China Entertainment's Standout

Chapter 1000: Catching a Topmouth Cuttlefish - The Money-Making Method

"The historical drama 'The Story of Minglan,' co-produced by Jiangdong Entertainment and Tangren Media, and starring Liu Shishi and Chen Xiao, has wrapped up filming today!"

"After the wrap party, Liu Shishi made a surprise appearance in Beijing to attend the preview screening of 'The Unknown'!"

"The top female star walked briskly through the airport in high spirits, and her fresh street style outfit reached a new level of beauty!"

"."

For word-of-mouth marketing purposes, Chen Xi arranged advance screenings of "The Unknown".

Only those with sufficient confidence in a film would resort to the tactic of preview screenings.

Otherwise, if negative reviews are leaked later, it will affect the audience's desire to watch the film.

Jiangdong Entertainment is already quite familiar with the entire process.

Several films vying for the May Day holiday box office have all begun a large-scale promotional campaign, with news about these films dominating various news and social media websites.

Following the scheduled preview screenings of "The Unknown," the first wave of positive reviews has already been released.

Beneath the absurd plot lies the genuine joy and sorrow of ordinary people, a bittersweet comedy, masterfully executed with dark humor. — Wei Junzi
[From director Rao Xiaozhi to lead actors Pan Binlong, Zhang Yu, and Ren Suxi, none of them are particularly famous. The film uses multiple narratives to depict a group of ordinary, nameless people pushed into a corner by life, struggling clumsily and maintaining their remaining dignity in seemingly absurd ways. For me, this is the biggest surprise of the May Day holiday season, bar none. Five stars, highly recommended.] —My Most White

[Without deliberately sentimentalizing, it evokes the most genuine emotions within its absurd plot. Yang Chaoyue's storyline is somewhat superfluous, but its merits outweigh its flaws; it precisely hit my tear and laughter points. Remember the director and actors; they will soon be more than just names.] —Ticket Checker, Hall 3

It seems like top film critics and marketing accounts have all agreed to start a collective effort.

This also includes top content creators on Bilibili and Douyin, the two largest short and long video platforms in terms of traffic, who have also started promoting and marketing the movies.

After all, even the best wine needs advertising.

The actors in "The Unknown" are at a disadvantage due to their lack of fame, so they have to find other ways to gain exposure.

If a film's quality is questionable, even with aggressive promotion across multiple channels, audiences may not necessarily buy it.

But with its already high quality, the film's influence can be elevated to another level with the help of the preview screenings.

"The Unknown held a preview screening in Shanghai today. Liu Shishi talked about her feelings as a producer, showing her mature and sophisticated demeanor!"

"Celebrities from all walks of life shared the news on social media to show their support, and the audience at the preview screening was in stitches!"

"Multiple screenings have generated rave reviews, and 'The Unknown' is poised to become a dark horse!"

This time, it's not just the media channels of the Jiangdong system that are pushing it; even Tencent is making a concerted effort.

Tencent spent a lot of money placing Weishi ads in the movie.

"It is the result of being reborn through the Impure World Reincarnation."

The cricket chirping in Chen Duling's mouth is Tencent's Weishi.

There are many intelligent people in the world besides Zhou Yutang; for example, there are countless talented individuals at Tencent.

As early as 2013, Weishi was launched.

Initially, it was positioned as an 8-second short video sharing community. Users could log in via QQ, WeChat, and other methods to share their short videos, and also share the content to WeChat friends, Moments, and other social platforms.

The goal was to build a social media ecosystem for the entire Tencent, but due to various reasons, the project failed to materialize and was subsequently shelved.

Later, when Tencent saw Jiang Dong eating with greasy mouth and red eyes on a short video platform, they activated their innate skill of copying.

At the beginning of this year, Tencent officially announced the revival of Weishi at its annual conference, and its positioning is gradually changing to a short video creation platform and sharing community, fully anchoring itself to Douyin.

Pony Ma, the head of Tencent, dispatched his trusted lieutenant Liang Zhu, who is quite capable of securing the position of vice president of Tencent.

He immediately made an overseas call to Governor Zhou, who was far away in Australia: "General Manager Zhou, this is just the beginning, and we will have to learn a lot from you in the future."

"General Manager Liang is very experienced; please go easy on him when the time comes."

Zhou Yutang smiled and said, "The crew has a lot on their plate, so I'll trouble you, Mr. Liang, to take care of the film's promotion."

"Not at all. With this size, it's nothing compared to Douyin."

Liang Zhu replied, "Promoting the movie is my duty, and I will definitely cooperate fully."

In front of Zhou Yutang, Liang Zhu did not put on any airs of being an industry senior. On the contrary, she was humble and respectful.

When Chen Duling was still a fresh-faced newcomer, she always felt that the words of these big shots were cryptic and hard to understand.

Sometimes, you may say a lot, but it may seem like there's nothing substantial to say. However, when you look back, you realize that you've said everything.

