Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 521 Another Spray

At the end of November, Zhang Chen took Fan Xiaopang to participate in many programs. "Pacific Rim" has reached the final stage of promotion and it is necessary to increase its exposure.

The program he participated in today is called "Kefan Listens", Dragon TV's ace talk show. There are actually many similar programs, such as "Luyu Has an Appointment", "Art Life" and "Yang Lan Interview". Zhang Chen has been on all of them in the past two days.

"Director Zhang, is it tiring to promote the movie?"

"It's OK. Actually, it's OK to do programs. Most of the programs I participate in are talk shows. It's OK to just sit and chat. It's just that flying back and forth every day is a bit tiring."

As usual, when the show starts, there is some small talk to let the guests relax and gradually get into the mood.

"I am really looking forward to Pacific Rim. In fact, it's not just me. Many of my male colleagues in the production team are looking forward to it and are waiting to see it on the 7th..."

The host was very supportive and kept giving us topics to talk about, even mentioning Pacific Rim on his own initiative.

"You can go and watch it on the 7th. I can guarantee with my reputation that the movie will definitely live up to the audience's expectations. Even if Pacific Rim is released in Hollywood, it will definitely be a top-tier movie..."

Zhang Chen spoke with full confidence, saying that it was a huge project worth $100 million, which would be an A-level production even in Hollywood.

"Come, let's enjoy the VCR first..."

The host pointed to the big screen and the picture immediately appeared on it.

In fact, the so-called VCRs are all official trailers.

The promotion has entered the final stage and trailers are now being released every day.

Of course, they are all very short, only about half a minute.

But after watching more than two dozen trailers, we can already piece together the basic story.

"The mechas we know about so far are Storm Red, Cherno Alpha, and Danger Ranger. Which one is your favorite?"

"Of course it's Storm Red. I think most people are like me. Putting aside nationality, Storm Red's aesthetics should be the closest to the Chinese aesthetics..."

The host didn't say anything, and there was applause from the audience.

"It seems that my guess was right. In fact, not only in China, but also in the United States, Storm Red is also the most popular. Even though they have their own dangerous wanderers, many people still like Storm Red..."

Zhang Chen's data comes from Warner Bros., and among the three mechas, Storm Red is indeed the most popular.

"According to the feedback we have collected from the audience, in addition to Storm Red, the thing that the audience is most curious about is the Panda Primordial. Director Zhang, can you tell us more about Primordial?..."

Even though the trailer has been aired for almost a month, there are very few shots of the prehistoric times.

Until now, Honghuang’s identity has not been revealed. Everyone knows that this panda exists, but no one can tell the specific situation.

Many people are asking about it, but Xingchen Entertainment refuses to disclose any information to the public.

This time is the same. Zhang Chen said: "I can't say too much about Honghuang. You should just go to the movie and watch it for yourself~
I can only tell you that I deliberately added Chinese elements to "Hong Huang". A blockbuster movie made by Chinese people should have more Chinese elements besides Chinese mecha.

Although Honghuang is not a mecha, it is very important in the entire series. Of course, whether there will be a sequel depends on the box office performance of the first film..."

“Is Pacific Rim a series?”

"Of course, when we make movies at Xingchen Entertainment, we always have a cosmic mindset."

"Then I will definitely watch it again to show my support, and the audience will definitely watch it again to show their support."

After the host finished speaking, the audience below cheered.

Zhang Chen quickly stood up and bowed: "Thank you all for your support."

The atmosphere was very relaxed, and the host continued to ask questions: "I heard that Director Zhang once boasted that Pacific Rim would break the record of large ships..."

Zhang Chen nodded affirmatively: "Yes. The fact that Big Ship was able to create a record of 3.6 million box office revenue back then had a lot to do with the scarcity of special effects at that time. Domestic audiences had never seen such a shocking scene, and Universal spent a lot of money on publicity, which created a box office miracle.

