Chapter 678: Award

"Didn't we agree earlier that Pinhe's character would debut in Season 3? This would also serve as a warm-up, generating interest among the audience of 'Seventeen Floors' for the spin-off and drawing attention to its development."

Zhang Yuezhen sat opposite Jiang Lan, somewhat puzzled by the latest news Jiang Lan had told her.

Jiang Lan smiled and explained: "Mainly, while discussing the script, we found it difficult to fit Pinhe's character in. As you know, if a character is added incorrectly, it can have the opposite effect. Actually, with Pinhe as the lead and the popularity accumulated by the 'Seventeen Floors' series itself, there is no need for Pinhe to appear in Season 3 to guarantee attention; this is Pinhe's first television drama in many years."

Zhang Yuezhen looked at Jiang Lan in silence.

For a moment, she didn't know whether to believe Jiang Lan's explanation.

However, Jiang Lan's reasoning did hold some merit.

"For this spin-off, Maxine has already secured the overseas streaming rights in advance," Zhang Yuezhen said. "As far as I know, their offer should not be low, right?"

Jiang Lan laughed and said: "'Seventeen Floors' Season 1 performed very well on Maxine. The price for Season 2 already reached Maxine's top-tier procurement rate. As for the spin-off, well, indeed, it is about the same as the procurement price for Season 2."

Zhang Yuezhen was stunned.

She had intended to say that Maxine's procurement price for the 'Seventeen Floors' spin-off was set at that level only because Chen Pinhe was the lead, but she didn't expect Jiang Lan to answer like that.

But could 'Seventeen Floors' Season 2 really reach that price?

Zhang Yuezhen knew from her own channels that Maxine's procurement price for the 'Seventeen Floors' spin-off was, in the history of overseas distribution for Chinese-language dramas, absolutely a top-tier price figure.

Was what Jiang Lan said true or false?

'Seventeen Floors' was not as popular on Maxine as 'Squid Game', nor even as popular as 'Friends' on Maxine.

Would Maxine offer such a high price?

Deep down, Zhang Yuezhen tended to be skeptical.

But the smile on Jiang Lan's face seemed to notice nothing. She said: "We also hope that Pinhe can take the 'Seventeen Floors' series to the next level. In fact, the salary we offered 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 'Seventeen Floors' spin-off, do you plan for Pinhe to single-handedly carry the ratings, making his character the absolute focus? His screen time will be far greater than Chen Bige's and Lu Yanhe's in 'Seventeen Floors', right?"

'Seventeen Floors' was actually still an ensemble drama.

Jiang Lan: "Yes, to be honest, I am quite surprised. Bige, Yan He, and Jiang Jun are all willing to return for Season 3 to finish telling this story from beginning to end. I am quite grateful to them; many actors would not return to act in a second season."

Zhang Yuezhen smiled.

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

"We are preparing to film both seasons back-to-back," Jiang Lan said. "This facilitates production and can save a lot of production costs."

Zhang Yuezhen: "Will Director Bei continue to direct the 'Seventeen Floors' spin-off?"

"We are negotiating with him. He directed three seasons of 'Seventeen Floors' in a row and wants to work on other projects. We are trying our best to keep him," Jiang Lan said. "After all, he is the most familiar with this series and the most suitable director. If we really cannot keep him, we will definitely invite the most suitable director to take over. We intend to make this spin-off a king-level project continuing 'Seventeen Floors'."

Zhang Yuezhen: "I fully believe that Chairman Jiang will use all his power to make this project a success; otherwise, we wouldn't have taken it on."

Jiang Lan: "Previously, you gave me two resumes. We have evaluated them internally. For these two people, we are initially quite satisfied; their images and various aspects are very good. However, we still hope to have them audition before making a decision, after all, they don't have much acting experience for us to reference."

Zhang Yuezhen was somewhat dissatisfied and said: "The acting skills of these two were praised even by Pinhe. Do you not even trust Pinhe's judgment?"

