New Age Artists

Chapter 546 I remain unmoved!

2 month 28 day.

"Inception" was released for fourteen days and the box office exceeded 1 billion, and the box office in Asia was close to 1.3 billion.

The sky was filled with fire.

In China, Japan, Siam, and Singapore are extremely popular.

The share prices of Santong Entertainment and Jiahe both soared.

These days, Shen Santong realized that he had made a mistake and had made similar mistakes before.

Fortunately, I adjusted myself.

Once again accepted an exclusive interview with CCTV.

The interviewer is Chai Jing.

Xiao Cui took half a step forward, but Chai Jing took a complete step forward.

Even if we oppose it, we still have to make Chinese programs.

These people in the West are too stingy.

When the dog is hungry, not only is there no dog food, but you have to bring your own dog food.

Of course, that’s the future, and Chai Jing hasn’t left yet.

If you don't know what she will be like in the future, just looking at her current resume, she is very outstanding.

Growing up in a family of teachers, he dreamed of becoming a radio host, and he realized his dream.

In 95, he joined Hunan Literature and Art Radio Station, and in 98, he studied television editing at Beijing Broadcasting Institute.

Half a year later, he worked as a reporter for "Sanlian Life Weekly" and then joined Hunan TV as a host.

In 01, after graduating from Beijing Broadcasting Institute, he joined Oriental Horizon as a reporter and host.

In April 03, he served as a reporter for CCTV's "News Investigation" program and participated in the SARS coverage, becoming one of the first reporters to conduct in-depth interviews on the front line of SARS.

He was also the first reporter to report on SARS at close range.

He entered the isolation area six times over three consecutive days to interview and report on SARS patients at close range.

If the person were gone now, it would be considered an honor.

The interview took place on the top floor of Santong Building.

Chai Jing asked: "Hello Director Shen, shall we start now?"

Shen Santong nodded: "Okay."

Chai Jing came prepared.

The purpose of the last interview was not achieved, including the exclusive interview with the Flower Society, which did not achieve the expected results.

Shen Santong's answer was not what they wanted. Shen Santong always argued with them and gave irrelevant answers.

In the last "Face to Face" interview, Shen Santong did not recognize the distinction between art films and commercial films, did not care about media criticism, and even turned the tables.

The conclusion is "only talk but no action, only criticism but no construction, only deconstruction but no construction, only demand but no creation of value, only play word games but no logic."

Chai Jing always believes in the power of the media, the power of media reporting, and the role of media criticism.

In a sense, this is the meaning of her "existence", at least the meaning of her professional existence.

The Flower Society’s interview went even further, wanting to use the film to “establish their words” and prove their “immortality”.

The feudal era has long passed, but Shen Santong still has feudal ideas in his mind.

In terms of achievements, Chai Jing admires Shen Santong.

But in terms of personal thoughts and ideas, Chai Jing believed that there was something wrong with Shen Santong, a big problem.

Chai Jing congratulated, “Congratulations on the success of the movie.”

Shen Santong: "Thank you."

Chai Jing: "Inception is your eighth film. Your film production model is completely different from other directors. Will you adopt Director Cameron's suggestions?"

Shen Santong: "From the production cycle point of view, it is not fast. Generally, it takes more than one year in the later stage. I just have a good team to realize my ideas."

Chai Jing: “Both parts of Red Cliff were hits overseas, The Shallows also achieved good results, and Inception became a phenomenal work popular throughout Asia.

"The film is full of Chinese culture and traditional Chinese culture elements. Red Cliff is a traditional historical story, of course, and Inception also contains many traditional ideas."

"Audiences in Hongzi, Siam, Singapore, and Annan followed our story, and the royal family of Siam even went shopping with Inception-related pendants."

"How did you do it?"

Shen Santong understood the other party's guidance, but he did not agree with this perspective.

To put it bluntly, interviewing Shen Santong is a mission, and his films are very penetrating.

Then, the leaders of the interview units also had their own ideas.

I hope Shen Santong will endorse the relevant route.

Chai Jing also asked questions in this direction.

The question revolves around whether foreigners view Chinese culture with positive emotions.

Neither Chai Jing nor her unit are actually interested in Shen Santong's film or his views.

What is interesting is to simply and crudely tie together the sudden emergence of Shen Santong and the spread of Chinese culture overseas.

Proving the future, the most influential products that Tongji University exports to the world are not tangible objects such as clothes, shoes, color TVs, and cars, but Chinese culture.

