How to choose in Chapter 586
In the TV series "Chinese Paladin", Aurora Video was the main investor, accounting for 45% of the investment share. Yuehu TV also entered the game midway and got 15% of the investment share. Of course, the remaining 40% of the investment share was mostly borne by Linghe Film and Television Production, a small part went to director Luo Yuzhong's company, and some was divided among Li Zhibai, Yan Liang, Chen Ziyan, "Jump Up", etc.
This drama has no shortage of investment. Those who can get on board are all closely connected and are there directly to make money.
After all, the show had already been pre-ordered by HP before filming even started, and at a high price.
Moreover, hundreds of advertisers in China are eyeing this show and are bidding against each other.
The revenue this show can generate is right before our eyes; it's an undisputed goose that lays golden eggs.
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As a video website, Aurora Video has consistently ranked first among domestic video websites in recent years, both in terms of the number of members and the number of hit videos.
Of course, Icefield and Lighthouse are also pursuing aggressively, and the current situation is not enough for them to be complacent.
For the past few years, it has been a battle between these three companies.
If three years ago it was basically a situation of chasing each other, now the Northern Lights has maintained its number one position, even if the advantage is not very large.
This situation is extremely rare. Lu Yanhe's several dramas, if not decisively, played a crucial role in making this possible.
None of the dramas starring Lu Yanhe fell out of the top five in terms of actual viewership for the year.
Even "The Silent River," a high-quality drama that is relatively unknown, is still a hit in this genre.
Icefield Video, on the other hand, makes a fortune from advertising revenue every year thanks to its hit variety show, "The Days of Youth".
For video websites, there are two key metrics: new member acquisition and advertising revenue.
Lu Yanhe's performance in both of these metrics is outstanding.
And *The Legend of Sword and Fairy* —
This is a fantasy genre, one that Lu Yanhe has never ventured into before, yet it happens to be the most popular genre in the market over the past decade, consistently ranking among the top genres each year.
Such a combination is naturally highly regarded.
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Besides the noteworthy "Chinese Paladin".
Currently, the most popular variety show on the internet is "The Birth of an Actor," and Lu Yanhe's recent main work has all been on this variety show.
Each episode of this show sparks a new wave of discussion.
The show has now moved from the 1V1 PK stage to the group PK stage.
Several actors showcased their exceptional acting skills, which are not usually known to the public, on this show, garnering significant attention and recognition.
Some media outlets have even started predicting who the show's annual champion will be.
Before this show, no variety show had ever provided an actor with this kind of boost.
Never before has a drama brought such attention to a dozen or so actors from the industry and the market as a program.
So far, the actors who participated in this program have basically received offers for at least three films and television dramas.
Even He Sha.
People are realistic.
Who wouldn't want to participate in a project that offers tangible benefits?
"The Birth of an Actor" is only halfway through its run, and people are already eyeing the next season.
Orders suddenly started pouring in for Chen Ziyan's Shihuo agency. Several washed-up artists that Chen Ziyan had previously tried to get on board suddenly agreed to sign with Shihuo, but on the condition that they appear on the show "The Birth of an Actor".
These once-popular artists all possess an almost narcissistic self-confidence. They all believe that with their abilities and acting skills, given just one opportunity and one stage, they can return to the public eye. Now, a program like "The Birth of an Actor" has emerged, and their dream opportunity has arrived.
At this very moment, Lighthouse Video announced the launch of the program "Directors, Please Advise," a show where three top directors serve as mentors to select actors to form teams for team performance competitions.
Upon seeing this name, Lu Yanhe was momentarily dazed, almost thinking that another transmigrator had arrived.
Sure enough, once a show like "The Birth of an Actor" was created, imitators sprang up like mushrooms after rain.
"Director, Please Advise" is the first, but it won't be the last.
Moreover, Lu Yanhe was well aware that even if "Director, Please Advise" was a copycat, the show would still attract a lot of attention.
However, once too many shows like this are produced and all the actors in the entertainment industry suitable for this type of program have been discovered, it will start to turn into a "bizarre competition," with people going on shows to sell fried chicken or showcasing their acting skills using PowerPoint presentations.
The show "The Birth of an Actor" on Aurora Video is currently airing with great popularity, so why would they want to see Lighthouse Video trying to ride on its coattails?
One executive said sarcastically, "Those who follow the trend will only ever get the scraps."
Turning around, He Sha, who withdrew from "The Birth of an Actor," officially announced her participation in the program "Directors, Please Advise," becoming the first actor to be officially announced.
Her official announcement poster reads: "I hope to participate in a clean competitive program."
It was also a veiled attack.
Zhou Tong, the director of "The Birth of an Actor," posted on Weibo: "The premise of making a clean competitive program is that the contestants are all clean people. Those who are dishonest and have ulterior motives are demons and monsters."
Lu Yanhe liked this Weibo post.
Marketing accounts have been announcing that any film or television projects He Sha participates in will be blacklisted by Aurora Video and will not appear on Aurora Video.
