American Entertainment: Starting with playing the role of Little Beaver

Chapter 145 Is Hannah Meng a little beaver?
In the future, the following statement will circulate on the internet of a certain major Eastern country:
'The reason why Western TV series are so good is because they use a production model of filming and broadcasting simultaneously.'

"Only when television production teams can obtain audience feedback in a timely manner and strive to meet the public's preferences during production can they continuously create hit shows that sell worldwide."

"It is precisely because European and American television production teams have truly achieved 'people-oriented,' 'content-driven,' and 'audience-first' principles that they have been able to achieve success time and time again."

This is an advantage of the system, and a true reflection of the free market.

On the other hand…

I can't help but wonder...

cough cough cough.

Okay, let's stop here.

All of the above is pure nonsense.

The production process for American and European TV series is never rigidly defined.

It can be filmed and played simultaneously, or filmed and then played later.

The former, that's indeed standard procedure—

But the reason for doing this is not to take care of the audience's feelings, but for the purest commercial considerations.

A movie can be blamed for poor box office performance by saying the audience doesn't understand, but what about TV series?
If the ratings are bad, you might as well die!
It's that simple!
Then, in order to boost ratings, they were willing to add anything.

As long as it doesn't cross the line, it's OK.

For example, one should not insult Jews or Saint Charles.

The latter, well, that's simply a matter of having no other choice.

When a TV series cannot be filmed and broadcast simultaneously, the TV station has no choice but to finish filming and then broadcast it.

For example, Band of Brothers.

This kind of drama, which has extremely high requirements for costumes, props, and sets, requires real-life filming, and often has episodes that are more than an hour long, cannot be filmed and broadcast simultaneously. Even if you make the staff work themselves to death, they still cannot produce an episode for you within a week.

Therefore, it is inevitable that the entire film will be filmed before being broadcast.

Then, with the advent of the Internet age, the model of filming and broadcasting simultaneously was gradually abandoned by Hollywood. In the streaming era, everything was filmed and then released. The term 'Binge-watching' was born in the streaming era.

As for the reason?

That's because of business needs!

In the television era, the public had no choice; they could only watch whatever shows the TV stations aired.

But the streaming era is different.

Why doesn't the production company just abandon the entire series at once?
Is it still being lost week by week like in the traditional era?
Sorry, the wide variety of entertainment options will make the public forget about you.

and so……

There is no art, only business.

Back to the present.

Although both "Double-Faced Girl" and "Music Country" can be produced using the filming-while-airing model, the locations involved in both dramas are not complicated, and the costumes, props and sets are relatively simple, which can meet the production requirements of filming-while-airing.

However, when negotiating the collaboration, Disney still opted for a transaction model of filming first and then releasing the film, paying the full amount upfront.

Then, Beaver Entertainment produced the first seasons of both shows in one go.

Then, Disney's acquisition standard was 45 minutes per episode, with a price of $200 million per episode.

Limited to cable media broadcasting rights, with a contract duration of 20 years.

Of course, they also have other permissions, but the price is separate.

Disney's reason for doing this is simple:
Firstly, Robert Iger and Isabella are allies, and since their collaboration has extended from variety shows to animation, even if both shows turn out to be a mess, he wouldn't cancel them at the last minute.

Therefore, the option of filming and broadcasting simultaneously was not available to him.

And the price isn't expensive either.

According to the proposal made by Beaver Entertainment, "Two-Faced Girl" is a short series with each episode lasting 24 minutes. The first season will only have 26 episodes. In other words, according to Disney's standards, its total capacity is only 13 episodes, and the total price is only $2600 million.
Each episode of "Home of Music" is 45 minutes long, and there are a total of 20 episodes, with a total price of only $4000 million.

When the combined purchase price of the two shows was less than a fraction of the annual copyright fee Disney paid for "The Voice," Robert Iger considered this small sum, which wouldn't affect the overall situation, as nothing more than a gift.

Secondly, Robert Iger wanted to put "Two-Faced Girl" on the Disney Channel.

