HuaYu: A Great Director Starting with Dream of the Red Chamber

A storm on the internet often only needs a spark.

If the popularity of "Let Me Stay" a couple of days ago was just a spark, then...

By tonight, this short film has become a wildfire online.

Initially, it was white-collar workers, homebodies, and college students who were attracted by the suggestive headlines.

With a critical mindset, I only intended to "click around and take a look".

Then those old perverts exploded.

[OP, come out here! I've already taken my pants off, and this is what you show me?!]

[Three minutes. I need all the information about the female lead. Be sensible, or you'll live a long and peaceful life.]

[Is the female lead Yang Mi, the one who played Guo Xiang? Did she have plastic surgery? Yang Mi!!!]

Tears are streaming down my face, Mom. I'm in love again!

[Does nobody really notice the male lead? Forget about a bare-bones wedding, I'd marry someone like him even without any dowry!]

Wake up! Run! This looks like a GG (game over).

[What's wrong with GG? He's still better than Heng Yuanxiang's awful voice. At least handsome men and beautiful women are worth admiring.]

……

These guys on Tianya and Mop couldn't just suffer a loss themselves, so they readily forwarded it to their classmates, friends, and best buddies.

Gradually, some people began to be drawn in by the plot and started watching.

Once you go in, you can't get out. After watching it, everyone grabs a tissue to wipe their tears and sniffles.

Anyway, it wasn't a waste of time to prepare.

There's also a noticeable increase in people discussing the plot, just like on Douban:

[Waaaaah, that hurt so much! That glance back, I was instantly captivated!]

[Damn, this is such a touching scene, it's so moving, I almost cried. Why?]

[If I removed the final "Canon's Emotion Endures" scene, I would rate it as my best short film of the year.]

[It's a bit short; it would be great if it could be made into a longer version.]

If I could be with you forever, what would I fear giving up the whole world for? (Attachment: A stack of train tickets)

[But it's too cruel to the father. The scene where he puts down the camera with tears in his eyes is even more heartbreaking.]

[The white moonlight, the vermilion mole—a lifetime of unrequited love has been brought to life; so touching!]

……

Seeing this, Douban officially moved "Let Me Stay" to the short film category.

It opened with a score of 9.1, and the number of people who rated it started at 5,000.

The number of reviews continued to increase, and even when it was close to 100,000 reviews, it still had an 8.9 rating.

This wave of online enthusiasm has greatly boosted the morale of the company.

Ding Xiaoxiao sat in Zhang Qiang's office, her apple-shaped face extremely serious.

He has the demeanor of a great general.

"Boss, don't forget to order dinner. It's the place I gave you my business card to. Tell them to order something light, I've been feeling a bit feverish these past few days."

"Director, stop loitering around me. Use this time to come up with some more headlines with Hao Ge..."

"Li Yong, Lao Zhou, give me some professional terminology."

Everyone in the company was being directed by her, and they were constantly on the go.

On Hummingbird and Xitek forums, their posts have finally moved from the equipment section to the main forum.

The veteran photographers no longer care which lens has sharper in-focus areas or which has creamier out-of-focus areas.

Everyone rushed into Ding Xiaoxiao's post, ready to criticize her first.

[Bullshit! This was definitely taken with a Sony F23 or Arri D21. A DSLR can't produce this kind of effect? ​​Dream on!]

[Are you blind?! Look at that bokeh, that low-light performance, it really does look like a shot taken with a 5D Mark II and a L-ring lens. The person upstairs hasn't actually used one, has they?]

[Replying to the comment above, I have a 5D Mark II, but I can't get this effect. If it's true, could you analyze the parameters and lighting for me?]

Practice makes perfect! Even if I give you a 5D Mark II, you'll only be able to take photos that look like a point-and-shoot camera.

If this were true, wouldn't we be able to shoot videos just by carrying a DSLR camera when we go out?!

……

"It exploded! It really exploded!"

Cheers erupted at the Youku operations center in the China Steel Building.

Li Yan uploaded videos to more than just Youku; he also uploaded them to Sohu, Tudou, Ku6, and other platforms.

Only Youku noticed the anomaly in the data early on; the playback curve of "Let Me Stay" was frighteningly strange.

Looking at the index that had risen almost 90 degrees, Operations Director Dong Tianlei waved his hand and ordered, "Provide resources and push!"

At that time, domestic video websites were all competing to burn money.

Youku's homepage splash screen first changed to a picture of Yang Mi turning around.

The early birds had insects to eat.

Once 10 p.m. had passed, the number of views for a single video on Youku alone had already exceeded 1 million!

What does this mean? Ten million views and you're on the annual charts!

Jianwai SOHO.

