New Age Artists

Chapter 600: My Own Audience Crowned Me
Shen Santong scolded Zhang Yimou and Zhang Weiping in person.

Cannot criticize publicly.

Zhang Yimou is a senior. Although Dongda University does not have the perverted culture of seniority and juniority between Japanese and Koreans, it also has the idea of ​​respecting the elderly.

As a director, Zhang Yimou has made remarkable achievements in both art films and commercial films of different eras, not to mention his contribution to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.

It's not that Shen Santong's opinion is right, it's just that he is correct.

In this day and age, Shen Santong sometimes doubts himself and wonders who has the problem.

Maybe audiences really just like his movies, not the ideas in them.

Shen Santong is also a normal person who needs to communicate and confide. Chen Chexi is a good communication partner with a certain vision.

In his previous life, "The Flowers of War" didn't even get an Oscar nomination. This time things have changed. He thinks it will at most get a nomination, but still won't win the award.

Shen Santong's judgment has its own basis: "Now the United States and Europe are having a hard time. The contradiction between the East and the West has replaced the contradiction between Europe and the United States. The two are in step with each other in targeting us, especially in terms of public opinion."

"G2 knows that they want to portray us as bullies. It's true that they tried very hard to lick our asses in The Flowers of War, but the direction was completely wrong."

Chen Chexi said: "According to what you said, I feel there are many contradictions."

Shen Santong smiled and said, "That's true. If we were really bullies, they wouldn't be able to stand it. We are in a rising period, and many of us are eager to make achievements."

"They require us to look like bullies, but not really be bullies. We must not fight back or say anything when they hit us, and just let them rob us."

"This is also the reason why I am struggling. To meet this requirement, a simple beast is not enough. Only a eunuch emperor is more suitable. Never mind how a eunuch can be the emperor without an heir. It doesn't matter whether it is reasonable or not. At least this can best meet the needs of the outside world."

"'The Flowers of War' follows the direction of the previous version, which is that we are sissies, feminine, and need to be conquered by the West, while they are masculine. The source is the theory of collapse."

"It's all about threats now. The version has been updated, but Zhang Yimou is still following past experience."

"In the general direction, there is only one loophole. The United States is guiding the filming of the Holocaust theme to remind us not to forget history and undermine cooperation with the book."

"But they still have their own demands. They want to monopolize the sympathy for the suffering of World War II. They will plug the loophole."

"In fact, Zhang Yimou has a better chance of making another 'Hero' than 'The Flowers of War', letting Zhao Gao be the emperor, called 'The Great Eunuch Emperor Zhao Gao'."

"We completely desecrated the best choice of our history at that time, the cultural treasure of great unity. If we act a little bit more perverse and fierce, and spend money on public relations, it won't be difficult to win an award."

Shen Santong does not produce films that have won foreign awards in his previous life because he does not have any luck in his mind.

The United States can win awards for its own films, and directors from other countries can win awards for their films, but when it comes to a film directed by a Tokyo resident, it will not win any awards.

The opening given by others is very strict, and the opening will become narrower and narrower.

The landlord has no food left.

Chen Chexi's eyes were dull: "Where are the movies? Where are the arts?"

I'm crazy. My artistic concept is shattered. As an actor, it's inevitable that I have some literary thoughts.

Now it feels like art has failed miserably.

According to Shen Santong, there was no film or art involved in the award-winning factors, only naked stereotypes and ideological requirements.

It cannot be said that movies are unimportant, but they are in a secondary position.

As long as a play is made at the right time and in the right place and caters to certain needs of the United States, it is easy to win an award. Otherwise, no matter how well it is made, it will have no chance of winning an award.

Chen Chexi was silent for a long time, then came to his senses: "You want us to be 'bad guys', but you also want us to be 'good guys', what kind of request is this? Is it so stupid?"

Shen Santong said: "It has always been like this. They want to transfer our industry out. They created the TPP. Isn't it just assuming that we won't bite? If they succeed, we won't resist. So they want to transfer the industry from our home to our doorstep."

".It's true." Chen Chexi was silent.

She hadn't thought about this, she just heard about the trade friction.

Come to think of it, it’s true.

This is a complete lack of faith in the strength of the Eastern Continental Army.

The industry has been destroyed and so many people have lost their jobs. How can we just sit there and wait for death?

This behavioral logic is inherently unsustainable and self-contradictory from the very beginning.

