2001 Media Godfather

Chapter 48 Wanting Both!

Sun Jianyi, having been a director herself, knows how terrifying this kind of filming efficiency is.

Unless they rushed the shoot and just rushed it out, it would be impossible to do it this fast.

To verify his guess, after Lu Mingze called it a day, Old Sun simply took over the monitor and watched all the footage that had just been taken.

This lasted for half an hour. When the last shot, showing Lin Wanxing's appearance, was captured, the old man's expression became even more solemn, and he no longer cared about whether he was just trying to fool someone.

Because the quality is exceptionally high; most directors wouldn't be able to produce something this good without deliberately sacrificing quality.

He muttered to himself, "The earlier panic and commotion seem unrelated to Lin Wanxing's appearance, but in reality, it was all foreshadowing."

"The new character contrasts sharply with the veteran lead actor, and the disheveled state contrasts with Lin Wanxing's beauty."

"Xiao Lu is getting more and more shrewd."

As Old Sun muttered to himself, Lu Mingze responded from beside him, "You flatter me, sir!"

Sun Jianyi then came to her senses and looked up to see that not only Lu Mingze, but also Zou Qingsong, Lin Wanxing, Lin Wanchen, Chu An, and Xu Shu were there.

The old man gave an awkward smile, "I'm sorry to have disturbed everyone's rest."

This time it was Chu An who replied, "It's no trouble at all. Everyone has gone to have a late-night snack. We're waiting to sit at the same table with Old Sun!"

Ten minutes later, the group appeared at a barbecue restaurant outside the west wall of the residential compound.

Sure enough, the whole group was there. Ji Yinglai and Dong Wende's table was already covered in beer bottles. Everyone was making a ruckus and competing with each other in drinking, creating a lively atmosphere.

This made Mr. Sun nostalgic for the days when he was filming.

After sitting down at a table that had been reserved for me, I became more talkative. "Sitting here makes me feel younger," I said.

Lin Wanchen immediately replied, "You're not old either."

Lin Wanchen hadn't expected Old Sun to be in Ningyuan. She hadn't dared to approach him before, but after watching the filming for a night, they had become somewhat acquainted.

He joked, "Old Sun, if you were to come out of retirement, you could definitely create another classic."

Sun Jianyi shook her head, "I'm willing but unable! But if you gave me this production crew, I think I could handle it."

This is a compliment. Sun Jian has never seen such a professional, efficient, and well-coordinated production team as "With You".

He asked with a smile, "Xiao Lu, your talent is undeniable, but is it really your skill to manage the crew so well?"

After saying that, he looked at Xiang Chu'an with a smile. He realized tonight that Chu'an was the core of the crew.

Lu Mingze certainly wouldn't hesitate to promote Chu An to his superiors, "To be honest, Mr. Sun, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Chu An saved my life!"

These words were extremely serious, which surprised even Old Master Sun.

Sun Jianyi knew about Lu Mingze and Tiandu's affair, but he didn't know that it was Chu An who pulled Lu Mingze back from the brink of disaster.

Lu Mingze wasn't afraid of losing face, and immediately recounted the whole story from beginning to end.

It's definitely different from what's reported in the media. Lu Mingze didn't hide at all how much of a role Chu An played in this.

Sun Jianyi, Lin Wanchen, and Zou Qingsong were all dumbfounded, and their gazes towards Chu An changed completely.

This young man is a constant source of surprises.

"So that's what happened!"

Just as the barbecue was served, Chu An called everyone to eat, and, ignoring Zhang Yuan's murderous gaze from another table, naturally piled a lot of delicious food onto Xu Shu's plate.

Logically, since Zhang Yuan was still around after the main meal, the famous Xu shouldn't be eating. However, since she offered it to him, it would be impolite not to eat, right?

She glared fiercely at Chu An and showed it to Zhang Yuan, meaning that his mistake had nothing to do with her!

Then... quietly began the crazy barbecue.

In fact, of all the people at the table, only she and Lin Wanxing ate without a care in the world; the others were there to socialize.

Old Sun looked at Chu An and asked, "So, the idea of ​​weekly dramas and premiering on county-level TV stations was yours?"

Chu An said, "I only used those silly tricks because I was ignorant. Please feel free to criticize me, I will humbly accept it."

Sun Jianyi teased him on purpose, "Why criticize you? Young people dare to think and act, they should be encouraged!"

"No, no, no!" Chu An waved his hands repeatedly, looking somewhat helpless.

He understood the implication of Mr. Sun's words; the criticism was still directed at the industry impact of weekly dramas. He also knew that it was best to be direct when dealing with such important figures, so he decided to bring it up himself first!
"Mr. Sun, we did not consider the impact of weekly dramas on the industry. We were forced to do this because we were in a hurry."

"Oh?" Old Sun was still smiling, but his hawk-like eyes gradually brightened as he asked, "So, you also think that weekly dramas are out of place in the current environment?"

These words made Lu Mingze nervous, and the voices at the other tables seemed to drop a few decibels.

Everyone knows that the moment to decide their fate has arrived.

Chu An's answer will not only affect whether weekly dramas can continue in China, but may also very well determine the fate of "With You".

Chu An did not answer immediately, but lowered his head and pondered.

The best response now is to go along with the old man's mood.

At worst, we can simply reject weekly dramas outright, affirm that daily dramas are the right approach in China, and then flatter them to let them finish airing "With You".

