Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 304 Shocking Change
Everyone in the president's office had a solemn expression on their faces. The warm sunlight coming in through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows seemed unable to dispel the coldness on the faces of Gao Jun and others.

"1833 million is indeed a bit too little."

Lu Kuan pondered for a long time before putting down the data list in his hand.

In a horizontal comparison, we will not consider "A Moment of Love" and "A One Man's Journey" for the time being, and only look at its biggest competitor "The Promise".

"The Promise" had nearly 77% of the screenings on the first day and took in 2734 million at the box office, surpassing "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "Harry Potter", and even surpassing the first-day box office of "Alien" two years ago.

In addition to the film company's extensive marketing, the rapid increase in the number of screens in mainland China in the past two years is also one of the reasons.

As of December 12, the box office of "The Promise", which has been released for more than a week, has nearly exceeded 23 million yuan.

But as the numbers soared, the reputation of the movie declined rapidly, and the couple Chen Kaige and Chen Hong were both happy and sad.

The total investment of "The Promise" is nearly 3.4 million RMB, and that of "Aftershock" is 2.8 million RMB. The first-day box office of the two films is not proportional to the scale of investment.

Boss Lu encouraged his subordinates: "The first day box office can be said to have suffered a Waterloo, but our screening schedule is nearly 20 points less than that of The Promise, which is also an indisputable fact."

"Continue to pay attention to the numbers and online public opinion, word of mouth, and other trends."

"Our preliminary work has been very solid, and I am confident about the results."

Looking at the young director blowing the tea with an indifferent expression, Gao Jun, Zhong Lifang, Chen Zhixi and others felt relieved.

Having a leader with great say and prestige in the team can help relieve everyone's stress.

"Yeah, we had predicted there would be difficulties, and now we're just following the routine." Gao Jun looked around and continued speaking along the lines of what Boss Lu had said.

The reason why everyone in the world is in a bad mood is mainly because the road before was too smooth, and Lu Kuan arranged everything from the perspective of a foresighted person.

This time, for special reasons, we chose to go against the current, which naturally encountered many obstacles.

But everything depends on human effort. So much planning has been done from publicity to release date, and now all that matters is the camera.

Boss Lu also arranged some plans for cinema promotions and traffic-generating activities, and then prepared to leave the company and fly directly to Tokyo in the afternoon to attend the premiere at the Imperial Theater.

"Mr. Lu!"

Seeing Gao Jun, Zhong Lifang and others pushing the door open and leaving, Chen Zhixi called him with a strange look on her face.

"what happened?"

"I have a question I'd like to ask."

Seeing him signaling her to continue, Chen Zhixi turned around, took out her laptop from her bag and opened it.

"Mr. Lu, please take a look at this."

A downloaded video, approximately 20 minutes long, based primarily on the film "The Promise," was re-edited and remixed with content from the film, along with footage of a Shanghai acrobatic show, photos of Einstein, and his famous formulas. The video was then inserted into a program on the Social and Legal Channel.

"A Murder Caused by a Steamed Bun", how come it came out so early?
Boss Lu had thought of this a long time ago, but "Mantou" became popular probably after the New Year, and was subsequently denounced and sued by Chen Kaige.

This is mainly because the development of videos and blogs in this world has deviated from the original world line, and has some advantages in terms of the number of Internet users and habit cultivation.

For example, Mr. Hu, who graduated from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, was attracted by the secondary creation activities of Wenjie Video and just made and uploaded this spoof work.

However, the astute Chen Zhixi has already notified that it has been blocked and removed from the shelves.

She knew that her boss's first rule of conduct recently was to keep a low profile. It didn't matter if the video was posted anywhere else, but it couldn't appear on the Question World video.

"Mr. Lu, how do we handle this? I've temporarily suspended my account."

Boss Lu watched with great interest and laughed when he heard the words: "It's better to close it, so as not to cause trouble for yourself."

The poet is aloof, self-righteous, and narrow-minded.

Judging from the feedback from film critics and audiences over the past two days, the reputation of "The Promise" has reached the brink of collapse, and it cannot be controlled by various public relations efforts of Chen Hong and others.

"Mantou" may be able to speed up this process, but there is no need for Boss Lu to get involved in all this trouble. Even if Brother Hu is banned, he will find other ways to make his mark.

