A writer has arrived in the Chinese entertainment industry.

Actually, Su Liu regretted it a little after saying it. It wasn't that he didn't want Dilraba to play the role, but scripts involving criminal investigations are very difficult to get approved. In addition to the normal approval process, they also have to go through police review.

Although the main characters in "Unnatural" work at a private forensic center, almost every episode features police scenes, making it a standard crime drama. Therefore, it would likely face greater censorship challenges than ordinary suspense films.

Should it be made into a web series? Su Liu was torn. The current censorship environment for web series is indeed more relaxed, but the production costs of web series on the market are not high, and the profit model is mainly based on revenue sharing with Google.

Although a detailed budget is not yet available, the production cost of "Unnatural" will definitely be tens of millions. Even with GG sponsorship, product placement, and soft advertising, it will probably still be difficult to break even if it is streamed online.

At that time, video platforms did not have a mature membership fee system, so it was unlikely that they would spend a lot of money to buy dramas. They would basically pay a minimum guarantee of about 50% of the production cost plus a share of the revenue.

This raises another question: if the production cost of "Unnatural" is 50 million, would the platform be willing to pay a minimum guarantee of 25 million? It's worth noting that the total annual investment in self-produced content by all platforms is only around 100 million.

Su Liu instinctively wanted to discuss it with An Wenxiu, but then she remembered that An Wenxiu was currently running back and forth between Youxing, keeping an eye on the game's progress and arranging for people to visit distributors. She was so busy that she barely had time to breathe, so she gave up the idea.

Never mind, I need to finish the outline and the script for the first episode first. Out of habit, I wanted to ask my assistant to contact Li Haifeng to inquire if Fuxin Pictures had any interest in collaborating, but my hand hovered in mid-air before I remembered that Xiao Liu had already been taken away by An Wenxiu.

In the end, he had no choice but to go to Chen Si. This artist director took on a lot of extra work, but she seemed to enjoy it.

Dilraba and Mao Xiaotong continued to relax in the lounge, while Su Liu returned to his office to work on the script.

The original version of "Unnatural" is a Japanese drama, and there are many localized details to handle.

For example, the female protagonist, Mikoto Misumi, is the sole survivor of her family's suicide by burning charcoal. This kind of plot, where a mother leads her family to suicide, might not seem out of place in a twisted island nation like Japan, but it would be very unsettling in China.

After a moment's thought, Su Liu decided to name the female lead Chen Meiqin. As for the family's suicide by burning charcoal, it could be changed to the mother being brainwashed by a cult. That way, the film could also piggyback on the anti-cult narrative.

When submitting a script for review, its core values ​​are a strict requirement; it must have a clear positive meaning to pass the review.

This is also why zombie and ghost movies can't be made in China.

Many fantasy and historical romance dramas have ridiculously melodramatic and brainless plots, but when the scripts are submitted for review, they will always try to gravitate towards the themes of the common people and national sentiments, otherwise they will not pass the review at all.

Therefore, when writing the script, Su Liu had to downplay the various satires of the officialdom in the original version and emphasize realistic concerns and the perspective of forensic medicine.

He spent a whole day organizing the outline and the script for the first episode, and the next day he went to the director's office to find Chen Si.

"Sister Chen, I have a new script." Su Liu walked over, placed the printed script on the table, and got straight to the point, "But because of the subject matter, the approval process will probably be very difficult. I'd like to hear your opinion."

Chen Si had been buried in piles of resumes these days, screening team members for Dilraba and Mao Xiaotong. Upon hearing this, she put down her pen and leaned forward.

"Let me see." She picked up the script and casually brushed her hair back.

"Unnatural death?" Chen Si muttered to herself, looking at the title. After flipping through a few pages, she looked up to confirm, "A crime drama?"

"Yes."

"No wonder you said the censorship was difficult." Chen Si looked at the script, her fingers lightly tapping the table. "How many episodes are you planning to make?"

"Currently there are ten episodes, but if it can be broadcast on a satellite TV channel, it can be expanded to twenty episodes."

"Twenty episodes would be acceptable. But even if it passes censorship, no TV station would buy it if it were only ten episodes."

"My current dilemma is whether to stream it online or broadcast it on television. If it's made into a web series, there won't be any censorship issues."

"But aren't you worried about not being able to make a profit?" Chen Si asked pointedly.

"That's exactly what I mean. To make this drama of high quality, the investment in all aspects will probably be substantial."

Chen Si frowned as he stared at the script, pondered for a moment, and said, "In that case, we need a strong partner."

"Renewal?" Su Liu asked tentatively.

Chen Si shook her head. "Fuxin Pictures was only established this year. They only have money, so their help to us is very limited." She folded her hands, leaned back in her chair, and said calmly, "For this kind of subject matter, we need to find someone who can speak up in terms of censorship and platforms."

Seeing Su Liu's blank expression, Chen Si continued, "We have a great working relationship with Shanghai Film Studio, why didn't you think of asking them for help?"

"Shanghai Film Studio? They don't make TV dramas, do they?"

"The state-owned enterprise also owns Shangshi Pictures, which is a core producer of Tomato TV. We can just connect with Mr. Li from Shanghai Film Group. Shangshi belongs to Shanghai Culture and Broadcasting Group, so the review process is just a formality for them."

"I see." Su Liu finally realized the intricate connections between these companies. "But for crime dramas, they still need to go through the police's review process, right?"

"Indeed," Chen Si's expression darkened, and he leaned forward slightly. "Thinking about it carefully, Shang Shi really hasn't done much work on crime investigation themes. The police's censorship is always very strict. If we had submitted it through the normal process, who knows how difficult it would have been."

She stared at the script for a long time, then suddenly looked up and laughed, scolding, "Why did you have to make a crime drama? Even if it were a modern romance, we wouldn't have so many troubles."

"Hey, Sister Chen, I'm a mystery novelist." Su Liu had a strange sense of mission on her face. "What else should I write about?"

"Okay, okay, mystery novelist... oh dear!"

Chen Si's eyes suddenly lit up as she stared at Su Liu. "When you write about forensic medicine, have you considered seeking the support of the Forensic Medicine Association?"

Su Liu was stunned, his face filled with shock. "There's an academic society for forensic medicine?"

"Nonsense! Of course there are!" Chen Si slammed his hand on the table, his speech quickening considerably. "Not only are there academic societies, but also specialized forensic appraisal institutions. If a forensic medicine association provides support or guidance, the police investigation becomes much simpler."

"That's fantastic!" Su Liu exclaimed, immediately enlightened. "How about I finish the script first, and then personally go to the Forensic Medicine Association?"

"I'll go with you then."

Given Su Liu's unconventional personality, Chen Si dared not entrust him with any tasks.