Chapter 361 Same Bah
After making some inquiries, Lu Yanhe learned that the filming of "Nineteen Years of Crime Records" had encountered many problems. First of all, the casting process itself was full of twists and turns, which caused the film to be delayed for a long time.
After the camera started rolling, various problems arose during filming.
The main problem was the significant disagreement between the director and the actors, and the conflicts among the actors themselves, leading to arguments almost every day on set.
The director argued with the actors, and the actors argued with each other; the conflict was constant.
Such arguments led to repeated revisions of the script.
Two of the screenwriters who were supposed to be on set have left.
In the end, the actors went to the original author, Liu Jiazhen, and asked him if he knew that his story had been drastically altered.
Upon hearing this, Liu Jiazhen was stunned and immediately contacted people from Jiangyin Publishing House to communicate with Ruyi Film Industry.
Ruyi Pictures was already overwhelmed by the problems that had arisen in the production team, and the person in charge was also very perfunctory when questioned by Liu Jiazhen and Jiang Yin.
The implication is that you've already granted authorization, and the contract clearly states that the production company can adapt the original work based on the actual filming situation. So, you shouldn't treat this movie as your work anymore. Your opinion isn't that important to us. Film and television adaptations have many factors to consider, and adjustments aren't made based on the original author's opinion. Compared to a book, the production budget for a film and television project is several times larger. If you don't understand, don't just believe everything you hear.
This is the first novel from Liujia Town to be adapted into a film or television series. He had no experience dealing with film and television companies, and he never expected that the person who used to respectfully address him as Teacher Liu would suddenly change his tune and ridicule him without any politeness.
If Liujia Town had more experience, it wouldn't be the first time they'd faced the challenge of film and television adaptation.
If the person Ruyi Pictures was dealing with had been more polite and hadn't been so directly sarcastic towards Liujia Town.
Things might not have escalated to this point.
Enraged, Liu Jiazhen wanted to revoke the authorization for the film.
Only then did the people from Ruyi Pictures realize the mess their contact with Liujia Town had made. They immediately replaced him with someone else, offering apologies and explanations in hopes of gaining Liujia Town's forgiveness.
Liu Jiazhen was furious. The key issue was that the movie script had been completely altered and was no longer coherent. He solemnly declared that the script must not be drastically changed.
Ruyi Pictures knew the script had been rewritten into a mess, and they were helpless. But with a project this far along, even if everyone knew it was a disaster, they couldn't just abandon it halfway. So much money had already been poured in, and now Liu Jiazhen wanted to rewrite the script? Leaving aside the question of whether it was even possible, what about the scenes already filmed? Reshoot? The money already invested had been wasted; how could a reshoot guarantee a decent result?
The project has progressed to this point, and it's like a horse's hoof stepping off a cliff; there's little that can be taken back now.
For Ruyi Pictures, the goal is at least to pull this movie out of production and recoup some of the costs. That would be better than it becoming a failed project in the film industry, which would be truly terrible.
Against this backdrop, Liujia Town found Chen Siqi.
Liu Jiazhen couldn't swallow his anger, and he thought that Chen Siqi and Lu Yanhe knew many people in the entertainment industry, so they might have more ways to resolve this matter.
After Lu Yanhe found out the situation, he was astonished.
First, such a wonderful story as "Nineteen Years of Crime Records" was actually drastically altered into a suspenseful crime film that couldn't make sense on its own, simply because some actors wanted to add scenes, and some actors fell out with the director and refused to cooperate with the director's intentions, insisting on playing a different character.
Secondly, Chen Ziliang, one of the male leads in the film, is one of the few characters who doesn't cause any trouble.
Lu Yanhe originally thought he was the one who was causing the most trouble.
Chen Ziyan said, "The lead actor in this movie is Chen Jiping, the person you have a conflict with. The biggest conflict during the filming of this movie was between him and the director. His and the director's understanding of the movie was completely different. The script was changed after each of their arguments in an attempt to balance the conflict between them, but the more it was changed, the worse it became."
Lu Yanhe frowned. "Don't they realize that the script has been turned into garbage?"
"In the heat of the moment, they were both fighting for their pride. I believe that with their professional abilities, they must have realized that the script was getting worse with each revision, but at this point, neither of them was willing to admit defeat," Chen Ziyan said.
Lu Yanhe felt somewhat helpless.
"Isn't Ruyi Pictures going to take care of this?"
"How do we manage them?" Chen Ziyan smiled. "One is the director, and the other is the lead actor. Neither of them has skipped work or said they would stop filming. The project has been in production. The producer can only talk to both sides. But if they refuse to change, no one can help them."
"If things fall apart like this, won't their reputations be ruined? Who will want to cast them in movies anymore? Will Ruyi stop hiring them? Aren't they worried about that?"
“On the one hand, both of them definitely feel that the other is at fault, not themselves. On the other hand, it’s fine to think this way from a rational perspective, but if everyone could remain rational, we wouldn’t have so many news stories to read.” Chen Ziyan smiled. “Maybe in their own eyes, their actions are still their own persistence in art.”
Lu Yanhe looked on with disbelief.
