Become famous another day.

Chapter 771 Good Reputation

The sitcom "2 Broke Girls" has a total of 24 episodes in the first season.

This change means that each season of "Friends" and "Wulin Waijia" will only have a dozen episodes at most.

The reason for making such modifications and adjustments is that "2 Broke Girls" does not have a star cast, and everyone believes that no matter how good the quality of this drama is, it will take time to ferment.

So, there are twenty-four episodes in total, one episode per day, which takes nearly a month.

In fact, this episode suddenly became a hit when "10 Broke Girls" was aired to episode .

This episode tells the story of the New Year's Eve, when the blender played by Deng Xiaoyuan (Max in the original drama) was accidentally broken by the character played by Cen Nan, so the two needed to buy a new blender, but when they arrived at the mall, they found that there was no blender they could afford.

However, at this time, they found that a store was recruiting two part-time waiters for New Year's Eve - they needed to dress up as elves to entertain guests who came to celebrate the New Year.

They got the job.

However, on New Year's Eve, they were extremely busy. After getting off work at the restaurant, they hurried to their part-time jobs which started at nine o'clock in the evening.

So, Deng Xiaoyuan gave Cen Nan a drink of stimulant. As a result, Cen Nan drank a whole bottle of this drink and was completely unable to control his emotions, and finally, he ruined the night.

This is a typical plot in sitcoms: mess up everything and then discover the truth, goodness and beauty.

The same is true for this episode.

This episode was not conceived by the screenwriters, but was an idea proposed by Lu Yanhe when he was discussing the script with them.

This is actually the original plot as well.

Lu Yanhe remembered the plot of this episode, so he told them.

At the beginning of this episode, Deng Xiaoyuan's character talks about New Year's Eve and says: "New Year's Eve is an activity that only the rich and free can participate in. They revel and give each other gifts on this night, while poor people like us can only watch them revel and wait for them to go home exhausted. Then we have to pick up the leftovers they left behind so that our dinner table will not be empty."

Deng Xiaoyuan's character is of this style. She looks very depressed and says very depressed words, but despite this, she will never give up her life, and she is a person who works very hard to live her life.

At the end of the episode, Cen Nan's character gave Deng Xiaoyuan's character a New Year's gift, a stirring spoon - a gift she could afford now. The most touching thing about this episode for Lu Yanhe was actually here. This episode was all about Cen Nan constantly messing up everything, but Deng Xiaoyuan never blamed her for anything. After receiving the stirring spoon as a gift, Deng Xiaoyuan's first reaction was that she had not prepared a gift for Cen Nan.

To this, Cen Nan responded: "You have given me everything I have now."

Well, at the end of this episode, on New Year’s Eve, two young girls from the lower class also felt friendship and gained happiness and joy on this night.

It's such a vulgar scene.

However, after this episode was aired, the ratings of "1 Broke Girls" finally broke , and the show also ushered in a truly large-scale discussion beyond the circle.

Many people singled out this episode for comment and analysis, and in just one night, it supported the monthly activity of countless marketing accounts.

This drama truly gained everyone's attention thanks to its characters and content.

Only when a drama can achieve this can it truly break the circle at the plot level.
-
Although he was not in the country, Lu Yanhe also found time to watch this episode.

"2 Broke Girls" is not a well-made movie, but it is “not well-made” in the right sense.

The main scenes of "2 Broke Girls" are the apartment rented by Deng Xiaoyuan and the restaurant where they work.

The whole environment gives off a "crowded" feeling.

The apartment that Deng Xiaoyuan rented was more than 60 square meters. At that time, for the purpose of filming, the set was built in the studio to facilitate the camera to shoot from various angles.

The horse from the original drama was not included in this drama, but was replaced by a dog.

The main reason is that in the domestic environment, it is not realistic to keep a horse in your own yard.

In many domestic dramas, many protagonists are clearly working people, but the houses they rent are comparable to those that only white-collar workers with a monthly salary of 20,000 or 30,000 yuan can afford.

For waiters like Deng Xiaoyuan in a restaurant, the monthly salary in first-tier cities is basically between 6,000 and 8,000 yuan. If the boss is generous, they can give more, while if the boss is stingy, they can give even less.

With this income level, the maximum rent for a house is around two thousand yuan a month.

The script sets the rent of the house given to Deng Xiaoyuan as 3000 yuan a month, but Deng Xiaoyuan had been sharing the house with someone else before. Because the girl she shared the house with left, the room became vacant, so Deng Xiaoyuan was able to take Cen Nan in, and then the two of them lived here together, paying 1500 yuan a month in rent.

Even in a sitcom, Lu Yanhe requires that many details be in place.

