Chapter 94: Motivation
There were no secret passages in the little western-style building rented by the crew, so this scene required a location change.
Considering the secret passage plot needed to be filmed at another location, the next scene directly cut to the final part of this case.
The backstory for this part was that Wu Xiaoqing and the rich second-generation had rescued the main team members from inside the secret passage. After a struggle, the group escaped in a disorganized and sorry state and returned to the villa.
To portray their disheveled state, the makeup artists used every ounce of their ability, and with the actors' consent, they ruthlessly tore their clothes.
The new actors' hearts were bleeding... those were their own clothes!
Qin Linlin could only comfort them: "As long as this series becomes popular, I'll count everyone's contribution as technical shares, and everyone can get dividends!"
Yin Chengjue added from behind: "If you are confident, you can also invest your own money. When the series gets popular, the dividends will be greater. Then we can sell replicas of these clothes in several tiers: signed limited edition, high-quality high-priced edition, affordable edition, and discounted edition."
Qin Linlin was puzzled: "Why have a discounted edition?"
Yin Chengjue: "The discounted price is lower, to block the path of pirated copies, leaving no room for cheap knockoffs."
Everyone: "..." The ruthless capitalists!
And they were shamefully tempted!
Yin Chengjue gestured with his chin towards the nearby red maple forest: "If this series becomes popular, after this case airs, that place will become a holy site for photos. This seems unrelated to us, but we can sell maple leaf themed clothing. Print maple leaves on all kinds of new seasonal styles: Hanfu, qipao, robes, dresses, etc. Also small accessories like maple leaf earrings, necklaces, hair ornaments, hair accessories... The price range can be wider. As long as people want to come here to take photos, regardless of their purchasing power, they can buy something."
Yin Chengjue: "Also, looking at the script, this case seems to have a tragic, tear-jerking ending?"
Qin Linlin nodded: "Yes, the original site of this Maple Forest Villa in the story was actually an orphanage, and the male owner of this villa was one of the children from that orphanage."
Fifty years ago, a huge fire broke out in the orphanage. The fire burned all night, dyeing the mountain's sky red.
By the time early risers discovered it the next day, it was too late. The orphanage was reduced to ashes, leaving only ruins.
The final investigation concluded the source was a candle in the bedroom. The candlestick was knocked over by the wind from the window, igniting the curtains, and then... it got out of control.
The bedroom was the orphanage director's. To better care for the children, she slept in the partition next to the children's bedroom and had someone break through the wall for easier access.
And precisely because of this convenience, the fire spread more easily.
The director wasn't in the bedroom at the time—she was routinely inspecting the orphanage's surroundings for safety. To prevent the children from running around, she habitually locked both room doors and windows.
After a noisy day surrounded by children, only at this time could the director feel some quiet.
She couldn't help but walk a few more laps outside, relaxing and thinking about what delicious food to prepare for the children tomorrow, what fun game to organize.
Until the intense, pungent smell of burning snapped her out of it. Realizing something was wrong, she rushed back, quickly ran upstairs, and charged towards the bedroom.
But when she tried to take out the key to open the children's bedroom door, she found a hole in her pocket.
The key must have fallen out somewhere during her frantic run back.
The firelight flickered in the bedroom, there was no time to go back and look for the key. Without hesitation, she picked up a stone, smashed the glass window, and told the children to come out through the window.
There were over forty children. The flames were already lapping at the edges of the window. One by one, she lifted the children out, instructing the older ones who were already outside to catch the younger ones as they came through.
Flames caught the hem of her skirt. With the nearest water source too far away to reach in time, she had no chance to douse the flames. In an instant, the fire consumed her.
Her only thought was that every second counted—any delay meant another child might not make it out.
"You run first, I'll catch up soon! Run where there's no fire, run as far as you can! Older brothers and sisters, hold the younger ones' hands, don't let go!"
The young children were too scared, crying uncontrollably. The older children, who understood, obediently held the younger ones' hands and ran downstairs.
But just then, the aged brick house made unbearable groaning sounds.
The director, lying in the sea of fire, opened her eyes wide in despair, watching everything around her rapidly sink down in that instant!
It collapsed with a crash!
