Daenerys Entertainment's East Coast headquarters on 66th Street on the Upper West Side.
Chen Qing arrived more than ten minutes early and waited in the lounge. Girl A appeared and reminded her that she could come in. After whispering a few words to the two attendants, Chen Qing entered Simon's office holding a thick stack of information.
It was four o'clock in the afternoon on Sunday, September 13th.
The last working time of today was reserved for Chen Qing to discuss various Asian affairs in detail.
Chen Qing followed Girl A in. Simon was typing something in front of the computer screen, and just motioned for Chen Qing to sit down opposite the desk.
Chen Qing knew that the person her boss had just met was the head of the TV writing department. She quietly listened to Girl A as she was seeing off guests. She was slightly curious about what her boss was writing, but didn't ask any more questions.
Simon is writing the script.
To be precise, it's just a summary.
It's still about the newly finalized pay cable station DHO.
The peak period of HBO in the 1990s was undoubtedly the period when the two popular American dramas "The Sopranos" and "Sex and the City" were launched consecutively. Therefore, we can also see the role of phenomenal TV programs in promoting the development of a TV station. , Simon, as a later person, can understand this kind of thing better.
Many cable channels in the United States often suddenly become popular because of one or two American dramas. Later, a more typical example is "The Walking Dead" and "Breaking Bad" on AMC. The two American dramas also boosted the popularity of a basic cable channel. to the peak. In the era of streaming media, the same is true, one "House of Cards" and one Netflix.
Since the paid cable channel project is to be launched, in addition to the main movie content, popular restricted American dramas are indispensable.
Simon's first thought was "The Sopranos."
Simon is also clear about the past history of this show. "The Sopranos" is a project created by David Chase, a well-known Hollywood TV series producer. The idea has also been tossed around for a long time. He originally hoped that the mainstream public television network would pick it up, but unfortunately everyone Neither of them wanted it, and it finally fell into the hands of HBO. Unexpectedly, it became an unexpected hit.
This time the trajectory of David Chase's career inevitably changed.
In the past few years, David Chase has been following up on another popular American drama, "Northland", produced in 1990, and, coincidentally, the project was produced by the former Universal's television department and sold to NBC.
Daenerys Entertainment took over Universal, and the project lasted for several more years. In order to avoid being constrained, NBC was unwilling to give up on popular dramas such as "Friends" and could only continue to cooperate. The less popular "North Country" was It was canceled in the fifth season.
Then, under a quiet push from Simon, David Chase has maintained a TV deal with Daenerys in recent years.
Unfortunately, neither of the two projects launched were successful.
When Simon first noticed this name, his target was "The Sopranos". Unfortunately, "Northern Country" in 1990 was not dropped by the butterfly, but "The Sopranos" disappeared. Recently, for the sake of DHO, Simon specifically went out to collect more restricted scripts, such as gangsters and drug dealers.
Simon himself opened the door, and naturally the television community enthusiastically participated, including David Chase, who also submitted an idea.
It is similar to the small town theme of "Northern Storm".
Anyway, it has nothing to do with the underworld.
It can only be said that time has changed many things.
Simon didn't know if David Chase still had an idea similar to "The Family" in his mind, but he didn't have the energy to prove anything. It was time-consuming and labor-intensive, so he might as well do it himself.
A bunch of people's memories gathered in my mind, and "The Sopranos" was so popular in the past. It couldn't be easier to write a rough outline and let the screenwriting department find someone to perfect it.
Of course, the English name this time must not be called "The Sopranos". Even Simon doesn't really want to follow the plan and add some personal items based on his personal interests. Of course, after further evolution by the screenwriting team, then production, and finally with The Sopranos of yesteryear is, if not completely different, certainly unrecognizable.
Simon intends to highlight just a few.
There must be the dancing girl who flashes frequently, which is the highlight; there must be the violent murder, which stimulates the adrenal glands; there must be the contrast of having just put a sack on someone and turning him into a good husband and father again, I fight, I sell drugs, I assassinate. , but I am a good man! What's more, if you don't put family first in American dramas or have family relations, what do you want to do? This is a useful tool for long hours!
There are many popular American TV series in my memory, and the later I get, the more I like the trivial stories about family life.