"How could we not trust the Best Actor's judgment? But acting is not just about having good skills; one must see the true effect only after putting on makeup and costumes," Jiang Lan said helplessly, shaking her head. "You haven't done our work, so you certainly cannot feel it. For many actors, when we look at photos or even videos, we feel the actor is very suitable, but upon meeting the real person and seeing them in makeup, the situation of being greatly disappointed is everywhere."

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

Jiang Lan smiled.

"Also, Yuezhen, there is something I need to give you a heads-up on beforehand," Jiang Lan said. "It is impossible for both major female roles to be taken by the actors you recommended."

Zhang Yuezhen was stunned.

"Do you have other ideas?"

"This drama is something Jingtai wants to build as a king-level project; we certainly have our own balance to maintain," Jiang Lan said. "You should be able to understand this point, right?"

Chen Ziyan got out of the car. Several people were crouching at the entrance, holding cameras, and some were even setting up equipment to livestream directly there.

She glanced at them, did not take off her sunglasses, and walked into the studio.

The filming set of 'Friends' never lacked media crouching here.

Even just taking photos of actors going to and from work could generate a lot of traffic.

Chen Ziyan arrived at the set of 'Friends'.

Everyone was setting up the scenery.

The actors stood aside chatting and laughing.

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

She happened to run into Hu Siwei.

"Is the filming going smoothly?"

"Smoothly. Everyone has cooperated many times; the coordination is very tacit," Hu Siwei said with a smile. "Why did President Chen come today?"

"To talk to Yan He about something," Chen Ziyan smiled. "By the way, the Golden Globe Awards will announce the nomination list soon. 'Friends' Season 1 might receive several nominations; this is the news Maxine told me."

"Really?" Hu Siwei showed a look of surprise.

"Yes, the broadcast performance of 'Friends' on Maxine is very stable, with each season performing slightly better than the last," Chen Ziyan said. "Just as Yan He said at the beginning, this drama has strong lasting power. According to Maxine's backend data, the re-watch rate is much higher than that of general hit dramas."

Hu Siwei nodded.

"I am gradually beginning to understand why Yan He said this drama has strong lasting power," Hu Siwei laughed. "Sometimes when I am eating alone and have nothing to do, I will turn on 'Friends' to watch an episode. An episode is twenty minutes, just enough time for a meal."

Chen Ziyan nodded with a smile.

"This is the characteristic and advantage of the sitcom genre," she said. "If 'Friends' can indeed achieve something at the Golden Globe Awards, it will greatly promote and help the global broadcast of 'Friends' Season 2. Currently, Maxine is also waiting for the Golden Globe nomination list to be announced; they attach great importance to this series."

Maxine values it so much that they have already bought the adaptation rights from Jingtai to make an English version of 'Six People'.

It's just that it hasn't been filmed yet.

After noticing Chen Ziyan had arrived, Lu Yanhe immediately came over.

"Sister Ziyan."

Chen Ziyan nodded to him and said: "Jiang Lan indicated that a spot can be reserved for us in the main cast of the 'Seventeen Floors' spin-off. However, because 'Seventeen Floors' is preparing for commercial derivative development, she hopes we can grant them the rights to use your portrait for the character you portray."

"What do they want to do? Make action figures?"

"Various aspects," Chen Ziyan said. "Action figures, toys, development of animation or comics, and even possibly including games."

Lu Yanhe nodded and said, "They have quite a bit of business acumen; they've discovered the greatest value in the subject matter of 'Seventeen Layers'." Chen Ziyan smiled.

"What do you think? Regarding the rights to use your likeness."

"It can be granted, but every single use must receive our approval first," Lu Yanhe said. "Additionally, any revenue share due to me for all instances involving the use of my likeness must not be reduced; these terms must be clearly written into the contract."

Chen Ziyan nodded.

