Chapter 31 031 Trailer

Chapter 31 031 Trailer

Mu Qian, who had worked on the script for "Rising Sun" and even directed the series for a while, knew the released trailer didn't match Jin Mu's original vision for the script.

They didn't even use the original audio...

Mu Qian was quite familiar with Gu Sinian's voice. Although his vocal delivery was weaker than that of the average actor, it wasn't to the extent of being completely unusable.

He couldn't understand why they didn't use the original audio.

When the non-original voice and the indifferent expressions appeared simultaneously, the trailer felt even more off to him.

Unable to hold back, Mu Qian dialed his friend's number.

His friend knew nothing about what was happening outside the set.

"They promised to respect my input and the script," Jin Mu sighed, "But I had no control over the editing."

When Mu Qian was still with the crew, whether it was the shooting of a certain scene or coaching the actors, they respected his opinions as the scriptwriter.

While the other side came off as assertive, this assertiveness was only directed at certain areas where a director should be strong. Towards the script, the scriptwriter, and even actors who could perfectly portray the roles, Mu Qian maintained due respect.

The newly appointed Director Xiao Bo was different. He pretended to respect him, but none of his suggestions were ever adopted.

Although the editing rights belong to the director, since the completion of "Rising Sun," he, as the scriptwriter, seemed to have been sidelined, completely in the dark about how the series was being edited.

After all, "Rising Sun" was his brainchild.

Jin Mu said, "Had I known, I would've waited longer."

But Jin Mu knew very well that given another chance, he might still make the same choice—he always wanted to see "Rising Sun" made into a series.

The process from a script getting picked up by investors, to building a team, and finally to official broadcast is too long. Missing one opportunity might mean there won't be a second.

This was also the reason why, despite not being entirely satisfied with Gu Sinian, he still agreed to cooperate with Ling Ge Entertainment.

Mu Qian didn't know what to say to comfort his friend, so he could only sigh silently over the phone.

...

Although Mu Qian was not satisfied with the trailer of "Rising Sun," it couldn't stop Ling Ge Entertainment and Grape Film and Television from pushing the series hard.

Ling Ge Entertainment bought more than ten trending topics for Gu Sinian, releasing them at different times on Weibo—

#Gu Sinian's Acting Improvement#

#Gu Sinian's Sudden Breakthrough#

#The Art of Performance Gu Sinian#

Grape Film and Television emphasized the emotional impact of "Rising Sun," with the image of young people vowing to serve their country and writing their aspirations under the kerosene lamp becoming eternal—

#Another "Candlelight" is Born#

#The Passion Never Dies#

"Candlelight" and "Rising Sun" have similar themes. The former is a classic that aired ten years ago. In "Candlelight," a group of young people, in their prime, planted the seeds of ideals in their hearts. Over the next few decades, they devoted themselves to the cause of human liberation, using their lives to forge their dreams.

"Candlelight" broke the ratings record of that year and won several major awards. It was the success of "Candlelight" that made the industry realize that such series could also be very promising.

Since then, similar types of shows have been airing continuously, but unfortunately, the ratings have been just average.

The sudden popularity of "Candlelight" was just a fluke. The creative team did not include any big-name directors or actors, and the production cost was not high. However, the director and scriptwriter took the time to polish the script, and the actors made a series of preparations to perform their roles well.

Later shows, though, have been all about the money, with even the production teams themselves lacking any quality requirements. How could shows like that win over the audience?

Seeing "Rising Sun" compare itself to "Candlelight," Mu Qian couldn’t help but frown.

He couldn’t figure out why Grape Film and Television was so into over-the-top marketing.

With this quality... compared to "Candlelight"?

Do they really think viewers are clueless?

However, under the hashtag #AnotherCandlelightIsBorn#, Mu Qian saw nothing but a flood of praise—

"Gu Sinian is so handsome!!"

