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

Chapter 1370: A Devastating Strike from a Web Series!

"On September 27, the web series 'Tales of the Tang Dynasty' was launched on Youku, and its viewership exceeded 120 million on the first day, far surpassing many other series launched at the same time!"

"Data shows that within two hours of its premiere, the show's popularity on Youku soared to 9800, surpassing the previously popular 'Canglan Jue' and becoming the fastest-growing historical suspense drama to break into the mainstream recently."

"Warmest congratulations! On its premiere day, 'Tales of the Tang Dynasty' received a 7.9 rating on Douban, surpassing 'The Legend of Canglan' with a 7.1 rating!"

Industry insiders are amazed: How did a web series without top-tier stars manage to break through the competition?

"The popularity of Luo Jin, Cao Jun, Li Yitong, Meng Ziyi and other main creators of 'Tales of the Tang Dynasty' has soared, with their Weibo and Douyin followers skyrocketing!"

"This morning, the fantasy comedy film 'Mozart in Outer Space,' directed by Chen Sicheng and starring Huang Bo, with Rong Zishan, Yao Chen, Fan Wei, and Huang Yangxi in supporting roles, officially held its premiere in Shanghai..."

~

With the National Day holiday approaching, Shanghai Film Group held a grand premiere event for "Mozart from Outer Space".

Wang Jian'er was full of anticipation, and was even imagining the scene of the trending topics exploding.

But to his surprise, netizens didn't discuss the movie much at all; instead, everyone's attention was focused on a web series.

On the day "Tales of the Tang Dynasty" premiered, many people did not regard it as a hit web series.

If it weren't for the fact that the production company was Feiyue Films and that they had the slogan "Only making high-quality products" to back it up, probably not many people would watch it.

However, after watching the first episode, the audience was stunned!
The entire cast delivers excellent performances, and the unfolding of the case is like unraveling a bizarre Tang Dynasty painting. The details of the costumes, props, and sets even bear the shadow of "The Night Banquet of Han Xizai".

It would have been better if they hadn't looked at it; once they did, many people instantly fell into the trap.

Almost 80% of the viewers watched the first episode and then immediately continued watching the rest, not even daring to fast forward, for fear of missing a particularly exciting part of the story.

After watching it in one go, more than 60% of the viewers immediately started telling their friends and recommending the new show to them.

The word spread like wildfire, from one person to two, then to two, and so on, directly causing the reputation of "Tales of the Tang Dynasty" to completely collapse that very afternoon!
Although this drama lacks popular stars, it has become an advantage, allowing viewers to focus more on the plot and the actors' performances.

That evening, major social media platforms and bullet comment sections were flooded with positive reviews.

"Wow, when I first saw the cast list, I thought it was a low-budget web series. But I found that every character's turban and robe were meticulously researched, and even the villain's waist tag was engraved with a real Tang Dynasty official title. This is much more meticulous than some S+ series."

"Luo Jin's portrayal of Su Wuming is both talkative and shrewd, like he stepped right out of 'Youyang Zazu'! Haha, it's really funny."

"Master Fei's poison skills are so cool! This is what Chinese fantasy should be like!"

"No artificial sweeteners, no mindless plot twists—suspense fans will be ecstatic!"

"Holy crap! This is exactly the kind of ensemble drama I've been looking for! Everyone growing and progressing together is way better than those male-centric or female-centric shows!"

The popularity of "Tales of the Tang Dynasty" has caught the film and television industry somewhat off guard, with a large number of positive reviews online.

A purchasing director of a certain platform bluntly stated in an industry group: "When I first saw the cast, I didn't have high expectations at all, since apart from Luo Jin, the other main actors didn't have much national recognition."

But now it seems that a solid script is more effective than star power. The individual cases are independent yet subtly connected, and the elements of Tang Dynasty supernatural tales are perfectly combined with suspense and mystery. This "content is king" approach serves as a wake-up call for web dramas.

Upon seeing this, a veteran producer in the industry remarked, "It is said that the cost per episode is very low, less than a fraction of that of many S+ dramas, yet the money is spent wisely."

The film features real outdoor scenes of the Dunhuang desert, hand-sewn Tang Dynasty official robes, and a replica of a ghost market...

These details left not only the audience bewildered, but even those in the industry were stunned!

Some people remarked, "People used to say that web series were inferior to broadcast TV series, but now it seems that as long as the story is good enough, the audience doesn't care whether it's a 'big production' or not."

The unexpected success of "Tales of the Tang Dynasty" is like a slap in the face to those capitalists who blindly believe in traffic.

When the barrage of comments was filled with "Please add more episodes" and "Recommend this to your whole family," people in the industry finally realized that what the audience wanted was never a star-studded cast, but a good story that could keep them engaged.

Meanwhile, Feiyue Films was already celebrating.

In the conference room, the champagne had just been opened when it was immediately drowned out by a chorus of cries of good news.

