Chinese entertainment: Top stars have no holidays

Chapter 117 Our idol's career is booming!

9:40 AM, Zini Tang Film and Television Shooting Base.

With the completion of the group photo of all the main cast and crew of "The Thunder," the solemn and dignified opening ceremony officially came to a close.

The dozens of official media outlets and entertainment self-media that were invited to the scene did not linger at all, and immediately packed up their equipment and left the filming site.

For entertainment media, news stories about top young idols crossing over into serious dramas or half of the industry's veteran actors gathering are far more valuable than ordinary idol drama launch press conferences.

Publishing news even a minute earlier allows you to seize the opportunity to gain early exposure and popularity.

In less than ten minutes, news about the successful start of filming for "The Thunder" and Jiang Bai's official announcement of playing the male lead Li Fei spread like wildfire across major social media platforms.

Based on their own platform positioning, major media outlets have created news headlines with distinctly different styles, dominating the trending topics list in the entertainment sector.

The headlines of official mainstream entertainment media tend to be formal, objective, stable, and authoritative.

The highly anticipated anti-drug crime drama "The Thunder" officially began filming today, with Jiang Bai taking on the lead role of Li Fei.

[Wu Gang, Wang Jinsong, and Simon Yam, three veteran actors, join forces to lend their support; the main cast of "The Thunder" revealed]

[Rising star Jiang Bai crosses over into serious drama, unlocking a brand new police officer persona, and deeply cultivating multiple tracks in film and television]

Self-media and marketing accounts that lean towards gossip and entertainment are well-versed in the secrets of traffic generation, using more eye-catching headlines and focusing on suspense and topicality.

[Abandoning the comfort zone of popularity! Jiang Bai rejects idol drama scripts and takes on the hardcore challenge of playing a high-risk anti-drug police officer]

Is the Chinese entertainment industry going crazy? Top idol Jiang Bai teams up with three award-winning veteran actors; just how strong is this new drama's lineup?

From campus heartthrob to narcotics officer, Jiang Bai changes his on-screen identity again. Can this campus heartthrob successfully transition into a policeman?

In addition, trending topics on Weibo dominated half of the top ten entertainment searches.

#The Thunder Operation Starts Filming#, #Jiang Bai Anti-Drug Police Officer Look#, #Jiang Bai Li Fei#, #How Amazing is a Crime Drama with an All-Star Cast#.

Trending topics surged and dominated the entire internet.

Such a lavish promotional event would likely have drawn ridicule from a large number of casual viewers if it were any other celebrity, who would criticize them for being a "resource-backed" star who monopolizes high-quality drama roles.

But when applied to Jiang Bai, it seems perfectly normal.

That's what top celebrities are like.

In recent years, everyone has gotten used to the fact that any move made by top celebrities will dominate the trending topics.

Lu Han can easily trend on social media just by posting a photo or showing off a doll.

Moreover, this is such important news as the start of filming for Jiang Bai's new drama.

Besides, Jiang Bai still has a pretty good public image.

On the one hand, his professional skills are quite good. He played both roles, Lu Zhiang and Jiang Chen, very well, and there is nothing wrong with them.

On the other hand, his criticism of Chris Wu garnered him a lot of goodwill among male netizens, and Jiang Bai temporarily has a "no-spray card," but it's hard to say how long this "no-spray" period will last.

Therefore, the current public opinion environment is still quite favorable to him.

When their idol landed a top-tier serious drama role, Jiang Bai's fan base naturally exploded instantly.

They rushed to various platforms to control comments and promote their idols, while also promoting the new drama that had just started filming.

On Weibo's supertopic and trending topics comment sections, there are countless comments from Jiang Bai's fans, all jokingly calling for "white rice" to control the narrative: "Shedding the school uniform and boyishness, donning navy blue to protect countless families, actor Jiang Bai's new role as Li Fei awaits the breaking of the ice and the march towards glory!"

"Stepping out of his comfort zone, daring to take on challenging crime dramas, and never limiting himself to a single path—that's the true actor Jiang Bai! Looking forward to the early completion and premiere of 'The Thunder'!"

"To be able to act alongside three veteran actors—Wu Gang, Wang Jinsong, and Simon Yam—is both an opportunity and a challenge. I believe Jiang Bai will deliver a perfect performance, and we eagerly await seeing him on screen!"

