196. Monster Encyclopedia

Lu Ban first searched for things related to IP, ecosystem, and worldview.

He saw this description on the well-known Q&A website, "Did You Get It?".

"Creating a closed-loop IP and cinematic universe can create a massive information cocoon in the later stages, keeping the audience completely occupied and preventing them from paying attention to other similar products. With a sunk cost mentality, they try out products within the closed loop one by one, ultimately retaining users."

Lu Ban didn't quite understand it, but he could grasp the general idea that if these things were made, everyone would be immersed in a series of movies that created a world, and wouldn't have time to watch anything else.

"It seems pretty impressive."

He then searched for how to build such a powerful system.

I saw that several video websites were doing it.

For example, the Lovecraft Video Network created a world view called the Homeland Project, inviting several famous writers to jointly create an ancient-style fantasy world. However, Lu Ban looked at the update time of this thing, and the last time it was updated was two years ago, so it seems to have died out.

There are other cultural and creative industries that are also doing similar things, but very few have succeeded.

Lu Ban immediately realized that it was very difficult.

"However, the task only requires attention, so I can just keep making empty promises to attract attention and get the attention going."

Lu Ban looked at the comments in "Did You Get It??" and thought to himself.

He saw a crowdfunding game that claimed to have extremely high freedom and could create a realistic virtual world. It also had a well-known producer backing it up and raised hundreds of millions of yuan at the beginning. It had been able to raise money every year for the past few years. However, it seemed that the game itself had no intention of being released. Seeing the turmoil in the related investment share transactions, Lu Ban thought it was a Ponzi scheme.

Therefore, sometimes whether you can make money or raise funds has little to do with the actual business; as long as the pie is big enough, that's enough.

Lu Ban could even get halfway through making movies to start making cars, and he probably would get some investment.

Many students might think that these investors are stupid for spending money on projects with no return whatsoever.

In reality, the money invested by these investors is only a small part of their assets. If only one or two of the dozens of projects they invest in are profitable, they can recoup their entire investment. This is why people with capital tend to become richer and richer.

"I can't be so heartless."

Lu Ban has his own principles. His love for movies even led him to refuse to boost his own box office and clicks. How could he possibly use movies to cheat people out of money?

However, Lu Ban was somewhat troubled about how to take the first step.

He started searching for inspiration on his own again.

"The Cry is a film well worth seeing in a theater. You can hardly experience the shock and fear brought by the big screen on your own small screen, especially the suffocating feeling of sitting in the dark environment of a movie theater with hundreds of strangers. More importantly, for your safety, I also suggest watching it in a crowded place, so you won't be too scared to get out of bed."

"The pre-sale box office for 'The Cry' has already exceeded 20 million yuan. As a film that won the gold medal at the Yannan University Student Film Festival, this movie is highly anticipated. Some believe that the unique atmosphere of the Yannan University Student Film Festival is what made the film so popular among university students. Once it enters the public eye, the film may face setbacks. For this reason, our reporter contacted..."

"Lu Ban, as a director specializing in thriller and horror films, undoubtedly possesses considerable talent. However, his films also suffer from shortcomings such as a lack of depth, an overemphasis on thrills at the expense of humanistic values, and a flawed value orientation. Although I haven't seen 'The Cry,' I believe that an excellent director should combine content with emotion, unify thought with form, and create films that are inspiring and valuable."

There are countless reviews about him and his films, and with the upcoming nationwide release, the discussions are becoming increasingly heated.

Lu Ban casually glanced at the comments, some praising him and others criticizing him, and suddenly noticed one.

[Summary of monsters that have appeared so far in the Lu Ban movie]

Clicking on it reveals screenshots of various videos featuring Lu Ban.

"A doll, residing under the bed, appearing and disappearing unpredictably, seemingly capable of teleportation, its attitude towards humans is unclear."

"A pianist, haunting the abandoned Jiangcheng Grand Theater, his entire body burned, plays frenzied music and can control mannequins to do his bidding."

"Flying fish appeared in the grass of the ruins. They looked like ordinary fish, but were enormous and could fly in mid-air."

"The Rat-Man appears in the grass of the ruins. Humanoid in shape, with a rat-like head, possessing a certain level of intelligence, and in some symbiotic relationship with the flying fish."

This post features a detailed illustration of all the monsters Lu Ban has encountered up to the point of "Hyakunin Isshu), along with the poster's speculations and descriptions of these monsters.

Looking back at these monsters, Lu Ban has to admit that some of them are actually quite cute.

"Hmm, now that you mention it, I could actually use the Silent Land as a prototype to create a cinematic universe of these otherworldly realms?"

Lu Ban realized this too late.

Thinking of this, Lu Ban immediately began to sort out the things he had encountered, organizing and revising the details, and combining them with information obtained from the descriptions of some products in the [Silence Department Store], he quickly listed out the world background, monster information, and other details of the Ruined City.

"Many IP derivatives and cinematic universes are created for the sake of creating a worldview. They set a very large worldview from the beginning, which is similar to how superhero team movies suddenly introduce many unfamiliar heroes. To create a good cinematic universe, you have to carefully polish each work and increase the audience's sense of immersion through each work to achieve an immersive experience."

Lu Ban summarized himself.

He directly messaged Song Yunyan's secretary, Li Zijian, asking him to introduce him to a web design team. He then gave the team the information he had compiled and asked them to create an official website for him. Once the website was ready, Lu Ban could upload information about monsters and alien worlds to create an encyclopedia.

Subsequently, Lu Ban registered new accounts on Weibo and video websites, naming them "The Silence Project".

He plans to build a cinematic universe based on the Silent Land, using it to complete his Career Development Task.

After doing all that, Lu Ban turned his gaze to the file named "Nameless City" in his computer folder.

Since we're going to do these things, we can't just make empty promises; we have to come up with something concrete.

Lu Ban plans to turn "The Nameless City" into a short film to promote his project.