The special effects of the current Pacific Rim are even better than those of the big ship, and the mechas are a type that has never appeared before, so I am very confident..."

Zhang Chen listened with full confidence, as if it was a done deal.

Movie box office numbers are a very evil thing. Sometimes you just have to inflate them as much as you can, and they'll get higher and higher.

If you are humble, the audience and theaters will think you have no confidence.

If you don't have confidence in yourself, it's even less likely that others will support you.

However, Zhang Chen doesn't need to worry about this.

He is now the number one director in the country. As long as his works are released, the theaters are like picking up money with their eyes closed.

We have never been stingy with scheduling films, and always give them top priority.

"Director Zhang, aren't you worried about the success of Transformers? They are both similar in genre, and Transformers also had very high box office results..."

"No no no..."

Zhang Chen shook his head repeatedly: "If you have watched Pacific Rim, you will know that Transformers and Pacific Rim are completely different. Transformers are about intelligent life, while Pacific Rim is about mechas. The core of Pacific Rim is still a story about humans fighting monsters, and mechas are just an extension of the human body..."

We talked a lot about Pacific Rim, and the audience listened with great interest.

It is quite interesting to listen to director Zhang Chen talk about "Pacific Rim", and I can learn a lot of stories that are not made public.

After chatting for a while, the host suddenly changed the topic.

"Some netizens speculated that you targeted The Promise some time ago in order to clear obstacles for Pacific Rim..."

Zhang Chen shook his head slightly: "Of course not."

He would never admit to such a thing even if he died.

“When Pacific Rim was released, Lust, Caution had already been released for more than a month and did not pose any threat to Pacific Rim.

Moreover, even if we want to clear the obstacles, "Assembly" is the biggest obstacle, and I have never said a bad word about "Assembly"..."

Zhang Chen is a very particular person.

Doesn’t he have any negative information about “Assembly”? Of course he does!
The movie was adapted from the novel "The Lawsuit", which was recommended to Xiao Gangpao by Zhang Guoli.

The focus of the novel is on Guzidi's process of winning the title of martyr for his subordinates.

The movie made a change and focused on 'deception'.

Their superiors deceived Guzidi and sent them to their deaths.

This shows that the little cannon is just pretending to know what he doesn't.

He didn't believe that anyone could die bravely, so he made up this plot.

In fact, it is completely unnecessary.

In that special era, the strongest light infantry on the earth, equipped with thoughts, would not retreat even if faced with a mission that meant they would die.

Even in the army, the spearhead regiment is often a voluntary recruitment.

He just smoked a cigarette and drank a bowl of wine and then he got into trouble.

Even if the team leader told Guzidi explicitly that this was a mission that meant he would die, Guzidi would still accept the mission and carry it out resolutely.

Because he is a soldier.

To some extent, Feng Xiaogang and Li Amin are doing the same thing, which is deconstruction.

However, Zhang Chen did not scold him. People have already given you their schedule, so there is no need to hold on to it.

Zhang Chen thought the host was just casually mentioning "Lust, Caution", but he didn't expect the other party to suddenly say: "Today, we are very fortunate to have invited Mr. Li Min, the director of "Lust, Caution". Director Li is the best director of art films, and Director Zhang is the best director of commercial films. I wonder what the collision of the two directors will be like..."

Zhang Chen was stunned, and then he saw Li Amin appear from another passage and walk onto the stage.

For a moment, all cameras focused on the two of them.

What the hell~
Zhang Chen suddenly came to his senses and realized that he had been tricked by Dragon TV.

The other party's promise to promote the movie was false, and the real thing was that he wanted me to have a face-to-face quarrel with Li Amin.

In an instant, the way he looked at the host changed.

The host pretended to be calm and turned his head away: "Welcome Director Li~"

He led Li Amin to his seat and then spoke: "Director Zhang and Director Li are here today. It just so happens that the two of you had different opinions on Lust, Caution a few days ago. Why don't we discuss it today..."

