Chapter 380 Easter Egg Extravaganza and Continuous Cultural Export
On July 20, 2022, the finale of "The Prequel to the Lotus Lantern" will be broadcast.
Prior to this, the plot of the TV series had been fully developed, and there was a certain plot linkage with the previous film "Lotus Lantern".
For example, Xiaoyu, the heroine of "Lotus Lantern", was born to Fox Sister and Fifth Brother in the play. Later, Fifth Brother planned to eat Tang Monk's meat to become immortal, but was defeated by Sun Wukong and Yang Chan, and the couple died.
Xiaoyu was brought to Huashan by Yang Chan to be raised, but was later secretly stolen by Fox Sister's mother, who was preparing to teach her granddaughter to avenge her parents.
The love between the Three Holy Mothers and Liu Yanchang was also mentioned. It was probably because Yang Chan was too lonely in Huashan, and a good-looking man shamelessly pursued her, and they developed feelings after going back and forth.
In "Baolian Lantern", Yang Jian immediately demolished his family and arrested people as soon as he appeared on the scene. "The Prequel of Baolian Lantern" changed it slightly.
Yang Jian knew that his sister had an affair with Liu Yanchang, but he looked down upon Liu Yanchang as a weak scholar and strongly opposed their relationship.
Yang Chan, the Third Holy Mother, respected her second brother very much, but she was reluctant to leave Liu Yanchang, so the brother and sister were not happy.
Later, Yang Chan and Liu Yanchang got married and had a child. Although Yang Jian was angry, he did not want to break up his sister's family, but planned to hide the matter.
As a result, Tiannu, a villain who had a grudge against Yang Chan, caused trouble and threatened Yang Jian with the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in a certain place.
In addition, the Queen Mother already had the power in heaven at that time, so these old women did not know that they were menopausal, and they deeply hated the idea of gods falling in love.
In the former case, there was the Weaver Girl, and the Seventh Fairy was severely punished by her. Later, the Eighth Fairy went against the trend and committed a crime, which completely angered the Queen Mother and suppressed her own daughter forever.
Yang Jian didn't want his sister to be punished like this, so he planned to deal with it privately first, stabilize Tiannu, and then slowly take action.
So, Yang Jian led his troops down to the realm, and under the disbelief in the eyes of the Third Holy Mother, he imprisoned his sister in Huashan. Liu Yanchang and his son were rescued by the fourth princess and sent to Liujiacun to settle down.
After witnessing the tragedies of his mother, sister, eight fairies and others, Yang Jian increasingly felt that Tian Tiao was pedantic and outdated.
How come the Jade Emperor and the Empress can live freely with a lot of daughters and sons, while other gods and goddesses are sentenced to life imprisonment if they fall in love.
Yang Jian, who has gradually become the god of justice, is determined to change the rules of heaven.
As the protagonist of the first "Havoc in Heaven" and the eldest disciple of the [Order of Heaven] Yuding Zhenren, Yang Jian's initial plan was very simple.
He contacted Nezha and Li Jing, led Roaring Dog and the Meishan brothers back to heaven, and put the three-pointed two-edged sword in front of the Jade Emperor's neck.
uncle-ci-nephew-filial piety-
Feeling - people - lungs - organs -
However, when Yang Jian arrogantly killed Tiannu and left the Temple of Justice with a three-pointed two-edged sword, preparing to lead his troops to fight, Tang Monk, who returned from the westward journey and had successfully conferred the title of Buddha, blocked him and offered words of persuasion.
Tang Seng didn't say much, but every word struck Yang Jian's heart.
Heaven cannot be in chaos. Once Heaven is in chaos, the three realms will be in chaos. If it is not controlled well, all sentient beings in the three realms will suffer. The weak water back then is a clear example.
"Holy Father" Yang Jian was not afraid of death, but he was afraid of chaos in the three realms, so he withdrew his troops and returned to the palace, and went to his master Yuding for advice.
Yuding didn't come up with any solution, but told Yang Jian a secret. Children born between humans and gods are the most talented people in the three realms.
Of course, talent also needs to be guided correctly in order to reach its full potential.
For example, Yang Jian was able to reach where he is today because of his good uncle, the Jade Emperor, who forced him little by little.
It was the Jade Emperor's words that completely reminded Yang Jian that he set his sights on Chenxiang who was going to school carefree in Liujia Village, and planned to copy his own path on Chenxiang.
Being behind the scenes, he can also secretly control the situation to prevent the situation in the Three Realms from getting completely out of control.
Yuding knew about Yang Jian's plan and understood it. When the master and apprentice parted, he sent Yang Jian eight big characters.
[As always, endure the humiliation and bear the heavy burden]
Under these eight words, Yang Jian is wearing a silver armor shirt, standing alone in the clouds, with firm eyes and a cold expression.
Under such a lens, "The Prequel of the Lotus Lantern" also comes to an end.
