Lin Chudong was indeed surprised.
"There's also revenue sharing from advertising?"
Television stations usually buy the rights outright, paying a certain amount per episode. After that, the station is responsible for its own profits and losses, and it has nothing to do with the production company.
But this time, in addition to the outright purchase price, they were also offering advertising revenue sharing. This was truly unprecedented; Da Fei had never heard of such a precedent before.
CCTV's advertising rates were calculated by the second. Although not as exaggerated as the Spring Festival Gala, the advertising fees were still considerable. To give them ten percent was already quite an extraordinary deal.
"Director Huang, am I some kind of special favorite? Isn't it all because you're looking out for me? Did you apply for this with the leaders this time?"
Huang Wei said, "Actually, it wasn't me. Our director wants to compete with Channel 13, and he's very optimistic about your show, worried that you'll be poached."
The script for Swords of Glory was different from Beginning. The latter's subject matter was very novel, and most people hadn't seen anything like it, so it was hard to judge whether it would be a hit.
Only someone like Huang Wei, who is a master at predicting the market, would have the guts to bet on this drama.
And the subject matter of Swords of Glory is very common. Huang Wei had already determined after watching it once that it would be a hit, and the leaders of CCTV also had the same vision.
What's more, Da Fei already had a previous drama as a foundation, and the production quality was still trustworthy.
"Don't worry, Sister Huang, I definitely won't let you down. I'll send you some trailers later for you to take a look."
"Okay."
The video of the college students acting as Japanese soldiers was quickly edited and shared across the entire network, with many accounts posting it. The highest one had already exceeded 100 million views.
Shen Jianbin was very depressed at this moment.
He had just created a song and made a short video for several Douyin bloggers to use. He posted it on more than a dozen accounts, but none of them gained any traction.
The entire internet was playing videos of those college students. Shen Jianbin had bought millions of views, and it all went down the drain.
Sun Jie frowned, "Bin-ge, that show of Da Fei's looks terrible. Bringing in a bunch of college students clearly seems like a joke. How could that be popular?"
Shen Jianbin said, "Who knows? They're popular on short video platforms. Where can you reason it out?"
"Then what do we do? Do we keep buying views?"
"Let's avoid the limelight for a while. Da Fei is really persistent!"
Shen Jianbin was so angry he almost threw his phone. He knew Da Fei was currently trending and didn't want to compete in the same arena. He wanted to make some money on the hot topic of short videos.
But he was once again intercepted by Da Fei. There was only so much traffic in the traffic pool, and Da Fei had taken it all, so they naturally had fewer opportunities.
This time, he was just unlucky.
Lin Chudong, of course, didn't know that this marketing campaign had actually dealt a blow to Shen Jianbin.
The crew here was still very lively, and every time the food was served, the extras would cheer.
Forget earning eighty, it was worth spending eighty!
Besides the food, every extra had good treatment.
Liang Yin bought them a lot of snacks to prevent them from getting hungry during filming.
In addition, those who played dead bodies could each get a small red envelope. There wasn't much money in the red envelope, only a few dozen yuan, but it was a little something, a symbol of good luck.
Many extras who played dead bodies did it repeatedly. After all, it was an anti-Japanese war drama, and a lot of the Japanese soldiers died. After a few days, these extras had also earned quite a bit of money.
Over at the set of The True Colors of the Anti-Japanese War, several extras' group leaders were gathered together, eating boxed lunches in the freezing cold.
A group leader named Bi Hui said, "I really can't eat this anymore. The food is cold, and my stomach hurts after eating it. Qiangzi, don't the extras under you have any complaints?"
Qiangzi swallowed a mouthful of rice and said, "Of course they do. We at least have a place to eat that's a little warmer. The extras under me have to squat outside to eat. They eat while it's snowing, and they've complained to me several times that there are ice chunks in the food."
Bi Hui frowned. "The conditions on this film set are too poor. Isn't this a big production? Why do they have to treat us like this?"