Because once the details (especially the details that everyone pays attention to) are not credible, people will not be able to put themselves in the shoes of others. And once they cannot put themselves in the shoes of others, they will not feel a sense of companionship.

There is one aspect in common between sitcoms and many slow-paced variety shows, which is the sense of companionship they bring to the audience, which is very important.

Why do many sitcoms have so many viewers watching them once, again, and again, even ten or twenty years later? It is because they have become a memory in their lives, or even a norm.

In just half a month, Deng Xiaoyuan and Cen Nan went from being unfamiliar actors to two faces that were all over the screen.

So many people started discussing the drama "2 Broke Girls".
-
In Linghe, Chen Yin also convened a meeting with the main creators of "Housemates" to celebrate the popularity of "2 Broke Girls".

"The third season of 'Housemates' has done quite well this year and has finally started to make a profit," said Chen Yin. "The ratings are also very good, with an average rating of 0.3% in the late-night slot, which shows that we already have a group of regular viewers."

Shi Bei, the director of "Housemates," said: "The audience's evaluation is also very high."

"Yeah." Chen Yin nodded and said, "Thank you all for your persistence and dedication over the past three years. This story has gradually become more familiar to more people. We are about to prepare for the fourth season, and the script is being written. There will be a script creation meeting next week, right?"

"Yes." Shi Bei said, "We invited six writers from Jump Up to discuss the possible story directions for the new season of Roommates, including some good ideas."

A sitcom is actually a bottle, you can put anything in it.

But you have to act natural.

Just like the 10th episode of " Broke Girls", do you think that not including this episode will affect the whole show?

It doesn't matter either.

It's like a sequel to a story.

However, sitcoms are often made up of small stories like this, which are gradually enriched within the framework of the main plot.

It does not require a very coherent plot, nor does it require a structure with a complete introduction, development, climax and ending.

Chen Yin said: "I called everyone here today because I want to talk to you about 2 Broke Girls."

This sitcom from the same company, with the same unknown director, a group of new screenwriters, and a group of unknown actors, became more and more popular once it was released.

This certainly put a lot of pressure on the creators of "Housemates".

They themselves bear the title of being the only drama in Linghe that was not commercially successful.

Chen Yin said: "Of course, the rapid success of 2 Broke Girls was due to the fact that we used the best publicity resources to promote the show. We did not arrange such resources for Housemates."

Shi Bei and others didn't know what to say.

"This is because the company positioned the two dramas differently from the beginning. However, I can clearly say that because of the success of the third season, we will arrange more abundant publicity and promotion resources for the fourth season of "Housemates". We all agree that "Housemates" has the potential to further expand its influence based on the existing audience base."

Shi Bei's eyes lit up instantly.

"Before, we combined the feedback from the platform and business, and found that "Housemates" has always been a bit of a hit but not a box office hit. On the one hand, our show does not have any big-name stars to support it, which is inherently insufficient. On the other hand, because the show revolves around a couple, it is easy for people to associate it with love, and it is the kind of ambiguous, affectionate love, which greatly limits its audience.

"In fact, the plots of our first three seasons were indeed limited to the relationship between men and women and the issue of sharing a house, and at most added a little interaction with family and neighbors. The platform suggested that this drama could be expanded in terms of characters and space.

“For example, in the fourth season, we increased the role of a certain neighbor character so that the content and theme of the show can be further expanded. This is why I asked everyone to discuss 2 Broke Girls. At that time, we all thought that the show was about the story of two waitresses, so when we were writing the script, we focused very much on creating the plot around these two girls. However, Lu Yanhe pointed out at the time that although the name of the show was 2 Broke Girls,

"But it doesn't just have two main characters, a sexy, manly chef, a nagging but kind-hearted boss, a cashier, and a noisy, very carefree neighbor with two girls. Each character has an independent background and personality. They don't have their own story line, but each episode must have their own highlight plot to showcase these characters."

After Chen Yin finished speaking, Shi Bei nodded.

"Mr. Chen, do you mean that we can add a few permanent characters in the fourth season to expand the theme?"

"Yes." Chen Yin nodded. "This will also make it logical for the theme of this drama to increase the proportion of other themes besides love. The basic market of sitcoms is that people like to watch them and find them funny, but the most important thing about its publicity and promotion is whether it conforms to the points of communication. You watch 2 Broke Girls. Some articles write about their personalities, and some articles write about a certain point of other characters. Not only does each character have something to write about, but each episode also has a different theme, such as the courage to start over, the open-mindedness of seemingly discouraged but actually not giving up, and the friendship that is like chicken soup for the soul——"

Shi Bei nodded.

"I understand."

