2001 Media Godfather

Chapter 37 Why are you looking at me?

In this era when the Internet was just emerging, television was still the main medium for ordinary people to see the world.

Although cable TV coverage is already quite high, some administrative units below the county level, especially remote areas and rural villages, can only receive three channels:
One CCTV and one CCTV.

One provincial satellite TV channel.

The other is the local county-level television station.

Moreover, the station with the best signal and the highest clarity is the local station.

Using a fishbone antenna or a small dish antenna might allow you to receive more channels, but the signal will still be extremely poor.

When Chu An and his generation were young, every family had an antenna pole standing on the eaves. Adults would often give instructions in front of the television, and Chu An and his friends would hug the antenna pole and turn it left or right.

If you think that a small TV station that only broadcasts for a few hours doesn't have many viewers, you're sorely mistaken.

Firstly, local news closely reflects the lives of local residents. Secondly, these smaller stations are prone to exploiting loopholes and are not strictly regulated.

What they can broadcast, big TV stations might not dare to broadcast; it's all about catering to the public's preferences.

Movies like martial arts films, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Hollywood blockbusters—who cares if they have copyrights? During the Lunar New Year, there are 24-hour movie screenings, and everyone loves to watch them.

Sometimes, pushing the boundaries isn't so bad. Some daring people even show Category III films late at night—that's how outrageous they are.

Therefore, local TV stations have a large following, especially among young people and rural viewers.

Zhang Junmei is still a bit dazed. She was appointed as the head of external relations in a time of crisis and temporarily took on the role of the distribution director.

Moreover, she still can't figure out how Chu Shikuai managed to turn a crew with so few crew members into what it is today.

Everyone in the group, including herself, was willing to follow his orders and was full of enthusiasm.

Perhaps everyone has already realized that they may be creating a miracle.

Zhang Junmei rubbed her temples, thinking to herself, "Everyone's holding their breath."

Because "The Best of Us" may be the first truly weekly drama series.

The first drama series to bypass satellite TV channels and focus on targeted promotion and distribution.

All of this was accomplished despite the relentless pursuit and suppression of capital.

This will be an undeniable miracle in the history of Chinese television drama development.

Perhaps, only when "With You" is officially broadcast will everyone be able to vent their frustration.

On that day, what kind of results everyone will achieve will depend on her, the publicity director.

"Tell Sister Lan that we're going to Shengjing tonight. We won't rest; we'll have a meeting right away to handle the details."

Zhang Junmei gave it her all.

Chu An's task for him was to reach 500 county and city-level television stations within a month. Her own goal, however, was 1500; she wanted to surpass the initial broadcast purchase record of "The Rise and Fall of the Republic of China."

While Zhang Junmei was directing a hundred-person distribution team to launch an unconventional publicity campaign, the film crew also spent a busy week in full swing.

9 month 3 day.

Strictly speaking, Chu An had already started school, but the film crew was extremely busy, and as the backbone of the team, he absolutely could not be absent, so it was only natural that he asked for leave.

At this moment, the old elm tree outside the window was still rustling softly in the sunlight.

Inside the house, all the actors from the drama "With You" gathered together.

Chu An, the screenwriter, was holding the script and told everyone to find a place to sit.

"We'll start the reading session later today. Director Lu called this morning; he's on his way back from Yangcheng. He'll be leading the reading session today, and he should be arriving soon."

Just then, Lu Mingze rushed in, looking travel-worn. Ignoring the fact that all the actors had stood up and were paying their respects to the director, he headed straight for Chu An.

"It's settled! Liaoning Provincial Radio and Television has agreed!"

Chu An frowned and gestured for Lu Mingze to go outside to talk.

These days, film crews do things like they're thieves, keeping them extremely secret.

Unfortunately, Tiandu has become more vigilant because of the previous financing issue, and they are keeping a closer eye on the production team.

To minimize trouble, Chu An now tries to keep as few people as possible from knowing about it.

He pulled Director Lu outside and said, "Speak."

Lu Mingze couldn't hide his excitement, "It's all settled! Liaoning Provincial Radio and Television gave us the green light all the way. Their provincial approval process can be shortened to three days, and then a dedicated person from the Provincial Radio and Television will deliver it to the Shenyang Radio and Television Administration."

