Chapter 703
Huang Xiaoming's Public Opinion
"The rest mainly consists of scenes with supporting characters and some reshoots. For example, there are a few close-up shots of supporting characters that didn't look good during the initial filming and need to be reshot. There are also some establishing shots, such as city night scenes and campus scenery, which need to be filmed at different times to achieve the best effect. In addition, there are some scenes with extras. A few extras didn't perform well during the initial filming and also need to be reshot to ensure the overall quality of the film."
"That's fine, that's fine."
Huang Xiaoming smiled and said, "If we can get to the final stage smoothly, it means everything went well. Xiao Jiang, don't worry. If you need any help during reshoots, such as coordinating locations, arranging extras, or needing props, just let me know and I'll help you coordinate. Also, after filming is finished, the film will need to be submitted for review. The review process is quite complicated. If you encounter any difficulties during the review, such as the film not passing the review, needing to make changes, or needing to pull some strings, you can contact me. I have some connections in this area."
Jiang Yang quickly said, "Thank you so much, Brother Xiaoming. I haven't encountered any difficulties with the submission process so far, but if I do encounter any problems, I will definitely contact you immediately."
"By the way, Xiaoming, what kind of connections do you have in terms of submitting applications for review? I really don't know much about this."
Huang Xiaoming smiled and said, "It's nothing, I just know some leaders from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, as well as some experts in charge of reviewing films. I've acted in a few movies and TV series before, and I've dealt with them a few times, so our relationship is pretty good."
For example, Director Li of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, whom I've known for many years and have a good personal relationship with, can help me coordinate with him if there are any minor issues during the film's review process, making the review process smoother. Also, Expert Zhang, who is in charge of reviewing art films, is also an old friend of mine and has a lot of authority on film review standards. If there are any content adjustments needed for our film, I can consult him to ensure that the film passes the review smoothly.
In addition, I know some film and television company owners who frequently deal with the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, and they can be of some help.
"I see," Jiang Yang nodded and said, "Thank you so much, Brother Xiaoming. I feel much more at ease knowing that you said that."
"Why are you being so polite with me?"
Huang Xiaoming waved his hand and said with a smile, "You helped Baby so much by writing such a great song for her, so it's only right that I help you out a little. Besides, we should collaborate more in the future and help each other so that we can go further in this industry."
The two chatted for a few more minutes, and the topic gradually turned to Yang Ying's song.
Huang Xiaoming looked at Jiang Yang and said with a smile, "Xiao Jiang, actually, after BABY finished talking with you in the RV at the Xiamen film set, she immediately called me to explain the situation and mentioned the resource exchange between you. She said she would use a song you wrote to exchange for the opportunity for one of your artists to appear on Running Man. To be honest, at first, I was a little hesitant."
Jiang Yang was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "Oh? Brother Xiaoming, why are you hesitating?"
Huang Xiaoming smiled and said, "You know, BABY's singing skills are really not that great. I'm worried that even if you write a good song, she won't be able to sing it well. In that case, not only will it be a waste of a good song, but we also won't be able to complete the resource exchange. Instead, it will delay your artist's chance to appear on Running Man. Moreover, the songs you wrote before were indeed very good and had a good reputation. But what if the song you give to BABY is of poor quality or doesn't meet the current market taste? Then we will suffer a huge loss. So, at first, I only verbally agreed to BABY's request and didn't give a clear promise. Instead, I asked many well-known musicians in the industry to help verify the quality of the song and see if it could become a hit."
Jiang Yang nodded and said understandingly, "I understand, Brother Xiaoming. If it were me, I would also hesitate. After all, this concerns the interests of both parties, so it's only right to be cautious."
"Yes."
Huang Xiaoming said, "Fortunately, after listening to it, the musicians all gave it high praise, saying that the song is of high quality and will definitely be a hit once it is released."
Therefore, I made up my mind to fully support BABY in recording this song, and to fulfill our promise of resource exchange. Actually, I also have my own difficulties now. You may have heard that I've been troubled by the public opinion Huang Bin has created for me lately. Now, top bloggers on Weibo and Bilibili are using my past "Tai Tao" incident to gain traffic, and they're attacking me mercilessly.
Mentioning Huang Bin, Huang Xiaoming's face darkened slightly, his tone tinged with helplessness and anger. Jiang Yang looked at him and said softly, "Brother Xiaoming, I heard from Brother Lei that you're still troubled by the public opinion Huang Bin has created for you."
Huang Xiaoming gave a wry smile and said, "Yes, this matter has caused quite a stir, and I've been quite worried about it lately."
Actually, in the beginning, Huang Bin just wanted to ruin my reputation so that the brand endorsements I had previously obtained from him would not be renewed when they expired, and would naturally be transferred to Zhao Liying, whom he had recently signed.
As you know, Huang Bin is a top agent in the industry, with a lot of high-quality brand resources at his disposal. When I worked with him before, he negotiated many big-name endorsements for me, such as Dior, Armani, and Mercedes-Benz. These endorsements not only bring me high income, but also enhance my reputation and status.
But ever since we broke up, he's held a grudge and wanted revenge.
"I originally thought that he was just stirring up some rumors to annoy me, and that it would subside after a while."
Huang Xiaoming continued, his tone full of helplessness:
"But I didn't expect the public opinion to grow bigger and bigger and get more and more out of control."
Those bloggers, in order to gain traffic, did not hesitate to take things out of context, repeatedly edited and spread my old "making a scene" video, and added fuel to the fire, saying that I sang off-key, had no talent, and even said that I got to the top by relying on Yang Ying and hype myself up with capital, making me sound like I was worthless.
"I took the initiative to approach Huang Bin to try and resolve the conflict, but he completely ignored me and instead escalated the situation, letting those bloggers continue to hype it up and amplify the impact of the public opinion." Jiang Yang frowned and asked, "Brother Xiaoming, haven't you and your team thought of any public relations strategies during this time?"
