It's reasonable for me, a stuntman, to live a crazy life, right?

Chapter 1363 New work: "The Three-Body Problem"!
"All of Dong Ping's previous publicity efforts were practically wasted. Netizens' dissatisfaction with that young actor even extended to the movie, haha..."

As the box office of "Parasite" continues to rise, many people in the industry are casting a "pity" glance at "Man Jiang Hong".

Wang Changtian even seemed somewhat gloating.

After all, when Huanxi was preparing for their new movie, Dong Ping had some unpleasantness with him because of hype and marketing.

He couldn't be happier to see the other person in trouble now.

"It's no use." On the other end of the phone, Chen Fei shook his head and said, "The internet has no memory. It's making a big fuss now, but when the next top celebrity falls from grace, or a blockbuster movie gets a release date, public opinion will naturally shift."

Believe it or not, if you bring this up again three months later, less than 30% of the audience will remember it.

Moreover, Dong Ping is a master of this tactic: first, let the hype die down, then, once the film is nearing completion, release a few behind-the-scenes clips like "Yi Yang Qianxi does his own stunts on set without a stunt double" and "Filming in -20°C rain," accompanied by press releases emphasizing the hardships of being an actor, which always manages to garner some sympathy.

In addition, the film itself has an appealing subject matter and is a big-budget production. As long as the post-production marketing keeps up and fully capitalizes on the themes of "patriotism" and "suspenseful plot twists," audiences will still buy tickets.

After all, most people go to the movies to enjoy the film, not to nitpick over the actors' personal lives.

“But what about Yi Yangqianxi…” Wang Changtian’s voice was hesitant.

"His public image has completely collapsed." Chen Fei bluntly stated, tapping his fingertips lightly on the table. "Before, when people mentioned him, they called him a 'young actor' and a 'positive role model,' but now it's a different story."

It will be more difficult to secure endorsements with high national recognition in the future, and the selection of mainstream awards will also be affected.

However, he still has a fan base. If he focuses on making a few serious dramas and slowly builds up his career, he might be able to make a comeback. But returning to his peak will be difficult.

My phone suddenly vibrated. It was a message from Liu Yifei saying that the box office of "Parasite" had exceeded 500 million yuan.

Chen Fei smiled back and continued into the microphone: "The storms in the entertainment industry come and go quickly. Just you wait and see. Once this wave of hype dies down, we'll do some more hype and marketing, and the impact on the movie will be minimized."

As for that young heartthrob, we'll see if he can hold out.

Wang Changtian sighed softly, "Being an artist manager is quite difficult. These young actors from Enlight Media are currently neither hot nor cold; they just seem to be lacking something."

Chen Fei laughed and said, "You don't know how lucky you are. Those kids from Enlight Media, how brilliant were they in that campus drama last year? They just need a memorable role."

Listen to me, compared to those who become famous overnight and then quickly fail, those who take a steady and solid approach will go further.

Wang Changtian gave a wry smile: "I can understand that, but I'm really worried. I've recorded a lot of variety shows and bought trending topics a few times, but it's just not making any waves."

I was thinking of casting a young girl in a period drama a while ago, but during her audition, the director said she "lacked a certain spark in her eyes." Ugh, I'm so worried!

"If you're lacking energy, then work on it." Chen Fei succinctly pointed out the main point: "How many extras did Zhou Xun have to play before he got the role in 'Suzhou River'? Today's young actors are too eager for results and have forgotten that acting depends on the role to sustain them."

Stop trying to gain exposure through variety shows. Send them to play lower-class characters in realistic dramas, let them shed their idol image, and once the audience remembers the character's name, you won't have to worry about popularity.

Wang Changtian stroked his phone screen, pondered for a moment, and then nodded: "You see things clearly. It seems I need to worry less about the data and focus more on the script."

Chen Fei raised an eyebrow: "It should have been done a long time ago. Do you think I signed Peng Yuchang's studio back then because I was interested in his fans?"

Wasn't it because he brought the character to life so vividly during the audition? Ultimately, an actor must center their performance on the role.

"Okay, I see."

Wang Changtian nodded knowingly.

After ending the call, Chen Fei first checked the box office results of the movie "Parasite".

In just three days, the total box office exceeded 5 million yuan, which is absolutely top-notch for art-house films.

Of course, the reason for such success is also inseparable from the recent trending topics on the internet, which can be described as a combination of favorable timing, location, and people.

