Global Film Emperor

Chapter 206 Press Conference End

Hong Kong, at the premiere of "The Boss".

After the film ended, the credits of those who participated in its production scrolled across the screen, the lights in the venue came on, and the audience applauded.

This is a purely realistic commercial film with no deeper meaning; it simply records a real person and the things he did and that actually happened.

It wasn't particularly moving, but it touched the hearts of old Hong Kong residents and brought tears to the eyes of the only bigwig in the audience who had followed Jia Helong and Yi Sheng and was enjoying his later years.

Perhaps the only lesson this movie teaches moviegoers is: don't even think about becoming a gangster, or you'll suffer the consequences.

The applause lasted for more than a minute. The main cast and crew bowed three times in gratitude and lined up to allow reporters to take photos. The enthusiastic applause reassured them that the movie seemed to be quite popular.

The film is 153 minutes and a half long. If you cut off the beginning and the end, you still have exactly 150 minutes left. Telling a story of nearly 30 years in just two and a half hours is a very difficult task. To make the story flow smoothly and concisely, the director and editor need to have profound skills.

Fortunately, director Song Qingmin, who has been in the film industry for nearly thirty years, did not disappoint movie fans and finally overcame this problem.

The main reason is that the film does not tell the story of Jia Helong's planning process; it simply lists the events and leaves the audience to analyze them themselves.

For example, how Jia Helong got in touch with Uncle Cai is not explained, but the answer is given directly. This highlights Jia Helong's meticulousness and ruthlessness, instantly making the audience break out in a cold sweat and giving them more room to imagine.

The sequence of events has already been arranged for you; how to connect the dots is up to the audience. This sense of immersion plays a crucial role in the genre and subject matter of this film. Just think about these conspiracies, murders, and revenge scenes; the immersion in this environment undoubtedly enhances the audience's adrenaline.

So, Song Qingmin, this old man, has been making commercial films for so long, and he really has a unique understanding of them. He's got a knack for it, and he's still got it.

After stepping down from the stage to shake hands with the investors, when it was Lu Ze's turn, he walked over to Jia Changwei. He couldn't bring himself to provoke Jia Changwei with words, so he simply shook hands and prepared to leave.

"Well done."

Lu Ze turned to look at Jia Changwei. Young Master Jia still seemed a little embarrassed, but to be honest, this film really exceeded his expectations, especially Lu Ze, who was beyond reproach.

Although he's old, he still cares about his reputation. Even if someone acts really well, he won't argue back just to save face. If it's bad, it's bad; if it's good, you have to admit it.

Lu Ze hadn't interacted much with Jia Changwei, and he was genuinely surprised that Jia Changwei would give his performance such high praise. He exchanged a glance with Jia Changwei and smiled.

"It should."

When Lu Ze saw that Uncle Ya was still crying beside Little Jia, he didn't know how to comfort him. The gangster who once sold drugs for Hong Kong's number one drug lord with blood on his hands had grown old and become this frail old tea seller.

Lu Ze took out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Uncle Ya. When Lu Ze was filming "Big Boss", he often went to Uncle Ya's shop for tea. The two had a very good relationship. Uncle Ya did not refuse. He picked up the handkerchief and wiped the tears on his face with trembling hands.

"Uncle Ya, will we have to pay for tea next time we go for tea?"

"How can you expect an old person to make a living by selling tea? Are you in a gang? You don't even pay for your tea?"

Lu Zele spoke up, though he was a little puzzled. He glanced around and figured it wouldn't hurt to ask quietly.

"Uncle Ya, why didn't you kill Chang Le back then? You fired three shots."

Uncle Ya paused, his face flushed, and he smacked his lips twice before muttering, "Killing a big shot? I was scared to death. I fired the gun and ran."

The creative team returned to the stage, and the Q&A session began again. Perhaps because Lu Ze's portrayal of Jia Helong had left such a deep impression on everyone after watching the movie, they started asking Lu Ze a barrage of questions. In contrast, the local actors were relegated to supporting roles.

A movie can really change the public's perception of an actor and elevate his status to a very high position, just like Lu Ze is now.

Lu Ze answered their questions in a logical and methodical manner. Although the Hong Kong reporters were more mischievous than the mainland reporters and tried to set many traps for Lu Ze, he managed to evade them without giving direct answers.

Forty minutes later, the press conference was officially over. Lu Ze did not plan to attend the celebration banquet that evening and took a plane back to Shanghai around 7 p.m.

