Chapter 639 Music Comprehensive Project
"It's always better to expose something yourself than to have someone else expose it."
These words were spoken by Chen Ziyan.
Chen Ziyan was very satisfied with the crew's quick response this time.
Some things may seem like trivial matters to you, but they can, like a butterfly flapping its wings, eventually turn into a tornado on the other side of the ocean.
When it comes to matters involving Lu Yanhe, Chen Ziyan always adheres to the principle that "no matter is too small."
After learning that Lu Yanhe was moved by this incident, Chen Ziyan simply smiled.
“Reflection is a good thing, but I’m not surprised at all that you did that before,” Chen Ziyan said. “That was your first time directing, and you were feeling insecure. Your attitude was that as long as the film could be made, you would rather avoid trouble. I don’t believe you really didn’t mind.”
Lu Yanhe: "Actually, besides this reason, I had another idea at the time."
What are your thoughts?
“I think they were talking behind my back, but I overheard them. Who doesn’t say a few bad things about others behind their backs? And, most importantly, I understand their resentment. They work hard every day but only earn a little bit of money, while I enjoy the best treatment on set and my income is many times higher than theirs.”
“I noticed you have a guilty conscience a long time ago. You always feel unworthy of everything you have,” Chen Ziyan said. “Of course, you are indeed in an industry that enjoys social benefits, but you didn’t steal or rob it. This industry exists, and if you don’t earn this money, someone else will. Those industries and positions with low incomes are not low-income because of the existence of this industry or you. You must change your mindset.”
Chen Ziyan's words are always incisive.
She knew very well the root of the problem behind Lu Yanhe's various thoughts.
“At first, I thought you were a bit too saintly and too lenient with others. But then I realized that it wasn’t. You just do everything because you feel at peace with yourself. You can do things that others might find cruel, but if you don’t feel at peace with yourself, you’ll struggle even if everyone calls you a saint,” Chen Ziyan said. “You’re a very thoughtful person, which is a good thing. Of course, it’s hard for any of us to truly understand or empathize with your situation, but this time you’ve been able to reflect on your past behavior, which makes me a little worried.”
“What are you worried about? I thought you were going to praise me for my progress, for realizing that my past behavior was wrong, and that I shouldn’t let those who slandered me behind my back get away with it,” Lu Yanhe said.
“But your reflection itself makes me worry,” Chen Ziyan said. “I would rather you were someone with a less high sense of morality, or you were a true saint who defends your morals from beginning to end. Either way, I will protect you. But what people fear most is being caught between two extremes, unable to reach either side, yet constantly struggling with both. Do you remember when you were too tense and your facial expressions became uncontrollable? That incident made me realize that your mental resilience is actually not very high.”
Lu Yanhe wanted to defend himself.
He wanted to say that he hadn't had this problem for a long time.
Chen Ziyan: "It's been so long, and you were still hit by a boomerang, which means you didn't really let go of that matter and stop caring about them back then."
Lu Yanhe: "Now that you mention it, I feel like my mental health issues are a bit serious?"
“You’re making a mountain out of a molehill. At least on this issue, the root of the problem is that you feel guilty about everything you have,” Chen Ziyan said. “So, you can’t feel at ease.”
Lu Yanhe felt like he had been hit hard.
That's so accurate.
Chen Ziyan said, "It's okay. I'm just telling you where your problem lies. As for whether you can change it or not, even if I told you, you might not be able to change it now. You need to adapt to it slowly. You're still too unsettled because you became rich too quickly. Look at those rich kids who were born with a silver spoon in their mouths. Do any of them feel uneasy or resentful because of their good background? I believe you understand the reasoning. You just need time to adjust."
Chen Ziyan suddenly asked again, "Do you sometimes find your own personality a bit annoying?"
Lu Yanhe hummed in agreement. "How did you know?"
“Because it’s not surprising,” Chen Ziyan said. “How can you be a top-notch actor without internal conflict, without being caught in a dilemma, and without emotional instability? I’m telling you all this for two reasons: first, to tell you that your situation is nothing to worry about, not a problem; second, to let you know that you don’t actually need to change these things. You can accept that you are a contradictory person, a person who is indecisive, a person who wants everything. If one day you become a saint, full of grand principles and practice what you preach, or simply abandon those moral principles and act on impulse, you may become a more famous star, but you may not be able to become a top-notch creator.”
