Rebirth: Super Banking System

Chapter 674: Chapter 578: Cultural Output (Subscribe Please!)_1

Tang Qing, of course, knew just how superior his special effects company was. If it weren’t for the fear of causing a sensation, they could shoot a movie with no real actors; Little Two could make it seem so real that no one would notice. Not to mention simulating some scenes.

As long as it can be described.

Little Two could create the corresponding materials, and they would be better and grander than imagined, created literally in seconds. Tang Qing just hoped that the first sci-fi movie from Comet Film could be a blockbuster.

To open up the global market all at once.

To make a name for Comet Film.

To fulfil one of his long-standing aspirations.

Reflecting on the so-called sci-fi blockbusters he had seen in China in his past life, Tang Qing really couldn’t contain his ridicule. It was as if such movies were harmful, dangerously toxic; they provoked anger simply from watching, as if they were just created to drain money from Chinese viewers.

Of course.

He also knew that China was making efforts in this area, which was commendable. Behind the scenes, many people were improving and making progress. But it was irritating, not because of the industry itself, but because of those entertainment companies.

They were all driven by profits.

Casting a few handsome celebrities and trying to shoot a pitiful so-called sci-fi movie all on a tight budget, or the script itself was in its nascent stage. Even if a movie looked somewhat big-budget, on a closer look there would be strong Western monster features.

Tang Qing seemed to recall a movie related to "Journey to the West". Damn, the monsters looked exactly like they were copied from "The Lord of the Rings", each one resembling another with an inexplicably familiar feeling

Please.

Consider a bit of originality?

Do they really think the audience is fool? Remembering that he even contributed to the box office and watched it in 3D, Tang Qing felt like he suffered a great loss.

But making money is only secondary for him, Tang Qing didn’t lack money. He reminded: "Manager Pu, don’t constantly think about making money. Remember, what we produce must be of high quality, something that can go global.

I’ve seen the script and it’s very good. Now that there’s no problem with the special effects, the final issues are the director’s ability and the actors. If General Manager Zheng and I are not satisfied with their performance, we may have to reshoot."

The rest is all set, this is the only variable. Thus, this is the only part where problems could arise in the entire process. Tang Qing also planned to support domestic outstanding actors to win awards. He had also considered ignoring those international awards.

But even if he doesn’t care, the actors do.

They’ve worked so hard, they also need some recognition. Unless the Eastern film market has a stronger cultural output towards the world, those domestic awards will inevitably be recognized here.

This is what Tang Qing plans to do next. He’s not planning to organize any awards, just focus on filming. Unless those domestic awards play tricks on him, there’s no need to cause a scene, it’s not fun.

Why would it be okay if only he and Zheng Lin agreed? Because Chai Ren doesn’t care at all, he’s just a profit-sharer who occasionally provides some help from the upper class.

"Boss Tang, rest assured, I will absolutely keep an eye on this and will certainly not allow them to make a lousy film." Pu Chaodong promised.

Tang Qing nodded: "Hmm, special effects are just assistance, actors are the core. Otherwise, it’s just like watching a documentary. Alright, you handle the movie matter, I’ll be waiting to see the final product. Also, make sure to do proper publicity in the meantime. All channels for global promotion should be opened. This first movie, I want it to have a global synchronized premier, any problem?"

"Rest assured, Boss Tang, we are already in contact, there will be no problem." Pu Chaodong excitedly said. He loved working with such a wealthy boss. Unsatisfied? then invest in it until satisfaction is reached.

"That’s good then, Manager Wu, welcome to Comet." Tang Qing turned to Wu Hui and smiled. The movie issue has come to an end. Up next is the matter of Qidian Literature Network.

"It’s also my honour." Wu Hui replied with a smile.

"From now on, your website will be the main source of ideas for our company. Manager Wu, I plan to establish Comet Literature and incorporate Qidian Literature Network into it, while also acquiring many original content literature websites, including publishing houses. I’d like you to be the general manager of Comet Literature, how do you feel about that?" Tang Qing suggested.

At Shanda, Wu Hui was also the general manager of Qidian Literature Network. However, back then, Shanda was not as crazy about acquiring novel websites as they are now. Qidian Literature Network was Shanda’s first step into online literature, but this first step was intercepted by Tang Qing.

"What about Qidian Literature Network?" Wu Hui wasn’t surprised by this arrangement, only worried about who would manage Qidian, his past labour of love.

Tang Qing smiled slightly and said: "You are the general manager of Comet Literature, it will be up to you to manage it. Later on, you can also hold the post of deputy general manager at Comet Film, with your main job at Comet Literature.

At present, Qidian Literature Network is the largest online novel website in the industry, but it’s far from enough. Your task is to perfect the landscape of Comet Literature. The company will grant Comet Literature 50 million RMB. I hope Comet Literature will be the unicorn of online literature, second to none. Understand?"

Currently, the online literature market is too small, the entire industry combined only holds such a small share, so it has not yet branched out and is still under Comet Films, which is easier to manage.

Without hesitation, Wu Hui agreed: "Understood, I am confident that I will complete this task."

