China Entertainment 1997.

Chapter 249 Cao Xuan: I am a living IP myself
In the restaurant next to the National Theater, Cao Xuan met the director Wang Xiaoying introduced by Li Xuejian.

Wang Xiaoying, graduated from Chinese Opera, one of the four famous directors of Mandarin in the future, a national first-class director, vice chairman of the Chinese Playwrights Association, vice chairman of the Chinese Dramatists Association, and vice president of Mandarin.

In short, the bigwig of the bigwigs in the drama world.

Although Wang Xiaoying is not well-known outside the world, he is also a well-known director in the drama circle, and he can even be regarded as one of the leading figures of the "younger generation".

In fact, among drama directors, Wang Xiaoying's works are relatively Western. His representative works such as "Dead Girl" and "Copenhagen" are all adapted and rehearsed from Western opera stage plays.

But at the same time, Wang Xiaoying has also been trying dramas with Chinese elements.

This time, he saw the MV of "Chi Ling" on TV, and felt that the story in it was suitable for adaptation into a drama, so he contacted Fanxing to get the copyright.

Later, I learned that Cao Xuan himself was the screenwriter, so I wanted to chat with him. Apart from the copyright, I also wanted to see how he understood the story.

And he has his eyes on Cao Xuan, and wants to invite him to play the leading role in "Red Ling".

Cao Xuan didn't care about the tens of thousands of yuan in copyright fees for adapting the play, but he was still very interested in the story of "Chi Ling" being put on the stage of the play.

He likes this story, and hopes that this story can be shown more, so he was invited by Wang Xiaoying to have a chat.

But there is no need for acting, he really doesn't have the time to rehearse for the tour.

Fanxing and related cooperative companies, hundreds of people, large and small, are now pointing to Cao Xuan to carry the flag for dinner. He can't throw away the company and go to the theater addiction.

So from the beginning, he declined Wang Xiaoying's invitation to lead the role, and Wang Xiaoying expressed his understanding, but couldn't hide his regret.

"I saw your appearance in the MV, it really has the charm of Zhang Guorong in "Farewell My Concubine". Unfortunately, if you don't come, it will be difficult to find actors."

It's not easy for a male role to be successful, especially for a persistent male role like this. You must have the charm of a daughter and the backbone of a man, soft on the outside and strong on the inside.

Cao Xuan had a preconceived idea, coupled with the aura and emotional rendering of the MV song, as well as the length editing, he was highly praised by the outside world.

Therefore, Cao Xuan knew that he had taken a shortcut. If he filled the story and then added details, his performance might be three points weaker.

It may still be excellent, but it may not be as amazing as the MV.

Of course, just for now, Cao Xuan is confident that if he gives himself a few more years of training, he will be sure to grasp the amazing feeling of the MV.

The two sides didn't talk too much about the actors, and they talked directly about the story itself, and there were no restrictions, so they could say whatever they wanted.

"This story is my own fiction, the protagonist Pei Yanzhi has no specific prototype, it is a story evolved based on the character of some old artists of that era.

Pei Yanzhi is just a reference, a representative of countless actors and actresses who are humble and dare not forget their country. "

"Yanzhi, Haiqingheyan, Guotai'anzhi, good name, good meaning."

With one name, Wang Xiaoying thought of others, even Cao Xuan was a little confused, but he never thought that Pei Yanzhi's name might have such a connotation.

Sure enough, a good story needs constant collision and extension of inspiration in order to be full and three-dimensional.

The two had a heated discussion on the script of "Chi Ling", with careful analysis and unconstrained inspiration.

The plot of the "Chi Ling" drama is roughly the same as the MV under Wang Xiaoying's vision, but more details have been added.

For example, in the early stage, Pei Yanzhi became obsessed with the theater, so let's have some interaction between Pei Yanzhi, the theater troupe and regular customers, to create a peaceful and quiet theater life.

In the mid-term, the troubled times are drifting away, feeling the turmoil in the family and the country, and the lively scenes that go back and forth no longer exist. Pei Yanzhi is angry but helpless. This is the sorrow of the people in troubled times.

In the later period, the Japanese appeared on the stage, and added a few plots of crimes, which reflected the ugliness of the invaders and the anger of the common people, and at the same time allowed the audience to accumulate emotions.

Later, the Japanese asked Pei Yanzhi to work in the army, but Pei Yanzhi refused, and would rather die than flatter the invaders. The two sides clashed, and the Japanese attacked the people around him. After paying a certain blood price, Pei Yanzhi pretended to "surrender" and arranged for others to retreat. , and eventually died together with the Japanese.

The framework is still the same, but a lot of supplements and fine adjustments have been made to the plot, and the rhythm of the plot is more appropriate.

To be honest, after talking about the script, Cao Xuan himself was moved, not because he wanted to act in a drama, but because he wanted to make a "Chi Ling" movie.

In fact, when he was filming the MV, the director Chen Hanzhu said that this story is very suitable for changing the movie, the plot structure is complete, there is no lack of climax, and it has a strong ability to empathize.

Regardless of feelings, "Chi Ling" is particularly good at finding the point of "actors serving the country" from a creative point of view.

The Chinese pay attention to "every man is responsible for the rise and fall of the world", and they admire the feeling of family and country in their bones. This spirit of sacrifice for the righteousness is believed and pursued by countless people in the country.

