The day before the broadcast of "Squid Game", Yan Liang finally finished filming "Mountain Top" and Yan Liang was as thin as a bag of bones when he came back from the filming of "The Gold Rush", then this time when Yan Liang came back, he had a more sinister and twisted murderous aura.
Lu Yanhe and Li Zhibai were both severely shocked.
Yan Liang didn't know what had happened yet. Facing the shocked looks of Lu Yanhe and Li Zhibai, he asked, "What's wrong with me?"
As soon as he opened his mouth, the solemn and murderous feeling he had just given people disappeared.
Li Zhibai said: "I almost thought you had returned from assassin training."
Lu Yanhe nodded and agreed, "That's too exaggerated. How come you seem like a different person every time you come back from a play?"
Lu Yanhe and Li Zhibai basically did not have this situation.
Yan Liang himself was completely unaware, "Really?"
Yan Liang always puts 100% of his effort into acting. This kind of dedication is a stupid method. He can't get into the role that quickly, and his expressiveness is not that strong, so he can only make himself stay in the state of the character at all times, whether on the set, after the filming, or back to the hotel.
This is why he still has the feeling of the character after the filming is finished. But Yan Liang did not realize why.
To welcome Yan Liang back from finishing filming, they went out to eat together.
Yan Liang asked Lu Yanhe: "Squid Game will be aired tomorrow, so you don't have to promote it today?"
"I've already done all the running I need to do. I'm not an actor in this drama, so I don't need to run so hard." Lu Yanhe said, "What about you? The third season of Friends is about to be aired, so are you going to start promoting it soon?"
Yan Liang smiled sarcastically, "That's not necessarily true."
"Not necessarily? What does that mean? They don't need you to do publicity anymore?" Lu Yanhe was surprised.
Yan Liang can now be said to be the most popular actor in "Friends", not just one of them. After all, in addition to this drama, he also has the idol status in "Idol Era" and the popularity brought to him by "Young Days", which is unmatched by others.
Or does Beijing and Taiwan think that it is enough to let Zhang Lan handle the publicity alone?
Yan Liang said, "No, they don't want to compete head-on with Squidward Games. It seems they want to change the schedule. They want to wait two weeks until Squidward Games is finished before airing the third season of Friends."
Li Zhibai was shocked. "Why are Beijing and Taiwan so cowardly? One TV station is broadcasting exclusively, and the other video platform is broadcasting exclusively. One broadcasts weekly, and the other broadcasts daily. They don't match up very well. They are still worried and have to wait until "Squid Game" is over before broadcasting it?"
"Yes." Yan Liang said, "It is said that their internal evaluation of the third season is very low. They all say it is the worst of the three seasons. Of course, this is not surprising at all."
Lu Yanhe: "..."
Li Zhibai: "What on earth are they thinking? After driving Yan He away, they drove Bai Jingnian away too. I give in."
Yan Liang: "They thought anyone could be replaced, so they found a big director with a great resume to direct the third season. But the script he and the screenwriter revised was even more ridiculous than the eight o'clock family ethics drama ten years ago."
Lu Yanhe: "Who is the director of your third season? I don't have any impression of him at all."
Yan Liang smiled and said, "Gao Bohua, you must have never heard of him. He used to be an assistant director for some American TV series in the United States. He is a returnee."
Lu Yanhe: "Huh? Assistant director of an American TV series? Why do they want to find an assistant director of an American TV series from abroad?"
"They say they are experienced and have participated in the production of many sitcoms. In fact, I guess they can't find a first-line director in China to take over this drama. Who is willing to take it? Director Bai, who worked diligently for two seasons, was ruthlessly kicked out by Beijing and Taiwan. It was so ugly. People are still scolding you for the conflict with them. Who is short of this kind of project? No normal person would take it."
Yan Liang became furious whenever he mentioned this matter.
Lu Yanhe sighed softly.
Yan Liang said: "I really don't want to film anymore. They asked me to sign a contract for the fourth and fifth seasons, but I refused."
Lu Yanhe thought for a moment and said, "Don't rush to make a decision. Let's wait and see. Maybe there will be a turning point."
"What are you talking about?" Li Zhibai said immediately, "If it has become like this, I would say that Yan Liang, you really should stop acting. You don't need any more roles to play now."