After shutting down his computer, Chen Fei continued working on his script.

He named his next film project:
"Three-body"!
As a milestone in Chinese science fiction literature, the Three-Body Problem trilogy has swept major awards at home and abroad since its publication. It not only won the Hugo Award for Best Novel, but has also been translated into more than 30 languages, becoming the first Chinese science fiction IP to truly go global.

Chen Fei bought the copyright to this novel a long time ago, but he has been slow to start using it.

Now, it's about time!

Staring at the profound cosmic landscape on the cover of the original novel on the table, Chen Fei lightly traced the words "Three-Body Problem" with his fingertips, his eyes brimming with ambition to adapt the story into a movie!
The story of "The Three-Body Problem" begins at the Red Coast Base during that special era.

Disillusioned with humanity, astronomer Ye Wenjie sent a signal of Earth's civilization into the universe, but unexpectedly made contact with the Trisolaran civilization, which was four light-years away from Earth.

This civilization, ravaged by three stars and on the verge of extinction, regards Earth as its new home. A massive fleet sets sail, and the fate of human civilization is thus drawn into the vortex of interstellar warfare.

In the novel, the Trisolarans used advanced technology to lock down Earth's basic science, while humanity, in despair, assembled a space fleet and launched a war for the survival of civilization spanning four centuries.

From the meticulous planning of "Operation Guzheng" to the intricate game of "Project Wallfacer," and then to the brutal revelation of the "Dark Forest Theory."

The original novel's author, Liu Cixin, uses hardcore scientific settings and a grand narrative to construct a cosmic landscape that is both unfamiliar and full of realistic metaphors.

In Chen Fei's view, the selling points of "The Three-Body Problem" go far beyond the word "science fiction".

He specifically highlighted three core elements for the script adaptation:
Firstly, it is a "collision between science and philosophy".

The novel's concepts, such as the "shooter hypothesis" and the "farmer theory," push humanity's understanding of the universe to its limits. This mind-bending and profound setting undoubtedly breaks the prejudice that "science fiction films are only about special effects."

Secondly, it is a "multifaceted mirror of human nature".

Ye Wenjie's despair, Luo Ji's growth, and Cheng Xin's struggles—each character reflects the complex choices humans make when facing crises, which keeps the story grounded in human warmth within its grand narrative.

Thirdly, it is the "cultural foundation of Chinese science fiction".

The historical background of the Red Coast Base, the Chinese strategies in Operation Guzheng, and the balance between "collectivism" and "individual heroism" all distinguish this work from the individual heroism of Western science fiction, showcasing unique Eastern wisdom.

Through this film, he wanted to show the world China's ambition in science fiction!
While writing the script, he was also simultaneously working on drawing storyboards.

The magnificent sight of the Trisolaran fleet traversing the nebula, the chilling destruction of the Earth fleet by the "droplet," and Luo Ji's solitary gaze at the starry sky from the ice field...

Hollywood can make films like "Star Wars" and "Blade Runner," so why can't Chinese films have their own cosmic epics?
This was precisely his original intention in choosing to adapt the novel "The Three-Body Problem".

To recreate the core elements of the novel, he even employed technical personnel from Longxiang Aerospace Technology and several astrophysicists. From the "trajectory of the Trisolaran system" to the visual representation of the "two-dimensional foil," every detail had to undergo scientific verification.

His goal is: to ensure that the audience never feels this is a 'pseudo-science fiction'!
For example, the scene of the 'Sophon' unfolding into a two-dimensional plane to wrap around the Earth must be visually stunning, while also conforming to the basic logic of string theory!

At the same time, in his view, the most moving part of "The Three-Body Problem" is not the spectacle of interstellar war, but the human reaction when they learn that "the Trisolarans will arrive in four hundred years".

Some went mad, some succumbed, and some rose up in rebellion...

Ultimately, science fiction is a test of human nature.
This reflection on the "survival of civilization" resonates with contemporary audiences.

Although this project is extremely costly, incredibly difficult, and even risks "failure upon adaptation"...

But Chen Fei believes even more strongly that when the concept of the "Dark Forest Theory" is brought to the screen, and when the line "Give civilization to time, not time to civilization" resonates in the theater, the audience will eventually understand:
Chinese science fiction will definitely not stop at the hardcore nature of "The Wandering Earth," but will also include works like "The Three-Body Problem" that combine depth and breadth in their cosmic philosophical reflections!

clap clap-

Inside the office, the sound of keyboards clicking was very pleasant, like a magnificent musical movement.

