Chapter 311 Afraid of Nothing (8,000-word update, please vote!)
In this industry, it's rare for any news to be kept completely under wraps and the wind to be completely suppressed.
Actors like Lu Yanhe, who are currently enjoying great popularity, are receiving a lot of attention within the industry. His schedule is information that all film and television companies want to know.
However, his agent has rejected almost all of the numerous scripts that various companies have sent to his company over the past six months.
This leaves film and television companies and platforms feeling helpless.
However, given Lu Yanhe's current market value, such a situation is quite normal.
A winner of the Golden Tripod Award, the lead actress in a hit drama with a viewership rating exceeding 2, a popularity comparable to top stars despite being less popular, highly recognized acting skills, an impeccable personal image, and extremely high social evaluation... all these advantages combined make Lu Yanhe a unique figure in the entertainment industry.
His identity as a screenwriter gives him a more unique position in the entertainment industry. Sending him scripts is one thing, but after "Friends" aired, many film and television companies even approached him with offers for projects.
Many people know that Lu Yanhe has two projects in preparation.
One is a sitcom similar to Friends.
One is a "battle royale" themed drama like "The Seventeenth Floor".
To see how the latter fares, we'll have to wait and see how "The Seventeenth Floor" fares.
The former became a coveted prize for larger film and television companies, who wanted to seize it.
Many people wanted to meet Lu Yanhe because of this. However, Lu Yanhe was too difficult to contact, so they eventually had to go to Chen Ziyan.
Chen Ziyan also hinted that the most interested partner for this drama is Aurora Video, which has offered very favorable terms. Lu Yanhe is seriously considering cooperating with Aurora Video.
Lu Yanhe's actions have caused quite a stir in the industry, especially among traditional television stations, all of which want to replicate the ratings miracle of "Friends" on Beijing and Taiwan.
Therefore, upon hearing that Lu Yanhe's primary consideration was the video of the Northern Lights, he was not angry but rather pleased.
They weren't as greedy as Beijing TV—in fact, after "Friends," Lu Yanhe's sitcoms certainly wouldn't be made with an average production cost of five million yuan per episode like "Friends." They would definitely receive top-tier treatment, and with a 2% viewership rating, even a production cost of twenty to thirty million yuan per episode wouldn't be considered high.
"Friends" has been rebroadcast on Beijing and Taiwan at least 30 times, with each rebroadcast generating millions of dollars in advertising revenue.
And this trend looks set to continue, since Friends is not yet available on video platforms, so viewers have to watch it on Beijing TV and Taiwan.
Therefore, Friends had an extremely high rerun rate on Beijing and Taiwan, driving up the ratings by leaps and bounds. There was even a time when the ratings for the 7 a.m. slot were higher than the ratings for the prime time slot that evening. Of course, this only happened once and is an unrepeatable miracle. Nevertheless, it is enough to prove the appeal of Friends.
Under these circumstances, other television stations understood that Lu Yanhe's new drama couldn't be acquired without paying top-tier industry prices. However, if it were to be exclusively broadcast on television like "Friends," without distribution through video platforms to mitigate the risk, a poor viewership would result in huge losses, potentially sending hundreds of millions of yuan to the windfall. Therefore, after analysis, they abandoned their dreams of exclusive television broadcasts.
Now everyone knows that "Friends" was able to be exclusively broadcast on Beijing TV because it was produced and invested in by Beijing TV itself. The cost was low, so even if it flopped, it wouldn't result in a loss. They didn't have those "perfect conditions."
Chen Ziyan contacted Lu Yanhe, and several top-tier TV stations contacted them, wanting to discuss cooperation on a new drama.
At a time like this, Lu Yanhe definitely can't afford to act tough.
He said, "Sister Ziyan, please help me negotiate. Just say that I'm currently filming and studying, and I really can't spare the time. We'll cooperate with whichever company offers the best cooperation proposal."
Chen Ziyan: "They will send at least a director-level executive to talk to us. Don't you want to take this opportunity to get to know them? Getting to know them will be very beneficial for you. Whether you are acting or writing other works later, you will have to deal with them a lot."
