Huayu Entertainment: Tianxian really wants to improve

Chapter 347 Isn't Gu Bei a film master?

"Because this is my first time participating in a film festival jury activity."

The judging panel for this year's awards did not use a voting process; instead, the results were determined through discussion among the panel members.

Facing numerous media cameras, Li An remained expressionless, maintaining his characteristic composure. "However, we were unable to reach a consensus on the choice between the Golden Lion and the Silver Lion awards, and in the end, we had no choice but to use a voting method, which was a three-to-three tie."

under these circumstances,

I could only fulfill my role as chairman of the jury and choose the right recipient for the Golden Lion Award.

"Was Lebanon, Samuel Maoz's first feature film, rejected for the Golden Lion because of its cinematic techniques?"

A Jewish journalist asked, trying to shift the blame for missing the Golden Lion to his directing experience, "After all, his filmmaking style is definitely not comparable to Bruce's."

"That's definitely not the case. If we valued cinematic techniques, we wouldn't have put Lebanon in the Silver Lion category."

Li An shook his head calmly, "We on the jury are immune to cinematic techniques and won't be moved by them. What moves us is the profound emotion conveyed by the film."

When I watch movies like Lebanon or Soul Kitchen, I even help them come up with ideas for how to remake them.

I can't comment on La La Land, though, because Gu Bei's use of technique in that film was perfect.

"As a master of film, how can you make such a comment? Does that mean Bruce is already a master of film?"

The third reporter asked in bewilderment, "How could someone as reserved as Li An say something so outrageous?"

When I heard this question,
Li An's expression, which was originally full of class spirit,
Subtle changes began to appear, revealing a hint of doubt.

He looked at all the reporters at the press conference and asked in confusion, "Isn't he considered one yet?"

A soul-searching question,
This caused even the previously boisterous reporters to fall into deep thought.
The press conference room was as quiet as outer space for a moment.

Is Gu Bei considered a film master?
If someone asked them that, they would probably smile.
A newcomer who has only been making movies for three years at most.
How could he possibly deserve the title of a master of film!

But if someone like Li An were to ask them, "Doesn't Gu Bei count as a film master?"

At this point, they couldn't find any grounds for rebuttal.
Because Gu Bei's honors speak for themselves.
He won the grand prize at three film festivals over three years.
It has already surpassed the life achievements of many, even a large part, of film masters.

Even according to the general evaluation standard for directors, that is, judging by their works.

In Whiplash, Gu Bei perfectly blends sound and editing, and many of his innovative techniques have begun to be incorporated into Hollywood productions.
Among artists, Gu Bei bound his own hands and feet, highly integrating the visuals and performance, which helped Leonardo DiCaprio reach the top.
And this year's La La Land,
It's the perfect fusion of a powerful drummer and an artist.
Sound, visuals, editing, and acting—all the audiovisual elements are perfectly blended together. To achieve this level of artistry, calling one a film master is not an exaggeration at all.

Gu Bei's only flaw at present is his own authorship.

This is something everyone can see.
But only film critics who dislike Gu Bei would specifically point this out.

Because Gu Bei is so young, only twenty-three years old this year, even if he lacks the authorial flair he always has, he still has decades of creative career to slowly perfect his system.

After a brief silence, the press conference will continue.

But this problem has not disappeared from everyone's mind.

Starting the next day,
The debate over whether Gu Bei can be considered a film master
It erupted among various newspapers and magazines.

Whether it is or not, it has a large following.

It wasn't just film critics who participated; many veteran filmmakers from Europe and Hollywood also joined in, each offering their own perspective, making it quite a spectacle.

And at this time,
Gu Bei, on the other hand, had already rushed back to Kyoto.

"Gu Bei! Gu Bei!"

"Director Gu, please wait!"

Unsurprisingly,

Gu Bei was cornered at the airport by the media.

The media are well aware that Gu Bei is going to promote The Sound of the Wind and film Gravity, so they are not worried that Gu Bei will not return to China.

After the Venice Film Festival ended last year
Gu Bei and Liu Yifei flew directly to North America.
By the time Gu Bei returned to China, the financial crisis had already broken out, and the airport was much emptier, so there were no media outlets waiting to ambush him.

This time, Gu Bei had no way to avoid it!
However, this time the media only managed to corner Gu Bei alone.