Zhang Chen ignored him and interrupted him directly: "Sorry, this doesn't seem to be consistent with the script we discussed before~"

As he said this, he looked at the program director in the audience. There was obvious pride on the other person's face, but now it turned into panic.

"I'm sorry, Director Zhang. We also received a last-minute notice and learned that Director Li is willing to talk face to face..."

The director was still telling clumsy lies, and Zhang Chen interrupted him again: "Is it temporary? Director Li Amin, may I ask, how did they notify you of this program?"

"Uh~"

Li Min didn't expect the topic to suddenly fall on him. After a moment of surprise, he replied, "I didn't receive any notice before I came here that I would meet Director Zhang..."

Well, it turns out that both sides are cheating~
The little bit of goodwill that was created at the beginning because the host kept passing on the topic was gone.

"To the production team of Kefan Listening, I think your behavior is very low and disrespectful to me and Director Li Min, so let's end today's show here..."

Zhang Chen stood up and wanted to leave, which made the host and the program director very anxious.

The host was already incoherent and kept apologizing, but Zhang Chen didn't listen at all.

"Xiao Zhang, let's go..."

Zhang Chen asked his assistant to leave, leaving the host, the program director and Li Amin looking at each other.

The audience at the scene was also dumbfounded.

This is the first time I've encountered such a situation. I guess it's a performance accident.

The program director called out and hurriedly chased after him, trying to make a final attempt to keep him.

About two minutes later, Zhang Chen came back.

It was not because the program director wanted to keep him, but because he suddenly thought that it would be easier if he left today, but he would wonder what people would say about it.

Throwing away big names?
Or is Zhang Chen afraid of Li Amin?

As soon as Li Amin appeared, Zhang Chen left in shame.

He never overestimates the moral integrity of media people, because they are really capable of doing such things.

Walking back to the studio, Zhang Chen said to the audience: "I left because the production team was too disrespectful to me and actually adopted this approach."

Without waiting for the director to explain, Zhang Chen continued, "I came back because the audience on the scene are innocent. They took leave and squeezed out time to participate in this program. My departure will definitely cause trouble to them.

In addition, I think everyone would also like to see a face-to-face conversation between me and Director Li Min, so I will satisfy everyone."

After these words, he gained both substance and reputation, and the audience burst into applause.

As for the director, as long as there are no shooting accidents, he can no longer care about other things. The program returned to normal, and the host was about to speak, but Zhang Chen interrupted again: "Xiao Chen, use your DV to record it. I don't trust them anymore. There is no guarantee that they won't play tricks when editing. Let's keep an original copy for ourselves. If there is any dispute, the audience here will testify for me..."

Zhang Chen said it openly, and the audience responded with a chorus of approval:

"Okay, Director Zhang~"

"no problem."

Now, the program crew is at a loss as to what to say.

Zhang Chen signaled that he could continue. The host looked at Li Amin again before speaking again.

"Some time ago, Director Li's Lust, Caution was released and was severely criticized by Director Zhang. The two of you are here today, so why don't you talk about this movie and why it caused such a big disagreement between the two great directors..."

The host is a good talker and he even discussed the differences. Isn't it just for us to have a live PK?
Maybe they will have to fight soon.

"Then let's discuss the first controversial point, which is whether those sex scenes are necessary~"

Li Amine obviously had a plan for this problem.

“Regarding those scenes, whether they are art or the absurdity of the flow of desire, I think this is a matter of opinion.

Let me talk about my original intention. The six sex scenes represent the six games between Wang Jiazhi and Mr. Yi. This is a process of psychological transformation of the character. Without these six scenes, the character would be very fragmented and the transformation would not seem real..."

Li Amin spoke very fluently, always with a smile on his face and in a gentle tone.

Zhang Chen noticed the other person's tone and demeanor, which sounded like a modest gentleman.

