This director is vindictive.

Chapter 233 A World Where Only One Person Is Wounded

The moment Chen Mo's announcement was released, the entire film industry erupted in excitement. The news was being shared like wildfire in WeChat groups, Moments, and trending topics on Weibo. Many film professionals in the industry applauded it.

"A spark in the winter of the film industry!" — A veteran producer immediately forwarded the post, adding a red emoji.

"Director Chen is awesome! This is the industry benchmark!" - A district manager of Dadi Cinema spammed the comments section with thumbs up.

"Some people should take note: stop thinking about making quick money all the time!"—These words were clearly directed at Xu Guangtou, but no one said it outright; those who understood, understood.

In fact, those in the industry know very well: Chen Mo's move not only promoted his own film, but also did the theaters a favor, and incidentally took a jab at Xu Guangtou, killing three birds with one stone.

More and more people followed up with comments on Chen Mo's actions.

"This is the best news I've heard since the movie industry's downturn! I hope that day comes soon!"

"Thank you, Chen Mo, this is great news!"

"This is the kind of vision a great director should have, unlike someone who is short-sighted and eager for quick success!"

Meanwhile, Zeng Maojun also provided a crucial assist: he immediately spread the word.

"Several major video websites offered exorbitant prices to buy the online premiere rights for 'Fame and Fortune,' but director Chen Mo remained unmoved, demonstrating his long-term vision and confidence in the film industry!"

Soon after the news was released, several media outlets contacted the platforms.

However, to his and Chen Mo's surprise, several video platforms and ByteDance actually responded.

An official spokesperson for iQiyi stated, "We did indeed submit a bid for director Chen Mo's new film 'Making a Name for Themselves.' We cannot disclose the specific price, but it will definitely exceed that of 'Lost in Russia'!"

This is indeed true, but in reality, there is no specific, clear price quote; it's mostly just a trial and error process.

Tencent Video: "We at Tencent Video are certainly interested in Director Chen's films, and we will definitely give them the highest level of promotion! However, although we didn't reach an agreement, it won't affect our continued cooperation. Tencent Video has already pre-ordered Director Chen Mo's next two online mini-series, the last two parts of the Mist Trilogy. Stay tuned!"

Youku Video: "Actually, for works by a big director like Director Chen, we've always believed that money isn't the issue; the key is sincerity in the collaboration!"

ByteDance: "It's true. We believe Chen Mo's new film will not disappoint. We were indeed very interested, but ultimately we did not reach a cooperation agreement. We look forward to the next collaboration!"

This wave was something no one expected.

Chen Mo could certainly understand Zeng Maojun's behavior.

This is indeed to promote Chen Mo himself and his film "Making a Name for Himself," and it also helps to boost confidence in the industry.

As for the reactions of several video platforms, although they were somewhat unexpected, they were actually quite reasonable. To put it bluntly, they were just taking a chance, even if there was no guarantee of success.

Ideally, this should be a successful purchase: Chen Mo's influence is ten times stronger than Xu Guangtou's, and a first online release would definitely be a smash hit.

Even if you don't buy it, you won't lose anything: at least the topic has been generated, and you can still show that you "support quality content"!
Chen Mo was willing to sell, and of course they were willing to take it. It wasn't about disrupting the industry or anything like that; it was purely because it was profitable.

As for why they're making this response and admitting to the matter now? Because it doesn't have any negative impact on them. As they said, if they can't cooperate this time, then they'll do it next time.

The truth is, Chen Mo's Shengshi Pictures does have collaborations with several platforms, so there's really no reason for this to involve any dirty dealings.

Of course, the most crucial point is that even though both the theater chains and Chen Mo have issued announcements clearly stating that "Fame and Fortune" will be released in theaters, it will not have any impact on them.

It can be said that this wave is truly a win-win situation for all parties involved.

Zeng Maojun quickly joined forces with several cinema chains and finalized the release of "Make a Name for Yourself" with Shengshi Pictures.

Furthermore, a promise was made: "Rise to Fame" will have no less than 35% of the screenings in major cinemas during its first week!

All cinemas' LED screens will play trailers on a loop, and major cinemas will cooperate to provide the best possible promotional level.