With such huge funding, everything becomes easy. A penny can indeed stump a hero. Back then, Qidian Literature Network sold to Shanda for only 15 million RMB. 50 million... that’s really... a lot of money.

"That’s good. People’s awareness of buying genuine products is still not strong, and the website’s revenue is minimal. But it doesn’t matter, I believe as the market grows and people get richer, their willingness to buy genuine products will strengthen." Tang Qing comforted.

It’s almost the fourth quarter of 2005, and Qidian Literature Website’s net profit estimate for the year won’t exceed 5 million RMB; one could say it’s hardly making any profit. But that’s okay, Tang Qing does not care; slowly but surely, the revenue would rise.

Wu Hui lamented, "Yes, our current approach is to grow the cake first, eventually we will get our piece. However, this is not fair to the authors, but that’s all we can do."

Tang Qing understood Wu Hui’s point and nodded, "I know, pirated copies do play a role in expanding the market, but we can’t let them get out of control. In that case, there are two things you have to do next.

Firstly, build a good technical and legal team to ensure that pirated versions take at least twenty-four hours to appear. In other words, if people want to read the latest content, apart from genuine copies, pirated versions appearing twenty-four hours later will not be our concern."

"Will that work? Websites won’t listen to me, not to mention Tieba and forums, those are all channels for piracy." Wu Hui worried.

"You’ll have to establish a special department to communicate with them. There will always be a solution. If it doesn’t work, we’ll take the legal route.

As for the smaller sites, they don’t have much need to fight for this twenty-four-hour window. We aren’t even pursuing piracy. If they still don’t agree, we will have no choice but to apologize. Your legal department wasn’t established just to eat and sit idly." said Tang Qing.

"I understand." Wu Hui acknowledged. Even though the task was challenging, as long as human effort is involved, he wanted to try. The twenty-four-hour idea had occurred to him before, but he could never implement it.

The main issue was lack of funds; lawsuits were troublesome, and they lacked the technology. However, as long as they had money, these issues would be no problems at all. With Tang Qing’s strong backing and Zheng Lin’s connections, Wu Hui had full confidence.

Tang Qing continued, "Secondly, since our anti-piracy measures aren’t perfect and we have to compromise with the pirates, we should improve the basic security for the authors on our platform, ensuring they stay with us.They should not lose heart. I believe the income brought about by this twenty-four-hour protection period should be enough to cover the extra expenditure.

The main profit direction of Comet Literature in the future will be subscriptions and development of existing works. This is where the main profits lie, and this is where you must collaborate with President Pu Chaodong. Science fiction movies are the gateway to the international market, while fantasy and immortal martial arts serve as the platform to promote Chinese culture to the world. Manager Wu, these three genres have to be prioritized and supported on your website."

Science fiction simply represents the future. As long as someone has special effects technologies, they can make science fiction movies.

However, fantasy and immortal martial arts contain elements of Chinese culture. He wished to try and introduce a new category to global film classifications, a category that appeals to audiences worldwide. He believed that the scenarios crafted by talented authors were not in any way inferior to American superhero movies.

They could even be more powerful and expressive.

Isn’t this the domestic equivalent of superhero movies? Why feel the need to follow American trends? They can stick with fantasy and immortal martial arts; as long as the special effects and plot are up to par, there are no markets they can’t tap into.

"I get it. I’ll revise the pay scale and prioritize talented authors in these genres." Wu Hui agreed.

"Hmm, I just had another thought."

When Tang Qing spoke, everyone present was slightly taken aback.

Usually, when the boss says this, it’s likely to signal a forthcoming challenge.

Seeing the tense faces around him, Tang Qing chuckled at this peculiar Pavlovian conditioning. He said: "Here’s the thing, should we consider investing in making documentaries, for instance, those about traditional Chinese crafts?"

When Tang Qing suggested exporting culture, this idea popped into his head. Since they were talking about exports, why not give it a shot? Even if they could not export movies featuring traditional games such as Go or lion dance, producing a documentary would be feasible too.

Immediately, Tang Qing explained his thoughts to everyone present.

Facing Tang Qing’s eccentric ideas, those present were taken aback.

"Boss Tang, we may not make any profit from that." Pu Chaodong cautioned.

Tang Qing casually said, "That’s fine, let’s get started on it. We are not doing this to make a profit. Remember, if we decide to make a documentary revealing traditional Chinese crafts, make sure it’s a masterpiece that will hold its own for at least ten years.

It has to be true, thorough, and somewhat intriguing; it cannot be monotonous. I am not setting a deadline for this. Once you feel the script can no longer be improved, start shooting. Let’s call it... Chinese Memory."

"Got it."

What do you do when you have a well-off and uninhibited boss?

Play along.

What else can you do?

After all, it’s not often one encounters such a generous boss.

PS: This also voices Mouse’s thoughts. He doesn’t fear piracy; all he needs is a little time, even half a day would do. But it is truly infuriating when pirated copies appear minutes after the official release, leaving genuine subscriptions hanging in the air. It’s a little disheartening, but as stated previously, Mouse will never work on anti-piracy Chapters, never ever.

Thank you to all the readers who have been subscribing to this book. Thank you for your support.

Thank you!