In January 2016, the entertainment industry was so quiet that Boss Wei felt a little uncomfortable.
In previous years, the beginning of the new year would not be a big deal, but at least there would be some minor twists and turns to make it lively. This year, it is exceptionally quiet.
The Lunar New Year movies have already entered the final stages of their box office run, and the Spring Festival movies have not yet started to build momentum. The most popular movie is Hollywood's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."
Although this movie had good box office, the "Star Wars" IP has not been very noticeable in China except for some fans and moviegoers.
What people and the internet are more concerned about is the New Year's Day battle that has already begun, or more precisely -
PPTV challenges all major video websites!
And Zhao Liying VS all the stars!
During last year’s summer season, online platforms led by iQiyi and Youku attacked PPTV in an attempt to disrupt its summer strategy.
As a result, it was defeated by "Nirvana in Fire". Not only did it fail to block the attack, but it also allowed PPTV to take advantage of the opportunity to raise funds and its popularity soared.
At present, under the fierce attack of PPTV, only iQiyi can still barely maintain some advantages, while Youku is already unable to hold on.
In the data statistics for the fourth quarter of 2015, many of Youku's data have begun to lag behind PPTV.
If it weren't for the fact that Alibaba's acquisition had entered the substantive stage and had somewhat stabilized the situation, Youku's stock price might have fallen significantly.
Having tasted the sweetness, PPTV did not make any grand plans for the new year, even though it had secured financing and the momentum was set.
But the publicity momentum of his works is not weak at all, and such a calm attitude makes everyone feel a kind of domineering and calmness.
After all, sometimes, newcomers will shout slogans to cheer themselves up, while masters remain silent, which is precisely a manifestation of self-confidence, and others will not ignore his strength.
"It really makes P station show off."
Several websites were cursing and swearing. You have to know that PPTV was not even ranked a few years ago, but now it looks down on the industry and is so arrogant that it is scary.
But no matter how much people curse them, PPTV does have the confidence to be so arrogant, because they are good at fighting.
iQiyi has developed in multiple areas including film, television, variety shows, animation, and sports, and has not failed so far. Moreover, most of the developments are extremely rapid. If it continues like this, it will be difficult for iQiyi to maintain its number one position.
By the time PPTV is listed as China's No. 1 video website, it will have the best timing, location and people, and it will be the real boss...
Therefore, at the beginning of this year, even though PPTV and various websites are not as confrontational as they were during last year's summer season.
But behind the scenes, competition remains inevitable and extremely fierce.
PPTV wants to produce another hit drama to dominate the opening season of the new year, while other websites want to snatch the honor, teach PPTV a lesson, curb its arrogance, and tell Wei Yang that PPTV is not the only video website that can produce hits.
iQiyi, in collaboration with two satellite TV stations in Zhejiang Province and Beijing, launched a large-scale costume TV series - "The Legend of Zhao Zilong".
This drama is quite solid. The team of "The Romance of Sui and Tang Dynasties" and "New Water Margin" is responsible for the filming, and a Hollywood action director was invited. The investment scale exceeds 200 million.
The popular young actor Lin Gengxin plays Zhao Zilong, Girls' Generation's center Yoona is the female lead, and many stars such as Kim Jeong-hoon, Jia Qing, Zhou Xiaolong, and Yan Kuan also support the cast.
In addition to the popular Three Kingdoms theme, the behind-the-scenes team, performance lineup, and investment amount are all impressive.
If faced with Wei Yang's drama, perhaps iQiyi would still feel guilty, or simply give up.
But the one they are competing against this time is Zhao Liying. Even though Zhao Liying is popular, Lin Gengxin and Lin Yoona are no pushovers. What's more, the subject matter of the Three Kingdoms is better than that of the Ming Dynasty.
Youku has also chosen a costume drama this time, and it seems that it is deliberately challenging PPTV. It is also a palace fighting drama - "The Lonely Empty Courtyard in Spring".
The male lead of this drama is Liu Kaiwei. Although this guy did not get the popularity of "Da Mimi" in his life, he still managed to develop in the mainland smoothly.
He has acted in many dramas one after another. Although he has never been very popular, he is still considered a top figure. It is said that this drama has the influence of Hong Kong capital, so Liu Kaiwei joined the crew smoothly and got the male lead.
Compared to the male lead, the real highlight of the so-called palace fighting drama is naturally the female lead - Sister Shuangzi.
Although Sister Shuangzi has been hit hard by the two beauties from Xinjiang Province in the past two years and her ranking among the 90s flowers has continued to decline, even her important popular representative work "Gu Jian Qi Tan" was snatched away.
But with Tianyu behind her, she has no shortage of resources. Although she hasn't produced any big hits in recent years, she has shot some influential works one after another.
Last year, "Flowers and Youth 2" became a frequent hot search, and with the support of a group of hardcore fans, it can also be regarded as one of the top stars in the industry.
"The Lonely Empty Courtyard as Spring Is Late" is not an ordinary play, it is the work of Fei Wo Si Cun.
