The only sun in Huayu

History, in essence, is a complex web of power struggles and historical perspectives.

These are all like icebergs, hidden beneath the surface of the water.

Floating on the surface of the water are Huang Xiaoming, the handsome actor who plays the Jiajing Emperor, and Chen Daoming, who plays opposite him and exudes a powerful aura.

Two young actors of different ages are putting on a dramatic show on screen!
That's the highlight of this show.

The female lead is actually played by He Qing, who portrays Jiang Shi.

Although supporting characters have romantic storylines to make the movie more interesting, Zhu Houcong only has family scenes and no romantic scenes.

Women will only slow down Jiajing's speed in drawing his sword!

This is also why Shen Shandeng doesn't cast young actors, preferring to have Huang Xiaoming play a younger role instead.

Playing around as he pleases, Uncle Chen always plays himself, but his acting skills are a bit weak compared to the strongest actors like Tang Guoqiang and Chen Baoguo.

The young actors really couldn't keep up with the scenes.

There must be two heroes. In the end, the emperor played by Huang Xiaoming wins, but the minister played by Chen Daoming also leaves the stage with a dignified and aloof demeanor.

In the entire film, Yang Shen is probably the only character with a rather one-dimensional, or even somewhat ugly, appearance.

Having achieved this effect, Shen Shandeng was confident.

Men are interested in power struggles, women are interested in handsome men.

The narrative follows the traditional three-act structure, with a well-organized introduction, development, climax, and conclusion, culminating in a climax.

With the added bonus of being part of a spin-off universe film based on "The Eunuch," and Lu Bing making an appearance, the film's box office performance is unlikely to be too bad.

The excitement and hustle and bustle of the premiere gradually subsided.

A hotel nearby.

The cast and crew of "Jiajing" held a celebration banquet.

It wasn't a large event, but the atmosphere was relaxed. Shen Shandeng, holding a wine glass, clinked glasses and chatted for a few minutes with several key figures, including Han Sanping, Chen Daoming, and Huang Xiaoming.

Having fulfilled the duties of producer and host, the social interaction came to an end.

He summoned Ma Youde, Zhou Qifeng, Wu Jing, and the person in charge of the film's promotion to a quiet small conference room next to the banquet hall.

With the film's release imminent, the more crucial the final stage, the more vigilant the publicity and promotion efforts must be.

In his view, while the quality of the film is important, it is equally crucial to accurately deliver the film to the target audience.

"Brother Jing."

Shen Shandeng first jokingly teased Wu Jing, "I think Xie Nan did a pretty good job hosting today, and her interaction with you was quite natural. So, how's it going? Any progress?"

Wu Jing's face immediately showed embarrassment.

"Director Shen, this is still in the contact stage."

Zhou Qifeng and Ma Youde exchanged knowing smiles.

"Jiajing" is the first film in the Eunuch series and also an attempt by Dengfeng Pictures to enter the Lunar New Year film season. The fact that it was hosted by Xie Nan, who has relatively little experience, is undoubtedly a way of bringing things together.

Shen Shandeng laughed and stopped teasing him, then turned to look at Zhou Qifeng.

"Qifeng, tell me first, how's the feedback we've received from the previous test screenings, plus tonight's premiere?"

Zhou Qifeng opened his notebook and began to report in a clear and organized manner.

"The overall feedback has been very positive."

"The most anticipated and praised scene is undoubtedly the one between Chen Daoming and Huang Xiaoming. The scene is full of tension and the audience enjoys it very much."

"Another point of contention is that the character Yang Shen is generally disliked and is considered a stupid and despicable villain."

Upon hearing this, Shen Shandeng not only didn't frown, but nodded instead.

“Bao Beier did a good job this time. I was sitting below watching, and seeing his wild and impulsive energy, I wanted to go up and give him a good beating.”

There are only wrong actors, not bad actors.

The role of Yang Shen was initially cast with Bao Beier from Enlight Media.

