Choose a day to become famous

"Didn't we agree before that Pinhe's character would debut in the third season? This can also warm up the audience of "The Seventeenth Floor" and make them interested in the spin-off series and pay attention to its development."

Zhang Yuezhen sat opposite Jiang Lan and was somewhat confused about the latest news Jiang Lan told her.

Jiang Lan explained with a smile: "It was mainly because when we were discussing the script, we found it difficult to include Pin He's role. You know, if a role is not added correctly, it will have the opposite effect. In fact, with Pin He starring in the show, plus the popularity of the series "Seventeenth Floor", there is no need to worry about Pin He appearing in the third season. It will definitely not lack attention. This is Pin He's first time acting in a TV series in many years."

Zhang Yuezhen looked at Jiang Lan in silence.

For a moment, she didn't know whether she should believe Jiang Lan's words.

However, Jiang Lan's statement also makes sense.

"Maxine has already secured the overseas streaming rights for this spin-off series," Zhang Yuezhen said. "As far as I know, their bid should be quite high, right?"

Zhang Yuezhen learned from her own channels the purchase price of Maxine for the "Seventeenth Floor" spin-off series. That price is definitely one of the highest in the history of overseas distribution of Chinese-language dramas.

Is what Jiang Lan said true or false?

"The Seventeenth Floor" is not as popular as "Squidward Gamble" in Maxine, and it is not even as popular as "Friends" in Maxine.

Will Maxine pay that high a price?

Zhang Yuezhen tends to be skeptical deep down.

However, Jiang Lan smiled as if she hadn't noticed anything. She said, "We also hope that Pinhe can take the "Seventeenth Floor" series to a higher level. In fact, the salary we offered to Pinhe is higher than that of Lu Yanhe and Chen Bige. Pinhe should be able to feel our sincerity towards him."

"Of course." Zhang Yuezhen nodded. "However, for the spin-off of "The Seventeenth Floor", you plan to let Pinhe carry the ratings alone, and completely focus on Pinhe's role. His role is also much more than Chen Bige and Lu Yanhe in "The Seventeenth Floor", right?"

"Seventeen Floors" is actually a group portrait drama.

Jiang Lan: "Yes, to be honest, I was also quite surprised that Bi Ge, Yan He and Jiang Jun were willing to return for the third season to finish the story. I am quite grateful to them. Many actors would not return for the second season."

Zhang Yuezhen laughed.

"Is that why Jingtai signed a two-season contract with Pinhe in one go?"

"We plan to shoot the two seasons back to back," Jiang Lan said. "This will make production easier and save a lot of production costs."

Zhang Yuezhen: "Will Director Lian Bei continue to direct the spin-off series of "The Seventeenth Floor"?"

"We are talking to him. He has directed three seasons of The 17th Floor in one go and wants to do other projects. We are trying our best to keep him." Jiang Lan said, "After all, he is most familiar with this series and is the most suitable director. If he really can't stay, we will definitely invite the most suitable director to take over. We want to make this spin-off series a top-level project following The 17th Floor."

Zhang Yuezhen: "I firmly believe that Jiang Tai will use all his strength to complete this project. Otherwise, we would not have accepted it."

Jiang Lan: "You gave me two resumes before. We have already evaluated them internally. We are initially quite satisfied with these two people. Their images are good in all aspects. However, we still hope to give them a try before making a decision. After all, they don't have much acting experience for us to refer to."

Zhang Yuezhen was a little dissatisfied and said, "Lian Pinhe has praised their acting skills. Don't you trust Lian Pinhe's judgment?"

"How could we not trust the taste of the movie king? However, acting is not just about good acting skills. You still have to put on the costumes to know the real effect." Jiang Lan shook her head helplessly, "You haven't done our job, so you definitely can't feel it. There are many actors that we think are very suitable when we look at their photos or even videos, but when we see them in person and put on the costumes, we are disappointed. There are many cases."

Zhang Yuezhen hesitated for a moment and said, "Then let them audition."

Jiang Lan laughed.

"Also, Yuezhen, there is something I need to tell you in advance." Jiang Lan said, "It is impossible for the two main female roles to be taken by the actors you recommended."

Zhang Yuezhen was stunned.

"Do you have any other ideas?"

"This drama is what we in Beijing and Taiwan want to create as the best drama, so we definitely have to balance it." Jiang Lan said, "You should understand this, right?"

-

Chen Ziyan got out of the car. There were several people squatting at the door with cameras in their hands, and some were even broadcasting live with cameras.

She glanced at them, without taking off her sunglasses, and walked into the studio.

There is always a shortage of media on the set of "Friends".

Even if you just take some photos of the actors going to and from get off work, you can get a lot of traffic.

Chen Ziyan came to the set of "Friends".

Everyone is setting up the scene.

The actors stood aside, laughing and chatting.

Chen Ziyan took off her sunglasses and greeted Hu Siwei first.

I just happened to run into Hu Siwei.

"Did the shoot go well?"