Having gained experience under Zhou Yutang's guidance, she had made great progress and understood that the meaning conveyed in Liang Zhu's phone call was quite clear:
You've paid the protection money, so I'll give you a hand. You get the big cuts, and I'll just have the scraps!

Jiangdong is currently at its peak, and everyone knows that Governor Zhou is powerful and wealthy. For Weishi to want to dethrone Douyin, which is popular both domestically and internationally, is nothing short of a pipe dream. Even with all of Tencent's resources, it's impossible.

However, for them, as long as they achieve the second-largest market share, they have already met their KPI.

Everyone tacitly understood this, and it went without saying that they would work together to spread the word.

The domestic promotion is in full swing, and the filming in Australia is also proceeding smoothly.

Because Gao's sexual harassment case is about to go to trial, Teacher Fan said she was accompanying Dong Xuan here and would also like to visit the set to learn from her experience.
"You're not Tang Sanzang, what are you going to do to fetch scriptures? Aimeishen can't even handle a TV series project properly, and you want to go into movies?"

Governor Zhou never indulged women who lusted after him.

"Can't I even think about it?"

Teacher Fan's voice sounded as sour as if he had drunk Shanxi vinegar: "Yang Mi can invest in 'Jianbing Man,' and Yi Jie is the producer of 'The Nameless,' so why can't I improve myself?"

"Someone spends all his time alone with his god-sister on set, and complains that I'm old and faded."

Zhou Yutang: "."

Lu Xun was right; women and petty men are the most difficult to deal with.

Yang Mi, who is currently in the spotlight, caused a huge uproar in the entertainment industry because of her heartfelt speech at the Hong Kong Film Awards ceremony.

Fans are waving the banner of "Honey CP" (a popular pairing of two celebrities), and some busybodies have dug up old clips from rare variety shows and interviews, revealing that Honey Entertainment invested in "Jianbing Man" and that Shanghai giant SMG acquired a stake in Honey Entertainment, suggesting that it was orchestrated by the "Grand Commander of Jiangdong" (a prominent figure in the entertainment industry).

Liu Yifei never takes things she considers unimportant to heart, thus avoiding internal conflict.

The leading lady remained unmoved by the winds of change, and after finishing filming "The Story of Minglan," she busied herself promoting "The Nameless."

However, undercurrents began to stir in the Grand Commander's fishpond.

For example, Teacher Fan, who is well aware that crying children are fed, couldn't help but make a few sarcastic remarks to his opponent.

After Teacher Fan unleashed her unreasonable demands, Governor Zhou didn't dwell on it. Instead, he changed the subject and brought up the Venice Film Festival this year.

Is there really a chance?

Teacher Fan instantly forgot all about jealousy and rivalry, and her big, bright eyes lit up.

What a stinky, bald chicken! It won a Hong Kong Film Award and now it's strutting around like its tail is in the air. It's too narrow-minded.

Sister is an international film queen, she's not on the same level as you. Soon my man will be helping me with the PR for the Best Actress at one of the three major European film festivals!
"It's hard to say yet, let's wait until the final cut is released."

Zhou Yutang's ambiguous response made Teacher Fan's lips curl into a smile.

Chen Duling listened from the side, thinking to herself that this scoundrel was a master of empty promises.

Even the film's post-production wasn't finished, yet they were talking like this year's Venice Film Festival Best Actress winner, Ms. Shefan.
As they were talking, the assistant director came over with several team leaders to report that the set was finally set up. "Clear the set, quiet down, and get ready for a test shoot!"

"Camera crew, how's the camera setup coming along?"

"Ready, Director."

"OK, ready to power on."

"The actor is getting his makeup touched up."

"Silence! 3, 2, 1, Action!"

With a command from Governor Zhou, the actors began to put on motion capture suits and awkwardly perform in a dry environment filled with LED screens and complex mechanical devices.

The filming process of superhero blockbusters is far more tedious than the finished product on the big screen.

Because most visual effects scenes require post-production using top-notch CG technology.

Today's filming went fairly smoothly. As is customary for the Grand Commander, after completing the planned filming content, he held a meeting with the elite members of the post-production team.

Zhou Yutang's film and television projects even begin post-production simultaneously before each shoot.

After the special effects meeting ended, Zhou Yutang gently tapped her snow-white thighs with her fingers, closed her eyes to rest, and listened to the powerful and stirring music coming from her headphones.

Sitting on Zhou Yutang's lap, Naza nestled in his arms, peeled a grape with her slender hand, fed it to him, then tossed the peel aside, her face full of hope:
"Is it delicious, brother?"

"It's almost not quite right."

Zhou Yutang shook his head. Nazha was slightly taken aback and pouted, "These local grapes aren't very good either."

Australia has a unique geographical advantage, especially the seedless grapes from South Australia and Victoria, which are considered high-end fruits.

"I mean the soundtrack."

