Wandering the world of film and television begins with the golden years

"This time I want to make a patriotic film. ♦👺 ❻9ѕ𝔥Ữ乂.𝓒ⓄⓂ 💚♖"

Li Haoyu spoke up on his own initiative.

Han Ping couldn't help but laugh.

He adjusted his glasses, looking somewhat surprised.

Han Ping said meaningfully, "Mainstream films are something only old guys like us like to dabble in. Why would a young person like you want to do this?"

"Of the film proposals I receive from young, new directors, eight out of ten are youth romance films."

Han Ping had just finished speaking when...

Li Haoyu instantly realized the unspoken subtext of Han Ping's words.

He was implying that he was flattering others.

After all, it's common knowledge in the industry that Han Ping loves patriotic films. It's no wonder Han Ping overthinks things since he's so outspoken about wanting to make one.

Li Haoyu listened to Han Ping's doubts.

His expression remained perfectly normal. Li Haoyu said calmly, "If I were trying to break into the film industry, I might also choose to start with the youth romance film market."

"There's nothing strange about that."

Han Ping had been thinking that Li Haoyu's answer would only be one of two things.

The first option is to insist that he simply likes patriotic films, but that would give him a somewhat sycophantic or obsequious air. While this wouldn't necessarily make him dislike Li Hao, it would be a valid reason.

But to be honest, he had to lower his expectations a bit. Han Ping had never liked people who were too cunning; those kinds of people were unlikely to make a good film.

The second possibility is that, like many directors who graduate from film school, he looks down on commercial and romance films. However, if Li Haoyu really said that...

He also felt that such a person might not be able to guarantee the film's profitability. Otherwise, given the fascinating story Li Haoyu had just told him...

If Li Haoyu really wants to make art films.

He personally sponsored millions of dollars that went down the drain. Han Ping wouldn't even frown, after all, many fifth and sixth generation directors were brought up by him in this way.

After all, the proposal he received this time wasn't an artwork, but a commercial film aimed at raking in box office revenue during prime time. Public and private matters are separate, even though he did have a good impression of Li Haoyu.

But this will not change his standards for investing in movies.

This piqued Han Ping's interest.

He suddenly felt a little anticipation for how Li Haoyu would explain it to him.

Li Haoyu straightened up slightly, cleared his throat, and said, "Then, Director and Third Master, I'll just offer my humble opinion."

Both of them nodded slightly.

Seeing this, Li Haoyu readily accepted, "Actually, being a film director is both difficult and easy. Is it hard to be a director? If you have no integrity, you can be a director as long as you can make money."

Li Haoyu spoke very bluntly, but the two people listening in laughed. 💝✋ ❻➈ᔕ𝒽𝓊𝐱.Ćⓞｍ ♜🎯

Putting everything else aside, these words actually sound very sincere.

Both Ouyang Tai and Han Ping had plenty of people around them who spoke sweet words, but none of them were as memorable as Li Haoyu, who was so outspoken.

Li Haoyu saw that the reaction was acceptable.

So he started playing the victim. After all, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, a principle that applies universally.

Li Haoyu used to just work hard without paying attention to his work, but his boss couldn't see his achievements.

Crying won't help either. No boss is a philanthropist, unless you're incredibly beautiful and catch their eye, taking them into their harem.

Whether crying works depends on whether you have the right to cry.

Whether a crying baby gets milk depends first on the baby—who is crying is the key; second is whether they cry and how they cry. If your uncle and grandmother don't love you, crying until you faint won't help.

What you can't have may always be stirring within you; only those favored by the boss can be fearless... This is something Li Haoyu himself only realized after becoming a boss himself.

So Li Haoyu continued, "Actually, my lighting isn't that strong, my photography skills aren't that good, and my acting relies on talent and improvisation, but I was still able to shoot 'The Beginning' well."

"Because these are just the simplest things a director faces, besides telling a good story."

"The challenge for directors is that the film's message must resonate with the audience and make them want to watch it. The film's selling points must also align with the market so that investors are confident their money won't go to waste."

"A film must have distinctive features to stand out from its competitors. Finally, it must ensure that the film's content complies with censorship regulations to guarantee its smooth release."