The four words "Fei Wo Si Cun" have made Wei Yang the top female celebrity because of the drama "Eastern Palace" directed by Wei Yang, and the IPs under his control have also become resources that artists are vying for.
Because of the examples of "Palace", "Startling by Each Step" and "The Legend of Zhen Huan" in the early years, as well as the diligent research of the Aisin-Gioro harem, Qing Dynasty palace themes have always been a popular theme in the industry.
"The Lonely Empty Courtyard in Spring" can be regarded as a top-level Qing Dynasty online literature IP, and the production company paid a large sum of money to acquire the copyright from Orange Shell.
Yes, you heard it right, the copyright was sold by Wei Yang.
Although he didn't want to film a Qing Dynasty palace drama, he still got the copyright. Anyone who wanted to film it had to pay a huge price to buy it. Not to mention that Fei Wo Si Cun was beaten up by Wei Yang, even the copyright of Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace, which has been closely watched by the outside world, is also in his hands.
Fat Fan wanted to do it at one point, but was stopped by Wei Yang.
"The Legend of Zhen Huan" was filmed so well that "Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace", as a sister film or sequel, will have to compete with Empress Sun no matter who films it, and there is a high probability that they will not be able to do so.
Therefore, it would be best to sell the copyright or invest in this drama. There is no need for the main control of filming or acting. With such a good example before, anyone who films it will be put on the spot.
Sister Shuangzi, the production company and Youku are all very ambitious about this drama, and plan to make another "Startling by Each Step" or "The Legend of Zhen Huan".
There is another drama, "The Housewife Detective", co-produced with LeTV, starring Jia Nailiang and his wife Sister-in-law Lu.
These two are quite popular, especially the former. Although he did not participate in "Dad is Back" in this life, he went to "Where Are We Going, Dad 2" by accident, and still became popular with his image as a good father and a good husband.
"The Housewife Detective" cannot compete with several dramas of the same period in terms of cast and investment, but it wins because of the gimmick of a husband-and-wife duo. If it cannot be a dark horse, it can at least be a spoiler.
Penguin did not sit idly by this time. Although it did not spend a huge amount of money, it also launched the TV series version of "So Young".
As the debut work of director Zhao, "So Young" had a strong box office when it was first released and also accumulated considerable influence.
Generally speaking, TV series adapted from such movies tend not to have a high chance of becoming a big hit, but they do have a decent lower limit and are also expected to become a variable in the new year's season.
Four against one!
This is undoubtedly a severe test for PPTV and Zhao Liying.
PPTV is actually doing okay. Even though the situation at the beginning of the year is unfavorable, there are still several dramas later that can save the situation. "Day and Night Chase" alone has almost secured the championship of this summer.
Zhao Liying's situation is a bit difficult.
On the one hand, it is his first battle after taking office as a senior executive of Blue Whale, and the situation is unfavorable, which may easily cause some disturbances.
Although Zhao Liying has a high prestige within Blue Whale, the disadvantages of her promotion to the top of the harem are also real. There are bound to be some sour remarks and doubts. Even with Wei Yang around, it does not affect the overall situation, but it always makes people feel resentful.
On the other hand, Zhao Liying became famous and wealthy thanks to the hit drama "The Journey of Flower", and she quickly became one of the top 85 flowers, which created a considerable crisis for Liu Shishi and others.
Who knows, the three beauties of The Legend of Sword and Fairy might take advantage of the opportunity to add insult to injury and use the situation to distance themselves from each other in their careers.
The 85 girls are now competing fiercely, and everyone is striving to be the first. If anyone dares to fall behind, it will not be easy to catch up.
Not to mention, given their relationship, Zhao Liying felt it would be better to kill her when she thought about being laughed at by the three beauties in The Legend of Sword and Fairy and even Fan Xiaopang.
Therefore, Zhao Liying must not lose this battle. Not only must she not lose, but she must win beautifully.
He made great contributions to PPTV, won the hearts of Blue Whale fans, and at the same time gave a slap in the face to the three beauties of The Legend of Sword and Fairy.
Make them mad!
…
Hengdian, "Blade of the Assassin 2"
Liu Shishi finished work and returned to her room. She took a shower and was about to do some Pilates when there was a knock on the door. A pretty, fair, bright face looked at her with a smile.
Read the original text at Liu#9@书/吧!
"Sister Shishi, please don't bother me."
"It's okay. I'm just free."
Liu Shishi shook her head and let the person in. The latter was not polite either. He walked in from the outside and put down the bag in his hand.
"My mother sent me some specialties. Don't worry, I checked them all. You can eat them all."
"Then I won't be polite with you. Please help me thank my aunt."
"No problem."
The visitor saw the yoga mats in the hotel room and asked excitedly, "You want to exercise, so take me with you. I didn't practice the two moves you told me to do last time."
"Okay, I'll correct it for you."
Liu Shishi warmed up with him, then began to instruct him on his movements and praised him.
