Chapter 562 Spring Festival Gala Performance
"It's my second time performing on the Spring Festival Gala, and I'm still very nervous. This stage has a very special meaning for us Chinese people. This time, the performance we're bringing to the stage is also a very Chinese performance."
Ten days before the live broadcast of the Spring Festival Gala on Lunar New Year's Eve, Lu Yanhe and his two companions began to cooperate with CCTV to carry out promotional activities for the Gala.
CCTV is now making every effort to become a choice for young viewers.
With online video platforms and self-media, CCTV is adept at using all channels. Of course, this also means that CCTV's demand for various types of content has increased.
After Lu Yanhe and the other two were interviewed by a Spring Festival Gala spin-off program, they went to another spin-off program together to participate in a few games.
Of course, they could have refused these jobs. There was no pay for them. But since all three of them had the same schedule and it was a rare opportunity to work together, none of them cared about the compensation.
Artists rarely haggle with CCTV over their pay. At least not on these small amounts.
CCTV has limited dressing rooms, so they were all assigned to the same room.
As evening approached, they ate boxed lunches together in the lounge.
Halfway through the meal, Li Qingbing, the director in charge of their performance, came over.
This director was also the director of their previous film, "Green Apple Paradise".
"You're eating now," Li Qingbing said with a smile after entering the room and seeing the food on the coffee table. "I'll come over later then."
Li Zhibai: "No need, director, stop fussing. If you don't mind, we can eat while we listen to you. Are there any changes?"
Li Qingbing nodded and said, "The production team wants to invite three foreign friends who work or live in China to share their stories after the performance of the song 'Chinese Language'. Originally, we planned to have a host interview them, but after our discussion, we think it would be more effective if each of you were to be responsible for one interview."
After saying that, Li Qingbing explained it in more detail.
"We want this segment to look more authentic," rather than obviously staged.
Although in fact, almost everything that happens on the Spring Festival Gala stage, and every single line that appears, is written in advance in the script, and improvisation is not allowed.
Lu Yanhe and the other two exchanged glances.
“Sure,” Lu Yanhe nodded. “I have no problem with that.”
Li Zhibai and Yan Liang nodded and said there was no problem.
For them, it's really just about staying on stage for a few more minutes and performing the interview questions that need to be asked according to the script.
No wonder it was entrusted to those three.
The song "Chinese" is perfect for this segment.
If the previous "Green Apple Paradise" was a contemporary recollection and commemoration of the youth of their parents, expressing inheritance and remembrance, then this time "Chinese Language" is a display of the younger generation's confidence in Chinese culture and their stance of showcasing cultural strength in a globalized and international context.
What Li Qingbing didn't tell the three of them was how much the directing team valued the performance of "Chinese Language" this year—
Artistic creation inevitably faces a terrible reality: the more mainstream or politically driven a creation is, the less artistic it becomes and the less appealing its content.
But this song, "Chinese Language," has a clear stance and theme, and it's also very lively and pleasant to listen to.
Li Qingbing said with a smile, "When we were choosing between the two songs, 'Chinese' and 'Love,' we struggled for a long time before choosing 'Chinese' because we had already decided that there would be an international friend segment."
Lu Yanhe nodded.
Li Qingbing said, "Could we keep the song 'Love' for now? This song is also very suitable for the CCTV stage."
Lu Yanhe said, "Okay."
Li Qingbing: "Then I won't disturb your meal any longer. See you later."
"good."
-
One day later, the final two episodes of this season of Friends aired.
The peak viewership rating broke 4% for the first time, but it was just a peak, with the average rating per episode remaining at 3.52%. Unfortunately, the average rating per episode did not break 4%.
But in any case, for Friends, which has been resurrected, this comeback match was played exceptionally well.
This not only slapped Beijing and Taiwan in the face, but also dealt a heavy blow to traditional television stations that were gradually entering an era of "living idly and waiting to die".
Yes, the ratings can still reach 3%—the question is, do you have content that can get the ratings to 3%?
Using the ratings of "Friends" as an example, "TV Review" focuses on analyzing why viewers are willing to return to their television sets. Aside from the content and the appeal of the actors, the article emphasizes that "Friends" established a viewing habit for viewers.
