Chapter 963 Prison Break
"Yes, I will be joining The Seventeenth Floor: Return."
At the press conference for the first spin-off film of "The Seventeenth Floor," produced by Linghe, Meng Li, as an actor in "The Seventeenth Floor: Reboot," was the only actor present.
Mengli smiled radiantly.
"I am honored to have the opportunity to work with Mr. Jiang Jun, and moreover, to work with him as a connecting character between different storylines in 'The Seventeenth Floor'."
“I have read Feng Qiyue’s script, and it moved me deeply,” Meng Li said. “No wonder Lu Yanhe kept emphasizing that Feng Qiyue must write the script.”
...
At the scene, a reporter asked, "Does this mean that in the future, actors like Chen Pinhe from 'The Seventeenth Floor: Reboot' will one day appear on the same screen as the actors from 'The Seventeenth Floor,' merging the two storylines together?"
Jiang Jun silently looked at the others.
Others see others.
Finally, a speechless Feng Qiyue, as the screenwriter, picked up the microphone.
“Let’s focus on what’s in front of us,” he said. “Linghe alone is producing three spin-off films. Nobody knows how this story will develop in the future; it depends on the market response.”
Will Lu Yanhe, as the producer and executive producer of "The Seventeen Floors: Return", appear in the film as his character?
"Maybe yes, maybe no, we'll keep you in suspense for now," Director Lian Bei said with a smile. "Actually, we were discussing this possibility yesterday. Yan He was supposed to come today, but he messaged me this morning saying something urgent came up, so he can't make it. He takes these spin-off films very seriously; he's involved in almost every aspect, including Da Shan—"
Also present at the scene was Wang Dashan, who debuted with the film "Lost in Thailand".
"It was Yan He who called and helped me invite them," Lian Bei said. "The Seventeen Floors: Return will be an all-star film, and the cast we have announced so far is only half of the cast."
A reporter immediately asked, "Will the all-star cast significantly increase the film's production budget?"
“No.” Lian Bei shook his head directly and said, “The core selling point of this movie lies in the level design, that is, the props, art direction, and special effects. The majority of our production budget will be invested in these aspects. We were able to use an all-star cast because Mr. Chen from Linghe and his production team specially developed a shooting plan to control personnel costs in the most efficient way. This is also thanks to the theme of ‘The Seventeenth Floor’ itself, which allows us to use an all-star cast while minimizing everyone’s salaries.”
Are you asking everyone to make cameo appearances?
“How could that be? For low-budget art films, we might ask well-known actors to give us a friendly price, but for a commercial production like ‘The Seventeenth Floor: Return,’ we would never let our friends lose money to help us gain publicity.” Chen Yin hadn’t spoken until now, when he finally picked up the microphone. “For example, we’ll finish filming Da Shan’s role in two or three days. If Da Shan only needs two or three days of his schedule, then his salary can naturally be reduced. It’s difficult to do that for ensemble films where many people have to be present at the same time. But, as you all know, ‘The Seventeenth Floor’ is not like that.”
Everyone understood.
For Wang Dashan's two to three days of availability, the market price can even be controlled within one million.
Even if ten actors of this caliber were to come, the total remuneration could still be kept under ten million.
It truly is about assembling the most dazzling all-star lineup with the least amount of money.
Linghe is not the first film company to do this.
However, many film companies wouldn't be so frank as to say that these stars' salaries don't account for a large portion of the costs.
Instead, they'll use this all-star cast to promote how big the production is, how high the budget is, and how much they need everyone's support—
Even though the current market environment is clearly very reluctant to see actors' salaries taking up the bulk of film costs, the problem persists. Film companies' ingrained mindset is unchangeable, or rather, this mindset is based on their reliance on the fan economy, knowing that even if it provokes resistance from casual viewers, they can still reap profits from their fan base.
Chen Yin, however, was different.
He frankly presented a "cheap" all-star lineup, partly to promote the film, and partly to decisively abandon any promotional tactics aimed at attracting fans of well-known actors like Wang Dashan to buy tickets and support the movie.
It doesn't need fan support—for this movie to be a box office hit, it needs a large audience, not just a large fan base.
-
"The first season only has six episodes?"
