Chapter 483 Jiang Lan wanted to roll her eyes at Lu Yanhe

“I wanted to work with Lu Yanhe because I really like his writing,” said Jin Yanshu. “After the other members of tvN got the adaptation rights for ‘Friends,’ I started thinking about adapting ‘Rouge.’ Although Lu Yanhe is better known as an actor, his writing as a screenwriter even makes me, a professional screenwriter, jealous. Sigh, how come young people these days are so talented? Haha, that’s what I think.”

Jin Yanshu gave a helpless yet kind smile, like an elder.

Lu Yanhe, who had been sitting in front of Jin Yanshu and listening to her talk about female consciousness for a long time, was silently gilded by her.

Lu Yanhe could imagine how happy his fans would be when Jin Yanshu's words were reported by the media. They would spread the word and tell everyone, "Look, even the executives of TVN can't ignore Lu Yanhe's talent. They took the initiative to collaborate with Lu Yanhe on the adaptation of 'Rouge,' not for any other reason than to work with Lu Yanhe."

Lu Yanhe thought to himself, "Anyone who believes this will be deceived."

However, the news that "Rouge" would be adapted into both a Chinese-language drama and a Korean drama caused Lu Yanhe some trouble.

For example, Jiang Lan, the deputy director of the Beijing-Taiwan TV station, said to Lu Yanhe with great regret that they did not cooperate with her, but instead cooperated with Bingyuan Video.

Lu Yanhe spoke frankly, because the other party had taken the initiative to come to him.

The implication is, you're blaming me for not taking the initiative yourself?

Jiang Lan wasn't really regretting missing a good opportunity.

A story like "Rouge" wouldn't be suitable for a TV series broadcast on Beijing or Taiwan.

The main audience of the Beijing and Taiwan film festivals is not the target audience of "Rouge".

Jiang Lan took this opportunity to ask, "Do you have any other stories that we could collaborate on?"

Lu Yanhe said, "Director Jiang, I do have a few scripts written and ideas, but they are all very expensive."

Jiang Lan rolled her eyes at Lu Yanhe speechlessly, "Who do you take me for? In which of the projects you've worked with me has you suffered a loss?"

"I don't know if I suffered a loss or not, but you certainly didn't. Back when we were filming 'The Seventeen Floors,' you even wanted me to sign a variety show cooperation agreement with Beijing TV."

Jiang Lan: "...It's all ancient history, I'm surprised you still remember it."

Lu Yanhe: "...I have a pretty good memory."

Jiang Lan: "I was just trying to cooperate and achieve a win-win situation with everyone. With such a big investment in 'The Seventeenth Floor,' we also need to try our best to recover some costs from other sources and reduce risks. Please understand me."

"Since 'The Seventeenth Floor' was so successful, why didn't you give us any red envelopes?" Lu Yanhe asked rhetorically.

Jiang Lan: "..."

Lu Yanhe knew when to stop.

He didn't really want any red envelope from Jiang Lan; he just wanted to subtly remind her not to fool him. He knew exactly what was going on.

Lu Yanhe currently has seven or eight stories with completed outlines, including "Love Letter," "You Are the Apple of My Eye," "The Legend of Sword and Fairy," "Dumb and Dumber," "Telephone," and "The Notebook." Some of them were written a long time ago but have not been developed, such as "Dumb and Dumber." Others were eliminated when making choices, such as "The Notebook."

Lu Yanhe organized the outline and project introduction he had written and went to Jiang Lan's office on a sunny afternoon to show them to her.

"Okay, I'll take a good look first. If there are any that I think are suitable for adaptation into TV series and broadcast on Beijing TV, I'll let you know."

"Jiang Tai, take a look now," Lu Yanhe said. "I only have one copy of this document, and I don't have a backup. I'll have to take it back with me later."

Jiang Lan: "..."

Jiang Lan took a deep breath, not knowing what to say, and could only sit down and start working on the spot.

Lu Yanhe sat by the window, drinking coffee, but his mind was still on the thrill that the movie "The Mist" had given him.

He had watched so many horror and thriller movies before, but they couldn't be shown in China. Was he just going to waste them by not writing them down?

