, he worries about the sitcom's prospects.

"This script is really good. Although it's only the first half, even if it's only the first part, it's good. The only problem is the investment. How much do you plan to invest?" He Rongchang began to talk about investment in depth .

"How much does Director He think we should vote for?"

Qiao Yinghong took over the topic. Regarding investment matters, it would be more convenient for a broker to come to talk.

Without waiting for He Rongchang to answer.

Yan Lan interjected first: "My film salary can be offered at a friendly price to help save filming costs."

She went back and read the script twice, and liked it more and more, so she offered to reduce her salary.

In fact, her original salary was not high.

However, after the Spring Festival Gala skit was broadcast, it went up a bit.

The cooperation of the Spring Festival Gala sketch is very pleasant, so Yan Lan took the initiative to lower the salary.

He Rongchang went on to say: "The specific investment depends on the actors used. If the actors' remuneration is not included, the cost per episode can be controlled between 40 and 50.

"According to the actors' remuneration of current TV series, which usually accounts for 50% of the total investment, the cost of filming is about 90 per episode.

"If you want to invite traffic stars to play, then the cost is not easy to calculate. There are 200 million or 300 million episodes."

Fang Xing shook his head and said, "Don't invite traffic stars, I think the actors who collaborated with the Spring Festival Gala skits are pretty good. You can also chat with the actors of the sitcom "Health Center" to see if there is any chance of cooperation."

He Rongchang understood as soon as he heard it.

This means that if you don't invite big-name actors, the actors' salaries can be reduced a lot.

Coupled with the fact that Yan Lan took the initiative to reduce her salary to star in, the shooting cost of each episode will be even lower.

He Rongchang made a rough calculation in his mind: "If you don't hire big-name actors, then the actor's salary should be reduced a bit.

"However, judging from the script, the role of the male lead is relatively heavy, and the other actors' salaries can be saved. The male lead must find a better actor.

"Also, the script's introduction to the male lead must be handsome.

"In the entertainment industry, the price of a handsome and talented actor cannot be low."

Fang Xing pointed to himself with a smile, and asked, "Does Director He think it's okay for me to act?"

He Rong raised his brows and asked in surprise, "Are you here to act?"

"Yes, I'll act." Fang Xing affirmed.

At first, He Rongchang felt that Fang Xing wanted to invest in the production of this drama, and he was mainly responsible for the script and part of the production.

Besides, there is a big difference between filming and acting in sketches.

Actors who can act in sketches may not necessarily be able to film.

Sitcoms are slightly better, though.

In a way, skits and sitcoms have a lot in common.

Therefore, after serious consideration, He Rongchang said: "Judging from the effect of your sketch, you can try it. But if you ask me to be the director, I will not be polite to you. If you can do it, you can do it. If you can't do it, you have to You won’t have special privileges just because you are an investor.”

Fang Xing nodded and agreed: "Of course, if after the audition, the director thinks that I really can't act, then let's find another actor."

He Rongchang was quite satisfied with this answer: "It's fine with your words. However, you don't have to worry too much. Judging from your performance in the sketch, I think you should be able to act, but you need to make some adjustments.

"So I put my ugly words first. When I direct a play, I will scold when I should. You'd better be mentally prepared."

"Of course." Fang Xing agreed with a smile.

(End of this chapter)