Chinese Entertainment Intelligence King

Chapter 187: The three actors didn't perform; they were simply immersed in the role, conveying pure emotion.
Hengdian, the crew of "Investiture of the Gods"

Today, two entertainment news program crews came to visit the production crew, intending to record some behind-the-scenes footage and interviews to keep the drama popular.

This is also Yan Li's usual practice. Whether it's "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" or "Investiture of the Gods", there are always media visits to the set. For the former, which has higher popularity, they simply hold regular media open days.

The high frequency of exposure undoubtedly has a significant promotional effect on the TV series, and even some actors have benefited greatly from it.

Of course, there are also drawbacks, such as increased publicity costs, audience fatigue, and pressure from public opinion and performance.

Overall, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, especially for production companies, as TV series with greater influence will receive higher prices.

The tentative offers Yan Li has received from the first wave of TV stations are enough to make those TV dramas with little publicity green with envy.

Cheng Lidong had previously felt that Yan Li's approach would involve too many miscellaneous tasks, too much money, and too much pressure, and had raised objections. However, after seeing the results, he readily cooperated.

Yan Li can spend money, but he can also earn it.

Previously, Cheng Lidong had some seniority towards Yan Li, but the longer he got to know him, the more he understood why Yan Li became a billionaire in just two years.

So, although the production team of "Investiture of the Gods" was mainly controlled by Yongle, Cheng Lidong was the executive producer and director, and Yan Li was just one of the producers.

But as filming progressed, Yan Li unknowingly became the core of the entire crew. Some senior and middle-level executives of the "Investiture of the Gods" crew knew that President Yan's words carried more weight than President Cheng's.

This is all under the premise that Yan Li did not use investors to pressure people.

After all, he was the one who brought in most of the funding for the entire production, and the investors were all on Yan Li's side.

Fortunately, Yan Li still has to work on "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" and also has to dedicate some of his energy to filming "Investiture of the Gods," otherwise Cheng Lidong would almost become a puppet.

If someone with a narrow mind encountered Yan Li's assertiveness, they might have been full of complaints.

Old Cheng was alright. It would be unrealistic to say he had no issues at all, but since he had only recently started his business, he was under a lot of pressure and lacked confidence. With Yan Li as his "pillar of support," he actually felt relieved and relatively at ease, and accepted his role as an assistant quite well.

It was precisely because he was open-minded that Yan Li could be so "outrageous".

If it were a sensitive or assertive collaborator, Yan Li would be more cautious and less likely to overstep his bounds, so as not to cause conflict and affect the entire project.

Tailoring one's approach to different people is also one of Boss Yan's specialties...

...

Yan Li recorded a short segment and then gave the spotlight to the other actors.

Fan Xiaopang naturally became the main character, but Qin Lan also made a brief appearance, attracting a lot of media attention.

Don't get me wrong, she and Yan Li didn't go public with their relationship, and she certainly didn't have a public feud with Fan Xiaopang.

The reason for her popularity is that "The Great Song Dynasty Forensic Examiner," starring Qin Lan, is currently airing on CCTV.

After its premiere, the show maintained high ratings. According to statistics, the average ratings for the first and second weeks of the show were 7.09% and 7.85% respectively, with the peak ratings even surpassing those of "News Broadcast".

However, this claim is somewhat questionable, possibly due to inconsistent statistical methods or exaggerated media coverage.

Regardless, this drama's performance is currently among the top tier of CCTV's productions this year, with only one other drama, "The Emperor Wu of Han," clearly surpassing it.

The TV series' popularity has greatly benefited all the actors in it.

He Bing, the male lead, is no longer Ge You's sidekick in "The Dream Factory". Following in the footsteps of his colleagues Song Dandan, Pu Cunxin, Liang Guanhua, Feng Yuanzheng and others, he has become another representative actor of Beijing People's Art Theatre.

Although Qin Lan, the female lead, was far less dazzling than He Bing, the popularity of the TV series still gave her a significant boost in the public eye.

The most direct benefit is that people's impression of Qin Lan is no longer that of the delicate and scheming Zhihua, but also of the resilient, intelligent, and loyal Yinggu.

At the same time, this character, due to her outstanding abilities, works well with the male lead in solving cases, making her a valuable assistant and standing out among many melodramatic, spoiled, and decorative female leads these days.

Qin Lan has gained recognition and praise from many media outlets and audiences, and her fame and popularity have increased rapidly and noticeably.

At the same time, she successfully portrayed two different types of characters, Zhihua and Yinggu, demonstrating good acting skills. Coupled with her own outstanding appearance and temperament, some media outlets have already listed Qin Lan as a "Qingyi" (a type of female role in Peking Opera).

Since there are four little actresses and four little actors, some people will also choose four little leading ladies.

Around last year, someone organized an online poll and named Miao Fu, Li Bingbing, Li Xiaoran, and Sun Li as the "Four Little Qingyi".

However, due to their vastly different fame, development, and styles, the so-called "Four Little Actresses" do not associate with each other.

