Entertainment: 1990

Chapter 333 Talking about Cooperation

Zhang Yan only glanced at the script briefly before deciding that the project was worth investing in.

He had heard the crosstalk "The Battle Between the Emperor and His Minister" when he was a child. Zhang Xingguo even bought a cassette tape of it, which was the version by Liu Baorui, the King of Stand-up Comedy.

If we remove the time-travel element that Zhang Yan added, and the humor and satire arising from the clash of ideas from different eras, the battle between the emperor and his ministers is undoubtedly more suitable for adaptation into a historical drama than the playful dragon and phoenix.

Liu Luoguo's humor and integrity, Heshen's greed, cunning and eloquence, and Qianlong's lechery, philandering and arrogance—each character has been honed over decades [the struggle between emperor and minister began in the 50s]. If not the pinnacle, it is at least a masterpiece.

The script presented by Zhang Guojun and Pan Hongye, while largely retaining the essence of the original work, also modified its original more down-to-earth tone to a more grand scale of power struggles and political maneuvering.

At the same time, a large number of overly absurd or vulgar jokes were removed, and replaced with a binary opposition between "honest officials" and "corrupt officials," achieving a relative balance between fiction and history.

This is also what Zhang Yan pursued in "The New Dragon and Phoenix". Although time travel elements were added, the major events in the story are basically in line with historical records, only the root causes of those historical events have changed.

After quickly glancing through the script, Zhang Yan put it aside, looked at Zhang Guojun and Pan Hongye who seemed to have lost their appetite, and asked with a smile, "Even collaborations need a set of rules. I wonder what you two are thinking?"

Hearing this, Zhang Guojun and Pan Hongye secretly breathed a sigh of relief. After exchanging glances, Zhang Guojun tentatively asked, "May I ask how you, Mr. Zhang, cooperate with Shandong TV?"

"Is this it?"

Zhang Yan shrugged and said, "I don't think it's very useful for reference. After all, Shandong TV controls a large platform, and the value of these intangible assets cannot be reflected on the books."

Seeing that Zhang Yan was unwilling to reveal the truth, Zhang Guojun hesitated and said, "This is what we're thinking: we'll split the filming costs 50/50, Yuanmeng can designate the female lead, but we'll choose the male lead—I'm afraid none of the male actors in your company are suitable for the role of Liu Luoguo."

At the same time, half of the crew will be from each production team. The costume, makeup, props, lighting, cinematography, and directing will be handled by the original team from "The New Dragon and Phoenix." Lao Pan and I will serve as producers, and we'll also handle some of the odd jobs.

After hearing this, Zhang Yan nodded and said, "There's no major problem with this distribution, but how will the final profits and copyright be calculated?"

Zhang Guojun and Pan Hongye were naturally thinking of a 50/50 split, but when they heard Zhang Yan ask this question, they knew that such a discussion was unlikely to reach an agreement.

So Pan Hongye cautiously asked, "Mr. Zhang, what is your opinion?"

“This matter is probably more complicated than you think,” Zhang Yan said, counting on his fingers. “Many of the investments are intangible. For example, if you were to change partners, unless it’s CCTV, it would take a long time of haggling before you could sell it.”

After all, TV dramas from that year usually wouldn't air for another year or two, and most of them wouldn't fetch a good price.

But if you drag CCTV into this, you can forget about getting much say in the production crew.

Our company, Dream Realization, guarantees that we can sell the copyright as quickly as possible at a reasonable price while fully respecting our partners—shouldn't this exclusive resource also be reflected in the profit distribution?

Moreover, as long as it's associated with the original cast and crew of "The New Dragon and the Phoenix," I guarantee this show can fetch an even higher price.

Furthermore, our drama mainly focuses on court intrigue, and the miniature Forbidden City at the August 1st Film and Television Base will be available for use in the second half of the year. I can guarantee that it will be the most suitable filming location at present.

But when this miniature Forbidden City can be officially opened, and which film crew can use it first, will definitely require some favors and connections..."

