This director lacks vision.

Chapter 289, "Strange Things," scores only 8 points; Jiang Yifeng suffers a major setback.
Jiang Yifeng has traveled to the sea and visited various rivers and reservoirs.

After experiencing it all, he felt there were two best places to play in the water.

One place is a stream with a slight drop.

Because it's running water, it's very pleasant to play in, and it's also relatively clean.
Another place is a scenic reservoir and lake.

Compared to the surging waves of the ocean, reservoirs and lakes are much calmer, and there are many activities to enjoy.

Of course, all of this is based on the premise that the water quality is good.

Yishui Lake is known as the "Little Guilin of the North" because of its excellent water quality, with visibility of several meters.

It's very comfortable to play in the water here.

In particular, the resort hotel has enclosed a private waterway, ensuring a certain degree of privacy and allowing Jiang Yifeng to enjoy himself even more.

It wasn't until October 1st, National Day, when the Yishui Lake Resort was teeming with tourists, that Jiang Yifeng returned to Yanjing with the beauties and gave an exclusive interview to Time magazine.

Previously, Time (Asia) had repeatedly tried to interview Jiang Yifeng, but he had refused each time.

This interview was conducted by Time Inc. headquarters, primarily to promote "Stranger Things".

The web series Stranger Things will be released on October 2nd.

The overseas streaming platform is Netflix, while the domestic platform is Sohu Video.

With Netflix's support, Stranger Things has been heavily promoted overseas, with key creators like Sydney and Daddario spending a lot of time on promotional tours.

Director Jiang Yifeng did not go to the United States to promote the film.

Not only did he not go to the United States, he also did little to promote himself domestically.

According to Jiang Yifeng, Stranger Things primarily targets overseas markets, especially the North American market.

There will be a certain cultural gap for domestic audiences watching this drama, so there is no need for a large-scale promotion.

Just post a normal announcement on Weibo, and that's enough.

If the publicity is excessive now and the tone is set too high, many viewers will dislike it, and it may backfire.

Once Stranger Things becomes a hit overseas, it will naturally gain popularity abroad as well, even creating a "foreign moon is rounder" effect, which will stimulate the show's broadcast in China.

The strategy of shifting from export to domestic sales is more suitable for the marketing of Stranger Things.

Therefore, achievements overseas are of paramount importance.

The Time magazine team took many photos of Jiang Yifeng and then began interviewing him.

Editor-in-Chief Bob posed the first question: "You already have a high profile in Asia, but relatively fewer people in Europe and America know you."

If you had to describe yourself to a Western audience in just one sentence, what would you say?

Jiang Yifeng thought for a moment and said, "I spent three years creating a company with a market value of nearly 10 billion US dollars. I am the youngest billionaire on the Forbes Global Billionaires List, three years younger than Zuckerberg."

"Your introduction is quite unique. It seems that you consider your main profession to be an entrepreneur, and directing is just a side job?"

"That's not the case. It's just that self-introductions need to be memorable. Compared to a director's works, a wealth myth is more likely to be remembered by everyone immediately."

"You are now an entrepreneur, a director, and occasionally a singer and actor. How do you manage to be involved in so many fields and achieve success in each one?"

"I am naturally energetic, I only need to sleep two or three hours a day, and I have a very good memory."

Starting a business and creating art might be difficult for ordinary people, but for me, it's as easy and simple as eating and drinking.

Bob: "..."

Even Bob, an American, was shocked by Jiang Yifeng's confidence.

He then asked, "Then why did you suddenly think of co-producing Stranger Things with Netflix?"

Jiang Yifeng changed his approach and replied, "Because I bought a lot of Netflix stock, I'm going to make a fortune. Partnering with Netflix can make even more money."

Bob sat up straight. He thought Jiang Yifeng was an interviewing genius; every answer he gave was unexpected.

He began to question: "Do you think Stranger Things will be successful? After all, you are a Chinese director, and it is very risky for you to direct a US TV series."

Many people in the US also think Hastings has gone mad, that choosing to cooperate with you is very unwise.

It's a common tactic for interviewers to question interviewees, aiming to stir up their emotions and get them to reveal more of their true feelings.

Jiang Yifeng remained calm despite the doubts, confidently stating, "Hastins made the right choice; Stranger Things will surely succeed."

This TV series was made specifically for North American audiences, and it contains a lot of American cultural elements.

American audiences will definitely resonate with this.

Bob continued to question, "You're a native-born Chinese, do you understand American culture?"

Jiang Yifeng uttered his classic line: "Believe me, no one understands American culture better than me!"
This is the result of my in-depth research.

The set design, makeup, and other details of the Strange Things series were all meticulously crafted by me.

In this series, I not only incorporated many classic American TV show elements, but also recreated a small American town from the 80s.

The audience will definitely like it, unless you're not American.

Bob: "..."

Bob discovered that Jiang Yifeng was truly different, completely unlike any other Chinese person he had encountered before. He lacked humility and instead exuded confidence, determination, and sharpness, even more arrogant than the Americans.

The interview lasted all day before the Time magazine team finally left, satisfied.

Jiang Yifeng wanted to keep a low profile, but his strength simply wouldn't allow it.

Stranger Things was released on Sohu Video at 8 PM on October 2nd.

The mere fact that it's "directed by Jiang Yifeng" is enough to make Stranger Things quite popular in China.

In addition, Sohu Video also prominently recommended the series, placing it on its homepage.

Even viewers who are unaware that Stranger Things has been released will click to watch it once they see the words "Jiang Yifeng's New Work" on the homepage of Sohu Video.

The first episode of Stranger Things is 61 minutes long, and within 3 hours of its release, it had already garnered over 10 million views on Sohu Video.
They achieved such great results without much publicity.

