Chapter 964 *Nirvana in Fire*

There are several very classic characters in "Prison Break".

However, in order to control costs, Lu Yanhe planned to audition unknown actors for all roles except for the male lead, Yang Shiyi. This was for several reasons: first, to consider the actual pay; second, to give more actors opportunities; and third, because of the positioning of the drama, which mainly aimed to conquer the overseas market. Famous domestic actors were not well-known in the overseas market and therefore not very meaningful.

As for the domestic market, Yang Shiyi alone, plus Lu Yanhe as screenwriter, is enough; the performance will definitely not be bad.

As a result, Aurora Video launched a massive audition process within the industry.

Even more surprisingly, Aurora Video turned the audition into a live stream—

In addition to promoting the show "Prison Break" ahead of time, they also earned a wave of advertising revenue.

Yes, the people watching the live stream were also shocked. An actor's audition live stream could also sell advertisements.

As it turns out, the Northern Lights video not only sold, but also sold more than one advertisement.

-

"Prison Break," starring Yang Shiyi and written by Lu Yanhe, was the first to be shown at Linghe Theater.

One season, six episodes.

Each episode is forty minutes long.

"The first and second seasons were basically filmed back-to-back. The reason why there are so few episodes in each season is mainly due to the tight broadcast schedule, so we need to leave enough time for post-production."

Chen Yin recorded a video specifically to introduce the situation of "Prison Break".

This was also part of the early promotion for "Prison Break".

They gradually whetted everyone's appetite.

This includes explaining the production concept and what kind of drama it is.

“Lu Yanhe had a very grand and long-term plan for this story. Originally, if it weren’t for the collaboration with Aurora Video, this series would have been his first English-language drama.”

It whets the appetite.

"With fewer episodes, we can minimize the sacrifice of production quality due to tight shooting schedules," Chen Yin said with a smile. "So, although we predict that some viewers will be hesitant because of the limited number of episodes, we hope to attract viewers season after season and continuously, rather than attracting them temporarily."

...

In a sense, this is establishing the high-quality positioning of "Prison Break" in advance.

However, if a drama series is to be positioned in this way, it must be careful not to raise the audience's expectations too much. Otherwise, a drama series that scores eight points might receive poor reviews simply because the audience expects it to score nine points.

Therefore, the information Chen Yin releases is highly selective.

It speaks of conceptual things, but does not make any constructive descriptions in any specific aspect.

It discusses some production concepts, but does not introduce any benchmarks for this drama.

In short, the series is still in the filming stage.

There's no need to set expectations too high from the start.

You're not "Journey to the West" or "Dream of the Red Chamber," with such a great reputation that you can withstand so many people's nitpicking over so many years.

Even with classics like "Journey to the West" or "Dream of the Red Chamber," there are still people who dislike them, saying they don't live up to their reputation.

-

Why did you want to make a show like "Prison Break"?

When Lu Yanhe was having dinner with director Chen Lingling, Chen Lingling suddenly asked him a question.

Lu Yanhe said, "Because this is a series specifically created for the international version of Aurora Video. At first, I really wanted to make this series in Hollywood, to make an American series with an American cultural background and American actors. This series... well, how should I put it? I hope that it can completely hook the audience with the story itself, making them watch episode by episode. It's a pure story rhythm that can attract viewers no matter which episode they start watching from."

Chen Lingling nodded.

“I admire you for your strategic approach to writing screenplays,” she said.

Lu Yanhe smiled somewhat embarrassedly.

"The main reason is that I usually write down whatever stories or themes come to mind, and then look for suitable ones in these script libraries and idea libraries according to different needs," Lu Yanhe explained. "Director, actually, I have a project here that I would like to ask you to handle."

Lu Yanhe and Chen Lingling have not collaborated since "Phoenix Terrace" and "The Silent River".

However, his contact with Chen Lingling has never been severed over the years.

They meet up several times a year to have a meal and chat.

Originally, a second season of "The Silent River" was planned, and Lu Yanhe was to write the script.

However, because Lu Yanhe had too many projects of his own, and it was impossible for him to take control in the second season, the project was eventually abandoned.

To this day, a second season of "The Silent River" has not been developed.

Chen Lingling asked, "Which film do you want me to direct? It's not 'Prison Break,' is it?"

Lu Yanhe smiled and shook his head.

The style of "Prison Break" is so different from Chen Lingling's.

“It’s not ‘Prison Break’, nor is it a ready-made script,” Lu Yanhe said. “Until now, I have never written a proper period drama. If we don’t count martial arts dramas like ‘Dragon Inn’ or fantasy dramas like ‘Chinese Paladin’, it’s a true period drama like ‘Phoenix Terrace’.”