Shen Santong said: "Do you understand how difficult it is to be a dog?"

"It's not just Zhang Yimou, the Six Generations are the same, filming urban development issues, financial fraud, homosexuality, and thinking they are licking, but people don't accept this angle."

"We find The Flowers of War disgusting, and there are people out there who will also find it disgusting, thinking that you, Zhang Yimou, are trying to trick us, or are you still using the collapse theory? You are trying to fool us."

Shen Santong is not trying to win, win, win, but after developing to a certain scale and having more chips, many unfavorable things can be turned into advantages.

The biggest problem for people like Zhang Yimou is that they underestimate themselves.

These people are just like some people who think that Hollywood never looked down upon the Tokyo film market before "Avatar" 10 years ago.

Infinite self-deprecation.

In fact, the more you belittle yourself, the less need others will need to win you over and make concessions.

Zhang Yimou has international influence. At most, he is just wagging his tail, not kneeling down. He just passed the Cannes Film Festival that year.

The key is that Southeast University is developing rapidly. Even if the West does not support it, the East can.

International influence is not limited to the West. The East can also hold conferences and bring him along.

As the saying goes, if the enemy can go somewhere, I can go there too. His award-winning achievements are the best in Asia, and he even crushes Japan and South Korea. This is a fact.

No matter what Europe thought or what its motives were, this is the fact.

If Zhang Yimou uses his international influence to do something, someone will find a way to get him an Oscar or something.

Even if it is to get him back to his previous position, don't be so "extreme" as to stand on the side of Tokyo University.

This is the value of united front work.

The Oscars are not necessarily 100% certain, but the three major European organizations may be able to tame them.

Whoever gives you milk is your mother. With the rise of Dongda Capital, the three major film festivals have won many awards, and they can even win the Oscars.

Zhang Yimou followed suit and acted as a matchmaker. If someone like Jia Zhangke could start a film festival, what about Zhang Yimou?
It will become a window connecting European and American film art with the University of Tokyo, and then it will be the big daddy of European filmmakers and the big daddy of independent filmmakers in the United States.

The value of united front work is rising rapidly.

At this point, he has almost a 100% chance of winning the Oscar, and he can even try for the Best Director award. If he doesn't win it, he will still receive the Lifetime Achievement award, and it will be given to him politely.

Unfortunately, Zhang Yimou underestimated himself.

Regardless of the country's image presented to the outside world, the University of Tokyo is not fragile. When the country's strength goes up, even dissidents can play a certain positive role.

The biggest victim was himself. It was more inevitable than accidental that "The Great Wall" was his own choice.

With the support of Dongda Capital and the market, and his own status, he didn't even fight for the right to edit the film, being so "docile" to the point.

It's like this whether you give benefits or not, so why should you give benefits?
What if after you give him some benefits, he gets satisfied and stops kneeling? Wouldn't that be terrible?

Shen Santong gave a refreshing output.

Chen Chexi walked out of the room in a daze, and came into contact with the real world, feeling painful yet inexplicably happy.

November passed by quickly.

Zhang Yimou and his team visited the set of "Zhu Xian", and there was only the usual press release.

The press release also praised Shen Santong for his ability to explore different themes and have fun together.

It was as if the unpleasantness had never happened.

In November, Santong Entertainment’s main hit is “Love Is Not Blind 11”, which was not available in the previous life.

Continuing the tone of the first part, this is a light romantic comedy with witty remarks and literary quotes, “If You Are the One” for young people.

I asked Guo Jingming to help polish the lines.

He always made full use of Shen Santong's proposals, using whining and literary rhetoric to fill in the gaps, and Guo Xiaosi grabbed a handful of them.

Before Guo Jingming's name became a bad name, Shen Santong should have used him. Compared with some people in the circle, Guo Xiaosi was still okay.

The screenwriter and director are the same team as the first film, the husband and wife team of Bao Jingjing and Wang Ran.

Bao Jingjing has some level of screenwriting skills. Compared with the dialogues, the plot is not too important. It is enough to keep the plot at the level of a skit movie.

By grasping the key points, Feng's comedy for young people gets rid of the greasy taste of middle age and makes the audience laugh.

"Love Is Not Blind" targeted Double Eleven and made the release date on Singles' Day, becoming the forerunner of the Lunar New Year holiday, which in turn was the forerunner of the Spring Festival holiday.