Liu Yifei, who once helped Gu Bei weather the aftermath of winning an award at Cannes,

This time, she absolutely refuses to come back with Gu Bei.

Not only did she not travel on the same flight as Gu Bei, but their destinations were not even the same.

Instead, they flew directly to Shanghai.
There was a TV interview that needed to be recorded.

Gu Bei was left alone, looking at the reporters who were densely packed like a horde of zombies. His scalp tingled with fear. This scene could save on extras costs if it were in the Hangzhou trip.

Gu Bei steeled himself and walked forward.

"Director Gu, may I ask what your thoughts are on winning the lion's title for two consecutive years?"

The reporters didn't miss any opportunity to ask questions.

"It's a great honor and I'm very grateful to the Venice Film Festival for recognizing La La Land," Gu Bei could only reply as he walked.

"So how do you feel about director Lee An calling you a master of film?"

Upon seeing Gu Bei answer questions, the reporters immediately began asking some sensitive questions.

Gu Bei pondered for a moment.

He chose to respond in a more humble way: "It was probably just a joke from Director Li. I feel that there is still a lot I can improve on, and the title of 'film master' is too heavy for me."

"After you enter the commercial film industry, will you still choose to make art films?"

This is another sensitive issue.

"Actually, I've always been filming the stories I want to film. There are only categories for films: feature films and documentaries. There are no categories for commercial films and art films."

Gu Bei had already seen the driver and bodyguards who came to pick him up. He quickly answered the last question, "I'm just that the budget for making movies is getting bigger and bigger, but the essence of making movies hasn't changed."

Just like the gravity film I'm about to shoot,
Its story cannot be summarized by a simple commercial film.

Everyone can look forward to it!

Amidst the reporters' lingering gazes,
Under the protection of his bodyguards, Gu Bei boarded the van.

"call!"

Gu Bei breathed a sigh of relief.

He said to his assistant Li Wanyun beside him, "Don't go back to the company, go straight to China Film Group. I don't want to stay in Kyoto any longer, let's get out there and make a movie!"

Before Gu Bei even arrived at China Film Group, he was stuck in traffic in Kyoto.

News about the airport has already appeared on Weibo.

"Haha, Director Gu looks so disheveled. This must be the only time he's gone straight back to China after a film festival, right?"

"There's nothing we can do. The movie 'The Message' is about to be released, and Director Gu will definitely have to come back to China to promote it. That's why he got mobbed by the media." "By the way, is Gu Bei's 'La La Land' really that good this time? It made Li An call Gu Bei a film master?"

"It's not just director Li An; many film critics and filmmakers abroad recognize this title. After all, Gu Bei's filmmaking techniques have reached a state of perfection, and many people say they can't think of any way Gu Bei can improve."

"I saw a radical argument that although Gu Bei has only been in the industry for a short time, he has actually made quite a few films, and he has already lived the entire life of many film masters, from his first somewhat rough work to a love letter to film."

"Hilarious! The three top directors in China, Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, and Feng Xiaogang, aren't old enough to make love letters to movies, are they?"

Does "Wuji" count?

"Hahaha!"

Of the three questions Gu Bei answered,

The most discussed topic remains the debate surrounding film masters.

The moment Gu Bei paused to answer the question was when he realized that he was no longer trying to gain more people's favor by answering questions, but rather trying to reduce people's dislike by answering questions.

The title of film master

Whether he admits it or not, as long as a consensus is reached, he will still be forced to wear it.
If he can't wear it now, then wait a few years. As more and more people are influenced by these movies, he'll eventually succeed, even if it takes a long time.

China Film Group.

After Gu Bei arrived,

Surprisingly, Han Sanpin was not in his office.

This is indeed a strange thing. Han Sanpin isn't exactly idle, but he's certainly not exactly busy either.
Basically, if Gu Bei gives advance notice, he can usually meet Han Sanpin. This is the first time Han Sanpin has stood him up.

Gu Bei waited in his office for a while, oblivious to everything else.

After a while,
I heard the office door open.

Then Han Sanpin's cheerful voice came in:

"Our newly emerging film master has returned!"

"Don't dare to take it, don't take it!"

Gu Bei stood up, smiled, and waved his hand, "Chairman Han, please don't flatter me to death. I'm walking on thin ice right now!"

