Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 681 Fawning over Oscar

In Hangzhou, Jack Ma once again hosted the main cast and crew of the film.

"Thanks to Director Zhang for inviting me, allowing me to experience acting for the first time!"

Ali Ma raised his glass, marking the completion of filming for the domestic scenes of "Inception," and the entire crew was immersed in a brief moment of relaxation.

"Mr. Ma, you're too kind. We should be thanking you, Mr. Ma. You've provided tremendous support for the film's production, and your acting skills far exceeded my expectations!"

"Haha, if Director Zhang says so, I'll take it seriously."

Alima was very happy to receive recognition from professionals for his performance, mainly because he felt that he had acted quite well.

The group raised their glasses. Tonight was their last night in China. Tomorrow morning, they would board a flight to the UK to begin a new filming journey.

Because there were other plans for the next day, no one drank much that night.

When Zhang Chen returned to his hotel, Gulina had already packed his luggage neatly. Everything that needed to be checked in had been checked in beforehand, and the rest were items they needed to carry with them.

Feeling the strong smell of alcohol on his body, Zhang Chen turned on the tap, preparing to take a good bath.

Once the bathtub was filled with hot water, Zhang Chen lay down in the warm tub and felt completely relaxed.

Suddenly, the phone on the small table vibrated. Zhang Chen sat up and glanced at it. The words "Director Chen" appeared on the screen.

"Hello, Teacher Daoming~" Zhang Chen answered the phone, his voice a little hoarse from taking a bath.

On the other end of the phone, Chen Daoming asked, "Zhang Chen, did I disturb you?"

"No, our scenes in China just wrapped up today, I'm free tonight. Is there something you need?"

"Nothing major, just wanted to update you on the progress of 'The Hunting'. Here's the thing, I met with Yimou today and we talked about 'The Hunting', but... he seems to prefer making 'The Flowers of War'."

Zhang Chen paused for a moment, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

Zhang Yimou refused to take on the role in "The Hunting"?
Zhang Chen's first reaction was, "Are you kidding me?"
How could "The Hunting" be any worse than "The Flowers of War"?
But Chen Daoming obviously wouldn't joke about something like this.

Zhang Chen was silent for a moment, then said into the phone, "Teacher Daoming, don't worry, there might be something going on here. Let me ask Director Yimou first."

"Okay, then I'll wait for your news."

After hanging up with Chen Daoming, Zhang Chen didn't immediately dial Zhang Yimou's number. Instead, he got out of the bathtub, put on a bathrobe, and went to the window to light a cigarette.

Amidst the swirling smoke, he recalled his last discussion with Zhang Yimou about "The Hunt." The other party had clearly shown great interest at the time, but he was busy filming "Aftershock" and they agreed to discuss it after that. How did he end up working on "The Flowers of War" instead? Was this project really that appealing?

After a moment's hesitation, Zhang Chen pressed the dial button.

The call was answered quickly, and Zhang Yimou's signature calm voice came through: "Zhang Chen, why are you calling now? Has filming in Hangzhou wrapped up?"

"Yes, we just finished up some finishing touches."

Zhang Chen exchanged pleasantries in a natural tone, then changed the subject: "Director Yi Mou, I heard you're currently preparing for 'The Flowers of War'?"

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone: "Duoming told you, didn't he? He came to see me during the day and talked about 'The Hunt.' He said you recommended it to him and hoped I would direct it."

I also really liked that script, but I'd rather make "The Flowers of War." The story is very compelling, and it's based on a true story; I think it has the potential to win international awards.

"The Flowers of War" is a work adapted by *** from "The Diary of Minnie Vautrin".

Minnie Vautrin opened a girls' school in Nanjing, which sheltered a large number of Chinese refugees, some of whom were prostitutes.

He wrote down his experiences of the Nanjing Massacre in his diary, which became known as "The Diary of Minnie Vautrin".

Knowing that there were many women in Minnie Vautrin's girls' school, the Japanese often broke in and assaulted her. Later, Vautrin asked the American consulate to negotiate with the Japanese army to stop killing and raping women.

The Japanese army agreed, on the condition that Minnie Vautrin find 100 female students for them to serve as comfort women.

For the sake of the greater good, Minnie Vautrin gritted her teeth and agreed. At that time, more than 20 prostitutes and dozens of girls stood up. Vautrin was heartbroken and helplessly watched as they were taken away by the Japanese army. Most of the female students were saved.

This is the story behind "The Flowers of War," a true event.

