Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 269, Section 267: China-Korea Song Festival

In November, the North China Plain is already swept by biting north winds, and everything is desolate.

However, in Beijing's film and television industry and even in the broader public discourse, two distinct yet equally powerful winds are blowing.

One wave of discussion, tinged with scrutiny and a touch of regret, revolves around the recently finalized casting of the female lead for the TV series "Lurking".

Wang Sheng personally steered the first TV series project, which brought together a host of top actors including Wang Zhiwen, Chen Daoming, and Li Youbin, making its significance self-evident.

When the news that Jiang Wenli had ultimately won the role of "Cuiping" spread like a pebble thrown into a still lake through the casting team and various networks, it caused complex and subtle reactions within certain circles.

However, the wave of regret and skepticism circulating among industry insiders and small circles, filled with various speculations and analyses, did not last long.

Just like a dam trying to block ocean currents, it was quickly washed away by another social and cultural craze from a wider world, called "first love," and was almost never mentioned again.

Throughout mid-to-late November, the streets and alleys of Chinese cities, campuses, and even the entertainment sections of newspapers and nascent online forums were almost entirely dominated by "A Little Thing Called First Love" and the various phenomena it spawned.

The success of this film has transcended mere box office figures, evolving into a social sentiment and a cultural phenomenon.

First of all, its box office performance can be described as "explosive".

After raking in 1457 million yuan in its opening weekend, setting a record for domestic youth films, "First Love" did not follow the trend of a high start followed by a decline as some market pessimists had predicted. Instead, it continued its strong momentum thanks to its powerful word-of-mouth effect and precise audience targeting.

After two weeks in theaters, the film has grossed over 4300 million yuan and is steadily moving toward the 5000 million yuan mark.

This achievement not only dwarfs "Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace," which was released at the same time and struggled to adapt to local conditions due to hardware limitations, but also once again proves Wang Sheng and Shengying Media's formidable strength in operating commercial genre films.

The reasons for its success, according to industry analysts afterward, can be summarized into several points:

First, there's the advantage of the genre: "low cost, high resonance." Unlike period dramas or action films that often require grand scenes and special effects, the core costs of youth romance films lie in the script, casting, and precise marketing.

The production cost of "First Love" was kept under five million yuan. Compared to its box office revenue and subsequent profits, it is undoubtedly a model of "small production leveraging a big market". It used its limited funds wisely - to polish a story of "unrequited love and transformation" that can resonate with a wide audience, to select new generation actors with suitable images and audience appeal, and to carry out a carpet-bombing and penetrating publicity and promotion.

Finding the right actors is also a difficult task.

Secondly, it precisely targeted the sentiments of the era and collective memories. In the late 1990s, as reform and opening up deepened, individual consciousness in society awakened, especially among the younger generation, who showed great interest in and resonance with themes of personal emotions and self-growth.

"Unrequited love" is a "small thing" that almost everyone has experienced or is experiencing, while "becoming better" is an eternal driving force in life.

The film presents this universal emotion in an artistic and dramatic way, which easily evokes a strong sense of identification from the audience, especially the main audience group—teenagers and young employees.

It's not as heavy as some melodramas, nor as exaggerated as some farces. It finds a perfect balance between refreshing inspiration and a touch of sadness, providing just the right amount of emotional value.

Thirdly, there's the brand effect and marketing combination of "Wang Sheng's productions." With a series of successful works such as "30 Days," "The Pursuit of Happyness," and "Flying Colors," Wang Sheng has already established a brand among audiences as a director and producer known for being "good-looking," "high-quality," and "empathetic."

This level of brand trust makes audiences willing to go to the cinema for his new film. Coupled with Shengying Media's mature marketing and distribution system, from creating the "nationwide crush" buzz to university screenings, radio collaborations, and a barrage of print media articles, a comprehensive marketing network has been formed, ensuring that film information effectively reaches the target audience.

Fourthly, the "unexpected boost" from pirated VCDs. Although piracy harmed some of the production company's profits, in the era before widespread internet access, pirated VCDs with their crude picture quality grew wildly and greatly expanded the film's reach and influence.

Many people get a sneak peek through pirated copies, are moved by the story, and then become word-of-mouth promoters. Some even choose to go to the cinema for a second viewing to experience the atmosphere of the big screen.

This phenomenon of "piracy first, then official release" or "piracy as a way to attract traffic" is not uncommon in the current market environment, and objectively it has added fuel to the fire of the popularity of "First Love".

Walking on the streets of Beijing in November, you can often hear Jin Haixin's clear and penetrating voice coming from the music stores along the street—that is "Courage," the theme song of "First Love."

Although most of the recordings were pirated and had a lot of background noise, the line "I've finally made this decision. I don't care what others say, as long as you agree..." could still penetrate the store door, drift in the cold air, and stir the hearts of passersby.

This film seems to have become an emotional hub.

Countless secret admirers gained the courage to confess their feelings, shouting their "decision" in the movie theater under the starry sky; countless men and women who had just experienced heartbreak and were lost in confusion found the key to reconciliation with themselves in Xiao Shui's final, relieved smile and her walking away into the distance, and realized the truth that "growth is more important than love". With tears in their eyes, but also with new strength, they left the movie theater and stepped into their own lives.