"Don't make a fuss. If Yan Liang hadn't had the Friends series, how could Zhou Ping'an have let him play the second lead in two consecutive dramas?" Lu Yanhe said, "The Gold Rush and The Mountaintop are both good performance opportunities, but if it weren't for the Friends series, Zhou Ping'an would definitely not have let Yan Liang take them."
Zhou Ping'an's criteria for accepting a role has never been whether the role is good or not.
Yan Liang said: "I don't know what's wrong with Zhou Pingan recently. He suddenly became interested in my career and showed me a script every now and then."
"Ma Zhiyuan has been devastated, and he has no one else under him except you." Li Zhibai pointed out bluntly, "Now he finally realizes that you are the most popular and promising person under him."
Yan Liang: "Then he really has a change of heart."
"He probably thinks that one day you will leave him," Lu Yanhe said, "After all, Li Zhibai and I didn't break up with him on good terms."
Yan Liang: "That's true. I didn't think I would work with him forever. He is right to think so."
"But now he needs you very much. At least, before another you appears, you are the only bargaining chip he has to negotiate with others and exchange interests." Lu Yanhe said, "So, I left easily. Li Zhibai chose to give up on his own. You - you shouldn't leave now, right? It would be quite troublesome for you to leave now."
"Why should I leave now? He must support my work now, and I can enjoy his high-quality work." Yan Liang curled his lips, "When I have established myself, I really don't need him anymore. By then, he won't be able to stay even if he wants to."
Li Zhibai hooked Yan Liang's shoulders and said with a smile: "I can't wait to see this day. You must call me when the time comes. I want to see his expression with my own eyes."
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Zhibai burst into laughter.
Lu Yanhe: "..."
Yan Liang: "..."
There are not many people around them who can laugh so happily by themselves.
Sometimes, Lu Yanhe really envied Li Zhibai's character.
Whoever is depressed will not be depressed.
Lu Yanhe suddenly remembered something and said, "By the way, since you are all here, I have a script for you. It is not finished yet, but I have already written eight episodes. You can take a look at it first."
He went to the room, took out the two copies of the script that he had printed yesterday, and gave one to Li Zhibai and one to Yan Liang.
"The Legend of Sword and Fairy?" Li Zhibai took it in his hand, "Oh my, I've been hearing about it for so long, and finally I see this script."
Although, in the entertainment industry, the production cycle of a film and television project is much longer than that in some entertainment novels, from preparation to script, to shooting, and finally to broadcast, it may take three or four years or even longer. But the story of "Legend of Sword and Fairy" has been going on for several years since Li Zhibai and Yan Liang first heard about it and now they finally saw the script. These are only the first eight episodes, and they haven't been finished yet.
"The role of Li Xiaoyao is for Li Zhibai, and the role of Tang Yu Xiaobao is for Yan Liang." Lu Yanhe said, "I will play Liu Jinyuan."
“There are so many characters.”
"Well, there is a group of protagonists. There are six people in total, three men and three women." Lu Yanhe said, "It's a fairy tale drama, fighting monsters and leveling up along the way."
Li Zhibai: "Fuck, so this show finally doesn't have to be about love affairs anymore, right?"
"There is still a love story, but it is still different from the current fairy tales and ancient idol dramas." Lu Yanhe said, "It is more inclined to traditional fairy tales and strange stories."
Yan Liang said, "I was just thinking that there would be no more dramas to come and I should hurry up and read the scripts, but now another one has arrived."
"Then you should find a script for yourself first. I plan to shoot this drama the year after next." Lu Yanhe said, "Next year is my full year. All the dramas that I didn't perform this year will be scheduled for next year."
Yan Liang: "That's so exaggerated, okay."
Li Zhibai asked: "How many movies are you going to shoot next year?"
"I don't know how many, but we have to finish filming 'Love Letter' first, and then start post-production. In the first half of the year, we will shoot the movie 'Burning Fire', and in the second half of the year, we will shoot the second season of 'Seventeen Floors' and the movie 'The Mist'." Lu Yanhe said.
Li Zhibai nodded, "Three plays, that's a bit exaggerated."
Lu Yanhe said: "Yes, but it seems to be the same rhythm in recent years. I'm used to it."
Li Zhibai: "You have written so many scripts yourself."
"That's fine. I can write the script in my spare time. It's not like filming a movie where you have to stay in one place for a period of time." Lu Yanhe shrugged. "I can write anywhere."
-
The day when "Squid Game" was broadcast was different from the broadcast time of traditional TV stations.