Minnie Vautrin herself was the inspiration for the pastor in the film, but it's unclear why the role was changed to a male character in the movie.

Upon hearing Zhang Yimou mention international awards, Zhang Chen's heart skipped a beat: "The international awards you're referring to, are you talking about the Oscars?"

"That's it."

Zhang Yimou did not deny it: "I'd like to give it a try~"

Without much explanation, Zhang Chen already understood what the other party was thinking.

In today's world, when it comes to film awards, the most prestigious are undoubtedly the three major European awards and the Oscars.

Of the three major European awards, Zhang Yimou has already won the Golden Bear and the Golden Lion, only missing the Palme d'Or.

But he had a falling out with Cannes, making his chances of winning the Palme d'Or virtually zero.

His next goal is to win the Oscar for Best Director.

Ang Lee has already surpassed him.

Ah Mou's generation is different from Zhang Chen's. Zhang Chen has memories of the future and has long since lost the allure of various awards.

But people of Amou's generation still respect this kind of authority.

In fact, most people now agree.

The main reason is that the contact area is too narrow.

In the past two years, whenever a film won an award, it would be hyped up extensively, which would also boost its box office performance.

But actually, not many of the award-winning films are good.

Many men have a "collecting obsession." Amou made "The Flowers of War" to compete for an Oscar, and Zhang Chen knew that it was no use trying to persuade him otherwise.

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Chen leaned back on the sofa, his fingers unconsciously tapping the armrest.

He understands all too well the obsession people in the industry have with the Oscars, as if winning that little golden statuette would prove that their artistic level has reached the world's top.

Putting everything else aside, Ang Lee won an Oscar, so his film "Lust, Caution" can be shown without any cuts.

But in reality, everyone in the industry knows that the Oscars are essentially an American award, and the judging criteria are entirely based on American values ​​and aesthetics. It represents the highest recognition of the American film industry, but it is by no means the only benchmark for global film art.

During the phone call just now, for a moment, Zhang Chen wanted to remind Zhang Yimou not to repeat the same mistakes.

But in the end, he didn't say it.

Everyone has their own destiny.

In the original timeline, the film "The Flowers of War" was criticized across the internet largely because of its erotic propaganda.

This was reportedly a special request from Zhang Weiping. Originally, the scene between Bale and Nini was supposed to be a kiss, but Zhang Weiping felt it wasn't enough and requested that it be changed to a bed scene.

Zhang Yimou initially refused, but later gave in.

Everyone says it's Zhang Weiping's fault, but Zhang Chen himself is the director, and he wonders whether a sex scene should be added to a serious film like Nanjing. Does Zhang Yimou really not understand?
Even Lu Chuan knew to cut the love scenes between Da Meiyuan and Huohua from the script of "Nanjing Nanjing". You are not as good as Lu Chuan.
In addition, the female character Minnie Vautrin was replaced with the male Father Miller, and the setting of the story was changed from a school to a church, which is full of Western religious elements.

This is clearly an act of pandering to the Oscars.

It's the same old Hollywood formula: the Ansar men represent God and save the world!

Note that all the Chinese men in the movie are dead!
Haha, Ah Mou is really going all out for the Oscars.

With the masterpiece "Nanjing Nanjing" preceding it, everyone has clearly analyzed why Lu Taro was criticized, which is to find humanity in a scumbag from the perspective of the Japanese.

Zhang Yimou's "The Flowers of War" is good; although it's not as big as "City of Life and Death," it's about the same.

The entire film is permeated with a sycophantic Western perspective, completely abandoning the main perspective of the national and ethnic narrative.

The story of "The Flowers of War" is actually quite similar to Maupassant's "Boule de Suif".

In that classic short story, Boule de Suif, a prostitute, is forced to sacrifice herself for the safety of others, only to be scorned by everyone in the end.

The prostitutes in "The Flowers of War" chose to sacrifice themselves.

Twelve prostitutes voluntarily sacrificed themselves to save the lives of thirteen female students.

What appears to be a praise of the brilliance of humanity is actually a distortion of history and a disrespect for women.

The core conflict of this drama is deliberately set as "In the face of the disaster of a massacre of a city by an army, is there a distinction between noble and lowly lives?"

But in reality, it subtly conveys a wrong value system—that prostitutes should be sacrificed, while the lives of female students are more precious.
Must we determine who is more deserving to live between prostitutes and female students?