"Reject stereotypes, let the work speak for itself, support actor Jiang Bai, and support the year's blockbuster anti-drug drama 'The Thunder'!"

Platforms with predominantly male users, such as Douyin, Hupu, and Tieba, were not forgotten by Dai Lu, who was in charge behind the scenes.

She also hired an online marketing company to promote and recommend Jiang Bai on these platforms, posing as ordinary people and fans: "While other popular dramas are flocking to historical romance dramas, Jiang Bai has directly jumped into serious crime dramas, which has broadened his horizons!"

"Just looking at the leaked photos from the start of filming, I'm already captivated. The atmosphere of young police officers is off the charts, and I can't wait for the premiere!"

"Putting everything else aside, just based on this cast of veteran actors, I'll definitely be watching this show. I'm eagerly waiting for Jiang Bai to be guided by these seasoned actors and see his acting skills improve dramatically!"

"This is the kind of TV series we men should be watching! Just looking at the cast makes it sound so exciting!"

With fans celebrating, casual viewers discussing, and media hype, the popularity of "The Thunder" has soared.

While everyone's attention was focused on Jiang Bai's brand new crime drama.

Meanwhile, Tencent Video quietly made its move, launching another long-planned pre-battle.

Today is destined to be a day when Jiang Bai dominates social media.

If "The Thunder" is Jiang Bai's trump card to broaden his acting career and break into the mainstream film and television industry.

The show "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," which is scheduled to premiere on February 9th, is a key project jointly launched by Tencent Video and Jukeai Studio to capture young viewers and seize the winter break market.

In the original timeline of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," the starting cards weren't particularly advantageous.

Without the support of top-tier actors, without a large-scale publicity budget, and without any special support from the platform, the entire series premiered with zero pre-release promotion and zero official announcement.

Even so, this drama relied on its high-quality script, delicate unrequited love story, and spontaneous recommendations from viewers to gradually build its reputation and eventually become a dark horse hit of the year.

But things are different in this time and space.

The male lead in the current version of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" has been replaced by Jiang Bai, a rising star in the Chinese entertainment industry.

The overall positioning and strategic value of the series increased several times over.

Furthermore, Tencent Video is currently in a critical period of vigorously promoting the revenue-sharing drama model.

There is an urgent need for a hit drama series that achieves both high ratings and positive reviews, serving as an industry benchmark to attract more producers, screenwriters, and actors to the platform and improve its own drama ecosystem.

The right timing, the right location, and the right people are all in place.

Tencent Video showed no intention of holding back at all, giving "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" the maximum amount of resources.

The compensation package is comparable to that of a top-tier, customized drama series produced by a major platform, with no upper limit on the publicity and distribution budget.

Just half a day after "The Thunder" dominated the trending searches.

In the evening, the official Douyin account and official Weibo account of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" updated their content simultaneously, officially sounding the horn for the pre-broadcast hype.

The official Douyin account released several exclusive behind-the-scenes clips, all of which were previously unseen during the filming process.

The behind-the-scenes footage mostly revolves around the two lead actors, Jiang Bai and Li Yitong.

There are adorable moments when the two actors stumbled over their lines during a scene, making everyone laugh.

There are beautiful scenes of people strolling side by side on the playground under the setting sun.

There are also tender scenes of Jiang Bai helping Li Yitong tidy her stray hairs and handing her water and shading her from the sun during breaks.

The drama hasn't even aired yet, but the on-screen couple is already being marketed!

The most ordinary and natural daily life on set is enough to appeal to countless fans who love sweet moments.

Because their interaction didn't feel like artificial saccharin at all.

After all, it's because I genuinely like it, and that feeling is different from what I put on a performance!

In just half an hour, multiple short videos featuring behind-the-scenes footage topped the trending searches on Douyin.

#Jiangbai and Li Yitong create a fantastic atmosphere#

#WanXingCP's On-Set Life#

The two hashtags quickly went viral, and a large number of fans quickly gathered again. Passersby who were attracted by the premiere of Jiang Bai's new drama also rushed to watch.

Jiang Bai's fans, after finishing controlling the comments for "The Thunder" which just started filming, rushed over to cheer for "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" which just announced its broadcast time. They were so busy today!

But they were having a great time!

