Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 296 Chairman Liu: Speak!
Wang Jinhua didn't know where he heard this name and pondered for a few seconds.

"She seems to be an actress that Huayi has recently signed with."

"Yes, there was a meeting for the Red Cliff project a while ago, and Wang Xiaolei brought her over for dinner. I heard she was also a student of the Beijing Film Academy Class of 02."

"Yes, I'm a classmate of Liu Yifei."

Wu Kebo felt a little itchy when he thought about the flirtation of the literary girl that night: "Jinhua, you and Huayi broke up peacefully. Let's see if this actress has any chance..."

Wang Jinhua could see his intention and had no choice but to agree.

Anyway, the company is his, and his Chengtian 18 is an independent subsidiary. At worst, he can just dig it out and put it under his own name.

Times have changed, but some historical coincidences are inevitable, such as Song Jia and Jiang Yiyan.

If we look at what is happening in the domestic entertainment industry from a God's perspective, Chengtian's development trajectory is surprisingly similar to that of later generations.

Song Jia was later recruited by Wang Jinhua, who had just changed jobs, and was created according to Fan Bingbing's sexy style.

In 2006, she starred in "Curiosity Kills the Cat" as a newcomer, partnering with Liu Jialing and Hu Jun. With the help of Chengtian, she was nominated for the "Hundred Flowers Award for Best Supporting Actress" and "Most Promising Newcomer".

Later, she played Li Jiyou in "Red Cliff".

Jiang Yiyan, who was slapped to the point of losing her spiritual faith at the last banquet, managed to enter Wu Kebo's attention in this life by flattering him.

In later life, she met Wang Jinhua through Chen Daoming's "Youth with No Door and Nowhere to Go" and entered Chengtian.

This drama is the result of Chen Daoming's hard work. He used his own funds to shoot the entire drama on film, which is unheard of in the TV drama circle.

Although the TV series did not become popular in the end and Chen Daoming lost money, Chengtian listed Jiang Yiyan as a key training target in the "Luxury Newcomer Plan".

It focuses on pure literature and art, and its target is Xu Jinglei.

With the foresight and great advantages of a prophet, it is right for Boss Lu to take the lead in developing commercial films.

But objectively speaking, for current mainland directors, instead of making commercial films with unclear profit expectations, it is better for them to make art films that they are more confident in.

The same applies to the status of female stars.

The opportunity to enter the North American market with "Alien Land" like Liu Yifei and be crowned the champion of the mainland box office history is rare in fifty years.

More importantly, in 2004, Xu Jinglei's "Letter from an Unknown Woman" won the International Director Award;
In 2005, "Peacock" made Zhang Jingchu famous, "Tianhong" made Gao Yuanyuan famous, and "If Love" made Zhou Xun win the Grand Slam of Best Actress, and Yan Zi also filmed "Night Shanghai".

To build Jiang Yiyan's temperament as a talented woman is to emulate these successful examples.

The ups and downs in the domestic entertainment industry did not happen overnight, and Zhou Jun’s fall seemed to be a trivial matter.

Even if the person involved is Lu Kuan, there is no interest in finding out his whereabouts.

Maybe he would hide his identity and sink into oblivion, or maybe he would secretly try to fight back, but in the end he could only watch Lu Kuan disappear with the tide of the situation.

But Huayi, Chengtian, Baolibona, Fiber Optic, Pony Galloping, Rongxingda;

There is also Wanda, which announced its entry into the film industry as early as 2003, and has seen the gradual rise of the domestic entertainment and film industries.

Faced with the ubiquitous competition from Chengtian today, Wenjie Holdings' current situation is far from complete dominance.

It's like rowing against the current, if you don't move forward, you will move backward.

At the same time, in the office of the president of Wenjie Holdings.

Gao Jun was communicating with Boss Lu about the schedule of "Tangshan Earthquake", while Chen Zhixi was studying and taking notes on the side.

"Our main competitors for this year's Lunar New Year holiday are very clear."

The Lunar New Year holiday is usually the last 3-4 weeks of each year. This period includes Christmas and New Year's Day, and the enthusiasm for watching movies is high.

The Spring Festival period runs from the first to the fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year. In this family-friendly atmosphere, "Aftershock" is absolutely not to be touched.

