Chinese entertainment, from radio love songs to superstars

Chapter 164, Black crew? Liar?
In this midsummer, the crazy seven days ended and the crowd gradually dispersed.

Old Mike is a local and has witnessed the holding of many Summerfest music festivals here.

When he stood alone in the middle of the empty field, he felt a lot of emotions in his heart.

Every session, every day, is like a short dream. Although it has ended, the wonderful music and unforgettable moments will remain in our hearts forever.

Old Mike was most impressed by Shen Lang this time. The three songs demonstrated the Chinese singer's understanding and attitude towards rock music.

Especially the last new song "Believer", Shen Lang's distinctive voice hit his heart like a surging wave.

He raised his head and looked at the workers who were dismantling the stage. The scenes of that night appeared in front of him one by one. Shen Lang stood alone on the stage, surrounded by the most brilliant lights. His eyes were burning with a firm belief, as if he wanted to burn through all the bumps on the road to his dreams and move forward courageously. Just like the name of the song, he always believed that there was no distance that could not be reached.

"Pain~You made me a, you made me a believer, believer."

Old Mike hummed softly, feeling excited.

It had been a long time since a song had made him so intoxicated. It was like a magic key that opened a long-sealed treasure chest deep in his heart, filled with courage, hope and dreams.

He believes that in the days to come, whenever he thinks of this music festival, a warm power will surge in his heart, inspiring him to face the challenges of life bravely.

"Shenlang, you are worth my money."

Old Mike left the Henry Maier Festival Park and went to a video store across the street.

He directly asked the boss if he had any albums of the Chinese singer Shen Lang, all the Chinese and English albums. After checking, the boss told him that there were only three English singles and one Chinese album.

Without hesitation, he took out his wallet, counted the money, and bought the four records.

"Huge Waves...Interesting."

When Old Mike saw the English translation of the Chinese album, he found it very interesting.

He returned home and couldn't wait to play the song above.

When songs like "Blue Lotus", "Black Tangerine" and "Dongfeng Po" sounded, although he didn't understand them, the melodies were very beautiful. When he saw the song information and English translation of the lyrics on the card attached to the album, he began to admire Shen Lang's talent and even wanted to know more about him.

In this way, Shen Lang gained an old American fan.

However, there are people like Old Mike all over the world.

This is the word-of-mouth effect brought by the Summerfest Music Festival. There was no live TV broadcast or Internet dissemination. It was only through word of mouth among the audience who watched the performance that day that the information and reputation of Shen Lang and his songs were conveyed, thus influencing the purchasing decisions of more people.

In just half a month, Shen Lang's album sales overseas skyrocketed.

Among them, the sales of the new single "Believer" can be described as hot, with 50 copies sold.

This broke the record for album sales of Chinese singers in non-Chinese regions, and the sales volume increased exponentially.

The song "Believer" also successfully entered the top 21 music charts in countries.

In China, it swept all the charts in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

It ranked 13th on the UK pop music chart.

It ranked number 9 on the US Billboard singles chart.

The name "Shen Lang" is known by more and more people, and his influence and popularity have increased tremendously.

"World Cup, Pepsi, music festival, these three moves you made are amazing. I admit that I was too short-sighted at the beginning." Chen Yaochuan was convinced after seeing the overseas data of the past half month.

"This is really good luck. I can meet these three famous people in succession. It gave me a ride and allowed me to increase my popularity overseas in a short period of time." Shen Lang saw things very clearly and was neither arrogant nor impatient.

"Do we need to continue releasing English songs?" Chen Yaochuan didn't finish his words, but he meant whether we should strike while the iron is hot.

“Let’s let this wave of popularity digest for a while. It’s almost the end of the year and there will be various award ceremonies. For these three English songs, even if we can’t win any awards, at least we’ll have no problem getting nominated. Then we can use the time to show off our reputation and then launch our pop trilogy.” Shen Lang had already made a plan and the songs were ready.

Once a new song is released, it must gain a foothold in the overseas market, but the east wind is not strong enough, so we need to wait.

"By the way, how about the release date of Xixi and Xiaochang's EP?" Chen Yaochuan changed the subject.

"Wait to release it together with 'The Story of a Noble Family', probably by the end of the year." Shen Lang believes that Liu Yifei's current fame is zero, while Shu Chang has a little but not much, so it would be best for her to take advantage of the popularity of the TV series.

"Well, then I will arrange for simultaneous promotion together with "The Story of a Noble Family." Chen Yaochuan felt that this method was feasible.

"Huang Bo's single will be released a little later. It will be released after the Spring Festival next year, one album every two months." Shen Lang decided this in order to match it with the ringtone.

