I'm not a drama freak, I can really see through the script

Chapter 291, Youth Amidst a Shattered Country!

0.45.

This viewership rating!
So weak!

Although "Days Related to Youth" was just a trial project, its current viewership ratings are undeniably weak.

The principal's movie-watching group never expected it to be so weak.
It was far below the average viewership rating of 3.3 for television stations.

Moreover, judging from the current public opinion, the ratings will be even worse on the second day.

Because there was absolutely no evaluation. The discussion was completely silent.

Wang Shuo and Hai Shi, these core creators in the Beijing cultural circle, usually achieve fairly good results with their adaptations, but this time the results are truly surprising.

That's a pretty low score.

These comments and viewership ratings indicate that people are not interested in the work itself, not because of the acting or the content, but because of the niche subject matter.

"Is everyone so unenthusiastic about period dramas?" Even Wang Jinsong next to him was shocked by the incredibly high ratings. He hadn't seen such low ratings in a long time, especially since it was a production from the Beijing film circle. The last time he saw such low ratings was with the wildly popular "Kung Fu Scholar".

"It is indeed a bit low."

At this moment, Wang Fengsheng, who was standing next to him, couldn't help but say, "Actually, my wife really likes this work, and it's quite good. I thought it would do even better."

"Life of children in military compounds in the 1970s. Um."

Xu Xiaodan, who was standing next to her, didn't dare to say anything—she wasn't interested in what life was like in the military compound.

For someone like Wang Fengsheng, who has a "red and proper" background, this work is very relatable, since it is an adaptation of his life experiences.

But to put it another way...
For him, it was a significant level of immersion, something that might not resonate with ordinary people at all.
The truth is that people aren't really interested in the youth of the privileged.

While you were enjoying the romance and beauty there.

My family members all dig for food in the mud.

How could I possibly empathize?

"That would be terrible. If the problem is that this particular theme is not suitable for the local context, then the theme of 'Young Students' should also suffer from some degree of cultural incompatibility."

At this point, Wang Jinsong felt that things were going to get really bad.

"I never imagined that the days related to youth would be the first to be eliminated."

Even Wang Haiyang exclaimed that the ratings were an eyesore.

The ratings are so low.

This only proves one thing.

The subject matter is not well-suited to local conditions.
If you were to create a completely fictional world of young masters and ladies, people might still be able to give you some room for imagination.

But if it were the lives of real young masters and ladies, it would make everyone uncomfortable.

There are still some differences in the audiences for literary and film/television themes.

However, the subject matter is currently not well-suited to local conditions.

It's an obvious result.

"The Beijing circle should just stay in their comfort zone. They can't grasp the things that young people are into, and there's no need for them to."

It was an experiment, but the results were truly appalling; the ratings were practically teetering on the brink of cancellation.

Director Ye Jing also comes from a very respectable and politically connected background.

After the ratings came out.

Ye Jing is very easy to break through.

He immediately contacted the media to express his attitude and views.

This film was made for Mr. Jing to see; it's normal that people from other places won't understand it.

The translation of this sentence is.

As the director, I generously forgave the audience.

I don't blame you for not understanding the work.

The director forgave the audience. This statement sounds a bit off at first glance, but upon closer examination...

The problem isn't actually that small.
Essentially, it's a case of being unable to adapt to a different genre—Ye Jing's stubbornness is useless.

The cast includes Wen Zhang, Bai Baihe, Chen Yufan, and Tong Dawei—all with star power and good looks, perfectly meeting the casting criteria for a youth film.

but.

It is certain that this attempt to cross genre boundaries and for the Beijing film circle to venture into the realm of youth films has indeed ended in failure.

For Wang Haiyang, this also confirms one thing: the core audience for 'youth' themes still has its own aesthetic standards.
After "Days Related to Youth" flopped here, it seems that the probability of "The Young Students" also flopping is not low.

Youth films, an aesthetic that cannot be achieved
However, Jiang Li, who was standing next to him, said, "Actually, I watched 'The Young Pioneers,' and he is actually quite good. At least from what I've seen so far, Li Xuan's talent in directing and storyboarding is not weak."

Adding to the discussion internally—

It seems that Ye Jing, with his impeccable political background, may not have the same 'precision' in terms of storyboarding and cinematography as Li Xuan.

He seemed to be truly in that era and that place, always using the most precise lens to capture and express what was being conveyed.

'Precise entry'

Even many experienced directors cannot achieve this, but Li Xuan did it with such immersion and depth, without a single superfluous or redundant shot; everything was so precise.

This is actually quite comfortable.

The essence of camera work isn't about elaborate techniques—that's something only masters can do. The most basic yet most difficult aspect of camera expression is precision and conciseness, making the message immediately clear.

