Chinese Entertainment: Directors Start with the Fairy Sister

"Um?"

"Mr. Han, you've got the news fast!"

Zhao Yanxi looked around. She had just been chatting with Huang Xiaoming, and there didn't seem to be anyone around.

"Hehe," Han Sanping chuckled, "It's not just me, you guys are talking quite loudly, there are quite a few people who can hear us."

"Look at them, they're all waiting to chat with you!"

I hadn't noticed it before, but when I looked around again, sure enough, Wang Zhonglei, Huo Wenxi, Yu Dong and others seemed to be watching me.

Sure enough, in this industry, as long as you achieve results, you'll never lack attention!

"We do have that idea, but the script isn't finished yet, so the progress probably won't be fast."

"Haha, it's okay to go slow. Slow and steady wins the race," Han Sanping said with a smile. "If you need funding or anything, just tell China Film Group!"

"Okay," Zhao Yanxi smiled, "This time we might really need China Film Group's sponsorship."

"Speak up!"

......

No sooner had Han Sanping left than Zhao Yanxi, without giving anyone else a chance to speak, called Yang Siwei and decisively left the scene.

If I get surrounded by people, I don't know when I'll be able to go home tonight!

"Xiao Ming, did Director Zhao just say what project it was?"

Wang Zhonglei had no choice but to call Huang Xiaoming over, hoping to get some information out of him.

Huang Xiaoming smiled wryly and said, "President Wang, I don't know either. Director Zhao just said that he wants to prepare for a big production next year, and there might be a role that suits me. He asked me to come and audition."

"Heh," Feng Xiaogang sneered from the side, "A director who makes youth films, what kind of big-budget production does he want to make?"

"With just two years of photography training at the Beijing Film Academy, do you think he can even understand it?!"

Huang Xiaoming frowned, glanced at Wang Zhonglei and Feng Xiaogang, but didn't say anything.

Other artists from Huayi Brothers didn't dare say anything more. Everyone knew that on the day "You Are the Apple of My Eye" surpassed "A World Without Thieves" at the box office, Director Feng threw a huge tantrum on set.

Currently, on the set of "The Banquet," director Zhao Yanxi and "You Are the Apple of My Eye" are topics that cannot be discussed.

...

Xiao Liu is still asking if "The Promise" is any good.

Zhao Yanxi thought for a long time but couldn't come up with anything nice to say, so she could only reply curtly, "The visuals are nice~"

Recalling the hazy, dreamlike atmosphere of watching "The Myth" in the cinema, Zhao Yanxi couldn't help but feel a slight stirring in her heart again.

"Let's go see it together when you come back to China!"

"Okay, time for bed, or Mommy will yell at me. I have to get up early for class tomorrow!"

"Okay, goodnight then, see you at the end of the month!"

......

The next day.

The grand premiere of "The Promise" has already taken over the front page of newspapers, and its star-studded cast is in no way inferior to that of "Hero" back in the day.

Three days after the premiere, news of "The Promise" being nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globe Awards reached China, further amplifying its popularity.

As is well known, the Golden Globes have always been regarded as a bellwether for the Oscars.

Being nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film means you've already got one foot in the Oscars!

The hype surrounding "The Promise" within the industry is growing louder, and the curiosity of moviegoers outside the industry is reaching its peak.

...

On December 14th, filming for "A Little Thing Called First Love" officially wrapped up.

Ding Lang took the film directly back to the Beijing Film Academy for editing. As his graduation directorial work, "First Love" naturally had the conditions and reasons to apply for the use of the Beijing Film Academy's equipment.

The film "The Promise" will be officially released on the 15th!

Chen Kaige's influence was fully demonstrated in his first commercial film.

Countless viewers flocked to the cinemas because of director Chen's name, the film's cast, and the media coverage.

Reporters from various media outlets are also reporting frantically on how terrifying the screening rate and attendance rate of "The Promise" are.

The box office record was broken immediately!

Before the first day was even over, the record for the highest-grossing opening day for a Chinese-language film had already been broken, drawing cheers from the industry and high expectations for the market.

It seems like the spring of Chinese-language cinema is truly coming!

China Film Group's interview reports were released one after another, and Han Sanping in the photos was all smiles.

On its opening day, there was almost no negative news, as if everyone was still immersed in the grandeur and mystery of "The Promise".

