Generation Z Artists

Chapter 358 The Sound of Cracking

This has never happened before in the history of Chinese cinema.

The premiere turned into a funeral, and the honored seats became incense offerings.

Fang Dapengshen left swiftly and decisively, but the shockwave had only just begun to spread and was rapidly overturning everything.

"Bastard!"

Kai Zi was helped aside by his assistant, kicking his legs and cursing loudly.

"Bastard! Dog! Treacherous villain!"

Mrs. Chen had a splitting headache and hastily announced the end of the premiere, then quickly made arrangements for the follow-up.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a cocktail party coming up. Please proceed to the banquet hall at the back... Xiao Chen, take your uncle to rest for a while... Ah Liang, stop the reporters, don't let them keep taking pictures!"

She strode to the center of the front row, her voice choked with emotion, and asked, "Mr. Ren, could you please do me a favor?"

"It's too chaotic here." President Ren stood up, his expression extremely serious. "Let's find a quiet place to talk."

Next to him was President Han, who was covering his face, his shoulders shrugging, trying to shrink deeper into his seat and minimize his presence.

Of course it didn't work.

President Ren grabbed him and pulled him up, his face ashen: "Old Han, Xiao Fang has gone too far! This is no way to do things! Aren't you going to do anything about it?"

Seeing that he couldn't avoid it, Third Master spread his hands and asked, "How do you want me to manage this?"

"Forehead……"

Mr. Ren didn't know how to manage him now, so he just held on tightly and wouldn't let him leave.

"Come with me first. After all, it's a Chinese film. You can't just abandon it at a time like this."

Are you trying to renege on your promise?

As if no one would.

President Han pushed President Ren aside, put her hands behind her back, and said leisurely, "Fine, I'll go. You take your hands off first. What kind of behavior is this, pulling and tugging like that!"

Mr. Ren looked around and felt a chill in his heart.

So pulling and tugging isn't proper conduct? Then look at the venue, where's the semblance of proper conduct?!

The Great Hall of the People probably never imagined that it would be in such chaos one day.

Reporters swarmed around, running everywhere and attacking everyone.

Some of the audience members in the back stood there clapping, some laughed loudly, some whistled loudly at the chaotic stage, and some even rushed onto the stage hoping to get a piece of the melon.

As soon as Mr. Ren and Mr. Han were delayed for a moment, they were immediately surrounded by a barrage of cameras and microphones.

The CCTV reporter was very politically minded, so he was pushed aside by the zombie reporters who didn't care about politics.

A Sina reporter, with red eyes, asked, "Mr. Ren, what are your thoughts on Director Fang's criticism?"

I want to kill someone!
Old Ren's eyes were also a little red, a result of the intense emotions causing excessive blood flow to the brain, leaving behind lingering anger.

But he didn't dare say a single inappropriate word.

"Director Fang is both a professional director and a viewer with personal feelings. Movies are made to be watched, so he certainly has the right to criticize them..."

After a bunch of empty official statements that revealed nothing, President Han was out of options.

"Mr. Han, why didn't China Film Group invest in 'The God of War'? Was it because they received a warning from Director Fang long ago?"

This question was too suggestive, and of course, President Han couldn't admit it.

"No, we and Shanghai Film Group are sister companies and won't engage in malicious competition. So this is mainly a matter of negotiation; whoever contacts us first will have an advantage in the competition..."

Upon hearing the words "competitive advantage," Mr. Ren's mind went blank, and his anger flared up again.

Damn it, what the hell was I thinking?
Why should I argue with you about this?
Huh? wrong!

What the hell were you thinking back then? Why didn't you argue with me?!

Mr. Ren suddenly realized that Han Shanping, that bastard, hadn't put any effort into this project at all!
His eyes changed instantly.

He quickly dismissed the reporters, grabbed President Han, and pulled him to the back. Once they were alone, he sternly asked, "Old Han, tell me the truth, did you know all along that this project was wrong?"

With no outsiders around, Han Shanping finally didn't have to hold back anymore, and a bright smile appeared on his face.

