Chapter 377: Start "Ghost Blowing Lantern"

In the industry, the huge popularity of "Startling by Each Step" naturally made major film and television companies jealous.

"Just one TV series can bring up so many people, plus the copyright fees earned, the benefits are no less than making a movie."

This TV series, adapted from an online novel, has been hotly discussed by people in the circle. In addition, Xingchen Film and Television is also about to shoot a TV series adapted from the popular novel "Ghost Blowing Out the Light".

For a time, online novels with high clicks and views triggered a new round of acquisition boom.

Major film and television companies ambitiously purchase copyrights and then adapt and film them, but it takes more than a day or two to complete a project.

First of all, the various investors are engaged in negotiations, and the investment ratio, profit sharing, copyright ownership, etc. will take some time to discuss.

Secondly, there will be open and covert struggles over script creativity, production directors, and the ownership of the leading roles, but there is nothing that can be done about it, unless the leading party of the project is extremely strong, such as Xingchen Films, which directly invites directors and designates actors to shoot without so many fancy operations such as auditions and casting.

Since the "Ghost Blows Out the Light" series had already been acquired by Xingchen Films, the jealous Huayi Company had to settle for the next best thing and bought works such as "Death Loop" by Tianxia Bachang, which was just released last year and was also very popular online.

Wanda Pictures, which is not short of money, has been making large purchases in the market, among which the most famous one is the novel "Song of the Witch".

With the two major companies taking the lead, other film and television companies in the circle were unwilling to lag behind. Since they could not compete with the big companies, they decided to buy some less popular ones. The cost was not high anyway, and they might become popular after being adapted and filmed.

Internet writers suddenly found that many people claiming to be from a certain film company called them and wanted to buy the copyrights of their works. As a result, the popularity of online novels in China became much stronger than in the original time and space.

……

Gu Wei mentioned the TV series "Ghost Blows Out the Light" since the end of the Berlin Film Festival, and half a year has passed since then.

After all the roles were decided, Wang Chen, who was in charge of the project, really breathed a sigh of relief.

Because many times it's not enough to just say that a certain actor is suitable for a certain role. In a play, one also has to consider the stars' ranking, schedule, who is the lead and who is the supporting actor, and whether they are TV stars or movie stars.

We also need to consider the selection of a leading actor who can attract box office success, as well as veteran actors and qualified supporting actors.

Relying on the strong film resources of Xingchen Film and Television, Gu Wei will have to start a new drama sooner or later, and both newcomers and old actors are quite considerate. If someone else were to take over, it would be a headache just to coordinate the matters between these actors.

First of all, in terms of investment, Xingchen Film and Television Company announced that the production cost was as high as 11 million. At this point in , million is definitely a large investment. You must know that even the currently so-called well-made "Startling by Each Step", according to the disclosed cost, is only million at most, and this is a costume drama. As we all know, the investment in costume dramas is even greater.

The benefits of large investments are multifaceted, and the big investment of Xingchen Film and Television Company has also attracted the attention of directors in the circle.

Director Kong Sheng, who had worked with the company before, agreed to join Xingchen Film and Television after being persuaded by Song Ge. Director Zheng Xiaolong was also accepted after considering for a while. Both of them established their own studios under Xingchen Film and Television.

Now, without Kong Sheng and Zheng Xiaolong, it is unknown whether Noon Sunshine, which was just established this year, can reach the height of its original time and space.

Secondly, in terms of special effects, Xingchen Film and Television specially formed a team of twelve people to follow the crew throughout the filming and be responsible for the special effects visual production.

After the cast of the leading and supporting roles for "Ghost Blows Out the Light: The Mystical Ancient City" was finalized, it really caused a sensation in the industry.

In particular, Gu Wei, through the company's special effects team, analyzed the facial data of several artists, calculated the "golden ratio", and came up with the most suitable makeup photos. Not to say that each one of them fits the role 100%, but they all deserve the word "conform to the original work."

As soon as these makeup photos were released, they caused an immediate sensation. Fans of the “original novel” posted “stills” on Tieba and Weibo every day, hoping that the crew would start filming as soon as possible.

In mid-September, after several months of preparation, "Ghost Blows Out the Light: The Mystical Ancient City" was finally completed. After receiving a report from Wang Chen, Gu Wei waved his hand and said, "Let's start filming!"

The opening ceremony was the usual worship and interviews, nothing new, and the location was still Huairou Film and Television City in the capital. Most of the tomb-robbing and underground scenes rely on special effects anyway, so there was no need to travel far.

As for the exterior scenes, they have been scheduled to be shot in Hami, XJ and Dunhuang, Gansu. The locations have been selected and the filing with the relevant departments has also been approved.

Director Kong Sheng was present at the opening ceremony, and the "Iron Triangle" partners Qin Hao, Chen Minghao, and Wan Qian were all present.

There are also veteran actors such as Yue Yang who plays Da Jin Ya, Wang Yongquan, and Yang Xinming.

Almost all the other supporting actors are artists from Company 18, so the benefits should be kept within the family.

The filming site was packed with media that day, but the person who attracted the most attention was a young girl born in the 00s, Zhao Jinmai.

When Wang Chen, the person in charge, was asked about the girl's background in an interview with reporters, he looked helpless and thought to himself, "I really don't know. They were all arranged by Wang Jinghua."

Wang Chen didn't know the details of this kind of question and would definitely not answer it, but instead pushed it to Wang Jinghua.