"Hmm." Chen Lingling nodded. "You haven't written many plays in this area."

“I have an idea for a period drama, and I would like to invite you to direct it,” Lu Yanhe said. “It’s a story about revenge.”

"Hmm?" Chen Lingling was somewhat surprised. "Revenge?"

The bodyguard played by Lu Yanhe in "Phoenix Terrace" is actually a revenger.

Lu Yanhe said, "It's a story about someone everyone thought was dead, but who actually survived and underwent a complete metamorphosis, reappearing with a different face, and trying to overturn the verdict on a tragic case."

Chen Lingling was somewhat surprised and asked, "You said you haven't finished writing your script yet."

“Yes, the script is not finished yet, but I have already figured out what the whole story will be like,” Lu Yanhe said. “I want to prepare this play as part of the Linghe Theater project in cooperation with Aurora Borealis. Of course, this play will definitely not be completed in one or two years, so I need to communicate with you in advance.”

Chen Lingling asked, "You haven't even officially started your first year of cooperation with Aurora Video, and you're already preparing for the second or even the third year?"

Lu Yanhe nodded: "I believe this script will definitely be a success."

Chen Lingling remained silent for a moment.

"Then tell me in detail about your script, what kind of story it is."

"The name of this story is 'Nirvana in Fire'."

-

If asked which Chinese TV drama he believes is most likely to be well-received by overseas audiences, Lu Yanhe would choose two genres: crime thrillers and historical dramas with political intrigue.

The former is the hard currency theme with the fewest barriers in the international market, while the latter, because of its political intrigue, can also be considered a hard currency theme.

However, Chinese historical dramas with political intrigue have a major weakness when it comes to going global: translation.

Not many people understand China's cultural background.

Many proper nouns may not have an accurate translation.

However, Lu Yanhe believes that the story of "Nirvana in Fire" is a type that appeals to both ancient and modern times, both in China and abroad, in terms of its structure and theme.

First of all, the "revenge + political intrigue" setting is a classic narrative in itself.

Secondly, the many "battle of wits" scenes in "Nirvana in Fire" are not complicated; on the contrary, their design is actually easy to understand.

From the perspective of the story text, Lu Yanhe believes that "Nirvana in Fire" is a drama series that can be tried to be exported overseas.

Therefore, Lu Yanhe found Chen Lingling.

Chen Lingling is the most capable and qualified director among those Lu Yanhe knows to produce such a grand historical drama about political intrigue.

Moreover, she has experience collaborating with overseas streaming media; "The Silent River" was produced for the global market.

Chen Lingling is familiar with the style, rhythm, and collaboration with international production teams—this "background knowledge" can effectively reduce communication costs.

"So, are you going to act in this show?"

“I can’t act,” Lu Yanhe shook his head, “even though I want to.”

Mei Changsu is still a very worthwhile character to play.

Chen Lingling said, "I can direct, but on the condition that you play Mei Changsu."

Lu Yanhe: "..."

Chen Lingling said resolutely, "This condition is non-negotiable."

Lu Yanhe: "..."

Chen Lingling said, "If you star in the lead role, I'll work for you."

Lu Yanhe: "...I have too many projects to act in."

“Didn’t you say this project wasn’t in a rush to launch? How about starting filming next year? The year after? Either is fine,” Chen Lingling said. “In that case, I can pick another one from your projects and make another one for you.”

Lu Yanhe: "Director—"

"The conditions I've offered are already quite good. Please consider them."

Producer Huang Cheng, who has worked with her for decades, laughed and said, "Director Chen just wants to work with you again."

Lu Yanhe looked at Chen Lingling with some emotion.

Chen Lingling: "How is it?"

Lu Yanhe scratched his head, sighed, hesitated for a few seconds, and said, "Alright then."

Chen Lingling: That's more like it.

"Then what else will you film for me?" Lu Yanhe asked.

Chen Lingling said, "It depends on you. If you have any projects you want me to film, I can take a look. If not, I have a few suitable ones. See which one you are interested in and want to do together. I will go to Aurora and have them buy it and put it in Linghe Theater so that Linghe can co-produce it."

Lu Yanhe immediately nodded: "That's a good idea."

His eyes lit up.

"How about I see what projects you have on hand?"

If Lu Yanhe had any projects he wanted Chen Lingling to direct, he would have mentioned it immediately.

Chen Lingling: "Why don't you take a look at the TV series 'Wa Guang'?"

"What's this?"