Li Xuan is no simple man either.
At least now, Jiang Li knows what Li Xuan and the other students from the Xiangjiang Three Friends were doing at the school.

Come on, let's read.

This is actually quite shocking in a coming-of-age film, since it seems like the male and female protagonists in coming-of-age films are never actually there to study.

But isn't this what youth is all about?

There's nothing wrong with it.

Isn't all of our school time spent reading?

It has no flaws whatsoever, and you can't even find any fault with it.

It even caused some articles that initially criticized "The Young Pioneers" to be scrapped.
"Everyone says the marketing department is too hasty, releasing the script before the film is even out. But they really are just focused on their studies. Their romances are more about youthful innocence and subtlety, without any messy entanglements." Wang Haiyang wanted to say this about the silly women in the marketing department, who were more of a hindrance than a help.

At least in the case of "The Young Pioneers," this is certainly true.

but.

While 'reading' falls under the category of 'youth,' there's nothing wrong with that.

But does this really conform to popular aesthetics? For most people, the existence of TV dramas, which are boring and have no good memories of studying during their student days, is essentially a way of weaving dreams that were never chosen.

It's 'fantasy'.

But 'reading books' is too realistic.

Even though reading in "The Young Students" is somewhat interesting, it is still about "reading" and "learning," and it presents the pain.

No matter how interesting the filming is, the plot itself isn't interesting.

Sure enough, the initial viewership rating was 3.5.

Compared to the 6.6 rating of Hunan TV's "Smiling Pasta" on its first day, it's really nothing.

"With so much hype surrounding it, a mere 3.5 rating suggests that public interest in this subject matter wasn't particularly high."

At least considering the industry's smear campaign and various other factors, achieving such viewership ratings is still acceptable.

According to Wang Haiyang, most of the viewers in this batch of ratings were just there for entertainment; the actual number of viewers is still debatable.
That was his original thought, and he even believed that the fate of "The Young Pioneers" could be roughly predicted from the outcome of "Days Related to Youth".
Until the Douban rating came out
A starting score of 7.1.

It has a very good reputation.

A score that surprised Wang Haiyang meant that viewers, whether drawn by criticism or curiosity, gave the show a good score. Keep in mind that this score was given by Huayi's marketing department, and the actual score was likely even higher.

"Days Related to Youth"—the scores aren't out yet, not enough people have rated it, and there's a "Stay Tuned" sign next to it. Wait a minute.

In this season of youth films, the bottom spot wasn't held by newcomers or new works, but rather by a veteran director with impeccable revolutionary credentials, Ye Jing, who has worked with three generations of patriots!

This wave in Beijing's elite circles.
I've really lost face!

Originally, "Days Related to Youth" wasn't particularly glaring, after all, it was just an experimental work, so if it flopped, it flopped.

But with "The Young Students" there, it becomes particularly cringeworthy.

Very, prominent.

Being a poor student is no big deal, and failing a test once or twice isn't a particularly serious matter. Even the best directors have their limits, like Chen Kaige's "The Promise".

But if you get pinned down by a student who skipped a grade, that's a bit embarrassing. Actually, it's quite embarrassing, especially since it's a similar topic.

Originally, Li Xuan should have been the one who lost the most face in this round, but unexpectedly, the person at the bottom has emerged this time. It's not Li Xuan, but even a veteran from the Beijing circle.

This incident made even those who were already critical of "The Young Pioneers" feel a bit awkward, and the 0.4 rating is quite unusual.

"This time, we've got a bottom-ranked work. I didn't expect it to be a work from our Beijing circle that was eliminated first." Jiang Li watched with great interest. "I wonder how far 'The Young Pioneers' will go this time."

Wang Haiyang said, however.

"I'm starting to have a bad feeling."

"It's alright. What's the use of just studying? If students were to say what they hate most, it would definitely be studying. If he keeps studying like this, no one will listen to him."

"Yeah, that's right. It's a youth film, and everyone wants to see sweet romance. This one is stuck in the middle, a youth film wrapped in a patriotic theme. It's not really youthful, and it doesn't even talk about romance. It doesn't please either side. This time, the ratings and Douban score are probably all thanks to those 'pretentious' people. When they leave the next day, the ratings and score will be dead!"

Wang Yuping and Liu Xiaoye were talking on the phone—their tone no longer seemed as harsh as before, compared to the previous insults.

Instead, it added a slight sense of guilt. Although it wasn't much, that feeling of guilt was definitely there!

After all, they were the main force behind the scathing attacks on Li Xuan, and they were really fierce when they first started firing their tirade.