"I’ve always thought Gu Sinian’s acting wasn’t half bad. It's just that the role in 'Watchmen' didn’t suit him, and he was a newcomer back then with little experience, so it's normal he didn’t perform well."

"+1, it was Ling Ge Entertainment that shoved the role onto him, making him endure so much criticism for nothing."

"Looking forward to 'Rising Sun'! Hope it blows up!"

"Previously, the popular shows were like 'The Noble Son,' which had me worried about what audiences are into these days. Fortunately, 'Rising Sun' is a normal kind of show, so touching!"

"This time, 'Rising Sun' is up against Yunxi Film and Television's 'The Son of Heaven.' Have you seen the trailer for 'The Son of Heaven'... emmm, the main cast is a bunch of no-name older actors."

"Who's going to carry the show? The most famous person in 'The Son of Heaven' crew is Cheng Yun, but he didn’t carry shows even when he was young. Now that he's older, few viewers even recognize him."

"Isn’t there that guy? That guy just had a small hit with 'The Noble Son,' and now 'The Son of Heaven' is going to rely on him for another hit, tsk."

If it weren’t for the comments, Mu Qian wouldn’t have known that "The Son of Heaven" had also released its trailer early.

With both shows airing in the same time slot, the quality is yet to be determined. Mu Qian couldn’t understand the optimistic attitude of Gu Sinian's fans.

After all, "The Son of Heaven" was the show Lu Xu took on after being rejected by the "Rising Sun" crew. Mu Qian was quite curious about the quality of that show.

For some reason, he had a vague premonition that any show chosen by Lu Xu wouldn’t be of poor quality.

Generally, outstanding actors are very good at picking scripts because only a sufficiently excellent script can make an actor's performance stand out.

These actors themselves have the ability to interpret scripts, allowing them to pick the one that best suits them from a pool of options.

With a quick search, the trailer for "The Son of Heaven" soon appeared before Mu Qian.

It was slightly longer than "Rising Sun," lasting over two minutes.

The first scene of the trailer was a dim palace, with continuous reliefs and long stairs connecting to the azure sky, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Above the palace, the powerful minister played with political tactics, clearing one political enemy after another. He was smug, as if no one in the world could stop him except for the slightly weary Son of Heaven on the throne.

However, with a turn of the camera, the once-powerful minister was now a prisoner. Before his execution, he tearfully pleaded to the Son of Heaven, recounting all the contributions he had made to the vast land.

The Son of Heaven's eyes were filled with indifference: "This is my empire."

Not yours.

Thousands of miles beyond the borders, strong enemies approached. The endless snow-capped mountains and barren deserts were reflected in the blood-soaked eyes of young soldiers.

"Men, after this battle, we can finally go home!"

The charging steeds and soldiers surged like waves, drenched in blood, only to become bones that would nourish the grassland come spring.

Most of them never returned to their homeland.

The usually stoic Emperor, upon hearing the news, couldn't help but have tears in his eyes.

"This battle was fought to ensure that there would be no more wars in the world, bringing peace to the borders for decades."

"I won't forget this debt of gratitude."

The next scene shows the eldest son, who harbors deep admiration for his father.

"How can we trouble the Emperor, who rules over all, with minor issues?"

"Even as the Crown Prince, I shouldn't burden the Emperor with too many concerns."

Still the same eldest son, but years later, the once timid yet sincere young man now looks at the Emperor with cold eyes, his words cutting like swords through his father's heart—

"You need a weak and incompetent Crown Prince, a useless one, as long as he exists, your other sons will not shed blood!"

Word by word, piercing straight to the heart.

……

……

After a long while, Mu Qian finally lifted his finger from the screen.

Somehow, just a short one or two-minute video, he silently wrote off "Rising Sun" in his mind.

Gu Sinian had few scenes in "Rising Sun," but when compared to Cheng Yun, it felt like a downgrade.

Cheng Yun's performance was masterful!

Through the screen, Mu Qian could feel the majesty of the Emperor, a true ruler.

