Chinese Entertainment

Chapter 678 Meeting and Film Viewing

The meeting time notification from the General Administration came so unexpectedly that even though Gu Wei received the meeting notice in advance, it started at 8:30 in the morning. How could Gu Wei, who had been working hard all night, bear it?

When he received the call, Gu Wei really wanted to say, "I don't want to go anymore." He stared at the ceiling with lifeless eyes for a long time, then comforted the young lady and hurried to the headquarters yawning.

At 8:25, Gu Wei hurried and finally arrived at his destination on time.

As soon as I parked the car and got out, I saw Jiang Wen yawning, and he seemed to be followed by Mark.

"Director Gu."

As soon as Jiang Wen opened his mouth, Gu Wei gestured and pointed at his watch to indicate the time. The other party nodded, and the few of them didn't bother to say anything else and went straight to the meeting room.

After attending several meetings here, everyone is familiar with the specific location.

At a glance, wow, almost all the CEOs of major domestic film and television companies have come, except Yu Dong who is in Cannes.

There were quite a few big directors there, and I didn't know what the staff was thinking. On Gu Wei's left was Chen Kai, and on his right was John Woo. It was because they arrived late, otherwise Gu Wei would have moved and sat next to these two people. Gu Wei greeted them with a smile, and the two of them nodded in acknowledgement.

That's why everyone in China wants to be a leader in politics, because they have privileges. Gu Wei and his team were asked to arrive before 8:30, but when they arrived, they waited and waited but the leaders didn't show up.

The process from whispering to loud discussion in the conference room took only five minutes. Gu Wei started chatting with Chen Kaige, Jiang Wen, and Han Sanding.

"Any news from Cannes? What's the price?" As expected of Han Sanping, even after retiring and becoming a consultant, he still talks about movies all the time.

"No, it's not that fast. But after two screenings, the effect is good." Gu Wei's voice was loud. It's not that he wanted to show off, but there were too many noisy sounds at the scene. If the voice was quiet, one could only guess, unless Han Sanping knew "lip reading"!
"How's it going over there? When will you be back?"

"It's OK. We expect to finish filming next month, but post-production will take several more months. I guess I won't be able to rest until the movie is released."

The two chatted for a while, and Han Sanping only asked some general questions. In front of everyone, especially Chen Kaige and others who looked at them from time to time, they felt embarrassed.

Seeing that Han Sanping had finished his review, Jiang Wen felt that it was his turn, so he spoke up decisively and reminded Gu Wei not to forget to watch the film.

Gu Wei rolled his eyes and ignored him. As a result, Jiang Wen mumbled something in his mouth.

While the two were talking, Brother Chen Kai looked at the time and interrupted their conversation, thinking that it was his turn. At the same time, he glanced at Jiang Wen, meaning to pay attention to the time.

Looking at the expressions and actions of the two people, Gu Wei's face turned a little dark, and he always felt like he had lost something.

Director Chen may not be very caring about people. He asked Gu Wei how things were going in Hollywood and whether he was used to the food. He also asked how Zhang Yimou was doing over there.

After a few words, Gu Wei felt very embarrassed and Director Chen's palms were full of sweat.

"Well, 'The Taoist Goes Down the Mountain' will be completed in July. If you have time, you can come and watch the premiere then?" As soon as these words came out, both of them breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.

"When will it be released?" Gu Wei asked with his shoulders relaxed.

"It has not been decided yet, but it will most likely be released during the summer of next year. The competition between the Lunar New Year and Spring Festival seasons is too fierce, haha."

When Brother Chen Kai said this, Gu Wei couldn't help but look at him again. It seemed that everyone was thinking about breaking the 1 billion box office mark, and even the usually arrogant Brother Chen Kai chose to compromise.

"So June or July? That should be no problem." Gu Wei agreed directly.

"Okay, bring Yifei with you then." Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Brother Chen Kai didn't know what to talk about anymore.

John Woo on the right took one look and immediately interrupted, "It's my turn now!"