Chen Zhixi nodded: "Okay, then I'll ask the auditor to pay attention."
-
On the evening of the 24th, the crew of "Tangshan Earthquake" arrived in Tokyo and held the premiere at the Imperial Theater.

Mr. Lu's several films, starting with "Whiplash", have been well received in Japan. "Alien" also broke the record for box office and audience attendance of foreign language films held by "Hero".

After the phenomenal "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" set off another wave of popularity in Japan, coupled with the establishment of the Pan-Asia Film Academy, this young director has accumulated considerable popularity in Japan.

But the age and gender structure of fans is a bit strange...

On the red carpet in front of the Empire Theatre, Lu Kuan was wearing a well-tailored haute couture suit, and the silver brooch on his collar shone coldly under the camera.

He walked in with steady steps, waved and greeted the crazy mother fans and sister fans, and was a little overwhelmed by the shouts of "Lu Sang is kawaii", "Lu Sang is beautiful", "Lu Sang's acting skills are explosive", etc.

Especially the slogan "Welcome Director Lu Kuan to Japan" makes people laugh.

Song Jia joked with Zhou Xun in a low voice, "Boss Lu has a lot of middle-aged and young women fans here! He's really popular!"

"You'll get used to it." Zhou Xun had seen this before in "Shoplifters", but of course it wasn't as crazy as it is now.

Outside the isolation zone, a heavily made-up young woman suddenly rushed in and was stopped by the security guard. She almost knocked Boss Lu to the ground.

Zhou Xun and Song Jia followed, the former jokingly saying, "Isn't that a pity?"

Boss Lu was still a little frightened and took off the brooch on his collar. The woman's eyes were almost blinded by the collision.

He looked at Song Jia and the others and raised his eyebrows: "This is the price of being too good. You can't understand it now."

Zhou Xun curled her lips: "It's a pity that they are all housewives over 35 years old."

Song Jia asked in confusion, "Director Lu, why is that? I've noticed that the crew's promotional strategy in Japan is mostly focused on convenience stores and women's magazines."

"Being a housewife in Japan is a profession. Although they don't have direct income from work, they generally control the family's finances and are responsible for allocating income and expenditure."

"Look at these enthusiastic fans at the scene. Most of them are in their 30s and above. Their husbands work, their children are in college or working, and they have money and free time, so they naturally become the main audience."

Boss Lu patted Hu Jun's shoulder and said, "Old Hu, your play 'Lan Yu' received very good reviews in Japan back then. I just saw your male fan."

Hu Jun also joked: "Hey! Then I have to hide for a while, the people here are a bit perverted."

"But, if we talk about it, it's still Director Lu who's popular."

Hu Jun seriously explained, "Zhou Xun, Song Jia, have you seen that news report from two years ago? A Japanese woman fell in love with Bae Yong-joon after watching 'Winter Sonata,' and it boosted the Korean tourism industry."

"To be honest, Director Lu should have hugged me and touched me a few times. By sacrificing your chastity, you've made a contribution to the country!"

The two women burst into laughter when they heard this, and Boss Lu nodded helplessly at the black-faced man.

This refers to the 2002 "Winter Sonata" imported into Japan. Housewives, the main consumers of the film and television industry, nicknamed Bae Yong-joon "Yongyang".

According to a survey by the Korean Economic Research Institute, the "Yongyang" project brought in more than US$15 billion in peripheral benefits to Japanese tourists, and increased the number of Japanese tourists to South Korea by 10% in 40 months.

When it comes to cultural export and theft, Koreans in the early 2000s were experts.

The distributor, Toho Co., Ltd., arranged everything in advance, and the crew participated in the premiere step by step.

The Imperial Theatre was packed today, with housewives paying no mind to the hefty ticket prices of 1800 yen (126 yuan).

At the same time, Hirokazu Koreeda, Yoji Yamada and old friend Takeshi Kitano also came to show their support.

Kitano Takeshi was quite envious of the conversation between Lu Bo and Bergman on Faroe Island in May this year. He asked him all kinds of questions and kept sighing.

At the beginning of the movie, the Japanese movie fans present were deeply moved by the catastrophic scenes of the earthquake, and the sentimental young women and aunts shed tears frequently.

Japan is also a country prone to earthquakes, so such a theme can obviously resonate with them.

