I really don't want to be the top streamer anymore

"Crack!"

Wearing costume, Xu Kong quickly switched between his roles as actor and director.

On the set of Chinese Paladin 2, at Xu Kong's instruction, after a low-key and simple opening ceremony, the filming of Chinese Paladin 2 quickly entered a formal filming phase.

Of course, compared to when the Legend of Sword and Fairy was first filmed.

Whether in terms of experience or other aspects, Xu Kong is now showing signs of becoming more and more complete.

In particular, using the original image in one's mind as a reference, one should make minor changes to certain parts.

And how should we strive to restore them to their original state to ensure they are "authentic"?

For Xu Kong, it was almost as if he was becoming more and more adept at it.

Unfortunately, from the outside perspective, he seemed to have suddenly matured after his debut.

But Xu Kong himself knew that he had also been growing at a fairly rapid pace over the past few years.

This is especially true for the job of a director.

In his previous life, strictly speaking, he had made many preparations specifically for transitioning to directing.

But he doesn't seem like an actor or singer; he's quite experienced.

However, since he came here, he has almost never had a complete break from work.

He has been working as a director all along.

Aside from being able to freely access and clearly remember memories of one's previous life, the accumulation of practical experience is often the most important thing.

Xu Kong knew that he was different from some other directors.

Or rather, its unique characteristics.

For example, when he was filming, almost all the plot and scenes were clearly visible in his mind.

You can clearly know what kind of effect you want without trial and error.

This is something that some other directors cannot do.

Under these circumstances, fortunately, Xu Kong himself did not have much formal training and relied mainly on his own exploration.

Otherwise, you might be influenced by so-called techniques and other people's experiences.

There's no way to build a system of our own like we have now.

……

"Brother Xu Kong, are there any more scenes to film this afternoon?"

During the break, Youyou took the initiative to come over and ask.

"If there aren't any scenes that need to be reshot, then it should be over..."

Xu Kong replied.

Most of the recent scenes have featured Xuejian, played by Shang Yuxin.

So even though Youyou was also on set.

But mostly just spending time with him on set can be a bit boring.

"Shall we go out for a walk?"

"When I came to Hengcheng to film, I was thinking of leaving the film studio to go out and have some fun, but unfortunately the director and Sister Hong wouldn't let me..."

she spoke.

Xu Kong hesitated for a moment.

In fact, given their current fame and popularity...

The risk of being recognized is too high if we go out.

Fortunately, Xu Kong's disguise skills have become increasingly sophisticated.

In crowded places like Beijing, they can generally avoid attracting attention.

"Okay, then you get ready first, I'll do your makeup in a bit."

Xu Kong thought about it and agreed.

There was nothing I could do; the other person was Song Youyou.

With a little coaxing, Xu Kong felt unable to voice any objections.

……

"Then I'll invite Sister Yuxin along!"

When Youyou saw that Xuxu Kong agreed, she subconsciously said happily.

Xu Kong paused for a moment, hesitated, but ultimately remained silent.

He always felt that the three of them together seemed a bit too strange.

But thinking about it carefully, it's actually quite good this way.

If Youyou doesn't care, the three of them together will be recognized.

This can also reduce some unnecessary public opinion and controversy.

After all, the news that the three of them were filming Chinese Paladin 2 had already been released.

So it's perfectly reasonable for us to go out for a stroll together.

Their words could easily be misinterpreted by some netizens as a date.

But three people are at most just friends traveling together.

……

Shang Yuxin had just finished removing her makeup and was somewhat surprised to hear Youyou's words.

However, I still subconsciously agreed.

Her feelings while filming Chinese Paladin 2 were indeed somewhat different from when she filmed Chinese Paladin 1.

The main reason is that even at the time, she never imagined that her relationship with Xu Kong could become so complicated.

So when filming Chinese Paladin, she would deliberately tease Xu Kong from time to time.

But this time, they were quite well-behaved.

During the few days she was on set, apart from regular filming, she didn't go to see Xu Kong privately.