"OK." Chen Yaochuan nodded.

"How many singers have been signed?" Shen Lang asked about the progress of the signing.

"I have signed everyone on the list you gave me." Chen Yaochuan replied.

There are six people in total, four women and two men, namely Angela Chang, Corey Wang, Fiona Sit, Zhang Liangying, Vivian Yeung and Chen Chusheng.

He didn't know how Shen Lang knew about these people. Except for Zhang Shaohan who had already debuted as an actress and Chen Chusheng who debuted as a singer by participating in a music competition, the other four had not debuted yet and were still studying in school.

However, he did not question Shen Lang's decision and went to talk to them one by one. After the interview, he realized that these people all had potential, with unique voices and looks, and were "good materials" to be singers.

"For those who are still studying, let them finish their studies first, and then start collecting songs based on their characteristics. One album has 7 songs by ordinary musicians, 2 songs by well-known musicians, and 1 song by me. That's the combination."

"Your idea coincides with mine. In fact, as long as there is your song, the remaining 9 songs can be sung by ordinary musicians."

Chen Yaochuan is even more ruthless than Shen Lang.

What is the purpose of asking famous musicians to write songs?
In order to make the singer famous and sell more albums.

Shen Lang's songs are at the level of top musicians, and he can achieve that with just one song.

So, from a cost perspective, 1 good + 9 bad is the best combination.

Of course, doing so would be irresponsible to the fans.

Therefore, from all aspects, Shen Lang's combination is the best overall.

"Brother Chen, please take some time to help. Qianqian Jingting needs to follow up on the networking and mobile phone applications, and the negotiation of song copyrights should also be put on the agenda."

"This is my job. It doesn't matter whether it's hard or not."

Fortunately, Chen Yaochuan is here, otherwise Shen Lang would not be able to handle it all by himself.

At present, Julang Film and Television and Jingtao Music are steadily advancing the development of various businesses in accordance with his business plan.

In addition, the acquisition of Qidian has been completed, and he does not plan to change the name as it is a good name. Companies such as Sina, NetEase, and JD have also successfully invested in the company, holding shares ranging from 5% to 10%.

The purse that had just been inflated has become flat again.

But I was happy with it.

Because the beating now is for the sake of more encouragement in the future!
During the few days that Shen Lang attended the music festival, he also missed many major events in the entertainment industry.

On July 7, the CCTV-MTV Music Festival was held in Beijing. Zhou Xun won the Mainland's Most Promising Singer of the Year Award; Anita Mui won the Special Contribution to Music Award; Stefanie Sun and Wang Lihong won the Formosa Province's Best Male and Best Female Singer of the Year awards respectively; and Shen Lang won the Mainland's Best Male Singer of the Year award and the Mainland's Most Popular Song of the Year award for the second consecutive year, and was crowned Asia's Best Singer of the Year for the first time.

On July 7, the "27 Night" concert to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China was held in Beijing. Due to the impact of the "taking the blame for someone else" incident, Tse Ting-fung announced at the concert that he would temporarily bid farewell to the music scene.

On July 7, Hong Kong porn star Chen Baolian, who had just completed her confinement after giving birth, jumped to her death from her apartment in Shanghai.

……

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Yenching, Beijing Film Studio.

The training for the leading actors of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" has come to the last martial arts action course.

It mainly teaches some methods of holding weapons, standing posture when holding weapons, simple sets of moves, etc.

"Brother Lang!"

“I heard that you shine in American music.”

When Shen Lang showed up here, two of his little fans, Liu Yifei and Shu Chang, came running over. They had seen the news from an entertainment newspaper.

Shen Lang looked at the two of them with a little surprise. After this period of training, some changes had taken place in them.

Appearance and figure will disappear, but temperament can never be taken away by anyone.

Whether a woman has temperament depends on her manners and body management.

Changes in posture are the most likely part of temperament to change. For example, Shu Chang used to have hunched shoulders and stiff limbs, but now that his shoulders and neck have become relaxed, his movements are casual and natural, and his temperament is confident and generous.

Having good body lines is also the key to whether you have temperament. Liu Yifei has some baby fat, and the whole person looks chubby. After exercise, the slender lines make her facial features become three-dimensional and clear, and her temperament becomes more elegant.

"It's not like I shone the whole show, but I just gained some recognition from the audience."

"That's the biggest music festival in the world. Brother Lang has already reached the top of the world!"

"That's outrageous. At most, I'm just preparing to climb this peak."

"Anyway, based on Brother Lang's strength, it's only a matter of time before he goes up."