I don't understand.
Chen Jiping is not a very good person, but his professional skills have always been highly praised. After his spy drama became a huge hit, he acted in many other dramas, and the feedback was good. There have never been any rumors in the industry that he is a domineering actor.
As for the director, Zhang Qiang is a veteran director who has made many films. How could he have such a conflict with Chen Jiping in this film?
They're not some inexperienced newcomer who, in a moment of impulsiveness, loses their rationality and no one can pull them back.
It's rare to see someone like them still stubbornly arguing with the other side at this point.
On Thursday, Lu Yanhe arranged to meet Liu Jiazhen.
"Brother Jiazhen, how's your new work coming along?" Lu Yanhe asked.
Liu Jiazhen looked distressed and said, "Don't say anything. I've been so upset about the film adaptation of 'Nineteen Years' lately that I can't concentrate on writing the book at all."
Seeing that Liu Jiazhen looked genuinely annoyed, Lu Yanhe said, "Brother Jiazhen, it's really frustrating to encounter this situation during the filming of 'Nineteen Years,' but after reviewing the contract you signed with Ruyi Pictures, there's nothing we can do to interfere. A film has already started shooting and has been filming for so long; it's difficult to change their filming plans at this point."
Liu Jiazhen bluntly complained: "What kind of ideas do they have? They're just messing around. They said they wanted to make a classic suspenseful crime film, but the result is this monstrosity."
"Have you seen their script?"
"I saw it, and it made my blood pressure rise," Liu Jiazhen said with a sigh.
Lu Yanhe: "I really hope I can help, but I haven't had much contact with Ruyi Pictures, and we don't have much of a conversation."
"Forget it, I've already accepted my fate. I signed the contract myself, and I had no experience. I'll just consider it a lesson learned," Liu Jiazhen said with a look of disappointment. "I thought that adapting the book into a film or television series would make more people aware of it and boost sales, but now I really don't know what to say."
“Film and television adaptation is definitely a good opportunity, especially in this era where IP is prevalent. Film and television adaptations can bring greater influence to authors. However, even if the film and television adaptation fails, it will not affect the quality of the book ‘Nineteen Years of Crime Records’ itself,” Lu Yanhe said. “Moreover, in addition to movies, there are also TV series. We also have the opportunity to adapt it into a TV series.”
Liujia Town holds a very special place in Lu Yanhe's heart.
He was Lu Yanhe's first gateway into the publishing industry and the world of novels. It was because he happened to read this book in his live broadcast room that he boosted its sales, which led to his connection with Jiangyin Publishing House and many subsequent collaborations.
Lu Yanhe certainly hopes that the creative endeavors in Liujia Town will be even better.
So when he realized that it was difficult to change the nature of film adaptations, he had the idea of using his influence to help make TV series adaptations better.
Liu Jiazhen said helplessly, "The film and television rights of 'Nineteen Years' were sold to Ruyi Pictures, and the adaptation rights of the series are also in their hands."
Lu Yanhe was taken aback.
Sold in bulk?
Liu Jiazhen said, "Given the current situation, Ruyi may not be planning to develop a TV series version anymore."
Generally speaking, if all the film and television copyrights are held by one company, they will definitely want to develop them together. However, if the first one messes up, the later one will also be affected and sidelined.
Lu Yanhe thought for a moment and said, "Brother Jiazhen, you should leave this matter aside for now. I don't have the power to interfere with the movie version, but I'll see if I can think of a way to adapt the TV series."
Upon hearing this, Liu Jiazhen asked with some confusion, "What are you planning to do?"
"I'll see if I can buy the adaptation rights to the series," Lu Yanhe said.
-
The following day was Friday.
The day the third episode of "The Seventeenth Floor" aired.
On this day, everyone in Beijing and Shanghai was thinking about this matter.
Over the past week, the publicity campaign surrounding "The Seventeen Floors" by Beijing and Taiwan has not only not diminished, but has intensified.
In particular, Beijing and Taiwan finally focused on the concept of watching the premiere together in Beijing and Taiwan, and did a lot of targeted publicity and marketing.
For example, during commercial breaks, there will be QR code raffles where participants can scan to win merchandise featuring the main cast. Of course, this activity was immediately ridiculed by many netizens as a blatant copy of the Aurora Borealis video.
For example, they could collaborate with two social media platforms to host a "watch the premiere" event, highlighting the message "This Friday at 9:30 PM, 'The Seventeen Floors' will be exclusively broadcast on Beijing and Taiwan," and then offer various rewards or gifts.
In short, it's about throwing money at the problem and using celebrities to attract traffic.
With so many actions taken, we're just waiting to see the results tonight.
-
When Deng Siyuan and Jiang Lan met in the corridor, the former could hardly hide his anger and disgust towards Jiang Lan.
Jiang Lan, on the contrary, remained calm and composed, giving Deng Siyuan a casual glance.
"The publicity work this week was well done," she commented.
But this condescending tone of evaluation further provoked Deng Siyuan, making him angry.
"Director Jiang, this publicity campaign was done according to your instructions. If the ratings don't go up tonight, don't try to shift the blame onto our publicity department. We're not like your leaders; we can't bear such a heavy burden."
