So many television station leaders gathered here, their purpose, to put it bluntly, was to purchase the exclusive first broadcast rights for "The Legend of Sword and Fairy," and at the same time, they wanted to personally assess the viewing experience of the first three episodes.
"The Legend of Sword and Fairy" had already completed its post-production, so unlike "Joy of Life," it wasn't reduced to showing trailers. Thus, they straightforwardly played the first three episodes.
Then everyone was stunned.
Compared to the previous two works, no, compared to all television dramas before, "The Legend of Sword and Fairy" was far ahead.
Setting aside other aspects, the lead in special effects and scenes alone was almost unbelievable. After all, the entire filming used the most advanced international 4k cameras.
In an era where television stations were generally using 480p, the stunning impact of 4k footage shot with top-tier projectors was an undeniable fact.
Furthermore, the special effects in "The Legend of Sword and Fairy," though produced by Jiangnan Group's own special effects studio, were by effects artists who had all studied abroad in New Zealand and participated in part of the special effects production for "The Journey of Misty."
While the technical skill might not have reached Hollywood levels, it was more than enough to completely outshine all other Chinese television dramas.
Then there were the actors. Since the first three episodes primarily featured the storylines of Li Xiaoyao and Zhao Ling'er, with other supporting characters appearing later, the acting quality essentially depended on these two.
Shu Chang, who played Zhao Ling'er, was naturally beyond reproach. Her acting was cultivated from a young age. While she might not possess the same ethereal aura as Liu xx, she was the best choice, and the audience accepted this Zhao Ling'er.
The remaining character was Li Xiaoyao, the most crucial soul character of the entire drama.
Despite the immense popularity of "The Legend of Sword and Fairy" in the previous life, it ultimately only propelled Hu Ge to stardom. Although Liu was also very popular at the time, Liu was truly remembered for his roles in "Dark Fragrance" and "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," and his characters in "The Legend of the Condor Heroes." Very few people remembered him as Zhao Ling'er.
As for the other supporting actors, if you think about it now, besides Ady An who played Lin Yueru, can you recall anyone else's name?
Eddie Peng doesn't count; he became popular later through other roles. After all, if I hadn't mentioned it, who would remember what role Eddie Peng played in "The Legend of Sword and Fairy"?
This is in contrast to "The Legend of Sword and Fairy 3." Besides Hu Ge, that series successfully launched several major流量 (liúliàng - popular stars) in China for the next decade.
Including Yang Mi, Liu Shishi, Tang Yan, Wallace Huo, and others. In essence, among the main cast members, except for Lam Chi Chung, who was already famous, and Hada, who had very few scenes, everyone else skyrocketed to fame and embarked on a glorious life thanks to that drama.
Returning to this world, this installment of "The Legend of Sword and Fairy" also showcases the brilliance of only one person: Li Xiaoyao.
The moment all the big shots present saw Li Xiaoyao appear, they all felt one thing: this man was incredibly handsome. How could there be such a handsome man in the world?
Even Hu Ge, who was hosting, couldn't help but sigh when he saw Li Xiaoyao appear, exclaiming that this Li Xiaoyao was far more handsome than himself.
And for a historical fantasy idol drama, if the male lead is handsome, the drama has already achieved 50% of its success. As long as the plot and acting aren't lacking, the drama is basically destined for popularity.
Not to mention that Li Xiaoyao's acting was quite good. Many people present were veteran actors with decades of experience, or seasoned performers who came from stage plays and later transitioned to television work.
After watching Li Xiaoyao perform for over ten minutes, they concluded that while his acting might not be considered masterful, it had already surpassed most professional actors of the same age. In their eyes, this Li Xiaoyao was simply Li Xiaoyao, with no sense of abruptness.
When the second episode began with a fight scene, the audience was once again shocked.
Because they discovered that the fight scene at the beginning of the second episode was filmed in a single take, without any editing. The camera simply followed the action, and this fight scene, lasting over three minutes, was entirely performed by Li Xiaoyao himself.
Moreover, the quality of the fight choreography was incredibly high. A sword in Li Xiaoyao's hands moved as if it were an extension of his arm, and all his movements were exceptionally handsome and stylish. Every flourish of the sword drew screams of admiration from the female audience. This fight scene was simply too cool.
Especially the final scene where Li Xiaoyao leaped into the air, almost flying, was the epitome of grace.
At the same time, these professionals were even more alarmed to discover that this final shot was also part of the single-take sequence. Given the roughly three-minute fight scene preceding it, it would have been impossible to complete this action using wires alone; otherwise, the wires in the air would have become entangled.
If wires were to be used for depicting martial arts movements, editing would be necessary. This is common knowledge in the industry. Except for the exceptional Jackie Chan, no one dared to film such a scene without wires. Yet, this Li Xiaoyao had managed to do it himself.
