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Volume 1 Chapter 612 Participating in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms"

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    Compared with CCTV in this era, ATV clearly has a lot to learn from.  The completely commercial atmosphere and system, as well as the fierce competition within the same city from TVB, a rival company that is still stronger than ATV, make ATV dare not let down its vigilance at all times.  Under the slogan that everything is for ratings, in recent years, especially after Lin Xiaozhi took over ATV, the TV station has made great reforms. Not only in Hong Kong, but also in the entire Asia region, it is one of the best.  The effect is naturally very significant. In the past year alone, ATV, which has added TV series broadcasts, weekend TV series broadcasts, and a variety of grassroots variety show reforms, has seen its ratings skyrocket from only about 40% of TVB to nearly 70% of it.  level, not only has attracted widespread attention from all walks of life in Hong Kong, in a market survey initiated by "Ming Pao" at the end of last year, more than 90% of "Ming Pao" readers who responded to the survey generally said that ATV after the reform is more attractive to them than before.  TVB was also greatly shocked. Being hit by the reform of ATV and the loss of a large number of artists, TVB, which could not think of a way to deal with it for a while, could only follow ATV's footsteps and learn its reforms.  However, their so-called reforms are nothing more than copying the strategies of ATV, launching TV series and producing some grassroots variety shows.  For this reason, Le Jin also repeatedly reported TVB's malicious competition to the Hong Kong Radio and Television Association, which embarrassed Shao Yifu, the chairman of the association.  Although ATV had imitated TVB earlier and copied many programs unchanged.  But there was no Radio and Television Association at that time, and TVB couldn't find a place to appeal even if it wanted to.  But things are very different now. Even though TVB has repeatedly brought out various evidences and accused ATV of plagiarizing many of their program ideas during the Qiu Degen era, it still cannot escape ATV's current protests against them.  In the end, at the regular meeting of the Radio and Television Association initiated by Le Jin, although the proposal to veto TVB's implementation of the TV series serial broadcasting system was not passed, many directors and directors voted to approve ATV's request that TVB immediately stop broadcasting several grassroots variety shows that almost copied its own.  The proposal of the program forced TVB to suspend the broadcast of its recently launched variety show and terminate its plan to also implement a "weekend TV series broadcast". This not only caused its reputation to plummet, but also its ratings.  The CCTV team visited almost most of the columns and backstage control rooms at ATV. Under the arrangement of ATV, they also spent more than two hours briefly visiting the filming site of ATV's TV series "Silver Fox", which is nearing completion.  This TV series, starring Huang Rihua, Zeng Huaqian, Ng Yongwei, Lu Songxian, Jiang Hua, Zhang Jiahui and other well-known ATV artists, can be said to be the TV series that ATV invested the most in the second half of 1992. The budget alone exceeded 12 million Hong Kong dollars.  Counting an additional addition after the filming of the TV series started, it has definitely surpassed "The Big Era" and is regarded by ATV executives as a work that set a record in Hong Kong in 1993.  During the short visit to the crew, the acting skills of the Hong Kong artists and the shooting efficiency of the crew surprised the CCTV visitors.  So much so that before leaving the crew, Zhou Taiyan impatiently clung to Le Jin and repeatedly expressed CCTV's desire to introduce this TV series.  By the end of the entire visit, it was already close to 7pm.  As the landlord, ATV naturally arranged a reception dinner just like at noon.  In the old four-star hotel - Regal Kowloon Hotel, after most of the accompanying CCTV people were settled, several ATV executives such as Lin Xiaozhi and Le Jin and visiting CCTV Zhou Taiyan and others opened a private room.  The reception is the same, but it's more convenient to talk in a private room.  Lin Xiaozhi¡¯s current state is actually not suitable for drinking. Fortunately, with his current status, others will not embarrass him. Although every time he raises a glass, he only drinks lightly, but the atmosphere in the private room has never cooled down.  "Director Zhang's "The Yang Family" was really wonderful. I was lucky enough to watch a few episodes when I went north, and I still remember it fresh. Later, I entrusted a friend to find the video and watched it several times, but I still felt that it was not enough. It happened that ATV  I have plans to co-produce the Four Classic Chinese Classics with CCTV. I thought about using Director Zhang's skills to shoot "Water Margin" on a handheld camera. It was no problem, so I mentioned it to my comrades in the Mainland. I hope that Director Zhang can help you.  Come and take pictures!¡± Chinese people have had the habit of talking over banquets since ancient times. After three drinks, Lin Xiaozhi saw the opportunity and started to turn the topic to work.  