With a wicked grin, he said, "The deputy director who submitted the application is from the General Administration of Customs; he knows people there. I guarantee our public notice period won't exceed one week."

Chu An was greatly surprised to hear this. "So, from the time we submit the application for review, it will only take ten days at most for it to be approved?"

This efficiency is incredible; Chu An couldn't believe it.

Lu Mingze said smugly, "Actually, Liaoning Radio and Television didn't originally care this much."

“Although they attach great importance to our project, as you know, it brings both success and risk. Initially, they only agreed to give us 12 permits and helped us coordinate with the General Administration as much as possible.”

"But do you know why they suddenly became so proactive, even going so far as to shorten the approval process in a way that defies common sense?"

Chu An, "Why?"

Lu Mingze said mysteriously, "Ningyuan TV station submitted a set of data. The people from the provincial radio and television station didn't tell me, but they must have received a lot of advertising fees."

Chu An understood now; so that was the reason!

It makes sense when you think about it. In those days, county-level TV stations were extremely short of funds. They were so poor that they couldn't even pay salaries. They either had to collect more advertising fees or get funding from the province.

With higher advertising revenue, the financial burden on the province is naturally reduced. So, how could Liaoning Provincial Radio and Television not take it seriously?
Having the deputy director submit a film for review is quite unprecedented.

Chu An felt much more at ease and didn't dare to delay. He then asked Lu Mingze to lead the script reading.

……

Xu Shu didn't come to today's script reading because she was in another group.

As mentioned before, Xu Shu is filming four dramas simultaneously and has been away for a week. She will not return until the day after tomorrow, at the opening ceremony of the new filming plan for "With You".

As for the game she longed for, Chu An had Zhao Yang and the others keep it running.

However, Chu An was puzzled because the two hundred yuan internet fee should have been spent long ago, so why didn't those two poor guys ask President Chu to renew the fee?

Well, farther away.

The two-hour reading session passed quickly, and the actors returned to their rooms.

Chu An and Lu Mingze couldn't rest yet; they had to organize a meeting for the filming crew, and this meeting was very important. One reason was that the production team was going to introduce a brand-new filming process—a three-camera A/B team.

Even though the weekly broadcast arrangement has been finalized, it's still impossible for Director Lu to film two episodes a week.

Therefore, speeding up the production process is also an essential step.

Therefore, the three-camera A/B group that Chu An had mentioned earlier was brought out.

Three-camera setups were quite unfamiliar to film crews of this era.

They mainly use single-camera and dual-camera setups; they've never actually played with a triple-camera setup.

Dong Wende's hair has almost fallen out in the past few days because he has been staying up all night.

As soon as he entered the room, he shouted, "Chu Shikuai, tell me again, how can I make a panoramic camera position that doesn't conflict with front and rear camera positions? My bunch of idiots under me always manage to give us away!"

The issue raised by Dong Wende involves the advantages and disadvantages of a three-camera setup.

The advantage is that it is highly efficient.

The downside is that a three-camera setup requires three cameramen to work in perfect harmony, otherwise it's easy to give away the mistake.

At this point, Dong Wende felt it necessary to explain his difficulties to these laymen, fearing that others might not understand.

"Let's use an example!" Old Dong gestured wildly, and simply asked everyone in the conference room to make room for him to demonstrate.

"Let's film the scene of Geng Geng running on the tree-lined path on campus."

"To meet Director Lu's requirements."

"With a single camera, we first need to shoot a shot of Geng Geng entering the frame, then shoot a shot from the front showing the beauty of Geng Geng running. But that's not enough, we also need to shoot a shot of her from behind, and add a fast-paced shot of her from behind during editing to enhance the expressiveness."

She looked at Director Lu and said, "Am I right? This is your style, isn't it?"

Director Lu frowned and said, "We need to add a wide shot, a girl running across the scene from afar on a beautiful tree-lined path. It will be perfect when we cut them together like this."

Dong Wende immediately exclaimed, "Listen to this!! Three sets of shots aren't enough, he wants four!"

"With a single camera angle, the actors have to run four times, and I have to shoot four times too!"

Everyone smiled knowingly, and someone joked, "That's why they say Director Lu is slow at filming."

Dong Wende continued:
"A dual-camera setup is essentially the same, except that an auxiliary camera is added."

