Chapter 145: The Invitation
How could Rong Yu possibly not give Yin Chengjue face? He had already made up his mind that no matter what Yin Chengjue had written the script into, no matter what the plot was like, he would praise it as something that should only exist in heaven.
However, after carefully flipping through a few pages, the praise that had rushed to his lips was intercepted by an exclaimed "Wow!"
"Brother! Did you write this? Are you sure you didn't hire a ghostwriter?"
Yin Chengjue was helpless. "Why would I do that? I wrote all of this working overtime these past few days."
Yin Chengjue tried to take back the phone from Rong Yu's hand. "I feel like the male lead's image has become a bit skewed after the revisions. If you don't want to act in it, just pretend you never saw it..."
"No, no, no! I want to act! Brother! I want to act in this, this is a role brother gifted to me!" Rong Yu held onto Yin Chengjue's phone tightly, as if letting go would mean he couldn't act in it.
Yin Chengjue found his excited appearance both funny and annoying. "Alright, then I'll tidy it up a bit more and print it out. But are you really sure? The male lead's character image in this plot... is very complex. Are you sure you want to act this?"
Rong Yu nodded vigorously. "I'm sure! I can do it!"
"Okay."
Yin Chengjue was a man of action. Since Rong Yu said he was willing to act, Yin Chengjue directly sent the finished electronic draft to Sally. Sally had been in this circle for a long time and knew many directors; having her find someone would be faster.
Not long after the electronic draft was sent, Sally sent back a string of exclamation marks!
Sally: !!......
Sally: President Yin, where did you get this script from!
Digging Three Feet Deep: I wrote it.
Sally: Hahaha, stop joking. Hurry up and tell me who the author is. Is the copyright settled? What are the author's requirements for casting? When is the audition?
Digging Three Feet Deep: There's only one requirement for casting, Rong Yu must play the male lead.
Sally: !!! Is the author a fan of Xiao Yu?
Seeing this WeChat message from Sally, Yin Chengjue smiled slightly.
Digging Three Feet Deep: Yes, he's Xiao Yu's die-hard fan.
Sally: That's great! If this production can cast and start filming quickly, it might even keep up with the schedule for "The Chase"! It would be best if both movies are released together, competing directly at the box office!
Digging Three Feet Deep: That depends on your progress. Right now, there's only a script, nothing else. It's time to test your connections.
Sally: You're really entrusting this to me? The author has no other requirements?
Digging Three Feet Deep: The requirement was just stated. Other roles require auditions, prioritize selecting from our company's artists.
Sally: Heavens! How can such a good thing happen! Did the author become a fan of our company's artists? Or did they become a fan of our company?
Digging Three Feet Deep: ...Because the author is me.
Sally: Hahaha, that is absolutely the funniest joke I have ever heard!
Digging Three Feet Deep: Are you mocking my intelligence?
Sally: No, I just trust my instincts. If I imagine you as the author, how could you possibly let Xiao Yu play a male ghost? Even though he's the male lead, that male ghost's image is so enchanting and gorgeous. Never mind making it into a show; just imagining it, I can picture Rong Yu wearing red clothes, crawling out of a mirror. The horror factor might be reduced, but the visual appeal would definitely get bonus points.
Yin Chengjue snapped the pen in his hand in two.
After Sally's reminder, Yin Chengjue finally began to feel regret.
However, it wasn't over. Having seen the script, Sally seemed to have triggered some mechanism, her inspiration continuously flowing, her typing speed extremely fast as she quickly sent another long string of messages.
Sally: It's okay if it's not scary. This is a supernatural series anyway, not a horror film. We can focus on the plot rather than on scaring people. So I highly recommend Xiao Yu audition for the male lead. This role seems tailor-made for his transformation!
Sally: Whether it's "Don't Look Back in the Dark" or "Blood Mist," what people see is Xiao Yu's clever, brainy image. It's not that this image is bad, but it's too singular. He urgently needs a role with contrast, but not too much contrast, to change the audience's first impression of him.
Sally: And one more crucial point, if this image is done well, fans will have so much more material for editing videos in the future! A male ghost in red! An absolutely fatal image!
Digging Three Feet Deep: ...You just said that Xiao Yu acting in it wouldn't be scary enough?
Sally: Huh?
Digging Three Feet Deep: Okay, I understand. I'll revise the script some more. You wait.
Sally: ??? What do you mean? Don't tell me you really wrote this?
Yin Chengjue didn't reply further, he went to revise the script.
Because "Blood Mist" had the highest viewership among new series airing concurrently, even though its rating was 8.1, 0.3 points lower than "Worlds Apart, Yet So Close," the fans didn't feel discontented.
After all, in "Worlds Apart, Yet So Close," apart from the male lead, the female lead, second female lead, and third male lead were all third or fourth-tier celebrity artists. The second male lead, Ming Qian, though his status wasn't as high as the others, was also a relatively popular traffic star recently.
With such a cast, even if the series itself wasn't great, fans alone could push the rating up by giving stars.
Of course, as first and second place, to say there was no competition between them was impossible; in fact, the competition was quite fierce.
