I'm just trying to ride the wave of popularity!

Chapter 301 The Oriental Gentleman on the Red Carpet
The lights were on.

It was dazzling.

Countless shots.

Countless screams.

This was the first time that "Twilight" director Katherine Harwick saw Zhou Yang appear in public without glasses and wearing a leather jacket.

Even she was somewhat stunned.

This Chinese man seems to be a natural clothes hanger and model; he seems to perfectly match every piece of clothing and every temperament.

Some people seem destined to be the center of attention. When he walked toward the main cast, all the spotlights shone on him.

Suddenly, a piercing scream erupted from the crowd...

"He's the director, I know, he's that director..."

"Yes, he is the director of 'Saw,' the legendary Chinese director who made 12 million yuan at the box office with only $1!"

"He was also the director of the horror film 'The Haunted Village,' as well as the producer, screenwriter, and director of 'The Black Robe Alliance'..."

"My God, is this the young man who received a $5000 million director's fee? Is this the guy who broke the record for director's fees in Hollywood?"

"Yes, it's him!"

"..."

Amidst murmurs and bewilderment, countless media personnel and young people at the scene stared at the smiling, elegant young man from the East sitting in the chair...

Katherine Harwick knew that among those screaming people, the leader was an "actor" arranged by Zhou Yang. Anyone with eyes could see that those "actors" were the editor and lighting technician from "Saw"...

but!
It does not matter!

Importantly, with a burst of screams from these people, the entire venue seemed to be ignited, and countless cameras and eyes were focused on this young man.

At that moment, Katherine Harwick suddenly felt a pang of regret!
In fact, Zhou Yang in "Twilight" appears as a mysterious Eastern exorcist, and is the third male lead...

He appears in the middle as a villain, and later in the film, he becomes the first casualty of the entire team, making him one of the most emotionally charged and tragic characters in the entire movie…

After seeing that Zhou Yang was more popular in the European and American markets than she had imagined, Catherine realized that she shouldn't let him die; at the very least, she should leave room for him to live!
however……

Twilight didn't bury it!
She should write a romantic subplot for Zhou Yang featuring a female lead!
then……

No!
When the host introduced the main cast, the cheers that should have been for the male and female leads reached a fever pitch when Zhou Yang stood up.

The smiling Asian man simply nodded, said a few words of thanks, and then, without trying to steal the spotlight from the male and female leads, politely returned to his original seat.

Although the male and female leads in "Twilight" are quite popular in the European and American film market, unfortunately, they are not award-winning actors or actresses, and their status in the overall Hollywood film market is not particularly high. Although Zhou Yang did not deliberately try to steal the limelight from the two, the media's enthusiasm for them was not as high as expected...

When it was the turn of the handsome Eastern man, Wu Zuliang, the scene became even more awkward...

Although the interviews continued, there was less excitement and commotion. He was handsome, but unfortunately, his appearance today did not amaze the fans; it was just average.

As the creative team shared their excited, emotional, and heartfelt remarks, the lights inside the Los Angeles Chinese Theatre gradually dimmed.

As countless cameras continued to be pointed at the stage, some people couldn't contain their emotions and quietly wiped away tears in the dimming lights.

As the final words faded into the air, the big screen finally lit up, and the long-awaited movie began.

Silence fell over the scene...

....................................

In a sense, Twilight is a romance film...

It tells the love story of a human girl named Belle and her families of vampires and werewolves.

Such stories were actually quite common in the 90s. The most famous global film story is "Bride of Dracula," which was once very popular.

Vampire themes have always been a staple of Western films and television. Characters who are charming, bloodthirsty yet polite, and who restrain themselves for the sake of a human girl, often blending into human environments, are frequently featured…

The opening sequence of the film "Twilight," with its gloomy, cold color palette and the damp rainforest atmosphere of Fox, perfectly matches the vampire theme, quickly establishing a mysterious and dangerous romantic tone.

As a romance film, it naturally focuses on female characters...

Belle is portrayed as an "ordinary girl," clumsy, aloof, and unaccustomed to new environments...

These elements have almost become standard features throughout the entire film...

The film's precise positioning as a youth romance is also quite standard. Not long after the opening, it quickly delves into the core conflict of "a girl meeting a dangerous handsome man," directly addressing teenagers' fantasies about forbidden love. The emotional buildup is very clichéd, but quite effective, especially the scene where the girl is rescued from a car accident, which is also a standard romance film...

but……

To make the film more vivid and to depict the details of each character, aiming to make the characters more well-rounded, director Katherine spent a slightly lengthy first 20 minutes depicting small-town life and the daily life of the female protagonist, Belle…

........................

In the screening room.

Elena von Kleist, one of the few special guests, used her "money power" to get close to her idol, Leon Kraus.

