บท 20: Jack

After writing the script, Alexander took it and quickly sent it to ABC for review. His actions need to be fast, as everyone knows.

Generally speaking, the review meeting for American dramas will be held in May. This review does not refer to showing TV dramas to TV networks but to broadcasting TV dramas to advertisers. All public stations are free, and their source of income is advertising fees. Whether a TV series is considered acceptable can be determined by the audience's reaction and ratings, but why do the ratings decide whether or not it is good? Because when people watch TV dramas, they also watch advertisements before and after. Good TV dramas are those that can attract investment; at least on public channels, this remains the same.

The review meeting in May is to let advertisers watch their TV series and then let them decide whether they are willing to place advertisements before and after their TV series. If a TV series can be popular with advertisers, then it will be shown, and if it does not receive any attention from advertisers... then it is a waste of resources for the network to show it.

Review meetings will determine the success or failure of a TV series. Everyone knows this, but now it is March, and they only have more than two months to make a TV series. Although during the review, they probably only need one or two episodes of the premiere. However, the two months were not without pressure, from looking for actors to building a studio, producing props, and casting TV dramas; all of these had to be finished by then.

Although filming a TV series episode is said to take only about ten days, the preparation work is quite time-consuming. The whole show would be delayed if any of the preparation action items were delayed.

While Alexander was in contact with ABC, Michael had already started to inquire about making props and studios. Bob was also browsing after getting various materials provided by professional screenwriters, wanting to discover some interesting professional knowledge that unfolds into stories to improve the integration of TV series and professionalism. Only Clark has no job at this time. So, he and Levi are welcoming their friend, Jack Rosser, the last man in their company, who had gone to New York for a soap opera shoot, and finally returned from there.

"Cheers to the reunion!" He raised his glass and drank it. Jack Rosser, who had been reunited for a long time, patted him on the shoulder vigorously, "Dude, I heard that you played suicide once while I was away. That's not good, how can you think about it? You have a handsome friend like me, so there's nothing you can't overcome!"

Levi looked at Jack Rosser and just smiled. Although Jack's words were illogical, he had to admit Jack Rosser was indeed a handsome man.

There is never a shortage of handsome guys in Hollywood, and Jack is clearly one of them. This man is obviously the most handsome of his group of friends. He looks a bit like Eastwood in his youth, with a sharp-edged face, a big beard, and a cynical smile, making him look Very charming, naturally suited for westerns. Too bad westerns are out of fashion. Therefore, even with such a face, he can only find a woman to be his sugar mama.

However, this person isn't annoying. Although he is narcissistic and chatty, he doesn't seem to have any bad intentions, which is admirable.

"I didn't expect to come back until today, and you are already preparing to shoot a TV series." Jack is a very talkative person, and he is also quite confident. After hearing about the plan to shoot a TV series, he immediately agreed. "Shooting TV is a good thing. We should have done it a long time ago. I would have a job every day if we did a TV series. It might be a good thing to have a long-term contract. I'm getting bored of always doing auditions." Jake thought that since it was going to be a TV series, the lead actor was naturally him. However, it was not the case.

Clark and Levi looked at each other awkwardly, and then Clark spoke. "Jack, who told you we will use you as an actor?" Clark said, "I don't remember saying there is a role for you in this play."

"No? Then add one. And, Dude, this is me, it's me, your old buddy!" Jack pointed to himself, "Why can't such a handsome guy act? It's just a crime drama; whether it's with a gun or a fight, I can act. Of course, I can't fight, but at least I can act."

"We don't need to fight. We want to shoot a story about a 40-year-old scientist taking the lead in solving a crime. Jack, as far as I know, you haven't even finished high school. Do you know what a scholar looks like?" Clarke looked at him, "You haven't even read the script, and you really don't have a role here."