There are no fancy scheduling methods; it simply airs on Friday and Saturday nights between December and February each year.
So, at this time of year, viewers will remember that they can watch Friends.
Similarly, why are people willing to sit in front of the TV to watch "Friends"? Because both Beijing TV and Yuehu TV firmly grasp this exclusive window of opportunity and keep the priority of broadcasting in their own hands.
If you want to watch this show ahead of time, you can only watch it on TV.
The article concludes by mentioning that Yuehu TV and "Jump Up" are already working on a new major collaboration, which will shock the entire entertainment industry when it is announced.
...
Li Zhibai and Yan Liang both curiously asked Lu Yanhe what big move he was making.
Lu Yanhe then told Li Zhibai and Yan Liang about the "Jumping Theater" incident.
Li Zhibai exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, that's amazing!"
Yan Liang was also surprised.
"This is really a big move."
Lu Yanhe said, "I might invite you to act in one or two of the shows, so please give us your support."
“Of course,” Yan Liang said. “Moreover, the filming period for this theater production is only one week, so for many actors, scheduling is not an issue.”
No matter how popular an actor is, it's much easier to free up a week's schedule than to free up two or three months' schedule.
Moreover, a week's worth of time is relatively easy to coordinate.
Li Zhibai suddenly remembered something and said, "Someone bought the rights to adapt that short story I wrote before, but it hasn't been adapted after all these years. Is the license about to expire?"
"Not yet," Lu Yanhe said. "Our copyright department is keeping an eye on it. Don't worry, if they haven't started filming by the deadline, the authorization will be revoked. Yuehu TV has also taken a liking to your novel."
Li Zhibai raised the corners of his mouth.
"Or I can do the calculation myself."
“It’s not impossible,” Lu Yanhe said. “You can even film it yourself.”
Li Zhibai: "No, I'm not considering being a producer again for the time being."
Li Zhibai's face darkened as soon as the matter was brought up.
Clearly, "Nineteen Years" has already taken a toll on him.
Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang exchanged a smile.
-
When *The Mist* was released a month ago, it had grossed over $140 million in North America and $260 million worldwide, with overseas box office exceeding $120 million. South Korea and Japan each contributed over $10 million to its box office.
Such a result is "absolutely amazing" for a horror film.
So, while Lu Yanhe was busy with the Spring Festival Gala, Chen Ziyan was finally being urged by D19 Company to start negotiations for the sequel to "The Mist".
Chen Ziyan insisted on a share of the box office revenue, and D19 Company finally compromised and conceded, saying that Lu Yanhe could receive a share of the box office revenue excluding North America.
Chen Ziyan suggested that if this were the case, Lu Yanhe's salary would need to be increased. In addition, a clause regarding box office bonuses would need to be signed—for example, if the sequel's North American box office exceeded $100 million, Lu Yanhe would need to receive an additional bonus.
The two sides argued back and forth on this issue, and negotiated for several rounds.
Fortunately, by this time, Wan Qingqing and Song Jiang had already accumulated some resources in Europe and America.
Before the crucial negotiations, Wan Qingqing had already figured out the basic rules of the situation in Hollywood, and through her connections, she also found out the contract terms that D19 had given to some actors in the past.
Therefore, while Chen Ziyan insisted on not lowering her base salary of 6.5 million yuan, she also demanded that, in addition to the box office revenue sharing outside North America, Lu Yanhe would receive an additional 2 million US dollars as a bonus if the North American box office exceeded 100 million US dollars.
D19 still feels that Chen Ziyan is making unreasonable demands.
However, at this very moment, in Maxine's latest monthly global viewership ranking for TV series, Friends surprisingly broke into the top three worldwide.
At the same time, Chen Ziyan also received a very unexpected invitation.
Lu Yanhe was invited to be a presenter at this year's Oscars ceremony.
At this crucial moment, Chen Ziyan spoke to Lu Yanhe, who immediately agreed.
Therefore, when the Oscars officially announced the third batch of award presenters, the name of Chinese actor Lu Yanhe was prominently listed.
Company D19 was quite surprised.