But what surprised Mu Qian the most was Lu Xu, who only appeared halfway through the trailer.

Mu Qian had dealt with both Cheng Yun and Guo Yining, and their acting skills were unquestionable, but Lu Xu...

Honestly, Mu Qian only realized that the young Crown Prince and the adult Crown Prince were played by the same actor upon a second viewing of the trailer.

The drastic change in styling made the character seem entirely different, leaving Mu Qian genuinely shocked.

Lu Xu's later questioning scene was nothing short of explosive. Just the different images of the Crown Prince he portrayed were enough to astonish people with his acting transformation.

Moreover, in that scene, his Crown Prince was not at all overshadowed by Cheng Yun's Emperor, showing a significant improvement in acting compared to his audition for "Rising Sun"!

The impression left by "The Son of Heaven" trailer was far more impactful than that of "Rising Sun."

Although "The Son of Heaven" didn't have big stars joining, usually, it's a high-quality series that makes the stars, not the stars that make a series.

Grape Film and Television is still sparing no effort in marketing "Rising Sun," which has the highest presence among the few series launched in February.

But Mu Qian remembers the look in Emperor Cheng's eyes in the last scene of "The Son of Heaven" trailer, a look of being at the top yet incredibly lonely.

As the longest-reigning Emperor, he outlived his youthful rivals—some died young, leaving him nostalgic, while others succumbed to power and greed, losing themselves before meeting their end by his hand.

The general who had always protected him was gone, and the young soldiers could also defend the homeland, but their youth made them seem alien to him, making him feel as though he should have been in his grave long ago.

His sons inevitably became embroiled in conflict; they were ruthless, just as he had been in his youth, but he couldn't help thinking of his eldest son, who had wept bitterly.

That child had said he didn't want to be born into the emperor's family, and by now, he should have been reborn into a better life, right?

Mu Qian was touched by Cheng Yun's gaze.

As a friend of Jin Mu, the former director and scriptwriter of *Rising Sun*, he naturally kept an eye on the popularity of the series that aired in February.

...

*Rising Sun* and *The Son of Heaven* coincidentally aired on the same day.

Yunxi Film and Television also pulled out all the stops to promote *The Son of Heaven*, but unfortunately, Cheng Yun and Guo Yining were too old and lacked the necessary fame. Lu Xu's buzz was quite high, but the issue was that Lu Xu's character, Qin Zhao, was still a long way from making an appearance.

As a result, on its first day, *Rising Sun* far outpaced *The Son of Heaven* in popularity.

Mu Qian followed both series.

When he saw the finished product of *Rising Sun*, he felt slightly relieved. After all, Xiao Bo had followed Jin Mu's original work without major changes, and the plot logic was still passable.

What he was not satisfied with was that the main characters had a heavy makeup look, and the style was somewhat similar to an idol drama.

Also, the dubbing.

The dubbing was a major flaw.

As for *The Son of Heaven*...

It started with a court storm, where the powerful minister had not yet monopolized power. He began to attack his opponent over an old case in the Ministry of Personnel. The powerful minister and the Minister of Personnel went back and forth, depicting the conspiracy in a very hidden manner, with every word seeming to have infinite depth.

Who doesn't love watching old foxes clash?

The court is also a battlefield.

Originally, *Rising Sun* looked quite good, but when compared to *The Son of Heaven*, the problems became apparent.

The slow pace typical of historical dramas was not evident in *The Son of Heaven*, and as for the acting... it was a blatant massacre.

The script of *Rising Sun* focused more on the aspirations and passion of youth, which in the series seemed a bit soft.

Just as Mu Qian finished his reflections, he went on Weibo and saw the screen full of praises for Gu Sinian's acting—

"Such great progress!!!"

"Gu Sinian is indeed a born actor!"

"A good actor meets a script that suits him—it's mutual achievement!!"

Mu Qian: "..."

What exactly was achieved?