Because it saves trouble.
Also politically correct.
A season of cursing and yelling was over.
Of course Simon couldn't let it go either.
In addition, HBO used to be a dual-hit show, with "The Sopranos" targeting a broad audience and "Sex and the City" attracting female viewers.
Simon doesn’t intend to just do one, either.
However, USA, as a female TV station under Daenerys Entertainment, has been quite successful. There is no need for Simon to let DHO divert USA users and create a similar "Sex and the City". Between "Poison" and "House of Cards", Simon chose the latter.
I didn't choose "Breaking Bad" because it was too similar to "The Sopranos". They were both men who did bad things and cared about their families. In fact, since "The Sopranos" became popular, the American TV drama industry has followed suit for decades, but it's just Hollywood. Following the trends is a bit smarter than those in Hong Kong. It won’t be too obvious to take a bunch of pictures of the same model, but with a little bit of differentiation, you can still see that they are of the same origin.
So Simon plans to put "Breaking Bad" after "The Sopranos."
If this new "The Sopranos" is not too successful, then release it earlier. If it is very successful, just wait until "The Sopranos" is finished.
Let’s talk about “House of Cards.”
The reason why "House of Cards" was so popular in the past was because of its certain social background. And, quite obviously, House of Cards is based on the Clintons.
It's different now.
Bill Clinton is still in the White House, and Hillary will continue the political life of the Clinton family. In the end, the couple will create a powerful political family.
The relationship between the two parties is good, and it is definitely inappropriate to make fun of the Clintons now.
However, if you refer to the idea of House of Cards, it will definitely be fine.
At worst, the famous Kennedys are used as prototypes. The current Kennedy family will definitely have nothing to do with Simon, so there is no need to worry.
Then there is the current context.
The continued popularity of zipper doors makes the American people feel bored, but on the other hand, they actually can’t stop. After all, normal people like to hear this kind of gossip. Otherwise, the media would not rush in because of the instigation of the Republican Party. Western media all want to make money, and they won’t publish unless they are popular.
This shows that Clinton gossip is very profitable.
It is much more attractive than the current war in Africa that has turned into a pot of porridge.
Simon knows that the whole thing will probably come to an end early next year with the impeachment case, so next fall, DHO will take advantage of the trend and launch a political drama that touches reality a little bit and can largely inherit the current popularity.
Because he doesn’t plan to use the Clintons as prototypes, Simon doesn’t plan to do it himself anymore and can just let go of his ideas.
So just have to finalize The Sopranos yourself.
Simon also plans to hand over this project to David Chase as the producer. After all, each creator has his own deep-rooted style. Therefore, by handing over the new "The Sopranos" to the other party, Simon believes that even if the project looks different from the previous one, It has changed beyond recognition, but it is definitely similar.
Inside the office.
When Chen Qing sat down and Girl A came in with coffee and then left, Simon paused what he was doing and looked across the way: "How are you doing lately?"
Chen Qing didn't act coquettishly at work. She stood up and handed a prepared document to her boss, smiling and saying, "That's great. Where's the boss?"
Simon just nodded.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, we got down to business.
Mainly a few topics.
Study abroad and study tour funding programs in Asia.
The progress of restructuring and penetration of various industries in South Korea.
Some key investment projects in China.
The first one is mainly a plan to cultivate 'Westerosians' in Asia. It is available in China, Japan, South Korea and other countries. It provides targeted funding to international students and well-known scholars. The destination is not just the United States. To be precise, it should be the five eyes of the United States, Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. After all, the Alliance countries are too conspicuous if they are all crowded into the United States.
After briefly discussing the key list of this year’s project, Chen Qing raised some objections: “Boss, regarding these people, I find that we seem to have too few measures in terms of tendencies or ideology. Do you think it should be strengthened?”
Simon leaned on the leather chair and flipped through a list in his hand, shaking his head slightly and saying: "This is your Chinese thinking, but have the facts proven that those methods are very effective?"
Chen Qing thought for a moment.
Seems... not good.
For example, she herself is a relatively complete failure.
