Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 176, Section 174: The Script is Set, a Master Detective Emerges
Tuesday, March 2, 1998.

In the early morning in Beijing, a spring rain that arrived quietly last night washed away the dust of the past few days, leaving the air moist and fresh, carrying the scent of earth and tender buds.

Although the chill of spring lingers, the faint green buds on the branches already herald the irreversible change of seasons.

The meeting room at Beijing Film Studio.

A number of people were already seated around the rectangular conference table. The air was filled with the aroma of freshly brewed tea, a faint smell of cigarettes, and a subtle excitement and anticipation that belonged to the creative field.

Today's meeting will focus on the first formal script discussion for the TV series adaptation of "The Four Great Constables".

Wang Sheng sat in the main seat, still wearing a simple dark sweater, intently flipping through a thick stack of script drafts and setting materials in front of him.

He arrived earliest and had been lost in thought for quite some time.

The attendees who arrived one after another formed a highly representative group, reflecting the breadth and depth of resource integration by Wang Sheng and even the Beijing Film Studio alliance.

Director Li Guoli and producer Cai Yinong sat to Wang Sheng's right.

Li Guoli, nearing forty, wore a well-fitting jacket, his hair meticulously combed, and his sharp eyes held the persistence of an artist. He had previously produced many successful television dramas in Hong Kong, and was particularly adept at handling the pacing of genre films. After being "recruited" by Wang Sheng, he was full of enthusiasm for expanding into the mainland market.

Cai Yinong, dressed in a smart business suit with exquisite makeup, is the project's key operator, responsible for coordinating resources and controlling the budget. Her eyes reveal both the shrewdness of a businesswoman and her enthusiasm for the project.

Sitting to Wang Sheng's left is a core member of the "Martial Arts Group" of the Beijing Film Studio Alliance Screenwriting Team.

This group was specially formed by Wang Sheng when he established the strategy of "series of TV movies" and "TV series development" last year. He specially selected writers from various studios in the alliance who were good at ancient costume and martial arts themes. The group leader was Mr. Zhao, a senior screenwriter from the former Beijing Film Studio and a fan of Wen Ruian's books.

The team includes both seasoned screenwriters with solid skills who maintain the structure and young screenwriters with active minds who inject new ideas.

They were responsible for adapting Wen Ruian's extensive "Four Great Constables" series of novels into a script that met the requirements for television broadcast and had the potential to become a commercial hit.

In addition, a vice president from Shengying Media responsible for project follow-up and a recorder also attended the meeting.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Wang Sheng put down the materials in his hand, looked around, and got straight to the point: "Everyone, everyone's here, let's begin."

The "Four Great Constables" project has been in development for over half a year since the adaptation rights were acquired last year. Today marks the first formal consultation for the project.

Director Li and Producer Cai, you are experts in the field of Hong Kong martial arts dramas and have rich experience; Teacher Zhao, your team has a deeper understanding of the original work and a better grasp of the aesthetics of mainland audiences.

The purpose of today's open discussion is singular: to definitively establish the tone and direction of the script, thus clearing obstacles for the subsequent casting and preparation.

He looked at Teacher Zhao, the leader of the martial arts group: "Teacher Zhao, could you please introduce the overall adaptation concept and the parts that have been completed so far?"

Teacher Zhao adjusted his glasses. He was a middle-aged man with a lean face and bright eyes, and he seemed slightly excited at the moment.

He cleared his throat and picked up the prepared outline: "President Wang, Director Li, Producer Cai, and colleagues. After our martial arts team took over 'The Four Great Constables,' we have repeatedly discussed and determined several core adaptation principles."

"First, we must remain true to the spirit of the original work and reasonably reconstruct the narrative." He said firmly, "Wen Changyu's original characters are incredibly charming and his worldview is grand, but some plots are rather scattered, making it difficult to adapt them directly into film and television."

We decided to use the "Capital City Chapter" and "Against the Tide" as the core framework, and integrate classic cases and characters from other series to weave a new main storyline that runs throughout the entire series—that is, the process of the Four Great Constables from their establishment, teamwork, and becoming famous throughout the martial arts world, while interspersing episodic cases to maintain a tight pace.

The main storyline focuses on their struggle against the corrupt officials in the imperial court, led by Cai Jing, and the thirteen notorious gangsters they colluded with.