This start, while not a blockbuster, is at least 'acceptable' and certainly not a bad movie.
But the two of them thought it wouldn't work.

We can't spoil these peasants!
Keep it dark, keep it dark!
Find the right angle!
Yes, it's about disrespecting great people and portraying their greatness as too ordinary.

Reading? What books are we supposed to read! Did our great leaders become great through reading?!
So Liu Xiaoye and Wang Yuping hit it off immediately, encouraging each other and rallying their sisters to continue releasing press releases. After all, suppressing this peasant was a righteous thing to do.

As a result, after the smear article was published, Li Xuan wasn't affected, but Ye Jing was. What does Huayi Brothers mean by publishing this? Are you looking down on me?! Are you openly or secretly mocking me?!
You say this film is terrible, but what am I, who is at the bottom of the list?
You're targeting me!

Having nowhere to vent his frustrations, Jingye went straight to Huayi Brothers and caused a scene, even going directly to the chairman's office.
"Those two genuine big, stupid pigs."

Wang Haiyang didn't know how to evaluate those two people at this point.

The outcome of the attack on Li Xuan is still pending, but instead, he has offended people in Beijing's literary circle. It seems that Wang Shuo and Ye Jing have both been offended by this round of attacks.

There is an original sin here.

If you think "The Young Pioneers" is trash, then are we, whose performance and reputation are even worse, also indirectly criticizing it?
They have absolutely no wisdom in dealing with people and situations.
"However, one thing they did get right in their press release is that going to school is indeed for learning, but as a viewer, am I here for this?"

If he continues to study, strive, and sprint at school, the ratings will soon plummet.

It's not that this work is bad, but rather that the pacing of the plot has become uninteresting.

He was already an outstanding student, and after entering an excellent school, where students competed for rankings every day, he gradually climbed to the top.

An ordinary boy gradually becomes one of the Three Friends of Xiangjiang.

That's the general outline of the plot, and Wang Haiyang understood it clearly.

No matter what.

This time, this work is already a 'qualified' work.

At least for Li Xuan, this point is in the past, and so are the scores of his classmates.

It passed as a graduation project.

Wang Fengsheng, with such acceptable quality in his work, did not need to pay any extra price.

Land safely.

This only proves that Li Xuan is truly talented.

It's truly amazing that he and his classmates actually created a work with a complete structure.

"By the way, why are you wearing a mask?"

"I'll feel dizzy if I don't wear a mask."

At this time, the dormitory group's movie-watching group was still there, with no one missing. Every night at eight o'clock sharp, they would gather here to watch Dongshan TV's "The Young Students".

Compared to those who were absent on the first day, they were either too busy or spending time with their girlfriends, but there really wasn't anyone who deliberately didn't come.

As a result, Li Xuan witnessed a shocking scene: four male students from the Beijing Film Academy's acting department were all crammed into his small dormitory room—which made Li Xuan feel a slight pain, just as Zhu Yawen said, "You're going to be overwhelmed by the stench."

The movie-watching experience was terrible, and Li Xuan missed the feeling of watching movies with Liu Yifei and Gao Yuanyuan.

They were all fragrant, soft, and sweet, unlike what they are now.

Sigh, I should have just stayed home and binge-watched TV shows.

However, since things have come to this point, there's no need for such 'minor regrets'.

These handsome young men are more like a microcosm.

A microcosm of a drama-watching group.

Ordinary teenagers pursue their studies on campus.
Sometimes it's both funny and sad, sometimes it's exhilarating. When it's hot, I don't think much and just jump into the lake, reciting "Fish swim in the shallows, all creatures compete freely under the frosty sky" as I swim in the summer water.

This is what classmates in their youth should be like.

We are students, we are young, and we have our own time.

It is both ordinary and passionate.

It captures the carefree and uninhibited student days that every viewer can relate to.

Ordinary and carefree.

Maybe that's what students are like.

Perhaps this is the youth that even great people have experienced.

Maybe we're all the same.

But soon.

The plot then entered another phase.

The warlord Yuan Shikai.

He then instructed the students of Hunan Normal University to write pro-Japanese articles for the Japanese and the puppet Manchukuo regime.

The mountains and rivers are broken.

The old gives way to the new.

It wasn't until this point that many subtle clues connected: the poor beggars, the downfall, and the disability—these elements were hidden within the subtle clues of the extras.

That's what made everyone watching the movie feel like they were waking up from a dream.

Their youth was indeed their youth.

Perhaps it has an ordinary place, just like ours.

The pursuit of comfort.

But the era in which they lived was ultimately one of constant warfare.

That's the one.

An era of national turmoil.

Youth is also a youth marked by the destruction of our nation.

(End of this chapter)