Huayu: Are you even sitting up straight? You're going to be the director?

Chapter 95: The film that sets the tone, giving Xiaogang two slaps.

In fact, Cao Zhong originally only wanted to make two movies: the Olympic bid and his own movie about walking his dog.

What Cao Zhong originally discussed with Han Sanpin was more of a system, a concept, a scriptwriting approach for Han Sanpin, within the framework of mainstream commercial films.

Since Han Sanpin can't handle blockbuster films, war films are certainly a viable option.

The summer, National Day, and Lunar New Year film seasons also provide ample opportunities for blockbuster films.

Cao Zhong himself wanted to make a second film, but it was not a mainstream commercial film.

He believes that the most important goal at present is to develop the Chinese film market as much as possible and broaden the types of Chinese commercial films and their box office potential.

With such a large population, the market is bound to be strong.

The key is to attract people to the cinema and cultivate movie-watching habits among the audience.

If Cao Zhong continues to immerse himself in the narrative of mainstream films, the effect may backfire.

Currently, Chinese commercial films are still in a state of constant exploration. "Crazy Stone" was pioneering, "Nanjing Photo Studio" was pioneering, "My Disqualified Daughter" was certainly pioneering, and the new film he wants to make will also be pioneering.
Because the Chinese film market has so much room for development.
Cao Zhong knew that only by growing larger and stronger, and truly developing its own high-grossing films, could the film market truly thrive.

Only when this battle of perceptions, ideas, and culture with Hollywood can it enter a true strategic stalemate, rather than simply being harvested.

They even used the advantage of market selection to force Hollywood to change its approach.

The choice is yours: to understand colonialism or to make money!

The Chinese film market needs films like "Nanjing Photo Studio" and films with a patriotic theme, but it cannot always be trapped in the realm of patriotic themes.

The film "Nanjing Photo Studio" already benefited from public opinion, emotions, and the fact that it was made during that period.
Given how often people go to the cinema these days, it would be a miracle if "Nanjing Photo Studio" hadn't achieved this level of success despite having a huge cast.

As the creator of the myth, Cao Zhong must try his best to expand into more fields and set a benchmark for the industry.

Until he saw a news report,
While Cao Zhong shattered the legitimacy of the three major European powers with his overwhelming momentum,

Huayi has issued a statement.
Feng Xiaogang, who claims to have never seen China suffer or become ugly, is nearing completion of editing for his new film "Assembly," which is expected to be released during the Lunar New Year holiday!
And they've released a concept poster while the hype is still going strong!
This is already the prelude to the film's subsequent promotion and release.

Huayi is quite clever; they try to ride the wave of every trending topic.

They've been helping Cao Zhong by playing the supporting role for so long.

They just wanted to watch Cao Zhong charge forward while they picked up the pieces from behind.

Now that Cao Zhong has won, Feng Xiaogang must win, and Huayi must win as well.

"Nanjing Photo Studio" made money for Huayi, but not a lot, only a few million.
Following Cao Zhong could elevate Feng Xiaogang's reputation, which would be of great use to Feng Xiaogang's new film "Assembly"!
Although it didn't generate much buzz, Cao Zhong's expression turned serious upon seeing it.

Unable to win awards, Little Cannon used to keep his head down and live a very humble life.
Cao Zhong hit Wang An, Captain, but unexpectedly, the little cannon started acting arrogantly first.

However, when Cao Zhong thought of "Assembly", his pupils contracted slightly.

Cao Zhong acknowledged that "Assembly" was the first war film produced in China since the commercialization of Chinese cinema, providing a model for the production of domestic war films in the 21st century.

But the better the movie is made in the beginning, the worse the ending will be.

To say that Feng Xiaogang's film is completely biased is perhaps an overstatement; after all, it is an adaptation of a novel, not a work of literature by Eileen Chang.

But this guy is a bit dim-witted.
There are quite a few plot holes in the movie; they're not serious, but they're still disgusting.
The most important issue is the word "deception" at the end of the plot.

The film's central theme and underlying principles are completely wrong!
Art films disguised as war movies, which are fiercely criticized as "public intellectual films," deserve their fate.

In order to withdraw from the battlefield, the regimental commander ordered Gu Zidi's Seventh Company to cover the rear and sacrifice themselves, saying that they should not retreat until the last man was killed before hearing the assembly call.