This deliberately created "aesthetics of sacrifice" is essentially the same as that in "City of Life and Death".

If Zhang Chen were to direct "The Flowers of War," he would change the female students to underage girls. This would give the prostitutes a more reasonable motivation for their sacrifice—protecting children is a common human instinct, and such a setting would also reduce controversy.

However, this change caused the film to lose its so-called "depth," leaving only a simple praise of the greatness of humanity, which is clearly not what directors and judges who pursue "artistic appeal" like.

They enjoy finding evil within the brilliance of humanity, or so-called "human shining points" in the evil deeds of villains, as if only in this way can they demonstrate the "complexity" and "profoundness" of their works. But this deliberate attempt at complexity often disrespects history and exploits suffering.

The Nanjing Massacre is an eternal wound for the Chinese nation. Every life was equal in that disaster, without distinction of rank or status.

Using the sacrifice of prostitutes to highlight so-called "nobility" is itself a desecration of history.

This setting was never intended to commemorate history, but rather to cater to the tastes of the Oscar judges.

Zhang Chen can understand Zhang Yimou's desire to win an Oscar, but using such a biased film to pander to him is simply not worth the effort.

My phone vibrated again; it was Chen Daoming calling again. He seemed to be getting a little impatient.

Zhang Chen took a deep breath and answered the phone: "Teacher Daoming, I've found out. Director Yimou wants to compete for an Oscar."

"What about 'The Hunt'?" Chen Daoming asked anxiously.

"We can only wait, either until he finishes filming 'The Flowers of War,' or we find a suitable director ourselves..."

"Well, that's the only way."

Director Chen definitely doesn't want to wait; there are too many variables if Zhang Yimou finishes filming "The Flowers of War".

After filming "The Flowers of War," what if he wants to film "The Fourteenth Flower" or "The Fifteenth Flower"?

They could have had someone else film it, but Director Chen couldn't think of a suitable candidate for the time being.

……

The next morning, Zhang Chen received good news; it was Diane who called him specifically to tell him.

Harvey Weinstein has been formally charged with two counts of rape and one count of criminal sexual conduct.

Harvey was released after posting $100 million bail, but was barred from leaving the country.

This guy is completely finished; there's no way he can turn things around.

When Zhang Chen received the call, he was editing a farewell text message for Ali Ma, who received it shortly afterward.

Mr. Ma, we're leaving now. See you again during the movie promotion. By the way, I've already spoken to Chen Xi about your cameo role in "The Ghostwriter." They'll contact you when preparations are almost complete.

Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, Ali Ma could just see the film crew's bus leaving the Alibaba campus.

As the convoy disappeared from sight, Alima's mind was elsewhere.

He spent the last few days on set, initially intending to experience something new, but he never expected to develop a strong interest in the art of film, or more accurately, to gain a completely new understanding of the market potential behind films.

During filming, he often chatted with the director and producer during breaks, discussing everything from scriptwriting to publicity and distribution processes, from actors' salaries to box office revenue sharing.

Originally he had only a superficial understanding of the film industry, he gradually pieced together a general outline of the industry.

His keen business sense was instantly activated, especially when he heard the crew discussing the soaring box office trend in recent years.

"This might be an area worth exploring further," Ali Ma thought to himself.

Sitting back in his office chair, Ali Ma immediately dialed the head of the strategic assessment department, his tone decisive and leaving no room for argument: "Have someone prepare two documents for me. First, a report on the development data of the domestic film market over the past five years, future trend predictions, and a feasibility analysis report on entering the market; second, check Maoyan's latest revenue, business layout, and profit model, the more detailed the better."

"Okay, Mr. Ma, we'll get started right away and get it to you tomorrow."

"too late."

"Uh...this afternoon."

"it is good."

After hanging up the phone, Alima walked to the bookshelf, picked up a book about the cultural industry, and started reading.

Several years ago, people around him suggested that he pay attention to the cultural field, but at that time Alibaba's focus was still on e-commerce and payment business, so he temporarily shelved the idea.

Only now, having personally experienced the film industry, has he realized the vastness of this untapped potential.

As people's living standards improve, their demand for spiritual and cultural enrichment will inevitably continue to grow, and as one of the most popular cultural products, film has unlimited potential for future development.

At 2 p.m., the head of the strategic assessment department appeared in Ali Ma's office on time, holding a thick stack of reports.

"Mr. Ma, here is the information you requested. Our team worked overtime to compile it, and it includes detailed data charts and analysis conclusions."

