I'm just trying to ride the wave of popularity!

Chapter 189 Zhou Yang's Version of "The Mine"

when……

On the screen!
It's all about mining!
The only difference in the plot is how they mine...

When they saw that the miners had contracted sexually transmitted diseases...

The camera focused on the miner scratching himself for almost three minutes, until his skin became red and swollen...

Liu Jiasheng has completely given up on this movie!
and also!

Thirty minutes!

Fuck!
What on earth is this movie about?
He'd rather watch "Monkey King vs. Superman 2" three times now than watch this kind of movie again!

烂？
"Monkey King vs. Superman 2" is the real bad one.

This movie can't even be called bad; the plot is simply unthinkable for a carbon-based life form!

Damn it, I went to the movie theater to watch you miners digging for coal?

wrong!

It doesn't seem to be mining!

There's also urinating and defecating indiscriminately, wolfing down food, and...

Damn it!
Please stop looking at those inexplicable sunsets and sunrises, and those barren mines!
There's no scenery to be found!

It lacks any artistic conception!

I had no idea what you were filming from beginning to end...

It's pure torture, isn't it?
……

There are only twenty minutes left in the movie.

But in the screening room!
Those who came in to watch the movie for free now lowered their heads and left, grumbling and cursing!

I haven't even finished watching the movie!
Shen Long's expression shifted from initial anticipation to gradual despair...

He wanted to show the coal bosses' indifference to the miners' lives, creating a stark contrast with the previous "safe production" approach, and adding a sense of irony to the reality!

He wanted to portray the miners as hard-working and desperate, cheap, and to highlight the arrogance and swagger of the coal bosses, who were like ants being trampled on!
He wanted to capture the most authentic scenes of the mines, those unknown moments, and leave room for viewers to imagine through the interplay of sunrise and sunset…

Then, further emphasize this sense of heaviness!
but!
seem!

The audience didn't buy it at all!
In the last ten minutes of the movie, only one-third of the audience remained in the theater!
Through the interplay of light and shadow on the screen!

Shen Long carefully observed their expressions.

There was no surprise, no excitement, and apart from a constipated expression, there was nothing else!

At that moment, his heart sank, and he suddenly felt a chill run through his entire body...

........................

Xu Haibo!
He's one of those people who are constipated!

At this moment!

Xu Haibo was holding it in with great difficulty!
This movie is absolutely insane, with an extremely boring plot, nonsensical dialogue, inexplicable camera cuts, and inexplicable close-ups...

Fuck!
With only ten minutes left, this movie is still going to torture you!

The camera gave a close-up of an ordinary piece of coal for almost a minute!
He stared at the dark screen, completely bewildered by life!

What the hell is this thing?
After a one-minute close-up of coal, there were still a few minutes left in the movie. Nine minutes later, several miners inexplicably took money and ran into the coal boss's office.

"Mr. Li, we've borrowed money and want to invest in your Dachun Coal Mine!"

"Haha, sure, welcome, come on over!"

"..."

Then he saw bursts of laughter at the dinner table!

Immediately afterwards, the coal mine owner delivered a series of righteous and grand pronouncements, including phrases like "safe production," "we must buy insurance for our employees to reduce the amount of compensation we have to pay," "100,000 yuan in resettlement allowance is enough with the insurance," and "employees must sign labor agreements and come voluntarily!"
then!

A close-up shot of a coal mine owner laughing and chatting with small shareholders who want to start a business in a movie theater, lasting just over a minute!

The laughter lasted for a minute!
Xu Bo suddenly had difficulty breathing. He clutched his chest desperately, feeling his blood pressure spike!
Oh shit!

He thought Zhou Yang's "Sun Wukong vs. Superman 2" was already fucking bad enough!
Unexpectedly, there is still a master!

The final shot of the movie was slightly shifted!

Next!

They then gave us another minute or so of close-up shots of the mine!
Correct!
For that entire minute, the camera focused on the dark mine shaft; there was nothing else there!

Then, there was another 30-second close-up of the latrine!

Yes!

It was one of those open-air latrines. Although there weren't any close-ups of the most disgusting parts, damn it!

The final thirty seconds...

They gave a close-up of a 100 RMB note!
The bright red new 100 RMB note was stared at by Xu Haibo on the screen!
Then?

The movie is over!

The lights in the screening room came on!
He saw four words appear on the screen: "Shen Long's Works".

this moment!
Xu Haibo was stunned!

I subconsciously looked around...

It turns out that, without realizing it, only a quarter of the audience remained in the entire venue!

The moment the movie ends!
The entire scene was filled with shouts of abuse!

....................................

The familiar curses rose and fell!
It felt like stepping back into the days of "Monkey King vs. Superman 2"...

only!

They seem to be cursing even harsher!

Zhou Yang didn't say anything, but patted him on the shoulder.

Shen Long stood up, and then...

In a daze, I saw a group of film critics in the back row whom he had invited.

Apart from Liu Jiasheng, it seems that all the other film critics have left.

"Teacher Liu, this movie..."

"..." Liu Jiasheng's expression was complicated. After a long while, he stood up shakily and closed his eyes in despair, as if he were constipated to the extreme.

After hesitating for a long time, he finally spoke: "This movie is too artistic... I don't understand it..."

"I wanted to illustrate class distinctions and satirize society. If you watch it a second time, maybe you'll... Actually, I've hidden many details, for example..."

"Director Shen, I'm getting married soon, and I want to stay alive. How about this, you invite other teachers to come and watch? I... I guess my appreciation level is really too low..."

"Does this movie have absolutely no redeeming qualities?"

"There should be, but as you know, my appreciation skills are limited..."

