Huayu 2011: Starting with Hilarious Men

The decision to change the name of "Diaosi Men" to "Baoxiao Men" was made by Zheng Nan after being reminded by Jiang Jinfu.

Jiang Jinfu makes a good point; using the word "loser" in the title of a work carries risks.

It might be subject to review, or it might not, but Zheng Nan couldn't afford to gamble, so she might as well change her name.

Zheng Nan has already cut and modified a lot of the content in the original "Men's Diary" series, so he doesn't need to change a single name.

While packing, Dilraba leaned over and asked, "When will the work be released?"

"It depends on when it can be edited," Zheng Nan said honestly.

"Will I be able to see this before I leave?"

Dilraba's new drama "Anarhan" is scheduled to start filming at the end of May. Dilraba needs to go to the border region for half a month in advance to experience it. She will be leaving in a few days, which is why she asked this question.

"It should be fine. I'll let you know on QQ when the time comes."

Zheng Nan silently calculated that he had almost finished editing the previous footage; all he needed to do was edit today's footage and insert it into the appropriate parts.

"Although my rational mind tells me that something we produce for 26,000 yuan is unlikely to become a hit, I still hope that this work can be seen and liked by many people," Dilraba said sincerely.

From filming the first scene at the milk tea shop to wrapping up today, Zheng Nan has heard the words "It's impossible for 26,000 yuan to be a hit" countless times in the past month. Every time, Zheng Nan did not respond, and today was no exception.

"Have you taken your leave before heading off to film?"

"It's all settled. The director said just don't fall behind in your major courses."

The Shanghai Theatre Academy and the Beijing Film Academy have this advantage: freedom!

If a student needs to film a movie, they can ask for leave and it will be granted; it won't hinder the student's chances of becoming famous.

The Central Academy of Drama is different; it's strictly managed.

Students are strictly prohibited from taking on acting roles or signing with talent agencies during their first and second years of university; they must focus on building their foundation while on campus.

That's why there's a saying that Beijing Film Academy produces stars, while the Central Academy of Drama produces actors.

…………

Another week passed, and it was now mid-April.

Zheng Nan finally managed to edit out all eight episodes of the first season of "Hilarious Men" in her dorm room.

Each episode is about twelve minutes long, and eight episodes are ninety-six minutes long. These ninety-six minutes contain more than fifty jokes.

Now that we have the main content, the next step is to decide on the distribution platform.

The original director of "Men's Diary" was Dapeng, who was also the host of a Sohu program called "Dapeng Debade" and was signed with Sohu. Naturally, his works were exclusively broadcast on Sohu Video.

In fact, the first season of "Men's Diary" was more like a sub-branch of the show "Dapeng Debade".

It was only separated into its own category because "Men's Diary" became so popular later.

Zheng Nan hadn't signed a contract with that platform, nor did she have any experience in publishing works, not even in her previous life. She could only try to find information about it online.

To be honest, there were way too many Google ads on Baidu in 2011. The top few search results were all ads that had bought "pay-per-click" rankings, with absolutely no useful content.

Having no other choice, Zheng Nan turned to Baidu Tieba for help, as there were still many active and knowledgeable users on Tieba in 2011.

Open the celebrity's Baidu Tieba forum and post your question directly there.

[Seeking help: I ​​personally invested in and produced a film/television project, but I'm encountering problems with its distribution.]

The activity level in the celebrity's online forum is still very high, and many people replied immediately.

【sofa.】

Is this film or television work serious?

Have you ever seen fifteen characters arranged so neatly?

[Looking for the catalog number of Yu Shinoda's debut film from last year!]

[Also looking for the ID number of the person upstairs. May they have a peaceful and happy life!]

[The original poster is urging Niu Bo to film something, right? You've even made a movie/TV series, shouldn't you be recruiting actresses next?]

[I've seen plenty of scammers like the original poster. They lure naive young girls who want to become stars by adding them on QQ and tricking them into video auditions.]

Among the many meaningless replies, there were indeed knowledgeable people offering their comments.

[Personal investment? Is there an issuance license?]

Zheng Nan immediately replied, "No."

Without it, it cannot be broadcast on television platforms and can only be broadcast on online platforms.

If you know any film and television organizations or platform managers, you could try selling the copyrights.

If that's not an option, you'll have to become an independent creator. Platforms like Tudou and Youku offer revenue sharing programs for original works, but the income isn't much, and it's generally difficult to break even on a decent production. You can check the detailed terms and conditions of each platform...

The expert's explanation was very detailed, and Zheng Nan also checked it out according to the expert's advice.

Do not check, I don’t know, I’m scared.

There are just too many video streaming platforms now.

The top tier alone includes five companies: Youku, Tudou, Sohu, and iQiyi (the future iQiyi).

Further down the list are Xunlei Kankan, PPTV, LeTV, Ku6.com, 56.com, Tencent Video, Baomihua.com, and so on.

At that time, both A and B were niche platforms and were not considered mainstream.

With so many platforms, Zheng Nan checked the terms and conditions for individual creators' submissions one by one.

Platforms that allow individual creators to earn money include Popcorn.com, Tudou's G-Shoot, and Youku.

However, to make money from these three companies, you need to apply for or sign an agreement, and the agreement contains exclusive requirements.

If making money is not a concern, there are many platforms where you can submit your work. Except for LeTV, which does not allow individual video uploads, all the other platforms mentioned above allow individual submissions.

Now Zheng Nan faces a question: should he monetize "Hilarious Men"?

To monetize, you can only choose one of the three platforms: Popcorn.com, Tudou, and Youku, and sign an agreement with the platform.

There are more options if you don't cash out.

"Forget about making money, bro, I want fame! I'll release it on all platforms! Once I'm famous, the money will come!"

Zheng Nan's confidence stems from his 550 virtual currency coins. Even if "Hilarious Men" flops, he'll still be a millionaire ten years from now!

After deciding to publish for free on all platforms, Zheng Nan registered an account on any platform that allows individual creators to publish.

They all have the same name: "Hilarious Men's Official Account".

Then upload the materials for the first episode one by one.

In 2011, the review process was relatively lenient. Small platforms approved applications instantly, while large platforms took up to two hours to complete the review.

While the review process was in progress, Zheng Nan took a moment to edit a message on QQ.

"The first episode of 'Hilarious Men' has been released. You can watch it on platforms such as Youku and Tudou. If you don't want to watch GG, you can also watch it on Bilibili."

Then it was sent to Dilraba Dilmurat, Yuan Bingyan, Lin Wenruo, Jiang Jinfu, Wang Jian and others.

The responses from the crowd were swift.

Dilraba: "The editing is really fast! Send me a link so I can see how the final product turns out."

Yuan Bingyan: "Is there a scene in the first episode featuring me? If not, don't watch it!"

Lin Wenruo: "Was there a thank you at the end for the guy who provided the camera for filming?"

Jiang Jinfu: "Received."

Wang Jian: "Congratulations!"