Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 440 Ready
Cao Yang's rise has primarily impacted the film and television industry. In terms of the overall trend of the world economy, his personal influence is at most a drop in the ocean.

So on September 15, Lehman Brothers, a Wall Street giant with a 158-year history, declared bankruptcy after failing to secure a bailout due to excessive leverage and high-risk investments that had burdened it with $600 billion in debt.

The bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers caused more than just the unemployment of 20,000 employees; it triggered a "nuclear explosion effect," with "derivative financial products" and "debt subcontracting products" all collapsing.

This event, like a domino effect, completely shattered market confidence and triggered a chain reaction in the global economy.

Against the backdrop of economic globalization, the US subprime mortgage crisis was like a contagious disease, instantly infecting the entire world.

Investor confidence began to collapse, the stock market plummeted, and the credit market also froze.

This financial crisis not only devastated the United States, but also affected economies in Europe and Asia.

Europe suffered the most.

Some small countries, such as Iceland, have been pushed to the brink of bankruptcy due to the collapse of their banking systems.

Greece, Ireland, and other countries are also facing difficulties due to the debt crisis.

Global stock markets followed suit and plummeted, leading to blocked exports, a plunge in commodity prices, a surge in unemployment, a massive increase in the number of unemployed, and even many middle-class people losing everything overnight.

This led to a global economic recession.

"They're here, they've finally arrived! This time, no one can stop them, my dear director, you know what I mean, haha..."

Two days later, after the U.S. government was forced to provide up to $85 billion in emergency loans to the troubled insurance giant American International Group (AIG) to save it from collapse, Warner Bros. president Jeff Robinoff called Cao Yang.

Cao Yang knew why Jeff Robinoff was so excited.

Just one day before Lehman Brothers announced its collapse, the U.S. Treasury Department said that the worst of the subprime crisis was over and there was no need to panic...

At least the U.S. Treasury official seemed very confident when he said that.

His confidence made Jeff Robinoff very suspicious.

What is Warner Bros. most afraid of with their crazy hype surrounding the Joker movie, which is full of both curses and prophecies?
It was the US government and the Federal Reserve that intervened, starting to rescue the market before the economic crisis even arrived, or taking action to delay its onset!

If that's the case, all the hype surrounding "Joker" will become a joke.

An economic crisis may not come, or it may be delayed for a year or two, but Joker can't afford to wait!

Jeff Robinoff was so angry that he cursed the president, the Treasury officials, and the Federal Reserve.

Even after Lehman Brothers announced its collapse the following day, triggering panic in global financial markets, Jeff Robinoff was still somewhat uncertain.

Now, Jeff Robinoff can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Given the current situation, the US is struggling to cope with its own problems, so how can it talk about rescuing the market or delaying the arrival of the economic crisis?

Cao Yang marveled at how "amazing" these Hollywood executives were, able to celebrate the arrival of the global economic crisis so lavishly in order to meet the expectations of a single film.

Indeed, besides making "Joker" a "cursed" prophetic film, the economic crisis also has a term called the "lipstick effect."

This means that consumers are turning to low-priced entertainment consumption to alleviate anxiety under economic pressure.

Entertainment options at that time were not like those during the era of widespread smartphone adoption. In July, Apple had just launched the iPhone 3G, and the first Android phone had not even been released yet.

Movies are a low-cost form of entertainment, with ticket prices far lower than those for travel, high-end dining, and other forms of consumption. During economic crises, people reduce non-essential spending, but movies can still provide emotional comfort, making them an "affordable pleasure."

Furthermore, movies can help people temporarily forget the pressures of an economic crisis, and this "escapist" psychological need is particularly prominent during an economic crisis.

Jeff Robinoff called Cao Yang for no particular reason; he simply wanted to share his "joy" with Cao Yang.

Regarding the massive publicity campaign for "Joker," Cao Yang basically didn't need to show his face until the eve of its release; Warner Bros. handled most of it.

Even the announcement that a backup of "Joker" would be available in Beijing in a few days was made by Warner Bros.