"You were the one who insisted on risking your life to climb the ladder back then, and now you're blaming me?"

Something's definitely not right!

Mr. Ren is not so easily fooled, or it could be described that he urgently needs an outlet for his emotions and a reason to get out of trouble.

"You're usually like a bandit, always trying to steal my projects. But this time, you've been completely silent. Did you deliberately set a trap for me?!"

"Hahahaha!"

President Han was overjoyed: "You're a screenwriter too? You can't win, so you start telling stories, huh!"

"Then why don't you care at all? You go all out for Yi Mou's big film, but you don't care about Kai Ge's big film at all. Is that right?"

Old Han was practically dying of laughter; he was so happy!
"Oh dear, if I argue with you, you think I'm annoying and won't give Shanghai Film Studio a chance; if I stop arguing with you, you think I'm too quiet. So what should I do?"

"..."

Mr. Ren was left speechless.

But he was really unwilling to accept it and wanted to know the answer.

Looking around and seeing no one nearby, he gritted his teeth and gave in to his arch-enemy.

"Old Han, no matter how much we don't get along, it's all within the scope of work. Essentially, we're both fighting for our country's film industry. This time, I've completely failed. I don't mean anything by it, I just want you to tell me the truth—did you not have any faith in Brother Kai's project from the very beginning?"

"No, I don't have those skills."

Han Shanping shrugged, then suddenly couldn't help but laugh.

It was that kind of smugness that he couldn't help but show even though he didn't want to laugh. Seeing it, Mr. Ren felt a pang in his heart, and it hurt him terribly.

After a wicked grin, Han Shanping was thoroughly satisfied and finally gave his answer.

"However, I did talk to Xiao Fang, and he meant that if there is a good script produced by a good screenwriter, plus a producer who can keep Kai in check, Kai's projects can be invested in with confidence."

But if Kai-ge writes the script himself and his wife is the producer, then it's best to stay away.

Xiao Fang didn't mention the Hong Kong and Taiwanese investors at all, nor did he talk about the actors. So I think his words weren't based on emotion, but rather on a genuine understanding of Brother Kai's mindset and style. Without a second thought, I rejected the project outright.

Old Han is just bragging.

He was really itching to try it then, he was so hungry for it!
There's nothing I can do about it; he just loves big-budget movies, and he's happy to take a chance whether there's a chance or not.

The reason he was able to hold back at the time was mainly because those investors had conflicts with Fang Xinghe, and he felt that he should stand firm and support Fang Xinghe to the death.

And look, good people get good rewards, don't they?
"Damn! It really is true!"

Mr. Ren clapped his hands suddenly, feeling a sense of relief.

"When Kai-ge isn't being restrained, he can't control his artistic expression. Actually, this film has many brilliant parts, but the story just wasn't told well..."

After being scolded by Fang Xinghe, he realized where the problem lay.

A wave of overwhelming regret washed over me, and I thought: Why didn't I find someone to supervise him personally? Otherwise, things wouldn't have turned out this way...

Unfortunately, there's no going back now, no matter how much you regret it.

You can't really go and take Brain Gold, can you?

One was happy, the other was troubled; one hummed a song, the other remained silent, as they arrived at the banquet hall.

It's even more chaotic here.

A group of investors sat scattered around several dining tables, ignoring each other.

Some people surrounded Brother Kai and argued.

As for the actors, they sat quietly, not daring to whisper to each other, the atmosphere as still as that of the dead.

As soon as they entered the hall, the Vice President of Distribution at Newline Inc. of the United States brushed past them.

"Mr. Smith, what's wrong?"

Smith smiled apologetically and replied, "Sorry, it's probably difficult to cooperate this time. We certainly can't afford to buy a film that Director Fang doesn't approve of..."

Mr. Ren's face stiffened for a moment, then he forced a smile and shook hands with him.

"It's alright, business is business, and friendship is friendship. You're welcome to come to China again anytime..."

The pleasantries lasted only half a minute before Smith hurriedly left as if avoiding a plague.

