Chapter 162 Criticizing the Unfavorable "Storm"...
Chapter 162
Lin Yuan realized that filming is a double-edged sword; it has to be tough, or it can't be easy.
"My damn composure," Lin Yuan couldn't help but sigh. "How can I be so outstanding?"
After listening to his emotional outburst, the agent remained silent for a long time.
After Lin Yuan posted the above two paragraphs in the group chat, none of his group members showed up again.
"What do you mean? Are you ostracizing me?"
"It was clearly you who launched a psychological attack on the two of us, wasn't it?" After a long while, He Xun quietly logged on and sent a protest emoji.
Having listened to Lin Yuan's constant complaints, He Xun was quite curious about what Lin Yuan had gone through during the filming of "Bloody Past".
"If you're curious, you'll know once you work with Director Ren Maoxing." Lin Yuan tossed him a pat-on-the-shoulder emoji. "There will be an opportunity."
He Xun: "...No way."
Although... if given the opportunity, he probably wouldn't refuse, after all, the opportunity to act in Ren Maoxing's film is quite rare, and for an actor, it means that his career can reach another level.
The overall filming of "The Storm" was uneventful. There were slightly more action scenes compared to other movies, but they were not real, hand-to-hand combat scenes.
As an explorer, Qin Ri has been enduring both physical and environmental torment. In addition to the power of human unity, "The Storm" also aims to present stunning visual effects.
Lin Yuan is rarely called over by the director for NG (no good) mistakes, but several times, the director corrected his movements for the sake of the filming effect.
Currently, in the script, the character Qin Ri doesn't have many significant scenes with other characters; his role is mainly focused on his personal struggles. Judging from the scenes that have been filmed so far, outsiders cannot fully appreciate the strengths of "The Storm."
Lin Yuan summarized that Fang Qi was a practical director. He would save money wherever he could, but when it came to spending money, he would not hesitate at all.
While special effects were necessary for scenes like heavy snow and hurricanes, the production team did their best to recreate the originals in all aspects other than computer-generated content.
The production team invited several professionals to simulate the scene at the Earth's core. The costumes for Qin Ri and his group of explorers were designed and planned by many parties.
This type of film is often revised as it's being shot. Fang Qi would occasionally come up with an idea, which would easily disrupt the original plan. But it must be said that Fang Qi's later ideas were presented in the film with better results.
Lin Yuan is arguably the most famous actor in the "Storm" crew. He also invested money and was one of the film's investors, and one of the larger investors. However, Lin Yuan never interfered with the director's ideas, and the director could shoot however he wanted.
As a science fiction disaster film, "The Storm" has received much attention since its inception.
Actually, this movie didn't have a high level of recognition at first. There were too many failed cases before, so science fiction was easily labeled as a scam.
Given that the disaster film genre has long been dominated by Hollywood blockbusters, and domestic films lack experience and recognition, this project is indeed not viewed favorably.
But so what if it's filmed? In the film industry, it's not a big deal.
Fang Qi is not a famous director, but just one of the new generation of directors. The project he initiated is seen by his peers as an attempt by an emerging filmmaker.
The problem is that after the official pre-production began, Lin Yuan was cast as the lead actor.
Lin Yuan himself even made an investment.
Although the "Storm" production team didn't deliberately promote it, the film industry is only so big, and it won't be long before everyone in the industry knows who did what and who didn't.
With Lin Yuan starring in the lead role, the level of attention for "The Storm" naturally skyrocketed.
"Kobayashi, why don't you come back to film dramas?!"
"...Does Lin Yuan have no other choice? A sci-fi disaster movie? That sounds like a very risky genre."
"It's said that Lin Yuan invested tens of millions. Does he think so highly of this project?"
"...I couldn't help but look up the cast of 'The Storm'. I can only say it's so-so. Fang Qi had a movie that did quite well two years ago, but it feels a bit risky to have him direct such a big project."
+1.