He truly brought to life the image of a privileged son of a high-ranking official who is arrogant yet lacks political wisdom and only knows how to act recklessly and harm his father in critical moments.

In this movie, Huang Xiaoming and Chen Daoming are responsible for being "handsome" and "charming".

Bao Beier's character, Yang Shen, practically became the outlet for all negative emotions.

The historical Yang Shen was certainly not like this.

He was a genuine top scholar in the imperial examinations, and he wrote the timeless masterpiece, "The mighty Yangtze River flows eastward, its waves washing away the heroes of the past."

But a movie is still a movie.

It requires selection and artistic processing.

In a commercial film, depth can be embedded in the plot and characters' motivations, but it cannot be directly presented on the surface.

The character Yang Shen is a deliberate emotional trigger point set up by Shen Shandeng.

The goal is to guide the audience to dislike him, thereby fostering deeper sympathy for Jiajing, who was forced to grow up, and even giving him a sense of being "betrayed by a useless teammate" regarding the ruthless Yang Tinghe.

Especially the scene where Yang Shen colludes with officials and leads the charge in crashing into the Zuoshun Gate.

His foolishness and impulsiveness are magnified to the extreme, which in turn highlights the shrewdness of his father, Yang Tinghe, and the helplessness beneath his composure.

This further demonstrates that Emperor Jiajing's ruthlessness and decisiveness in ordering the court flogging were driven by the circumstances.

Zhou Qifeng continued his report: "In addition, because of the success of 'The Eunuch,' some viewers felt that our 'Jiajing' had more dialogue scenes and relatively fewer action scenes, and therefore were not satisfied."

Shen Shandeng had no good solution to this.

"That's the positioning of 'Jiajing,' action scenes are just a side plot embellishment, and it's impossible for it to be as exhilarating as 'The Eunuch.'"

In order to perfect the cinematic universe, Shen Shandeng was actually prepared for things not to go as expected. Even if it failed, it would be because Wu Jing didn't perform well.

Of course, it's still okay right now.

Wu Jing's camera work and directing skills are not as good as those of professionally trained actors, but his aesthetic sense and common sense are normal.

Know when to enjoy yourself, and know what beauty is.

Seeing Wu Jing's regret, Shen Shandeng knew that he was thinking about the action scenes.

Wu Jing cares more about the materialization of martial arts than Shen Shandeng because he sees a future for kung fu movies.

Shen Shandeng patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, "This play has limited your performance, but it's okay. The script and pre-production of 'The Embroidered Uniform Guard' are almost complete."

"That's a real martial arts blockbuster, full of spectacles and real action, and it's the one that can't afford to fail. It'll give you a real treat."

Shen Shandeng has a very clear understanding of the role of Emperor Jiajing.

First, we will improve the worldview of the "Du Gong" film series and integrate the concept of "physiological transformation of internal energy" more naturally into the historical background.

Secondly, it aims to establish a firm foothold in the fiercely competitive Lunar New Year film season and build a strong reputation for Dengfeng Pictures.

Therefore, he was mentally prepared even if the box office results were only mediocre.

Having learned about the audience's initial feedback, Shen Shandeng turned his attention to the publicity manager who had been sitting quietly.

"Alright, tell me, how exactly should we conduct our publicity and marketing campaign in the final stage?"

Lin Yueru quickly sat up straight: "Boss, our overall core concept for the publicity campaign is positioned as 'Battle of the Two Kings,' emphasizing a top-level showdown between good looks and political intrigue."

"The focus of the publicity should be on highlighting the dramatic tension of the 'duel'."

"Focus on 'good looks' and 'acting skills,' which are the two points that are easiest for the audience to understand."

"Focusing on authentic history, local superstars, and no accents, 'Huang Xiaoming VS Chen Daoming, a showdown of the highest screen looks!' and 'He won the world, he won integrity.'"

