Extracting skills from movies

At this time, Du Sheng was on a flight back from Singapore.
Together with Liu Yifei, who went to promote the event, they enjoyed the top-notch first-class service.

This time they were travelling in a luxurious private suite on Emirates Airlines.

It's better to say it's a mobile five-star hotel suite than an airplane.

Close the door and it's completely private inside.

The recliner can be laid flat as a bed, and can also be used for bathing and spa treatments. The service is so thoughtful that it makes people wonder if they have come to the wrong place.

As soon as Liu Yifei got on the plane, she went into Du Sheng's cabin, hugged him and acted coquettishly, refusing to leave.

The two of them squeezed into a chair, showing affection to each other, and naturally some intimate interaction was inevitable.

After all, it’s heaven on earth, this has been a beautiful vision since ancient times!
In addition, the flight time was long and the facilities in the cabin were powerful, so Du Sheng simply continued his "cultivation of immortality" to the end.

After a few rounds, Liu Yifei softened in his arms, fell asleep on his chest with a satisfied smile on her face.

Du Sheng patted her back gently while turning on the TV to see what hot topics were online recently.

As a result, the number one on the most popular list on the homepage is "Breaking Bad"!
He won the script of this drama in a lottery, and later gave it to Miracle Pictures to produce. It became a phenomenal hit in the Lighthouse Country not long after it was released.

What’s even more exaggerated is that with the popularity of the series, the number of paid members on the Lianzhong platform has skyrocketed, directly driving the take-off of Miracle Pictures, and it has the strength to compete with traditional video giants.

Du Sheng clicked on it and took a look, and found that the shooting quality of this version was much finer than that of the previous life.

In addition to his personal participation in the script design, Li Yixin attached great importance to it and invested resources far beyond expectations, which led to the current results.

"Not bad, TVING's stock price has also risen, and I can harvest a wave of North American tycoons..."

It was already 11 o'clock when the plane landed steadily at Ningbo Airport.

After getting off the plane, Liu Yifei went straight to Times Cosmetics Company to meet Yang Mi and Liu Shishi to reminisce about the past.

The two sisters are shooting a commercial for their own brand there.

Du Sheng was not idle either. He made an appointment with Zhong Zhen to visit the Miracle Automobile Factory.

After more than half a year of research and development, Miracle Auto finally launched its first new energy prototype.

Although it is just a hybrid model, it means a lot to Zhong Zhen.

She excitedly took Du Sheng to visit, and while introducing the equipment, she talked incessantly about the technical details with a gleam in her eyes.

Du Sheng knew how persistent she was in making cars, and he also knew that she especially needed a supporter standing by her side at the critical moment.

So he didn't say anything, but just smiled and walked around with her, then looked at her slightly swollen belly and joked:
“It’s great to have developed to this point in such a short period of time.

But with your current size, you can’t fight like this anymore.”

Although Zhong Zhen maintained her image as a strong woman, she secretly complained:
"It sounds nice, but you don't even help to lighten the burden..."

Du Sheng: “…”

After returning from the Miracle Car Factory, he rushed to Hangcheng to attend the premiere.

Before getting on the bus, he casually posted a status on Renren and Facebook simultaneously:
"The Man from Nowhere will be released simultaneously in 7 countries and regions around the world on July 6!"

As soon as the news came out, it caused an immediate uproar.

After all, this is a film with an all-Chinese cast, and it is quite difficult to get it to be co-screened in more than 1800 theaters in North America.

These theaters are mainly owned by MGM and Columbia Pictures, which gives Du Sheng enough face.

You know, when "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" first landed in North America, it was initially shown in only 16 theaters. Later, it relied on word of mouth to make a comeback and finally became a phenomenal work.

So for Du Sheng, the fact that "The Man from Nowhere" was able to get this amount of screenings in North America was already beyond his expectations.

As for how much the box office will be, he has no idea.

However, this movie grossed 5 million in Asia in its previous life, which shows that the quality is guaranteed.

In addition, he is now famous and has good connections. His fans on Facebook alone have exceeded 10 million, which shows his influence.

As soon as this post was released, it was immediately forwarded by many people.

Big names like the Hearst sisters, Quentin Tarantino, and Charlize Theron all liked it.

Many internet celebrities on the Lianzhong platform and Facebook also followed suit.

Many foreign netizens just found out that the handsome Chinese guy Du Sheng has directed and starred in another action movie!

Some fans who like to watch hardcore action movies became interested and decided to go to the cinema to see how powerful this oriental hunk is.

While abroad it relied on "star effect + word-of-mouth preheating", in China, the publicity for "The Man from Nowhere" was full-throated and overwhelming.

After Du Sheng posted an update on Renren, the number of comments instantly exceeded 100,000, with comments flooding the screen and dominating the hot searches.

The comment section is as lively as Chinese New Year:
"Anything produced by Brother Sheng must be top quality! Just go for it, brothers. I will definitely buy a ticket to support you!"

