In April 2009, Twinkle Twinkle Star became a huge hit, and at the end of April, another drama came out of nowhere.
The ace of spy warfare - "Insidious".
The drama was trial-broadcasted on several local TV stations at the beginning of the year and received quite good ratings. It was officially aired at the end of April and was broadcast on four satellite TV stations in Beijing, Guangdong, Shanghai and Chongqing. All four stations ranked among the top ten in ratings during the same period.
At present, although the average ratings of this drama are lower than those of "My Captain and My Regiment" and "Twinkle, Twinkle Star", its influence is definitely catching up.
It is said that the satellite TV channels and local stations are now scrambling for the subsequent broadcast rights of "The Hidden Corner", and the online broadcast rights and even the DVD copyrights are also being snatched up in large quantities.
Moreover, this drama is a typical mainstream work, and major mainstream media have reported on it, giving it a lot of exposure.
In an era when Internet publicity channels have not yet completely taken over the mainstream, print media and television channels are extremely effective in promoting a film or television work.
Moreover, this kind of mainstream media pursuit has also had a significant impact on the price and reputation of the TV series.
The leading actors Sun Honglei and Yao Dazui became extremely popular, their fame and value soared, and they became the most sought-after actors in the industry.
Online and offline, people are talking about "The Hidden" everywhere! Originally, "Twinkle Twinkle Star" became a hit, which made Wei Yang feel a little proud. Now that he has seen "The Hidden", he really understands what a phenomenal hit work is.
This also made Wei Yang pay more attention to and look forward to "My Love from the Star".
He now has no shortage of representative works, whether as a screenwriter or an actor, his works are all outstanding.
However, although "The Best of Us" and "Oranges in the South" have good influence and performance, they have never reached the point of breaking out of the circle.
In Wei Yang's opinion, a so-called phenomenal work that goes viral must not only have good ratings, but also have to be highly discussed, have a wide range of audiences, be very popular, have a great influence, have a strong ability to create stars, and have a considerable long-tail effect.
"Twinkle Twinkle Star" barely makes the cut and can be considered a hit drama, but it always feels like it's still a few steps away from being a truly phenomenal work.
"The Legend of Sword and Fairy 3" does have hope, but Wei Yang's role is too small, and no matter how you count it, it cannot be said to be his work.
Therefore, whether "My Love from the Star" can achieve the same success as in the previous life is very important both for Wei Yang himself and for the Blue Whale company.
…
The Peninsula Hotel, Shanghai
The crew of "My Love from the Star" was fully booked today and directly booked the entire lobby of the hotel, including the square facing the main entrance.
Of course, considering Boss Wei’s personality, he can make such a big fuss, it must be sponsorship.
This five-star luxury hotel has not officially opened yet, but the decoration has been completed.
It is precisely because of this that the new hotel is keen on advertising to boost its popularity, but has no other business and the venue is just sitting there idle. "My Love from the Star" contacted them twice, and the person in charge generously expressed his willingness to provide the venue and some help for free.
In fact, the budget of the production crew of "My Love from the Star" is sufficient, so they can afford to book a hotel for one or two days.
But I’m used to being frugal in Weiyang, so why spend money when I can get it for free…
Wei Yang not only got the hotel for free, but also the "extras" and equipment for free.
Today's filming is the last scene of the crew. "My Love from the Star" is about to be completed, and the crew has invited many media to come for interviews and promotion.
It just so happened that this scene was about the final reunion of the male and female protagonists at the red carpet ceremony, and a large number of reporters and fans were needed around them.
This time, when a crew like this invites the media for an interview, they must give them some "travel expenses". Wei Yang did not save the money, but after paying it, he asked the reporter if he had any ideas about making a cameo appearance.
As for guest appearances, most people are willing to give it a try, not to mention that there are so many colleagues together.
The travel expenses have been paid, so there is no need to pay for the film. At most, a box lunch will be provided.
Therefore, Wei Yang hired two workers with the same amount of money. Not only did the crew gather most of the extras as reporters, they also saved money on equipment.
Moreover, looking back, "My Love from the Star" gathered many reporters and media to make collective guest appearances, which was a gimmick for publicity. The reporters were also very happy to have a special experience and even used it as material for writing articles.
Seeing this, Fan Xiaopang, who knew the inside story, was dumbfounded. He looked at Wei Yang as if he was a ghost.
"I'm a little scared of you now. Maybe one day you'll sell me out, and I'll probably still be counting your money obediently."
"Sister, am I that kind of person?"
Wei Yang cried out in injustice: "Isn't this because of poverty? You know what kind of life I live. So many people in the company's crew rely on me for support. This drama doesn't have a specific plan yet, so I have to save as much as I can."
This was true, and Fan Xiaopang couldn't help but nod. As one of the shareholders of the crew, she knew much more than Tang Yan.
Tang Yan saw Wei Yang's power and prospects, and Fan Xiaopang could feel even more the enormous pressure Wei Yang was carrying.
An investment of tens of millions is no joke!
Although according to the contract, Wei Yang does not need to make up the money of the investors even if there is compensation, but he cannot have no explanation at all after losing so much money.
Coal bosses may look rich and stupid, but you can't really treat them as fools. Few of those who can make money from mines are good people, and those who do investment business in Shanghai are not easy to deal with.
Not to mention that Wei Yang also put his entire fortune and company on the line.