"In fact, "Housemates" has done very well. From the first season, we have not made any losses. In the second season, we made a slight profit. In the third season, we finally achieved normal profits for a TV series. The creation cost of "Housemates" is actually increasing every season, and the final result can also show positive growth. This is entirely the result of your efforts." Chen Yin said, "Since the third season can achieve such a big breakthrough, perhaps the fourth and fifth seasons will achieve better results." Shi Bei immediately said: "Mr. Chen, will we continue to do the drama "Housemates"? "

Chen Yin said: "This is not up to me, but up to you. I can only assure you that you have the best creative conditions. Although I called everyone together for a meeting today, my promise will always be here. As long as it does not involve principled issues such as approval, we will not interfere with the creation, but only make suggestions. As for the funding, we have filmed three seasons, and you all know that it is stable and there will be no skyrocketing. You will not have any worries. As for the bonus... At the end of this year, all the staff of the third season of "Housemates" can get 5% of the salary of this drama as a bonus."

A group of people's eyes widened.

I thought I was here to receive training.

A group of main creative staff of the third season of "Housemates" came to hold a seminar on "2 Broke Girls". Aren't they here to accept questions: why is it that "2 Broke Girls" is so popular when it has the same "unknown" creative team?
As a result, not only did they not come to receive training, but they also heard the good news that they would be given a bonus?
Chen Yin: "I asked Mr. Lu for permission yesterday, and he agreed on the spot. So I am telling you all the good news today. But to distribute this money, the company needs to add some relevant procedures. So, we will distribute it all at the end of the year. You can also tell your subordinates about it after you go back."

Everyone cheered.

"Thank you, Mr. Chen!"

"Mr. Chen is awesome!"

"Mr. Chen is grand!"

"We will definitely do a good job!"

Chen Yin laughed.

"Don't thank me. If you have Mr. Lu's contact information, go and thank him." Chen Yin said, "I have always insisted that hard work should be rewarded and talent should be rewarded. I have worked in many companies before, but only in Linghe did I meet Mr. Lu, who holds the same concept as me. Please believe that although "Men and Women Living Together" is a low-cost crew, the low cost does not reduce everyone's income. Although there was no major promotion and marketing in the first three seasons, it was because the dramas were different and the positioning was different. But in the end, at the right time, we can make great achievements."

There was thunderous applause.

Chen Yin: "Okay, let's get back to the point. Our topic today is a seminar on 2 Broke Girls. What do you think is good about this show? Why is it so popular? What are its advantages that are worth learning from for Housemates? What good ideas do you have for the fourth season? Please share them. I only have one request. In this conference room today, everyone should stick to the facts. Don't feel uncomfortable just because others have raised some issues and shortcomings that are the responsibility of your department. Don't be a nice guy just because you are afraid of offending others. We are a group of people who have built it from scratch. We want to make Housemates a show that is no less good than any other sitcom. We have to hold on to this belief to do the next content, raise questions, and make suggestions in order to make it better. Can everyone do it?"

"Sure!" Someone responded immediately.

Chen Yin also smiled and said, "Okay, then I'll throw out some ideas first. Shi Bei, you are the director, you have to take the brunt of it. I'll give you some suggestions first, so that others will dare to speak up."

Shi Bei nodded and said, "Mr. Chen, let me make a statement. As long as it's a suggestion that can make the show better, I will buy coffee for the whole crew for a day, okay?"

"The director is so generous, I'll do it!"

……

There was laughter all around, the atmosphere was relaxed and joyful, and we finally got to the point.
-
When Chen Ziyan introduced Chen Yin to Lu Yanhe, she described him as a person who was not good at expanding territory or making progress, but was very good at internal management.

During the years of cooperation, Lu Yanhe has felt this firsthand.

The most important thing is that Chen Yin is not the kind of person who "does not work proactively".

He has his own way of coordinating the division of labor among various departments of Linghe, arranging each crew, and controlling the progress of each project, and he often proposes optimization plans.

If you say that Chen Yin has no selfish motives, that is of course impossible.

In Linghe headquarters alone, Chen Yin has three relatives staying with him. However, before Chen Yin recruits them, he will definitely mention it to Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan and say hello. Similarly, after he comes in, the nephew who graduated from college is worth training, so Chen Yin will arrange him to rotate to various departments to learn. There are also two people with low comprehensive qualities, so Chen Yin directly arranges them very basic jobs, one to be his administrative assistant (not for external use), and the other to join the driver class.

Lu Yanhe admired this point of Chen Yin.

If you are a person with connections and don't package yourself as a capable person and use backdoors, then you shouldn't get a key position.
-
In the past few years, a large number of Linghe’s veteran employees have taken up management positions in various departments.

Before each person takes up a management position, Chen Yin will submit a report about this person to Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan.

Just by reading this report, Lu Yanhe could understand how much effort Chen Yin had put into the company's internal management.

This report is more detailed and specific than the information on a resume.

