Huayu 2009: Who should we call the Heavenly King?

"You bought so many clothes?"

When she got home in the evening, she saw the living room piled high with shopping bags, including many from big brands, and Cai Yinong couldn't help but remark.

"Can you even finish wearing them?"

"It looks good."

Liu Shishi chuckled, took out a hazy blue shirt and a white slit skirt, and asked while gesturing.

"Sister K, what do you think of this outfit?"

"It looks pretty good."

Cai Yinong smiled and nodded, but she was thinking about something else.

I thought that brat was going to stay out tonight, but I didn't expect her to come back?

Today is just bad luck.

Shen Yan has something to attend to!

Li Weiran has arrived in Shanghai.

They not only brought the finished videos of the two music videos, but also the shooting plan for the overseas promotional song for the World Expo.

"Junior brother, thank you very much this time."

Inside a livehouse, Li Weiran picked up an ice-cold beer.

"Let's skip the formalities. Just let me know if you need anything next time."

He finished speaking.

He did it.

Directing promotional videos for national-level official events is a valuable qualification for directors, and a highly prestigious one at that.

In this respect, he is far behind.

Like his junior, Lu Chuan, who directed the promotional video for the Special Summer Olympics in 07 and filmed the main exhibition film for the China Pavilion at the World Expo, "The Journey," this year.

Not long ago, Lu Chuan also took on a promotional video for the 16th Asian Games volunteers.

These qualifications are usually not very useful and don't attract much attention, but sometimes they can be extremely useful.

"You're too kind, senior."

Shen Yan also downed a drink.

Then, the two started talking about tomorrow's filming.

The solution is very simple.

There are only five scenes in total.

The first stop was the rooftop of the Jin Mao Tower, where we shot an aerial time-lapse video.

The second stop was a double-decker sightseeing bus.

The third stop was a cruise on the Huangpu River.

The last two scenes are, in turn, the rooftop of the Guangming Building on the Bund and the entrance to the China Pavilion at the World Expo.

The former is a prime location for photographing the night view of Lujiazui, while the latter is a promotional theme.

Of the five scenes, only two require a stage to be set up.

Overall, the filming cost was not high, with the largest expense being the aerial shots taken from the top of the Jin Mao Tower.

Because a special crane needs to be set up, and several pieces of equipment need to be used for filming at the same time.

Fortunately, the director worked for free, and most of the equipment was also provided by Shanghai TV, which was also free.

……

The next day.

Li Weiran and his team met with the SMG Technology Operations Center for a short two-hour meeting.

Then, filming officially began!

Divide the troops into two groups!

The team was responsible for filming from the top floor of the Jin Mao Tower. With official coordination, the filming permits were obtained smoothly and had been processed well in advance.

Even the venue fee is waived.

The other route involved filming double-decker buses, shooting footage in three time periods: morning, noon, and afternoon.

Then, in the afternoon and evening, we will also be taking additional photos of the Bund cruise ships.

Both Li Weiran's team and SMG are experienced veterans, and the filming process went almost without any problems.

However, on the second day of filming, as the crew was preparing to move to the China Pavilion at the World Expo, an explosive piece of news quickly spread throughout the crew.

"Waiting for You in 2010" was the only designated promotional song for the 30-day countdown to the World Expo and was first released at the end of last month.

This song was originally released in 04. This time, it was re-recorded, and big names such as Jackie Chan, Yao Chen, Yang Lan, Li Binbin, Liu Feiren, and Lang Lang were invited.

Judging from the cast, it's clear that they're intentionally trying to emulate "Welcome to Yanjing".

but.

Just a few days after the announcement, a piece of news suddenly broke out.

This song is suspected of plagiarizing "そのままの君でいて" by Japanese female singer Mayo Okamoto.

so awkward.

Did they really plagiarize?

On set, seeing Shen Yan finish listening to the original song, Li Weiran asked in a low voice.

He actually listened to it too, and it sounded very similar. However, similarity does not mean plagiarism. Many songs that sound similar do not actually constitute plagiarism.