"I had expected Lin Yuan to make a commercial film, given his status and popularity. But I didn't expect him to be so bold as to choose one of the most industrialized films."
In the eyes of netizens, Lin Yuan's choice is not to be criticized. If "The Storm" can become a special effects blockbuster comparable to Hollywood blockbusters, it means that the film industry has taken another step forward.
The question is, can Storm do it?
"With our filming skills, it must be very difficult, right?"
"I still remember a special effects blockbuster with an investment of 800 million yuan. It was so bad that I thought the production company made a typo in the promotion and wrote 'film' instead of 'bread'."
"Everyone talks about reaching Hollywood standards, but is it that easy to build an industrial system? Don't let it all turn out to be just empty boasting."
"It seems more like he's exaggerating. Could Lin Yuan have been scammed?"
"Lin Yuan, can you take a look? What is Chen Cong filming, and what are you filming?"
"When I saw Chen Cong's new movie, I felt only deep jealousy. I felt that Lin Yuan's career was already quite good, but compared to the real stars with real resources, he was nothing."
Marketing accounts usually don't talk about Chen Cong and Lin Yuan together, as they are clearly not on the same development path.
Generally speaking, Lin Yuan is compared to male actors like He Mian who have reached the pinnacle of the TV drama industry. However, He Mian's career has been mediocre in the past two years. He has barely managed to maintain his position as a top-tier actor in the TV drama industry, and it will be very difficult for him to rise further.
Unlike Lin Yuan, he couldn't develop in both directions. He Mian did try his hand at the film industry, but unfortunately, it ended in failure.
The marketing accounts seem determined to create an enemy for Lin Yuan, and this time, they've set their sights on Chen Cong.
In short, Chen Cong is more capable than Lin Yuan, and he has a better eye for choosing films. He recently starred in a movie directed by Shi Jinglin, and it looks like he's about to reach even greater heights.
Lin Yuan: "..."
He did acknowledge that the other person was indeed more capable than him, so what?
so what?
So, can Chen Cong cosplay as a frog croaking?
"Personally, I think Lin Yuan needs to have some sense of crisis," the marketing account wrote at the end of the article.
"I'm already doing great, what need do I have for a sense of crisis?" Lin Yuan asked, puzzled.
Feng Zeng: "..."
#My child made a movie and has been babbling every day ever since#
As his agent, he sometimes really wanted to regulate Lin Yuan's words and actions.
However... the fact that Chen Cong gave up that detective movie was also dug up by marketing accounts.
Lin Yuan and Chen Cong were originally two completely unrelated people; their relationship was fabricated by marketing accounts. No one expected that the two would actually have this connection.
"From this perspective, having good industry connections is a standard for whether a film actor can rise to prominence. While the personal studio model can indeed generate higher profits, it lacks proper planning and resources..."
According to the marketing accounts, this opportunity originally belonged to Lin Yuan, but was snatched away by Chen Cong. Chen Cong could take it when he wanted it and throw it back to Lin Yuan when he didn't.
In other words, Lin Yuan obtained something that others didn't want.
For an actor, especially one of his stature, this is a great tragedy.
Lin Yuan: "?"
What's going on here?
Anyone who believes this report has an IQ no higher than 80.
However, to some extent, this report is quite convincing.
People who don't know the facts might actually believe it to be true.
The film crew initially approached Lin Yuan, and Chen Cong's side should have known about it. Later, Chen Cong declined, so the crew approached Lin Yuan again, and Chen Cong should have known about that as well.
This is an unspoken understanding among people in the industry; no one will have any thoughts or say anything about it.
This kind of thing happens all the time.
Even if the work you gave up becomes a huge hit, there's nothing to regret, because that was the inevitable outcome.
The reports posted by marketing accounts went unheeded, except for some trolls who were happy to see Lin Yuan suffer.
Geng Yue's career ended a long time ago, but his fans still keep an eye on Lin Yuan, and occasionally pop up to mock him.