Well, he doesn't plan to put "Two-Faced Girl" on ABC.

As for the reason...

"The Voice of China is getting a spin-off series? OMG! This news is really unexpected!"

On the evening of April 23, 2005.

Seattle.

A young woman in her early twenties vented her shock in her Myspace group.

Myspace is currently the most trendy social networking site, while Yahoo has gradually been abandoned.

The moment she sent the message, a barrage of "ding-ding-dang-dang" responses appeared like mushrooms after rain.

"Yeah!!! I saw the news too!!! It's called 'Double-Faced Girl,' right? OMG—I was stunned when I heard this! When did Miss Beaver start making this show?! Why haven't we heard anything about it?"

"Dxxn—you guys beat me to it? I just got the news and turned on my computer, wanting to surprise you, but I didn't expect you to already be talking about this? Oh—do you live on the internet?"

"If you guys keep moving this fast, I'm going to make a scene!"

"But then again, Isabella seems to always do things quietly. It was like that with the 'The Voice' movie, and with variety shows too. This time, if the media hadn't leaked that she might like Marvel, I think she would have just presented the movie to us, leaving us completely stunned... hahaha~"

"Oh, sorry, I seem to have gone off-topic again. What were we talking about again? 'Two-Faced Girl,' right? Where did you guys see this news? I heard it from the host while watching the live broadcast of 'The Voice' state competition!"

"Then……"

Wow~ This is such a pleasant surprise~

"By the way, does any of you know any details about this show?"

"After listening to the host's introduction, I suddenly had a feeling..."

"Does this show feel like Isabella wrote it for herself?"

"..."

Last year, when producing the second season of The Voice, Disney announced that in the future, the national competition of The Voice would officially begin on the first Saturday of August of that year.

Because Disney wants to make "The Voice" a cultural icon.

Therefore, the timing of the city auditions and state competitions for the third season this year is roughly the same as that of the second season last year.

In this way, when it is the end of July and the final live broadcast season of the state competitions of "The Voice", Disney's official announcement of "Two-Faced Girl" will naturally appear at the finals of each state competition.

The ratings for the state-level competitions of "The Voice of China" were also very high.

The finals across fifty states have a combined viewership of 3200 million.

and so……

To describe the feedback in the words of the older generation, it's called "the right person meeting the right thing."

To describe the feedback in today's parlance, it was like Mars colliding with Earth.

To describe the feedback in the language of someone from the future, it would be precise targeting.

In short, the moment news broke that "The Voice" would have a spin-off series, North America was thrown into an uproar.

Of course, there were even more earthquake-like events.

When news broke that "The Voice" would have a spin-off series, tens of millions of "Hurry Kings" suddenly appeared in North America.

Because Disney's official announcement of "Two-Faced Girl" was as follows:
"16-year-old Hannah Montana is one of the most famous idol singers in the pop music scene today. She debuted at the age of 10, became a sensation at the age of 13, and her first single achieved a number one ranking. Her first album sold more than 10 million copies in its first year."

"The fact that she became famous at a young age brought her a wealthy life. She liked the public's affection for her and was happy to achieve success. However, a sudden accident changed her life."

"At the age of 14, she suddenly felt that the public's gaze, the media's attention, and the life under the spotlight had completely deprived her of her private space. So, in order to find the stability of an ordinary person and experience the world of ordinary people, she began to use the pseudonym Elizabeth Hodgson to explore her true self in the vast world of people."

"As for the outcome?"

"Please tune in to Disney Channel at 7 p.m. Pacific Time on July 27, 2005, to watch 'The Voice: Hannah Montana,' starring Elizabeth Olsen, the younger sister of the Olsen twins!"

"..."

What is the synopsis of the TV series "Hannah Montana" about Isabella's past life?
She couldn't remember it at all.

But right now, the synopsis for "Double-Faced Girl" is...

Anyone who knows her would burst out laughing when they saw the introduction.

Who becomes famous at a young age?

