Entertainment: Starting from joining Kugou Video

Chapter 160: Dumpling Team Special Effects!

Bai Yicong himself has a very impressive resume; he is a graduate of the Directing Department of the Central Academy of Drama.

Later, he became a director, screenwriter, and producer, and is now one of the leading figures in the industry, focusing on production and supervision.

The white-clad man has far more experience than the man in the brothel.

In his early career, he worked as a screenwriter for traditional TV dramas, with his first work being Zhang Jizhong's "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils". After that, he worked on many popular and critically acclaimed big-budget TV dramas.

He was also one of the earliest web series producers and can be considered one of the industry pioneers.

His breakout role in a web series was "Darker," a phenomenal debut.

Then came the first installment of "The Lost Tomb," which was also the most influential super IP of its time.

This time, building on the experience of the first season, Bai Yicong is even more composed and adept at creating the second season.

With Tencent Video's massive investment, this series has a very high chance of becoming a hit.

This is the first time "Ghost Blows Out the Light" has been adapted, and it has directly encountered the industry's ceiling, which makes the Tanglou team members somewhat worried.

"Mr. Tang, should we avoid competing with their works and wait until their popularity has died down before releasing our 'Ghost Blows Out the Light'?"

This is also a wise choice. If they were released one after the other, and "The Grave Robbers' Chronicles" became a huge success, then "Ghost Blows Out the Light," as an imitator, would be under a lot of pressure.

If the quality falls even slightly behind, it will definitely be subject to various criticisms and ridicule, which will have a significant impact on the results.

Unlike the concerns of his team members, Tang Lou was full of confidence.

"No need, we just need to proceed at our own pace."

"Of course, I don't deny that 'The Lost Tomb 2: The Wrath of the Sea & The Sacred Tree of Qinling' is indeed Tencent Video's flagship web series this year. It is also the pinnacle of the tomb raiding genre, with a strong fan base and extraordinary competitiveness."

"However, that's because there's only one 'Tomb Raider' book on the market. Once our work is released, the tomb raiding genre will have two major players, just like the original novel. 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' is also an existence that cannot be ignored."

"Since they want to play this game, I'll play along."

"If Tencent Video isn't trying to compete head-on with us, then we might as well speed up the project and try to launch at the same time as them."

"Since we're going to fight, let's go head-to-head. Our team produces high-quality content, and we're going to compete with Tencent Video's top-tier productions."

"Speaking of investment, Tencent Video really went all out this time, investing a full 80 million. But even so, we can still have the upper hand."

"This time, we invested over 100 million yuan, and the extra money was all used for the construction of props and venues."

"They respect the original work, and we respect it in the same way. They use 60% real sets, and we use 90% real sets."

"As for special effects, we're even less afraid."

Tang Lou already has a trump card in his hand, which is the Cocoa Bean Animation by the Dumpling Team.

Now, with the substantial investment from Tanglou, Coco Bean's fully self-developed rendering system has entered the trial phase.

This "Ghost Blows Out the Light" project can be handled entirely by the Jiaozi team. After the web series "Ghost Blows Out the Light" becomes a hit, this special effects collaboration can also be used as a form of publicity. It can also be used when "Nezha" is selected later.

After Tang Lou proposed that the Jiaozi team produce and be responsible for the special effects of the "Ghost Blows Out the Light" project, the Jiaozi team was naturally very happy to agree.

Now with ample funding, the team has upgraded its equipment, recruited talent, and, with its fully self-developed animation system at its helm, has the capacity to produce other film and television projects besides "Nezha".

For the dumpling team, this in-depth collaboration with Tanglou's "Ghost Blows Out the Light" is also a huge setback. After the show is released, audiences and industry insiders will realize the power and leading edge of the special effects.

This "Ghost Blows Out the Light" project can also be considered as the first assignment that the Dumpling team gave to Tang Lou.

After all, the progress of "Ne Zha" is still slow, which is because Jiaozi's requirements are too demanding.

Originally, they had no money and no technology, but now things are different. They have enough funds and brand-new equipment and technology, so Jiaozi's requirements for the film are higher.

Therefore, with the main business not progressing quickly, this "Ghost Blows Out the Light" project is also a way for Tanglou to showcase the team's capabilities and technology.

After securing the "Ghost Blows Out the Light" project, Jiaozi personally assembled a project team dedicated to working on this web series.

The dumpling team is also looking forward to performing in front of Tang Lou, setting a benchmark for all competitors in the field of web drama special effects.

With the technical support of the dumpling team, Tanglou is increasingly confident in the success of this project.

Three days later, the industry forum "China Film and Television Innovation Summit" was held in Shanghai.

Tang Lou attended as a guest.

During the roundtable discussion, the moderator posed a question: "Mr. Tang, I heard that your company is preparing a web series adaptation of 'Ghost Blows Out the Light,' with an investment of 1.2 million yuan. This figure is unprecedented in the history of web series. Aren't you worried about the risks?"

Before Tang Lou could speak, a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses next to him laughed.

It is Zhang Hong, a well-known film and television critic in China, known for his "sharp tongue".

"Mr. Tang is young and promising, and his courage is commendable." Zhang Hong adjusted his glasses. "But I have to be honest: in the tomb raiding genre, the 'Tomb Raiders' IP has already explored every possible avenue. This genre has been defined by 'Tomb Raiders' itself. Movies have been made, web series have been made, and even stage plays have been produced. Can audiences accept a newcomer?"

"One is the 'Tomb Raiders' series, which has been proven time and again to have a large fan base, and the other is the 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' series, which is just starting out and is a poor imitation. Such a huge investment will ultimately be a waste of time."

Whispers arose from the audience.

Zhang Hong continued, "Moreover, Tencent Video's 'The Lost Tomb' is about to be released. If you enter the market now, what is it if not picking up scraps from others? They're eating meat, and you can't even catch the soup while it's still hot."

Tang Lou listened quietly until Zhang Hong finished speaking before picking up the microphone.

"Teacher Zhang is right. 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' is indeed being adapted into a film or television series for the first time." He paused, "But have you read the original novel?"

Zhang Hong was taken aback: "Of course I've seen it."

"Then you should remember, what was the first sentence of the first chapter?"

The meeting room fell silent.

Tang Lou slowly recited: "Humans light candles, ghosts blow out lamps, geomancers search for star peaks by digging tombs."

"What is the core of this sentence? It's the atmosphere, the details, and the realism of tomb raiders walking on the edge of life and death."

He pulled up several photos from his phone and projected them onto the big screen; they were concept design drawings for "Candle in the Tomb: The Lost City".

"This was drawn by the art team of our Cocoa Bean Animation. Hu Bayi's compass wasn't just something the props team bought randomly; it was handmade by an inheritor of intangible cultural heritage, based on the descriptions in the 'Sixteen-Character Yin-Yang Feng Shui Secret Technique.' Every mark on it has a specific meaning."

"We won't use green screen effects to fake the black desert scenery of the Jingjue Ancient City. The crew will film on location in the Taklamakan Desert. We'll build a 1:1 replica of the ancient city ruins in Ningxia."