Ye Liuchuan has gradually recovered his career recently. It is naturally not as good as his peak, but it is much better than the most difficult time.
His fans were busy trying to salvage his reputation and had no time to pay attention to Lin Yuan.
As for Xie Yu... when Wink debuted, his foundation was the most unstable. Now he has simply returned to where he belongs.
In short, there are only a few people who dislike Lin Yuan, maybe with the addition of Xu Lijia.
But Xu Lijia is different. He doesn't have many fans, and even fewer people speak up for him. When he falls on hard times, others are just happy, thinking that Lin Yuan did a good thing.
However, this time... Lin Yuan heard from Feng Zeng that Chen Cong seemed very dissatisfied with the content reported by the marketing accounts.
He believed that the manuscript was arranged by Lin Yuan's side.
"Huh?" Lin Yuan asked in confusion.
Chen Cong's side thought that while the report's content certainly hurt Lin Yuan, it was also very unfriendly to Chen Cong.
Chen Cong is a well-known figure who was promoted through connections and resources. Everyone knows this, so when audiences mention him, they naturally speak with a mocking tone.
The key point is that the more he does this, the less he wants to admit it.
The term "resource-backed" is taboo for Chen Cong.
He felt that the report hurt him more.
Of course, Chen Cong did not publicly express any thoughts; he did have opinions, but that was all.
"Wait a minute, let me sort out my thoughts." Lin Yuan rubbed his hair. "I haven't figured it out yet."
The agent looked at him and said, "Not only did you not understand, but I didn't either."
After learning of Chen Cong's thoughts, his agent pondered for a long time and finally figured it out one day.
"Resource users" are essentially beneficiaries. Typically, beneficiaries don't believe they've infringed on the interests of others; they only feel they haven't received enough.
What's a little grievance to Lin Yuan? It's nothing compared to my own grievances.
"Huh?" Lin Yuan uttered a sound that sounded like someone with a mental disability.
The agent couldn't help but feel a little disgusted with him: "That's exactly what I mean, do you understand?"
"I see."
Lin Yuan understood, but he still didn't get it.
“You don’t need to understand,” the agent said. “Once you understand, that’s all that matters.”
The agent certainly doesn't want Lin Yuan to be assimilated into that kind of person.
Lin Yuan should never have that kind of complacent, self-satisfied mentality, where everyone owes him something.
"Let's wait until the movie is made before we see," Feng Zeng scoffed. "We don't know which is better or worse right now."
Lin Yuan nudged his agent with his elbow: "Any news?"
“No.” Feng Zeng rolled his eyes at him. “But as far as I know, not every film by Shi Jinglin has been a success.”
"What inside information do you know? Tell me." Lin Yuan kept pressuring Feng Zeng.
"Don't be so gossipy." Although he said that, Feng Zeng still beckoned to Lin Yuan, "Come closer."
Actually, there was no one else around them, but they still followed the basic principles of gossip. Feng Zeng kept his voice down, while Lin Yuan nodded repeatedly, occasionally blurting out, "Really?"
He provided his agent with ample emotional value.
The gossip that Feng had told Lin Yuan about inside the industry was something Lin Yuan usually wouldn't share with others, not even Yu Ying and He Xun.
People in the industry all have their own sources of information, and Lin Yuan wouldn't reveal them casually.
"You can do that? That's really interesting," Lin Yuan exclaimed.
He's giving Chen Cong lower and lower ratings now; Chen Cong isn't just a "resource-backed" actor, he's the kind of "resource-backed" actor he really dislikes.
...
For Lin Yuan, the gossip brought by Feng Zeng during the filming of "The Storm" became one of his few sources of enjoyment.
He's stopped yelling now; there's nothing we can do, the crew members all have hearing problems.
Who knows how they'll spread this? Even frogs are getting involved!
Lin Yuan expressed his helplessness, but he couldn't blame anyone else; it was clearly his own fault.