From this perspective, foreigners are interested in and like Chinese traditional culture.

The last time we interviewed was when Red Cliff (Part 1) was gradually released in Asia. It was also this: a historical film from the University of Tokyo that promoted traditional culture and therefore received unanimous praise from foreigners.

There is an underlying logic here: Chinese traditional culture is good. As long as we vigorously export Chinese traditional culture, it will inevitably be recognized and praised by foreigners.

Chai Jing's unit and the propaganda department he represents have KPIs for promoting traditional culture, and making traditional culture go global is a very important KPI.

What is the implementation idea?
Hold evening parties abroad, spend money to get on the big screen of newspapers like the New York Times, sing some Peking Opera, and have the audience who gave them tickets applaud sparsely from the audience, and shoot a clip to be reported on the news.

Build another Confucius Institute.

You spend money and smile along, and the effect can be said to be zero, but it is almost zero.

This routine will continue in the future.

Starting from Red Cliff (Part 1), Shen Santong gradually became a great director. In Inception, the "stealing" in Inception came from historical figures, and the protagonist inherited the art from the Sleeping Immortal Chen Tuan.

A play made local actors superstars, and the surrounding cultural symbols became high-end symbols.

Not only did it make a lot of money abroad, with domestic box office soaring, it was also a huge hit overseas.

If this is not a victory for traditional culture, then what is a victory for traditional culture?
Does Shen Santong agree with this logic?
Of course he doesn't agree!

"Inception is an organic combination of modern culture and traditional culture. From the story to the setting, for example, the protagonist sleeps under a national flag blanket, which are all very modern ideas."

"We have achieved such success because the story is relatable. During the 98 financial crisis, everyone else was robbed except us."

"It's only been less than two years since the 08 financial crisis, so this story fits the times."

"It is natural to resist external robbery and not want to suffer a second time."

"The movie must be good to look at first. If it's not good, people won't watch it at all."

"Similarly, to promote traditional culture, we must have a good carrier and work hard on empathy and expression."

Chai Jing smiled: "This is inconsistent with our thinking. Isn't it a bit extreme?"

Shen Santong: "Where is it extreme?"

Chai Jing: "Using film techniques to stir up the audience's emotions is neither moderate nor peaceful."

Shen Santong: "My story is fictional, but it is not exaggerated at all, so how can it be called extreme?"

"Take Japan for example. The Plaza Accord caused the loss of twenty years. What was the situation in Southeast Asia and East Asia in 98?"

"Among the Four Little Dragons, apart from Hong Kong Island which has the protection of the mainland, is there any good one?"

"What is the situation now in 08?"

"The 08 financial crisis was global in nature and more serious. The reason why it did not affect all Asian countries like the 98 financial crisis was because there was a glimmer of hope."

"Our economic strength has increased. We are a stabilizer, stabilizing one side and injecting momentum."

"Is it true? My movie is not exaggerated at all."

Chai Jing felt as disgusted as if he had eaten a fly.

Shen Santong was too difficult to deal with. He finally understood Dong Qian's pain and stopped agreeing with her.

Chai Jing cut off the topic and asked, "Hollywood's internationally renowned director Nolan also has a dream-themed movie that will be released this summer."

"Have you seen the trailer? Does it have any similarities to your movie?"

Shen Santong: "I'm not sure. For the movie Inception, I had similar ideas in Happy Birthday 2, and they are reflected in the movie."

"For this purpose, I purchased the adaptation rights of the anime "Paprika"."

Chai Jing was very aggressive: "You are very good at borrowing. Did you also borrow 3D film technology from Director Cameron? He was the first to do it?"

Shen Santong corrected: "3D movies have been around for a long time. Also, when naked-eye 3D was launched and Red Cliff (Part ) was released, some media outlets were saying that we can't overtake others on the curve."

"You have to slow down on curves, speeding up will cause an accident, and technology is useless."

"After the release of Avatar, 3D technology suddenly became more advanced and all the noise disappeared."

"So, the technology developed by Dongda people is not called technology. Only what Xiao Mi developed can be called high technology."

“This behavior.”

Shen Santong muttered a few words, grinned and shook his head.

The contempt is self-evident.

Shen Santong understood why some technologies in later generations gave people the impression that Xiaomi was the one who did it, and then Dongda followed behind.

It's pitiful, otherwise there would be no attention.