And Chen Fei... was none other than the player of this piece of music!
……

Half a month passed quickly.

By the end of July, Parasite's total box office had unsurprisingly surpassed 1 billion yuan.

There were very few competitors at the same time, so they completely dominated the market!

If this movie weren't an art-house drama, its box office performance would definitely have doubled!
Meanwhile, during this period, many other things happened in the industry.

For example, the Fantawild Oriental Mythology Theme Park saw a surge in visitors; the construction of the dome theater at the Hangzhou Asian Games site entered its final stage; and "Parasite" announced that it would be competing for an Oscar...

These news items quickly became trending topics on Weibo and various websites.

The most puzzling of all is the "dome theater".

When the Asian Games Organizing Committee announced the name, many people were stunned.

The hashtag #WhatIsADomeTheater# even stayed on the trending topics list for several days.

However, faced with netizens' curiosity, the organizing committee once again played the role of riddle tellers.

Previously, if it weren't for the pressure from online criticism, they wouldn't have even planned to reveal the words "dome theater," intending to give the people of the whole country a surprise.

Many people also chose to ask Chen Fei, but still did not receive any answers.

Unfortunately, all they could do was quietly wait for the birth of this "new" thing while harboring their doubts.

Meanwhile, no one knew that Chen Fei had quietly accomplished something big during this time!

With Longxiang Capital as its vanguard, he spent eight months negotiating and maneuvering before finally completing the acquisition of Twitter for $400 billion.

The moment the funds were transferred through the offshore account, the name of "Dragon Capital" replaced all the original shareholders on Twitter's equity certificate, becoming the sole owner of this social platform with over 3 million global users!
The news was not made public; Chen Fei was simply making arrangements behind the scenes to deal with any potential troubles that might arise later.

The donkey and the elephant are about to start their battle of wits again. To ensure their interests are not harmed, the best course of action is to convert the dollars in their bank accounts into assets.

However, although he did not announce this news, under his remote command, the algorithm team was asked to rewrite the recommendation mechanism to reduce the weight of the spread of extreme opinions.

All arrangements were made in a subtle and gradual manner, like "boiling a frog in warm water."

No one can predict what changes will occur in the future, but he felt it was necessary to secure a safety net for himself to the best of his ability.

On July 29, "Boyhood," directed by Chen Kaige, was released in theaters nationwide.

Despite a high screening rate of 28% on its first day, the film has shown signs of polarization in terms of public opinion.

Film critics have praised the film for "deconstructing adolescence with poetic shots," especially the opening three-minute long take of running through a wheat field, which is seen as a "new breakthrough in Chinese-language film aesthetics"!
The scene of Chen Feiyu tearing up the exam paper in the rainstorm has been interpreted as a "gentle rebellion against educational anxiety."

Many art-house film enthusiasts are flooding social media with posts about it:

"Director Chen has finally rediscovered the spirit of 'Farewell My Concubine,' and every scene is like an oil painting."

However, the feedback from ordinary viewers was quite the opposite.

The Douban rating plummeted from 7.8 at the start to 6.2, with the short review section filled with complaints such as "I don't understand it" and "the pacing is slow".

"In a two-hour movie, the main character spends half the time spacing out and the other half reciting stream-of-consciousness dialogue. What is he trying to say?"

"The poster says 'youth and growth,' but it's just a collection of fragmented shots. It would be better to watch a melodramatic coming-of-age movie."

"That era wasn't like that, at least it shouldn't have been, and it's not like the way I understand it!"

"It is obvious that the film that the great poet Chen described was based on his own experiences and observations during that era, not on the experiences of us ordinary people."

"Compared to Parasite, Boyhood is far inferior, no wonder it won nothing at Cannes."

In response to the numerous controversies online, Chen Kaige said in an interview: "Youth is inherently chaotic, why should movies impose a clear logic on it?"

However, these remarks have sparked another round of discussion.

Some people think, "This is the master's dedication to art."

Others countered: "A film made for an audience can't just focus on self-expression, can it?"

Amidst the controversy, August arrived.

"Boyhood" grossed 3693 million yuan on its opening day, but its reputation plummeted!

Parasite's box office performance continues to rise and is on its way to 12 billion.

The new animated film "Yang Jian" suddenly launched an overwhelming publicity campaign, determined to prove Alibaba's achievements in the field of animated films!

(End of this chapter)