Li Bingbing doesn't care about this title anyway. She compares herself to the "Four Little Actresses" and promotes herself alongside Fan Bingbing. Sun Li, on the other hand, is actually pursuing the actress route and doesn't really care about this title.

So in the end, only Li Xiaoran and Miao Fu kept this title every day. Later, Li even stopped playing, and only Miao kept it.

She was even criticized for being one of the "Four Little Actresses," with some saying that she directed and starred in the show herself, given that her fame and image were quite different from the others at the time.

It's difficult to judge whether a Qingyi (a type of female role in Peking Opera) or a Huadan (another type of female role

While young actresses are more popular, mature actresses seem to have an advantage in terms of career length and industry honors. Many young actresses try their best to become mature actresses as they get older.

In the entertainment industry, young actresses are common, but young leading ladies are rare, which shows that there is a certain recognition of Qin Lan's strength, image, and acting range.

However, looking at Qin Hailu, Yuan Quan, Miao Fu, and Luo Haiqiong standing alongside her, Qin Lan felt that there was something implied about them.

However, considering that Li Xiaoran, Yin Zhao, and Zuo Xiaoqing are also often referred to as "Qingyi" (a type of female role in Peking Opera), she felt a bit more at ease.

Being a Qingyi (a type of female role in Peking Opera) isn't bad. There's less exposure and distractions, you can focus on acting, and the industry status is good. Many actresses want to be Qingyi but can't.

Without making a sound, Qin Lan glanced at Fan Xiaopang, then flashed her standard smile and answered the reporter's question about her experience filming with him.

"I feel that the role of Daji was tailor-made for Ms. Fan Bingbing. She played the role exceptionally well... We also had great chemistry while filming. We didn't need to prepare our emotions; often, as soon as the other person stood there, we could immediately get into character..."

On the other side, Fan Xiaopang was also asked by reporters for his opinion on Qin Lan, and he answered with a smile.

"When I first met Ms. Qin Lan, I found that she was just as I had imagined. We had a very pleasant conversation... Her acting skills are outstanding. Once, when she played the role of Empress Jiang being jealous of Daji, she almost scared me to death..."

"..."

The reporters concluded their interviews with satisfaction, praising "Investiture of the Gods" as a professional and united family.

After the interview, there will be behind-the-scenes footage recording. They can film some scenes from the filming of the movie and use them as a starting point in the program to attract viewers.

The scene being filmed today is about Daji framing Empress Jiang, which enraged King Zhou, leading to her imprisonment.

"Your Majesty, I am innocent..."

Qin Lan knelt before Yan Lilong, weeping and wailing as she recounted her grievances.

Crying scenes are Qin Lan's forte. She cries well both off-screen and on-screen, her tears are so beautiful and pitiful.

Yan Li, who had been successfully provoked by Fan Xiaopang, looked at Qin Lan crying and recalled their years of relationship. He softened and hesitated.

Seeing that things were going wrong, Fan Xiaopang hurriedly slandered, "Your Majesty, the Queen assassinated you and installed the Crown Prince on the throne. The evidence is irrefutable..."

After being persuaded by her, Yan Li's hesitant expression turned cold and stern again.

Qin Lan was shocked and then glared at Fan Xiaopang with resentment, cursing, "You wretch! So it was you who spread these lies to bewitch the king! You want to get rid of me and become queen yourself!"

Fan Xiaopang looked at Yan Li innocently, as if she had been misunderstood: "Your Majesty, I swear to Heaven that I have no selfish motives and really want to find out who hurt Your Majesty."

Yan Li patted Fan Xiaopang's hand: "How could I not know the heart of my beloved concubine?"

"Your Majesty~"

Touched, Fan Xiaopang leaned against Yan Li's chest. Yan Li glanced at her tenderly, then turned to look at Qin Lan with a serious and ruthless gaze.

"Guards, take him away and interrogate him thoroughly."

Qin Lan was being dragged by the guards, still struggling, her eyes filled with resentment, her voice shrill and shrill.

"You vixen, you have bewitched the emperor and disrupted the government; you shall die a horrible death."

"Yin Shou, have you forgotten our years of marriage? I have given you two sons. My Jiang family has been loyal to the Shang Dynasty for generations. Is this how you act as a husband, father, and ruler?"

Seeing this, Fan Xiaopang muttered to himself, "The Queen deeply resents the King and me this time. If we release her, what might she say to the Crown Prince and the Marquis of Dongbo in the future..."

Yan Li stared out of the hall, his eyes deep and unfathomable, flashing with a hint of murderous intent.

"Card."

The director gave a shout, and aside from a few additional shots, it was almost a one-take success.

There's no way around it, the acting was just too perfect.

Empress Jiang's hatred, sorrow, and despair are extremely realistic, and Daji's viciousness, ruthlessness, and subtle smugness seem completely unrealistic.

Even in this relatively background-oriented scene, King Zhou's performance was excellent. He perfectly captured the character's dilemma of feeling guilty towards Queen Jiang while also yielding to Daji, his inner turmoil and hesitation, and his cold-heartedness in making the final choice.

