Generation Z Artists

Chapter 342 The Most Useful Tool
The core of the romance in The Return of the Condor Heroes originates from that poem—

They first met at Fengling Ferry, and one encounter with Yang Guo changed her life forever.

However, the 06 version of The Return of the Condor Heroes failed to capture this feeling, and President Huang did not portray that kind of charm.

Sorry?
In fact, the audience did not feel regret, because they could not imagine it at all, and they just watched it casually and moved on.

The 06 version of The Return of the Condor Heroes never became a big hit, nor did it bear any undue expectations.

But right now, the expectations of Japanese and Korean audiences are at their absolute limit, and everyone is waiting for the moment when Fang Xinghe appears.

For this moment, Director Fang, Best Actor Fang, and Director Fang worked together to create a scene that has never been seen before in film history.

Weng Feiran closed her eyes, and the world sank into darkness.

An eagle opens its eyes, and the world appears in a 270-degree panorama.

"Wow……"

Liu Yifei and her mother exclaimed in surprise, shocked by the images on the television.

From the audience's perspective, they are not yet aware that the scene before them belongs to "the eagle's vision," but are simply awestruck by the suddenly expansive perspective.

The world appears to the audience as a miraculous state of being hemispherical, high-definition, and highly saturated in color.

The shooting plan was actually quite simple—Fang Xinghe used two parallel Sony HD cameras, paired with wide-angle lenses with a field of view of over 120°, strictly synchronized the parameters, physically extended the baseline, and finally sent them to Industrial Light & Magic for post-production compositing.

More than ten engineers manually adjusted hundreds of thousands of control points, and it took them a month to complete this less than 30-second clip.

The audience couldn't understand the difficulty involved, nor did they realize Fang Xinghe's stubborn dedication; they were simply stunned into silence for a moment.

The 270-degree spherical field of view appears slightly distorted at the edges when displayed on a television screen.

Yet that vastness still impacted my brain without reservation.

The first second of the scene shows a clear blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds.

The screen pans down.

The mountain, though not towering, is exceptionally rugged, with a sliver of snow-capped peak peeking out.

White, blue, and white—a two-tone composition that fills the upper half of the image.

The lower half is still a lush, green forest.

Another second passed, and with a clear cry, accompanied by the whistling sound of vigorous wing flapping, the eagle took flight.

It plunges down from the mountaintop, and the viewer's perspective also plunges down with it.

In winter, Jiuzhaigou's hot spring valley reveals its magnificent beauty to audiences from Japan and South Korea.

The distorted edges give the image a distinct "flowing" feel, as if there is real wind whistling around you.

The highly saturated colors make the blue of the frozen lake, the gold of the leaves, the green of the pine trees, and the iridescence of the ripples on the water seem like the most wonderful dream, all rushing towards you at once.

At the same time, background music started playing, gradually increasing in intensity.

The zither and harp played in harmony, and after a few seconds of prelude, Fang Xinghe's ethereal voice pierced the air: "Forgive me for the burning arrogance hidden in my heart, fly, face the vastness of heaven and earth..."

The lyrics and melody are from Zhang Jie's "Sword Heart". Fang Xinghe only copied this one line as the background music for the entrance.

The processed vocals are half-singing and half-chanting, with five sets of high-pitched enunciations throughout, each word hovering on the edge of breaking the voice.

This effect isn't produced by singing, but by using the human voice as an instrument, seamlessly blending it with the zither, flute, and drum, creating an effect that is ethereal, unrestrained, and captivating.

The intro is 12 seconds long, starting with the sound effect of "li" (呖). The entire lyrics are 11 seconds long and end at the moment when the eagle is about to brush past the cliff.

The next moment, the eagle suddenly raised its head, and one of its feet stomped down, covering the sky.

The scene shifts again, and Yang Guo is seen riding an eagle.

The eagle's body dipped, then it flapped its wings violently and frantically, bringing its body to an abrupt halt in mid-air, its legs kicking wildly in fright.

Leaving aside how difficult it is to create special effects, as a contrast, Demon Star Yang Guo laughs heartily as he flies backward, finally revealing his entire face.

Fang Xinghe appeared before the world for the first time as Yang Guo.

The makeup and costume of this version of Yang Guo are completely different from any other version.

For the most important hairstyle and accessories in ancient costumes, Fang Xinghe chose a Taoist-style bun.

Keywords: High crown with a small bun, forehead fully exposed, messy hair.

