Chapter 466: Chapter 309: Old Fox, Social Interactions, Exchange of Interests_2

So, the wisest strategy was to confidently assure them there wouldn’t be any problems. It was just one song; what issues could there possibly be?

The program team would inevitably have modification requests, and the director’s team would ensure there was no shortage of them. As for anything else? They simply had to adjust according to the director’s team’s demands, which wasn’t an insurmountable task.

“Mhm, I recognize the strength of your team, and as long as there are no issues, that’s fine. But the video I just watched was edited brilliantly, though it can’t be the final version, right?”

This time, before Xu Qingqiu could speak, Chu Tian hurriedly took over the conversation.

“That’s correct, Director Zhao. Due to time constraints, the video was edited with materials found online. Ideally, the final product should be remade to better fit the theme.”

“Indeed, I was thinking the same. After all, we do need to pay attention to copyright issues. You made a very good point. We should definitely shoot our own footage, and there should be enough time for that. It’s just that the team undertaking it should be a bit more professional.”

Upon hearing this, Chu Tian instantly understood.

Zhao Fengsheng had probed once and knew that Xu Qingqiu and her team were well-prepared for this song; the key point was that there really wasn’t much room to nitpick with this particular piece.

But micro-management experts could demand a machine gun be moved five centimeters, and certain people today were no different.

Anyone who has worked as a contractor knows that those clients, especially the older ones, are very difficult to deal with.

No matter the work, no matter how well you do on your end, some people feel they must raise issues, otherwise, wouldn’t they seem worthless?

Smart people will leave some room for them to make modifications. Experienced secretaries, when drafting documents, purposefully include a few obvious typos for their leaders to correct.

This applies to task execution as well. However, if those who aren’t so smart, or perhaps those who are overly meticulous, perfect their work, what are the leaders left to do? Praise you? Such instances occur, but more often than not, they’ll resort to nitpicking.

Those who can’t grasp this concept end up cursing their leaders as fools while tirelessly making revisions themselves. It can’t be helped; if you don’t understand the ways of the world, you’re bound to find it troublesome.

Given Zhao Fengsheng’s age, it was natural that he shared such common shortcomings.

Taking on this program was no easy task for him. Especially with the internet’s development, standing out had become increasingly difficult.

In earlier years, with fewer entertainment options, any pop song could become a nationwide hit, and ratings were consistently high. Things were different now. Audiences, having seen countless exciting programs, found issues everywhere.

What to do then? Innovate? Easier said than done. Innovating for one or two segments might be feasible, but for the entire event? You could rack your brains and still come up empty.

So what was the solution? As the saying goes, if you can’t get credit for accomplishments, at least get credit for effort. Since innovation was off the table and standing out was a pipe dream, the only option left was to aim for stability.

How to achieve stability? First, by catering to the superiors’ preferences and flattering them. Second, by ensuring no mistakes were made.

Once these two points were addressed, there was one more thing: showcasing one’s own hard work.

How to showcase it? Naturally, by being involved in every program. You had to make the leaders see how much work you’d done, how troublesome those programs were, and how they all relied on the director’s team for guidance. If not for the director’s team, the program would be even more unwatchable!

That was the meaning behind Zhao Fengsheng’s earlier words. He was simply telling Xu Qingqiu that she needed to give him an opportunity to get involved. He had already inquired about the song and determined no intervention was needed there, so presumably, the video offered an opening, right?

Besides, Zhao Fengsheng was a director by trade, after all, and he was very sharp.

He wouldn’t, and didn’t dare, interfere with the song. For a director to alter someone’s song, or even the lyrics—if it went well, it wouldn’t be particularly noteworthy, but if it went poorly, he’d likely face criticism.

Such conspicuous flattery—did he think he was the only clever one? A director dictating lyrics? What was he thinking? If he got criticized for that, it would be entirely deserved.

Zhao Fengsheng was a smart man. He generally avoided meddling in fields outside his expertise, but he wouldn’t yield on areas where he felt he should be involved.