"I love action movies the most, I hope Brother Sheng won't let me down."

"Hey, I've already bought two tickets and am taking my female classmates to see it~"

“It’s so funny, the guy upstairs is so good!
When female classmates are nervous and scared when watching action movies, they will definitely crawl into your arms. This is a rare opportunity!"

"By the way... do girls also like to watch action movies? I don't even dare to ask her to watch one."

"Are you stupid? Look for Du Sheng's female fans!

Du Sheng's female fans will definitely come to see his movies. Isn't this an opportunity that comes right to their doorstep?"

……

During this period, the promotion of "The Man from Nowhere" was almost everywhere.

Star Media now has resources from multiple platforms and in-depth cooperation with major TV stations, which maximizes its publicity capabilities.

With the release of Du Sheng’s post on Renren, the discussion about “The Man from Nowhere” in China exploded.

A bunch of video bloggers on the TVING platform started to output crazily:
Some do trailer analysis, some edit interviews with the main creators, and some make plot predictions.

Everyone is taking advantage of this wave of popularity.

One is the large amount of traffic, and the other is that some broadcasters are themselves TVING-signed publicity and development experts. Having received promotion funds, they naturally have to work hard.

It can be said that from the cast, action design, to the popularity of Du Sheng himself.

The film has already set the mood even before it was released.

All of this is accumulating an unstoppable explosive force for the official release on July 7.

On the Internet, the popularity of "The Man from Nowhere" is off the charts, almost dominating the screen.

On the other hand, "Heaven's Mouth" seems a bit deserted.

Although Wu Yusen has been running around a lot, saying that the screening schedule is unfair and complaining about the inconsistent censorship standards, he also vowed that "Heaven's Gate" is his most satisfying work in recent years and he is not afraid to compete head-on with "The Man from Lone Star".

But the reality is shocking.

The popularity of "Heaven's Mouth" was completely suppressed, and not even a decent splash was made.

In order to save the market, Huayi organized an advance screening event, but the single-day box office was only 236 million, pitifully low.

Audiences today are no longer as willing to pay for anything they watch as they used to be. Everyone’s entertainment budget is very limited.

Many people have already decided to watch "The Man from Nowhere", so they naturally save their money. But "The Gate to Heaven"?
nonexistent.

.........

That day, Du Sheng rushed back to the company.

As soon as I entered the door, I saw Ye Jingzhi busy in the office.

She looked up and saw Du Sheng, looked him up and down, and said jokingly:
"It seems like life outside is quite exciting. I don't want to come back."

Du Sheng laughed and responded:
"I knew you were a talkative person. I came back two days early. I heard that your aunt is coming to take care of you. How about I go home with you and go to the hospital for a pregnancy test?"

Ye Jingzhi's heart was moved, but she still shook her head:
"'The Man from Nowhere' is going to be released soon. You must be very busy recently. I can make the arrangements myself."

She has indeed been busy recently and her daily schedule is full.

Fortunately, I have good physical fitness and plenty of energy, so I can hold on.

Moreover, with her career achievements, her self-confidence has greatly improved, and she looks a lot younger.

Du Sheng knew what she was thinking and did not force her. His eyes fell on an invitation letter on the table.

That was the invitation to the premiere of "Heaven's Mouth".

He picked it up, looked at it, and said with a smile:
"That place is pretty fancy. They even sent out invitations. Did you go last night?"

"Heaven's Mouth" held its premiere at the Zhengxie Auditorium in Beijing last night.

Given Wu Yusen's personality, and the fact that the play was invested by Huayi, he most likely would not send invitation letters to Du Sheng and Ye Jingzhi. This was obviously the work of the distributor He Guohua.

Ye Jingzhi shook her head and said:

"I didn't go. Not only did Mr. He send us an invitation, he also called us to ask us not to embarrass ourselves.

After all, Huaxia Film has to schedule a screening for "Heaven's Mouth", so I haven't sent the manuscript out yet. I'll make a decision after you come back."

Du Sheng put the thermos cup on the coffee table and said calmly:
“Why didn’t anyone stand up and shout when we were being stabbed?”

"According to the original plan, we will have those reporters go out en masse tomorrow."

When these two films collide, it was initially considered competition within the industry, but now it’s getting a bit too intense.

As soon as the fireworks were set off on the premiere night of "The Man from Lonely", Wu Yusen was eager to issue a press release to shift the blame, so Du Sheng naturally had to use his trump card.

As soon as the premiere of "Heaven's Mouth" ended, the crew's water army began to mobilize:
“The premiere of “Heaven’s Mouth” was comparable to an award ceremony, and the power struggle scene was even more brutal than “The Godfather”!”

"The audience laughed continuously. This director really understands the Shanghai style."

"After two years of hard work, Yusen Wu will be participating in the Tokyo International Film Festival with "Heaven's Mouth"."

