Starting movie preparations
"For the victory of this bet, for the ratings of our TV program to create a new brilliance, and for Leslie to surrender to us. Guys, let's raise our glasses!" When the TV show that turned out to be out of nowhere was busy, several people from Enigma Company were celebrating happily in Lynn's bar.
The success of this program is indeed worthy of celebration: according to the statistics of CBS, the profit of Enigma Company can also reach about 400 million. Such a large amount of income is enough to make Alexander happy.
The ratings of 21/59 are enough to prove that this TV program has the potential to become a classic from the beginning of its production. As long as we can maintain the standard in the days to come and ensure that this program does not slip too much, then this TV program will definitely be unavoidable when people mention TV program production in the future. Of course, Michael, the person in charge, is also very satisfied.
In the end, after Leslie saw the ratings, he immediately apologized to Levi and even went to the door to express his mistake, which made Levi very satisfied.
"It's just that I still don't understand why so many people love our TV program after it's produced. The high ratings are still puzzling."
"Actually, the reason is very simple." Levi said with a smile, "Why is our TV show popular? There is only one reason: because our TV show is no longer a simple trivia question or a puzzle show. It's a reality show."
"Reality show?" Michael asked back with some puzzlement, and as soon as the question came out, he understood before Levi could explain, "That's right. A reality show! This show is popular; the key reason lies in those contestants!"
At this moment, Michael understood a little bit: the most attractive thing about this program is not the simple gameplay or the tricky topics but the ability of this program to allow more people to participate.
The program he mentioned is not too new, and it is not wrong: TV programs have been developed for decades, and basically, conventional gameplays have also appeared. It is not an easy task to innovate. Therefore, Levi's approach is not an innovation in the gameplay at all, but his approach is to change the participating crowd.
All kinds of similar programs in the past have some celebrities participating or some highly professional programs for professionals to play. The difference in this program is that it allows more ordinary people to participate through the simplification and routine of the topic. This is the most significant difference and the most attractive part.
Reality shows have been created since 1973, but in the era of underdeveloped information, people watch TV more and want to know the lives of stars, and they are not very interested in such reality shows. In the 1990s, the information network became more and more developed, and everyone knew about the lives of celebrities. People were no longer keen to know about celebrities through TV. Moreover, they gradually became tired of the programs performed by actors on TV... After seeing enough of the fake smiles and polite confrontations of the two actors participating in the show, people are more eager to see those real sides revealed. Ordinary people are ecstatic when they see money and feel sad when they lose money. Compared with the performances of the actors, it is more interesting.
In Levi's memory, reality shows started to flourish in the late 1990s. Moreover, once this boom was formed, it quickly swept the world. The survival reality show Survivor, the life reality show Big Brother, the puzzle category Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, the talent category American Idol, the blind date category, the job hunting category, all kinds of reality shows emerge endlessly, the selling point is in the end, are all a true character. As long as the program is real, there will be people willing to watch it. And if the TV program is not done realistically enough, then the reputation of the program will be significantly affected. Because what people want is to see the performance of real people.
Those questions and bonuses are all pretense; the appearance of the contestants is the crucial point! Such a program broadcast in such an era must be a sensation!
In his previous life, it was not that Levi had never been exposed to such programs. Reality shows were already quite mature, with more than ten years of development in his era. Levi is very clear about what to pay attention to and how to produce this type of program—of course, there may be twists and turns in the production process now, and it is unlikely to achieve the effect Levi wants immediately, but so what? Anyway, there are no competitors of the same type in the market. Even if the production of this program is rough, there is no need to worry about someone being able to compete with you. The gap in concept is the most challenging gap to reach. Some things can be used to open up the times; this cannot be denied.
"It's not that difficult to make money. As long as you aim at people's psychology, you will definitely be able to make money. This program is in the right direction; how can it not make money?" Levi spoke with some pride, and Alexander immediately interfaced, "Yeah, that's right. We earn 400 million dollars a year. Even after being cheated by the tax bureau, our income is still very high. But, Nick, CBS wants to extend the program time. You promised too readily. Is there something wrong?"
After the success of the TV program, CBS immediately proposed to extend the time of the program to one and a half hours or two hours to expand profits further.
"If there are too many broadcasts, the novelty of the program will wear off quickly. CBS doesn't care about fishing for money. They can find new programs after they have made enough money. We will be the ones who ruined the program, and who can we ask for money? I have no idea why you accepted this. Is something wrong?" Alexander was still a little puzzled.
"Are you still going to eat one show for the rest of your life? This show is too simple in form and doesn't have much meaning. After 2000, there will be more tricks and tricks, and at that point, it will be worthless. Now it's worth a lot of money. Forget it." Levi replied.
What Levi said made Alexander understand a little bit, but he still felt a little pity, "400 million a year, don't you feel bad?"
"That's it? As our company grows bigger and bigger, are you afraid that there will be no other programs?"
Levi's words are indeed true: if he really wants to play big, he can also choose to make American Idol or a TV show like Survivor. Those programs have higher ratings than such programs and will survive longer. It's just a pity that Levi has almost never dealt with the American music industry. If he wants to make American Idol, he has to get in touch with the music industry first. If he wants to make America's Next Top Model, he has to get in touch with the fashion industry——Levi's current contacts, apart from the critics, are people in his TV drama production team. At most, he has some good friends in the field of forensic medicine, but these people are useless for making programs. As for TV programs like Survivor, although the ratings are high, the filming process is also quite labor-intensive. Levi is not in the mood to go to Borneo and fiddle around in such a place to make money.
But in the future, when you have money and free time, are you afraid you won't find a way out? Survivor is now in Sweden; just buy the copyright. The American Idol show has even more amazing income. A Who Wants to be a Millionaire is not enough to attract Levi's attention.
"We don't need to worry about those things. As I said, it's not difficult to get money. Now I'm more worried about one thing, which is the movie. Bob has already given the first version of the movie script to me, the writing is not bad, but some parts need to be revised. Leslie has softened here, and he said that he would help us contact Universal or Columbia so we don't have to worry about it here. Then, the remaining things are the sets, costumes, photography, soundtrack personnel, and actors."
For Levi, the production of TV shows is just a stepping stone, and now that Leslie is convinced, all he has to do is to shoot the movie. In two months, Bob also did a survey there, and now that Levi has a usable script in his hand, he can prepare to start the preparations for the film.
"Settings and costumes are small things. We can use CBS, and the equipment is the same. We have a relationship supplier for the props, so don't worry about it. Photography, soundtrack personnel, I will find it myself. I have some ideas of my own. As for the actors... Clark, you are in charge."
Clark turned his head, looked at Levi, and waited for Levi's new order.
"There are three main characters in the play, agent Weissman, playwright Dryman, and heroine Christina. Among these three, Dryman and Christina, you go to find actors, and for Weisman's actor, I already have an idea."
Weisman is the protagonist... Clark said something in his heart. Hearing Levi's words, he became interested: He knew very well that Levi was also very serious about movies. Otherwise, he wouldn't be persistent in getting help from CBS. He will also be a star-level actor. Who is this person?
*****
Thanks and kudos for my patreons Cherif Doghri, Abdishakur Hasan, Adam LV and Danny York.
You can read advanced chapters on my Patreon account: https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.