The schedule division is becoming more and more detailed, rich and reasonable.

By the end of April.

Santong Entertainment has produced an unexpected comedy "I'm Not the Champion", a body-swap brain-opening movie starring Shen Teng and Ma Li.

Directors Yan Fei and Peng Damo are the directors of "Charlotte's Troubles" in the previous life. This play has never been seen in the previous life.

"I'm Not the Champion" relied on word of mouth, and its box office in the second week was even stronger than the first week, heading towards breaking 100 million yuan.

During the same period, "The Legend of the Hongmen Feast", which was released on November 11, was badly defeated.

"Legend of the Hongmen Feast" was directed by Li Rengang and starred Leon Lai and Zhang Hanyu, but it was overwhelmed by "I Am Not the Champion", a team with little fame from director to actors.

Shen Santong organized a viewing for the crew. I Am Not the Champion still has many immature parts, but it is good overall with lots of jokes.

The production cost of this play was less than 10 million yuan, and it achieved huge returns with a small cost.

As a result, Shen Teng and Ma Li also gained a lot of popularity in front of the audience.

With the rise of Santong Entertainment, more and more movies that had never existed in the past began to appear.

Directors, producers, stars, people who had never been heard of in the previous life appeared one after another.

In contrast, "The Legend of the Hongmen Feast" fails to capture the epic feeling of history.

The plot is that at the end of the Qin Dynasty, there was tyranny, rebellion broke out everywhere, and the world was in chaos. Xiang Yu and Liu Bang were fighting for supremacy.

Behind the two heroes, there was another person controlling the overall situation. He was King Huai of Chu who restored the country at the end of the Qin Dynasty. He secretly plotted to lure Xiang Yu and Liu Bang into fighting, hoping to profit from it. Unexpectedly, Xiang Yu and Liu Bang were stronger than him and became the host.

Xiang Yu failed to conquer the world because he was kind-hearted, while Liu Bang succeeded because he was cruel and ruthless.

There are no historical facts and no pattern.

12 month 10 day.

"Zhu Xian" was completed.

This is Shen Santong's fourteenth play and also the one that took the longest time to shoot.

Finishing the shooting is not the end, nor is it the end of a stage, it is even just the beginning.

The post-production determines the quality of the play.

After returning to BJ, Shen Santong took a good rest.

Eat what you should eat and drink what you should drink.

Eat glutinous rice balls, eat candy, drink honey, eat duck
Li Xiaolu asked Shen Santong to celebrate Christmas in advance and asked him to be Santa Claus. Shen Santong was very moved but refused. He has a bottom line!
Halfway through December, the biggest highlight of the Lunar New Year holiday has arrived, and a rare scene in film history has appeared.

Two big productions, "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" and "The Flowers of War", were released on the same day.

Press releases from both sides kept coming out.

"The Flowers of War" marketed Bale and hyped up the passionate scenes.

Zhang Yimou persuaded Bale to shoot passionate scenes three times.

When the first trailer was released, a passionate scene involving Bale caused a lot of controversy.

Although only a back shot was shown, it broke Bale's tradition of not shooting passionate scenes.

Zhang Weiping revealed that he asked Zhang Yimou to persuade Bale three times before convincing Hollywood's best supporting actor to give such a groundbreaking performance.

Zhang Wei commented that when Bale was first given the script, he refused the passionate scenes.

But he and Zhang Yimou both felt it was a pity because this passionate scene was a highlight of the film.

So, after the filming started, Zhang Weiping asked Zhang Yimou to talk to Bell about this matter again.

Bell still refused.

However, Zhang Weiping did not give up.

During one visit to the set, he asked Zhang Yimou about Bell's condition and learned that Bell had become very close with the "Thirteen Women" and the students in the choir. Zhang Weiping then asked Zhang Yimou to persuade Bell.

Two weeks later, I finally received a call from Zhang Yimou: "Bell finally agreed!"

At the same time, there is Bell's dedication.

When I came, I was alone.

When he returned, he was still alone, without even an assistant.

This is Christian Bale, the Hollywood A-list star who won the Golden Globe and Oscar Awards consecutively this year. He is so low-key that it is a little hard to believe.

Yilinfeng.

Soft articles are everywhere.

Zhang Weiping invested a fortune in marketing, and "The Flowers of War" was said to have cost 6 million yuan.

Zhang Yimou showed off his daughter.

