The entertainment empire began with Liu Yifei's premarital pregnancy.

Clearly, the reporter who asked this question was trying to trap Lin Bufan.

First, he rejected Chen Kaige's "The Promise," and then used "The Promise" as an analogy to Lin Bufan's "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate," suggesting that Lin Bufan's answer would be "definitely different," and similar statements.

This is equivalent to Lin Bufan indirectly responding that "The Promise" is a bad movie, thereby offending Chen Kaige.

If Lin Bufan doesn't answer anything, the reporters below will say that Lin Bufan's "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" is just like "The Promise," both being bad movies.

In short, no matter how Lin Bufan answers, it's a trap.

However, this is only how it appears to reporters. As for Lin Bufan, there is nothing he is afraid to say.

"I once talked to director Chen Kaige. In a sense, the movie 'The Promise' is not a bad movie. It's just that Director Chen wanted to express too much, but he didn't make good choices, which is why the audience was confused. But it is undeniable that the scenes and visuals of 'The Promise' are impeccable." Lin Bufan answered with a relaxed expression on the stage.

For others, even many domestic directors, they would remain tight-lipped when asked about "The Promise" by reporters.

But Lin Bufan was different. He had already discussed "The Promise" with Chen Kaige, and he was the one who helped Chen Kaige secure the directorship for "Night at the Museum".

Moreover, he did not belittle "The Promise", so Chen Kaige would not have any bad thoughts about him.

The reporters present were all surprised to hear Lin Bufan say that.

Since the release of "The Promise", viewers have been angrily criticizing the film online, especially after "A Bloody Case Caused by a Steamed Bun", this storm has intensified.

The reporter interviewed many directors in the industry, including Zhang Yimou. When the topic of "The Promise" came up, no one, regardless of who they were, ever gave a direct answer as to whether it was good or bad.

To date, Lin Bufan is the only director to have publicly commented on "The Promise".

Based on this alone, not a single reporter present could help but admire him.

"Director Lin, as you said, your film 'Flying Swords of Dragon Gate' has many themes to express. Aren't you worried that you won't tell the story well?" the reporter followed up with the question.

"You'll know once the movie is released."

As Lin Bufan finished speaking, Xie Nan picked up the microphone and said, "Alright, Director Lin has answered three questions. The press conference for the start of filming of 'Flying Swords of Dragon Gate' is now officially over..."

The reporters present were not about to let Lin Bufan leave so easily.

It's rare to encounter a director who dares to publicly comment on "The Promise," so I'm bound to ask him a lot of questions.

"Director Lin, so you also think 'The Promise' is a bad movie?"

"Director Lin, some netizens are saying that Chen Kaige is the nominal director of 'Farewell My Concubine,' and that Chen Kaige's father is the actual director. What's your opinion on this?"

"Director Lin..."

Lin Bufan broke out in a cold sweat when he heard the reporters' questions from the audience.

This question is much more pointed than the previous one.

Is "The Promise" a bad movie?

It's undeniable that it's a terrible movie.

But Lin Bufan couldn't answer like that; what he just said was already "too much."

Especially the second question.

The real director of "Farewell My Concubine" was not Chen Kaige, but Chen Kaige's father. This claim has been passed down to later generations and has become increasingly believable.

In fact, Lin Bufan had a detailed conversation with Chen Kaige.

Chen Kaige's abilities are beyond doubt, but one thing is certain: he should not be given absolute power over the production team, especially in terms of script and editing.

If you were to appoint him as a tool director, he could even rival some of the world's top directors, as he has no problem with set design, staging, or technology.

His biggest flaw is that he always likes to express himself haphazardly.

The reason why "Farewell My Concubine" was successful is because Chen Kaige filmed and edited according to the script, so there were no problems.

It was because "Farewell My Concubine" earned Chen Kaige the Palme d'Or that he became arrogant afterward. If it weren't for that, he wouldn't be in this situation now.

"Find out which media outlet the reporter who just tried to trap me belongs to, and refuse to invite them to similar press conferences in the future."

After the press conference, Lin Bufan gave instructions to his assistant, Bai Bing.

"Yes, boss."

Bai Bing nodded.

……

After the press conference, Lin Bufan immediately threw himself into the intense filming process.

The first scene is Fan Bingbing's Consort Wan, and her scene with Zhu Yawen and Yu Huatian.

In this scene, after Lin Bufan's revisions, there were naturally no so-called ambiguous scenes.

"Click!"

"Passed!"

Lin Bufan sat behind the monitor, watching Zhu Yawen's performance.

It can be said that Zhu Yawen's portrayal of Yu Huatian is in no way inferior to Chen Kun's.

"Next game!"

Lin Bufan sat in the director's chair and made the announcement.

Everyone on the crew was busy preparing for the next scene.

"Director Lin, here you go!"

Just then, Fan Bingbing, who had just finished filming, came up to Lin Bufan with a thermos and handed it to him generously: "This is some Pu'er tea that I just had brewed."

After a few days of brief contact, Fan Bingbing even found out that Lin Bufan liked to drink Pu'er tea.

Thanks!

Lin Bufan took the thermos, opened the lid, and saw that the brewed Pu'er tea inside was steaming hot.

In February, the temperature in Hengdian is not very high, so drinking some hot Pu'er tea is really comfortable.

"Director, the scene is set."

Just then, assistant director Shen Ao walked over.

Others might not know the name Shen Ao, but Lin Bufan was well aware of his abilities. Later, the novel "All or Nothing" was written by him.

In terms of ability, he certainly has it.

However, at present, his directing ability is somewhat lacking.

A month ago, Shen Ao joined Kyoto Entertainment as a member of the production department. A week ago, he was discovered by Lin Bufan, who decided to mentor him.

So, Shen Ao was appointed as the assistant director of "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" and learned from him.

"Okay, notify the actors to prepare for filming."

Lin Bufan nodded slightly and casually handed the thermos back to Fan Bingbing.

The next scene to be filmed is a classic moment: the first clash between the Eastern Depot and the Western Depot, and the scene where Yu Huatian utters the famous line: "What the Eastern Depot dares not handle, I will handle; what the Eastern Depot dares not kill, I will kill. What the Eastern Depot can handle, I will handle; what the Eastern Depot cannot handle, I will handle even more. Execute first, report later—this is the Western Depot, granted by imperial authority."

This scene is a true test of Zhu Yawen's emotional progression and acting skills.