Chapter 771 Good Reputation
The sitcom "2 Broke Girls" has a total of 24 episodes in its first season.
This is a departure from the format of shows like Friends and My Own Swordsman, which typically have only a dozen or so episodes per season.
The reason for these modifications and adjustments is that "2 Broke Girls" lacks a star-studded cast, and everyone believes that even if the show is of high quality, it needs time to develop its appeal.
So, there are a total of 24 episodes, one episode per day, which will take almost a month.
In fact, when "2 Broke Girls" aired its 10th episode, this particular episode suddenly became a hit.
This episode is set on New Year's Eve. The character played by Deng Xiaoyuan (Max in the original series) accidentally breaks the blender with the character played by Cen Nan. So, the two of them need to buy a new blender, but when they get to the mall, they find that there are no blenders they can afford.
However, at this time, they discovered that a store was hiring two part-time waitresses for New Year's Eve—who needed to dress up as elves to serve customers who came to celebrate the New Year.
They got the jobs.
However, on New Year's Eve, they were extremely busy. After finishing their shift at the restaurant, they rushed to their part-time job, which started at nine o'clock in the evening.
So, Deng Xiaoyuan gave Cen Nan a stimulating drink. As a result, Cen Nan, having drunk a whole bottle of it, completely lost control of his emotions and ultimately ruined the evening.
This is a typical plot in sitcoms: mess everything up, and then discover truth, goodness, and beauty.
This episode is the same.
This episode wasn't conceived by the screenwriters; rather, it was an idea that Lu Yanhe brought up when discussing the script with them.
This is actually the original storyline.
Lu Yanhe remembered the plot of this episode, so he told them about it.
At the beginning of this episode, Deng Xiaoyuan's character talks about New Year's Eve, saying: "New Year's Eve is an activity that only the rich and have time can participate in. They revel and exchange gifts on this night, while poor people like us can only watch them revel numbly, and then clean up the leftovers after they go home exhausted, so that our dinner table is not empty."
Deng Xiaoyuan's character embodies this style. She appears utterly dejected and speaks utterly dejected words, but despite this, she will never give up on her life, and in fact, she is someone who strives very hard to live her life to the fullest.
At the end of the episode, Cen Nan's character gives Deng Xiaoyuan's character a New Year's gift: a stirring spoon—something she can afford right now. The most touching thing for Lu Yanhe in this episode is actually this: throughout the entire episode, Cen Nan constantly messes things up, but Deng Xiaoyuan never blames her. Upon receiving the stirring spoon, Deng Xiaoyuan's first reaction is that she hadn't prepared a gift for Cen Nan.
Cen Nan's response was: "You have given me everything I have now."
Yes, at the end of this episode, on New Year's Eve, two young girls from the lower class also experienced friendship and found happiness and joy on this night.
It's such a cliché plot.
However, after this episode aired, "2 Broke Girls" finally broke the 1% viewership mark, and the show also ushered in a truly widespread discussion beyond its original audience.
Many people have singled out this episode for commentary and analysis, and in one night, it has supported the monthly active users of countless marketing accounts for the entire month.
This drama truly gained attention through its characters and content.
Only by doing this can a drama truly break out of its niche on the level of plot.
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Although he was not in the country, Lu Yanhe still made time to watch this episode.
"2 Broke Girls" wasn't well-made, but that "not well-made" was just right.
The main setting of "2 Broke Girls" is the apartment that Deng Xiaoyuan rents and the restaurant where they work.
The whole environment gives off a feeling of being "crowded".
Deng Xiaoyuan rented an apartment of over 60 square meters. The filming took place on a set built in a studio to allow the camera to capture shots from various angles.
The horse from the original series was not included in this series; instead, it was replaced by a dog.
The main reason is that in the domestic environment, it's not very realistic to keep a horse in your own yard.
In many Chinese dramas, many main characters are supposed to be working-class people, but they rent apartments that are comparable to those that only white-collar workers with a monthly salary of 20,000 to 30,000 yuan can afford.
For restaurant servers like Deng Xiaoyuan in first-tier cities, the monthly salary is generally between six and eight thousand yuan. If the boss is generous, he can pay more, and if he is stingy, he can pay less.
With this income level, the rent would be at most around two thousand a month for a house.
The script sets the rent for Deng Xiaoyuan's apartment at 3,000 yuan a month. However, Deng Xiaoyuan was previously sharing an apartment with someone else. Because the girl she was sharing with left, a room became available, which is why Deng Xiaoyuan was able to take in Cen Nan, and the two of them shared the apartment for 1,500 yuan a month.
Even in sitcoms, Lu Yanhe insists on meticulous attention to detail.
Because if the details (especially the details that everyone is concerned about) are unreliable, people cannot empathize with them. And if they cannot empathize with them, they cannot feel a sense of companionship.