Lin Yuan continued to work diligently on set. In the latest scenes, Qin Ri and his group of explorers finally descended into the underground.
Sacrifices began to occur.
The path of exploration, which could have been filled with joy amidst hardship, began to be shrouded in shadow.
No one knows where the future lies or whether it will truly be as they hope.
But they had no other choice; it's always better to have hope than no hope at all.
Those who choose this path are also pursuing hope.
Before filming this part of the story, Lin Yuanzai carefully read the script several times.
This is another part where the actor needs to express emotions. According to the character Qin Ri's setting, he is an introverted person and his emotions do not need to be too outward.
But Lin Yuan still had to show it.
In fact, it was only when Lin Yuan was playing the role of Qin Ri that he felt the enormous influence of "Bloody Past" on him—he was able to express the character's emotions more profoundly.
It's not about showing things casually or arbitrarily, but about thoroughly understanding the character, thinking from the character's perspective, and considering why Qin Ri does what he does in this scene.
Lin Yuan still didn't want to let the role down.
During the filming of "Bloody Past", he kept thinking about whether he was too condescending towards the character.
The character Wei Liang continued in his later filming; whenever he received a new role, he would think of Wei Liang.
Lin Yuan still finds filming "Bloody Past" very difficult, but in his heart, Wei Liang is one of the characters who changed his life.
After Fang Qi announced the start of filming, Lin Yuan immediately switched to Qin Ri's mode.
In this scene, one of Qin Ri's companions leaves. After spending many days together, they have developed a deep bond, and everyone is saddened by the other's departure.
But this is not the first time.
The camera pans to Lin Yuan's face.
A tear rolled down his cheek—Qin Ri remained calm the first time a companion had left.
With such a calm and composed personality, he was the youngest member of the exploration team, yet he had implicitly become the leader.
Everyone thought he was so composed that he wouldn't shed a tear.
Qin Ri himself thought so too.
However, he himself did not even realize that this tear was a tender emotion belonging to Qin Ri.
He hadn't expected it, nor had he realized it. By the time he did, he reached out and wiped it dry, then let out a deep sigh.
The others silently turned their gazes toward Qin Ri.
After several days of exploration, everyone's emotions had gradually hardened, but at this moment, they all reached out and gently patted Qin Ri's shoulder.
The scene was filmed in one take without any interruption.
Fang Qi also smiled slightly. Although "The Storm" aimed to be a hardcore film, the director also valued the dramatic scenes.
The director was naturally very satisfied with the actor's performance.
Especially Lin Yuan.
Clearly, the other party wasn't the kind of actor who liked to deliberately show off. In this exploration team, Qin Ri and his companions were always one.
Lin Yuan didn't think he was better than others, nor did he deliberately show off his skills. He simply immersed himself in the role of Qin Ri, allowing himself to truly become the character.
Lin Yuan's performance in the script of "The Storm" was not particularly outstanding, but that was exactly the effect the director wanted to achieve.
The director felt more than once that choosing Lin Yuan and not considering any other actors was an absolutely correct decision.
He never considered anyone else, so he only pursued Lin Yuan. Unexpectedly, he not only succeeded in pursuing him, but also attracted more investment.
The film "Storm" went through many hardships from preparation to filming. There were not many people in the industry who were optimistic about the project. The investors that Fang Qin was able to attract were just some investors who loved science fiction films.
Even if "The Storm" really made their investment go down the drain, they would be willing to accept it.
Lin Yuan is also one of these investors.
Lin Yuan clearly also liked the character Qin Ri.
Given Lin Yuan's cheerful appearance, people who see him for the first time might think that he and Qin Ri are not a good match. Qin Ri is more composed and calm, the kind of person who can accomplish great things.
But once he gets into character, Lin Yuan becomes Qin the Japanese.