The following day, Zhang Yimou's "Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles" held its premiere in Yunnan.

There's been a lot of discussion online, with many believing that Zhang Weiping did it on purpose to divert attention away from the popularity of "The Promise".

But how could Zhang Dapao admit it? He bluntly stated that the premiere date had already been set, and Zhang Yimou's film didn't need to divert anyone's attention.

"Boss, these media outlets are really daring!"

Yang Siwei handed Zhao Yanxi several of the latest newspapers, which still smelled of fresh ink.

[Midday News Brief: Limitless Format, Limited Content!]

[Southern Metropolis Daily: The harder Chen Kaige tries, the worse his films become.]

[Beijing News: The Promise was defeated by itself!]

"This 'idiotic dialogue' is utterly stupid, and contrived. There's no climax, no emotion...tsk tsk tsk!"

Yang Siwei exclaimed in astonishment, "Are city newspapers really this daring to write about things these days?"

"Hehe," Zhao Yanxi chuckled, "The movie wasn't made well, so can't we let people say a few words about it?"

"The Promise isn't really relevant to us, so let's put it aside for now," Zhao Yanxi gestured for Yang Siwei to sit on the sofa. "This year is almost over, and we need to finalize some major plans for the company next year."

"Boss, what's up?"

Yang Siwei quickly took out his notebook, ready to write it down.

"Our top priority is to move."

"This small studio is fine for a few people, but if there are more people, there's nowhere to even stand. I plan to buy an office building next year."

"Buying a property?!"

Yang Siwei was taken aback: "Boss, our funds are probably..."

"I'll take care of the funding. You just need to contact the intermediary to find a suitable location. It doesn't need to be too bustling. After all, we're a film and television company. About ten floors will be enough."

"OK."

"Secondly, we need to recruit people! The company has only made three movies this year, which are all small projects. We can still recruit some new people from the Beijing Film Academy to practice with;

Next year we'll be launching some major projects, and we need more skilled staff to at least meet the company's requirement of simultaneously launching two film projects!

"That's easy to say," Yang Siwei said with a smile. "Ever since 'You Are the Apple of My Eye' became a hit, our company has become famous in the industry."

"Many alumni from the Communication University of China have been asking me if the company is still hiring. They may not be qualified to be stars, directors, or producers, but they are definitely capable in photography, lighting, and film crew."

"Yes, graduates from the top three art schools are all good choices. I'll also take some time to visit the Beijing Film Academy and ask the teachers there to keep an eye out for promising talents."

After a pause, Zhao Yanxi said seriously, "The last thing is something that will take a long time to do—that is, acquiring copyrights."

"Acquiring copyrights? What copyrights?"

Yang Siwei said he didn't understand.

Where is the concept of copyright now? Before a movie has even finished its theatrical run, pirated resources are everywhere online, and pirated DVDs are sold all over the place offline.

Nobody cares about the copyright of film and television works.

"Starting from the 1980s and 90s, we should buy as many streaming rights as possible for excellent films and television shows!"

"Although piracy is rampant now, I believe that with the development of the cultural and entertainment industry, the government will definitely step in to curb this chaos, and these copyrights will be absolutely valuable at that time."

"This..." Yang Siwei hesitated, "Boss, have you heard anything about this?"

Zhao Yanxi nodded without changing her expression: "I have my own channels. Anyway, we're about to clean up some of the chaos, so you don't need to ask any more questions!"

Yang Siwei immediately understood.

"I see!"

...

On the other end, Han Sanping looked at the stack of newspapers on the table and the new negative voices online, feeling extremely irritated!

Chen Hong just came over, hoping that China Film Group would intervene in the media's voice.

Han Sanping just wants to say that China Film Group is also a human being, not a god!

The media, both print and online, have never been so in sync. They are all pessimistic, satirical, and critical of "The Promise." When the two are combined, that is public opinion!

Even if it's just about paying attention to public opinion within the film and television industry.

No matter how powerful China Film Group is, can it defy public opinion? Otherwise, wouldn't it be handing its weaknesses over to its competitors?

Han Sanping's face was grim. It was obvious to anyone with a brain how much influence this public opinion would have on box office performance.

Although the box office on the second day looked higher than on the first day, everyone knew that this was just a temporary surge in popularity.

Han Sanping has lost all confidence in how far "The Promise" can go...