Huayu: Are you even sitting up straight? You're going to be the director?

Chapter 46 Cao Zhong Goes Out and Takes Office
On December 14, 2006, "Curse of the Golden Flower" and "Still Life" were released on the same day, instantly becoming media headlines.

Domestic cinemas suddenly turned a sea of ​​yellow. Although Director Zhang had disappointed twice before, many domestic audiences still wanted to come and see for themselves, believing that once is enough.
For cinemas, a noisy and bustling atmosphere is undoubtedly the most wonderful scene.

The first-day box office of "Curse of the Golden Flower" reached 1564 million yuan as calculated on the 15th, with an occupancy rate of over 80%.

While this result is already quite good for many cinema managers, they are all shouting:

Not enough, not enough!
In an interview, Gao Jun, from Beijing New Film Union Cinema Circuit, confidently predicted:

"The box office of 'Curse of the Golden Flower' is very likely to set a new record, or even surpass the peak that has never been surpassed in film history."

Following the trend, the audio-visual products of "Curse of the Golden Flower," which were originally scheduled for release in half a month, issued an announcement stating that they would be released 54 days later to maximize the protection of the interests of theaters.

Compared to "Curse of the Golden Flower," which became the hottest film of this year's Lunar New Year season, "Still Life," which won the Golden Lion Award this year, appeared extremely lackluster.

The box office on the first day was only 17.

This was fueled by the public opinion surrounding Cao Zhong; some of Cao Zhong's fans also took a look, because they couldn't help but criticize him if they didn't!

Cao Zhong sparked a discussion about the three major European awards twenty days ago.
And this box office performance made some old guys like Jia Zhangke, who focused on filming marginalized characters, feel deeply humiliated.

In an attempt to save face, a flood of interviews and reports about awards and art poured out, all pointing the finger at Cao Zhong.

However, aside from Jia Zhangke being directly named, Gu Changwei, caught in the love triangle between Jiang Wenli and Zhang Jingchu, didn't want to get involved.

Most of the third and fourth generation directors who are still alive have expressionless faces, while the vast majority of the fifth and sixth generation directors do not want to get involved, but they have a pair of eyes that are always watching.

He couldn't fight this battle himself, so he could only remotely control Jia Zhangke.

Winning doesn't seem to change anything, but losing means you can buy a rope.

So it means nothing to them.

Debating scriptures happens every day, but it can't interfere with their lives.

Jia Zhangke was forced into this situation and became involved.

In an interview following the opening day box office results of "Still Life," Jia Zhangke addressed recent topics in a themed interview.

The duration was one hour and fifteen minutes.

"My films can help people living in difficult circumstances."

This is to refute Cao Zhong's denigration of him.

And it responded to the vast majority of the questions raised.

Speak politely and respectfully.

When asked about the claim that his films could be invested in and recouped overseas, making domestic release irrelevant, Jia responded with a shy smile, saying that it's better to have more people who are optimistic about them.

When asked why few people who speak the same native language watch his movies, Jia said that audiences all over the world are audiences.

Jia discussed the limitations and one-sidedness of intellectuals' understanding of the world, and then moved on to public consciousness. He cited Xie Fei's film "Woman Sesame Oil Maker" as an example, how art transformed an issue into a public consciousness, depicting the changing predicament of women's status. His films serve the same purpose.

They then talked about Cao Zhong, who believes that the skepticism of young people and even some media outlets towards art films and independent films is targeted and unfair.

He criticized the idea of ​​using blockbusters to save the country, and from an economic perspective, he argued that the ongoing development of the film industry had fostered a kind of capital worship, and that the blockbuster model was a bubble.

Finally, the discussion turned to the cultural value of films, criticizing the box office and attendance metrics, arguing that a film's ability should not be judged by the number of viewers, but rather by the cultural impact it can truly have.

He particularly emphasized populism and hate speech, and even asked the reporter rhetorically whether this kind of film could drive the development of China's film culture and what kind of message it could convey—hatred?

Finally, he reflected on himself, saying with a smile that his films are actually expressions of democratic spirit and modern consciousness, establishing a narrative for the Chinese people, and building a film culture rather than a film industry.

Jia Zhangke looked somewhat displeased when the argument about bowing to the West and the recent revelation that the film's production was due to Western funding issues.