Fang Qi had never questioned Lin Yuan's acting skills. He was quite worried about Lin Yuan's action scenes, fearing that Lin Yuan wouldn't be able to endure the hardship. However, after filming actually began, he discovered that Lin Yuan actually performed this part the best among all the actors, far exceeding the director's expectations.
He thought Lin Yuan was the delicate, pretty boy type.
...
The filming of "The Storm" proceeded smoothly, though it did experience a few setbacks along the way.
Once, the machine malfunctioned, and the actors who were supposed to go off the stage earlier didn't go off immediately.
This incident terrified everyone on the set. After that, the director became much more vigilant about safety, and no similar incidents occurred again.
As an actor, Lin Yuan also didn't want this situation to happen. Safety is always the top priority for both actors and staff.
In particular, the filming of "The Storm" involved many large-scale scenes, and accidents could easily happen if one was not careful.
Fortunately, nothing serious happened this time, which served as a reminder to the crew. If something had really happened... "The Storm" might have been able to continue filming, but for everyone on the crew, it would have been an indelible shadow.
On another occasion, an investor withdrew their investment midway through the process.
The contracts signed between "The Storm" and its investors were not for lump-sum payments, but rather for phased payments. Funds would be received once the filming reached a certain stage, thus preventing the production team from squandering money.
The Titans XX, one of the highest-grossing films in film history, is a prime example. Director James Cuarón is known for his extravagant spending; the estimated budget was exhausted halfway through filming, and the production company, 20th Century Fox, nearly went bankrupt before they finally managed to bring this massive project to fruition.
Fortunately, this movie made a lot of money, which gave Cuarón the opportunity to make his next big production. If it had lost money, he and his production company would have gone bankrupt.
Filming for "The Storm" is underway, but the agreed-upon payments from investors have yet to materialize.
At that time, the production crew did not stop filming, but if this situation continued, the crew would eventually go out of business.
Fang Qi took out his savings.
The director made some money from his previous film, and he is considered a second-generation rich kid. However, investing in films is a bottomless pit. Generally speaking, only laymen and second-generation rich kids like him who do have some ideals can persevere.
The poor have almost no opportunities.
Lin Yuan threw some more in.
After all, they've already filmed this far, so it's impossible to stop. The crew could save some money, but Lin Yuan felt that some scenes couldn't be omitted.
He didn't just impulsively spend money; he saw the completed state of "The Storm".
Lin Yuan was already very confident about the film, and now his confidence has only grown stronger.
He believed Fang Qi would do a good job filming.
Having weathered such a difficult process, the director can't possibly collapse at the last moment.
However, the experiences of the "Storm" crew were still described in great detail.
Most people, upon hearing this news, would simply think that the "Storm" production team was unlucky.
To insiders, this was a sign that the "Storm" production team was doomed.
Why would investors not withdraw their investment sooner or later? It's simply because they don't have a positive outlook on "The Storm."
Clearly, "The Storm" did not achieve the effect the investors wanted; it was indeed poorly made. The investment in this kind of film is huge, and most people simply cannot afford it.
The lead actor is Lin Yuan, so logically, with his name on the list, investors should be more optimistic.
Moreover, subsequent news indicated that director Fang Qi and lead actor Lin Yuan stepped in to resolve the issue.
Marketing accounts have started speculating based on this news—what does it mean?
This means that no outsider is willing to take over.
Fang Qi and Lin Yuan had no choice but to swallow the bitter pill since they couldn't find any new suckers.
If "The Storm" were really as good as expected, with one person directing and the other starring, why would it have come to this?
"Who makes a respectable movie like this?"
"Lin Yuan had been focused on music, and it was rare for him to take on a film and television project. His fans were all set up as if he were a king returning to his throne, but this is what happened... Doesn't he feel embarrassed?"
"I used to be someone who wasn't embarrassed, but now I feel embarrassed. What kind of movie keeps getting the lead actor to invest money, and even does it repeatedly?"