Our idol's career is booming!

Do you have any idols with such busy careers?

In contrast, Douyin focuses on fragmented behind-the-scenes footage and sweet romance marketing featuring couples.

The official Weibo account for "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" took a more formal approach to promoting the film.

They directly released a two-minute trailer titled "Unrequited Love," showcasing the entire series' worldview and core plot.

The two-minute trailer is a bittersweet mix of emotions.

The trailer opens with a dark and oppressive tone, with a light, cold rain enveloping the entire city, instantly establishing a tragic atmosphere.

The female protagonist, Lin Beixing, who has entered adulthood, is experiencing a chaotic life. She suffers setbacks in both love and career, and her arranged marriage is betrayed by her boyfriend. She lives a numb and boring mediocre life day after day.

In a moment of utter despair, Lin Beixing stumbled upon his old flip phone, which had been gathering dust for years.

The moment she casually deleted the old text messages on her phone, the scene abruptly changed, and time and space were violently distorted.

In a sudden shift, she unexpectedly travels back ten years to her carefree senior year of high school.

Overjoyed at the chance to start over, Lin Beixing believed she could use her memories from her past life to rewrite her regrets, escape her terrible family of origin, avoid her scumbag ex, get into her dream university, and live a life of passion and excitement for herself.

But gradually she discovered...

No matter what changes she makes, whenever a quiet, reserved boy encounters danger or falls into darkness...

The parallel universe she exists in will collapse instantly, forcibly sending her back to her original reality.

The camera zooms in on Zhang Wansen, the male lead, who is dressed in a clean white school uniform and has a cool and aloof demeanor. He is the character played by Jiang Bai.

The boy always habitually lowered his head, silently hiding in the corner of the crowd. He was timid, self-conscious, and not good at speaking. He exuded a sense of aloofness that kept strangers at bay.

No one knew that this seemingly ordinary and timid boy had secretly loved Lin Beixing for ten whole years.

The subsequent scenes are quickly edited and switched, showing Lin Beixing actively approaching the aloof academic genius Zhang Wansen in order to stabilize time and space, trying to find a way to save this tragically fated boy.

It was during their interactions that she gradually discovered that the other person seemed to have had a crush on her for a very long time.

The sweltering senior high school classroom, the playground with a gentle evening breeze, the dimly lit alley, and the rooftop covered in snow.

Scenes of youthful innocence and sweetness on campus are interspersed with tragic moments of a boy being surrounded and bullied, helplessly escaping in the rain, and falling from a high tower.

The contrast between sweetness and angst creates a sense of tension and destiny that immediately puts your heart on edge.

The trailer ends with a shot of torrential rain.

Lin Beixing's eyes were red, and her voice was choked with barely concealed sobs: "We've known each other for a long time. If you feel it's not enough, we can get to know each other again."

On the other side, young Zhang Wansen stood in the heavy rain, his gaze shifting from doubt to determination, as he slowly grasped Lin Beixing's outstretched hand.

The hand.

The screen goes black, and the subtitle appears: "The biggest secret is that I like you."

The short two-minute trailer seamlessly blends four key elements: unrequited love, redemption, time travel, and parallel worlds, with foreshadowing throughout and suspense galore.

The trailer went viral on Weibo as soon as it was released. After watching it, netizens exclaimed that this was the most anticipated campus drama of the year, bar none.

In an instant, Jiang Bai became the master of Weibo today.

On one hand, there's the hardcore crime drama "The Thunder," which focuses on a positive turnaround in terms of reputation and appeals to mainstream audiences.

On one hand, there's the sweet and bittersweet time-travel campus drama "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," which focuses on youthful unrequited love and aims to attract young viewers.

With this two-pronged approach, Jiang Bai's name completely dominated all the entertainment news that day.

It's worth mentioning that Jiang Bai's earlier film, "Legend of Yunxi," still has no release date yet.

This has caused many fans, who are busy promoting these two dramas, to have a lot of doubts in private.

It's worth noting that "Legend of Yunxi" was filmed much earlier than "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".

When the production team officially announced the start of filming, it generated quite a bit of buzz.

Logically speaking, it should have been scheduled to air long ago, so why has it been so quiet until now, and been overtaken by the later-filmed "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"?

