Xiao He's first day on set, with his outstanding acting skills, made most of the production team shut their mouths.
As for the small minority, although they might still mutter a few words, none dared to question Xiao He's abilities anymore.
However, these stubborn individuals, even knowing Xiao He's acting was good, wouldn't praise Xiao He directly. Instead, they turned to praise Director Ning, saying Director Ning had a keen eye for talent, that Director Ning had excellent judgment in choosing the actor most suited for Shu Yuxiu.
Xiao He couldn't be bothered to argue with these people.
Even if the sky fell, these people's mouths would hold it up - why should he bother competing with them?
So Xiao He officially began filming with the No Bait production team.
Meanwhile, on the internet, the promotional battle between Law of the Jungle and Silent Search was just beginning.
First, the celebrities participating in Silent Search's side all stepped up for promotion, with even many actors frequently seen in Hong Kong films joining the promotional efforts. The scale was massive and overwhelming, almost completely washing away Law of the Jungle's heat within days.
Among them, the most active and enthusiastic person was undoubtedly Chen Yulin. He placed extreme importance on this film, essentially staking his entire future development on it. Whether he could become a movie star in the future depended entirely on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Therefore, Chen Yulin didn't hesitate to host multiple live streams for promotion, calling on fans to participate in presales, and whenever he attended various programs and events, he would promote Silent Search to some extent.
In contrast, Tong Junhui maintained a much lower profile. Since returning to acting, he had rarely made public appearances, giving off the impression that he would retreat from the entertainment circle again after finishing filming.
Given Chen Yulin's excitement level, if not for Tong Junhui's remaining fame and Silent Search using his past experiences and achievements for promotion, many people might have thought Chen Yulin was the actual lead actor.
But it didn't matter anyway, since their fates were now basically tied to Silent Search, so whether people got the wrong impression wasn't that significant.
Looking back at Law of the Jungle's side, their promotion remained unhurried, giving off a rather peaceful and content feeling.
There was no helping it - within Law of the Jungle, those who could drive traffic were basically the first-billed male lead Liu Zehang and second-billed male lead Xiao He. But Xiao He had just joined the No Bait production team and was too busy to be seen, planning to return around mid-March to help the production team with promotion. As for Liu Zehang, he had just left his previous production team but had accumulated commitments to fulfill. By the time he finished handling them, his schedule would likely sync up with Xiao He's.
The main roles were basically just these two, and with both unavailable, what promotion could they run? They couldn't possibly have Director Ren Changwen push the ailing screenwriter Shen Zhongcheng to do on-site movie promotion and talk about filming experiences, could they?
That would be too hellish.
Moreover, movie promotion values quality over quantity. With time still early, if they went all-out on promotion now, they would definitely run out of steam later. What content would they have left to promote then? They couldn't possibly chop all the movie scenes into fragments and throw them on short video platforms while hyping up the plot and acting, right?
What would audiences watch in theaters then? They might as well piece together the trailer and watch it scattered, saving themselves a movie ticket.
So during the early promotion phase, after briefly overshadowing Silent Search, Law of the Jungle was once again overwhelmed by Silent Search's massive online offensive. Water armies descended on various platforms to build momentum for Silent Search while simultaneously disparaging Law of the Jungle.
To be honest, this situation left Director Ren Changwen completely baffled.
"What's going on here? They're already this powerful, so why are they still squeezing into the Festival slot with us?"
Ren Changwen looked at the online situation, utterly confused.
With this level of strength, they could easily sweep through the May Day season without waiting for Spring Festival! What's the rush to hit Qingming Festival?
Even the production team's promotion director became somewhat apprehensive, asking uncertainly: "Should we follow suit?"
The other side seems to be coming for a fight, more aggressive than those during the Spring Festival drama promotions - it's genuinely frightening.
And there was also a slight sense of financial pain.
The final product from this shoot turned out exceptionally well, so Ren Changwen had even spent extra money to hire a better special effects team for production. Originally planning for an uncontested Qingming Festival run where they could take it easy and save on promotion costs, they never expected Silent Search, a major production team in the same genre, to appear out of nowhere.
The other side came with overwhelming force, and they were struggling to withstand it.
Ren Changwen also felt hesitant.
But at this moment, Liu Rulan called from Beijing.
"Hello?"
"Director Ren, Xiao He and I have seen what's happening online. I'm wondering what arrangements you're planning on your end?"
Ren Changwen smiled wryly: "Their promotion intensity is too fierce - it doesn't even feel like a Festival movie. We can only wait and observe for now."
They couldn't possibly match them head-on. With so many celebrities and traffic on their side, how could their two people compete?
Liu Rulan chuckled on the other end.
"Director Ren, that's where you're wrong. When the opponent brings such formidable forces, you should know when to retreat!"
Ren Changwen: ?
"If they're already like this, if we confront them directly, we might only provoke them further. If it turns into a public opinion battle, neither side would benefit. So why not let them enjoy this wave of heat first? We have a whole month anyway - the heat will still be there. When they've got it, we can just take theirs, wouldn't that work?"
Ren Changwen: Huh?
However, the experienced promotion director had already grasped the idea, his eyes lighting up: "This move is risky, but effective!"
Ren Changwen: ?
"Alright, that settles it then. See you later, Director Ren."
Seeing that the promotion director understood instantly, Liu Rulan didn't elaborate further and directly hung up.
Ren Changwen could only look at his promotion director.
The promotion director winked at Ren Changwen and spoke three essential words: "Ride the coattails!"
Since Silent Search had such massive momentum and was unstoppable, they should just ride their coattails!
Although this kind of hype was somewhat disgraceful, they had thick enough skin and their work quality was solid enough. When the final results came out, who would say they were just riding coattails?
Brilliant~
Beijing.
After giving Ren Changwen some advice, Liu Rulan put down her phone.
Xiao He was using his computer to browse Weibo comments while making impressed sounds: "Sister Liu, you have to admit, their promotion is really interesting. Not only is the plot in their trailer touching, but even the behind-the-scenes footage has equally touching storylines. If I didn't know better, I'd think they specifically filmed behind-the-scenes content separately."
The production team had specially filmed behind-the-scenes footage of Tong Junhui returning to the entertainment circle, officially joining the production team, and receiving enthusiastic welcome from everyone. In the video, although Tong Junhui looked surprised, he reacted quickly with appropriate smiles, cooperating with the production team in his performance, explaining that he had left the industry due to illness and now wanted to challenge himself again...
As Tong Junhui calmly narrated, Chen Yulin beside him listened with tears in his eyes, deeply moved. Eventually, the camera directly shifted to Chen Yulin, asking him why he was so moved.
Then Chen Yulin began his performance.
"I gained strength from Mr Tong's story. Mr Tong's resilience moved me deeply..."
"If it were me, I couldn't bear to leave my fans either. Even if I were dragging a sick body, I would definitely face my fans in my best condition..."
"I also want to learn from Mr Tong Junhui's spirit..."
Xiao He: ...Forget about others for now, you're really not considering Tong Junhui's feelings at all! I'm feeling embarrassed for Tong Junhui right now.
Slippery Fingers Chen! Why is it always you?
Why is it that whenever something happens to others, you're always the most enthusiastic one jumping out!
Do you think this is appropriate?
Such awkward and exaggerated behind-the-scenes acting - you actually dare to put this out there?