“There’s no rush, Sister Ziyan. The main issue is that if I’m there, you know I don’t know much about these things and I’m likely to expose my ignorance, which might make them think I’m not as confident as I am, and they might not be able to offer such high terms.” Lu Yanhe had already analyzed the situation. “If you represent me in handling these matters, and if we really need to find a way to compromise, I can say I’m not satisfied, and they won’t be able to say anything. On the contrary, if I appear with you, they will be able to see that I’m completely relying on you.”
Lu Yanhe's analysis greatly impressed Chen Ziyan—Lu Yanhe had only been a master for two or three years, yet he was already close to completing his apprenticeship.
His self-awareness bordered on the overly rational. There were things Chen Ziyan was too embarrassed to say aloud, but Lu Yanhe could figure it out himself. Actually, Chen Ziyan didn't want Lu Yanhe to intervene immediately—the reason she asked him was that, compared to this matter, she felt it was more important to prevent any unpleasant misunderstandings between her and Lu Yanhe.
If she takes it upon herself to make decisions for Lu Yanhe without asking him, and someone with ulterior motives says something to sow discord with Lu Yanhe, it might cast a shadow over the relationship between her and Lu Yanhe.
There are quite a few agents in the industry who keep their artists in the dark and reap extra profits for themselves.
Chen Ziyan is not that kind of agent, nor should she be mistaken for one.
The former is a matter of character, while the latter is a matter of interpersonal relationships.
While communicating with various partners about cooperation matters, Chen Ziyan also released some updates about Lu Yanhe from time to time.
So, the news that Lu Yanhe had taken on an art film directed by a new director slowly spread.
For Lu Yanhe to take on a film like this at this stage is like when he filmed "Friends"—from a public opinion perspective, it will definitely be more negative than positive.
There's no way around it; that's just how the domestic film and television market is. Film and television projects are graded, and actors are graded too. If Lu Yanhe were a newly popular actor like Yan Liang, it would be a good thing for him to take on a film like "Late Spring"—it's a transition from television to film, and everyone would encourage and be optimistic about it. However, he is Lu Yanhe, no longer a newly popular newcomer. He should be appearing in big-budget productions or works by renowned directors, not in an art film by a new director.
If it weren't for the fact that Lu Yanhe had just released "Friends," a film that had proven everyone wrong, negative reviews would have flooded in immediately upon this news.
However, thanks to Friends, these less-than-pleasant comments circulated only in a small circle.
-
He Yingzi was still upset that Lang Xia wasn't nominated for the Red River Awards. After hearing the news, she immediately started looking into the movie.
"A newcomer? An art film? Really?" He Yingzi couldn't believe it at all. "No way?"
The other party, however, spoke with absolute certainty, saying, "It's true, it's been confirmed."
He Yingzi almost burst out laughing.
"What is Chen Ziyan doing? Getting Lu Yanhe a role in this kind of movie?" He Yingzi's tone was filled with sarcasm. "Couldn't she get Lu Yanhe a better movie? There are so many big-budget movies in China. With Lu Yanhe's current popularity, surely he should have a chance?"
"Maybe they're aiming for the prize."
"Winning awards? If you're going to win awards, you need to make a film by a big-name director. Who makes a film by a new director to win awards?" He Yingzi shook her head and sighed, "What a blunder."
"What group is Lang Xia going to join next?"
“Director Fu Kai is preparing a new movie, and there’s a male lead role that’s suitable for Lang Xia. I’m talking to them about it,” He Yingzi said. “Shang Yongzhou is the lead actor, and there are many people vying for it. I’m still trying to figure out how to get him.”
"Shang Yongzhou? Isn't he Lu Yanhe's senior brother? Why didn't they cast Lu Yanhe for this role?"
“Stop jinxing me! Let me tell you, it’s best if Lu Yanhe doesn’t act in it,” He Yingzi said immediately. “Besides, what kind of senior is he? Why would Shang Yongzhou want Lu Yanhe to act in a movie with him? Lu Yanhe is so popular now, he might threaten Shang Yongzhou’s position in a few years.”
"Threaten Shang Yongzhou's position? You're exaggerating."
