2001 Media Godfather

Chapter 10 The Logic of Capital
Strictly speaking, in most film crews, the creative system and the production system are mutually restraining.

The creative system is director-led, ensuring the integrity and quality of the works.

The production system, on the other hand, ensures the smooth operation of the production crew while making it a qualified "product".

To put it bluntly, one is burning through money for creative purposes, while the other is saving money for profit; they are naturally opposed.

Therefore, it is not abnormal for the production system to restrict the director's creative work, and it is also reasonable for the producer to prevent the director from making changes to the script.

But what Chu An sensed was something unusual was that the one restricting Lu Mingze's creativity shouldn't be the production manager; that's the executive producer's job.

To be precise, the production manager should consider issues from the director's perspective. Because they are essentially the director's person, responsible for securing funding from the producer on behalf of the director.

Thanks to Tong Meng's outstanding performance, the morning's filming schedule was not delayed, and lunch was served on time.

In addition, it was only the second day of filming, and all the scenes were set at Liu Xia's home; the other actors hadn't joined the crew yet.

So, Tong Meng had nowhere to go, and naturally ended up sitting with Chu An after receiving her lunchbox.

Sister Lan also came over with a lunchbox. She had something to say to Chu An. "The factory manager just called and said he'll send someone to deliver the keys this afternoon."

Chu An said, "Thank you, Sister Lan!"

Sister Lan said, "Don't mention it."

At this moment, her lunchbox contained dried small fish and freshly pickled bellflower root.

All of this was thanks to Chu An.

Taking this opportunity, Chu An casually brought up the scene from that morning, saying, "That scene was a pity. Why wouldn't Master Jia let us film it?"

Lan Jie didn't say anything, but Tong Meng didn't care. "Tian Du has always been domineering. You'll see when you enter the entertainment industry."

Chu An has a talent for acting, and Tong Meng is certain that this is his natural profession.

Chu Anxin thought to herself, "Sure enough, the production manager was sent by Tiandu!"

Director Lu has basically lost control of this film.

Here, we must talk about the complete composition of a film crew.

As mentioned earlier, a film crew uses two systems.

The highest-ranking person on the production team is the [Producer], followed by the Executive Producer, Production Manager, Production Manager, On-set Manager, Character Director, and Coordinator. Simply put, they're the group that manages the money and the operations.

The producer is responsible for the overall project budget, fund allocation, and so on; this is the highest-ranking position.

However, producers generally don't come to the set; they basically don't show up once filming begins. (To avoid getting into a fight with the director.)
The executive producer is responsible for managing funds and personnel during filming, including controlling the director's budget overruns.

Next is the [Production Manager], who oversees the production producers, on-set producers, character directors, and coordinators.

The production manager is in charge of logistics, including three meals a day, booking hotels, and managing transportation.

The on-site producer is responsible for expenses related to props and supplies during filming.

If Chu An's family's small shop opens, the people they need to cultivate good relationships with are the production manager and the on-site producer, because they will be their benefactors.

The role director is responsible for recruiting and pricing the salaries of ordinary actors, featured actors, and extras, in addition to the main actors. This is the role of Sister Lan.

But Lan Jie is a little different. The assistant director who had worked with Director Lu for a long time couldn't stand his bad temper in the last film and left the team. Lan Jie is still serving as the assistant director in the crew.

You could say that Sister Lan also acts as the character director. Because she's part of the creative system, she's Director Lu's person.

The coordinator is like the general manager on set; all the trivial matters must go through him.

All of these positions are related to "money," so they belong to the production system.

The directors, actors, costume and prop designers, sound and lighting engineers, cinematographers, and art directors that everyone is familiar with actually belong to the creative system—the group that spends the money. Lu Mingze has absolute power; he is the god.

So why is it said that Director Lu has lost control of the production team?

Because there is a very delicate position in the production system, and that is the production manager.

All the production managers, on-site producers, character directors, and coordinators responsible for implementing the specific tasks are subordinates of the production manager.

At the same time, it allows for direct communication with executive producers and even producers.

To put it bluntly, the production manager is a bridge between the top and bottom levels. Although they belong to the production system, they are inseparable from the creative team and can even directly affect the normal operation of the creative team.

Therefore, as a matter of convention, and also to ensure that the two systems cooperate rather than oppose each other, the production manager is usually appointed by the director.

The director can focus on creating content; when it comes to money, there's no need to argue with the producer directly. The production manager will handle the coordination and communication.

