Chinese Entertainment: Top-Tier Boyfriends of Young Actresses

In the following days, the post-production of the music video began in earnest.

Su Yu thought that once the footage was shot, the job was done, but he soon realized that post-production was the truly grueling part.

Chen Xiaoming's team first imported all the materials into the editing software to do proxy editing.

First, do a rough cut, then pick out the most satisfactory footage from each scene and assemble it into a rough story framework according to the order of the storyboard.

Then, it was finely edited, with the in-point and out-point of each shot adjusted frame by frame to ensure that the rhythm of the scene and the melody of the music were completely synchronized.

Su Yu watched for several hours, witnessing Chen Xiaoming repeatedly pull the timeline more than a dozen times for a handheld shot of a chorus before finally finding the most comfortable switching point.

Then came the special effects compositing and subtitles.

This music video doesn't have many complicated special effects. It mainly adds some halo and particle effects at a few transitions to make the transitions between scenes smoother.

The design of the subtitles went through three or four revisions. Chen Xiaoming meticulously considered everything from the font and size to the timing of their appearance. In the end, he chose a handwritten font that faded in and out line by line to match the lyrics, making it look like handwriting written in a diary.

The final step is mixing and mastering output.

The vocals and accompaniment recorded in the studio were readjusted in this stage to ensure that Su Yu's voice could support the accompaniment without drowning out the details of the instrument tracks.

Chen Xiaoming also specifically found a mixing room with calibrated monitoring speakers to do the final audio synthesis, ensuring that it would not sound distorted on various playback devices.

It took almost a week to finish everything.

Su Yu received the finished film on June 22nd.

The final product was largely in line with his expectations; the basic color tone and emotional expression were consistent with the direction he and his team had previously discussed.

"Well done, but this doesn't look like a music video; it's more like a short film." Huo Xiaolan appeared behind him at some point.

"Yes, this music video can also be said to be a teaser for the drama 'Someday or One Day'."

Su Yu pulled the progress bar back to the beginning, restarting the playback.

Huo Xiaolan raised an eyebrow.

She knew that Su Yu was collaborating with Tian Liangliang on developing the script, and she also knew that the young man had always wanted to bring this project from paper to the screen.

But she didn't expect that he wouldn't even let a music video go, and had already started paving the way for that drama.

Su Yu has indeed been thinking about filming the drama "Someday or One Day".

The male lead's image and character in this drama are so captivating that he has no reason not to care.

Moreover, if it is actually made into a film, he will not only be the lead actor, but will also participate as a screenwriter and investor.

His status in the entertainment industry will be different then. He will no longer be just an actor who takes on roles, but a creator who can organize his own projects and take the lead in them.

The potential of this path is much higher than that of a mere popular young idol.

"Wow, Brother Yu, your filming is absolutely amazing!"

Xiao Zhou peeked out from behind Huo Xiaolan, his eyes fixed on the screen, his expression filled with sincere admiration.

Ever since she learned that Su Yu was going to open a studio, she has now become Su Yu's loyal sycophant, and she no longer dares to lick Su Yu's boots like before.

They didn't even dare to speak too loudly in front of Su Yu, and dared not disobey their boss in the slightest.

"Not bad, you have good taste." Su Yu leaned back on the sofa, accepting his assistant's praise with a clear conscience.

"When are you planning to send this out?" Huo Xiaolan asked, her voice trembling.

"Let's wait a few days. I'll have someone edit a short video teaser that's about ten seconds long. Then, Sister Huo, could you help me buy some marketing materials to generate some buzz before the official release?"

Huo Xiaolan nodded.

Buying marketing deals is all too common in the industry.

To take a recent example, the marketing of "Eternal Love" is a typical example. The entire promotion of that drama was handled by Dasheng Entertainment, and the number of views on Weibo topics eventually reached billions. There was almost no gap between the drama's release date and its broadcast, and the topic was trending every day after it premiered.

That's how this industry works. If you don't actively promote a topic and expect netizens to generate buzz on their own, you'd have to be incredibly lucky.

However, Huo Xiaolan remembered that Su Yu used to be somewhat resistant to spending money on marketing. He was not even willing to buy Weibo followers, let alone spend money to hire a marketing company for promotion.

Fortunately, this person has finally come to his senses.

In this industry, the quality of the work and the marketing presence are two legs; you can't stand still if you lack either one.

"Okay, I'll contact a few marketing companies for you to discuss potential solutions. Do you have a budget in mind?"

Huo Xiaolan took out her phone from her bag, ready to write it down at any moment.

"Let's test the waters with 30,000 to 50,000 yuan first and see how it goes."

Su Yu did the math and realized that they had already spent over 200,000 yuan on shooting the music video. They couldn't be too stingy with marketing, but they also couldn't throw too much money at it right away.

Huo Xiaolan nodded, having no objection to the budget. Thirty to fifty thousand yuan is considered a mid-range budget for the initial promotion of an independent music video; the effectiveness depends mainly on the marketing team's creativity and the timing of the campaign.

Back in the rented apartment, Su Yu sent the finished MV files to Tian Xiwei and Wang Churan respectively.

He leaned back on the sofa, holding his phone, waiting for reactions from both sides.

The phone rang very quickly.

Wang Churan's profile picture popped up on the screen, and the excitement in her voice seemed to be heard even through the screen: "It's so beautiful! The song is also great! Baby, you're amazing! If you post this, it'll definitely go viral!"

Then her profile picture lit up again, "But why didn't you ask me to take the picture?!"

Su Yu leaned back on the sofa and smiled as he looked at the line of text.

When he visited her in Shanghai, he told her that he had written a song and even hummed a melody for her, but he didn't mention the music video.

Otherwise, given Wang Churan's personality, she would definitely try to coax him into making her the female lead in the music video. After all, she just finished her college entrance exams and doesn't have any acting roles, so she has a lot of free time.

Su Yu didn't want to do that, since he had personally told Tian Xiwei that the song was written for her, so Wang Churan definitely couldn't play the female lead.

Su Yu felt that Xiao Tian had probably guessed that the person Su Yu picked up that day was Wang Churan. After all, he had only filmed a few dramas, and he could easily guess who the actress was if he did a little screening.

Although Xiaotian ultimately chose to believe him, Su Yu still tried to avoid direct contact between the two.

Therefore, the female lead of this drama cannot be either Wang Churan or Tian Xiwei.

So Su Yu replied to Wang Churan, "Next time for sure."

On the other side, Tian Xiwei reacted a little slower.

Tian Xiwei's profile picture flashed, followed by a normal compliment: "Great filming, and the song is great too. Teacher Su really went all out this time."

Just as Su Yu was about to reply with "Not bad," he saw a second message pop up on the other end: "Teacher Su has good taste; the female lead you chose is really beautiful."

This statement carries a sarcastic tone, and you can almost smell the sour grapes through the screen.

"..."

"What are you being jealous of? It's just normal cooperation."

Su Yu typed a few words, feeling somewhat helpless and guilty.

"Hmph, I didn't say anything. I was praising Teacher Su's taste."

Tian Xiwei's profile picture flashed again, and then she retracted her previous message to Yin Yang Su Yu and sent a new message.

"hehe."