Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 255 Chapter 253: 'The first generation of big V'

Time passes day by day.

On the set of "Happy Family", Wang Sheng's life was fast-paced and regular.

During the day, he immersed himself in the creative atmosphere on set, working closely with executive director Wu Yiyi to meticulously refine every shot and guide actors such as Huang Bo to delve deeper into their roles.

Huang Bo lived up to expectations, portraying Chen Mo's despondency, loneliness, and subtle emotions gradually awakened in the "dream" with distinct layers, often bringing surprises to Wang Sheng.

The production team operated efficiently and smoothly, with everything running smoothly under the mature production management system of the "Shengying Group".

As we move into mid-to-late September, the skies over Beijing appear exceptionally high and clear, the summer heat gradually dissipating and the first signs of autumn emerging. However, the atmosphere in the film market is the opposite of this cool weather, becoming increasingly scorching and crowded.

In preparation for the upcoming 50th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, major cinemas have already begun to allocate their main screenings to films with grand themes and uplifting themes.

The screen was filled with images of revolutionary history, heroic role models, and achievements in construction, creating a solemn yet enthusiastic festive atmosphere.

In this sea of ​​"red," the key tribute film "The Birth of a Warrior," produced by Beijing Film Studio and co-produced by Sheng Ying Media, is undoubtedly the most eye-catching star.

In stark contrast to the original story, which suffered from insufficient publicity and mediocre box office performance due to a lack of promotional funds, this version of "The Birth of a Warrior" is backed by the substantial "treasury" accumulated by Beijing Film Studio (now Beijing Film Production Company) over the past few years through television movies, wedding videos, alliance distribution, and in-depth cooperation with Sheng Ying Media, resulting in an astonishingly abundant publicity budget.

As early as the beginning of September, a massive "saturation-style publicity" campaign covering major cities across the country had already begun.

The trailer for "The Birth of a Nation" was displayed in the prime-time advertising slots on CCTV. The grand scenes, the resolute characters, and the slogan "A Song of Praise to the Unsung Heroes of the Republic" instantly captured the attention of countless viewers.

Newspapers in major cities across the country, especially Party newspapers and military newspapers, published full-page advertisements and in-depth special reports, analyzing this epic production that reveals the arduous journey of the "Two Bombs, One Satellite" project from multiple perspectives, from scriptwriting and actor selection to historical background restoration.

Bus stops and subway passages are filled with that visually striking poster—against the backdrop of the vast Gobi Desert, a group of researchers and soldiers in old military uniforms stand tall with determined eyes, the wind and sand sweeping across their weathered faces, the silhouette of a rising mushroom cloud in the background, and the four powerful characters "emerging from nowhere" below.

Moreover, thanks to the extensive distribution network jointly built by Beijing Film Studio and Shengying Media, which reaches deep into grassroots communities, the film's promotional materials have even reached cinemas and bulletin boards in many second- and third-tier cities.

This all-encompassing propaganda blitz, covering land, sea, and air, was unprecedented in its intensity and scope among domestic films at the time, thoroughly igniting the curiosity and anticipation of audiences of all ages and social classes for this mysterious "blockbuster."

More importantly, during this special period when imported films were suspended indefinitely and all efforts were made to support high-quality domestic films, the policy level provided the greatest support to the tribute films.

"The Birth of a Warrior" was given full screenings during the National Day holiday, with the vast majority of mainstream cinemas across the country featuring it as their main film.

In addition, with the collective screenings organized by various units, schools, and the military system, the film's enormous social impact and potential audience size are already foreseeable even before its release.

The phrase "co-produced by Shengying Media" has appeared for the first time in the opening credits of such a significant patriotic film. For many young viewers who are familiar with and trust the "Shengying" brand because of commercial films such as "30 Days" and "Flying Colors," this has subtly reduced the sense of distance they feel towards traditional patriotic films, making them want to watch this serious film with a sense of "maybe it will be different."

At the height of this publicity fervor, in late September, the China Youth Daily published a film review in a prominent position in its culture section, signed "Wang Sheng," titled "Hearing Thunder in Silence—What We've Been Waiting For."

This film review was quickly reprinted by dozens of mainstream and professional media outlets, including People's Daily, Guangming Daily, and Wenyi Bao, attracting wider attention.

In his article, Wang Sheng cleverly avoided revealing specific plot details, instead approaching the topic from several unique angles:

He first highly praised the crew's efforts in authentically recreating history, saying, "I heard that in order to recreate the harsh environment of the Gobi Desert, the main creative team went deep into the Northwest, and the actors lost weight and basked in the sun, striving to be both physically and spiritually accurate. This reverence for history and piety towards art is itself the most profound interpretation of the word 'tribute'."

Then, he shifted his focus to the film's potential spiritual core: "I believe that 'The Birth of a Nation' is not merely a replica of a glorious history, but also a call for a spirit."

That is the spirit of self-reliance in the face of poverty and backwardness, the faith of the nameless heroes who remained anonymous and served as the foundation under blockade and suppression, and the spirit of "striving for excellence" that the Chinese nation must never lose in any era.

This spirit, which was a thunderous roar back then, may still serve as a 'thunderclap' inspiring us to face any challenge today.

Finally, he connected the film to the historical context: "In this special year, we need works like this to look back on the past and unite people's hearts."

As one of the most influential popular arts, film is perfectly positioned to shoulder this mission.

I believe that "The Birth of a Nation" will not only allow us to feel the weight of history, but also help the younger generation understand what it means to be the backbone of a nation and what true romance is.

This film review not only affirms the film's artistic pursuits and elevates its spiritual values, but also cleverly connects history with the present. The writing is mature and the ideas are lofty, which is completely unlike what one would expect from a young director known for commercial films.

It not only aligns with mainstream public opinion, but also, due to the author's special identity (Wang Sheng) and sincere tone, successfully injects a more approachable and relatable appeal into the film, making it easier for the intellectual class and young people to resonate with it, beyond official propaganda.

"Even Wang Sheng highly praises it, so this movie seems to be more than just didactic!"

"You've made me want to go see what kind of 'thunderclap' it is."

"Products made by Shengying should be of guaranteed quality, right?"

Such discussions quietly circulated among readers.

Thus, amidst the orderly filming of "Happy Family," while "Flying Colors" continued to reap profits from the second-run market, and against the backdrop of the "Party A, Party B" crew finally getting back on track after a period of ups and downs, all eyes and expectations in the Chinese film market at the end of September 1999 were focused on that epic film that was about to "emerge from nowhere" on October 1st.

(End of this chapter)