At the end of the film, the final easter egg completely destroyed the audience who were still struggling to resist the collapse of their tear glands. Almost everyone stood up with red eyes and applauded, and the response was enthusiastic.

Today's premiere ended after the main creators came on stage to accept the audience's cheers and brief interviews.

Kitano Takeshi put his arm around Boss Lu's shoulder and invited him, Yamada Yoji and others to go to the izakaya for a small gathering. As they walked into the parking lot under the escort of bodyguards, a Crown stopped in front of everyone.

A middle-aged man in a suit got off the bus, greeted the others, and then shook hands with Lu Kuan alone, respectfully inviting him to get on the bus.

"Lu Sang, please give me five minutes!"

"Let's talk about it right here."

Boss Lu recognized his voice, Kasai Xiong.

He also knew the backgrounds of these beasts and the dirty private business associations behind them that were dedicated to smearing and denying history.

Seeing that Kasai Yu looked serious, Kitano Takeshi and others did not want to cause any more trouble and moved away first.

"Lu Sang, please forgive me! I do have something to discuss with you, about..."

"Okay, you should understand my attitude now."

Boss Lu looked serious. He had anticipated these possible obstacles since he decided to make this movie.

"The history of the Holocaust cannot be denied, and this film will not accept your investment. Give up."

The young director turned and left after saying this.

"Lu Sang!"

Ge Xixiong looked at Ah Fei, who had a stern expression beside him, but did not dare to raise his hand to stop him. He just said something in a deep voice.

"There's a Yamato proverb that says, 'If you don't touch a god, no disaster will come.'"

"A great artist like you, Lu Sang, shouldn't be involved in things that affect peace and hurt the feelings of the Japanese people. Please think twice!"

Kasai Xiong, who still bowed 90 degrees out of habit, looked up again and could only see the taillights of the Chinese youth's departing car.

The final persuasion failed, the Japanese soldier's face was gloomy and he took out his phone indifferently.

The drinking and discussion with Takeshi Kitano and others did not last too late. The next day, the crew arrived in South Korea, and the public opinion after yesterday's premiere had already been released.

As one of the two great Chinese directors in Japan, along with Chang Yimou, Lu Kuan is no stranger to the Japanese film media.

"Sankei Shimbun" was the first to surrender, believing that this was a landmark masterpiece in disaster films. We should reflect on the fact that Japanese films in recent years have almost been kidnapped by anime and animation.

"Film Junpo" is the most professional film media in Japan. It has opened a movie fan column under the public relations of the distributor Toho.

In this column, more than 20 professional film critics and senior members of Toho's cinemas across the country were invited to comment.

"I'm from Chuetsu, Niigata Prefecture. Today is exactly the first anniversary of the Chuetsu earthquake in Niigata Prefecture last year. Of course, the intensity of the 6.8 magnitude earthquake wasn't as devastating as in the movies, but it's still unforgettable. I miss my mother."

"In the face of natural disasters, human emotions are universal. East Asian countries share similar family ethics, which made me empathize with director Lu Kuan's film. The actor Zhou Xun is truly admirable."

"I hope Japanese film directors can realize the gap between themselves and Director Lu Kuan, and that in the future we won't just see those fictional characters in North America."

"Japan is proud to have a master like Kurosawa Akira, but I think it is almost impossible to find a director among the younger generation who can compete with Lu Sang in terms of film techniques. He is simply the empire's fierce tiger and destructive dragon!"

Faced with the almost one-sided praise, the crew of "Tangshan", which had average box office performance in China, was naturally smiling and diligently preparing for promotion in South Korea.

But seeing that the people in the country were conquered by such a masterpiece, Kasai Xiong and others became increasingly anxious and eager to find ways to thwart his success.
-
Changfu Palace Sakura Restaurant, Liangmaqiao East Street, Beijing.

Wu Sang, who was invited again, was already familiar with the route. He drove directly into the yard from the back street without worrying about being noticed.

Kasai Xiong made tea and waited for him patiently.

"Kasai-san, didn't you say you were going back to Osaka? How come you're back so soon?"

"Lu Kuan's movies are very popular in the country, and the situation is becoming increasingly unfavorable for us. If..."

Wu Kebo interrupted him with an awkward expression: "It's towards you, not us. I have no grudge against him. It's just normal business competition."