“12月1日《如果爱》，12月15日《无极》，12月16日《千里走单骑》，12月28号《情癫大圣》。”

“Of course, there’s also Hollywood’s King Kong on the 14th.”

"Boss Lu, we..."

Boss Lu looked at the information in his hand, hesitating.

Generally speaking, the film schedule is jointly determined by the distributor, theater chain and producer.

"Aftershock" was jointly distributed by Golden Harvest and China Film Group. Among the four major competitors this year, only "The Promise" was invested by China Film Group.

In comparison, "The Great Earthquake", which was invested and distributed by China Film Group Corporation, has relatively high policy convenience in its screening and distribution.

But the problem is, you have to squeeze a tear-jerking disaster movie into the festive Lunar New Year period...

How unwise!
Industry leader Gao Jun certainly thinks so.

But out of "superstition" about the young director's previous victories, he felt that this might be another genius marketing strategy of Boss Lu?

This is also the main purpose of his visit today.

There are not so many genius marketing strategies. Lu Kuan only considered it based on the original intention of making this movie.

If possible, he would like to release the film during the 2008 Spring Festival so that this unforgettable memory can be preserved for half a year.

But the construction of the teaching building cannot wait, and the popularization of escape and self-rescue knowledge among children cannot wait. These are things that must be done in advance.

Furthermore, for a movie like this, it is definitely necessary to take advantage of the huge flow of people gathered during the Lunar New Year period, so that the audience can be moved to tears in the theater, which is the most memorable moment.

If we miss this time, the effect will probably be greatly reduced.

Perhaps because he noticed the solemn atmosphere in the room, he leaned slightly against the sofa and seemed to relax.

Boss Lu glanced at Chen Zhixi.

The latter met his deep eyes, shuddered instantly, and sat up straight unconsciously.

She is a person with a background. In the past two months, despite the turmoil in the capital, Chen Zhixi has remained relatively unscathed. When she returned home, she had no idea how many times her parents had scolded her.

Listen! Listen! Listen!

If you are asked to be an actor, then be an actor. If you are asked to be an intern, then be an intern.

Anyway, Dong Shuangqiang has already sent the person over, so you just need to learn from him!

Boss Lu is obviously also deliberately cultivating this future female executive, and today's discussion with Gao Jun was relatively in-depth.

"The four or five films Gao Jun just mentioned are our main competitors at the moment."

"With a subject like 'Tangshan Earthquake' and such high costs, it's more like we're looking for loopholes than finding a suitable schedule."

Lu Kuan looked at Chen Zhixi, who was frowning, and said, "Then we need to consider it from the perspective of the distribution of these films."

"'If Love' is a musical romance film that pioneered this genre in mainland China. The star cast of Takeshi Kaneshiro, Jacky Cheung, and Zhou Xun is also quite eye-catching."

"They released it early on the 1st to avoid the competition among blockbusters and to highlight the uniqueness of their own subject matter."

"'The Promise' and 'A One Man's Journey' are head-on collisions. Han Shanping of China Film Group put it up a day in advance just to see the sensational scene of Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige's clash."

"'A Chinese Odyssey' continues Stephen Chow's nonsensical style, and it's also intentionally tied to 'A Chinese Odyssey' in terms of subject matter and publicity. Comedy themes are the most popular."

The young director smiled at the assistant and said, "Chen Zhixi."

"Yes! Here."

The actress who graduated from the Central Academy of Drama has gradually adapted to the work pace of the industry, but she is still a little afraid of the young boss in front of her.

Because she often doesn't understand this person, like this time, why he has to use a disaster film to stir up the muddy waters of the Lunar New Year box office.

"You've reviewed the content and reviews of each film from the internal documents. When do you think it would be best to release it in December?"

Chen Zhixi had thought about this issue earlier: "I haven't decided on a specific date yet, but I think it should be..."

“Before The Promise and A Chinese Odyssey.”

Boss Lu had a blank expression on his face, waiting for her reason.

"Considering the current spending power and habits of mainland Chinese people, I think more than 70% of people will only choose to watch one or two blockbusters at most."

"Among the current films, apart from our own, The Promise and A Chinese Odyssey have the highest ticket prices, which is first."