"It went smoothly. We have worked together many times and have a tacit understanding." Hu Siwei said with a smile, "Why did Mr. Chen come here today?"

"I want to talk to Yan He about something." Chen Ziyan smiled, "By the way, the Golden Globe Awards will announce the nomination list soon, and the first season of Friends may receive several nominations. This is what Maxine told me."

"Really?" Hu Siwei looked surprised.

"Yes, the performance of Friends on Maxine is very stable, and each season is getting better and better." Chen Ziyan said, "Just like Yan He said at the beginning, this drama has strong staying power. According to Maxine's backend data, the repeat broadcast rate is much higher than that of other popular dramas."

Hu Siwei nodded.

"I now gradually understand why Yan He said that this drama has a strong staying power." Hu Siwei laughed, "Sometimes when I have nothing to do while eating alone, I will turn on an episode of Friends. An episode is 20 minutes long, which is just the right amount of time for a meal."

Chen Ziyan smiled and nodded.

"This is the characteristic and advantage of the sitcom genre," she said. "If Friends can really win at the Golden Globe Awards, it will be a great boost and help for the global broadcast of the second season of Friends. Maxine is now waiting for the announcement of the nominations for the Golden Globe Awards. They attach great importance to this series."

Maxine took it so seriously that she has bought the adaptation rights from Beijing and Taiwan and is planning to make an English version of Friends.

But it hasn’t been filmed yet.

-

When Lu Yanhe noticed Chen Ziyan coming over, he came over immediately.

"Sister Zi Yan."

Chen Ziyan nodded to him and said, "Jiang Lan said that she can reserve a spot for us as the main cast member of the spin-off series of The Seventeenth Floor. However, because The Seventeenth Floor is planning to develop commercial derivatives, she hopes that we can give them the right to use your image for the character you play."

"What are they planning to do? Make action figures?"

"All aspects," Chen Ziyan said. "Models, toys, animation or comics development, and maybe even games."

Lu Yanhe nodded and said, "They have a good business sense. They discovered the greatest value of the subject matter of "Seventeenth Floor"."

Chen Ziyan smiled.

"What do you think? Image rights."

"It can be granted, but each use must be approved by us." Lu Yanhe said, "In addition, for any use of my image, my share of the profits must not be reduced. These must be clearly stated in the contract."

Chen Ziyan nodded.

"By the way, did they only ask for the right to use my image, or for the other actors as well?"

"It should be that all the members of the main characters want them." Chen Ziyan said, "From what I know, their main priority is game development. If the game character modeling cannot use your portraits, it will lose a lot of appeal to fans. The same goes for action figures - however, the action figure market in China has never been large. It is a niche market. The main focus is on games."

"Okay." Lu Yanhe nodded.

Chen Ziyan asked: "I am planning to send Minglan to the crew of the spin-off series of "The Seventeenth Floor". What do you think?"

"Minglan?" Lu Yanhe was a little surprised. "Let Minglan play the leading female role?"

"Yes." Chen Ziyan said, "If Minglan is to act, given Minglan's current status, she will definitely play the leading female role. Otherwise, it will be difficult for others to compete for the leading female role. I heard that Chen Pinhe also sent two actresses' resumes to Jiang Lan, hoping that Chen Pinhe would take her to act in this drama. In addition, the spin-off series of "The 17th Floor" will definitely be aimed at the global market. Minglan will appear in "Source Code", and the spin-off series of "Friends" and "The 17th Floor" will help her to become famous internationally in the next few years."

"Okay, if Minglan is suitable, let her go." Lu Yanhe nodded.

Chen Ziyan explained so much, probably because she was afraid that he would think too much.

Because of the position of the protagonist in the spin-off series of "The Seventeenth Floor", Jiang Lan was kept mainly for Lu Yanhe's face. Also, for the spin-off development of "The Seventeenth Floor", Lu Yanhe's cooperation is still needed.

This is equivalent to the resources that Lu Yanhe exchanged back, and Chen Ziyan plans to use them for Wen Minglan.

However, no matter how popular Wen Minglan is or how much money she makes, it has nothing to do with Lu Yanhe.

She is Chen Ziyan's artist, not Lu Yanhe's artist.

Unlike Huang Feng, Jiang Jun, Cai Na, Zhang Ruozhi and other artists who signed to Shihuo because of Lu Yanhe's relationship, Lu Yanhe personally will not get any dividends from Wen Minglan's brokerage business. As for the former's brokerage business income, Lu Yanhe will not only get dividends from his share of Shihuo's shares, but also directly from their brokerage business income. Through such an arrangement, Chen Ziyan ensures that Lu Yanhe's interests will not be harmed due to the different focuses of Shihuo and Linghe.

After all, the business of their two companies is clearly divided, one is responsible for brokerage, and the other is responsible for production and copyright operation.

If Chen Ziyan didn't do this, it would mean that for all the artists who signed with Shihuo because of Lu Yanhe's relationship, Lu Yanhe would only be able to enjoy the benefits brought by Shihuo's share, which would actually be a big disadvantage.

