Huayu 02: The Days of Extreme Pulling and Rolling with the Fairy

Xie Jin adopted a very humble attitude, repeatedly referring to himself as a junior student and saying that he was following in the footsteps of his seniors.

But the content of those words was anything but gentle, making everyone present feel uneasy.

Jiang Wen, who had been quiet for a long time, finally spoke up, looking at the seasoned veterans with a half-smile.

The old hands at the film studio, with their long faces, suddenly fell silent, their eyes downcast, their mouths closed, their minds blank – they were practically clay sculptures. After all, very few of these people's films ever grossed more than two million, so whether Hollywood came or not really didn't affect them much.

Moreover, this box office figure was actually achieved by various cities issuing documents to mobilize government agencies and students to watch movies at cultural palaces and children's palaces (did any of you have schools organizing trips to children's palaces to watch movies when you were kids?).

Feng Xiaogang felt good; even if there was no resolution to what happened today, at least he didn't feel aggrieved.

"President, President Han, that's all I have to say. I hope you'll forgive my superficial thinking, as I'm just a young person."

"That's very well said. We're just afraid of avoiding the issue."

Huang Xinjian and Han Sanye were actually in good spirits, after all, they both knew each other's difficulties on the issue of marketization.

Some of these older comrades are truly noble and virtuous, while others are simply taking advantage of their age. Since the young people are willing to expose them, they are happy to see how everyone is behaving.

As the old saying goes, it's hard to be a good father-in-law if you're neither deaf nor mute.

Every year, Han Sanye (the director) would set aside a portion of the funds from China Film Group Corporation and the policies from above to support these veteran directors and encourage them to create works, euphemistically called the "mentoring of new talent" [New Art Project].

If this funding isn't approved, this invisible network of relationships will entangle Master Han, making it difficult for him to make any progress on other projects. Not only will it occupy distribution and production resources, but more importantly, the investments won't even make a splash.

The annual subsidies and special investments given to them add up to at least tens of millions of yuan, while those young directors who can bring profits to the industry don't get any of it.

Moreover, those with connections can naturally get access to production bases, good equipment, and venues first, leaving no room for young people.

Master Han had long held objections to these matters, since he needed to provide an account of his final results each year.

Master Han smiled wryly: "Everyone, what Xiao Xie said is indeed the current situation. I can tell you with certainty that the actual data may be even worse."

"The younger generation has given us a topic to discuss, let's discuss it."

........

  

Back in her seat, Xie Jin crouched down again.

Actually, I regretted it as soon as I opened my mouth. Why did I get so angry?

But then I thought, what's done is done. Jinji himself doesn't really expect anything, and there's no way he can rely on it anyway.

At worst, I'll just not join the association, and I won't accept the five awards or any other minor prizes.

You can act like a grandson to an old man, but you can't actually be a grandson to a grandson.

It's nothing serious.

Section Chief Jia leaned closer and said, "You're really something else. I've really learned something new. I don't think this meeting can go on."

Xie Jin tilted her head: "I was originally planning to smooth things over, but these people in front of me started bothering me, and I suddenly got angry."

Section Chief Jia curled his lip: "It doesn't matter, they're all just people who watch others carry water but don't want to do the work themselves."

"You don't make movies like mine, so they can't do anything about it. Look at me, I was banned from directing films in '99 until next year, and I'm still living a life of leisure, so what?"

Just as Lao Jia predicted, the argument had been going on for half an hour.

The directors who are able to make money in the market all hope that the Golden Rooster Awards can be selected in a double-plus format.

This means that the scores from the audience and the expert judging panel are added together.

But the older comrades were red-faced and furious, and there was no way they would give up the cake on their plates.

The stalemate was about to escalate to the point of no return, so Third Master and Old Huang decided to stop the meeting there for now.

When the old comrades were together, they dared to argue with Feng Dapao. If he was alone, few could match him. As soon as the meeting ended, they would make a few sarcastic remarks and quickly get back at him.

Xie Jin had a lot going on in her group, and she was just about to leave when she was called back again...

Director Feng didn't say anything to thank him, but simply grasped his hand and handed him a business card: "If you need any help, just say the word."

Section Chief Jia happened to see that Third Master and Chairman Huang were both there, so he lingered for half an hour.

The bad news is that his ban cannot be ended early, but the good news is that the official lifting date in January 04 will not change.

This made Lao Jia extremely happy, as he could now focus on making preliminary preparations.

It seems that his latest film, "The World," is his first film to be released in China and has even been selected for the main competition at Venice.

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The newspapers were unusually quiet for several days after the Directors Guild's closed-door meeting ended.

The content on Toutiao is mostly trivial and uninteresting.

As for Feng Xiaogang's attack on the Golden Rooster Awards, it's as if he never existed.

It's highly likely that after discussions between Chairman Huang and the higher-ups at the Film Association, they realized they couldn't change the status quo or solve the problem, so they decided to deal with the people who created it.

No wonder Lao Feng has been so quiet lately; he probably needs to shut up before he suffers.

However, this is for the best. Xie Jin felt that if things continued to escalate, it would only disturb her further.