"Secondly, during this period, your direct confrontation with three major domestic directors, Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige, is more topical and easier to hype and market."

"Third, to be honest, in terms of special effects, we are as famous as The Promise in terms of publicity, but in terms of subject matter, The Monkey King is obviously more popular."

"If a viewer has seen The Promise, which is famous for its special effects, and The Monkey King, which is known for its nonsensical plot, I don't think they will be very willing to watch this disaster film again."

Boss Lu held the purple clay teapot and looked at Gao Jun. He could clearly see the admiration in the latter's eyes.

Mr. Lu still knows people!

Whether it was An Yuguang, the successor found for him in the theater chain, or Chen Zhixi, who had just joined the company for less than two months.

It has to be said that they are all talents with great potential.

Mr. Lu commented: "Your answer... 70 points. You can be considered to understand the problem from the perspective of consumers and the characteristics of the film."

"What you still lack is the ability to appreciate films. I'm not talking about appreciation from an artistic perspective, but from a commercial perspective."

"This question is actually very simple. It's about which of these four domestic films do you think will perform well and which will flop, right?"

Chen Zhixi said in embarrassment: "Boss Lu, this film...even the investors and China Film Group usually can't figure it out, so how can I tell which one is good and which one is bad?"

"Don't worry, this is a long-term industry perspective that needs to be cultivated slowly."

Boss Lu turned to Gao Jun and said, "Let's put it on a week after The Promise is released. It will premiere on Friday night, December 12rd."

"what?"

"what?"

Chen Zhixi and Gao Jun were both a little bit surprised.

Now looking at Boss Lu, it’s like he’s buying vegetables at the market. He can clearly tell the good from the bad at a glance, and then he picks the worst one to take home.

"The Promise" is definitely a blockbuster movie in this year's Lunar New Year box office!
It's fine if you're in front of him, but if you're behind him, then you have to hide as late as possible, right?
December 12th to 25th is obviously a more suitable time.

Boss Lu naturally had his own explanation: "The special effects of The Promise were produced by our own Butian Films. I have a general idea of ​​the overall effect and style."

"At the previous Shanghai Film Festival, the film company of 'The Promise' organized a screening, and Harvey from Miramax and I both attended it."

“To be frank, I think the reputation of The Promise is likely to collapse.”

He stood up slowly and stretched his muscles: "Based on this judgment."

"We released it after him, choosing the right time, and were able to use our excellent production and excellent reputation to accelerate his collapse and catch this wave of traffic."

"But if we release it too late, those moviegoers who have the ability and willingness to consume blockbuster movies will have no alternative to choose from."

"This wave of viewership is overflowing due to the collapse of word-of-mouth for The Promise, and we can't make up for it."

The young director looked at his two subordinates who suddenly realized the truth and said, "No one can predict the exact time, but I think 7-10 days is a reasonable number."

He returned to his desk and began to arrange publicity work.

"Starting from mid-October, within two months, we will cover all channels online and offline."

Boss Lu said thoughtfully, "Gao Jun, please negotiate with President Han. Don't be stingy with the marketing expenses. Wenjie can cover the extra expenses as appropriate."

"This? Mr. Lu, why is this happening?"

"Cultural products have both economic and social value. The subject matter of 'Tangshan Earthquake' means we are destined to lean towards the latter to a certain extent."

"We are a country prone to earthquakes. Since we have chosen to take on this film, we must do our best to promote earthquake warning, escape, and self-rescue!"

Looking at the young president who had already started using eye drops for the second time in just this morning, Gao Jun's expression was more solemn and serious than ever before.

"Yes! Mr. Lu!"

When people interact with each other, no matter their social status or wealth level, they all weave a cold class curtain.

As a leader, personal charm is like a burning torch that can easily penetrate this curtain and truly gain the admiration and admiration of followers.

For Gao Jun and Chen Zhixi, they are both professionals who have far surpassed the ordinary class, and their judgment of a person has long gone beyond the simple distinction between good and bad people.

But Lu Kuan, a boss who usually pays great attention to details of the company's budget, devoted himself to public welfare without regard for cost or return during the entire process of creating the movie "Tangshan Earthquake".

