Nobody knows movies better than me

Chapter 120 The Premiere of "Bad Genius" (Part 1)

Besides Huang Xiaoming and Liu Yifei, Lu Yi and Fu Dalong, who had previously worked with Zhang Jun on "Reign of Assassins," as well as Wang Xueqi, an old partner of Zhang Jun who had worked with him several times, were also present.

Gao Yuanyuan and Fan Bingbing arrived together, and the two beauties competed for attention on the red carpet, neither giving way to the other, which allowed the media to capture many great photos.

Chen Kun and Zhou Xun walked the red carpet together, while Li Shuangbing and Zhang Ziyi outshone everyone else.

Finally, the grand finale was none other than Jackie Chan. Filming for *The Forbidden Kingdom* had just moved to the desert, giving him a short break. That's why Jackie Chan, Liu Yifei, and Li Shuangbing were able to attend the premiere.

Jackie Chan's arrival upgraded the guest lineup for this premiere.

After signing autographs and taking photos, Jackie Chan explained why he came to attend the premiere of "Bad Genius".

"Zhang Jun is one of the best directors of the younger generation and a backbone of the future of Chinese-language cinema."

Jackie Chan said, "I've always admired him, and we've had a few exchanges before. He asked me if I was free to attend the premiere, and I came as soon as I saw I had time."

A reporter asked, "Brother Jackie Chan, will you collaborate with director Zhang Jun on films in the future?"

"I hope I'll have that opportunity. If he invites me, I definitely won't refuse," said Brother Cheng Long.

On the other side, Zhang Jun was also asked the same question, and he answered: "I am a fan of action movies, and the actor I least want to miss in any action movie is Brother Jackie Chan."

If the opportunity arises, and if Jackie Chan is willing, I will definitely invite him to act in it.

People praise each other, and we'll see if there are any suitable projects later. But the fact that Jackie Chan came to show his support is a big favor, so he naturally wants to return the favor.

After Yang Mi, Wen Zhang, and others walked the red carpet and interacted, the sun had already set, the neon lights began to flash, and the premiere screening officially began.

After finishing his social engagement, Zhang Jun entered the theater. Wen Zhang pulled Ma Yili aside and introduced her to Zhang Jun: "Director, this is my fiancée, Ma Yili."

Zhang Jun feigned surprise and complimented, "Not bad, you're a perfect match, a handsome man and a beautiful woman. Be sure to invite me to your wedding."

Wen Zhang and Ma Yili were overjoyed: "Definitely, definitely—"

Zhang Jun exchanged a few words with the two men, then walked back to his seat, chatting with the guests along the way to thank them for their support.

Ning Hao and Guo Fan also arrived. When Zhang Jun saw Guo Fan, he patted him on the shoulder. Guo Fan had only been an assistant director for a short time when Zhang Jun sent him to study at the Beijing Film Academy.

Guo Fan has made good progress in his studies and now has a solid theoretical foundation; all that's left is practice.

"After you come back, work as my assistant director for a few years. After that, you can slowly look for opportunities to direct films independently," Zhang Jun said to Guo Fan.

Guo Fan was very grateful to Zhang Jun: "Thank you, Director Zhang, for giving me the opportunity to realize my dream."

Ning Hao smiled and said, "Putting aside everything else, I admire Director Zhang for his willingness to help others."

Zhang Jun spoke in a grand and righteous tone: "We are all contributing to Chinese-language films. If you have the ability in the future, you should also help others like I have."

In fact, Zhang Jun knew that both of them were capable, which is why he offered his help. If it were someone else whose situation was uncertain, Zhang Jun would definitely have been more cautious.

After greeting the two, Zhang Jun returned to his seat. Yang Mi, sitting next to him, seemed a little nervous. After all, this was her new movie, and what if it failed?

Zhang Jun noticed her nervousness and comforted her, "Don't be nervous, you did very well, and you have to trust me."

Yang Mi calmed herself down and nodded seriously: "Although I haven't seen the finished film yet, I believe in your abilities, and we're sure this movie will be a great success."

Wen Zhang and Ma Yili were both nervous and expectant.

Ma Yili visited the set of "Bad Genius" and witnessed the filming process. Judging from what she saw on set, Zhang Jun is undoubtedly a very capable director.

Ma Yili was very curious about why an outsider like Zhang Jun could act so professionally in the directing industry. There were too many mysteries surrounding Zhang Jun, making it difficult for her to understand him.

In fact, Ma Yili is not the only one who cannot see through things, but Zhang Jun's achievements are undeniable and cannot be questioned.

Jiang Yan and Wang Kai were a little nervous. Before starring in this film, although they were both studying acting, they were basically novices. They were playing the lead roles right away, which made their classmates very envious.

Only the two of them know how much pressure they are under.

If the other students knew what they were thinking, they'd probably slap them across the face. You guys are under so much pressure, why don't you give us your roles instead!

After the media and lucky audience members entered, the lights in the theater dimmed, and the movie officially began.

After the logos of China Film Group, Guanzhi Pictures, Zhang Jun's personal director studio, and Boss Wang's Daqiang Films flashed by, Yang Mi appeared on the big screen.