"'48 tickets priced at 1388 yuan sold out', fans flooded social media platforms overnight to request additional shows."

These marketing operations have indeed increased the popularity of "Tiantangkou".

But before the fans could recover, the YY portal suddenly sent out several drafts in a row, ruining all its good reviews.

First, it was said that Miramax Films sold the overseas copyright at a low price.
Then they reposted complaints from European and American film critics, such as "the plot logic is weak and the narrative is fragmented", "the lines are stiff and out of place", "even the aesthetics of labor are lost, what do you have left", etc.

Finally, I directly quoted the words of the head of the Cannes Film Festival:
"This movie is said to be a tribute to classic gangster films such as The Godfather and The Lighthouse, but the plot is so simplistic that it is not an exaggeration to call it a skit."

Du Sheng looked at the public opinion report on his mobile phone and curled the corners of his mouth.

In fact, these revelations are all true.

"Heaven's Mouth" was indeed badly criticized in Europe.

Even the losses of Miramax Films were calculated to two decimal places.

But the cleverness of this operation lies in the timing.

When Yusen Wu was still busy promoting the movie in Hong Kong, this incident suddenly happened and the effect was maximized.

That morning, Wu Yusen had just gotten off the plane and arrived at the press conference. Before he could even open his mouth, the reporters collectively thrust the microphone into his face:
"I heard that you sold the overseas copyright for a bargain price?"

“Are the reviews in Cannes really that bad?”

Wu Yusen's face darkened and he said:

“We are still investigating the situation here.”

This sentence was played up by major media the next day.

The news headlines are more heartbreaking than each other.

[“Heaven’s Mouth” is so bad that I’m speechless. ]

[Don't even wash the cooked rice. 】

[It's neither a black film nor an art film, a perfect mixture of the two]

[They are still hyping up the bloody romance between Wu Yanzu and Shu Qi. It makes me want to vomit! ]

In particular, the Hong Kong media is also taking advantage of the situation to create publicity by bundling "Tian Tang Kou" with other old and stale movies.

In this way, the impression is subtle.

In fact, in its previous life, although the quality of "Heaven's Mouth" was average, it still achieved good box office thanks to its star lineup and publicity gimmicks.

At that time, there were no instant communication tools like WeChat Moments. If the audience wanted to know the true reputation of a movie, they had to rely on recommendations from film critics or acquaintances, and the feedback was very slow.

Many people bought tickets based on the 'Yusen Wu' brand name and media hype, only to find out they were cheated after watching the movie.

But it's different now.

This weekend, two movies are officially released.

Word of mouth also quickly spread through platforms such as Renren, media newspapers, etc.

The film "Heaven's Gate" did invite a number of film critics to help speak up, but unfortunately the public's eyes are sharp, and negative reviews are still overwhelming:

“Are there no good scripts left in the Chinese-speaking world?
Director Wu insisted on going back to the old ways, and the dishes he cooked were neither fish nor fowl.”

“The lines in this movie are too outrageous, and the scenes are totally different from Shanghai.

Especially when Sun Honglei appeared, I felt like he was performing a skit from the Spring Festival Gala, which was really distracting.”

"I heard that this movie is hyping up the news of Shu Qi's 'nude stand-in'?

I thought it was so fierce, but it turned out to be like this? ?
With Shu Qi's style, do we still need to find someone to replace her? Speechless! "

……

On the other hand, the comments section for "The Man from Nowhere" were almost all positive.

"After watching this movie, I felt like I had ice cream in the summer. I felt so refreshed!"

“I went to see it just for the action, but I was pleasantly surprised after watching it.

This is not a cliché mainstream film, it really has ideas and depth.”

"It is indeed a Du Sheng work. After watching it once, I want to watch it again. I always feel that there are still some foreshadowings that have not been solved."

"The Man from Nowhere is not the kind of movie that relies on special effects to create a cliché.

The rhythm of the film is completely driven by the plot, especially the bloody and intense scenes of people being raped and tortured, which are so advanced! "

"That's right! Du Sheng's brain is really amazing. It would have been great if Cheng Kaige could have reached this level when he was filming The Promise."

“Brothers, are you all discussing the plot so seriously?
Did no one notice that Jia Jingwen's performance this time was breathtakingly beautiful? Her figure is so amazing! "

"Indeed, throughout the entire movie, Jia Jingwen is at the top level in terms of both appearance and temperament, even more stunning than Liu Yifei. It's another day of envying Du Sheng."

"Brother Sheng is awesome! Not only does he have a keen eye for picking out beautiful women, he can also make them famous.

Anyone who wants to be famous in the entertainment industry should go find Brother Sheng!"

"Of course, look at his Girls' Generation, Liu Tao, Fan Bingbing, Zhang Baizhi, Jia Jingwen...

He has made them all popular again. Brother Sheng is simply a star-making machine!"

...(End of chapter)