"Then I can't understand..." Seeing that the expressions of Levi and Clark didn't seem to be lying, Jack's smile was also restrained. "Is it difficult to give me a role when we shoot TV series ourselves? If you change the script casually, I am one of our TV series. Why do you have to exclude me? Did I offend you?" Jack's expression changed, and Levi also saw it in his eyes. He was still thinking about why such a handsome guy was not popular; he had never heard of it in his previous life. Now, he understands a little: Jack has not read any books and became an actor after dropping out of high school, so he probably has no talent. Moreover, looking at him losing his temper before he understood what was going on, he is afraid he has a bad temper. It's hard to use such an actor, no matter how handsome he is.

"Jack, I mean it." Levi didn't let Clark speak again but took over the conversation himself, "I told Bob and Clark not to arrange scenes for you."

"Give me a reason." Jack His brow furrowed.

"Because of your age, being a TV actor is too inappropriate." Levi stated, "At your age, there is still a lot to do in the future. You should try to be a movie actor instead of filming TV series."

This answer caused Jack's expression to change: he wanted to say something, but he was too embarrassed to say it, struggling and not knowing what to do.

Levi understands his thoughts: he wants to be the leading actor of this TV series - the leading role earns a lot of money, Jack is not rich, and he even lives on charity. But his rationality told him that what Levi said was correct; for young people, filming a TV series is not a good choice.

As an actor, he also knows that filming TV series is not beneficial to his career. However, for him, the long-term contract for filming a TV series is quite attractive: it is a contract that allows him to work for several years. There is no need to worry about food and drink contracts.

The contract of the leading actor of a TV series is usually five years after signing. Because TV dramas with more than five years are likely to make money, and TV dramas with less than five seasons are not replayed, and there is little profit. Suppose the TV series is cut in the middle of at least five seasons. In that case, the crew has to pay the actors compensation—one of the reasons short-lived dramas don't make money. Finding an opportunity that can continue to work for five years is rare for many actors.

Becoming a leading actor in a TV series is not a very smart idea for young people. If the TV series' contract is too tight, it will likely hinder further development. In Levi's memory, Jennifer Aniston is such an example. Because she filmed ten seasons of Friends, her film career did not develop smoothly as she wasted all her youth and had no time to hone her acting skills. She had few good movies and could not create a better future.

Of course, some people will choose to jump out of the contract. For example, Katherine Heigl of Grey's Anatomy decided to fall out with the crew to make a movie after becoming famous. But the departure of the leading role of a popular drama will cause a significant loss to the hit drama, and doing so will offend people. If public relations are not good, it may mean that they will be suppressed a lot, which is also worrying. The box office of Katherine Heigl's movies is good, but because of her style, she has a terrible reputation. Although she was the main lead in some love stories that were box-office hits, her reputation has never been better.

Taking care of one's career without offending the TV drama crew is very difficult. In Levi's memory, George Clooney seems to be the only well-rounded person in Hollywood.

"Guys, I really don't know now. Should I be happy that you care about me, or should I be dissatisfied that you didn't give me a chance?" Jack put the wine glass on the table. Turning gently, the bottom of the wine glass rubbed against the table and made a slight sound, which made the silence of several people not so awkward, "Nick, is there no better way? You can give me a main role and let me act in a play, and when I have a better chance, you can arrange for my character to die." Jack's thoughts made Levi smile bitterly: he still didn't give up on finding a long-term meal ticket idea.

If not long ago, Bob's attitude towards the script made Levi see his enthusiasm for his dream; now, Levi also considers the difficulty of persisting in his dream.

"Jack, if our TV series is a big hit and I want your character to die, then Bob won't agree. Besides, your image is likely to be stereotyped because of this. Do you think it is easy for an actor who has been filmed in a TV series to act in a movie again?" Levi still wanted to dispel his thoughts, "Jack, your acting career is not going well, and I know it too. But because it's not going well, you always want to get a long-term meal ticket; it isn't what an aspiring actor should do. I understand that you want to become famous in one fell swoop. And it would be best if you also understood that what you need to pursue is also film performance. Don't think about becoming a TV drama actor anymore; the film is the stage you should pursue!"

Seeing Jack was still unwilling, Levi said, "And you don't have to worry too much; we have made money, of course, you have a share. For I have no plans for your future."

******

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