Entertainment: 1990

Chapter 364 Brother Yuanfang
Upon learning that Cao Ying was unwilling to switch jobs and still wanted to stay and pursue her dreams, Zhang Yan naturally declined Shandong TV's offer.

After all, the only one left to feel awkward would be Cao Ying. Since she herself doesn't care, then Zhang Yan cares even less.

As for whether doing this will offend Shandong TV...

The foundation of our dream is Tianjin. Our cooperation with Shandong TV is purely an exchange of interests. If we have to consider the other party's opinion in everything we do, then there's no point in continuing this cooperation.

In short, this matter is over.

After watching the first test recording of "The Swinging Bridge" and offering some suggestions for improvement, Zhang Yan planned to return to Tianjin, but was held up by people from Shandong TV.

They persuaded him to stay in Jinan temporarily until "Boys and Girls Rush Forward" was officially broadcast before they would let him leave.

Zhang Yan also knew that this was their first time working with a purely entertainment-oriented outdoor variety show, and they were unsure of themselves, so they wanted to use it as a crutch.

Zhang Yan felt awkward refusing, so he could only stay a few more days.

During this time, he was not idle. He first looked at the unfinished version of "The White-Browed Hero" and then had a discussion with the creative team.

"The White-Browed Hero" is adapted from a story told by Mr. Shan Tianfang. As one of the early martial arts dramas filmed in China, it is actually quite good.

Unfortunately, the production team lacked funds, and several of the most classic scenes from the original work had to be cut, leaving the entire series feeling incomplete.

Another issue is that the fight choreography is a bit dull, lacking the kind of exciting and eye-catching combat.

Of course, this drama can still be rated as above average overall. Considering the current state of mainland Chinese TV dramas, the rating could even be a little higher.

In short, after watching the unfinished version of "The White-Browed Hero", Zhang Yan breathed a sigh of relief. After all, the rest of the work was good, and the two shortcomings could be made up for.

Yuanmeng certainly doesn't lack money. The copyright and advertising revenue from just one film, "New Dragon and Phoenix," has made her a fortune.

When singers release their albums in the second half of the year, they will definitely bring in more revenue.

The two martial arts instructors introduced by Yindu have almost reached an agreement and are expected to officially move north after the company completes its relocation.

The fact that the talks were able to proceed so quickly is thanks to the incident Zhang Yan caused in Hong Kong.

Although some people may think it's a minor incident or even shameful, given the current situation, it's actually quite groundbreaking.

The subsequent media coverage in Hong Kong added a legendary touch to Zhang Yanhe's dream, which convinced the two martial arts instructors to come to the mainland to develop their careers.

Otherwise, these days it's basically only mainland martial arts talents who go to Hong Kong Island, and it's almost impossible for Hong Kong martial arts talents to join mainland film and television companies.

The creative team of "The White-Browed Hero" was overjoyed to hear that Zhang Yan would not only provide the money but also hire two martial arts instructors from Hong Kong Island to help.

If they were to place producers or assistant directors, they would have to worry that Yuanmeng was trying to seize control of the narrative.

But martial arts instructors are different. They don't have to worry about overshadowing the main characters, and they can also make up for the team's shortcomings, so they naturally welcome them with open arms.

As for the female lead and several main actors, they had no objection to using the same actors who fulfilled their dreams. They had already brought in actors from various places to film "The White-Browed Hero".

It's just a change of supplier. Anyway, they're all providing professionally trained actors, and the female lead, Gai Lili, is a well-known and talented actress. So what do they have to worry about?

During his conversations with the creative team, Zhang Yan finally met the male lead of "Gan Shijiu Mei," Zhang Zijian, who was also from the same hometown.

At this time, Yuanfang was still an unknown actor at the Shanghai Film Studio. His greatest achievement was playing the role of Wang Shun, the Purple-Faced Vajra, in "The White-Browed Hero".

And it was because of this that he was spotted by director Wang Wenjie and landed his first leading role.

Although "Gan Shijiu Mei" is a female-centric drama, it still excited the young man immensely. He practically prostrated himself before Zhang Yan, calling her "brother." [PS: He was born in 68, one year younger than Zhang Yan.]

When Zhang Yan took the initiative to share his hometown feelings with him, Zhang Zijian realized that there was such a coincidence that both of them were originally from Hengjiang and then went to Tianjin to work in the entertainment industry.

The only difference is that Zhang Yan is a first-generation entertainer, while Zhang Zijian is a second-generation entertainer.

Although this wasn't a particularly close relationship, it was enough to make people look at him with more respect, so Zhang Zijian immediately considered changing jobs.

However, this is a crucial time for him to play the male lead, so he can only suppress this impulse for now and decide what to do after the TV series is released.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Zhang Yan asked Director Zhu if he had any major plans since returning to Shanghai.

Zhang Yan didn't know about the other film studios, but Han Sanping went to Hong Kong Island at his own expense again. He has already reached an agreement with Jin Yong on the copyright of "The Book and the Sword" and is currently negotiating cooperation with the Yuen Clan and the Sammo Hung Clan.

Hearing Zhang Yan's question, Zhang Zijian scratched his head and said, "At first, the factory was also hoping that Director Zhu could bring back some brilliant ideas from Hong Kong, but after several meetings, they couldn't reach a consensus, and then the matter was left unresolved."

He paused, then added, "It seems that Director Zhu himself is also a bit undecided, otherwise he wouldn't have given up so easily."

This is understandable, after all, he is a veteran who has achieved great success, and it is only natural for him to hesitate about the idea of ​​full commercialization.

But the fear is that time waits for no one, and if you're slow on one step, you'll be slow on every step.

This made Zhang Yan value Han Sanping even more. After all, other film studios had limited resources, and the Beijing Film Studio and Shanghai Film Studio were the most likely to embark on a commercial reform path.

Now that Director Zhu is hesitant, Han Sanping, who is bold, decisive, and good at gathering ideas, will most likely stand out in the next few years and may even rise to a higher position.

It seems necessary to maintain a relationship with Han Sanping in the future.

…………

8 PM on June 1st.

"Boys and Girls Rush Forward," touted as the latest masterpiece from the creators of "I Am a Singer" and "Chinese Poetry Conference," has officially met the audience after a two-week-long promotional campaign.

Its refreshing and lively format, along with its breathtaking and epic scale, quickly captured the attention of countless viewers, truly making it suitable for all ages.

Of course, this also attracted criticism from some people, especially the earth-shaking and turbulent waves when they were going through the obstacle course and when they fell into the water, which made countless people relish... Bah, it was heartbreaking!

Some even brought up old grievances, saying that Zhang has always been so vulgar, mentioning that he caused a "roasting lawsuit" back in the day with "I'm Crazy for Singing," and now...

The world is going to the dogs!

Zhang Yan wasn't sure if the audience was excited or not, but Shandong TV's coffers were definitely going to bulge. After the program aired, several companies immediately clamored to sponsor it.

Shandong TV was initially worried about being criticized, but now they don't care anymore—the money is right in front of them, so what if they get a few words of criticism?

If you get really angry, you can just say: "The masses like it. If you don't like it, who do you think you are?"

They even comforted Zhang Yan, saying that he was taking the blame for them, and that Shandong people are very clear about gratitude and resentment, and would certainly not forget this friendship.

Whether we forget it or not, we'll see how it goes.

Now that everything has settled down, Zhang Yan can finally return to Tianjin to oversee the company's relocation.

He set off at noon on June 3rd, and just as he arrived in Tianjin that evening, he received some good news—Director Chen had a huge bowel movement.

(End of this chapter)