"Youku just announced that the viewership of 'Tales of the Tang Dynasty' has exceeded 3 million, setting a new annual record for new users on the platform!"

"The popularity has successfully surpassed 10,000 views, and our efforts have not been in vain!"

"Keep up the good work, and maybe we can surpass the popularity of 'The Legend of Canglan' from last month."

"That's for sure, hahaha!"

"It's time to start preparing for a sequel. We can capitalize on the hype and try some marketing..."

Unlike the bustling atmosphere at Feiyue Film and Television, the atmosphere in Dongyang Meila's office was as if it were frozen solid.

Feng Xiaogang stared at the clip of "Tales of the Tang Dynasty" on the computer screen, then turned to look at the initial cut of "Echo" on the monitor next to him, his brows furrowing.

On the screen, the "Gantang Post Station" segment of "Tales of the Tang Dynasty" is filming a haunted house on a rainy night. The camera pans across the moldy cobwebs in the corner of the wall, the swaying lanterns under the corridor, and even the fear on the faces of the extras is layered.

In contrast, in "Echoes," the female lead's hysterical crying scenes were cut into fragments, and the delicate psychological descriptions that should have been subtle were rendered hollow by the fast-paced editing.

"The costumes, makeup, and props..."

Feng Xiaogang stared intently at the screen, his voice tinged with barely perceptible irritation.

Although the modern costumes in "Echoes" are glamorous, they always exude a deliberate refinement, far less realistic than the faded white robe in "Tang Dynasty Ghost Stories".

What alarmed him even more was the rhythm!
Their cases are intricately linked, with clues hidden in every detail.

However, looking at their own dramas, they are stuck in romantic entanglements, while the suspense storyline has become a mere backdrop.

Last year, the memory of "North and South" being ridiculed for its "floating" style had not yet faded. Now, watching "Tang Dynasty Ghost Stories" achieve legendary status through its solid details, Feng Xiaogang suddenly felt a tightness in his back.

"Call the editor over." He turned off the video, looked at his assistant, and said in a deep voice, as if he were pressing down on a stone, "Start re-editing from the first episode. Cut out all the useless romantic scenes and make sure the suspense is clear."

If it airs next year and viewers say we're not even as good as a web series, then Dongyang Meila will lose all face.

"Okay, Director Feng." The assistant nodded and quickly left.

Feng Xiaogang was the only one left in the office, the light from the monitor flickering on his face.

October was a sweltering month, but Feng Xiaogang felt a chill run down his spine.

"Tales of the Tang Dynasty" is like a mirror, reflecting not only the dedication of my peers, but also my own restlessness in the past two years as I wavered between "traffic" and "reputation".

He picked up a cigarette from the table, but instead of lighting it, he fell into deep thought.

Perhaps we should learn from Feiyue Films and focus less on gimmicks and more on understanding the human heart within the story?
With that in mind, he opened the document labeled "If You Are the One 3" and began to revise it again from beginning to end, striving to make the script flawless.

Meanwhile, Wang Jian'er was nestled on the sofa in his office, with the "Stone Bridge Picture" section of "Tales of the Tang Dynasty" playing on the projection screen in front of him.

As the camera panned across the ink-wash painting-like reflection in the lake, even the dewdrops rolling on the lotus leaves seemed to exude a wet, ethereal quality, his thermos flask clattered onto the coffee table. "How...did they do that special effect?"

He muttered to himself, his brow furrowed with doubt.

Despite being a mid-budget web series, the ghostly lanterns in the ghost market and the wind and sand effects of the Dunhuang desert are actually more natural than the fur texture of the panda alien in "Mozart from Outer Space"!

The latter spent nearly 100 million on post-production, but it still looks like a "plastic toy". Looking at it now, it's like being doused with a bucket of cold water.

The planning director next to him noticed his expression and quickly tried to smooth things over: "Mr. Wang, this is a movie; the quality of the big screen is different..."

“Texture?” Wang Jian’er interrupted him, pointing to the scene on the screen where Su Wuming was surveying the scene. “Look at this lighting and shadow, the layers in the dark tones are much more comfortable than our oversaturated sci-fi scenes.”

Even web series are meticulously crafting visual details; we've spent so much money, how come we can't achieve the same level of effort?

It's not that he didn't try.

To make "Mozart" more appealing, the team revised his appearance seven times, and the fur rendering alone took two months. However, during the test screening, some viewers still said that "it is not as smooth as the animation of 'Boonie Bears'".

At the time, he thought it was just nitpicking, but now, seeing how "Tales of the Tang Dynasty" vividly captures the everyday life of the Tang Dynasty street scenes with a limited budget, he realizes that the problem may not be the technology, but the dedication!

Other people's special effects serve the story, but mine just look like a show of skills.

My phone vibrated; it was the final film schedule from the distribution department.