Qiangzi sneered. "What does a big production have to do with you? Look at the treatment the main actors get. I saw them having a hot pot inside the studio the other day, with a copper pot. Where can we get that?"
Bi Hui threw down his chopsticks. "Money is hard to earn, and this is hard to stomach. I don't want to earn this money anymore. Look at those college students next door. They're eating all sorts of food. I heard they had beef noodles for lunch today, and the meat was even more than the noodles. Comparisons kill you."
Qiangzi was also frustrated. "Isn't Li Zhilin a big shot? He gave us a few thousand yuan and treated us like dogs. I don't want to do this anymore. What do you guys say?"
Bi Hui said, "I'm not doing this anymore either. They treat Li Zhilin like a big shot, but what are we extras afraid of? I might as well go home and stay there."
At that moment, an actor suddenly ran over from outside the door and said, "Qiangzi, Old Han is frozen and having a relapse."
Qiangzi's face changed drastically. Several of the extras rushed out together. An old man in his fifties was lying on the snow, clutching his stomach and looking pained.
This old man was called Han Hu. He had been an extra for many years and was considered one of Qiangzi's veterans. He didn't expect something like this to happen today.
"Quick, call 120!"
Han Hu opened his eyes and pulled Qiangzi, "Don't call 120. I'm fine. I'll be okay after resting for a while."
He wouldn't go to the hospital. The expenses there were too high.
Han Hu gasped for breath. Qiangzi grabbed a bottle of mineral water to give him, but it was ice-cold. Clenching his teeth, he said,
"Wait here, I'll go find the director!"
Qiangzi walked into the crew's rest area. Director Zhuang Yan, the production team, and several of the leading actors were enjoying a hot pot, the aroma of chili peppers making everyone's mouths water.
Zhuang Yan was taken aback, frowning slightly.
"Qiangzi, what's wrong?"
Qiangzi said, "Director Zhuang, one of our actors has a stomachache. It's Old Han, and he doesn't look like he can take it anymore."
Zhuang Yan frowned. "Is it serious? If it is, call 120!"
Qiangzi said, "Old Han doesn't want to go. Can the crew reimburse him if he goes to the hospital?"
Producer Shi Wei said, "We can't report it. We can report injuries from acting, but this stomach problem is his own illness. Can I treat him for that?"
Qiangzi clenched his fists and said,
"Then can you give me some hot water? I'll let him drink some hot water and warm up inside, okay?"
Li Zhilin sneered, "Where is there a place for him to rest? I still have half a can of beer. Give it to him, he can drink some beer to warm up."
Qiangzi took the half-can of beer Li Zhilin handed over, and it was a bit cold to the touch.
This beer went really well with Sichuan hot pot, but if he gave it to Old Han, wouldn't he cough up blood?
Qiangzi was instantly furious and slammed the beer on their table.
"Fuck you!"
Smash! The charcoal hotpot was overturned by him, and beer and red soup spilled all over the floor.
Zhuang Yan roared, "Qiangzi, are you fucking quitting!"
Qiangzi said, "I'm fucking quitting! Go find someone else!"
After saying that, Qiangzi rushed out, shouting to the extras squatting in the snow to rest.
"Everyone who's with me, follow me! We're not acting anymore, and we'll still get paid!"
Dozens of people immediately stood up. They didn't want to act anymore. If it wasn't for the eighty yuan a day, who would suffer here?
The group leaders said they would still get paid, so they immediately got up and left.
Bi Hui said, "We're leaving too, going home to rest. Grandpa won't serve you!"
Several group leaders led their people and withdrew in a mighty fashion.
After arranging the extras, Bi Hui and Qiangzi helped Old Han to his feet.
"Qiangzi, go to the neighboring crew and see if you can get some hot water?"
"Alright!"
Actually, the two of them were a little embarrassed. When Manager Fang called them earlier, they had both refused, saying they were coming to be extras for The True Colors of the Anti-Japanese War. Now, things had turned out like this, and they had to go to the Swords of Glory crew for help.
