Chapter 513: Mess Around
Everyone listened to Tan Mo talk about the story.
It was as if there really was such a world where danger and opportunity existed together.
It seemed there really was such a story.
There really was a group of people who although had a shockingly long lifespan, they also faced the danger of dying anytime.
It was something to look forward to but also fear.
It made one want to experience the danger and excitement offered by a world where one would use swords, but it was also not as rich and safe as the real world.
After Tan Mo was done with the story, it was Tan Jinqi’s turn to present.
“Mr. Wei told me earlier that he wanted to air the drama by seasons,” Tan Jinqi said. “This coincided with the plan I had in mind.”
“My original plan was to film 20 episodes. However, Mr. Wei said to keep the number of episodes between 10 to 15. It is not impossible to fasten the pace and design a cliff-hanger in the final episode and continue filming the rest for the second season,” Tan Jinqi said. “More importantly, this could increase the quality of every episode. The purpose is not to pursue long airing time or a high number of showing and not to promote some actors by adding in more scenes that did not hold real content.”
Kefeng Films’ president, Xu Das.h.i.+, was also present and said, “Director Tan, from what I know, you have not filmed independently before this. You only had the experience of a.s.sisting in filming beside Director Hou Yuehai and Liu Runlin.”
“Yes.” Tan Jinqi was not afraid to admit that. “This drama is my first attempt at directing independently.”
“Did Director Liu and Director Hou say before that when you film your first film, they would be the a.s.sistant directors in name and go to set from time to time to keep things in control?” Wei Zhiqian asked.
“Oh?” Xu Das.h.i.+ was interested to hear more.
Although Director Hou and Director Liu said they’d keep the set in control, it was probably more to prevent some actors from bullying Tan Jinqi, who was new to this, and prevent them from creating trouble.
However, when the directors were there, they would still discuss the filming with Tan Jinqi.
If there were issues with Tan Jinqi’s filming, both would have to correct him, right?
But the directors would not direct the film personally.
They would personally give guidance.
This film would be equivalent to having three directors, two of which were the top directors in the country.
And they would not be charging any fees.
Under usual circ.u.mstances, not to mention not charging any fees, they might not be able to gather both directors to direct a film even if they were paid.
Luckily, both had a good relations.h.i.+p.
It was on a personal level.
When it came to work, who would have the final say?
It was not possible for either to give in…
Even if they could decide who to listen to.
The fees for both directors were not cheap if they were gathered for a film.
The cost of the production would become too high.
Tan Jinqi’s estimate of $600 million for the capital was only for expenses. The fees paid to the actors were also reduced as much as possible.
With regards to his own salary, it was calculated based on the salary of a new director.
If they really included Director Liu and Director Hou, even if it was just one of them, the cost of production would increase greatly.
Xu Das.h.i.+ immediately felt that this was a good deal.
“I certainly would seek advice from Director Hou and Director Liu. However, I would still direct this production independently and neither of them would not interfere. If there is a disagreement, my opinion will be final,” Tan Jinqi explained.
This would also prevent the situation of others thinking that it was due to guidance from Director Hou and Director Liu that this film had good results if it turned out well, and that he was only a director in name.
He was the one who would direct the film, but others misunderstood that he had no capabilities and had taken advantage of the two famous directors.
Xu Das.h.i.+ nodded. “I understand what you mean.”
Even so, it was still not bad.
It would guarantee the quality of the production. At least, it would not be a lousy film.
It would likely be above standard. With the production fees involved, it would not be bad quality.
The audience nowadays had already watched too many dramas that were subpar.
Occasionally, when there was a production with a good plot and a reasonable pace, even if the production was not exquisite enough, the audience would tolerate it and say that it was a good film.
It could be seen that the audience today had already been abused by production companies that disregarded quality and only cared about making money.
Moreover, after a theme became popular, the market would immediately be flooded with many similar themes.
There were not many themes for the audience to choose from.
There were only a few types, and the audience had no choice but to watch them.
Even if they did not want to watch them, they had no other types to choose from.
It was because the market was in this situation now that Kefeng Films wanted to use the opportunity to stand out.
It was inevitable that there would be copycats later.
However, as the first, they would naturally obtain the biggest benefits.
In general, they still had to follow the direction of the market.
They could then develop a unit that focused on producing such high-quality films and shape the reputation of Kefeng Films.
The audience would certainly find it refres.h.i.+ng.
Xu Das.h.i.+ could not change the director.
After all, the scriptwriter was Tan Jinqi’s sister.
Tan Jinqi was also not a n.o.body without any backing.
Wasn’t Wei Zhiqian keeping an eye on things over here?
There were also two famous directors, Hou Yuehai and Liu Runlin.
Who dared to mess around with Tan Jinqi?
Xu Das.h.i.+ looked at Wei Zhiqian.
Wei Zhiqian smiled lightly. “You don’t have to look at me. You can make the decision.”
Although he said so, how could he not consider Wei Zhiqian’s intentions?
It was obvious that Wei Zhiqian wanted to engage Tan Jinqi.
The script had no issues.
It was also not a problem to engage Tan Jinqi. After all, Director Hou and Director Liu were his guarantors.
Xu Das.h.i.+ said, “We need all the relevant departments to come up with an a.n.a.lysis. Then, we can hold a meeting to continue discussing the investment amount, scriptwriting process, and other issues.”
This was how work affairs were handled. Tan Jinqi nodded. “I look forward to it.”
Kefeng Films needed to carry out all sorts of a.n.a.lyses.
However, no matter if they could work with Kefeng Films or not…
Tan Jinqi would certainly film this drama.
Tan Mo continued to write the story.
She did not rush the scriptwriting. She wrote a little every day and then edited the script.
After a few days, Kefeng Films made a decision and arranged for a meeting with Tan Jinqi and Tan Mo.
Wei Zhiqian did not follow them this time.
He had other work to do.
The meeting room was filled with the managers and representatives from the other departments under Kefeng Films’ television series corporate division. They were more relaxed without Wei Zhiqian around.
“Our unit only focuses on the quality of the production and does not chase after famed actors, but the actors must have good skills,” Manager Guo of the performing arts department said. “We also have a list of actor names. Their salaries per film are between $50,000 and $100,000. You can see if there are suitable candidates from this list. If you have other candidates in mind who are not on the list, you can also list them. We will be responsible for reaching out to them. However, it will be best to keep the fees within this range. We will use all the money on production.”
Tan Jinqi nodded and glanced at the list of names.
He could tell that Kefeng Films had put in a lot of effort. The names he had thought of were also included.
He did not need to mention the names separately.
“I will study this name list and send over my choices,” Tan Jinqi said. “When the time comes, have the actors come over for an audition.”