At the same time, the status of "actor" is a bit derogatory in the eyes of most people, let alone a male role.

Many people seem to be sissy, feminine and refined, delicate and weak, without any masculinity, entertaining people with sex on stage.

Such an image, showing admirable family and country feelings and the courage to sacrifice one's life for righteousness at critical moments, can create extremely strong contrasts and conflicts, and then shock people.

In Cao Xuan's impression, there are two similar film and television images in later generations that are well received.

One is the second girl (old second aunt) in the TV series "Dog Beating Stick". When she first appeared on the stage, she was a bitch.
But when he finally fought the Japanese devils in a bloody battle and would rather die than retreat, it was definitely one of the climax plots of the whole play.

Played concubine Yu for a lifetime, and became a bully once at the end of her life!
This role doesn't have many roles, but it steals the limelight from those leading actors. It is one of the brightest roles in the whole play of "Dog Beating Stick".

There is also an old eunuch from "Broken Throat Crossbow". When he appeared on the stage, he had a strange and ghostly air, and he looked like a perverted old thing.

But later, when the Japanese devils called, the old man yelled, "The Japanese are provoking to the extreme, and they should be punished immediately to vent the anger of the gods."

No one watched the TV series Xuepang Street, but this video was widely circulated.

Even many netizens who don't like Man Qing and eunuchs say that they don't have manly things, but they have done things that are more manly than men, and they are entitled to be honored as "father-in-law".

Therefore, if this kind of role with strong contrast is played well, it will be particularly brilliant, and it will better reflect what is called "a low position but not daring to forget the country".

From a commercial point of view, "Chi Ling" has the popularity of songs, has a wide popularity base and support, and the storyline and rhythm are also guaranteed.

Even if the box office may not meet high expectations because of the main theme, there is a certain chance of being able to win awards if it has themes and character advantages.

Cao Xuan thinks that "Red Ling" can be listed as a candidate project for Fanxing, and then he will read the feedback of the drama before considering whether to make a movie.

At the same time, the "Chi Ling" incident also reminded Cao Xuan that he seemed to have neglected the important IP in his hand.

That is his song MV can be adapted into film and television.

This is not whimsical, but there are real examples.

Hereafter.Liu Milk Tea's "Later" was adapted into a movie and won a box office of 13.6 billion.

Although suspected of box office fraud, there is a lot of water in the box office, but even if it is squeezed out, the rest is still considerable, at least compared to the investment, it must be a big profit.

Liu milk tea can sell feelings, so why can't he Cao Tianwang.

In terms of fame, influence, and fan base, Cao Xuan all beat Liu Milk Tea.

"Fairy Tales", "Those Years", and "Fireworks Are Cold", including the current "Red Ling", have plots and stories, and have a wide range of popularity and influence among fans and even the general public. In fact, this is an IP in a certain sense.

Since it is an IP, it can be adapted into a movie. As long as the quality is not bad, the audience will buy it.

Some suitable ones can be filmed now, and unsuitable ones can be saved, and the influence will gradually spread. When the time comes, the movie will be launched, fans will come back one after another, and small money will fly into Cao Xuan's pocket.

Why did you listen to pirated copies back then, now that I’m grown up, I’ll give you back a concert ticket.

But this alone is not enough, Cao Xuan not only wants concert tickets, but also their movie tickets...

Profiteer!
Cao Xuan couldn't help but spurn himself, but when he returned to Fanxing, he immediately contacted relevant departments to discuss the feasible plan of "Music IP Film and Television".

I even took out "Those Years" and planned to shoot it to test the waters.

The reason for choosing this song is because there are standard movies to learn from, and the cost is controllable, and it is also suitable for the performance of the company's artists.

Cao Xuan had a plan for Fanxing to make a movie last year, but he has not found a suitable project.

Looking at it now, "The Girl We Chased Together in Those Years" is pretty good.

Because the song and MV have a certain popularity foundation, and the box office of the original film is not bad, it has achieved very good results in the Mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and even Southeast Asia.

Even if there is a butterfly effect, coupled with the reasons of the times, the performance of the original work may not be achieved, Cao Xuan does not believe that he will rush to the end.

Moreover, the male protagonist in the original work is too aggressive, if he steals his famous work, maybe it won't be his turn to be a disgusting person, and it can be regarded as doing justice for the heavens.

This is also one of the rare occasions when Cao Xuan felt no guilt, and even felt a little bit refreshed.

The script framework of "The Girl We Chased Together in Those Years" is ready-made, but compared with the original version, it must be localized.

Most of the domestic youth films are about falling into a wife, breaking up, jumping off a building, changing schools, tearing up, and bullying Barabara.

This movie is a very rare normal youth movie. Although there are some small exaggerations, it does not have those bloody and disgusting plots.

This is also one of the reasons why Cao Xuan was willing to make this movie.

In fact, most people do not have high requirements for youth films, do not impact the three views of normal people, do not insult the IQ of ordinary people, and capture some of the beauty and vitality of youth, it is considered qualified.

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ps: There was an error in the previous chapter about sales in Asia and related descriptions. After being pointed out by book friends, it has been corrected now
(Referring to Cao Xuan’s sales volume changed from the Asian annual champion to the top five/top ten)

As I said before, I don’t know much about the entertainment industry in Europe, America, Japan, and Korea. There are few domestic materials and they may not be accurate. If anyone has relevant information channels, you can introduce them to me.

(End of this chapter)