Gu Wei: “…”

Brother Chen Kai: “0.0”

"I haven't asked Director Wu yet. The filming of The Crossing will soon be finished." Unable to accept the "take turns" situation, Gu spoke decisively first.

"Haha, it's almost time. There will be a press conference in two days. I wonder if Director Gu has time?" John Woo was stunned by the question, then he immediately reacted and said with a smile.

"No...what's the specific number?" Gu Wei subconsciously wanted to refuse.

"On the 17th, the day after tomorrow."

When John Woo said this, he was always paying attention to Gu Wei's expression. There was nothing he could do. The Hong Kong circle had been conquered by him. He was just a director. What could he do?
You can only build a good relationship with the other party, after all, you need to eat.

In the end, Gu Wei agreed after the other party's strong invitation.

When they heard that Gu Wei was willing to attend the press conference for "The Crossing", the expressions of the people around him looked a little strange.

Han San commented: "Not bad, you have grown up!"

Jiang Wen: "Brother, this is still you!"

Brother Chen Kai: "So easy to talk to? Young people should gain more experience!"

In an instant, the word "take turns" appeared in Gu Wei's mind again.

...

At nine o'clock, the leaders of the General Administration finally arrived.

As usual, the meeting started with some polite remarks, followed by the introduction of the leaders. As their names and positions were introduced one by one, everyone realized that people from the National Copyright Administration, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Cyberspace Administration of China, and the Ministry of Public Security were present.

After the leader in charge finished speaking, everyone knew the specific content of the meeting: "Launch a six-month Internet clean-up campaign to severely and severely crack down on piracy!"

"Although the crackdown on piracy began last year, piracy is still rampant in recent times, causing serious losses to the mainland film and television industry..."

"This operation will last for at least six months, with no upper limit. It will be jointly enforced by the National Copyright Administration, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Cyberspace Administration of China, the Ministry of Public Security and other departments. Operation Sword Net will officially begin in June. The operation aims to..."

“We must sweep with thunder, rather kill those who were wrong than let them go, punish them severely and strictly, and kill them all. We must clear all obstacles for Internet companies to enter the film and television industry, and there will be no more film and television piracy…” After the person in charge finished speaking, everyone unconsciously looked at Director Jia Zhangke who was sitting in the back. He was extremely unlucky recently.

A movie called "A Touch of Sin" initially failed censorship, then was banned from release after passing censorship. By the time it was allowed to be released, pirated copies of the movie had already spread on the Internet.

Now, it doesn’t need to be released. Even if Jia Zhangke were to release it, no theater chain would be willing to show it. In their words, “Art films are not popular in the first place, and now that so many people have seen it, there’s no need to show it.”

Sure enough, Jia Zhangke also realized that the General Administration was serious this time, so when it was his turn to speak, he naturally complained, and his tone was sincere and excited.

The faces of the leaders above are becoming more and more unhappy. Well, when you say that, you are blaming us for not taking enough action.

Just a joke, let’s get down to business.

The meeting lasted from morning to afternoon, and the environment made Gu Wei feel like he was back in his student days.

Gu Wei also wholeheartedly supports the above actions. Just kidding, if piracy is not banned, the copyrights that Tudou Video and Xingchen Film and Television have spent a lot of money to acquire will be no different from waste paper.

On the contrary, the more severe the crackdown on piracy, the more valuable these copyrights become. It can be said that this meeting has invisibly increased the value of Gu Wei's assets a lot.

In the afternoon, when it was the turn of the Internet representatives to speak, companies led by Alibaba and Tencent raised their hands in support. Several representatives boasted about how much money they would invest in the entertainment industry to promote the development of the mainland film market.

As Gu Wei listened, he felt something was wrong. The masterminds behind this meeting might be these big Internet companies.

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Thinking of this, and looking at the expressions of others, some are worried, some are excited, and more are expectant.

In the end, when Gu Wei heard the Alibaba representative say that they would use a new investment method to increase investment in the film and television industry, the three words "Entertainment Bao" popped up in Gu Wei's mind.

.........

I don’t know when it started, but every time I go to the General Administration for a meeting, I always have to have a meal.