That's such a pity.

To this day, Lu Yanhe fully appreciates how much a successful screenwriter can benefit his acting career.

It can be said that his unique position in the entertainment industry is half due to his role as a screenwriter.

Putting aside other things, at least the movies "Saw", "The Ring", and "It" are all very classic and hugely successful works.

Or, he could write the scripts for these films to pave the way for his Hollywood career.

Horror films have always been a classic example of low-cost, high-return movies.

He's also seen movies like "The Purge," "Triangle," and "The Butterfly Effect."

While it's unclear what their specific box office results were, the fact that he saw them suggests they are classics in the horror genre. Of course, strictly speaking, the latter three films are thrillers, not horror films.

in the country, the distinction between the two is not very clear, and they are basically both referred to as horror films.

Because they're all scary things.

Lu Yanhe sent a message to Chen Ziyan, asking for her opinion.

Chen Ziyan was surprised: You have a new story now?

Lu Yanhe: Yes, after reading the script for "The Mist," it gave me some inspiration.

Chen Ziyan: You can write the script first, but you may not be able to find a buyer so quickly unless we produce the movie ourselves. But as you know, that's basically impossible. In the United States, if you want to distribute a movie, you almost can't avoid those few giants.

Lu Yanhe: We do not have distribution channels, but Green Valley Films in the US has distributed many horror films and has a lot of experience in this genre. Perhaps we can cooperate with them.

Chen Ziyan: We don't know whether they are willing to cooperate with us.

Lu Yanhe asked: If we were to invest ourselves, would they be willing to do it, as long as they were responsible for the issuance?

Chen Ziyan: You're going to invest in this movie yourself?

Lu Yanhe said: I can write a script with very low cost, almost no money required.

Horror films are generally not expensive to produce. For example, the infamous *Saw* only cost $1.2 million to make, yet grossed $100 million worldwide. Even more outrageous are films like *The Blair Witch Project* and *Paranormal Activity*, which were shot with DV cameras to create a mockumentary effect, earning over $100 million on budgets of only tens of thousands of dollars – an absurd feat. Of course, Lu Yanhe wouldn't write about the latter two unless he were anonymous—

He still has some sense of shame.

Lu Yanhe was well aware of how badly these two movies were criticized after using "fraudulent" marketing tactics.

Chen Ziyan said: Even if the cost is low, a movie still costs millions of dollars. Are you sure you want to spend that much money to make a foreign horror movie? This is not a Chinese-language film. In any case, there are still many ways to help you recover your losses.

Lu Yanhe said: Sister Ziyan, I have an idea. It doesn't need to be millions of dollars. It can be auctioned for just a few hundred thousand dollars.

Chen Ziyan was taken aback and asked: What are you thinking?

Lu Yanhe said: A man wakes up to find himself in a coffin. He has been buried alive. The oxygen in the coffin is limited, and he must find a way to escape before the oxygen runs out.

Lu Yanhe was referring to the movie "Buried" starring Ryan Reynolds, who plays Deadpool.

A movie story that takes place entirely inside a coffin.

Chen Ziyan's mind went blank for a moment.

Some movies sell on their dramatic plots and the emotional tension between the characters.

Some movies sell unparalleled special effects and spectacular scenes, creating an immersive cinematic world.

Some films, like the feeling conveyed by Lu Yanhe's few words, sell an unprecedented idea.

Chen Ziyan knew almost without thinking how captivating the story was.

This is a story that most people would never think of in their daily lives, but once they hear it, they can't help but be both afraid and drawn in.

Chen Ziyan originally wanted to tell Lu Yanhe not to be impulsive, that writing an English horror movie script and turning it into a film wasn't a simple matter. They had already struggled so much with making "Love Letter."

But once Lu Yanhe voiced his idea, Chen Ziyan was convinced.

Indeed, a movie that takes place entirely inside a coffin can be filmed with just one space and one actor.

Most importantly, Chen Ziyan believed that Lu Yanhe would write a tense and exciting story. Lu Yanhe's storytelling ability had already been fully proven.

Chen Ziyan said: I support you.

