Huayu: This producer has no bottom line.

Chapter 111 A Decent Explanation

After seeing the others off, Ren Pingsheng remained alone in the private room.

He pulled over the file folder left by Zhang Chaoyang and took out the contract inside.

Five episodes each for "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils 2" and "The Deer and the Cauldron," which was agreed upon in previous negotiations with Changyou.

However, two completely different versions of the contract were prepared.

One option is a fully customized model with a total cost of 400 million.

In short, Changyou has fully acquired the rights to the film, while Shengpingshi is essentially an outsourced production company. After filming and delivery, Shengpingshi has no further involvement with the copyrights and revenue.

The other one is a co-production + product placement model worth 280 million.

Changyou paid 280 million as a minimum production fee. Although the copyright of the series belongs to Shengping TV, it is still restricted to exclusive broadcast on Sohu Video. The only difference is that it can seek other brand sponsorships and product placements.

Ren Pingsheng is free to choose between the two contracts.

Looking at these two documents, Ren Pingsheng couldn't help but admire Zhang Chaoyang's vision; he was extending goodwill to him with the utmost sincerity.

The production cost per episode is as high as 40 yuan. To put that in perspective, the production cost per episode of Zhao Baogang's star-studded TV series "Marriage Defense" was only around 75 yuan.

"Pingsheng, what happened?"

The door to the private room was forced open, and Dapeng peeked in and plopped down next to Ren Pingsheng.

"What's going on? It's just three people playing cards," Ren Pingsheng said, pushing the contract aside and taking a sip of his tea.

"So, who do we choose?" Da Peng rubbed his hands together. "Is it whoever pays the most?"

"That's not how you do it," Ren Pingsheng shook his head. "The three companies have different needs and their own advantages, but there are also areas of overlap. We can't sacrifice future interests for short-term gains, so we need to weigh the pros and cons."

Da Peng listened, stunned. Although he didn't quite understand the intricacies of the situation, he trusted Ren Pingsheng's judgment.

"Fine, I don't understand any of this anyway, just point and I'll do it."

In the following days, the studio became busy again.

Xiao Ai approached Ren Pingsheng with a stack of documents.

"Brother Pingsheng, I've compiled the game data that Changyou sent us. We can adapt the game's storyline and missions into the style of 'Unexpectedly' —"

Xiao Ai became more and more excited as he talked. He'd spent the last few days scouring the forums for both games, his mind completely consumed by them—

Slang and memes.

Ren Pingsheng listened for a while, then frowned and raised his hand to interrupt him.

"Xiao Ai, your approach is off track."

He put the documents back on the table. "Aren't you being a little too concerned about customization?"

Xiao Ai was taken aback for a moment, "Isn't that right? They paid us to film this, so they must be promoting new content in the game."

"The ultimate goal of custom-made dramas is indeed to win, but don't forget, who's the audience for these dramas?"

Ren Pingsheng tapped the table. "If you really make this a fan-oriented work, full of references that only veteran gamers will understand, then ordinary viewers won't be able to understand it. Who are you trying to show this to?"

"So, forget about the game, just tell the story."

He looked at Xiao Ai, his tone becoming more serious, "We need to naturally turn game elements into props or backgrounds in comedic scenes. Our first priority is to make a good-looking and funny short drama, and only then can we make a game-related comedy."

Xiao Ai nodded thoughtfully, took the documents back and revised them.

Ren Pingsheng watched his retreating figure and sighed inwardly.

In fact, he had a very clear understanding of the positioning of these two dramas.

He didn't expect to achieve the same level of mainstream success as shows like "Unexpected" or "Men's Diary".

The success of the previous dramas was either due to the novelty of the early days of nonsensical short dramas, or because they resonated with the emotions of a specific atmosphere.

However, the audience's threshold can be raised infinitely.

If you use the same tricks too often, the effect will inevitably be greatly reduced.

This is purely a case of taking money to solve someone's problems.

Then, while ensuring the quality of the comedy as much as possible, we should try to get rid of the sponsor's money.

This is also why he ultimately chose the fully exclusive customization model.

Dapeng has already gone to Shanghai with Zhao Bensan, and Wang Li, the newly appointed head of the brokerage company, has brought good news.

"Mr. Ren, we've made contact with that girl named Nazha."

"How so?"

"She was very surprised," Wang Li said with a smile. "She said she hadn't received a reply after submitting her resume and thought it was hopeless. I told her that our Shengping Vision Media was interested in her and wanted to invite her to Yanjing for an interview."

"That girl was quite wary. She asked a lot of questions. When she found out that we wanted to sign her as an actress, not the singing and dancing direction she originally applied for, she said she needed to discuss it with her parents and would give them an answer within three days at the latest."

Ren Pingsheng nodded.

In 2010, Gulnazar was only 18 years old. At that age, most of the major life decisions are in the hands of their parents.

He thought for a moment and instructed Wang Li, "Sister Wang, when you follow up, be careful not to put too much pressure on her. Just tell her directly that if her parents are worried, we can invite her mother to come to Yanjing with her to see the company. We will cover all the travel and accommodation expenses."

Wang Li's eyes lit up. "That's a great idea! I'll go do it right away."

All fronts are progressing steadily; now it's time to address the most pressing issue.

After several days of careful consideration, he decided to continue with Tencent and iQiyi to complete this round of financing.

Both companies, whether in terms of current resource support or future strategic collaboration, are the best allies for me to grow into a towering giant.

Finally, after several rounds of intense phone negotiations, the three parties reached an agreement.

Tencent invested 2000 million to acquire a 5% stake in LifeView.

As an additional condition, Tencent enjoys the exclusive right to use those three Weibo domain names.

Baidu's iQiyi also invested 2000 million yuan to acquire a 10% stake in Shengping Vision.

In consideration, iQiyi has the right of first refusal to purchase the content produced by LifeShow.

A total of 15% of the shares were released, raising 4000 million yuan, with a pre-investment valuation of over 2.5 million yuan.

Looking at the final terms and conditions letter of intent that he had just confirmed via email, Ren Pingsheng breathed a sigh of relief.

Once the 4000 million yuan arrived, Shengping Film and Television completely broke free from the category of a makeshift operation and gained the capital to enter the traditional film and television industry and compete for a share of the profits.

And all of this is thanks to Zhang Chaoyang's uninvited visit that day.

If he hadn't brought 40 million to cause trouble, Peng Zhijian and Gong Yu would never have accepted the reduced shareholding ratio so readily.

Return the peach.

Although we didn't accept Sohu's investment, in business, having more friends is always better than having more enemies.

Moreover, Sohu is currently one of the biggest financial backers of the company.

Ren Pingsheng picked up his phone and dialed Zhang Chaoyang's number.

"Mr. Zhang, it's me, Ren Pingsheng."

When the call connected, Ren Pingsheng's tone was sincere.

"Does Mr. Zhang have time for a cup of tea tonight?"

Ren Pingsheng felt it was necessary to give such a dignified explanation to this influential and visionary internet figure.