"... In that disaster, only the male owner of Maple Forest Villa and one girl survived. Because he was led out first by an older sister, he wasn't crushed by the collapsing house, but that sister was hit in the leg by flying debris and could only use a wheelchair for the rest of her life."
Recalling the story's plot, Qin Linlin sighed: "After that accident, the two surviving children depended on each other, worked hard to earn money together, then bought back this land and built a villa here to commemorate the place they once lived together."
"This should have been an inspirational story, until... the male owner of the villa, believing someone's words, became deeply obsessed with vampire culture."
He actually started to believe that by becoming a vampire, he could resurrect those who had passed away.
Although decades had passed and the man had his own wife and children, he still recalled that day's events countless times in his mind.
This was a day he would never forget.
The endless fire, the miserable wails, the painful cries for help, the desperate shouts.
Although he was led out of the collapsing building, his heart remained forever buried under the rubble.
It became his obsession, his inner demon.
If there was the slightest possibility, even if it was a massive scam, he wanted to try.
So, he began collecting blood.
At first, it was just animal blood, but it was useless, so he started targeting people who had little contact with their families.
He urgently wanted to become a vampire and stubbornly believed he could.
His mind seemed dominated by something, losing all rationality, refusing to listen to any advice or dissuasion.
In the end, he even drew a strange blood array and ended his own life.
His face in death was peaceful, happy, as if he hadn't died but gone to paradise... a paradise he had long awaited.
There, he would see the companions he had missed for decades.
And thus, the fourth case, "The Vampire of the Red Forest," ended inconclusively due to the perpetrator's suicide.
But this wasn't a flawed mini-arc in "Blood Mist"; on the contrary, "The Vampire of the Red Forest" was a key part of the entire "Blood Mist" storyline.
It was precisely because of this bizarre and crazy case that the male lead Wu Xiaoqing and the main team found clues to the big villain boss lurking in the shadows.
A dangerous, terrifying psychological hypnotist.
"Ah..." After summarizing this part of the plot, Qin Linlin sighed, "What frustrates me most now is that I still haven't chosen an actor for the role of that behind-the-scenes big boss."
Qin Linlin said with clear frustration: "He's a high-IQ criminal who specializes in dominating or crushing others through psychological hypnosis. He enjoys the feeling of holding others' minds in his hands, he's a complete deviant."
Qin Linlin: "Among the actors I know, there are some who can play such a deviant role, but they're too big-name. Our current budget can't afford them. Finding a newcomer, I'm afraid they won't capture that feeling, turning a psychopath into someone just trying to look cool."
Yin Chengjue: "Then don't look."
Qin Linlin: "Huh?"
Yin Chengjue glanced at her calmly: "Then don't rush to find an actor for the behind-the-scenes villain boss. Just use the first few cases to continuously build up the mystery, terror, and his bone-chilling criminal methods of the unseen villain boss, building up the audience's curiosity, and then..."
Yin Chengjue deliberately paused.
"Uh-huh? And then?" Qin Linlin hurriedly asked.
Yin Chengjue: "Then, the screen goes black, and a few large words pop up on the screen — Season One, End."
Yin Chengjue spread his hands: "This way, as long as the series becomes popular, we won't have to worry about not getting good actors to audition for the role next season. The price can also be negotiated. Also, we can learn more about sponsors, we can insert advertisements during that time."
A certain new actor timidly raised his hand: "Um, President Yin, I've always felt that seeing inserted ads while watching a series only makes me more disgusted to buying that product."
Yin Chengjue: "As long as the sponsors pay enough, why care if their inserted ads profit or lose? Besides, we won't accept just any advertisement. It's best to accept ads for things like watches and accessories. We can also promote our own replica items worn by the main cast."
Yin Chengjue raised his hand and rubbed his chin, muttering to himself: "Hmm, we can also do some experience activities. How to do it specifically needs careful planning..."
In the end, it all came down to one simple truth: if the show became a hit, the money would follow.
Suddenly, filming became much more motivating!
Because of this, later on, whenever Director Chen noticed the actors growing tired and losing focus during filming, he would sincerely invite Yin Chengjue to visit the set to stimulate their motivation. Yin Chengjue was naturally happy to come and see Rong Yu more often.
No comments:
Post a Comment