Huang Xiaoming was amazed. Sitting next to Chen Kun and Zhou Xun, he looked at Yang Mi on the big screen and said, "I worked with Yang Mi on 'The Return of the Condor Heroes,' and I didn't see any cinematic quality in her at all."

But under director Zhang Jun's lens, her beauty is sophisticated.

Chen Kun whispered, "Director Zhang is very good at filming women. He knows how to show the most beautiful side of women, and Gao Yuanyuan is a perfect example."

Zhou Xun didn't say anything, but she looked at Yang Mi on the big screen with curiosity, imagining how she should act if she were to play the role.

On the big screen, Yang Mi plays Lin Wei, a high school senior who is under investigation for cheating on an exam. She remains remarkably calm during questioning.

"You can check my grades at the school. I am fully capable of passing the SAT."

The scene shifts to Yang Mi, who is wearing a Western-style school uniform and glasses, and has slightly dark skin, undergoing a high school transfer interview. Opposite her is the principal, played by Kara Hui, and next to her is Lin Wei's father, played by Fan Wei.

This is where Lin Wei first showcased her talent.

She quickly did the math and concluded that transferring schools would be very expensive, so she tried to secure favorable transfer conditions for herself.

Although it was just a simple transfer interview scene, the film's sophistication immediately came through.

Jackie Chan whispered to Li Shuangbing beside him, "Junzi's movies have a very international perspective, which can be seen from the first two scenes."

Li Shuangbing agreed: "Indeed, I worked with him on 'Reign of Assassins.' He is a very capable and insightful film director."

The film continues, and Lin Wei successfully transfers to the best high school in Mingzhu City. The school is attended by children from wealthy and powerful families, and it is known as an elite high school.

When Lin Wei, dressed in a rather rustic style and with somewhat dark skin, was having her student ID photo taken at the opening ceremony, she seemed out of place at the school.

However, Su Na, played by Jiang Yan, helped Lin Wei fix her hair and did some simple makeup, which left Lin Wei feeling a little helpless.

Jiang Yan was overjoyed to see herself make such a beautiful entrance. This was her first time acting in a movie, and the first time she had seen herself on the big screen; it was a wonderful feeling that was hard to describe.

In the promotional photos, Lin Wei smiled shyly, but Su Na smiled happily.

Upon seeing the footage return to the interrogation room, a reporter from Sina Entertainment wrote down words like cross-cutting, flashback, and interlude in their notebook.

These are all commonly used techniques in filmmaking, and a seasoned director should be proficient in these skills. Zhang Jun has already proven himself through several films; he is a master filmmaker.

Many people recognized Zhang Jun's proficiency in directing techniques after watching "Little Miss Sunshine," but he had no prior professional or academic experience before that.

So the question is, where did Zhang Jun get these abilities from? We can't just attribute it all to genius, can we?

Yes, geniuses can explain many things.

But besides talent, experience is equally important for directing. Making a mature film without training is practically a pipe dream. But the reality is that if there were favors or proxy filming, it would have been discovered long ago; the problem is, it wasn't.

In the end, it can only be attributed to Zhang Jun's innate abilities.

In the interrogation room, unlike Lin Wei's composure, Su Na appeared somewhat flustered. Her student ID number differed from Lin Wei's by only one digit, and they had sat next to each other during exams.

However, their grades were vastly different.

As Suna reminisces, the scene returns to the school library. Suna's dream is to perform in a stage play, but the school has introduced a new rule: students must achieve a passing grade in their studies to participate in a stage play performance.

Suna worked very hard to improve her grades, even enrolling in tutoring classes, but her grades still didn't improve.

So, in the library, Su Na told her friend Lin Wei about her problem, which was very simple for Lin Wei. To help her friend, Lin Wei agreed to tutor Su Na.

Watching Yang Mi and Jiang Yan's natural performances on the big screen, Fan Bingbing nodded frequently, especially at Yang Mi.

Her relationship with Zhang Jun was no secret to Fan Pangbing. Although she was furious about Zhang Jun's philandering behavior, Fan Pangbing did not make a scene.

As a seasoned actress, Fan Bingbing knows that some things are unavoidable in the entertainment industry. However, she also made a pact with Zhang Jun not to get involved with those shady women, lest she bring back a host of diseases.

Yang Mi's performance in the movie was quite good. Fan Bingbing thinks that Yang Mi may soar to new heights with this film.

Liu Yifei was also watching the movie, but she was more interested in Zhang Jun than the movie itself. She had practically no male friends growing up, and Zhang Jun was the only person she could talk to.

Although her mother Liu Xiaoli's motives were not pure—she didn't forbid the two from communicating because of director Zhang Jun's status—Liu Yifei still cherished Zhang Jun as a friend.

She was naturally aware of the ambiguous relationship between Zhang Jun, Fan Bingbing, Gao Yuanyuan, and Yang Mi, but honestly, she didn't care and didn't think it was a big deal.

Because her godfather also had several women, and his relationship with her mother was ambiguous, she knew all this, but she just didn't say anything.

In Liu Yifei's view, it's normal for capable men to be surrounded by women, although she is a little jealous.

Thinking about how she had written down some things she wanted to say to Zhang Jun in her diary before coming here, Liu Yifei blushed slightly.

Fortunately, the lights in the movie theater were dim, and no one noticed her.