Return to Hong Kong Island for a Century

Chapter 326 The Direction of Documentaries (5000 words)

"This place is currently undergoing renovations. We can start testing next month, and then it can begin in May. The only issue is that there are no relevant safety testing agencies on Hong Kong Island yet," Liu Jiale said.

"Buy high-value accident insurance and injury insurance."

"In addition, contracts must be well-prepared, and contingency plans must be in place. Even if insurance is purchased, we must take responsibility first and make advance payments if something goes wrong. We must also maintain a good reputation," Li Song said, referring to his crisis public relations strategy.

Corporate crisis communication and government crisis communication are profound subjects, because no matter what kind of crisis it is or what the subject is, these subjects all have competitors.

Shifting blame and concealing the truth will only make others disbelieve you.

Although the possibility of danger in such a place is very small, it is not impossible. An accident is called an accident precisely because it is an accident.

Of course, a medical examination is required before participating in such activities.
"it is good!"

"Boss, the third part of Treasure Hunt will be fully published next month. What will be published in the fourth part?" Liu Jiale asked again.
"You decide what to do. I think the Temple of the Sun is fine."

“After all, I wrote a novel, and the first three books have caused misunderstandings!” Li Song said upon hearing this, but still offered a suggestion.

"Of course, which novel to publish is a decision you make with the editor, or you can decide with the market."

"The Pharaoh's treasures are also acceptable!"

"You can talk to those two countries!" Li Song said with a chuckle.

The Pharaoh's secret treasure, this is what's written as the underground pyramid.

Both the Temple of the Sun and the Pharaoh's treasures have a touch of magic.

"For the third installment of 'The Treasure Hunt,' foreign publishers are asking for an even higher price than for the first one!"

"Now we're just waiting for the publication to finish next month so we can sign a contract with an overseas publisher. Also, there are overseas publishers who want to get the publishing rights for Taiwan!" Liu Jiale added.

“Okay.” Li Song nodded.

At that time, Taiwan was still very powerful. Once upon a time, Taiwan's navy was the best in Asia.

Third in the world!

Moreover, this ranking continued until the year 2000, which is when the Little Books were somewhat dissatisfied!

Therefore, Taiwan has enough confidence at this time.

Moreover, at this time, the West still identified with Taiwan.

Of course, with the change in Aramco's foreign policy toward the mainland, Taiwan gradually became marginalized.

Li Song knew without asking that someone wanted to acquire the publishing rights, and that person was definitely capable of saying no to Taiwan.

“A lower price is fine, anyway, we can’t take over this market,” Li Song added.

"Yes, National Treasure Part III. There are many film companies in Europe and Hollywood that want to acquire the film rights."

“Golden Harvest also wants to acquire the film rights, but they don’t seem very confident because they have some concerns about the film ‘National Treasure’,” Liu Jiale added.

“You can tell Golden Harvest that I can write some sequels!” Li Song knew that making movies was like that; if a movie did well at the box office, it was very likely that a sequel would be made.

Moreover, National Treasure did indeed have a sequel in history.

"As for the third part of the National Security Law, let's leave that to the American company." Li Song didn't think that European film companies couldn't make good films.

Instead, at this time, Ame was the most powerful other pole.

Moreover, Amy is very skilled at making commercial films in Hollywood.

Hollywood has become like an assembly line.

What Li Song wants now is to make money, not to have art or anything like that incorporated into his films.

Europeans, after acquiring the film rights, might be biased towards art due to certain emotions.

What Li Song wants now is money!

Hollywood would be a perfect fit.

"Okay!" Liu Jiale wasn't surprised at all by Li Song's suggestion to make a sequel. It's the same with novel authors who can write several sequels after a book becomes popular.

"Another reason is that some Hollywood companies want to acquire the film rights to Star Mercenaries."

"However, a lot of special effects are used in Interstellar Mercenaries, so the investment is very large!"

"They just asked about the price first!" Liu Jiale added.

"You can ask for a higher price." Li Song's heart skipped a beat when he heard this.

Because Li Song realized something a few days ago: Ami's actor president had taken office.

And this actor orchestrated a massive hoax of the century.

In other words, it dragged its old rival into the space race.

Therefore, science fiction movies should receive a lot of attention at this time.

Many things in his interstellar mercenary series that transcend current human understanding are traceable.

Mechs, fighter jets, energy weapons—this is far more realistic than the space stories that America makes up out of thin air.

Therefore, Li Song felt that Amei would definitely not let go of the novel "Interstellar Mercenaries" because the animated version of "Interstellar Mercenaries" had very good ratings there.

So when Liu Jiale brought up this matter, Li Song quickly urged Liu Jiale to ask for a higher price!
"Hmm!" Liu Jiale told Li Song about this. He originally thought that this kind of science fiction movie would require a lot of special effects to complete many plots, so the investment would be very large.

The other party may not have the courage to make such a large investment.

"So, should we invest?" Liu Jiale asked again.

"Let's not invest this time!" Li Song was a little unsure about adapting Interstellar Mercenaries into a movie, mainly because the current special effects couldn't achieve the same level of quality as in the novel.

