novelraw Chapter 81: The Pilot Episode - Story Compilation
Chapter 81: The Pilot Episode - Story Compilation
The person with the lowest number of views in the pilot episode will be ranked first in the order of appearance in the first episode.
The meeting room was silent for a full ten seconds.
The first one to go on stage.
The five hundred audience members hadn't even warmed their seats, their ears weren't open, and their emotions weren't engaged. No matter how well you sang, the first three lines were just for warming up the crowd.
Song Ze leaned back in his chair and silently tapped his fingers twice under the table.
Xiao Jingteng spoke first.
"So we're not here to sing, we're here to film GG?"
Guangliang sat opposite him, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, but he didn't say a word.
Yuan Yawei looked down and flipped through the PPT. She flipped through three pages, then flipped back, unable to concentrate on a single one.
Lin Yilian placed the thermos on the table and looked up.
What are the criteria used to calculate view counts?
In short, he pulled the whole room back from emotions to rules.
The executive director turned a slide in the PowerPoint presentation, his speaking speed noticeably increasing by half a beat.
"We use a weighted average of three platforms: Mango TV, Weibo Video, and our partner short video platforms. All metrics, including number of shares, completion rate, and interaction data, are taken into consideration."
He paused for a moment.
The production team reserves the right of final interpretation.
The final interpretation right.
Upon hearing these five words, Song Ze's judgment was immediately confirmed.
This was created by the production team half a month in advance to generate topics, conflicts, and trending topics for the first episode.
Dima Creek sat at the far end of the long table.
The executive director spoke for three minutes, and he remained completely still the entire time.
The agent bent down and quickly translated in Kazakh close to his ear.
After listening, Dimash looked up and asked a question in broken English.
"Is first bad?"
All eyes in the room turned to that direction at the same time.
"Very hard."
Dima Creek was silent for two seconds.
Then he laughed.
"Then not first."
Hongtao stood up to provide further explanation.
"The pilot episode has no restrictions on content or format; it can be a documentary, vlog, or music video. There are three red lines: it cannot contain any content related to the competition songs, it cannot reveal the stage design in advance, and it must be reviewed by the production team after filming."
Song Ze's mind was already racing.
They cannot sing or appear on stage.
That leaves only one thing to film: people.
Whoever can pin their story to the screens of five million people in three minutes wins.
The meeting adjourned.
Eight people filed out, the corridor eerily quiet. No one spoke, but their assistants and agents quickly approached, whispering amongst themselves.
As soon as Song Ze stepped out the door, Xiao Jingteng chased after him from behind.
"Brother Song."
Song Ze turned around.
Jam Hsiao put his hands in his pockets, half-joking and half-seriously.
"You have a lot of traffic, so don't try to humiliate us old folks."
Song Ze glanced at him.
"Brother Xiao, even if you put rain in the pilot episode, I still can't beat you. Three-minute time-lapse—set up the camera, stand in the middle of the frame, and the sky will darken on its own."
"roll."
Xiao Jingteng chuckled, took two steps, and then stopped.
I didn't laugh this time.
"Seriously, don't shoot anything too elaborate."
Song Ze looked at him.
"The audience isn't stupid. The more elaborate your design, the more they'll think you're acting." Jam Hsiao patted him on the shoulder. "Sincerity is more important than concepts."
After saying that, he sauntered away.
Song Ze stood in the corridor, watching his back.
This guy usually talks a lot of witty remarks, but he's actually quite considerate of him when it matters.
My phone vibrated in my pocket.
News about Tian Xiwei.
"Senior! Should I offer to appear in your pilot episode? I can say I'm a partner! I'll help you boost your popularity!"
Song Ze did not reply.
He dialed Zhang Juan's number directly.
"Sister Juan, please check two things for me. First, the clause regarding Tian Xiwei's status in the partnership agreement. Second, whether her contractual relationship with Xingyao is recorded in the program's filing list."
Zhang Juan flipped through the documents for about ten seconds.
"The registration states I'm an individual, not affiliated with Xingyao. What's wrong?"
"If she appears in my pilot episode, and it turns out she's from Xingyao, it will be labeled as preferential treatment of internal resources."
Zhang Juan understood immediately.
"I'll write down the risks. Should you talk to Tian Xiwei about it, or should I do it?"
"I'll do it."
After hanging up the phone, Song Ze returned to the hotel, washed his face, and dialed Tian Xiwei's number.
"Brother! I just—"
"You don't need to appear in my film."
There was silence on the other end.
Song Ze leaned back on the sofa, holding his phone.
"Xiwei, the most important thing for you right now is to stand firm."
"……Um."
"You have tasks in your preview footage too, right? Do your part well."
Tian Xiwei didn't speak. Her disappointment could be heard even through the phone.
He paused for two seconds and then added a sentence.
"I'll have Sister Juan bring in the best planning team in the company for your behind-the-scenes footage."
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end.
"...Then I won't hold you back."
The voice was muffled.
Song Ze didn't say anything more and hung up.
Ten minutes later, Zhang Juan sent a message: Tian Xiwei planned this alone, cutting off all visual and textual connections to Xingyao.