Lu Yanhe breathed a sigh of relief.

Chen Ziyan said: You write the script, we register the copyright, and then we'll talk to Green Valley Company in the United States.

Chen Ziyan added: But why don't you turn this script into a Chinese-language film?

Lu Yanhe: I feel that films with thriller and horror elements like this might not do well at the domestic box office. However, I will certainly make Chinese-language films in the future if the opportunity arises.

Chen Ziyan: This kind of one-person monologue offers a lot of room for performance, and I think many male actors would definitely be interested in it.

Lu Yanhe said: But this is a genre film, and it is destined to be a low-budget film, which requires particularly high acting skills from the actors.

Lu Yanhe felt that a male actor capable of starring in such a film might not necessarily appreciate the script.

Chen Ziyan: You underestimate the value of this script. It is a script that can really showcase the qualities of male actors. If you perform well, you can compete for awards. I believe that many male actors will compete for this film in order to win awards.

Performance awards?

Lu Yanhe realized that he might have fallen into preconceived notions again.

In his mind, Buried was not a film known for its acting—although the film relied entirely on Ryan Reynolds' performance, most people felt that the film's strength lay in its story concept.

Therefore, Lu Yanhe never imagined that such an original script, which no one had ever seen before, could be a script that could help actors win acting awards.

At this point, Jiang Lan finally finished reading the information that Lu Yanhe had given her.

Jiang Lan looked at Lu Yanhe with shock in her eyes.

Jiang Lan has worked in the entertainment industry for so many years. She has seen geniuses and also quick-witted people, but she has never seen another screenwriter like Lu Yanhe who can write so many scripts in just a few years.

Most importantly, his scripts are all of very high quality. He is not the kind of screenwriter who only writes one type of script. He has worked on both modern and period dramas, and his genres include romance, comedy, fantasy, suspense, and more. For a moment, Jiang Lan even suspected that Lu Yanhe had a powerful team behind him to help him write scripts.

That's incredibly prolific!

"Jiang Tai, are there any stories here that interest you?"

Jiang Lan nodded.

“Of course there is, ‘Chinese Paladin.’ This series was written according to the structure of a TV drama script, right?” Jiang Lan asked. “It’s not the size of a movie.”

Lu Yanhe nodded.

"This is indeed intended to be written as a TV series script, but this series is one I prepared for Zhi Bai and Yan Liang." He stated frankly, "None of the three of us are available in the short term, so it definitely can't be filmed next year."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lan's expression immediately changed.

“Give me this drama,” Jiang Lan said. “I will use the highest level of resources to promote it.”

Is the film starring Lu Yanhe, Li Zhibai, and Yan Liang?

This cast is probably impossible to assemble except for Lu Yanhe himself.

Jiang Landu could almost imagine the huge uproar that would occur once the news of this drama was released.

"Chinese Paladin" is a fantasy drama with young protagonists. It is different from the current fantasy dramas that focus on romance. This is a serious drama about chivalry. In the TV drama market, this theme has been popular for decades and has produced many hit shows.

Jiang Lan simply couldn't imagine what would have happened if she hadn't gotten the role.

The reason Lu Yanhe put "The Legend of Sword and Fairy" in there for Jiang Lan to see was precisely this.

They will graduate next year.

Other projects can be postponed, but "Chinese Paladin" cannot. This is a project that should be done when you're young. This is also a project that Lu Yanhe had planned long ago, a project to leave the three of them with a memorable memory.

Therefore, the schedule is set for filming to begin the year after next. Pre-production work will then commence.

Lu Yanhe said, "Director Jiang, are you planning to secure the exclusive television broadcast rights for this drama?"

Jiang Lan was taken aback.

"Television broadcasting rights?"

“I want to keep the copyright of this show in my own hands.” Lu Yanhe smiled slightly at Jiang Lan. “I don’t want the tragedy of Friends to happen again.”

Although Lu Yanhe wrote the script for "Friends," the copyright was held by Beijing TV, so when the two sides had a conflict, he was the one who was eliminated.

He will never let himself suffer such a loss again. Especially when continuing to cooperate with partners like Beijing and Taiwan, which have a history of such issues, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to be extremely cautious.

