As soon as Fang Yang arrived at the company in the morning, he saw Yang Huajin leading Ouyang Ming and his entourage into the company. He quickly took a few steps forward to greet them, "President Ouyang, what brings you here today?"
Ouyang Ming smiled at Yang Huajin and said, "It's like speaking of the devil and he appears. Luckily, I didn't say anything bad about him, or I would have been caught red-handed."
Fang Yang laughed and said, "You're joking. You came so early without even letting me know so I could have greeted you at the door."
Ouyang Ming laughed and said, "Don't say that. President Yang said you've been working on this at home for three days and wanted you to rest for a day. I didn't expect to talk to you about anything today. But since you're here, you can get to know our Director Huang. You'll be working together for a few months from now."
After saying that, Ouyang Ming pulled over a sprightly old man in his fifties, looking at him with a shrewd expression. "This is our station's pillar, Director Huang Xiaoping. He has directed dozens of popular TV series. Now I've sent him to you, hoping to work with you to create a classic TV series."
Fang Yang stepped forward and shook hands with Huang Xiaoping: "Director Huang, hello. I am Fang Yang. You are a senior colleague and someone we should all learn from. I hope that I can learn more from you during the months we work together."
Huang Xiaoping, a seasoned veteran and a seasoned professional in the system, even though he had some doubts about Fang Yang's directing abilities, still smiled and said, "President Fang is truly a young man of great talent. When I was your age, I was still doing odd jobs at the TV station. Looking at President Fang reminds me of that old saying: 'The new generation pushes the old generation forward, and the old generation dies on the beach.' I'm getting old!"
Fang Yang laughed and said, "Senior Huang, please don't say that. Without your planting, there would be no one to enjoy the shade!"
The group entered Fang Yang's office and sat down according to their status as host and guests. Ouyang Ming smiled and said, "We're here today for two reasons: first, to sign a formal agreement, and second, to introduce Director Huang to you. An army marches on its stomach, so Director Huang wants to discuss with you where would be a good filming location."
Fang Yang thought for a moment and said to Huang Xiaoping, "As for filming locations, you should first check out Xinchang, Yongkang, and Wuxi Film City. We need to find professional instructors for martial arts, costumes, and etiquette to avoid making a fool of ourselves."
Huang Xiaoping nodded: "Of course. And what are your thoughts on the actors?"
Fang Yang smiled and said, "Director Huang, don't worry. The veteran actors are all veteran actors from Kyoto Film and Television. The leading roles are all young actors with solid acting skills. I look at acting skills, not popularity. Those traffic stars have no place here."
Upon hearing this, Huang Xiaoping felt relieved. Now was the crucial moment to break into the second tier of ratings, and he didn't want Fang Yang to ruin a classic by hiring some popular celebrities for the sake of ratings.
Seeing that Huang Xiaoping was satisfied, Ouyang Ming said, "Then let's do it this way. Mr. Fang, continue to refine the storyboard. I'll take care of setting up the filming team and finding filming locations."
Fang Yang laughed and said, "It's best that Director Ouyang thinks that way. Right now, I'm all alone here. After all, the company was only established recently, and we're still short-staffed. Please forgive me, Director Ouyang."
Ouyang Ming waved his hand: "President Fang, there's no need to be modest. As the saying goes, it's easy to find a thousand soldiers, but hard to find a good general. We've just done what we were supposed to do. The one who truly grasps the overall direction is still President Fang. President Fang, I've brought all the people with me. You can handle the rest of the specific arrangements. I have an important meeting to attend to, so I'll take my leave now!"
After seeing Ouyang Ming off, Fang Yang continued to discuss pre-production preparations with Huang Xiaoping and producer Yuan Li. The pre-production preparations for a film or television series are very complicated, especially for period dramas, which have particularly strict requirements for costumes, etiquette, and set design. In particular, "Twin Dragons of the Tang Dynasty" is set in a specific historical period, so it must be historically accurate, otherwise it would be a laughing stock.
Preparations will take nearly a month, and Fang Yang also needs to hurry up and complete the storyboard. Everyone is doing their job and preparing separately, which goes without saying.
In the afternoon, Fang Yang went to Jin Dahai's office and saw nearly a hundred people working diligently. Fang Yang nodded. Jin Dahai was a very reliable person and a good manager. This was evident from the fact that no one was slacking off. He also had a unique eye for recruiting people.
Jin Dahai, who was discussing matters with the team leader, grinned when he saw Fang Yang enter. "President Fang, what brings you here today?"
Fang Yang joked, "What, are you afraid I'll disturb your work?"
Jin Dahai laughed and said, "I was hoping that President Fang would come to my place every day to guide my work. It would be a waste not to use a readily available worker."
After a few teasing exchanges, the two got down to business, "Uncle Jin, your special effects team is outsourced, right?"
Jin Dahai nodded, "It was indeed outsourced. There are all sorts of special effects teams these days, and I only managed to get the special effects done because I had connections."
Fang Yang nodded: "The company is planning to set up a special effects department. Uncle Jin, you are a senior in this industry. Do you have any suggestions?"
"Set up a special effects department?" Jin Dahai asked doubtfully. "Why would we need to set up such a thing? Special effects departments are everywhere now, why waste money on that?"
Fang Yang shook his head: "In the future, when the company produces big movies, whether they are animated films or blockbusters, the current level of the market simply cannot meet the company's needs. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to have a top-notch special effects team."
Jin Dahai pondered, "In that case, there really is a team that meets your requirements, but the price is quite high. I heard a few days ago that their boss wanted to transfer the team for 80 million, but no one has taken it yet."
Fang Yang asked anxiously, "What's their situation?"
Jin Dahai took out his phone. "One of them is my friend. He's the head of this team. He spoke to me a while ago. I'm asking about the details."
The phone call lasted quite a while, more than half an hour before Jin Dahai finally put it away. "I've figured it out, Xiao Yang. The other party is the top special effects team in China, including several high-end talents who returned from the United States and have mastered the most advanced technology in the US. The boss established the special effects team two years ago. Because the special effects are so good, almost indistinguishable from those in the US, they charge high prices for special effects. It's a bit of a waste of talent in China. They've always taken on business from the US. Recently, they've been suppressed by the US, and their business has completely stalled. Starting over in China is too risky because of their high prices, so they can't hold on any longer. The boss is cutting his losses and plans to sell the business."
Upon hearing this, Fang Yang became excited. "Great! This is exactly what I need. What price are they willing to offer for it?"
Jin Dahai: "The boss invested a lot initially, and the income has been good in the past two years, basically recovering the investment. However, the talent pool is very valuable, and the boss does not want to lower the price to transfer the business. According to my friend, the boss's minimum requirement is 50 million yuan, including the office space and equipment."
Fang Yang said, "Okay, as long as the team remains intact, we can accept this price. You can contact your friend and see if you can maintain the team's integrity. If there are no problems, we'll go over and discuss it tomorrow!"
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