Even if the production company wants to control costs, it doesn't need to have direct contact with the director. Instead, the production manager can mediate, which benefits everyone.

But if the production manager is also a member of the production company, then the director is completely disconnected from financial power.

It's fair to say that the director can't control anyone outside the camera's field of view, so how can the film be shot?
Chu An was very curious: how could Lu Mingze possibly allow such a situation to occur on his film set?
"Actually, Director Lu has had a tough time too, so please be understanding!" Sister Lan quickly gave her answer.

There's no way around it; gossiping is a regular part of mealtimes on set, and no one can escape it.

"Tian Du disagreed with Director Lu's decision to film this movie. However, Director Lu made great sacrifices in order for the movie to start filming."

Upon hearing this, Chu An was even more confused.

If it were a good script, it would be acceptable. But this script, even if Lu Mingze couldn't tell it was a bad film due to the limitations of the era, shouldn't he at least have some sense of it? Why insist on making it?
So he asked, "Director Lu, is there something troubling you?"

Sister Lan laughed then, "It's not really a hardship."

She glanced at Lu Mingze and saw that the great director was resting with his eyes closed, so she whispered, "Although our director Lu is a bit irritable, he actually has a bit of a childish temper."

This matter is not complicated, and is even a little ridiculous.

Lu Mingze's most famous works are all Qing Dynasty dramas. Last year, with another hit drama topping the ratings, some voices of doubt emerged among the audience.

People say things like Lu Mingze only knows how to film period dramas and is a remnant of the Qing Dynasty.

At first, it was alright; it was just a few isolated voices. But somehow, it escalated and even became a news hotspot. Many entertainment media outlets, vying for traffic, followed suit and even joined the audience in questioning Lu Mingze's creative abilities.

Tong Meng chimed in, "There was a period last year when it caused quite a stir. I remember paparazzi even went to the school to wait for Director Lu's child and ask if he was married."

Sister Lan said, "It was more than that. During that time, there was a lot of criticism. There were reporters all downstairs at Director Lu's house, and he didn't dare to go home for two months."

Tong Meng, "That's so unfair!"

Chu An, however, was not surprised; there were far more outrageous examples in other timelines.

"Then what?"

Sister Lan said, "To be honest, if it were a different director, it probably wouldn't be a big deal. Let them say what they want; once the hype dies down, it'll all be over."

"But...but people are afraid of having their weaknesses exposed. You could probably let go of other issues with Director Lu, but questioning his creative abilities..." Well, Lu Mingze really is lacking in that regard!
He is not a creative director, but rather the kind of director who excels at creating atmosphere and generating story conflict.

Some directors don't even need a script or screenwriter; they can film it just by giving them a story outline and actors.

But Lu Mingze is lacking; his weakest point is his creative ability. However, his strength is also obvious: the accuracy of his recreations.

Give him a specific scene, and he can film it perfectly. And whatever effect you want, he can give you that effect.

In short, Lu Mingze was not convinced!

He is a well-known figure in China, so how could he tolerate having his creative abilities questioned?
"so."

Ma Lan, an insider who has worked with Director Lu for many years, explained the background: "That's how this campus drama came about. Director Lu wanted to prove himself and also wanted to step out of his comfort zone and try a new genre."

"Tiandu, as a production company that has long cooperated with Director Lu, disagreed. But Director Lu insisted on making the film and even raised some funds himself, so Tiandu agreed to start filming."

“But,” pointing to Grandpa Jia who flashed by at the door, “the production manager was arranged by Tian Du to help Director Lu control the risks.”

"Pfft!!!" Chu An couldn't help but burst out laughing.

I thought to myself, these creative people are playing mind games with capital, and they don't even know how they're being played to their doom.

They changed the production manager, who now holds all the power and tries to convince you they'll help control the risks.

I had already roughly guessed the general situation in my mind.

To confirm his suspicions, Chu An asked casually, "Sister, Tian Du found the adaptation rights for this script, right?"

Sister Lan: "Absolutely! The only thing Director Lu's creative team lacks is talent with screenwriting skills."

Seemingly with a sigh, he said, "Wang Zheng, the assistant director who originally worked with Director Lu, was quite creative, but he also left last year."

Chu An: "So, the script adaptation was also done by Tiandu."

Sister Lan, "Yes!"

Chu An: "Then, was Director Lu's portion of the investment also made by Tian Du?"

Sister Lan: "Yes, why are you asking this?"