………
That night, the average ratings of "Baolian Lantern" for the whole drama exceeded 3.64, and the Douhua score was 8.8. Basically, it won the July ratings championship without any suspense.
As for whether we can win the championship in the 2022 summer season, we still have to look at the results of the TV series broadcast in August.
The outstanding results of "The Prequel of Lotus Lantern" surprised many people, and the news generated was even greater than that of "Mansion Gate" which broke 4.
This can also be understood as to what level "Mansion Gate" is.
The screenwriter is Zuo Le, who is currently becoming a leading figure in TV drama screenwriting, the director is Kong Sheng, a new top director in the field of TV dramas, and the team behind the scenes, Qing Yishui, is a well-known name in the industry.
The male and female protagonists are the real-life Jin Feng Wang, who has won the title of Grand Slam, and the supporting characters are also getting off to a great start, plus there is an unparalleled group of luxurious guest stars.
There is also huge capital investment, the deployment of Shanhe's highest-level resources, and a one-year production cycle from project establishment to completion...
Due to all these factors, the success of "The Mansion Gate" seems to be somewhat natural, and everyone generally accepts its super high results.
In comparison, the conditions of "Prequel to the Lotus Lantern" are much "worse" in all aspects.
Of course, this "difference" is only compared to "Mansion Gate". Compared with other crews, it can be regarded as a first-class configuration.
A bunch of top second-tier actors star, and many veteran actors and actresses make guest appearances, including some first-tier ones, such as Yan Ni as the Queen Mother and Shui Miaomiao as Guanyin.
Although the screenwriters are mainly from the Shanhe Screenwriting Department, Zuo Le also has a name. Director Gao Xinjian is only ranked third at Shanhe, but despite being beaten by Kong Sheng, he is still a well-known director outside.
Another big advantage is the powerful special effects.
Whether it is "Seven Swords 1, 2" or the two-part "Lotus Lantern", the reason why it has become a hit drama is that in addition to the smooth plot and top-notch actors, the excellent special effects are definitely the most important thing.
heavy.
It's a pity that when the outside world discusses the success of "The Prequel of the Lotus Lantern", this aspect is always ignored, intentionally or unintentionally.
They themselves summed up a secret to the success of the "Lotus Lantern" duology, which is the well-known mythological IP + excellent plot adaptation + hot actors' roles.
Especially for the latter, many people put all the credit on Yang Jian played by Jiao Jun, forcing the character's charm bonus to be greater than the collective efforts.
Such public opinion attributed the success of the two parts of "Lotus Lantern" to luck, and it also became a film and television routine that cannot be copied.
The mythological craze that arose a little earlier because of "The Lotus Lantern" also reached a climax after the broadcast of "The Prequel to the Lotus Lantern".
Countless mythological film and television projects have been approved, some of which even collided with Shanhe's "Mythological Drama Project".
However, neither Zuo Le nor Lao Gao paid much attention to these. Except for a few that deserved attention, the others were all following the trend.
I didn't even think about it seriously, I just made up a imaginary theory and tried to replicate the glory of the "Lotus Lantern" part two. I was just fooled by lard.
There is still a difference between mythological dramas and ordinary TV dramas. Unless the script and actors are particularly outstanding, there is no certain scale of film and television production foundation and the strength of the behind-the-scenes team, and the film will be beaten by the world.
………
Leaving aside the turmoil caused by "The Prequel to the Lotus Lantern" in the film and television industry, what the outside world is paying more attention to right now is whether there will be a "The Prequel to the Lotus Lantern".
For example, the heaven was attacked by the devil, the Jade Emperor was forced to reincarnate, and the immortals were imprisoned. Chenxiang teamed up with Yang Jian and Sun Wukong to defeat the villain and save the Three Realms.
I have to say that netizens are still very imaginative, but Shanhe really has no idea of making a sequel to "Lotus Lantern".
It has always been Shanhe's policy to go too far.
The original "Seven Swords" series was even more popular than the current "Lotus Lamp" duology, and Zuo Le ended it before he even said it was over.
A work like "Lotus Lantern" is not particularly suitable for continuous sequels, and it has extraordinary influence. Shanhe must be even more cautious.
Without certain certainty, I would rather give up this excellent IP than ruin the brand of Shanhe.
The benefits that the latter brings to mountains and rivers are far greater than those of the former.
It is not difficult to distinguish which is lighter or heavier during this period.
Of course, Zuo Le didn't do everything right. In order to appease the fans of "Lotus Lantern", he specially arranged for Gao Xinjian to shoot a few Easter eggs while filming the feature film.
He learned this trick from the movie "Wulin Gaiden", but he has never used it much.
Because in the finale of most TV series, the direction of the characters will be explained later, which can be regarded as the direction of the easter egg, and no special filming is required.
"The Prequel of the Lotus Lantern" is quite special. It is a prequel, the plot is consistent with the main story, and the ending is best to end abruptly, leaving a lot of meaning.
Therefore, "Baolian Lantern Prequel" is very suitable for making some easter eggs in the form of extras to provide some interactions and explanations for the characters and the plot.