"Okay, I'll continue." Kasai Xiong did not comment.

"This time, 'Tangshan Earthquake' received very good response in China. He is an idol among Japanese audiences, especially those stupid women."

"We absolutely cannot allow his film, which fabricates history, to be successfully filmed and released. Otherwise, my brother and some of the bigwigs in the department will not be happy."

Yes, the association spends so much money on buying dogs every year, and important people in the business and cultural circles of the University of Tokyo are secretly working for them.

They were being influenced subtly and their output was going well, but suddenly a world-class director came up with a powerful stick and wiped out all their deceptive views.

Is there any reason for this?

"We've investigated and found out he also owns a film company in North America and has a stake in one of the largest video websites."

Wu Kebo was really surprised this time: "What? You don't mean Mytube?"

"Yes."

Wu Sang put down the wine glass with a complicated expression. This time the wine was really sour.

He came from a wealthy family and became famous at a young age.

When he was in his thirties, he returned to China to start a business. He immediately poached employees from the old entertainment company Huayi and established his own brand in the domestic entertainment industry.

But there just happened to be a genius who was like a mountain pressing down on one's head, making it impossible for one to move.

Wanting to dig up Concubine Liu Yi, Wang Jinhua told him that he had to see his mood;

After digging out Jiang Yiyan, Wang Jinhua told him that this woman had been targeted by a dark force and advised him to be cautious.

Even the weight that this damn Kasai Xiong used to tempt her was how Cheng could surpass him with his talent!
He has an international perspective and naturally knows the level of Mytube. At least the sky-high price of $20 billion offered by Google is enough to make him stunned.

This is actually his property?

But I guess he just owns a small share. I heard that the boss, Steve Chen, is a Chinese American.

Of course, Kasai Xiong didn't care about the bitterness in his heart and explained Lu Kuan's threats one by one.

"If he were to become the chief director of the Olympics, his international reputation would continue to rise, and he would be able to bring a work like this, which distorts the facts, to the world stage."

"That would cause fatal emotional damage to the conscientious Japanese people, and it would mislead countless international people who have a favorable impression of our Yamato people! That is simply unforgivable!"

Wu Kebo couldn't bear to hear the disgusting words any more: "Alright!"

"Don't talk so much. Tell me, what are you going to do?"

Kasxiong pondered, "I've heard that your country's director Chen Kaige has considerable connections in the film and art circles?"

"Well, his father was a highly respected director who had some influence in the literary and artistic circles."

"Aftershock and The Promise are now the fiercest competitors. Can we stir up a conflict between them?"

Ge Xixiong wanted to use the opponent's strength to counter the opponent's strength and use underhanded means to make enemies for Lu Kuan.

The poet comes from a wealthy family and is descended from a film family. The older generation of domestic filmmakers and critics have watched him grow up.

Later in 2012, Yang Mi was fired from the crew by the poet couple because she was busy filming his TV series "Search" and was replaced by Wang Luodan from the Beijing circle.

The latter eventually won the Golden Rooster Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Yang Jiaqi, and Da Mimi has since been cut off from the circle of big directors. It is said that Chen Hong banned her from the circle of big directors.

From another perspective, the marriage between Chen Kaige and his ex-wife Honghuang, judging from the fact that they were well-matched, also shows the superiority of their family background.

After all, Honghuang is the granddaughter of Zhang Shizhao. Her mother, Zhang Hanzhi, was the great man's English teacher. She eventually married Minister Qiao and was personally approved by the General Staff to live in Shijia Hutong.

Wu Kebo hesitated and said, "Director Chen? They've never had any grudges against each other, but there was a video online recently that might be worth making a story about."

That’s right, Brother Hu’s phenomenal video has been trending upwards these past couple of days, and many people in the film industry are joking about it.

These first-generation domestic spoof videos are quite creative and can be used as conversation topics while drinking or eating.

After listening to him, Ge Xixiong clapped his hands and smiled, "Then I'll leave it to Wu Sang! This should be easy! Doesn't he own a video website?"

"I suggest not making it so obvious."

Wu Kebo stroked his stubble, "Lu Kuan has always been sharp. Even if a parody video appeared on Ask the World video, he would have just blocked it."

"The entire internet is filled with videos, so Chen Kaige's hatred for him won't be too high."

