Unintentionally Stepping into the Entertainment Industry
Meng Shu turned on speakerphone and poured herself a glass of water.
Meanwhile, Mr. Zhang continued to speak patiently over the phone.
[Mr. Meng, your short film is currently enjoying a triple success in terms of popularity, viewership, and critical acclaim. It would be a shame not to capitalize on this momentum and instead let this work of art go to waste. Many people online are saying that your short film isn't enough and hope it can be adapted into a movie or TV series.]
[I know you're busy, so we're providing manpower. Our Tiancheng Pictures has been established for over 30 years and has many popular artists under our management. Do you know Liao Xiaoxiao? She's the lead actress in the TV series "The City of Beauty." She's also one of our artists. We also financed "The City of Beauty," so you can rest assured about entrusting the film rights to us.]
[As for directors, I have several talented directors I've worked with. For example, the directors of * War of Sin * and Evolution, and the directors of * Potential Unleashed * and Progress, etc.]
Meng Shu didn't show much emotion when she heard this.
He took a sip of water and opened the scene element project file that Xia Nianzhen had sent him last night. He read it and responded as he went.
"Mr. Zhang, I am very grateful for your attention and very pleased that you appreciated this short film. But as I just said, there are no plans to adapt it into a movie at the moment. We also do not intend to sell the copyright. I hope you can understand."
The person on the other end of the phone paused for a moment, then became curious.
[Mr. Meng, you've already refused before we even discussed the price, which is rather irregular. Did you have a choice? Also, I don't understand why you didn't capitalize on the huge buzz surrounding your short film. If it were made into a movie, it would definitely boost your brand recognition.]
Why.?
Of course, I don't want you to write stories randomly just for the sake of box office success.
Given the current horror market and your understanding of horror culture, what good stories can you possibly make?
With "The House of 1000 Corpses" right in front of you, can you learn the techniques from it?
Should we cast some popular celebrities in W-FBC-0087?
Don't let things fall into a relationship while you're filming.
Who could stand it when you two are whispering sweet nothings in that Pitch Black the Staircase?
That would not only ruin the reputation of my Only Game, but also the reputation of the Federal Bureau of Control and the Supernatural Anomaly that I had built up through four games.
How could I not know how much buzz the short film generated?
But my intention was to generate buzz for my next game, not to sell the license!
Meng Shu shook her head inwardly, but her face remained expressionless.
"Mr. Zhang, how about this? Give me some time to think about it. I'm very busy lately and can't find the time to deal with this. I hope you can give me some time, thank you."
Mr. Zhang on the other end of the phone was immediately speechless, looking somewhat sullen.
Clearly, he knew he had gone a bit too far.
[Well, since Mr. Meng has put it that way, I won't bother you any longer. Please think it over carefully. Is the next couple of days okay? Once you've made up your mind, just call this number. I'm always available.]
"Okay, I'll contact you, Mr. Zhang."
[Then I'll wait for your call, Mr. Meng.]
After hanging up the phone, Meng Shu let out a soft sigh, leaned back in her chair, and stared at the ceiling.
Things have gone somewhat beyond his expectations.
Whether the short video in the Staircase would go viral was already a foregone conclusion before it was even posted on the Danmu Network.
But Meng Shu didn't expect that the film would become so popular.
As a result, many people who don't play games, as well as people overseas, have come to know about it.
What's even more ridiculous is that some people online have even compared the short film in the Staircase with horror movies made by other big companies, doing a bizarre thing of praising one while belittling ten.
Perhaps that's why Meng Shu received a call from the entertainment industry, wanting to buy the film rights to "The Staircase".
Honestly, if this were in the original world, and a capitalist approached him (when he was still Qin Xuan) to buy the film and television rights, he would have agreed without hesitation.
Furthermore, they will delegate 100% authority, allowing entertainment industry capital to operate independently.
Once a film or television adaptation is successfully made, not only will the work become famous, but the person will also become famous.
It's like having double happiness, plus we get paid!
However, the consequence is that the film adaptation might become a dud.
The most obvious example is "Battle Through the Heavens".
Even so, this is still an opportunity that was once rare and hard to come by in the original world!
But in this world?
He could only chuckle.
There's no need for that anymore.
Now, as Meng Shu, and with a system that's practically a cheat code, he no longer needs to consider this so-called opportunity.
While it's true that once a work becomes famous, adapting it into a film or television series is the easiest and quickest way to achieve that fame.
Because it covers a large group and has a large audience.
But now that Meng Shu is not short of money, she no longer needs to go through the helpless situation of selling copyrights and letting others mess with her works.
He doesn't need to let a bunch of people with no experience in horror movies write a script.
Of course, he could also act as a supervisor, overseeing the quality of the plot throughout.
But in doing so, he's essentially making a career change, and he'll gradually have to fade out of the gaming scene.
The production crew might not even pay attention to him.
So that won't do.
His system is a game system, his tools are a development engine that even a monkey could use, and his online store contains a large number of games.
It's not a director system.
Moreover, the entertainment industry is a very complex and murky place.
Meng Shu was unwilling to go in and get himself tainted.
Just stay in the gaming industry and slowly enjoy the peace and quiet of making games.
Try to avoid conflict and maintain good relationships with other manufacturers.
Even being business acquaintances is better than secretly fighting to the death under the guise of competition.
He doesn't even plan to take his company public.
Therefore, Meng Shu declined the request to adapt "The Staircase" into a film.
What's protected is reputation and goodwill, and it also saves them from a lot of trouble in the entertainment industry.
Most importantly, he has enough money.
Don't create trouble for yourself.
If netizens want to see this kind of short film, we can make another one next time.
Perhaps next time, it will be a 008 story.
Thinking of this, Meng Shu shook her head, having no intention of contacting General Manager Zhang.
He sat up straight and looked at Xia Nianzhen's scene file in front of the computer.
"No, this won't work."
On the computer screen was a sci-fi industrial scene that Xia Nianzhen had built based on a concept design PPT and some original drawings.
But this scene isn't sci-fi enough.
It looks very simple.
It looked like a very poor organization, which made Meng Shu shake her head.
Well, Xia Nianzhen is a girl and doesn't have a deep understanding of science fiction, so she can't create the kind of effect he wants.
However, Meng Shu did not blame Xia Nianzhen for her poor skills.
In his view, everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses.
For example, some are skilled in medieval fantasy. Others are skilled in modern warfare. Still others may be skilled in cartoon-style rendering.
In short, Meng Shu never believed that her employees were all-rounders; they would always have their own shortcomings.
Xia Nianzhen's weaknesses have now become apparent.
She can't do science fiction; the things she makes just don't have that feel.
It's definitely too late to learn it on the spot, so the best approach now is to outsource some of the art resources.
Then
We will then hire an art director with sufficient experience who has worked on multiple projects to complete and oversee the sci-fi art style of the game "Control Failure".
Over the next couple of days, I'll be revising the vocabulary throughout the entire text, starting from Chapter 84. It's just vocabulary; the core content will remain the same. Because of the vocabulary changes, some detailed descriptions will also be altered. But overall, the book should be mostly fine!