2001 Media Godfather

Chapter 21 Returning to Ningyuan

Even if Chu An has extraordinary abilities and manages to amass a fortune, in the end, it's his work that speaks for itself.

To be honest, Chu An also had a headache when it came to the drama "With You".

Despite the fact that he "copied" the script, the show still achieved good ratings in another timeline.

But don't think that's all there is to it.

To put it simply, taking last year as an example, the annual output of the entire Chinese TV drama industry was around 7000 episodes.

Of these, 30%, or 2100 episodes, were halted midway due to reasons such as broken funding chains. In other words, one-third of the production teams disbanded before finishing filming.

Of the remaining less than 5000 episodes, 25% were deemed too sensitive to pass censorship, resulting in the cutting of over 1,000 episodes.

There are 3,600 to 3,700 episodes left, which are the works that can be released.

But here's the problem: the goods might not necessarily sell!

Taking CCTV as an example, the total number of episodes broadcast during prime time on CCTV is only about 200 per year. Even with the various time slots on CCTV-8, the total number of episodes purchased for first-run dramas is only about 500.

Isn't it unbelievable? CCTV only broadcasts this much in a year?

No, CCTV broadcasts over 3000 episodes of its dramas across all channels. However, a large portion of that is rebroadcasts and second/third-run broadcasts; the number of episodes purchased for the initial run is limited.

What about the local TV stations? What about the dozens of local satellite TV stations across the country?

Haha, local TV stations are even worse.

At this point in time, apart from a few local TV stations that have the ability to purchase first-run dramas, other stations don't even have their purchasing representatives at the first round of drama purchasing meetings.

Therefore, if out of 7000 episodes of TV dramas produced in a year, 2000 episodes can be filmed, approved, and broadcast, it would be considered a good year for the TV drama industry.

Moreover, this is without considering whether there is a loss or a profit; as long as it is broadcast, it is considered a win.

Turning our attention back to the crew of "With You," the problems they faced went far beyond just industry challenges.

With Tiandu withdrawing its investment, it's like taking the entire production system with it. The person in charge of the money is gone, leaving behind a bunch of people who only know how to spend money.

Post-production, publicity, contacting TV stations, and getting the film broadcast were all extremely difficult tasks that were completely unknown to everyone.

In particular, no one can say for sure whether Tiandu might sabotage things.

When Director Lu gave Chu An the bank card, Chu An suddenly asked, "Is Heaven really betraying you just because you don't film Qing Dynasty dramas anymore?"

If it's just a matter of not filming Qing Dynasty dramas, then it's fine. There's not much entanglement involved, and Heaven probably won't go too far.

I'm afraid there might be other hidden stories Lu Mingze hasn't told us. If Tian Du is desperate to kill you, then we'll be completely stumped.

"We can film it, and we can broadcast it!"

"These are the two major challenges facing 'The Best of Us'!"

Director Lu, however, showed his usual optimism in response.

"Don't worry! There won't be any problem!"

In his mind, it would be better if all the producers were removed!
With no one controlling his spending, he'll definitely be able to fully utilize his talent and create a masterpiece.

As a result, before he even left Shengjing, Chu An had already taken away his financial power.

Go somewhere cool and stay there!

This guy was driving his nearly new Crown, with the windows wide open, letting the wind playfully tease the few strands of hair on his head.

With one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding his phone, his face seemed to say, "I'm not short of money!"

Call the largest film and television equipment supplier in Shengjing directly:
"Give me two Panavision Millennium cameras, with the complete lens kit. Yes, of course, the best."

"Give me two Steadicam stabilizers."

"Let's prepare another 300 sets of film! We can always talk about it if we need more."

"Go to hell!" Chu An wanted to kick him off the car and let him know what a high-speed flying pancake was like.

He's not filming a movie; he's come here to fulfill a dream.

The Panavision Millennium costs around 260 million RMB for a single unit in China, and 520 million RMB for two units.

In another timeline, from Iron Man to Avengers 4, it was used.

A complete lens set is still the best.

Chu An didn't really know the exact price. But he did know the rental price was over $2000 a day.

I doubt anyone in China has used it.

As for the 300 sets of 350mm film...

400 feet is one roll, enough to shoot 4 minutes of footage. Of course, if used on a Panavision Millennium, it wouldn't shoot 4 minutes. That was a high-speed camera, capable of 75 frames per second, using a large amount of film.

The supply price for a single roll ranges from 800 to 1200, and given Lu Mingze's character, he definitely wouldn't use the cheaper option.

"A group" is a common term.

A film crew operates on a one-roll basis. Some long takes may require several rolls of film for easy calculation.

From this perspective, 300 sets isn't that many; even the best set would only cost 36.

But that's a movie crew, and it's completely different from a TV series crew.

For ease of calculation, a TV drama production crew uses a "set" to represent the minimum amount of filming materials needed per day.

A set of 20 volumes!
300 sets, that's 6000 volumes, which is 720 million!

Damn it, in the time it took to drive to the airport, this guy almost emptied the entire budget for "The Best of Us".

"You'd better stay away from money; it'll reject you!"

Director Lu was not giving up and tried to play a little trick.

"Or, the ARRIFLEX 535B would also work."

Chu An, "Get out!"

This isn't cheap either, and there aren't any distributors in China.

Lu Mingze was unhappy and didn't speak to Chu An the whole way. "I'm doing this for the sake of the film's quality, you know. This kid has absolutely no artistic ambition."

Chu An was too lazy to pay him any attention, thinking to himself, "I hope you're still in the mood when we get back to Ningyuan."

These days, while working on "You Are My Glory," Chu An hasn't forgotten to keep an eye on the Ning Yuan production team.

