Chapter 183 A Complete Plan
Chapter 183
"Why is there so much work?" Lin Yuan felt an urge to flip the table. "That's not what you used to tell me!!"
Lin Yuan remembered clearly that no matter how urgent the partner's request was, Feng would never let Lin Yuan do any work that he thought was not suitable for the time being.
Advertisers all know that Lin Yuan generally doesn't do commercial appearances or advertising shoots while filming. He usually uses his vacation time for promoting his new films.
This may seem like a difficult situation for brands, but over time, they have gradually gotten used to it.
The key is to allocate time reasonably.
Outside of filming, Lin Yuan was at least cooperative.
Moreover, Lin Yuan is not difficult to people; he won't boss people around during filming, or suddenly become uncomfortable and go on strike.
Aside from being quite tired during the filming of "Bloody Past", Lin Yuan was otherwise quite comfortable.
Although he had a lot of work and was involved in many fields, Feng never let him take on too many jobs at the same time.
To date, Lin Yuan has never participated in any dangerous competitive variety shows, and Feng Zeng's attitude towards such invitations is basically to reject them outright.
Actually, Lin Yuan's physical strength is not bad, but his manager always has a motherly mentality and is worried that Lin Yuan might be in danger.
To some extent, Lin Yuan still maintains the mystique of an actor; the reduced exposure means he remains unfathomable to the audience.
Why is Chen Cong being annoying lately?
Many viewers have noticed that even though they don't want to see him, he appears in every show they want to watch.
...
Feng's so-called "selling one's looks" was just to scare Lin Yuan. Although he arranged for Lin Yuan to shoot magazine covers, the number was very small, only two covers.
As Lin Yuan's fame grew, the relationship between his studio and the magazine reversed.
Fashion magazines need Lin Yuan's popularity to increase their visibility and attract attention in the fierce competition, but Lin Yuan's side hopes to minimize his exposure and avoid excessive photoshoots.
Top-tier magazines only release twelve covers a year, making the competition extremely fierce. However, the magazines do not want to lower their standards because of this. Supermodels, international movie stars, A-list celebrities... these standards have never changed.
There are far fewer male actors than female actors in Dengfeng, and the magazine is equally selective in its selection of male actors.
Lin Yuan is one of the few who has both fame and fashion sense.
After winning the Wall Award, Lin Yuan was busy filming and didn't even accept a single cover invitation.
The biggest beneficiary was UNO magazine. During the filming of "Bloody Memories", UNO took a series of photos of Lin Yuan with the theme of the film. After the news of the Wall Award came, the number of views of this issue of UNO's digital magazine soared. And when "Bloody Memories" was released in China, UNO gained a lot of attention more than a year after the release of this cover.
Lin Yuan's photoshoot for Star magazine this time is also one of the top-tier publications.
Star magazine had already arranged a shoot with Lin Yuan in the first half of the year. To be precise, this invitation had been pending for several years, but for various reasons, Lin Yuan had not been able to film it. This time, however, he was determined to accept it.
"It must be eye-catching." This was the editor-in-chief of Star magazine's requirement for this issue's cover.
It is said that the cover Lin Yuan shot for UNO was voted the best in the world when UNO headquarters held a selection process.
Lin Yuan's appearance on the cover has been described as "becoming a link in the ecosystem".
This statement is obviously an exaggeration.
However, it is undeniable that the cover had a very strong reach, which gave UNO a very strong presence.
Lin Yuan only shot two covers for UNO, but because the two covers have such strong personal characteristics, they give people the illusion that Lin Yuan and UNO are tied together.
At least UNO is good at filming—that's the impression celebrities and brands have of UNO.
As a result, celebrities are more willing to accept invitations from UNO, and brands are more willing to place advertisements in UNO.
When UNO first invited Lin Yuan, it was still at the bottom of the four major first-tier magazines. At that time, the major first-tier magazines were undergoing a transition between old and new generations, and each had its own promising newcomers.
It wasn't that UNO was particularly enthusiastic about Lin Yuan, but rather that under those circumstances, UNO had no choice but to invite him.
But Lin Yuan grew rapidly and became a towering tree. The appearance of a celebrity on the cover was originally a win-win situation, but in the process of Lin Yuan's collaboration with UNO, UNO obviously won more.
Star magazine went all out to create a classic cover.
The editor-in-chief was full of enthusiasm, while the photographer was indifferent. It wasn't that the photographer had any objections, but—the editor-in-chief didn't need to take any pictures; it was him who needed to be photographed!
Are classic covers so easy to capture?