"Mozart from Outer Space" secured 28% of the screenings during the National Day holiday, second only to "The Lone Ranger" with 35%.

As for other films such as "Ordinary Heroes" and "Iron Will", their filming rates hovered below 20%.

The data is impressive, but Wang Jian'er's confidence is being worn thinner and thinner by each frame of the web series.

"Never mind." He turned off the projector and rubbed his temples. "It's going to be released the day after tomorrow, there's no point in thinking about it."

Success or failure depends on this!
As the production company, all they could do was rely on all their resources to make the film as high-quality as possible.

As for the box office performance after the release, that depends on market feedback.

Because whether it's a movie or a web series, the final judgment is always made by the audience sitting in their seats.

...

On the 29th, the popularity of "Tales of the Tang Dynasty" continued to rise, and the popularity of the main actors and crew continued to increase.

Although Cao Jun hasn't had any outstanding works in recent years, his performance in this drama has evoked memories of him among the audience.

In an instant, even the popularity of Wang Hedi, a rising star, on Weibo was severely suppressed by him.

Yu Shuxin was no match for the combined suppression of Meng Ziyi and Li Yitong, and her popularity was also suppressed.

At 11 a.m., the premiere of "Lone on the Moon," co-produced by Mahua FunAge and Feiyue Films, was held in the capital.

Chen Fei brought Liu Yifei with him to the premiere event.

"Has the script been submitted for review?"

Chen Fei has been busy writing "The Three-Body Problem" lately, so he hasn't had time to inquire about the progress of Liu Yifei's new film. Today is a rare day when he has some free time.

"Yes, it's already been submitted for review." Liu Yifei replied, linking her arm with his and waving to the audience on both sides of the red carpet.

Chen Fei then reminded him, "Just tell me if you need anything."

"Okay, I got it."

Liu Yifei nodded obediently, but she was determined to do her best to make this movie well.

Of course, she also knows that her aesthetic sense is not very good.

However, having weaknesses is not terrible, because she has two assistant directors, Han Jianu and Wen Muye, to help her.

Her only task was to tell this story well.

She was quite confident about this, after all, she had been influenced by Chen Fei from a young age, and had also received various private lessons from him...

If she still can't tell a movie story well after all this, then she really will be considered a "fool".

As they spoke, the two had already entered the premiere venue.

As soon as they entered the venue, Shen Teng stepped forward to greet them with a smile and said, "Director Chen, Yifei, we've been waiting for you! I was just telling Ma Li that without the two of you today, the premiere feels rather dull."

Ma Li laughed and punched him lightly, adding, "Director Chen, Yi Fei, don't listen to his nonsense. We feel much more at ease knowing you're here."

As she spoke, she looked at Liu Yifei with sincerity in her eyes, "I heard you're preparing for a new film? If you need any help, just let me know. We're all on the same side."

"Okay." Liu Yifei nodded with a smile.

As they were exchanging pleasantries, Zhang Chen, the chairman of Happy Twist, came over to greet them.

Chen Fei then chatted with him about some matters concerning future cooperation.

Half an hour later, as the lights dimmed, the premiere officially began.

When the screen lit up, showing Dugu Yue left alone at the lunar base because she missed the evacuation notice, the audience burst into laughter.

Wearing an ill-fitting spacesuit, Shen Teng made a "threatening" gesture at the monitoring camera, only to be chased by a drone and sprayed with fire extinguishing agent, leaving him looking as disheveled as a drowned rat.

When the "Wolverine" appeared, the laughter almost lifted the entire venue.

In order to retrieve the biscuit that had been taken by the kangaroo, Dugu Yue engaged in a fierce battle with this muscular "lunar overlord".

He held up a mop like a spear, only to be kicked away by a kangaroo.
He tried to play dead to trick the kangaroo into leaving, but the kangaroo whipped him with its tail, making him roll on the ground. Finally, he was cornered and managed to utter, "You kangaroo have no sportsmanship!" He was so angry that he jumped up and down.

On the other hand, the King Kong Rat actually scoffed at him and waved its paw, looking just like an arrogant big shot.

The most hilarious moment was Dugu Yue's "live broadcast" scene.

He cried out to Earth, "I want to go home," and suddenly the signal was restored. All of humanity saw him bowing and begging for mercy to the kangaroo, and even the news broadcasts were accompanied by the caption "The Moon Tough Guy Breaks Down in a Second."

Shen Teng's aggrieved and helpless expression, coupled with Ma Li's trembling profile as she tried to suppress her laughter in the command center, completely maximized the comedic effect.

Laughter filled the screening room, and even Chen Fei was infected by it, frequently raising his eyebrows.

That afternoon, the media gave the premiere a massive amount of coverage.

But somewhat surprisingly, at the same time, Huanxi Media, which had been silent for a long time, suddenly jumped out and started dominating the trending topics again...

(End of this chapter)