Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 13, Section 13: Famous in the Capital

Ms. Chen returned to her home in Haiding District with the contract, which may not have been printed very nicely but had clear terms, and a sense of satisfaction that she had “done something very impressive for her son.”

The more she thought about it, the more she felt that the 9,999 yuan was well spent, and the more she thought about it, the more she couldn't suppress the urge to share it with others.

That evening, the home phone became a hotline.

"Hey, Aunt Zhang, I have something to tell you. My son Qiangzi is getting married next month, and I've found the best videographer I can find!"

"Hey, what do you mean by ordinary video recording? It's a movie! A wedding movie made by a proper film studio! It was made by people from the Beijing Film Studio, they're really professional!"

"How much? Oh my, you might not believe it, nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine! Yes, you heard right! And that's just the basic tier! They also have 19,999 tiers!"

"Why is it so expensive? I heard that's the kind of equipment they use to film TV dramas! The people in the footage look like they've stepped out of a painting, the lighting is so meticulous! And it's even edited in the Beijing Film Studio's editing room, how can it be the same?"

"Worth it! It's totally worth it! Qiangzi is my only son, and he only gets married once in his life. We have to leave behind something special! We can look back on it later, like watching a movie, and that will make us proud!"

"Advertisement? Oh right, right, the one the arts and culture channel aired late at night, the one about kissing the veil, that's what they filmed! Wow, it was so beautifully shot... I only found it after seeing the advertisement!"

Ms. Chen made calls from the east side of the city to the west side, from relatives to old colleagues.

Throughout her speech, she repeatedly emphasized the term "wedding movie," completely distinguishing it from ordinary "wedding videos" and highlighting its high-end, professional, and unique nature. The price was also a key focus, as if the price itself were a yardstick for measuring maternal love and family wealth.

One pass ten, ten pass a hundred.

The news that "Beijing Film Studio produced an exorbitantly priced wedding movie" spread rapidly in Ms. Chen's social circle, accompanied by astonishment, doubt, and envy.

Among them was Zhou Xiaobin, a neighbor of Ms. Chen's distant cousin's daughter. He was an editor in the arts and culture department of the Beijing Evening News, covering cultural and entertainment topics, and had a keen sense of smell. When he heard his mother talking about this "rare thing," his professional instincts immediately told him that there was something interesting going on.

In 1996, I spent nearly 10,000 yuan to take a wedding memento.
This isn't just plain stupid...

This is the ladder to my progress!

Zhou Xiaobin immediately obtained Ms. Chen's phone number and identified himself as someone who wanted to conduct an interview.

Upon hearing that a reporter was coming to interview her, Ms. Chen was taken aback at first, but then she remembered Wang Sheng's warning that "it might attract reporters' attention." Instead of feeling resistant, she felt a surge of smug satisfaction, thinking, "Just as I thought."

Take a look!

I always said this money was well spent!
They're even going to publish it in the newspapers!
In the 1990s, print media held great authority over the general public.

The next day, Zhou Xiaobin brought a small tape recorder to their door.

His original idea was to write a "consumer observation" article to explore topics such as "whether exorbitantly priced wedding services are worthwhile" and "emerging consumption concepts," even with a touch of subtle skepticism.

But as soon as he sat down, before he could fully explain his purpose, Ms. Chen preemptively began to "correct" him:
“Reporter Zhou, first of all, you need to understand that the video we ordered is not your average wedding video, the kind that costs three or four hundred yuan and just follows around filming like an idiot.”

Ms. Chen adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses, her tone serious and earnest: "It's a 'wedding movie'! Movie! Do you understand? It uses professional film equipment and film studio technology, and is personally produced by the well-established Shengying Media. It tells a story, it evokes a feeling! The advertisement even says, 'A unique love movie that will be etched in your memory!'"

She rattled off the technical terms she'd heard from Wang Sheng: "Dual cameras, broadcast-grade cameras, film lighting, post-production color grading... I didn't understand these terms before, but he explained them clearly, and the money was well spent! The effect is just different! Have you seen their ads? The one on the arts and culture channel late at night, the feeling, can you get that from a regular videotape?"

Zhou Xiaobin was a little confused by the barrage of "science popularization" and corrections. He quickly adjusted his thinking and asked, "Then... Aunt Chen, how did you decide to choose such a... um, 'wedding movie' service? After all, this price is not a small amount for an ordinary family."

