PDLP Chapter 280 The Ratings Myth of God-Level Behind-the-Scenes Footage
Chapter 280 The Ratings Myth of God-Level Behind-the-Scenes Footage
Chapter 280 The Ratings Myth of God-Level Behind-the-Scenes Footage (15/71)
Inside several large audio-visual product manufacturing plants located at the border between Hong Kong and mainland China, the machines on the assembly lines are humming day and night.
Kitahara Shin's grand strategy in CD distribution has finally reaped a period of frenzied profits.
For most viewers in the mid-1990s, they were either used to renting DVDs from video arcades and record stores, or buying cheap pirated copies with simple packaging and only a thin plastic disc. As for the beautifully packaged genuine copies, their prices were often prohibitively high.
But Kitahara Shin directly broke this rigid market rule.
The CDs that his company distributed to various channels were priced only slightly higher than pirated copies, making them easily affordable for an average student who could save up two weeks' allowance. But once the plastic wrap was removed, the added value they offered to consumers was astonishing.
In addition to the main feature film with high-definition picture and sound quality restored from the master disc, the box is also filled with various exquisite gifts: exclusive unreleased stills from "Legal High" and "Flower of Evil", high-definition folding posters of Akina Nakamori and Izumi Sakai, and even a detailed behind-the-scenes shooting instructions and exquisite postcards.
In reality, the cost of printing these paper-based peripherals is negligible; the marginal cost of large-scale industrial printing is pitifully low. However, traditional audio-visual retailers, obsessed with squeezing out meager profit margins, were unwilling to invest the effort. Kitahara Shin was well aware of the vastness of this blue ocean market. He never cared about these petty profits; what he wanted was unparalleled reputation and market share.
The result was obvious. Upon release, these discs immediately sparked a buying frenzy at major record stores along the southern coast and in Hong Kong. Consumers aren't fools; if they could buy such exquisite, authentic merchandise with a sense of "ritual" for roughly the same price, why would they buy a pirated copy that constantly stutters?
Within just one month, the net profit from the dumping of CDs exceeded an astonishing several hundred million yen, and as the distribution channels further penetrated deeper into the market, this figure continued to expand wildly at a snowballing rate.
Meanwhile, on the shores of Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong, the box office miracle of "Shinjuku Incident" continues to unfold.
This film not only propelled Jackie Chan back to the top of the box office, but also made him the center of attention at various celebratory banquets in the Hong Kong film industry. Every night, Jackie Chan was constantly being invited to dinner parties.
In this world of fame and fortune, countless top Hong Kong stars and directors began to subtly inquire about Kitahara Shin, the "Japanese outsider," from Jackie Chan.
In this era, Hong Kong cinema remained Asia's Hollywood, but it was clear to everyone that seeking a broader international market was an inevitable trend. Kitahara Shin not only possessed substantial capital, but also had extensive distribution channels in Japan and Europe. Not to mention his stunning acting skills and fluent Cantonese in his films.
At a private cocktail party, Andy Lau, holding a glass of red wine, walked up to Jackie Chan and asked curiously, "Brother, did you really not use a local voice actor for the Cantonese spoken by Mr. Kitahara in the movie? When I saw the premiere, his accent was even more authentic than mine!"
"100% original voice!" Jackie Chan patted his chest, laughing proudly. "That kid is not only a great fighter, but his language talent is phenomenal. Andy Lau, if you ever want to break into the Japanese market, collaborating with him is definitely the right thing to do!"
Not far away, Stephen Chow, Tony Leung, and others also showed great interest in this mysterious and powerful Japanese tycoon. At this juncture, if Kitahara Shin wanted to enter the Hong Kong film industry, he could practically pick any script he wanted. For example, the upcoming "The Storm Riders," or even a top-tier script like "Infernal Affairs" a few years later, featuring a duel between two heroes, if Kitahara Shin gave even the slightest hint, Hong Kong producers would be flying to Tokyo overnight with their checkbooks to invite him for a cameo or lead role.
The global box office figures for "Shinjuku Incident" have given a strong boost to everyone who wants to collaborate.
In its first week of release in Japan, the dubbed version, thanks to the terrifying appeal of Shin Kitahara and Jackie Chan's action signature, raked in an astonishing 25 billion yen at the box office! This figure even shows a strong trend of breaking the previous record for the "Bayside Shakedown" theatrical version.
In Hollywood and North America, leveraging Jackie Chan's established fanbase and Shin Kitahara's "most charismatic Eastern villain face" in the eyes of Western audiences, the film garnered an impressive $1800 million in its limited opening weekend. North American film critics praised the film's violent aesthetics born from the clash of Eastern and Western cultures, suggesting its long-term box office potential is immense.
Let's turn our attention back to Tokyo.
Despite the box office frenzy and financial success stories, Kitahara Shin's daily filming schedule on the set of "GTO" remained unaffected.
That afternoon, the set welcomed Shun Oguri for a major solo scene.
This scene required him to portray a desperate state of near collapse when faced with the bullies' wanton insults.
Before this, Shun Oguri always habitually expressed anger by yelling or exaggerated body trembling, but after receiving one-on-one instruction from Shin Kitahara, the fourteen-year-old boy seemed to have instantly unlocked his acting potential.