"The main camera will still do the single-camera work, while the auxiliary cameras will shoot some close-ups. For example, Xu Shu's facial expressions when she runs, close-ups of her hurried footsteps, and so on." Director Lu slapped his thigh, "Great idea!" He already had the images in mind.

He was met with a disdainful look from Dong Wende. He complained to everyone, "Now you know how damn hard it is to be his cameraman, right?"

The prop master laughed and said, "It's not easy for anyone, we're in the same boat. You keep going, don't delay things!"

Dong Wende's tone suddenly changed, and he smiled broadly, "But the three-camera shooting method is completely different."

"The three camera positions are: panoramic camera position, front camera position, and back camera position."

"Shooting from three angles simultaneously captures all the details that Director Lu needs in one go. Actors only need to run through the scene once to complete a set of shots, which increases efficiency many times over."

“Take Director Lu for example. Under the premise of ensuring quality, the number of shots can be increased from 10 to 12 per day to about 20.”

Everyone understood. "No wonder Old Dong reacted so strongly when Chu An proposed three cameras that day. It turns out the advantage is so obvious."

Dong Wende's eyes widened. "I was totally fooled! Who knew that the drawbacks of a three-camera setup were just as big!"

With each additional camera position, the limitations on the shooting angles of the other two cameras become greater. If you're not skilled, it's easy for a perfectly good shot to suddenly have an extra cameraman in it.

While it might be an exaggeration for Lao Dong to say he "regrets" it, this past week has certainly taken a toll on him.

Chu An laughed at Dong Wende's anxiety, "Uncle Dong, you don't need to worry. If you could master three-camera setups in a week, you wouldn't need to work in China anymore. Hollywood production crews would be offering you high salaries!"

In this era, three-camera setups were considered advanced even abroad.

Chu An's words roused Dong Wende, "I'll go back and continue training those kids!"

So here's the problem: while three cameras can solve Director Lu's shooting efficiency issues, what if he still can't achieve high-speed shooting of two episodes a week?

This involves another shooting method – A/B groups.

This method of dividing a production crew into two groups and setting them up simultaneously is not new in this era. The only difficulty is that, apart from Director Lu, no one else in the crew can lead another group.

Ultimately, it was Ma Lan who solved the problem.

When Sister Lan returned to Shengjing to recruit soldiers, she immediately contacted someone.

He only said one sentence on the phone: "Director Lu needs you, we all need you!"

This person is Wang Zheng, Director Lu's former assistant director, whose collaboration was disrupted by Tian Du, leading to their breakup.

Upon receiving the call, Wang Zheng disregarded his previous grudges with Director Lu and didn't even ask what had happened. Without a word, he put aside all his other duties and returned to the team, taking up the mantle of Group B.

Wang Zheng is a very talented and grateful young director.

He had been by Director Lu's side for several years, and although he had been scolded a lot, Lu Mingze had also taught him everything he knew, and he remembered this kindness.

"Brother Wang!" Chu An greeted, "You still need to go over the filming schedule for Group B with Brother Lai again. Make sure it doesn't conflict with Group A."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zheng said, "Let him come and calm down. He feels like throwing up just hearing the word 'announcement'."

Wang Zheng wasn't joking; he was telling the truth. Ji Yinglai had gone mad.

The most challenging aspect of dividing the work into A and B groups is coordination, as he has to coordinate the work of both groups.

Coordinating one group is already a miracle worker; coordinating two groups is practically impossible.

You'll be exhausted!
Chu An followed up on Wang Zheng's words, "Brother Lai, keep going, think of your wife, think of your son, think of..."

Ji Yinglai, his eyes red, yelled, "Get lost!! Don't fucking mess with me!"

He's very irritable right now, and he can't stand anyone. If he gets angry, even Director Lu will get a few words of abuse from him.

Alright, Chu An has been defeated. He's not someone to mess with.

Currently, the production team is progressing in a positive direction, and everyone is doing their best in their respective roles.

Everything else in today's meeting is minor; the important thing to discuss is what we're about to talk about.

That is: there are several scenes in Chu An's original script that are illogical.

Because the filming and broadcasting were done simultaneously, not just a few scenes, but many scenes needed to be changed.

Take this discussion, for example.

Later in the series, Geng Geng and Yu Huai reunite after seven years apart, and they have a kissing scene.

Originally, there was nothing wrong with it; the kissing scene took place after Geng Geng and Yu Huai had come of age, so there were no violations or sensitive issues. But now that it's being filmed and broadcast on demand, we have to be careful.

