Entertainment: You're asked to make a graduation project, but you're asked to film Ultrama

Chapter 14: Phase 1 Summary, Data Explosion

The old machinery factory in the western suburbs of Jinghai City.

The biting winter wind howled through the broken window frames, making a mournful sound. But this chill did nothing to cool the sweltering air inside the factory. The air conditioner had been ordered, but installation had not yet been scheduled.

"It's broken! It's broken!"

Chen Bo, who was in charge of operations, rushed out of the makeshift office area like a startled groundhog, carrying his laptop and knocking over two empty cardboard boxes along the way.

"What's the panic? Stay calm! Chen Bo, you've seen it all before."

Gu Nan was holding a cup of hot water, standing calmly in front of the huge Jeep No. 3 cockpit model.

"It's just breaking a record, is it really that big of a deal?"

"No way, Brother Nan! This time it's really outrageous!"

Chen Bo shoved the screen right in front of Gu Nan's face, his voice trembling, "As of 10 a.m. today, the total views for the first three episodes on Bilibili... have surpassed five million!"

"Five million?"

Wang Kai's hand trembled as he was maintaining the leather case.

"Holy crap, is this for real? Didn't we just break two million the day before yesterday?"

"This is the effect of breaking out of the niche!"

Chen Bo excitedly pumped his fist, "Because of our behind-the-scenes video fighting back against violence, not only the tokusatsu community has gotten in, but also a lot of casual fans and mom fans! The current real-time online viewership, while not comparable to some of the most popular internet celebrity videos, has already reached the level of many minor hit anime series!"

Five million views.

Even with the support of Bilibili, this number of views is definitely a milestone for a college student startup team.

According to Bilibili's incentive program, coupled with the recent surge in charging and tipping, this wave of cash flow alone is already quite considerable.

"Brother Nan, shouldn't we celebrate?"

Su Zhe leaned closer, his eyes sparkling, "Like... going out for a nice meal?"

Everyone looked at Gu Nan expectantly.

During this period, in order to meet the construction deadline, to cope with the crisis of the school's closure, and to win the battle of public opinion, everyone's nerves were stretched to the limit.

They desperately need a party to release their stress.

Gu Nan looked around.

Looking at his group of colleagues, whose faces were tired but whose eyes still shone with light, he smiled and put down his water glass.

"Celebration is a must."

Gu Nan waved his hand dismissively, "Tonight at Haidilao, it's on me, all you can eat!"

"Long live Brother Nan!"

The cheers nearly lifted the roof off the factory.

"but--"

Gu Nan changed the subject, his expression turning serious again. "Before we go eat hot pot, everyone, stop what you're doing. Let's have a short meeting."

……

The impromptu meeting was held next to a table made of wooden crates.

Although the environment was simple, everyone's expression became serious.

After handling these crises, Gu Nan's prestige within the team has reached its peak.

First of all, congratulations everyone.

Gu Nan looked at everyone and said sincerely, "Five million views prove that we're on the right track. It proves that in this world, tokusatsu isn't trash, it's not just a children's show that can only be sold to three-year-olds."

There was thunderous applause.

"However, I want to ask everyone a question."

Gu Nan tapped the table. "How long can this hype last?"

The smiles on everyone's faces froze for a moment.

"The Internet has no memory."

Gu Nan held up one finger, "Today you're trending, but tomorrow you might be overshadowed by news of some celebrity cheating."

We're currently just an independent series; the next one must be actively pursued for full commercialization…

"Commercialization?"

Lin Xuan pushed up his glasses. "Brother Nan, you mean... to continue the story? Like, inserting it into the opening and closing credits?"

"It's too low-class to accept a boyfriend, and it will definitely ruin the impression. The disadvantages outweigh the advantages."

Gu Nan shook his head, his gaze becoming profound. "Qiao Tianzun was right about one thing: the monetization channel is never the series itself, but rather..."

He turned around, took something out of the bag behind him, and gently placed it on the table.

It was a gray model printed using a 3D printer.

Although it hasn't been painted yet, everyone is very familiar with that design.

The magic light stick.

"Toy."

Gu Nan uttered two words, "We're going to sell toys."

"Huh?" Xia Youwei hesitated for a moment, "But Brother Nan, didn't we keep mocking Qiao Tianzun for 'selling plastic figurines'? Should we...?"

"This is different."

Gu Nan interrupted her, his eyes resolute, "Qiao Tianzun makes bad movies just to sell toys. We make good movies, that's why we sell exquisite merchandise."

"Everyone needs to understand this: working for love is unsustainable."

Gu Nan pointed to the surrounding rudimentary factory buildings. "Take a look here. Although Teacher Li helped us secure the right to use the school's filming facilities, and this place has been transformed into a temporary filming base, what about the future? We need to recruit more people, use more expensive special effects, and create more grand scenes. This requires more professional venues and more expensive sets, and all of these cost money."

"I also need to support you. We need more ways to generate revenue."

"Only by forming a closed business loop and having a continuous flow of funds can we fight against a capital behemoth like Qiao Tianzun."

Everyone nodded thoughtfully.

Indeed, although there are tips, signing bonuses, and traffic incentives now, this amount of money is still a drop in the bucket when facing the production costs of dozens of episodes in the future.

"So...Brother Nan, how much do we want?"

Chen Bo asked, "We don't have a factory either."

"I communicated with Bilibili Membership Shopping this morning, and they connected me with several factories."

Gu Nan was clearly prepared. "Although the cost is high in Jinghai, it has the advantage of being close to us. We can send people to the factory to supervise, and the technology is also good. They used to do OEM for other brands of toys. I have already contacted one of them and plan to test the waters with a batch of 'Sparklers' and 'Flying Swallow No. 1'."

"Remember, we're not making cheap plastic. This batch isn't for profit; quality control is crucial. Let's get the process running smoothly first."

"If we're going to do it, we'll make it a collector's item. We need to differentiate it from the plastic of Qio Tianzun in order to increase the price and gain pricing power in the future."

"We'll use an alloy frame, acrylic with the best light transmittance for the crystal parts, and it also needs to have sound and light effects. We're going to make all of these standard features in the future."

Gu Nan picked up the gray mold, as if he could already see it glowing.

"We need to show the Celestial Master Qi Ao what 'peripherals' and 'adult toys' really mean, and we'll use a dimensional reduction attack."

Seeing Gu Nan's confident demeanor, everyone's concerns dissipated.

"In addition, I've spoken with Bilibili's Membership Purchase team, and we plan to use a crowdfunding model. Firstly, charging upfront can alleviate our cash flow pressure. Secondly, since we don't know how many people will actually buy in the first round, crowdfunding allows us to directly see market demand, making it easier for us to produce in the right quantities."

"The first batch of crowdfunding will include some free artbooks and slightly different paint jobs, as well as unique serial numbers... This is to differentiate them from the later mass-produced items, create a hierarchy of quality, and encourage circulation in the secondary market, thus creating a virtuous cycle."

Yes.

If you're going to create a dream, then make that dream more real so that fans can hold that "light" in their hands. What's wrong with that?

……

The meeting had just ended, and everyone was getting ready to pack up and go eat hot pot.

Suddenly, a news report was broadcast on the television set next to us, which we usually use to relieve boredom and create atmosphere.

"The following is a brief news item."

"my country's Long March 5B carrier rocket successfully launched this morning from the space launch site, sending the new-generation manned spacecraft test vehicle into its predetermined orbit. This marks a crucial step forward in the construction of my country's space station..."

Upon hearing this news, everyone stopped what they were doing.

In this parallel world, China's space program is also flourishing. Every rocket launch is a source of national pride.

