Chapter 333
Only in times of crisis are women more likely to be seen
As the New Year's Day holiday passed, workers returned to their posts. Ling Suisui also temporarily ended his vacation and switched back to work with one click.
This time she took a private jet again - not bought, but rented.
Because there were many team members traveling together, there were not enough first-class tickets, and the trans-Pacific flight of more than ten hours was too tiring. After Ling Suisui and Tong Xiaoman discussed it, they decided to charter a plane to reduce the risk of their itinerary being leaked.
Of course the team members are very happy. Employees who have been at Harvest Media for a long time know that good jobs are not circulated. Barring any unexpected events, most of my colleagues here will be able to retire peacefully.
Their two bosses were discussing the contract issues between the company's blockbuster drama "Ru Meng Ling" and the platform.
The webcast rights have definitely been given to Antenna, and this will not change;
However, after the New Year, Antenna parachuted in a female vice president. The first thing the new vice president did after taking office was to change the copyright contract of "Ru Meng Ling" into a permanent buyout.
Ling Suisui smiled and said, "The long video business is not easy to do now, but she is very courageous."
In fact, in Ling Suisui's impression, "permanent buyout" is the most common cooperation model between platforms and producers regarding copyrighted dramas. However, with the rise of short dramas in recent years, the average profit margin of long dramas is not so good. When taking into account those loss-making projects, the platform is even more unwilling to take such a big risk after much consideration.
Therefore, the permanent buyout was changed to a fixed-term buyout. If the work does not meet the broadcast requirements stipulated in the contract, the platform has the right to reduce the price for renewal after the expiration date, or even simply not renew the contract.
However, although the change to the buyout system was driven by the platform's profit-seeking, the producers also obtained corresponding rights during the negotiation process.
If the broadcast effect of the work exceeds expectations and can continue to bring income to the video website in a few years, the renewal price of the work can also be increased or sold to other platforms.
"The three-year buyout under Langxia has expired, right?" Ling Suisui thought of this.
Tong Xiaoman: "Yes, since November last year, the relevant income of Inspur has been a profit-sharing model."
If it weren't for the long tail of this drama as a reference, it would not be so easy for the vice president to push for a permanent buyout of "Ru Meng Ling".
Even so, there are still many voices of opposition within the platform. Some are about things, some are about people. Ling Sui doesn’t care about the details. She only needs to discuss one thing with Tong Xiaoman: should the platform buy out permanently?
Neither of them had considered the issue of profit sharing. There were special circumstances for "Under the Wave" back then, which did not apply to "Ru Meng Ling".
Finally, Ling Suisui gave the decision-making power to Tong Xiaoman. It’s fine if the platform wants to buy out permanently. What they need is not only money, but also resources to replace the antennas. After all, there are several rising stars in the company.
As for the profits... with Tong Xiaoman's bargaining ability, Ling Sui doesn't have to worry about this.
Tong Xiaoman sighed: "In fact, the long drama market has become increasingly difficult in recent years. In the past, my peers were afraid that your new drama would be too popular, but now they all hope that Ru Meng Ling can be a big hit."
To exaggerate a little, "Ru Meng Ling" may be the greatest hope for the revival of long dramas. It’s so terrifying that all kinds of horizontal and vertical short dramas are trying to grab the audience’s attention. If short dramas really become the mainstream form, what will happen to long dramas?
Given the current market situation, producers and platforms holding long-running dramas are very conflicted, not knowing whether to hold on to them for a while to see how things develop, or to sell them early to cut losses in time.
"I don't know how big they want to be, but if they want to have the same explosion as in the early 2000s, it's basically impossible."
No one hopes more than Ling Suisui that the performance of Ru Meng Ling has no ceiling, but this cannot be achieved by just thinking about it, one has to be down-to-earth.
"There were fewer forms of entertainment before, but now there are many different sub-sectors in the entertainment industry, and audiences' tastes are becoming more personalized. In the past, there was no choice, and a movie that was 60% liked was enough to pass the time. Now there are too many choices, and people won't be able to stay unless they like it 90% of the time."
Ling Suisui said calmly: "Ru Meng Ling cannot save a long drama. Each drama has its own life. It depends on the quality of each drama. We ourselves dare not say that we have a sure win."
That’s true, after all, “Ru Meng Ling” hasn’t been aired yet.
The two skipped this topic and mentioned the film and television resources that the company's young actresses could get.
"In recent years, the theme of female protagonists has really become popular." Tong Xiaoman said, "I mean the kind of female protagonists that can be treated as good as male-oriented dramas. Therefore, many excellent female directors and screenwriters have emerged."
"Because the long drama is almost dead."
Ling Suisui gave a sharp answer, "This is the glass cliff effect, including the female vice president who was parachuted into the company. Only in times of crisis are women more likely to be seen."
This is an opportunity as well as a challenge.
The company needs more capable leadership, and the long drama market is in urgent need of innovation to please the audience. If they succeed, no one may remember their contributions, but if they fail, they are the best candidates to take the blame.
Look, works with female leaders/female perspectives are really not good!
When saying this, Ling Suisui actually thought of Yun Zheng.
I don’t know if it’s because “Ru Meng Ling” is about to be aired, but she can always recall the content of the script and every little detail of her time with the character.