Actually, it's because "Legend of Yunxi" is a custom-produced period drama created by Siba Media in collaboration with Qiyi Video.

The show was broadcast on iQiyi.

In the first three months of this year, all of Qiyi Video's promotional resources, traffic budget, and homepage recommendation slots were devoted to its self-produced S+ level hit variety show, "Idol Producer".

This talent show, designed to create boy band idols, will officially premiere tomorrow, January 19th.

For iQiyi, "Idol Producer" is the strategic core of the first quarter of spring, taking priority over all film and television projects.

After repeated discussions, the platform's senior management finally decided to postpone the broadcast schedule of "Legend of Yunxi".

This does not mean that the platform does not value "Legend of Yunxi".

On the contrary, it is precisely because the platform values ​​this drama so much that it is unwilling to let it be released during the peak of the variety show's popularity.

Whether it's variety shows or TV dramas, the target audiences largely overlap, mostly young female users.

If they are forced to launch at the same time, it will only cause internal traffic consumption, with variety shows diverting the popularity of dramas and dramas taking away the audience of variety shows, which will be a loss.

According to the internal broadcast schedule of Qiyi Video, "Legend of Yunxi" will not be available until April at the earliest, after the successful conclusion of "Idol Producer" and the complete dissipation of the hype surrounding the group's formation night.

Tencent Video has scheduled the premiere of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" for February 9th.

Their purpose is crystal clear: to directly target "Idol Producer" and steal the traffic of young users during the winter break.

It can only be said that no matter which platform it's in, Jiang Bai will become a powerful tool against rival platforms.

In the future, it will become the norm for projects that help Tencent fight against iQiyi today to fight against Youku tomorrow.

At the same time, in the capital city, thousands of miles away.

As evening falls and the sun sets, its afterglow streams through the floor-to-ceiling windows into a spacious and clean professional practice room.

This is not a training base for a professional talent agency, but a venue rented by Zhang Yimou's studio specifically to cultivate new actors.

To be precise, it was rented specifically to train Liu Haocun.

The intense training in physical form, dialogue, and camera presence has ended.

After the teachers left, Liu Haocun rested alone on a cushion by the French windows.

The girl wore a simple white practice uniform, her long hair casually tied into a bun, paired with a delicate and tender face, her eyebrows and eyes clean and pure, exuding an innocent and youthful beauty.

At present, Liu Haocun's daily life is simple and monotonous, revolving around three points: home, work, and home.

Training rooms, schools, canteens—day after day, they receive the same professional training courses.

Because she wasn't a professionally trained actor, but a dance student at the Beijing Dance Academy.

After being noticed by Zhang Yimou, her mindset subtly changed.

Originally just an ordinary art student studying dance, she now has a clear goal: to become a leading actress under director Zhang Yimou.

In the future, he will appear on the big screen and star in top-tier film productions.

So in her daily studies, she not only has to continue practicing dance, but also learn how to be an actress, making her studies incredibly demanding.

For this reason, apart from necessary training, she has almost no entertainment activities on weekdays.

Feeling utterly bored, Liu Haocun unlocked his phone and habitually opened Weibo to pass the time.

The homepage recommendation page accurately pushed the two-minute trailer for "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," which had just gone viral online.

Seeing the youthful campus style on the cover, Liu Haocun, who had nothing better to do, casually clicked the play button.

The two-minute trailer passed in the blink of an eye, and after watching the full content...

A hint of interest flashed in the girl's eyes as she muttered to herself, "Parallel worlds, time travel, mutual unrequited love—the premise is quite interesting, and the atmosphere of a campus drama is also very good."

Compared to action-packed suspense dramas and serious dramas with heavy plots.

Girls her age naturally prefer lighthearted and heartwarming idol dramas about youth, school life, and unrequited love.

The moment he finished speaking, his phone vibrated abruptly, and a string of unknown numbers without a contact name suddenly appeared on the screen.

Liu Haocun was slightly taken aback, hesitated for two seconds, then pressed the answer button and put the phone to his ear.

A calm and professional female voice came from the other end of the phone, polite yet direct: "Hello, is this Liu Haocun?"

"We are Universal Music."

"We previously launched a recruitment campaign for female leads in our music videos, and you submitted your application."

"First of all, congratulations! After multiple rounds of screening and review, you have successfully passed all the interviews. We would like to discuss the scheduling and compensation for the music video shoot with you. Is now a convenient time to talk?"

