A widower's entertainment

Chapter 358 [Words from the Boss] (Please Subscribe)
Lin Youcheng's film scripts are not only a collaboration with director Hou Xiaoxian, but now he is also collaborating with a Hollywood company again, with the copyright fees being quite astonishing. This has undoubtedly caused quite a stir in the entire literary circle.

Naturally, many people would want to ask Lin Youcheng for advice, since as fellow literary workers, the dollar royalties Lin Youcheng earns are truly astonishing and enviable.

Yu Hua, along with Mo Yan and Su Tong, arrived at Xinghua Hutong where Lin Youcheng lived. Also present were Zheng Xiaolong and Feng Xiaogang from the Television Art Center, making it quite a lively gathering.

To be honest, Mo Yan and Su Tong were also acquainted with Lin Youcheng, since they were both in the literary circle, and Lin Youcheng had even taught them at the Lu Xun Academy of Literature. However, their relationship was naturally not as close as Yu Hua's, since both Mo Yan and Su Tong were involved in the Haima Film Studio under Wang Shuo.

As for Feng Xiaogang and Lin Youcheng, they rarely interacted. The real matchmaker was probably Zheng Xiaolong, the director of the Beijing Television Art Center. Lin Youcheng had worked with the Television Art Center on several TV series before, so he naturally knew Feng Xiaogang, but their relationship was not close.

However, since all visitors are guests, Lin Youcheng treated them with courtesy.

Zheng Xiaolong looked at Lin Youcheng and said, "Youcheng, you've sold your script to a company in the US again. That's really amazing!"

Lin Youcheng knew that there would definitely be rumors about this outside, and when the rumors first appeared, Zheng Xiaolong specifically called him to ask if they were true or false, and also asked if the copyright fees were still as outrageous as before.

"Yes, Director Lin, you really have to tell us what kind of story scripts would be of interest to the United States?"

Feng Xiaogang sat next to Zheng Xiaolong with a smile on his face. He addressed Lin Youcheng as Director Lin because Lin Youcheng was the director of the novel group at the Beijing Writers Association.

Yu Hua and the others on the other side were also very curious about what kind of movie script Lin Youcheng had sold to a foreign company this time. In particular, Su Tong had recently sold his novel "Wives and Concubines" to Zhang Yimou for a movie and received four thousand yuan in royalties, which made him very happy. However, compared with Lin Youcheng's million-dollar royalties, it was a world of difference, which made him feel somewhat unbalanced.

Su Tong knew that Lin Youcheng had paid similar copyright fees before, but seeing it again really made him feel uneasy.

That one million US dollars is almost five million RMB, which is nothing compared to his four thousand RMB manuscript fee...

Although Su Tong appeared calm and smiled as she looked at Lin Youcheng, she was actually filled with intense envy!

Lin Youcheng glanced at Feng Xiaogang and said, "It's just a somewhat bizarre story. Actually, for a script to be noticed by foreign film and television companies, the most important thing is that the story can be set in other countries and places, just like 'The Time Traveler's Wife' and 'The Lake House.' Such story ideas can also be set in the United States."

After thinking for a moment, Lin Youcheng didn't hide anything and told Feng Xiaogang and others about the sale of "The Truman Show" to Paramount Pictures.

"The script I gave to Paramount this time, 'The Truman Show,' is about a man who was adopted by a documentary filmmaker from birth and whose life was broadcast live 24/7. The story takes place after he gets married, when he discovers that all his relatives, friends, and the world around him are fake, and that everyone around him is an actor."

In fact, Lin Youcheng had discussed with Paramount's Freeman that the concept of reality TV shows didn't exist in China yet, so Lin Youcheng was referring to a documentary program. However, the first reality TV show in history, "An American Family," was born in the United States as early as 1971. It was a 20-episode documentary with a novel format. At that time, public television networks were at the peak of their counterculture. The show took more than seven months to film, and the producers filmed a fairly typical upper-middle-class family, telling the story of Pat and Bill Lord, who lived in Santa Barbara, California, and their five children.

The entire show was undeniably dramatic, as the family's life was incredibly chaotic over those seven months. For example, the mother's relationship with her 20-year-old, long-haired eldest son, a fan of The Velvet Underground, was constantly strained. Even more incredibly, during filming, the eldest son publicly confessed that he was not attracted to women, perhaps becoming the first person to publicly disclose his sexual orientation on television. Later in the first season, the couple staged a dramatic "goodbye to love," filing for divorce due to dissatisfaction with their life together. At the end of the show, Bill moved out of the house.

It must be said that as early as 1971, American television programs were already adept at creating trending topics and building suspense. The huge success of "An American Family" was like opening a window for television producers, instantly providing them with the key to success. In another timeline, perhaps next year, a new program will emerge, telling the true stories of seven strangers living in an attic, exploring what it's like when people stop being polite and start being real with each other—this is "Real World." Crucially, as the ratings rose, a second season was filmed, and the second season attracted far more viewers than the first, leading to a third and fourth season.

Of course, this kind of reality show format is relatively simple: it brings people together and uses their unique characteristics to create sparks. Until 1994, British producer Charlie Parsons came up with the idea of ​​combining the documentary format of "Real World" with the game and sports programs of the 1950s, and thus, the classic reality show "Survivor" was born.

This is why Freeman was so excited when Lin Youcheng presented him with the script for "The Truman Show," because such a story, though seemingly science fiction, could actually happen in the United States without any sense of incongruity.