The Boston robot dog was created by splicing a video together, and a bunch of media outlets praised it, but no one questioned it.

Whenever the University of Tokyo comes up with a concept, it will definitely attract attacks from farmed animals.

Without giving Chai Jing a chance to change the subject, Shen Santong continued, "I envy Cameron. Take Avatar for example. Everyone accepts this story."

"What is the prototype of the sacred tree in Avatar? It is the North American fir tree. One of our professors said that Avatar is a satire on the demolition of Dongda University. I really admire that."

"From the Sitka cedar trees, we can tell what the story of Avatar is all about."

"The height of the North American cedar tree can be over 100 meters, about 30 to 40 stories high. The Indians call this tree a sacred tree."

"For thousands of years, worship has continued and the protection has been good."

"Since the Omi people arrived, they have been drilling holes in trees like this to allow carriages to pass, partly to get angry with the Indians and partly for their own bad taste."

"You even took photos to show off. What a bad taste! They've lived here for years, and you ruined it."

"Avatar is a pure celebration of a funeral, beautifying the bad things. The gods came down to earth to save the indigenous people. The Indians were living well back then, so who slaughtered them?"

"I envy Cameron. No one questions this kind of story. Everyone accepts his story."

Chai Jing couldn't maintain his smile.

Shen Santong is not a good person and likes to attack others.

Chai Jing asked: "Have you never thought about your own problems?"

Shen Santong: "What?"

Chai Jing: "The setting of the movie Inception is a force that does not exist in reality. It is impossible to have such a dream."

Shen Santong was stunned: "You think too highly of me. I am a director, not a god. I cannot create a real world."

Chai Jing: "It is best for movies to criticize reality and reflect real problems. This is the power of movies. Do you never care about these things?"

Shen Santong: "I don't like to torture myself. Have you seen Liu Qian's magic show at the Spring Festival Gala?"

Chai Jing: “Does this have anything to do with the movie?”

Shen Santong: "Since last year, some people have been declassifying it, and some even say that Dong Qing is a spy."

"It's normal to be curious about the secrets of magic, but it's abnormal and unhealthy to keep chasing after them."

“When a magician performs magic tricks, it is definitely not magic.”

"Liu Qian is a master in the field of magic, a person who has reached the pinnacle of a field. It's boring and disappointing to keep trying to decipher his magic." Chai Jing: "You said he is a master?"

Shen Santong: "Technically, absolutely. I have a play where I will invite him to be a magic consultant. I have communicated with him. We are climbing in our respective fields and have had similar experiences of honing and improving our own skills."

Chai Jing and Shen Santong found some common topics: "I have the same problem, how to control the rhythm and how to choose the topic, and I have different understandings at different stages."

Shen Santong: "It is not a good practice to reveal the secrets of magic. Magic is all about performance. A good magic trick is beautiful. Even if you know the principle but don't perform it well, it is not beautiful either."

"Why not enjoy it? The same is true for watching movies. Going to the cinema is a consumption behavior, not to find a teacher, let alone to find a father for yourself."

"It's a form of entertainment. If a viewer goes to the cinema to find faults with a movie, I think that's a problematic mentality and it's best to adjust it."

"If it's my fault that the camera is out of place, the technique is not good, the audience can't get into the movie, and the audience can't have a good viewing experience, or the actors are not trained well, then it's my fault."

"But if you insist on questioning the film's setting and dwelling on the underlying logic, you are torturing yourself."

Chai Jing: "You have been trying to please the audience. In your heart, is the box office so important?"

Shen Santong was confused again: "The production cost of "Inception" is over 100 million yuan. Do you think it's just a game?"

Chai Jing also realized that he had asked a stupid question.

But Shen Santong’s attitude is a bigger problem. Is it necessary to keep holding on to it and mocking him?
Chai Jing: "You don't care about awards, and you don't have any ideas about art. What do you think is the meaning of movies?"

Shen Santong: "What's the point? It's too empty."

"I have always said that movies are expensive. They are very expensive. Take the so-called art films for example. One movie costs millions."

“With digitalization, if a movie doesn’t have an audience, it’s really just digital garbage.”

Chai Jing: "So in your opinion, only movies with high box office are good movies?"

Shen Santong asked back: "Would you ask Cameron or Spielberg this kind of question?"

"If you ask a Hollywood director of any standing to answer this question, will they respond?"

"If you ask people such ridiculous questions, they will think you are a fool."

Chai Jing: "Well, if there is a chance, I will."