This is a kind of personal power that transcends material and class, making them both fear power and cherish virtue.

Boss Lu rarely finished his business before lunch and invited Ah Fei to come in for tea.

He didn't let his cold-faced bodyguard take charge, as he was used to serving tea himself.

"Is Sun Wenwen settled?"

"Almost done. I'm going through the paperwork with Emile."

"Tell her to hurry up and not to work in the American company. Go find Xiao Liu first."

Ah Fei rarely showed a slight smile on his face: "I know."

"Boom boom boom!"

"Please come in!"

Ning Hao walked in leisurely, swinging his arms. "Hey, I came at the right time! Director Lu is making tea himself!"

Boss Lu joked, "Is the groom back from vacation?"

"Oh! There's nothing special about the Maldives. I think it's not much different from Sanya."

"After the Southeast Asian tsunami, quite a few white tourists went there. It was so crowded!"

After "Bullfighting", Ning Hao, who had been working non-stop for the past two years, got a short break. He simply got married with his girlfriend Xing Aina, whom he had been in love with for four or five years, and went out to travel and get married.

"Is the banquet not going to take place?"

Ning Hao's eyes widened. "How is that possible? I have to do it. Otherwise, how can I get a big red envelope from you?"

"Okay, then you should take a break and get ready to continue working."

After "Bad Genius", Xue Xiaolu managed to get some rest time for herself and is now traveling in Europe with her husband, a screenwriter.

There are only a few directors in the industry who can produce stable films and ensure the quality of their films.

Xu Zheng's first film, "Crazy Supermarket" (Nightclub), was a hit, but whether he can handle a movie with an investment of over 10 million yuan remains a question.

"Zhu Xian 2" directed by Wu Ershan is still on the air. After Boss Lu communicated with him, the former seemed to want to concentrate on digesting the experience and prepare to apply for the Pan Asia Film Academy which will open next year.

Ning Hao and Xue Xiaolu are both resting during this period, and the work pressure of the filming team of Wenjie has suddenly decreased. How can this be possible?
While the two were chatting, Ning Hao suddenly asked in confusion, "By the way, Zhang Yadong recently contacted me and said that a big client was making an album and wanted me to shoot his music video."

"I was thinking, who is this person so arrogant?"

"Dude, the total box office in the domestic film industry has reached 300 to 400 million. Do you know how much it would cost to hire me?"

Boss Lu smiled but said nothing. He naturally knew who this person who spent money like water was.

"Zhang Yadong called me this morning, and the girl's family directly offered 100 million..."

Ning Hao had an exaggerated and cocky expression on his face: "Boss Lu, when it comes to shooting music videos, it's okay for me to call you the best director in China, right?"

"May you be happy and prosperous."

"Oh! By the way! That girl's company wants to treat you to a meal."

Boss Lu raised his head and glanced at Ning Hao, thinking that you, a guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes, have also learned to show your true colors.

The latter then laughed awkwardly and said, "Oh no! I really can't resist the obsession of that Mr. Lu. What can you say?"

Boss Lu curled his lips: "I don't have time recently."

"There's still a little bit of editing left to do on 'Tangshan Earthquake,' and then I have to start publicity and public welfare work, as well as the first round of bid presentations for the Olympic plan at the end of the month."

Ning Hao seemed determined to be the lobbyist: "It's okay after everything is done, right? I'm not in a hurry. The little girl is still in school and is just getting ready to debut."

"Are you done? How can I be done with such a big company?"

Intentionally or unintentionally, Boss Lu then mentioned: "'Alien Land 2' is about to start filming, and I have to find time to go to Canada to take a look."

Ning Hao sneered in his heart, what are you pretending to be like here!

Who doesn't know whether you are going there for the movie or for the people?
A lot of romantic debts.

Of course, this directing director remained expressionless.

He just nodded at the thick-skinned boss with a playful look and said, "Boss Lu, if you have time, you can update your blog and interact with fans. Don't leave it idle. It's getting overgrown with weeds."

"what?"

Ning Hao smiled and stood up: "Alright, I'm going to go earn my 100 million director's fee, I won't disturb you from working."