Therefore, in mid-air, the wind blew, and the stray hairs on his forehead, sideburns, and back of his neck fluttered wildly, sometimes revealing his complete face, and sometimes obscuring his deep eyes.

How can one describe his charisma at this moment?
Her fair skin was as white as jade, and her broad shoulders and small head were proportions that Japanese and Koreans would envy. Her face, partially obscured, paired with her jet-black hair, created a captivating atmosphere. Finally, there were her heterochromatic eyes—mysterious yet smiling, gazing at the camera as if they were trying to pluck at a woman's heart.

Clothing? Who cares what he's wearing!
At this moment, Yang Guo was dressed simply and plainly.

There is a scene in the story where Xiaolongnu sews clothes for Yang Guo. Auntie has always taken care of Yang Guo in this way, but her sewing skills are very average. So even though she used very good material, the clothes she sewed were wide and not well-fitting, just basic Taoist robes.

The dark black Taoist robe suits Feng very well.

When it moves, it makes Yang Guo look like a wild dragon frolicking in the rapids, graceful and enchanting.

When it is still, it outlines Yang Guo's strong and vigorous posture, giving rise to a lonely and unyielding temperament.

Japan and South Korea are not without pretty boys, but when have they ever seen such a bug-like image that combines a sense of power, eerie eyes, Taoist aura, and exquisite face?

When Fang Xinghe laughed heartily and talked with the eagle, the captivating aura he exuded was completely fulfilled, and the screams in front of the TV finally went completely out of control.

"Oh my god! Fang Xinghe oppa is so handsome!"

"Ahhhhh! Oppa is mine! Mine, mine, mine!"

"Damn it! How can he be so handsome?"

"My expectations weren't in vain, Mr. Fang is really amazing..."

Many people have expressed similar sentiments, not just young girls with their minds full of romantic fantasies.

Fang Xinghe created an entrance unlike any other in the TV series, with an unparalleled level of sophistication. Regardless of how the plot unfolds, at least for this moment, all they could feel was the impact.

The posts on the StarNet official fan cafe started refreshing at a rate of hundreds of comments per second.

The Japanese website 2ch is rife with outrageous posts.

"If it were Yang Guo, he would do anything to me, no matter how outrageous it is!"

"Waaaaah, I can't help but cry! Making baby's breath is such a wonderful thing! I'm so excited I can't breathe!"

"Moya Bai, The Return of the Condor Heroes is truly the kind of novel that leaves you breathless even if it's not covered in stars..."

"I want to die for Your Highness!"

"If it were possible, I would like to jump off Fang-sang's building. In the instant I fall from his window, we would freeze face to face. He would look at me in surprise, and I would be smiling happily. Ah, just thinking about it is so romantic!"

"A brilliant idea! Go for it, you slut!"

……

In the hotel room, no mentally ill person had yet passed by Fang Ge's window, grinning madly at him.

The atmosphere was quiet. Liu Yifei and her mother were still replaying their earlier appearance in the story in their minds.

"Director Fang...this is way too much..."

In the end, Ms. Liu couldn't quite summarize what she wanted to say; at that moment, language seemed so inadequate.

Artists love to talk about innovation, but innovation is never an easy thing.

It's nothing to cram movie-quality footage into a TV series; what's truly bewildering is cramming scenes that never even appear in movies into a TV series.

Fang Xinghe smiled gently and said, "Episode 3 is a crucial juncture that connects the past and the future. We need to put in more effort to ensure that future viewership is not affected by external factors."

"Yes, that's absolutely right!"

Nenxian nodded vigorously, her face full of admiration. She wasn't good at saying nice things, but her little expressions conveyed a lot of emotional value.

Dog was in a great mood and found her increasingly pleasing to the eye.

The main reason is that she recovered quickly, and now there is basically no trace of Chen Nian's influence. The balance between liveliness and quietness is just right, neither withered nor noisy.

Ms. Liu noticed her daughter's admiration, but surprisingly, she didn't have any negative thoughts.

She was also very excited and couldn't help but declare, "I feel like this drama is definitely going to be a hit, and the ratings will be fantastic!"

It would be illogical if this wasn't stable. Even if the later plot became fragmented, the viewership ratings could still be maintained at over 20% just because of Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu's faces.

Essentially, "The Return of the Condor Heroes" is closer to an idol drama than a typical martial arts drama.

Of all Jin Yong's works, only "The Return of the Condor Heroes" has perfectly designed male and female protagonists.