Even after this matter is made public, Cao Yang will not accept any interviews on this topic.

In Warner's words, this is called creating suspense—as long as Cao Yang doesn't come forward to confirm the existence of a backup, people will remain curious about whether there really is one.

Furthermore, Warner Bros. will also guide public opinion, deliberately making some people suspect that there is no backup... In short, to maintain the mystery before the release of "Joker".

Warner has a well-thought-out plan.

When the film is about to be released, Cao Yang will come forward to confirm that there is a backup. Warner Bros. will explain to the public that because the film is cursed, they have not dared to let Cao Yang give an interview to confirm this matter.

This statement will pique the curiosity of some people, who will definitely want to know what movie it is that they are worried about being cursed.

These past few days, Cao Yang has been polishing the script for "Like Father, Like Son" and hasn't even had time to visit Yu Feihong.

The general plot of the movie can remain the same, but some details will definitely need to be modified. First, it needs to conform to Chinese customs, and second, it needs to strengthen the exploration of the male protagonist's inner world and humanity to make the character more full and three-dimensional.

To be honest, while "Like Father, Like Son" is very touching and the original director filmed it with great care, it is still a very touching film.

However, as with most films that win the top prizes in Europe's three major film industries, winning such a prize would be quite controversial.

The essence of this film is an exploration and comparison of two different ways of raising children. As for the so-called communication and mutual growth between father and son mentioned in the film's theme, those are just "byproducts" of raising children.

Therefore, this film appears rather "small" and lacks the depth of films that delve into human nature or are politically correct.

Therefore, Cao Yang wants to make some changes to the male lead.

The goal is to make this film bloodless, yet still make the audience feel the pervasive sense of gore.

The male protagonist must first be an extremely strict father. He takes it for granted that he doesn't have time to spend with his children and considers it a required course for his children to please him.

He would force his child to practice piano, even though he had no talent for it, and this action had to be forceful and ruthless.

This is what is known as "elite" education.

Upon learning that the child was switched at birth and was not her biological son, she could coldly say, "As expected, my son couldn't possibly be so mediocre."

In the first half of the movie, the male protagonist's character must be established, and the audience may even feel disgusted by him. He must act like a villain in the movie in the first half.

The second half is about the male protagonist's transformation and growth, but the price he pays is not his own, but rather the price he pays for another couple and their two children.

Especially the child he raised for six years, who received six years of his education, is to be made into a pitiful character in the film, a character that the audience will sympathize with.

The six-year-old boy developed a "humble" personality and a people-pleasing temperament due to his father's so-called elite education.

He could tell his mother and others that he studied piano hard to earn his father's praise, and that he lied during his school interview because he didn't want to disappoint his father...

The male protagonist's parenting style is "inherited." He received similar education from his father from a young age, which has shaped his current utilitarian and estranged personality.

This is to make the audience understand that, if nothing unexpected happens, his son will become like him in the future.

We will eventually become the kind of people we hate!

Because the people we truly dislike are usually those we frequently interact with, and these people cause us real harm and have a real impact on us.

If no one else helps us heal from this hurt and its impact, this person will be the only role model we can emulate in some way.

So, another couple with different parenting styles emerged. The child, whom they had raised for six years, still retained his innocence and love, while their biological son displayed a completely different personality and rebellious tendencies...

All of these factors combined are what led the male protagonist to recognize the problem and change.

The film aims to explore and transform the clash and mutual growth of different educational approaches into the different personalities formed by these approaches, and to delve into the transformation of personality formation.

Simply put, the film's tone shifted from focusing on events to focusing on people.

While the film is heartwarming, it falls short in its scope when it comes to education alone.

However, if we delve into human nature through the lens of education, our perspective broadens.

Films that explore human nature are likely to win the top prize at any of the three major European film festivals without much controversy.

With an award-winning theme and story in place, the success of filming depends on the actors' performances.

Even if a film has a profound theme, if the actors' performances are out of place or mediocre, it is unlikely to win an award.

For art films, actors are extremely important.