They have never been an Oscar-affiliated film company; their past films have never followed the Oscar-style formula.
Although they announced their intention to compete for Oscars for "The Mist," especially for Lu Yanhe's performance, it was really all talk and no action; it was mainly just to generate hype for the film's release.
However, the Oscars actually invited Lu Yanhe to be a presenter?
This is certainly not to say that the appearance of Lu Yanhe's name on the nomination list is shocking.
However, this is enough to show that Lu Yanhe has indeed come into the Oscars' sights.
Ultimately, D19 proposed that if the sequel's North American box office could exceed $150 million, meaning it wouldn't be lower than this film, they would agree to pay Lu Yanhe a $2 million reward.
Chen Ziyan was quite satisfied with the terms, so she told Lu Yanhe and they began working on the contract.
On the 29th day of the Lunar New Year, Chinese people have gradually transitioned from work to holiday mode, but this atmosphere is not present overseas.
Variety magazine has once again exclusively revealed that Lu Yanhe is returning for the sequel to "The Mist" with an extremely high salary including a base salary, bonuses, and box office revenue sharing!
Throughout history and across the world, a person's income has always been a topic of great interest.
Lu Yanhe, a Chinese actor, had a successful debut in Hollywood, and his second film was a sequel to that success. Under these circumstances, it is understandable that he could receive a salary far exceeding his market value within the Hollywood system.
Hollywood—or rather, the West—is a place that highly values individual talent. Their cultural tradition reveres "a person given a mission," "a hero." So, if someone plays a decisive role, even if they take half the profits from the film, everyone considers it perfectly reasonable.
Given the current box office performance of "The Mist," D19 can only pay the price for its previous promotional strategy.
Since they focused their marketing on Lu Yanhe's Asian identity, this move not only boosted the film's box office but also increased Lu Yanhe's fame in Europe and America, and his importance to the film. If they were to now claim that the box office success had little to do with Lu Yanhe, not only would Lu Yanhe's side disagree, but the Screen Actors Guild would also be against it.
In Hollywood, why are many famous actors able to hold their own when negotiating with major film studios? Because when they're fighting for their own interests, they're not alone; they have a powerful force supporting them. There's a strong sense of "collective consciousness" in this regard. If someone can secure better treatment or break a certain industry barrier, it actually benefits everyone.
When Variety later revealed that Lu Yanhe's base salary was at least $6 million, media outlets in Europe and America reported on it extensively.
Domestic media also followed up with reports on this matter.
This time, Lu Yanhe's high salary has once again attracted everyone's attention.
Lu Yanhe also found it strange. He remembered that the last time he received widespread attention and discussion because of his high salary was when he appeared on the Spring Festival Gala. How could something like this happen every time he appeared on the Spring Festival Gala?
However, this time it seems that no one attacked him for this.
On the contrary, many people are excited and thrilled about this.
Chen Ziyan: "Because this time you received this salary from abroad, not from within China. If the media were to say that you received 50 or 60 million yuan for making a movie in China, what would people say?"
Lu Yanhe: "I can't get this kind of pay even in the country."
“Indeed, it took a lot of effort to negotiate your 12 million yuan salary for ‘Burning Fire’,” Chen Ziyan smiled. “After this news came out, many film companies in China came to me to confirm its authenticity. They were all worried that if you received such a salary in Hollywood, your salary in China would also rise.”
"The box office of domestic films is now a mystery. Apart from a few people like Jia Long who have very stable performances and can get extremely high salaries and profit sharing, who else dares to ask for too much? Let alone raising salaries, isn't the overall salary trend going down now?"
Due to the unfavorable economic climate, many actors' salaries are decreasing.
Previously, actors' salaries could easily reach tens of millions of yuan, but now, apart from a few top-tier dramas, it's practically impossible to offer such exaggerated figures anymore.
Among young actors, only Lu Yanhe can earn this amount through consistent performance. Li Zhibai and Yan Liang, on the other hand, currently have similar salaries, averaging 500,000 to 800,000 yuan per episode. Three to five years ago, their average salary per episode would definitely have been over 1 million yuan.
The era of raking in money by throwing money at actors is over.