Who became an instant sensation upon their debut?

Who achieves a career-high ranking on their very first single release?

Who can sell more than ten million copies of their debut album in its first year?

"Oh my gosh—it's our Miss Beaver!"

"So, could the story of this drama be based on her own life experiences?"

"And then they'll cast Elizabeth Olsen, the younger sister of the Olsen twins?"

"Oh my god—could it be that she felt she didn't have time to act, so she found a knowledgeable method actor?"

"This……"

"Miss Beaver is so cute!"

"What? The channel that broadcasts the show is Disney Channel?"

"Oh—top up! Top up! Top up!"

That's right. When Robert Iger wanted to air "Hannah Montana" on the Disney Channel, he had no choice but to buy it directly, since the Disney Channel is a paid channel owned by Disney.

The channel's main source of revenue is user subscription fees. Therefore, even if a show is terrible, they still have to air the entire season so that users who want to watch it can finish watching it.

Otherwise, it would hurt the users' feelings.

This is no small matter.

Disney Channel currently has 8500 million monthly paid subscribers.

Why did Disney+ become one of the world's top three streaming services as soon as it launched?
Because Disney has so many fans!

However, even with a huge number of die-hard Disney fans, they can't push Disney Channel into every North American home, because Disney Channel is, after all, a channel aimed at children aged 6-14.

8500 million is the channel's global user count.

and so……

Why did Isabella's fans turn into the King of Haste?

Because you can't watch shows without paying!

And after they deposited the money...

"How much has it increased?"

2005 7 Month 27 Day.

early morning.

The moment Robert Iger entered the company, he summoned his secretary.

Because he had already assigned the task of monitoring Disney Channel subscription numbers to others.

Therefore, when he asked, the secretary directly gave him the number he wanted: "70."

"How many??"

Robert Iger's eyes lit up.

"70."

The secretary repeated, "After we announced the premiere of 'Two-Faced Girl,' Disney Channel's back-end subscriptions increased by 70 in three days, a figure that directly shocked the television department."

"They admire your trading skills."

"Oh~~Very good~~"

Robert Iger's face broke into a bright smile.

Yes!

Robert Iger put "Hannah Montana" on the Disney Channel because he wanted to boost the channel's revenue! This department was Michael Eisner's private domain, a true fortress he built from scratch!
Previously, when Michael Eisner was at Disney, Robert Iger couldn't easily reach out to him.

But now...

He would never let go of any inch of Disneyland!

"Isabella's influence is still insane..."

Robert Iger was very satisfied with the subscription numbers for the Disney Channel.

Not to mention that Disney Channel's subscriber numbers haven't seen a surge in a long time, just consider the price: a Disney Channel subscription costs $8.88 per month, and 70 new subscribers means that Disney has already earned $621.6 million.

The show hasn't even aired yet, but almost a quarter of the cost of buying it has already been recouped?

This is already an incredibly amazing achievement!

"In that case..."

"Now we just need to patiently wait for feedback on the show..." In Robert Iger's eyes, when Isabella's fans were able to contribute 70 new subscribers to the Disney Channel in order to watch Isabella's show, the show "Two-Faced Girl" was already halfway to success.

Next, as long as the quality of the series is satisfactory, they will achieve great success.

And this...

Time flies like water, passing in the blink of an eye.

As it approached 8 p.m. Pacific Time, people in North America who were interested in the "Miss Beaver autobiographical drama" flocked to their television sets.

Meanwhile, many people also stocked up on fries, popcorn, M&Ms, and sugary drinks.

There is now a consensus that Isabella will not undertake projects that are filled with bitterness and resentment.

Therefore, you can confidently embrace happiness when viewing her works.

"Oh—it's starting—"

As soon as the clock struck eight, viewers who had selected the Disney Channel noticed that their television screens suddenly went dark.

Then, something like the start of a concert began.

A pale purple light descended from the sky, illuminating the entire scene.

It was a huge stage, and in the center of the stage seemed to be a tall figure.

