thefictionvixens Chapter 41 Reverse Propaganda
Chapter 41 Reverse Propaganda
When the official announcement of the release date for "The Lost Tomb" as June 12th at 8 PM was made, the internet exploded. Trending topics popped up one after another, with #TheLostTombReleaseDate#, #LiYifengWuXie#, and #YangYangZhangQiling# dominating the top spots. Fans celebrated in the comments section, and fans of the original novel eagerly awaited the film.
Lin Feng looked at his phone screen and suddenly called Li Yi into his office: "The publicity plan needs to be revised."
"Director Lin, how should we revise it?" Li Yi handed over the notebook. "We originally planned to release the trailer for 'The Beginning' tomorrow."
"Don't rush," Lin Feng tapped his fingertips on the table, "You should add fuel to the fire and help promote 'The Grave Robbers' Chronicles'."
Li Yi was stunned, wondering if she had misheard: "You mean...helping them promote themselves?"
"Yes," Raymond Lam nodded, his eyes resolute, "The key is to promote the original novel's fans' expectations for this drama, the more enthusiastic the better."
"This..." Li Yi looked confused. "Aren't we supposed to be competing against them? Why are we helping them build momentum?"
"Just do as I say," Raymond Lam didn't explain much. "After their premiere, use all the resources you can to make sure everyone says the show respects the original work, is well-made, and gives it high marks."
Li Yi was filled with questions, but seeing Lin Feng's resolute attitude, she had no choice but to agree: "...Okay, I'll arrange it right away." But in her heart, she wondered: What is Director Lin up to? Is he scared?
But she didn't know that Lin Feng had already made plans in his mind. He remembered clearly the grand occasion and the criticism when "The Lost Tomb" premiered in his previous life. The combination of a big IP and top stars was destined to create a huge wave of popularity.
However, the drastically altered plot and lackluster special effects are destined to cause a major setback. What he needs to do is to fan the flames even brighter, and when the other side falls, "The Beginning" will then catch the disappointed audience.
On June 12th, the entire internet was filled with the atmosphere of "The Lost Tomb". The faces of Li Yifeng and Yang Yang could be seen everywhere, from the GG signs in the subway to the splash screens of video websites and the reposts on WeChat Moments.
Fans are counting down the days, original novel enthusiasts are spamming "the ten-year promise," and even people who don't usually watch dramas know that a "blockbuster" is going to air tonight.
At 8 PM, Lin Feng sat in front of the computer in the editing room and opened the iQiyi playback interface. Li Yitong brought in fruit and, seeing him watching "The Lost Tomb," asked curiously, "Boss, you watch this too?"
"Hmm, let's see how good our opponents are." Lin Feng pointed to the screen. "Let's wait for the broadcast to start."
At the same time, in the Tencent Video office, Wang Man also turned on her computer, holding a cup of coffee, feeling a little apprehensive.
Raymond Lam had staked everything on "The Beginning," but the hype surrounding "The Lost Tomb" was simply too overwhelming. She wanted to see if this highly-praised drama could actually deliver.
The head of kiwifruit was backstage, eyes glued to the real-time data, palms slightly sweaty. The company had invested heavily; if it failed, his position would be in jeopardy.
At 8 o'clock sharp, "The Lost Tomb" started airing on time.
Lin Feng watched Wu Xie appear on the screen. Li Yifeng's appearance was fairly fitting, but when the line "I want to hand over the bull's head to the country" came out, he couldn't help but laugh—sure enough, the famous scene arrived as expected.
The live chat exploded instantly:
"??? When did Wu Xie become a Young Pioneer?"
"Let's hand over the screenwriting to the state! I agree!"
"Is this dialogue for real? It's so embarrassing I'm digging my toes into the ground!"
Following this, the newly added characters Chen Chengcheng and High Shao appeared, and the comments section went even crazier:
"Who are these two? Are they characters in the original story?"
"Isn't this adding too much screen time? Can't we just let the three main characters interact properly?"
"Fast forward, fast forward, skip these two!"