If even popular actors like Li Zhibai and Yan Liang, who have hit dramas, are in this market, then it goes without saying that others are too.
And this is even more true for making movies.
Movie actor salaries are now far lower than those for television drama actors.
Chen Ziyan said, "Actually, apart from 'Burning Fire,' you haven't really taken on any other domestic commercial films."
If it's not a commercial film, the actor's salary won't be much.
Not every film should be concerned with the actor's salary.
Lu Yanhe said, "Now that I have 'The Mist,' can I slow down my pace and not be in such a hurry to make commercial films?"
Chen Ziyan: "Of course, the next thing to watch is the box office performance of 'Burning Fire'. I hope it can gross over 1 billion yuan in China, otherwise it will be lower than the initial expectations for the film."
For "Burning Fire," if the box office doesn't exceed one billion, it will be considered a failure.
With such a star-studded cast and such high special effects production costs, it's clear that this film is aiming for the top spot at the box office that year.
Lu Yanhe asked, "When is 'Burning Fire' scheduled for release?"
"Post-production is not yet complete. If it is completed quickly, it will be released during the summer season. If it is not completed in time, it will probably have to wait until the Spring Festival next year. For a film of the size of 'Burning Fire,' only these two release periods are suitable to achieve its expected box office results."
Lu Yanhe nodded.
-
"Ha, no wonder they all want to become stars. They can earn tens of millions from just one movie."
When Helan heard her father say those words, sounding somewhat drunk, her heart sank.
She knew that her father had always disapproved of celebrities, especially their income.
He Lan didn't actually mean that Lu Yanhe should earn that much money.
Even if she is a fan of Lu Yanhe.
Indeed, this is an era with a huge gap between the rich and the poor. The income disparity between them is so vast that a celebrity may earn more in a month than an ordinary person earns in a lifetime.
This is abnormal.
He Lan has read so many books. While at Zhenhua, he read many introductions, reports and analyses on human progress and social evolution throughout history and across the world.
She also believes that it shouldn't be like this.
However, what Helan wanted to say was that this wasn't Lu Yanhe's problem. It wasn't a problem he caused.
Of course, Helan didn't tell her father anything.
Because she also knew that her father wasn't really targeting Lu Yanhe.
It was just that Lu Yanhe appeared at this time.
-
He Lan has been Chen Siqi's assistant for some time now.
During the time she spent with Chen Siqi, she had a very profound feeling.
Although she was a year older than Chen Siqi, Chen Siqi was far more mature than her.
Helan had this feeling because she realized something.
Chen Siqi never questions or dwells on why a certain situation occurs.
She might get angry and yell at people, but after quickly venting her emotions, she won't get bogged down in them. Instead, she'll use all her strength to resolve the situation.
Moreover, she never believed that there was anything that couldn't be solved.
Although it is a consensus that "we cannot solve everything," Chen Siqi's attitude towards everything has led to her accomplishing far more than others.
Helan felt that it was because she was by Chen Siqi's side and observed her attitude towards people and things that her first reaction to many things also changed.
She used to spend a lot of time asking "Why did such an absurd thing happen?" and "Why did I encounter such an absurd thing?" It was all emotional drain.
Now, the first question she often asks is, "Do I need to solve this problem?"—whether to confront it or ignore it. Once she's decided to confront it, the next question is, "How should I solve this problem?"
-
Faced with the high income of celebrities, which is obviously abnormally high, Helan's reaction was not "Why are they able to get such high compensation?", but rather "Are you questioning why they can get such high compensation, or are you frustrated that you can't get it?"
Helan quickly realized that she was the latter.
She also hopes to earn a higher income.
Therefore, for Helan, the question became "how can she obtain a higher income?"
Of course, people have the right to constantly question fairness and challenge disparities and gaps. This is a right granted to everyone. However, Helan increasingly agrees with the principle that if your questioning and challenging do not bring about any change in reality, then your questioning and challenging are no different from complaining.
-
Helan had no intention of lecturing, so she used to argue with her father, but now she no longer engages in that conversation.
It's always more important to figure out what you want yourself than to convince others what you should want.