Chen Qing has no shame about this. Anyway, besides being her boss, she is also her man. If you marry a chicken, you can marry a dog, you can follow a dog. Since you are sure, you can only go one way to the end.
Seeing Chen Qing shaking her head slightly, Simon smiled and said: "In the most prosperous period of ancient China, the whole world was envious of China and learned from China. Eastern silk, Eastern porcelain, and Eastern tea were all noble and luxurious in the West. Even, you know, the goal of Europe's great voyages was to find the golden country far in the east. Unfortunately, they only found America in the early stage, which was unlucky for the Indians."
Chen Qing blinked, not quite understanding for a moment.
Simon continued to flip through the documents in his hand slowly, while continuing: "Now, it's completely reversed. Easterners believe that the West is the best, where the lighthouse is, where the bliss on earth is, and where the Promised Land is. Therefore, in order to defect to the West, they will not hesitate to go to the West." Everything. Have you ever considered why all of this is happening?"
Chen Qing thought for a moment, then shook her head in a naive manner: "Boss, what's the answer?"
"Economy," Simon said calmly: "Economic strength can determine too many things. But now, when peace has become the mainstream, it is difficult to submit to the will of the people on a land through simple and crude large-scale wars. Then, money has become the most important thing. Sharp weapons. The reason why ancient Europeans yearned for the East was because of its wealth and prosperity. Similarly, the reason why today's Easterners yearn for the West is also because of its wealth and prosperity."
Chen Qing tilted her head and remembered something: "Boss, last time you said at breakfast that the economy cannot determine everything. In ancient China, several dynasties with the world's largest GDP were destroyed by a small number of nomads?"
"These are two different things," Simon said without saying more, "The current problem is that economic prosperity does mean the right to speak, the strength of ideology, and the natural commanding heights of public opinion. . Because we are rich people, and rich people are of course right. If rich people want to influence the thinking of poor people, they don’t need too much forceful and blunt indoctrination. They just need to show them how rich we are. No matter how rich they are, they will doubt everything they once believed in. Otherwise, why are others so rich, but I am so poor? Then, a few people will reflect, explore the truth, and seek changes, but these are destined to be only a very small minority. . Most people often directly overthrow everything they once believed in, doubt everything they once believed in, and even in turn express anger, hatred, and hatred. And these people are what we need."
Chen Qing understood this time: "Boss, what you mean is, subtly?"
Simon nodded: "Human is a creature of stance, and it is also a creature that can easily change its stance. Just like, you can do an experiment and put a guy who hates Wall Street into a guy with an annual salary of one million dollars at Cersei Capital. position, then he will soon stop hating Wall Street, and not only that, if someone else says bad things about Wall Street, he will actively defend it, because his position has changed, it’s that simple.”
Chen Qing smiled and said: "Boss, there is no need to do experiments, I have experience."
"So, we now have a great natural advantage in this matter. As long as we introduce these people into our environment, without deliberately changing it, most of them will take the initiative to change their positions in a subtle way. Then, after some screening, some people are completely absorbed into the Westeros system, then their positions will be completely reversed. Finally, as their personal interests are closely related to the Westeros system, even if one day they suddenly want to It is no longer possible to change our stance.”
Chen Qing nodded seriously: "Boss, I understand."
Simon still flipped through the roster information in his hand, but stopped continuing: "Let's talk about South Korea."
Chen Qing first picked out two documents that she brought over and handed them to her boss across the street. Seeing that Simon didn't pick them up, she took the initiative and said: "Boss, according to the measures we have taken so far, if we don't change our strategy, I think our layout in South Korea will be Some projects that were originally in a strong position may decline or even fail completely in the future.”
Simon didn't even raise his head and said with a smile: "You still don't understand?"
"Um?"
"I didn't originally intend to make all the projects in South Korea successful, and it would be better if some failed. For us, South Korea is just an egg basket. According to convention, we can't put too many eggs in one basket, right? ?”
Chen Qing was a little stunned, nodded and said: "The boss told you earlier, so I don't have to talk nonsense."
"Thought you could understand."
"I'm a woman. I'm always petty and don't have as broad a vision as my boss."
"Well, it's very comfortable. Let's say one more thing."
"The boss is mighty."
"This is too perfunctory."
"hehe."