Chu An frowned. "After all, it's a campus drama. Although it's reasonable, what if the State Administration of Radio and Television doesn't approve it?"

He explained, "Our target audience is, after all, teenagers and students. The State Administration of Radio and Television could easily use this as a reason to force us to make changes, but then it would be too late!"

Director Lu retorted, "Isn't it a bit much? I think this kissing scene must be kept, otherwise the reunion will lack dramatic tension!"

Chu An immediately retorted, "It's always better to be safe than sorry! And don't forget, Xu Shu is only seventeen years old, it's not appropriate for her to film kissing scenes."

Director Lu glared at him, "There's always a first time!"

"Wouldn't it be better if Xu Shu gave her first on-screen kiss in 'With You'?"

Chu An: "No way! I'm the screenwriter, and if I think it's no way, it's no way!"

Director Lu, "I think it's a good idea!"

Chu An, "Listen to me!"

Director Lu, "The screenwriter must listen to the director!"

Chu An, "..."

Why can't I persuade him?

Director Lu squinted at Chu An, his intelligence once again dominating, and spoke in a sarcastic tone.

"Xiao Chu, are you up to something? It's just a kissing scene!"

Everyone paused for a moment, then immediately switched to gossip mode.

Ji Yinglai, that big mouth, can't keep secrets. There have been rumors in the group for a while about Chu Shikuai and the big star Xu.

Upon hearing Director Lu's words and glancing at everyone's smug faces, Chu An immediately became agitated. "Stop talking nonsense! How the hell am I being motiveless? It's all for the good of the show."

Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he launched into a conversation.

Pointing at Director Lu's nose, she started cursing: "Speaking of which, Lu Mingze, you're a complete waste. Filming starts the day after tomorrow, and you still haven't won over the male lead!"

This tactic worked! Everyone's attention was drawn to Director Lu, and they realized that even now, the male lead still hadn't arrived.

What's even more frustrating is that he doesn't seem to be in a hurry at all!?
Look, look...

At this moment, Director Lu looked at Chu An with a smile, as if Chu An wasn't cursing him at all.

Dong Wende spoke up, "Director Lu, who exactly is the male lead? If we still can't get him, then all our previous efforts will have been in vain!"

Dong Wende wasn't exaggerating at all; without Yu Huai, how could this show be filmed?
Director Lu cleared his throat. "About the male lead, here's what I'm thinking."

Everyone listened intently, eager to see what kind of witty remarks Director Lu would come up with.

Director Lu, “First, although Yu Huai’s age range isn’t large, he needs to simultaneously embody the youthful spirit of a high school student and the world-weariness of an adult. Right?”

Everyone, "Yeah!"

Director Lu said, "Xu Shu goes without saying; she could play a character in her thirties or forties without any problem, let alone her twenties. But what about the male lead? Can he hold his own in the role?"

Everyone, "It seems like it's not easy to find."

If you're talking about actresses of Xu Shu's caliber, there's also Lin Wanxing.

Male actors... none!
Director Lu said, "Secondly, the actor not only needs to have acting skills that match the plot, but also needs to have a strong ability to adapt to the situation."

"He needs to be able to quickly identify and resolve problems from the shortcomings in the script or the flaws in the dialogue. After all, we broadcast weekly, and there is always audience feedback. The quality can only be improved, not compromised. To put it bluntly, he needs to be adaptable and adapt well."

Chu An nodded, "That makes sense, go on."

Director Lu laughed loudly, "That makes sense, doesn't it? There's a third one too!"

"Third, our shooting schedule is very short, even if we shoot simultaneously in groups A and B, it is still very tight."

"Therefore, the male lead must be able to start filming immediately upon joining the crew and be in the right state of mind while filming. He also needs to have an extremely thorough understanding of the script and the character. Only in this way can he portray Yu Huai well."

Everyone agreed again. Dong Wende said, "Now that Director Lu has mentioned it, the male lead is quite demanding. He's really hard to find!"

Chu An, however, felt uneasy, his eyes darting around strangely, with a very bad premonition.

"Hey, Lu Mingze!! Why are you looking at me like that!?"

……

.

Wow! I made 10,000 today! Can I get a monthly pass? I'll vote twice after midnight.

(End of this chapter)