This demonstrates Jiang Yifeng's influence in China at that time.

However, the show received mixed reviews.

Viewers who liked the show thought it was great, with a well-crafted suspenseful atmosphere and a tight pace with no wasted dialogue in the 60 minutes of episodes, constantly introducing characters and driving the plot forward.

The three narratives run parallel, yet are handled with remarkable order, weaving in numerous details and Easter eggs. It clearly explains the case of the missing boy while leaving ample suspense.

Moreover, the TV series has excellent cinematography and visuals, comparable to the quality of a movie.

However, there are also quite a few people who don't like it.

Many viewers find the show Stranger Things to be dull. Although the plot is full of substance, it feels dry and lacks immersion.

Some viewers even couldn't stand watching halfway through and simply turned it off.

This is due to cultural differences.

Stranger Things features various aspects of American retro culture, including Famicom, arcades, video stores, work pants, afros, Ghostbusters cosplay, A Nightmare on Elm Street movies, The Clash music, and more.

These nostalgic elements will instantly bring a smile to Americans' faces, reminding them of the good old days.

Chinese audiences, however, don't feel as deeply about these things, and their sense of immersion is naturally not as strong.

It was the same in my previous life.

Stranger Things, as one of Netflix's most classic and successful series, is a household name in North America and helped Netflix reach its peak.

However, this drama is not well-known in China and has only a moderate influence.

This is the difference in culture.

Moreover, Jiang Yifeng's Strange Tales also has the problem of "spoilers".

As previously reported by the media, this series is a spin-off of Pacific Rim.

Pacific Rim is very well-known in China. Many viewers who watch Stranger Things can guess from the beginning that the so-called monsters are mythical creatures from the Classic of Mountains and Seas.

Like Si Teng, the little girl Eleven is a person who has been modified in the laboratory.

Even if Jiang Yifeng left a new character setting in the show, viewers will inevitably feel like they already know the answer when watching the first episode, so the suspense is not as strong.

Finally, and very importantly, Stranger Things was filmed by Jiang Yifeng.

The audience has very high expectations for Jiang Yifeng.

If this drama had been directed by a different director, it would definitely have received very good reviews. Even if it lacks a strong sense of immersion, its quality is undeniable, with top-notch visuals and soundtrack.

But at this time, Jiang Yifeng was seen by the audience as the number one director of web dramas, and even the number one director in China.

People are very picky about his dramas.

This is the meaning of "If you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight."

So after Stranger Things was released, quite a few viewers gave it negative reviews.

Topics like #StrangerThingsIsDull# even trended on Weibo.

On the morning of October 3rd, the front-page headline report on Xinlang Entertainment went viral.

"Stranger Things only scored 8 points, Jiang Yifeng suffered a Waterloo."

"Last night at 8 pm, the new web series Strange Things, directed by Jiang Yifeng, was launched. It only scored 8 points on the relevant platform, and a large number of viewers gave it negative reviews."

The show barely surpassed 10 million views, and its poor performance displeased advertisers.

Looking back at Jiang Yifeng's past web dramas, whether it's the Dark Glory series or the Pacific Rim series, they all have ratings above 9 points on relevant platforms, and the number of views is in the hundreds of millions.

In comparison, Stranger Things was a major setback in Jiang Yifeng's directing career, both in terms of critical acclaim and box office success…

This report was reprinted by many media outlets after it was published.

Those who support Jiang Yifeng think Xinlang's title is outrageous; many directors could never make an 8-point drama in their entire lives.

The statement that he only scored 8 points is similar to the sentiment that Kobe Bryant only scored 43 points.

They're making memes everywhere online.

Those who disliked Jiang Yifeng cheered in victory, celebrating that Jiang Yifeng had finally suffered a Waterloo.

For example, Luo Taijun actively posted a Weibo post.

"Jiang Yifeng shouldn't have made Stranger Things. China and the United States are two different worlds."

A director born and raised in China who goes to the United States to make a US TV series is destined to fail.

Similarly, it can be proven that Jiang Yifeng's attempt to film "Hunting 2" in Japan would also fail.

It is suggested that Jiang Yifeng repent and not go to Japan to destroy the great Japanese culture, thus preserving the last piece of pure land in Asia.

These people not only mocked Jiang Yifeng in various ways, but also fabricated rumors online, saying that the broadcast of Stranger Things was so bad that the sponsors ran away overnight.

These comments made Xinlang Entertainment's report even more popular.

Many viewers who were unaware of the facts actually thought that Jiang Yifeng's new web series had flopped.

Even a prominent financial blogger known as "Tianjin Stock Guru" posted on Weibo that stock trading requires news acumen, and that he had immediately sold his shares in Fengxing Media.

These remarks garnered many likes and inspired some netizens to follow suit.

Rival companies also took the opportunity to release a lot of smear articles.

Jiang Yifeng remained calm throughout the entire situation.

It's normal for Stranger Things to be controversial.

But this show is sure to be a success in North America.

On the one hand, Jiang Yifeng is confident in his drama; on the other hand, this drama is related to the success or failure of Netflix's transformation.

For Netflix, it's like signing a performance-based agreement.

Unless Stranger Things is truly a hopeless case, Netflix will definitely spend a lot of money on promotion, even if it means creating fake data, just to package Stranger Things well.

By citing the success of Stranger Things, Netflix could tell a story of its successful transformation, thereby boosting its stock price, promoting its online website, and further expanding its streaming market.

Jiang Yifeng was very clear about this entire operating procedure.

So he's not in a hurry.

They're just waiting for Stranger Things to become a hit in North America and for Netflix's stock price to soar, which will then drive up the viewership of Stranger Things in China.

(End of this chapter)