The situation over there was almost out of control. When they arrived in Yangcheng, Liaoning Province, Ma Lan and Tong Meng came to pick them up.

Director Lu was still complaining when they met, "This kid doesn't understand the romance of a director at all!"

Chu An sneered, thinking to himself, "That's certainly extravagant, but forget about being romantic."

He looked at Ma Lan and asked, "How is the situation?"
They returned to Ningyuan after the CCTV project approval meeting.

Firstly, they won't be needed later; secondly, there are constant problems in Ningyuan.

Tong Meng had been in contact with Chu An these past few days, and replied, "Tiandu withdrew its investment, and the director ran away. They've left hundreds of people stranded in a small county town with no one to care for them. What do you think can happen?"

"The camp collapsed after only three days!!"

As the highest-ranking leader in the crew besides Lu Mingze, Ma Lan returned to stabilize the situation, but she was also extremely exhausted. She said with relief, "You guys are finally back! I was almost driven crazy by you!"

He then explained the specific situation.

"The production team has all abandoned their posts, no one is in charge, and that old bastard Jia Chenglin is stirring up trouble everywhere, doing absolutely nothing."

"I heard yesterday that another play is starting in Tiandu and they need to transfer staff there."

"Now only producer Li Chunhua is left in the crew to finish up, and she doesn't handle any specific matters."

Ma Lan looked anxious. "There's not even anyone in the crew who can order boxed lunches. Everyone's not getting enough to eat, and we don't even know when filming will start. Plus, people from Tiandu are gossiping behind our backs... in short..."

He revealed a very bad outcome: "Some staff members couldn't wait any longer and left Ningyuan privately."

Chu An sighed inwardly after hearing this:
This highlights the importance of the production system. It not only controls the director and keeps Lu Mingze firmly in check, but also ensures the basic operation of the production crew, which cannot function without it for a moment.

"Tian Du went too far."

Director Lu gritted his teeth and agreed with Chu An's statement.

He thought that Tiandu would at least retain some semblance of dignity and keep positions such as production manager and on-set manager that ensure the daily life of the crew.

It now appears that they are not only withdrawing their investment, but also trying to undermine our foundation.

"Don't let me get a chance; I'll expose all their dirty deeds sooner or later!"

Tong Meng was an impatient person and didn't want to hear Director Lu's harsh words. She was only concerned about one thing right now: "Tell me quickly, have you gotten the money yet?"

The production team is still short of money. Although "You Are My Glory" has been approved by the State Administration of Radio and Television, it is still a problem whether they can attract investment.

To avoid interference from Tiandu, Director Lu and Chu An kept a low profile when seeking investment, intentionally avoiding Tiandu Culture's influence. They sought out familiar people and did not publicize their efforts.

In response to Tong Meng's question, Chu An and Lu Mingze exchanged a smile, their expressions revealing a hint of amusement.

Director Lu stroked his shiny bald head. "As for the money, we did manage to get a little bit!"

Tong Meng's face lit up with surprise, "How much!?"

She treats the film crew like her own home; her concern is genuine.

"Not much!" Chu An didn't want to spoil the mood. "Anyway, it's enough, right?"

Lu Mingze: "I think I can barely manage to take a picture!"

Upon hearing this, Tong Meng patted her ample chest and said, "It's good that I was able to take the picture."

Director Lu and Chu An have had a tough time; it's already quite an achievement that they've managed to get to this point in such a desperate situation.

Thinking that there might be some overspending during future filming, Tong Meng took out a bankbook from her bag and handed it to Lu Mingze. "This is some of my savings. The reason I didn't get a card was because I was afraid I would spend it impulsively. Now it's perfect, it comes in handy."

"Let's get through this together!"

Ma Lan followed suit, saying, "I still have 20 yuan in my account, I'll transfer it to Director Lu later."

The two had agreed before they came to pick them up that regardless of whether Director Lu and Chu An could get the money, they would still express their support.

"That won't be necessary!" Lu Mingze said smugly. "It's not that..."

Chu An immediately interrupted him, "Take it!"

"what?"

Lu Mingze was puzzled, "We don't lack anything..."

Chu An said, "Consider it an investment from Sister Lan and Sister Meng."

He then laughed and said, "Director Lu, you have to prove yourself so that those who trust you don't lose everything!"

Director Lu's face was solemn. "Definitely!"

He commanded in a deep voice, "Get some rest today, and turn on the machine tomorrow!"

Chu An wanted to kick him again. Although it might seem a bit disrespectful to the elderly, this guy really deserved to be kicked!

Go cool off somewhere else!

Damn, the script for "With You" is still being kept secret, and everyone thinks it's still "My High School Days" being filmed!

Moreover, the production team was paralyzed and lacked a production system.

People are still panicking, why the hell are you turning on your phone?!

After leading everyone to the car, Chu An pondered for a moment and said, "The most important task now is to stabilize morale. Let's go back to the guesthouse and Director Lu call a meeting for the whole team!"

"Two goals: First, sufficient funding so that filming can begin at any time."

"Second, the 'My High School Days' project was shelved, and the production team started the 'The Best of Us' project on the spot."

Ma Lan also got to work, saying, "When a project is changed at the last minute, the team members might still feel uncertain."

Chu An: "That's easy. Make copies of the scripts for 'My High School Years' and 'The Best of Us,' and print a lot of them."

"From the production assistants to the actors, we make sure everyone gets a copy, so they can compare which script has a better market."

After hearing this, everyone gained a deeper understanding of Chu An.

This kid is born to be in the entertainment industry, and he's an all-rounder.

He can write scripts, attract investment, and knows the operation of a film crew inside and out. I really don't know what else he can do.

Don't wait until filming starts to discover he's also a skilled director; otherwise, Lu Mingze will be out of a job.

.

(End of this chapter)