This director is vindictive.

Chapter 410 Co-creating a Movie: Letting Netizens Decide the Movie's DNA!

"So what exactly is this so-called sense of participation?" Chen Mo asked with a smile as he spoke.

“In the past, some production teams have released behind-the-scenes footage for publicity, but is that what you call participation? They call it co-creation, but is it really co-creation? No!” Chen Mo asked himself and answered his own question.

"True engagement means that what you keep in mind will eventually come to fruition!"

"True co-creation means that decisions made by everyone are actually adopted!"

"For example, I asked everyone for suggestions before, and then I adopted the suggestions from netizens and adapted the short film 'The Last Transfer in the Northern Desert of the Tang Dynasty.' Although many netizens' suggestions were not fulfilled, it was the netizens' suggestions in the first place."

In this respect, I actually gave a response. You see, I did decide to make this movie because of their suggestion! That's what participation is all about!

"And then, they suggested that Zhang Yi play the veteran, Huang Bo play the deserter, and Tong Liya play the businesswoman on the way. I once again granted their request and cast the roles based on their suggestions."

"The sense of participation has been further enhanced, hasn't it?" Chen Mo said with a smile.

"Next, I will have a few of them interact with netizens, such as thanking everyone for their recommendations."

"Look, from the movie genre to the casting, and even the subsequent plot, I arranged everything according to the suggestions of netizens. Isn't that a great sense of participation?" Chen Mo said with a touch of pride.

The more he spoke, the brighter the eyes of the three women looked at him.

"As expected of our marketing genius! If we let netizens participate throughout the whole process and make them feel like they can influence the casting and plot of the movie, they'll definitely have to buy tickets to see it!" Fan Binbin exclaimed in amazement.

"Hehe, you think that's all? No, this time, since we're going to play with 'openness' and 'participation,' I'm going to go even further. When I'm filming, I'll also select netizens to come to the crew and let them participate in the film's production. They can even 'direct' a scene or two."

"Or we could release a few clips and let netizens choose which performance to watch!" Chen Mo continued.

"What do you think?"

"A film that pioneers open casting, directing, and screenwriting for all?" Zhao Liying exclaimed in amazement.

“That’s right! That’s exactly the effect we’re looking for. Isn’t virtual pet ownership all the rage these days? Let’s make a virtual movie, focusing on getting everyone involved. Then, this movie won’t just be my personal film, but a work that netizens have all participated in!” Chen Mo said with a smile.

"Moreover, the more netizens participate, the more different their views on the film will be. It's like virtual pet ownership; they will invest emotions and treat the virtual pet as their own. The same principle applies to movies," Chen Mo continued.

"No!" Zhang Yuqi suddenly said.

"Ah?" Chen Mo looked confused.

"Why Tong Liya? I could do it too! If we need a female lead with an exotic flair, I can totally handle that role, okay?" Zhang Yuqi said, dissatisfied.

Chen Mo paused for a moment, it seemed, perhaps, it really was true!
How to put it? The Tang Dynasty can be said to be the most inclusive dynasty, especially during its golden age, when all countries came to pay tribute and it embraced multiple ethnic groups.

The story of "The Last Transfer in the Northern Desert of the Tang Dynasty" actually takes place on the way to the Anxi Protectorate, and there are indeed merchants from various ethnic groups on this road.

Although Zhang Yuqi is not from an ethnic minority, her appearance does give people a "mixed-race" feeling.

So what she said wasn't entirely unreasonable.

"Ahem, don't worry. How about this, I'll put you in the candidate pool too, and let netizens vote to decide, okay?" Chen Mo reassured him.

"That's more like it!" Zhang Yuqi immediately laughed.

However, Fan Binbin said, "I think Yuqi, you shouldn't compete this time. Even if Chen Mo makes you a candidate, in reality, because of your relationship, if you are ultimately chosen, everyone's sense of participation will definitely be greatly reduced. Because they will think that the voting is unfair and unrealistic!"

"Huh?" Zhang Yuqi was immediately dumbfounded.

But upon closer reflection, what Fan Binbin said actually makes sense.

"So, I think you can run for office, but in the end, it definitely won't be you!" Fan Binbin said with a hint of schadenfreude.

"However, it's a pretty good publicity stunt!" Fan Binbin added.

Zhang Yuqi immediately wilted.

"Okay, then I won't act this time!"

Chen Mo quickly began to take action.

He posted directly on Weibo: "[The first film co-created by the entire nation has been launched! Your choice determines the DNA of this film]"

"First Co-creation Initiative: You Decide the Movie Title!"

"Part Two of Co-creation: You Choose the Main Cast for the Movie!"

"Third installment of co-creation: You write the main plot of the movie!"

"The final installment of co-creation: You will participate in directing the film." Chen Mo's Weibo post completely ignited the enthusiasm of netizens.

The main reason is that this is truly the first time for them.

No, it should be said that no one in the film and television industry has ever done this before, and the novelty is immediately apparent.

"Holy crap! Director Chen is going all out? This is true democratic co-creation of film! I'm casting my vote for the title 'The White-Haired Warrior of Anxi,' and the ending must retain the historically recorded scene of jumping off the city wall to protect the flag! #TheLonelyCityofTangDynastyFilm#"

"Please give @ZhangYiVeteran more screen time for his character! His stubbornness as Shi Jin in 'Soldiers Sortie' is perfect for portraying the 'fight to the death' spirit of the Tang Dynasty army! Also, I suggest adding a Western Region girl character played by @Reba, as there are historical records of Hu women delivering food to the Tang army!"

