Chapter 481 Behind the Production
After seeing the last picture, many insiders realized one thing: this is a wonderful classic shot!
The absolute charm of a movie or a story lies precisely here: there are countless good stories in the world, but the one that can leave an unforgettable impression on people is the true meaning of the story that is enough to move people.
Moreover, Su Yun's choice of subject matter this time is also within the shackles of the theme of "history", and she has performed a dance that has not broken through the constraints but has a unique flavor.
When the "country" is presented as a "person", the long-standing heaviness and emptiness seem to come back in another way to meet the people of this era again.
Therefore, we have to say that Su Yun’s approach this time is really brilliant. The four ancient civilizations are transformed into people, and each country personification has its own unique personality based on the national image. This long river of historical traces eventually becomes a stage for struggle, allowing each "person" born at the right time to start their turbulent and magnificent life.
The most crucial thing is that when Su Yun was selecting the actors for the main roles, she really tried her best to choose actors from the countries corresponding to the characters in the play. For example, Jim Ross Stewart, who played Romulus of the "Ancient Rome", had a pair of intoxicating emerald green eyes and facial features as finely sculpted as those in classical paintings. He was left alone to gaze at the back of the person he admired as he walked away. This made countless female viewers feel extremely distressed.
It is said that the young Italian actor Jim Ross Stewart was the one who recommended Zha Lan, who played Francis in the film.
I heard that when Zha Lan first introduced people to Marisu, it was purely because she was asked to do a favor for her friend's child, so she wanted to find a way for her friend's child to enter the circle; but Marisu, the very patient "boss", let it go for several years after signing the contract, and only officially called for the child to join the group when the time was right.
In light of this rumor, people can't help but recall Mary Sue's stamp collecting party activities over the years...
After all, Jim Ross Stewart was not the only one who was targeted early but was left alone to wait for his growth. There was also Yuki Amami from a well-known Japanese theater troupe.
And the role played by Yuki Amami in "Kyushu Past" is undoubtedly a Japanese girl who was rescued by "Zhong Yao" and lived in the eastern mainland.
In "Kyushu Past 1: Old Country Old Dreams", the young girl Okiku played by Amami Yuki has changed her handsome and elegant appearance as a male actor in the previous drama troupe. She wears a simple kimono, lowers her eyebrows and eyes, and has a gentle look that is not a complete Yamato style. Even her smile is light, polite, and subtle.
Only when she occasionally sees her elder sister "Zhong Yao", who occupies an important place in her heart, come to visit her, will Ah Ju smile with joy from the bottom of her heart, just like the scattered cherry blossoms finally gathering in clusters, turning the inconspicuous light colors into a gorgeous splendor that covers the sky and the earth.
But after "Zhong Yao" left for various reasons, the same figure gazing from afar, those eyes as calm and quiet as a deep pool were no longer as gentle and affectionate as the emerald green eyes, but turned into the water at the bottom of the deep pool that had never seen the light of day for a long time, as if quietly brewing some sinister thoughts that were stirring up trouble.
Especially the flash of coldness and unwillingness in the eyes in the close-up shot, which makes people vaguely see something indescribable. It is so beautiful and thrilling, but also carries an inherent cruelty.
But compared to Romulus who was like the white moonlight and Aju, the girl with strange thoughts, Ivan, who was rescued in the snow and quickly grew from a delicate boy into a mature uncle, had the word "love" clearly engraved on his face.
Whether it is Daniel Strakhov who plays the young Ivan, or Vasily Lannovoi who plays the adult Ivan, the same handsome looks and the gradually deepening emotions in their eyes always carry the unique coldness and strength of the northern continent. After the admiration and love in youth grew day by day and was suppressed and endured in adulthood, the excessive love seemed to burn into a raging fire that devoured everything.
After all, the stories that time truly records are the repetition of history in which struggles are launched for various reasons.
Of the four ancient civilizations in the story that were famous for their longevity, only one remains today, and this only remaining "Zhong Kingdom" has also fallen into a stage where prosperity must decline... So, when the ancient country that is beginning to decline encounters the heyday of the other new countries, it is bound to be a war for resources, for desires, and for many, many things.
When the prosperity of the past is no longer there, it is time to shoulder the heavy responsibility and forge ahead.
