I was just thinking about taking the arts exam and you said I've been playing supporting roles

Chapter 296 The Berlin Film Emperor's Ambitions!
That evening, Chen Jin treated everyone to dinner.

On the way back, Meng Jinghui and the others were clearly quite happy.

The main reason was that Chen Jin was quite different from what they had imagined; she was rather polite and knew how to handle things. They hadn't really had any expectations for this trip.

The main purpose of this visit is to get acquainted with the community and make friends with Chen Jin.

Even if it was a collaboration, Meng Jinghui didn't expect it to go so smoothly.

When the topic of collaborating on a stage play came up at the dinner table, Chen Jin didn't hesitate at all and immediately called Han Jianu, who is currently in charge of the entire stage play troupe.

This is considered part of the variety show business under China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC).

Chen Jin had always wanted to start a TV drama production, but she couldn't find a suitable TV drama director.

He has quite a few scripts in hand, such as "Naked Wedding Era", "Eternal Love", and "Nirvana in Fire".

Chen Jin had the copyrights of any novel adaptations acquired while they were still relatively inexpensive; in a few years, when online novel adaptations became rampant, the copyright prices would skyrocket.

"Your stage play collaboration is going well; the main thing is that it's profitable!"

"Old Shi's work in directing music videos is actually quite relevant to his profession, so it's nothing special..."

Zhang Baiyi didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

He saw this collaboration as perfectly normal.

He doesn't lack investment right now, so he's been thinking about what Chen Jin said and whether or not to make a youth film with China Electronics Technology Group Corporation.

This struck a chord with him; he was somewhat envious of the box office success of "You Are the Apple of My Eye".

Unlike Zhang Yibai, who has no financial pressure, people like Shi Runjiu are overjoyed when Chen Jin asks him to film a music video.

Meng Jinghui is the same.

Collaborating on stage plays is about making money together.

"What about Lao Diao?"

"Old Diao's project is a movie project!"

Meng Jinghui addressed Zhang Yibai.

"Electric Technology can still afford 1000 million; we can earn it back with 'Major Life Events'!"

Anyway, Zhang Yibai's opinion is more conservative than the others.

Chen Jin may seem like a spendthrift, but in reality, she's very stable.

For example, Zhang Yibai himself wasn't too worried about the box office after the collaboration; but Shi Runjiu and Meng Jinghui were both involved in the project, even Diao Yinan...

"He didn't say he would definitely invest; it still depends on the script."

"It's all about you!"

Meng Jinghui laughed and said, "You are the big fish that Chen Jin has his eye on!"

"So, I'm actually quite hesitant!"

Zhang Yibai accepted this explanation, and most others thought so too; this is quite normal, after all, Zhang Yibai has a good reputation, and Film Science made its fortune with romance films, so it would definitely want to work with the "Godfather of Youth".

This is called a win-win situation, and it's profitable.

"Therefore, Chen Jin is definitely not as simple as he seems on the surface!"

"It looks satisfying, but in reality, not much blood was shed, unless... Lao Diao submitted his script, then that would show some guts!"

Zhang Yibai spoke softly, but Meng Jinghui didn't care about any of that.

The most exciting thing for him today was securing a collaboration on a stage play; as for Diao Yinan and the others, if Cai Shangjun hadn't won the Best Director award at Venice, they probably would have almost forgotten about the two founders of the studio.

We can only share hardship, not prosperity!
Given the disparity in economic status and social standing, the "plastic brotherhood" seems quite appropriate.

Even though Diao Yinan came from Xi'an Film Studio, who would recognize you as a screenwriter there?

Can Zhang Yimou speak up?
I bet his father doesn't even have Chen Kaige's contact information, let alone Zhang Yimou's.

Connections only work after you've made your fortune!
This is true in all industries.

"Let me take another look!"

"Currently, CETC is still a rising star in the industry..."

At least, Zhang Yibai wants to see how well "Breakup 2" fares on Singles' Day this year before making any further comments.

Meanwhile, Diao Yinan, who was in the other car, was indeed feeling very uneasy.

At the dinner table, Chen Jin seemed approachable and easy to talk to, but he had contacted too many investors, many of whom promised to give him an answer, but ultimately the investment disappeared without a trace; he had been waiting for this script to start filming for a full four years.

Cai Shangjun winning the Best Director award at Venice won't have much of an impact on Zhang Yibai, but it was a significant blow to Diao Yinan, who was with him day and night.