Often, classics are created by chance; being too deliberate will only cause you to miss the opportunity.
This was the photographer's first time working with Lin Yuan. To be honest, when I first saw Lin Yuan, I wasn't particularly impressed. He doesn't have a very refined face.
Nowadays, there are more and more exquisite beauties in the entertainment industry. While they are beautiful, focusing too much on facial beauty diminishes the sense of story behind them.
Photography requires negative space.
However, Lin Yuan doesn't have the kind of appearance that tells a story. When we arrived at the filming location, Lin Yuan was already there, sitting alone in a corner playing on his phone.
He was wearing a simple sweater and a woolen hat, and the photographer almost didn't recognize him if he hadn't suddenly stood up.
Regarding Lin Yuan's lack of expressiveness in his face, the photographer quickly changed his mind during the subsequent shoot.
Lin Yuan is simply a photography genius!
To be precise, he is a genius at interpreting the term "storytelling"!
The moment the camera is pointed at him, he knows exactly how to stand and pose. But that's not the point. The point is that the moment he finishes his makeup, Lin Yuan naturally blends into the theme.
How could it be so fast?
Moreover, Lin Yuan's photos exude a powerful aura—full of murderous intent!
The cover theme of this issue of Star is warrior, and Lin Yuan's image is that of a war god in the wilderness. It sounds very impressive, but the actual shooting content was to find an open river beach, put several industrial fans blowing hard on Lin Yuan, and Lin Yuan stood proudly in the middle, just like a war god in the wilderness.
Lin Yuan: "..."
Anyway, after filming so many movies, he was able to meet all sorts of difficult requests.
The photographer wanted even more murderous intent in his eyes, so Lin Yuan kept building up that intent, building up, building up...
According to the assistant who witnessed the filming, Lin Yuan's eyes were wide open like lightning.
What description?
Although the shooting process was filled with various humorous moments, the final result was quite good. Lin Yuan was quite satisfied after looking at a few pictures.
The magazine *Star* captured both the howling wind and the murderous aura carried by it.
Lin Yuan was also confused when the magazine made the request before the shoot.
The vague concept of "killing intent" is difficult to express; being too fierce would seem excessive. So, gradually, "killing intent" evolved into "being a little fierce," and then into "resisting the cold wind."
Lin Yuan said that he has extensive experience in dealing with cold winds; other winds are no match for him, but he can easily handle cold winds.
At this temperature, with several large fans blowing directly at him, Lin Yuan felt like he was being blown into an idiot.
"The photos are quite good." Lin Yuanzhen thought they were good. Of course, Star magazine edited the photos for him, but not too much.
Lin Yuan really disliked photos that were edited too much and became distorted; he felt that the photos weren't of him, but of some other person he didn't know.
Lin Yuan relayed his feedback to Star magazine—he had no objections to it.
The magazine's response: "?!"
This answer was unexpected.
Big-name magazines like Star don't usually get harassed, but celebrities still occasionally offer their opinions indirectly. If it's a second-tier or lower-tier magazine, the photos even have to be reviewed by the celebrities after they're taken. Some celebrities make demands one photo at a time, only caring about their own beauty and completely disregarding the harmony between the people and the image.
However, celebrities like Lin Yuan who have absolutely no requirements are still a minority.
"Star" was my first collaboration with Lin Yuan, and also the first time I learned about Lin Yuan's style.
Lin Yuan was so decisive that Star finally realized what kind of good life UNO had been living before.
"No wonder he's always thinking about cooperating with Lin Yuan, huh."
Just as Star magazine extended a collaboration offer to Lin Yuan, rumors circulated within the industry that Lin Yuan would be making his third appearance on the cover of UNO.
"No wonder..."
Everyone says that UNO grew up with Lin Yuan, but no, Star is also willing to grow up with Lin Yuan.
After shooting the cover of "Star", Lin Yuan had only completed less than 10% of his workload. Don't ask him why he has so much work; he doesn't know either.
The next important task is to promote "The Storm".
The production team attached great importance to it, and Lin Yuan himself also attached great importance to it.
First, he invested in "The Storm," and second, "The Storm" decided to challenge the Spring Festival release window.
This is the most competitive period of the year in the film industry, a peak that every film actor must challenge.
Many film crews have made a fortune during the Spring Festival season, but countless others have also shed bitter tears during this period – it's not uncommon for films to cause some actors to retire from the film industry, investors to the point of despair, and directors to have mental breakdowns.
"The Storm" is only Lin Yuan's third starring film, yet he resolutely chose this release date.