Boss Lu looked at him in confusion as he "fled" and turned to Ah Fei: "My blog? What do you mean?" Ah Fei was not good at lying, so he said euphemistically: "Well...your blog has been quite lively lately."

"lively?"

Boss Lu worked non-stop for several days, editing videos day and night, and had no idea that he was passively participating in an episode of "The Voice of China".

Sitting back in his chair curiously, the young director opened his blog.

The most recent one was a promotional article for the Sichuan Province charity tour related to the "Tangshan Earthquake" last month.

If you drag it to the comments section, it will have accumulated over 4000 posts, which is extremely terrifying.

The copy is identical and the pictures are exactly the same.

The image loading speed was still a little slow at the moment, so he clicked on a small picture out of curiosity.

Then a "world famous painting" that had long been circulating on the Internet suddenly appeared before my eyes.

shock!
The young director slammed the table in anger: "How dare you!"
-
October 2005, 10, a great and festive day.

At this moment, on the fourth floor of the Qinglan Building on Dongsishi Street in Beijing, the staff of the Olympic Organizing Committee were busy preparing for the drawing of lots and bidding.

As early as a week ago, the International Olympic Committee officially announced that a total of 400 opening and closing ceremony proposals were selected from more than 14 proposals and 16 targeted solicitation units around the world.

Among them, the nomination of the Wenjie team surprised and amazed everyone!
Some people may feel regretful about the previously leaked plans, while others may feel gloating over them.

But whether it is the leaders including Chairman Liu of the Olympic Organizing Committee, or the millions of ordinary people who are concerned about the progress of Olympic preparations, there are very few who are unconventional and say that this plan is not good.

With such a good work before them, it is astonishing that the Wenjie team was able to come up with another work that was convincing enough to convince the Olympic Committee in just half a day.

No one suspected that this was a backdoor deal, because such matters were heard directly by the emperor.

The Olympics has been the top priority in the country for the past two or three years and no accidents are allowed.

This is also the reason why Boss Lu must seize this opportunity to get rid of Zhou Jun. Opportunities cannot be missed.

At 16: in the morning, bidding team representatives gathered in the conference room on the fourth floor of Qinglan Building to draw lots to determine the order of reporting.

For such an important occasion, almost all team representatives were present in person.

In an interview later in life, Lao Mouzi said something very sincere:
A director can do it at any time, but the opportunity of the Olympics only comes once in a person's life.

Any aspiring director or artist will not miss such an opportunity.

Just like Chen Danqing, who was criticized in later generations, he was one of the consultants of the last Olympic creative team in later generations.

He once said that as long as the creative team needed him, even if he was asked to be a painter for Zhang Yimou, it would be great if he could help make Director Zhang's description more concrete so that everyone can understand it.

In the office, artists were smoking and chatting in groups of three or four.

Artists Ma Wen and Tan Dun from New York stood by the window and laughed about their experiences in China;

Cai Guo-Qiang and Chen Kaige were chatting, both green card holders, and Director Chen was consulting him about the pyrotechnic effects in some of his films;
Boss Lu naturally discussed the film schedule with his senior Zhang Yimou.

"'Tangshan Earthquake' is scheduled for the 23rd?"

"Yes, about the same, maybe one or two days."

Although they are competitors, Zhang Yimou has never been shy with him and always speaks his mind directly.

"Why not reconsider it, even if it's after the New Year? You don't have too much financial pressure, and you're not in a hurry to recover your investment."

Lu Kuan laughed and said, "There are many blockbusters this year, and the audience's ability to pay hasn't reached a certain level yet. If we lower the ticket prices later, we won't be able to collect the money."

"This time, tickets for 'Tangshan' in giant screen theaters in first- and second-tier cities are priced at 80 to 100 yuan each, which is really a test of the market's spending power."

Zhang Yimou shook his head helplessly: "Xiaolu, I really admire you."

"That's quite a big step!"

"People's movie-watching habits have just been developed in recent years, and you've already started to invest in 4K high-definition theaters."

Zhang Yimou attended the celebration of "Bad Genius" and experienced it once in the giant screen cinema of Golden Harvest in Guomao. He was deeply moved.

The young director sighed, "There's nothing we can do. When it comes to cinema chains and multiplexes, we're just challengers in mainland China. We have no choice but to find another way."