"How about this? Let's find someone under the guise of asking the industry to find the video producer, give him promotional fees under some pretext, and then we can expose the matter."

"Director Chen has always been aloof, and 'The Promise' was incredibly wasteful. This is a powder keg that could ignite at any moment."

"Even if the truth is clarified by then, the dispute between the two parties will make it difficult to tell right from wrong."

Ge Xixiong's eyes lit up when he heard this. As long as he could stir up the anger of both sides, he would be able to cause some trouble for Lu Kuan at this critical moment.

Wu Kebo took a sip of wine, thought about it carefully, and had to admit that the Japanese devils' move was quite fierce.

Chen Kaige's father passed away in 94. Many of his uncles in the circle are active leaders in the film department, which can at least cause obstacles in the filing and approval of the script.

No matter what level of director you are or how rich you are in the country, the power of your physique will teach you how to be a good person.

In addition, at this time when the Olympic opening and closing ceremony plans are being bid for and the chief deputy director is being selected, it would be very helpful to portray Lu Kuan as someone who uses despicable means to harm his peers.

After all, such a major national event requires a person of both integrity and talent, at least on the surface. Even if this young director ultimately proves his innocence, the rift and farce between him and his peers and senior directors will still have some impact, right?
If such a person were to be made the chief director, could he unite all forces to serve the country?

This raises a big question mark!

Without prestige, reputation and popular support, even if Lu Kuan becomes the chief director, how can he get things done if his orders cannot be issued beyond the office?

This is not without precedent in later generations.

There was a deleted scene in Zhang Yimou's Olympic documentary. His assistant submitted the report with the signature seal of the creative team and Zhang Yimou himself.

The seven or eight departments that I need to go to have been dragging their feet and refusing to stamp my documents for all sorts of bizarre reasons. This little kid is really a hassle to deal with.

Seeing that the material procurement schedule was about to be delayed, Lao Mouzi had no choice but to report it directly to the emperor, who personally issued instructions, and the problem was successfully resolved.

Wu Kebo was willing to take action, so naturally he had his own demands.

"I hope NEC or Dadonghai can provide me with some more funding."

"Golden Harvest's cinema chain in mainland China is not expanding very fast, so I think Chengtian still has some opportunities."

"Also, Chengtian is in need of a director. I hope to use a huge signing fee to try to sign a famous director in the industry."

As Chengtian appeared as a challenger in the domestic entertainment industry, Wu Kebo could only do so much in the face of the territories that had basically been divided.

The discovery of Wang Jinhua was certainly a pioneering work, enriching the most basic artist resources, but its shortcomings in directors and theaters were obvious.

Later in 2006, Wu Kebo began to seek to acquire Golden Harvest and completed the acquisition in 2007.

Subsequently, a cinema and real estate investment group was established to create ultra-large-scale all-digital modern cinema flagship stores represented by Orange Sky Golden Harvest 66.

The supporting facilities of this cinema include five-star boutique hotels, fashionable restaurants, book bars, cultural leisure, top audio-visual experience venues, artist studios and other business formats, which are almost the same development ideas as Wanda.

Wu Sang's ambition is indeed huge.

However, in terms of directing, he only worked closely with a few people such as Zhang Li and Yan Po in later generations, and the rest were hired from outside.

Wu Sang, who is addicted to swinging a hoe, has obviously set his sights on Ning Hao and Xue Xiaolu from the Wenjie world, and maybe even Xu Zheng.

Ge Xixiong smiled and nodded. He was not afraid of you making requests, but he was afraid that you would pretend to be loyal to the emperor and patriotic and try to save face.

After cooperating with myself this time, it is obvious that the next time will be a natural thing, just like cheating on my wife, there is only one time and countless times.

"Speaking of the director, please do me another favor, Wu Sang."

"You speak."

"There's a young director at Huayi who I heard was as famous as Lu Kuan a few years ago and debuted around the same time. His name is Lu Chuan?"

"Well, his first film, 'Looking for a Gun,' was shown at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival alongside Lu Kuan's 'Whiplash.'"

"What does Kashi-san mean?"

Kasai Xiong pondered and said, "He seems to be making a movie about the Holocaust too. I'd like you to contact him."

“If possible, we would like to invest in this film.”

"Or, how about signing him over in Chengtian's name?"

Kasai Yu investigated Taro, who debuted earlier than Lu Kuan and was once known as a rising star among young domestic directors.

His father is a famous screenwriter in China and has a certain say in the literary and art circles. The father and son have a bad relationship with Lu Kuan.

The previous film "Kekexili" was said to have been blacklisted by some domestic entertainment black hand and lost the Golden Horse Award, and was also hastily withdrawn from the theaters.

Just like seeking direct contact with Boss Lu at the beginning, and controlling the content of the film through investment.

Ge Xixiong naturally also set his sights on Lu Chuan. He wondered if he could turn the enemy into a friend.

Wu Kebo was impressed by his proposal.

Chengtian is indeed in great need of directors. Among the sixth generation in China, except Ning Hao who was led by Lu Kuan to make commercial films, the rest are all dedicated to making art films.

Lu Chuan might actually be a good choice, it just depends on how to talk to Hua Yi.

The two of them toasted each other and conspired for a long time before they went their separate ways.

The news that Boss Lu was going to invest in a Holocaust movie startled all these evil cats and dogs out, and they all started to huddle together for warmth.

This dispute in the domestic entertainment industry seems to be imminent.
-
In fact, just as Boss Lu and Secretary Chen Zhixi inferred, the collapse of word-of-mouth for "The Promise", which has been released for more than a week, is an unstoppable trend.

Once the emperor's new clothes are exposed and the audience realizes that the so-called praise from various film critics is the result of paid reviews, they will naturally begin to boycott and refuse to buy into it.

As for the theaters, I don’t care whether you are Zhang Yimou, Lu Kuan, Feng Xiaogang or Chen Kaige, even if Spielberg comes.

As long as your movie doesn't sell out and doesn't make money, it's only natural that you'll have to reduce the screening schedule immediately.

The box office of "Aftershock" in the first three days just happened to coincide with Friday and the weekend, and the 25th was Christmas.

But the figures for the three days can still be described as "dismal", closing at 1833 million, 2240 million and 2199 million.

Compared with the investment of 2.8 million yuan, even though the response overseas and in strongholds such as South Korea and Japan has been good recently, due to the subject matter of the film, there has been little profit in derivative products and advertising placements.

The pressure on film profits remains high, and the domestic market is a fundamental base that cannot be abandoned.

On the afternoon of December 12, Chen Kaige and his wife Chen Hong were backstage at the Beijing Satellite TV studio, continuing to promote the blockbuster production they had worked so hard on for three years.

Both of them had sad expressions on their faces.

Nearly halfway through its release, the box office reported 1.2 million yuan, but the number of screenings has dropped to less than one-third of the level at the premiere, mainly due to the three days when "Aftershock" was released.

Faced with such a dire situation, the director of Kaige was helpless and could hardly maintain his composure.

The program is called "Listen" and is the only interview program on Peking TV. The host Cao Difei opened the program step by step and then began the interview session.

"Director Kaige, we have some letters from viewers, mostly about their thoughts on The Promise. I wonder if you would be able to respond?"

This is a pre-arranged segment and plot. Answering some typical negative questions is equivalent to publicly explaining and refuting rumors, and doing some word-of-mouth public relations.

Chen Kaige smiled and said, "I like to communicate with fans who have ideas. Please go ahead."

The audience burst into applause!

Who says our song director is arrogant? Isn't that a bit humble?
That is to say, Liu Yan's fate changed in this life, and she was not sent by Guangfa to be a host, otherwise she would have taught you a lesson!

Cao Difei raised some typical questions: "Director Kaige, what do you think about the audience's comments that The Promise doesn't tell a good story?"

"Although 'The Promise' tells a relatively complex story, it's clearly narrated. Does a film released to market have to explain the cause and effect of every action? That seems like a soap opera, doesn't it? Haha."

"Well, next question: Chen Kaige has so much to say! What do you think?"

Director Kaige's heavy brows rose and fell, and his words were very professional: "Why can there only be one core character in a work? Can there only be one core idea?"

"I think The Promise pursues a narrative set against the grand backdrop of Homer's epics. When the backdrop is so grand that it's simple, it naturally focuses on the complex human nature of the stars. I hope movie fans will still think about this."

There was applause at the scene. Those who came today were all fans of Director Chen who started watching "Farewell My Concubine".