Zhang Shaolin smiled gratefully. In the early 1990s, the mainland was still a makeshift system. Like his previous one, it was only affiliated to local TV stations. Although Shanxi TV was a provincial station, it could not compete with CCTV anyway. What's more,  If he really takes over the director's job of the first mainland TV series co-produced with Hong Kong, and if the TV series becomes popular in the future, he can be regarded as the number one figure in the entire mainland film and television industry.  Therefore, he who didn¡¯t talk much on weekdays offered Lin Xiaozhi three glasses of wine in a row, except for not patting his chest and saying, ¡°Thank you Lin.I would also like to thank the leaders of CCTV for their recommendation. "Water Margin" is one of the four classic Chinese classics. I have loved it and read it many times since I was a child. After receiving the notification from CCTV,  I re-read the "Water Margin" filmed by Shandong TV Station several times. I also asked someone to find some works shot by Hong Kong and Taiwan and Japanese colleagues to study. How to shoot and how to shoot.  I already have a suspicion in my mind!  " Zhou Taiyan saw him change his usual modest image for the first time. Although he was surprised, he was not surprised. Anyone with a discerning eye can see the benefits of this TV series co-produced by two places. So he also helped and said: "Director Zhang's  Although "General of the Yang Family" is a middle-of-the-road takeover, the later parts are indeed much more sophisticated than the previous ones!  " Lin Xiaozhi winked at Le Jin, and he immediately said knowingly: "As for the preliminary preparations, our ATV side is almost ready. We will invest 26 million Hong Kong dollars, and you will be responsible for the remaining investment.  The cast will be dominated by you. We only recommend some Hong Kong artists and mainland exchange artists to participate in the shooting. In addition, in terms of lighting, photography and post-production, our sister company Media Asia of ATV has the best special effects processing team in Asia, which can  Provide convenience for you!  " Nowadays, the Hong Kong dollar is naturally more expensive than the RMB. When Zhou Taiyan came, he inquired about it, and he had a rough estimate in his mind. He knew that this number was almost equivalent to 30 million yuan. According to the previous agreement between CCTV and ATV  According to the verbal agreement, the investment in "Water Margin" will be borne in half by both parties. ATV is prepared to invest 30 million yuan for this TV series, which also means that CCTV must invest the same 30 million yuan for CCTV at this time.  In other words, it is definitely not a small number. Take "The Generals of the Yang Family" as an example. The investment in Shanxi TV's 83 version of "The Generals of the Yang Family" is only about 200,000 yuan, and the three episodes are only 70,000 to 80,000 yuan per episode.  What does it look like? After deducting labor, film, etc., I'm afraid it's not even 60,000 yuan. In the past two years, Shanxi TV Station restarted the filming of "The Yang Family". It invested more than 1.8 million yuan in the early stage. Later, I saw the money.  If it is not enough, another amount is allocated. The two investments combined are only about 2.4 million yuan. The investment in a TV series exceeds 60 million yuan. Not to mention that it has never been done in mainland China and Hong Kong. Looking at the whole situation.  I'm afraid this is the first time in Asia. But is this really a lot of money? It's actually not much. First of all, "Water Margin" has many war scenes. Even though labor costs are lower in the mainland, horses, ships, etc. are often needed, which costs a lot.  It's definitely not small. And there will be a lot of actors to be recruited for "Water Margin". Just the 108 Liangshan generals that need to be highlighted in the plot require careful selection of actors, which is a big expense for Shandong in 1980.  Taiwan was the first to film "Water Margin". Most of the 40 episodes cost less than 100,000 yuan, and the total investment was about 5 million. Now it seems that the plot is not only rough, but the scene layout is too stingy.  Zhou Taiyan still remembers that when the old Shandong TV drama "Water Margin" was released ten years ago, it immediately attracted thousands of people and caused a strong response across the country. It won the Golden Eagle Award many times and was more powerful than Shandong TV in more than ten years.  They will join forces with Hong Kong to restart the filming of "Water Margin". The goal of both Hong Kong and CCTV is to be more classic than the old Shandong Taiwan version of "Water Margin". Although Zhou Taiyan is only a manager, he is not interested in the filming of TV series.  He had learned about it carefully before coming to Hong Kong, so he was a little surprised when he first heard about ATV's investment. However, after careful calculation, he felt that the two companies' joint investment of 60 million to make "Water Margin" was not too much.  But the price was beyond what he could decide on the spot. After pondering for a moment, he felt calm: "An investment of 30 million is not a small amount for us at CCTV. I need to discuss it with the station!"  " Le Jin glanced at Lin Xiaozhi, saw him nodding his head invisibly and smiled and agreed. However, although Zhou Taiyan did not agree immediately, Lin Xiaozhi was not worried at all. He knew that later in history, CCTV invested and filmed "  The initial investment in "Water Margin" exceeded RMB 15 million. Taking into account two additional additions in the middle and later stages of filming, the final total investment exceeded RMB 30 million (about the total investment in the old CCTV version of "Water Margin":  There are two theories. One is that after the total investment of the new Water Margin was exposed on the Internet, some netizens posted an analysis post saying that the old version of CCTV was 43 million. The other is that the host said in the old Water Margin reunion interview that "Water Margin back then"  It is said that an investment of 30 million is really huge if you look at the country. I chose the second option here) Since the reform, especially after entering the 1990s, more and more manufacturers in the mainland have begun to realize the power of advertising.  Later, CCTV's advertising revenue has entered the era of 100 million yuan. This shows that CCTV is not short of money, it just lacks a decision. The old CCTV version of "Water Margin" is a classic, but it is alsoMany fans of "Water Margin" regretted the omission, because after the additional investment far exceeded the budget, CCTV was unwilling to spend more money on the TV series, so it cut a lot of space.  As for the incomplete shooting of the plot, the most regrettable thing is that not all of Liangshan 108 will be able to meet the audience (some have been mentioned in passing, and some have only a few face-to-face scenes), which has to be said to be a pity.  Last year, with the surge in ratings, ATV's advertising revenue also soared in the second half of the year. It exceeded one billion Hong Kong dollars for the first time in 1992 and reached a height of 1.14 billion Hong Kong dollars. Excluding operating expenses, TV series production costs, and artists  Taking into account film remuneration and outsourced TV drama copyrights, ATV's net profit is still a huge 240 million, which has surpassed the highest record in the Qiu Degen era.  Since its opening this year, ATV has once again set a new record. In just one or two months, its advertising revenue has exceeded HK$200 million.  As one of the only two free-to-air television stations in Hong Kong, ATV's target advertising revenue this year is HK$1.5 billion, which is the standard of TVB in 1984.  1984-1988 was the peak period of TVB. In 1988, TVB¡¯s annual advertising revenue reached the highest level, reaching HK$2.6 billion (before commissions).  With the impact brought by Lin Jianle, Lin Jianming and Lin Xiaozhi successively taking over ATV, TVB's advertising revenue has declined to a certain extent in recent years. Last year, it was said that it was only HK$2.2 billion.  Although I don¡¯t know whether advertising production commissions have been deducted, it is obvious that it has not increased but fallen compared with the peak period in 1988, and the decline is fully evident.  Financial investment is actually not the biggest concern for ATV. As long as CCTV is willing to bow its head, ATV can actually take most of the investment money.  What worries Hong Kong the most is actually the efficiency of mainland TV drama shooting!  After getting hints from Lin Xiaozhi, Le Jin spoke again: "We want to make "Water Margin" a century-old classic, so the necessary investment is indispensable. However, you don't have to worry about losing money later.  In terms of advertising revenue during the TV series' release, most of the investment can be recovered from the copyright sales alone, and there may be a slight profit. In Asia, there is actually a market for film and television works based on the four major Chinese classics.  In Taiwan, South Korea and Japan, especially the latter two, we have had a lot of cooperation with the Korean film and television industry recently. I believe it will not be difficult to release it in Korea with some operation. In Japan, it is even easier. The Japanese are very familiar with the four traditional Chinese masterpieces.  I love it very much, especially the Three Kingdoms and Water Margin. I have filmed many of them in Japan in the past. Even if I lack a little understanding of Chinese classical traditions, it still gets a good response in Japan. If "Water Margin" co-produced by our two  Once the film is completed, I believe that a TV station in Japan will come to introduce this TV series. "ATV has also cooperated with Japanese TV stations a lot since last year. It not only introduced and bought out many Japanese TV series, but also imitated TVB and signed them in one go!  Obtained the Cantonese and Mandarin broadcasting rights for dozens of well-known Japanese cartoons, including "Smart Ikkyu", "Astro Boy", "Flower Fairy", "Lucky Boy", "Arale", etc., and  Through this relationship, I became familiar with many Japanese TV stations.  As Le Jin said, if the response to "Water Margin" co-produced by the two companies is good, there will be no need for CCTV to take action. A little effort on the part of ATV will definitely be able to bring the TV series to Japan.  Zhou Taiyan's heart moved. He knew that only a small number of those who opposed him were worried about the political trend. Most of them were still worried that losing too much money in co-production of TV series would affect their future transfers. With ATV's warning, he gave it up.  After I finally realized that it was not difficult to get back my money, I already knew how to persuade CCTV to invest. I smiled and nodded: "If this is the case, I think the station will pass it. Let's do it. I will tell the station after I return to the hotel in the evening."  