The production team and reporters who arranged the behind-the-scenes footage were also amazed; they were worldly-wise and had visited many film crews.

With such explosive power, such infectiousness, such expressiveness, shouldn't "Investiture of the Gods" be about gods battling it out? The quality of the dramatic scenes is also so high.

While the iron was hot, the director followed the mood and had Yan Li and Fan Xiaopang film a scene of Daji bewitching King Zhou to gouge out the eyes and brand the hands of Queen Jiang.

This guy is quite the schemer; he deliberately had Qin Lan watch the two of them perform this scene before filming the scene where Empress Jiang is tortured and curses Daji until she dies.

Good heavens, when Qin Lan performed this scene, her teeth were practically ground to powder, her eyes were practically spitting poison, and her voice was mournful like a vengeful ghost.

After much hesitation, the director had Qin Lan calm down and reshoot the scene, as the original version had a horror movie feel to it and was a bit scary.

The director was terrified, and Yan Li was even more terrified. This woman shouldn't get too into character; let's drug him tonight.

This wasn't Yan Li scaring himself. After Qin Lan finished filming the scene where she died, he saw that she was screaming so hard that he went up to give her water. However, Qin Lan was probably too immersed in the role, so she gave him a disgusted look and turned away.

Yan Li: "..."

With a somewhat helpless sigh, he turned to look at Fan Xiaopang, who was watching the commotion with her arms crossed, and handed her the water in his hand.

"Are you drinking?"

"I don't drink what other people don't want."

Fan Xiaopang snorted coldly, turned his face away, and left.

"I TM..."

Yan Lizhen really wanted to travel back a few months and slap herself a few times. She must have been out of her mind to put those two together and film this kind of movie.

...

After that, Qin Lan filmed for two more days, and her scenes in "The Investiture of the Gods" were finished.

However, Qin Lan didn't leave; she still has a role in the neighboring drama "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng".

Yan Li was still being monopolized by her at night, but at least he couldn't run into her on the set of "Investiture of the Gods".

Coming to the film set to see Yan Li was really going too far. Putting aside whether she had the time, everyone on the film set thought it was inappropriate, and Yan Li couldn't stand being restricted like that.

Although Qin Lan was not by his side, Yan Li still maintained a clean and virtuous character.

On the one hand, he was temporarily focused on his career and had previously expressed to Qin Lan that he did not want to cause any more trouble.

On the other hand, Fan Xiaopang was also competing with him. Apart from work, he usually ignored him and when they chatted, he would be sarcastic.

Of course, Fan Xiaopang ignored Yan Li, but Wang Ou was particularly willing to talk to him, and as a result, Fan Xiaopang came out to cause trouble again.

Wang Ou was furious.

Qin Lan has been eating alone for so long, and now that she finally has a chance, you won't let me eat either.

Fan Xiaopang has a lot of scenes, so he can't stay by Yan Li's side every day. Logically speaking, Wang Ou still has a chance to launch a sneak attack, but Fan Xiaopang had already anticipated this and pinned Yan Li down with a single sentence.

She's considering inviting Dong Xuan to visit the set of "Investiture of the Gods"!
Well, the two of them are already fighting like they're in a kiln, and with Dong Xuan added to the mix, the world is truly in chaos.

Qin Lan has a mild temper, but she gets jealous easily, and Dong Xuan is even more of a jealous person.

Huang Shengyi and Huo Siyan have both held a grudge against her for so long, and she hasn't gotten over it yet. If she comes, not only will Qin and Fan fight, but Wang Ou will also be dragged into it.

Anyway, Yan Li has Qin Lan with him every day. Although he's not full, he's not hungry either. For the sake of peace and quiet, let's sacrifice Wang Ou for him.

However, Fan Xiaopang actually dared to threaten him, little notebook... well, this time she was a little wronged, but this will not happen again.

Yan Li, under the control of Qin and Fan, began to avoid the actresses, which benefited the male actors.

President Yan has finally noticed them!
As a billionaire and a rising star in the industry, many male actors in both production teams wanted to curry favor with him.

However, there were too many actresses surrounding Yan Li, so they couldn't get close enough, and even their old buddies Lin Jiachuan and Zhang Songwen were left out.

Now that Mr. Yan has returned to the male audience's stronghold, the male actors have instantly become more active.

They partied over drinks, played games at internet cafes, and organized football matches. The actors from the two production crews became close friends, and the incident even led to a pair of male lovers.

As time went on, the scenes about King Zhou of Shang in "Investiture of the Gods" were almost finished, and the focus shifted to the Western Zhou.

Fan Xiaopang's Daji has some other scenes, while Yan Li's portrayal of King Zhou has basically wrapped up.

Yan Li was somewhat moved. This was the first character in the series who survived halfway through to the finale. Of course, he would die in the second series, but that was a matter for later.

I returned to the set of "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" with a sense of感慨 (gǎn kǎi, mixed feelings) to film Gong Jiu, and the first scene was when he was killed by Lu Xiaofeng.

Yan Li: "..."

A belated but welcome red envelope to calm your nerves...

(End of this chapter)