"Action!"
The camera zooms in. Shun Oguri stands in the corner, facing bullying, but he doesn't cry out.
He simply lowered his head slightly, his eyes as empty as a dry well.
He perfectly embodied the "numbness" that Kitahara Shin had taught him. Suddenly, he raised his head, a bitter, self-loathing smile that was more painful than crying tugged at the corners of his mouth, and the extreme darkness in his eyes instantly gripped everyone's hearts.
Behind the monitor, the director lavished praise: "Oguri, you've undergone a complete transformation these past few days! You've perfectly captured the character's deepest anguish!"
Hearing the director's affirmation, Shun Oguri breathed a sigh of relief.
He turned his head and looked at Kitahara Shin, who was sitting on a bench not far away, his eyes filled with undisguised excitement and gratitude.
He knew that his remarkable progress was entirely due to the president's guidance that day.
The exhilarating feeling of having his acting skills recognized made him feel that all the hard work he had put in over the past few days was worthwhile.
The repercussions of this incident are far from over.
The TV station's publicity department astutely seized upon this explosive opportunity.
When "GTO" was airing its fifth episode and its ratings were steadily climbing toward the 30% mark, the TV station suddenly aired a 40-minute "GTO Behind-the-Scenes Special" during prime time on the weekend.
The core of this episode is a complete behind-the-scenes record of Kitahara Shin personally instructing Oguri Shun on the film set that day!
When viewers across Japan sat in front of their televisions and saw Eikichi Oni, the delinquent teacher with dyed yellow hair and rude manners in the drama, instantly switch back to the calm, gentle, professional, and strict "President Kitahara" after yelling "Cut," the unparalleled contrast ignited a frenzy across the internet!
In the footage, Kitahara Shin demonstrated an overwhelming level of acting skill with just a numb, expressionless gaze.
The way he patiently analyzed the character's psychology and pointed out the flaws in the newcomer's movements was simply irresistible and deadly.
The ratings for this special episode were released the morning after it aired, and they were absolutely astonishing.
32.5%!
A special program with no main storyline and composed entirely of behind-the-scenes footage actually surpassed the 32.1% rating of the main episode of "GTO" that day!
Even if it's just by a tiny bit, it's still an unprecedented and incredibly astonishing record in the entire history of Japanese television!
The first to be completely outraged were that group of die-hard female fans.
That night, countless home video recorders were running at full capacity, all to record the entire forty-minute clip and watch it repeatedly.
Many female fans didn't even care about the plot of the TV series anymore. They held the remote control and rewound frame by frame, staring intently at Kitahara Shin's slightly furrowed brows and his unquestionable superior demeanor as he explained the scene to the newcomers.
Within ten minutes of the broadcast, the TV station's hotline was completely overwhelmed. Operators heard not only screams, but also a flood of blunt, fervent requests: "Please, please, the TV station, broadcast more clips of President Kitahara swearing! Even just being stared at by him with that stern gaze would be nice!"
Secondly, there are the conservative parents who originally scoffed at the "delinquent youth" theme.
After witnessing Kitahara Shin's strict teacher-like demeanor in private, their attitudes underwent a complete 180-degree turn. The parents had initially thought he was just a celebrity seeking attention, but the man in the behind-the-scenes footage, so organized and generous in his teaching of the younger generation, was clearly the perfect educator.
The next day, the consultation department of Kitahara's office was almost overwhelmed by these parents who wanted their children to succeed. Some even brought their children to the office building and lined up in long queues, saying, "As long as we can get President Kitahara to personally guide us once, we'd be willing to pay for the training course, let alone take a paycheck."
Those most deeply shocked were undoubtedly the struggling new actors at the bottom of the Japanese entertainment industry.
In the cramped backstage areas of countless underground theaters and cheap shared apartments in Tokyo, countless young actors, after watching this episode, would silently walk to the bathroom mirror and try to imitate Kitahara Shin's "numb, emotionless gaze".
But most people practiced for half the night, and the expressions they produced were either blank or expressionless. It wasn't until this moment that these proud young people truly understood what it meant to be "outmatched by talent and background."
This short 40-minute clip has become a standard for aspiring actors, and has even been privately copied into a "practical acting textbook," circulating wildly among newcomers in various talent agencies.
This behind-the-scenes footage not only attracted a huge number of die-hard fans, but also thoroughly engraved Kitahara Agency's reputation as a "star-making dream factory" in the hearts of the people.
Just as the GTO crew was basking in the euphoria of record-breaking ratings.
That evening, after finishing work, Kitahara Shin had just changed out of his costume when Ota's vice president, looking serious yet with barely suppressed excitement, strode into his private dressing room.
"President," Ota said, handing over a black, gold-embossed invitation sealed with wax, his voice low yet carrying immense weight, "This was just delivered directly to the agency headquarters by a special car. It's from a super-powerful figure who wields absolute influence in the Japanese broadcasting and film associations—who would like to invite you for tea privately tonight."
Kitahara Shin paused slightly as he dried his hair. He took the heavy invitation, and as he looked at the family crest on the envelope, representing the core circle of traditional Japanese film and television capital, a slow smile appeared on his lips.
"Okay, then let's go."
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