"Even if all of these are completed, there is still one last thing: to establish relationships with theater chains. Otherwise, no matter how good a movie is, it won't work without enough screenings."

"You two veterans, tell me yourselves, is it difficult to be a film director?"

Seeing Li Haoyu speaking with great enthusiasm, Ouyang Tai couldn't help but cough. "What you said makes a lot of sense, but you haven't answered the question directly yet."

Li Haoyu remained calm and continued to explain, "Actually, I've already answered that question. If a seasoned director faces so many problems, then it must be even more difficult for a new director."

"Sometimes it's not that they don't want to choose, but that they can't choose." In fact, the most suitable genres for new directors are romantic youth films and horror films.

"There's no need to elaborate on romance films. Who hasn't had a crush during their early teens? As long as there are young couples, there will always be a market for them. This is a result proven by the film market."

Han Sanping saw Li Haoyu say this.

He then asked, "Then tell me the specific reasons. They usually emphasize their return on investment. But no one has talked to me about teen romance movies yet."

"it is good."

Seeing that Han Ping had also asked a question, Li Haoyu...

He then briefly explained it.

"Because the market is big enough and there is a large enough audience. In fact, it's not just young people who like to watch youth films, but also many middle-aged people."

"They are already or are entering middle age, and at the same time, they are the backbone of society and the group with the greatest purchasing power."

"Although they face the pressure of caring for both young children and elderly parents, and endure much hardship in their struggle to make a living, the greater the pressure, the more they cherish their memories..."

"Recalling that person who once appeared in my life, or that youthful romance. Although their youthful days have gradually faded away, who doesn't have a heart that yearns for youth?"

"They're not so much going to see a movie as they're going to experience a feeling, to reminisce about their youth."

Han Ping heard this.

He couldn't help but nod; in fact, he understood it to some extent as well. It's just that he couldn't summarize it as clearly and simply as Li Haoyu.

So Han Ping asked another question, "I have a general understanding, but there's still one thing I find hard to understand."

"Some teen movies have plots that are so laziness-inducing that they're unbelievable, but why are there always so many people flocking to them?"

Li Haoyu heard this.

He couldn't help but sigh.

"The audience was fooled by the promotional posters and trailers. Who knew the production company would be so shameless as to cut all the best parts into the trailer?"

"Because most people in reality are ordinary, their youth is mostly uneventful, they don't meet any special people or do any special things."

"That's why they always expect to see dramatic and exciting coming-of-age stories in teen movies. That's why they're so easily fooled."

"Actually, the audience has been very forgiving. Besides, youth romance films can cover up many plot holes."

"No matter how unrealistic or unoriginal the story in the film may be, every viewer is actually reminiscing about their own youth. This is what is meant by shedding one's own tears in someone else's story."

Actually, Li Haoyu couldn't help but complain in his heart when he said this.

Because the youth of the protagonists in youth movies is truly "wonderful".

Studying abroad, early romance and abortion, getting drunk late at night, getting into a fight, confessing your love loudly amidst the romantic fireworks on Valentine's Day, whispering sweet nothings while leaning against the headboard of a hotel bed...

It seems that youth is:

It's built up by a series of such absurd events.

This is absolutely outrageous!

In fact, the audience's demands have always been very simple: avoid melodrama and clichés, tell a simple and realistic coming-of-age story, and the audience will support it.

This is why so many entertainment articles feature the protagonist's first movie as either "You Are the Apple of My Eye" or "First Love," because the word "youth" is enough to get audiences to buy tickets and go to the cinema.

Han Ping pressed on, "What you say makes sense, so why don't you make a good romance movie yourself?"

"And didn't you just say that new directors could try the horror genre? Why didn't you try it? Instead, you chose such an 'alternative' patriotic film?"

Li Haoyu couldn't help but curse inwardly.

What other reason could there be? Isn't it because you like it yourself? Han Ping himself is involved in both mainstream films and commercial films.

Before Li Haoyu met with Han Ping.

He had done his homework very carefully.

Li Haoyu had carefully studied Han Ping's resume.

If we were to evaluate Han Ping based on his directing skills, calling him a second-rate director would be an understatement. However, as a producer, Han Ping's achievements are among the top in China.

Although Han Ping has now retired, his influence remains significant. He continues to pursue a career in film, participating in numerous movies and television series as a producer.