The person who served as Bell's translator was Zhang Yimou's daughter Zhang Mo.

Despite repeatedly stressing that she did not want her daughter to be exposed to the media, Zhang Mo's name appeared four times at the end of "The Flowers of War".

In addition to serving as Bell's translator, Zhang Mo stayed by Bell's side throughout the entire promotional period.

Zhang Yimou said: "I went to Bell's home with my daughter. She studied directing as a graduate student. At that time, I asked Bell what kind of translator you wanted and we could prepare one for you. Bell pointed at my daughter and said, I want her. I think it might be because my daughter studied directing and understood all the professional terms, so Bell thought she was an expert."

"The Flowers of War" demonstrates the determination to fully integrate with the international community.

Zhang Wei commented: "The PR, media publicity and marketing for the Oscars and Golden Globes cost a lot of money. Our entire marketing team in the United States has more than 20 people, nearly half of whom are Jewish. The lawyer I hired is also Jewish. He charges $360 an hour and is recognized as the best in Hollywood."

The marketing of "The Flowers of War" was very successful, mainly due to the cooperation of certain media.

Bale is a descendant of the English, and some media outlets wish they were one too.

Both films were released on the same day, December 12.

On December 12, the production company of "The Flowers of War" announced that it was shortlisted for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 17th Golden Globe Awards.

"Flying Daggers of Dragon Gate" focuses on 3D special effects, and giant screens and IMAX are very popular.

The two are in a race against each other and are inseparable.

"The Flowers of War" grossed 1.8 million in less than four days in its first week, and "Flying Daggers of Dragon Gate" grossed 1.6 million in its first week.

12 month 26 day.

By the end of the year, Shen Santong was busy with conference affairs.

Official, corporate, and various associations.

In the morning, Shen Santong held a tea party at the Film Bureau and invited directors to drink tea, summarize the past year and look forward to the coming year.

In the car, Shen Santong took a film review and read it.

The Hollywood Reporter's review of The Flowers of War: "You might think that only the most low-brow Hollywood producers could think of adding a love story to such a tragic subject as the Nanjing Massacre, but this is exactly the main plot of The Flowers of War."

"The Flowers of War" is not bad. Yu Mo, played by Ni Ni, falls into the world of mortals but remains unruly, amorous but also has dignity. Instructor Li, played by Tong Dawei, is willing to sacrifice his own life for the sake of his military duty and the future of his country.

The shots and colors in the movie also maintain Zhang Yimou's consistent standard, but in such themes, the flirting with the "white male protagonist" loses all meaning.

The press release about the film company's three visits to Bell to perform a passionate scene was simply a replica of "Grandma did it voluntarily."

The foreign actors themselves didn't want to play the role, it was the Tokyo University students who begged them to do it.

It's not just self-deprecation, it's simply self-deprecation!

Dignity, there is no such thing.

It is said to be a 10 million blockbuster production, but the war scene is only minutes long.

As the movie became a hit, problems with "The Flowers of War" emerged, but certain media outlets echoed the film, "cursing a little but helping in a big way," and managed to divert the topic.

Criticisms say Zhang Yimou's work style is becoming more down-to-earth, even a little tacky.

It has deviated from its original elegant route and is moving more and more towards popular and even vulgar directions.

The netizens’ dissatisfaction with the film’s dilution of serious themes was confused from an enemy-enemy contradiction into an internal contradiction, and then turned into issues of “being down-to-earth” and “vulgarity”.

This shows that some media outlets are not ignorant of how to manipulate public opinion.

Looking at the speeding scene outside the window, Shen Santong's thoughts went back to college many years ago.

"Hero" is a big hit. Zhang Yimou himself said in an interview: "Chinese people have an Oscar complex. In fact, everyone in the industry knows that this is just a U.S. award. It's just that the judging criteria of the U.S. people are different from other film festivals. It doesn't represent the highest level. But Chinese people are very special. From the media to the people, they always have this complex. Maybe it's because of its great influence. Among all the awards, it has the greatest commercial influence. This may be related to the national conditions of the U.S. and its status as the leader in the film industry."

Back then, Shen Santong witnessed the criticism that Zhang Yimou faced with his own eyes. At that time, he argued and defended Zhang Yimou with his classmates and teachers, and became an outlier in the directing department.

It is no exaggeration to say that Zhang Yimou saved the film industry and promoted theater reform.