At this moment, Li Amin definitely did not look like someone who was shooting an adult film.

At the same time, Zhang Chen secretly warned himself: "The other party's attitude is so gentle, so I must not take an aggressive attitude, otherwise, I will become a villain."

"Director Li just said something very well, different people have different opinions, and your understanding is fine, but it is undeniable that many people watch Lust, Caution for those passionate scenes...

Is it because Lust, Caution was criticized in China that it was not good? It was because of the cut scenes.

From a director's perspective, I don't think those sex scenes are essential. There are many ways to promote character transformation, why must sex scenes be used?

Moreover, even if everyone is attracted by the story at the beginning, as soon as the sex scene starts, they will be immediately distracted. This is human instinct. People will not think about the meaning behind it, but will only focus on those actions..."

puff~
Someone in the audience couldn't help but burst out laughing.

The laughter soon spread to others and turned into a roar of laughter.

Li Amin was not annoyed and still had a smile on his face.

"In fact, I think that everyone has been focusing on those sex scenes, which is very unfair to the actress. She has made a lot for art, and she still has to endure everyone's critical eyes..."

Zhang Chen was speechless. Wasn’t this situation caused by you?

You yourself said in an interview that whether Ms. Tang can get married in the future depends on her luck.

How come you turn around and pretend to be a good person here?

"If you say it's unfair, it's indeed a little unfair."

Zhang Chen decided to talk about it in a proper way: "Tony Leung Chiu-wai was fine after filming Lust, Caution, but Tang Wei was scolded to the sky. This is really unfair.

The most annoying thing is that the Hong Kong media praised Tony Leung’s breakthrough acting skills. I heard that Carina Lau came out of the cinema with a gloomy face halfway through the movie…”

Boom~
The audience burst into laughter again.

Zhang Chen also laughed, and he tried his best to say it in a humorous tone so that he would appear non-aggressive.

It is true that Tony Leung Chiu-wai was praised for his improved acting skills, but as you can tell from the wording, it was more of a joke.

“Speaking of fairness, I think it’s very unfair to other domestic directors.

The same thing, if you are an internationally renowned director and add a little bit, it becomes art.

If other directors add it, it will be level three.

But no one can compare to the directors from the island countries in this regard, they add plots.”

Boom~
The crowd burst into laughter again. This time, even Li Min couldn't remain humble and his face turned dark.

The host was afraid of something unexpected happening, so he immediately changed the subject: "I think the biggest controversy about Lust, Caution is not here, but Director Zhang's point about 'insulting martyrs and glorifying traitors'. Does Director Li have anything to say about this..."

Li Amin also said: "I think this is a bit of an over-interpretation. In fact, I don't mean that. What I want to express is the helplessness, pain and struggle of human nature in that era of social background..."

Seeing that everyone didn't believe him, he continued to explain: "I filmed Lust, Caution to save a piece of history that might be gradually forgotten by people, and to restore the broken mountains and rivers that the original author Eileen Chang personally experienced."

"I heard that everything in the movie was very elaborate..."

"Yes, the heavily guarded back alley that Mr. Yi entered and exited was the back alley of the residence of Li Shiqun, one of the leaders of the No. 76 secret service.

Shanghai Film Studio helped recreate the old streets of Shanghai. Even the building materials are real, and the two rows of plane trees on the street were planted one by one.

Mr. Yi's desk, including all the stationery on it and the cup, are all old items.

It has been verified that there is a statue of Zhong Kui in Mr. Yi's office, because at that time, spies would put a Zhong Kui in their office. "

"Why don't you study the story itself? The assassination of Ding Mocun by Zheng Pingru was not as described in the movie!"

“This is artistic processing~”

"Zheng Pingru's family would not think that Lust, Caution was an artistic manipulation after watching it.

Just like these opinions of mine, you don’t agree with them.

So, will they agree with you insulting their deceased relatives like this?