Take this video, for instance. Regarding this program, the song and lyrics were undoubtedly the highlights, but the video’s contribution would also be significant.

Most importantly, the video playing on the big screen during the performance would be the most prominent element. If his team got involved in that, their credit would be secure.

Furthermore, if the video could feature the child of some senior leader, that would be another act of flattery. Who says leaders’ children don’t want to be on television? Everyone has aspirations for fame and success. There was so much room for maneuvering here.

Chu Tian wasn’t foolish; he understood immediately.

“That’s true. Speaking of professional teams, I’ve heard that the staff at our station are all experts and highly capable. Our studio, after all, is a music studio; that’s not really our forte.”

Listening to Chu Tian, Xu Qingqiu was somewhat surprised. She was just about to speak, but when she felt Chu Tian squeeze her hand, she quickly held back.

Clearly, Chu Tian had an entertainment company with complete teams for film, variety shows, and post-production, capable of producing even top-tier variety programs. A small video should be a piece of cake for him, right?

However, feeling the reassuring pressure on her hand, she realized he must have his reasons for saying so.

Sure enough, as soon as Chu Tian finished speaking, Zhao Fengsheng burst out laughing.

“Hahaha, of course! Our station’s team is naturally top-notch. You young people, though young, possess both excellent capability and character,” he said.

“As for me, I’m getting on in years. While I’m still around and able to help, I naturally want to do so. How about this: you don’t need to worry about the video. I’ll arrange for people from our station to help put it together. Just make sure to communicate thoroughly with them, and let’s work together to make this program great!”

“Oh my, that’s truly troubling you, Director Zhao,” Chu Tian said with an apologetic smile. “I’m so embarrassed. To think you’d take time out of your busy schedule to look after us juniors. We feel quite undeserving.”

“What’s there to feel undeserving about?” Zhao Fengsheng replied warmly. “If you young people can achieve more and more, it means we old folks are still of some use. Otherwise, what use are we, right?”

“Thank you so much, Director Zhao! You truly are…” Chu Tian gave an implicit thumbs-up gesture. “No wonder you’re such a respected senior! It’s our good fortune that you’re willing to support us juniors. Once things here are settled, we absolutely must treat you to a meal, otherwise we’d feel terrible.”

“Not at all, not at all,” Zhao Fengsheng said amiably. “I actually enjoy spending time with young people. You can make the arrangements. If any problems arise, this old fellow can also offer some advice.”

After seeing Zhao Fengsheng off, Chu Tian felt his shirt on his back was soaked through. Dealing with these old foxes, one couldn’t relax for a single moment, always fearful that a single wrong word might cause offense.

Xu Qingqiu simply looked at him, her face a mask of confusion. She couldn’t, for the life of her, understand what all that had been about.

Seeing her perplexed expression, Chu Tian finally explained with a smile, “What Director Zhao meant just now is that your program is outstanding. But no matter how exceptional it is, if his team doesn’t get some credit for it, the higher-ups won’t notice their efforts. So, they need to have their name attached to it somehow.

“It’s hard for them to intervene with the song, but the video is a different story. I’ve already given them the core story and a synopsis for the video. They just need to shoot it according to that. It’s not difficult, but it will be flashy enough to get noticed.

“If the program catches the attention of the leaders and they ask about it, once they hear the director’s team produced the video, their contribution is secured. Understand?”

After Chu Tian finished explaining, Xu Qingqiu seemed to grasp about half of it, but the other half still eluded her.

“But, if what you’re saying is true, isn’t it the director’s team that’s benefiting? Why do you still need to thank them?” she asked.

“Ah, it’s all about face, isn’t it?” Chu Tian chuckled. “You know what those people are like; they care immensely about appearances. They’re in a superior position; do you really expect them to turn around and thank you?

“Like I said, we’ll treat him to a meal later. That way, the connection is established. This opportunity to connect is their ’return gift’ to you. If you can establish this line, future developments will be much smoother, and resolving certain issues will also become much easier.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep