Huayu 16: I Became the Dream-Fulfilling Master for Young Actresses

Chapter 114 Chen Duling: This man is so capable

[Penguin Entertainment News]:

On September 30th, the 2017 Tencent Pictures Annual Conference was held at the Phoenix Center in Beijing, officially announcing the main creative team of the super IP "Joy of Life".

The drama will be directed by Chen Xingzhou, with Zhang Ruoyun playing the male lead Fan Xian, Chen Yingjie himself serving as the executive producer, and Yiyezhizhou Film and Television Culture Studio listed as one of the co-producers. The drama will officially start filming at the end of 2017.

At last night's press conference, Chen Xingzhou took to the stage in three roles: director, screenwriting consultant, and co-producer, becoming the only creator among the 43 projects at this year's press conference who combines the roles of writer, director, screenwriter, and investor.

The hashtag #ChenXingzhouDirectsJoyofLife# trended on Weibo and rose to second place on the trending list within an hour of the press conference.

Following closely behind are: #Director Chen Xingzhou# and #Joy of Life will start filming at the end of 2017#.

After the press conference, Mao Ni posted a Weibo message: "Tonight I met a young man who really understands 'Joy of Life'."

The accompanying photo shows him and Chen Xingzhou, each holding a copy of the first volume of "Joy of Life".

[DouDou from the Film and Television Circle]:

A few months ago, Chen Xingzhou's name was only associated with the label of actor, but now, two months later, he stands at the Tencent Pictures annual press conference, taking on the role of "Joy of Life" in three different capacities.

This is not simply a matter of resources skyrocketing; it's capital and the market voting for a 22-year-old creator in the most direct way.

Besides those who agree, there are also those who disagree.

An entertainment blogger posted:

[Is it too much for a 22-year-old director to take on a male-centric political drama of this caliber? He's mostly directed urban romance dramas before, right?]

The comments section immediately split into two camps.

Some countered, "Go watch the cinematography of 'A Love So Beautiful' and 'Dearest' before you speak," while others cautiously observed, "Historical political intrigue and urban romance are two different things; let's wait for the first trailer before making any judgments."

At the same time, the book's fans were in an uproar.

The "Joy of Life" Baidu Tieba forum launched a poll after the press conference.

Do you approve of director Chen Xingzhou's adaptation of "Joy of Life"?

By midnight that night, more than 1.2 people had participated in the vote.

The approval vote accounted for 78%, the neutral vote accounted for 15%, and the disapproval vote accounted for 7%.

After the press conference, People's Daily Online Entertainment Channel updated an in-depth report titled "Behind 43 Projects, Tencent Pictures' Two Years of 'Not Making Films in Isolated Forms'".

The article specifically mentions the main creative team of "Joy of Life" and highly praises Chen Xingzhou's participation, saying that he "represents the rise of a new generation of film and television creators".

Late at night, the neon lights outside the car receded one by one, casting flickering light on Chen Duling's slightly aloof face.

She has always been introverted and doesn't like socializing in the entertainment industry, so she usually stays alone after work.

You either need to rest, play League of Legends, cosplay your favorite character, or review the script.

During this period, she has been deliberately avoiding trending topics related to film and television, and she can't get over the recently broadcast drama "Operation Proposal".

This remake of a youth campus drama starring her has had dismal ratings since it aired on April 24.

A 32-episode drama, airing on Dragon TV's prime time slot, powered by a classic Japanese IP.

Its average viewership rating was only 0.35%, ranking last among satellite TV channels in the same time slot.

The Douban rating is only 4.1, while the original Japanese version is a masterpiece with a score of 8.7, but the remake doesn't even pass the mark.

It was a complete flop.

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There are private discussions within the industry, and the internet is full of negative comments:

Chen Duling only has two expressions: smiling and not smiling.

Her eyes looked too empty.

With her rational thinking as an engineering student, she always reflects on things internally, avoiding internal conflict and refraining from blaming others.

On November 24, the campus mystery film "Detective Notes," starring her, was released.

On December 24, the dating reality show "If You Love Season 12", co-starring Liu Xianhua, premiered.

On December 29, the movie "Miracles of the Namiya General Store," in which she starred, was released. She played the role of a dancer named "Harumi."

However, she had no confidence in any of these things; she estimated that the failure would only be more disastrous.

With nothing to do, she opened Weibo and saw a post reporting on Chen Xingzhou at the Tencent press conference.

She looked at it carefully, her expression growing increasingly surprised.

She immediately opened the iQiyi platform and saw the homepage featuring the drama "Go Go Squid!"

She then remembered the overwhelming trending topics and posts on her WeChat Moments over the past few days; it turned out that the drama was directed by Chen Xingzhou.

After watching several episodes, Chen Duling had a clear comparison and judgment in her mind.

The difference between "Operation Proposal" and "Dearest" is obvious.

It's not about the difference in production costs, but about the control of camera language, the guidance of actors' emotions, and the pacing.

Every step reveals a common characteristic: someone knows what they are doing.

She opened Weibo again, and without even needing to search, the trending topics related to "Go Go Squid!" popped up as soon as she clicked in.

Discussions included the record-breaking viewership ratings, the on-screen couple Han Shangyan and Tong Nian, and Chen Xingzhou's self-directed and self-acted performance.

She read through all the related reports, and the more she read, the more silent she became.

A senior student at Beijing Film Academy, a newcomer, first played Guo Jing in "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" and Yan Xun in "Princess Agents".

They opened up the market with another youth drama and broke into the mainstream with another urban drama with an e-sports theme.

Two dramas, two different genres, both directed and starring him, both became hits.

Bai Lu, an actress, was promoted to a top-tier actress by Chen Xingzhou after only one year in the industry.

In particular, "A Love So Beautiful" was directed and starred by the author with a budget of less than three million yuan, and almost all the actors were newcomers.

This made her feel even more frustrated.

The female lead and the second female lead, who had zero experience, were trained by him into what they are now.

She recalled the set of "Operation Proposal," where the director made her do countless takes, but she couldn't remember how many times. No one scolded her, and no one taught her what to do.

And the credits for "Dearest" are even more unbelievable.

Producer: Chen Xingzhou

Director: Chen Xingzhou

Starring: Chen Xingzhou, Bai Lu

Lyricist for the 8 songs in "Go Go Squid!": Chen Xingzhou.

He did several jobs by himself.

After reading this, she developed a genuine interest in this boy who was two years younger than her for the first time, and she really wanted to know how he had managed to do all of this.

Opening Chen Xingzhou's Weibo homepage, a slender finger silently lands on the screen.

The screen flashed, and a notification popped up: [You have followed Chen Xingzhou.]

After attending Tencent Pictures' annual press conference, Chen Xingzhou discussed with Tencent the specific casting for the upcoming "Joy of Life" and the broadcast of "Lovely".

Regarding "Adorable", his plan this time is to launch it simultaneously on three platforms: Tencent, iQiyi, and Youku.

Back at the studio, Bai Mengyan and the other two women were there. When they saw him return, Meng Ziyi was the first to run up to Chen Xingzhou and circle around him.

"Ah Zhou, you looked so cool when you were talking just now!"

"Really?" Chen Xingzhou smiled and glanced at her, then looked at the two women behind her who looked excited.

Bai Mengyan felt a sense of pride, while Zhou Ye felt a mixture of admiration and something else entirely.

"Of course!" Meng Ziyi nodded vigorously, then paced back and forth in the room with her hands behind her back. After a while, she said, "A-Zhou, can I play the female lead in 'Joy of Life'?"

"I can't act," Chen Xingzhou replied.

This isn't just something he said offhand. "Joy of Life" isn't something he can decide unilaterally, where he can cast whomever he wants.

In his past life, the female lead of this drama was Li Lin, and in this life, after much thought, she is the only one he can think of.

Moreover, this drama is a male-centric drama, so the female lead can't boost the viewership much. Furthermore, Li Lin was often criticized in later generations because of this role.

For Meng Ziyi, there were other, better options.

"Oh well----"

Meng Ziyi pursed her lips, but her expectations were not disappointed; she clearly knew that she probably couldn't act it herself.

Chen Xingzhou chuckled twice, took out two scripts from the drawer, and handed them to Meng Ziyi and Zhou Ye respectively.

"You two, go down and watch carefully. You have about two months to prepare, so don't embarrass me."

Meng Ziyi's eyes lit up, and he quickly took the script and began to read it.

"Mine is [Begonia Blossom]?! That's great!"

Zhou Ye also took the script and opened it; hers was [Ye Ling'er].

"How is it?" Chen Xingzhou asked the two with a smile.

He could only say that these two roles were somewhat suitable, and he couldn't find any others.

It's really hard to judge their acting skills, even though he's been training them for a long time.

Haitang Duoduo is a saintess of Northern Qi. She appears innocent but is powerful inside and has many action scenes, which is quite in line with Mencius's idea.

Ye Ling'er has a lively and straightforward personality, knows martial arts, and is quite suitable for Zhou Ye.

"A-Zhou, you're so great!" Meng Ziyi praised Bai Mengyan and Zhou Ye without any reservation.

Zhou Ye nodded emphatically, "Yes, senior, I'll prepare well!"

After resolving the issues between the two women, Chen Xingzhou turned to look at Bai Mengyan.

"You must be busy taking on endorsements lately, right?"

"Yes." Bai Mengyan nodded slightly. "These will probably take about two months."

"Okay," Chen Xingzhou replied, then clapped his hands, drawing the attention of the three women to him.

"Regarding your future plans, Mengyan's next leading role drama is already in preparation, and the copyright has been purchased from teacher Mo Bao Fei Bao."