Shen Santong: "You won't ask them, because this question is boring, and they will not even bother to look at it."

Chai Jing's mentality exploded. Shen Santong was too contemptuous.

Shen Santong explained: "I am not targeting you, but I am saying that this set of standards is problematic in my opinion."

"In Hollywood, box office is the first and only criterion."

“No matter how great a director is, if a super production fails, he or she will only get a second chance unless he or she has a strong network.”

"I'm not a Jewish gang, a New York gang, or an Italian gang. It will be very difficult to make a comeback. I need to return to independent films and prove myself with a small or medium-budget movie."

“Only after you prove yourself can you return to the mainstream circle.”

"They don't have the idea that 'business' and 'art' are so opposite to each other, that art is noble and non-art is low-end."

"These dogmas, like chains, have trapped us and locked up the hearts of us filmmakers."

Shen Santong raised his hand and placed it on top of his head.

"Hollywood can move forward at this level, hold its head high, and tell stories without anyone subconsciously questioning or undermining them."

“There won’t be an overwhelming wave of denial.”

Shen Santong put his hands down and placed them under the stool, very low.

“We filmmakers need to fight against things that don’t need to be fought and don’t exist at this level.”

"Art, self, criticism, scrutiny. These chains corrode the hearts of filmmakers like a raging fire, burning them and causing them to have all kinds of concerns."

"It restricts us so much that we have no way to explore our stories."

"Take comedy for example. If the audience laughs, they feel that their money is worth spending. The theater producers can also earn income, and the director and other creative people can have a relatively good income."

“But directors who come from academia tend to avoid comedy themes.”

“Only those who cross borders and want to prove themselves are willing to film.”

"It's not just comedies, warm feature films don't require great technology either, but I've seen a lot of films directed by professional directors that lack warmth and generally subconsciously focus on the margins, the incompleteness, and all the misfortunes."

"They are like people trapped in a jar. The feeling of suffocation makes people angry at their lack of resistance and sad at their misfortune."

Chai Jing: "If society only has one voice, that would be terrible."

Shen Santong: "The key is the degree. The current trend is not about us, but people have already beaten us to the doorstep and even in the bedroom."

"First we doubt ourselves, then we hate ourselves, then we hurt ourselves, and finally we commit suicide."

"Amid the clamor of 'self-doubt, self-hatred, self-mutilation, and suicide,' a normal person seems out of place."

"It's not our fault, let us take the blame. Shark fin? It's not our fault, let us take the blame!"

"Carbon emissions? They emitted them first! We support their lives, Xiao Mi and Xiou, and we still have to accept blackmail!"

"We have done good things, but we cannot talk about it? In today's world, who is exporting stability and who is providing development opportunities? It's us!"

Chai Jing changed the subject: "Let's talk about this."

Shen Santong interrupted directly: "My story is very ordinary. What is the story of "Avatar"? It is to whitewash its own history and make something out of nothing."

"The massacre was filmed as a rescue! Who said there was something wrong with it?"

"What is it like now? Take the Third World for example. They are having a hard time due to the financial crisis."

"There has always been a stereotype that the third world is backward and barbaric, but in fact they are also flesh and blood."

"Some people in the West actively collude with small countries through various NGOs, saying with sweet words that they have a batch of obsolete machines to sell, and then let the small countries spend money to support the technical talents provided by the West. When the machines are shipped, they are directly destroyed and turned into a pile of scrap metal."

"The contract we signed is to sue someone else on their territory. They use these despicable means to restrict the industrialization of the Third World. They won't even let you build a steel furnace."

"Not only that, they also use so-called 'technical talents', further wasting money and time."

"It's so bad, do you think it's the end?"

"No, there are even more ruthless things, political changes!"

"Creating an internal traitor can destroy a country's development from within, which is much more harmful than external damage."

"We are the only ones in the world who are willing to eliminate obsolete production capacity and give it to the third world."

"Some African countries don't even have mining equipment. One kilogram of uranium, radioactive elements, and precious metals costs about the same as pork."

"Do you think that's enough? You still have to deposit the money in a designated bank. If you want to develop and build roads and schools, you have to write applications and reports."

“The carbon tax is now introduced to collect protection fees from developing countries!”

“It is no exaggeration to say that the morality and future of mankind rests with us.”

"This is the truth. When I was filming Inception, I was afraid that it would cause too much controversy, so I was very restrained."

"Our culture is so weak that it's hard to understand!"