Upon hearing these words, Liu Haocun was stunned, his eyes filled with astonishment.

Several seconds passed before she reacted, her voice tinged with confusion: "Excuse me—are you sure it's me?"

She still remembered it, but when she submitted the MV application, she was just doing it to support her friend and didn't care at all whether it would be successful.

When the MV was being cast, her good friend and classmate from the Affiliated High School of Beijing Dance Academy, Ren Min, immediately compiled her information and submitted her resume.

Ren Min is a very hardworking girl.

From the moment she entered the Central Academy of Drama, she never missed any opportunity to appear on screen or audition.

For a short, ten-minute audition for a supporting role, she would take the subway for three or four hours each way over the weekend, crossing the entire city, just to try and get the chance.

Even if the success rate is extremely low, they never give up easily.

That day, Ren Min asked me to help her with the photo shoot and improve her information, and I also filled out a resume for her.

From beginning to end, Liu Haocun himself didn't take it to heart at all, and he didn't expect to be selected.

But to everyone's surprise, the final result was completely the opposite.

Ren Min, who was eager to seize the opportunity, was unfortunately not selected. On the contrary, I, who was just a casual participant and only participated in the whole process, unexpectedly passed the interview.

"That's right, it's Liu Haocun." The staff member on the other end of the phone confirmed again, and then briefly introduced the work, "This filming will only take up two to three days of your free time, and the entire filming will be done in Guangdong Province."

"The production crew will cover all your expenses, including round-trip airfare, accommodation, and meals."

"The filming fee is 20,000 RMB after tax. Are you interested in collaborating?"

Twenty thousand yuan, after tax!

In just two or three days, one can appear in a music video and earn 20,000 yuan.

For top-tier artists who are already capable of earning money independently and have countless resources, 20,000 yuan may be insignificant.

But for Liu Haocun, who is currently just an ordinary student at the Beijing Dance Academy, comes from an ordinary family, and can only rely on part-time jobs to supplement his living expenses.

This income is just too tempting!

In an instant, Liu Haocun was caught in a fierce internal struggle.

Her first instinct was to refuse outright.

Her training at Zhang Yimou's studio is progressing very smoothly. The two parties have reached a preliminary verbal agreement and will officially sign an exclusive agency contract after the Chinese New Year.

From then on, she could rely on Zhang Yimou as her backing, directly reaching the heights that countless newcomers dream of, becoming a highly anticipated "Zhang Yimou Girl," and specializing in the big-screen film track.

In this situation, there is absolutely no need for her to appear in the singer's music video; she doesn't need that kind of exposure.

But the words "20,000 yuan reward" kept swirling in her mind, making it difficult for her to say no.

After a brief two or three-minute psychological battle, reality ultimately prevailed.

It would be foolish not to make money when you can!

Twenty thousand yuan is enough for her living expenses for more than half a year. There's no need for her to be stingy with money.

"I can take this job," Liu Haocun finally agreed, though his voice still carried a hint of hesitation.

"Okay," the staff member added, "Then I'll also let you know some information."

"This music video is included in our company's singer Jiang Bai's first original album."

"All your subsequent filming work will require you to work with artist Jiang Bai."

"Let's add each other on WeChat and find a time to sign a contract. I'll send you the script afterward, and I'll let you know the specific shooting plan and schedule once it's confirmed."

After a brief farewell, the call was officially ended.

Liu Haocun held his phone, lost in thought, and subconsciously glanced at the screen.

After the call ended, the phone screen remained on the trailer for "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".

In the center of the picture, a boy wearing a clean and tidy white school uniform is bathed in the rain, his eyes are cool yet affectionate.

The first line of this trailer post clearly states: @Actor Jiang Bai — playing Zhang Wansen.

So it was him.

Liu Haocun stared blankly at the stunningly beautiful face on the screen for several seconds.

She never imagined that the music video shoot she casually accepted would lead to her working with the male lead of the drama.

Is he actually a singer?

Liu Haocun, who usually focuses on dance practice and training and doesn't pay much attention to online news, opened the Weibo search bar and awkwardly searched for the name "Jiang Bai".

At this moment, she felt a strong curiosity about this handsome male celebrity.

(Early Existing)

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