"By the way, did they only request the likeness rights from me, or did they request them from the other actors as well?"

"They likely requested them from all the main cast members," Chen Ziyan said. "As far as I know, they place the highest priority on game development. If the game character models cannot use your likenesses, it will lose significant appeal for the fans. The same applies to figurines—however, the figurine market in China has always been small, a niche market; the main focus is the game."

"Understood." Lu Yanhe nodded.

Chen Ziyan asked, "I am preparing to send Ming Lan to the crew of the 'Seventeen Layers' spin-off series. Do you have any thoughts on this?"

"Ming Lan?" Lu Yanhe was somewhat surprised. "Are you letting Ming Lan play the female lead?"

"Yes," Chen Ziyan said. "If Ming Lan plays the role, given her current status, she will definitely be cast as the female lead; otherwise, it would be difficult for others to compete for the role. I heard that Chen Pinhe has also sent the resumes of two female actresses to Jiang Lan, wanting Chen Pinhe to lead them in this series. Besides, the 'Seventeen Layers' spin-off series is definitely targeting the global market. Ming Lan appearing in 'Source Code', along with the spin-offs of 'Friends' and 'Seventeen Layers', will help her build her international profile over the next few years."

No errors, one sentence, one release, one content, one view!

"Alright, if Ming Lan is suitable, then let her go." Lu Yanhe nodded.

Chen Ziyan explained so much, likely fearing he might overthink it.

Because the position of the main cast in the 'Seventeen Layers' spin-off series was left open by Jiang Lan, primarily for Lu Yanhe's sake, and also because the derivative development of 'Seventeen Layers' still requires Lu Yanhe's cooperation.

It was equivalent to resources Lu Yanhe had traded back, which Chen Ziyan was preparing to use for Wen Ming Lan.

However, no matter how famous Wen Ming Lan became or how much money she earned, it had nothing to do with Lu Yanhe.

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

Unlike artists like Huang Feng, Jiang Jun, Caina, and Zhang Ruozhi, who signed with Shihuo only because of Lu Yanhe's connection, Lu Yanhe personally would not receive any dividend from Wen Ming Lan's agency business. In contrast, for the agency business income of the former group, Lu Yanhe would not only receive dividends based on his shareholding in Shihuo but also directly receive dividends from their agency business revenue—through this arrangement, Chen Ziyan ensured that Lu Yanhe's interests would not be harmed due to the differing focuses of Shihuo and Linghe.

After all, the businesses of their two companies were clearly divided: one handled agency representation, and the other handled production and copyright operations.

If Chen Ziyan did not do this, it would mean that for all artists who signed with Shihuo because of Lu Yanhe's connection, Lu Yanhe would ultimately only enjoy the revenue brought by that portion of Shihuo's shares, which would actually be a significant loss—

After all, Linghe could just as well sign the agency contracts for these actors itself and monopolize the agency revenue.

Since Wen Ming Lan's debut, she has already received many resources from Lu Yanhe.

The 'Friends' that made her famous was one, the first Hollywood movie 'Source Code' was another, and now the 'Seventeen Layers' spin-off series is yet another.

Without these resources, Chen Ziyan could certainly still make Wen Ming Lan famous, but whether she could maintain the current momentum was hard to say.

All Chinese actors who can truly reach the international stage are, in a sense, stepping into the wind of the times.

Because China lacks a mature global star manufacturing industry chain, for all Chinese actors to achieve fame and influence worldwide, it relies on luck, on their own charm and talent; the path of almost every individual is unrepeatable.

And among so many globally famous stars in the United States, the paths to fame for many of them are repeatable. Because they are themselves products of industrialization.

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

Although this path was still very narrow, capable of accommodating only a few people.

But who knows if this path will not become wider and wider in the future.

Lu Yanhe himself truly did not mind Wen Ming Lan using these resources to climb even higher.

Because he understood Chen Ziyan's character very well.

