Who are you calling "little fresh meat"? I'm the king.

Chapter 681 Screening of "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" (33)

Legend of Ravaging Dynasties...

In fact, Guo Jingming has the potential to become an outstanding filmmaker!

He possesses arguably the best resources in the film industry: cash flow, connections, technology, and intellectual property. He lacks nothing.

He has the potential to fill the gap in China's large-scale fantasy (xuanhuan) films and even promote the development of the entire domestic CG industry.

But he didn't do that...

Someone as smart as him should have already become aware that bad movies don't sell well.

Yet they remain content with their old ways, preferring to cling to their old tricks and wait to die rather than take a single step down the path of "conscientious films."

Ordinary viewers…

That's not something I'm considering!
I make movies for my fans!

Sometimes I'm quite envious of Guo Jingming's fans. Their favorite author can spend so much money and bring in so many celebrities to make a film that's "extremely faithful" to the original work. Fans of "The Three-Body Problem" don't get that kind of treatment...

Shen Yan advised Yang Mi, "Tiny Times is over, you should cut ties with him!"

“Draw a clear line?”

"I just won't get involved in his projects..."

"You think 'Legend of Ravaging Dynasties' is no good?"

"The 'young heartthrob + big IP' formula will soon be tiresome to the market... at most a year or two..." Shen Yan continued, "Fan-driven films have no future!"

"...Fine then, I won't act anymore!"

Shen Yan nodded, and casually advised, "You should take on fewer idol dramas in the future!"

"Why?" Yang Mi frowned. "Is it because of 'My Sunshine'?"

"No, it's not that... it's just that I'm used to filming idol dramas for you, so you subconsciously look for the most suitable angle..."

"Is not it good?"

Shen Yan shook his head: "This kind of good looks doesn't belong to the character at all, it's the actor himself... That's not right! You have to know that many idol drama directors don't consider the acting, they only consider whether the face is good-looking. Over time, the actors also develop muscle memory... And you will also develop a lot of bad habits, such as not liking to open your mouth when speaking lines, saying one line and then closing your mouth, because in this way, you can ensure that when the camera is on her, she will always look the best. But serious dramas, including most normal movies, are not like that!"

Yang Mi thought for a moment, then asked, "Even historical romance dramas aren't okay?"

Shen Yan waved his hand: "Ancient costume dramas don't even deserve to be called dramas. They have no characters, only character settings. They have no plot, only jokes."

How is a historical romance drama produced? First, the characters are chosen, those that have been tested by the market: the beautiful, strong, and tragic, the little sunshine, the naive and sweet, the evil woman... Then, some trendy plots are added: orphaned, cursed, destined for calamity, suffering punishment... When it airs, KOLs go around, first hype up the CP, then stir up the "who wronged whom" rhetoric to start the purification.

The sole purpose of historical romance dramas is to promote stars and then generate revenue through commercials, completely disregarding plot logic and script structure.

"But you acted in 'Eternal Love'!"

"That's what I promised you!" Shen Yan rolled her eyes at her. "If I hadn't promised you, I would never have acted in this kind of drama!"

"But I don't get offers for serious dramas; they're all for idol dramas..."

"You can say that... With your current popularity, you could easily find a lot of roles in slice-of-life dramas!"

Yang Mi thought for a moment, then asked in return, "More like daily life? Like the mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship?"

"It can also be more romantic, such as a relationship between an older woman and a younger man!"

"A relationship between an older woman and a younger man? You're just playing along with my act?"

"I'm not available this year..." After thinking for a moment, Shen Yan said, "How about next year? After I finish filming 'The Wandering Earth' and 'The Rebel,' I'll work with you again!"

"Is there a suitable role for me in 'The Rebel'?"

"no!"

Shen Yan shook her head decisively: "The female lead in this drama is a resolute female warrior. This kind of role is not easy to play. If you do it even slightly wrong, you will definitely be criticized!"

"So who are you planning to cast?" "I'll leave the casting to the directing team...they definitely need to fit the character..."

……

The original version of "The Rebel" starred Zhu Yizhen and Tong Yao as the female lead, which immediately shattered the rumors that Tong Yao was a talented actress!

In the script, Zhu Zhu's character, Lan Xinjie, was more likable than the lead actress, Zhu Yizhen. As a result, Tong Yao was overshadowed by Zhu Zhu, who had been criticized for her acting skills, in this drama…

While Lan Xinjie is likable, her character design isn't as complex as Zhu Yizhen's. Zhu Yizhen has a lot of room for interpretation and development...

In reality, this character is completely one-dimensional!

The main responsibility lies with Tong Yao's lack of understanding. If she had acted the torture scene well, it would have been no less impressive than Lan Xinjie's sacrifice scene, and might even have brought the same shock to the audience as in "The Message," becoming the highlight of the entire series. Unfortunately, Tong Yao failed to create the charm of this character as a white moonlight!

Upon closer inspection, her acting is actually quite cruel to the audience…

And this is the Best Actress award at the Magnolia Awards?

Yang Mi's acting has become somewhat formulaic lately, with her performances in rather conventional slice-of-life dramas or idol dramas.
It's possible to stay immersed in the role, but if you want to express more complex emotions, establish the character, or elevate the character, that's completely impossible...

Unless it's broken down and reassembled...

Train them slowly!

But Shen Yan was scheduled to finish filming "The Rebel" in three months, leaving no time for her to slowly rebuild...

Moreover... I always felt that she didn't have much ambition to be an actress... she was somewhat immersed in the realm of being a celebrity!

It doesn’t matter then!

Being a celebrity means making more money.

Maybe I should consider a career change after I turn forty...

As for mockery…

Who cares?
As Fan Xiaopang famously said: Being a celebrity means half of your money is spent being ridiculed!
……

the next day.

In the afternoon, Shen Yan and Yang Mi attended the premiere of "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" together...

Director Tian Xiaopeng was visibly emotional, stating, "I've been preparing for this film for eight years!"

Then he talked about his experience: "It took eight years to create 'Monkey King: Hero Is Back' from scratch. For the first four years, we were writing the script, doing pre-production, and looking for investment. Later, we got investment, but it wasn't a big deal. But we thought we couldn't wait any longer. We had to produce our own work first, so we spent four years making it, and that's how we got 'Monkey King: Hero Is Back' today."

When talking about Shen Yan Investment, he became very excited: "Back in 13, we experienced investors withdrawing their funds, and we were almost unable to continue operating. Then Mr. Shen intervened, directly providing 8000 million yuan and introducing us to the most advanced special effects company!"

Shen Yan wasn't so sentimental: "I watched Director Tian's trailer and thought it was very good, so I invested!"

The host asked, "Aren't you worried about losing money?"

"How much money can we lose?" Shen Yan smiled. "And after watching the finished film, what I'm thinking about now is whether 'Monkey King: Hero Is Back' can break 1 billion!"

"Breaking one billion?"

"Let's show everyone the movie first..."

The story of *Monkey King: Hero Is Back* is simple: Jiang Liuer, a young monk who idolizes the Monkey King, follows him on his journey. Initially resentful of Jiang Liuer, the Monkey King gradually takes on responsibility while protecting the two children. However, with his powers sealed, the Monkey King, seeing Jiang Liuer risk his life to save him, is enraged and finally returns!

After the Great Sage killed Chaos with a single blow, the scene shifted to the Great Sage in his golden armor, his red cloak billowing majestically behind him…

Then Guanyin appeared and directly stated that Jiang Liuer was Jin Chanzi and would be reincarnated ten times…

"Then I'll wait for him at the foot of Five Elements Mountain!"

The movie ended…

(End of this chapter)