He mentioned that the investment and sales model is based overseas, but the films and stories are Chinese. This is a matter of the model, and also a matter of choosing business partners. It's not about choosing money.

He smiled and said: I hope my personal film career goes well. How can I effectively promote my work globally? I need to find the best staff, who, in addition to creation, also have capital, marketing, and public relations skills.

For example, why did I choose Takeshi Kitano's company as the financing center for all my films?

Because they are professionals, I don't have to worry about sales at all. They will join forces with France, South Korea, and the United States to create a capital recovery model through such a capital combination.

This is a very effective way of producing films. The moment I start filming, basically every distributor in the world who wants to buy my films knows what I'm going to make.

This is my film culture, my sense of identity, my lens has always been on this land, I have always been watching this land, watching the lives of the people.

He said all he had to say, and he was very proud.

The conversation went very deep, and topics such as philosophical frameworks, the unity of film aesthetics, and the charm of space became the least noticed by the media.

As soon as the interview was released, Cao Zhong's opponents immediately began to stir up trouble.
What Jia Zhangke said is absolutely correct!
This is the film culture of Jia Zhangke; art films convey modern consciousness and consensus.

It's a deep love for this land. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' lavish spending on recruiting personnel, along with some refined art students, all followed Jia Zhangke's lead and charged towards Cao Zhong.

They seemed determined to kill someone.

Meanwhile, the media outlets stayed around the film and television base every day, hoping to interview Cao Zhong and get a response and a frenzy of attention.

"Brother Zhong, what should we do?"

Wang Renjun and Qi Jiuzhou were extremely helpless.

For three or four consecutive days, although the box office of "Still Life" was low, the viewership was high, which once again stirred up public opinion about the crew of "Nanjing Photo Studio" and Cao Zhong.

The recent filming schedule happened to coincide with a period when extras were needed, so the crew's movement in and out was not as strictly controlled as before.

The influx of reporters and the barrage of questions affected the main cast, extras, and even staff members like Han Zheng, significantly impacting the filming process.

Cao Zhong initially didn't want to respond, and even considered calling the police.

Once filming begins, it's like a war, with money flowing out like water.

Left with no other choice, Cao Zhong had to go out.

Faced with a barrage of interviews from the media.

Cao Zhong and the others discussed the matter.

"Everyone, I will only respond to one question, and I promise to address all your points. But please, from now on, do not cause any further disruption to my production team!"

His voice was solemn.

Then, just as the reporters were scrambling to ask questions...

Cao Zhong sat down, faced the crowd, and spoke first.

"In my opinion, there are only two kinds of directors in the world: those who make films for the general public and those who make films for foreigners."

Cao Zhong still refused to prove his innocence, instead focusing on the media and maintaining a neutral stance.

"Actually, many of the answers to the questions you asked me were already in the responses of some of my senior classmates from the Literature Department."

"Under every major decision, there will always be some sacrifices, more or less. The key is whether it is for the better or for the worse, and whether they agree with it."

This is something others shouldn't define or express through artistic creation.

Cao Zhongdao,
"The Three Gorges Dam, urbanization, high-speed rail, highways, demolition—it's all the same."

They had no way to respond.

However, I believe that most of them share a very basic sense of identity.

Film culture can also convey a sense of identity, the resilience of individuals who continue to thrive amidst dramatic changes in collective destiny, and the emotional clashes arising from conflicts between ordinary families and the nation, thus prompting reflection. This is not much different from the cultural message conveyed by a certain film.

But I believe this is the true Chinese narrative, the backbone of Chinese culture passed down through thousands of years.

Cao Zhong turned around, leaving the reporter with his back to him.

He turned his head:
"The difference is simply whether your buttocks are crooked or you're sitting upright."

After saying this,

Cao Zhong turned around and sat up straight.

"Please give me plenty of space to film the movie and don't disrupt the normal operation of the production crew. Thank you!"

Han Zheng immediately distributed the red envelopes he had just prepared.

The crowd fell silent.

No one expected Cao Zhong's response to be so unrestrained and full of firepower.

These few words, however, seemed to unveil the ultimate question that had never been addressed in previous discussions.

Even from the very beginning, the legitimacy of Jia Zhangke's cinematic art is questioned.

This is an extremely serious accusation.

A few short sentences, yet they were deafening.

Then, flashes of light went off one after another, and the crowd erupted in cheers.

(End of this chapter)