Jiang Lan smiled slightly, looked at him, and said, "Why don't you pray that the ratings go up tonight? If the ratings don't go up, then of course it's because your publicity work is not up to par. Otherwise, why is this drama doing so well on Aurora Video?"
Deng Siyuan's cheek twitched.
“You’re over forty years old, don’t act like a child. We’re all in this business, results speak for themselves.” Jiang Lan finished speaking, nodded slightly to him, and left.
Deng Siyuan felt as if a powder keg had been lit in his heart, and he was filled with rage.
-
Deng Siyuan had hoped that the ratings for "The Seventeenth Floor" would remain stagnant tonight, proving that his previous promotional strategy wasn't flawed and that even Jiang Lan's approach hadn't worked.
But Jiang Lan didn't buy it at all, and casually passed the buck to him.
Anyway, she grasped the fact that "The Seventeenth Floor" was doing very well on Aurora Video, firmly establishing that "there is no problem with the content of the show," thus gaining an invincible advantage.
Deng Siyuan took a deep breath.
His previous stumble on Friends was too big. Although it didn't shake his position, it still put him in an awkward situation. Whenever someone needed to target him, he was a ready-made target that could be used at any time, and he had nothing to say about it.
I'm so angry!
-
Lu Yanhe finished a brand event and moved on to participate in an interview.
On the way, Wang Biao, who had been his assistant for some time, kept an eye on the news online.
"Brother Lu, the trailer for episode 3 of 'The Seventeenth Floor' is trending again," Wang Biao said with delight. "You're trending too."
Lu Yanhe smiled but didn't reply.
On their phones, Li Zhibai and Yan Liang had already replied in the group chat.
Regarding his desire to buy the adaptation rights to the TV series "Nineteen Years of Crime Records" himself, Li Zhibai said: "If you want to do it, then do it."
Yan Liang asked: Is there anything we can do for you?
Lu Yanhe said: I also talked to Sister Ziyan about this. Sister Ziyan said that because movie adaptations are so bad now, they might run into obstacles when adapting them into TV series. She said that actors are a bit superstitious. If a story that was not adapted successfully before is adapted into a TV series, it will make the actors very hesitant and afraid to take the role. Didn't I think you guys were quite suitable before? Would you be willing to act in it?
Li Zhibai: Make it clear first, do you want me to come, or Yan Liang?
Li Zhibai: But why are you asking such a question? If you want to talk to either of us, we'll come if we have the time.
Li Zhibai: Asking such a question shows a lack of respect for you.
Yan Liang: I second that.
Lu Yanhe: I actually thought about doing the calculation myself.
Yan Liang: Yeah, why don't you act yourself?
Lu Yanhe said: "I'm just asking you guys first. I recommended you to the film production company before. If any of you want to act in this movie, I'll let you act in it."
Yan Liang: When I read the movie script, I actually really wanted to try playing a villain. I had never played one before, let alone such a pervert.
Lu Yanhe: Yes, I also think this character is very challenging.
Li Zhibai: Let's stop with the polite formalities between the three of us. I can see that you want to play the role, Yan Liang wants to play the role, and to be honest, I want to play the role too. Let's organize an audition and let the director choose whoever is suitable.
Yan Liang: Hahaha, I think this idea is good.
Lu Yanhe: What makes you think you deserve to audition for a second male lead? You're all top-tier celebrities.
Li Zhibai: Pah! It's one thing for other people to say such things, but for you to say such things, don't think I can't see the smirk on your face when you're typing this.
Yan Liang: I second that.
Lu Yanhe: Why do you agree with everything?
Yan Liang: I'm not good with words, so I can only agree with what the council says.
Li Zhibai: If you're conscious of this, follow Brother Bai and you'll live a life of luxury.
Yan Liang: Bah!
Lu Yanhe: Same as "呸" (pǐ).
Putting down his phone, Lu Yanhe looked at the sunlight outside the window and smiled.
When Wang Biao saw Lu Yanhe smile, he asked, "Brother Lu, what's making you so happy?"
Lu Yanhe said, "It's nothing. I was just chatting with Li Zhibai and Yan Liang. We only have that interview scheduled for later today, right?"
“Yes,” Wang Biao said. “It will end around 5:40, and then we can go back to rest.”
"You want to finish at 5:40?" Lu Yanhe thought for a moment and said, "Then find a restaurant nearby and make a reservation. If they don't have any other plans, we can invite them to dinner before going back."
Wang Biao: "Okay, leave it to me."
Despite his young age, Wang Biao is incredibly enthusiastic about his work. He's extremely proactive in everything he does, never afraid of getting tired or finding anything troublesome.
Even Chen Ziyan said privately, "I used to think that this guy was just trying to make quick money as an internet celebrity and couldn't settle down to do anything real. He was all talk and no action. I didn't expect him to be so capable."
Now that Lu Yanhe has Zou Dong and Wang Biao by his side, things are finally running smoothly. When he's busy, it's not so difficult to rely solely on Zou Dong.
Everything was thriving.
(End of this chapter)
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