Arima took the report, gestured for the other person to sit down, and then eagerly began to read it. The report began by listing a set of key data:
根据国家广播电视总局的统计，2009年全国电影总票房达到296.39亿元，较2008年的15亿元增长了近一倍；而在2007年，这个数字还只有101亿元。

In just two years, the box office revenue has nearly tripled, a growth rate that caught Ali Ma's eye.

"This growth rate is truly astonishing."

As he looked at the document, Ali Ma muttered to himself, "What has driven this explosive growth?"

The person in charge next to him immediately explained, "Mr. Ma, there are several reasons."

First, the construction of cinemas has accelerated. In recent years, the number of newly added cinemas nationwide has been growing at a rate of more than 20% per year, and the number of screens has also increased significantly, improving the convenience of watching movies.

Secondly, with the improvement of residents' consumption capacity, movie tickets are no longer a burden for the general public, and watching movies is gradually becoming a daily form of entertainment.

Thirdly, the quality of domestically produced films has improved. Domestic film companies, led by Star Entertainment, have produced a number of critically acclaimed and commercially successful works, attracting more audiences to theaters.

Alima nodded and continued reading.

The report's predictions for the film market over the next five years particularly appealed to him:
It is projected that by 2014, the total box office revenue in China will exceed 1000 billion yuan, with an annual compound growth rate of over 30%.

"This is definitely a rare opportunity."

Alima closed the report and said firmly, "We must enter the film industry."

Then, he picked up the information about Maoyan and studied it carefully.

Maoyan was originally Star Entertainment's online movie ticketing business, but it later expanded horizontally and developed independently. Currently, its main businesses include online ticketing, movie promotion and distribution, and group buying.

Data shows that Maoyan competes with Alibaba in the group-buying business, but it is currently in the stage of burning money to expand. In 2009, its revenue was about 5000 million yuan, but its net loss reached 8000 million yuan.

"It seems that Maoyan is not a priority for the time being."

Ali Ma put down the documents and tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "Although online ticketing is an important part of the film industry chain, its current scale is too small. It's not very meaningful to develop this business."

So, how should one enter the film market?

Ali Ma fell into deep thought.

There are essentially two ways to enter the game:

Alternatively, they could personally get involved, assemble a team, and establish a film and television company, creating a complete industry chain from production and distribution to screening.

Alternatively, you can invest in a reliable agent and participate in an existing film and television company through equity investment, leveraging their industry experience and resources to quickly gain a foothold.

The advantage of personally getting involved is that you can control the overall situation and build the company according to your own ideas, but the disadvantages are also obvious - Alibaba lacks professional talent and operational experience in the film and television industry, and starting from scratch requires a lot of time and energy, which may cause it to miss the current market dividend period.

Investing in shares can quickly solve these problems, but only if a suitable partner is found.

Ali Ma's first thought was Star Entertainment.

As a leading enterprise in China's film and television industry, Star Entertainment is at the top level in terms of production capabilities, distribution channels, and artist resources.

Investing in Star Entertainment would undoubtedly be the best option for entering the film market.

But when he thought of Zhang Chen, Ali Ma hesitated again.

He had several conversations with Zhang Chen on set and discovered that there were significant differences in their philosophies.

Zhang Chen places more emphasis on the artistic value of films and takes a cautious approach to commercial operations.

"Zhang Chen is a talented director, but his ideas are too idealistic."

Ali Ma shook his head. "Under his leadership, Star Entertainment has produced many good works, but I've tested him, and he's very resistant to the internet's operating model. If we invest, we're afraid there will be many disagreements on strategic decisions, which would be detrimental to its development."

Since Starry Sky Entertainment wasn't the ideal choice, what other suitable targets were there? Ali Ma turned on his computer and started searching for information on other film and television companies in China.

Enlight Media, Huayi Brothers, Bona Film Group... names flashed before his eyes.

He carefully studied the business layout, financial situation and development strategy of each company, trying to find the partner that best met Alibaba's needs.

The setting sun streamed through the office window, casting a long shadow of Alima.

He rubbed his slightly sore eyes, already having a preliminary idea in mind.

Regardless of which method they choose to enter the market, Alibaba must get a piece of the pie in the film market.

He believes that with Alibaba's financial strength, technological advantages, and ecosystem resources, they will definitely be able to carve out their own niche in the film industry.

Next, he needs to further screen partners, formulate a detailed entry plan, and then make a decisive move.

(End of this chapter)