It's not that she's afraid of gossip. As the lead actress, it's normal for Xu Kong to help her with the scenes or for her to have normal communication with the director.

What she was worried about was arousing Song Youyou's suspicion.

This is the most troublesome thing.

……

Filming for Chinese Paladin 2 has officially begun.

Meanwhile, for several video platforms, "Ghost Blows Out the Light" is still being broadcast, dominating the summer season.

However, they had to start considering whether or not to buy the rights to Feng Ge's new drama.

"President Qin, I understand your attitude, and I don't deny that Feng Ge's new drama might be a hit."

"But if we talk about exclusive rights fees, wouldn't the price be too high..."

Within Kiwi, related meetings have been held countless times.

Undoubtedly, it all revolves around Feng Ge's new drama.

The immense popularity of "Ghost Blows Out the Light" has forced everyone to pay closer attention to whether it's worth the cost of acquiring the rights to Feng Ge's drama.

The key point is that we have received accurate information that this drama is a series that Feng Ge specifically filmed for the overseas Japanese market.

Although Feng Ge is an investor, not only the production team, but also most of the actors in the show are from Japan.

It's impossible to say what kind of success a drama like this will achieve in the country.

……

"Regardless, let's watch the entire series first before we talk about anything else..."

Qin Xian knew that no matter what he said, the people in the company would have plenty of reasons to oppose him.

Moreover, he himself was unsure.

Is it worthwhile for them to acquire the so-called exclusive online broadcasting rights for Feng Ge's new drama?

He also needs to watch "Hanzawa Naoki" to see what kind of drama it is before he can better decide whether or not to invest in it.

Of course, he would never refuse if he could get exclusive broadcasting rights directly.

But the key point is that Feng Ge's current productions are almost all at a high premium.

The immense popularity of "Ghost Blows Out the Light" led many to believe that any work with Xu Kong listed as the screenwriter and producer would achieve widespread success.

Although there is some basis to this claim, Xu Kong has never made a mistake so far.

But Qin Xian knew that nothing in the world was absolute.

Therefore, he still maintained his relatively cautious judgment.

"...Mr. Zeng, are we really not going to contact Feng Ge's side in advance?"

The situation at Tencent Video's headquarters is similar to that at iQiyi.

"No rush, let's wait until after their screening."

Zeng Xi's attitude was similar to Qin Xian's.

Although he faced almost no major obstacles with the penguins.

Even if it's just to contact Feng Ge in advance and see if we can discuss the copyright of the new drama privately.

But now, the copyright fee for Feng Ge's dramas is definitely not going to be low.

For a drama series like this, which is primarily aimed at entering overseas markets, an excessively high premium would obviously lead to a mismatch between risk and reward.

That's why Zeng Xi devised a so-called "wait and see" plan from the very beginning.

Regardless, we should at least watch the show to see what kind of drama Feng Ge is starring in this time.

Blindly bidding is not a rational approach.

It's not a question of whether or not I trust the quality of Feng Ge's new drama, but from a business perspective, it's impossible to put all your eggs in one basket from the very beginning.

……

Of the three major video platforms, Tudou Video is probably the most composed.

For them, the most important thing right now is to ensure that "Candle in the Tomb: The Lost City" can be completed smoothly and peacefully.

The data for this drama has already broken all the previous records of all dramas on their own platform.

Needless to say, its popularity was undeniable; it remained a trending topic almost continuously throughout its broadcast.

More importantly, they also achieved their ultimate goal.

During this period, Tudou Video's daily active users have even surpassed those of the other two platforms.

For them, the most direct result was the number of paid members, which doubled in less than a month.

Such achievements are probably only possible for Tudou Video at present.

It's not that the platform itself has surpassed Tencent and iQiyi.

Rather, it's because their starting point is relatively low, so they have enough room to grow.

Even if it were the same show on Tencent Video or iQiyi, the improvement wouldn't be that significant.

Because the number of paid members on the platform has indeed reached the limit in the domestic market.

……

Should we just give up on the competition?