Zhang Yimou is an old filmmaker, so of course he understands what he means.

The reform of the domestic cinema chain system began in 2003. In order to adapt to the needs of the situation, the country opened up access controls for foreign investment.

It was also in this year that Wanda and Warner jointly operated a five-star multi-hall cinema in Peking - Warner Wanda International Cinema.

Later, Warner withdrew its investment and the cinema was renamed Wanda Cinema.

Since then, policies have been gradually relaxed and expanded year by year, and the domestic cinema construction boom is in full swing.

If Golden Harvest continues to develop step by step, it will become mediocre as it has no advantages in land acquisition, audience accumulation, and merchandise sales revenue.

Therefore, the giant screen hall is just Lu Kuan's first move to create a high-end image for Golden Harvest Cinemas.

Two brothers from Beijing Film Academy were chatting animatedly, while in the corner a bearded man and a thin-faced man were talking in low voices.

The bearded man is Chen Weiya, and the thin-faced man is Zhang Jigang, both of whom are leaders of top domestic song and dance troupes.

"Old Zhang, what is the origin of this wide road?"

Zhang Jigang looked at his bearded friend, pretending not to understand the meaning of his words: "What origin?"

"Go, come and tease me."

The bearded Chen Weiya was obviously more straightforward: "It took us half a day to come up with a tender document, and it was only so good, but it managed to pass."

"It is said that Director Zhou's family..."

"Silence!"

Zhang Jigang's face turned cold: "Why don't you consider the occasion? You're talking nonsense."

He glanced calmly at Lu Kuan who was chatting and laughing with Zhang Yimou, then pulled his friend out of the meeting room and went to the other end of the corridor to smoke.

"Don't ask about this matter. It's none of our business. Why talk about it?"

The bearded man, Chen Weiya, said indignantly, "I just can't stand people using backdoors. We have a box of materials, and how can his tender documents be so fancy?"

"Hey! I was so happy when I saw the announcement. He actually made the cut!"

"Haha, so what if I'm shortlisted? This is something you can't fake. Who would dare to cheat in the final round?"

The two men nodded and smiled at the staff passing by, smoking without saying anything.

The bearded Chen Weiya, who is dissatisfied with Lu Laoban's nomination, is the deputy director of the Oriental Song and Dance Troupe and is at the deputy director-general level.

The thin-faced man who also expressed disdain was Zhang Jigang, then director of the PLA General Political Department Song and Dance Troupe, holding the title of Shao Qiang.

Under the management-centered system and mentality in China, even if Boss Lu is a wealthy businessman or a famous director, they will not look at him with high regard.

No matter how much money you make or how famous you become internationally, it has nothing to do with us.

But you are trying to take advantage of the situation and use a few shabby bidding documents and tender materials to fill in the gaps, affecting our normal bidding. Isn't that a bit unreasonable?

After all, these two people are dissatisfied with Boss Lu's youth, which is also human nature.

All doubts must be broken through actions.

Soon, a beautiful woman with a ponytail and an IOC work ID card walked into the meeting room holding a lottery box.

"Teachers, please be quiet and prepare to draw lots."

Zhang Jigang and Chen Weiya returned to the office. Some of the people looked relaxed, while others looked at ease.

The bid-making competition is an art competition. Under the scoring system, the team that goes on stage first will be at a disadvantage.

Especially for teams that are particularly confident in their plans, because they have not yet compared them with slightly inferior plans, the judges will be more cautious in giving scores in the early stages, and the scores may be lower.

The teams present drew lots in order of the time they submitted their bids.

Zhang Yimou's team ranked 10th, Chen Kaige's team ranked 4th,

The Gehua team in which Ang Lee participated came in second, but he didn't come today, so Cui Jian drew for him.

Ang Lee himself is currently in the United States doing public relations for the Oscars.

Later in March 2006, his "Brokeback Mountain" would receive 3 nominations, and he himself would become the first Chinese director in Oscar history to win the Best Director award.

When it came to submitting the last bid, Boss Lu was the least concerned. He crossed his legs and smoked, and finally learned his order from the staff.

The 7th statement.

That’s a good number!
The next day, at the Kuangou Conference Center in the HR District of Beijing.