Lu Yanhe was taken aback.
She never expected that Chen Ziyan would end up here at this crucial moment.
“Internal friction is nothing, but you should talk to the people around you more, don’t keep it to yourself,” Chen Ziyan said. “As long as you don’t keep it to yourself, internal friction is fine.”
"Sister Ziyan, I thought you would advise me not to fight amongst myself."
"Do you think you can do it just by advising me not to fight amongst myself?" Chen Ziyan said. "What's the point of advising you if I know you can't do it?"
Lu Yanhe felt a little embarrassed when he heard Chen Ziyan say that.
He was actually aware of his own problems.
-
"I think the luckiest thing for you as an artist is that you met a manager like Sister Ziyan who understands you. Even though you are so popular and can write scripts, she has never made making money the primary goal of working with you."
After listening to Lu Yanhe ramble on about his recent "philosophy of life" on the phone, Chen Siqi accurately summarized the most practical parts that needed to be extracted from his ramblings.
“Sometimes I worry that, like many outstanding artists, you might become increasingly detached from reality and fall into a state of self-absorption as you progress,” Chen Siqi said frankly. “Even though you seem perfectly normal now.”
Lu Yanhe found it hard to believe.
"No way?"
Lu Yanhe never imagined that in Chen Ziyan and Chen Siqi's eyes, he was actually a potential "mentally unstable patient".
Chen Siqi: "Think about it, Yan He, how much have you done in the past few years? You've acted, written songs, and written scripts. What you've accomplished in the past five years is probably more than five people could accomplish in a lifetime. We all know that creators at their creative peak cannot be viewed as ordinary people. However, we also have to pay attention to your mental state. Sister Ziyan has been trying to help you have more time outside of creation, and so do I. We're all afraid that you'll become too immersed in it and eventually find it harder and harder to extricate yourself."
Lu Yanhe was really dumbfounded.
He knows that sometimes, when he's pressed for time or when inspiration strikes, he'll throw himself 100% into creating a piece. For example, that night when he was writing "Dragon Inn".
However, he is not a normal creator. Those stories are not his own creations; he simply copied and pasted them.
However, he couldn't explain this to others.
In the eyes of others, he was a genius.
A perpetual motion machine that can continuously create good scripts.
However, this becomes a hidden danger that those who care about him cannot help but worry about.
Lu Yanhe said very seriously, "Don't worry, I won't go that far."
-
There are actors who are obsessed with their roles; some actors even find themselves unable to detach themselves from a character six months after filming wraps up.
Lu Yanhe is not this type of actor.
He does get caught up in a role sometimes, but usually he gets over it within two or three days after filming wraps up, at most a week.
The same applies to creative work.
Lu Yanhe wouldn't say he hadn't experienced that feeling of being in an empty place; he certainly had, but he usually only dabbled in it briefly.
He himself would realize that he couldn't stay in that state for long.
Lu Yanhe didn't think he would actually have this kind of problem because he knew he wasn't actually that "genius"; he was just an ordinary person with ordinary flaws. To say that his ability to create different types of stories and characters made him capable of having a split personality was a possibility...
Even if everyone thinks that way, he knows very well that's not the case.
What Lu Yanhe didn't expect was that what was originally just a small matter of discussing whether he was too demanding of himself and was having some internal conflict would eventually make him suddenly realize that the people around him had such concerns about him.
-
The day filming for "Chinese Paladin" wrapped up.
Luo Yuzhong patted him on the shoulder and said, "You did a good job this time. It's much better than when you did 'The Golden Era.' You've become a mature actor."
Lu Yanhe laughed.
"Thank you, teacher."
Overall, filming "Chinese Paladin" didn't present any significant challenges for him. He prepared diligently and acted earnestly. Coupled with the excellent work of the production team, both Luo Yuzhong and he were very satisfied with the final result.
Lu Yanhe certainly doesn't need to rely on this drama to boost his career anymore.
However, Lu Yanhe was still quite satisfied with being able to portray the role well.
This sense of accomplishment from completing a role is a unique feeling that truly belongs to him.
Both Li Zhibai and Yan Liang still need to continue filming in the production crew.
Yan Liang's filming won't wrap up until mid-to-late November, while Li Zhibai's wrap-up will be even later, in December.
Filming TV series, especially long ones like this, is very time-consuming.