In addition, these kinds of science fiction movies have very large budgets, so if the movie flops, the investment will be completely wasted!
So this time Li Song isn't greedy; he'll just take a share of the box office revenue.

"Okay!" Liu Jiale nodded.

Nobody can predict the future of movies. Sometimes a novel becomes a bestseller, but the movie adaptation is utter garbage.

Most of the time, it's because the film director wanted to forcibly change the plot.

"The copyright for The Voice has been exclusively licensed to several television stations in America and Europe. America's annual usage fee is $15 million, and they signed a five-year contract. America has obtained the license for the entire North American region."

"The combined annual fee from several television stations in Europe is $18 million, and they have signed five-year contracts."

"They have the right of first refusal to renew the contract after the five-year term, but the price will increase by 10%. As for whether there will be an increase in subsequent contracts, that depends on the negotiation between the two parties."

"Pay the authorization fee for the following year before the end of February each year!" Liu Jiale reported on some recent developments.

Li Song did the math and figured that five years would be exactly 1986, which was perfectly fine.

After 1986, I can get these TV stations to pay a one-time licensing fee, and then I'll give them a discount.

After the copyright is collected again, the world order will become clear, and then we'll see how the West reacts!
In other words, the copyright revenue from The Voice alone over those five years amounted to 160 million US dollars!
"As for other places, nothing has been agreed upon yet, and I have a feeling that the other side seems to be targeting us!" Liu Jiale added.
"Let them target us, our main focus now is on developing the mainland market."

"Our main focus is the mainland market."

"Of course, the commercialization of television stations in mainland China is progressing relatively slowly, so we are not in a hurry."

"I think once the TV stations that have obtained the rights to 'The Voice of China' achieve high ratings, other TV stations will definitely want to buy the rights to 'Masked Singer' or 'Avenue of Stars'!"

"Let the TV stations handle the overseas operations themselves. We won't take a stake; we'll just collect the copyright fees!" Li Song had no intention of getting involved in any business operations.

Many markets may seem promising, but joint ventures can sometimes encounter problems. Moreover, cultural differences exist in different places, so there are some pitfalls that outsiders may not be aware of when making variety shows.

Moreover, some people who ask you to partner with them in business are not looking to get rich together, but rather to swindle you.

Therefore, when doing business with others, it's good to be discerning and cautious, otherwise you might get ripped off and cause trouble.

Collecting copyright fees is relatively easy and doesn't require much effort.

"Hmm, when did the boss ever do an exclusive interview?"

"Now your fame is growing worldwide, boss."

“We in Hong Kong only get a lot of information from overseas!” Liu Jiale said, looking at Li Song.

"Let's wait a while. When the jets from my aircraft manufacturing company arrive in Hong Kong, I'll come and give you an interview!"

"Because I also invited several international media reporters to travel with me on this plane to Europe. The plane will land in London, where we will apply for flight permits and airworthiness certificates!" Li Song said.

Liu Jiale had mixed feelings. Li Song had transformed from a novelist into a large factory owner.

Moreover, what they produce aren't ordinary things. If motorcycles are relatively common, then Panda miniature jets are business jets. To be honest, Liu Jiale never associated Li Song with jet aircraft at all.

Private jets are luxury items that only the world's richest people can afford.

"Okay!" Liu Jiale nodded.

Phoenix TV now relies entirely on its own bosses for advertising revenue.

Eighty percent of the advertisements on television are owned by the bosses.

As mentioned earlier, the main reason is the ban imposed by Taiwan.

Of course, this has one consequence: the boss's reputation is well-known throughout Hong Kong!
Therefore, news about the boss receives a lot of attention, and many tabloids also subtly discuss some of the boss's private life.

However, these tabloids dared not name names, so there was nothing they could do.

Liu Jiale, of course, had no idea how large Li Song's business empire was.

The water obstacle course variety show is scheduled to start in May, and then adjustments will be made based on the show's ratings. If the ratings are good when the season cools down in the second half of the year, we will also create an indoor version.

It's cheaper and faster to work on outdoor sites first.

Making it indoors would be more complicated, require a larger investment, and take a longer time.

There are two types of water obstacle course programs: professional and amateur.

The prizes for amateur participants are things like motorcycles, refrigerators, and color TVs, which are much easier to obtain.

The professional ones offer a million-dollar reward, which is mainly for professionals who take on challenges, such as rock climbing.

In his past life, Li Song enjoyed watching these kinds of variety shows; each one had its own unique appeal.

After strolling around with Liu Jiale, Li Song returned to his office at the TV station.

"Boss, I think we could start a magazine dedicated to cultivation novels!" Liu Jiale and Li Song were sitting in Li Song's office drinking tea.

"I doubt a single novel could support the entire magazine, could it?" Li Song asked, puzzled.

"Then how about publishing a few issues in the Ghost Blows Out the Light magazine first!"

"I think many writers would be willing to try this type of novel."