"Don't take this lightly. If Lu Yanhe were just an actor, that would be one thing, but he's also a screenwriter who wrote a huge hit. With these two identities combined, his influence in the film and television industry is much greater than that of an actor."
Although He Yingzi disliked Lu Yanhe as a competitor, she had to admit that Lu Yanhe was a threat. In a sense, He Yingzi had even given up on the idea of letting Lang Xia compete with Lu Yanhe, because the two of them were no longer on the same track.
“However, this matter can be put to good use,” He Yingzi said.
-
After class, Lu Yanhe slung his backpack over his shoulder, but instead of going back to his dormitory or to the library, he went outside the school, got into a car, and went to meet Shang Yongzhou.
Chen Ziyan said, "I also suddenly received a call from Shang Yongzhou. They said they wanted to meet with you. I guess it's because of his and Fu Kai's movie project. They want you to co-star with them."
Lu Yanhe was somewhat surprised, "Hmm?"
Chen Ziyan: "Do you remember Fu Kai? He's the director of 'Enjoy Life While You Can't'."
Lu Yanhe nodded. "I remember. I just didn't expect them to come looking for me so suddenly."
Chen Ziyan: "It's not surprising that they would come looking for you; it would be strange if they didn't. Which film project wouldn't want to work with you these days?"
"Is there a script?"
"Yes." Chen Ziyan nodded. "I looked into the situation. The role they want you to play in this script is the third male lead, but he has quite a lot of screen time. He's not just a supporting character. They also said that if you're willing to play the role, they can readjust the script to increase your storyline and make your character more prominent."
Lu Yanhe: "What kind of movie is it?"
"As far as I know, it's similar to 'Live in the Moment,' about a man diagnosed with a terminal illness who decides to make up for his past regrets before he dies. It's a drama film. The character you play is Shang Yongzhou's cousin. Because you're in college, you happen to stay at his place during your vacation, and that's how you end up embarking on this journey to make up for your regrets," Chen Ziyan said.
Lu Yanhe nodded.
Chen Ziyan: "You don't need to worry about the schedule. If we can't film this year, it will be next year. We are currently preparing for it. If you are going to act in it, the script will need to be adjusted."
Previously, when Lu Yanhe encountered problems several times, Shang Yongzhou stood up for him and gave him great support whenever needed.
Regardless of whether Lu Yanhe acts in this drama or not, he will definitely go to meet him and have a serious talk about the role.
This is a matter that Shang Yongzhou deserves respect for.
Moreover, putting that aside, given their relationship with Chen Ziyan alone, Lu Yanhe couldn't simply reject it as an ordinary collaboration.
"Enjoy Life" did very well at the box office, and Fu Kai and Shang Yongzhou reunited to collaborate on this film, which is a common practice in the industry.
Especially the relationship between directors and actors—many directors prefer to use actors they have worked with before because they are familiar with each other and trust each other.
Just like how Chen Lingling immediately contacted Lu Yanhe to schedule a role as soon as she found one suitable for him.
They met at a restaurant.
It was lunchtime.
"Hi, director, senior brother, long time no see."
"I haven't been able to congratulate you in person yet on your great achievement."
"When should we hold a celebration party?" Shang Yongzhou joked with a smile.
After exchanging pleasantries, everyone sat down.
"Did you just finish class?" Shang Yongzhou asked as he saw Lu Yanhe put down his schoolbag.
"Mmm." Lu Yanhe nodded. "I'm hungry."
"Let's eat first," Shang Yongzhou said immediately, "and talk while we eat."
"Hmm, I feel like I could eat a whole cow right now."
"You're always all talk and no action," Chen Ziyan retorted helplessly.
Fu Kai and Shang Yongzhou immediately smiled.
Once the dishes were served, everyone began to eat.
Chen Ziyan said to Shang Yongzhou, "I'm quite curious, why did you take on a role in a show like 'Go, Superstar'? Has it finished filming yet?"