The old guard must have been furious; after the closed-door meeting, simply silencing the big shot wasn't enough to vent their anger.

They even sent a message to the school, subtly implying that Xie Jin had said things that were detrimental to unity.

However, being rebuffed by the hospital leadership this time is at least a small piece of good news that makes people feel better.

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Early September

Time flies, and two or three months have passed in the blink of an eye. Five months have passed since filming started, and we are just one step away from wrapping up. In another half month, 2003 will take another step forward and we will move into 2004.

Jaylen's concert in Shenzhen a few days ago was very popular. Xie Jin really wanted to go, but she was too busy to go.

The newspaper said he took a lot of tickets and gave some to students in Shenzhen to encourage them to study hard.

Zhang Baizhi and Chen Xiaochun's meeting was delayed by a large amount, resulting in reporters being unable to conduct interviews. A reporter was even assaulted by security guards, causing quite a stir.

This year, the Lunar New Year is earlier, starting in mid-January. Although it's only early December now, the streets are already filled with the festive atmosphere.

The weather is very cold, and as the year draws to a close, everyone in every industry is trying to make money.

Xie Jin's life has been rather monotonous lately, consisting mainly of burying herself in filming on set.

Apart from accompanying his senior to Bona Film Group to discuss the issuance, Lao Yu discovered that the investor was Vision Light & Magic.

The matter proceeded smoothly without any obstacles.

When filming started, I invited Director Feng and Section Chief Jia to go and support my senior colleague, and then I didn't go out again.

Xie Jin was listed as the producer and guest star in "Crazy Stone," but Ning Hao insisted that he also be listed as the screenwriter, which Xie Jin ultimately declined.

........

Ms. Liu has been under strict management for quite some time now since she was caught having a craving for food a while ago.

To be honest, if you just control your diet a little, your figure will immediately become amazing.

After filming the last shot in the afternoon, everyone on set was very happy; filming was over.

This marathon has come to a temporary end for everyone.

········

Whether it's a movie or a TV series, once filming wraps up, the whole crew has to have a meal together, commonly known as a wrap party.

At the wrap party, the director was the most unfortunate, because he had to toast everyone in the crew along with the producer and the male and female leads.

This is considered an unspoken rule in the industry, because directors often have short tempers and will yell at everyone they meet.

When filming, everyone will be lenient with you and you should bear with any grievances you may have. But after filming wraps up, you should still offer a toast to express your apology.

........

Gu Renlong leaned closer: "I've looked at all the people you told me to keep an eye on. Who recommended them to you? They all have great bone structure."

Xie Jin couldn't possibly explain how she made that judgment, so she simply asked in a low voice, "It was a friend's introduction, so let's get down to business."

"I've spoken with both of their parents, and neither of them objects. But are you crazy? Why aren't either of them adults...?"

Xie Jin blushed. "Pah! What do you take me for? I'm here to train them long-term, so they can be tied to the company's core projects later."

"The artists you manage should be treated with more discipline, letting their acting skills and abilities speak for themselves, instead of acting like a large public relations center."

Gu Renlong nodded: "I know, I don't like doing that stuff either."

"That fifteen-year-old girl surnamed Mao in Tianjin is really unlucky. There's no man in her family. When I went there, her mother had just suffered carbon monoxide poisoning, but luckily she was saved."

"The parents of that Li Lin who's learning Kunqu Opera are very supportive, and I think the kid has some talent, but... he looks a bit slow."

"Being stupid is good; being stupid is reliable."

Li Qin is a rare talent; after filming Li Shaohong's "Dream of the Red Chamber," he was swindled out of his entire salary by a stranger's phone call...

When the police officer at Chaoyang Police Station reported the incident, he couldn't hold back his anger and blurted out, "Do you even have a brain?"

Xie Jin waved her hand. "Alright, I'm not going to waste my breath on you. Hurry up and toast, I'm exhausted."

"You decide what matters to the artist. If it's a good fit, sign them; if not, forget it. Long-term development isn't a bad thing either."

"I'd rather have someone who's a bit simple-minded than someone who's too cunning; those who are too cunning end up being a minefield."

When the wine dispenser was brought out, Gu Renlong and Yu Dong were originally accompanying him in this round, but Xiao Liu insisted on joining in by bringing two bottles of goji berry juice.

The four of them just kept going around in circles.

After toasting, Lao Yu and Gu Renlong went to other tables to exchange pleasantries.

Seeing that Xie Jin's stomach was burning and he was exhausted, they took him back to the private room.

While the front was busy eating, the rear was busy eating. The big hamster returned to its compartment and continued its frantic foraging, its cheeks aching from eating so much.

"Hey, dog, do you want some?"

Xie Jin slumped onto the table, completely unable to hold her liquor. It was only because Gu Renlong had diluted the wine with a lot of water that she was drunk; otherwise, she would be ruined by now.

Xie Jin waved her hand weakly, not wanting to say a word.

Xiao Liu sneered, "Tsk tsk tsk, you're already passed out after just a few sips of wine, what a useless piece of trash, hiccup."

"Don't just stand there and talk like you know nothing. Hey? Why is your face so red, and you smell of alcohol? Have you been drinking secretly?"