Huayu: When the director changed his major

Chapter 97: Taking Advantage of Senior Brother Guo Fan
After hearing the words "You are the simplest and kindest girl I have ever met", Zhang Tianai returned to the dormitory with a sweet heart.

No wonder the boss said this, it is really useful.

Cheng Xi couldn't help but sigh.

After saying this, Xiaotian obviously cooperated a lot more.

learned.

The next day, news spread like wildfire that Zuibai Studio was going to make the novel "The Beginning" into a TV series.

From then on, the calls to Cheng Xi never stopped.

Major companies have come to ask about the investment and shooting details, whether the actors and crew have been arranged, etc.

It seems that they all want to insert a few characters.

Although everyone is skeptical about whether Zuibai can take on the responsibility of being a director, the popularity of the book "The Beginning" is undeniable.

You should know that when the online version was completed some time ago, Hongsheng Publishing House immediately rushed to publish the physical book of "The Beginning".

Now, in just half a month, the book's sales have already topped the March book rankings.

It can be said that it has become very popular.

Even if you don't invest, it would be nice to arrange for actors to come in and reap the benefits of the popularity.

Even if the drama is not good, it’s okay as long as the people can show their faces.

There are even a few entertainment companies with higher investment tendencies that want to cooperate with Cheng Xi and ask Cheng Xi if he can jointly invest in the filming of this drama.

Cheng Xi currently has his own ideas about the selection of actors, and has not considered cooperating with other companies in terms of investment.

So I politely declined one by one.

However, it was difficult for him to refuse the request from Senior Brother Youkulu Fanxi and Mr. Zeng from Sohu.

After all, they are still working together now.

Both parties want Cheng Xi's drama to be broadcast on their own platforms.

But when I learned that Cheng Xi's goal was to appear on the local satellite TV station, I couldn't help but feel a little tricky.

Mr. Zeng even went to Zuibai Studio to find Cheng Xi.

"Brother, I've read the novel 'The Beginning'. I fully support you in making it into a TV series."

Cheng Xi was of course very moved when he heard Mr. Zeng say this.

After all, the outside world was still skeptical about this young man's first time as a director directing a drama.

He is already the boss of Sohu Video, and he came to his small studio in person to discuss things. This is a gesture of great respect.

"Mr. Zeng, thank you for your support. I want to direct this drama myself, and I'm planning to air it on a local TV station. It's a transitional work for me, so it's really not suitable to broadcast it on an online platform."

When Mr. Zeng heard Cheng Xi say this, he understood that Cheng Xi was determined to broadcast live on satellite TV.

So he adopted a roundabout strategy and asked:

"Well, let's invest. You know, it takes a lot of money to make a TV series. What if, I mean, what if, the show doesn't work well here? We still have to share the cost risk."

"If we increase our investment, you'll have less risk and more money to spend on filming, and we'll be able to produce a better finished product."

"And if the satellite TV show fails, you can always go back to Sohu to broadcast, right?"

Cheng Xi looked at Mr. Zeng who came in person, and what he said was not unreasonable.

Always leave yourself a way out in everything. So I asked:
"Mr. Zeng, how much does Sohu Video want to invest?"

"I know your initial budget is 1000 million. So, we'll invest 200 million, bringing the total investment to 1200 million. How about you give us a 15% return?"

Mr. Zeng was obviously well prepared, and the investment amount was neither too much nor too little, so Cheng Xi didn't have any difficulty with it.

After all, the relationship between the two people is here.

So Cheng Xi simply made a counteroffer, 200 million accounting for 12% of the profits.

What I lack now is funds. Mr. Zeng is right, product quality is the first priority.

If you work hard and the film doesn't turn out well, then it will not be worth it.

Moreover, injecting almost all the funds of one's own studio into it is indeed too risky.

If Sohu invests, you can also use their connections if you encounter any problems later.

When Mr. Zeng heard the conditions proposed by Cheng Xi, he thought about it for a moment and agreed.

It seems that Mr. Zeng really thinks highly of him.

What Cheng Xi didn't know was that what Mr. Zeng was thinking was that even if it meant losing money, he had to maintain a good relationship with Cheng Xi.

Because he values ​​Cheng Xi's potential.

After Mr. Zeng agreed, Cheng Xi stood up, stretched out his hand in front of Mr. Zeng, and said:

"Thank you Mr. Zeng for your appreciation, thank you Sohu for your appreciation, and I wish us a happy cooperation!"

But what Cheng Xi didn't expect was that the news of cooperation with Sohu spread again.

