Chinese entertainment starts with idols

Chapter 23 Fan Binbin's masterpiece

"Buddha Mountain" is definitely a good movie. On the surface, it's a coming-of-age film, but it's actually a movie about life, death, and faith. The Guanyin Temple collapses, and Michael Jackson dies.

The story of a woman lost in love, a woman lost in the future, a woman lost in herself, and a middle-aged woman who has lost her son and husband, who comfort each other, rebuild their faith, and rebuild Guanyin Mountain.

Lin Feng has a very deep memory of this movie. He has watched it at least three times, especially the scene where the main actors ride the train through the tunnel three times. The music, the camera work, and the acting were all so beautiful and evocative.

Lin Feng even felt that "Buddha Mountain" should be Fan Binbin's masterpiece, as both her looks and acting skills reached the peak of her career.

This film also earned her her first Best Actress award at an A-list international film festival, which is far better than "Apple," which relied on explicit content to grab attention, or "I Am Not Madame Bovary," which relied on her ugly appearance.

The key point is that Lin Feng had the opportunity to participate in this movie, but Qin Hao, the originally planned male lead, was unable to participate for some reason. Therefore, Taiwanese actor Chen Bolin was later chosen instead.

At that time, "In Time With You," which made Chen Bolin famous, had not yet aired, and his popularity was definitely not as high as Lin Feng's.

The rest is a battle of acting skills. Chen Bolin is a skilled actor, and he has already built a reputation for art-house films through works such as "Blue Gate Crossing" and "Mayday." He is a typical art-house actor, naturally possessing a melancholic temperament, making him a good fit for the roles.

However, Lin Feng was not afraid. In addition to his acting skills accumulated in his previous life, he also had the "deep eyes card" as a bonus. He felt that he could compete head-on with his opponent. It was time to let his fans experience his acting skills.

Yes, not bad at all. Starting his film career with Fan Binbin's masterpiece "Buddha Mountain" is the perfect choice!

However, when Lin Feng told Hu Shan about his choice, she didn't quite understand. On one hand, it was an art film, which demanded high acting skills.

On the other hand, the total investment in this movie is not as high as that of "My Beautiful Boss", so the salary that can be paid will definitely not be too high;

"Lin Feng, this film, 'Buddha Mountain,' is an art film that demands a lot from actors. You're going to start out acting in this kind of movie. Can you handle it? You're an idol!"

And her co-star is Fan Binbin. Although she's acted in many bad movies and is criticized as just a pretty face, it would be foolish to think of her as merely a pretty face!

Even Xu Wenjia, who had previously stood firmly by Lin Feng's side, now had reservations. She wasn't very optimistic about this choice, because most art-house films were more likely to flop.

She even felt that she had gone to unnecessary trouble and shouldn't have brought the script for "My Beautiful Boss" over, which would have prevented all these subsequent events.

"Yes, Sister Hu, I understand. I'll choose this one. I want to give it a try. There's no better choice than this one because I want to act in a good movie."

Lin Feng insisted that he knew what he wanted. Even though he knew it would be a failure, he really didn't want to take it. It was clearly a good opportunity, so why not actively strive for it!

Seeing Lin Feng's serious expression, Hu Shan understood that he was a person with his own ideas, and also the kind of person who was good at listening to opinions but not blindly following them.

"Lin Feng, I understand what you mean. How about this, I'll talk to President Long about this first. After all, we still need to go through her connections for the audition for 'Guanyin Mountain,' so let's see what she thinks."

***

Hu Shan reported on it in the morning, and then in the afternoon Long Danni found Lin Feng and went straight to the point:

"I heard from Hu Shan that you turned down two movies, 'No Limits: Dangerous Delivery' and 'My Beautiful Boss,' because you wanted to audition for 'Buddha Mountain.'"

"Yes, Mr. Long, I really want to try. I need the company's help to arrange this audition opportunity."

You promised me back then that you'd give me some autonomy, and now I want to try. This film, *Buddha Mountain*, is absolutely incomparable to films like *My Beautiful Boss* or *No Limits: Dangerous Delivery*.