"We'll wait until the following week, after word-of-mouth has spread, and then gradually guide the audience to discuss the deeper meaning of the plot."

In addition, she also prepared a series of popular and catchy phrases that are easy to spread.

For example, Emperor Jiajing's "I want them all," and Chen Daoming's resounding line, "What I uphold is the legal system of the Ming Dynasty, not Your Majesty's family affairs!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Shandeng couldn't help but think more highly of the plan.

He turned to Ma Youde and asked, "Youde, who came up with this approach? It's quite precise."

Ma Youde smiled and pointed to the person in charge: "Boss, it was Manager Lin Yueru who orchestrated this."

Shen Shandeng then truly focused his attention.

Lin Yueru dressed conservatively in a business suit. She had a pretty face, but was only slightly above average.

She can't compare to those glamorous female celebrities in the entertainment industry.

Despite the busy schedule, I still remember this middle manager. He was one of the earliest members of the team and has been able to keep up.

Looking back now, I realize that I not only followed his line of thinking, but also showed a strong desire to improve.

Lin Yueru knew that Shen Shandeng's time was precious, so she seized the opportunity.

I briefly recounted the publicity and marketing strategies that had already been implemented.

From the initial stages of the project, the focus was on Huang Xiaoming's look when he ascended the throne and stills of Chen Daoming in charge of the overall situation.

The pre-launch promotion fully showcased the character's "beauty" and "strength".

Then, following the established rhythm, more stills and materials will be released step by step.

“We’ve been bombarding you with stills.”

Lin Yueru said, "The key releases are Huang Xiaoming's 'Young Emperor Feeding Rabbits' and 'Awesome Gaze Upon Ascension'; and Chen Daoming's 'Grand Secretary's Gaze' and 'Walking Alone in the Rain'."

"And the most classic one is the poster in front of the Golden Palace, where almost all the important characters are dressed in gorgeous clothes and stand in different positions, which is very imposing."

"All visual materials emphasize the film's quality and the actors' charisma, focusing on visual impact."

"In the first trailer, we focused entirely on 'conflict'."

"Rapid editing, direct clashes, maximize the dramatic conflict."

At this point, Wu Jing chimed in, "Director Shen, Supervisor Lin has also innovatively proposed an interactive event themed 'Jiajing Under the Ancient City Wall,' which unites several historical cities, including Beijing and Nanjing, as well as the former site of the Xingwang Mansion in Hubei."

"By holding open-air film screenings and history lectures, we have deeply integrated film marketing with cultural landmark tourism."

Lin Yueru picked up the thread and added, "In terms of the roadshow arrangements, we also plan to collaborate with local university history clubs and research institutes of literature and history to hold a 'film screening + history salon' event, which will not only enhance the event's prestige but also precisely attract potential audiences."

After listening, Shen Shandeng nodded repeatedly, showing his approval.

He can't possibly be responsible for every single aspect of the promotion of every film, nor can he expect every film to defy fate with its exceptional word-of-mouth.

A good shadow can break everything, which is certainly good.

However, having a clear, replicable method that aligns with market demands, like Lin Yueru's approach, is key to a company's ability to consistently produce blockbuster products.

"very good!"

Shen Shandeng affirmed, "Regardless of the final box office results of 'Jiajing,' the marketing strategy and its implementation are very advanced and worth learning from for other projects in the company."

Lin Yueru was thrilled to receive the boss's direct affirmation, but she remained humble.

She wanted to gain recognition through her work abilities, not through anything else.

"Boss, you flatter me. Actually, many of our on-the-ground promotion activities have been so successful thanks to you and the movie 'Lost in Thailand.' The reputation of 'city postcards' has made many local governments very welcoming of our cooperation and have given us a lot of support."

Of course, emotional intelligence is still necessary.

Shen Shandeng smiled and said nothing more. He glanced at Ma Youde, his meaning clear.

Ma Youde nodded slightly, indicating that he understood. (End of Chapter)