I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 125 - 125 124. Is there such a good thing_1

Chapter 125: 124. Is there such a good thing?_1 Chapter 125: 124. Is there such a good thing?_1 Previously, I discussed the revenue from exclusive website broadcasting versus broadcasting across all platforms. For Lu Ban, since the performances of Hammer and the others told him that this film possessed some extraordinary power, he didn’t have to worry about the film tanking at all.

All he needed to do was upload it, and that would be that.

Therefore, Lu Ban chose to broadcast across all platforms.

The long video websites all adopted a combination of subscription-based viewing and individual purchase, meaning that paying members could watch these movies for free, with a few movies requiring an additional fee, while non-members could only watch by paying.

So, the effective click-through rate, which was the number of viewers who watched past six minutes, was an important factor in determining Lu Ban’s revenue.

Just after opening the website’s backend and adding the operator’s WeChat, Lu Ban heard the notification sound.

[Ma Hua]: Are you that “Motionless” from the old video website? In person?

[Motionless]: It’s me, in person.

After a brief exchange, Lu Ban shared his thoughts with the other party.

[Ma Hua]: A film broadcast across all platforms, huh… Actually, I suggest you sign an exclusive broadcasting agreement. With a general platform release, it’ll just be added to our movie library and viewers will be reliant on precise searching or our smart recommendations. But with an exclusive broadcast, our website would engage in corresponding promotional cooperation.

That’s what the operator advised.

Even though he hadn’t seen Lu Ban’s movie, considering Lu Ban’s popularity, with each of his videos going viral, he was naturally a sought-after figure by the video websites.

Now, since Lu Ban had approached Love Craftsmanship Video Website to submit his video himself, it suggested there might be some conflict between him and the old video website!

After all, the traffic brought by a platform-wide release compared to an exclusive release was incomparable, should the film become a hit.

[Motionless]: That won’t be necessary. I think the audiences on each video website are different, and a full-platform release would allow more people to see it.

[Ma Hua]: Then are you interested in signing a guaranteed exclusive broadcasting agreement? The kind where we offer you a guaranteed minimum amount, and any surplus is settled based on the profit-sharing revenue?

The operator persisted, even suggesting a guaranteed agreement.

A guarantee is sort of like a hedging agreement, where the video website would directly pay Lu Ban a certain amount of money, regardless of the final click count of his film, the money would still go into his pocket.

If the film flopped and the revenue from the effective click-through rate did not surpass this pre-paid amount, then Lu Ban’s earnings would stop there.

If the film became a massive hit, any surplus would be paid to Lu Ban based on the normal click count revenue.

Not many producers could secure such an agreement, as the success or failure of web dramas and online movies can hinge on a single moment. Unless backed by a well-known figure or having released many hits previously, video websites wouldn’t easily offer such guaranteed agreements.

[Motionless]: There’s such a good deal? Then how much can you guarantee?

Lu Ban pondered for a moment. If the other party could offer a guarantee of a million, then whether it was exclusive or not wouldn’t matter.

“Hmm? Now that I think about it, I could just let Madam Song buy my movie for a million!”

Lu Ban realized belatedly.

But, with the mindset of not constantly having to rely on Song Yunyan, or rather, not always bothering her, Lu Ban decided to stand on his own feet.

Moreover, he truly wanted more people to see his film, to remember Red Leaf.

It would be a small consolation for the Shrine Maiden who tried to become an ordinary person’s guardian.

“If worst comes to worst, and if the box office isn’t enough, I can ask Madam Song to cover it!”

Lu Ban felt he wasn’t reduced to such straits yet.

As he pondered, the operator on the other side responded.

[Ma Hua]: Our guarantees are usually based on the quality of the finished film, mostly between two hundred and three hundred thousand.

Since the cost of online movies is very low, anything over a million is already considered a big production. A guaranteed price of two to three hundred thousand essentially covers most of the costs. To use the operator’s own words, it’s almost like doing charity.

[Motionless]: So what kind of quality is needed for a guarantee of a million?

On the other side of the computer, the operator got stuck at this sentence.

“A million guarantee? Is he trying to scare me away?”

Bear in mind, last year’s most popular online movie generated about twenty million in profit-sharing revenue, and that was an IP-based spin-off with real actors. Although each of Lu Ban’s videos had high click-through rates, with the most popular interactive video breaking ten million, those were short videos and not the same as a movie.

There had been cases where series uploaded online had high click rates and were well-received, but when they were turned into movies, they flopped and were criticized.

Most importantly, offering such a guarantee meant the associated person had to take on the cost responsibility. If Lu Ban’s movie tanked and didn’t earn enough money, the final year-end assessment would fall on him.

[Ma Hua]: Well, if the quality is there, then it’s all negotiable.

He decided to first secure Lu Ban’s interest.

[Motionless]: Forget it, I’ll just release it on all platforms. I have confidence in the quality of my work.

Lu Ban felt they probably didn’t want to simply give him that one million; moreover, as someone who’d seen life and death in a Foreign Domain, witnessed the descent of an Evil God, burned down an entire Island, and even grown grass on his body, why was he so fixated on this mere million!

A million in Jiangcheng would only cover a down payment, and he’d still have to pay off a mortgage!

It would take at least ten million for him to really wrestle with the decision.

“With ten million, could I switch to a villa? The last one I stayed in was quite nice, secluded; though its surroundings were too desolate. Better to live beside the university, or maybe just buy the apartment I’m living in now to save on moving costs. That’s so me!”

Lu Ban was already contemplating how he would spend the ten million.

He spent the whole afternoon contacting operators from various video websites, eventually choosing a release across all platforms and confirming the launch time.

Based on the profit-sharing rate, for each effective click, he would earn 1.5 yuan, meaning he just needed over six hundred thousand effective plays to complete the task.

On Mid-Autumn Festival, Lu Ban’s movie “The Hundred Poets” quietly went live.

Just as predicted, Love Craftsmanship Video Website, Scarecrow Video Website did little to no promotion, merely posting teasers for the new release. Tomorrow Online, which mainly featured short videos, had a quiet and empty movie zone.

Only the old video website, considering it Lu Ban’s main battlefield, immediately responded after he posted an update.

[Wow, you’re releasing a movie this time?]

[My ancestral membership is finally useful, huh?]

[That duration, so conscionable!]

[Looking at the synopsis, what, a woman appears in UP’s video, and she’s not a monster, my youth is over!]

[Yay, it’s a movie, looks like a big production this time!]

[Can you update the next episode within a week with a single click this time?]

[Decided, today’s dinner-viewing video is this one!]

Reading these comments, Lu Ban picked up the mooncakes he’d bought from a cake shop outside the neighborhood.

Today, as the flowers are at their best and the moon is round, it’s indeed a perfect day for family reunions and watching a movie together.