What else is there to do? He thought to himself, this isn't a film crew, it's a trap that the heavens have dug for Lu Mingze.

Chu An had been wondering why everything seemed so strange; it turned out this wasn't a film crew, but a trap set for Lu Mingze!
First of all, there's something strange about the fact that he was able to join the crew.

Sister Lan's so-called "connected" employee dared to quit the show at the last minute. Does she even want to stay in the industry? This is the first unreasonable thing.

Furthermore, Lu Mingze lacks creative ability, so how could Tiandu Culture, with its rich experience, allow such a terrible script to reach the filming stage? That's the second point.

Then there's Jia's production manager, who took over the financial control of the renowned director with whom they had a long-term collaboration. Don't they realize this will severely restrict the director's creative process?
That's not all. Strictly controlling the director's shooting costs, but controlling a scene that is clearly beneficial to the work and doesn't consume much energy, is even more unreasonable.

These illogical actions left Chu An somewhat bewildered, and he once wondered if this was how film crews in this timeline operated. Now, he understood everything.

The reason is that Tiandu never intended for this show to make money; they even planned to make it a complete financial disaster!
So why?

No matter what, Tiandu is the production company and the biggest investor. Would they deliberately lose all their money?

Are you sick?
Haha, not only is he not sick, but he's also ruthless and shrewd.

Very simple.

A top-tier director in the domestic genre, a cash cow for his company, has gone mad and wants to step out of his comfort zone.

Putting aside whether he has the ability, just how much risk does the company have to bear?

Therefore, how much revenue was lost in the Qing Dynasty drama genre?

But they couldn't dissuade him; Director Lu was determined to go his own way.

So what can we do? We can only let him bang his head against a wall.

Only after suffering setbacks and getting hurt will he wake up and come back to honestly film what he's good at to make money for the company.

So here's the question: what if Director Lu succeeds?

What if his campus dramas also make money? There's no need to go to such great lengths, ruining a show to block his path, right? After all, the company has invested real money.

It's really not.

First and foremost, risk is the top priority for capital!

Even if Director Lu succeeds in making a modern drama, the risks that capital will have to bear are enormous.

Secondly, capital is always allocated to specific positions.

It's possible that Tiandu already has a qualified director in the fashion drama genre who can generate profits for the company, so why let another director who can generate profits in another genre compete for resources in the same field?

Therefore, from Tiandu Culture's perspective, whether Lu Mingze's transformation is successful or not, it will be a loss for the company!
Not only should we not allow him to change his career path, but we should also keep him firmly on the track of Qing Dynasty dramas.

This is the logic of capital.

They don't need Lu Mingze to prove himself, nor do they need him to succeed!
Then another question arises: what if directors, who are all individualistic, refuse to comply with the arrangements of capital and insist on changing their style?

If the company strongly opposes it, it will inevitably lead to conflict. What if they are not willing to make money for you in the future?
Let's try a different approach then.

The company supports you stepping out of your comfort zone, encourages you to break through your limits, and even provides funding, scripts, and resources to help you realize your dreams!

They might even promise you a lucrative deal, turning you from a creator into a partner!
Let's make money together; the company will give you more of the profits!
Is he loyal enough? Is he compassionate enough?
Were you touched?
then
The failure of one film can bring you back to square one! It not only brings you back to reality, but also leaves you penniless.

From now on, you'll honestly earn money to pay off your debts, and you'll film whatever I tell you to film!

Compared to a relatively low-budget modern drama that only loses a few million, a Qing Dynasty drama is a money-printing machine that will have everyone devoted to it from then on.
If you were capital, how would you choose?
That's why Chu An said that this wasn't a film crew at all, but a trap set for Lu Mingze.

The production system's goal is not to make good films; they even want to prevent Director Lu from making good films.

Chu An even suspected that the assistant director who was good at screenwriting was deliberately taken away by Tiandu Culture.

Sister Lan, who had connections, deliberately skipped the performance after hearing rumors.

Even Xu Shu, who acted like a diva, refused to change her lines in Chu An's scene yesterday, and she did the same in Tong Meng's scene today, even ruining Tong Meng's exceptional performance. All of this was intentional.

Damn it!
Chu An felt a chill run down his spine as he scanned the entire room, sensing that he was surrounded by enemies.

Lu Mingze, sitting not far away, also appeared lonely and desolate...

People say that capital is cold-blooded, and this has now become a concrete reality.

This film crew is doomed.
No future!
……

(End of this chapter)