"Secondly, character development is paramount, highlighting the charm of the famous constables." Teacher Zhao continued: "Ruthless (Sheng Yayu)'s wisdom, calmness, and indomitable spirit despite physical disability; Iron Hand (Tie Youxia)'s composure, gravitas, and benevolence; Life Chaser (Cui Lueshang)'s elegance, unruliness, and tracking skills; Cold Blood (Leng Lingqi)'s lone wolf nature, superb swordsmanship, and emotional transformation."

The personalities of these four characters must be clearly established. Their brotherhood, mentor-disciple relationship (with Zhuge Zhengwo), and their respective romantic entanglements (such as Wuqing and Ji Yaohua, Lengxue and Chu Liming) will be key to keeping viewers engaged. We have written detailed character biographies for each character to ensure consistency in their actions.

"Third, the fight choreography concept is brought forward." He emphasized: "We are not writing a novel, we are writing a script. In the scene outline and specific scene description, we have already taken the visual presentation into consideration."

The ruthless hidden weapons and traps, the iron-fisted palm techniques, the deadly light-footed legwork, and the cold-blooded, vicious swordsmanship—how ​​to showcase their uniqueness and beauty through cinematic language and action choreography? We left room for interpretation during the scriptwriting stage and had initial discussions with the future martial arts director.

"Currently, we have completed the episode outlines for the first twenty episodes and the first draft of the complete script for the first ten episodes." Teacher Zhao concluded, "The overall style is defined as: a period martial arts detective suspense drama. It has the passion and heroism of the martial arts world, the intrigue and treachery of the imperial court, and the process of unraveling the mystery."

After Teacher Zhao finished her report, the meeting room was quiet for a moment as everyone digested the information.

Director Lee Kwok-lap spoke first, his Mandarin carrying a distinct Hong Kong accent, but his expression was clear: "Teacher Zhao's team has a very clear vision, prioritizing the characters, which I completely agree with. In Hong Kong martial arts dramas, it's often the vivid characters that retain the audience. However,"

He then changed the subject and raised his concerns: "What I'm worried about is the pacing. Mainland dramas are usually quite long. If they follow the traditional episodic format, with a case dragging on for several episodes, I'm afraid we'll lose young viewers."

Could we consider adopting the pacing of some American or Japanese dramas, such as resolving a small crisis in one episode and handling a complete case in two or three episodes, while simultaneously planting the seeds for the main plot? This would ensure that each episode has a hook, giving viewers the motivation to keep watching.

Tsai Yi-nong added, "Director Li's point about pacing is very important. Another issue is the handling of the emotional storylines. The romance in the original novel is relatively subtle, but TV viewers, especially female viewers, have a high demand for emotional resonance."

Should we, while respecting the original work, appropriately enhance some emotional conflicts and ambiguous interactions? For example, could the process of Leng Xue and Chu Li Mo getting to know each other be more nuanced? Of course, we need to maintain a good balance and avoid turning it into a melodramatic soap opera.

A young screenwriter from the martial arts group couldn't help but interject: "Director Li, Producer Cai, we have actually considered the pacing. The episodic cases we designed are basically resolved within 2-3 episodes, and each case is related to the growth of the main character or the advancement of the main conspiracy."

For example, the first unit, "The Copper Coin Case," appears to be an ordinary江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the martial arts world) feud, but it actually involves clues about counterfeit official silver, with Cai Jing's shadow looming behind it, and also uses this to introduce Zhui Ming's past.

Another veteran screenwriter held a cautious attitude towards the emotional storyline: "Appropriate enhancement is acceptable, but it must be consistent with the character's personality. Due to his experiences, Wuqing's emotions are reserved or even closed off. Suddenly adding a lot of emotional scenes to him can easily ruin his character. Cold-blooded emotions should be a process of slowly developing from nothing; abrupt enhancements will only make it unrealistic."

The discussion gradually heated up, and the two sides had in-depth exchanges on details such as the control of the script's pacing, the intensity of emotional scenes, and the handling of certain key plots (such as how to integrate the grudges between Gu Xichao and Qi Shaoshang in "Against the Blade of Honour"). Occasionally, there were clashes of opinions.