"Okay, let's not talk about me anymore. What about you two? Are you slacking off?"

"No way, we are the most active!"

……

After chatting for a while, Yang Junyi called for everyone to gather, and Liu Yifei and Shu Chang reluctantly went back.

Shen Lang waved to Yang Junyi and left the Beijing Film Studio.

"Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" will officially start filming next week.

His "Love Call Transfer" was even faster. There was no press conference or opening ceremony, and the filming started directly.

The first actor to join the crew was Fan Wei, who played the role of an angel who connected the plot of the film. He gave the male protagonist a magical mobile phone. As long as he dialed the number, he would encounter a fate.

However, when Fan Wei arrived at the set at the agreed time, he was confused and wondered if he had joined a black crew.
Because the so-called set was just an ordinary room with several shelves filled with mobile phone models, and a table piled with some electronic equipment. It looked like a mobile phone repair room.

Then he changed his mind. The person who signed the contract with him was the director of Julang Film and Television. He knew that this company was founded by Shen Lang, the new king of the Chinese pop music scene. So it couldn't be a black crew.

But why is he the only actor? Is he a liar?

Plus, there was no press conference or launch ceremony. The more I think about it, the more it resembles the film, and the more worried I get.

Nowadays, there are many people who pretend to be celebrities or use the names of stars to deceive others.

Just when Fan Wei was getting nervous, Shen Lang came in and said enthusiastically, "Hello, Teacher Fan Wei, do you remember me? We met backstage at this year's CCTV Spring Festival Gala."

Seeing him, Fan Wei breathed a sigh of relief, shook hands with him, and said with a smile: "Remember, remember, handsome boy, your singing is so beautiful."

Shen Lang added: "Our movie is quite special. It is a unit story. The actors are filming separately. We will be filming your and my scenes these few days."

Fan Wei doesn't have many scenes, only eight or nine, and all of them are opposite Shen Lang.

At this time, Ning Hao came in with the filming team.

After a while of arrangement, the room finally looked like a film set.

Shen Lang and Fan Wei briefly rehearsed their scenes and then began filming.

"Give it to me. Your girlfriend throws things around really hard."

"How do you know it was my girlfriend who fell?"

"in argument?"

"No, at least I didn't want to."

"And then we split up?"

"Why do you care whether I split it or not? Can you repair this phone?"

"What are you thinking about now? Are you thinking about an encounter?"

"I was thinking you were sick, so I gave you the phone."

"I'll give you a new one. Just press this button and it will help you find the woman you want."

"You want me to pay more for replacing the broken one with a new one!"

……

In front of the monitor, Ning Hao said nothing until the scene was finished, then he said, "No problem, save one more take for editing."

The play was just over a minute long, with slightly more lines, so it wasn't too difficult for Shen Lang and Fan Wei.

In the original time and space, Fan Wei's acting skills had already been hailed as a masterpiece.

In "The Long Season", "Big Ears Bring Good Luck" and "Aroma Journey", he always manages to vividly portray the simplicity, kindness and frustration of the little people in China.

It took more than twenty years for "actor Fan Wei" to be seen by everyone.

Netizens also summed it up: "I always wanted to laugh when I saw Fan Wei before, but now I just want to cry when I see Fan Wei."

But here, Fan Wei has not left Zhao Benshan for the time being, and his label is still "sketch actor".

Even so, her acting skills are still fine, especially her comedic abilities, which are much better than Liu Yiwei, the original angel in "Love Call Transfer".

Fan Wei also looked at Shen Lang with admiration.

Because he had never seen any dramas starring Shen Lang, he thought he was just a singer, but he didn't expect his acting skills were so good.

Working with capable and talented actors is, firstly, more comfortable and secondly, very smooth.

Five days later, Fan Wei had finished filming all of his scenes.

Shen Lang gave him a bouquet of flowers, exchanged a few polite words, and then said, "Teacher Fan Wei, your acting skills are beyond reproach. Our company really needs actors like you. I wonder if you are interested in joining us."

Fan Wei was dumbfounded. After filming a few scenes, they wanted to sign him? He was stunned for a moment and said, "This..."

Shen Lang smiled slightly and said, "You don't have to rush to make this decision. Our company happens to be in Yanjing. I'll let Director Ning take you there for a tour, and then you can think about it carefully."

Fan Wei secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He really didn't know whether to accept or refuse, so he immediately said, "That's fine."

Shen Lang said something to Ning Hao.

Ning Hao said he would take care of it.

There are three situations in which Shen Lang signs people: one is those who can make money; two is those with strong professional abilities; and three is signing based on personal connections.

Fan Wei has all three.