The biggest difference between Chen Ziyan and Zhou Ping'an was that Chen Ziyan was not the type to borrow from the east to patch the west, nor would she make the foolish mistake of favoring Ma Zhiyuan while slighting Li Zhibai.

If Wen Ming Lan could truly climb even higher and become a more influential, more famous actress, it would also be a great boost for him and Chen Ziyan.

This was beyond doubt; this would also strengthen their power.

Just as Jiang Jun finally successfully secured the movie 'Doomsday'.

If Jiang Jun had not become globally famous by virtue of 'Squid Game', then no matter how capable Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan were, it would have been impossible to forcefully promote him to star in a movie of the level of 'Doomsday'.

"Speaking of which, I haven't seen Tu Song in a long time; where has he gone?" Lu Yanhe asked.

Chen Ziyan had only managed three artists at Star Entertainment: one was Lu Yanhe, one was Wen Ming Lan, and the third was the only singer, Tu Song.

Chen Ziyan said, "He is studying music. His work has decreased significantly over the past two years. I only asked him to steadily sing a few OSTs for films and TV dramas each year and release a single to maintain his exposure, but I haven't pushed him hard. His vocal conditions are limited; I hope he can still improve his skills, learn more things, and strive to become a singer-songwriter in the future, which would be more beneficial for his career."

"Singer-songwriter?"

"Mm." Chen Ziyan nodded. "The requirements for vocal conditions for a singer-songwriter are not so extreme. Actually, whether it is you, or Li Zhibai and Yan Liang, you all possess the conditions to be singers, with a certain foundation, but in my eyes, you still lack some qualities to become top-tier singers. However, if you take the path of singer-songwriters, you can make up for the deficiencies in your vocals."

Lu Yanhe nodded, understanding what Chen Ziyan meant.

"You have written so many songs; actually, you could completely take this path," Chen Ziyan said.

"I... I will just be honest and remain an actor. Singing, I can occasionally write a song or two and perform it on stage, that's fine, but asking me to be a singer in the same way I am an actor, I still feel I don't have the ability for that."

"Do whatever you want. You still think you are an ordinary person with no talent." Chen Ziyan no longer believed Lu Yanhe's self-deprecation. "It's all fine, but this time the three of you are on the Spring Festival Gala; have you finally decided to sing 'Love'?"

"Mm," Lu Yanhe said. "We already had a rehearsed version of this song last year; this year we just need to familiarize ourselves with it."

"I heard the director's team might hope you sing one more song; they seem to have arranged a song for you," Chen Ziyan said. "But it's not decided yet; it's also possible they will decide to give this song to someone else to sing."

Lu Yanhe: "This depends on their arrangement; either way is fine."

Chen Ziyan nodded.

"The Golden Globe Awards are about to announce the nomination list. Have you thought about which awards you hope 'Friends' will be nominated for?"

"Who knows? Maybe others will just do it out of politeness and nominate us for a few unimportant categories," Lu Yanhe said. "Anyway, I believe the categories for Best Series and Best Director will not be nominated. Best Actor... it's a stretch. My character doesn't require much acting skill. The ones with hope are actually Yan Liang and Zhan Yun, but the characters in 'Friends' are not known for their acting prowess. Who knows?"

The original 'Friends' was so popular, yet those main actors didn't seem to win many weighty acting awards.

"Just getting nominated is enough," Lu Yanhe said. "For a non-English series, not made by an American company like ours, a nomination is recognition."

"We can only think that way," Chen Ziyan nodded. "However, I still think you have a good chance of being nominated for Best Screenplay, and even a chance to win."

"I don't think so. Don't jinx me."

"See, every time I think you can accomplish something, your first reaction is that you can't," Chen Ziyan shrugged. "You are number one in excessive modesty."

Lu Yanhe: "... I really feel the hope is slim. We are not in their game circle; unless 'Friends' really breaks some record, then maybe they will give us an award." (End of Chapter)