Sitcoms and many slow-paced variety shows share one thing in common: they provide viewers with a sense of companionship, which is very important.
The reason why many sitcoms are watched multiple times, even ten or twenty years later, is because they have become a part of their memories and even a part of their daily lives.
In just half a month, Deng Xiaoyuan and Cen Nan went from being relatively unknown actors to becoming two faces that were all over the internet.
Too many people are starting to talk about the show "2 Broke Girls".
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In Linghe, Chen Yin also convened a meeting with the main creators of "Roommates" to celebrate the popularity of the TV series "2 Broke Girls".
"The third season of 'Roommates' performed quite well this year, and it has finally started to make a profit," Chen Yin said. "The ratings are also very good, achieving an average rating of 0.3% in the late-night slot, which shows that we have a group of regular viewers."
Shi Bei, the director of "Roommates", said, "The audience's evaluation is also very high."
"Yes." Chen Yin nodded and said, "Thank you all for your persistence and hard work over the past three years, which has made this story more and more familiar to more people. We are about to start preparing for the fourth season. The script is currently being written, and there will be a script idea meeting next week, right?"
“Yes,” Shi Bei said. “We invited six writers from ‘Jump Up’ to discuss the possible story directions for our new season of ‘Roommates’, including some good ideas.”
Sitcoms are like a bottle; you can put anything into it.
However, you have to act natural.
Just like episode 10 of "2 Broke Girls," would you say that not including this episode would affect the whole show?
It doesn't affect anything.
It's like a side story to a story.
However, sitcoms are often made up of one small story after another, which are gradually fleshed out within the main storyline.
It does not require the plot to be very coherent, nor does it require a completely structured narrative.
Chen Yin said, "I've gathered everyone here today to talk about '2 Broke Girls'."
A sitcom from the same company, with an unknown director, a group of new writers, and a group of unknown actors, became increasingly popular after its release.
This, of course, put a lot of pressure on the creators of "Roommates".
They already bear the reputation of being the only drama in Linghe that failed to achieve commercial success.
Chen Yin said, "Of course, the reason why '2 Broke Girls' was able to achieve such rapid success is because we used the best promotional resources to give the show a lot of promotion. We did not arrange such resources for 'Roommates'."
Shi Bei and the others didn't know what to say.
"This is because the company had different initial positioning for the two shows. However, I can say with certainty that because of the success of the third season, we will allocate more promotional resources to the fourth season of 'Roommates'. We all believe that 'Roommates' has the potential to further expand its influence based on its existing audience."
Shi Bei's eyes lit up instantly.
"Previously, we considered feedback from the platform and business side. 'Roommates' was critically acclaimed but not commercially successful. On the one hand, our show didn't have any big-name stars to support it, which was a disadvantage from the start. On the other hand, the show revolves around a couple, which easily makes people think of love, especially the ambiguous and affectionate kind of love, which greatly limited its audience."
"In fact, the plot of our first three seasons was indeed quite limited to the relationship between men and women and the issue of cohabitation, with at most some interaction with family and neighbors. The platform suggested that the show could expand on the characters and the space."
"For example, in the fourth season, we increased the screen time of a certain neighbor character, allowing the content and themes of the show to be expanded further. That's why I invited everyone to discuss '2 Broke Girls.' At the time, we all thought that the show was about two waitresses, so when we were writing the script, we focused on creating the plot around these two girls. But Lu Yanhe pointed out that although the show is called '2 Broke Girls,'..."
"However, it doesn't just have two main characters: a sexy, masculine chef, a talkative but kind-hearted boss, a cashier, and a loud, carefree neighbor of two girls. Each character has an independent background and personality. They don't have their own storylines, but each episode definitely has its own highlights to showcase these characters."
After Chen Yin finished speaking, Shi Bei nodded.
"Mr. Chen, do you mean we can add a few regular characters to the fourth season to expand the theme?"
“Yes.” Chen Yin nodded. “This also allows the show's themes to expand beyond romance, giving more weight to other aspects. The core of a sitcom is that people enjoy watching it and find it funny, but in terms of promotion, the most crucial factor is whether it aligns with communication principles. Look at ‘2 Broke Girls.’ Some articles focus on the characters' personalities, while others focus on specific aspects of other characters. Not only do each character have something to write about, but each episode also has a different theme, such as the courage to start over, the seemingly discouraged but actually resilient spirit, or the inspirational friendships.”
Shi Bei nodded.
"I see."
"Actually, 'Roommates' has already done a very good job. From the first season, we didn't lose money. In the second season, we made a slight profit, and in the third season, we finally achieved a normal profit for a TV series. The production cost of 'Roommates' actually increased with each season, and the final result also showed positive growth. This is entirely due to your achievements," Chen Yin said. "Since the third season was able to achieve such a big breakthrough, perhaps the fourth and fifth seasons will be even better."
