HuaYu2003: This producer is a bit reckless!

In the photography studio of an old house from the Republican era, the camera is pointed at that huge carved canopy bed.

Tang Yan, dressed in a red silk bodice as thin as a cicada's wing, lay on her side on the brocade quilt. The dim light outlined her fair shoulders and neck and her exquisite undulating waist and hips, and the red silk made her skin look even whiter than snow.

What a beautiful and charming woman.

Yes, Ling Yuan was lying next to him.

Ling Yuan adapted the original work, which was about a couple living together abroad, but they were a newlywed couple in the Republic of China era.

Suddenly, a strange voice rang out from the dressing table. Tang Yan was so frightened that her delicate body trembled. She looked up, but there was nothing there.

……

The entire film is like a meticulously designed game of hide-and-seek; there's no blood, no Sadako, no ghosts, only objects moving mysteriously in the dead of night and eerie whispers...

It must be said that the fear of the unknown is the most terrifying. There are no ghosts in the whole film, but the suspenseful atmosphere created is particularly frightening.

Because it was filmed at night, the staff around felt a chill down their spines.

Ling Yuan is the male lead, who writes, directs, and stars in the story, while Tang Yan is the female lead.

In addition, supporting actors such as Huang Bo, Zhao Liying, Liu Jing, and Wang Luodan have limited screen time. Their roles mainly revolve around Ling Yuan and Tang Yan.

Tang Yan is actually not very brave; people who are brave often don't act well.

Sometimes, even though she knew it was a movie shoot, she couldn't help but be afraid and would suddenly throw herself into her husband's (Ling Yuan's) arms, wearing only a bellyband, her warm and fragrant body captivating.

Zhao Liying, who was watching from the side, couldn't help but purse her lips.

……

Everyone worked day and night, and progress was rapid, with most of the filming taking place overnight.

This resulted in poor sleep. Tang Yan was beautiful at first, but by the end of the shoot, she had dark circles under her eyes and looked very haggard. She had a fragile feeling after being tormented, which made people feel sorry for her.

Ling Yuan wasn't much better off; he had a stubble beard, sunken eyes, and his brows never seemed to relax.

However, it is precisely because of this that the terrifying atmosphere is effectively conveyed. It can be described as a "natural performance."

Imagine being constantly frightened—how could you possibly sleep well? That's why the haggard look was so realistic. It was a lucky accident, I suppose. Anyway, Ling Yuan was quite satisfied with the final result.

Finally, it was completed on January 8th.

The next day, Ling Yuan treated everyone to a "reunion dinner". Because there were still many things to do, the annual meeting was a simple gathering, and no performances were required.

Ling Yuan said that when the company grows bigger and has more people, they will hold a proper annual party. They will record it and make it into a variety show.

After dinner, before going to karaoke, Ling Yuan took out the large red envelopes he had prepared and distributed them to everyone, one for each person.

This is not a year-end bonus. The year-end bonus is deposited into your account along with your December salary, and it is based on your rank and contribution. For example, Ning Hao and Mu Jing receive more.

Especially Mu Jing, who helped buy the house, running around and working very hard, and since he didn't receive any acting fees, he gave her the most.

The red envelopes being given out now are simply for the joy of the Lunar New Year, with each person receiving 800 NTD, treating everyone equally.

"Wishing everyone a Happy New Year in advance! And wishing our film a huge box office success!"

Everyone was overjoyed to receive so many red envelopes. All the hard work these past few days was worth it.

Post-production editing and sound effects processing were completed in the conference room, with everyone racing against time.

Ling Yuan and Ning Hao worked together to personally take charge, striving to bring out the "creepy feeling in everyday life" to its fullest extent.

Then came the hurried process of completing various pre-release procedures.

Originally intended to be released on the first day of the Lunar New Year, the film was delayed for a week or two due to the approval process, and was eventually scheduled for release on February 10th.

That's fine, though. Horror movies are best released on the first day of the Lunar New Year; it's a bit too creepy and might affect box office performance. The first day of the Lunar New Year is all about holiday films, after all.

Ning Hao handled all the paperwork, with the newly arrived chief screenwriter Xing Aina accompanying him.

Xing Aina is Ning Hao's wife in the afterlife, and also a well-known screenwriter, producer, and film producer. The two met when they were both struggling in Beijing and were a couple working together as migrant workers.

After everything was settled, the two of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Ning Hao couldn't help but exclaim, "This must be the fastest time from filming to release I've ever seen! President Ling is really efficient!"

Xing Aina had never seen such an efficient and rushed release process before, and couldn't help but ask, "Brother Hao, do you think this film, released so hastily and with such a low budget, can really make money?"

Ning Hao was also a little unsure, and said, "It should be okay, right?"

The main problem is that horror films aren't his forte, and there aren't many people in China who are good at them either. He and Xing Aina were both quite surprised that Ling Yuan knew how to make one.

Ling Yuan's directorial debut was without a script, yet his skill impressed even seasoned professionals like themselves. It was as if all the images were already in his mind, and the filming process was simply a matter of recreating them. They had never seen such a genius!

In a few more years, I estimate that he will be on par with Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaogang, or even surpass them.

In fact, under ideal conditions, a film can be completed from filming to release in as little as 1-2 months.

For example, the later film "Pegasus 3" wrapped up filming in January 2026 and was released during the Spring Festival (February).

Now, Ling Yuan's speed has even surpassed that of "Pegasus 3", which can be considered to have set a record for the shortest filming time and the fastest release time!

Mu Jing: "President Ling, are we going to hold a premiere and invite the media?"

Ling Yuan waved his hand: "No need, just use our online army to promote it online. By the way, it's the holidays, do you have enough manpower?"

Because Xinghan Pictures' part-time online trolls are almost all college students and graduate students, and they've probably all gone home for the Chinese New Year.

"I asked in the QQ group beforehand, and I think I can gather about a third of them, about 150 or 160 people."

"Alright! Let them work harder these next few days, posting more. During the Lunar New Year, give them triple pay! No, ten times!"

Mu Jing was immediately surprised, then smiled and said, "Alright, with your words, I guarantee those handsome men and beautiful women will be cheering and full of energy."

Soon, the group was abuzz with excitement. Ten times the salary! Many who initially thought it inconvenient volunteered: "Sister Mu, I can do it too! I'll go to the internet cafe!"

……

Unfortunately, Ling Yuan's film "Ling Dong: Ghostly Records" was released on the same day as "Baby in Love," starring Zhou Xun, Huang Jue, and Chen Kun.

The production cost of "Baby in Love" was very high, a full US$515 million, which was about RMB4200 million at the time.

It cost $250,000 just to commission Tetsuya Komuro, the so-called "godfather of music" from the Komuro school, to compose five songs.

They also commissioned the French company DUBOI (the team behind The Lord of the Rings 3) to create exquisite visuals and special effects.

Several international composers were invited to participate in the music composition and recording, and international standards were used throughout the post-production processes such as color correction and mixing.

……

This is burning money like crazy; sparks are practically flying into the audience's faces.

With such a high cost, they're naturally going all out with incredibly high expectations. A premiere? Absolutely! A red carpet? A must! Flashbulbs? They have to be blinding! All the media outlets must be invited!

At the grand premiere, some reporters, not wanting to miss out on the fun, shoved their microphones right in front of the cast and crew:

"Hey, Mr. Zhou Xun, Mr. Huang Jue, Ling Yuan's 'The Haunted House' from Xinghan Pictures is releasing on the same day as yours. I heard their 'Crazy Stone' was quite popular before. Are you confident you can beat them?"