Song Ze replied with an "OK".
Then he started thinking about his pilot film.
You can't talk about singing skills. You can't explain singing skills clearly in three to five minutes, and even if you did, you wouldn't be able to visualize it.
He can't play the victim. The narrative of being universally criticized online, retiring from the industry, and then making a comeback is too old-fashioned. Audiences are tired of it and will only think he's exploiting his past wounds.
I need to tell you something that no one else can.
He thought for twenty minutes and came up with two words: inheritance.
He sent his idea to Zhang Juan.
Zhang Juan replied very quickly.
"It's so perfect. It could easily be made into a company annual report video."
Song Ze typed: "So there must be real吐槽 (tu cao, meaning to roast or criticize), real embarrassment, and real laughs. Let Bai Lu and Wang Churan appear on screen."
Zhang Juan replied immediately: "Bai Lu is filming in Hengdian, and Wang Churan just signed a contract for 'Oh My General.' I'll coordinate their schedules."
Half an hour later, Zhang Juan forwarded the two people's reactions.
Bai Lu: "Complaining about my senior brother? That's something I'm good at."
Wang Churan: "Complain? Anyone can do that!"
On the day of the shoot.
Xingyao set up a makeshift stage backdrop with a giant screen in the center displaying three timelines.
Bai Lu: From playing minor roles to playing Deng Chanyu in "Chaoge".
Wang Churan: From campus dramas to Liu Xiyin in "General and I".
Song Ze: From trending topics and controversies to "Singer".
Lights on, camera in position.
The first paragraph is an interview during the White Dew season.
Song Ze sat opposite her and casually asked a question.
"Bai Lu, what do you think is my greatest strength?"
Bai Lu tilted her head slightly.
I thought about it seriously for three seconds.
"You may be a jerk, but you're great at making empty promises."
Song Ze's face immediately darkened.
Are you praising me or insulting me?
Bai Lu stopped the editor next to her.
"Of course, that's a genuine compliment!"
She counted on her fingers as she explained, "You're good to both me and Chu Ran, that's called being a jerk—you treat everyone equally. You make me a three-year plan, that's called a pie in the sky—but your pie is definitely edible."
Song Ze looked at the camera, his facial expression almost completely lost control.
"I'll ask again."
"Ask away, my answer will remain the same."
Bai Lu smiled, revealing her little tiger teeth, showing no signs of having been exhausted from filming in Hengdian for three days.
The second paragraph is about Wang Churan.
She sat in the chair, deliberately sitting up straight.
Song Ze teased her on purpose.
"Chu Ran, show them what a fierce look you can give them."
Wang Churan was stunned.
She tried to frown.
He tried to widen his eyes.
He lowered his voice: "...I'm very fierce."
Bai Lu was the first to break character off-camera.
"Are you being fierce or just being affectionate?"
Wang Churan was talking nonsense with a straight face.
"This is the expression I used when filming Liu Xiyin being fierce."
The shed fell silent for a moment.
Zhang Juan stood behind the camera and gestured to the director to "don't stop".
Halfway through the shoot, Bailu suddenly became quiet.
She didn't look at Song Ze, but at a point next to the camera.
"Senior brother, to be honest, if it weren't for you, I'd probably still be working as an extra in Hengdian, earning thirty yuan a day."
Wang Churan then added a sentence.
"If it weren't for you, I'd still be studying in school, not knowing if I could even act."
Song Ze blurted out instinctively, "Don't get sentimental. What happened to the comedy?"
Zhang Juan did not call a halt.
Bai Lu didn't respond to him.
Wang Churan didn't answer either.
The studio lights shone on the two girls' faces. Song Ze sat opposite them, feeling for the first time that he was a little overwhelmed.
The final paragraph is Song Ze's monologue.
Bai Lu and Wang Churan had finished work, leaving only him and the camera in the studio.
Zhang Juan whispered a suggestion from the side: "Why don't you talk about your musical journey? Or start with the part where you left the industry?"
Song Ze shook his head.
He looked at the camera and thought for a few seconds.
"Before, I just wanted to prove that I wasn't that bad. I thought about it when I was being criticized, and I thought about it when I was being insulted. But then I realized that no matter where you go, you're always alone, and it's meaningless."
He paused.
"If you can give someone a push forward, then you haven't lived in vain."
Zhang Juan made a gesture behind her that said, "Say a few more words."
Song Ze glanced at the camera and smiled.
"I'm not a teacher. I'm just their senior. Just the 'scumbag' they're talking about."
Zhang Juan stood behind the monitor, silent, her pen still.
Song Ze stood up and patted his pants.
The phone lit up.
News about Jam Hsiao.
"I heard you filmed a pilot episode? What was it about?"
Song Ze typed two words and was about to send them when a second message popped up.
It's not Jam Hsiao.
It's Hongtao.
"Teacher Song Ze, I just received a notification—the pilot episode for Dima Creek was submitted for review half an hour ago."
Hongtao then posted another message.
"There's one more thing. Someone raised objections to Tian Xiwei's partnership status with the station, saying that her relationship with you might affect impartiality. The station is going to hold a meeting to discuss whether to replace her..."