From this report, we can also see that Chen Yin basically conducts several work tests on each person to see what kind of personality traits, management characteristics, and strengths and weaknesses each of them presents at work.

If you don't put in the effort, you will never be able to produce such content.

That’s why it’s reassuring.
-
On this day, Schmidt Laurie came to the crew of "Godless".

Many movie studio bosses would not show up on set, but Schmidt Laurie was an exception.

He is the kind of boss who really likes to go to the shooting site.

Schmidt Lawley greeted everyone warmly and said a few words of encouragement to each other, making them look flattered.

Lu Yanhe was already used to this. Of course, Schmidt Lawley was willing to do this to so many staff members of the "Godless" crew, and Lu Yanhe thought he was pretty awesome.

Schmidt Lawley told him that Long Yan didn't know what was going on. They had originally agreed to sell the overseas distribution rights of "Burning Fire 2" to Midoriya, but when it came to the final step, Long Yan changed his mind.

Lu Yanhe knew the situation.

After several meetings, Longyan decided to wait until The Mist 2 was released before discussing the overseas distribution rights of Burning Fire 2. For this purpose, Longyan even went to confirm the release date of The Mist 2 with Chen Ziyan.

At least I had some foresight.

Lu Yanhe smiled and asked, "Schmidt, when do you plan to release Dragon Inn?"

“We’re struggling with a problem,” Schmidt-Lawley said.

"Ah?" Lu Yanhe was stunned.

Schmidt Laurie said: "We also have the North American distribution rights for Raise the Red Lantern, another work you wrote. We plan to release the film in November and run this year's awards season for it. However, we believe that Dragon Inn also has the potential to impact the awards season. We haven't yet considered whether to release the film next year."

Lu Yanhe was stunned.

"Raise the Red Lantern"?
If he hadn't said it, Lu Yanhe would have forgotten about the movie.

Ever since it won an award at the Sitour Film Festival, this film has not been scheduled for release in China. Lu Yanhe doesn’t even know the specific reason, so he naturally has no idea about its situation abroad.

The main reason is that he gave the film to director Wang Zhong at the time, and the copyright of the film was not in Linghe's hands.

Lu Yanhe asked: "Do you think Raise the Red Lantern has a chance to win an Oscar this year?"

"If you Chinese use this film to register for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar this year, it should have a good chance of being nominated."

Lu Yanhe nodded.

“But it hasn’t been released in China yet either.”

Will a movie that has not yet been released in China be reported?
Lu Yanhe thought for a moment and said, "I need to communicate with the country."
-
After knowing that Schmidt Lauer intended to promote the movie "Raise the Red Lantern" during this year's awards season, Lu Yanhe felt that it would be best not to miss this opportunity.

The successful precedent of last year's "Tropical Rain Season" is here.

Lu Yanhe called Wang Zhong immediately.

He first explained what Midoriya meant, and then asked why "Raise the Red Lantern" has not been released for so long after participating in the West Tuol Film Festival last year. It has been delayed for almost a year and a half.

Wang Zhong said: "Last year, the Film Bureau had some opinions about the ending of the film. After several rounds of communication, it missed the originally scheduled release date. After many twists and turns, it was pushed to this year."

Lu Yanhe: "Can we go online normally now? Do you have any opinions on the ending?"

Lu Yanhe thought, he had never heard of the movie "Raise the Red Lantern" having any problems with censorship.

It’s not like the later films “One Second” and “Rock Solid” made by Guo Shi.

Wang Zhong said: "They said the protagonist was alienated in the end, which was not positive. However, after several rounds of communication, they also agreed with our creative concept and did not ask for deletions or changes. It was just that it was difficult to schedule. This movie is actually an art film. We originally wanted to release it in the first half of the year, but as you know, the market was so bad after the Spring Festival and before the summer vacation that we dared not schedule it."

Lu Yanhe: "Okay, it's fine as long as it's on the list now. I think that since Midoriya is planning to win an award for Raise the Red Lantern, he shouldn't miss this opportunity. If it can be selected to compete for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar this year, it will be very convenient and there is a great hope that it will be nominated."

Wang Zhong agreed, and then said, "I will go and talk to the distributor and the Film Bureau."

"it is good."
-
Lu Yanhe had never expected that Schmidt Laurie believed that "Dragon Inn" had a chance to hit the North American awards season.

Because this movie has not won any overseas awards before.

In fact, because of the style and theme of the film, Lu Yanhe has always believed that this movie may only be popular among movie fans overseas, and it is difficult to become popular at the "mass" level.

Lu Yanhe was also very curious about how Midoriya thought it would perform well during the North American awards season.

Is it because of its good reputation at the Jose-La-Señora Film Festival?
(End of this chapter)