The head of the copyright department looked at Tu Qiao'er and asked.

"Yes, this is the best option."

Tu Qiao'er gave her answer without much hesitation.

"With the popularity and good data of 'Candle in the Tomb,' what we need to do now is to find ways to stabilize user stickiness on the platform."

"With the second season airing this year, there's no need for us to compete with them."

"The safest approach is to make proper preparations to expand the influence of the 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' series and better integrate it with our platform."

For Tudou Video...

Even if they had obtained the rights to Feng Ge's new drama.

In reality, there simply isn't that much energy left to operate it.

There are gains and losses; Tu Qiao'er understood this very clearly.

Being too greedy is not a good thing.

The release of two "Ghost Blows Out the Light" series this year has been enough for Tudou Video to properly absorb these new users.

……

"Of course, we still need to attend Feng Ge's internal preview event."

"Even if we don't get the exclusive broadcasting rights, it won't stop us from stirring up trouble."

Tu Qiao'er spoke with a smile.

What she was certain of was that both of Feng Ge's new dramas were willing to pay a considerable price to acquire the copyrights from the other two competing platforms.

So if possible, it wouldn't be a bad thing for potatoes to get involved, deliberately help raise prices, and create some trouble.

This will help Feng Ge get a better price for exclusive broadcasting rights.

But Tu Qiao'er knew very well who their competitor, Tudou Video, really was.

If Feng Ge is doing well, they might even be able to reap some benefits.

However, if things go too smoothly for Penguin or Kiwi, then as their direct competitors, they would definitely be the last thing they want to see.

……

As for Feng Ge at this moment, she wasn't really that worried.

Yan Rui, the manager of the film and television department, had just finished watching the entire series of "Hanzawa Naoki".

I'm feeling more and more confident.

"It definitely has the style of Japanese dramas."

"Director Xu probably watches a lot of dramas and has a wide range of interests, but talent is indeed a difficult thing to explain."

He couldn't help but sigh.

Yan Rui has spent time researching the Japanese market recently.

Strictly speaking, it has been gradually declining over the years.

Given the sluggish market and other factors, it's fair to say that successfully penetrating the Japanese market is no less difficult than entering the Korean market.

Of course, this time, "Hanzawa Naoki" gave him a lot of hope.

……

"But Xiang Tianlei has actually been brought up by Director Xu..."

The actor with the most screen time in "Hanzawa Naoki" is Xiang Tianlei, an actor under their company, Fengge.

The other party had always been ambitious but lacked practical skills within the company.

It even affected the performance of some other new actors.

He has a rather tarnished image to him.

However, after being influenced by Xu Kong, he has completely changed and is now like a different person.

To be able to learn Japanese to this extent for this role in "Hanzawa Naoki" is something that ordinary people cannot do.

Although the other person already had a relevant language foundation, their talent in this area is still quite high.

It is said that some of the other actors in the show, including some crew members from Japan, thought that Xiang Tianlei himself was one of their Japanese people.

……

"However, it's really hard to say what the specific reaction will be in China."

"After all, there have been almost no hit workplace dramas like this before."

Yan Rui couldn't help but think about it.

Although this drama was mainly made to open up the Japanese market.

But of course he wonders if he can replicate the popularity of "Squid Game" in China.

However, it seems that the difficulty is not low.

Of course, Yan Rui is very confident in the overall quality of the series.

Based on public opinion, he feels that he is likely to get a score of 8 or higher.

……

Of course, all of this is just his own speculation.

As for the specifics, we'll have to wait until the official broadcast to find out.

According to the Japanese schedule, it will officially air in early [month].

It just so happens that the summer movie season has ended.

Domestically, it's considered a period of market downturn.

Therefore, Yan Rui really didn't know that those platforms were worried about the high cost of copyright fees, including Xu Kong's own thoughts and the discussions that followed.

No one expected the show to fetch a high copyright fee in the country.

Overall, the production cost of the series is not high.

The primary objective is still to expand into the Japanese market.

...(End of chapter)