madnovel Chapter 28 The Loser Must Strive
Chapter 28 The Loser Must Strive
"So, who should we target in the first episode?"
Xiao Ai looked excitedly at the densely packed movie titles and notes on the whiteboard, "The Message? It's incredibly popular right now."
"The Message is great!" Zhang Yibo slapped his thigh. "If Da Peng and Qiao San were to play the roles of Gu Xiaomeng and Li Ningyu in their qipaos... oh dear!"
"Get lost! I don't wear cheongsams!" Da Peng's face turned red as he interrupted with a laugh.
"The Message is too heavy. This kind of serious subject matter is not suitable for parody," Bai Ke shook his head, already in screenwriter mode.
"Don't let the original work limit your imagination," Ren Pingsheng drew a circle on the whiteboard. "For 'The Message,' what we need to deconstruct is its sense of urgency under high pressure. If we change this spy drama about life-or-death choices into an employee making a mistake and about to be discovered by the boss, and then doing all sorts of extreme cover-ups and shifting of blame, wouldn't that be similar in effect?"
Just like "Now You See Me," it makes extensive use of this kind of high-pressure, extreme operation to create a sense of urgency for the audience.
Everyone's imaginations were completely unleashed, and they chatted about everything from "Bodyguards and Assassins" to "Meteor Shower".
The discussion went on until late into the night, and the targets for the parodies in the first three episodes were decided.
The first film is "Infernal Affairs", the second film is "The Message", and the third film is "Kung Fu Hustle".
Ren Pingsheng listed the division of labor on the whiteboard: Bai Ke would assist him in writing the script, then Xiao Ai and Zhang Yibo would work on the storyboard and develop the shooting plan, and Da Peng would continue working at Souhu and come over in the evening to review the script.
Before parting ways, Dapeng, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, asked a question that everyone wanted to ask.
"Where will it be broadcast after filming?"
"What do you think?" Ren Pingsheng asked in return.
"Youku?" Bai Ke asked tentatively.
"Youku won't work," Ren Pingsheng shook his head. "Although my account already has a considerable fan base, it's not positioned for film and television; it serves another purpose."
"That's a local idiom?" Xiao Ai interjected.
"Tudou is even worse. Wang Wei's internal management is a mess. He can't even pay his own employees' social security properly. Do you expect him to promote you on the homepage?"
Dapeng finished his cigarette, stubbed it out in the Coke can, and asked, "So what you mean is...?"
"Let's not be picky about platforms, let the platforms choose us."
Ren Pingsheng took out a stack of documents containing information and contact details for several video websites.
"We'll discuss all the well-known video websites in China, including Youku, Tudou, Kuliu, 56, and Leshi."
"Negotiate everything?" Da Peng raised an eyebrow. "What makes us, a startup team, think we can negotiate?"
"Based on this."
Ren Pingsheng turned to the last page of the document, which contained a data table.
Total views of "Unexpectedly" are 2200 million.
Total views of "Diaosi Men": 2700 million.
The two dramas together have garnered nearly 5000 million views.
"In 2009, the number of self-produced content with over ten million views across the entire internet could be counted on one hand. Although these two IPs are no longer ours, the original team that created these numbers is sitting in this office."
Ren Pingsheng pushed the documents to the center of the table. "These are our business cards. Are they impressive enough?"
Dapeng stared at the set of numbers and said nothing more.
It's worth noting that "Lurking" only had 77 million viewers in 2009, and "Dwelling Narrowness" had less than 30 million, even though they were both long dramas with more than 30 episodes!
"Report to the Boss" was only released in 2013 in the previous life, when the online drama market had already begun to boom and the competition was extremely fierce.
But at the end of 2009, the online drama market was almost entirely untapped, and he wanted to fill that void with his own ambitions.
By the time those big companies realize what's happening and start making moves next year, he'll have already filled all the spots.
Thinking of this, Ren Pingsheng patted Dapeng on the shoulder, "Brother Peng, help me..."
"I know," Da Peng interrupted before Ren Pingsheng could finish speaking, "Go undercover, then. Go back to Sohu tomorrow and work honestly. Let me know if there's any movement from Alex. I'll sneak over to film once the script is finished."
