Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 9, Section 09: The Beijing Film Studio's Children

With the editing work successfully completed, Wang Sheng felt much more at ease.

But he knew that for an advertisement to be successful, both visuals and sound were indispensable.

For the next two days, he followed the same method, carrying "Golden Bridge" cigarettes and the same sincere smile, moving between various technical workshops of the Beijing Film Studio.

The second stop was the recording studio.

The commercial needs background music to create a romantic atmosphere, as well as a deep male voiceover at the end saying, "Shengying Media, creating a unique love story for you."

Wang Sheng's goal was clear: to use the factory's professional equipment to record, and then ask a master craftsman to help with sound mixing.

He was greeted by the deputy director of the recording workshop, an old engineer with an almost obsessive pursuit of sound quality. Wang Sheng didn't make any direct requests. He first respectfully offered him a cigarette, then took out the edited Betacam SP master tape and played only the silent video. The veil kiss in the morning light, the beautiful composition and lighting, inherently possessed a strong narrative and emotional tension.

The old engineer pushed up his glasses, looked at the monitor, and didn't say anything, but his eyes revealed professional appreciation.

Taking the opportunity, Wang Sheng explained his purpose, emphasizing that this was a "marketization pilot project" approved by Director Han, and subtly indicated that a little "sound magic" was needed to make the visuals even more perfect.

Perhaps it was the visuals that truly moved the veteran engineer, perhaps it was Han Sanping's reputation that had an effect, or perhaps it was Wang Sheng's sincere attitude of showing great respect for technology that finally made the veteran engineer nod in agreement.

He personally led Wang Sheng into the mixing studio, selected a demo of a romantic piano piece from his inventory with clear copyright, and found a broadcaster colleague with an excellent voice to record the narration for the advertisement.

Under the skillful hands of the veteran engineer, the volume of the music, the entry point of the narration, and even the subtle ambient sounds during the kiss were carefully adjusted. The final mixed-up effect gave the simple 15-second advertisement the quality of a movie trailer.

Wang Sheng paid the price of two packs of "Golden Bridge" cigarettes and a symbolic usage fee for the mixing studio.

Next came the subtitles and simple opening effects.

Wang Sheng then located the art design workshop and the special effects workshop.

Although there was no cool CG in 1996, it was a piece of cake for the technical staff of Beijing Film Studio to create cinematic metallic logo subtitles or simple fade-in/fade-out and overlay effects using professional subtitle machines.

Using the "Golden Bridge" as a starting point and the "Director Han's Pilot Project" as a shield, Wang Sheng successfully obtained the "high-end" packaging he wanted.

At this point, the commercial and several template samples in different styles have all been completed.

Holding the final broadcast tape, Wang Sheng felt as if the thin cassette was incredibly heavy. It contained not only their hard work but also a successful practice of smoothing things over with the Beijing Film Studio in the past few days.

……

On the afternoon of the same day the advertisement was completed, Chen Yu retrieved the business license of "Shengying Media Co., Ltd." from the Administration for Industry and Commerce, which still smelled of ink.

The bright red seal and the black and white words indicating the limited liability company status seemed incredibly precious at this moment.

Although half of their registered capital is in equipment leasing rights, and their office is simple, all of this means that they are no longer a makeshift operation, but a formally recognized market entity.

Wang Sheng immediately decided to hold a simple opening ceremony, both to bring good luck and to announce their official debut.

He told Chen Liang to quickly order a simple signboard and also bought some melon seeds and fruit candies.

Wang Sheng even went to intercept Han Sanping again, told him about the opening ceremony, and hoped to invite the factory director to cut the ribbon.

The next morning, a small, low-key opening ceremony was held at the entrance of Wang Sheng's office, which was only about 20 square meters.

To Wang Sheng's surprise, yet also as expected, Han Sanping actually managed to find the time to come.

He stood out among the children of Beijing Film Studio employees, who were dressed in work clothes or old clothes, wearing that familiar gray jacket.

There was no fanfare, no flower-filled celebration.

When Han Sanping arrived, he simply glanced at the business license, shook hands with Wang Sheng, Chen Liang and several other core members, and said a few words of encouragement and admonition, such as "Work hard," "Make a name for yourself," and "Be mindful of the impact."

Then, surrounded by the crowd, he picked up a pair of scissors and cut the red ribbon.