In this era of online streaming, if Aurora Video really blacklists He Sha, there probably won't be many film and television projects that would dare to use her.
Unless it was originally a self-produced project by another video website and it was clear from the beginning that it wouldn't be featured on Aurora Video.
He Sha panicked and quickly apologized to him privately.
Nobody paid any attention to her.
Previously, He Sha withdrew from the competition and caused trouble. Although Lu Yanhe and Aurora were unhappy, they did not actually take any countermeasures. It was all Zhou Ping'an who messed with her for Cheng Hai's sake.
This time, He Sha has really gone too far. How could Northern Lights tolerate an actress smearing them?
The advertising revenue of "The Birth of an Actor" has broken the record for variety shows in the past three years. Not to mention, this show has also achieved great success in attracting new members, which is contrary to the norm for variety shows. After all, it is a consensus among video websites that variety shows are not very effective in attracting new members.
How could Northern Lights Video allow He Sha to affect the reputation of this program?
A well-received variety show can have a positive brand effect for advertisers. Viewers tend to like what the show does because of its popularity. Conversely, if a show has a bad reputation, even if it's a hit, the brands that advertise on it will suffer. This is why some shows, despite being constantly criticized and trending on social media, still attract few brands willing to advertise on them, fearing that their own brand reputation will be negatively impacted.
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"He Sha is a pig-brain. No matter how fierce her feud with Cheng Hai was, it was still a matter between artists. Now she's running to Lighthouse Video's program to satirize and slander 'The Birth of an Actor.' Isn't she just using Lighthouse Video as a bullet? If Lighthouse Video lets her go, other artists will follow suit, and then how will things work?"
Chen Ziyan was very disgusted by He Sha's actions.
Lu Yanhe once saw a term online called "anti-stupidity syndrome," and he felt that Chen Ziyan actually had a bit of it too.
Of course, Chen Ziyan despises those self-righteous fools.
Lu Yanhe could actually understand Chen Ziyan's feelings very well.
He Sha, for example, has already benefited from "The Birth of an Actor" and gained the popularity she wanted. At this point, she should have known when to stop and stopped, but instead, she continued to act recklessly and even more recklessly.
It's so stupid it's like the smell emanating from every pore.
Lu Yanhe smiled.
"The schedule for 'Love Letter' at the Jose Film Festival is basically set. Many media outlets still want to know about Zhang Ruozhi. She is taking the college entrance examination this year, and we should keep it a secret for her until the exam is over, so that the media doesn't bother her."
"Hmm," Lu Yanhe asked, "But, will the media try to sneak over there?"
Chen Ziyan said, "I will make arrangements with the domestic media going to Jose, and try to downplay Zhang Ruozhi in the domestic reports and highlight Chen Bige and you. Anyway, our movie won't be released before the college entrance examination, right?"
"Mm." Lu Yanhe nodded.
“That’s about it. Also, after the Jose Film Festival, I’ll arrange a bodyguard for Zhang Ruozhi. We need to keep a close watch on her for the next two months so as not to affect her,” Chen Ziyan said. “That’s the only inconvenience when casting newcomers.”
“But this role needs a newcomer to play it,” Lu Yanhe said with a smile. “It’s such a pity. If it weren’t for the college entrance exam, she could have gone to the Jose Film Festival with us.”
"She hasn't decided to pursue acting as a career yet, and she's not an art student. With her grades, getting into a top-tier university shouldn't be a problem, which is good," Chen Ziyan said. "Being able to study more and study hard will benefit her for the rest of her life. Sometimes when I meet some child stars and talk to them, they generally didn't have a childhood or a normal adolescence, especially since they didn't study hard. Some of them even make me wonder, with such a shallow level of education, how can they understand scripts and characters?"
"But in fact, a person's cultural literacy does not necessarily have to be accumulated by studying in school. Many older generation artists did not have much schooling, but their cultural literacy was also very high."
Chen Ziyan: "My goodness, if young actors today had that self-learning ability and self-awareness, I wouldn't have been so amazed by you during the first year I mentored you. You are so rare, partly because you are really rare, and partly because it is highlighted by your peers."
Lu Yanhe: "..."
He never expected that Chen Ziyan would land here.
"To be honest, Yan Liang and Li Zhibai are already quite disciplined and hardworking actors, but their cultural literacy is really just so-so. If you ask them to play roles that are more like themselves, or roles like 'The Gold Rush,' they can handle it, but if it's a role that's a little more complex or less realistic, they'll struggle," Chen Ziyan said. "Do you know which role you've portrayed best and most successfully in your films so far? It's the one that's generally recognized in the film industry, not just what we think it is."
Lu Yanhe thought for a moment and asked, "The Three Mountains?"
"Yes, it's 'Three Mountains.' Even though your performance in 'The Road to Glory' won you a Best Actor award, it's your cameo in 'Three Mountains,' where you only had a 15-minute scene for one night, that's considered by the film industry to be your best performance, and one that every actor should study and learn from," Chen Ziyan said. "It's not that you didn't perform your other roles well enough, but the role in 'Three Mountains' is almost unprecedented in film history, there's no reference point, and the state you presented made many veteran actors feel they couldn't portray it. This uniqueness and rarity is the most crucial thing. You see, even the director of 'The Mist' cast you in 'The Mist' because he saw your performance in 'Three Mountains.'"