He wasn't jealous or resentful; he was genuinely happy for his brother, Lao Cai, who had received such an honor.

But in the studio, he hasn't achieved anything yet.

Diao Yinan must be anxious.

Being nominated for a Cannes Film Festival sub-section can only serve as a stepping stone, but it can't attract large investments.

This cobbled-together drama is definitely not going to work.

With multiple investors, everyone wants to put in people to direct how the film is made. The previous film, "Night Train," was a case in point. The producer was female director Wen Yan, who had been nominated for the three major film festivals multiple times. The fact that it was nominated for the Berlin Film Festival was indeed thanks to her.

However, she made the movie a complete mess; otherwise, Diao Yinan could have made it much better.

So this time, he definitely wants to find a good investor to take a gamble.

The flame in his heart for "Black Coal, Thin Ice" has not been extinguished; in fact, he feels it is even better than "Night Train".

If no one stops him from filming.

"Do your best and leave the rest to fate!"

Diao Yinan took off her glasses, wiped her face, and looked at her no-longer-young profile reflected in the car window. The desire to make her own film grew stronger.

***
"It's clear that President Chen is confident now that his new movie is out!"

"Even the way they talk is different now!"

On the way back to Qingying Studio, Guo Fan teased Chen Jin beside him.

Chen Jin had nothing to do that evening, so she went with him to check on the post-production of "So Young".

Although he hadn't experienced this movie, it would be quite useful to learn about editing; he would definitely be involved in the post-production of the new film.

Consider it a preview of what I've learned.

"I wonder who it was that begged me to invest back then!"

"Now that they've made it big, they've even forgotten their mentors!"

Chen Jin and Guo Fan, of course, didn't hold back; they were used to bickering.

"Haha, now that you mention it, it's true!"

When Chen Jin joined him, it was no different from today. They chatted for a few minutes and found common ground, and the guy joined without saying a word.

He was alone back then, but six people came today.

"However, I have confidence in myself!"

"You really want to vote for that 'Black Coal, Thin Ice' thing?"

Guo Fan also glanced at Diao Yinan's script.

"Over 1000 million, the cost isn't high, we can give it a try!"

Chen Jin glanced at Guo Fan beside her: "Old Guo, do you believe in first impressions?"

Although Chen Jin has a future autobiographical film and knows that Diao Yinan will be very successful in the future, in fact, Diao Yinan's first impression on Chen Jin was even stronger than when she first met Guo Fan.

It's the kind of person you recognize at first glance, and who now desperately wants to make a movie to prove themselves.

But this urgency isn't the kind that comes from being mindless and lacking ability.

There is a sense of arrogance and aloofness about him.

Chen Jin may have a natural bias towards Diao Yinan because she sees the future in him; but it must be said that Diao Yinan gives Chen Jin the impression of being very reserved, someone she could work with long-term.

Unlike Zhang Yibai, who clearly had been in this industry for a long time and was even more cunning than Xu Zheng.

Chen Jin did want to collaborate with him, but it was also about him filming "Fleet of Time," which was originally his own project. It was as if he was giving his own work to Chen Jin, and Chen Jin felt no pressure at all.

Everyone thought Chen Jin wanted to collaborate with him, but actually... Diao Yinan's value was much greater than Zhang Yibai's.

Chen Jin's chance to win the Berlin Film Festival Best Actor award might just be him.

The role of Liao Fan in "Black Coal, Thin Ice" is definitely not something Chen Jin can handle right now.

Even if the system experiences it, it's very difficult to perform it.

And it looks very out of place.

However, Chen Jin could use other methods.

Body shape, plus weight gain, and old-age makeup, ugly makeup!
If he could portray the male lead in "Black Coal, Thin Ice" as brilliantly as Liao Fan, even with the same script and effect, he would have no problem winning the Best Actor award.

Therefore, the difficulty lies in fitting the script and the character, requiring Chen Jin to undergo a complete makeover and disfigurement, plus gaining about 30 pounds.

Strive to match the character's image, and then achieve a transformation through performance.

This role is definitely a huge challenge for Chen Jin.

At the age of 20, he portrayed the feeling of a veteran detective approaching 40.

He wasn't afraid of things like eye contact or experience, because he had systematic experience in filmmaking; the difficult part was the image.

Let's treat it as a challenge.

Chen Jin really wanted to increase the difficulty of her performance.

"Don't tell me that seeing him is like seeing myself back then..."

Guo Fan scoffed at Chen Jin's first impression.

