"Is it really bad?" Ronald looked at the ratings data of the latest drama version of "Working Girl", but there was still no improvement.
"No, we are making decisions based on the cost line. Even if we don't make money, we still hope to finish the series. After all, this is the first series between Daydream and NBC. But..."
The speaker was NBC evening programming director, Rick Ludwin. He showed Ronald a financial report.
A thirty-minute episode of a sitcom has about three or four commercial breaks. Each break is two to three minutes long, allowing for four to six thirty-second ads. Now in NBC's evening time slot, each ad costs between 100,000 and 120,000.
Now that "Working Girl"'s ratings are so low, it can only sell four ads per ad break and three ad breaks. Adding in various broadcasting and investment costs, the remaining money cannot even earn back the average production cost of 450,000 per episode of Working Girl.
Rick Ludwin was also extremely benevolent. He paid for the production costs of the remaining four episodes, bought the broadcast rights of the entire series, and tried to show it on non-syndicated NBC stations during non-prime time... After all, Rona De is a well-known commercial film director in the Hollywood industry. If he doesn't succeed this time, he will have another chance.
Ronald was also very sensible and did a good job, so he quickly signed the notice agreeing to cut in half.
"Then what series do you use to fill this time slot?" Ronald knew that "Working Girl" also filled the gap of other series that were cut in half, but now it has also been abandoned. NBC has canceled the series twice in a row. This is very important to Rick. Ludwin, the program director, is very bad news.
"I plan to introduce French Open "&Order" next month. The response to the trial broadcast has been very good. Now the tastes of TV drama viewers have undergone major changes. I think it is time to launch this kind of TV series that has been well received by trial broadcasts in big cities.
Anyway, audiences in small towns and rural areas will definitely find it fresh when they see stories from big cities. Today’s TV audiences are different from those in the past. If you tell them a small town story, they won’t want to watch it. "
Rick Ludwin explained. Their previous NBC selection experience has repeatedly hit a wall this year. After the writers' strike, the audience had no TV series to watch for several months. It seems that they have developed a "bad" habit. If there are no good TV series, they can watch video tapes!
This habit continued after the strike ended. Those dramas that were neither dull nor popular could still find some viewers to watch while chatting. Now, the greater possibility is to take out a box of video tapes and watch a Hollywood movie as a family to enjoy themselves.
"As for the original time slot of "Working Girl," we don't have a good choice yet. Do you have any recommendations?" Rick Ludwin is the person in charge of the evening program. Half of his energy is looking for potential new dramas. The other half of the energy is trying to keep the cost of old dramas within the standard.
"Would you consider that Seinfeld movie?" Ronald thought of the sitcom Bannon told him about the life of Seinfeld, a New York Jew.
"Hey, yes, you can try them instead..." Rick Ludwin also thought of this sitcom that only ordered five episodes in the first season. Anyway, working girls are not good at it, so let him give it a try. . ….
"Let them air it again, this time in syndication..." Rick Ludwin decided he wanted the short series to fill the remaining Thursday night slots. This time period is really unlucky this year, it’s already the third part...
…
"I have notified Jerry Seinfeld. He said he would come and thank you in person. Without your recommendation, his show would not be on NBC." Bannon specially ran to Ronald and said a word of thanks to him. Seinfeld can be on NBC, and his own credibility on Wall Street has increased a little.
"Hey, goodbye. Your show can be on, mainly because the ratings of Working Girl are not good. After the show is over, the ratings pass the line and the second season is renewed. It won't be too late to thank me again."
Ronald waved his hand, this was not necessarily a good thing worth celebrating. Just like Sandra Bullock, the heroine of the TV series version of "Working Girl", she was originally full of dreams of becoming a star, but she was suddenly hit rock bottom.
After canceling the broadcast, Sandra Bullock suddenly felt ashamed to go back to the restaurant where she worked before to make money as a waitress, and cried in the office. Her agent persuaded her for a long time inexplicably, and then she discovered that she could also film TV series and commercials. Daydream had many movies and TV series, and she could guest star in them, and the income would be higher than being a waitress.
As for the 12-episode TV series "Working Girl", Ronald had no choice but to try to contact European TV stations through Daydream's European channels to see if they had any thoughts on purchasing it. Then it will be sent to Sino-American Culture and Entertainment Company. If they think it is suitable, they can dub it for free.
