All-rounder Artist

“A new script?”

The next afternoon, holding the freshly completed “Spiderman” script, Lin Yuan found Ol’ Zhou, seeking the company’s filming support.

“Let me see!”

A thrill of joy spread across Ol’ Zhou’s face as he hastily took the “Spiderman” script from Lin Yuan, his expression flickering with anticipation, he said:

“Feel free to sit for a while.”

Lin Yuan nodded and looked at the piano in Ol’ Zhou’s room, feeling an itch in his hands: “May I play for a while?”

“Of course.”

Ol’ Zhou nodded with a smile.

As the head of the music department, Ol’ Zhou had some musical skills, such as playing the piano. However, his proficiency was mediocre, hence the piano was mostly decorative in his office.

Lin Yuan sat in front of the piano and began to play extemporaneously, while Ol’ Zhou started reading the “Spiderman” script.

“♪♪♪~”

Recalling the plot of “Spiderman”, Lin Yuan’s piano playing varied in tone; sometimes soft, sometimes intense, sometimes even ethereal.

After a while, Ol’ Zhou finally finished reading the script and Lin Yuan naturally stopped playing.

“That’s the first time I’ve read a script with someone providing a live soundtrack.”

Ol’ Zhou looked at Lin Yuan at the piano: “That wasn’t bad.”

Lin Yuan got straight to the point: “What do you think of the script?”

After a moment’s thought, Ol’ Zhou gave three words: “Pretty good.”

Lin Yuan: “…”

Ol’ Zhou chuckled: “What else can I say? A nobody transforming into a superhero to save the world, this is obviously a typical kind of commercial sci-fi movie. The success of this kind of movie doesn’t solely depend on the script, but also hinges on whether the scene is grand enough and the visuals are stimulating enough. Unlike your previous movie “Hachiko”, artsy plot-driven films always require more focus on the storyline and performances.”

Lin Yuan nodded.

Well, that’s true.

He didn’t expect anyone to be amazed upon reading the “Spiderman” script. That would be unrealistic on Blue Star. Hence he asked bluntly:

“Can it be filmed?”

Lin Yuan had plenty of assets. It would be great if the company was willing to invest. But even if the company was unwilling to invest, Lin Yuan would finance it himself and hire the company’s crew to work for him.

“Of course.”

Ol’ Zhou closed the script: “The story of the script has a good sense of anticipation. There are many superhero-themed movies in the market. However, that’s a solid proof that superhero is indeed a popular movie theme …”

Lin Yuan had a peculiar look on his face.

So that’s why Ol’ Zhou wasn’t the least surprised when he saw the “Spiderman” script. It’s a typical cliché in the Blue Star film industry where an ordinary person transforms into a superhero to save the world. This trend was initiated by the Qi people many years ago, ushering in the era of the superhero genre in films!

If we trace back to thirty years ago.

At that time, the Qi Continent filmed a movie called “Dragonman”. The plot of this movie is very similar to that of Marvel’s. Two terrifying monsters appeared on Blue Star one day. They seemed to be fighting over a bizarre potion. The male protagonist, being a reporter, captured the battle between the two monsters on camera.

Then things unwound in a stereotypical way.

The two monsters died together, the potion they were trying to seize also shattered; the liquid splashed onto the male protagonist. A bizarre transformation happened to him, giving him shape-shifting ability. He could transform into a half-human, half-dragon creature at will.

More monsters began to appear on Blue Star. These monsters also seemed to be looking for that potion. Upon learning that the protagonist had consumed the rest of the potion, they decided to capture him and extract the potion from his body.

Then there was the ultimate showdown.

Under the global live broadcast.

The protagonist defeated the monsters in the end, becoming the first superhero in the history of Blue Star films. This format later inspired a flood of copycat superhero films. Most of these revolved around the protagonist gaining immense power due to some kind of mutation, and finally saving the world.

The plot was overly simplified!

But thirty years ago, this movie was an instant and tremendous success on its release. It sold box office records of over a hundred billion in the Qi Continent alone. Then, the movie was introduced to other continents and historically broke through the two hundred billion barrier in total box office revenue. It’s still among the top ten in box office history on Blue Star.

Because it was fresh and stimulating!

It was this movie that sparked the wave of superhero films. So, Ol’ Zhou did not find the “Spiderman” script strange at all. It was the typical plot of a superhero film where an ordinary person evolves and ultimately saves the world.

However…

Because there have been so many superhero films, the box office performance of this genre is highly polarized. Good films could explode at the box office, while poorly made ones could cause the film company to go bankrupt. Also, most superhero films are not cheap to produce, so in recent years, there have been far fewer superhero films. Everyone needs to consider the risk as it’s no longer the era where simply copying “Dragonman” could easily cause a box office explosion.

Such is the Qi Continent!

The hall of fame of Blue Star films!

Although there is no Marvel on this planet, there are Marvel-like superheroes. The Qi people have initiated this genre and made it one of the most popular film categories on Blue Star!

For Lin Yuan.

It’s a mixed blessing.

The good side is that the audience definitely enjoys superhero films, there’s no problem with the existing fan base. The downside is that the audience has seen too many similar movies and is highly critical of the quality of these films. If “Spiderman” doesn’t have its own unique traits, it would be hard to impress the Blue Star audience, who is already saturated with superhero films.

On top of that…

Due to the influence of the “Dragonman” movie, Blue Star has also produced many superhero comics, novels, cartoons, etc. However, superhero novels aren’t that popular, while comics and cartoons have a fairly good influence, which is related to the visual impact of superhero works.

“Here’s the plan.”

Ol’ Zhou stood up: “I will bring the script to the film department to discuss it. We will figure out a plan, including investment and so on. If someone else was proposing to make a superhero film, I would definitely refuse. But if the proposal comes from you, both I and the company should have a certain level of confidence.”

Lin Yuan nodded.

He could not abandon “Spiderman” just because Blue Star already has many superhero films. He has also watched many superhero films on Blue Star, and he identified two problems.

The first problem.

Most of Blue Star’s superheroes don’t emphasize character development. The protagonist tends to be somewhat stereotyped. They are generally ordinary people who have stumbled upon a magical event. The movies tend to stress the power they possess after the transformation, while ignoring the protagonist’s ordinary side.

This is relative, of course.

Some superhero films do put a little effort into sketching out the protagonist, but they don’t seem to be very successful. Even if they are, they don’t have a wide influence.

The second problem.

Blue star superhero movies do not adopt Marvel’s tie-ins model. Even if a superhero film is made into a sequel, it’s just another monster to fight. There are very few instances of different superheroes appearing simultaneously, and even if there is, the linkage is not high.

This is Lin Yuan’s advantage.

He must take full advantage of this.

In Marvel’s superheroes, “Spiderman” has a relatively clear definition. The protagonist is a super talkative person who can’t stop chatting while fighting monsters. He likes to mingle with ordinary people, making him a very down-to-earth hero. He’s considered one of the most charming superheroes in Marvel.

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