Its first episode was released at twelve noon.
Lu Yanhe and the other three had no work that day, so they sat together, turned on the projector, and watched the first episode together.
Lu Yanhe had already seen the feature film.
Therefore, he is not worried about the quality of the feature film.
Northern Lights Video has indeed invested a lot in this drama.
Whether it is the set design, shooting, or special effects, you can tell that a lot of money was spent on the quality.
Even Li Zhibai was impressed: "The photography of your drama has really reached the level of a movie, right?"
Lu Yanhe said: "Yes."
Li Zhibai: "Tsk tsk, will the Chinese Paladin be filmed according to this standard?"
"Should, maybe, possibly?" Lu Yanhe smiled, "I don't know now, I don't even know who will do it."
Li Zhibai asked: "Who are you going to let it be directed by? This is a play performed by the three of us, why don't you be the director yourself?"
"No." Lu Yanhe immediately made a big cross with his arms. "You don't know how hard it is to be a director. I will never do it, just like a nanny, managing everything from beginning to end."
Li Zhibai: "Who are you going to look for?"
He said: "Although you plan to shoot the film the year after next, good directors will also start to schedule their schedules. Good directors' schedules are not as free as ours."
Li Zhibai reminded Lu Yanhe.
Of course, Lu Yanhe first searched among the directors he knew out of habit.
But, unfortunately, he himself has never filmed a fantasy drama, and he has never collaborated with any director who filmed a fantasy drama. Oh, no, the director of "Seventeenth Floor", Lian Bei's first drama was a fantasy drama, and it also became a hit.
Lu Yanhe said, "Let me take a look first. I haven't even finished writing the script yet, and I haven't even thought about the director and production team yet."
Li Zhibai: "I really want to know everything about our drama right now. The three of us have never filmed a drama together before."
Yan Liang: "I've filmed with Yan He before."
"I'm talking about the three of us," Li Zhibai emphasized.
Yan Liang nodded and emphasized: "Yes, you are the only one who has not filmed with us."
"Fuck." Li Zhibai took a deep breath and glared at Yan Liang.
Yan Liang smiled, "Don't be so impatient."
Lu Yanhe said to Yan Liang again: "Yan Liang, remember to keep up your martial arts training next year."
In addition to this drama, Lu Yanhe had already decided to write an action movie for Yan Liang.
Yan Liang was a little confused, but still nodded.
Lu Yanhe said: "The character you played, Tang Yu Xiaobao, has some action scenes in it."
Li Zhibai asked: "Don't I have any?"
"You have, but from the perspective of martial arts design, Tang Yu Xiaobao's part is more practical." Lu Yanhe said, "I will definitely ask the crew to arrange for everyone to practice together before the filming starts. If Yan Liang can start martial arts training in advance, we can design more difficult martial arts moves during the filming later."
What Lu Yanhe didn’t say was that he already had the foundation when he was filming martial arts films later.
Li Zhibai: "Fuck, do you really look down on me? You said you wanted to write a martial arts film for Yan Liang, but you didn't write it for me. Now you're asking him to keep training in martial arts, and you don't even mention me."
Lu Yanhe looked at him speechlessly.
He didn't say anything either.
"Yan Liang, show us your biceps." Lu Yanhe said, "Roll up your sleeves and show them to Li Zhibai."
Yan Liang rolled up his sleeves and showed off his arm muscles. Li Zhi was stunned.
Lu Yanhe grabbed Li Zhibai's arm and pulled up his sleeves, revealing his lean and well-proportioned arms.
"Just tell me, are your muscles like mine because I'm being picky, or are you just not self-aware? If you want to shoot, you should train your muscles first. I don't want to shoot those fancy moves!"
Li Zhibai: "..."
"Fuck!" he swore.
Yan Liang then looked at Lu Yanhe, "You still want to write a martial arts script for me?"
"Well, after I read "Nine Yins", I wanted to write a martial arts novel. You seem to be the only one around me who can write a martial arts novel like Mr. Zhou Yuning." Lu Yanhe said, "You must reserve time for me when the time comes."
Yan Liang smiled and nodded, "Okay, I'll keep it for you."
Lu Yanhe said: "Oh, it would be great if the three of us really knew Kung Fu. I have a lot of martial arts stories in my mind."
Coming from an era with many brilliant stars like Jin Yong, Gu Long and Wen Ruian, Lu Yanhe felt deep in his heart that it was truly a gold mine!