Gu Nan stood there, listening to the roar of rockets coming from the radio, and the puzzle of "episode four" in his mind finally fit together perfectly.

"What a coincidence."

Gu Nan muttered to himself.

The fourth episode, "Goodbye, Earth," was originally adapted from the story of Jeep 3 being swallowed by the monster Rigadron in the original "Ultraman Tiga."

It is a tragic story about the sacrifices of astronauts and the price humanity pays for exploring the universe.

Now, it just so happens to coincide with major news about the country's space program.

This is not just a matter of popularity, but also a sign from heaven.

"Chen Bo, issue a public announcement."

Gu Nan suddenly turned around, his eyes burning with a flame called "ambition".

"An announcement?" Chen Bo was taken aback. "What kind of announcement? To celebrate five million?"

"That needs to be sent too, but more importantly..."

Gu Nan walked to the whiteboard, picked up a pen, and drew a heavy line under the title of the fourth episode.

"Announcement: Ultraman Tiga will officially begin weekly updates!"

"Weekly updates?!"

The audience gasped in surprise.

Nowadays, to ensure quality, many online dramas only release one episode every two weeks or even a month. This is especially true for tokusatsu dramas, which require a lot of special effects and costumes.

Weekly updates? That means everyone's about to enter hell mode!

"Scared?" Gu Nan looked at everyone.

"What's there to be afraid of!" Wang Kai was the first to jump in. "As long as the money's there, I don't care if I work myself to death!"

"Exactly! We have money and equipment now, why are we afraid of weekly updates?" Zhang Zhao shouted along.

"very good."

Gu Nan nodded in satisfaction.

"Also, add a preview to the announcement."

Gu Nan pointed to the radio that was playing space news.

"Next episode's behind-the-scenes footage, a special production—'Salute to the Stars: A Special Tribute to China's Aerospace Industry'."

"We want to dedicate the story of Jeep 3 to those who look up at the stars on this planet."

"I want the audience to know that tokusatsu is not just a fairy tale; it also resonates with the pulse of this era."

……

[Bilibili Updates]

That evening, while the entire "Chasing the Light Studio" was enjoying a delicious meal at Haidilao, a new post went viral online.

@ChasingLightStudio:

Thank you for your support! "Ultraman Tiga" has surpassed 500 million views across all platforms!

To reciprocate everyone's enthusiasm, we have decided:

1. Officially launching weekly updates! Every Friday at 8 PM, see you there!

2. Related projects launched! The Sparkler that everyone has been waiting for is on its way.

3. Next episode preview: Goodbye, Earth.

This is not just a battle, but also a hymn to the space heroes.

When humanity ventures into deep space, we bring not only courage but also the longing of our families.

See you on Friday.

The accompanying image is a poster.

On the left side of the poster is the enormous, mechanical-looking monster, Riggardron.

On the right side of the poster is a Chinese rocket taking off.

In the middle is Ultraman Tiga's classic starting pose, which looks like he's praying.

The post immediately caused a stir in the comments section.

[Weekly updates?! Even the donkeys in the production team wouldn't dare take such a long break! UP, take care of your health!]

[Merchants?! Buy, buy, buy! I want a glow stick! I want to transform!]

[Combining it with current events? That's amazing! We just watched a rocket launch, and the next episode is about space exploration? That's quite a vision!]

[I can't wait! Although I don't know the plot, judging from the quality of this poster, it feels like it's going to be a heart-wrenching story...]

Inside the hot pot restaurant.

Gu Nan looked at the constantly scrolling comments on his phone, raised his glass, even though it was filled with cola.

"A toast of five million."

"Respect for Spaceflight".

"And a toast to our soon-to-be-established... toy empire."

Everyone raised their glasses and clinked them together.

"Cheers!"

Amidst the crisp clinking of glasses, Gu Nan looked out the window.

He knew that the airing of the fourth episode would elevate the reputation of "Ultraman Tiga" to a new level.