The next second, the scene flashed and cut to a close-up of the front.

In the darkness, a girl with long hair was standing with her legs crossed, with a huge spotlight shining between her feet.

The focused illumination seems to be implying to everyone that the figure appearing at that moment is the protagonist of the film.

However, the dazzling lights below the figure resembled brilliant stars, making the hidden figure appear even taller.

If one had to describe it, the figure that was only shown as an outline looked like it was trampling on everything in the void!
The overall composition gives the impression of—

She is the GOAT!

Cough cough cough...

At the same time, three lines of small text lit up in the lower left corner of the screen, like an announcement:
"Girlfriend"

Lead Vocalist: Hannah Montana
Songwriting: Lily Zeller
When the name 'Lily Zeller' appeared, many viewers sitting in front of the TV immediately burst into laughter!
Because Lily Zeller came from "The Voice of the World".

and so……

"Can these even be linked together?"

"Oh wait, no—"

"Could this be a new song that Isabella wrote for the show???"

Within seconds, viewers in front of their televisions had already sensed something amiss in the air.

Just as they realized what was happening and were about to discuss it, upbeat music started blaring from the television speakers—

"Hey! Hey! You! You!"

"I don't like your girlfriend~~~"

"No way! No way!"

"I think you need a new one~~~"

"Hey! Hey! You! You!"

"I could be your girlfriend~~~"

At the moment the performance began—

The stage lights instantly turned on!
Her hair reached her waist.

Wearing a white leather jacket, high-waisted jeans, and red glasses, Elizabeth Olsen appeared before countless viewers.

She is sixteen years old and very beautiful!
Even though the Disney Channel only has 480p resolution, her beautiful face can still be described as incredibly youthful!

Unfortunately, even though she was full of energy on stage, everyone's attention was still on the songs she was singing.

because……

"Oh! What's the name of this song? 'Girlfriend'? Wow~ This song is so upbeat!"

"My God! Is this rock music? When did Miss Beaver start playing this stuff?"

"Ohhhhh—this melody—it's so catchy—"

The sudden appearance of dynamic music caught the attention of all the audience members!
Although everyone knows that as a spin-off of "The Voice" IP, "Double Girl" can only be related to music, Disney also said in its promotion that the show is about the story of pop singers.

but--

Nobody expected that the show "Double-Faced Girl" would give them such a big surprise right from the start!

Because the song "Girlfriend" that suddenly appeared was super good!

Because the melody of "Girlfriend" that suddenly appeared was very catchy!
Because the sudden appearance of "Girlfriend" seems to be Isabella's new work!
Uh--

The last point is actually the most important.

Disney did not indicate that the show was related to Isabella when promoting "Two-Faced Girl".

It's just that this drama is related to "The Voice of China".

Therefore, was Isabella involved in the production of the series?
The fans wanted her to participate.

But no one can be sure.

All I can say is that I'm looking forward to it.

So, right at the beginning of the series, before the main plot even got started, Isabella's song popped up?

Oh——

What's the difference between this and winning the jackpot on the very first scratch of a lottery ticket?

However, just as viewers in front of their televisions were excitedly anticipating Isabella's new work—

"Huh? Why did it stop after only two lines?"

"OMG—this is just an intro???"

"Dxxn! Who wrote this script?! Who edited this show?! Does the person who made this show think their life has been too smooth and want to challenge themselves? You even dared to cut Isabella's song? Oh! Haven't you ever been criticized before?"

"..."

Yes~~~
On TV, just as Elizabeth Olsen finished singing the first verse of "Girlfriend," the screen cut away.

Since "Girlfriend" opens with a powerful melody.

Therefore, this approach is somewhat like giving the audience a challenge to stop.

As for the reason for all this commotion...

Very simple.

That's actually related to the core selling point of the TV series "Hannah Montana".

The defining characteristic of the drama "Double-Faced Girl" is the contrast between a 'big star' and a 'good girl'.