Lu Yanhe, who should have been at the press conference for "The Seventeenth Floor: Return", was currently in the Northern Lights, having a meeting with them to discuss matters related to the Linghe Theater.
Lu Yanhe took out the script for "Prison Break".
Unlike the original 22 episodes per season, Lu Yanhe's first season only had six episodes.
Lu Yanhe nodded.
"The task is urgent and time is tight. Rather than trying to shorten the production period, I would prefer to accelerate the content directly," Lu Yanhe said. "Six episodes are enough to get off to a good start. Of course, not one season a year, but one season every six months."
12 films.
After careful consideration, Lu Yanhe decided to continue adhering to the principle of quality first, but to work on increasing the scale.
He said, "A subject like 'Prison Break' can't be filmed in mainland China, so the background can only be set in Southeast Asia, and the characters are Chinese living overseas. I have already written the entire script, and I will need to revise it later to incorporate the Southeast Asian background. What I need to do now is to finalize the production team as soon as possible and start preparations."
The people on the Northern Lights side all looked hesitant.
Is a six-episode drama feasible?
Even if the writer of this drama is Lu Yanhe.
Lin Desheng nodded and made the decision immediately, "Okay, Yan He, for this drama, do you want to use Linghe's production team, or do you want to assemble a team from our Northern Lights production company? It's fine with you. Just tell us your requirements, and we'll find the right people."
Lu Yanhe agreed.
He added, "Besides the TV series 'Prison Break,' I've also finalized several other movies. The scripts have been sent to D19, and they're all in preparation. I've also retained the streaming rights, so we can start scheduling them."
During the break, Lu Yanhe and Lin Desheng went to the side to have tea.
In the conference room, the people from the Northern Lights Video looked at the people from Linghe in disbelief.
Everyone looked on incredulously and asked, "You really didn't arrange a team of hired guns for Lu Yanhe? Where did he get so many stories?"
The people of Linghe: "Ghostwriter? Which ghostwriter can write so many successful scripts so quickly and well? Don't even mention it. You don't understand the world of geniuses. We mortals should just follow in their footsteps."
"A few days ago, he announced more than a dozen film projects on Weibo. At first, I thought they were scripts that your company had received and were projects that you were preparing to work on. But it turns out that they were all scripts he wrote himself. I'm speechless."
"Forget about you guys, we were all shocked. Even President Chen was stunned. Before President Lu posted on Weibo, the only project President Chen knew about was 'The Fault in Our Stars'."
"He's worth more than twenty screenwriters."
"horrible."
...
"Can we keep the streaming rights for those film projects you announced on Weibo?" Lin Desheng asked.
Lu Yanhe shook his head. At this moment, he no longer called him President Lin, but Uncle Lin.
“Uncle Lin, there are too many projects for Aurora Video to handle,” Lu Yanhe said. “Moreover, I still need to maintain relationships with various channels and film companies overseas. I can’t let the channel relationships I’ve worked so hard to build go to waste just to support Aurora Video.”
Lu Yanhe was quite direct.
Lin Desheng was merely testing the waters.
He certainly understood what Lu Yanhe meant.
He nodded.
"Is Miaomiao now teaching at the university?" Lu Yanhe said. "I saw her post on WeChat Moments before, saying that she became a lecturer."
"Yes." Lin Desheng nodded. "She does have a talent for mathematics. After graduating with her doctorate, she stayed on to teach at Zhenhua University."
“Wow, you might only get one PhD graduate who can stay on as a faculty member once a year,” Lu Yanhe said.
Lin Desheng laughed.
Lu Yanhe was indeed quite surprised.
Lin Miaomiao did not go to see or interact with the Northern Lights, but instead embarked on the path of academic research.
...
“For the male lead of ‘Prison Break,’ I want to use Yang Shiyi, who previously played the role in the TV series ‘Rouge.’” After the meeting continued, Lu Yanhe immediately put forward his ideas for “Prison Break.” “The male lead of this series must be handsome and have an elite feel. Otherwise, it will be hard for the audience to believe that he can plan such an incredible prison break.”
After collaborating with Lu Yanhe on the TV series "Rouge", Yang Shiyi starred as another male lead in "If Love Has a Destiny".