"Hey, Diane, is this your costume for the new drama?" Bannon put away the broadcast files and happened to see him wearing a black suit, a short skirt, high heels, and a pair of glasses. Diane Lane walked in. Her hair was also tied up high, and she was holding a black leather briefcase in her hand. She was dressed in a very authentic working girl style.
"Yeah, what do you think?" Diane adjusted her glasses, "Compared with Wall Street lawyers, is there anything that needs improvement?"
This time, in order to film "Other People's Money", Diane had arrived in New York in advance to train with Ronald's lawyer Lindsay Dole for two weeks. Little Roger was also picked up by a special plane and stayed with his nanny Wang Ma in a hotel near Wall Street in the downtown area. It is convenient for Diane to see her son after get off work.
"Well..." Bannon is a shrewd person. He saw that Diane really wanted his opinion as a Wall Street banker, so he stood up, held his chin, and looked up and down seriously.
"Diane," Ronald looked at his wife with a smile. She looked really energetic in this outfit. He put his arm around Diane's waist.
"Don't make trouble, Ronnie. I want to hear Mr. Bannon's opinion. He has met a lot of female lawyers and female bankers on Wall Street. I have been studying with Lindsay for several days, but I always have some subtle temperaments that I can't grasp. ” Diane pushed Ronald’s hand away.
"Okay..." Ronald made a gesture of zipping up his mouth. This attitude is very good. Professional elites are different from other types of characters. They have a certain characteristic that the audience can tell at a glance whether you look like them or not.
You can play such female characters as ordinary students or housewives however you want, and the audience will not feel like they are acting out, because there are always students or housewives in life who have a temperament that matches the star herself. ….
Therefore, in professional dramas, it is best to actually spend some time with professional elites and learn and copy their professional habits. How you talk, how you walk, this kind of temperament that is immersed in both ears and eyes will make the audience recognize you at once.
"Tsk, I want to say, Diane, you are really great. You are already very similar to ordinary lawyers. But... your temper is a little too good..." Bannon thought about how to speak, and wanted to praise him first. , and then point out the problem.
"What does it mean to have a good temper?" Diane didn't understand. He took off his glasses. There was a rope hanging on the back of the glasses. If you took them off, they would hang around your neck. They were just the kind of glasses that career women like.
"Lawyers are all people with high IQs, especially Wall Street lawyers, who are even smarter. Their time is very precious, so they are naturally impatient with people with low IQs. If you are her colleague, ask Ask a stupid question and she will choke you out of her words.
If you are her client, she may hide her edge and explain to you, but she may also show impatience. Every time I see that look on the face of my expensive attorney, I know I've made a mistake. "
"Oh..." Diane suddenly realized that no wonder he didn't act like one. Lawyers always had that "you're too stupid, you don't understand, let me tell you..." look on his face.
"Haha..." Ronald had actually seen the problem a long time ago, but it would be best if Diane could figure it out on her own. His hands quietly wrapped around his wife's waist. After the diligent yoga training after childbirth, my figure has recovered very well, and I have regained a touch of the charm of a young woman, making me even sexier than before.
"Ronnie, you are a director. You should know how precious moments like this are for an actress. Don't disturb an actor's epiphany." Diane put the folder on Ronald, slapped it on me, and immediately acted with the new insight. stand up. "Ah ha ha ha... I'm leaving first." Bannon saw the couple still playing
Come on, leave now.
"Hey," Ronald saw Bannon leaving, opened the drawer under his desk, took out a velvet box, and handed it to Diane.
"Huh? So beautiful." Diane opened it and saw a pair of Cartier diamond earrings, shaped like a swan. They didn't look like ordinary styles, they seemed to be custom-made or limited edition.
"Why did you give me earrings?" Diane was a little worried. This time when he came to New York, Ronald had obviously arranged it so that Helen and he would not appear on the same occasion at the same time. Is this a gift of valuable jewelry as a form of compensation?
"I bought it a long time ago, just waiting for you to find the postpartum role of Kate Sullivan. Congratulations." Ronald patted his thigh and asked Diane to sit down. Fortunately, Richard was able to remind himself to arrange his time, and then called the manager of Cartier to visit and choose a pair of earrings.
By settling down with the client's family and satisfying them, you can also satisfy the client. This is the special skill of a senior agent.
"Really?" Diane was happy and put on the two earrings, "Do they look good?"
"Oh, my God, I think I'm in love with this female lawyer Kate." Ronald deliberately made a mistake and hugged Diane and kissed her. It's terrible, my figure has improved a lot since I became a mother. ….