He likes Fan Wei's dramas. His acting skills are impeccable and those dramas can also make money, which is a perfect reason to sign a contract.

Fan Wei was handed over to Ning Hao, while Shen Lang himself went to report to the crew of "The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils".

As for the remaining scenes of "Love Call Transfer", the plan is to find time to shoot them whenever possible.

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August 8, early morning, Yanjing Shidu Tourist Area.

The rain that had been falling all night had stopped.

The crew members of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" got up at five o'clock to put on makeup.

At 7:30, "Qiao Feng" Hu Jun, "Duan Yu" Shen Lang, "Xu Zhu" Gao Hu, "Wang Yuyan" Liu Yifei, "A Zi" Chen Hao, "A Zhu" Liu Tao and other male and female actors, old and young, led by Zhang Jizhong and Zhou Xiaowen, held a start-up ceremony at the gate of the tourist area.

Liu Yifei wore a purple and white long dress, paired with a headband and a headdress, looking noble and elegant, like the moon and frost.

Shen Lang's white clothes are whiter than snow, showing his elegance and magnanimity. He is as windy and as flexible as clouds, and he also has an extraordinary temperament.

When the actors saw the two of them come out, they all looked at them with envy and jealousy.

What a perfect couple! Duan Yu and Wang Yuyan should be like this.

After Zhou Xiaowen announced the start of filming, cannon salutes were fired.

After completing the process, all the staff moved to the shooting location "Life and Death Cliff".

The first scene to be filmed is also the first shot of the entire drama - Xiao Yuanshan, his wife, and Xiao Feng, a hungry baby in his arms, are driving a carriage between the cliffs and singing.

Today, and in the next few days, we will shoot the battle at Yanmen Pass, Qiao Feng's suicide, and A Zi's hatred-filled jump off the cliff here.

"Wow, Director Zhang must have found it based on the original novel. There's a real feeling of 'life and death' here," Ma Yuke exclaimed.

It took the bearded man a long time to find this scene. Looking at it, it was vast and magnificent. This thousand-meter-high cliff could really set off the desolation of Xiao Yuanshan.

"It is much more grand than the 97 TVB version," commented Liu Yifei.

"Due to geographical limitations in Hong Kong, it is difficult to find suitable scenery for many large scenes. The mainland has an advantage here." Shen Lang started chatting with them.

It is true that Hong Kong, a small place like Hong Kong, has limited resources, but it is also related to the shooting mode of Hong Kong dramas. Many scenes are built in studios, and props are reused in multiple dramas.

"Hello... oh... oh..."

Suddenly, there were several chaotic noises. The horses pulling the cart were frightened and out of control.

"Go up and help!" Zhou Xiaowen shouted.

A group of staff rushed over to help.

Fortunately, it didn't get completely out of control.

Hu Jun and Niu Liyan in the carriage were very frightened.

After calming the horse, shooting resumed.

Liu Xiaoli, who was standing by, was terrified when she saw what happened. She immediately said to her daughter, "Xixi, if it doesn't work, you should let a professional stand-in do the horse riding scene."

Just like before, she joined the crew as an assistant. Although Shen Lang was there, the filming of this drama would take about half a year, so she was not very reassured. And since she had nothing to do, she came along.

Liu Yifei did not accept her mother's advice and said, "Mom, this is a skill an actor should have. It's unprofessional to use a stand-in. Besides, it was an accident and there are so many staff members here, nothing will happen."

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang gave him an admiring look.

Horse riding is not a criterion for measuring an actor’s acting skills, but the performance effects of an actor who can ride a horse and an actor who pretends to ride a horse are completely different.

He once saw a post online that exposed the acting situation of a young actor in a certain crew. Because the male artist did not know how to ride a horse, the staff became the horses under his crotch, and he rode them everywhere, while he looked like he was enjoying it very much.

Think about it, the old actors in the past had gone through countless hardships in order to memorize lines or learn to ride a horse, all for the purpose of playing the role well and making the work well. But in later generations, it is completely the opposite. They will never work hard if they can be lazy. Everyone wants to make money without doing anything.

To put it bluntly, it's all because of the crew's indulgence.

From directors to producers, all of them treat actors like treasures. Naturally, these people take themselves seriously. In fact, they are not good actors at all and are worthless.

Shen Lang would not do this, nor does he want the artists under his company to develop in this direction.

Of course, if it is a difficult action, you can let a more professional stunt double to complete it, but for something as simple as riding a horse, you must do it yourself.

You get paid so much, but you let a stand-in do everything and you just show your face. What the hell do you expect?

(End of this chapter)