Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 139, Section 137: The Dog's Bark

The hustle and bustle of the wrap party subsided, and it was already late at night.

Wang Sheng and Zhou Xingxing shook hands and said goodbye at the hotel entrance, agreeing to visit each other on Hong Kong Island when they had the chance.

Zhou Xingxing left by car with his assistant, while Wang Sheng and Li Xiaoran returned to her residence.

The details of their passionate night need not be elaborated upon.

……

The next day.

Monday, August 1997, 8.

Summer morning light streamed through the gaps in the curtains, spilling onto the disheveled bed sheets.

Wang Sheng gently moved Li Xiaoran's arm away from him and stood up nimbly.

Last night's "busy work" made Li Xiaoran sleep exceptionally soundly. She only unconsciously smacked her lips, turned over, and continued to sleep soundly.

……

Arrived at Beijing Film Studio.

The Beijing Film Studio residential area was already bustling with activity in the morning, with a mix of people going to work and bicycle bells ringing.

Wang Sheng bought a jianbing guozi (Chinese crepe) from a stall at the factory gate and ate it as he walked towards the administration building.

Along the way, employees kept greeting him, their tone respectful yet warm.

Wang Sheng simply nodded in response, without stopping.

The factory's routine meeting started promptly at 9:00 AM.

The conference room was filled with smoke, and the heads of various departments were basically all present.

Han Sanping sat in the main seat, looking much more relaxed than he had a few days ago, but there was still a trace of solemnity between his brows.

"Everyone's here, let's start the meeting." Han Sanping tapped the table and got straight to the point: "Today we'll mainly discuss two things. First, as we enter the second half of the year, everyone is aware of the directives from above..."

He waved a photocopy of a document in his hand and said, "Document No. 37 is serious. The mergers and closures of television stations are very large. Many television stations below the prefecture-level city level have stopped producing their own programs, and procurement has basically frozen. Provincial stations and those remaining at the prefecture-level city level and above still have procurement needs, but they are able to drive down prices very hard by virtue of their monopoly on broadcasting and procurement rights."

The document in Han Sanping's hand was the "Notice on Strengthening the Management of the News, Publication, Radio and Television Industry" (Document No. 37 of 1996, issued by the General Office of the CPC Central Committee).

Released in December of last year, the first half of 1997 was mainly a stage of investigation and research, and the formulation of specific governance plans.

Taking advantage of this vacuum period, the local forces dragged things out for more than half a year, earning one last wave of advertising revenue. They seem to have surrendered for now, but who knows? While those cinemas and video arcades were waging a war of words with the film studio alliance, they were still showing smuggled films.

The deputy director in charge of distribution chimed in, "Director, the situation is indeed not optimistic. In the past, a TV movie could sell for tens of millions of yuan nationwide. Now, it mainly depends on provincial and key city stations. At best, we're lucky if a film can recoup six million yuan."

Of that six million, after deducting distribution fees to other studios within the alliance and various costs, the net profit that our production company receives is only about two million.

A low murmur of discussion arose in the conference room.

This number is significantly lower than its peak, but no one seems alarmed.

Because another set of data supports everyone's confidence.

"But!" Han Sanping raised his voice, silencing the murmurs: "Our scale has increased! The alliance can now stably produce more than thirty TV movies a month!"
Even if the profit per unit drops to two million, the total monthly profit still exceeds sixty million! Although the VCD market has been severely impacted by piracy, advertising placements can still supplement a considerable amount of profit.

Overall, our profitability remains formidable! The hundreds of millions sitting in our accounts are our confidence! These words made everyone present straighten their backs.

That's right. Although the profit per unit area has decreased, the total profit is still astonishing thanks to the high output of the industrialized assembly line.

The pillar of television and film will not collapse anytime soon.

"The problem now is," Han Sanping changed the subject, turning his gaze to Wang Sheng, "that the market ceiling is clearly visible, and things aren't going to be resolved with the provincial film companies anytime soon. We have so much money in the account; we can't just let it sit there collecting interest. What's the next step? Does anyone have any ideas? Let's discuss it..."

All eyes immediately turned to Wang Sheng.

Facing the gazes of the crowd, Wang Sheng stopped twirling his pencil: "We need to walk on two legs. Anime and long-running dramas."

He explained, “TV movies are quick money, but they are too constrained by policies and platforms. Long-running dramas, especially those that can be serialized and form a brand, can have their broadcasting rights sold several times, and the demand from satellite TV and local channels remains strong. They have a long life cycle and more stable revenue. More importantly, long-running dramas have a long production cycle and require more workers, which can support more people and stabilize and train our alliance’s team of several thousand people.”

"The same goes for animation. 'Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit 3000 Questions' is just a trial run. The animation industry has huge potential, especially in the youth market. Moreover, animation production can also train special effects and post-production teams, preparing them with the technology for future blockbuster movies. However, we can wait and see the market reaction after 'Rainbow Cat' is released before making a detailed plan."

Han Sanping nodded thoughtfully: "Long-running dramas... that's the right approach. We did indeed stockpile a batch of long-running drama scripts, covering all genres. You mean, we can start now?"

“Anytime is fine.” Wang Sheng affirmed, “We have no shortage of scripts, people, or funding. As soon as the project is approved, we can immediately organize a team of screenwriters to improve the script and assemble a production crew. We can start by selecting one or two promising series to film, prioritizing urban light comedies and martial arts themes, which have a good audience base and are more likely to be successful.”

"it is good!"

Han Sanping made the decision: "This matter should be handled as soon as possible. The Arts Office and the Production Department should take the lead in getting the long-running drama project approved and organizing a review meeting. Wang Sheng will be in charge of the overall oversight."

……

The meeting ended and everyone dispersed.

Wang Sheng didn't linger; he went straight to the editing workshop to chair a post-production discussion meeting for "30 Days".

Together with the editor, sound engineer, and executive director Huo Jianqi, we discussed the editing direction and key points.

At the meeting, Wang Sheng emphasized the need to highlight the heartwarming comedic tone, avoid excessive sentimentality, and ensure that the emotional scenes of the male and female protagonists reuniting at the end are full and natural.

The meeting lasted until nearly noon.

……

The meeting is over.

Back in the general manager's office of Shengying Media.

Wang Sheng casually picked up a local Beijing metropolitan newspaper that Li Tingting had delivered that day.

The nearly month-long battle of public opinion, while focusing on the film distribution system, has objectively forged an unexpected force for Wang Sheng – a team of "penmen" belonging to the film studio alliance but actually indirectly controlled by him.

In response, screenwriters and publicity officers from various film studios gathered at the Beijing Film Studio, working day and night to organize materials, write articles, and contact critics and scholars to voice their opinions in the media.

This process not only established cooperative channels with multiple newspapers, especially metropolitan newspapers with a higher degree of marketization and more flexible response, but also invisibly cultivated a group of commentators and writers who are familiar with media operations, dare to speak out, and are good at "barking" in a predetermined direction.

Wang Sheng flipped through the newspaper.

Several sharp and pointed articles appeared in the cultural commentary or entertainment sections of some non-mainstream websites.

The target was no longer a provincial film company, but another target—the TV series "Princess Pearl," which had just started filming and was a co-production between Taiwan's Yi Ren Media Co., Ltd. and the mainland.

(End of this chapter)