Posters of Gao Yuanyuan, the "nation's first love," were plastered on the bedside tables of countless young men. Her image was deeply intertwined with "Xiao Shui," becoming a cultural symbol of innocence, transformation, and beautiful unrequited love in an era.

In this almost all-encompassing "first love storm," the ripples caused by the casting of "Lurking" have long been washed away without a trace.

...Late November, on an ordinary workday afternoon.

Jingxin Building, office of the assistant general manager of Shengying Media.

Li Tingting had just finished processing a batch of documents that needed Wang Sheng's review when the internal phone rang. She answered it skillfully: "Hello, this is the General Manager's office of Shengying Media."

A calm, slightly official-sounding male voice came from the other end of the phone: "Hello, is this the office of Wang Sheng, General Manager of Shengying Media? This is the production team of the 'First China-Korea Song Festival' on Yangshi TV. My surname is Liu, Liu Lu, and I am the chief director of this festival."

Li Tingting: "Director Liu, hello. I'm Li Tingting, Mr. Wang's assistant. How can I convey your message?"

Director Liu Lu succinctly explained her purpose over the phone.

It turns out that Yangshi, in order to promote cultural exchanges between China and South Korea, has scheduled to hold the "First China-South Korea Song Festival" at the end of November, and is currently busy preparing for the program.

The concert aims to showcase outstanding musical works and the talents of singers from both countries.

When selecting songs, the program team noticed the theme song "Courage" (sung by Jin Haixin), which has recently become popular with the hit movie "First Love", as well as the inspiring theme song "Chasing Dreams with a Pure Heart" from the movie "Flying Colors".

After discussion, the program team concluded that both songs—one delicate and affectionate, the other powerful and uplifting—are very suitable for performance by outstanding Chinese singers on this international cultural exchange stage.

"We plan to invite Ms. Han Hong to sing 'Chasing Dreams with a Pure Heart' and Ms. Jin Haixin to sing 'Courage'."

Director Liu Lu spoke sincerely: "As far as I know, the copyrights to the lyrics and music of these two songs are all under Mr. Wang Sheng's personal name. Therefore, I am taking the liberty of calling to request Mr. Wang Sheng's authorization to allow the two singers to perform these two works at the 'First China-Korea Song Festival.' This is not only a promotion of excellent musical works, but also an important showcase of the talent of our country's musicians."

Li Tingting quickly jotted down the key information on a sticky note: "Yangshi's 'First China-Korea Song Festival,' directed by Liu Lu, is requesting authorization for Han Hong to sing 'Chasing Dreams with a Pure Heart' and Jin Haixin to sing 'Courage'..."

“Okay, Director Liu, I understand what you’ve said.” Li Tingting repeated the key points, and after confirming that everything was correct, she said, “I will immediately report your request to President Wang. Please wait a moment, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.”

……

After ending the call, Li Tingting took the note and hurried to Wang Sheng's office next door. She knocked gently on the door and entered after receiving permission.

"Mr. Wang, I just received a call from Liu Lu, the chief director of the 'First China-Korea Song Festival' program on CCTV..."

Li Tingting placed a sticky note on her desk and succinctly reported the other party's request for the rights to perform the songs "Chasing Dreams with a Pure Heart" and "Courage".

"can."

Wang Sheng made a decision almost without hesitation: "Reply to Director Liu, Shengying Media and I personally fully agree with and support their application."

The licensing fee can follow Yangshi's standard procedures, or a symbolic fee of one yuan can be charged to show our support for cultural exchange. We must ensure that Han Hong and Jin Haixin present these two songs in their best possible condition.

The major context for the creation of the "China-Korea Song Festival" was that on November 15, China and the United States signed a bilateral agreement on China's accession to the World Trade Organization, a crucial step in China's WTO accession.

In addition, last year, the South Korean president announced that "the foundation of South Korea in the 21st century is high technology and cultural industries," and established the cultural industry as a strategic pillar industry of the South Korean economy in the 21st century.

This move directly propelled the future spread of Korean culture across Asia.

Driven by these factors, China and South Korea have already begun cooperation in the cultural field, such as the martial arts film "Flying Dance" co-produced this year by a South Korean entertainment company and Shanghai Film Studio.

The main investor in "Flying Dance" is Taewon Entertainment, a South Korean company founded in 1992 by Jung Tae-won. It was one of the most influential film and television production companies in South Korea at the time and played a pioneering role in promoting South Korean films and television dramas to the international market.

However, with the intervention of conglomerates, the company later became a small fry.

We'll definitely have to compete with K-pop in the future, so let's test the waters on the China-Korea Song Festival stage first.

"One yuan?" Li Tingting confirmed.

"Yes, just a token gesture will do. The important thing is that the song goes up on the charts and is sung well." Wang Sheng nodded. "Also, let's talk to Director Liu. If needed, we can provide necessary assistance in providing background VCR material for the song or in coordinating with the two singers."

"Understood, I'll go and reply to Director Liu right away." Li Tingting noted down the request and turned to leave briskly.

(End of this chapter)