Of course, Zhang Weiping also played an important role.

Looking back now, Zhang Yimou's words actually changed the concept. Who are the Chinese?

Someone represented the "Chinese".

All along, we focus on the big prize because it can bring glory to the country, not just because the big prize is important.

There are similarities in the performance of the two, but they are completely opposite in nature, but people who master sound confuse them.

After all, the repeated rush for awards is no different from the main marketing theme of later generations, both of which take advantage of the patriotic enthusiasm of the Chinese people.

Shen Santong felt that he needed to do something.

And this is not a good idea.

"The Flowers of War" is still in theaters, coupled with Zhang Yimou's industry status, senior status, and the bias of some media.

Santong Entertainment is also one of the producers of "Flying Daggers of Dragon Gate". Criticisms of "The Flowers of War" will be interpreted in various ways. Santong Entertainment is constantly squeezing out the presence of literary and artistic academics, and even verbally ranking them, which gives people a feeling of being too aggressive.

It is better to take big steps in action and be gentle and humble in words.

The problem is that "The Flowers of War" marks the formation of a certain self-circulation.

"Director Shen."

"Three links."

"Brother Shen."

"Xiao Shen."

Many people from Santong Entertainment attended the meeting, as well as directors from other companies and literary and artistic directors such as Jia Zhangke and Wang Xiaoshuai.

"Since this is a tea party, it's not so serious, so I'll share my observations as well."

Shen Santong thought about it but still couldn't remain silent.

The tea party is neither a public nor a private occasion, but a semi-public occasion, which is very suitable for relaxing.

Others dare to do it, but I’m not allowed to say it?
Shen Santong just did it anyway.

"Some people in the 80s created a bunch of rubbish theories. To sum it up, these theories mean that when our level of development is low, we cannot develop from the root."

“When we develop and other problems arise, we can say that these problems are still the root problems.”

The scene gradually became quiet.

Shen Santong said: "My observation is that the node of the film industry has arrived, and an ecosystem that should not have been formed has been formed."

"From the perspective of the film industry, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon needed external support, and Hero also needed Western marketing support for it."

"Lust, Caution used passionate scenes to dispel the seriousness of the anti-Japanese war, and it sold box office, won awards and gained fame and fortune. While our domestic market is sufficient to provide box office revenue, The Flowers of War still deconstructs suffering and follows this path."

“So, an important node has arrived.”

"In the 80s, we needed to invite people from outside to attend meetings, give them benefits and awards. Once we developed internally and the book market developed, we didn't need real money from outsiders, just guidance from public opinion, and we could watch the Chinese people masturbate."

"'The Flowers of War' is a turning point. In terms of movies, our market is big enough, and internal interests outweigh external interests. But if there is a little wind from outside, our own market and our own department will produce self-destructive content."

"I have met many filmmakers, and they are generally naive. They confuse two contradictions, expanding internal contradictions into contradictions between enemies and ourselves, and confusing contradictions between enemies and ourselves with internal contradictions."

"Hollywood has conquered the market, and they know it. They want to develop domestic films, and they have such ideas."

"But ideologically, we treat the person who comes to be beheaded as a friend, not only inviting him into our home, but also extending his head to him."

The atmosphere grew cold. The young director didn't quite understand and some of the fifth and sixth generation people looked unhappy.

Even if Shen Santong didn't criticize anyone by name, everyone knew who he was talking about, and it wasn't just Zhang Yimou.

Zhang Yimou doesn't need dog food from outside, there are people in the venue who need dog food.

Shen Santong took in everyone's reactions, and at this moment, he felt very calm.

If you want to go to a higher place, you must endure greater wind and rain.

The storms in the future will be even greater.

It is our duty to keep our original aspirations amid the rise of film and television capital and to do our main business well as the Internet model expands our territory.

In the great rejuvenation of the nation, in the endless roar of industrial steel and technology, culture is silent and the overall situation is collapsing like an avalanche. If you don't want to be a part of it, you cannot remain silent.

The film industry, the entertainment industry, and the humanities and social sciences are just a drop in the ocean compared to the culture as a whole. It is impossible to have the best of both worlds. You have to offend a group of people in order to win more support from the audience.

With the industry in hand and Hollywood already in place, Santong Entertainment has a unique ecological niche. Survival is not a problem and there is nothing to be afraid of.

"From now on, the audience will crown me." Shen Santong thought.

(End of this chapter)