They sat in the front and back rows, and Leon Kraus could see him with just a slight turn of his head. Before the movie started, she also managed to get an autographed photo of Leon Kraus.

However, for some reason, the exciting feeling of being close to my idol, which I had imagined, began to fade in a strange way, perhaps because of the impact of Zhou Yang's rose.

Her gaze unconsciously drifted towards Zhou Yang, in the direction of the Chinese man…

The Chinese man wasn't seated too far forward or too far back; he was sitting quietly, watching the screen. Elena took a deep breath, composed herself, and looked at the screen—at the movie she had been eagerly anticipating.

In fact...

She had read the original novel of the movie "Twilight" seven years ago.

She was initially moved by the "forbidden love story" between a vampire and a human in the movie, and even bought a lot of merchandise related to the original work...

She has been following the entire process of this film, from its inception to casting and premiere, and as of this morning, she is still full of anticipation!
but……

Whether it was because she had read the original novel or because her expectations were too high, she felt somewhat disappointed when she watched the movie again.

A scene of a hero rescuing a damsel in distress...

The scene where Leon Kraus's vampire appears and saves the female lead...

What should have been a scene of screams and excitement didn't turn out as loudly as I'd imagined in the theater!

And for some reason, she felt that the scene lacked a certain sense of anticipation. She vaguely felt that everything seemed to be filming in accordance with the original work, but something seemed a little off.

The movie continues...

Elena felt an indescribable sense of stagnation; nearly 20 minutes of various character introductions, but they didn't seem as vividly portrayed as she had imagined...

The female protagonist's "self-loathing" character and Edward's "domineering yet affectionate" persona seem to lack depth in the opening, and are even somewhat stereotyped...

When I saw the introduction screen featuring a series of characters...

This labeling seems to have become even more pronounced, for example, referring to classmates, or other members of the vampire family...

Almost instantly, they were relegated to the background, becoming mere foils to the male and female leads...

She vaguely sensed that the director wanted to portray each character well and tell the story well, but ultimately found that there were too many characters, making the character descriptions lengthy and devoid of any distinctive features...

at the same time……

The film's visual style is also a bit jarring for some viewers!

The director seems to have used a lot of blue-green filters and close-up shots in order to highlight the "gothic" romantic melancholy in the film.

It seems to be quite spot on...

However, this also made the visuals appear very monotonous, and some scenes even looked cheap due to the rough special effects, weakening the sense of fantasy and diminishing the "aristocratic" atmosphere considerably...

And, I don't know why...

The novel contains incredibly moving and exciting lines, but in the film, perhaps due to some sentence changes, all she felt was awkwardness in the dialogue, which was very distracting...

The acting skills of the male and female leads also left her with some indescribable feelings.

Leon Kraus plays a vampire with a perpetually expressionless and aloof face, while the female lead seems to be frowning all the time.

……

In fact, these shortcomings are actually insignificant to Elena...

but!
When the male protagonist "seems" to be outshone and not as handsome as others, Elena inexplicably becomes more rational and critical.

The male lead's character emphasizes the female lead's safety above all else, while constantly dragging her into danger, such as introducing her to his family and fighting against hostile vampires. The logic of this is simply hard to reconcile.

She looked down and subconsciously checked the time; the movie had been playing for almost 35 minutes...

however……

The dashing Chinese exorcist never showed up; the entire scene consisted of the male and female leads awkwardly falling in love, and every now and then, the guy playing the werewolf would come over to provoke them…

Until the 40th minute...

The exorcist has finally made his appearance!

The novel portrays this mysterious Eastern exorcist as evil, tormented by the tragic death of his wife, leading him to exile and wander the world, while also developing a hatred for all dark creatures…

At the beginning, this exorcist was a villain, someone the readers of the novel hated for tearing their teeth apart. If it weren't for the touching ending where he redeemed the main characters, this exorcist would definitely have been condemned to death...

In the shot!
On a rainy night, raindrops dripped from the brim of a hat.

The mysterious Eastern exorcist, wearing a tattered wide-brimmed hat and a ragged dark red robe, walked slowly through the rain.

His steps were steady and firm, each step seemingly treading on the scales of time.

A face wrapped in bandages could be vaguely seen beneath the brim of the hat, and a faint, gloomy light emanated from the left eye.

The bronze compass at his waist swayed gently with each step, emitting a dull metallic sound that mingled with the sound of rain to create an eerie rhythm.

As he passed the streetlights, the light cast a long shadow of him, making him look like a silhouette from an ancient legend.

And his figure, at that moment, was briefly frozen on the screen...

……

Seeing this, Elena, who had been somewhat disappointed, suddenly sat up straight.

In her line of sight.

A heartbreakingly lonely figure appeared from behind.

(End of this chapter)