"Filming is finished. There's nothing I can do about it. The production company helped me a lot beforehand, bringing me this script and asking me to act in it. We communicated repeatedly for a long time. Although I knew that this film would probably be heavily criticized after it was made, I couldn't turn it down." Shang Yongzhou said helplessly, "I just hope the box office will be a little better and not too bad."
“The box office won’t be bad, but with your current status, making this kind of lighthearted comedy might make a lot of people uncomfortable,” Chen Ziyan said. “Everyone is already used to your sophisticated image.”
"In that case, making this movie isn't a bad thing. At least it lets everyone know that I'm just an ordinary person," Shang Yongzhou said. "Also, now I can basically only get these kinds of similar roles. There aren't that many good scripts. Most of them seem brainless. As for the better scripts, they're all characters I've played before, so they don't feel fresh."
Lu Yanhe was somewhat surprised when he heard Shang Yongzhou say these things.
He didn't expect that even Shang Yongzhou couldn't get good scripts and was worried about finding good ones.
Suddenly remembering something, Shang Yongzhou looked at Lu Yanhe and said, "I heard you also write movie scripts?"
"Ah, right." Lu Yanhe was eating shrimp, and he quickly chewed it up and swallowed it.
"When are you going to help your senior brother write a script?" Shang Yongzhou said.
Lu Yanhe nodded in agreement.
Chen Ziyan rolled her eyes at Shang Yongzhou and said, "Don't try to fool Xiao Lu. You have so many projects on your hands. Don't try to trick him into writing a script for you. You don't have time to work on it and it's a waste of his energy."
Shang Yongzhou looked aggrieved. "Look at you, now you only know how to protect Xiao Lu and not me anymore."
Chen Ziyan: "What the hell do you need to protect? You have a bunch of Best Actor trophies at home, everyone's begging you to act in their movies."
She succinctly retorted.
Fu Kai was overjoyed and smiled to himself.
As they talked, they got to today's main topic: "The Road to Glory," which they are currently preparing.
"That's quite a grand name," Chen Ziyan couldn't help but remark.
Fu Kai smiled and nodded.
"Indeed, but after thinking about it for a long time, we still feel that this name is the most suitable."
“Jiang Ying’s character was initially cynical, arrogant, and short-tempered. If it weren’t for that, he wouldn’t have stayed at his cousin’s house instead of going home for summer vacation,” Fu Kai said. “As a result, he caused trouble at his cousin’s house, even bringing a girl he had just met to his cousin’s house to be intimate. When his cousin dragged him to be his driver, he was unwilling, and only after being threatened did he accompany him on the road while complaining the whole way. Along the way, as he accompanied his cousin to make up for the regrets in his past life, his mentality was also touched by these past events, and he was slowly influenced and changed.”
Fu Kai briefly described the role of finding Lu Yanhe.
“If the film embodies the idea of ‘making up for regrets’ through the male protagonist, then the character of Jiang Ying embodies the idea of ‘avoiding regrets’. One is looking back on life, and the other is pursuing life forward,” Fu Kai said. “If you are willing to play the role, I will adjust the script in this direction.”
After Fu Kai finished telling him about the character, he nodded.
This kind of story seems to be a classic movie about "life insights," in other words, it's a feel-good story, a healing movie.
But to put it another way, this is a subject that has been filmed to death.
There have been far too many movies like this in the past.
Lu Yanhe made his judgment almost instantly: for such a story, we need to see how the script is written.
If the script is well-written, then such a movie and such a role are worth playing.
But if the script is poorly written, vulgar, and ordinary, then the film will probably be tasteless.
Of course, Lu Yanhe had read Fu Kai's "Enjoy Life While You Can" and knew that this type of story was one of his specialties.
Lu Yanhe was quite optimistic about this.
The script should be good.
Shang Yongzhou added, "This film will still be shot according to the pace of a commercial film."
Lu Yanhe nodded.
The same story can be filmed in completely different ways in commercial films and art films, resulting in entirely different effects.
The reason Shang Yongzhou suddenly added this sentence at this moment is because Fu Kai's narration just now made this story sound like a very classic and orthodox art film, about humanistic care and growth and transformation.
He was reminding Lu Yanhe not to misunderstand the movie.