Zhang Yan counted on his fingers and listed seven or eight items. Zhang Guojun and Pan Hongye looked at each other, their expressions not looking too good.

However, they have to admit that although these are all hidden investments, the benefits are real.

Putting aside everything else, the fact that Yuanmeng is the first company in China to earn supernormal returns by producing TV shows and selling copyrights is enough to make it a company that many people would flock to – this is also a factor in Zhang and Pan's decision to cooperate with Yuanmeng.

At this point, the two men didn't care about their image anymore. They huddled together and whispered a few words to each other before finally asking with a look of grim determination, "Mr. Zhang, what do you think is a suitable way to allocate the funds? Let's just get straight to the point."

They were prepared for Zhang Yan to make an exorbitant demand. But Zhang Yan smiled and waved his hand, saying, "You two came here with Guan Hu, so we're friends from now on. It would be too undignified for us to argue so fiercely over money. Here's what we'll do: leave your contact information, and I'll send someone to talk to you in detail later."

The sudden gasp almost strained Zhang Guojun and Pan Hongye's backs.

The two wanted a definite answer, but before they could say anything more, Guan Hu, who had been stuffing himself with food, started to smooth things over: "Yes, yes, my brother Zhang is right. The most important thing for us today is to eat and drink well."

After being stopped by him, Zhang Guojun and Pan Hongye could no longer say anything.

The conversation then turned back to the script.

During the meal, Zhang Yan asked about Guan Hu's recent situation. Guan Hu replied listlessly, "After being lectured by you, Brother Zhang, I have reflected on it. Their stuff is indeed too radical and not suitable for me."

However, I don't want to give up this gimmick just yet. It's beneficial for me to expand my network in the industry, and... I do agree with some of their ideas. I've been thinking lately about whether I can find a compromise.

To put it bluntly, it's just a more subtle form of reflection.

Zhang Yan understood but did not support it, but he did not argue with Guan Hu about it. After all, everyone has their own ambitions, and you can't expect everyone in the world to be bound by their ideology.

After having enough wine and food.

Zhang Guojun and Pan Hongye left with heavy hearts, while Guan Hu hitched a ride with Zhang Yan.

After delivering Guan Hu, Zhang Yan first contacted Leader Lin to confirm that he wasn't planning to take a nap before driving to Leader Lin's house.

On the way, he suddenly received a call from Andy Lau. He first apologized for not being able to contact Zhang Yan in time yesterday, and then wanted to meet with Zhang Yan to talk about "Heaven and Earth".

"I'm afraid it's going to be tough today. I have to see Director Lin this afternoon, and I probably won't be able to find time tonight either. How about this, let's meet tomorrow night. I'll take the time to ask around for you and see if the Beijing Film Studio has any ideas."

Upon hearing Zhang Yan's words, Andy Lau naturally expressed his gratitude repeatedly. He then remarked on the rapid changes in Beijing over the phone, noting that many changes had occurred in just over half a year. (PS: Last year, the Four Heavenly Kings collectively performed in Beijing.)

"Didn't Mr. Long Wu come too?"

Zhang Yan asked, "What's his plan?"

Last time, Andy Lau brought his people over, but Lung Wu turned the tables and took the lead. This time, we definitely need to find out who we're going to talk to first.

"This one……"

Andy Lau said somewhat awkwardly, "Mr. Lung definitely wants to have a good talk with you, Mr. Zhang, but he probably won't be able to find the time these next few days."

Understood.

When the shrimp soldiers and crab generals of the East Sea Dragon Palace arrive at the Lingxiao Palace, they will definitely try to find connections and climb the social ladder—as the saying goes, "one needle above leads to a thousand threads below," and Zhang Yan's thread is just one of them, and certainly not the most important one.

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Yan thought about meeting with Han Sanping again to see if he had any ideas about "Heaven and Earth". If Han Sanping was willing to use the Beijing Film Studio's distribution channels, then the matter would be much simpler.

When he arrived at Leader Lin's house, it was Han Sanping who opened the door for him.

As expected, Old Han has connections.

(End of this chapter)