Across from them, the hired photographer raised his camera and snapped a picture, capturing the moment: Han Sanping stood in the middle with a smile that revealed no emotion, while Wang Sheng and Chen Liang stood on either side, looking slightly nervous and excited. Behind them were a group of young faces, including Monkey, Da Liu, Xiao Bing, and Chen Yu, whose eyes were filled with hope and confusion. In the background was the old warehouse with a brand-new but somewhat flimsy signboard.

Han Sanping didn't stay long. After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, he symbolically ate a piece of fruit candy that Chen Yu handed him, and then left amidst the curious, envious, or jealous gazes of the management staff.

But his presence alone already sent a strong enough signal.

The arrival of Han Sanping and the official establishment of Shengying Media were like a stone thrown into the seemingly calm but actually turbulent waters of Beijing Film Studio, creating ripples.

The names "Shengying Media" and "Wang Sheng" quickly spread throughout the Beijing Film Studio's residential area and even in Beijing's arts and culture circles.

Soon, a long-forgotten yet sensitive term was brought up again—"the Beijing Film Studio's children's clique".

This word carries both a halo and a heavy historical burden.

The previous generation, the first generation of the "Beijing Film Studio children's gang," included Chen Kaige, Tian Zhuangzhuang, and Li Shaohong.

Their fathers were founding members of the Beijing Film Studio, renowned directors, and performing artists. Most of them lived through a special era, and the concept of the "Beijing Film Studio Children's Gang" originated from that period. These people later entered film academies and, in the 1980s, stood out with their profound family background and the opportunities of the times, becoming the backbone of the internationally renowned "Fifth Generation" directors.

They are true "academics" and "scions of prominent families".

The emergence of Wang Sheng and his group has led some to naturally regard them as a "new generation" of children of Beijing Film Studio employees.

They both grew up in the Beijing Film Studio, and their parents mostly worked there. Now they are also starting to get involved in the film and television industry.

But this title immediately sparked controversy.

In certain circles of children from more "upper-class" families, disdainful and questioning voices quickly arose:

"Wang Sheng? His dad's just a driver at a film studio! His mom's a makeup artist... This can be called a 'gang of privileged children'? Don't try to make yourself look good!"

"Exactly! They're just a bunch of kids of skilled workers who, because they live in the factory, get together and mess around, making wedding videos. They're a disgrace to the Beijing Film Studio!"

"Director Han, how did you end up supporting this? How can this compare to what our Brother Kaige and Sister Shaohong did back then? Their bloodlines aren't even pure!"

"I heard that in order to edit the footage and record the audio, they were smoking everywhere, like they were giving alms to beggars. It was undignified and really not presentable."

"..."

These discussions, through various channels, vaguely reached the ears of Wang Sheng and his group.

Chen Liang was so angry he was about to explode, but Wang Sheng held him down.

"Let them say what they want, we'll do what we want."

Wang Sheng's tone was surprisingly calm: "'The Brotherhood' is a label we can't and don't need to carry right now. We are 'Shengying Media,' and we make our living through our skills and the market. It's not shameful for our parents to be skilled workers; our skills are the best 'bloodline.' Once we make a name for ourselves and let our real achievements speak for themselves, that will be better than any title."

He said it like that, but he knew in his heart that behind this "battle for titles" lay the division of resources, the right to speak, and the future path.

The rise of this group of "descendants of skilled workers" has undoubtedly touched a nerve with some people and touched upon their ingrained class consciousness.

……

The rumors and gossip outside have no immediate impact on Wang Sheng and his team's planned course of action.

The advertising tapes had already been delivered to the reviewers of the advertising department of the Beijing Television Arts Channel through Director Liu's connections at the Beijing Film Recording and Video Company.

As Wang Sheng predicted, the advertising review environment in 1996 was far less stringent than in later years.

The market is flooded with advertisements for various health products and medicines that feature outrageous claims and images that border on the 'android,' yet some local TV stations operate with complete impunity.

In contrast, although their advertisement features a kissing scene, the beautiful lighting and the hazy effect of the veil make it subtle and romantic, full of "artistic flair" rather than "sexuality."

The reviewer skimmed through the film, found no violations, signed the process sheet, and that was it.

The schedule was quickly set for Tuesday evening, April 16th, during the pre-roll ad slot for "Midnight Cinema".

The day before the advertisement was shown on screen.

Wang Sheng sent a message to Li Xiaoran's pager. Due to technical limitations, a single message could only contain twenty characters: "Ms. Li's advertisement will air tomorrow night on the Arts and Literature Channel's Midnight Cinema program."
He didn't know if Li Xiaoran would see it, but because of their working relationship, he felt he should inform her...

(End of this chapter)