After apologizing to Song Qingmin and waiting for the investors to get into their cars and leave, Lu Ze also avoided the paparazzi who were still trying to follow him and returned to his hotel. It has to be said that in today's internet age, news spreads incredibly fast. Only five hours after the premiere of "The Boss," and even before the film has been released in mainland China, it's already generating a lot of buzz among movie fans online.

Gangster films also have a considerable following in mainland China. These people have seen the film through various means and are enthusiastically checking in on it, just like Lu Ze is currently watching a film enthusiast forum.

"Isn't Lu Ze's new movie showing in Hong Kong today? Are there any friends in Hong Kong or big shots who have seen the movie? Can you tell me about it?"

"Because my home is in Shenzhen, which is very close to Hong Kong, I watched Guns N' Roses' concert yesterday, and before going home today, I watched Lu Ze's new movie. How should I put it, it was very enjoyable. Lu Ze's acting skills are really explosive, and the plot is also very interesting. I guess the pirated version will be released in a few days. I definitely have to watch this movie."

"+1, there is a big difference between the films made by Hong Kong directors and mainland directors. I had been watching Lu Ze's mainland films before, but watching 'Big Boss' was a different experience. Lu Ze was really charismatic in the later part of the film. I became a fan of Lu Ze just for the role of Jia Helong."

"I just came out of the movie theater. I have to say that Lu Ze gave me another surprise. Although I am a girl and I don't really like gangster movies, Jia Helong is so manly and a cunning guy, hahaha (funny face). Anyway, I have no resistance to men like him."

"The person upstairs is probably a masochist."

The thread had grown quite tall, so Lu Ze didn't continue scrolling down. Instead, he glanced at Douban, where over two hundred people had already rated the movie "The Boss." It was indeed a well-made film, and because there were so few ratings at the moment, the score had reached an astonishing 9.5.

Of course, as the number of viewers increases, the film's rating will drop sharply. However, Lu Ze predicts that if no one maliciously inflates the rating, maintaining a score above eight should not be a problem.

Even if there are paid reviewers maliciously inflating the scores, it doesn't matter, since the system can block these reviews and only leave the ratings from genuine moviegoers.

Looking at the time, Lu Ze saw that Wang Zixuan had already knocked on the door. He picked up his suitcase, called Song Qingmin, told him that he was leaving, checked out of the hotel, and then took a taxi to Xiangjiang Airport.

After getting his boarding pass, Lu Ze was waiting for his flight in the waiting room when he suddenly heard someone in the distance saying "Brother Long" in Cantonese. He didn't realize for a moment that the person was calling him, and was still sitting on the chair, charging his phone and playing with it. By the time Lu Ze realized what was happening, he was already surrounded by a lot of people.

"Brother Long, could you please sign your autograph?"

A young man in his twenties ran over, looking quite excited. Lu Ze guessed that he probably didn't know his name, but only remembered what role he played after watching the movie.

Because of his shouts, many people walked towards Lu Ze and started asking him for autographs.

Lu Ze didn't refuse. He asked Wang Zixuan to help organize things and started signing autographs for the fans. There was an interesting phenomenon: those who left immediately after getting the autographs were definitely from Hong Kong, while those who stayed to talk to Lu Ze, take photos, and film videos were definitely from mainland China.

It's not that mainland movie fans are clingy, it's just that Hong Kong people are too indifferent. Some people living in mainland cities always complain that city people are too cold, that's because you haven't been to Hong Kong.

Living in a coffin-like room for too long can make a person numb and cold-blooded. In Hong Kong, the elderly are still okay, but most young people are living numbly.

Lu Ze wasn't one to act like a big shot. He wasn't annoyed by the twenty-odd men and women surrounding him. After chatting with them for a while, he heard the airport announcement and got up to say goodbye.

Goodbye, Lu Ze! Take care of yourself and good luck with your filming!

Goodbye, Brother Ze! I'll definitely go support your new movie!

"Drive safely! Keep going!"

Seeing these bright, smiling faces from the mainland, Lu Ze thanked them, got up to board the plane, and was filled with emotion.

Only when you truly experience how cold a city can be can you appreciate how warm your own city can be.

Enough said, I'm going back to Beijing to eat braised pork offal and lamb spine hot pot.

"."

I slept for two hours at my computer desk again, and I feel terrible. I'm so sorry everyone!

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(End of this chapter)