Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 353, Section 351: Dominating the Screen

In June, the heat in Beijing gradually intensifies.

Meeting room of Shengying Media, Jingxin Building.

Wang Sheng and the core team of "Night at the Museum"—including the art director, visual effects supervisor, production manager, and visual effects consultant brought in from Hollywood—have been holding round after round of consultations.

On the conference table were huge scene design sketches, concept art, and Gantt charts filled with budgets and schedules.

The entire project has involved a huge amount of manpower and resources, and Wang Sheng will definitely have to be personally involved.

Therefore, when the 7th Shanghai TV Festival Magnolia Awards ceremony was held on June 13th, Wang Sheng was unsurprisingly absent.

……

As the phenomenal hit drama of the previous year, "Lurking" unsurprisingly received numerous important nominations, including Best TV Series, Best Director (Wang Sheng), Best Actor (Wang Zhiwen), and Best Actress (Jiang Wenli).

Before the awards ceremony, media predictions and audience enthusiasm were extremely high, with many believing that "Lurking" would be one of the biggest winners of the night.

However, when the glittering red carpet was laid out outside Shanghai Oriental Television Station, and television professionals from Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong gathered together, Wang Sheng did not appear.

Before the ceremony began, the organizing committee played a pre-recorded video of Wang Sheng.

In the scene, Wang Sheng is in the office background of the Jingxin Building, wearing a simple shirt, with a just-right apology on his face.

"Dear Magnolia Awards Committee, judges, and audience members, I am very sorry that I cannot be there for tonight's grand event."

Wang Sheng said sincerely, "I am currently in Beijing, making crucial preparations for a new film that is about to start shooting. I am very busy with many matters and cannot get away from it. I feel very sorry about that."

He changed the subject, a genuine smile appearing on his face: "The Magnolia Awards are one of the most prestigious awards in the Chinese-language television industry, and have always been highly regarded for their professional and fair judging process."

Being nominated for "Lurking" is already a great honor for the entire crew.

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the organizing committee for their favor, to the judges for their recognition, and especially to all the viewers who love "Lurking".

Regardless of tonight's outcome, the faith and sacrifice conveyed in "Lurking" have already remained in our hearts.

Finally, he offered his blessings: "I wish the Magnolia Awards ceremony a complete success, and I wish the Shanghai TV Festival continued success! Thank you everyone."

The video was short, humble, and presented compelling reasons. It expressed respect for the award while also implying that the project she was working on was equally important and impeccable.

Replacing Wang Sheng and representing the "Lurking" production team in Shanghai was Cai Yinong, the vice president of Enlight Media and one of the core producers of important projects such as "Lurking".

She led the main creative team of "Lurking," including Wang Zhiwen and Jiang Wenli, onto the red carpet, becoming the focus of media attention.

As expected, the awards ceremony that night became a shining night for "Lurking".

The Best Television Series award, announced first, saw a rare tie.

"Lurking" shares this highest honor with "How the Steel Was Tempered," a film co-produced by China and Ukraine that sparked considerable discussion.

Cai Yinong gracefully took to the stage and accepted the weighty trophy from the presenter. On behalf of Wang Sheng and the entire production team, she delivered a brief acceptance speech, thanking everyone for their support and highlighting the power of teamwork. Her demeanor was impeccable. Following this, in the Best Actor category, Wang Zhiwen, with his profound understanding and precise portrayal of the complex character Yu Zecheng, shared the Best Actor award with Ukrainian actor Andriy Samminin, who played Pavel Korchagin in "How the Steel Was Tempered."

Under the spotlight, Wang Zhiwen was visibly emotional. He specifically mentioned Wang Sheng: "I am grateful to Director Wang Sheng. He saw another possibility in me, gave me this opportunity, and provided me with the greatest trust and guidance during my creative process. This award belongs to Yu Zecheng, and also to Director Wang, who has the discerning eye to recognize talent."

Subsequently, the competition for Best Actress was equally fierce.

Jiang Wenli, with her nuanced and powerful performance as "Cuiping" in "Lurking," who transforms from a naive village woman into a resolute fighter, competes for the nomination alongside Chen Jin, who delivered a delicate performance in "Year After Year," and Nora Butcher, the lead actress in the German drama series "Evil."

In the end, the trophy was awarded to three different teams.

In her acceptance speech, Jiang Wenli also expressed her gratitude to Wang Sheng, calling him a director who "turns stone into gold".

In the animation category, the science animation "Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit 3000 Questions," co-produced by Beijing Film Studio and Shengying Media, won the Best Animation Creativity Award along with another domestic animation, "Da Meng Teaching," thanks to its novel edutainment model and distinctive art style.

This award was also accepted on behalf of Tsai Yi-Nong.

Wang Sheng was nominated for Best Director but ultimately failed to win, losing to the directing team of "Yu Chenglong, a Generation of Honest Officials".

However, this did not prevent "Lurking" from shining brightly at this year's Magnolia Awards.

The numerous prestigious awards it has won fully demonstrate its comprehensive success in terms of artistic quality, market response, and industry recognition.

……

The overwhelming popularity of "Lurking" on television screens is the best proof of this.

Although the first run of "Lurking" on CCTV has long ended, the viewing frenzy and profound discussions it sparked have not yet subsided.

Even though it airs during non-prime time during the day, its tight pacing, gripping spy plot, and the actors' superb performances still attract a large number of viewers to tune in on time, and its ratings consistently rank among the top in its time slot.

Another epic production, "Crossing the Guandong," also began its reign on television after its initial run on prime time on CCTV-1.

The three-run broadcast of "Crossing the Guandong" was scattered across various local channels and some provincial satellite TV stations during the afternoon slots. The ups and downs of Zhu Kaishan's family's fate and the desolate and magnificent black soil of Guandong still have a strong appeal.

Many viewers who missed the premiere or wanted to rewatch the show became the core of stable viewership.

The fates of the characters and their lines remain topics of conversation among people on the streets and during their leisure time.

So, on an ordinary day in the summer of 2001, if you turned on any TV station during the daytime, one channel might be showing the thrilling battle of wits between Yu Zecheng and Li Ya in "Lurking," while another channel might be showing Zhu Kaishan enduring humiliation in Laojingou in "Crossing the Guandong."

These two works, with their distinct styles yet equally excellent, seem to form the backdrop of this summer's television screens, telling stories of faith, family, survival, and struggle among Chinese people in different eras in their own unique ways.

The media praise has been continuous. One commentary wrote: "When the suspense of 'Lurking' and the epic grandeur of 'Crossing the Guandong' are broadcast simultaneously on different channels, what we see is not only the production strength of Shengying Media, but also the arrival of an era where 'content is king'."

With its accurate market insight, strong production capabilities, and forward-looking industry layout, ShengYing Media has become the undisputed leader in China's television content production.

(End of this chapter)