Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 177, Section 175: Too Brutal

March 4th, Wednesday.

The latest issue of China Youth Daily devoted nearly half a page in its culture section to an interview with Wang Sheng by reporter Zhang Jianwei, with a striking title: "Wang Sheng: The nearly 100 million yuan box office of '30 Days' is just the beginning; Chinese films need to build a sustainable ecosystem."

The subtitle highlights the core of the interview: "Young producers discuss market orientation, revenue-sharing reform and the future of the industry, emphasizing that 'filmmaking should not be detached from the audience.'"

The article provides a detailed analysis of Wang Sheng's systematic analysis of the factors contributing to the success of "30 Days" (product strength, innovative distribution, marketing coordination, and opportunities of the times), as well as his incisive analysis of the current state of the industry and his judgment on future trends (reform of the distribution system, theatrical release, and diversified content layout).

Wang Sheng's statement that he "will not stop" and his ambition to position Shengying Media as a comprehensive system encompassing content, distribution, talent, and technology clearly convey a vision and strength that transcends the success of a single project.

This article is like a stone thrown into a calm lake, creating new ripples within a specific circle.

Inside the Beijing Film Studio, some retired employees, wearing reading glasses, read the text word by word. Some showed approval, while others were deep in thought.

The young workers and their children in the factory regarded Wang Sheng as a god, and the newspapers were worn rough from being passed around.

In a management class at the Beijing Film Academy, a professor directly used this article as a case study, sparking a heated discussion about "producer-centric system" and "market sensitivity".

Some industry insiders who initially had doubts about Wang Sheng's successful "crossover" or simply attributed it to "luck" have had to reassess the young man's core strengths after reading this logically sound and insightful interview.

Of course, there are also dissenting voices.

Some directors and critics who adhere to the principle of "art above all else" or are accustomed to the old system privately disagree with Wang Sheng's emphasis on "market orientation" and "system building," believing that this may lead to the excessive commercialization of films and squeeze the space for authorial expression.

Regardless, this interview successfully propelled Wang Sheng from a "trendy figure who achieved success by chance" to a "thinker in the industry and a practitioner of change."

The discussions it sparked, while not as directly sensational as the box office figures, delved deeper into the fabric of the industry, creating a more complex public opinion environment for Wang Sheng and Shengying Media's subsequent actions.

……

Just as the interview article sparked heated discussions within the industry, the crew of "Postmen in the Mountains," directed by Huo Jianqi, successfully began filming in early March amidst the mountains of western Hunan.

The opening ceremony was held at the foot of a misty mountain outside Fenghuang Ancient Town, simple yet solemn. There were no celebrities, no media cameras, only the main cast and crew and local residents who came to help and watch.

The actor playing the father, Teng Rujun, wore a coarse cloth postman uniform, and his face already showed signs of hardship.

Young Huang Xiaoming was dressed in a slightly rustic but neat youth outfit, his eyes filled with curiosity about the unfamiliar environment and a hint of trepidation about embarking on his postal journey.

Li Xiaoran's cameo role as a Dong ethnic girl is scheduled for later and she has not yet joined the production team.

Before filming began, Huo Jianqi led the entire team in a final reading of the script, emphasizing "realism" and "artistic conception."

Although Wang Sheng did not attend in person, he had a brief conversation with Huo Jianqi by phone, reiterating his full trust and support.

Through the lens, the picturesque landscapes, ancient villages, and winding postal routes of western Hunan began to be captured on film.

The crew's work pace is completely different from that of the urban comedy "30 Days". Here it is slower and more focused on waiting for the right lighting and capturing subtle emotional flows.

This is undoubtedly an important part of Wang Sheng's strategy to complement commercial genre films.

……

Time slipped to Friday, March 6th.

In the afternoon, the capital city was bathed in a rare ray of warm sunshine.

Wang Sheng and Li Xiaoran had lunch at a well-known Huaiyang cuisine restaurant.

The restaurant had an elegant ambiance and exquisite dishes, allowing the two to enjoy a rare moment of leisure.

Li Xiaoran wore a beige knitted long dress with a light brown trench coat on top, her long hair loosely draped over her shoulders. Compared to her naivety when she first started out two years ago, she now exudes a more composed and star-like aura.

She shared interesting stories from school with Wang Sheng with great interest.

Wang Sheng spent most of his time listening.

After the meal, the two walked out of the restaurant side by side, the afternoon sun casting a light golden glow on them.

The driver, Dajun, had already parked the black Audi sedan at the entrance and was waiting.

As soon as Wang Sheng opened the car door and sat in the back seat, his phone rang.

He glanced at the caller ID; it was an unfamiliar number from Xingcheng.

Pressing the answer button, a young girl's slightly anxious Mandarin with a distinct Cantonese accent immediately came through the receiver; it was Cecilia Cheung.

"Boss! It's me, Cecilia Cheung!"