Lu Yanhe nodded thoughtfully.
“China doesn’t lack good actors. There are plenty of actors who can portray realism well. But to take it to a certain extreme, to a level that others can’t reach, requires more than just skill. It requires your understanding of the world, of human nature, and even more metaphysical and spiritual levels. Your depth determines the depth of your performance,” Chen Ziyan said. “The fortune teller in ‘Three Mountains’ is crazy, obsessed, insane, frantic, desperate, hysterical, out of control… The success of this role lies in the fact that you portrayed a complex and multi-layered state of a character that many actors would handle in an extreme way.”
Lu Yanhe: "This is such a compliment... Actually, this wasn't even my design. How could I have understood so many layers back then?"
“You just can’t rationally summarize so many levels, but your emotional understanding, accumulation and sensitivity allow you to express the subtle differences between these states,” Chen Ziyan said. “Many times, when two top actors are put together to compete, who will have a higher status in film history? At that time, it’s not about who is better, but who is more unique, who can bring out a performance that others can’t.”
Chen Ziyan's words made Lu Yanhe suddenly realize something, and he thought of the actors Tony Leung and Tony Leung Chiu-wai.
A versatile actor, with deeply expressive eyes. It's often said that some actors play every role the same way, and isn't the "deeply expressive eyes" a similar approach? Yet, no one would say he's constantly repeating himself. He continuously internalizes his skills, exploring deeper into a unique path of acting, a path that isn't bustling, where he's often alone. Therefore, watching his performances, you feel a profound depth, and from that depth, you can see richness and depth.
That's what Chen Ziyan really wanted to say, isn't it?
"Do you think Zhang Ruozhi is suitable to be an actress?" Lu Yanhe asked Chen Ziyan.
“You can’t tell now.” Chen Ziyan shook her head. “When she acted in ‘Love Letter,’ she was basically playing herself. All I can say is that her face is very photogenic and she has a great presence on camera. You can imagine that after the movie is released, she will become an actress that many directors want to work with. There are so many movies with this kind of innocent and pure image, and the demand is huge.”
Lu Yanhe: "However, it seems that Zhang Ruozhi's mother doesn't really want her to be an actress."
“These things can change. I’ve never seen anyone’s views remain unchanged throughout their life. Besides, her mother just doesn’t want her to take the wrong path and let her college entrance exam be affected by becoming a star, causing her lifelong regret. If her mother really didn’t want her to be an actress, she wouldn’t have agreed to let her act in ‘Love Letter’ in the first place,” Chen Ziyan said incisively.
Lu Yanhe nodded in realization.
"However, we still need to discuss what she should focus on during her university years," Chen Ziyan said. "She debuted with 'Love Letter,' and it would be a real shame if she didn't continue acting in movies in the following years."
Every year, many newcomers emerge in the entertainment industry, but those who can land leading roles in highly anticipated productions like Wang Dashan and Zhang Ruozhi are few and far between. They are truly born with a silver spoon in their mouths, especially in the entertainment industry where background is also highly valued.
Whether you debut in a web series, a TV drama, or a movie, your background determines your status. This is a place where an invisible hierarchy of contempt is more powerful than a visible one. Chen Ziyan can't change this hierarchy; as someone in the industry, she can only accept these unspoken rules. And in this environment, Wang Dashan and Zhang Ruozhi become all the more precious—
The film industry is highly volatile. The number of projects and lead actors is limited each year. More often than not, finding the right actor is what gets the project approved.
Chen Ziyan could foresee that after the official release of "Love Letter", Zhang Ruozhi would become the "first love face" in the hearts of many people, and she would become the leading lady who would make capital and production companies nod their heads.
That's why she said it would be a real shame if Zhang Ruozhi focused entirely on her studies after "Love Letter" and stopped acting in movies.
Over the past few years, Lu Yanhe, Li Zhibai, and Yan Liang have been working tirelessly, which has led to the initiation, advancement, and filming of numerous projects.
The entire film and television industry has been boosted by these outstanding productions.
Chen Ziyan is conflicted. She hopes that Zhang Ruozhi can enjoy university life and study hard, but she is also afraid that Zhang Ruozhi will not want to film a single movie in the next few years and will disappear from the entertainment industry.
Lu Yanhe lowered his head and smiled faintly.
"why are you laughing?"
“I was just laughing. Sister Ziyan, even though you’re the boss of Shihuo now, you still can’t change the core of your manager.” Lu Yanhe said, “What Zhang Ruo thinks and does next, you can discuss it with her properly after her college entrance exam. Anyway, even if you can’t have the best of both worlds, it’s not impossible to balance things out, even if it’s a little hard and troublesome. It just depends on what she wants to choose.”
(End of this chapter)
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