After all, Linghe can also sign the agency contracts of these actors himself and monopolize the agency income.

Since Wen Minglan debuted, she has received a lot of resources from Lu Yanhe.

The show "Friends" that made her famous was "Source Code", the first Hollywood movie was "Source Code", and the current "The 17th Floor" spin-off series is "Source Code".

Without these resources, Chen Ziyan would certainly be able to make Wen Minglan famous, but it is hard to say whether she could have maintained the current momentum.

In a sense, all Chinese actors who have been able to truly go international have caught the trend of the times.

Because China does not have a mature industrial chain for manufacturing global stars, all Chinese actors have to rely on luck, their own charm and talent to become famous and influential in the world. Almost everyone's path is unique.

There are so many world-famous stars in the United States, and many of their paths to fame can be replicated because they themselves are the product of industrialization.

-

Chen Ziyan did not expect that in just a few years in Hollywood, Lu Yanhe had accidentally established a path that could lead other Chinese actors to the international stage.

Although this road is still very narrow and can only accommodate a few people.

But who knows if this road will become wider in the future.

-

Lu Yanhe himself really doesn't mind Wen Minglan using these resources to move to a higher level.

Because he knows Chen Ziyan very well.

The biggest difference between Chen Ziyan and Zhou Pingan is that Chen Ziyan is not the type of person who borrows from one family to support another, nor is she the foolish person who favors Ma Zhiyuan over Li Zhibai.

If Wen Minglan can really move to the next level and become a more influential and popular actress, it will be a great help to him and Chen Ziyan.

This is beyond doubt, and it will also strengthen their power.

Just like Jiang Jun finally succeeded in getting the movie "Doomsday".

If Jiang Jun had not become a global star with "Squid Game", no matter how capable Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan were, they would not have been able to force him to star in a movie of the level of "Doomsday".

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen Tu Song for a long time. Where did he go?" Lu Yanhe asked.

Chen Ziyan has three artists in Star Entertainment, Lu Yanhe, Wen Minglan, and the only singer, Tu Song.

Chen Ziyan said: "He is in school, studying music, and has had less work in the past two years. I just let him sing a few OSTs for TV dramas and release a single every year to keep him exposed, but I don't push him too hard. His vocal condition is limited, I hope he can improve his skills, learn more, and strive to become a singer-songwriter in the future, which will be more beneficial to his career."

“Singer-songwriter?”

"Yeah." Chen Ziyan nodded. "The requirements for vocal conditions for singer-songwriters are not that extreme. In fact, you, Li Zhibai, and Yan Liang all have the conditions to be singers and have certain basic skills. But in my eyes, you are still a little short of the qualities to become top singers. But if you choose to go the path of singer-songwriters, you can make up for the shortcomings of your voice."

Lu Yanhe nodded, understanding what Chen Ziyan meant.

"You have written so many songs, you can actually go down this path," said Chen Ziyan.

"I... I'd better just stay an actor and sing. I'll occasionally write one or two songs and sing them on stage. That's fine. But if I were to really become a singer like an actor, I still don't think I have the talent to do that."

"Whatever you want to do, you still think you are just an ordinary person with no talent." Chen Ziyan didn't believe Lu Yanhe's modesty at all. "It's all fine, but, this time when you three go on the Spring Festival Gala, have you decided to sing "Love" in the end?"

"Yeah." Lu Yanhe said, "We had already rehearsed a version of this song last year. This year we just need to get familiar with it."

"I heard that the director team might want you to sing one more song, and they seem to have arranged one for you." Chen Ziyan said, "But it's not confirmed yet, and they may decide to give this song to someone else in the end."

Lu Yanhe: "It depends on their arrangements. Anything is fine."

Chen Ziyan nodded.

"The Golden Globe Awards are about to announce the nominations. Have you ever thought about which awards you would like Friends to be nominated for?"

"Who knows? Maybe they just want to give us some tips and give us some unimportant categories." Lu Yanhe said, "Anyway, I believe that we won't be nominated for Best Picture and Best Director. As for Best Actor... that's hard to say. My role doesn't require any acting skills. The ones who have hope are Yan Liang and Zhan Yun, but the characters in Friends are not known for their acting skills. Who knows?"

Even though the original version of "Friends" was so popular, the main actors didn't seem to have won many significant acting awards.

"It's enough to be nominated," Lu Yanhe said. "For a non-English drama like ours, produced by a non-American company, a nomination is recognition."

"That's the only way to think about it." Chen Ziyan nodded, "However, I still think that you have a good chance of being nominated for the Best Screenplay Award, or even winning it."

"I don't think so, don't milk me."

"Look, every time I think you can accomplish something, your first reaction is that you can't do it." Chen Ziyan shrugged, "You are the number one overly modest person."

Lu Yanhe: "...I really think there is little hope. We are not in their gaming circle. Unless "Friends" really breaks some record, then maybe they will give us an award." (End of this chapter)