"The younger generation is indeed formidable!" many veteran actors lamented. Through this footage, they seemed to glimpse the gradual rise of a future superstar.
And this superstar had the strong backing of Jiangnan Group. Even if she were Jing Tian, she would already be immensely popular.
Soon, the three episodes concluded, and everyone savored the three dramas with lingering interest.
At this moment, a figure slowly walked onto the stage. Upon seeing him, everyone showed profound respect. This person was, of course, Mr. Huang.
They hadn't expected Huang He himself to come on stage, which indicated how much importance Huang He attached to this matter.
"Esteemed seniors, thank you all for attending our screening event. Now that you have seen our three dramas, it is time to sell the exclusive first broadcast rights for these three television series!"
"While these are exclusive first broadcast rights, it doesn't necessarily mean only one television station will air them. If several stations are willing to jointly purchase the rights, then that is perfectly acceptable!"
"Secondly, these three dramas will be released at different times. 'The Legend of Sword and Fairy' has already been fully produced, and we hope to broadcast it during the winter holiday season."
"'Soldiers Sortie' has completed its filming, but the production of the series is only ten episodes in. It is expected to be completed in about three months, so we plan to broadcast it around March to April of 2004!"
"Finally, there is 'Joy of Life.' As you've seen, this drama is still in intense filming. We expect filming to be completed by the end of this year, and post-production to be finished by the end of April. We believe the optimal broadcast time would be mid-June, coinciding with the start of the summer vacation, which is the most suitable period."
This planning is also to avoid any internal conflict between the three dramas produced by our Tangren, and to prevent them from competing for viewership. I hope everyone can accommodate this small plan of mine.
Therefore, the final matter is how to sell them. Since I have invited all of you esteemed seniors here, we will naturally adhere to the principle of fairness and impartiality. There will be no preferential treatment for any television station. Everyone will bid fairly, and the highest bidder wins.
However, you are all cultured individuals, and the format of an auction in the morning can be quite undignified. Also, you all have your respective organizations behind you, and some decisions are beyond your personal control.
Therefore, we have booked rooms for everyone for three days, and this conference room will also be open during these three days. Our staff will be on standby in the conference room.
During these three days, you can submit the dramas you wish to purchase and your bid prices to our staff. Our staff will compile the statistics, and finally, our staff will contact the highest bidder. It's as simple as that.
After Huang He finished speaking, the guests present fell into contemplation. After all, each television station's financial resources were limited, and purchasing all three dramas in one go was virtually impossible. Thus, they could only choose one out of three, but they didn't know which one to select.
In terms of drama quality, although "Joy of Life" had the strongest cast, it was not a finished product, making it difficult to assess its quality and determine a price.
As for the remaining "Soldiers Sortie" and "The Legend of Sword and Fairy," the quality of "Soldiers Sortie" was undoubtedly superior to "The Legend of Sword and Fairy." Based on its core themes and character settings alone, "Soldiers Sortie" had already won.
However, the problem was that "Soldiers Sortie" was clearly not the type of genre that audiences might favor. After all, military dramas generally did not achieve high viewership ratings nowadays, especially modern military dramas, which were considered viewership deserts.
Therefore, in terms of viewership potential, "The Legend of Sword and Fairy" undoubtedly held the championship potential.
After realizing this, many people began to form their purchasing intentions. It was obvious, even without much thought, how high the price of "The Legend of Sword and Fairy" would soar.
Of course, some television stations took a different approach. They had already predicted that the price of "The Legend of Sword and Fairy" would be very high. It might be better to forgo this drama and instead purchase "Joy of Life." After all, based on the script and cast, if this drama didn't explode, it would be a true injustice.
As for "Soldiers Sortie," although everyone praised it highly, very few were willing to pay a significant price for it.
However, some television stations realized that why should they only bid for one drama? What if their bid failed, leaving them with nothing?
They could simply bid for all three dramas. After all, no deposit was required, and they might secure at least one drama.
Each television station had its own strategy. The leaders of Beijing Television were also deliberating on how to choose. However, Li Jing was not considering this issue; she was contemplating how to invite Huang He.
Just as she was considering, Huang He was about to leave the conference room.
"Mr. Huang!" Li Jing gritted her teeth, suddenly chased after him, and said bravely, "Mr. Huang, I am Li Jing, the host of 'Super Interview' on Beijing Television. Would you be willing to come on our program for an exclusive interview?"
After Li Jing finished speaking, she felt all eyes on her, and the intense gazes felt like knives, making Li Jing feel utterly mortified.
"Certainly!" Huang He smiled and nodded, agreeing readily.