Guo Jing in The Legend of the Condor Heroes has an unappealing temperament;

The main characters in Tianlong are scattered; those with high charisma are not handsome, and those who are handsome are not charismatic.

Zhang Wuji in "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" is even more clueless, lacking in assertiveness and prone to indecisiveness.

The novel "Laughing at Linghu Chong" has great potential. If a handsome actor is cast and the story is adapted into a romantic tale, it would be the best adaptation target for the 4.0 era of Chinese entertainment.

But it doesn't deserve to be compared to "The Return of the Condor Heroes." Yang Guo is charming but not lewd; from naivety to maturity, his character arc is full and perfect, beautiful, strong, tragic, and devoted.

Little Dragon Girl is loyal and unwavering, aloof and stunningly beautiful. She is both the epitome of first love and the perfect fairy wife who is devoted to her husband.

The storyline features both the female-oriented "wife-chasing-after-the-cremation" scenario and the male-oriented "male protagonist's upgrade" scenario. It's cool when it's time to be cool, flirtatious when it's time to flirt, and ruthless when it's time to ruthless... It's definitely the number one martial arts IP.

Therefore, the performance of the previous version of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" can be described as quite poor.

Zhang Dahuzi thinks he's a genius at filming, but he's actually really bad at it.

Aside from Liu Yifei getting the benefits she deserved, who else got to sit on the table?

Compare this to the scene in "Empresses in the Palace" where the entire cast hosts a banquet; the difference is immediately apparent.

Fang Xinghe knows all too well the elements of an idol drama: the love story is the most important, the looks and popularity of the male and female characters are the second most important, the character design, acting and lines of the supporting characters are the third most important, and the fight scenes are just icing on the cake.

He did his best to create historic action scenes, but that doesn't mean he didn't grasp the core of the story or ignored the plot and romantic moments.

In fact, female viewers didn't pay much attention to the action scenes—except for Yang Guo's action scenes.

The core reason why they like Yang Guo's fight scenes is that he is handsome, charismatic, and stylish, rather than the action itself.

Therefore, Fang Xinghe only needed to spend 2 million to make "The Return of the Condor Heroes" a 90-point film that would satisfy the female audience's desire for a climax.

The extra 3 million was spent purely for the male audience.

Eagle Vision, the Battle of Xiangyang, full-scale motion capture, and high-quality special effects—all these combined to raise "The Return of the Condor Heroes" from 90 points to 95 points.

Buying 5 points for 3 million seems like a huge loss at first glance, but Brother Fang thinks it's worth it.

The Condor Heroes, with its 90-point rating, can captivate female viewers, maintain its core audience, and aim for a viewership rating of over 30%.

Only a 95-point remake of The Return of the Condor Heroes can give this drama a deeper and more thought-provoking classic feel, making it unforgettable for male viewers as well, and ultimately sublimating it into divinity.

Their approval is what allows us to break through the limits.

……

The third episode ends with Xiaolongnu and Yang Guo exchanging glances, followed by a commercial break.

Fang Xinghe stretched and casually opened the panel, only to find that the number of fans and star value in the Japanese region were skyrocketing.

Actually, he no longer wanted his makeup to look cakey, especially since men from Japanese island nations tend to have cakey makeup.

However... it was impossible to stop.

After seeing this group of men and women, who could control their emotions?
Nenxian watched the advertisement intently, occasionally letting out a soft "wow"—no matter how many times she saw it, Fang Xinghe's parkour advertisement was always so cool.

Ms. Liu was also immersed in satisfaction... The scene of Xiaolongnu's appearance just now was also the first time she showed her lightness skill in an external environment. The filming was both beautiful and ethereal, making her and Yang Guo the opposite of the two extremes of strength and gentleness.

It's easy to see that her daughter's popularity is skyrocketing.

"Director Fang..."

Just as she opened her mouth, Fang Xinghe's phone rang, so she quickly shut up.

Fang Xinghe picked it up and looked at it, hey, it's a dog.

Tanaka Ichijo was so excited he almost barked.

"The boss exploded! It exploded!"

"Ratings?" Fang Ge had expected this, and asked lazily, "Did it reach 40?"

"Instant viewership rating of 42.5%!" the dog barked excitedly. "The average viewership rating has also soared to 30%, a record-breaking explosion!"

"Stop it, stop it."

Fang Xinghe had to hold his phone further away, otherwise the sound was deafening.

"What good does it do to wait until the average viewership rating stabilizes at 35% before telling me the good news?"