Wang Changtian, Ye Ning and Yu Dong had all been invited before, so this time it was naturally Gu Wei's turn. However, Gu Wei was indeed not as familiar with food, drink and entertainment as they were, so he had to say that he would pay for it himself and let Big Wang help find a place.

"Haha, it's rare for Director Gu to treat us, so I have to find a place." Wang Changtian immediately took out his cell phone, and after he finished speaking, he started asking people to find a place.

"Director Wang is looking for a place today, I will help you find one tomorrow. Director Gu is indeed a great director, he even treats you twice, haha."

As soon as Ye Ning finished speaking, Gu Wei and Han Sanping were amused. To be honest, it was the first time for Gu Wei to encounter a meeting in the General Administration that lasted for two days.

Wang Changtian, who had just finished a phone call, looked a little unnatural when he heard Ye Ning's words. He silently complained in his heart: "Good fellow, now you are even trying to snatch the flattery, so I'm leaving?"

For a moment, their eyes met and there was an invisible collision.

Wang Changtian chose a specialty restaurant. It wasn’t a big place but the food was delicious, worthy of being a gourmet.

After two consecutive days of meetings, which lasted for several hours each day, Gu Wei was exhausted.

However, the determination of the General Administration can also be seen from this meeting!
On the 17th, Gu Wei attended the "The Crossing" fan meeting hosted by China Film Corporation.

Also present were Huang Xiaoming, Zhang Ziyi, Jin Chengwu, Song Hye Kyo, Tong Dawei, Nagasawa Masami and Wang Qianyuan.

At the scene, John Woo boasted that the box office goal for "The Crossing" was 2 billion, which stunned Gu Wei.

However, judging from the reactions from all sides afterwards, Gu Wei made the right decision to attend the press conference for "The Taiping" this time.

Even La Peikang called him and praised Gu Wei as a good comrade.

The Hong Kong media even used the word "reconciliation" in their report, and Hong Kong celebrities such as Jackie Chan and Andy Lau were also happy to see this situation.

Yang Shoucheng finally breathed a sigh of relief. After all, Gu Wei's move also meant that Mingxingchen Film and Television and Emperor Entertainment Group would continue to cooperate.

The premiere of "One Step Away" arrived as scheduled, and the venue was the auditorium arranged by the distributor China Film.

As soon as he arrived at the place, Gu Wei looked at Jiang Wen strangely. Not only did this guy follow his example, but he also chose a typical plagiarism like "The Wandering Earth" for the location.

"Hey, Director Gu, after we finish watching the film, it'll be up to you when it comes to the press interview."

Gu Wei didn't want to pay any attention to this guy. To be honest, he had watched the finished film "One Step Away" several times, and the content was indeed much better than the original one. It had fewer metaphors and more black humor. In other words, it was easier for the audience to understand.

There will no longer be a situation where the audience buys tickets and watches the movie but has no idea what it is about.

"It depends on the situation. You didn't continue to modify it." Gu Wei couldn't help but ask one more question.

"Just a little bit, just a little bit." Jiang Wen smiled a little embarrassedly, which made Gu Wei have a bad feeling.

Not many people were invited to this film screening, mostly directors in the industry, a dozen or so representatives from theater chains, and more than twenty famous film critics.

Chen Kaige, Jia Zhangke, Feng Xiaogang, Wang Quanan... almost all the big directors in the industry were there, even Gu Changwei who was preparing a new movie.

Wanda Cinema Line, United Cinema Line, New Film Association and many others are also present.

After greeting each other, everyone sat down immediately. Jiang Wen did not hesitate at all and said a few polite words in front of the big screen. Then the main film began...

...

To be honest, halfway through the movie, Gu Wei discovered that Jiang Wen's old problem had recurred.

After his revision, the film had many more metaphors and its length was increased to 140 minutes.

For a commercial film that does not rely on special effects to please the audience, this length is fatal, because about two and a half hours will make the audience numb.

Thinking of this, Gu Wei glanced around and saw that many people had frowned, and some even had ugly expressions, as if they were holding their urine.

(End of this chapter)