Many times, a mediocre script can be "saved" by an actor with a phenomenal performance, and it's possible for it to become a classic. There are countless examples of this.

Is Cao Yang worried about the casting issue?

As long as a movie has a fixed theme, even if the script has some flaws, the actors can automatically cover up these flaws after getting into character.

This is also why Cao Yang is able to frequently win awards at the three major European awards.

An art film with superb actors and a plausible story is a classic.

Sometimes, an actor's performance can be so superb that you forget the story itself and just follow the actor's emotions.

In the afternoon, Cao Yang received a call from Sister Hong. She said that she and Brother Kai were very sad about the burning of the negatives of "Joker" and were angry about the rumors about the curse. She wanted to come and see Cao Yang that evening.

Hong Saozi's words made Cao Yang think that she would come with Kai Ge.

Cao Yang was unaware that Kai had gone to Tokyo to do the final color and lighting adjustments for the film.

He had some doubts, wondering if Kai Ge and Sister-in-law Hong's visit was about their youngest son. The news that Cao Yang was making a new movie and needed to find two child actors had eventually spread. In the past few days, many acquaintances had called to inquire, and even more people had tried to use their connections to ask.

This is why Cao Yang quickly settled down outside the family and refused to hire children from acquaintances.

So many people are asking, who should we use and who shouldn't we use?

For example, if Cao Yang used Lao Tian and Ning Hao's child, then Lao Gu and his wife would come looking for him, Lao Chen and Sister Hong would come looking for him, Lao Hou and his wife would come looking for him, Xie Xiaojing and her wife would come looking for him, and President Han would come looking for him...

Cao Yang said to the people behind him, "I've made up my mind."

What is this set standard? Acting skills? What kind of acting skills can a child have?

If the children chosen were completely unrelated, that would be fine. But if they found out that Cao Yang used Lao Tian and Ning Hao's children, wouldn't they start to wonder if Lao Tian and Ning Hao had more influence than themselves?
I wouldn't say I offended anyone, but I still felt uncomfortable.

Around 7 p.m., Cao Yang opened the door and saw only Sister Hong outside. A faint scent of perfume wafted into his nose, and Sister Hong had clearly dressed up.

"Sister-in-law, where is my senior brother?"

Cao Yang looked outside but didn't see Kai Ge.

He didn't live in the villa at Ziyu Mountain Villa, but in a large apartment in an upscale residential area not far from Beijing Film Academy.

Sister Hong smiled, came in and closed the door behind her before saying, "It's already September, why is it still so hot?"

"It is a bit hot."

Cao Yang gave a perfunctory reply, watching as Sister Hong took off her thin gauze shawl and hung it on a clothes rack, revealing the tight-fitting short-sleeved shirt underneath.

It's almost the end of September now, so it's unlikely that Beijing will be very hot at this time of year. The daytime temperature will only be around 24 or 25 degrees Celsius at most.

Cao Yang didn't know what to say, so he quickly asked again, "Where is Senior Brother?"

Sister Hong was reluctant to bring it up, but Cao Yang asked twice, so she had no choice but to say, "He's in Tokyo."

I rely on!

I fucking thought you two came together.

If I had known it was just you, I would never have let you come.

It's late at night, and we're alone together, sister-in-law, please don't get me into trouble.

"sister in law……"

"Call me Sister Hong."

"Sister-in-law..."

"Call me Sister Hong."

Sister Hong emphasized again.

Cao Yang sighed and said directly, "Sister-in-law, I have some things to take care of later. Is there anything you need?"

Sister Hong glared at Cao Yang; it was clear she was a little angry.

Cao Yang remained silent, as did Sister Hong.

The stalemate lasted for several minutes. Then, Sister Hong's eyes turned red and became moist. With a gentle blink, tears began to roll down her beautiful cheeks, one by one.

Cao Yang was completely overwhelmed; his scalp began to tingle.

If this gets seen by someone, I'll never be able to clear my name, even if I jumped into the Yellow River...

"Sister-in-law..."