"Determination? What kind of determination does this require?" Ms. Chen said matter-of-factly, "I only have one son, and his wedding is a big deal, a once-in-a-lifetime event. As parents, if we can afford it, of course we want to give him the best and the most special thing. A banquet is just a matter of eating and drinking, and then it's over and forgotten. But this 'movie' will stay! In the future, we can show it to our grandchildren, saying, 'Look, your grandparents' wedding was a real movie!' How meaningful is that? How classy is that? This money was well spent!"

After the interview, Zhou Xiaobin looked at the recorder; the direction of the script had completely changed.

He sensed something more attention-grabbing from Ms. Chen's strong desire to express herself and her overflowing sense of "superiority."

A few days later, on Saturday, April 26, a sensational headline appeared in the lower right corner of the culture and entertainment section of the *Beijing Evening News*:
Main title: "A shocking 'sky-high wedding record' appears in Beijing? A mother's love is worth a fortune; she spent nearly ten thousand yuan just for a 'wedding movie'!"

Subtitle: "Mysterious Team from Film Studio Produces Midnight Ad, Sparking Heated Discussion!"

The article, written in Zhou Xiaobin's slightly sarcastic yet intriguing tone, details how Ms. Chen spent a huge sum of money to order a "wedding movie" service for her son. It quotes a lot of Ms. Chen's original words, emphasizing the difference between "movie" and "video", highlighting its "sky-high price" and "mystery".

The report concluded by specifically mentioning the "beautiful advertisement with a cinematic feel that appeared only briefly after being broadcast on the late-night arts and culture channel 'Midnight Cinema'," implying that it was the source of this "high-end wedding trend."

In 1996, the Beijing Evening News had a huge circulation, reaching thousands of households in Beijing, and was a newspaper that many citizens read every day.

This report, once published, was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating huge ripples!

"Wow! Nine thousand yuan for a wedding video? This family must be crazy!"

"A wedding movie? What does that mean? You can make a movie about your wedding?"

"A film studio is taking on this kind of work? Really?"

"Advertisement? What advertisement? It sounds so sinister?"

"I know, I know! There's a commercial on the arts and culture channel after the movie airs late at night, the one with the kissing scene, it's pretty well done..."

"Hey, hurry up, I have to watch this ad tonight!"

The headline "The Most Expensive Wedding in Beijing" is eye-catching enough, but the vague and deliberately mysterious mention of the "professional team from the film studio" and the "aesthetically pleasing advertisement" in the report have whetted everyone's appetite even more.

……

The "Midnight Movies" program has pre-broadcast and post-broadcast advertising slots. Shengying Media purchased advertising slots for the post-broadcast slots.

Although the veil kiss advertisement has gained some fame, Sheng Ying Media did not spend much money, and the TV station would not upgrade the advertising slot for free; that's the rule.

It wasn't even 9:30 PM yet. Countless families, whether out of curiosity, skepticism, or simply to watch the spectacle, had already tuned their televisions to the arts and entertainment channel of Beijing TV.

For most families in 1996, evening entertainment options were limited, making this "sky-high" advertisement, which was reported by the Beijing Evening News, a "bizarre event" worth watching.

……

A family of a university teacher in Haiding District.

"Old Zhang, come quick! It's this ad!" Li, an associate professor in the literature department wearing glasses, shouted to her husband, pointing at the TV screen.

On television, the beautiful advertisement featuring a veil kiss is playing.

Soft light, gauze curtains, a loving gaze, and the words "I do" flowed in the sound of the piano.

“Tsk,” Professor Zhang pushed up his glasses, looking quite seriously: “The cinematography is indeed exquisite. The use of light and shadow has the flavor of Italian Neorealism, and also carries a touch of the romance of Hollywood’s Golden Age… This staging is definitely not something an ordinary advertising team could produce.”

“Right, right!” Teacher Li said excitedly. “The evening paper said it was made by a film studio team, and it seems to be true. Nine thousand yuan is expensive, but if it can really leave behind this kind of cinematic memory… sigh, when we got married, we only had one black and white photo.”

“Art is priceless, but it is also expensive,” Professor Zhang commented, then added thoughtfully, “However, this is an interesting cultural phenomenon. Upgrading consumption, the extreme pursuit of ritual, the simplified application of film art… this could be the subject of a commentary.”

