Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 185, Section 183: Under the Shadows

The spring breeze of April 1998 not only turned the willows of Beijing green, but also propelled the ever-growing cultural chariot of Beijing Film Studio and Shengying Media forward steadily.

While Wang Sheng and Han Sanping struggled to steer the ship amidst the turbulent high-level power struggles, the various projects within the system proceeded steadily and systematically according to their established plans, demonstrating vigorous vitality.

The animation workshop, located in a corner of the Beijing Film Studio, has now grown to a considerable size.

The science popularization animation project "Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit 3000 Questions," a collaboration with the Fine Arts Department of Beijing Film Academy, has seen a significant improvement in production efficiency after initial adjustments and explorations.

From initially being cautious with one episode per month, they have now climbed to a level where they can consistently produce three episodes every two months.

By mid-May, the number of completed episodes had reached 13.

These animated films, full of imaginative ideas and incorporating basic scientific knowledge and simple philosophical reflections, have not yet been broadcast on a large scale. However, they have received positive feedback during internal review and trial broadcasts on a small scale, especially from children and their parents. This has laid a good foundation for future broadcasts on television and has also accumulated some experience in special effects production.

Regarding films, Wu Yiyi's "Crazy Lottery 2" successfully completed all post-production work before mid-April.

Given that the "Titanic" movie was still "crashing" through theaters and raking in almost insane box office revenue, Wang Sheng and his distribution team made a decisive decision to avoid direct competition and instead release this low-budget comedy during the May Day holiday, in the "nine regions" where they had already secured a deal.

With a production cost of just over two million yuan, "Crazy Lottery 2" quietly garnered over three million yuan at the box office after only one week of release, thanks to the positive word-of-mouth built up by its predecessor and its down-to-earth dark humor.

This figure may seem insignificant compared to "Titanic," but its return on investment is quite considerable. More importantly, it once again proves that localized comedy films have a solid foundation that can transcend geographical limitations and attract a wide audience, injecting a strong boost into the alliance's ability to hold its ground amidst the onslaught of Hollywood blockbusters.

The art film "Postmen in the Mountains" directed by Huo Jianqi has been filming for more than a month in the beautiful mountains and rivers of western Hunan.

The crew was immersed in that simple and peaceful atmosphere, meticulously crafting every shot.

It is expected that all filming will be completed by the end of May or the beginning of June.

This film lacks intense dramatic conflict and is more like a prose poem, embodying Wang Sheng's pursuit and exploration of the essence of film art beyond commercial genre films.

Zhang Yang's "Beijing Bicycle" is currently in the script refinement stage, and formal preparations have not yet begun.

The female lead has already been cast as Gao Yuanyuan, who is making her final push for the college entrance examination, but she will not be informed of this for the time being so as not to affect her studies.

According to the plan, the preparatory work will officially begin one month before the college entrance examination results are released. Gao Yuanyuan will be notified to join the team after the results are released.

Also in the planning stage is the film version of "The Four Great Constables," which is being produced by Huo Zhuang.

To maximize the value of the IP and capitalize on the potential buzz generated by the TV series, preparations for the film version are not expected to begin until August or September.

Wang Sheng's Lunar New Year film project, adapted from "The Pursuit of Happyness," is currently in pre-production. Ge You has been cast as the male lead, Batu will play the son, and Song Dandan will reprise her role as the mother. Having heard he'll be playing a Northeasterner, Ge You has already traveled to the Northeast to experience life there.

Filming is expected to begin in June.

In the realm of long-running television dramas, in addition to the martial arts epic "The Four Great Constables," which has already begun filming and is spearheaded by Enlight Media, two other long-running television series, a collaboration between Shengying Media and the Beijing Film Studio Production Center, are also in the midst of intensive production.

One is a modern crime drama series with core ideas provided by Wang Sheng, imitating the style of "Serious Cases Squad 6", aiming to create a police and gangster brand in mainland China; the other is an ancient costume detective drama, also guided by Wang Sheng, imitating the style of "The Great Song Dynasty Forensic Examiner", focusing on ancient forensic knowledge and political maneuvering.

Both dramas have been filming for over a month and are progressing smoothly. It is expected that all filming will be completed by mid-May, and the dramas will enter the post-production stage to prepare high-quality content for television broadcasts during the summer or in September and October.

Television films, as one of the most stable sources of cash flow for the Beijing Film Studio Alliance, continue to maintain an astonishingly high output.

Supported by the initially established industrialized production line, the "Weekend Cinema" project continues to produce thirty films per month, with a wide variety of genres. These films are continuously supplied to hundreds of partner television stations across the country, firmly occupying the weekday viewership slot and forming the alliance's strongest mass base and revenue barrier.

In addition, forward-looking initiatives such as acquiring the film and television adaptation rights of promising novels and establishing connections with writers from various regions are being carried out quietly and methodically under the guidance of relevant departments, silently accumulating energy for future content development.

Time slips away quietly amidst this busy yet orderly operation.

In the blink of an eye, the calendar turned to early May of 1998.

The air in Beijing is beginning to carry the subtle scent of early summer.

Outside the cinemas, while the buzz surrounding "Titanic" has subsided slightly from its peak, the "big ship" remains firmly anchored at the top of the screening schedules in major cinemas, continuing to attract audiences. Its box office potential is unfathomable, like an inexhaustible cultural spring.

In this market environment dominated by Hollywood blockbusters, "Crazy Lottery 2" quietly and tenaciously earned more than three million yuan at the box office in the limited "nine-region market" space, thanks to its unique local survival wisdom.

This achievement, like a pebble thrown into a lake, may not have caused a huge uproar, but it has rippled in the hearts of industry insiders.

It silently proclaims that even in the most competitive environment, stories belonging to Chinese cinema still have fertile ground for survival and development, especially those comedies rooted in local life that can resonate with ordinary people, whose vitality should not be underestimated.

Wang Sheng looked at the box office report for "Crazy Lottery 2" in his office, his face showing little emotion.

He had expected this result.

To survive, and even thrive, under the shadow of a large ship is a victory in itself.

This proves that his initial "two-pronged approach"—focusing on television films and wedding services that can quickly generate revenue and train the team, and on the other hand, focusing on theatrical films and branded TV series with long-term value—was correct and effective.

(End of this chapter)