There's a limit to how many chords sound good, so playing the same chord repeatedly is pretty normal.

"Highly likely."

Although Shen Yan was 100% certain in his heart, since the melodies of the verses and choruses were highly similar, he didn't rule it out.

To be honest, he was very surprised and shocked.

Having lived two lifetimes, this was the first time he had ever heard of this.

What the hell?

They dare to copy this kind of song? No, it's not just copying, it's practically a direct copy.

Moreover, this song was selected in 04, and for six whole years, no one noticed it.

At that moment, a word came to mind.

A makeshift troupe.

"Will that affect us?"

Li Weiran didn't care about that song; he was more concerned with what he was doing now.

"I don't know," Shen Yan replied, unaware of such matters. "However, I think it shouldn't have much of an impact."

Just as he finished speaking, his phone rang, and he glanced at it.

It's Deputy Director Hu.

"I'm taking this call."

After saying that, Shen Yan took a few steps to the side.

"Feed?"

"Xiao Shen, I need to apologize to you first."

On the other end of the phone, Deputy Director Hu immediately apologized.

"Did you know about that?"

"I just heard about it."

Shen Yan muttered to himself, "Damn it, what does this have to do with me? Why am I apologizing?"

"That's right."

Subsequently, Deputy Director Hu explained the whole story.

"After the incident, we had a special meeting, but the result wasn't good. At that time, I thought the song you wrote was pretty good."

"Then, I pushed it forward, but the leader instructed that it would be best to find a local singer to sing the Chinese version with Shanghainese lyrics, and it just so happened that Hu Yanbing wrote the lyrics for the Shanghainese version."

"Therefore, he will most likely be chosen to sing the Chinese version."

"Of course, you'll still sing the English version. Also, I tried to negotiate so that the Chinese version won't be released to the public."

"Your version is the most popular overseas."

"Also, there's one more thing. I might need to trouble you with the arrangement for the Chinese version. The higher-ups think it's too... too noisy. If it's promoted nationwide, it might cause controversy."

"..."

Shen Yan never expected things to unfold this way, and remained speechless for a long time.

"I didn't think this through. Look at this."

Deputy Director Hu continued.

"The Cultural and Broadcasting Corporation submitted Xu Ke's film 'Flying Swords of Dragon Gate' to the media. I asked around, and the third male lead, Ma Jinliang, hasn't been cast yet."

"I spoke with General Manager Li and recommended you for the position. What do you think?"

"Sorry, Director Hu, I was just spacing out."

Shen Yan came to his senses.

"I have no objection to Hu Yanbing singing the Chinese version. As for the movie, I'm very grateful. However, if I remember correctly, 'Flying Swords of Dragon Gate' was filmed in the second half of the year, right?"

"Yes, filming will start around October and will last for more than three months."

"Well... I might need to discuss this with the company, because they had other projects scheduled for me during that period."

In fact, Shen Yan didn't care at all who sang the Chinese version of "Welco to Shanghai".

Well, how should I put it?

The Chinese lyrics are a bit too predictable, and even if it's sung, it might not become a hit. Now, even the arrangement needs to be changed, the essence is gone, and it's even harder for it to become popular.

Besides, Lao Hu is an acquaintance, and he's the one who wrote the lyrics.

Sing if you want.

Shen Yan is a little conflicted about whether or not to take on the role in "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate".

On the one hand, he didn't want to be too busy, but on the other hand, he wanted to test his skills.

After his rebirth, his physical attributes were improved in all aspects, including strength, flexibility, explosiveness, and so on.

He vaguely remembered that the role was played by Fan Shaohuang, and the character was the top expert of the West Depot.

A ruthless villain.

That looks really exciting; it must be a lot of fun to act in!

As for the second male lead and the first male lead in "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate"?

I want to eat fart!

The male lead is Li Lianjie, and the second male lead is Chen Kun. Even if Jay Chou came, he couldn't squeeze out the two of them.