……

In a courtyard in a hutong in Dongcheng District.

"Oh my gosh~ Here it comes! This is it!" Aunt Wang, cracking sunflower seeds, sat cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed) and slapped her husband hard beside her: "See that? They're kissing! It looks pretty convincing, like something out of a foreign movie."

The whole family—son, daughter-in-law, and grandson—were crammed into the room, staring at the 21-inch Peony color TV.

"Mom, please keep your voice down." The son was both amused and exasperated: "This is an advertisement."

"I know it's an advertisement!" Old Wang took a puff of his pipe, squinting. "Nine thousand yuan? That's enough to buy so many kilograms of pork! What kind of wedding is this? Is this some kind of money-burning game?"

His tone was full of incomprehensible disdain.

"What do you know!" Aunt Wang immediately retorted, "Young people these days are into this! It's so prestigious! Look how beautiful they look in these photos! Like fairies! If our Xiaojun could get married like that..."

Grandma Wang's gaze shifted to her grandson.

"Stop!" The son quickly interrupted his mother's dangerous idea: "Mom, please spare me, I can't take this kind of trouble. With that money, we should renovate this house."

The daughter-in-law didn't speak, but just looked at the dreamlike scene on the screen, a hint of longing in her eyes.

……

Apartments for white-collar workers of foreign companies near Guomao:
Lisa and her best friend Cindy sat cross-legged on the soft carpet, with red wine in front of them.

"That's it! Cindy! Look! Isn't it amazing!" Lisa excitedly pointed at the screen, just as the advertisement was showing a close-up of the veil kiss.

“Oh my God…” Cindy covered her mouth, her eyes wide with disbelief. “Is this really a wedding advertisement? The quality… the color grading… I thought it was a preview for some new indie romance film!”

“Right?” Lisa exclaimed triumphantly, as if she had filmed the advertisement herself. “I knew this wasn’t your average thing! ‘Engrave your unique love story’! This concept is amazing! It’s totally on my mind! This is what a wedding should be, this is what a memory should be!”

“So… David finally proposed?” Cindy asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lisa's smile faded slightly as she picked up her glass and took a sip. "Not yet… But he will. And when he does, I know exactly what I want."

Her gaze returned to the television screen, where the commercials had already finished playing.

……

A residential building in the Beijing Film Studio residential area.

"Hmph, all that pretense." At the propaganda department head's home, Zhao Xiaojun watched the commercials on TV, curled his lip, and said sourly, "So what if he knows how to flatter people, fool Director Han, and borrow the factory's equipment to show off? He really thinks he's someone important."

His mother, the section chief's wife, said without looking up while knitting a sweater, "Stop talking. At least they got the job done. I heard someone actually paid nine thousand yuan to order it. You should use this time to think about what you'll do in the future."

Zhao Xiaojun was taken aback, his face turning even uglier. He angrily picked up the remote and changed the channel.

Meanwhile, in the homes of many employees in the dormitory buildings and technical positions at the Beijing Film Studio, many employees of similar age to Wang Sheng's parents also watched the advertisement on television.

"That kid Bao Guojia is really something!" an old master craftsman in the lighting workshop clicked his tongue. "This commercial is spot on! Old Wang's family's ancestral graves are emitting auspicious smoke; this kid is bound to amount to something!"

"I heard they got a big order and really need manpower! I need to have my son go find Wang Sheng tomorrow. They grew up in the same factory, they should at least lend a hand, right?"

"Yes, yes, let's go together! If the kids can really make something of themselves with this, wouldn't that be better than just wasting their time in the factory?"

……

Soon, the staff on duty at Beijing TV were surprised to find that the number of calls they received tonight inquiring about the veil kiss advertisement and "wedding movies" far exceeded the usual number, with many even asking about specific prices!

This unusually enthusiastic response even made the experienced staff on duty mutter, "Something's fishy, ​​why is this lousy ad attracting so many people today?"

　I've received the private message and sent the contract. The e-signature just wouldn't work, so I had to use a paper contract. But sending the contract takes time. Being new to Qidian, I don't understand the new book period rules, and I ended up writing the word count for ten days in just a few days – it's really frustrating! Please invest more and give me some recommendation votes! (It cost me fifty yuan to send the contract, but I'll definitely write it and get it published to earn back the money.)

(End of this chapter)