This was the work location when Beijing applied for the Olympic Games. Liu, the leader of the Olympic Organizing Committee, felt that this was a blessed place, and the program presentations for today's opening and closing ceremonies were also scheduled here.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, the Wenjie team arrived early to wait in the waiting area.

Armed police were on duty at the meeting site, and order was strict. Even service staff were not allowed to approach within half a meter of the meeting room.

Boss Lu understood that this level of confidentiality was obviously due to the plan leak in August.

The staff came over and informed that each bidding team only had about 45 minutes to present their bids. Lu Kuan and Lin Ying divided the work and cooperated with each other, and finally familiarized themselves with the information in their hands.

Suddenly, a photographer with a shoulder strap came over. The work badge on his chest showed that he was an official staff member of the Olympic Organizing Committee. These were the shooting materials prepared for the Olympic documentary.

The famous "Zhang Yimou's 2008" is a collection of similar documentary clips.

"Director Lu, are you available for an interview?"

"of course."

The photographer pointed the camera at the young director and asked, "What is your artistic understanding and expectation of the opening ceremony?"

"The Olympic opening ceremony is an important way to show the world what China is like today and what is happening on this land."

"My understanding of the plan is to combine Chinese culture with scientific and technological means, hoping to showcase China's historical heritage and modern style."

"Director Lu, you are a renowned director with an international perspective. In your opinion, what are the main expectations and highlights of the Olympic Opening Ceremony for international audiences?"

Boss Lu laughed and said, "To be honest, our current national image is still quite vague in the eyes of the outside world."

"Economically, the growth and influence brought about by national development are unparalleled and have also attracted the attention of the international community."

"But in terms of culture, we still don't have a unified image or a decent voice, whether in literature, film, animation, or any other aspect."

"So from this perspective, I can't yet say how to satisfy the viewing needs of foreign audiences."

The young director spoke enthusiastically: "Personally, my original intention and starting point in designing the project was to showcase the style and personality of our nation, to show the passion and romance of today's Chinese people, and to break certain prejudices and malicious speculations."

The photographer was listening intently and was about to ask a few more questions when he was interrupted by an office staff member.

"Guide, you can come in."

The young director stood up and called out to Lin Ying, the capable technical expert: "Let's go."

"I came, I conquered!"

Boss Lu took the lead and walked into the meeting room with high spirits, instantly attracting the attention of everyone present.

On one side of the six-meter-long conference table, sitting from the top were Liu, the leader of the Olympic Organizing Committee, Jiang Xiaoyu, the second-in-command, Chen Zili, as well as Zhang Heping, Minister Wang and others.

Several leaders looked up at him. Many of them had heard of him for a long time, especially after the fall of Zhou Jun, but some of them were seeing him in person for the first time.

A well-tailored suit and a pair of age-enhancing plain glasses.

I don’t know if it’s for the same purpose of growing a beard to make him look older, but he looks less bookish and artistic, and more steady and majestic.

The staff distributed materials, and Lu Kuan confidently stood in front of the projection screen: "Dear leaders, our report today is divided into two parts."

"I will report on the creative part first, and then Ms. Lin Ying will report on the technical part."

The young director interrupted with a digression: "Due to bidding rules and requirements, the bid materials we provided last time were somewhat incomplete. I will make some additions to my report this time. Leaders are welcome to interrupt and ask questions at any time."

Before the bid deadline at the end of August, for various reasons, he certainly could not come up with a perfect bid.

If today's report can successfully advance to the next stage, there will be opportunities to continue to remedy and improve the plan.

Leader Liu must have supported him: "It's okay, just speak freely. Everyone knows that this is a special situation."

"Okay, then I'll start."

Lin Ying helped operate on the computer, and the screen switched to the core idea part.

"Our opening ceremony program aims to showcase the long history and splendid culture of the Chinese nation, as well as the vitality and elegance of modern China, to the world through a grand narrative, romantic sentiment, and boldness."

"At the same time, it will convey the Olympic spirit of 'One World, One Dream,' create a cultural feast that will attract worldwide attention, and immerse global audiences in a dream journey across time and space."

Cut to: "If the core logic and imagery of the Athens Olympics was water, then this proposal for the Beijing Olympics is a painting."

