Chapter 12 The people are the ones who decide the direction of history
"So, can rhino horn incense really communicate with spirits?"
"Huh?"
Meng Bai originally thought that Gan Wei would ask about the budget, production, or casting after reading the script. He had already made sufficient preparations for these aspects and had a good script in mind.
Unexpectedly, the first question she asked was about her own script setting?
Come on, big sister, if you use that fancy little sequin on your manicure to think about it, you will know that this thing must be made up by me!
However, Meng Bai has been through a lot in the past few years and has seen all kinds of outrageous investors. He sorted out his thoughts and said carefully, "I don't know whether it can communicate with spirits or not. I referred to the effect of this 'rhinoceros horn incense' from a miscellany called 'Yiyuan' compiled by Liu Jingshu of the Southern Song Dynasty. However, the original book is a novel of strange stories, which is roughly similar to 'Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio', so it can't be taken seriously."
"But the saying that 'rhinoceros horn can communicate with spirits' does exist in ancient times. The 'Book of Jin: Biography of Wen Qiao' once recorded that when the famous general Wen Qiao of the Eastern Jin Dynasty arrived at Niuzhu Reef, he saw that the water was unfathomable. Others said that there were many monsters under the water, so he burned a rhinoceros horn to light it up, and indeed he saw all kinds of strange aquatic monsters. This is the origin of the idiom 'rhinoceros shining on Niuzhu'."
"In addition, Chinese medicine records that rhino horns can calm the mind and calm the heart, and grinding them into powder and mixing them into incense can cure the disease of soul separation. In addition, there have always been legends such as "returning soul incense" in ancient mythology. Later generations may have combined the two together and derived the saying that "rhino horn incense can communicate with spirits."
Although there are ready-made fragments of inspiration in his mind, Meng Bai will still rigorously verify relevant information when writing many details, so he can talk freely at this time.
"It seems that Xiao Meng, you are indeed well prepared." Gan Wei also praised.
"It's my duty. It's my job." Meng Bai brought the topic back on track: "Sister Weiwei, what do you think of this script?"
Gan Wei did not rush to answer. She turned to the last few pages of the script and read it for a while, then asked: "I saw that the main storyline has not been finished at the end. Are you planning to have a second season?"
Meng Bai nodded: "Indeed, this subject matter and format are very suitable for making into a series. There are many similar successful precedents in American and Japanese dramas. Of course, whether to continue filming in the end will definitely depend on the results."
Gan Wei nodded, thought for a few seconds and said: "When Sister Qin Lan introduced you to me, she said that she regarded you as a younger brother and friend. I am the same as her. I will tell you directly what I want to say."
"Although I haven't finished reading this script, based on the part I have read now, I can say that it is a very exciting story, very interesting and very good. Personally, I am very interested in filming such a story."
Gan Wei showed great appreciation for Meng Bai's script, but Meng Bai was not very happy. Instead, he became more cautious in his heart.
Because usually, there is a "but" after such words.
"But..." Gan Wei put the script in her hand on the table, looked at Meng Bai and said, "The key issue now is not how the script is, but that as an investor and producer, we don't have a good expectation for the risk and return ratio of such a web series that is independently invested, produced, and broadcast by a video platform." "
In fact, Leshi.com has tried to make its own web series before. We have also selected and filmed film and television projects of various themes in the past two years, but the benefits brought or the market effect of this kind of self-made web series are not very optimistic." "
So, even if the quality of your script is really good, given the current situation of the web series market, it is difficult for us to say what effect it can achieve."
Just as Gan Wei said before, she did tell the truth without any euphemism.
Meng Bai's eyelids drooped slightly. He had learned about Leshi.com in detail before, so he knew that Gan Wei's words were not perfunctory.
As one of the earliest video websites in mainland China, Leshi.com is one of the ones that has gone the furthest in expanding online content. It has produced its own online dramas, variety shows, and online movies in recent years.
For example, the online drama "Good Man in the Tang Dynasty", a time-travel farming novel adapted from the Qidian novel, "X-Girl", a remake of the mystery essay competition, and the online talent show "I'm Crazy for School Beauty"...
It can be said that Leshi.com has made many attempts in platform-made projects, which is why Meng Bai told Li Qin that Leshi has the greatest opportunity.
However, the actual benefits brought by these attempts are very general, whether it is direct user growth, member conversion, or indirect brand value and company stock price, they have not brought much growth effect.
In fact, this is also easy to understand. Although the number of netizens in China has reached 600 million so far, the mainstream public has not yet developed the habit of chasing dramas online.
After all, watching videos on mobile phones is expensive and stuck, watching on pads is too expensive and there is not WiFi everywhere. As for computers - anyway, you can't carry them with you, so what's the difference between that and watching TV directly.
In addition to the audience's viewing habits, TV stations have always been in a "soft suppression" attitude towards online platforms.
For example, most producers of film and television dramas are required by TV stations to put them on video platforms after the first round of broadcasts. For dramas broadcast by both TV stations and the Internet, the Internet platform will generally update one to two days slower than the TV station to avoid affecting the TV station's ratings.
The vested interest groups will always try their best to suppress new capital, which has been the case since ancient times.
However, these disputes are still far from a small role like Meng Bai, and he cannot participate in these disputes for the time being. Therefore, if you want to convince Gan Wei, you still have to start from the audience and the market.
Meng Bai made a draft in his mind, then raised his head and looked at Gan Wei with a confident smile and said, "Sister Weiwei, you are a practitioner in the film and television entertainment industry. I wonder if you have learned about the history of the initial popularization of TV dramas?"
"The history of TV dramas?" Gan Wei thought about it in confusion, shook her head and said, "The teacher seemed to have mentioned it in the professional course in college, but it has little to do with our acting department, so I haven't learned too much about it."
"Then I can tell you about it in general." Meng Bai sat up straight and described it at a steady pace.
"In the 1950s and 1960s, TV series began to be known to the public as television became popular. At the beginning, the film industry looked down on TV series, thinking that they were just some small-scale 'juggling'." "
However, compared to movies that require special tickets to the cinema, TV series that can be watched for free without leaving home are undoubtedly more advantageous to most people." "
Therefore, in just ten years, the audience of TV series has surpassed that of movie audiences with a crushing advantage. Take the United States as an example. In the 1930s, the average number of moviegoers in the United States per week was 8 million; by 1971, this number had dropped to 1 million." "
In forty years, the audience has not increased but decreased. Of course, there are many social and economic factors here, but the audience of TV series in the same period was as high as hundreds of millions, which is enough to see the changes and influence of TV series on the entire film and television entertainment industry."
"During this period, the giants of the film industry have also thought of many ways to suppress the development of TV series, such as restricting the funds and talents of TV series companies and devaluing the status of TV actors-this point still remains until now-but the audience will vote with their feet, so the methods of those movie giants can be said to be useless."
"The masses are the ones who determine the direction of history, and the way the masses pursue entertainment will always tend to be simpler and more efficient."
"This is the most fundamental human nature, and it cannot be changed by external forces."
Recommendation votes and follow-up reading are very important to Baomu. If you like what you read, please vote and click the latest chapter (Thank you!)
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
