Weekly dramas differ from other TV series in that the latter, even if they don’t become hits after completion, can still be sold off in advance to recoup some of the capital.
However, if a weekly drama is suddenly cut during shooting, then all the money invested could be completely lost.
Has Starshine Media gone insane?
How could such a small company invest nearly ten million just to secure the role of Female Lead No. 2? Do they really hold such high hopes for this youth inspirational drama that hasn’t yet won over the audience?
If it turns out to be a hit in the future, all well and good, but if the show gets canceled, even being able to recoup some of the funds would be a major blow to Starshine Media.
Wang Zheng couldn’t comprehend the purpose of this sizable investment at all. The PR manager couldn’t understand, and neither could the executives at Vast Entertainment.
Inside Vast Entertainment’s office, employees from the investment department shook their heads slowly.
"An investment of 8 million is already the limit for Vast, and since Starshine dares to throw their money in, they should be prepared for a big loss. Shen Siyi’s role is destined to elude our company."
In the entertainment industry, those with money are kings.
"Logically, the drama crew wouldn’t want to offend us at Vast, but if Tang Shu performs better than Zeng Xiumin during the auditions, they wouldn’t mind giving Starshine, the investor, some face."
The PR manager who had come along felt somewhat dejected upon hearing this—he truly had no way to explain this to the public and his superiors.
With the investment department unwilling to increase the stakes, Vast Entertainment could not become the most influential investor.
Engrossed in thinking of a solution, he completely missed the look of disdain that was spreading over Wang Zheng’s face as he heard the words of the investment department.
What acting skills could Tang Shu have as a newcomer?
Lin Yiyi could play a naive white lotus well enough, but to play a lady from a prestigious family? That was far beyond her reach.
It must be Starshine Media demanding a cast change from the production team!
The more Wang Zheng thought about it, the more he was convinced he was right, and he stood up to leave.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"I can’t let my artist’s role just be snatched away by someone. Even if it’s Tang Shu who wants to act, she’ll have to see if this drama can attract the audience first!"
As the PR manager watched the retreating figure, he had a sinking feeling that something was amiss.
Meanwhile, Wang Zheng, who had stepped out, returned to his office and dialed a phone number with practiced ease.
"Brother Wang, what collaboration are we talking about this time?"
"I’ve got some juicy gossip for you. Whether it can cause a stir depends on the capabilities of the big Vs under your command at the keyboard."
The next afternoon, Tang Shu took Yang Tiantian with her to the drama crew, and they began two days of filming.
Weekly dramas are different from traditional TV series; they rely on ratings to speak for them, so the pacing of the story is very fast.
To catch the viewers’ attention, weekly dramas not only need to keep a good pace but also need to know how to hit the right moment, especially in the connection at the end of each episode.
When Tang Shu received the script for the first episode, she could immediately sense the difference of the weekly drama.
"Tang Shu, is it really tiring to film a weekly drama?"
Yang Tiantian looked at the thin script with great curiosity.
"I haven’t experienced whether it’s tiring yet, but just the story of this one episode, if it were in a traditional TV series, would have to be elongated into two or three episodes.
"Wow—then filming must be exhausting!"
Fast pacing means a greater test of the actors’ skills.