Now his senior brother Lu Fanxi could no longer sit still and quickly contacted Cheng Xi.

But when Brother Lu heard that 200 million could only account for 12% of the profit.

So I started to back out.

According to the investment share, the 200 million investment should account for 16.7%, which is now a quarter less.

Brother Lu was not particularly confident about the drama at first, but he just felt that it should not be a problem to make back the investment.

It's difficult to make money.

If he didn't think the novel "The Beginning" was really good, he might not have invested in it.

If your 200 million accounts for 12% of the investment, you will lose a quarter right from the start.

So Brother Lu thought about it again and again, and after considering the opinions of all departments, he finally gave up the investment.

So the drama became a drama in which Zuibai Studio invested 1000 million yuan, accounting for 88% of the investment, while Sohu invested 200 million yuan, accounting for 12% of the investment.

I just don’t know if Senior Brother Lu will regret it in the future.

Cheng Xi thought so.

In the past few days, the Zuibai book club has become even more lively.

[Have you heard that "The Beginning" is going to be made into a TV series, and Brother Bai will be directing it himself!]

[Support Brother Bai, he made his own film out of his own novel. This time no one will say it’s a magical change! ]

[Yes, just follow the original novel. With the quality of "The Beginning," it will be good no matter how it's filmed!]

[Although I've heard about this news, there seems to be rumors that their budget is not very large. There are many explosion scenes in the film. I'm worried that the project will be delayed again and again, and our excitement will be in vain.]

[Also, Zuibai was a screenwriter before and has no directing experience. Whether he can make a good TV series right away is indeed a question.]

Most of the book lovers in the group still hold a supportive attitude.

Only a few people occasionally worried that this drama would not be as easy to shoot as they had imagined.

Especially for Zuibai, a newcomer to TV dramas, no one is clear about his directing skills.

And considering Zuibai's age, if he were to be the director, the risk of the show would increase dramatically.

However, most of the words spoken by book friends in the group were supportive, and the voices of a small number of people could not be heard, after all, they had supported Zuibai for so long.

It has become a habit.

There were also rumors flying around on Weibo, sometimes with solid evidence that the filming would take place, and sometimes they were just rumors.

The reason for filming this book is that when Zuibai was writing this book, he seemed to have already negotiated with Jingjiang.com about the copyright.

Zuibai must have considered the possibility of making it into a film or TV series from the very beginning.

Those who think it won't be filmed think that Zuibai Studio is unlikely to immediately take on a TV series, and let Zuibai, who has no directing experience, be the director. After all, the professional qualities required of screenwriters and directors are very different.

One tells a story with words, the other tells a story with a camera.

Moreover, there is no sign of the second season of "Never Expected" yet. Zui Bai is not so stupid as to go and make a TV series with an uncertain future.

Instead of making easy money, you have to go against money.

Cheng Xi looked at the chaotic news on the Internet and the speculations of book lovers, so he decided not to hide it anymore and announced the news directly on Weibo:

Drunk White:

【Thank you all netizens for your support and concern.

Zuibai Studio’s first project of the new year, the TV series “The Beginning”, has already started its early preparations. This drama is written and directed by me, and is in collaboration with Sohu Video. It is currently scheduled to officially start filming in April.

At the same time, the second season of "Never Expected" is also under urgent preparation. We hope to meet with all the friends who care about and support Zuibai Studio as soon as possible!

@Sohu Video @Wanhe Tianyi @Jingjiang Novel Network @Hongsheng Publishing House @Zuibai Studio]

As soon as the news came out, netizens were immediately excited.

I didn’t expect that the news circulating on the Internet was true.

Teacher Zuibai is really going to switch from screenwriter to director!

And the film was based on his own novel "The Beginning".

It wasn't long before there were more comments below.

Unlike the book lovers, netizens on Weibo did not overwhelmingly support Cheng Xi.

Zuibai is commendable for his courage. However, screenwriting and directing are two completely different professions. It would be better for Zuibai to find a good director and continue to be a screenwriter. I think this is more reliable. Don't let a good novel be distorted by the film.

[More and more people are crossing over to become directors these days, and Zuibai Studio has only been established for a short time, and they're already running a TV series? I'm not optimistic about the project's successful completion!]

[Support Mr. Zuibai. It's great that he wrote and directed the novel himself. No one can understand this novel better than the original author, right? ]

[Teacher Zuibai is only around 20 years old and still in school. Being a director requires qualifications, experience, and knowledge. Brother Bai, I really don't recommend you take such a risk.]

