Genius Manager Who Hears Voices - Chapter 111



Only Krnovel

Episode 111

Director Lee Se-jeong said while looking at the pile of documents that Hee-sung was pointing at.

“On the left are the applicant documents for , and on the right are the applicant documents for . There really are a lot of them, right?”

“Applicant? Are you talking about the audition?”

Director Lee Se-jeong nods at those words.

Then he let out a small sigh.

“Whoa, then what can I do? Even if you add up the appearance fees of all the applicants here, it’s not enough to pay for one lead actor. If you look at the appearance fees that lead actors demand, it’s comparable to the production cost of a typical terrestrial drama.”

“It’s not an exaggeration, it’s true. I told you, right? The production cost for one lead actor for a 16-episode series is at least 8 billion won. If it’s two actors, it used to be considered a blockbuster drama. Even if it was just 20 billion won, it would be widely advertised as a huge scale.”

Heeseong had no choice but to agree with CEO Jeyoungjun’s words.

Because even until recently, that was the case.

The rule is that if a 16-episode drama costs more than 20 billion won to produce, it must have at least overseas location shooting before and after, and a large bomb scene is included as a basic option.

The intention was to create a drama that would overwhelm the audience with its scale and thus lead the box office success.

‘Even in those days, the lead actor’s appearance fee was at most 100 to 200 million won.’

At that time, 100 to 200 million won per episode was a considerable amount of money, and paying that amount of money meant that the actor had to be cast no matter what.

It’s a drama that’s pushed forward with scale from the beginning, so the lead actors can’t be trivial.

So when the lead actor’s appearance fee was revealed, people were in a position to readily accept it.

“So, there are so many applicants, but casting isn’t progressing at all because of the lead actor?”

“Oh, that’s right. First, the main actors’ salaries need to be negotiated before the other side can start. Otherwise, the entire production could fall apart.”

“Why is that? If it seems impossible to do it within the set production budget, why not choose the next best option? Not all actors would demand a high appearance fee.”

That could be the case for so-called S-class celebrities.

Since he has already received a high appearance fee and actors with similar reputations are all valued at that level, he will not back down easily.

However, there is always a limit to the production cost.

The budget is set by considering the content, atmosphere, and production situation of the work, but if it exceeds the appropriate level, problems are bound to arise here and there.

In order to match the salaries of the lead actors, some may receive less, and in order to attract more production costs, they may resort to forced production sponsorships or PPL.

Then, eventually, the quality of the work will decline and other actors will inevitably start to complain.

There can be no secrets in this day and age, and eventually, the news will tell you how much the lead actors are paid.

Viewers who come across that will feel a strong sense of rejection.

“Just because they’re top-tier actors doesn’t mean they’ll always be a box office hit. There have been many cases where they failed when they actually opened the lid. If negotiations go smoothly, that’s great, but if that doesn’t work out, we’ll have to look elsewhere. There are many great actors who are good at acting.”

Of course, there are reasons why actors with high salaries are so highly paid.

Because it guarantees box office success, creates a buzz just by appearing, and has outstanding acting skills.

But even without them, there are many great actors in this industry.

People who are just waiting for the opportunity to work on good projects without demanding such ridiculous appearance fees.

Heeseong’s words were to turn our eyes and cast those people.

“For example, these applicants, of whom there are hundreds here.”

As Hee-sung spoke while picking up the application documents piled on the table, the looks in the eyes of CEO Je-young Jun and Director Lee Se-jeong changed completely.

“So, Manager, are you saying that we should choose the lead actor from among those people? Even if he’s not necessarily an S-class?”

“That’s right. In fact, that level of level was something that was used in the past, but it’s not really like that these days. These days, viewers have become so picky.”

In the past, people would watch a drama just by looking at the actors, but these days, the key factor is which writer the drama was written by and whether the story in the beginning is entertaining enough for the viewers.

No matter how many famous actors are cast and how much money is poured into the production, if the content isn’t interesting, no one wants to watch it for even 10 minutes.

At Heesung’s story, CEO Jeyoungjun also nodded quietly with his arms folded.

“It’s true that the viewers’ tendencies and trends have changed these days. The world is overflowing with fun things that you can’t just watch out of patience or loyalty. In the end, an actor’s worth is only realized when they meet a good project.”

He uncrossed his arms and looked at Heeseong.