Huang Xiaoming sighed and said, "How could I not have thought of that? In the past two months, my agent Guo Tingting, the publicity and public relations team, and I have been thinking of countermeasures and have formulated three public relations plans, but each time we failed. Not only did we not calm the public opinion, but we made it even worse. It's getting worse and worse."
Jiang Yang asked curiously, "Oh? Can you tell me about the specifics of the public relations plan? And why did it fail?"
Huang Xiaoming nodded and said, "Okay, I'll tell you about it, and I'll ask you to help me analyze where the problem lies. The first public relations plan was proposed by Guo Tingting. She suggested that I take the initiative to post a Weibo post apologizing and admitting that I did not sing well back then. Then she said that I have been working hard to improve myself over the years and hoped that everyone could give me a chance and stop using this incident for publicity."
“At the time, we also thought this plan was feasible,”
Huang Xiaoming continued, "After all, taking the initiative to apologize can show my sincerity and perhaps gain everyone's understanding and quell public opinion."
So, following this plan, we wrote an apology on Weibo and hired a professional PR team to help optimize the wording, ensuring the tone was sincere yet respectful. On the day the post was published, Guo Tingting kept a close eye on the comments and trending topics. I sat next to her, feeling very nervous, hoping for a good result.
"Unexpectedly, the Weibo post not only failed to quell public opinion, but instead caused an even bigger uproar."
Huang Xiaoming's tone was full of helplessness and frustration:
“After I apologized, those bloggers not only didn't stop hyping it up, but they intensified their attacks, saying that I was forced to apologize under public pressure, that I lacked sincerity, and that I hadn't made any progress after all these years. Netizens also joined in the commotion, and the comments section was full of insults, saying that I was hypocritical and pretentious. Some even said that if apologies were useful, what would be the point of having police? What's even more outrageous is that Huang Bin secretly instructed those bloggers to repost my apology Weibo post, adding fuel to the fire and mocking me, which caused my apology Weibo post to quickly become a trending topic, and the public's attention was even higher than before.”
"At the time, Guo Tingting was also very anxious. She arranged for her public relations team to delete negative comments while contacting those bloggers, hoping they would stop hyping it up. But those bloggers either took money from Huang Bin or were just trying to get traffic, so they ignored us completely."
Huang Xiaoming said, "I remember when Guo Tingting called me, her voice was trembling with tears. She said, 'Brother, I'm sorry. She didn't think things through. The plan failed and caused you more trouble.' I didn't blame her. After all, she was doing it for my own good. We just didn't expect things to develop to this point. After that, we gave up on the plan to apologize and started thinking about a second public relations plan."
Jiang Yang nodded and said, "Indeed, in this situation, taking the initiative to apologize would make us seem very passive and give others ammunition to exploit the situation and make things even more dramatic. So what is the second public relations strategy?"
Huang Xiaoming said, "The second public relations plan was proposed by our team's publicity director. He suggested that I avoid the main issue and not respond directly to the controversial matters. Instead, I should release some positive news to divert everyone's attention. For example, I could release photos and videos of me participating in public welfare activities, release behind-the-scenes photos of me shooting my new work, and show my loving daily life with Yang Ying. This would allow everyone to see my positive side and thus mitigate the impact of negative public opinion."
"At the time, we also thought this plan was very feasible."
Huang Xiaoming continued.
"After all, positive news can improve my reputation, divert people's attention, and stop them from focusing on the ridiculous things."
So we started implementing this plan, arranging for me to participate in some charity events, such as visiting left-behind children in mountainous areas, donating books and stationery to them, and filming public service announcements which were then posted online. We also released behind-the-scenes photos of me filming my new movie, revealing some details to attract attention. In addition, we occasionally released affectionate photos and videos of Yang Ying and me to cultivate an image of a good man and a good husband, hoping to gain public favor.
"Unexpectedly, this plan also failed."
Huang Xiaoming sighed and said, "No one pays any attention to the positive news we publish; instead, it's drowned out by the negative public opinion."
Those bloggers are still repeatedly hyping up the "Nao Tai Tao" incident, even mocking me for using charity to whitewash my image and for using public displays of affection to divert attention, calling me hypocritical and fake kind. Netizens aren't buying it; the comments section is still full of negative comments. Some even say that doing charity can't cover up the fact that I lack talent, and showing off my relationship can't change the fact that I sing off-key.
“What’s even worse is that Huang Bin secretly arranged for people to spread rumors online, saying that I participated in charity activities to create hype and to whitewash myself. He even said that the books and stationery I donated were all inferior products and could not be used at all.”
Huang Xiaoming's tone was full of anger: "These rumors spread very quickly, making my reputation even worse. At the time, we also arranged a public relations team to clarify these rumors, release the qualification certificates of the donated materials, and a thank-you letter from the left-behind children in the mountainous area, but no one believed it. Everyone still preferred to believe those rumors and thought we were trying to cover up the truth. After that, our team became more and more frustrated, and some people even suggested that we should give up on public relations and let the public opinion calm down on its own."
Jiang Yang frowned and said, "Huang Bin has gone too far, resorting to such unscrupulous means. What is the third public relations plan?"
Huang Xiaoming said, "The third public relations plan was proposed by me. I suggested finding some friends in the industry to speak out for me and clarify things. For example, I suggested finding artists like Huang Lei, Huang Bo, and Deng Chao, who are close to me, to speak on my behalf on Weibo, to prove my efforts over the years and that I am not what is said online. At the same time, I also suggested condemning those bloggers who maliciously hyped things up, hoping to use their influence to quell public opinion."
"At the time, I thought this plan should work." (End of Chapter)