novelraw Chapter 77: Activating the Mist Theater!
Chapter 77: Activating the Mist Theater!
After Kiwifruit snatched the role in "The Golden Hairpin" and secured the roles of Wu Yifan, Yang Zi, and Lin Yufeng, it caused a huge stir in the industry.
The heads of these video platforms, including Tencent Video, expressed their regret over Tanglou, were shocked by Kiwi's decisive action, and even admired it.
The controversy surrounding "Yu Zui" was originally a major blow to kiwifruit, but now they have turned the tide with "The Golden Hairpin".
The participation of top stars Wu Yifan and Yang Zi has given both industry insiders and audiences hope for another blockbuster drama from iQiyi.
As the center of the storm, morale within Coolcat has also suffered.
Shen Yan was unaware of Tang Lou's plan, so he genuinely believed that this was Tang Lou's mistake that led to the loss of the copyright.
However, he didn't blame Tang Lou at all; instead, he called Tang Lou over and comforted him.
"Tang Lou, this kind of thing can only be blamed on the kiwi fruit side being too treacherous. I didn't expect them to be so well-informed."
"But if I were Gong Yu, and you treated me like a Japanese, I'd definitely be on edge too. It's normal for me to use some tricks and monitor you. It's just a TV series; if they take it, it might become a hot potato for them."
"Don't worry too much about this. I will fully support you within the business unit, and no one will dare to use this to criticize you."
"I see your show 'Heart Signal' is almost finished. What are your next plans?"
Shen Yan was already quite satisfied with Tanglou's performance this year.
This time, kiwifruit has only regained some face; it's all just empty fame.
However, in terms of membership, Coolcat gained nearly ten million members thanks to "Descendants of the Sun," while Kiwi lost at least ten million. Therefore, Tanglou still deserves the greatest credit.
Tang Lou originally had a big plan after finishing "Heart Signal".
Although he had orchestrated all of this, Tang Lou was determined to retaliate against the hostility and tactics employed by the Kiwi Fruit side.
Tang Lou plans to bring over the most famous "Mist Theater" from his previous life's kiwifruit business ahead of schedule.
If you like to steal things, then this time Tanglou is also prepared to take a piece of the pie.
The kiwifruit-themed "Mist Theater" can be considered a groundbreaking innovation in the industry.
It is also a benchmark brand for suspense dramas. Since its launch in 2020, it has quickly established itself as the number one brand for suspense dramas with works such as "The Hidden Corner" and "The Silent Truth".
Moreover, this theater is also the pioneer of the 12-episode boutique short drama format, which focuses on "short length, strong plot, and cinematic quality", leading the creation of domestic suspense dramas.
This time, Tang Lou is preparing to launch this suspense drama theater on KuMei, becoming the first in the industry.
After Tang Lou revealed the plan, Shen Yan was dumbfounded.
This was a completely new concept that he had never heard of before.
"You mean, we pioneered a theatrical operation brand called 'Mist Theater,' which broadcasts a large number of suspenseful short dramas intensively, creating a brand aggregation effect."
"Your idea is excellent, but it demands a very high level of quality from these series. A 12-episode high-quality series requires very solid content."
"However, these short drama projects require less investment and have a shorter production cycle, so they are worth trying."
Shen Yan pondered for a while and decided to trust those he employed and not to employ those he didn't trust.
Moreover, if Tanglou's concept really succeeds, then KuMiao will once again lead all video platforms, which is very beneficial to the status and reputation of a video platform.
"Tang Lou, I agree to your plan. You're in charge of everything; go ahead and do it."
After obtaining Shen Yan's consent, Tanglou prepared to begin its planning.
For his first drama, he set his sights on the phenomenal, cross-industry masterpiece, "The Hidden Corner"!
However, before this drama, he still needs to accumulate some copyrights.
The first person Tang Lou was to visit was none other than the future renowned suspense playwright, Zi Jin Chen!
Zi Jinchen's works are known for their realistic critique and numerous plot twists. His language is concise yet profound, earning him the title of "China's Keigo Higashino".
His works have been adapted into classic suspense dramas such as "The Untouchable Crime," "The Hidden Corner," and "The Silent Truth."
According to the timeline, Zi Jinchen is still unknown, earning less than 200,000 yuan a year in royalties, and currently has no works that have broken into the mainstream.
Therefore, this is a very good time to approach him.
Regarding his memories of past lives, Zi Jinchen mentioned in an interview:
"Money is my biggest motivation for writing; if I buy the copyright later, the price will be higher."
In a past life, Kiwi bought the copyrights to Zijin Chen's novels at a super low price. Who would have thought that this unknown writer would become a top suspense writer in the future? The film and television adaptation rights of his works are of outstanding value, and the film and television dramas adapted from them have all become hits.
Of course, Tang Lou continued to purchase the copyrights of Zi Jin Chen under the name of his own sock factory.
These copyrights are only truly secure when held in one's own hands.
Zi Jinchen is still working in Hangzhou this year. He graduated from Zhejiang University and studied at the Zijingang Campus, which is also the origin of his pen name.
It can be said that he is a highly talented academic superstar.
Zi Jinchen was very excited when he received the invitation and copyright negotiations from Tanglou.
Zijin Chen's royalties this year were only a few hundred thousand yuan, so he felt very honored that the head of entertainment content from a super big company like KuMiao came to meet with him personally.
Tang Lou arranged to meet Zi Jinchen at a coffee shop.
When Zi Jinchen saw Tang Lou, he was quite nervous. He couldn't understand why such a big shot as Tang Lou would come looking for a small writer like himself.
The key issue is that Tang Lou doesn't produce all those big-budget productions; his own suspense novels are all short stories and can't be adapted into long-running TV series.
"Mr. Tang, I wonder what brings you here?"
"I am quite self-aware of my own novels; none of these short stories have the content or length to be adapted into a high-quality TV series."
As a graduate of Zhejiang University, Zi Jinchen was still quite clear-headed, so he couldn't quite see through Tanglou.
Tang Lou smiled slightly: "My next plan is to create a suspense drama theater at our Coolcat, which will be the first of its kind in the industry."
"I have read all your works, and I really like the social critique and the many plot twists in your designs."
"I have high hopes for your work, and I want to bring it to a national audience."
Tang Lou was very sincere and offered a price that Zi Jinchen could not refuse.
Seeing Tanglou's sincerity, Zijin Chen wished he could immediately kneel down and call him "sugar daddy".
"Mr. Tang, you must be joking. You're planning to buy all my works for one million per book. And all my future works will be pre-ordered?"
"That's right, Zijin Chen, I really admire your talent. I also want to offer you a long-term screenwriting contract with Coolcat. I can give you an annual salary of 500,000 yuan. From now on, you can focus on your creative work."
Tang Lou's intention is to completely buy out Zi Jinchen.