Shi Bei immediately asked, "Mr. Chen, will we continue making the TV series 'Roommates'?"
Chen Yin said, "This doesn't depend on me, but on you. I can only assure you that you have the best creative conditions. Although I've gathered you all here for this meeting today, my promise remains the same. As long as it doesn't involve matters of principle like censorship, we won't interfere with your creative process, we'll only offer suggestions. As for funding, we've already filmed three seasons, as you all know, it's stable, there are no gaps in the schedule, and we won't let you have any worries. And as for bonuses... by the end of this year, all the staff of the third season of 'Roommates' will receive 5% of the show's salary as a bonus."
Everyone's eyes widened in surprise.
Everyone thought they were here to be reprimanded—
A group of creators from the third season of "Roommates" came to hold a seminar on "2 Broke Girls". Isn't this just to be asked: Why is "2 Broke Girls" so popular when both are created by "unknown" creative teams?
As it turned out, instead of being there to receive a lecture, they heard the good news that they would be given a bonus?
Chen Yin: "This is something I asked President Lu about yesterday, and he agreed on the spot. That's why I'm sharing this good news with everyone today. But there are some procedures to complete before we can distribute this money. So, we'll distribute it together at the end of the year. You can tell your subordinates about it when you get back."
Everyone cheered.
"Thank you, Mr. Chen!"
"Mr. Chen is awesome!"
"Mr. Chen is so generous!"
"We will definitely do our best!"
Chen Yin laughed.
"Don't thank me. Those of you who have Mr. Lu's contact information, go and thank him," Chen Yin said. "I've always believed that hard work should be rewarded and talent should be rewarded accordingly. I've worked for many companies before, but only in Linghe did I meet Mr. Lu, who shares the same views as me. Please believe that although 'Roommates' is a low-budget production, low budget doesn't mean low income for everyone. Although the first three seasons didn't have much promotion or marketing, that was because they were different shows with different target audiences. But ultimately, it was at the right time that we were able to accumulate strength and achieve great success."
Thunderous applause erupted.
Chen Yin: "Alright, let's get back to the main topic. Today's theme is a seminar on '2 Broke Girls.' What do you think is good about this show? Why is it so popular? What are some of its strengths that 'Roommates' can learn from? Please share any good ideas you have for the fourth season. I only have one request: in this meeting room today, everyone should stick to the facts. Don't feel upset just because someone raised some issues or shortcomings that are your department's responsibility. Don't be a 'good guy' for fear of offending others. We are all people who have built this from scratch. We want to make 'Roommates' a sitcom that is no less than any other sitcom. We must approach the following content with this belief. Raising questions and offering opinions is for the sake of improvement. Can everyone do that?"
"Sure!" someone immediately responded.
Chen Yin smiled and said, "Okay, then I'll start by throwing out an idea. Shi Bei, you're the director, so you have to take the lead. I'll offer some suggestions to you first, so that others will dare to speak up."
Shi Bei nodded and said, "President Chen, please tell me. I'll make a promise: if it's just one suggestion that can make this drama better, I'll treat the entire crew to coffee for a day, okay?"
"Director, you're so generous! I'll take the job!"
...
The room erupted in laughter, creating a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere, before finally getting down to business.
-
Back then, when Chen Ziyan introduced Chen Yin to Lu Yanhe, she described him as someone who, although not good at expanding territory and being ambitious, was very good at internal management.
Lu Yanhe has personally experienced this during the years of cooperation.
Most importantly, Chen Yin is not the kind of person who "doesn't take initiative in his work".
He has a knack for coordinating and dividing responsibilities among various departments in Linghe, arranging tasks for each production crew, and controlling the progress of each project. He also frequently proposes optimization solutions.
To say that Chen Yin had no selfish motives is, of course, impossible.
At the Linghe headquarters alone, Chen Yin had three relatives working there. However, before recruiting them, Chen Yin would always mention it to Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan first. Similarly, after they came in, Chen Yin would arrange for his nephew, who had graduated from university and was worth cultivating, to rotate through various departments to learn. As for the two who didn't have very high overall qualities, Chen Yin directly assigned them very basic jobs: one as his administrative assistant (the kind that wasn't open to outsiders), and the other to the driver's team.
Lu Yanhe admired this aspect of Chen Yin.
If someone has connections and isn't presented as a capable individual, then they shouldn't be given a key position.
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In recent years, a large number of veteran employees of Linghe have taken up management positions in various departments.
Before each person takes on a management position, Chen Yin submits a report about that person to Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan.
Just by looking at this report, Lu Yanhe could understand how much effort Chen Yin had put into the company's internal management.