Lin Youcheng explained the general plot of "The Truman Show" to Zheng Xiaolong and the others, and they were all quite shocked.

Although Feng Xiaogang, Su Tong, and others had never been involved in reality shows, they could understand the story Lin Youcheng was telling. Upon reflection, they were all quite shocked, because the story Lin Youcheng had envisioned was truly terrifying. This "Truman Show" could actually be seen as another name, namely "The False World".

"Youcheng, your story is a bit scary!"

Yu Hua looked at Lin Youcheng and, after thinking about it carefully, felt a chill run down his spine. He said, "This is like treating a person as an animal to be observed, putting him in a cage, and watching how he performs. Only he is unaware that everything around him is fake."

Clearly, Yu Hua's words were simple and direct, truthfully revealing the horror and cruelty of the story. The others naturally agreed with Yu Hua, and they were all utterly astonished that Lin Youcheng could come up with such a story; indeed, this literary giant's imagination was truly phenomenal.

"I think Lin Youcheng's story is about whether we have the courage to step out of the false world and into the real world if the world we live in is good but fake."

"That's right. The real world is also full of falsehoods and lies, but it is all real. Of course, in addition to facing the truth, freedom is even more important."

"The script written by Youcheng is about going out. As for what happens after we step out of that door, that is, the world we live in, what kind of story will happen is no longer important."

Clearly, Yu Hua and others have now begun discussing Lin Youcheng's "The Truman Show" story.

The more they discussed it, the more they felt the story was quite complex. They could see the satire in the story, but clearly they didn't know that Lin Youcheng's story was quite prescient, or rather, prophetic. The audience after the film's release would realize the producer's madness, while the audience watching "The Truman Show" in the script would be completely unaware.

As one of the characters states, Truman "was the first child legally adopted by the organization," a fact that should have shocked many. If the producer were a producer of a real-world, semi-scripted television program, they would likely not receive empty praise but rather be a highly influential and controversial figure. This story also foreshadows how the infamous voyeurism of that era can now exist openly and subtly in modern society. It foreshadows the rise of reality TV, viewing the fabricated as a contrived story. It anticipates how easily real people can be treated as characters, and how easily others' lives can be used as fodder for casual conversation.

Those fake actors who would stop at nothing to get on this reality show are quite crazy. This is also quite predictable for the future, since the future era of mass entertainment will really be dominated by reality shows, and all sorts of gimmicks will appear in them.

Of course, Yu Hua and others are now discussing more about the irony of this story and the horror of human nature.

Su Tong was equally incredulous, wondering how Lin Youcheng could have come up with such a story. However, he also felt that the story was pure science fiction and would never happen in China. How could such a science fiction story earn a million dollars?
Su Tong was amazed by the imagination of Lin Youcheng's story, and also by how much the royalties from America were.

Clearly, Su Tong wasn't the only one with this thought; many others probably shared similar sentiments.
Su Tong looked at Lin Youcheng and asked, "Is a story like this really that valuable in Hollywood's eyes?"

Lin Youcheng laughed when he heard Su Tong's words and said, "It's just that the national conditions are different. Besides, I also shared some ideas with Paramount. You think the whole story is being broadcast live globally, which means the ratings will be very high. Won't some businesses insert advertisements into the program? Such product placement can make a profit."

This is actually a plot point from "The Truman Show," where Truman's wife, while talking to him, suddenly picks up an item from the kitchen and gives a special introduction. Everything seems quite incomprehensible to Truman, but this product placement is perfectly timed.

Producer Freeman naturally understood that Lin Youcheng's plot, besides showing that The Truman Show was a program, also included advertisements. This plot also meant money, because it meant that Paramount Pictures could openly place product placements in the film. This is why Freeman agreed to Lin Youcheng's $1 million copyright fee without hesitation.

This movie has already secured investment even before filming has begun; Paramount Pictures must absolutely adore Lin Youcheng's script.

It's worth noting that the program in the script is full of product placements, and the wife is the most enthusiastic when reciting advertising scripts. Her attitude towards Truman is all fake, which naturally means that there can be various advertising fees during the filming of the movie.

Unlike Freeman, who didn't need Lin Youcheng to say anything and already knew, Zheng Xiaolong and the others listened to Lin Youcheng's words, some understanding and some still having some doubts.

Lin Youcheng said directly, "The TV series that the Television Art Center is currently filming seems to be called 'Stories from the Editorial Department.' If an editor appears in a scene and says something like recommending a certain brand of computer, wouldn't they be able to get advertising fees from that computer manufacturer? The previous series 'Aspiration' had very high ratings. If some household items appeared in the show and the brand of the product was introduced in a line or two, wouldn't that also earn them some advertising fees?"

Clearly, Lin Youcheng's direct words enlightened Feng Xiaogang and the others, and they were instantly excited because they understood what Lin Youcheng meant.

Zheng Xiaolong looked at Lin Youcheng and asked with some concern, "Youcheng, is this product placement inappropriate?"

"That depends on how the screenwriter writes it. It has to fit the plot. You can't just cram everything into it, or it will definitely turn out bad."

As Lin Youcheng spoke, his gaze turned to Feng Xiaogang, who said excitedly, "That's right, that's right, the plot definitely needs to be appropriate."

Although Feng Xiaogang later incorporated many advertisements into his films, there is no doubt that Lin Youcheng was the one who gave them a lesson in 1991.

This is truly a case of "a single conversation with a master is worth more than ten years of study," leaving these people exclaiming how awesome it is!
(End of this chapter)