Not to mention that many high-quality realistic dramas are actually quite sensitive topics. If it weren't for the producers pulling strings behind the scenes, they probably wouldn't have been able to get released.

Otherwise, Han Ping wouldn't have earned the nickname "Godfather of Movies".

Even Li Haoyu couldn't help but admire this in his heart, but no matter how much he admired it, Li Haoyu certainly couldn't directly say that he was just trying to please him.

Wouldn't that make me an idiot?

After all, if Han Ping hadn't already retired from the position of chairman, and if Li Haoyu hadn't already produced "The Beginning," all of this would have made Han Ping admire Li Haoyu very much.

Otherwise, even if Ouyang Tai and Han Ping were old friends, it wouldn't be possible.

He also rarely had the opportunity to see Han Ping.

Faced with such a veteran of the film and television industry, even ordinary stories had already piqued Han Ping's interest.

Li Haoyu continued, "Not to mention horror movies, these are rare films, both domestically and internationally, that allow you to win big with a small investment."

"There's always been a demand for these adrenaline-pumping movies. I'd love to make a ghost movie, but unfortunately, we're not allowed to make these supernatural things anymore."

"That's why I brought out my most treasured possession. Besides, Third Master, didn't you like the script I just told you about?"

Han Ping nodded and said, "I must say, the story you told me about 'The Madman' was really good."

Of course it's good!

Before Li Haoyu transmigrated, almost everyone around him, regardless of age or gender, was watching this anti-gangster drama.

Even at New Year's dinner parties, half the conversation revolved around this TV series. Whether in internet cafes, on the high-speed train on the return journey, or on street TVs, everyone was watching "The Storm".

There's an old saying that goes, "Half of the Analects can govern the world."

Now it's all become Gao Qiqiang's "The Art of War" to conquer the world.

The protagonist, Gao Qiqiang, starts as a fishmonger and rises against all odds, achieving a dramatic turnaround in his life, only to fall like a shooting star in the end... This is legendary enough, and it is also enough to make people sigh.

In some ways, Han Ping and Gao Qiqiang's life experiences were quite similar; both started from the bottom and gradually worked their way up to the top.

Although the two people's experiences and practices are completely different.

However, they still share some common emotional points.

Otherwise, Han Ping wouldn't have gone from being indifferent at first to being completely engrossed in Li Haoyu's story of "The Storm."

The story of "The Whirlwind" is captivating enough on its own.

This is a story spanning twenty years, and the characters within it have also continued to grow.

Gao Qiqiang can also be considered a classic villain on screen.

He was neither a low-level thug wielding a watermelon knife nor a super-powered overseas returnee elite gangster. Instead, he was an ordinary opportunist in a society based on personal connections, and his transformation into a gangster boss was a story of gradual change.

This is also what makes "The Storm" so excellent.

It's not like traditional anti-crime stories that are black and white.

Some people look like good people, but they are actually bad people; some people look like bad people, but they are actually good people!

Every character in "The Storm" has their own emotions and life, desires and motivations, as well as choices and fears that they have to face.

"Good people" and "bad people" are no longer simple labels. Everyone has their own growth trajectory. The depravity of bad people makes people sigh, while the silent good people make the audience feel even more sorry for them.

Audiences have seen far too many saintly protagonists and idiotic villains.

"The Storm Riders," however, breaks away from the usual formula, focusing instead on presenting the complex life experiences and changes in human nature amidst a period of great upheaval.

It vividly depicts how real estate fueled the nationwide economic boom.

The darkness hidden behind it.

In fact, even Li Haoyu had heard similar rumors before. It was not uncommon for fights to break out on construction sites like those in TV dramas, with bloodshed and conflicts escalating over a piece of land.

Reality is often darker than television dramas.

There are people like Gao Qiqiang in every place.

However, the TV series version is not without its flaws.

In Li Haoyu's view, the beginning of "The Storm" was quite realistic. However, in the later stages, the director probably realized that he needed to consider how to get it approved by censors...

This resulted in a weaker plot in the later stages, but this wouldn't be a problem if it were made into a movie. After all, movies are much more lenient in terms of content than TV series.

He also wanted the world to be shaken by "The Storm".

Let's all go wild!