This report is more detailed and specific than the information on a resume.
This report also shows that Chen Yin would conduct several work tests on each person to see what personality traits, management characteristics, strengths and weaknesses they exhibited at work.
You absolutely cannot create content like this without putting in serious effort.
That's why people feel at ease.
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On this day, Schmidt Laurie came to the set of "Godless".
Many film company bosses don't go to the filming location, but Schmidt Lowry is an exception.
He's the kind of boss who really enjoys being on set.
Schmidt Lowry greeted everyone warmly and offered words of encouragement, leaving them flattered and overwhelmed.
Lu Yanhe was already quite used to this kind of thing. Of course, Lu Yanhe thought Schmidt Lowry was pretty impressive for going to such lengths for so many people on the "Godless" set.
Schmidt Lowry told him that Longyan didn't know what was going on either. They had agreed to sell the overseas distribution rights of "Burning Fire 2" to Midoriya, but at the last minute, Longyan changed their minds.
Lu Yanhe was aware of the situation.
After several internal meetings, Longyan decided to wait until after the release of "Mist 2" before discussing the overseas distribution rights of "Burning Fire 2"—for this matter, Longyan even went to Chen Ziyan to confirm the release date of "Mist 2".
At least he had foresight this time.
Lu Yanhe smiled and asked, "Schmidt, when do you plan to release 'Dragon Inn'?"
"We're grappling with a problem," Schmidt Lowry said.
"Huh?" Lu Yanhe was taken aback.
Schmidt Lowry said, "We also have the North American distribution rights to your other screenplay, Raise the Red Lantern. We plan to release the film in November and campaign for it during this year's awards season. However, we believe that Dragon Inn also has a chance to compete in the awards season. We haven't decided yet whether to release the film next year."
Lu Yanhe was taken aback.
Raise the Red Lantern?
If he hadn't mentioned it, Lu Yanhe would have completely forgotten about the movie.
Since winning an award at the Sea Tour Film Festival, the film has not been scheduled for release in China. Lu Yanhe doesn't know the specific reason, so he is even less aware of its situation abroad.
The main reason is that he entrusted the film to director Wang Zhong for production, and the film's copyright was not in Linghe's hands.
Lu Yanhe asked, "Do you think 'Raise the Red Lantern' has a chance to compete for this year's Oscars?"
"If China were to submit it for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film this year, it would have a very good chance of making the nomination list."
Lu Yanhe nodded.
"However, it has not yet been released in China."
Will a movie that hasn't been released in China be reported?
Lu Yanhe thought for a moment and said, "I need to communicate with people back home."
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Knowing that Schmidt Lowry intended to promote the film "Raise the Red Lantern" during this year's awards season, Lu Yanhe felt that it was best not to miss this opportunity.
The success of last year's "Tropical Rainy Season" serves as a perfect example.
Lu Yanhe immediately called Wang Zhong.
He first explained what Midoriya meant before asking why "Raise the Red Lantern" hadn't been released yet, even after participating in the Xituer Film Festival last year—it had been almost a year and a half since then.
Wang Zhong said, "Last year, the Film Bureau had some objections to the ending of the film. After several rounds of communication, we missed the original release date and it was eventually postponed to this year."
Lu Yanhe: "Can we go on normally now? Do you have any opinions on the ending?"
Lu Yanhe thought to himself, "I've never heard of the movie 'Raise the Red Lantern' having any censorship issues."
It's not like the later films by the director, such as "One Second" and "Under the Light".
Wang Zhong said, "They said that the protagonist also turned into a monster in the end, and it wasn't a positive story. But after several rounds of communication, they agreed with our creative concept and didn't ask for any more cuts or changes. It's just that the release date is hard to set. This movie is actually an art film. We originally wanted to release it in the first half of the year, but as you know, the market is terrible between the Spring Festival and the summer season, so we don't dare to set a release date."
Lu Yanhe: "Okay, as long as it can be submitted now, that's fine. I think that since Green Valley is planning to compete for awards for 'Raise the Red Lantern,' then we shouldn't miss this opportunity. If it can be submitted to compete for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film this year, it will have a lot of advantages and a great chance of getting a nomination."
Wang Zhong agreed, and then said, "I'll go and communicate with the distributor and the Film Bureau."
"good."
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Lu Yanhe had never expected that Schmidt Lowry thought "Dragon Inn" had a chance to make it into the North American awards season.
This film had not won any awards overseas before.
In fact, due to the film's style and theme, Lu Yanhe has always believed that this film may only be popular among movie fans overseas, and it is difficult for it to become popular at the "mainstream" level.
Lu Yanhe was also curious about how Midoriya thought it could perform well during the North American awards season.
Is it because of its good reputation at the Jose Film Festival?
(End of this chapter)
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