Who are you calling "little fresh meat"? I'm the king.

Chapter 969 Film List Release Conference (13)

This year's Shanghai International Film Festival is noticeably different from the previous two years...

It's much quieter now!
There's been a lot of discussion about surpassing the US film market...

Almost no one mentioned it this year.

The major "giants" seem to be deliberately keeping a low profile, and releasing film lists is no longer a "standard practice." Even when they do release film lists, the number has decreased sharply.

Wang Changtian even publicly stated: If we don't release a single film list, will it affect the overall business progress?
The most exciting Shanghai International Film Festival was in 2016.

At that time, major film studios released more than 200 new film plans, but a year or two later, many of these works are still only at the PowerPoint presentation stage.

The lack of a director, screenwriter, lead actor, and pre-production preparation for the film became a major point of criticism within the industry.

Compared to the nearly 20 press conferences a day that often took place, the public news events such as new film releases and annual plan announcements in 2018 were much quieter than in 2017. Many media outlets from other regions chose to skip the Shanghai International Film Festival, and those journalists who had already traveled to Shanghai were either preparing to leave early, halfway through their trip.

Previously, during the Shanghai International Film Festival, you could hear people discussing film and television projects in any bar or restaurant on the Bund…

And a bunch of people are talking about the film and television foundation…

They've all disappeared this year!

Only Huayi Brothers and Wanda held a film slate release conference...

Huayi Brothers' major projects include "Cell Phone 2" and "Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings", while other projects such as "Ash Is Purest White" and "Onmyoji" cannot be called blockbusters.

Wanda, known for its large-scale film slates, has only "Detective Chinatown 3" among its 19 new films, which has garnered the most attention.

However, "Detective Chinatown 3" is a joint production of Maoyan, Xinghuo Studio and Chen Sicheng's Yitong Films, with Wanda being just one of the producers!

Ji Xiang originally planned a press conference to announce the entire film slate, including the head of Maoyan, to jointly announce a plan for 25 new films and 24 web series…

It was rejected by Shen Yan…

no need!

However, Maoyan announced a plan for 17 new films... and he didn't refuse!

—As a listed company, Maoyan attracts media attention by showcasing future project plans and releasing project information in advance to seize market opportunities. On the other hand, it also signals to investors that our operations are performing well…

"Project Gutenberg", "The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil", and "Raging Fire in the Street";
"Earthfire", "The Wandering Earth: Space Elevator", "A Night in the Film Studio", "Lone Journey to the Moon";
The Unknown, The Brilliant Girl, Priceless Treasure, Lighting Shop, Sheep Without a Shepherd 3, Northeast Police Story 3, and Zaijiutang;
In addition, "Dying to Survive" and "Hello Mr. Billionaire" are also on the film list...

Oh, and there's also "My People, My Country"!
There are also two experimental sci-fi films: *Upgrade* and *Take Her Eyes*...

These two films were independently produced by Spark Studio…

One stars Shen Yan, and the other stars Dilraba Dilmurat…

Oh, right, Dilraba is also at the Shanghai International Film Festival; she's here to promote her film "Lighting Shop"...

Together with Shishi…

"Lighting Shop" is a film produced by Shih-Shih.

……

After Shen Yan announced his relationship, he basically stopped contacting Dilraba!

After all... from a common-sense perspective, it's impossible for the two of them to have a future together.

Moreover, the entertainment industry is under a lot of public scrutiny right now, and if this gets exposed, Dilraba's reputation will definitely be ruined...

Shen Yan had to consider other people's careers... Dilraba also tried to find a boyfriend...

Unfortunately, if you're aiming for Shen Yan, you'll basically be hard-pressed to find another man like him!

Especially those traffic-driven individuals, their appearances are nothing special, their minds are empty, and all they talk about is resources…

Compared to Shen Yan, what resources do you have?

After seeing Shen Yan, she felt her legs go weak...

Oh, Shen Yan was just making empty promises on stage... well, not exactly making empty promises, he was just introducing the film list.

"We want to develop an industrialized process to mass-produce 7-8 point feature films... In addition, we will focus on promoting about five big-budget productions each year..."

"To ensure that the director, screenwriter, lighting, cinematographer, storyboard artist, and so on all perform their respective duties!"

Shen Yan changed the subject: "We all need to understand one ironclad rule: for an industry to have a future, it must serve its paying customers well and satisfy their emotional needs. The film industry is no exception!"

"The false prosperity of the film and television industry in previous years gave many of us the illusion that we deserved this money and status."

This is a huge misconception. This misconception leads many of us to believe that we can make money because we have talent and ability, that we should pursue art, and that we should become some kind of artist, a carrier of humanistic thought, or a voice for the dark side of society.

In reality, most of us don't have that right. Most of us come from middle-class or higher families, have never seen the lower class, and don't know what the lower class is. Many people's understanding of the lower class is limited to magazines like *Story Club*, *Yilin*, and *Reader*.

"Everyone needs to understand one thing: In the past twenty years, due to rapid economic development, various demands have expanded rapidly, including the demand for dating and parties. Even if we just post a picture on Valentine's Day, couples will look at it, which makes us money, but this is not a capability, it is a false prosperity."

"In today's society, working in the entertainment industry is generally seen as a 'shortcut to success,' with the attitude that 'becoming a star means less effort' when pursuing a career..."

At this point, he sighed and continued, "Some things have happened recently... Many of our colleagues don't dare to really confront us directly, and neither do I. Sometimes I'm genuinely disappointed in myself..."

Those colleagues who launder money, engage in underhanded dealings, and collude in financial fraud will still appear with them at film festivals, movies, and variety shows, praising each other's acting skills and character, addressing each other as "teacher," "big brother," or "senior"...

"By the way, tomorrow at 3 pm, 'Dying to Survive' will be screened at the Shanghai Grand Theatre... Everyone can go and check out its quality. This is a film that we filmmakers are very proud of!"

Thank you everyone for coming!

……

"Brother Yan, what's your opinion on the Cui Yongyuan and 'Cell Phone 2' incident?"

"I'm just following the gossip... There are a lot of things I don't know. Since my debut, my attitude towards many unspoken rules has been to avoid them..."

"So you're admitting there are many unspoken rules in the industry?"

Shen Yan nodded, then added, "Every industry has them..."

"After listening to what you said, it seems you're quite disappointed with the entertainment industry?"

"I wouldn't say that. I'm just focusing on doing my own thing..."

After exchanging a few casual words with the reporters on the scene, Shen Yan, holding a wine glass, began the necessary social interactions…

This is normal. As an upstream producer in the industry chain, Shen Yan definitely needs to maintain good relationships with downstream partners, especially cinema chains.

Social work cannot be taken lightly!

I was chatting with the manager of Shanghai United Cinemas when Ren Zhonglun from Shanghai Film Group walked over…

(End of this chapter)