Shen Santong knew very well that it would be the same in the future.

"Wolf Warrior 2" is so radical and it's so blackened.

In the real world, the students of Dongda University can take photos together with the "rebels" who are hostile to the so-called "civilized" world.

why?
Because people are all made of flesh and blood, they also want to develop.

If you want to develop, there is only one way, namely, Dongda University.

Only Dongda is willing to sell them the unused and obsolete production capacity.

In later generations, even the electricity used was photovoltaic panels that were eliminated by the photovoltaic industry of Dongda University.

Gaza can send out videos because of these photovoltaic panels.

The light of humanity, truly.

Chai Jing felt very uncomfortable listening to this: "Do you know what will happen to the Earth if the temperature rises by two degrees?"

Shen Santong: "What model do you want? I'll have someone write one for you right away."

Chai Jing: "What do you mean?"

Shen Santong: "This is just made up, a computer model. Just like war games, you can get any result you want. It's a pity that I don't have a Western loudspeaker."

Chai Jing’s mentality almost collapsed.

Shen Santong is talking nonsense!

However, she saw the producer outside the venue and greeted her, reminding her that the topic had gone off track.

Chai Jing suppressed his anger and asked: "Will you continue to inject more traditional culture into your next play?"

Shen Santong reluctantly stressed: "The fundamental purpose of promoting culture is to compete for the right to speak in the cultural field."

"The scripted version of Inception is more biased towards the scripted perspective, the importance of the scripted actors is greatly enhanced, and the pace is also slower."

“In the Siamese version, I increased the roles of local actors.”

“Chinese culture is not China’s culture, but the stories we tell and the cultural thinking we reflect.”

"Movies are just carriers. TV series can be carriers, and games can also be carriers."

"The carrier of culture is the 'tool', and what is contained in it is the 'Tao', the law of survival on this land."

Chai Jing dug a hole: "Your company also has a gaming business. Don't you think game addiction is a problem? Or is it deliberately created in order to make money?"

Shen Santong expressed his thoughts: "I don't have such big ambitions."

Chai Jing: "What ambition?"

Shen Santong: "Just like the distinction between film art and business, they want to control everything."

"Hollywood movies are eyeing more imports. If we want to define movies, we must first define Hollywood."

"It's the same with games. When we talk about games, we're talking about addiction. External game companies also want to conquer the market, so they also need to be managed."

"If we don't manage this together, this is tantamount to suicide."

"There is a lot of ambition behind these ideas. Is there only one Todai in the world? Haha, I don't have such big ambitions."

Chai Jing was taken aback and felt that Shen San's words were not good: "What is the movie in your mind?"

Shen Santong: "Movies are just movies, and art is art. I am a rational, neutral, and objective person. I am just a filmmaker. Whatever opinions you have, that's what they are."

Chai Jing couldn't hold back: "You said before that it was irrational, neutral, and objective."

Shen Santong: "I'm talking about my personality. My personality is very clear. You're asking about movies. My movies are all about reason."

"Movies are movies, and I don't make comments about society easily."

Looking at Shen Santong's serious face, Chai Jing understood what shamelessness meant.

Chai Jing: "You still don't care about criticism?"

Shen Santong: "That's not criticism, that's fun. The more they lose control, the more uncomfortable they are. The more uncomfortable they are, the happier I am."

Hearing this, Chai Jing tried to control his expression: "What are your plans next?"

Shen Santong: "In a few days, I and several committees will jointly propose a bill to ban official banquets and shark fin consumption."

Chai Jing was defeated: "Didn't you just say that you don't participate in social issues? You have criticized the shark fin advertisement, right?"

Shen Santong laughed happily, not hiding his thoughts: "There is nothing wrong with protecting sharks, but there is something bad hidden in it."

"'If the enemy goes, I can go too', of course we must take back the lost right to speak."

The interview ends.

Chai Jing was cracked and very unhappy.

Shen Santong smiled and held out his hand: "Ms. Chai, your interview skills are very high."

He was very happy.

The new round of public opinion storm disturbed him, but fortunately he did not get caught up in it.

Confrontation and consumption, one of the tasks of Western farming, is affected, which means being deceived.

The right thing to do is just do your own thing and watch these people die.

As I said, the goal has been set, and we must take big strides, overcome all difficulties and move forward firmly.

Even though the livestock are besieging me with thousands of weapons, I remain unmoved!

(End of this chapter)