"..."

Liu Jiasheng's voice sounded like a final verdict, causing Shen Long to slump into a chair and lower his head in a daze.

In the screening room.

Liu Jiasheng fled as if he were running away.

Meanwhile, more and more viewers left the theater.

The screening room began to empty out.

Shen Long's face turned deathly pale!

Dream!
It's done!
There were no flowers, no applause, and not a single word of praise...

only!

Curses!

This is a nightmare!
He instinctively took out his phone!
The film has been withdrawn!

The reactions of all the audience members at the premiere speak for themselves!

At this moment, only one thought occupied his mind!
And just as he took out his phone...

But then he saw Zhou Yang sitting next to him.

"Mr. Zhou, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." His face turned even paler, and his voice trembled as he spoke.

Zhou Yang smiled, seemingly unconcerned: "Do you know why your film wasn't shortlisted in Berlin?"

"why?"

“Looking at the history of Western film festivals, almost all Chinese films that make it into the competition are essentially trying to please foreign judges by deliberately showcasing the ‘suffering and oppression of China’! If you could select a part from ‘The Mine’, showing the mine collapse, and then the coal mine owner colluding with some workers to display all sorts of ugly behavior, vilifying everyone, and even using human lives to defraud insurance, that kind of film would probably be eligible for the competition…” Zhou Yang stared at the screen in front of him and said calmly.

"..."

"Going a step deeper, do you really think Western judges only care about 'China's suffering'? What they want is to use the scars of the East to prove their own superiority..."

"..."

"Your film could be changed, even changed like this: retain the true living conditions of the miners (such as daily mining routines and class differences), but present it with a more compact pace. For example, shorten the close-ups of mining scenes, add foreshadowing of conflicts before a mining disaster, or even, if you want to strengthen the satirical tone, open with a 'mockumentary' segment: for instance, a coal mine owner directing miners to act out 'oppressed' scenes, such as forcing workers to kneel and fabricating wounds, accompanied by mournful music. Then, the camera suddenly cuts back to reality—a worker smoking and complaining: 'These foreigners love to see us act pitiful; they pay us more afterward!'"

Under the lights of the screening room.

Zhou Yang received the script for "The Mine" and pointed to a scene he had highlighted in red: "This is to enhance the sense of ugly satire!"

"..."

"Furthermore, if we're going to portray a disregard for life, we could even change it like this: after a real mining accident, the coal mine owner's first reaction isn't to save people, but to contact an overseas producer, 'Quick! Film more scenes of dead people! This subject is a sure-fire award winner!' What do you think of this kind of plot?"

"..."

Shen Long took the script and saw the revised plot points, and he shuddered slightly!
These expressions, which I had struggled to develop for months, were now presented in such a simple way by President Zhou!
Those mine scenes that I filmed in a rambling, mundane way became so profound and sharp after a few words from Mr. Zhou!
this moment!
He suddenly felt a slight tremor in his heart!
He suddenly raised his head!

He suddenly realized something!

That is, Mr. Zhou, who has been constantly riding the wave of popularity to make all sorts of bad movies and is full of the smell of money, has never been an outsider who doesn't understand art!
On the contrary, Mr. Zhou is the one who truly understands art!

And yourself!
From beginning to end!

A self-important clown!
He saw Zhou Yang's gaze drift to the dark screen beside him, and sighed deeply, "Actually, the essence of movies is to please people. The only difference is that commercial films please more people, while niche art films please people with unique tastes. I believe, Director Shen, that your film is well-made, and not bad at all. It's just that the number of people it pleases is far too small. Maybe, out of ten thousand people, only a few dozen..."

After speaking, he silently stood up, looked at the instruments above his head, and said in a low voice, "Actually, so-called film art is nothing more than a group of people who control the discourse using the gimmick of 'art' to deceive those who have no voice but want to gain one... Everyone thinks I'm a fraud, but actually, those people are the real fraudsters. I... am far from being one..."

Shen Long suddenly stood up!

this moment!
He felt like his head was about to explode!

He stared intently at Zhou Yang.

My past beliefs and the things I was once passionate about have all shattered completely at this moment!
Just then, the phone rang!
He then saw Zhou Yang answer the phone.

"The film 'The Mine' will not be withdrawn from its release schedule and will continue to be shown, but in a different version. Those who want refunds can do so; since they are pre-sale tickets, it won't have much of an impact..."

"Well, just wanted to tell the fans that this premiere was just a joke. In three days, my film 'The Mine,' which I starred in, will be officially released..."

"..."

After hearing Zhou Yang's voice!
Shen Long stared at Zhou Yang in shock!

Three days later?
He starred in "The Mine" himself?
"Mr. Zhou, when did you make another film called 'The Mine'?"

"We haven't filmed it yet, we'll film it right away."

"???"

Should we take the picture right away?
After hanging up the phone, Zhou Yang stood up and looked at Shen Long: "Director Shen, we have three days left. Pack your things and have Lao Zhang carry the camera. The three of us will go up the mountain to finish a movie to replace him!"

"Three days?"

"Strictly speaking, the actual filming time is only one day..."

"One day?"

Shen Long's pupils constricted sharply!

He felt a buzzing in his ears!

At that moment, it felt as if someone had shot him in the temple!
three days?

one day?
These numbers exploded into fragments in my brain!

Every single number he pieced together contradicted all his understanding from his ten-year directing career.

One day!
What a joke.

What kind of movies can they make?
"Oh, and could you prepare a box, a cell phone, a lighter, a knife, a pen, and a bottle of wine for me?"

"these are……"

"I need to use it when I'm buried alive..."