Lu Yanhe said, "I really like the movie 'Enjoy Life While You Can,' and I am honored to be invited to participate in it. However, since I haven't seen the script yet, I can't just agree to act in it right now."
Chen Ziyan added with a smile, "He always makes sure to read the script before accepting a role."
Fu Kai nodded, "Of course, we understand. This is our latest version of the script. You can take a look at it first. However, in this version, Jiang Ying's role is a bit small. We didn't give him this growth storyline at the beginning. We just made him a cousin who was staying with us and created some conflicts and jokes with the male lead in the early part of the movie."
Lu Yanhe held the script and carefully read the first few pages.
When Lu Yanhe read that the male protagonist, Mo Wen, was about to embark on a journey to make up for his regrets, he realized that in the original script, the role of driver was originally intended to be played by Mo Wen's friend, not his cousin, Jiang Ying.
No wonder they said Jiang Ying was only the third male lead before.
-
This is a typical, classic narrative film script.
It's very well written.
If filmmaking were an exam, this film script would score at least 80 points based on the standard answer.
Lu Yanhe hesitated, unsure whether he should take the role.
To be honest, I didn't have a strong urge to act in this movie.
Judging from the character alone, he is a character that is not very attractive to Lu Yanhe.
He did a lot of terrible things in the early stages and had a bad temper, but later, influenced by his cousin, he showed his kind and gentle side.
Such a character transformation is certainly a process of growth and metamorphosis… but it's all too normal. Lu Yanhe thought to himself, it wasn't even as appealing to him as Yao Yu'an in "The Golden Era," who didn't undergo any changes before or after. To be precise, it was the character's inherent charm that didn't attract him much.
The crux of this film actually lies entirely with Mo Wen, played by Shang Yongzhou. Lu Yanhe was deeply moved by several of his crucial scenes, even just reading the script. The indescribable complex emotions he felt—facing the irreversibility of the past and the precipice of the future—stung Lu Yanhe's heart.
He was just a 21-year-old young man, yet he was still moved and inspired by this emotion.
However, the young cousin in his twenties in the script failed to move or inspire him.
-
When Lu Yanhe shared his hesitation and confusion with Liu Bige, Liu Bige immediately said, "Don't make a decision yet."
"Huh? Why?"
“Wait for them to send you the revised script,” Liu Bige said. “A story told orally is always just a plot. A movie isn’t a plot. Why were you moved by Mo Wen’s parts when you read the script? It’s because he already had complete emotional points. But your character, according to Fu Kai, hasn’t had the really crucial parts written out yet. It’s all just your own imagination. Of course, it can’t move you.”
Lu Yanhe said, "Could there be any changes? The character I'm being offered a role in has already been explained to me."
“Of course there are changes. Think about it, the same thing, in Gui Youguang’s writing it is ‘There is a loquat tree in the courtyard, which my wife planted in the year she died, and now it is tall and spreading like a canopy,’ while in Su Shi’s writing it is ‘Ten years have passed, and we are separated by life and death. I do not think of her, but I cannot forget her.’ But in the writings of many others, it is actually just one sentence: ‘I miss her very much.’” Liu Bige said, “You have already seen that this script is a classic narrative script, which means that it is a film with literary and humanistic qualities. If you do not see the specific script, or even the final cut of the film, you cannot make an objective judgment just by listening to the story. A film is never just a story.”
Liu Bige's words made Lu Yanhe fall into deep thought.
-
Fortunately, Lu Yanhe doesn't need to make a decision immediately regarding "The Road to Glory". They will revise the script for Lu Yanhe first, and he can read it before making a decision.
However, Liu Bige's words brought Lu Yanhe to a much deeper level of reflection than he had expected.
For several days, Lu Yanhe kept thinking about the classic narrative.
In a sense, "The Golden Age" and "Phoenix Terrace" are classic narratives, while "The Seventeen Floors" is a non-classic narrative with attractive subject matter and visuals. It does not completely follow the narrative structure of introduction, development, climax and conclusion. Not to mention "Three Mountains", its authorial characteristics are too obvious. Its influence and style have transcended the structure of the narrative. It is a dream that seems to be a stream of consciousness.