The first two questions are almost standard rhetoric in negative film reviews, and they seemed so vulnerable after Director Chen’s personal response!
Cao Difei joined in the applause: "Thank you, Director Chen. Let's move on to the last question."

"Audiences commented that the ever-victorious general played by Sanada Hiroyuki was too cowardly and didn't seem like a revered general at all."

"Haha, I still need to explain a few more words about this."

The director of the song was somewhat immersed in this rhythm of outputting ideas while sitting and talking.

"Actually, when I hear people say that Sanada Hiroyuki's character is a coward, I'm actually happy. Why?"

"In a good work of literature or film, the characters must be complex and have arcs. I'll give you two examples so you can understand."

"Back then, the film 'The Emperor and the Assassin' was also widely criticized, and people found it difficult to accept Li Xuejian's portrayal of the cowardly and cunning King Qin."

"Yu Hua created a character named Song Fanping in 'Brothers' whose humanity shines through exceptionally brightly. He explained this by saying that the external environment was already so cruel and terrible that if he had portrayed Song Fanping as a cunning person, I wouldn't have been able to continue writing."

"On the other hand, the story background of 'The Promise' is deliberately simplified. If the ever-victorious general were portrayed as a wise and powerful figure, how thin would the film be?"

Chen Kaige became more and more confident as he spoke, as if he had found the experience when he was first assigned to the Guangxi film studio and talked with Zhang Yimou about his ideological core of "Yellow Earth".

"So, my friends, I can say that if you want to truly understand this movie, you won't need ten years..."

The audience's attentive listening was interrupted when a man suddenly ran out from the backstage with an anxious look on his face and a short voice.

"Director, something happened, come with me to take a look first!"

"Nonsense!" Chen Kaige was very unhappy with his assistant's overstepping of his bounds. Didn't he see that he was teaching and answering questions?

"We're recording a show!"

"Difei, cut this part out. I'll continue later."

However, Chen Hong realized that the situation was unusual, otherwise how could this assistant Xiao Chen be so bold, and why would Beijing Satellite TV let him in.

"What happened?"

Xiao Chen gasped: "There's a video online that shows our..."

Chen Kaige and Chen Hong's faces changed drastically when they heard this. Little Chen didn't explain it very clearly in just a few words, but a video that could go viral on the entire Internet must have a huge influence.

He had to deal with it himself.

"Director Chen, you guys go first. The show can be recorded anytime, there's no rush."

"Okay, hard work."

To make matters worse, Chen Kaige and his wife hurried to the backstage, and Xiao Chen dragged the progress bar of the video that had just been paused to the front.

A Murder Caused by a Steamed Bun

Before the 20-minute video was finished, Chen Kaige angrily called the person shameless and raised his hand to smash the computer!

Xiao Chen quickly stopped him. Chen Hong, looking at the TV station staff watching the excitement, urged him: "Start the song, don't be impatient, let's talk outside."

Chen Kaige's thick eyebrows kept rising and falling, as if they were about to materialize into a fire-breathing black dragon.

"go!"

Chen Kaige returned to the office still looking furious.

After three years of hard work and pioneering, from Peking to Shanghai, from Chengdu to Lin'an, the couple traveled day and night, rushing around everywhere.

All areas surrounding this film have been developed to the utmost, even CCTV's expensive advertising has not been spared.

It is an exaggeration to say that "Mantou" is shoddy. It is just a 20-minute piece of cultural garbage, which will undoubtedly cause a strong smear on "The Promise"!
It's like giving someone a strange and vulgar nickname. Once the nickname becomes well-known, who cares what your real name is?
Chen Hong was relatively calm: "Where did you find it?"

"Tianya, Maopu, Blog.com, and many other internet portals also have them."

"Can you find the author?"

"Looking for it, contacting them."

Chen Kaige keenly noticed the key point: "Ask the world video, isn't there one?"

Xiao Chen was stunned when he heard this. Currently in China, there are only Tudou, Lay's, Wenjie and Sohu video websites, and Wenjie has the greatest influence without a doubt.

Isn’t it better not to have it?
"It seems... not."

Chen Hong has been married to Chen Kaige for almost ten years, and she knows what he is thinking just by looking at his gloomy expression.

"Start the song, send a lawyer's letter first, and ask major websites to remove the video, otherwise sue them for copyright infringement."