Zhou Yutang waved and called over the head of the entire music composition team.

As a superhero blockbuster, Aquaman's plot can only be described as mediocre.

Arthur, the son of the lighthouse keeper and the Queen of Atlantis, is half-human and half-Atlantean. He was trained as a warrior from a young age and his thoughts are more inclined towards humanity.

Meanwhile, his half-brother Orm attempts to unite the seven underwater kingdoms to cause trouble and wage war against humanity.

With Mera's help, Arthur embarks on a journey to find the legendary trident, defeats Orm, and is crowned King of Atlantis, thus averting a war.

The biggest highlight is the use of CG technology to create the entire magnificent Atlantis civilization, including several action scenes in the movie, for which top domestic martial arts directors such as Zhang Jing and Chang Wei were specially brought in.

Of course, in addition to these, background music and sound effects are also an important part of conveying visual effects and emotions to the audience.

"Rupert?"

"Director, I'm here."

The Englishman Rupert Grayson Williams scratched his already sparse hair, showing no surprise at the relationship between Gulnazar and Zhou Yutang.

Having spent so many years in Hollywood, the world of fame and fortune, what outrageous things haven't I experienced?

It's practically an open secret that Gulnazar and Zhou Yutang have been staying in the same hotel room for the past few days.

This renowned composer, who has worked on Hollywood blockbusters such as "Hacksaw Ridge," "Wonder Woman," and the "John Wick" series, is simply not quite used to Zhou Dudu's workload.

After filming, he still had to stay for a meeting, which made him question the meaning of life.

"I need you to use the soundtrack to let the audience experience the world of Atlantis, the ancient civilization that has been passed down through the ages."

“Well, then let’s use orchestral music mixed with electronic sound effects; that should do the trick.” Rupert was very professional.

"The part where Arthur raises the trident should have a divine, epic feel."

"Also, Rupert, we need to readjust the music when Mera appears."

Zhou Yutang's voice carried an undeniable sense of authority: "I want a more ethereal and elegant feel. Such a beautiful lady deserves a more melodious entrance score."

Naza felt a sweet warmth in her heart and couldn't help but smile, like a little girl who had received her favorite candy.

Zhou Yutang put a lot of thought into the character design of her adopted sister in this movie, even down to the details of the background music during her entrance.

“Director, I understand your request, but we’ve already revised it five times in advance,” Rupert said, looking troubled.

Can you give me a demo within 24 hours?

Zhou Yutang pretended not to hear and directly stated his request.

Pay my ass, I'm not paying anything!

The client made a whole bunch of demands, and even wanted it completed within a day. Is this even humanly possible?
To Rupert, this handsome Eastern director was nothing short of a devil.

His smile was already somewhat forced as he reminded him, "Director, that's simply impossible. I'm not Superman; this workload is considerable."

"Triple the pay."

Zhou Yutang held up three fingers and said calmly, "If the final result meets my expectations, the entire music team will get an additional 50% bonus, and you will personally receive double. Any problems?"

"Absolutely no problem!"

"I must say, Mr. Zhou, you are truly a generous and wise gentleman. I have suddenly had a great inspiration and enlightenment. Perhaps we can talk about the new soundtrack tomorrow night."

The forced smile on the Englishman's face suddenly brightened, becoming exceptionally radiant.
"Wrath of Silence has grossed 1.87 million yuan in total, but its daily box office has dropped to less than 2 million yuan, indicating that its potential is about to be exhausted!"

"The extended release of 'How Long Will I Love U' has proven its strength, with total box office takings reaching 15.15 billion yuan!"

In the domestic film market, after Jiangdong's triumphant return, Spielberg, after years of honing his craft, ascended to the top in one fell swoop.

The movie "Ready Player One" had already grossed over one billion yuan in just two weeks since its release.

It's worth noting that this movie only grossed $1.37 million in North America, clearly demonstrating the immense box office potential of the Chinese server.

"Professional organizations predict that Ready Player One's global box office will be less than 600 million, which is about the same as The Nun that Grand Marshal made last year."

"Strictly speaking, the project's return on investment is not as good as 'The Nun,' because the former's cost is almost three times that of the latter!"

"Don't forget there was 'Fifty Shades Freed' last year, which grossed $4.07 million worldwide. The Grand Marshal made money like it was nothing."

"Holy crap, my husband is so good at making money, no wonder he's the richest man in China."

"."

Since taking the chair of the leadership, Zhou Yutang has been constantly used as a benchmark to be watched.

It was only then that people both inside and outside the industry realized just how abnormally powerful the Grand Commander was at making money.

Meanwhile, this super human-shaped money printing machine is sitting behind a monitor in an Australian film studio.

After carefully reviewing the footage, Governor Zhou frowned slightly, called Nazha over, and then made his request:
"Nazha, let's do that fight scene again. Your eyes and movements need to be more powerful."

"OK OK!"

(End of this chapter)