The story itself is flawless, full of sacrifice, courage, tragedy, and heroism! But at the end, it falls flat: the commander had ordered them to cover the retreat and sacrifice themselves, never intending to sound the bugle; he'd been tricked…

This one shot is all it takes; no matter how well the previous shots were filmed, it's useless.

Even in a game like PUBG, if you betray your teammates twice, they'll be incredibly sympathetic; imagine how much more so in war.

The very foundation is flawed, so the story is naturally highly controversial.

However, this film also set a very bad precedent for war films, causing many subsequent war films to neglect to carefully explore the details and focus only on grand scenes, resulting in films that appeared fake, grandiose, and empty.

this is not right!
Our army's various defensive battles, from the Long March counter-encirclement campaigns to the War of Liberation and the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea,

From the founding of the party, the War of Resistance against Japan, the liberation, the War of Resistance against the United States, the India War, the Vietnam War, and various disaster relief efforts...

When did their heroic sacrifice come about through a lie?
From its inception, Mao Zedong Thought has been instilled in the grassroots commanders and soldiers who wield the gun.
What is the task to be accomplished, and what is its importance?
This fundamentally solved the problem of understanding.
This is the reason why the army has such high combat effectiveness.

This is the fundamental reason why, over the past century, people have recognized them as the most lovable people.

Even those from the gutter would only point fingers at Wu Jing, daring not to overstep the mark.

In a past life, during the standoff in the South China Sea, how many retired soldiers were ready to return to their posts at any time?
Whenever the People's Liberation Army sets out for disaster relief, countless people feel instantly at ease.

Movies are audiovisual products; large-scale productions and star-studded casts are good for commercial films.
However, for war films, especially films like "Assembly," even if you don't showcase faith or spirit, you can't at least use the word "deception" to turn the whole story into an empty, sophisticated satire.

Cao Zhong chose "Li Yannian, a Man of Both Literary and Martial Arts" because this TV series clearly explained this in its previous life.

Cao Zhong needs to use this TV series to adapt into a movie, to capture its essence, and to set the tone for future commercial war films!

Where did their unwavering will to die come from?
It is because our army has a clear understanding of who we are fighting for and why we are fighting!

We need to give Feng Xiaogang and all future directors of patriotic war films a good slap in the face to wake them up.

Sit up straight!

If this tone is set and the movie becomes a huge success, it will be more effective than any amount of talk from Cao Zhong.

Mainstream films can easily follow a replicable model. Once the film *Li Yannian* is successful, they will naturally study its details carefully, learning from and even drawing inspiration from it.

This is of fundamental significance for the future development of the mainstream war film system.

In its previous life, "Li Yannian, a Man of Both Literary and Martial Arts" was a six-episode anthology series, adapted from the TV drama "Meritorious Service".
However, when Chen Kaige and others were making a fortune with the "Changjin Lake" series, it was hailed as the best war drama in China.

It tells the story of Li Yannian, a political instructor during the Korean War, who led his combat company to fight against a battalion of the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division for Hill 346.6. The story is about three hours long.

However, it is entirely possible to speed up the pace, cut some characters, and make it into a two-and-a-half-hour movie.

The reason why Yang Mi hasn't been called over recently is because Cao Zhong has been working hard to adapt the script.

Moreover, this drama itself does not have a female lead, only involving Erni, who is more of a supporting character. Cao Zhong is preparing to give Yang Mi a chance to act in it, which is not a bad thing to slightly boost Yang Mi's popularity.

However, looking at the completed script of "Li Yannian, a Man of Both Literary and Martial Arts", Cao Zhong fell into thought.

This script requires a substantial investment; since it's going to be produced, Cao Zhong will definitely have to invest a sum.

Thinking about his new movie, Cao Zhong got a little anxious.

First, Cao Zhong doesn't mind bringing numerous film production companies on board, but a premium is inevitable.
While everyone is happy, Cao Zhong also needs sufficient funds to start a new project; he can't let a bargain go to waste.
Secondly, he must get Shen Ao to hurry up and film that comedy, and make money as quickly as possible!

Third, treating rare diseases is too expensive! It's not possible to do so for the time being!
It's still more fun to take a rare walk!

(End of this chapter)