After finishing filming "Chinese Paladin", Lu Yanhe rested for two days before returning to participate in the final stage of the recording of the season of "The Days of Youth".
He could still catch up, but Li Zhibai and Yan Liang couldn't.
Lu Yanhe had originally thought that he might as well not participate this season.
However, Li Zhenzhen contacted him many times, repeatedly telling him that if he could return in the last few episodes, it would definitely be a surprise for the show's fans.
Furthermore, Lu Yanhe hadn't seen Liu Zhiyin and the others for a long time.
So, in the end, Lu Yanhe decided to go.
We also discussed collaborating on two OSTs by Qin Zhibai and Song Linxin.
-
Just look at Qin Zhibai and Song Linxin to see how declining the music scene is these days.
They are both among the best of the younger generation of musicians in terms of image, fame, and talent.
However, due to the overall decline in the industry's influence, their status within the industry has remained lukewarm.
Even though they've been in the industry for several years, people still perceive them as singers who have just debuted. Of course, there are deeper reasons behind this.
Qin Zhibai is in a slightly better position.
He is a second-generation rich kid, and the main reason he came to the entertainment industry to become a singer is that he loves singing and music.
However, Song Linxin's family is not like Qin Zhibai's; they are not wealthy or well-connected.
She really needs this job to make a living.
Of course, it's impossible for her to say that she can't make a living now.
However, Song Linxin has often felt powerless in the past two years. She doesn't know how to overcome this feeling of powerlessness. Every year she has one or two new songs that become quite popular, and the data in all aspects is very good. However, this is of no use. No one can deny that she is a popular singer, and she is invited to all kinds of events and commercial performances.
But then what?
If actors aspire to be Best Actor or Best Actress, what are the dreams of singers?
Twenty years ago, or even ten years ago, everyone dreamed of becoming a superstar.
Back then, there were already established figures and a clear path to success. Singers who weren't famous or high enough had a goal to strive for.
However, the so-called superstars of today are products of that era.
There are no superstars left these days.
Not only is this gone, but the music industry doesn't even have a single professional and influential award anymore.
TV dramas and movies have three major awards, but pop music... sorry, those awards have been abandoned in some corner of the world, probably all moldy.
Song Linxin often felt lost.
I don't know what I'm striving for.
Compared to Qin Zhibai, if they share the commonality of both possessing outstanding musical talent and a passion for music, then their biggest difference lies in this: Qin Zhibai simply loves music; whether music can bring him worldly rewards, such as industry status or substantial income, is not his concern, and he doesn't rely on those. Song Linxin, however, does care.
So, is she short of money now? No, she's not rich, but she's not poor either. Is she short of fame now? No, among the younger generation of singers, she's doing quite well.
However, she lacked a career goal; she lacked a goal to keep striving forward.
The road ahead is unclear, and there is no benchmark to follow.
Of course, she couldn't tell her agent, Zhou Meng, about these things.
In Zhou Meng's view, being a superstar or a superstar is all superficial; what matters is having a hit song and being famous, and genuine financial success.
Perhaps Song Linxin will remain popular as she is and will not become a legend of the past era, but so what? Being a top-tier celebrity with an eight-figure annual income and generous bonuses, what more could she want?
Song Linxin could only talk about her troubles with her friends in private.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, Lu Yanhe came to ask her to sing a song.
Song Linxin sighed and said, "I really don't know if I can write it."
"What's wrong?" Lu Yanhe noticed Song Linxin's melancholy and troubled expression.
Song Linxin: "I'm too lazy to explain to you. You wouldn't understand anyway."
How do you know I don't understand if you don't tell me?
Song Linxin and Lu Yanhe stared at each other.
"Alright, alright," Song Linxin said to Lu Yanhe anyway.
Lu Yanhe: "Uh, that's a pretty big question."
Song Linxin rolled her eyes at Lu Yanhe, "I told you a long time ago, you wouldn't understand even if I told you."
"Who said I don't understand? I just said the problem is big, not that I don't understand."
Song Linxin: "..."
Lu Yanhe: "Although I feel the same way as you, I've always felt that the music industry hasn't quite figured out how to operate in the internet age, but I don't think that people's demand for music has decreased."
Song Linxin: "That's what they say, but honestly, look at how many companies and singers are really making music these days? They've all become appendages of your film and television industry."