To create a high-quality idol drama, it is not enough to simply copy a script. Wei Yang put a lot of thought into it and worked hard day and night.
Fat Fan saw all of this. Putting himself in Wei Yang's shoes, he realized that at Wei Yang's age and status, she would definitely not dare to and would not be able to withstand such great pressure.
Although Fan Xiaopang was muttering something, she actually admired Wei Yang's cool move. After all, she was one of the shareholders of the crew, and Wei Yang was getting it for free, which was equivalent to her getting it for free.
However, Wei Yang's operation of getting the reporter's favor for free reminded her of herself back then. Not only was she getting the favor for free, but she was also getting paid for it. She felt very sympathetic.
"I think I should name you Wei Baipiao."
"I've said it so many times, this is not freeloading. That time you called it investment, this time it's a win-win situation."
Wei Yang said righteously: "We are public figures, we should speak positively and not speak such vulgar words every day."
Fat Fan rolled her eyes and went to the dressing room to change clothes. With so many reporters filming from different angles, she had to stay in good shape and not be caught in ugly photos.
Wei Yang exchanged some feelings with his media friends, then went to change his clothes and wait for the filming.
At night, the Peninsula Hotel is brightly lit. There are tall billboards on both sides of the hotel, with beautiful photos of Fan Xiaopang on them, and a large screen live broadcast. There is a red carpet with lights all around. Reporters and some extras playing fans gather on both sides of the red carpet. The whole venue is luxurious and exquisite without losing its connotation.
Many reporters couldn't help but exclaim in amazement: "This set looks so realistic, I'm a little dazed."
"It's more than good. This scene is more upscale than many previous award ceremonies."
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"That's right. The venue for the last Golden Rooster Awards ceremony was so tacky. Today's ceremony is a bit like the Oscars or Grammys."
"I can't hold an award ceremony properly, but I can't compare to someone making a TV series..."
“…”
As they were happily chatting, the assistant director came over and reminded them: "Teachers, you must remember to call her Qianqian, not Bingbing. Don't call her by the wrong name, and be more enthusiastic. The heroine in the plot is a very popular star."
The reporters all said it was no big deal, as they had been in similar occasions before and would definitely act in their true colors.
After taking care of the extras, the crew started filming, starting with the shot of Fat Fan entering the scene. She was wearing a slim white long dress with a back-length X-strap, looking gorgeous, exquisite, and sexy.
As a famous "red carpet star", walking on the red carpet is as easy as taking candy from a baby for Fan Xiaopang. And because she knows that many of them are real reporters, she deliberately goes all out, and walks on the red carpet radiantly.
Many reporters originally just wanted to join in the fun, but now they were so attracted by Fan Xiaopang that they couldn't help but pick up their cameras and click away at the film.
"Bing... Qianqian, look here."
"Look here, that's right."
"Don't squeeze the camera, this this."
“…”
Wei Yang watched this scene on the monitor and couldn't help but smile to Liu Junjie, "How about this trick? Not only does it save money, but ordinary extras can't act out their performance."
Liu Junjie didn't say anything, but gave a thumbs up. Not to mention the extras who came from amateur backgrounds, even if those from formal professional backgrounds were put on stage, they would definitely be killed in seconds.
After all, no matter how realistic the acting is, it's just acting. He is a real reporter, very genuine.
Not only the reporters, but also Fan Xiaopang's state when walking on the red carpet was very real. Even the extras were not much better than the real fans.
The producer of this video posted it online without indicating its source, so I guess many people really thought it was from a red carpet event.
After this segment was finished, it was Wei Yang's turn to appear on stage.
According to the plot, the hero was forced to leave the earth. For several years thereafter, the heroine had been missing him. She thought they would never meet again in this life, but she didn't expect the hero to come back.
At the award ceremony, the male lead used time stop to stop everyone except the female lead, then walked towards the female lead step by step, and the two kissed surprisingly.
According to the setting, as soon as the hero kisses, his superpowers disappear, so the time stop ends and everyone becomes free again, but they find that the heroine and the hero are still kissing, causing an uproar in the audience.
So the whole scene has to pause here, and then the male protagonist walks towards the female protagonist step by step in the female protagonist's disbelieving eyes.
It is definitely impossible to shoot like this during the actual filming. There are hundreds of people on the scene, how can we ask them to stay still? So we can only use a green screen and cut out the image in post-production.
Prior to this, Wei Yang and Fan Xiaopang had already filmed the reunion scene on a green screen, and this time the main focus was on capturing the panoramic view and the reactions of the extras.
The reporters were very excited to watch the kissing scene up close, and Wei Yang whispered to Fan Xiaopang to confirm it.
"Don't stick your tongue out this time. There are so many reporters here. If we get caught, we'll be on the headlines for at least half a month."
Fatty Fan licked his lips, looking eager to try: "Is there such a good thing?"
Wei Yang was speechless, he had forgotten this woman's character. She would do anything to gain exposure. Other actresses would definitely not dare to do that, but she was really bold.
However, perhaps because he felt that the gimmick of kissing in public was enough of a gimmick, and also because he didn't want to cause any "tongue-x scandal" and be completely labeled as "fickle", Fan Xiaopang finally obediently filmed the normal kissing scene.
The reporters were very satisfied and took a lot of photos with their cameras, but Wei Yang felt a little regretful.
"In fact, it would be very beneficial for our crew if we could make the headlines for a few more days."
Fatty Fan: “…”
(End of this chapter)