Huayu: This producer has no bottom line.

Chapter 73 Visiting

February 1st evening, Yanjing Wukesong Gymnasium.

The "Baidu Entertainment Annual Hotspot" awards ceremony was a dazzling affair, with lights shining brightly and stars galore.

This is an annual gala jointly produced by Baidu and Hunan TV. Show Lo just won the Most Popular All-Around Artist Award on stage, and the audience screamed.

Ren Pingsheng sat in the back and applauded the master sporadically.

"A scholar should be looked at with new eyes after three days' absence; in my life, your commotion has only grown bigger with each passing day."

A gentle voice sounded from the side.

Ren Pingsheng turned his head and looked at the middle-aged man sitting down next to him. He nodded politely and said, "Mr. Gong is too kind. It's just a small matter. But I must congratulate you on taking office as the CEO of Baidu Qiyi.com. This is big news in the industry."

The visitor was none other than Gong Yu.

I received a call from him at noon today. Gong Yu didn't say much on the phone, but I knew he was filming in Yanjing. There was a Baidu event tonight, so I invited him to come over and get together.

"Just empty fame," Gong Yu waved his hand. "Getting Xiao Shenyang and Zhang Baizhi together in one film crew is no small feat. I heard you've already started making movies?"

"President Gong, please don't be so modest. It's just a short film; it won't be shown in theaters."

"A short film?" Gong Yu's eyebrows twitched slightly. "That's a novel term. Did you make it up yourself?"

I guess so.

Ren Pingsheng leaned back in his chair, looking at the flashing lights on the stage. "President Gong, you run a website, so you should know better than me that there are more and more videos online, but most of them are poorly made and Google doesn't even give them a second glance."

Gong Yu's eyes turned serious. As the CEO of a video website, he was very clear about the pain points of UGC content.

High copyright risks, uncontrollable quality, and Google AdSense doesn't buy it.

This is why iQiyi's strategy deliberately excludes UGC content found on other video platforms, focusing solely on high-definition, legally licensed film and television content.

"But have you noticed that short videos online have started to change in the last two years?" Ren Pingsheng turned his head and looked into Gong Yu's eyes.

"How will it change?"

"It has become more refined, the visuals have been upgraded, the narrative has become more sophisticated, and even the music and editing are quite professional. In the past, it was just for young people to entertain themselves, but now brands are starting to invest heavily in it. Therefore, the emergence of high-quality micro-videos like micro-films is inevitable."

Gong Yu nodded. "So, how is this different from the web series you filmed before?"

"Web series are the online version of TV dramas. They are essentially still based on the logic of TV series, relying on the number of episodes to increase viewership and on updates to retain users. Micro-movies are different. They are independent, complete films, only the distribution channel is online."

"Your idea is quite interesting," Gong Yu said, turning to look at Ren Pingsheng. "So, you've essentially carved out a third path between theatrical releases and online dramas?"

"Add to that," Ren Pingsheng corrected him, "The viewing habits of domestic audiences are now diverging. Cinemas are still the mainstream, but how many times a year do people go to the cinema? Meanwhile, people are spending more and more time watching videos online. Micro-films are somewhere in between. They tell a complete story, don't need two hours, don't require tickets, and can be watched by simply opening a webpage."

Gong Yu fell silent.

He has just taken over Baidu's video business and is struggling with how to break through the blockade of Youku and Tudou.

"Is the short film you mentioned, 'Old Boys'?"

"It's the first truly meaningful short film," Ren Pingsheng said with a confident smile.

"Sell it to me," Gong Yu said without further ado.

Ren Pingsheng did not respond.

Gong Yu glanced at him and laughed, "What, still trying to dodge my questions?"

"Mr. Gong, I'm not trying to beat around the bush. 'Old Boys' hasn't even finished filming yet, and I haven't even decided on the female lead. How can I talk to you about a collaboration?"