The movie could have been released during the summer vacation, but after several meetings, the production team finally decided to release it during the Spring Festival.
The competition is fierce, but it's also a period where it's easy to achieve big results with a small investment.
Besides, there's something in the core of the film "The Storm" that makes it worthy of being released during the Spring Festival.
Lin Yuan: "..."
To some extent, he can only win during the Spring Festival film season; if he loses, his commercial film career will probably be over.
There are many bloody examples in the industry. Although Lin Yuan has not experienced them, he can still empathize with them.
If he succeeds, the world will be his oyster; if he fails... well, no one will dare ask him to lead a big production.
So far, Lin Yuan's box office performance is 1 billion+ for "Ghost Arts" and 300 million+ for "Bloody Past". Both of these films made money, and the profits are quite enviable. However, objectively speaking, in terms of box office performance alone, Lin Yuan has never single-handedly carried a truly blockbuster.
"The Storm" clearly falls into this category.
Lin Yuan felt an overwhelming pressure.
While he was experiencing the pressure, his agent brought him even greater pressure: "The Detective with the Magic Eye is expected to be released next summer."
"Oh no!" Lin Yuan collapsed onto the sofa.
Having taken on both the Spring Festival and summer movie seasons, he's truly a god of war in the wilderness now.
Objectively speaking, however, "The Storm" is a good fit for the Spring Festival season, and "The Detective" is also a good fit for the summer season.
"The Storm" could be moved to next October, but the production team is worried that things might change, as no one knows what new films will be released next October.
The production team's idea was to release the film as early as possible, even though the Spring Festival season meant competition and more marketing costs.
But the crew of "The Storm" was mentally prepared.
In addition, everyone in the "Storm" team, including Lin Yuan, is very confident about the film.
After the promotional campaign started, Lin Yuan first saw the finished product.
Lin Yuan could only use the word "shocked" to describe his feelings at that moment.
The special effects created a world that didn't exist, yet he was able to immerse himself in it.
This is something that performances cannot achieve.
Hollywood's appeal and enduring success stem from its massive film industry, the support of the huge North American market, and of course, its vast global box office.
Countries with small film markets cannot develop a film industry. Film investments of around one billion dollars are simply impossible to achieve without a market size of several billion dollars.
That's why "Storm" was born and can exist.
Lin Yuan was able to witness the birth of "Storm" and participate in it.
When Lin Yuan decided to participate in "The Storm", he never thought that the director could make the movie like this. At that time, as long as the effect of "The Storm" could reach 50% of the final film, Lin Yuan was willing to take the role.
"The Storm" far exceeded his expectations.
Lin Yuan felt like crying.
Previously, when filming "Ghost Arts" and "Bloody Past", the director did not let Lin Yuan see the finished film immediately. This time, the reason why the director let him see "The Storm" immediately is probably because he is very proud of "The Storm".
Lin Yuan felt the same way.
"Didn't you not want to do anything before?" the manager couldn't help but complain.
“My feelings back then were completely different from now,” Lin Yuan said, rolling up his sleeves. “I’m full of motivation now.”
He previously thought that the competition during the Spring Festival film season was extremely fierce, and with "The Storm" being released like this, it might not necessarily flop.
But now Lin Yuan feels that it is his responsibility to promote "Storm" and that anyone who fails to appreciate the beauty of "Storm" is guilty of a crime.
Feng Zeng: "..."
#Greasy#
The Storm had three trailers prepared, but the first one was released in November.
The National Day holiday film season has just ended, and many viewers only have an impression of the films released during that period, while the promotion for the Spring Festival film season has already begun.
"The Storm" was the first film to announce its release date for the Spring Festival. Currently, a total of five films have officially announced their release dates for the Spring Festival, and if nothing unexpected happens, more will be added later.
"The Storm" is a science fiction disaster film, and the Spring Festival season will surely include family-friendly comedies, an animated film known as the "wall of masterpieces," and a patriotic film.
Lin Yuan saw Chen Cong's name in the cast list of this patriotic film once again.
"I didn't think he would try to make it into the Spring Festival film season." In Lin Yuan's memory, Chen Cong was not the kind of person who would take risks.
Feng looked at him speechlessly: "Didn't you see who the lead actor in the movie is?"
"I saw it."
"Then why are you asking?"
Chen Yushen, the lead actor in the patriotic film "Eagle Soars to the Sky," is a veteran tough guy actor and a regular in the Spring Festival and National Day film seasons. He has a good reputation and audiences are very supportive of him.
