Entertainment: You're asked to make a graduation project, but you're asked to film Ultrama

From the moment Ultraman Tiga burst onto the scene last September to the official end of the first season of Ultraman Tiga in early February of the following year, nearly half a year had passed.

After returning from their vacation in the Maldives, the studio team went through the turmoil of acquiring the copyright of Qi Ao Tian Zun. Then came the Chinese New Year at the end of February. When everyone returned from the New Year holiday, they didn't reunite until mid-March.

Logically speaking, Gu Nan and his group were already in their senior year internship stage, and they almost never needed to return to school to register for the last semester.

However, they still decided to go back to the Jinghai Drama Academy together before officially starting work.

If we have to pinpoint a reason, it's naturally because the school requested it... We can't exactly say it was just to show off or to embarrass ourselves.

The school leaders who used to expel them as "terrorists" now treat Gu Nan and his group as honored guests. Even Dean Zhang, who couldn't even remember their names, made a special trip to invite Gu Nan.

To be honest, they didn't really want to go, but in the end, Teacher Li spoke up and asked them to give him face...

We had no choice but to give Mr. Li Guoqiang face, since he had helped us before!

Time flies, and it's that time of year again—the day of the new semester's opening ceremony…

Outside the school's main auditorium, a red carpet was laid out and colorful flags fluttered in the wind.

In previous years, the only reason students like Gu Nan attended the opening ceremony was to earn credits and become NPCs in the school's official WeChat account promotional materials.

But things were different now. Gu Nan and his group were seated in the first row of the huge auditorium, and each of them had their own exclusive nameplate with red background and black lettering, which read "Outstanding Alumni"...

Gu Nan even sat directly on the podium, his position even higher than that of the dean of the secondary college.

But in fact, Gu Nan didn't come here for empty fame; he really wanted to show off his skills.

Moreover, at the school's request, they wanted Gu Nan and his colleagues to give a "lesson in experience".

Therefore, when Gu Nan told Teacher Li that he wanted to exhibit the props used in the filming of the first season of Ultraman Tiga, it was approved without any obstacles.

The second lecture hall has now been converted into the Ultraman Tiga exhibition hall…

Before the ceremony began,

"Excuse me! Please move aside! Don't block my view of Ultraman Tiga!"

"Holy crap, is that a real leather suit used in TV shows? Holy crap! And the monster's tentacles can even move?"

"Hey bro, could you take a picture with me in front of the TV show's Sparkler?"

The central area of ​​the exhibition hall, where a life-size model of Ultraman Tiga was displayed, was now completely surrounded by people.

Exclamations and camera shutters frequently erupted from the crowd, and even the security guards maintaining order couldn't help but tiptoe to peek inside.

Gu Nan stood in the center of the booth, wearing a well-tailored casual suit and the "GUTS" team badge he never took off his shirt.

Beside him were Su Zhe, Zhang Zhao, Xia Youwei, Chen Bo...

This group of friends, who once ate instant noodles and stayed up all night in abandoned factories, are now full of vigor, like heroes who have just returned from the battlefield.

Behind their autograph table was a huge display wall covered with stills from the show.

On the left, Ultraman Tiga glows with red, purple, and silver light under the spotlight. On the right, there's a close-up of Golza, the classic monster that will reappear (and be reviled) even in the future.

But that's not the most shocking part.

What impressed the teachers and students present the most was the row of exquisitely crafted props on the exhibition stand, which looked as if they had been taken directly from a tokusatsu drama: the Atdis model with a flashing breathing light, the Victory Team uniform, the Flying Swallow model with a full metallic texture, and even the "Spark Prism" that is regarded as a divine object by countless fans.

A student affairs director who usually looked down on everyone was now adjusting his glasses, staring incredulously at the automatically opening and closing wing structure of the "Atlas" model.

"This mechanical structure...did they build it themselves?"

"It's not just about structure."

Teacher Li Guoqiang, standing beside him, had his hands behind his back and a proud smile on his face.

"The hydraulic transmission, circuit board soldering, and even the instrument panel programming in the cockpit were all done by these kids working through the night."

Li Guoqiang looked at Gu Nan, who was surrounded by the crowd, with a look of satisfaction in his eyes.

"Director Wang, weren't you worried before that their work on special effects filming was a waste of their time? Now look, which team in the whole school has a graduation project that can reach this industrial-grade level?"

The director was speechless and could only awkwardly force a smile: "Yes, yes, yes, Teacher Li's teaching is excellent. This is an honor for our college, a true honor!"

This wasn't just an honor; it was a massacre.

While other students were still struggling to graduate and figuring out how to make their graduation project stories convincing in a few months, Gu Nan's team had already brought a complete, mature, and even market-proven "special effects industry system" to the exhibition hall.