But Cheng Xi didn't care about that. The project had already been launched. Only by filming it could those who were pessimistic be silenced.

To refute them now would only embolden them.

While netizens were commenting, people from Zuibai Studio and some friends who had worked with Zuibai also helped to forward the post.

The news that Zuibai was going to be a director and start filming the TV series "Beginning" was further fermented.

When Hongsheng Publishing House learned that "The Beginning" was about to be adapted into a film or TV series, it was extremely excited.

No matter how the TV series "Beginning" is filmed.

If the filming is good, it will greatly promote the sales of the book, and a large number of viewers who like the drama will be willing to buy it.

The filming was not good, so everyone wanted to read the original novel to refresh their minds.

No matter what, the publisher will make a profit.

In order to promote the start of filming of the TV series "The Beginning", the publishing house suggested that Cheng Xi hold a book signing event for "The Beginning".

However, Cheng Xi still did not want to show up at the moment, so after a compromise, Cheng Xi agreed to sign 1000 hardcover copies of the novel.

To this end, Cheng Xi specially found a professional to design a signature based on his own writing habits.

After all, this will follow you for the rest of your life, so it’s better to be cautious.

Cheng Xi also practiced specifically for a few days before asking the publishing house to deliver the book to Zuibai Studio.

Now Cheng Xi finally understood how difficult it was to sign and sell books.

I wrote 1000 novels and wrote "Zui Bai" 1000 times continuously. In the end, my hand holding the pen was shaking a little.

When the employees of Zuibai Studio saw their boss signing the book with a bitter face, they couldn't help but cover their mouths and laugh.

Even Reba didn't forget to join in her brother's fun.

"Brother, your first autograph must be given to me!"

"Maybe when my brother becomes a big director, the value of my first Zuibai signature will increase."

"If I run out of money, I'll just sell this book. Hehe. Brother, don't you think I'm smart?"

What else could Cheng Xi do after hearing Reba say this?
I can only say that my little cutie is smart.

But you can sign books, and come and give my brother a shoulder massage, he just needs a break.

So Cheng Xi finally signed all 1,000 books through this combination of work and rest.

no way.

I just hope that book lovers will like it.

It is indeed not easy to be a famous author.

Cheng Xi’s next step is to start compiling scripts and casting.

As for the script, when Cheng Xi wrote this novel, he basically followed the outline of the TV series.

The writing itself is more suitable for adaptation into movies and TV series.

Of course, the narrative style of the novel is still different from that of the TV series.

One is to tell the story with words, using narration quotes and lots of background description.

But TV dramas are different, they tell stories through the camera.

If you add a narration in the middle, the audience will definitely feel uncomfortable.

Good directors try their best to tell stories through images.

For example, if you want to show that an actor is cold, you can't just say: I'm so cold.

This falls into the trap of voice-over performance.

In the freshman acting department, this level of performance will get you scolded.

Instead, it should be expressed through body trembling, lip color, character's expression, and changes in the environment.

Therefore, how to switch text into scenes is still a very professional matter.

So Cheng Xi thought of his direct senior brother Guo Fan.

I plan to invite him to complete the script with me.

Because the narrative style of "The Beginning" is still a bit comic-like, and Guo Fan has already published several original comics.

He is also good at drawing storyboards.

If he could help me complete the adaptation from novel to film and television, it would be much easier for me.

This is also the point that the outside world doubts me the most.

I used to work from a text perspective, but this time I changed to a camera perspective, so I needed some help.

Cheng Xi is ready to fleece his senior brother Guo Fan, who will be known as the "Cyber ​​Succubus" in the future.

If we don’t build good relationships now, when will we build good relationships?

He has already obtained the film and television adaptation rights for "The Wandering Earth", so why not seize the time to inspire the future director Guo?
Moreover, I had learned storyboarding under his guidance before, and Guo Fan's professional level is quite high.

Otherwise, it would have been impossible for me to be admitted to the graduate school of Beijing Film Academy from a law student of Hainan University.

In the second year, he received investment and started making movies. After graduation, he was spotted by Wanda and started filming "You Are the One" which became an instant hit.

So Cheng Xi immediately got to work and picked up the phone to call Brother Guo:

"Brother, are you willing to join our crew of 'The Beginning'?"

　Thanks to @抓了一只羊大导 for the tip! This book is also my first lead, so thank you for your support! Starting tomorrow, I'll be adding at least one chapter per day for a week! Thank you again!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)