The Easter eggs in "The Prequel to the Lotus Lantern" vary in duration and are not convenient for broadcasting on TV platforms. However, Penguin Video did not have this concern and quickly arranged them into the series and played clips on major platforms to attract viewers.
There are many characters appearing in the easter eggs, most of them are after Agarwood splits the mountain to save her mother and modified the rules of heaven.
For example, Chenxiang and Xiaoyu gave birth to a daughter, and the family of three went to pay homage to Sister Fox, Fifth Brother, and Grandma Xiaoyu.
After the Queen Mother descended to earth and was reincarnated, she became a widowed restaurant proprietress, thinking about her waiter every day.
There is also Master Yuding who has been cultivating for thousands of years and finally achieved something. He went to announce the good news to his master Yuanshi Tianzun. Amidst the misty clouds and fairy sounds, Yuanshi Tianzun showed a very familiar shoehorn face.
Among them, Yang Jian’s Easter eggs are the most praised.
The sister's family was reunited, the rules of heaven were revised, and Yang Jian, who had successfully completed his work, was alone in front of the sea, looking at the cold moonlight in the sky with a dazed expression.
The Roaring Sky Dog following him secretly threw away the meat and bones in his hand and wanted to comfort his master, but he was too stupid to speak.
At this time, there was an explosion on the sea surface, and a silver dragon flew out. It was Yang Jian's ex-wife, Ao Cunxin, the third princess of the West Sea.
The two were forced to separate due to the Queen Mother's plot, but they still had each other in their hearts, especially Ao Cunxin, who had never forgotten Yang Jian.
Now that the rules of heaven have been changed and she is free, she wants to get back together with Yang Jian.
As a result, before the two of them had even exchanged a word, the moonlight scattered a bridge of light in the sky, and Chang'e ran over holding the rabbit in her arms.
Chang'e felt very guilty for having misunderstood Yang Jian before. After the new rule of heaven was established, she also decided to look directly into her heart and bravely pursue love.
What was originally a lonely and sad scene suddenly turned into a big gathering of ex-wife and Bai Yueguang, and instantly became a Shura field.
Tragedy turns into comedy, or it can also be said that comedy turns into tragedy.
Seeing Yang Jian, who had always been calm and stern, sandwiched between the two women, he was no longer as cool and majestic as before, his eyes were even a little wandering, and his expression was obviously panicked.
Roaring Sky Dog covered his mouth and snickered, picked up his own flesh and bones, and slowly left the scene...
………
All the above have satisfied the psychology of many fans of the "Baolian Lantern" part two, and they even praise the mountains and rivers for their exquisiteness.
And here, Shanhe also received another good news.
An old acquaintance, Japan's NKN TV station, came to the door and planned to win the Japanese overseas copyright of the two parts of "Lotus Lantern" at a package price of US$25 million.
The last "Seven Swords" series has achieved great success in Japan, which has caused Japan to pay close attention to the trends of Shanhe dramas and prepare to wait for the right opportunity to try again.
However, many of the mountain and river dramas after "Seven Swords" were subject to restrictions, and most of them were not suitable for foreign audiences. Japan's NKN TV station was selective and only chose the "Lotus Lantern" duology and "Detective Di Renjie".
Needless to say, the former has a relatively simple plot and excellent special effects. In addition, Japanese people are very curious about Chinese mythology. Even if it does not reach the popularity of "Seven Swords", there should be no problem in returning to the original.
As for "Detective Detective Dee", NKN is still considering whether to introduce it.
Suspense detective dramas have always been a popular theme in Japan. The plot of "Detective Di Renjie" is not unexciting, but it involves a lot of knowledge about Chinese history. NKN TV station is considering whether to dissuade viewers.
In the end, Japan NKN decided to win the two parts of "Lotus Lantern" first and go back to give it a try.
If they make a profit, they can allocate funds to buy "Detective Di Renjie". If they lose, the matter will be settled.
25 million US dollars is the package price of two works. Zuo Le is not satisfied with this price.
But after all, the two parts of "Lotus Lantern" have been aired, and Japan's NKN TV station is introducing a mythological drama, and its determination is not particularly firm.
Shanhe was afraid that the lion would open his mouth and scare the other party away, so he could only slowly grind it out. After two days of hard work, he finally set the price at 28 million US dollars.
It looks like it’s only a mere 3 million U.S. dollars, which translates into less than 20 million, but the meaning is completely different.
No matter how much you earn at home, you are still earning money from your own people. When you go abroad, that is called cultural export. The money is not much, but the quality is huge.
With the previous "Seven Swords" series and the current "Lotus Lantern" duology, Shanhe has always been at the forefront of the domestic film and television industry's export of culture to overseas.
Ratings, word of mouth, fame, overseas influence...
In the envious eyes of all his peers, Shanhe has been running wildly on his way to becoming the hegemon in the field of TV dramas, and even occasionally makes big jumps...