"Whose fault is that? You ruined your own authoritative awards. Either you stopped holding them or they became worthless. Now, when people want to find some good songs to listen to, they open a few music apps and find that there are only a few songs that have been around for hundreds of years. Not to mention, the new song charts are half idol artists' chart-topping songs and the other half are movie and TV OSTs."
“Anyone can complain,” Song Linxin said.
"Actually, if 'Little Songs Gathering' could continue, at least it would still give singer-songwriters like you the opportunity to promote your songs, but that show is gone now."
“Nowadays, all music variety shows are covers; there’s no room for original songs anymore,” Song Linxin said. “Look how many music variety shows I’ve participated in, I can’t even sing my own songs; they’re all covers.”
Lu Yanhe said, "Original content doesn't have brand recognition or traffic."
Song Linxin: "I was desperate. I even thought I should just go into acting. But I don't have any talent for acting."
Lu Yanhe: "What do you think of the idol industry now? Compared to a few years ago?"
"Needless to say, they're incredibly popular. Now, besides the show 'Idol Era,' with the popularity of these idol performance stages, they're being invited to all sorts of events and programs, and they've taken over a large portion of music platforms."
What do you think of their music?
“Uh… I can understand why their songs are so popular, but I don’t really appreciate that kind of music myself,” Song Linxin said. “They’re basically all high-energy songs, some rap, very new generation.”
“You’re only in your early twenties yourself, why are you pretending to be old?” Lu Yanhe laughed. “But look, film and television OSTs are still your old sentimental tunes, right? It doesn’t mean that sentimental songs have lost their place and nobody wants to listen to them anymore.”
"But the reality is that, given the current market conditions, the cost of producing a single is likely to result in a huge loss. Singers like Qin Zhibai and me, who have a certain number of fans, are a little better off, but most of us have no fame at all. In the past, record companies had stable channels to promote new singers, but now, which record company is going to support new artists?"
Lu Yanhe said, "The essence is that there is a lack of a market that is recognized by the industry and the market, so no one is willing to take the risk."
“Yes, look at me making an album. I’m not exaggerating when I say that making an album right now would be a 100% loss for me. But as a singer, I’m obsessed with releasing an album to be a real singer,” Song Linxin said. “Especially for a singer-songwriter like me, how can I introduce myself to others without an album that can represent my own musical aesthetics?”
Lu Yanhe: "Are you interested in doing something together?"
"Huh?" Song Linxin was taken aback.
“Actually, I was planning a program before, but after hearing about your concerns, I’m thinking that maybe we can change our approach,” Lu Yanhe said.
Song Linxin looked at Lu Yanhe with some confusion.
Lu Yanhe: "Just like there's a show called 'Idol Era' for idol artists, since singers, especially singer-songwriters, lack a stage where they can sing original songs, why not create one?"
Song Linxin: "There's no platform to do it."
“Then we’ll do it ourselves,” Lu Yanhe said bluntly.
Song Linxin was stunned and looked at Lu Yanhe in shock.
Lu Yanhe said, "Want to try it together?"
"A show like 'The Birth of an Actor'?"
“Hmm.” Lu Yanhe nodded. “But to be honest, I don’t know if this show will be a hit. The biggest risk in creating original music is that the songs might not be good or able to move the audience. There are many covers on music variety shows because those hit songs have stood the test of time. As long as the singers perform well, the quality of the stage can reach a certain standard and move the audience. On an original music stage, with eight or ten songs per episode, even if only two songs move the audience, it’s not enough. But can we find so many good original songs all at once?”
Lu Yanhe's words left Song Linxin stunned.
"Well... if you put it that way, making this show is very risky," Song Linxin said. "Are you willing to do it?"
“Give it a try. The worst that can happen is that it fails. Well, you don’t have a successful original music program to begin with, so failure is failure,” Lu Yanhe said. “But if it succeeds, even if it doesn’t have to be as successful as ‘Idol Era,’ just if it can keep going and not lose money, wouldn’t that give your music industry another channel to produce original singers and original works?”
Song Linxin couldn't deny that her heart was stirring.
After all, it was Lu Yanhe who proposed it. If Lu Yanhe were to produce this program, there might actually be a chance of success.
At that moment, Li Zhenzhen suddenly appeared.
Lu Yanhe and Song Linxin found a spot in the small courtyard outside and chatted quietly.
They removed their microphones because they didn't want their conversation to be recorded on the show.
