Chapter 360: Domestic Entertainment, Alas Domestic Entertainment
Shi Shi didn't believe it at first, but when Liang Fei brought him into the lounge, he saw with his own eyes the idol he had loved since adolescence. The idol politely bowed and greeted him and Liang Fei, and even took a slightly restrained photo with her. Then he finally understood what it meant for capital to crush the entertainment industry.
I waved the Polaroid photo in the air, and the image became clearer and clearer.
Shi Shi carefully put the photo into her wallet and asked Liang Fei: "So what they say on the Internet is true?"
"What?" Liang Fei looked at Shi Shi.
"Well, celebrities are just the playthings of the big guys. The big guys can do whatever they want to them. They manipulate celebrities like it's a toy. Is that right?"
Liang Fei led Shi Shi into the exclusive lounge, which was bright and spacious and equipped with a refrigerator and TV.
After handing a bottle of water to Shi Shi, Liang Fei lit a cigarette. Then employees came in one after another to report the situation on the scene to Liang Fei. Only after they were done with their work did they have time to answer Shi Shi's question about the time.
"We should analyze each case individually, and not generalize."
"What do you mean?"
Liang Fei raised a finger and gave an example: "Take our country for example. In the beginning, the arts and literature were very important. Film studios were responsible for making movies. These were tasks assigned by the superiors, and the actors received salaries. After the reform and opening up, things became different, but the entertainment industry was still a new thing."
"Everyone was originally a peasant, and just got rich. People who play music and work in the film industry all care about their background. They are considered high-end circles. Many bosses shamelessly give them money, but it depends on whether they are willing to accept it."
"Later, everything was about market efficiency and economic efficiency. The entertainment industry was completely open to the public, that is, whoever had the money had the final say. It became a trend for coal bosses to invest in film and television dramas and to support celebrities. In the current Internet era, it is natural that the big companies control the entertainment industry."
After a pause, Liang Fei said, "In the entertainment industry, whoever has money has the final say before, but now whoever has traffic has the final say."
Shi Shi nodded, and then asked, "What about Han Yu?"
"Korean entertainment is different. They have a complete system for creating stars. Those who make movies belong to Chungmuro. That's called high-end, at the top of the food chain in this circle. Then there are TV actors, followed by idols, and at the bottom are variety show artists."
"These circles have clear barriers. It's not like our entertainment industry, where whoever is more popular gets the biggest share and the big guys use money to promote newcomers and find a bunch of veteran actors to serve as foils. This kind of phenomenon is almost impossible to happen in Chungmuro. Of course, there are some, but if you can't make it after one try, then you'll go back to where you came from and it'll be impossible for you to turn things around again."
A movie called Warring States was released this year. Big names like Sun Piaoliang, Liang Kun, Wu Zhenyu, Kim Hee Sun and others served as background for a newcomer named Jing Tian. But then, the movie was so bad that even her mother couldn't recognize her.
But it doesn’t matter. Their resources are still endless. Isn’t that infuriating?
Why? Because they have a big brother who supports them financially.
This kind of phenomenon is simply impossible to occur in Korean entertainment.
Shi Shi nodded in agreement, "Indeed, I knew this when I was hanging out on forums. Groups like TVXQ started as trainees when they were teenagers, practicing day and night, but they didn't know when they would debut, and even if they did, they didn't know if they would be popular. In addition, they made no money in the first few years, and all the money they earned went to their management company."
“That’s why it’s cruel.”
Liang Fei spread his hands and said, "Seoul is such a small place with so many resources. If you are not cruel, you can't survive. They have the keenest . TV series are filmed and broadcasted at the same time. If there is anything wrong, they will change it immediately. If the change is useless, the original 20-episode script will be cut into 16 episodes, or even less, to stop the loss in time."
"It's the same with variety shows. If the ratings for the first few episodes aren't good, they'll be canceled immediately. This is the only way to ensure quality."
"Let's look at our country."
Liang Fei shook her head: "People are stupid and have a lot of money. They can make money no matter what they do. So few people are willing to produce a good work. They just want to make a quick buck, and then another quick buck. In the end, it's all the audience who pays for it."
Shi Shi said "oh" and understood a little: "No wonder our domestic entertainment industry can't produce SJ. To put it bluntly, idol groups like Girls' Generation have no soil."
"That's what I mean."
Liang Fei laughed and said, "There is no stage for singing, no exposure, no large number of variety shows to promote the survival of the fittest. For so many years, there is only Happy Camp. What the hell is going on?"
"Also, idol groups really have no status. No one takes them seriously except their fans. They have only managed to get to the level of TVXQ, which is considered to have some status in the industry. There are only a few who can get to the level of TVXQ."
Shi Shi tilted her head: "Hey, why don't you enter the entertainment industry?"
Liang Fei blinked: "I have thought about it."
"Then why did you give up?"
“It’s too little money.”
"Tsk, Mr. Liang is so realistic."
It's true that the income is very little. You can only make a few dollars from a movie. 208W for one person sounds exaggerated, but compared with the money-making ability of the Internet, it's not even a drop in the bucket.
But then again, how could a person like Shuang earn so much? It's not his fault that he is so arrogant. With that kind of business ability, and a bunch of people flattering him every day, you would be arrogant too.
As I said, money comes too easily.
There is so much money to be made in the domestic entertainment industry, and who wouldn't want to get a piece of the pie? Otherwise, why do Hong Kong directors flock north to make money, and Hong Kong and Taiwan movie stars look down on the domestic entertainment industry while trying to make money.
To be honest, although the rise of big companies has brought about the adverse effect of traffic being king, at least one thing is that big companies have firmly controlled the domestic entertainment industry, which has made those Hong Kong and Taiwan movie stars who originally looked down on the domestic entertainment industry start to lick their boots.
But what they lick is capital, not the audience.
Why is capital scary? Because they have the ability to provide content. By the time the audience comes to their senses and rises up in resistance, the bad money has already been made.
At this time, Jin Jiaer knocked on the door and came in. She smiled at Shi Shi and greeted her. Then she reported , "Boss Liang, both shows have started. The atmosphere is good. However, after our staff confirmed the data, they found that you are right. The e-sports team is more popular. The number of people online in the live broadcast room far exceeds that of the concert here."
Shi Shi's eyes widened: "How is it possible!"
In her opinion, games are not as good as idols. They are idols after all. They obviously have a , and there are thousands of fans coming to them from outside.
"How is that impossible?"
Liang Fei had already guessed this result: "How dare a firefly compete with the bright moon? Can you imagine that everyone in the Internet cafe is watching Korean variety shows?"
Shi Shi shook her head.
Liang Fei laughed: "But now everyone in the Internet cafe is playing League of Legends. Every Internet cafe is like this."
The LCD TV in the lounge is broadcasting the grand event on the stage in real time.
Shi Shi tilted her head and looked at the Korean group who were performing hard. They were so skilled in their profession and the stage was so attractive, charming and fascinating.
" So, in your eyes, the idols that many boys and girls dream of are just piles of money."
Shi Shi looked at Liang Fei: "Xiao Liang, will you become a slave to money in the future?"
"impossible."
"So sure?"
"Of course." Liang Fei said seriously, "Because I'm not interested in money."
“…”
