I am a historical film director in the entertainment industry.

Chapter 111 Launch Press Conference
"Boss, you don't actually like Changchang, do you?!"

Sun Fei wasn't angry when he heard this. Instead, his eyes lit up as if he had discovered a big secret, and he said teasingly.

"Aren't you talking too much? I was just using a metaphor."

“If you don’t like Changchang, then you like Datiantian. She’s a very nice person, considerate and sensible, and would be a great girlfriend. Boss, why don’t you win her over?” Sun Fei said.

"You want me to go to jail so you can inherit my personal studio, right?!"

Cheng Sheng rolled his eyes.

Da Tian Tian is only seventeen years old now, not even an adult. No matter how desperate Cheng Sheng is, he wouldn't prey on a minor.

Moreover, he really doesn't want to be in a relationship right now; he wants to focus on his career.

"Forget it, I came here to find some peace and quiet, but I'd better go to Mencius's office instead, at least there's no one there."

Cheng Sheng shook his head and walked out of Sun Fei's office.

Sun Fei squinted and smiled slightly. His boss was a bit dull!
Da Tian Tian has come to the company so many times, and every time she comes to see him. Everyone in the company can see that this little princess of Starlight Brilliant Film and Television Company has a crush on their boss.

Unfortunately, the boss is a straight man.

I have absolutely no idea what a girl's heart is.

March has passed, and April has arrived.

Spring has arrived, and everything is coming back to life.

On this day, Cheng Sheng took his film crew to Wuxi Film and Television City.

All the actors also gathered at Wuxi Film and Television City.

Cheng Sheng gave everyone a day off.

The following day, filming for "The Yellow Turban Rebellion of the Three Kingdoms" officially began at the Wuxi Film and Television City Base.

On this day, the opening ceremony of "The Yellow Turban Rebellion in the Three Kingdoms" was very lively, with reporters from all over the country coming to the Wuxi Film and Television City base.

A host of celebrities also came to show their support, essentially standing up for Cheng Sheng.

These celebrities include Fu Dalong, Zheng Guolin, and others; they are all top-tier actors in mainland China.

Fu Dalong and Zheng Guolin need no introduction; both of them are now famous in Hollywood, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them international superstars.

After all, many people in the United States are their fans now, a fact that even Lee Lien-chieh cannot match.

The other people in the industry who came were simply trying to build a good relationship with Cheng Sheng, or to become familiar with him and prepare for the future.

Cheng Sheng was grateful to these people, after all, coming here meant risking offending Wu Baige.

With so many reporters present, it was inevitable that I would be interviewed.

"Director Cheng, there are rumors online that you initially chose Zhuozhou Film and Television City as the filming location, but now you're starting filming at Wuxi Film and Television City. Is it true that Wu Baige is behind this?"

The first reporter started stirring things up.

This is an attempt to fan the flames of the feud between Cheng Sheng and Wu Baige, making the fire burn even brighter.

"It's common knowledge that I don't get along with Director Wu, but the Zhuozhou Film and Television City incident can't be blamed on him. After all, we didn't sign a contract with Zhuozhou Film and Television City, and Director Wu wasn't exactly causing trouble. It can only be said that Zhuozhou Film and Television City was trying to curry favor with powerful figures and looked down on our small 'Three Kingdoms: Yellow Turban Rebellion' crew."

Cheng Sheng said calmly.

Although he had a grudge against Wu Baige, Cheng Sheng didn't want to be misrepresented by the media.

This was indeed the fault of Zhuozhou Film and Television City.

The investment in "Yellow Turban Rebellion" was less than that in "Red Cliff." The total investment in "Yellow Turban Rebellion" was approximately 300 million yuan, covering the production costs of both parts.

Besides Cheng Sheng, the investors included China Film Group, Central Academy of Drama, Bona Film Group, Starlight Media, and coal mine owners from Xishan.

The total investment in "Red Cliff" was twice that of "Yellow Turban Rebellion," amounting to 6 million RMB, and it was also the production cost of two parts.

The investment in "Yellow Turban Rebellion" was less than that in "Red Cliff," but the amount of money allocated to film production was the largest, with actor salaries accounting for about 10% of the production cost.

However, the actual production cost of "Red Cliff" was only 70%, with the remaining 30% going to actors' salaries.

This is the price you have to pay for inviting big names.

So what if the investment in "Red Cliff" was twice that of "Yellow Turban Rebellion" and the cast was much stronger?
Whether a movie is good or bad depends entirely on its quality.

"I'm from Jiangnan Entertainment. I'd like to ask Director Cheng a question: how much of a chance do you think your film has against Wu Baige's film? Comparing the investment and cast, your film seems to be completely outclassed. Many netizens don't think you can beat Wu Baige. What's your opinion?"

Seeing that they had failed to get any radical news from Cheng Sheng, another reporter started stirring up trouble.

Cheng Sheng smiled coldly; these people just loved to watch the show.

But it doesn't matter, since he and Wu Baige have already fallen out, there's no need to save face for him.

“I’ll sit here and watch how Wu Baige loses. The netizens are blind. It’s not that I look down on Hong Kong directors, but that Hong Kong directors are simply not good at making historical films and television series.”

“If you look at the movies that were made in Hong Kong in the past, there are classic works in martial arts, urban, romance, police and gangster, comedy and horror, but what about historical dramas? It seems that Hong Kong films are lacking this type of film and television works.”

Cheng Sheng's words made everyone present ponder.

In this era, no one hasn't watched Hong Kong films; in fact, Hong Kong films have accompanied many people as they grew up.

Indeed, as Cheng Sheng said, although there are historical dramas produced by Hong Kong directors, they all feel petty and none of them are classics.

On the contrary, in the realm of martial arts dramas, it is an invincible existence.

Many people didn't consider what Cheng Sheng said, but now that I think about it, it really makes sense.

In the past, because of Hong Kong films, everyone readily believed in the abilities of Hong Kong directors and actors.

Everyone thought they could influence the box office.

However, judging from future trends, this is completely wrong.

"Director Cheng, why did this happen?"

One reporter couldn't help but ask.

Cheng Sheng smiled slightly; this was the opportunity he had been waiting for.

"I personally love Hong Kong films, but that's also why I've seen their shortcomings. There are two reasons why Hong Kong directors can't make good historical dramas. First, Hong Kong screenwriters like to drastically alter history without a deep understanding of it. Everything is for commercial profit, just to stand out and get high ratings, so they don't care how the filming is done."

"Secondly, it's not rigorous enough. Mainland China's historical dramas are very rigorous. For example, CCTV's version of 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' not only had the actors systematically study the culture and historical context of the Three Kingdoms period, but also the etiquette of the Han Dynasty. The main creators, including the director and actors, were very rigorous, serious and dedicated. In contrast, the ones produced by Hong Kong and Taiwan are lighthearted and frivolous. They treat making a historical drama is like playing house."

"Director Cheng, is this why you have the actors read history books?"

A reporter interjected.

At first, people were puzzled as to why Cheng Sheng asked the auditioning actors to read history books. Little did they know that Cheng Sheng was learning from the CCTV version of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

“That’s one point, and another is that I personally enjoy history,” Cheng Sheng said.

After listening to Cheng Sheng's explanation, the people present gradually began to agree with him.

(End of this chapter)