Scriptwriting, storyboarding, suit making, miniature model building, special effects compositing, post-production and marketing...

Every step demonstrated a level of professionalism that surpassed the standards of the school's teachers and even exceeded the world's top industry standards.

"Senior Brother Gu!"

A sophomore girl squeezed through the crowd, her face flushed, and handed over a notebook. "Could...could I get an autograph? I became a fan of Ultraman after watching your 'Tiga' series! I want to join Light Chaser Animation!"

"Me too! Director Gu, I'm from the fine arts department. The texture of that monster suit is absolutely amazing! I'd like to learn how to make suits from you!"

"Director Gu, I'm a screenwriting major..."

Gu Nan smiled as he took the notebook and skillfully signed his name. Looking at these young and enthusiastic faces, a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

In the blink of an eye, it's almost turned into a campus recruitment event.

Once upon a time, even in his previous life's world, Ultraman and similar shows were considered "childish."

And now, it has become the coolest, trendiest, and most desirable art.

……

The opening ceremony was held solemnly at 10:00 a.m.

When the principal stood on the stage and read out Gu Nan's name in a passionate voice, the entire audience erupted in thunderous applause that lasted for a long time.

"Next, please welcome our outstanding graduate representative... outstanding alumni representative—Director Gu Nan—to the stage to speak. Gu Nan is the youngest and most famous new generation director in our entire school! No! In the entire Jinghai University, and even the whole country..."

After a round of compliments...

The spotlight focused instantly.

The background music started playing at just the right time, with an exciting entrance melody.

Gu Nan led his team members, heads held high, onto the podium.

There was no emotional outburst or tears as I had imagined, nor was there any sentimental reunion after hardship.

The faces of these young people showed more of a calmness, a confidence that said, "We did it, but this is just the beginning."

Gu Nan took the heavy microphone from the principal and stood in front of countless junior students.

Below the stage, thousands of eyes were fixed on him. Some were envious, some were jealous, but most were admiring.

"Hello everyone, I'm Gu Nan..."

Gu Nan's voice resonated throughout the auditorium through the speakers, steady and powerful.

"I suppose I don't need to introduce myself, since everyone should be quite familiar with me."

Appropriate laughter erupted from the audience.

"Actually, standing here today, I don't want to talk about how much hardship we've endured, nor do I want to talk about how much success Ultraman Tiga has achieved, and I certainly don't want to boast about our accomplishments."

"I want to talk about 'prejudice'."

The whole place fell silent.

"A year ago, when I said I was going to make a tokusatsu film, many people laughed at me, saying it was a rubber show for three-year-olds. They said it was outdated garbage, that we were violent, that we were terrorists."

Gu Nan's gaze swept across the audience, his eyes sharp as knives.

"But today, I want to tell everyone that tokusatsu is an ultimate romance that blends reality and fantasy. It is an industrial art that uses optics, chemistry, materials science, and camera language to create a universe within a small space."

"We blasted mushroom clouds out of starch, cut spaceships out of scrap metal, and portrayed divinity with leather suits."

"We have proven that as long as you put your heart into it, even something 'fake' can convey the 'truest' emotions."

The applause rang out again, even more enthusiastic than before.

Gu Nan raised his hand to suppress the applause.

"In order to continue this romance, and to prevent tokusatsu from becoming a rootless tree in this world again, on behalf of Light Chaser Animation, I hereby announce a decision."

Gu Nan paused for a moment, then dropped a bombshell.

"Light Chaser Animation will invest at least 10 million yuan in batches over the next two years to collaborate with Jinghai Drama Academy and establish the first 'Special Effects Full Industry Chain Training Base' in the western suburbs of China."

"We will provide a top-notch photography studio, a state-of-the-art suit-making workshop, and a complete miniature model production line. Any student from our school who is interested can apply to intern at our base. We will impart our skills and incubate projects without reservation."

"Since there is no light in this world, let's turn this place into a source of light!"

"Whoosh—!!!"

If the previous applause was polite and appreciative, then this applause is utter madness.

Ten million! A practical training base!

For these college students who are still struggling to find jobs, this is like a Noah's Ark falling from the sky.

Teacher Li Guoqiang in the audience had tears in his eyes.

Looking at the spirited student on the stage, he seemed to see himself decades ago, a man who also harbored a dream of making movies but was ultimately shattered by reality.

"Good lad..."

Old Li muttered to himself, "This person's vision is far superior to mine."

……

After the ceremony, Gu Nan did not bask in the cheers on campus.

He knew very well that the campus was just a greenhouse, and the real battlefield was outside.

In the temporary office of Light Chaser Animation Studios, a closed-door meeting about the future is underway.

In addition to the original team, two new faces appeared at the conference table.

A man who was clearly very young, yet insisted on wearing an old-fashioned suit, with his hair neatly combed, twirling a Montblanc pen in his hand, his eyes sharp and cautious.