Looking back, the scripts for "Raise the Red Lantern," "Rouge," and "Lost in Thailand" are typical classic narratives. The only differences are in the characters, backgrounds, and styles.
The films he was able to write on his own at this stage were all based on classic narrative stories.
It's not that classic narratives are easy to write because they have a low barrier to entry; rather, it's because classic narratives are classic enough that even those with lower skill levels can imitate them.
Lu Yanhe was greatly affected.
He used to think he had a real talent for screenwriting, but now it seems he's just like someone who owns a gold mine, so no matter what he does, he only produces gold.
Liu Bige has been meeting with Lu Yanhe almost every day these past few days.
He could tell that Lu Yanhe had been in a strange mood these past few days, but he didn't know what was wrong with him.
However, every time they discussed "Late Spring," Liu Bige noticed that Lu Yanhe rarely offered any opinions.
Previously, Lu Yanhe was someone who frequently offered opinions.
"Are you already so satisfied with 'Late Spring'?" Liu Bige asked.
"Huh?" Lu Yanhe was stunned for a moment, looking at him helplessly.
Liu Bige said, "I see you don't have any opinions now. Didn't we always have some new ideas during our previous discussions?"
“I don’t know if the ideas I’ve expressed are right or wrong,” Lu Yanhe said. “Besides, the script itself is already very good.”
“There’s no such thing as a perfect script; it’s always better with revisions,” Liu Bige said. “Moreover, I’d love to hear your opinions and ideas about the script from an actor’s perspective. Different perspectives always reveal different things.”
Lu Yanhe stared blankly into space.
Liu Bige waved his hand in front of him.
"What are you spacing out for?"
Lu Yanhe snapped out of his daze. "Oh, no, I wasn't spacing out."
What is that?
"I...I was just wondering if I really have the ability to be a screenwriter," Lu Yanhe said.
Liu Bige frowned slightly.
"Who told you that the script for Friends was bad again?"
Lu Yanhe: "More or less."
His situation is inexplicable.
Liu Bige: "Don't pay attention to what those people say. Let me tell you, putting everything else aside, being able to write a complete script and gain audience approval already puts you ahead of 99% of screenwriters. Everyone has their own aesthetic sense and is bound by their own prejudices. Ignore those voices, whether they're good or bad. You'll only know if it's good or bad once you've written it. You'll never know if your writing is good or bad if you don't write it. At least you've gained the approval of some people, no, many people. That's solid proof."
Lu Yanhe asked, "Is 'Late Spring' your first time writing a screenplay?"
“Yes.” Liu Bige nodded. “There are some people in the company who are giving me pointers, wanting me to include more kissing scenes in the script. Do I even care about them? They insist that it would be more romantic and that the audience would like it. I was immediately annoyed. ‘Late Spring’ was never a romantic story from the beginning, but as soon as many people hear that the script is about a few teenagers, they immediately get the wrong idea.”
Lu Yanhe was both amused and exasperated upon hearing this.
"This company in Longyan is great in many ways, but the people in charge of script review are really annoying. A bunch of people who have never written a script and don't understand scripts criticize your script. One minute they say it's from a market perspective, the next minute they say it's from a scriptwriting perspective. Anyway, they have all sorts of opinions," Liu Bige said. "Sometimes I really want to tell them, 'If you're so capable, go write a script yourself.'"
"Sometimes I really envy people like you who are very confident."
"Sometimes I really don't understand, where does your lack of confidence come from?" Liu Bige looked at Lu Yanhe speechlessly, "If you're like this and still lack confidence, what about everyone else?"
Lu Yanhe smiled, but had nothing to say.
But after talking with Liu Bige, he was pulled out of his state of self-doubt.
There's nothing to doubt; the facts and results will always tell him whether his idea was right or wrong.
I already said it before, the worst that can happen is failure.
Failure is failure.
He lay on the gold mine, gold dust slipping through his fingers; even if he failed, he would have the resources to make a comeback.
What's there to be afraid of?
-
Still working overtime, just sneaking up to post something.
A construction worker is asking for a monthly pass!
(End of this chapter)
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