(Image: AI-generated image of Dilraba Dilmurat in Tang suit)

"Zhang Yi is the veteran, Huang Bo is the deserter, and Tong Liya seems more suitable for a role like a Western Region businesswoman!"

(Image: AI-generated image of Tong Liya in Tang Dynasty costume)

"Holy crap, is this really a collaborative creation event? Or is it just another one of those so-called collaborative creation events in games, where they're actually just a sham?"

"Are you serious about letting everyone decide the movie title, casting, plot, and even whether the actors are good or not?"

Immediately, netizens began to discuss the matter extensively.

It must be said that there are wise people among the people. One netizen said: "Serious reminder: In historical fact, the Anxi army was completely killed in battle with no one surrendering. It is recommended that the movie avoid the 'survivor' trope! You can refer to the Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 226, which uses subtitles to explain the ending - 'The city fell, the remaining soldiers were all killed, the flags were torn and the Tang music was cut off'."

(Includes historical screenshots and hand-drawn storyboard sketches)
A bunch of netizens below exclaimed that he was a master.

"Holy crap, they even have hand-drawn storyboard sketches for the movie? This is amazing, truly amazing!"

"Wow, to have drawn a movie storyboard in such a short time, I feel like this guy could really be Chen Mo's assistant director!"

Some netizens have also offered entirely new suggestions.

"I suggest opening a 'cloud shooting' live stream! We can randomly select 10 netizens each day to remotely participate in costume and prop meetings and vote on the armor design using live chat. If we don't have enough money, we can crowdfund. I'm definitely going for this!"

(Forward this post for a chance to win one of 100 movie tickets)

Chen Mo's concept of co-creating movies has indeed struck netizens as novel.

Many people in the industry were shocked by Chen Mo's new trick, especially when they saw the huge number of comments, the overwhelming enthusiasm, and the enthusiastic participation. They couldn't help but sigh that Chen Mo really has a lot of clever ideas!

In fact, it's obvious to anyone with eyes that Chen Mo has created a brand new marketing model for attracting traffic to movies.

However, it's impossible for any new thing to have only one voice.

There are those who support it, and there are also those who question it, and those who oppose it!

"Hehe, the so-called 'creation by all' is just a sophisticated marketing tactic! Do you really think netizens can influence professional film production?"

A closer look at Chen Mo's list of "co-creation" steps reveals: the title voting is nothing more than a set of pre-defined options (A, B, C, D); the casting pool has already been predetermined by investors; and the final interpretation of the adopted plot still rests with the director—how is this any different from a supermarket's "customers vote for new products" approach?

"As practitioners, we must pour cold water on this:"

1. Movies are highly specialized industrial products; letting non-professional netizens decide the storyboard/plot is like letting passengers design an airplane.
2. The truly core creative ideas (such as the core spirit of the Anxi Army) are still in the hands of Chen Mo's team, and netizens only participate in the peripheral aspects;
3. Historically, all films where the ending was determined by the audience (such as *Black Mirror: Bandersnatch*) ultimately became nothing more than technical gimmicks.

Questions from a practical perspective:

1. For example, if the Western Region armor design chosen by netizens does not conform to historical research, should the production team use it or not?

2. When the 'bullet screen director' asked for the addition of emotional scenes to dilute the sense of tragedy, was Chen Mo willing to sacrifice the integrity of the art?
3. The so-called 'cloud shooting' live stream is likely an edited 'fake interaction'—after all, even variety shows have scripts!

However, despite these criticisms, the situation seems objective.

However, most netizens did not buy it.

"These people are just bored out of their minds. What does 'co-creation' even mean? It's just about giving everyone a greater sense of participation. Why make such a big deal out of it? We should just have fun. Do you really expect us to decide everything? Don't we know that's unreliable?"

"Have some people been used to being manipulated by the traditional film industry? Chen Mo's actions at least gave ordinary viewers a voice! So what if the title poll has pre-set options? At least we can choose our favorite from A, B, C, and D, instead of passively accepting bad movies forced on us by capital like before!"

"I suggest those who like to argue read Chen Mo's original Weibo post—he clearly stated that 'netizens decide the DNA,' not 'netizens act as screenwriters'! Of course, the main historical storyline needs to be controlled by a professional team, but letting the audience choose the content of veterans' letters and vote on the battlefield background music is much better than some directors creating their own stories behind closed doors."

"Cloud co-creation and cloud pet raising are actually the same principle. The key is participation, participation, participation, do you understand? We don't need to actually make a movie. As long as a part of it is chosen by all of us, that's a sense of participation. Do you really think that only you are rational and everyone else is a fool?"

"Thumbs up for Chen Mo's co-creation plan! The story of the Anxi Army is a national memory! When UnionPay ads were all over the internet, how many people did the research like me? Now Chen Mo is turning the movie into 'our shared child,' and even if only 1% of the suggestions are adopted, it will make more people remember the tragic heroism of 'a city full of white-haired soldiers'—isn't that more noble than capital making bad movies to rake in money?"

(Attached is a handwritten map of the Anxi Protectorate from my personal collection)

(End of this chapter)