In Yun Zheng’s case, wasn’t she also given a task in a time of crisis?
Tang Bian searched through history books but could not find any path for women to rise in times of peace and prosperity. The flat road was crowded with men, and Yun Zheng could only fight her way out on the edge of a knife.
At that time, did she ever think about leaving her name in history and how future generations would evaluate her?
Almost every political enemy would use this sentence to warn Yun Zheng, but she had never answered this question directly.
Ling Sui looked at the clouds outside the window, letting his thoughts drift far away.
**
It is said that Chanel's haute couture items are difficult to borrow, but this really depends on the person.
Ling Sui, who walked the Golden Globe Awards red carpet wearing out-of-season couture, said, "Is it difficult to borrow?" It's just okay.
There are so many award ceremonies from January to March that she plans to wear more than a dozen haute couture outfits during these three months, all from the ultra-generous Chanel. After all, it already has high-end custom business, so the team doesn't have to look far away.
After entering the inner venue, Ling Suisui quickly turned on the e-people social mode, toasting and chatting with the guests on the scene. Even though she has a moderate alcohol tolerance, she can still drink champagne of this alcohol content freely.
Ling Suisui also met Bertha - this should be one of her few good friends at the scene, especially the friendship that is not plastic.
Bertha is still the blonde sweetheart in her impression. Even though she was photographed by the media getting drunk in a bar the day before yesterday, it did not affect her radiant and smiling face today.
When Ling Suisui asked her "Are you okay?", Bertha shook her hair in a cool way: "I'm fine. I've been sad for Jason for two days. Although I love him very much, I also want to embrace a new life."
"Be quiet, don't turn your head now, and find a chance to look towards the three o'clock direction later. What do you think of that handsome guy? He's totally my type, and I want to spend a pleasant evening with him."
Ling Suisui: ...
Ling Sui took out her phone and took a selfie with her. By adjusting the angle, she saw the handsome guy she was talking about in the camera.
Hey, it’s Joey, Ling Suisui’s colleague in “Kung Fu Master” and the actor who played the villain monster.
Although Ling Suisui did not plan to develop a matchmaking career in Hollywood, she knew both sides and met them at the venue, so she had to say hello to Joey.
Bertha followed her and found a topic to start a conversation with Joey. Having accomplished her goal, Ling Suisui did not stay long, but returned to her seat in a low-key manner.
Ten minutes later, Bertha reappeared. Her seat was right next to her.
"Done?" Ling Sui asked.
Bertha nodded proudly and tossed her hair.
Both of them are hot nominees for Best Actress at this year's Golden Globe Awards. The organizers arranged them together, which may not be without the intention of competing for beauty on the same stage.
However, they may not be very clear about the private friendship between Ling Suisui and Bertha. Although they have not cooperated yet, they can always talk about everything when they meet and even whisper in each other's ears.
Whether it was the media reporters snapping photos or the live broadcast cameras, they could only capture the scene of the two people chatting happily, which was totally different from the smoke-filled effect that the organizers had expected.
"My feelings are actually very complicated." Bertha told Ling Suisui very frankly, "When I knew I was competing with you, my heart sank, because I felt that my chances of being nominated for the Golden Globe were very slim, but I was also very honored."
Ling Suisui is not being modest here. Most Westerners don't understand this kind of culture. She only said: "You are also the most respectable opponent in my heart."
"Really?" This made Bertha very happy. "I know you Chinese people like to say some very polite words. Tell me this is not true."
They both laughed. At this time, Bertha saw someone coming from behind to look for Ling Suisui. She stopped laughing and used her eyes to warn him.
Ling Sui turned around and found a man who looked familiar and seemed difficult to get along with... She quickly searched in her mind and found relevant information about the other party.
“Director Sinclair,” she said, “it’s great to see you again.”
Ling Suisui remembered that the last time she and Sinclair met was in Cannes. He is a very talented director with a bad temper, and he doesn't seem to be very popular in the circle.
Well... he has maxed out the first two traits, so the third one seems natural.
This time, Sinclair came to see Ling Suisui, not only to share his viewing experience of "Dragon Slayer" with her, but also to invite her.
The jury for Cannes' main competition unit was being formed, and he asked Ling Suisui if she wanted to give it a try. Of course, he was talking about next year.
Ling Sui was very surprised. First, she was surprised that this matter had to be done so long in advance, then she was surprised that this matter was brought up by Director Sinclair, and she was also surprised that the other party would invite her.
To be honest, apart from the brief exchange in Cannes, there was no other contact between them.
Sinclair said: "You are also familiar with the Cannes award mechanism. Several judges need to discuss together to reach the final result. If a fool mixes in, it will greatly affect the efficiency and atmosphere of the judges' discussion."
"So I invite you, Lindsay. I hope you can join us as an actor. Although you are young and have no relevant experience, and you are still a little far from being a 'perfect actor', you are already quite talented. If you join us, you can take up a spot, and we will be less likely to encounter unpleasant and difficult to communicate guys."
Ling Suisui pondered for a moment.
Is there a possibility that... the person who is "difficult to communicate" with is you, the director?
The author has something to say:
*The formation of the Cannes jury is private. I have looked up some information and the process is indeed quite complicated.
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