Age of Legends

Chapter 308 He's so good!

Yang Xiaole squeezed into the crowded studio. After their program was rescheduled, Jiang Rong announced that the program was undergoing a revamp and production and would be temporarily suspended.

Wu Yue's "Gold Medal Mediator" has completely replaced their original broadcast time slot. To outsiders, it looks like "Emotional Mediation Room" has been revamped into the current "Gold Medal Mediator".

Yang Xiaole suddenly found herself with nothing to do, which made her restless. She watched helplessly as Wu Yue's program was met with a barrage of criticism online, feeling "serves her right" while also contributing to the "victory." An anonymous "insider" revealed the infighting within the provincial TV station on a local forum, and the post quickly went viral, stirring up outrage among those who read it. No wonder the emotional mediation program had suddenly changed its style; the original cast had been ousted, and Wu Yue, relying on her connections, had snatched the program, becoming the subject of much discussion.

Yang Xiaole knew it was futile. Wu Yue had powerful connections and resources; what could she do? The online forums were filled with disgust for her, and the TV station's petition office was demanding the replacement of the host, yet they still couldn't withstand the rising ratings. Could Meng Lihui then silence the critics?
Yang Xiaole was frustrated, but she also knew that Jiang was actually under the most pressure. The program she had worked so hard to create was gone, and there was also infighting within the station. It was really too difficult for her.

Today, Yang Xiaole heard that the studio was preparing for a redesign and was bringing in a batch of equipment, so he came to the studio. However, he didn't expect that there were already people gathered at the entrance of the studio. The group of people looked at the list of newly moved equipment inside as if they were looking at a grand garden.

Director Wei Nanchun stopped them at the door, saying, "Don't come in, don't come in. You'll have to pay for anything if you break it. Just look at it from the doorway!"

Yang Xiaole showed his face to Wei Nanchun, "Old Wei, Senior Sister Jiang sent me."

Wei Nanchun raised his eyes and said, "Oh, it's you! Come in."

With concise words, he let Yang Xiaole in, then glanced at the large group of industry professionals behind him—people from the adjacent studio, all of whom were greedily eyeing the huge pile of boxes behind Wei Nanchun. Looking at Wei Nanchun's expression, they laughed in exasperation: "Tch, so arrogant!"

"What's going on? The weapons have arrived! Guard them up!"

Yang Xiaole saw Jiang Rong waving at her as she counted the equipment. She quickly ran over and saw a large pile of wooden boxes and foam cartons with the logos of SONY, AVID, and SENNHEISER. The air smelled of metal and new plastic.

"This...this is ours?" Yang Xiaole's eyes widened as he leaned closer to the list on the box, his mouth forming an "O". "Sony DSR-PD150p...digital camcorders, three units, unit price..."

Yang Xiaole looked at the few zeros on the invoice, counted them, and exclaimed in surprise: "88,000 yuan a unit!?"

Her eyes scanned the long list, her pupils dilating in shock: "Handheld stabilizer... 3!? Lights, soft lights, 5000 each? Holy crap, these things are so expensive? I thought it was just a lampshade!"

Looking at this long list that reeked of money, her eyes were immediately drawn to the large item, "Avid nonlinear workstation... ones, tens, hundreds, thousands... five zeros! 250,000!?"

When she looked up again, Jiang Rong, dressed in overalls and looking very capable, was gently stroking the table next to her. It looked like three large black boxes were placed side by side. On top of them was a device with hundreds of densely packed control buttons and slides, like a satellite launch workbench. On top of it was a 17-inch LCD monitor, a high-end and rare item in this era.

Jiang Rong gently stroked the monitor, tilting her head and smiling as she looked at Yang Xiaole.

Yang Xiaole stepped forward, his jaw still agape in astonishment. "This thing is only worth 25?"

Jiang Rong nodded.

In fact, the total value of all the equipment prepared for the "Seven Days' Promise" program on that list was 85!
You should know that the rented apartment where Jiang Rong and Zhang Chen discussed the show cost her 300 yuan a month. The value of these devices could buy five or six of her rented apartments, enough for her to live in for two hundred years.

This was Zhang Chen's request after they finalized the show for their counterattack. He wanted to use the most advanced equipment, have the best filming experience, and the best editing content to create a reality show that no one had ever seen before.

To do a good job, one must first have the right tools. Therefore, all the equipment needs to be upgraded, and configured to create the best equipment ever used for a reality show, something no one has done before.

For programs like this, editing is of paramount importance. The quality of editing truly determines the quality of a program; even the same footage can result in two completely different programs after editing.

For Zhang Chen to create a hit show, not only must the program's content and format be groundbreaking, but he must also strive for the best in terms of filming and editing equipment.

At this moment, those peering out from the doorway continued.

Someone spotted the "weapons" on the table. "Holy crap, a Sony PD150p! That's so extravagant! The station is still using bulky Betacam SPs and Panasonic shoulder-mounted cameras. I've seen some high-end independent producers with these things, and I've suggested to the station several times that they apply for some funding. These things are so mobile, and the quality isn't any worse than those big, bulky machines! I can't even carry the station's machines anymore! My shoulders are calloused!"