The first week box office of "Kyushu Stories 1: Old Country, Old Dreams" was not particularly outstanding in every region where it was released. The good ones were probably firmly in the top three or the runner-up, such as Asia, especially Hong Kong and Macau, mainland China, Japan and South Korea; the not-so-good ones, such as North America and Europe, were at the middle level of the rankings.
If it were someone else, this result would actually be considered quite good; but if this result is compared with Su Yun's reputation as a "box office bomb", it is indeed much worse than her previous results.
Therefore, even if the film has the potential to be one of the top three films of the year in the Asian market with its local advantages, this result is still considered as "not good enough", "too self-satisfied and forgetting the original intention", "suffering from literary youth disease" and so on - after all, the European and American markets account for the majority of the box office figures in this era, and when this subject matter does not please the European and American markets, the overall box office figures will naturally plummet.
However, compared to the slightly disappointing but still small profit of the box office performance, people from all walks of life in different regions have two extreme opinions on the content and core of this movie.
Those who like it feel that it is an in-depth exploration of a new field, a pioneering of a new subject matter, and the first film in a series that is full of expectations - especially the impressive shot of the final coronation ceremony, which has raised the expectations of the audience for the next "Kyushu Stories 2: Forge Ahead".
Those who don't like it naturally have all the reasons they should have: making too much of a joke, boasting, smearing friendly countries, destroying the friendship between people of friendly countries, etc., etc., there is nothing that can't be thought of.
However, this controversial and mixed reception affected the growth of subsequent box office figures in the following weeks.
From the moment she established this series, Su Yun knew that it would definitely cause more controversy than any other movie she had ever made, so she was mentally prepared early on: although there are always some strange people in every era, there will always be patriots.
When the "country" is personified and "history" is repeated, the places and people whose veils are lifted will surely become so angry that they start swearing, except for a few who are sensible and admit their mistakes.
Therefore, Su Yun had made preparations for the response early on. While trying her best to retain the "criticism" that can promote healthy development, she also secretly made great efforts to cover up those mouths that exuded fragrance.
As for the direction of those discussion topics, a huge amount of manpower and material resources were mobilized to guide the direction of the topics and ensure that the direction was as expected - the money spent on this part of "public relations" was much more than the production cost of the entire film.
To be honest, after the way of information transmission has developed rapidly with the development of technology, the cost of film promotion and publicity has begun to account for an increasingly large proportion, until it far exceeds the production cost.
When Su Yun brought this "case" to Kevin Costner for reference, the extremely detailed data table and the final effect visible to the naked eye astounded Kevin Costner and the Universal staff.
With Ovitz's combined efforts, their public relations company won another big business worth over 200 million yuan.
By the way, the PR company that He Pingsi and Su Yun work with, which focuses more on the Asia region, was also allocated one-third of the quota to be used as PR and publicity funds in the Asia region - "Waterworld" is likely to obtain the introduction rights to mainland China, so the publicity in the Asia region naturally cannot be ignored.
After receiving such a big deal, plus the existing business of his own company and the upcoming film productions of Su Yun, He Pingsi couldn't help but sigh: "No wonder you persuaded me to cooperate with you in this. This kind of 'self-production and self-sales' and 'business solicitation' is really too shocking..."
Su Yun smiled and said, "Otherwise, how could my father have made up his mind to spend a lot of money to build his own industry into a one-stop service that did not need to rely on outsiders in that era when separate production methods were popular?"
Without a "one-stop" service, whether it is difficult to handle problems during the production process or problems in subsequent aspects, it will not be possible to track and solve them in a timely manner.
In the new era of rapid technological development, the methods of public relations and publicity will also change with the times. If you fail to update your ideas and cognition in time, you will easily be left behind by the times.
There have always been many tragic cases of those who failed to keep up with the development of the times and were eventually washed away on the beach by the tide of the times.
He Pingsi nodded, agreeing with Su Yun's idea: "Indeed, so you might as well 'master' this one more level to avoid complications."
"Moreover, after mastering this level, I can learn through this channel many things that are easy to miss in the production process..." Su Yun added.
"Speaking of this... I actually have some news to tell you." He Pingsi suddenly seemed to remember something when she heard this, and immediately continued, "I originally thought it was a bit strange, but it really doesn't seem like a big deal, so I planned to tell you after you finish this part, but since you mentioned it, I'll just mention it-"
"Did you know that a novel about Peking Opera actors is about to be adapted into a movie, and the production team approached Zhuang Long and Zhang Querong one after another?"