It had basically reached the point where the fans of each series were also anti-fans of the other, and the actor fans from both sides were constantly trying to outdo each other.
Because "Blood Mist" mostly featured newcomers, the fanbase of these new artists wasn't high. Although the number of fans attracted by this one series was large, it hadn't reached the point where it could compete with the fans of the fourth and fifth-tier stars in "Worlds Apart, Yet So Close."
Firstly, most of these fans were newcomers to fan culture. They were just getting their "fan membership" and learning the rules and structure of fan communities for the first time. Their methods were unpolished and could not compare to the seasoned, battle-hardened fans of the more established third and fourth-tier artists.
Secondly, their fandom was still new. Having just become fans, their loyalty was not yet at the "die-hard" level. They were far from willing to engage in round-the-clock online arguments over their newly adored idol, especially over disputes that seemed utterly pointless.
Consequently, after repeated clashes, the "Blood Mist" faction appeared comparatively weaker. While its viewership numbers steadily surpassed those of "Worlds Apart, Yet So Close," it nonetheless had fewer ratings and positive reviews.
This disparity was due to strict limitations on how viewership was counted. A real-name registered account could contribute a maximum of only 50 view counts. After that limit, no amount of artificial boosting would increase the number. In the current era of strict internet management, views from non-real-name accounts were disregarded entirely. This made the viewership data relatively authentic by comparison.
Furthermore, aside from fans trying to boost their idol's data, not everyone had the spare time to watch a series fifty times.
Now "Blood Mist" had aired up to episode 26. The fourth case was presented to the audience with a unique blend of magnificence and cruelty. Unlike the previous cases, it featured the most beautiful natural outdoor scenery. In the shots, the swirling, falling maple leaves, and the members of the main team standing beneath them in varied poses, each possessed their own distinct aesthetic appeal.
The most exquisite part of "Blood Mist" wasn't just the cases themselves, but that although there was only one official male lead, the plot did not solely revolve around him. Here, every member of the main team had their highlights and their own individual charm.
Furthermore, Qin Linlin personally handled the casting. Although she chose newcomers, their looks were universally high-quality, making the show visually pleasing.
These newcomers also worked extremely hard, without much concern for maintaining a perfect idol image, and they completely let go of their inhibitions regarding facial expressions. They did this all to portray their roles more effectively and stay truer to the original source material. This sincerity was felt by the original work's fans, who consequently gave them positive reviews willingly.
The seven members of the main team: the Chief Superintendent, the Head of the Major Case Unit, the Male Team Member, the Female Team Member, the Forensic Doctor, the Baby-faced Youth, and the Rich Second Generation. Each had distinct personalities, each had their own merits.
The Chief Superintendent embodied steadiness, serving as the team's backbone and pillar. His presence gave the others a sense of security, allowing them to work with greater confidence.
The Head of the Major Case Unit personified courage, acting as the team's vanguard and the embodiment of absolute justice, bravery, and fearlessness. With him leading the way, the team possessed a fighting spirit and the drive to push forward.
The Male Team Member, a new recruit, symbolized new beginnings and growth. In contrast, the Female Team Member had already been with the Major Case Unit for two or three years. She possessed strength and drive that were in no way inferior to any man's, yet she also carried a gentleness unique to women, blending resilience and compassion perfectly within her petite frame. As one of the few women on the team, she was also the one called upon to take risks, serving as an undercover agent or a hostage when the situation demanded it.
The Forensic Doctor had a quirky personality but possessed strong professional skills, consistently uncovering crucial evidence from the corpses. His characteristic white lab coat became an iconic visual, captivating both readers of the novel and viewers of the series.
Although the Rich Second Generation and the Baby-faced Youth held no official positions within the team, they consistently found themselves involved in the cases for their own reasons. The Rich Second Generation's involvement stemmed from his pursuit of the Female Team Member, while the Baby-faced Youth seemed perpetually entangled due to his extraordinarily bad luck—though it would later be revealed that he was actually a subordinate of the mastermind operating behind the scenes.
It was precisely because these seven characters in the original work each possessed distinct personalities, coupled with the actors' serious dedication to capturing the essence of the source material, that all of their fanbases grew rapidly. The more amusing part was that the fan growth rate for each of these seven individuals surpassed that of the male lead in "Worlds Apart, Yet So Close."
That male lead from "Worlds Apart, Yet So Close"—despite his financial backer spending enormous sums to hire numerous fourth and fifth-tier artists and popular traffic stars to support him—still could not be successfully elevated. He failed to even compete with the fan numbers of the "Blood Mist" main team. Some observant critics seized upon this comparison, mockingly dubbing him the entertainment industry's latest "A Dou."
[阿斗 (Ā Dǒu): a historical figure from the Three Kingdoms period, who is incompetent, weak-willed, and unable to be helped, even by others' efforts].
Regardless of how this "A Dou's" acting career would proceed afterwards, the popularity of "Blood Mist" was undeniable, and its success in launching the careers of so many newcomers was an indisputable fact.
Thus, Sally received an invitation from Lychee Channel, inviting all eight members of the "Blood Mist" main team to participate in an entertainment variety show organized by Lychee Channel.
No comments:
Post a Comment