We will discuss it here and will give you an answer as soon as possible. "That would be great. We are already ready and waiting for your good news!" Zhou Taiyan was reminded vaguely again, hoping that CCTV would do it.  Le Jin didn't say anything more as they could complete the recruitment of actors and preliminary preparations as soon as possible. After all, everything had to wait until CCTV finally confirmed the investment.  We have almost finished talking about work, and the toasting and polite exchanges below have become lively again.  Lin Xiaozhi went out to have a round of drinks with other visiting CCTV personnel. Although the drinking was light, he was not in good condition after all. When he returned to the private room, his eyes were already a bit drunk.  As soon as he sat down, he saw an expression on Zhou Taiyan's face that was hesitant to speak. He couldn't help but curiously asked: "Director Zhou, are there any questions about cooperation?" "No!" Zhou Taiyan shook his head in denial, but he pursed his lips.  After hesitating for a while, he finally asked: "Mr. Lin, Mr. Le, actually there is one more thing I want to talk to you about when I come to Hong Kong this time. I wonder if you, ATV, are interested in participating in the investment in our TV station?"  Filming another four famous TV series? " Lin Xiaozhi frowned and knew immediately.The CCTV he mentioned was filming another one of the Four Great Classics, an epic drama - "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms"!  After giving Le Jin a look to signal him not to answer, Lin Xiaozhi quickly turned his head and started thinking.  Whether to invest in CCTV's "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is a difficult decision.  From a business perspective, "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is not a successful investment.  This TV series was launched in 1987. After funding for filming in 1990, six additional investments were made. The final total investment cost reached 170 million yuan (most of the investment was in the construction of a movie theater). Over a long period of time  No one will be able to break its record as the most expensive Chinese TV series.  "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" lasted four years and has only just finished shooting more than half of it. It is conservatively estimated that it will not be completed until the middle of next year and will enter post-production.  Because the cost of filming is too high, the profit of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is actually far less than that of several other famous works produced by CCTV.  Thanks to the fact that CCTV¡¯s ratings reached an astonishing 46.7% after its initial release, part of the investment was covered by advertising revenue. Later, it relied on copyright transfer and repeated rebroadcasting, and it was not until a few years later that the cost was recovered. Now ATV  If you participate in investment, you will definitely lose more than you make.  You can give up investing, Lin Xiaozhi is a little reluctant to do so.  After all, this is a TV series with the most magnificent scenes among Chinese classics and can be called an epic. If you miss this investment, you will have no chance to seek to share its copyright in the future.  Although mainland China did not attach much importance to the copyright of film and television works in 1993, it does not mean that people are fools. The cost of investing nearly 200 million in filming is not something you can buy part of the copyright for just one million.  After thinking for two or three minutes, Lin Xiaozhi looked up at Zhou Taiyan and said, "Director Zhou, it's okay to let us invest in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", but as far as I know, your station's current cumulative investment in filming this TV series has already been  Over 130 million yuan, such a large investment and it is a culturally focused historical drama, our investment can basically be recovered, so we need some compensation, such as obtaining the exclusive license for the Cantonese and Hokkien versions of this TV series.  , and part of the equity of China Television Co., Ltd. "In order to film "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and "The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty", CCTV set up a branch, the China Television Co., Ltd. Film and Television Base, and successively invested nearly 200 million yuan to build Seoul in Zhuozhou and the Three Kingdoms in Wuxi.  Although the scale of many film and television bases such as Shenzhen City and Tangcheng is not as good as the Shenzhen Cinemas invested and rebuilt by Lin Xiaozhi in Shenzhen, the limitations of Shenzhen Cinemas are also obvious. The climate is too southerly to shoot snow scenes and northern scenes. Lin Xiaozhi  I had coveted Hengdian Cinema in the past, but its share structure was too complicated. It included local government investment, state-owned enterprises, central enterprises and private equity participation. It was extremely difficult to get involved.  Although the scale of the China Television Co., Ltd. film and television base affiliated to CCTV is far smaller than that of Hengdian and Shenzhen Cinemas, it is backed by the big tree of CCTV, making it easier to acquire land in the area.  If he can take advantage of this opportunity to invest in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" to invest in CTV shares, the last shortcoming in his layout of mainland movie theaters will be completely filled.
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