Wang Hao would run up behind Ding Xiaoxiao every now and then.

He didn't say anything.

He was just waiting for President Ding to open the data so he could take a peek.

This really annoyed Ding Xiaoxiao.

Zhang Qiang couldn't stand it anymore, so he grabbed Wang Hao and dragged him downstairs to buy coffee for everyone.

He knew Wang Hao was holding back his anger and didn't dare to provoke him too much, so he thought he should cool him down first.

"With such limited resources, you've already given Ogilvy a run for its money. What, you really want to destroy Ogilvy?"

Wang Hao glanced back at the bustling office. "What if?!"

Huang Jiawei of Ogilvy, whom he had been thinking about, was still at get off work.

On the large desk, viewership reports were piled up to one side.

On the computer screen were videos of amateurish, lowbrow content that he scorned, but the view count in the lower right corner kept increasing with each refresh.

"Simon..."

The assistant cautiously pushed open the door, holding a freshly printed public opinion report:

"According to Rebecca from the customer service department, 80% of the inquiries Canon received today were asking about... the same product as that internet guy."

"GG? That's GG? It's garbage!"

Huang Jiawei slammed his hand on the table, scattering papers all over the floor.

He roared at his assistant:

"A bunch of bumpkins who don't understand aesthetics! Can online traffic be monetized? Can it enhance brand value? We're building brand prestige, while they're just..."

He pointed at Yang Mi on the screen, gritting his teeth: "That's vulgar!"

……

"A Journey Through Light and Shadow" has been playing on a loop on television.

The internet has long been the domain of "Let Me Stay".

Many college students have changed their Renren and QQ signatures to "Videos represent my heart".

Then they frantically tagged their long-distance partners.

The video deeply resonated with them.

Train ticket offices and hotels became the most crowded places.

……

Having fermented to this point, its own popularity is sufficient to satisfy expectations.

But Li Yan also wanted to take the opportunity to strike a blow at his opponent, since he had so many people under his command, he might as well use them.

Therefore, Ding Xiaoxiao is very energetic today:

"Director, shall we begin?"

"Let's begin."

After a week of preparation, it was finally time for her favorite part—"tearing each other apart, no, comparing and belittling each other!"

He's someone who has personally commanded battles involving thousands of troops.

She started typing on the keyboard, and with the "media operations specialists" who had been lying in wait, she began to roam around various forums.

Rational Discussion: Five Million US Dollars vs. 500,000 RMB – Two Canon Cameras Gone Wrong, Which Do You Prefer?

Poll: Do you prefer grand, scenic films or tear-jerking romance films?

……

Gossip is a ladder of human progress, as is joining in the fun.

However, in the previous few days of the battle, Ding Xiaoxiao had overexerted herself, and the opinions of netizens had become an overwhelming advantage.

Occasionally, a few pro-foreign public intellectuals and paid media professionals will step in and stir up trouble.

They also need to be carefully protected so that they don't get crushed easily.

Li Yan was still thinking, "It's Ogilvy, after all. Even if things are like this, why not hire some online trolls to try and salvage the situation?"

After all that preparation, all that flirting was for a blind man.

When it comes to the Internet, these giants still exhibit the same old stubbornness and arrogance!

He could clearly see from Ding Xiaoxiao's black-rimmed glasses that she hadn't had enough.

The enemy surrendered too quickly.

It was clear that continuing wouldn't make any waves.

Li Yan finally unleashed his ultimate move:

"Xiaoxiao, here's some behind-the-scenes footage."

"Okay!"

A behind-the-scenes video titled "Unveiling the Secrets: How to Shoot a Blockbuster with a Budget of 20,000 Yuan and 10 Million Views?" has been uploaded to various platforms.

Sohu, Tudou, Ku6... they've gotten smarter this time.

Just like Youku, the homepage recommendation section immediately changed to the same cover.

Yang Mi, with a longing look in her eyes, gazes at the camera from the Twenty-Four Bridges.

This behind-the-scenes footage was specially edited by Li Yong at Li Yan's request.

The video truthfully records how Li Yan used a Canon 5D2 to shoot this terrible picture in a residential building.

The left side of the screen shows a shabby filming location, while the right side shows a finished film with a cinematic quality.

The stark contrast became the final straw that broke Ogilvy's back.

Holy crap! It really was shot with a DSLR?!

Are the people at Canon blind? Shouldn't this guy be their idiot?

[I'm a fan now! His name is Li Yan, right? He's so handsome, directing and acting all by himself!]

[The male lead is handsome, the female lead is beautiful, and their skills are good; let's make it a longer film.]

[Can anyone contact the director? Looking to film some private shots. Location: Shanghai. Flights available!]

……