Guo Jing and Huang Rong.
Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu.
Li Xunhuan and Lin Shiyin.
Zhang Wuji and Zhao Min.
……
That was truly Lu Yanhe’s childhood.
Li Zhibai rubbed his shoulders and said, "At worst, we can go learn Kung Fu together."
"Are you serious? Do you know how much time and effort it takes to learn Kung Fu?" Lu Yanhe asked.
Li Zhibai: "If you really want to prepare for future filming, it's not a bad idea to learn it. If you can't learn it all at once, then practice it slowly. Practice it for four or five years. We are only 26 or 27 years old."
Lu Yanhe: "That makes sense."
-
On the first day of the release of "Squid Game" on Northern Lights Video, within six hours, the total number of hot searches purchased by the film company and various actor teams exceeded 12, and there were 6 hot searches that were generated naturally.
These are all data that can be mastered internally.
The number of viewers reached 750 million, which is a very high value and met Northern Lights' expectations for the show.
The excellent production, the gorgeous star lineup and the novel world view have all generated great discussion on the Internet.
Jiang Yuqian alone provided 8 hot search terms across the entire platform, while another popular young actor Liu Zefan ranked second with 6 hot search terms.
Both teams are trying their best to reap more benefits from this drama.
Fortunately, no matter which acting team it was, there was no trouble at this time.
The game level of “One, Two, Three, Wood” has caused the entire Internet to explode.
The game that almost everyone played when they were young has turned out to be a horrific killing game.
That giant killing doll has also become one of the most popular things on the Internet.
Immediately, a toy manufacturer came to Lu Yanhe and Northern Lights Video, hoping to obtain authorization to develop the production of killing doll toys.
Lu Yanhe watched everyone's discussion about the drama with satisfaction.
Of course, everyone expected the first episode to be so popular and discussed. Whether it was the configuration itself or the early publicity, "Squid Game" was destined to be the best drama. With such high expectations, even a bombastic start would not be enough to make people lose their way.
What is more critical is the viewing situation of the second episode tomorrow.
With such a huge audience, success can only be considered if we can retain them.
Not only are they waiting for the second episode, Xu Bin from Beijing and Taiwan is also waiting.
They are waiting to see what happens with Squidward before deciding whether to reschedule the third season of Friends.
Don't go head-on.
Can't afford to touch it.
For Beijing and Taiwan, the benefits of the third season of "Friends" are something that cannot be lost.
When the second episode was released the next day and the number of viewers exceeded 400 million in one hour, Xu Bin no longer hesitated and began to arrange to reschedule the third season of "Friends".
Xu Bin clenched his fist in anger and wanted to slam it hard on his desk.
But when he wanted to punch down, he looked at his hands, which were delicate and tender due to his long-term pampering, and he couldn't bear to really punch down.
In the end, he just cursed "Fuck!" in his office.
"..."
Of course no one responded to him since he was the only one in the office.
-
Lu Yanhe knew how popular the original version of "Squid Game" was.
It’s so popular that many people question “Why is it so popular?”, but no one questions “Is it really that popular?”
He has always wondered what kind of achievements this drama could achieve in this time and space.
Judging from the domestic situation, it is indeed a very popular drama, but one has to ask whether it has reached the same phenomenal level as the original time and space?
Lu Yanhe didn't dare to say that.
Of course, the original phenomenon of "Squid Game" was not achieved in China, but on streaming media for the whole world.
In ten days, Squid Game will be launched on Maxine.
We will know then whether this drama can replicate its phenomenal success.
From Jiang Jun to Jiang Yuqian and then to Liu Zefan, the actors in the main troupe have reserved all their time for the promotion of this drama.
It can be said that the promotional schedule prepared by Northern Lights Video for this drama is comparable to the treatment of a blockbuster movie.
They traveled non-stop to fifteen cities, held meet-and-greets with thousands of people, and appeared on various shows to advertise and promote "Squid Game" in order to cover as many audiences as possible.
Northern Lights Video even collaborated with several magazines and arranged cover shoots for the leading actors in top magazines.
This is a level that the web drama crew has never achieved before.
Jiang Jun became an overnight sensation.
Not to mention Jiang Yuqian and Liu Zefan, their careers are rejuvenated, they are climbing to new heights, and all their data are blossoming.
This is what it means to broadcast a drama effectively.