Like him, the heads of Lionsgate and Sony Pictures also ran away. The fat guy at Miramax, on the other hand, remained firmly in his position, but everyone knew he only took advantage of others and never offered help in times of need.

The people arguing are Kai Ge and the person in charge of Toei Animation in Japan.

To be more precise, it was Kai Ge who unilaterally lost his temper.

The other person was very respectful, bowing repeatedly, but all they kept saying was, "I'm so sorry."

The Japanese side is not prepared to fulfill its previously agreed-upon issuance commitments and is instead planning to cut its losses.

A bleak and chilling atmosphere permeated the entire banquet hall, making it hard to breathe.

That's a total investment of 4 million!

Even if it's spread out and pressed down on everyone, it would still be enough to crush a person.

Upon seeing President Ren and President Han, the investors felt as if they had seen saviors and hurriedly surrounded them.

"Mr. Han, please help me!"

"President Han! Help!"

"President Han, we're all part of China Film Group, we can't let this internal strife continue!"

"President Han, Fang Xinghe is going too far! If everyone did this, would the film industry have any sense of rules?"

Han Shanping snorted coldly, took the seat of honor with an air of authority, made no promises, and immediately began to give them a political lesson.

"Rules? When you set the date for today, didn't you ever consider whether you were going too far?! Come on, let's have a heart-to-heart talk!"

……

The production team didn't sleep all night. In the early hours of the morning, Kai Zi felt unwell and was sent to the hospital.

The next day, the news began to portray them as pitiful and sympathetic.

"Fang Xinghe caused a scene at the premiere of 'The God of Extremes,' and director Chen Kaige was so angry that he fainted and was hospitalized!"

She launched into a tirade criticizing Fang Xinghe for disrespecting his seniors, breaking rules, lacking martial ethics, and making outrageous remarks at someone else's premiere.

This group's little meeting wasn't in vain; they managed to win over many media outlets.

Hong Kong media, Taiwanese media, domestic media, and 14 other media outlets have all criticized Fang Xinghe from various angles, attempting to whitewash Chen Kaige.

Then there's a group of "rational and objective" people who stand on the moral high ground and believe that no matter what the reason, Fang Xinghe should not treat "a senior who has made great contributions to Chinese cinema" in this way.

In my past life, when "The God of War" was first released, the media praised it more than they criticized it. Even when they didn't praise it, the news reports were vague and lacked any critical force.

It wasn't like this when Zhang Yimou's "Hero" was released; the media was full of criticism.

This shows who has greater industry influence. Of course, there's also the reason why Zhang Yimou is less calculating and Kai Zi is more petty.

The criticism of "God of Extremis" as a terrible movie mainly comes from the internet.

However, given the sheer number of internet users, there are always some who don't go online and simply go to see the movie because of Chen Kaige, so "The God of War" still raked in 1.8 million yuan at the box office.

But this life is completely different.

No matter how much money they spend or how much public relations they do, they can't stop the media from reporting on the grand occasion.

This is the first time such a novel event has occurred since the founding of the People's Republic of China. How could the media possibly refrain from discussing it?

Suddenly, seventy or eighty morning newspapers published in-depth reports on yesterday's conflict from various angles, immediately attracting the attention of the entire society.

On April 2nd, government agencies, public institutions, private companies, and campus networks were all filled with gossip about Zhan Kai Ge, the "God of War."

"Extreme God" has become incredibly popular, achieving the same level of discussion as "Hero" during its peak on just two days after its release.

By noon, the video of the incident had appeared on most television stations across the country.

For entertainment programs, make a special feature.

If there are no entertainment programs, put them in the midday news.

In short, Brother Fang's heroic figure spread far and wide.

This included not only multi-angle on-site video recordings, but also post-event interviews—many reporters blocked Fang Xinghe at the entrance of the Great Hall of the People, refusing to let him leave, with flashes going off constantly, and reporters chasing after him with questions.

Of the dozens of random questions, Fang only answered three.

But these three questions are rife with bloodshed and murderous intent.

"Director Fang, is there anything you would like to say to the audience?"