Li Song gave Liu Jiale the book "A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality"!
The reason for choosing this novel is mainly because it is easy for readers to accept!
It starts with all sorts of cultivation terminology, which many readers can't accept right away.

The greatest advantage of "A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality" is that it gradually leads from the world of mortals to the world of immortals.

Once this novel is finished, other cultivation novels can be published.

"Your idea is not bad!" Li Song thought it was acceptable.

"You can decide what to do."

"And then there are fantasy novels. Now we want to create a separate magazine for them, but it feels a bit too thin!"

"The main problem is that the magicians, paladins, and assassins mentioned in fantasy novels are relatively unfamiliar to people here!" Liu Jiale admired his boss.

Fantasy novels feature so many professions, skills, and races.

Moreover, the novel contains many historical stories, making it feel like a real world.

If we're talking about martial arts novels, tomb raiding novels, and cultivation novels, then this world has its own shadow in them!

Therefore, fantasy novels are entirely independent worlds.

I'm not ashamed to say this, but Liu Jiale just started reading your brother Song's fantasy novel and couldn't understand it at first!

Because I was completely unfamiliar with the things in the novel.

"Let's leave the fantasy novels for now."

“But you could try looking for a Western publisher!” Li Song knew that fantasy novels weren’t very popular in Hong Kong or mainland China at the moment.
The acceptance of cultivation novels is higher in Hong Kong and mainland China, which is due to cultural reasons, as Eastern culture includes concepts like attaining immortality and cultivating the Tao.

Not to mention classics like Journey to the West and Investiture of the Gods.

If you go a little closer, there are also places like Mount Shu!

Therefore, the acceptance of cultivation novels is higher in mainland China and Hong Kong than that of fantasy novels.

Fantasy novels in China only truly flourished during the era of online literature.

"Okay!" Liu Jiale nodded.

"Boss, we have a few TV drama scripts here. Could you please take a look?" Liu Jiale said somewhat embarrassedly.

The main problem is that I can't make up my mind!

The TV series Water Margin, Journey to the West, and Dream of the Red Chamber, which were co-produced and invested in in mainland China, cannot be broadcast for the time being, so Phoenix TV has to come up with some new scripts.

"Let me take a look," Li Song said.

Liu Jiale quickly went to his office to get the script.

"Boss, this one is a collaboration with the police!" Liu Jiale handed Li Song a script.

Li Song picked up the script and saw that it was from the Major Crimes Unit.

This is a police drama series set in Hong Kong!

The TV series features gunfights, martial arts, and crime-solving.

"No problem." Li Song thought these TV dramas were fine.

Unlike those TV dramas from 2080, which were so absurd they made you want to vomit!

"Actually, we can follow the same path as Bao Zheng."

"Justice Bao investigated cases, and so does this!"

"It's just that the society is different, but the core is still the same. On one hand, it's the process of investigating the case, and on the other hand, it involves some big shots and tycoons. After all, everyone knows what Hong Kong used to be like!" Li Song continued.

"Great!" Liu Jiale's eyes lit up when he heard this!
The second script is about doctors, and it's called Emergency Room.

Li Song seems to recall that Japanese television was the first to produce this type of drama in history.

"When filming these TV series, you should first have them reviewed by professionals to avoid making the most basic mistakes."

"Also, although this kind of professional script is a TV series, I'm afraid some people will take it seriously!"

"So when it comes to medical knowledge, you must double-check!" Li Song knew that some screenwriters later didn't understand hospital procedures at all and made things up!
While it's theoretically fine, it could cause serious trouble if it misleads others. Besides, making things up is just a joke in the eyes of knowledgeable people!
The newspapers on Hong Kong Island are open to reading anything, and many commentators on Hong Kong Island dare to say anything.

"Yes, I will be careful!" Liu Jiale nodded.

The third script is about stock trading; to be precise, it exposes some criminal methods and shady dealings in the stock market.

"This one is fine too!" Li Song glanced at it and saw no major problems.

"Thank you, boss!" Liu Jiale felt completely relieved when he heard Li Song say this, because he had picked out these scripts from many others!
Some of the scripts were submitted by outsiders, while others were written by screenwriters from television stations.

Gaining the boss's approval proves that your judgment is sound.

"Boss, what about the documentary filming?"

"In this regard, I would like to bring in professionals from some foreign television stations!"

"But now I don't know where to start." Liu Jiale had already remembered Li Song talking about making a documentary.

"You can hire some people from TV stations in Europe and America!"

"Anyway, most documentaries are filmed in the wild, so we just need to provide enough funding. You can listen to their professional opinions!"

"I've heard something about something, namely the Japanese whaling!" Li Song only remembered it when Liu Jiale mentioned the documentary.

Of course, some documentaries are also fabricated!

It's just that many documentaries are now exposed as fake, but with the advent of the internet age, people are exposing their fakery.

However, Li Song hasn't mentioned this yet, because it hasn't started.

It's not too late to bring this up once the staff is in place.

"Then I'll ask my colleagues." Liu Jiale also thought Li Song's words made sense.

(End of this chapter)