What is the real fire drama?
Lu Yanhe feels that there should be at least one criterion, which is whether there are actors in this drama.
This "actor promotion" means making actors who were once unknown become known, bringing actors who may have become outdated back into the public eye, and bringing actors who were originally in position A to the higher position B.
That is certainly the case with Squidward now.
Moreover, it actually covers several situations.
What is different from other TV series is that for "Squid Game", every actor team has already bet on it. They will not wait until the show becomes popular before rushing to promote it in a hurry. They have prepared it long ago.
Therefore, after the drama became really popular, Northern Lights could directly withdraw the publicity and marketing of the characters and actors.
The major brokerage companies and actor teams are doing well on their own and don't need any connection with their video platforms.
Instead, they can focus their resources on promoting the series production.
Aurora Video has concentrated its promotional resources on director Yao Yuanzhi and screenwriter Lu Yanhe.
Then, Lu Yanhe repeatedly refused to cooperate.
"Don't promote me, I'm already famous enough." Lu Yanhe said, "Really, I'm not kidding you, nor am I being polite to you, you can promote other things."
The person in the Northern Lights video looked depressed.
-
"Hahahaha, oh, Mr. Liu, Squid Game did have the idea of a trilogy from the beginning, but now everyone is busy airing the first part, and no one has time to take care of the second part."
After Lu Qingzhen knocked on the door and went in, she saw Chen Ziyan sitting on her chair, laughing so hard that her body shook with laughter - the brighter her smile, the more businesslike it was.
She shook her head, holding the box of cherries in her hand, eating them while sitting down by the bay window, waiting for Chen Ziyan to finish the call.
"With the popularity of 'Squid Game', your phone has become busy again." Lu Qingzhen said with a smile.
Chen Ziyan: "Isn't this a plan to send someone to the sequel?"
Lu Qingzhen shook her head. "These people, they don't even know how to contact Northern Lights."
"How do you know they have no contact?" Chen Ziyan said with a smile, "Anyway, go wherever there are connections."
Lu Qingzhen said: "Our big client, Liu Min, just called me and wanted to play a major role in the second season of Squid Game."
The smile on Chen Ziyan's face slowly faded.
"These people react really quickly and have big appetites. As soon as they open their mouths, they become the main characters."
Lu Qingzhen: "She said she was willing to pay an eight-digit service fee."
"This is not a service fee, this is a bribe." Chen Ziyan rolled her eyes. "Eight figures, a chance to become popular again is only worth eight figures? She really underestimated the money-making ability of today's artists."
Lu Qingzhen laughed, "It's been so many years since it was popular, so it's normal that I don't know the market price."
Chen Ziyan: "For the sequel to Squidward, if there is a suitable role, we can help her get an audition, but if she wants to get a role directly through the back door, forget it. Lu Yanhe's role is not that easy to get. The service contract we signed with her does not include Lu Yanhe's role. This has been made clear long ago. If she wants to become popular again, she should listen to our arrangements."
Lu Qingzhen asked: "Do you have any ideas?"
Chen Ziyan nodded: "There is a program on Bingyuan Video, I plan to contact her."
Lu Qingzhen: "She may not be satisfied."
Chen Ziyan said: "If she is not satisfied, she can refuse."
Lu Qingzhen: "Didn't Yan He say before that he had several program ideas? When will Yan He come to discuss them with us?"
Chen Ziyan said: "Wait a few days, he has been having a party with his classmates these days."
"what?"
"This is their last winter break, and they rarely get together during normal times."
"This great god really doesn't treat the promotional period as a promotional period."
"Why does he need a promotional period now?" Chen Ziyan said, "Over the past year, I have saved a lot of money on promotional expenses, all of which were used to remove him from trending searches. I don't know how he can be on the trending searches so often."
"He's a worker in the entertainment industry chosen by heaven." Lu Qingzhen smiled, "Why don't we contact a Taoist priest and do some rituals to share some of his trending physique with Liu Min and the others."
Chen Ziyan: "Don't come up with such bad ideas, don't affect Yan He's fortune."
"I thought you were going to accuse me of being feudal and superstitious."
"No matter what it is, if it's something bad, don't let it get close to us!"
There are many people in the entertainment industry who believe in superstition.
Chen Ziyan doesn't believe in supernatural things, but that doesn't mean she is indifferent to these practices.
-
Please give me a monthly ticket! (End of this chapter)