As for whether there will be weekly dramas in the future...

What's it to me?!
However, when faced with Old Master Sun's sharp gaze, Chu An decided to tell the truth.

He countered by asking Sun Jianyi, "Which do you think has more advantages, weekly broadcasts or daily broadcasts?"

This question stumped Mr. Sun, as he came with prejudice this time.

From a policy perspective, it's a complex issue with far-reaching consequences. Whether from his personal standpoint or the bigger picture, everyone wants to curb the trend of weekly broadcasts. This is better for everyone and avoids any risks.

However, after seeing it with his own eyes, and considering the various actions of the production crew, the old man is now a little uncertain.

In the end, I decided to tell the truth.

"You've set a bad example for me!" Old Sun sighed deeply. "I never expected you could improve efficiency to this extent!"

"Adding scenes on the spot, without a script, with over 20 shots in four hours—if it weren't for the pressure of weekly broadcasts, I believe no daily broadcast production team could have done this."

"The key point is that the speed has increased, but the quality hasn't decreased, which is quite remarkable!"

With a serious expression, he said, "I believe that if the weekly broadcast policy is relaxed, the professional skills of practitioners in this industry will improve significantly in a short period of time."

"It's a good thing for both the industry and the audience."

Here, Mr. Sun saw hope and a future where the entire industry could stride forward.

If we disregard the impact on vested interests within the industry and consider it from the perspective of industry improvement, Mr. Sun now supports the popularization of weekly broadcasts.

However, weekly broadcasts also have drawbacks. He also fears that the industry might become too focused on quick profits due to weekly broadcasts, and thus lose its creativity after a short period of improvement.

"Everyone's making fast-paced, entertaining dramas, so who's going to make longer, more artistic epics?"

Everyone, "..."

Chu An knew that Elder Sun's concerns were not unfounded.

In fact, in later generations, whether it was Hollywood or American TV series, under the premise of pursuing commercial interests to the extreme, they have gradually lost their spirituality.

There are many things that not only China can film, but they cannot.

Some of the things they were able to film in the past, they will never be able to film in the future.

For example, Nolan's debut film, "Following".

For example, some low-budget masterpieces, such as "The Man from Earth," "The Night the Comet Came," and "Buried Alive."

They represent the spirit of Hollywood better than those big-budget blockbusters.

Unfortunately, at the point in time before Chu An's transmigration, Hollywood could no longer produce such inspired works. Because the market dictated everything, the conditions for these films to thrive had been lost.

Mr. Sun's consideration was actually about balancing the artistic merit and commercial viability of film and television works.

Daily drama series have stable investment, allowing creators to work more freely.

Although it will require a longer growth process, the future is promising.

Weekly dramas can quickly improve the quality of the industry, but they are too commercially driven.

It's difficult to choose between the two.

Faced with Elder Sun's question, Chu An no longer hesitated, "Elder Sun, what if we want both, and do them simultaneously?"

"Hmm?" Old Sun was taken aback. "Parallel broadcast? That's unlikely, isn't it? Once weekly broadcasts are allowed, everyone will follow suit, and no one will invest in daily dramas anymore."

Chu An: "What if there's a quota for weekly dramas?"

Old Sun, "..."

Chu An said, "Actually, our advantage lies in policy control, so why not seek a way out outside the industry but within the policy framework?"

Old Sun became serious, clearly already considering this possibility. "Tell me about it."

Chu An said, "It's actually very simple. Currently, the annual output of TV dramas is 7000 episodes. We just need to study a ratio, such as allocating 700 episodes to weekly dramas, and control the annual output of weekly dramas within a certain range."

"In this way, we can use weekly broadcasts to train the industry while ensuring that we don't make mistakes in the overall direction."

Old Sun nodded, then shook his head, and gave a wry smile. "With this policy in place, another problem arises: who will get this quota?"

"Do you believe it or not? If we really do this, even the heavens will get it, but you won't!"

Unexpectedly, Chu An suddenly smiled and said, "Have you ever thought that this quota could actually be implemented in conjunction with local development policies?"

Without mincing words, he said, "If this power were given to the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television alone, then, as you said, Tianya could get it, but we couldn't."

"But if each provincial radio and television station has a quota, who do you think has the capacity to take it all?"

Chu An's words actually have several layers of meaning:
First, the more centralized power is, the easier it is to create monopolies—this is an immutable truth. Conversely, the more decentralized power is, the easier it is to generate competition.

Second, cooperate with local policies.

The over-concentration of film and television resources in cities like Shenyang and Shanghai is detrimental to the industry's development, so we should allocate fewer quotas there. Conversely, we should allocate more quotas to areas where development in this direction is needed.

"Mr. Sun, this is how I see it. Please correct me if I'm wrong."

Chu An spoke eloquently, becoming the focus of everyone's attention: "It's better to guide than to block! Let weekly dramas become a catfish, forcing the daily drama market to grow rapidly."

"Perhaps before long, we will be able to rival American TV series with productions like 'The X-Files,' and also continue our strengths by creating more epic novels such as 'The Rise and Fall of the Republic of China,' 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms,' and 'Dream of the Red Chamber.'"

"what do you think?"

These words were incredibly powerful; not only Sun Jianyi, but everyone present felt a surge of excitement.

I want both...

The temptation is just too great.

……

.

(End of this chapter)