Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 746 Seizing the Initiative! We must thoroughly subdue Yu Feihong!
"If I'm here to see you make a fool of yourself, am I too late?"

Ma Xun's words sounded rather bland, and his tone was very calm, but Yu Feihong couldn't help but laugh when she heard them.

"It's not too late, it's only been a year."

I laughed, but I still had to keep up a stubborn act.

Ma Xun smiled, because he knew his decision was correct: he didn't immediately approach Yu Feihong after the box office failure of the film "Love Comes Again," but instead waited an extra year.

It seems like this has been going on for a bit too long.

However, in Ma Xun's view, this year is still very necessary.

"Love Comes Again" is a film that Yu Feihong has high hopes for. It should be said that she has invested a lot in this film, not only money, but also a lot of emotion.

Yes, it may sound strange, but in fact, this is not uncommon in the film and television industry.

It could even be said that many classic works are the result of creators investing a great deal of personal emotion.

Such works often tend to be polarized. That is to say, some works that are infused with a lot of personal emotion become an instant hit after they are released, reaching the top and being praised by countless people, becoming classics that are hard to surpass.

However, many films of this type, after the creators have poured a lot of personal emotion into them, have flopped as soon as they are released, and have been heavily criticized by many people. In some cases, the creators have even been killed by the criticism.

Such examples do exist.

For example, the great director Akira Kurosawa.

He once created a film with an extremely personal style, "Train Mania," which was met with countless insults after its release.

Of course, there were also those who praised him, but they were the ones who helped Kurosawa criticize others, meaning: You guys simply don't understand the master's work!

Who is right or wrong is really not important.

Because Akira Kurosawa committed suicide after making this film.

Luckily, the old man was saved. But what if he hadn't been so lucky?
If they couldn't save him, the old man would simply die. And after that...

Regardless of what will happen to those who criticized him back then, the key point is that this is a typical example.

Yu Feihong poured a lot of her personal feelings into the film "Love Comes Again". She was originally very confident, but after the film was released, she was really quite upset.

First of all, the box office performance was quite poor, not even reaching ten million.

This movie cost over 4000 million yuan to make; she really put her heart into it.

They lost money, and they lost a lot of money.
Secondly, the film didn't receive very good reviews.

It can only be described as a double collapse in both box office and word-of-mouth.

Such meticulous preparation, the dedication and effort invested, and the time spent—all these were taken into account.

But this is the result!
No one would feel good about it. Although Yu Feihong always portrays herself as an extraordinary woman, in the end, she is also a human being.

Ma Xun's actions were very strange. Yu Feihong was in such a terrible situation, but instead of coming to comfort her, he didn't come back. It's been more than a year since then, and now he's finally showing up.

What's going on with you?!
She's already given birth to your child, and this is how you treat her?

Well, Ma Xun is indeed heartless, but it's really too much for him to arrive at this time.

So, you must have a reason, right?

"My dear Mr. Ma, I have to ask you one question: why did you only arrive now?"

Yes, even a woman like Yu Feihong couldn't help but ask this question... In the past, she would have disdained to ask such a question.

Ma Xun's answer was quite interesting: "Because if I came over when your film was falling apart, you would definitely think I was trying to mock you."

what?
Yu Feihong was instantly filled with curiosity, because she could tell from the tone, "Are you also planning to scold me?"

Yes, that should be the meaning, otherwise, why would Ma Xun say that?

But then Ma Xun said, "It's not exactly an insult, it's just that our views are in conflict."

That's well said.

"Then tell me, what exactly is the conflict?"

Yu Feihong became even more curious.

Ma Xun smiled and said, "First, I have to talk about this 'Love Comes Again'."

“Sure,” Yu Feihong said, seemingly accepting all offers.

Ma Xun then asked, "I must ask you first, is it because you like it that you made this movie?"

this problem……

"Yes! It's because I love the original novel that I've prepared for so many years and put so much effort into it."

Ma Xun then posed another question, "Have you ever considered this: it's true that you like it, but will the general public like what you like?"

That's a really sharp question!

No wonder Ma Xun couldn't come over right away. If he had come over then and asked such a question, Yu Feihong might have run away with the child.

He was angry.

But now that more than a year has passed, Yu Feihong certainly wouldn't do that.

So, how did she answer that question?
Actually, the answer is very simple; anyone can figure it out.

Therefore, Yu Feihong's answer was...

"But all film and television works are still very subjective. Aren't they all made based on the subjective consciousness of the director, the creator?"

Well, she didn't give a direct answer; instead, she gave a reason.

Ma Xun seemed to know she would say that.

He smiled and shook his head, saying, "You're right. Films and TV dramas are all made by directors. They even have the right to decide on the screenwriters. I understand what you mean, which is that the director insists on his own style, and that's definitely not wrong."

Moreover, directors cannot fully know the audience's preferences. Directors cannot please everyone, so the final product will inevitably be liked by some and disliked by others.

But let me ask you another question: Do personal preferences really conflict with the audience's preferences?

Furthermore, there are many excellent and successful films in the world that are both critically acclaimed and commercially successful. So, is it really impossible to understand the audience's preferences?