He was a top lawyer specially transferred from the group's legal department by Gu Nan's father, Gu Zhenhai.

He will be in charge of the newly established legal department at the new company.

This person is said to be the top liberal arts student in Jinghai who skipped several grades. Although he is a year younger than Gu Nan, he has already been working in the legal field for many years.

This person, named Sun Ze, will be specifically responsible for handling any complex copyright disputes that may arise in the future.

Furthermore, he will also be responsible for the later marketing and overseas expansion of Ultraman Tiga...

"Mr. Gu, based on the current financial statements and legal assessment..."

Sun Ze pushed up his glasses and got straight to the point, "Although we have acquired the copyright to Showa Ultraman and Ultraman Tiga is incredibly popular, we have also noticed some potential legal risks."

"I'll see you through to the end."

Gu Nan replied, "Attorney Sun, your task is simple. Assemble a top-notch legal team, exclusively for every potential competitor."

"clear."

Sun Lu smiled and said, "Fighting these kinds of battles with surplus resources is my specialty."

"What about the situation overseas?"

"The response from overseas markets has been even better than expected."

Turn on the projector, and you'll see a world map on it. "Although we're only currently streaming on Bilibili, several YouTube videos about Ultraman Tiga have already surpassed a million views. The response has been particularly positive in Southeast Asia and Japan and South Korea."

"But at the same time, I also noticed some potential risks. Penguin and iQiyi from China, and streaming platforms with their own content production capabilities such as Netflix, HULO, and Epple TV from overseas are all laying out their plans for the tokusatsu (special effects) market. The second season of Ultraman Tiga will probably face precise attacks from many potential competitors, and these companies are far stronger than the original Ultraman Tiga."

"My advice is not to rush into selling broadcasting rights, but to quickly establish a presence in overseas markets."

Sun Ze pointed to several points on the map, "These are some countries and regions where YouTube has a relatively good response to content. For example, in Japan, we can start by producing old Ultraman toys. We can take advantage of this wave of 'nostalgia' and 'curiosity' by bundling the Spark Lens with classic Showa-era transformation devices and selling them together, so that people will subconsciously believe that Tiga is the authentic one."

"Granted."

Gu Nan nodded. "Remember, the overseas version needs to be differentiated. The packaging should be exquisite, and it should be labeled 'Collector's Edition.' We want to profit not only from the exchange rate difference, but also from the brand premium."

With each instruction issued, the once somewhat immature machine that was Chasing Light Pictures began to equip itself with titanium alloy gears, and began to operate at full speed toward becoming a true business empire.

……

This Saturday at 3 PM at the Jinghai International Conference Center.

The "Chasing Light Pictures Strategy Launch Conference" will be held here.

For the first time, Gu Nan will face the media from the entire society as an "industry leader".

Entertainment reporters from mainstream media, financial reporters, self-media content creators, and even several foreign media outlets all received invitations.

Of course, among the people present that day were certainly spies from various competitors.

……

The announcement of the upcoming press conference once again caused a stir online.

But this time, it wasn't just the fans of "Ultraman Tiga" who were excited, but also those "Showa era fans" who had been forgotten.

Because at the end of the trailer, Gu Nan announced a piece of news that brought tears to the eyes of all longtime fans:

"Light Chaser Animation Studios has officially launched the 'Showa Ultraman Restoration Project.' We will use the latest AI technology and film restoration technology to remake the classic episodes of the five legendary heroes, Ultraman, Seven, Jack, Ace, and Taro, in 4K, and it will be exclusively available on Bilibili."

"Furthermore, all classic Showa-era monster soft vinyl figures will be re-molded and produced by Light Chaser Animation Studios to ensure authenticity and prevent color bleeding and material skimming."

As soon as this news came out, the official Weibo account of the already half-dead Qi Ao Tian Zun was instantly flooded with comments.

Countless longtime fans rushed in to leave comments:

Did you hear that? That's what respecting IP really means!

[The Taro figures I bought from you guys before always had crooked corners! Now I can finally buy the real thing!]

[That's vision! Director Gu is awesome!]

That evening, a well-known Bilibili UP master, "Poisonous Tongue Lao Tang," posted a status update.

There is no video, only a picture.

The picture shows the commemorative gift box containing the complete restored set of "Showa Ultra Brothers" that he just received, sent by Light Chaser Animation.

Beside those six classic red figures, there was a magic light stick.

Old Tang's caption was only one sentence:

"The puzzle of the Land of Light is finally complete today."

This sentence instantly became the number one trending topic.

Accompanying this was a surge in sales of Showa-era merchandise at the Light Chaser Animation Studios official store.

In just one hour, pre-sales exceeded ten million yuan.

This is not just about money; it's about monetizing passion and the highest reward for "creating content with heart."

……