Her voice trembled slightly with nervousness: "Tonight... tonight is the final of 'Super Girl'! It's a live broadcast and a pre-recorded show, how novel! Do you... do you have time to watch it tonight?" Wang Sheng could clearly feel the tension and anticipation on the other end of the phone. He smiled slightly, but deliberately kept his tone calm: "What, nervous? Want me to give you a few words of encouragement?"

"Yes, yes!" Cecilia Cheung nodded vigorously on the other end of the phone, as if Wang Sheng could see her: "I'm so nervous, boss! My heart is racing! If you see this, I'll definitely be more nervous!"

"Alright, I understand." Wang Sheng's tone remained calm: "I'll watch it when I get back tonight. Sing well, don't overthink it, just perform at your usual practice level."

"Thank you so much, sir! I will do my best!" Cecilia Cheung's voice brightened instantly, filled with a relieved joy.

After hanging up the phone, Wang Sheng put it away and noticed Li Xiaoran glancing at him sideways, her lips slightly pursed, muttering under her breath, "Hmph, she's really persistent with the phone calls... and she calls herself 'big boss'..."

The subtle sourness in his tone was clearly discernible in the enclosed space of the train carriage.

Wang Sheng put his arm around her shoulder and said, "What's wrong? Are you jealous? She's just a young girl who was nervous before the competition and was asking the boss for some comfort."

"It better be!"

……

That night.

Li Xiaoran’s residence.

Only a few warm yellow wall lamps were on in the living room, and the light from the TV screen flickered and changed.

A faint, ambiguous atmosphere and a languid feeling after passion filled the air.

a few hours ago.

Just as Li Xiaoran had "expected," the two engaged in a thoroughly enjoyable "battle."

After being deprived for several days, Li Xiaoran's body was exceptionally sensitive and engaged. She went from being slightly defiant at the beginning to being completely immersed in the waves of sensation until she was exhausted and almost melted into Wang Sheng's arms.

At this moment, she was only loosely wearing Wang Sheng's white shirt, with the buttons undone. She was sprawled on the sofa like a lazy cat, her head resting on Wang Sheng's lap, seemingly lacking even the strength to lift a finger.

Wang Sheng, on the other hand, was in high spirits. He casually stroked her sweaty temples with one hand, while holding the remote control in the other, he switched the channel to Hunan TV.

The time was 9:35 p.m.

The opening sequence of the "Super Girl" national finals started playing on time.

The dynamic and suspenseful music, along with the rapidly changing close-up shots of the contestants, instantly shattered the tranquility of the night.

Meanwhile, in a simple rented room in the HD district of Beijing.

Li Xiuxiu, a former intern reporter at Hangzhou TV, was also intently watching the small television screen on the table, which was showing the final of Hunan TV's "Super Girl" competition.

Ever since her unsuccessful attempt to interview Wang Sheng in Lucheng, during which she was instead "educated" by him, Li Xiuxiu has developed a strong interest in this excessively young yet shrewd director and businessman.

She continued to monitor the movements of Wang Sheng and his businesses.

When Cecilia Cheung "unintentionally" revealed on the show that she had signed with "Enlight Media," and when subsequent reports about her "tragic background" flooded the media, Li Xiuxiu keenly realized that this was by no means a coincidence.

She investigated further and indeed discovered that Enlight Media and Wang Sheng's Shengying Media had a close relationship, and it was even possible that Enlight Media was a subsidiary of Wang Sheng.

This discovery gave her a sudden insight.

What Wang Sheng is doing goes far beyond the scope of a movie or a TV program.

He is building a complete star-making chain!

They discover promising amateurs through talent shows like "Super Girl," quickly build popularity through carefully planned "stories" and intensive media exposure, and then sign them to their own companies for further commercial development.

In fact, Wang Sheng just stumbled upon it by chance and never expected that the tide of the times would push this matter to an unexpected angle.

“Discovering beautiful girls with tragic backstories and squeezing all the profits from a TV show…” Li Xiuxiu muttered to herself as she watched the radiant Cecilia Cheung on TV, her eyes flashing with a mixture of amazement and a hint of criticism. “It’s just too brutal, and too…efficient.”

This model, which deeply binds personal destiny with commercial operations and leverages the era's curiosity and sympathy for "grassroots underdog" narratives and specific regional images to quickly create trending idols, is, in her view, full of the shrewdness and ruthlessness of capital, yet perfectly suited to this new era that has begun to pursue traffic and pleasure.

Two days ago, she saw an advertisement in the newspaper from Enlight Media recruiting artist agents and submitted her resume without hesitation.

She didn't simply want to find a job; she wanted to personally enter the system and observe and understand firsthand how Wang Sheng's "star-making machine" operated.

She was filled with curiosity about this new model.

Of course, it's also about finding other opportunities for my sister.

(End of this chapter)