Wow! That's really something!

Anyone who can understand what Ma Xun is saying can already be considered a qualified director.

He only talked about one thing: which is more important, the director's personal style or the audience's preferences?

Or, in practical terms, it means: it's fine to shoot your own stuff, but should you take inspiration from other successful works?

To put it bluntly, all writing in the world is plagiarism!

Even worse, plagiarized movies often achieve great success!
Yes, there are far too many examples like this. For instance, Ning Hao's "Crazy Stone" is often accused of plagiarizing "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels".

His "Crazy No Man's Land" was plagiarized from "U-Turn".

In addition, the upcoming movie "Lost in Thailand" is actually a rip-off of "Airplanes, Trains and Cars", right?

What I'm saying is, look at these plagiarized works, they're actually quite successful.

What's the situation?
Are plagiarists somehow superior?

Are these guys actually right?

Yu Feihong understood the meaning behind Ma Xun's words perfectly; her brows furrowed.

Ma Xun knew she would react this way, and continued, "I'm not asking you to copy anyone, nor am I criticizing you for insisting on your own style."

I just want to say that movies are ultimately for audiences, so some things have to be changed.

You can't always think that what you like is the most important thing!
Otherwise, wouldn't you be no different from people like Chen Kai?
To understand the market, we need to pay attention to the audience's preferences. Those movies that have succeeded by copying classics are not actually complete copies. If they copy foreign films, they should at least make the plot fit our domestic situation.

Let me add one more thing: there is no inherent conflict between art films and the commercial nature of the market. Who wouldn't want to make a lot of money with a little investment?

If you want to succeed, you have to consider the feelings of those who rate your films and buy your tickets.

Finally, this guy added something.

"I'm done."

Yu Feihong was amused by this last sentence. Of course, she knew that the long passage before that was Ma Xun's criticism of her.

Of course, it can also be interpreted as a suggestion, and this man patiently waited for more than a year before telling her these things.

Does this mean that Ma Xun took Yu Feihong's 'preferences' into account?
When the guide arrived, Yu Feihong's smile became even more beautiful.

Seeing this, Ma Xun said, "Have we gotten through this hurdle?"

Yu Feihong couldn't help but throw herself into his arms, saying, "It seems like you're really good to me."

Ma Xun laughed, "Why add 'seems'?"

Yu Feihong couldn't help but say, "You're too good at playing with women, and you've played with too many women. I know I can't stop you from continuing to play with women, so it just seems like it."

Well-reasoned and convincing!

Ma Xun could only say, "You know me very well."

Okay, so they didn't say they'd play less in the future...

Yu Feihong looked helpless, but still brought up the topic of the movie.

"Over the past year or so, I've come to terms with it; I admit I did have problems. But I feel like I'm fighting a war against you."

After hearing this, Ma Xun said, "This is what you do..."

That's so dirty!
Yu Feihong couldn't help but punch him lightly, then said, "I admit I lost, but I'm still not giving up. What do you suggest we do?"

This is setting a question for Ma Xun.

A year has passed, and Ma Xun had already foreseen this.

"It's very simple. I have a movie now, and you can go and be the director or producer. The movie is basically all set up. I've already finished the script and other structures."

In addition, the personnel arrangements have all been finalized.

Let me be frank with you, this film originally had a team that wanted to make a film that was almost the opposite of mine, and I was originally going to compete with this team.

Once you're there, you can try filming a short clip, or simply watch them and let them film you to supervise—either way is fine.

Ah, this is so strange!

"What movie is this?" Yu Feihong asked, extremely curious.

Ma Xun gave the answer directly: "The Blind Tuner".

So that's the one!
Lu Yang and his team have finished filming "Blind Cinema," but this movie is just the beginning; they'll be using the original cast.

Now let Yu Feihong go 'have some fun'...

"Are you so confident that after this movie, I'll definitely be convinced by you?"

That's right. Even now, Yu Feihong is still not completely convinced by Ma Xun.

Ma Xun actually understood that he had been training this Fairy Jinghong all along, and the two of them had been secretly competing with each other.

The outcome is already decided, but Yu Feihong still has something to say.

As for Ma Xun's "The Blind Tuner," he is at least confident that it will leave Yu Feihong speechless and make her completely subservient to him in the future.

As for other benefits... well, we can further leverage the Yu family's background.

Putting everything else aside, this movie, "Love Comes Again," is definitely haunted!
If it weren't for Yu Feihong, could anyone else have made this film?
Ma Xun was also very clear that, in fact, China's film industry will gradually open up in the future.
It's just not as strict as it is now.

In this way, by making Yu Feihong completely obedient, wouldn't he have gained the upper hand?
Ma Xun is indeed brilliant!

Just now...

"It's been a year."

"W-what do you mean?"

"Don't you understand!"

Yu Feihong pouted, her face showing a shy expression.

It's really rare. Although Ma Xun has been busy with women lately, at this moment... a man can't say no!

Come on, who's afraid of who!

Another round of bean-making has begun!

(End of this chapter)