Jiang Lan remained silent.

The TV drama copyrights are not held by Beijing TV itself?

It's not that all TV dramas broadcast in Beijing and Taiwan have their copyrights held by them. In fact, most of the TV dramas broadcast in Beijing and Taiwan are licensed productions, not self-produced productions.

However, those copyrighted dramas were already filmed and produced by others; they simply paid for the broadcasting rights.

The situation is different now.

Jiang Lan asked, "Are you planning to film the 'Chinese Paladin' series yourselves?"

Lu Yanhe shook his head and said, "Although we have a production company, we don't have enough manpower or experience, so this drama definitely needs to be produced by someone else. The Legend of Sword and Fairy is a bit special, since we only have one script right now, and it's a project I've reserved for myself. If Beijing TV wants this drama, we can wait until we have the time to film it and then bid against other TV stations. Or if you're in a hurry, you can prepay the purchase price, and we'll assemble a production team, or you can assemble one yourself, provided that my requirements are met."

Jiang Lan looked at Lu Yanhe with disbelief.

She really wanted to ask at that moment, "Do you think I look stupid?"

Lu Yanhe didn't expect Jiang Lan to agree to such outrageous conditions.

He just throws out a condition first, sets the tone here, and then they can talk about it more later.

Regardless, Lu Yanhe was serious about the prepayment for the project. The original "Chinese Paladin" series has 34 episodes and a vast world-building, requiring extensive special effects. To make it a good production, the investment would need to be at least 200-300 million yuan.

Lu Yanhe himself certainly didn't have the money to make it.

Too expensive.

He can invest a little himself, but if he invests all of it himself, the risk is too great.

Even though Lu Yanhe believed that this drama would definitely be a success.

Lu Yanhe mentioned "The Legend of Sword and Fairy" to Jiang Lan today, specifically for this reason.

Jiang Lan didn't respond, but changed the subject.

“Apart from ‘Chinese Paladin,’ the others are all movie scripts,” Jiang Lan said.

“Yes, but the fact that ‘Rouge’ is being adapted into two TV series gave me an idea. Although they are movie scripts, they can also be adapted into TV series,” Lu Yanhe said. “Just like ‘Lost in Thailand,’ although it hasn’t been officially announced yet, Bingyuan Video has also bought the adaptation rights and will adapt two web series based on this concept.”

Jiang Lan: "..."

She really wanted to complain that video websites are just throwing money away and people are stupid.

Icefield Video's adaptation of "Lost in Thailand" only leveraged the influence of the title and the concept of a "road trip comedy." Jiang Lan didn't know how much Icefield Video paid for the adaptation rights, but it certainly wasn't cheap.

Jiang Lan suddenly understood why Lu Yanhe had made such an outrageous demand when he mentioned the production of "The Legend of Sword and Fairy".

It seems the surrounding environment has inflated their appetite.

Jiang Lan could easily imagine how many people were now offering blank checks to Lu Yanhe for cooperation, with the numbers Lu Yanhe could fill in at will.

Jiang Lan took a deep breath.

She still needs to go back and think carefully about the "Chinese Paladin" project.

As for the other scripts, Jiang Lan didn't particularly like any of them because they weren't suitable for adaptation into a TV series.

"Love Letter" and "You Are the Apple of My Eye" are stories about youth and campus life, which are not the kind of thing that audiences in Beijing and Taiwan would like to watch.

"The Telephone" involves elements of dual timelines and suspense/thriller. This kind of subject matter, when adapted into a TV series, may attract a niche audience when broadcast on video websites, but it is unlikely to achieve high ratings when broadcast on television.

"Dumb and Dumber" was immediately eliminated. Adapting a comedy story with two male leads into a TV series would be extremely difficult.

"The Notebook" is a love story spanning an extremely long period of time... It's the only one of the remaining stories that seems suitable for a Beijing-Taiwan story. But a love story? Even if the story is touching and has a lot of room for adaptation, in this day and age, are there still people willing to watch such a pure love story?

Jiang Lan was also unsure.