He Lan picked up her phone and glanced at the time, saying, "Let's go check on the refrigerator this afternoon. I've received my year-end bonus, and you guys have been saying our refrigerator isn't cooling well, right? Let's get a new one."
"Why buy a new refrigerator now? Wait until there's a sale or discount," Mom said. "Refrigerators are quite expensive now, some good ones cost over ten thousand yuan. You can save one or two thousand yuan during a sale."
He Lan said, "It's okay. I worked hard this year, and my year-end bonus is very generous."
She smiled brightly, "Get a better refrigerator for the New Year, a fresh start for the new year."
After she said that, her parents stopped objecting.
“By the way, Dad, you can just tell me what you were saying earlier, but don’t tell anyone else,” He Lan said. “I work at ‘Jump Up,’ and if you say those things in your capacity, it’s easy for people to take advantage of it and amplify it online, which could affect my work.”
Her father waved his hand and said, "Do you think I don't know this principle? You can rest assured."
That's enough.
"How much was your year-end bonus?" her father suddenly asked.
Helan smiled and said, "120,000."
"How much?!" Her dad sat up straight with a thud.
He Lan said, "Because I haven't been working for long, I earn less. But it will increase in the future. Moreover, according to the company's arrangements and positioning for me, after I accumulate two more years of work experience, I will be put in charge of some business. At that time, my annual income will reach seven figures. Don't tell others that I earn money too easily."
Her dad's expression suddenly became quite interesting, and after a while he said, "Your company is quite generous."
“Yes, our company is not only generous, but also very open and transparent. The more you work, the more you earn. The more irreplaceable your value, the more you can earn,” He Lan said. “Don’t always blame me for not being able to come back and visit you more often. I’m really busy with work and hardly get any rest.”
"Okay, okay, you get back to work."
-
In the evening, after the family had their New Year's Eve dinner, they sat together to watch the Spring Festival Gala.
He Lan kept checking her phone; there really wasn't anything interesting to watch. The programs were almost entirely filled with slogans, which made them uninteresting.
But the sense of ritual still needs to be maintained; even if it's not pretty, you still have to watch it.
What's more, Lu Yanhe's new song is also playing tonight.
Although the song is called "Chinese Language," it sounds rather patriotic and doesn't seem very pleasant to listen to.
At 9 p.m., the program finally aired.
Upon seeing the program information, He Lan was stunned. The lyrics and music were still written by Lu Yanhe.
This was actually written and composed by Lu Yanhe?
Helan was very surprised.
She had seen the song's name before and thought it was a song written by the Spring Festival Gala's production team for Lu Yanhe and the other two to sing.
When a group of children's voices recited in their babbling, "The carrying pole is wide, the bench is long, the carrying pole wants to be tied to the bench," Helan opened her mouth in surprise.
On the screen, a group of little kids were reciting the tongue twister, swaying their heads – a rather adorable sight.
Then, Lu Yanhe and the other two appeared.
It's actually a tongue twister rap?
The melody and style of this song were completely different from what Helan had expected when she saw the song's title.
It's... kind of nice to listen to.
When the three of them sang the line "The whole world is speaking Chinese, and the words of Confucius are becoming more and more international," Helan's father exclaimed in surprise, "These lyrics are really well written."
It sounds nice.
-
—It still has to be Lu Yanhe, "Chinese Language" is awesome.
—I thought it was a mainstream song, but it turns out to be a tongue twister rap.
Tongue twisters seem to have disappeared for a long time; I used to play them in elementary school.
—This song is so cool. Can those who promote mainstream ideology take a look?
—Lu Yanhe has written a new song! He really should write more songs; his acting talent is not enough to overshadow his songwriting talent.
I really hope that the three of them become a regular feature of the Spring Festival Gala every year; this song would definitely be a hit.
—They kept their promise and said they would bring us a stage every year, and this year's stage has arrived.
...
Online discussions about the performance instantly flooded the internet.
The three people quickly became trending topics, along with the words "Chinese language".
After the three of them finished performing the song and completed the interviews with the three international friends according to the script, when they returned backstage, Li Qingbing came over to them very excitedly.
"Your performance was praised by the top leader!"
(End of this chapter)
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