"Well, even 'Winter Sonata' didn't reach that level..."

Are you comparing me to him?

Fang Xinghe narrowed his eyes and seized the opportunity to begin his PUA (Pick-Up Artist) tactics.

"Is Winter Sonata so important and insurmountable in your hearts?"

Tanaka Inuko was terrified and quickly apologized, "Red bean paste is so cheap! It's my fault, I was so narrow-minded!"

"Okay, hang up now. Don't make such a fuss next time."

Fang Xinghe didn't give him a chance to explain further and hung up the phone immediately.

Ms. Liu couldn't understand Japanese, but she could feel Fang Xinghe's suddenly explosive aura. She gently wrapped her arms around him and touched a handful of fine bumps.

Director Fang is really... becoming less and less like a normal teenager...

In fact, she wasn't the only one who felt this way; many people realized that Fang Xinghe was becoming less and less like a human being.

However, no one dared to mention it.

Today, having a rare opportunity to be alone, and with the atmosphere quite relaxed and harmonious, Liu Xiaoli, almost as if possessed, asked a question.

"Director Fang, you... seem to have very few personal hobbies and leisure time?"

She asked the question in a very tactful way, but Fang Xinghe immediately understood the real meaning.

Fang Xinghe glanced at the young fairy who was listening intently to the theme song, feeling her focus, her anticipation, and her excitement. A slight envy rose in his heart, but it quickly disappeared.

He calmly replied, “If you have ever experienced a period of time like that—being imprisoned in a strong emotion every day, powerless to do anything about what is happening or about to happen in reality, and only able to watch as many things slip away—then you will also fall into a strong sense of nihilism.”

Liu Xiaoli suddenly realized what was happening, and deep sympathy appeared in her eyes.

She thought Fang Xinghe was recounting his childhood experiences, and she thought she could empathize with that pain, but she was wrong.

The real root cause of Fang Xinghe's current personality is that the sorrow of his family added to the weight of his life, so he had no mood for entertainment, and external things could not fill the emptiness in his heart.

Only the sense of accomplishment brought by a grand destiny can make him happy.

What's more, he's a total cheater.

"Talent is a curse."

He explained the impact of the cheat to Liu Xiaoli in this way.

"The price of exceptional talent is the inability to find joy in simple repetition. Many people think I love art, but no, I just... love change."

Liu Xiaoli misunderstood again.

She asked thoughtfully, "Does that also include pushing Sisi to the top? I don't know if it's just my perception, but you seem to take good care of her, which is a bit different from how you treat others."

With a sudden flutter, as if Liu Yifei were engrossed in watching a drama, her two ears perked up.

Fang Xinghe chuckled to himself.

No, of course not, because she was already at her peak, so it wouldn't matter whether I pushed her or not.

Fang Xinghe originally wanted to give a truthful negative answer, but a red light suddenly flashed at the edge of the fan panel that had not been closed.

That is……

Oh, it turns out that the radiance of the fans on the young fairy's body suddenly became unstable.

The dog's mind raced, and he naturally changed his tune.

"Yes, Sisi is a very talented but not so gifted actress. As the first disciple of the Fang school, I have high hopes for her."

In the future, there will be many projects that cannot be done without her, and we will have no choice but to let her take the lead.

Aunt Liu, if there's another opportunity to work together, I hope you can trust me. You want what's best for her, and so do I. Ultimately, we'll both end up in the same place…

Upon hearing about the next collaboration, Liu Xiaoli instinctively shuddered.

Actually, the difficulty of The Return of the Condor Heroes wasn't too bad; what she was afraid of was... the next installment, "Young You".

However, before she could figure out how to speak, a cheerful little voice rang out behind her.

"Okay, okay! If you find any good projects, be sure to contact me. You can decide on the price, and I'll be there whenever you call!"

"Thank you, my good apprentice."

Fang Xinghe fell in love, and the result of that was that he first used a title to win her over, and then began to arrange work for her.

"Then I'll have to trouble you to handle the promotion of the drama in Japan and South Korea. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me."

I definitely won't go myself, but I can offer you some advice.

Did you understand? If you did, then hurry up and get to work. Your mentor will be there to support you!
Seeing the light on her body change from blue to red, Professor Fang smiled warmly and kindly.

Liu Yifei doesn't easily idolize anyone, but once she does, she probably won't easily change her mind.

The best tool in China, got +1!

*************
(End of this chapter)