This is because Taiwan is not taking any action. Zheng Pingru was listed as one of the "Intelligence Model Figures" and is a hero. If the case is really investigated, what do you think you would do?
That special period is a scar in the hearts of all Chinese people. If you insist on uncovering the scar and even say, "Look, there are maggots inside," then don't blame the person whose scar is uncovered for cursing you.

You may not really care about these things, but your movies convey them strongly.

The film and television industry has a very special status in the country and has the responsibility to provide positive guidance.

This novel has a strong autobiographical quality. It's right for you to respect the original work, but you have to consider these things when choosing the subject matter.

If you insist on filming such a negative story, you should have foreseen this result.

I heard that the script of "Lust, Caution" was also in Jiang Wen's hands at the beginning. Why didn't he shoot it but you did?
They are all great directors, if he can see it, can't you see it?"

Zhang Chen said a lot in one breath because he was really angry.

Zhang's "Lust, Caution" was not originally considered a very successful novel because its values ​​of not distinguishing between right and wrong, loyalty and treachery were too shocking and not accepted by people.

But Li Min's movie made this "bad" novel appear in front of more people.

Moreover, some people really agree with it and think that it is right to do so.

This is the most terrible.

Therefore, film and television works still need to be reviewed.

Every time the review is relaxed, there will be a big mess.

"Lust, Caution" was taken off the shelves, and it's not unfair to Li Amin at all.

At the very least, there is a problem with his choice of topic, and it is even a problem specifically.

If you want to explore human nature, no one will bother you.

But you shouldn't set your story in that context, especially if there's a real prototype.

It would be fine if he wasn't a big director, but he is a big director with enough influence.

Another thing that Zhang Chen could not accept was the glorification of traitors.

In the novel, Mr. Yi is described as 'pale and handsome'.

The movie also inherited this feature, portraying the person who should have been a villain as gentle and refined.

This alone is enough to show that the butt is crooked.

Zhang Chen is very disgusted by this behavior.

In recent years, many people have challenged people's cognitive bottom line under the slogan of overturning history.

Qin Hui was not a national scum;

Hong Chengchou was not a traitor either. Not only was he not a traitor, he was also a hero of the great cause of national unification.
In fact, it is another form of deconstructing historical figures.

Zhang Chen felt that he was just bored.

Why do heroes exist in every society?
Because we need spiritual beliefs like heroes!

The Yang Family Generals, Yue Fei, Qi Jiguang, Zheng Chenggong...

A nation needs a soul.

Some people often say that Chinese people lack faith, unlike some foreigners who all believe in religion.

In fact, we are not without faith. We believe in ourselves and our heroes.

Every time the Chinese nation faces life and death, there will always be a hero who emerges to change the world and save the country from collapse.

Now let’s talk about those attempts to overturn a verdict.

Does it matter whether Qin Hui was loyal or treacherous?
unimportant!
What's important is that he knelt there to explain a truth to us -

Anyone who betrays his country and nation will be despised by all eternity.

No matter how high your position and power are during your lifetime, after your death you will be nailed to the pillar of shame in history and will never be able to turn over.

"Okay, let's not argue anymore. No one can convince anyone. You just said that the Taiwanese government will hold me accountable, but the fact is, they didn't. I think the mainland is still too conservative in the film and television industry..."

Zhang Chen was so angry that he laughed.

“America is not conservative, would you dare to film a story like this?

The core of "Lust, Caution" was transplanted to the European battlefield of World War II. It is about a Jewish woman who seduces a German officer, then gradually loses herself in the process of being seduced, and finally falls in love with a German.

It's not conservative over there, try it and see if they will ban you."

……

It’s the last day for double monthly tickets. I know it’s too late to ask, so please vote for me.

This is the first time since I started writing a book that I am close to reaching 1000 monthly votes.

There are still 58 chapters to go, it depends on you all!

Thanks, dumplings!

(End of this chapter)