"Chen Yushen will take care of the box office anyway, so he can just wait to reap the rewards as the second lead."
Lin Yuan sighed with envy, "That's wonderful."
“That’s not good either.” Feng Zeng opposed Lin Yuan’s idea. “He has developed a path dependency now. Directors also know his style. No one will dare to let him carry the box office in the future.”
In the film industry, actors rise to prominence either through awards or through box office success.
Chen Cong may rise to fame through awards, but the competition in the film industry is essentially a competition of box office revenue. To become a superstar, one must have the ability to carry the box office.
This is also true in Hollywood.
In Feng Zeng's view, if Chen Cong wins a bunch of awards, the prestige of those awards will inevitably decrease, and at that point, it's hard to say whether he will be able to rise to the top.
...
Lin Yuan forwarded the first promotional video for "The Storm" as quickly as possible.
The first segment is merely a prelude, explaining the background story of "The Storm".
A violent storm swept across the Earth, and humanity began searching for a way to survive.
What came into view was a fierce storm that, without any warning, instantly swallowed the earth with ice and snow, turning everything into a world of white. In the hearts of those who love romance, this snow scene would probably remind them of a snow country.
However, "The Storm" has nothing to do with romance.
The trailer for "The Storm" already used special effects, and in Lin Yuan's opinion, the special effects were not fake at all; on the contrary, they gave people a sense of immersive realism.
Rivers freeze, vegetation stops growing, and under the storms of nature, humans become an extremely weak species... All of this is shown in just a few minutes of the promotional video.
Lin Yuan wanted to reveal more, telling the audience that as long as they watched "The Storm," the entire movie would be filled with such scenes.
"No one will believe me if I say that, right?"
"Maybe."
Domestic special effects films have been developing well in recent years, but many films only make the audience feel cheated. All the special effects in the film are in the trailers, while the rest are poorly made. In addition, the plot of special effects movies is generally not very good. They try to make up for the lack of plot with special effects.
Lin Yuan is worried that viewers will also have such misunderstandings about "The Storm".
However—this did not happen after he retweeted the promotional video for "The Storm".
Lin Yuan certainly didn't expect it to happen, but to be honest, he was quite surprised.
Feng then found a bunch of screenshots, which can be found by searching the keywords "Lin Yuan" and "storm".
It's only November, and many viewers are already discussing the Spring Festival film season.
For other movies, audiences have different preferences; some are interested in certain themes, while others have no interest in certain types of movies.
But as Lin Yuan scrolled down his phone, he saw five or six very similar reviews for "The Storm".
The content states, "Starring Lin Yuan, it shouldn't be too bad."
Based solely on the trailers and details revealed so far, audiences have no idea what kind of movie "The Storm" is, but the name Lin Yuan alone is enough to make them willing to give it a try.
Even if they don't like the content or the subject matter of "The Storm," they believe that "it can't be too bad" because "Lin Yuan is the lead actor."
Since "Bloody Past", Lin Yuan has always felt that his efforts have finally borne fruit.
Seeing these comments intensified his feelings.
After becoming an actor, Lin Yuan often experienced periods of burnout, especially when some roles were too demanding, and he always felt that his energy and spirit had been drained.
This is what keeps him going and determined to become a good actor. It's hard for him not to be moved by these comments. He feels that his efforts have been rewarded, not only financially, but also spiritually.
With such a great work as "The Storm" and so much audience support, we absolutely have to give it our all!
...
Lin Yuan had only made up his mind to work hard for three seconds when Feng Zeng extended a new invitation.
Lin Yuan: "..."
He realized that the agent was taking a opportunistic approach, immediately bringing him new work as soon as he sensed that the agent was motivated to work.
"Actually, I wasn't that moved."
“You were just crying,” Feng Zeng said in a low voice. “Can’t you try a little harder for your fans who support you?”
Lin Yuan took the new script from him and flipped through it from the first page to the last. When he returned to the first page, Lin Yuan looked at Feng Zeng and asked, "Who is the other actor?"
This is also a movie, with a dual male lead setup, and the story of a pair of undercover agents.
The script is definitely up to standard, but this is a film with two male leads, so if Lin Yuan takes the role, the other co-star will be quite important.
This film needs two people to carry it; Lin Yuan alone cannot do it.
Feng Zeng didn't answer immediately, and Lin Yuan had a vague idea of what was going on: "Chen Cong?"
"How could I possibly let you cooperate with him? I would never work for him, no matter who else I'm working for."
"Then what about He Mian?"
Feng snapped his fingers, thinking Lin Yuan was incredibly clever: "This script was initiated by his side."