Hannah Montana's character attributes include "trendy star" and "top singer," as well as "obedient and sensible" and "yearning for ordinariness." When her core desire is to gain pure friendship, life, and other things like ordinary people, it is inevitable to directly show this in order to quickly and accurately address the theme and better capture the audience's attention.

Therefore, this is how "The Girl with Two Faces" begins:
First, Hannah Montana's superstar status is portrayed through radio broadcasts.

Let's start by showing a clip of her performance on stage, using real footage to showcase her current popularity.

Then, the scene flashes to a television studio, where the host announces amidst loud music that Hannah Montana's concert is incredibly popular, with tickets selling like hotcakes and practically impossible to get.

Then, the scene cuts to Hannah Montana's house.

At the same time, Hannah was at home watching a radio broadcast. After learning that the public loved her so much, she even took over the TV program and sang the verse that the station hadn't finished airing yet.

That high-pitched voice drew applause from the father and dissatisfaction from the brothers, and also set the stage for the main plot—

It turns out that Hannah Montana is having a new concert tomorrow.

She was very excited at the moment.

They are making final preparations for tomorrow's concert.

Her father thought her behavior was excellent and showed great spirit.

Her brother thought she was too noisy and hoped she could be quieter.

Of course, if Hannah could provide him with two tickets to tomorrow's concert so he could go on a date with his girlfriend, he could gracefully leave the house and let Hannah rehearse freely.

Hannah understood her brother's implied meaning and granted his request.

At that moment, the phone on the table suddenly rang.

Press the button to answer.

That was a call from Hannah's friend.

The other party said they would be coming to Hannah's house soon.

Because she had received good luck, she wanted to share her joy with Hannah.

Since the caller didn't know Hannah's true identity and had always called her Hannah Elizabeth Hodgson, the sudden visit made Hannah a little flustered.

She quickly changed her clothes, trying to conceal her celebrity identity and not want her friends to know the truth.

She wanted to embrace pure friendship.

And at the same time she finished preparing.

"Snapped--"

Her friend arrived on a sword.

Nonsence--

He rode his skateboard into Hannah's house.

After bumping into Hannah head-on, the other person excitedly exclaimed—

"Oh! Elizabeth! Look what I've got!"

Hannah's friend pulled two concert tickets from her jacket pocket and screamed excitedly—

"I managed to snag tickets to Hannah Montana's concert tomorrow!"

"It's the concert ticket for Super Star Hannah Montana!!"

"How is it? Am I awesome?"

"And what's even more impressive is that I'm now formally inviting you to join me at tomorrow's concert!"

"Are you surprised? Are you surprised?"

The sudden words left Hannah stunned!

At that moment, she felt both moved and helpless!

I was moved because her concert tickets were hard to get and very expensive!
When her friend is willing to share something like this with her, it means that the other person truly considers her family!

Unfortunately, she doesn't know the Shadow Clone Technique!

She can't possibly be performing a concert while sitting in the stands!

So……

"Ha ha ha ha--"

On the television, just as Elizabeth was staring blankly at her friend, not knowing what to do...

The viewers sitting on the sofa in front of the television burst into laughter.

"Oh—so the first episode is about my identity being exposed? Wow—I'm already feeling a little awkward just sitting here!"

"Oh my god—the bewildered Elizabeth Olsen is so cute—"

"Are they going all out in the first episode? If Elizabeth doesn't answer well, are we going to lose our friendship?!"

The sudden dramatic conflict, like a large net, captivated the attention of all the viewers.

Previously, many people were complaining about how the TV series production team dared to cut Isabella's new song.
But right now...

That's what everyone wants to know: how will Elizabeth Olsen conceal her identity?

When this kind of investigation came about, many people even sat up straight!

however……

The image on the television screen flickered again.

A cheerful tune, different from "Girlfriend," began to play.

The opening credits for "Two-Faced Girl" have appeared.

Ok.

All of the scenes just now were not part of the main story.

Even though it's tense, exciting, and full of plot twists.

(End of this chapter)