“I’ve always wanted to make a TV series, but because it only has five episodes, no matter how I calculate it, I can’t recoup the costs, so I haven’t been able to make it happen,” Chen Lingling said. “I’ve contacted several video platforms, but none of them can support me in making this project.”

Lu Yanhe said, "If there are too few episodes, it will be difficult to sell advertising, so it will be hard to recoup costs. So how much does it cost to produce this drama?"

“Each episode will cost at least 20 million. This is a palace drama, and I want to replicate it 1:1,” Chen Lingling said. “It tells the story of a woman in the harem who rises to power and then falls.”

Lu Yanhe thought for a moment and said, "At least 100 million in production costs is required. That's indeed a huge expense, no wonder—"

Huang Cheng: "Why did you bring this up with Yan He again? This—"

Lu Yanhe said, "It's okay. Why don't you give me the script and production plan? I'll have Chen Yin take a look and see if there's any way to find a profitable production model."

Chen Lingling: "I don't want to do product placement in the plot."

“This is what I hate the most,” Lu Yanhe said. “If it really doesn’t work out, we should just give up and see how it goes.”

“Okay,” Chen Lingling said. “If this can’t be done, we’ll look at something else.”

Huang Cheng immediately said, "Yan He, don't be embarrassed. This project is indeed difficult to make a profit. It has been many years and we have not been able to attract investment. We know that too."

“Hmm,” Lu Yanhe said, “but the director has been thinking about this project for so many years, he must still want to film it.”

Huang Cheng showed a helpless expression.

-

The reason why the five-episode drama "Waguang" had a production cost of 100 million yuan is because Chen Lingling wanted to restore the architecture, costumes and other aspects of the drama according to the real historical situation. The production cost of the art direction was as high as that of a 40-episode drama.

With the same art direction budget, the latter could be used for forty episodes, while the former only needs five. Under the current market conditions, the cost is naturally ridiculously high.

Chen Yin said, "From the perspective of conventional production and sales systems, no matter how you control it, you can't make it profitable."

Lu Yanhe asked, "What about the unconventional methods?"

“For example, we can use the art direction and architecture of ‘Wa Guang’ to seamlessly connect with another project, with the art direction costs borne by both production teams,” Chen Yin said. “Another example is to use ‘Wa Guang’ as an IP to simultaneously produce variety shows, games, animations, or brand collaborations, which can spread costs and expand profit margins. Five episodes are the biggest weakness in terms of profitability, but if this IP can be used to produce different content products and have multiple sales outlets, it can also be successful.”

Lu Yanhe pondered for a moment and asked, "Then what do you think would be the best way to do this?"

“Using the actors from ‘Wa Guang’ to make variety shows is the most convenient way, but the premise is that the actors from ‘Wa Guang’ have fame and traffic, and that they are willing to accept this model,” Chen Yin said. “There is another way, to use the characters from ‘Wa Guang’ to make several derivative online movies, filmed back to back, but director Chen Lingling may not agree to this.”

Lu Yanhe understood Chen Yin's meaning.

He thought for a moment and said, "Tell Director Chen about all the possible approaches and see what she chooses, whether there are any she can accept."

Chen Yin nodded.

“There is another way, which is to make a second and third season, and film them back to back,” Chen Yin said. “But I think if there were any plans to make a second and third season, the number of episodes for this story would have been increased to ten or even twenty episodes long ago. Director Chen may not be willing to make a second and third season.”

"Use the same worldview and the same set design to tell the story of another group of people and another story, and turn it into a poetic drama."

The so-called poetry anthology series, like "White Lotus Resort," features different protagonists and different stories in each season, but uses the same theme concept.

The same applies to "Buried Alive".

Lu Yanhe said, "The selection of poems for drama is probably a relatively reasonable choice."

“Yes, but if we’re making a play based on poetry, then we have to film back-to-back so that the costs of set design, crew, and other related expenses can be seamlessly coordinated. Otherwise, we’ll incur even more costs,” Chen Yin said. “Right now, ‘Waguang’ only has one script.”

“It’s okay. Once we find a profitable production model, we’ll just follow that model. There’s no rush to meet everyone next year or the year after,” Lu Yanhe said.

"Too."

Lu Yanhe said, "Let's communicate with Director Chen like this. I think she can agree with the concept of the poetry anthology."

However, shooting two or even three movies at once will inevitably increase costs.

If the show doesn't perform well and flops, then it might even flop even more.

Of course, Lu Yanhe believed in Chen Lingling.

Given her high standards for drama, she has almost never made a mistake.

(End of this chapter)