"Tiantian, you have a great figure, well-proportioned and good-looking. If I were a man, I would pursue you."
Da Tiantian blushed slightly and praised back: "Sister Shishi is beautiful and has a good temperament. No wonder she won the national husband."
The two of them praised each other and the atmosphere was very harmonious.
Liu Shishi is the sweet girl she met during the filming of "Knife Assassins 2".
The latter may have participated in the film because of the good reputation of the first film and the addition of Liu Shishi, and played the role of Hokusai.
Different from the original work, because of Liu Shishi, the role of Ding Baiying has been strengthened. Although Hokusai has a love line with the male protagonist, the former is more like the heroine, and her ranking is second only to the male protagonist Zhang Zhen.
Originally, Liu Shishi thought that the admission of Da Tiantian, a well-known figure in the entertainment industry, into the cast might cause a dispute over the ranking and roles of the female lead and the second female lead.
Concerned about various rumors from the outside world, Liu Shishi even prepared a call to Boss Wei for help.
But when Da Tiantian actually joined the group, Liu Shishi found that what she worried about did not happen. This girl was very well-behaved and even easy to get along with. When they met, she called her Sister Shishi "Sister Shishi" and was more polite than many newcomers.
Liu Shishi has always been kind, and maybe because they got along well, she became familiar with Da Tiantian after a while. She often accompanied her during filming and often came to visit her during breaks.
So much so that Liu Shishi once complained to Wei Yang on the phone that she might have a miserable life, otherwise why would she like to be friends with people like Tang, Mi, and Tian.
Boss Wei laughed at that time. If she had a miserable life, then he, who ate sugar, tasted honey, and ate rice, would be a Coptis chinensis spirit...
After doing Pilates for a while, Liu Shishi's alarm clock rang. She glanced at Da Tiantian, thought about her usual performance, and turned on the TV without hesitation.
Da Tiantian was confused. She thought Liu Shishi wanted to find a gymnastics video to watch, but she found that she was constantly refreshing the PPTV page.
A few minutes later, a brand new episode appeared and I clicked on it immediately.
"This is?"
Looking at the image of Zhao Liying wearing a phoenix crown and a bridal robe that appeared on the page, Da Tiantian looked at Liu Shishi in surprise. Although she didn't have many contacts in the entertainment industry, she knew what the relationship between Liu Shishi and Zhao Liying was.
It turns out that Sister Shishi finished work so early today that she even ordered takeout for dinner and ate it in her room, just waiting to watch Zhao Liying's new drama.
Liu Shishi didn't say anything either. She clicked on the play button, changed to a more relaxed posture, and did yoga while watching the show. Da Tiantian didn't dare to say much, so she followed suit.
The beginning of "Strategies of the Ming Palace" introduces the general background. In the 29th year of Ming Jiajing, Altan Khan invaded, and people in the capital area were in panic and chaos broke out.
There was a family named Li who moved to Beijing with their family to escape the war. As the family was poor and could not support their children, the father, Li Wei, took their five-year-old daughter Caifeng and sent her to the family of Chen, the deputy captain of the Jinyiwei, as a servant.
Here, five-year-old Li Caifeng met Chen Rongyin, who was older than her. The two girls hit it off immediately. Although they were master and servant in name, they were as close as sisters.
This plot is only five or six minutes long. It is a brief explanation of the editing method of "Many Years Later". Zhao Liying's Li Caifeng appears on the stage, and it is Zhao Ji who plays the historical Queen Chen, who is also Chen Rongyin in this drama.
"Pretending to be young is old fashioned."
Looking at Zhao Liying, who was dressed like a maid, Liu Shishi commented with disdain.
Pretending to be young means that Zhao Liying is almost thirty years old, but she still plays the role of a naive teenage girl, which is really disgusting.
The old-fashioned part refers to the plot. These good sisters who grew up together entered the palace together, but later parted ways for various reasons, became enemies, and killed each other.
This routine has been almost overused in palace fighting dramas, so much so that when a second female lead like this appears, everyone's first reaction is that she turns evil and attacks the female lead, or at worst dies early to save the female lead.
“…”
Da Tiantian still didn't dare to say anything, but based on the few minutes she watched, she thought the show was pretty good.
She watched relatively few TV dramas, but she didn't feel the plots were old-fashioned.
Zhao Liying's little girl maid costume actually looks quite harmonious.
Although Zhao Liying is almost 30 years old, she still has a baby face and there is nothing wrong with her playing the role of a little girl.
Even without prejudice, Da Tiantian actually thinks that "Li Caifeng" in the play is a bit cute.
Of course, no matter how low Da Tiantian’s emotional intelligence is, she only knows that she shouldn’t say this to Liu Shishi.
Moreover, people did not hesitate to take her to review the works of their mortal enemy, and even said bad things about them to her face. To a certain extent, they treated her as their own. Da Tiantian wanted to make friends with Liu Shishi, so it was not difficult for her to choose to answer at this time.
"...Sister Shishi is right!"
(End of this chapter)