Do you think everyone is as talented as me?
That guy with glasses looks like the type who's frustrated and feels his talents are going to waste.

Dude, I'm at the peak of my career, a rising star in the directing world.

Can you help me? Can they be the same?

Besides, he graduated years ago and is over 40, while I'm only 30... and I just graduated this year. We're not even in the same league, okay?

Chen Jin saw this complaint in Guo Fan's eyes.

"How about we make a bet?"

Chen Jin didn't doubt Guo Fan's abilities, but in terms of directing, Diao Yinan was much more mature than him, both in terms of technique and vision; Guo Fan lacked experience, while Diao Yinan... only lacked opportunities!
These are not players of the same caliber.

"What bet?"

"His directing ability!"

"Brother, I'm not denying his directing ability. He's been nominated for a Cannes Film Festival award, so his directing skills are definitely top-notch!"

"I'm talking about box office revenue!"

Guo Fan doesn't really care about awards.

He makes movies in a very simple and unpretentious way, just to make money.

Begging for alms and money was a stubborn streak ingrained in his bones.

"He can make money too!"

"Award-winning films do not conflict with box office performance!"

Chen Jin has always believed that a true masterpiece is one that achieves both box office success and critical acclaim.

For example, "Dying to Survive" and "Life Is Beautiful".

"Major Events in Life" also counts, especially the version starring Chen Jin that is currently being released. It has a higher level of artistic merit, but also takes into account commercial appeal.

"I'm telling you the truth!"

Guo Fan is clearly not someone who can be easily persuaded by others; otherwise, he wouldn't have insisted on making "The Wandering Earth."

These people all have one prominent label.

Confidence means not being swayed by the opinions of others.

"I'll make that prediction for 'Life's Big Events' to be a box office success, but actually... it's not really thanks to Director Tian!"

"It's you!"

Guo Fan pointed out incisively, "You have a certain box office appeal, plus the huge momentum of Venice, and you even won the Best Actor award, which makes the audience curious, so they all want to go to the cinema to see what's going on!"

"As for whether it can take off, it depends on word-of-mouth and follow-up... I conservatively estimate it should reach 2 million, and if it goes higher, it depends on the commercial success of the film!"

Guo Fan had his hands in his pockets. He was no longer the naive young man Chen Jin had seen him at school a little over a year ago.

Having held the title of the highest-grossing director of Chinese domestic films for a period of time, Guo Fan now looks very confident and successful.

He is qualified.

People do not frivolously despise young people.

If Chen Jin were to direct a movie like this, she might be even more audacious than Guo Fan is now!
"It's one thing for Director Tian to be like this, but for an unknown director like him to make money at the box office... it's very, very difficult!"

It's not that Guo Fan looks down on Diao Yinan.

Because the award-winning film did not perform well at the domestic box office.

"Under the Hawthorn Tree" was made by Zhang Yimou, while "Life's Big Events" is made by Chen Jin.

Other directors such as Jia Zhangke, Lou Ye, and Wang Xiaoshuai, all of their films combined, didn't even break 100 million yuan.

This is the current situation of a group of award-winning directors in China!

Guo Fan, who is an engineering student, still believes in "big data".

"Forget it, there's no point in discussing this!"

"Because if I were to actually invest, I would probably try acting in it..."

So, it all comes down to Chen Jin's box office performance.

In fact, Chen Jin had seen several of Diao Yinan's films in her future autobiographical film, which were completely unconventional; especially "Black Coal, Thin Ice," which grossed 5000 million yuan in just three days and was the only film to break the curse of poor box office performance of foreign award-winning films.

Then another film, "The Wild Goose Lake," which was nominated for the main competition at Cannes, also performed very well at the box office, but this film did not win any awards!
Therefore, Diao Yinan actually considers profitability when making movies.

He doesn't film the darker, less positive aspects of China, unlike Lou Ye; many award-winning Chinese directors have foreign investment involved in their films to varying degrees, but none of Diao Yinan's films do.

That's the biggest difference.

One caters to foreigners, while the other pursues both awards and box office success; investors have made a fortune from Diao Yinan.

"Black Coal, Thin Ice" fetched a high price overseas. Diao Yinan worked tirelessly to attend dozens of film festivals, earning over ten million yuan in prize money alone. He is truly a model director of hard work.

Which investor doesn't like this kind of "honest person"?
The same was true for "The Wild Goose Lake," which participated in more than 50 film festivals in order to win prize money.

If you replace Zhang Yimou with someone like him, they've all won a Golden Bear. Who would be willing to do this?