Wang Sheng listened most of the time, occasionally jotting down a few key points in his notebook.

He could see that the commercialized and genre-specific narrative experience brought by Li Guoli and the Hong Kong Island team, combined with the mainland screenwriters' insistence on the original work's essence and the characters' inner meaning, was creating a beneficial chemical reaction.

This kind of collision is exactly what he wants.

When the debate came to a temporary halt, everyone's attention once again focused on Wang Sheng, awaiting his final statement.

Wang Sheng closed his notebook, his gaze sweeping steadily over the crowd, and slowly began to speak:
"The discussion just now was very good, with both consensus and thought-provoking debates. I heard everything. Now, I'd like to summarize everyone's opinions and clarify a few points as the ironclad rules for the creation of our TV series adaptation of 'The Four Great Constables'."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable decisiveness:

"First, the characters are the soul, and they must not be altered. Ruthless, Iron Hand, Chasing Life, Cold Blood, including Mr. Zhuge, villains such as Cai Jing, and the Thirteen Fiends, must be portrayed strictly according to the character biographies we have determined. No plot can be made at the expense of the characters' personalities. Audiences love flesh-and-blood people, not tools of the plot."

"Secondly, pacing is crucial and must be tight. I agree with Director Li's view. With a tentative length of forty episodes, we need to maintain a good balance between tension and relaxation, but we absolutely cannot allow padding. We will adopt a 'main storyline running throughout, with episodes progressing sequentially' model."

Each case should not exceed three episodes, and each episode must be fully solved, ending with a cliffhanger or clue related to the main storyline. This ensures viewers are satisfied with each episode and remain eager for what's to come.

"Third, emotions are like blood; they should be subtle and pervasive." Wang Sheng looked at Cai Yinong and the old screenwriter: "Romantic scenes should be added, but not forced. All emotional developments, whether brotherhood, mentorship, or romantic love, must serve the character development and plot advancement."

What's needed is subtle interaction, eye contact, and selfless mutual support in crucial moments, not blunt confessions and melodramatic misunderstandings. Subtly weave the emotions into the details, letting the audience perceive them—that's what makes it sophisticated and enduring.

"Fourth, the style is crucial; it must be unique and distinctive." He continued, "What we're making isn't just another ordinary martial arts drama. The 'martial arts detective suspense' genre is a good positioning. The action choreography needs to be innovative, showcasing the unique characteristics of each of the Four Great Constables. We can hire the best martial arts choreography team, combining wire work and real combat to create a sense of beauty and power."

The visuals should have a cinematic quality; costumes, makeup, and props must be meticulously crafted to create the unique atmosphere of prosperity and crisis coexisting in the late Northern Song Dynasty. The soundtrack should also be carefully crafted to enhance the emotions and reinforce memorable moments.

Finally, Wang Sheng made the final decision: "To summarize, what we want in 'The Four Great Constables' is—well-developed characters, a compelling pace, moving emotions, and a distinctive style."

Our goal is not just high ratings, but to become a classic martial arts memory in the hearts of a generation, and a benchmark work for our Beijing Film Studio Alliance and Shengying Media in the field of television dramas!

He looked at Li Guoli and Cai Yinong: "Director Li, Producer Cai, the subsequent revisions and improvements to the script will follow this direction. You will take the lead and work closely with the martial arts team to produce the revised draft of the first twenty episodes as soon as possible. If you need any resources, just ask me or Shengying directly."

He then looked at Teacher Zhao and his team: "Teacher Zhao, thank you for your hard work. The direction is set, so be bold in making changes. We must absorb the advanced production concepts brought by Director Li and his team, while also preserving the core essence of our original work."

"Understood, Mr. Wang!" Li Guoli and Cai Yinong said in unison, their eyes filled with the energy of being trusted and having a clear direction.

"Don't worry, Mr. Wang, we will definitely produce a script that will satisfy you and everyone as soon as possible!" Teacher Zhao also excitedly assured him, while the martial arts group members behind him were all eager to get started.

Wang Sheng stood up, a smile appearing on his face: "Alright! That's all for today. Whether 'The Four Great Constables' can unleash its cold gleam on this year's television screen depends on everyone's efforts. Meeting adjourned!"

The meeting ended, and everyone left with clear goals and high enthusiasm.

(End of this chapter)