Huayu 02: The Days of Extreme Pulling and Rolling with the Fairy

Xie Jin walked into the playback room.

I greeted the purchasing directors and purchasing reviewers from various stations.

The directors and judges were all quite reserved when they saw Xie Jin.

But when she saw the big hamster, her eyes narrowed into slits; she's just so adorable now.

Before the movie even started, she politely greeted the uncles and aunts and took photos with her middle-aged fans.

Then the rough cut, which was difficult to appease, began.

There are certain rules to follow when watching movies. Local TV stations usually have a rule about the first three minutes, the middle three minutes, and the last three minutes.

In other words, the first three episodes focus on character relationships, the middle three episodes on plot development, and the last three episodes on dramatic conflict.

However, there are mandatory regulations for provincial TV stations and CCTV. For S+ projects (determined by investment and cast), 75% of the films must be reviewed before procurement, especially to check for any inappropriate content.

........

As the beautifully crafted opening sequence begins, silhouettes of the two appear on the screen.

  

Director Ma adjusted his glasses, wondering how the plot would unfold...

But just based on their looks alone, these two are very attractive...

Not simple.

At first, people didn't take youth dramas very seriously.

The main problem is that most of the good youth dramas nowadays are imported from South Korea and Taiwan, while domestic productions of period dramas are relatively better.

This trip is mainly to boost the actress's popularity. Liu Yifei is incredibly popular right now, and she has fans of all ages.

Many Jin Yong fans are quite old and are also her fans.

But as the story unfolds, things start to feel off... It's not quite the typical trope of a wealthy young man falling in love with a Cinderella.

The plot is surprisingly down-to-earth.

Moreover, the character designs are exquisite, completely devoid of any non-mainstream style.

The male lead's entrance features a sharp, broad-shouldered figure, a fitted shirt, a long black coat, a double-door physique, and an aloof, ascetic demeanor.

The clothes are nice, but not at all exaggerated; the style and behavior are very down-to-earth.

You could even say it's a visual treat even if you watch it as a music video!

Two episodes later

Director Ma tilted his head and whispered, "It's strange. The Illusionary Light Demon's approach is a bit different. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's just different."

The assistant whispered, "Boss, I think it's normal. Don't you think the male and female leads are normal people? They're no different from us office workers."

Director Ma thought for a moment, then clapped his hands: "Yes, yes, that's exactly what I mean. Their interaction is reasonable and conforms to the behavioral logic of normal people's survival."

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After watching for a while, Director Ma noticed something interesting: "The costumes and makeup in this show are quite interesting."

The assistant immediately leaned in to listen attentively: "What do you mean, Director?"

"Look at the female lead's mindset; when she's on guard..."

"High-neck base layer, loose-fitting drop-shoulder coat, long overcoat. The colors are all cool tones like gray, black, and navy, with almost no bright colors."

The assistant scratched his head: "Oh, I didn't notice that. Could you explain it to me again, Director?"

The director continued, "You see, her clothes hardly accentuate her figure. In other words, her attire tells others that she doesn't want to be noticed and is afraid of getting into trouble because of her looks. She's like a little hedgehog in a corner, wary of everything."

"Look at the male lead's clothes, they give off an 'keep away' vibe. Tsk tsk tsk, you know what, this show really is just like you said, very normal!"

"Its color scheme, art direction, and costume design are all tailored to the plot; usually only film art directors would be this meticulous."

"Why, Director?"

The director rolled his eyes: "Other TV dramas rent sets, some even have two crews sharing one set. They have their own production bases, their budgets are different, who has the time or inclination to put in the effort for you?"

Actually, it's not that Director Ma is picky about food.

The main problem is that romance dramas at this stage are all a bit abstract.

Each one has its own outrageous aspects, repeatedly insulting and trampling on the audience's intelligence.

There are several main types.

The first type is a strange desire for control and possession.

Many screenwriters believe that these two things can truly be equated with love...

In "Full House," Lee Young-jae abandons the female lead to send his ex-girlfriend away, and then forbids Han Ji-eun from going on a date with the second male lead, claiming that he has to clean and cook at home.

In "The Wedding Dress of Heaven", Lu Zihao is infinitely tolerant of his beloved Katrina, but harshly restricts Tao Aiqing's social life.

This is all 'love'.

The second type is "violent display of love".

Forced physical contact... forcibly grabbing wrists, wall slamming, forced kissing, cutting the female lead's hair, shoving.

They call it "I care about you".

Otherwise, the male lead will constantly berate the female lead for being stupid, unsophisticated, and useless, but then turn around and say, "Only I can bully you."

Then he negates the female lead's work and hobbies, relying on charity and gentleness to make her feel self-pity.

There's a sense that "my ability to love you is a blessing in itself, and you should be grateful"...

In "The Prince Who Turns into a Frog", after Shan Junhao recovers from amnesia, he deliberately picks on the female lead and argues with her.

By forcibly defining artificial respiration as a "kiss," an ambiguous and oppressive feeling is created.

This is just like in idol dramas. If it were a normal girl, she would have taken him to the police station long ago...

In Northeast China, the male lead's fish roe pouch would be removed; in Sichuan and Chongqing, his diaper would be torn to shreds...

Another issue is that the male and female leads have incredibly low IQs.

In the drama "Full House," the female lead's best friend absconds with all her savings and tricks her into taking out a loan abroad. The female lead then easily forgives her and they remain friends. Isn't that insane? It makes me want to lie to you too.

And then there's that guy who stands in the rain reminiscing about his ex-girlfriend whenever it rains.

"Look, Xue Zhiqiang is in the rain again. I heard that when it rains, he thinks of his ex-girlfriend who died of leukemia... How romantic!"

Are you sure it wasn't a habit you developed when you were a child because your family didn't have water and you would go out to take a bath whenever it rained?

.........

For those in the purchasing department, they've seen countless films, and they frequently encounter scenes like this one.

And in a large number of illogical idol dramas.

In "Hard to Coax," the two share an apartment. Both the female and male leads need to work to support themselves, worry about rent, and deal with interpersonal relationships normally. They also respect each other's personal space in life.

Moreover, all their interactions were conducted with respect, allowing them to test each other and get to know each other better.

The very things that are reasonable in themselves have become the highlights.

As the plot progresses

From the moment they started sharing an apartment, the sweetness gradually increased...

The middle-aged female director pushed up her glasses; she had entered a TV drama mode, rather than scrutinizing the merchandise with a critical eye.

He put down the notebook he was holding.

She pursed her lips, a smile occasionally flitting across her face...

Sang Yan and Wen Yifan are quite interesting.

The hamster covered its eyes, its fingers spread apart as it watched the sweet moment.

Xie Jin, standing to the side, was utterly speechless: "Why are you blushing? Wasn't this your acting? I didn't see you blushing at all during filming."

The hamster looked a little embarrassed: "Ahem, I was shy too when I was taking the picture..."

"Shy Daddy, you can burst out laughing five or six times during a really sweet scene. Am I not a domineering CEO?"

"You? You're a piece of shit, and you call yourself a domineering CEO? You've got no shame!"

Just like that, five episodes have passed in the blink of an eye.

Especially when they saw the female lead sleepwalking, the department heads couldn't help but smile like doting aunts.

As for President Yu, who loves to secretly read sweet romance novels, he was already swooning in his seat, making Xie Jin unable to look at him directly.