Putting everything else aside, each of these scripts and stories has its highlights and selling points. However, they are simply not well-suited to the distribution channels of a traditional television station like Beijing or Taiwan. This is no longer the era when television stations reigned supreme.

After hesitating for a long time, Jiang Lan looked up at Lu Yanhe and asked, "If it were you, which of these stories do you think would be more appealing to the audience if adapted into a TV series?"

Lu Yanhe said, "For video platforms, it's definitely 'Telephone,' but for TV stations... 'The Notebook' might be more suitable. However, if I were to adapt it, the theme wouldn't just focus on the love story of the main characters, but would enrich the background of the two main characters and the background of the era."

In Lu Yanhe's script for "The Notebook," it is a drama set in the Republican era, and because of the war background involved, the historical context had to be set there.

Jiang Lan thought about it and realized that, according to Lu Yanhe, this would be a huge project.

If she wanted to make an epic love story, why would she bother adapting "The Notebook"? She could have simply commissioned another screenwriter to create a script like that. Twenty years ago, she would have been willing to invest a significant amount of resources in such a project.

Now, she feels that epic love stories no longer have such a large market and are not worth her significant investment.

So, after painstakingly looking for so long, Jiang Lan finally decided that Lu Yanhe's conditions were "outrageous," and she felt that the other options were not suitable for Beijing and Taiwan.

Wasted time.

Jiang Lan said, "We still need to think about it carefully and see how to make the 'Chinese Paladin' series. Yan He, if you want us to invest in this series, then we must share the copyright revenue together."

"I'm just asking you to prepay for the purchase."

"Isn't that just a disguised form of investment?" Jiang Lan asked with a smile.

Lu Yanhe shrugged and said, "Neither the Northern Lights Video nor the Icefield Video considers this an investment."

Jiang Lan: "They all have big capital groups behind them and don't treat money like money. We traditional TV stations now have to spend every penny wisely."

"Is the revenue from 'Friends' really that bad?" Lu Yanhe asked rhetorically. "Director Jiang, I still get 8% of the revenue from the first season of the show. The revenue can't be that bad, can it?"

He smiled as he looked at Jiang Lan.

Stop playing the victim.

Your money tree was planted by Lu Yanhe with great effort.

He knows very well how much money you can make from this show.

Jiang Lan: "..."

She found Lu Yanhe's situation very difficult.

This person is becoming increasingly difficult to deal with (or fool).

"Oh, right, Yan He, there's something else I forgot to tell you," Jiang Lan said, changing the subject.

Lu Yanhe asked, "What is it?"

Jiang Lan said, "Regarding 'The Seventeenth Floor,' the script for the second season has been revised three times, and we want to develop a theatrical version after the second season."

Developing theatrical versions—that is, movies—for hit TV series is not common in any country or region of the world except in Japan, where it has become a regular practice.

Even though they became as popular as "Friends" and "The Big Bang Theory," they never developed any spin-off films.

However, Lu Yanhe felt that the worldview of "The Seventeenth Floor" was indeed quite suitable for developing a theatrical version.

It is a battle royale genre film, a level-based adventure film, whether it is a TV series or a movie, such content is generally not restricted by form.

Lu Yanhe asked, "Are you planning to bring everyone back?"

"Yes." Jiang Lan nodded, "The original cast and crew from the TV series will be used to film the theatrical version."

"Has the script been written?"

"Not yet, we wanted to get your opinions first," Jiang Lan said, "especially yours and Chen Bige's."

"What's Bige's opinion?" Lu Yanhe asked.

Jiang Lan said, "I haven't asked her yet. I want to hear your opinion first. She will definitely take your opinion into consideration before making a decision."

Lu Yanhe said, "I don't know when this movie will start filming, but I've basically given up my schedule for next year. I also want to film 'Chinese Paladin' the year after, so I don't know if I'll be able to make it in time."

Jiang Lan said, "We definitely need to coordinate the schedule. If we really can't coordinate it, we'll wait for your availability. I want to know if you'd be willing to act in it?"

“If it’s the same team, I’d be happy to,” Lu Yanhe said directly. “However, you’ll have to discuss the specific conditions with Sister Ziyan. I can’t make that decision myself.”