Ugh!
"Sister Hong, please don't do this. Can't we talk things out?"

As Cao Yang spoke, he pulled out a few sheets of paper and handed them over.

Sister Hong didn't answer. She sobbed for a moment, then covered her eyes with her hand and wiped them. She took a deep breath before saying, "I'm sorry you had to see this. I was thinking about some bad things and couldn't control my emotions."

He then took the tissue and wiped his face.

Cao Yang didn't dare ask what the bad thing was, and he didn't know how to respond at that moment.

"Hmph, you men are all the same, you're all heartless and ruthless."

Sister Hong continued angrily.

Cao Yang didn't know how to respond, so he remained silent.

"You don't need to worry or be nervous. I know what you're thinking. Ha... I really feel sorry for Bai Zhi. She's still thinking about some heartless guy all day long, but she's just deluding herself."

Sister-in-law Hong complained and made sarcastic remarks.

Cao Yang remained silent, neither speaking nor responding.

Red Sister originally came for Arthur, but then suddenly changed her mind.

"Fine, I... I'll just consider myself a victim of some unscrupulous directors' sexual harassment. Since I was sexually harassed, I have to make an exchange."

Sister Hong said "fiercely".

Cao Yang remained silent, looking at Sister Hong, waiting to see what conditions she would propose.

If it's simple and easy to do, then I'll agree; if it's difficult, then I won't do it.

What's with all this talk about being involved in something? Like you said, I was with Bai Zhi back then, what did I have to do with your sister-in-law Hong?
"I know you're making a new movie. Give me a role; I want to become an award-winning actress too."

Sister Hong said without any politeness.

Cao Yang frowned subconsciously, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "The female lead in this movie is a character with little arc, so it's unlikely to win any major awards."

"Domestic big prizes are also acceptable."

Sister Hong said.

Cao Yang paused for a moment and looked at Sister Hong.

Sister Hong seemed to understand Cao Yang's meaning and said, "Don't worry, as long as you do it, I can do it too. From now on, she'll just be your... sister-in-law. Bai Zhi won't appear again."

"There is another female character in the movie, whose role is no less than that of the female lead, so it can be considered a dual female lead. Her personality will be much more prominent. If she plays the role well, she will have the opportunity to win a Best Actress award in China. If she applies for Best Supporting Actress, the chances will be even greater."

Cao Yang was referring to the wife role in another couple's story. It just so happens that Cao Yang hasn't decided who to play this role yet, and Sister Hong is a suitable candidate.

The male protagonist's wife is a traditional housewife with a gentle personality. She can balance the pressure that her strict husband brings to their son, making the family less cold.

The wife in the other couple has a strong personality and is very strict with the children.

Her tolerance and love made the family complete and beautiful, and also made the family relationships more harmonious.

These are also two wives with different personalities.

"Okay, this one will do."

Hong Saozi herself didn't know how she came to this conclusion; she just acted impulsively.

However, she doesn't regret it.

But I'm still somewhat unwilling to accept it.

"Cao Yang, Bai Zhi misses you terribly. Before she disappears, could you offer her some comfort tonight?"

Sister Hong had really let go of her inhibitions. Anyway, there was no one else in the room, and the two of them were pretending not to know what was going on, so they might as well keep up the act.

"Sister-in-law, you are my sister-in-law. In China, you can only be my sister-in-law!"

Cao Yang said very seriously.

"cut!"

Sister Hong waved her hand, "What are you pretending for? I don't know who it was back then, but they wouldn't let Baizhi sleep for most of the night, again and again..."

It was truly unforgettable.

Sister Hong had temporarily achieved her goal, so she didn't say anything more. She picked up a thin gauze shawl from the clothes rack, but instead of putting it on, she straightened her chest to make it look more defined.

"Won't you reconsider?"

"sister in law!"

"Let's go! You have no fun at all."

Sister Hong muttered something under her breath, tossed a few used tissues at Cao Yang, picked up her sheer shawl, swayed her beautiful figure, opened the door, and then froze.

(End of this chapter)