"The female lead hasn't been cast yet?" Gong Yu was somewhat surprised. "Didn't the news say that Cecilia Cheung was in your production?"

"The lineup hasn't been finalized yet," Ren Pingsheng repeated the same all-purpose phrase he'd used countless times.

Gong Yu pondered for a moment, then said, "I believe your judgment, and I believe even more in the theory you just mentioned."

"Okay, think it over carefully, no rush. But let me make this clear: the terms iQiyi is offering you won't be any worse than Youku's. Whether it's the purchase price or the platform resources, you can compare them side-by-side. If you encounter any difficulties, you can also tell me. Although Baidu has just entered the video market, in terms of traffic generation capabilities, there is no other company in the country."

Gong Yu is right, Baidu's traffic generation capabilities are far superior to those of Youku and Tudou.

But agreeing now would be like playing your cards to the bone. What would you have to negotiate with Youku and Tudou then?

"President Gong, I've got it." Ren Pingsheng held up his water bottle. "I'll definitely consider it seriously when I get back."

The two chatted for a while longer, from the progress of iQiyi's establishment to the major events in the video industry this year.

Gong Yu mentioned that Youku and Kuliu are preparing for a US IPO, and the phenomenon of burning money to acquire content will become increasingly frenzied.

"So what you have in your hand will be more valuable if you take it out."

Ren Pingsheng smiled but didn't take it.

He understood what Gong Yu meant: iQiyi was still some time away from its official launch, so there was no need to rush to sell its products to others.

……

For the next few days, Ren Pingsheng's phone was ringing off the hook almost constantly.

The final episode of "Report to the Boss" has arrived, with total views exceeding 3000 million as early as the sixth episode!

This low-budget web series not only brought Shengpingshi a huge share of the revenue, but also allowed Youku to taste success in the field of self-produced dramas.

Gu Yongqiang made several phone calls in a row, trying to secure the copyright of "Old Boys" using various resources.

Tudou and Kuliu also jumped on the bandwagon, offering increasingly higher prices.

But Ren Pingsheng didn't agree to any of them; he's now just a scumbag waiting for the best offer.

He not only wanted to get a good price for the film "Old Boys," but also hoped to gain something other than money from it.

Besides the competition among platforms, another wave of people who caught wind of the trend also made Ren Pingsheng realize the benefits of traffic.

The statement that "the cast has not yet been finalized" has been circulating within the industry.

The baby reacted the fastest.

"Director Ren, Happy New Year!" The girl's voice on the phone was sickeningly sweet. "I'm so grateful to have brought me into the mainland market. I just finished filming 'Hot Summer Days,' and I wonder if you have any suitable roles for your new film?"

They were implying, both openly and subtly, that they would fly to Beijing at any time, just by giving Director Ren a word.

Ren Pingsheng leaned back in his chair, listening to the whispers on the other end of the phone, while his mind raced, weighing the pros and cons.

If "Old Boys" were just a short online film, it wouldn't really matter who played the school beauty.

But the problem is, he wants to make a big movie.

The character Qiu Ya is meant to be present in two works. Baby's face is good, but her acting skills...

Changing actors in a film series is a major taboo!

Zhang Baizhi has already been used by him as a tonic, and Wang Zhi is nowhere to be found.

Just as he was pondering whether to ask Gong Yu for help and use Baidu's search resources to try and get the person out of trouble, his phone on the table vibrated.

It was Dapeng calling. "Pingsheng, are you free tonight?"

"What's wrong?"

"My master just called me and invited us to dinner together tonight," Dapeng paused, then lowered his voice, "saying that we have guests from Hong Kong."

Ren Pingsheng's eyes narrowed slightly.

Guests from Hong Kong?

"Okay, I understand. What time?"

"Seven o'clock, Liu Laogen Grand Stage."

After hanging up the phone, Ren Pingsheng stood up.

It seems the side effects of the tonic pills are starting to appear.