Moreover, the female lead is Fan Binbin, who is considered one of the top actresses in China right now. Acting opposite her will definitely elevate my status significantly.

"That makes sense, but don't forget you're an idol now. Your popularity and fans are based on that idol status."

Besides, you've only just acted in your first idol drama, and your fanbase isn't solid yet. Rushing into art-house films like this could easily lead to a disaster.

This involves more than just acting skills; idol dramas and art films differ in their market positioning, artistic pursuits, and personal development.

Idol dramas demand perfect images; they are essentially fictional idols, primarily focused on their image and character design.

Art films, on the other hand, prioritize artistic expression, are more personal, stylized, and realistic, and may involve elements such as nudity, violence, and decadence, which can easily provoke backlash from fans.

I've read the script for "Buddha Mountain," and it's a great script that I really like.

However, the male protagonist is portrayed as decadent, slovenly, a smoker and drinker, who also beats his father and harasses his stepmother.

This image is the complete opposite of the one in "Meteor Shower," and could even destroy your idol image from "Meteor Shower," easily leading to fans leaving the fandom.

This is a decision that concerns your career, so you need to be careful. You are responsible not only for yourself, but also for the company!

It's not easy for a company to cultivate an artist, especially one with such a promising future like you!

If it were anyone else being pressured by Long Danni using her moral high ground to address issues like career development, fan responsibility, and company obligations, they might have agreed.

But Lin Feng was different. He understood that everything that could be built up ultimately came from himself. If you became famous, you had everything; if you didn't, you had nothing. It was that simple a principle.

Therefore, Lin Feng remained unmoved. Compared to these ethereal things, he believed more in the interests or contracts of adult society.

"Mr. Long, I understand what you're saying. I admit I'm selfish and self-centered, and I've caused trouble for the company. But I believe this film is worth my effort if it succeeds. Even if it fails, I still want to give it a try!"

"Have you thought it through?" Long Danni admires people with ideas, but she also dislikes disobedient people. Perhaps Lin Feng will behave himself after he's been burned.

"I understand. I won't give up until I try! Please help me get an audition!"

"Okay, let's give it a try. But I can only help you get an audition opportunity; the rest is up to you."

"No problem, I just need an opportunity, I'll handle the rest myself!"

"Are you that confident? Your acting is good, but that's relatively good in idol dramas. This is an art film. If your acting isn't good, you'll easily be ridiculed."

"Mr. Long, I can't guarantee anything. No one can guarantee success until the very end. Even if we participate, the movie might not be successful after its release. But we should at least give it a try. There's at least a 50% chance!"

"Okay, I'll help you make the contact. If it doesn't work out, don't blame me. You'll have to act in 'My Beautiful Boss' and 'No Limits: Dangerous Delivery.' You'll act in both of those shows."

Filming two dramas at the same time is indeed a good idea. At this moment, Long Danni was thinking that Lin Feng should fail as soon as possible so that he could film two dramas and maximize his profits.

"Okay, even if it fails, I'll take both of those movies. No problem, thank you, Mr. Long."

Lin Feng was full of confidence. He had the acting skills from his past life, the "deep-eyed card" bonus, and if all else failed, he still had the "business negotiation card". He refused to believe that he couldn't win over this "Buddha Mountain".

On his way to the audition for "Buddha Mountain," Lin Feng suddenly realized that his "Business Negotiation Card" was grayed out and unusable.

This made Lin Feng panic. Only then did he realize that skill cards could not be used casually. Apart from the first refresh, each use would cost the corresponding number of stars.

Five stars can be used to draw a "Gold Card", and each use of a "Gold Card" requires 3 stars;

Three stars can be used to draw a "white card", and each use of a "white card" requires one star.

Lin Feng now only has 1 star left, which is not enough to use the gold-level "Business Negotiation Card".

Is this system really that complicated to use?

And they won't let you exploit any loopholes!

However, now is not the time for Lin Feng to consider these things. Since the "Business Negotiation Card" cannot be used, he will rely on his own true strength!

The system is just an aid; ultimately, you have to rely on yourself!

......