But Old Han was so weak now, they had to swallow their pride and go.
\n\n
They walked a few hundred meters and arrived at Da Fei's filming location.
Filming was underway at the moment, and no one paid much attention to the three uninvited guests.
Lin Chudong immediately saw Old Han, who was clutching his stomach and looking pale, and quickly shouted "Cut!"
"What's going on?"
Bi Hui said, "Brother Fei, I'm Bi Hui, the group leader from the next film crew. These are my brothers, Qiangzi and Lao Han. Lao Han's stomach ailment has flared up, and we'd like to borrow some hot water."
Everyone was taken aback.
A group actor from the next film crew, with a stomach ailment, coming over to borrow hot water? What was that about?
Lin Chudong didn't hesitate, "Come on, let's get you some hot water. Did you eat lunch? Forget the hot water, let's get you a bowl of hot soup."
"Come on in and warm up. I'll go over and take a look after I finish this scene. I know a bit of traditional Chinese medicine."
Wang Zhi ushered the three men into the lounge, while Lin Chudong continued filming.
Chen Jianguo brought over three bowls of noodles and a large bowl of hot soup. Han Hu's hands were freezing, and he shakily picked up a bowl. After taking a couple of sips, his stomach immediately felt much better.
Chen Jianguo said, "I'm sorry, we just finished lunch, and there isn't much meat left. Just make do with it, okay?"
Bi Hui and Qiangzi exchanged glances, their expressions complicated.
The food they had left was meager, but it was still far better than their box lunches.
The three of them quickly ate a few mouthfuls. It wasn't that they were expecting a feast on the film set, but at least they could eat something warm in this freezing weather, or else they'd be shivering all over.
After a while, Lin Chudong walked in and felt Lao Han's pulse. In less than a minute, he said,
"Chronic gastritis. You can't eat cold things in this weather. Landlady, bring some stomach medicine."
Seeing that Da Fei actually knew some Traditional Chinese Medicine, the three of them were somewhat shocked.
"Brother Fei, we took Li Zhilin's money before and didn't find actors for your group. All the extras went over there. We're really sorry. Now we're troubling you again. Let me bow to you as an apology."
Lin Chudong quickly stopped Qiangzi, "It's okay. You're all just trying to survive. It's normal to go where the money is. Is it not going well over there?"
Bi Hui and the other person recounted what had just happened, and everyone was dumbfounded.
Li Zhilin's crew was considered a big production, so everyone thought their conditions would be better than theirs.
But it turned out that only the main creative team and the leading actors were treated well. Forget about extras; even supporting actors who earned thousands of yuan per episode had terrible treatment.
Bi Hui swallowed hard and said, steeling himself, "Brother Fei, can you give us a chance? We don't need eighty, fifty per person will do."
Even though Bi Hui was thick-skinned, he was still a little embarrassed at this moment, lowering his head. He had rejected their offer before, and now he wanted to come back because he saw the better treatment elsewhere. How could there be such a good thing?
Lin Chudong said, "I'm sorry, brothers, but our crew really doesn't need extras. You've seen it, I can't even use all the college students we have. There are too many, so we can only cooperate next time."
The two nodded; they had actually guessed this result.
They exchanged contact information, and the three of them left the crew.
Liang Yin said, "Li Zhilin and the others are really going too far, they don't treat ordinary actors like people."
Lin Chudong sneered, "These kinds of people will eventually get their comeuppance. Let's just take care of ourselves."
That day, Bi Hui and the others posted on Douyin, denouncing their experiences in Li Zhilin's crew.
Many extras showed off the box lunches they ate there. The lunches had ice chunks in them, and they had to squat in the snow to eat, without even a place to shelter from the wind.
The incident instantly sparked heated discussions online.
If it weren't for the fact that Da Fei's crew had become popular before, this matter probably wouldn't have attracted much attention.