He is known for his stunning good looks among male actors in the entertainment industry, and coupled with his excellent acting skills honed on stage, his popularity remains high, making him one of the most popular male stars today.
But his rise to fame is different from the traffic-driven approach. He doesn't follow the "data flow" route.
However, Yang Shiyi's weakness is that he has almost no international recognition.
Prison Break is meant to fire the first shot for Aurora Video International Edition.
A video from Northern Lights asked, "Why don't you invite Li Zhibai or Yan Liang to star in this drama?"
Lu Yanhe asked, "Can they free up the next few years for you to film 'Prison Break'?"
The reality simply wouldn't allow it.
Prison Break isn't a six-episode series; it's a very long-running seasonal drama.
Although Yang Shiyi's schedule may not be easier to coordinate than Li Zhibai's and Yan Liang's, the latter two have now shifted some of their focus to Hollywood.
During their rising phase, it's impossible for them to take on a seasonal drama series that will require them to invest in it for the next few years.
In particular, Prison Break is different from Friends.
Friends could be filmed in a month, but Prison Break couldn't; they're not even in the same filming standards.
The Northern Lights remained silent.
-
Yang Shiyi was quite surprised when he received Lu Yanhe's call.
Lu Yanhe almost never calls him.
After rising to fame, Yang Shiyi can be considered one of the most popular male actors today.
Especially his resources in the fashion industry, due to his image, can be said to be top-notch in China.
In the words of many brands, Yang Shiyi's appearance perfectly matches the aesthetic standards of high society, and he exudes an air of nobility.
What Yang Shiyi didn't expect was that Lu Yanhe came to him with a script.
"prison Break".
Right now, almost every actor dreams of acting in a script by Lu Yanhe.
Although Yang Shiyi was trying to salvage the situation, he didn't dare to hope that he would soon be able to get Lu Yanhe's script again.
He knew he wasn't one of Lu Yanhe's inner circle.
His ability to win Lu Yanhe's favor and star in the TV series "Rouge" changed his life. Later, another series, "If Love Has a Destiny," propelled him to the top and ushered in his peak popularity.
Yang Shiyi is definitely not short of acting opportunities now.
However, Yang Shiyi's strength lies in his image, but so does his weakness. He's too handsome, and for a male actor to be too good-looking can limit his acting roles. This is especially true in China, where top-tier dramas often focus on realistic themes.
Shi Huo, on the other hand, didn't want him to go on to act in some seemingly high-quality idol dramas after starting from such a high point.
Fortunately, although he has acted in fewer films and television dramas, his popularity has not diminished at all and has remained consistently high.
Yang Shiyi was a little curious, wondering what kind of play Lu Yanhe had come to ask him to act in.
Lu Yanhe said with a smile, "I need a role where you can portray a slightly tougher image."
If I had to describe him in two words, it would be "handsome and dashing".
Lu Yanhe sent the script to Yang Shiyi.
Yang Shiyi read the script immediately.
The subject matter of the script was a complete surprise to him.
This was a script he had never received before.
prison Break? !
Moreover, the script is very fast-paced, with both strong appeal and intense conflict.
Yang Shiyi's first thought was, "It's like an American TV series."
This is basically his male-centric drama, with each episode's storyline unfolding from his perspective.
Yang Shiyi was deeply moved.
"The script and character design are impeccable. Moreover, this drama is a top-tier production for Aurora Video's international version to penetrate the overseas market. The resources and promotion in all aspects will be top-notch. There is only one drawback," said Lu Yanhe. "Although this drama is scheduled to have one season every six months and two seasons a year, in my initial plan, this drama will have at least eight or nine seasons, which means that you will basically have to devote the next three to five years to this drama."
Yang Shiyi's first reaction was: "Sure, it's hard for me to get a suitable script these days. I might not be able to film a single movie in a year."
Most importantly, besides Lu Yanhe, who else would give him a role that is neither a noble young master, nor a rich man, nor an elite?
Yang Shiyi never expected that Lu Yanhe would actually come to him with this script.
Lu Yanhe said with a smile, "For actors, being too good-looking is not necessarily a good thing."
The main issue is that Yang Shiyi's appearance doesn't quite match his market positioning.
If you put him in the Korean drama market, he'd probably dominate for another decade or more.
(End of this chapter)
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