Jiang Lan swallowed her eye roll in a second.

-

After leaving Jiang Lan's place, Lu Yanhe went to see Chen Ziyan.

It was Chen Ziyan who asked him to go over there.

Not only was Chen Ziyan there, but Lu Qingzhen was also there.

"Sister Ziyan, Sister Qingzhen," Lu Yanhe greeted them.

Chen Ziyan said, "Sit down. I called you here today because there's something I need to tell you."

Lu Yanhe was somewhat surprised, wondering why Chen Ziyan had called him over so solemnly.

Chen Ziyan said, "Because you are also one of our company's shareholders, we think you need to know about this as well."

Lu Yanhe was also a shareholder in the high-end brokerage service company that Chen Ziyan and Lu Qingzhen founded together.

I also received a dividend at the beginning of this year.

Lu Yanhe always forgets these things.

He's involved in so many things these days, so he won't remember things he doesn't come into contact with often.

Chen Ziyan said, "We have something to tell you. Your sister Qingzhen and I have been planning this for almost half a year, and we have decided to start it."

"Hmm?" Lu Yanhe looked at her with some surprise.

“We’re preparing to become an agent for foreign artists,” Chen Ziyan said. “There are almost no agencies in China that handle foreign artists, but the domestic market is booming... especially in recent years. Due to various reasons such as policies and cultural exchanges, many programs and other activities invite foreign artists to come to China. Many foreign films are also released in China, and many foreign artists come to promote them. We predict that the market for foreign artists in China will gradually increase. If we can seize the opportunity and sign agency contracts with some artists in China, we will make a lot of money in the future.”

Lu Yanhe nodded.

“Okay, Sister Ziyan.” Lu Yanhe didn’t understand these things, and he believed whatever Chen Ziyan said.

Chen Ziyan shook her head and said, "Yan He, there's one more thing."

"What is it?" Lu Yanhe asked, puzzled.

Chen Ziyan said, "This is something that suddenly came to mind when we were deciding to do this: should we find a reputable agency overseas to handle all your affairs? You're getting more and more work overseas now, going abroad two or three times almost every month these past few months, and this will become even more frequent as you go to Hollywood to film. Right now, every time you go abroad, we have to find a service company on the spot. Of course, they do a decent job with basic services, but compared to a professional agency, they're definitely far behind. Unless it's a director like Muken who comes directly to you, you'd almost never have a chance to get their scripts without an agency overseas."

Lu Yanhe nodded.

Overseas, if an actor wants to get a role, the first thing they need to do is find an agent. This is different from the situation in China, because overseas there are very complex labor unions and other systems with many regulations and requirements. Therefore, if you don't have an agent, you can't sign contracts or get roles.

You might not even get any scripts. That's because scripts from major film and television companies are sent to talent agencies, where they are controlled by agents.

Unlike in China, actors can also be self-employed.

Lu Yanhe thought for a moment and asked, "If I sign a contract with an overseas agency to represent me now, will that conflict with my contract with Xingyu Entertainment?"

Chen Ziyan: "I'll handle things with Xingyu. Give them a little something, and they won't refuse. Besides, you only have two years left on your contract with Xingyu, and we've made it clear we won't renew it. They used to try to interfere with your work, but now they've completely given up on it."

Lu Yanhe: "Signing with an overseas brokerage firm to handle my overseas brokerage affairs...that's fine, but I definitely won't be able to focus my work overseas in the next few years, so wouldn't that be a waste?"

Chen Ziyan said, "Waste? Yan He, nothing about you is a waste. Take the movie 'The Mist' for example. According to Hollywood industry practice, your agent can directly take 10% of your million-dollar salary, which is $100,000. For an agent who isn't a top player in the industry, that might be a third or even a half of their annual income. With the salary from 'The Mist' in hand, as soon as word gets out, a lot of experienced agents will be vying for the job. Of course, we're not looking for agents, we're looking for a powerful agency."

-

I only have 1536 monthly votes so far, which isn't enough to qualify for an extra chapter, but I'll still add one anyway.

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(End of this chapter)