"I feel like 'The Storm' is a complete mess. If you ask me, Lin Yuan is better off making TV dramas. He doesn't have the resources of a well-connected actor, and his acting skills... well, they're all hyped up, but his judgment is really bad. He keeps making bad movies. How can he expect to develop in the film industry?"
"Personally, I think Lin Yuan was more outstanding in his two supporting roles. He's not good at playing leading roles. In 'Ghost Arts,' he was overshadowed by Yu Ying. With his acting skills, how could he compare to Yu Ying?"
Some even compiled a list of past Golden Wing Awards Best Actor winners and drew the conclusion that—
Lin Yuan won the Golden Wing Award by sheer luck. With his abilities, he was far from being qualified to be one of the three Best Actor winners. He was lucky to even be nominated; winning the award was simply wishful thinking.
"It's more like a wild fantasy."
"He's doing well in TV series, and the platform is spoiling him, so he got arrogant and thought he could make his way in the film industry as well. The problem is, is the film industry such an easy place to make it? Look at so-and-so, he's won all the awards for TV series, but he still didn't succeed. He slunk back to making TV series."
Lin Yuan: "..."
As a confident man, these criticisms did not diminish his self-confidence.
Most importantly, he didn't ask for the Golden Wing Award for Best Actor. Can these people please stop lying through their teeth?
Anyway, there were quite a few criticisms of him in connection with "The Storm", but Lin Yuan turned a deaf ear to them. Later, he simply stopped looking at his phone altogether, so as not to affect his mood.
Lin Yuan was used to being criticized, but what he disliked most was that the anger directed at him, because he hadn't responded, was now gradually shifting towards the director and the "Storm" crew.
Some say Fang Qi is overestimating himself, while others say that with such a large investment in "The Storm," why didn't they cast some famous actors? It seems that big-name actors don't even consider "The Storm."
Later, the criticism gradually turned into statements such as the idea that the very idea of launching disaster and science fiction films was a mistake, and that Chinese filmmakers were not good at making films on this subject, lacking the necessary background.
In short, compared to overseas blockbusters, "The Storm" is utterly worthless.
This was the statement that angered Lin Yuan the most.
He acknowledged that overseas blockbusters are indeed very mature and have produced many excellent works on the same subject, but these criticisms are essentially saying that if they are not as good as the others, they should not even start.
If you don't film, how can you possibly surpass it?
In Lin Yuan's mind, Fang Qi is a very brave director. He dares to try things that other great directors dare not try, and even though there are excellent examples overseas, he still strives to break through them.
Lin Yuan was willing to invest in "The Storm" largely because he admired the director's courage.
Someone always has to be a pioneer.
In short, Lin Yuan had heard too much criticism. In the past few days, he could easily find all sorts of "top three" and "Best Actor" articles online. They were all using the same rhetoric, and he was tired of hearing it.
As a result—one day, just as Lin Yuan had put his phone aside and was concentrating on reading the script, his agent showed up at the film set.
Why didn't you answer your phone?
"Luckily, I got in touch with the director," the agent said. "I've already arranged your leave; you can leave now."
"What's wrong?" Lin Yuan asked, looking puzzled.
"Can I just glance at my phone?"
Lin Yuan silently picked up his phone.
He had several missed calls on his phone, from Feng Zeng and... director Ren Maoxing.
Lin Yuan had a vague idea of what was going on.
Speaking of which, when filming wrapped up for "Bloody Past" last year, Ren Maoxing mentioned to him that he should take some time this year to prepare for going abroad.
Lin Yuan remembered it at the time, but as time went by, he gradually forgot it.
Only now did he suddenly remember.
Meanwhile, replacing the news of "The Storm" being withdrawn from funding is the overwhelming news that "Bloody Memories" has been nominated for Best Film at the Walt Film Festival, and Lin Yuan has been nominated for Best Actor.
"The third person in Chinese-language cinema!"—This is the headline of a certain official media outlet.
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Author's Note: [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers] I'm here!!
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