When Li Zhenzhen came over, they thought it was because they had been away from the show's recording for too long, so they were being called back.
To everyone's surprise, Li Zhenzhen walked up to them and said, "Could you include me in this program you're talking about? Let my team do it?"
Lu Yanhe: "..."
Song Linxin: "...Sister Zhenzhen, were you eavesdropping?"
Li Zhenzhen pointed speechlessly behind them.
They looked in the direction Li Zhenzhen was pointing and discovered, lo and behold, a security camera under the eaves over there, which they hadn't noticed before because of the darkness.
They had spent a long time searching before finding this place they thought they could chat in.
"..."
Lu Yanhe looked at Li Zhenzhen with some hesitation and said, "Sister Zhenzhen, does your team... understand music?"
Li Zhenzhen: "We can collaborate with people who know the industry, but after hearing your vision and expectations for this program, I want to join in. I have a feeling that this program will become a landmark program."
Song Linxin looked at Lu Yanhe.
This program was proposed by Lu Yanhe, and she wouldn't be foolish enough to speak at this time.
Lu Yanhe smiled helplessly and said, "Sister Zhenzhen, I can't give you an answer right now. I need to make a phone call to a friend first."
-
Lu Yanhe had long wanted to create a music program.
In fact, Lu Yanhe's first choice was "I Am a Singer," which brings together has-been singers to compete against each other. The show's highlights and selling points were very clear.
However, Song Linxin's words suddenly reminded Lu Yanhe of the show "The Voice of China".
This show is just as amazing. If "I Am a Singer" made many singers famous again, then "The Voice of China" really made many original songs become overnight sensations in China.
For example, Dai Quan's "Wukong", Su Yunying's "Yezi", Huo Zun's "Juanzhulian", and Liu Hutie's "Congqianman" (from the past), which is a very famous song, though the singer is not very famous.
Of course, there's also Lu Yanhe's first "golden touch" in this world, "Remembrance," which also came from this program.
Between "I Am a Singer" and "The Voice of China", after listening to what Song Linxin said, Lu Yanhe chose the latter almost without hesitation.
People always want to do something meaningful for the industry.
Similarly, Lu Yanhe has always wanted to make such a program to repay Hou Jun, the director of "Little Song Gathering," who gave him the opportunity.
Lu Yanhe's first choice for the director of this program was Hou Jun.
After the "Little Songs Gathering" program was discontinued, Hou Jun became almost the go-to director for large-scale gala events hosted by Aurora Video, because his "Graduation Season" series and "Year-End Gala" series were very well received.
However, Hou Jun has always wanted to do another music variety show.
He himself is a person with extremely high musical literacy. In the soundtrack of the movie "Love Letter", Hou Jun almost entirely did the work himself, following Lu Yanhe's requirements, finding the top musicians in the industry to create the dubbing for the movie.
Lu Yanhe dialed Hou Jun's number.
-
Hou Jun was very frustrated.
His proposal for a music variety show, submitted a couple of days ago, was rejected by Aurora Video.
The reason is that the budget was too high, but there were too many similar programs on the market, and the higher-ups were not optimistic about the market response of this program.
Programs with too low a budget, like "Northern Lights," are also rejected, but for a different reason: it would be a waste of Hou Jun's talent.
Hou Jun knew very well that Aurora Studio didn't lack good directors for variety shows, but there were very few directors within Aurora Studio who could produce galas and grand ceremonies. He just happened to be the one who got the short end of the stick, and the galas he produced were incredibly successful. Every year, the graduation season series of galas could generate over 100 million yuan in sponsorship.
Therefore, Aurora Studios doesn't want him to be distracted, so they've basically entrusted him with directing all sorts of large-scale events.
Hou Jun couldn't say that he was doing these jobs against his will and was unhappy with them. Northern Lights wasn't a stingy company, and his income in the past few years was much higher than when he was working on the show "Little Song Gathering".
However, sometimes even after making enough money, people still want to do what they love.
He still wants to make a music-related program.
A music program that can continue indefinitely.
He was drinking with his old friend at a bar to relieve his frustration when his phone suddenly rang.
His friend saw it first.
His friend sounded excited and patted him on the shoulder.
"Lu Yanhe called you!"
-
I've been feeling dizzy all day; it might be the flu. I need to get tested tomorrow.
(End of this chapter)
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