"Don't watch it, it's worse than you can imagine, a waste of time and money, and most importantly, it will affect your IQ."

"Fang Xinghe, do you have a grudge against Director Chen?"

"There is no personal grudge, but there is public hatred—if this thing is released overseas, it will destroy the overall reputation of Chinese films; if it is only released domestically, it will also affect the public's enthusiasm for watching movies."

"Director Fang, Director Chen said you're jealous, and you wish your colleagues would die..."

"Don't die. Brother Chen Kai still has the ability to make good movies, but only if someone pulls him down from his lofty pedestal and beats him half to death. That's what I do."

Netizens were amused and gave her a thumbs up, jokingly commenting, "Wow, Ziwei has given herself a new nickname—the messenger of justice!"

This is basically mockery, with little goodwill.

Some people deliberately displayed their rebelliousness: "He really thinks he's something! I had no intention of going before, but now I have to go see him anyway, so what?"

But by evening, the situation had suddenly changed drastically.

The first batch of Kai Zi's fans have already left the cinema. Some are confused and bewildered, while others are so angry that they can't sleep and are going online to hurl insults.

"Damn, guys, Xiao Fang wasn't just spouting nonsense this time!"

"A champion of justice! Pure!"

"Damn it, if only I had listened to Xiaofang earlier, I wouldn't have had to eat such a huge pile of shit!"

"I was wrong, Brother Fang, I shouldn't have disbelieved you, sob sob sob, my 30 yuan! It's worse than Zhao Si's mother's death!"

"No, is it really that bad?"

"I'm betting my life on you, I'm rotten to the core!"

"Tell me about the plot, is it like what Fang Xinghe described?"

"I don't know!"

"what?"

"I still didn't understand what was going on even after watching the whole thing. All I can think about now is 'You moved me,' and that's all I remember..."

"Dude, you're amazing! I was so disgusted after watching for half an hour that I left the theater."

"Damn it, Brother Chen Kai, refund my ticket money!"

"What money are you going to refund? You saw it yourself. You can't act like this, Brother Chen Kai~~~"

"..."

The film and television sections of major public forums were filled with insults. There were no professional whitewashing trolls at the moment, and the few pretentious people who spoke up for Kaizi were quickly drowned in the ocean of criticism.

In addition, the thread "Fang Xinghe, I'm sorry, I want to apologize to you" has started to get a lot of replies.

It's full of comments like "I'm sorry, I misunderstood you," and it can get over 10,000 replies in an hour.

In reality, whether "God of Gale" is bad or not has also begun to become a topic of discussion among families.

Young people tend to believe Fang Xinghe, while older people are more skeptical.

Regardless, you have to acknowledge Kai Zi's influence among middle-aged people. Despite all the criticism in the previous life, it didn't stop the box office from reaching 1.8 million, which is definitely not a small number.

Many people, either influenced by the press releases or clinging to a sliver of hope, think that "God of the Extreme" might be maliciously smeared and that it's not actually that bad, and they want to see for themselves.

Some pretentious people firmly believe that "God of War" is just too high-end and too difficult to understand. Just because you can't understand it doesn't mean I can't resonate with it.

So, despite the overwhelming negative publicity, I bought a ticket and went in, only to come out looking completely dazed...

These people aren't worth saving, but Brother Fang really wants to beat Jiji to death—a perfectly good birthday has been tied to this thing, if I don't go all out, do you guys think I'm easy to take advantage of?

Come on, unleash your iron fist!
Instead of writing articles or holding press conferences, he quietly released the advertisement.

At 8 p.m. on April 2, many TV stations launched a new advertisement.

Yang Xiaomi tilted her head and winked at the camera, asking, "Are you alright? Are you alright? Are you alright? If you're alright, take some brain-boosting supplements. If you have a problem, drink some Brain Gold!"

The catchy voice combined with simple, repetitive lines instantly creates a refreshing experience.

Ms. Chai happened to be watching TV and making a phone call to arrange online marketing campaigns when she saw this advertisement. Her eyes widened in disbelief, and her heart suddenly felt like it was about to crack...

(End of this chapter)