You were fine running around like that in the first movie, but you're doing it again in the second?

Diao Yinan really did travel to one country after another.

Even the lead actors couldn't handle it and only attended 1-2. He meticulously planned his time for each film festival and attended on time.

"..."

Chen Jin and Guo Fan chatted under the cover of night and soon arrived at the Qingying Film Studio.

Several editors were busy in the editing room.

Chen Jin didn't disturb them and stood there watching the process; there was a temporary rest room next door, where Chen Jin spent the night.

"Life's Big Events" grossed 2192 million yuan on its opening day, which was not much different from Chen Jin's estimate.

However, the pre-sales on the second day looked much better than the first day; and since it was Friday, the box office was expected to hit a new high.

The ratings for "Life's Big Events" have also been released.

Douban rating: 8.8!
Mtime: 8.9 points!
Two very high scores.

Chen Jin was somewhat stunned.

This score is truly outrageous, surpassing last year's "Let the Bullets Fly" and even exceeding its opening score by 0.1!

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it will definitely join the 9-point club in the future.

"I have a 9-point movie now!"

Chen Jin looked at the 8.8 score with some satisfaction. Although he had many complaints about Douban, Douban was a very reliable reference for the current film market rating system.

With such a starting point, why not take advantage of it?
It wasn't faked.

This is a truly solid achievement; the fact that these people gave it such a score speaks volumes about the film's strong reputation.

"I wonder if we can replicate the box office trajectory of 'Dying to Survive'!"

"Dying to Survive" opened with a 9.0 rating, which caused the box office to explode on the first day and eventually reached 30 billion yuan!

As it turns out, domestic audiences still value ratings quite a bit.

Even though the Douban rating system collapsed in later years, "Good Stuff" still opened with a 9.0 rating, and this art film still grossed over 7 million!

"The market is different now than it will be in the future, but raising 4-5 million should be possible, right?"

Chen Jin quickly washed up at the Qingying Film Studio and, in a cheerful mood, walked with Guo Fan towards the conference room at the Beijing Film Academy.

Guo Fan was among those invited to the symposium on "Major Events in Life".

A short while later, the two of them saw a huge promotional poster for "Major Events in Life" downstairs in the Beijing Film Academy's main conference room.

Besides the few congratulatory red banners hanging there, there were also introductions of some well-known alumni who participated in today's symposium.

"I never imagined I'd be able to attend such a prestigious conference!"

Guo Fan was making jokes, but Chen Jin was carefully looking through each resume one by one.

Anyway, there was still time before the symposium started, and many people hadn't arrived yet. Chen Jin was a junior, so of course she had to arrive early.

Chen Jin didn't know much about the directors, actors, and artists who came from her alma mater, so this was a chance for her to be introduced to them.

"Is Director Zhang coming?"

Guo Fan suddenly asked.

"come!"

How could such a meeting be complete without Zhang Yimou?

Even if he didn't want to come, the Beijing Film Academy invited him, and people older than Zhang Yimou have already come. How could you not come?!

"It's such a pity about the hawthorn tree!"

"They didn't get a single nomination for the Golden Rooster Awards this year..."

"Alright, don't bring this up later!"

It's common knowledge that the film "Under the Hawthorn Tree" was cut from the Golden Rooster Awards.

"I'm not an idiot, but who knows, someone might bring it up!"

"What a load of crap!"

Chen Jin pointed to one of the names on the flyer: "The ones who secured 'Under the Hawthorn Tree' are the few who came today. Zhang Yimou might not care, but think about what these old guys will think when they hear this?"

When Chen Jin spoke of the old man, she made a point of glancing around.

"LOL, really?"

Guo Fan was clearly unaware of this, and asked with a hint of gossip, "Will the judges for the Golden Rooster Awards be here this year?"

"Yeah, keep up the good work, maybe you'll win your first prize in life!"

"Then I'll have to have a good chat with these old guys..."

Although Guo Fan didn't like these people either, he still had to maintain appearances sometimes.

Chen Jin certainly needs it too!
The two carefully read through all the old guys on the flyer, memorized them, and then headed upstairs to the large conference room where the symposium would be held.

Many students from the Beijing Film Academy acted as waiters, some pouring tea and others cleaning.

Chen Jin and Guo Fan were actually the first to arrive.

As expected, they are all people of status and position. At this symposium, Chen Jin and Guo Fan should be the two youngest among the actors and directors!
(End of this chapter)