Ren Pingsheng nodded.
Dapeng has a lot of ulterior motives, but his judgment is never bad.
He knew what was in his best interest. By staying at Sohu, he could not only keep an eye on Alex's movements, but also maintain his income and exposure as a host.
one stone two bird.
"It's just that Peng has to put up with Alex's face."
"Hey, why worry about that?" Da Peng waved his hand and patted Ren Pingsheng on the shoulder.
"Just take care of things here, I'll wait for your news."
At 2 a.m., the crowd gradually dispersed.
Ren Pingsheng sat in his empty office, the words on the whiteboard casting faint shadows under the desk lamp.
He picked up a marker and added a small line of text: Premiere date: December
He only had a little over a month left to make a living.
From writing the script to discussing filming GoG, and then to post-production and distribution, the timeframe was pushed to the limit.
But he had to be ready to launch before the end of the year because he knew all too well what would happen after 2010.
The Weibo explosion, the IPOs of Youku and Kuliu, and the subsequent cash-burning arms race all contributed to the rise of BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent). Baidu invested in and founded iQiyi, with Tencent Video following suit.
Driven by capital, the film and television industry has officially entered the era of big money.
His message must have already been presented at the poker table beforehand.
Only those sitting at the card table are eligible to participate in this game.
……
Sohu Building, the office area of the entertainment division.
No, it should be called the Entertainment Content Center now.
Alex looked at the dozens of people in front of him with great pride.
To film the second season of "Men's Diary," he not only gathered all the resources of his department, but also specially invited Zhao Baogang, a well-known director in Beijing's film circle, through his sister's connections.
He is a representative figure of domestic youth "struggle" dramas. The director of "Struggle" and "My Youth, My Choice" is an excellent candidate to redefine the culture of the loser.
"Director Zhao, this season we need to aim for a more high-end and intellectually profound approach."
Alex, holding a Starbucks, spoke with an air of superiority, "Ren Pingsheng's approach was too outdated. Although it generated traffic, it wasn't respectable and didn't fit Sohu's corporate image."
Zhao Baogang nodded, crossed his legs on the sofa, and said, "Don't worry, those things that rely on ugliness and vulgar jokes to become popular are just lucky. However, their short film structure does have its merits. I will keep this framework and inject truly high-quality content."
"Great!" Alex was very satisfied with this professional's judgment.
This is exactly what he wanted to hear: professionals doing professional work, instead of taking shortcuts like Ren Pingsheng.
Because of the lingering popularity of the first seasons of "Wanwan" and "Diaosi", countless netizens are still leaving messages every day urging for the second season to be released.
In his view, these real demands were lambs to the slaughter, stepping stones for his promotion.
Although Ren Pingsheng took the team with him, the IP remains, the audience remains, and Sohu's resources and platform remain.
All he needs to do is hire a good director, gather a few popular stars, and re-fill the content with high-quality material based on the framework of the first season; the ratings will only go up, not down.
Zhao Baogang looked through the production plan Alex handed him and suddenly frowned.
Are you sure this budget is sufficient?
"Don't worry, Director Zhao," Alex smiled, "President Deng has already approved the special funding. I also plan to invite a few popular celebrities to make cameo appearances. I'll discuss the specific candidates with you later."
Zhao Baogang closed the folder and stood up.
"Okay, I'll go back and digest this first, and come up with a plan next week to check it out."
"Take care, Director Zhao!" Alex personally saw him off to the elevator.
Back in his office, he closed the door.
The streetlights outside the window at the entrance of Huaqing School came on, revealing the same view that Ren Pingsheng had seen before.
"Ren Pingsheng, Ren Pingsheng," Alex sneered, "without the company, you probably wouldn't even be able to scrape together the money for photography equipment, would you?"
He had no idea that just a few kilometers away on Dawang Road, the makeshift troupe he looked down upon had already set its sights on his forehead.
What he didn't know was that Zhao Baogang, whom he had hired at great expense, and the high-end route he had meticulously planned, were precisely the path that Ren Pingsheng most wanted him to take.