"The idea of ​​using scrolls and scrolls to create a stage comes from Chinese painting. I used this technique in my previous film, 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.'"

"For the opening, we will break with the traditional way athletes enter the stadium and use a huge scroll painting that symbolizes the integration of human civilizations. The scroll will slowly unfold from the stadium entrance and extend all the way to the center of the stage."

"Athletes from each country will hold brushes representing their country's characteristics and leave their footprints and signatures on the scroll as they enter the stadium, jointly painting a colorful picture of the world..."

On the stage, the young director wrote passionate words, painting a picture full of grand ambition, emotion and pattern for the core leaders of the Olympic Organizing Committee.

In the audience, if there were any dissatisfaction or hesitation about the shabby bid, their doubts were now almost dispelled.

To be fair, if it were not for the strong support of Liu and Zhang Heping, the bid submitted by Wenjie would have almost never been shortlisted.

At this moment, Leader Liu nodded continuously as he looked at his carefree and unrestrained manner, feeling that his efforts against all odds were worthwhile.

"The countdown ended, and it was the little girl's solo performance of 'Singing the Motherland'."

"Behind her are 56 children dressed in costumes of various ethnic groups. Children are the future of our country."

This part is implied in the title and is the same as the process in later generations.

However, if Boss Lu were to be the director in this life, he would definitely not agree to lip-syncing, as it is totally unnecessary.

"When it comes to the art performance, we use the harmony between heaven, earth and man in classical Chinese philosophy as the core link, and bring together special programs including the Four Great Inventions, Tai Chi culture, bronze ware, etc."

A circular Tai Chi platform suddenly appeared in the video, starting with a Tai Chi performance by a man and a woman.

Then, along with the Tai Chi Bagua imagery in the air and under the feet, the Yin-Yang fish began to rotate clockwise.

The video was marked with words and numbers, and the leaders were amazed. This so-called Yin-Yang fish was actually made up of 2008 actors. The bird's-eye view taken by the Wenjie team using a large jib was particularly shocking.

Jiang Xiaoyu raised his hand to interrupt him: "Comrade Lu Kuan, after the Four Great Inventions, why did you choose to open the book with Tai Chi? What's the reason?"

Boss Lu elaborated: "Leader, in recent years, while participating in film art exchanges abroad, I have discovered that Tai Chi culture is the most familiar Chinese classical philosophical image to Westerners."

"Let me give you a few simple examples."

"There's a Tai Chi class at Los Angeles City College. Their specially hired professor is a disciple of Liu Bin, the founder of the Cailifo Hongsheng School in the United States. He's very famous."

"Reed, a famous American rock musician, incorporates the philosophy and rhythm of Tai Chi into his music creation and performance."

"There's also the famous American marathon runner, Dreyer, who published a book last year called 'Tai Chi Running.'"

"There are even more examples in the sports world, most notably American football star Tom Brady, who has practiced Tai Chi for many years and believes it can improve flexibility, balance, and concentration."

After listening to him describe in detail the obsession and love of Tai Chi among ordinary people and celebrities in the West, the leaders of the Olympic Committee whispered to each other and all thought that such an idea was worthy of recognition.

"The show after Tai Chi is called 'The Great Wall'."

. . .

The report went smoothly, and no leader interrupted his speech after that because everyone was immersed in this grand opening ceremony plan.

The only drawback may be that the CG and visual effects demonstrations of some programs are too simple and cannot fully correspond to the description of the young director.

"The last part, ignition."

Lin Ying clicked the mouse lightly, and the ignition animation of "Phoenix Returns to the Nest" appeared on the screen.

The other parts can be kept simple, but this part must be perfect.

Amidst all the leaders' dumbfounded responses, Boss Lu looked at his watch, saw that he still had ten minutes left, and decided to reveal his true colors.

"Dear leaders, actually..."

"For this final ignition plan, we have an even more shocking one, but it may require technical assistance from the country."

Leader Liu and the others stared at the screen for a long time before reacting. They smiled and said, "Is it better than this?"

"Better! More beautiful! More stunning!"

The powerful leader Liu slammed the table and said, "Speak!"

(End of this chapter)