"You, you!"

Han Sanpin smiled at Gu Bei and gestured for him to sit down. "Where's your Golden Lion Award trophy? You've won a Palme d'Or and two Golden Lion Awards, and I haven't even seen one of your trophies yet!"

"They actually brought it this time!"

Gu Bei asked Li Wanyun to bring the trophy from the car and hand it to Han Sanpin.

Han Sanpin carefully picked up the trophy and examined it closely.

The main body of the trophy is a lion with outstretched wings, its head broad and full of oriental charm.

Below is a black marble base, which is heavy and dark in color, creating a strong contrast with the gold trophy and making the gold shine even more.

Han Sanpin said with some emotion, "Did you know that the design of the Golden Lion Award trophy comes from the St. Mark's Flying Lion, and the prototype of the St. Mark's Flying Lion is very likely the tomb guardian beast of the Tang Dynasty, which was introduced to Venice via the Silk Road?"

Therefore, over the years, Venice has been the most dazzling venue for Chinese directors, as if it were destined!

Gu Bei said with a smile, "This is the first time I've heard of this!"

Han Sanpin put down the Golden Lion Award trophy.

He looked at Gu Bei sitting opposite him and was slightly dazed.

Two years ago, Gu Bei was a rookie director who called him to plead his case after being wronged.

In just over two years, Gu Bei has grown to this point, a growth rate that amazes him.

Amidst these reflections, Han Sanpin said to Gu Bei, "You don't need to be modest. The film industry is not like our system; strength is strength, and everyone can see that from your work."

I heard from Fu Ruoqing that tickets for your film in Venice were incredibly hard to come by, and he was amazed after seeing it.”

"President Fu also went to Venice, and I didn't even know!"

Gu Bei was slightly stunned when he heard this.

He got along well with Fu Ruoqing.

Firstly, because Fu Ruoqing is Han Sanpin's protégé and currently serves as the deputy general manager of China Film Group.
Secondly, it's because Gravity was filmed at the China Film Digital Base, which is Fu Ruoqing's territory.

Gu Bei cultivated a good relationship with Fu Ruoqing.

They also had plans for what would happen after Han Sanpin retired.
The idea was to push Fu Ruoqing to replace Han Sanpin as head of China Film Group.

“He went there on a mission this time, so naturally he didn’t have much time.”

After explaining to Fu Ruoqing, Han Sanpin looked at Gu Bei seriously and said, "I have a very crucial question I want to ask you. Please answer me without any reservations."

Gu Bei's expression immediately turned serious: "Chairman Han, you speak!"

"I'd like to ask you your opinion on 3D movies!"

Han Sanpin also said with a serious expression, "Everyone is saying that 3D movies will be the future, and even you chose 3D for your first big-budget film. Do you really think 3D movies are the future direction?"

In his previous life, Gu Bei was an ordinary audience member.
I've always thought that 3D movies were popularized by Cameron's Avatar.

But after Venice, he realized that while many people had seen the trend of 3D movies, only Cameron had made Avatar, leading the way for this trend.

The fact that Han Sanpin asked this question so earnestly must be related to the policy of adding extra quotas for imported films in the future.

But... why is Han Sanpin so motivated to push this forward?

Looking at Han Sanpin's white hair, Gu Bei had a sudden thought: "Chairman Han, is your term about to expire?"

"China Film Group has a three-year term, and my first term will end next year."

Han Sanpin didn't hide anything, but he didn't say it outright either, "You're not going to try to fool me again, are you? The potential of 3D movies has nothing to do with my term of office!"

The way you said it was okay made me feel like it was very important!
Gu Bei pondered carefully.

Han Sanpin's first term expires next year.
He has undoubtedly been re-elected for another term.
Otherwise, Gu Bei wouldn't be returning to China until next year, and wouldn't have any impression of Han Sanpin at all.

Han Sanpin's greatest achievement during this term should be the founding of the People's Republic of China, and Avatar, which will be released during next year's Spring Festival, can also be considered as such.

If Han Sanpin is preparing for his next term, then he needs to make some grand promises to those above him now.

Judging from the later results,

3D movies are just a pie in the sky for Han Sanpin.

This was also an achievement he made during his second term.

(End of this chapter)