"This is a new artist signed by the 18th Company. Don't be fooled by her young age. She has already participated in a TV series called "Can't Live Without a Mother" last year. The girl is not very old and is a very good actress. This time she joined the crew to train and play a role."

Wang Jinghua is indeed a veteran agent, and her answer to this kind of question is flawless.

The little girl Zhao Jinmai standing next to her was also blinking her big eyes, looking cute.

The girl's question only aroused the curiosity of the reporters. After asking a few questions, everyone turned their attention to the heroine Wan Qian. How was the lucky heroine of the new film selected? It was a TV series with a 60 million investment. How many inside stories were there in it? The reporters were very excited just thinking about it.

After hearing the staff invite the main actors to go on stage, the assistant hurriedly pushed Wan Qian who was in a daze and said, "Hurry up, it's your turn to go up!"

"Oh," Wan Qian, who was daydreaming, learned that she was going to go on stage to meet the media. Seeing the constant flashing lights on the scene, she took a deep breath, went on stage with Qin Hao, Chen Minghao and others, and came to the background curtain of the opening ceremony and media meeting of "Ghost Blows Out the Light: The Mystical Ancient City".

As soon as she appeared on the stage, Wan Qian, who was wearing a dark short-sleeved shirt, black tights, white sneakers and loose hair, was photographed crazily by the media reporters in the audience.

"I don't know how good her acting skills are, but just based on her looks and figure, I know she's a good prospect!"

Those who are sent to attend the opening ceremony of the new film of Xingchen Film and Television are all key reporters from various media outlets, so they do have some vision.

After taking photos for a while, it was soon time for media to ask questions, and as expected, the first question was asked to Wan Qian.

"Hello, I'm a reporter from Entertainment Live. I'd like to ask Miss Wan Qian, how did you get chosen by Director Lu? How did you become the heroine of the new film?"

"Well, Director Gu said that my temperament and image are in line with his character setting for the heroine, so I was chosen very smoothly and luckily." Wan Qian smiled slightly after she finished speaking, which once again made people's eyes light up.

In fact, the main purpose of the opening ceremony is to show up and tell everyone that the filming of my TV series has started, and to provide everyone with some additional material that can be reported. You can take a look over here if you have nothing to do.

As for media publicity, it is just a side job. After all, there is too much time before the TV series is released. It is enough to just show up and there is no need for too much publicity.

Seeing that the media reporters asked Qin Hao, Chen Minghao and Yue Yang a few more questions, director Kong Sheng immediately announced that the opening ceremony was successfully concluded.

After lunch, the machine was officially turned on in the afternoon.

……

On the other side, at Hengdian Film and Television City, the crew of "Xuan-Yuan Sword: Scar of Sky" is working.

During a break in the afternoon shooting, Hu Ge, Liu Shishi, Tang Yan, Guli Nazha and others gathered together to chat, and the topic unconsciously turned to the "Ghost Blows Out the Light" which had just started filming.

"Wan Qian said frankly that after receiving a call from Director Gu Wei, she and her assistant came to Xingchen Films and got the leading female role directly after the audition."

"The TV series has not started filming yet, but actress Wan Qian has already become a big hit in the industry."

"Nine-year-old actress Zhao Jinmai from 18th Company makes her first appearance!"

"Tsk tsk, the person chosen by Director Gu himself, his fame is no less than ours even before the TV series is released." Tang Yan said with some envy.

In fact, Tang Yan’s agency was very opposed to Tang Yan joining "Scar of Heaven" and also helped her to fight for the role of Chief of Staff Yang in "Ghost Blows Out the Light".

Putting aside the amount of roles he has, he doesn't play a good positive role, but instead plays a negative role and plays a supporting role to others. How can he do this?

Furthermore, "Ghost Blows Out the Light" has a huge number of fans, and the investment is as high as 60 million. It is claimed that the plot follows the original work and the special effects scenes are restored to their original state, which is deeply anticipated by the original fans.

If Tang Yan can play the role of Staff Officer Yang in the film, it should be able to bring her acting career to a new peak!

Unfortunately, the casting for the "Ghost Blows Out the Light" crew was directly selected by Gu Wei himself, so it was useless for the agent to use his connections, as he didn't even have a chance to audition.

"This is the advantage of filming with a big director. Look at Yang Mi, she has been very popular recently..." someone nearby mentioned.

"Ahem." Tang Yan couldn't help but interrupt the other party and glanced at Liu Shishi.

However, Liu Shishi's expression remained unchanged. She and Yang Mi did not have any deep hatred. The current situation between the two sides was mostly due to hype.

But if my boss hates the other person, what does it have to do with me?

Several people were chattering non-stop. Newcomer Guli Nazha couldn't get a word in, while Hu Ge just listened, thinking about what Gu Wei had said to him recently when he called him.

"Have you ever thought about leaving Tangren and coming to Xingchen Film and Television? No matter how good the TV series is, there is a lack of opportunities on the big screen. Actors still have to pursue something."

Hu Ge never told anyone what Gu Wei said, but what Gu Wei didn't know was that these words made Hu Ge extremely conflicted.

On one hand, there is the opportunity to develop his own company, and on the other hand, there is the opportunity to appear on the big screen and even go overseas. He doesn't know how to choose.

But that's how people are. No matter how firm an idea is, once there is a crack or a hint of hesitation, the final result will become uncertain.

……

(End of this chapter)