When Lin Feng saw the special effects of the corpse rising from the ground, he almost spat out the fruit in his mouth. The stiff movements and rough modeling made it look like a moving mahjong mat.
The comments section has already started flooding with negative feedback:
"These special effects are more than 50 cents' worth! They're not even as good as the graphics in the games I play!"
"Have the mahjong mats come to life? Don't you know that things aren't allowed to become sentient after the founding of the People's Republic of China?"
"Where did the 8000 million yuan investment go? Was it used to buy milk tea for the actors?"
But the fans' control over comments was also fierce:
"My brother is so handsome! I'm drooling!"
"This guy's entrance was incredibly cool! I could watch his looks for 100 episodes!"
"The Iron Triangle is back in the same frame! We've finally waited for this to be adapted into a movie, I'm so happy!"
Lin Feng only watched for about ten minutes before closing the page, a smile playing on his lips. He knew he had won. The plot and special effects were, in his memory, still terrible.
He picked up his phone and sent Li Yi a message: "Start writing positive reviews as planned."
Upon receiving the news, Li Yi immediately mobilized all the marketing and editing accounts she had partnered with. Suddenly, a flood of content praising *The Grave Robbers' Chronicles* appeared online.
"The Tomb Raider Chronicles is so faithful to the original novel! Fans of the original are very satisfied!"
"Special effects are phenomenal, the plot is gripping, this is definitely the best film of the year!"
"Li Yifeng and Yang Yang's acting is superb; it's definitely worth watching!"
These positive reviews stood out starkly amidst the overwhelming negative reviews, and it was obvious to anyone with a discerning eye that they were fake reviews, but they did manage to generate some "hype" in the data.
On the other side, when Wang Man saw the line "hand over the cow's head to the state," she almost spat out her coffee. As she read on, her brow furrowed deeper and deeper; this plot was simply a disaster!
Hearing her phone ring, she saw it was Lin Feng and quickly answered, "Director Lin, did you already know?"
"I guessed a bit," Lin Feng said with a smile. "Mr. Wang, now it's our turn to step up our game."
"Great!" Wang Man's tone instantly brightened with excitement. "I'll have the operations department prepare immediately. The trailer and release date poster for 'The Beginning' will be released tonight!"
After hanging up the phone, Wang Man looked at the "Mahjong Mat" game still playing on her computer and couldn't help but laugh. Lin Feng, that kid, has a really sharp eye! This isn't a competition, it's clearly a lucky break!
The person in charge at kiwifruit looked at the backend data with mixed feelings. The number of views was skyrocketing.
2400 million views in 2 minutes;
2608 million views in 10 minutes;
Within one hour of its launch, it was viewed 3045 million times.
"Manager, the Douban rating is out!" The assistant rushed in, pale-faced. "It's only been three hours since it started airing, and it's dropped from 7 to 3.5!"
The person in charge felt dizzy and almost fainted. This wasn't a scoring; it was a free fall!
The next day, news of the premiere of "The Lost Tomb" appeared on major platforms, but its reputation plummeted. Forums and social media were filled with negative comments.
"The Treasure Protection Notes is confirmed. I suggest renaming it 'Tomb Raider Notes: I Protect the Treasure with the Nation'."
"8000 million to produce this kind of special effects? My cat could make something better with PowerPoint."
"Can Chen Chengcheng and High Shao just disappear? Their added scenes are outrageous!"
"Fans of the original work say: I can't spoil it, because I don't know where the plot will go."
Those "positive reviews" arranged by Li Yi have now become the target of public criticism:
"This is such an obvious paid troll post! Praising it against their conscience, aren't they afraid of retribution?"
"Can you get lost if you've already been paid? Don't pollute my eyes!"
Seeing the online flame war, Li Yi finally understood Lin Feng's intention: first elevate the other side to the heavens, then let them crash down on their own—this tactic was too ruthless! She immediately called Lin Feng: "Director Lin, what do we do now?"
"Release the trailer and release date poster for 'The Beginning'," Raymond Lam said calmly. "The tagline will read: June 20th, a different kind of suspense, an unconventional story."
"good!"