Global Film Emperor

Is Chapter 544 the end? No, the dream has just begun.

"Director Liu, the number of TV viewers has dropped by about one-fifth. The data from the online platforms will be back soon. It is estimated that the number of viewers will drop even more than the number of TV viewers. Overall, the number of viewers will be cut by at least half of the original number of TV viewers."

As a variety show produced by CCTV, it has always adhered to the production attitude of edutainment. While entertaining, it is not as thoroughly entertainment-oriented and market-driven as other local TV stations. As a result, the ratings of CCTV's variety shows can hardly compete with those of TV stations such as RYB Education. After all, in the fragmented information age, completely abandoning the spiritual core and focusing on making programs that only need to be funny will indeed attract more audience interest.

As a result, CCTV's leadership has basically given up competing with other TV stations for ratings and is more concerned with the content of the programs. They do not have high expectations for the ratings, and the program directors do not feel too much pressure due to the loss of viewers.

Liu Xiang, the chief director, was backstage, his expression not so serious. As the person who ultimately decided the selection rules, he had already foreseen this result after the process was finalized, and he was even mentally prepared for the impending public criticism that would erupt online.

Everyone knows that toying with hundreds of people in front of the public like this will incur immense public anger. The small-town exam-taker incident caused a significant negative impact when only a few people spoke out against the injustice. This time, the program's cameras captured the entire process of these 400 students going from initial excitement to disappointment, and finally leaving with dejected expressions. After careful editing, the footage was then thoroughly shown to the audience.

But Liu Xiang did not regret it, because that was his original intention, and the higher-ups also needed to make the public have a certain understanding and clear awareness of the cruelty of the acting industry.

This is not a program made to promote any princeling, nor is it a program made by capital to brainwash the audience and lower the industry's standards again.

This isn't something that can be accomplished by everyone laughing and joking together, and having a few so-called mentors flattering you. It requires someone to peel back the layers of entertainment and expose the bloody realities of the industry to the audience.

This is something that CCTV, the only channel that can and dares to do, cannot or does not want to do.

Before the next set of data was released, he got up and walked to the smoking area. He took a few deep drags of his cigarette over the electric lighter, pulled over a leather stool in the corner, brushed away the fine ash, sat down, and took out his phone. The group chat created by the production team was still active, with only a few senior managers occasionally replying to messages. Scrolling up, none of the four mentors had spoken, and the selected contestants were hesitant to speak. He didn't say anything either, and opened Weibo again to check the trending topics.

As expected, the show occupied three of the top twenty trending topics, ranking eighth, thirteenth, and nineteenth respectively. The bright red arrows indicate that this is not the peak of these three trending topics.

"Therefore, effort is meaningless."

"An Actor's Diary"

"We have become stepping stones once again."

Liu Xiang didn't want to click on these three trending topics. Nobody wants to be criticized. At this time, being a coward is undoubtedly the wisest choice. Avoiding tens of thousands of attacks and insults is really effective.

Leaning against the smoke-proof glass, his exposed skin could easily feel the greasy residue of cigarette smoke that no amount of cleaning could remove. However, he didn't mind using his expensive shirt to clean the glass. The exhaust fan was still whirring. He looked up, but his gaze was unfocused. The thoughts churning in his mind couldn't stop the passage of time. There were only a few minutes left in the first episode. The final arrangement was to comfort and answer the questions of the eliminated contestants. And the person who would face the anger of hundreds of parents at that time was Liu Xiang.

……

"No, what do you mean? You made us come all this way to participate in the show, and now we haven't been allowed to say a single word, let alone perform. We've been standing here like idiots for hours and you want us to go home? Is this how you do things?"

"Yeah, so what if it's CCTV? Does CCTV think it can play games with people? If you don't give me an explanation today, I'm going to report you."

"You can't be so blatant about taking bribes! At the very least, you should let my child perform a little. We came all the way from Xinjiang, thousands of kilometers away, just to have my child be a background figure for those rich young masters and ladies!" "That's outrageous! What the hell are you?! We're not done until you give us an explanation!"

The video arcade doors opened, and hundreds of expectant parents waited patiently at the entrance. But what they saw were pairs of lifeless eyes, and after finding their parents, they secretly shed tears in a corner.

Unsurprisingly, anger erupted, and some emotionally charged parents, if not for security measures, would have even rushed forward to fight with the production crew. This scene was captured on camera and shown to the audience.

As the director, Liu Xiang certainly couldn't let the four mentors take the blame for him. He gritted his teeth, glanced down at the speech draft hidden in his pocket, made sure he hadn't missed anything, put it away, and strode over to the furious parents. He stretched out his hands, signaling the parents to calm down.

"I'm Liu Xiang, the director of the program. Parents, please calm down! Listen to me..."

"What Liu Xiang or Wang Xiang? Even if you were Usain Bolt, I'd still fight you today!"

Despite this, the parents gradually calmed down in front of the director, and no one dared to do anything too outrageous. After all, they were not sure if offending the director would cause irreparable damage to their children's acting careers.

"I'm very sorry to disappoint you all. I'm really sorry to have made you all come all this way. But I want to say that this selection process was compliant with regulations. We did not have any vested interests with the selected students behind the scenes. This selection was based on the script. It's not that you students are less skilled. It's just that the script was set before the selection. Before we even met you, the mentors already had a certain idea of ​​how well you fit the roles. The reason we didn't select you this time is simply because your image didn't quite match the roles. You simply didn't fit the roles."

"The program team has joined forces with the China Film Association and the Actors Guild to issue certificates to everyone. With this certificate, whether you sign with a film and television company or audition for a role, it will be a powerful stepping stone. Major film and television companies in China will recognize the value of this certificate. This is not compensation, but something that was already arranged. Kids, I am very grateful to you all for coming from so far away to participate in the program. This setback is not a matter of ability. Please don't be discouraged. As future outstanding actors, please continue to walk this path!"

Most of what I said before can be ignored, but this certificate did indeed brighten the mood for the vast majority of parents. They accompanied their children to countless competitions, all for this one certificate. Although there were quite a few certificates awarded this time, their value is probably the most significant these children have received in recent years.

As long as it benefits the child's future, these parents no longer have the intention to pursue the matter further and plan to call it quits. However, the children's thoughts may be more direct. Some bold girls asked the question that they most wanted to know the answer to.

"So, director, from the very beginning, did you know we were destined to fail when we came here, or rather, when we participated in this selection process?"

"Most are destined to fail."

"So my dream seems ridiculous to you, right?"

"Is the dream over now, child? In my opinion, and in your parents' opinion..."

"Your dream has only just begun."

"..."

(End of this chapter)