“I also think it’s a good idea to completely change the way you think. However, of course, there are risks that come with it. Do you think that’s okay?”

Heeseong nodded, immediately understanding what she was trying to say.

“Yes. What we want to make is not a hit, but a good piece. Making a good piece that pleases the eyes of the Saudi people is what I discussed with Prince Ali. He promised that and invested so much money in us.”

Heeseong added with a faint smile.

“And, as you both said earlier, if we continue like this, we will never have a good production environment. In fact, we can spend as much production costs as we want without PPL, but if we do that, it could become the standard, right? Then, in the end, countless broadcasting companies and production companies will suffer one after another.”

It’s not that I don’t have money so I can’t spend it.

It was because I thought that it shouldn’t be done that way.

What viewers want is to see good works more often, not works that only feature expensive actors.

Ultimately, I thought that if this situation continued, broadcasters and production companies might end up giving up on producing dramas.

“Hmm, but there’s a problem, Manager.”

At that moment, Director Lee Se-jeong intervened with a troubled expression.

As Heeseong shifted his gaze, she met his eyes and parted her lips.

“ is written by a new writer and a new director, so I think we’ll be able to smoothly coordinate the casting, but is written by Lee Hae-sook. She’s someone who has to use the actors she picks.”

Lee Hae-sook. Even Hee-sung, who hadn’t been in this industry for long, knew very well about her reputation.

Because he is an author who has produced many hit works and has created many famous lines in his works, which has also led to numerous parodies.

She also knew very well that she had her own strong philosophy when it came to writing.

“Oh, I heard that too. You say that when you start writing the scenario and script, you match the role with the actor. You write the script thinking that the actor will say the lines.”

Director Lee Se-jeong nods.

“That’s right. He’s the kind of person who not only casts the lead actors, but sometimes even casts cameos. That’s why his lines feel so perfect.”

As such, this time too, there will be an actor that she has been thinking of for a long time.

“Who is that actor? The one the writer said we absolutely had to cast.”

“It’s actor Jin Myeong-gil. Actually, we were quite surprised when we heard the writer’s story. The writer usually uses actors from his own team, right? But this time, a completely unexpected name came out.”

“Are you an actor from your own division?”

“Yes. He has a long career and the actors who appeared in his works have become huge stars. So it’s a great situation to use him as a lead actor. They are also willing to put everything aside for the writer’s work. However, actor Jin Myung-gil has never worked with writer Lee Hae-sook before.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

I guess that’s why it’s not easy to get hired.

If she had been an actor in the Lee Hae-sook division, the writer could have sufficiently coordinated her appearance fee and schedule.

If they are called a group, they must be very close in private as well.

“How much did actor Jin Myeong-gil demand as an appearance fee? If it was an actor that writer Lee Hae-sook personally requested, then it seems like it would be something that needs to be reconsidered…”

In cases like this, there may be no choice but to make an exception.

How could a star writer who leads box office success with his work not cast an actor he had in mind from the beginning of writing?

Not for anything else, but because of the appearance fee.

‘Because actor Jin Myeong-gil is a perfect actor in almost every way.’

As he is an actor whose face is rarely seen in dramas, the level of appearance fee he requested was expected to be considerable.

However, the story that Lee Se-jeong brought out was different from what was expected.

“That… I couldn’t even bring it up. It’s because I can’t even contact actor Jin Myeong-gil.”

“You can’t reach me? Is it because you can’t reach me personally or because the company can’t reach me at all?”

“Well, I didn’t know what he was talking about either. We naturally contacted the company first, but they said that actor Jin Myung-gil is currently unavailable due to personal reasons. Not with anyone.”

“……With whom? Then wouldn’t that be a big problem?”

Since so many tragic things happen to celebrities, it was only natural that my thoughts would turn to that side of things.

Then, Lee Se-jeong opened her mouth and said as if she had the same thoughts as him.

“I was anxious at first because I had those same thoughts, but the director there said that they would let you know if you were alive or dead. But that was it.”

“…… Hmm.”

When I just heard it, I had a hard time understanding it.

Is it true that the actor just reported to his agency that he is alive and hasn’t contacted them at all?

Why? For what reason?

If you want to take a break, just let them know and take a break.

“Then, aside from actor Jin Myeong-gil, the other castings are as we discussed earlier…….”

But, at that time.

The surrounding noise suddenly dissipated and Heeseong’s ears began to feel stuffy.