"Awesome, awesome..."

"How extravagant..." The group of filmmakers at the door were only drooling with envy.

This kind of effect that would impress even professionals is exactly what Zhang Chen is aiming for. Because of his connections with Zhang Zhonghua and Wang Bowen, Zhang Chen grew up surrounded by photography. While his technical skills aren't great, he's still a photography enthusiast—a stickler for detail, gear enthusiast, and data streamer. He constantly talks about the color science of various brands, idolizes Hasselblad back shots that he can't afford, and eloquently discusses Leica's "German look." His Weibo following list is full of review gurus, and his forum replies are all about "dynamic range" and "bokeh double-line." He carries a top-of-the-line prime lens, dreams of mastering photography, is a parameter king, but a practical failure.

In his previous life, he didn't have this advantage. In this life, Zhang Chen's bank account now contains over six million yuan, including dividends from his TV show and some recently cleared commercial assets.

Allocating funds to Jiang Rong's program to launch the current counterattack is both necessary and meaningful.

The Sony pD150p features three 1/3-inch CCDs, whose color reproduction far surpasses that of current single-CCD models. In addition, its lightweight design allows for multi-camera shooting outdoors, and its XLR professional audio interface sets it apart from ordinary DVs, achieving broadcast-quality audio reception.

A handheld stabilizer paired with a lightweight DV camera can even achieve smooth, sliding shooting outdoors, which is completely different from the "breathing" feel commonly seen in outdoor TV programs today.

The real trump card, of course, was the Avid Media Composer non-linear workstation.

The so-called "non-linear editing" means that any segment of footage can be retrieved at any time for cutting and splicing, instead of having to go through the entire sequence in one go like linear tape editing.

At that time, most provincial TV stations in China were still using "tape + switcher + linear computer room". Those that could use Avid were almost "the most advanced program groups in the station".

For Fuzhou, and even Sichuan province as a whole, where the television industry lags behind, provincial television stations lack such advanced equipment. Furthermore, those involved lack ambition and are completely oblivious to the importance of such advanced equipment. This stems from a complacent production style and the systemic flaws of a "just going through the motions" mentality. Otherwise, why would Hunan TV, by implementing internal reforms first, immediately overwhelm all the provincial stations below it?

Avid is currently the preferred editing workstation for the Hollywood film industry. Color, transitions, subtitles, and special effects can all be generated directly and delivered to television stations for immediate broadcast. For a variety show, this is currently the most advanced tool available.

Of course, those in the television industry are currently just looking at this workstation with awe from the doorway, not quite sure what it is. What they see more directly is the lighter, smaller, and more mobile broadcast-grade DV equipment, the Sony 150p, so they don't yet know what role this black behemoth will play in the future.

Even without considering the awe-inspiring value of the equipment, just listening to the discussions and envious voices of the team members in the nearby studios far away, Yang Xiaole could sense that their equipment this time was quite impressive.

Just then, the phone rang. Jiang Rong glanced at it and answered it.

The voice on the other end of the phone was as calm as ever: "Has the stuff arrived?"

"We've arrived, and we're counting them..." Jiang Rong glanced at Yang Xiaole, who was fiddling with a microphone but had her ears perked up. Yang Xiaole was also questioning her with her eyes, as if to say that Teacher Wang had come to give her a lecture.
Zhang Chen said briefly, "This is the top-of-the-line configuration. Use it for now, and let me know if you need anything else."

With over 800,000 yuan worth of equipment, and the option to report any further shortages, Jiang Rong felt a surge of warmth, as if she had never fought a battle with such ample resources before. She simply hummed in agreement.

Yang Xiaole gestured to Jiang Rong, who paused for a moment before handing her the phone.

Then Yang Xiaole took it and couldn't wait to express his loyalty, "Teacher Wang, thank you so much, you're the best boss... Ah, not Teacher Wang, but Brother Zhang Chen? Oh, you asked for Teacher Wang, right? The things have arrived, please thank Teacher Wang for us, it's so generous! You should take some time to come and see, broaden your horizons... I'll give it to Senior Jiang now..."

Yang Xiaole innocently handed the phone back to Jiang Rong.

"Thank you," Jiang Rong's voice came through.

"Don't thank me. As long as the show is done well, that's your way of repaying me," Zhang Chen said.

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Rong remained standing there, stunned.

Yang Xiaole was so excited she spun around, touching and patting each machine: "Senior, do you know what? With these, we can completely blow up the station's equipment! This show is guaranteed to be a hit!"

Jiang Rong smiled, gently pressing her hand against the cold edge of the editing table, a sense of peace she had never felt before rising in her heart.

Then Yang Xiaole stared at Jiang Rong and said something that made her heart skip a beat: "Senior Jiang, Teacher Wang gave you a new program, a completely different level of talent, just to help you stand out... He's so good to you!"

(End of this chapter)