"Let's go back to the hotel..." Diane whispered in his ear. The female lawyer's tone really made people feel itchy.
"Leave right away, Bud, Bud..." Ronald quickly called the driver, Bud, and the group returned to the hotel suite. When they entered, they hugged each other and kissed, as if they had found their newlyweds again. hapiness.
Female celebrities have this advantage, they never lack freshness.
…
"Oh, the French Open "&Order" is premiering tonight." Ronald fell asleep tiredly, and when he woke up, it was already night. I quickly got up and washed my face with hot water, then turned on the TV and waited for NBC's new TV series.
This drama is the new season TV series launched by NBC. Rick Ludwin believes that the French Open has great potential. Ronald had long wanted to see what was wrong with the working girl he had made.
"In the field of fighting criminal crimes, there are two groups of people with different but equally important tasks. The police are responsible for investigating crimes. The district attorney is responsible for prosecuting suspects. This is their story... Dangdang"
"This beginning is so concise and powerful..." Diane had already gotten up and was reading the lines. When she saw Ronald staring at the TV, he came over curiously, saw the title, and made a comment.
"Really, this TV series is too hardcore..."
Ronald also agreed, starting with the two-line title of the play divided into red and blue. After the opening words were spoken, and after two electronic sounds, the camera immediately cut to the crime scene, neatly and neatly, without wasting a second.
There were people coming and going in the emergency room of a public hospital, and all kinds of people were rushing through. Suddenly, a young girl wearing jeans began to convulse on the hospital bed. The nurses immediately went to check on the situation and called the doctor.
The respirator and chest compressions also failed to work. The doctor asked for a defibrillator, and then a balding middle-aged man came over worriedly and said that he was the girl's father...
Ronald watched the first episode seriously and was shocked by the fast pace and large amount of information in this TV series.
This TV series is actually a bit innovative, that is, it combines traditional detective dramas with lawyer dramas. The first half hour is about the investigation, and the second half hour is about the prosecution and the offensive and defensive battle between the prosecutor and the defendant's defense lawyer in the court.
The characters in the play speak at a pace that is almost twice as fast as that of working girls. That alone is actually okay. Originally, this kind of melodrama is more sophisticated in plot than sitcoms.
But the professional knowledge in this French Open game seems too hardcore. At the beginning, in the emergency room, nurses and doctors blurted out all kinds of professional vocabulary, and high school graduates may have problems understanding those words. Even if you are a college student, if you are not studying medicine, you may only have half an understanding of it.
The court content that follows is even more realistic. Various cross-examinations, cross-examinations, and closing arguments
Content, obviously much more profound than traditional legal dramas.
Originally, legal dramas such as Mason Lawyer and California Lawyer can at most educate the audience on some basic legal principles. Many places deviate from reality and deliberately add dramatic elements to make the audience like it (such as the most famous one pointed out in court Who the murderer is is almost impossible to come up in an actual courtroom.)….
After watching those legal dramas, at most I understand some simple principles of double jeopardy, Miranda rule, and the very basic principle that everyone is innocent until the verdict.
In this TV series, even the order of cross-examination, the tactics of cross-examination, and the strategic discussion of setting traps step by step to make key witnesses contradict themselves were filmed.
And the first episode included discussions on real social issues. The resources of public hospitals are tight, and old white doctors drink too much and prescribe the wrong dosage of medicine, and they want to pass the responsibility for the patient's death to the new immigrant doctor.
New immigrants' qualifications were not recognized in their original countries and they had to work in hospitals as junior doctors.
The information density is so high that it doesn’t feel like a TV series anymore, but more like the capacity of a TV movie...
"Can the audience really understand such a TV series?" Ronald was confused. Most viewers of TV series need to relax. Isn’t this density of plot and emotional mobilization even more tiring? What kind of disease is it when you have to look up a dictionary while watching a TV series?
…
"The first episode of 'Death Prescription' received 14 million viewers, ranking 26th in the total ratings in the United States." Richard said to Ronald.
When the ratings data came out and Ronald arrived, he was surprised again. How can so many people watch this TV series that looks like lawyer training? If Working Girl had this rating, it wouldn't be cut in half.
"No way?" Ronald felt that his knowledge was shattered. How many people watch a TV series with such difficult content? Could it be that the education level in America has improved? Or are college-educated people across America watching this show?
Ahem, what about that? I didn’t code out the second chapter today. I’ll make up for it over the weekend tomorrow.
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