He Mian's desire to transform his career is well-known within the industry, but he just hasn't found the right opportunity yet.
When Lin Yuan took on the role in "The Powerful Minister," he was already a top-tier actor. His achievements in television dramas were undeniable and at their peak, but his performance in film was mediocre.
He Mian is in a rather awkward position right now. He either needs to develop his career in the drama industry or try harder in the film industry.
The problem is that most of the dramas starring young actors revolve around male leads who are over 40. He Mian hasn't reached that age yet. He now thinks "The Powerful Minister" is a great script for his transition, but he didn't think much of it back then.
He naturally regrets it now, but so much time has passed that there's no need to dwell on it anymore.
He Mian plans to further expand his efforts in the film industry.
He had lost an opportunity to Chen Cong before, and now that he had finally encountered a good script, he was determined not to miss it.
He Mian felt that this script with two male leads was tailor-made for him. The problem was, who should he invite as the other male lead?
For some reason, the first name that flashed through He Mian's mind was Lin Yuan.
It's amazing. He and Lin Yuan were clearly rivals, and he even felt envious and jealous of Lin Yuan. His acting career was much smoother than Lin Yuan's in the early stages, but at some point, Lin Yuan seemed to have taken off like a rocket, leaving him far behind.
He Mian had always wanted to break into the film industry, and Lin Yuan also easily succeeded.
But when he thought about his co-stars in the new film, He Mian could only think of Lin Yuan. He didn't even hesitate or add any new candidates.
What exactly is this...?
In short, He Mian conveyed his opinions to the production team.
"Will Lin Yuan agree? I haven't heard that he has a new movie to film, and he hasn't joined any productions yet, so his schedule should be free. The problem is..."
The agent didn't continue speaking, and He Mian also fell silent.
The question is whether Lin Yuan is willing to accept it.
To be honest, He Mian had absolutely no confidence.
Others might be willing to cooperate with him, but Lin Yuan is different; the other party might not agree.
The two male leads in this script each have their own strengths, and for Lin Yuan, handling it is naturally not a problem, but... Lin Yuan's need for this script is far less than He Mian's.
This script could give his career a boost, but it will probably have very limited impact on Lin Yuan, who no longer needs any more awards.
"No, that won't happen," his agent reassured him. "Who would complain about not having enough prize money?"
Although... the agent's words also seemed somewhat unconvincing, after all, Lin Yuan already had a Wall Award.
"This script is really good," the agent said. "Anyway, it's just an invitation now. If Lin Yuan doesn't want to act, we can find someone else."
He spoke while glancing at He Mian's expression.
The agent was starting to have a headache.
He had mentored He Mian for many years and knew his personality quite well. In essence, He Mian was a rather willful person who wanted to act only to the best of his ability and was unwilling to compromise.
Just like when buying things, he has to buy something that satisfies him the most, otherwise he will be unhappy.
He thinks Lin Yuan is good now, so he thinks he's good no matter what. Others aren't so good, and even if he were to work with someone else, he might not be satisfied.
But now, the decision rests with Lin Yuan, not with him.
If Lin Yuan doesn't agree, can he conjure up another Lin Yuan to cooperate with him?
Can you please stop being so willful at a time like this?
The agent couldn't help but complain inwardly.
"I heard Lin Yuan is quite easy to talk to," the agent said, trying to make conversation.
“He’s not so easy to talk to when it comes to the script.”
broker:"……"
Since I know this fact, why force it?
Well, that's just He Mian's personality; he can't persuade him at all, so let him be.
...
Lin Yuan was unaware that He Mian was so anxious. When the invitation came, he treated it as an ordinary invitation. Even though the co-star was He Mian, there was nothing particularly noteworthy about it to Lin Yuan.
As long as the script is good and the acting of the other actors is good, that's enough.
The script clearly fits all the criteria, so Lin Yuan's concern became—does he have the time?
Lin Yuan plans to write some songs and try to hold a concert as soon as possible.
Yes, while he focuses on his acting career, his fans say, "Kangaroo, don't forget you also have a group of fans."
Especially recently, singers have been holding concerts frequently, and even those who haven't released as many songs as Lin Yuan have been holding concerts under the guise of music concerts.
Why shouldn't Lin Yuan open it?
Fans have already figured out what's going on for Lin Yuan: if he writes ten songs a month, that's 120 songs a year, and he can go on a national tour.
"The plan is complete, we can begin now!"
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Author's Note: [Starry eyes][Starry eyes][Starry eyes] It's here!!!
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