Chen Kaige shook his head. "What's the point if we don't get rid of the root cause? I want to see who did it! Just call the police. I'll contact someone."

After all, he was a famous director who had won the Palme d'Or, had an extraordinary family background, and had extensive connections in various circles in Peking. He quickly identified the "suspect".

Although Brother Hu is not poor at the moment, he is still a bit down and out.

After graduation, he didn't find his several jobs satisfactory, so he quit his job and became a freelance musician, mainly engaged in recording and sound effects production for animations.

This "Mantou" is just his entertainment work.

But inexplicably, a few days ago, someone claiming to be from a certain film company suddenly found me.

The person came with 10,000 yuan wrapped in a piece of letter paper, without revealing the source. He just asked him to re-edit the video and post it on various websites.

If he has the ability and interest to continue producing, I can sell him one for 10,000 yuan.

In later generations, there was a real case of "Ili's cross-provincial pursuit".

Even though Director Chen, who was extremely furious and at full power, did not have such energy, it was still no problem for him to scare Mr. Hu to death.

After the local uncle with a hat in Hubei Province found him, the frightened Brother Hu told the whole story and decisively handed over the 10,000 yuan in cash wrapped in the letter paper.

The origin of the cash seems to be clear from the letterhead of the package.

A day later, Chen Kaige was so furious when he got the news that he smashed his two favorite cups in a row.

One of them is a souvenir he bought in Paris when he won the Palme d'Or in 1993, and it carries with it very fond memories.

"Old Chen, what should we do?"

Chen Hong was also a little undecided.

If it was an ordinary person, it would be fine, but this guy has been in the industry for four years and has fallen into countless people's hands.

From the street thug Zhang Tianshuo to the government official Liu Zeyu, from the Hong Kong superstar and director to the child of a ministerial compound.

Now he has grown stronger and is a dominant force in his own area.

Chen Kaige looked at the photo of the letter paper sent from Hubei Province and knew without a doubt that it was a half-cut internal document of Wenjie Holdings.

Although Chen Kaige was angry, he did not completely lose his mind. He also thought about whether someone was impersonating him.

But combined with the intention of the Question World video to avoid spreading "Mantou" and the fact that there is no silver here;
Combined with the most intense competition in the current film schedule between "Tangshan" and "The Promise";
Considering the fact that the box office performance of "Tangshan" obviously did not meet expectations.

Of course, there is also his usual prejudice against this rising star.

Director Kaige did not choose to forgive, he chose to face the abyss!

"Let's go! Find Han Shanping and see what he says!"

Chen Hong looked at her angry husband and quickly caught up with him, grabbing his windbreaker.

This matter can be regarded as taking advantage of the current legal loophole. It is useless to cause trouble to Brother Hu or the website.

Later, Chen Kaige also sued Brother Hu, but the case ended in nothing.

Considering Lu Kuan's status and identity, Chen Kaige wanted an explanation, so he had to find Han Shanping first.

Both films were invested by China Film Group, with The Promise receiving even more investment.

Even if you, the little flat-headed guy, wear the same pants as him, you still have to be fair to him, right?
If this little bit of face is thrown to the ground, then Director Chen can only "fight to the death with his coffin carried".

You little wolf cub have only been in the industry for four years, but I have been in the industry for thirty years!

At Xiaoxitian China Film Group, Chen Kaige didn’t control his emotions and strength when he pushed the door, so the door of Lao Han’s office suffered a little trouble today.

"what happened?"

Chen Hong looked at her husband's dark face and was afraid that he would have an argument with Han Shanping, so she immediately told him the whole story.

"No way? Lu Kuan isn't that kind of person!"

What Lao Han said was fair. It could be said that his methods in other aspects were a bit harsh, but he had never done anything that exceeded the rules or destroyed the unity of the mainland film industry.

"Boss Han! Watch the video first and see how our work, which cost over 3 million yuan, was ruined."

"We'll talk after we finish watching it."

Chen Hong randomly opened a website link on Hao123, and Lao Han looked at the secondary creation masterpiece that had been circulating on the entire Internet with doubt.

ten minutes later...

"Mr. Han? What do you mean?"

I really want to finish reading this, it's pretty damn interesting...

He sighed deeply: "I'll call him!"

(End of this chapter)