But with the comparison to those college students, this matter immediately blew up.
"So what are you waiting for? Hurry up and go to Da Fei's crew, aren't you guys at the same film base?"
"Go next door, next door has beef noodles for lunch, I'm drooling."
"Can't go, the Swords of Glory crew is overcrowded now, a lot of college students want to act for free, Da Fei doesn't need anyone."
"Li Zhilin is really putting on airs, who would go to their crew in the future?"
"Don't talk about eighty, I wouldn't go even if they gave eight hundred."
"Wouldn't go even if I was a dog!"
This matter got a little attention online, but didn't cause a huge impact. However, it was still very popular in Shanxi, especially on the Jincheng local channel. If you open your phone and locate Jincheng, you'll see this matter in five out of ten posts.
Qiangzi and Bi Hui also fell out with the co-production company. For Li Zhilin's show, not a single extra would go. They'd rather go work and deliver food than be a dog on that crew! ...
That night, Zhuang Yan frowned, calling Fang Wei.
"Manager Fang, what do you mean, all the extras are gone? Are you kidding? What exactly does your supporting production company do?"
Zhuang Yan yelled at Fang Wei, then hung up the phone.
"There's still no news about the extras. The group leaders all say they're on sick leave, or they're not in Jincheng. I don't believe it. Don't those thousands of people eat? Two hundred a day, and no one wants to act?"
Producer Shi Wei's face darkened. "You need to fix this quickly. Every day we delay costs us hundreds of thousands, enough to hire plenty of extras. If it doesn't work out, we'll go hire university students!"
After two days of work, Zhuang Yan was exhausted.
In Jincheng, their crew's reputation was ruined.
People who collapsed on set were ignored, had to call 120 and pay themselves, and the food was cold. Meanwhile, the main creative team enjoyed the best food and drinks.
Who doesn't have a little backbone?
Go earn your two hundred yuan?
With the instigation of Bi Hui and Qiangzi, they still couldn't recruit any extras.
Two days wasted, just sitting here losing money. If this dragged on any longer, Shi Wei was going to blow.
Zhuang Yan found Li Zhilin and said in a low voice.
"Zhilin, should we, uh, go borrow some extras from next door?"
"I heard online that Da Fei's group has more extras than they need, they can't use them all, and they're pretty good actors too."
"It shouldn't be a problem for us to borrow some from them, right?"
Li Zhilin's expression changed slightly, "You want me to go borrow?"
-----------------------
Completed English PDF of this fan-fic on my Patreon shop if you want to support and own the full fan-fic in one go. Just grab the PDF and binge the entire story from start to finish!
Guys, I've uploaded some High Quality english translated fanfic on my Patreon shop! Feel free to check it out-if you're interested, you can grab a copy and support me there.
Here are a few titles of recently uploaded fanfics:
New Addition:
" You Refused to Side with the Villain—So Why Cry When I Let You Go? (18+) "
" Succubus Physique: I Really Am Surrounded by Beauties (18+) "
" Many Children, Many Blessings—Starting with the Willow Deity (18+) "
" My Filial Piety Could Never Possibly Go Wrong (18+) "
" I'm Clearly the Villain—Why Are All the Heroines Throwing Themselves at Me? (18+) "
" Trapped in Enemy Territory, the Female General Tells Me to Open My Mouth (18+) "
" Douluo: Flame Lance Chongli and Fallen Heart Flame Cheat (18+) "
" Adult Urban: Starting with Qiao Yingzi's Flaw (18+) "
" The Heavenly Demon Begins with Attribute (18+) "
" The Empress Granted Me a Marriage—The Yandere's Favorability (18+) "
" Oh No—The Monster Girl I Picked Up Can Only Recover Mana Through Me (18+) "
" It's Really Hard to Date a Senior (18+) "
Your support means a lot-thanks in advance, legends!
many more are available 55+
patreon.com/RoyalStories
(End of Chapter)