We'll give you an extra 2 percentage points in box office revenue sharing!

What Chen Mo had to do was sign this special distribution contract.

Although the specific release date is currently undetermined.

On the other side, Xu Guangtou was dumbfounded.

After this news broke, it's fair to say that industry insiders' dislike of him intensified even further.

Think about it, Xu Guangtou not only abandoned theatrical release for "Lost in Russia" and sold it to ByteDance, but he also tried to influence Chen Mo.

Immediately, a barrage of criticism erupted, mostly from industry insiders.

"Lost in Russia not only betrayed the theaters, but also tried to drag Chen Mo down with it?"

"The key point is, aren't you stunned? Even several video platforms have betrayed you, so the traitor will ultimately be betrayed as well!"

"Isn't that right? To be honest, Xu Guangtou is indeed shrewd, but his vision is just so-so!"

Right now, there's really nothing anyone can do about it, but you can imagine what a "winter" awaits him once cinemas reopen!
At least movies related to him will definitely receive "special treatment" from theaters!
In fact, a "list of Xu Guangtou's names" has already begun circulating in the industry!
The movies he's involved in are all given a "cold treatment" by theaters (scheduled for late-night screenings, no advance tickets)!
The films he invested in had their promotional resources halved (even getting movie theater banners was difficult)!

The actors he works with will also be "punished" (a certain comedy star has already quietly cut ties with him)!

Of course, this is just a rumor at the moment, and no one knows whether it is true or not, but it does show his current situation.

This storm has sparked much discussion among netizens.

"I have to say, Chen Mo's move was absolutely phenomenal, like a cow soaring to the sky! It was incredibly awesome!"

"Although I also enjoy watching free content, I have to say that Chen Mo's move was indeed much more skillful than someone else's."

“The video platforms are not at a loss. Cinemas got Chen Mo’s new film to endorse them, which helped them recover from the decline during the pandemic. Chen Mo got top-tier resources and also established his persona as the ‘savior of the industry.’ The only loser is Xu Guangtou. He not only completely offended the cinemas, but the video platforms also betrayed him. In the future, he will either have to switch to online platforms or beg for screenings. In other words, even though he is being betrayed by the video platforms, he doesn’t dare to say a word because it is his only way out.”

And indeed, in this incident, Chen Mo became the "savior of cinemas," while Xu Guangtou became the "public enemy of the industry." As for the video websites, they merely made a few pronouncements and acted as bystanders; as for the audience?

All they care about is whether "Making a Name for Yourself" is good or not.
Chen Mo didn't pay any more attention to the matter; he still had work to do!

As a result of this incident, the attention given to "Make a Name for Yourself" has been increasing. Fatty Li Song's live stream, which directly covered the set of "Make a Name for Yourself," has generated unprecedented buzz.

Many people came to watch the spectacle.

Every day, the video clips on various platforms can garner a lot of traffic.

Back to the set of "Fame and Fortune".

Because the production of this film was rushed, many actors were not adequately prepared.

Some veteran actors are actually better off, after all, they are skilled actors and acting is just a regular thing for them.

But for young actors, it's quite a headache for Chen Mo.

Fortunately, Chen Mo had anticipated this, so he made special cuts to the scripts for each actor.

Apart from Qi Leshan, the "murderer," none of the others knew the ending of the story or what the truth was.

So, for them, it really felt like playing a murder mystery game.

This model wasn't invented by Chen Mo; in fact, many suspense film crews often use this approach.

This makes it easier for actors to immerse themselves in the role and perform more naturally.

For example, when Lin Guoping was filming "Infernal Affairs," he had no idea that he would die in the end when he received the script.

That's why we had that wonderful performance.

Similarly, the effect is even more pronounced in "Making a Name for Oneself".

Because during filming, although everyone followed the script and spoke according to the lines, some things were different.

That is, they didn't know who the "real culprit" was beforehand, so they were also curious, which made it easier for them to get involved in the story.

Especially Hu Ge's portrayal of Li Jiahui.

During this period, the others were actually a little better off. After all, while they weren't exactly playing themselves, at least in terms of appearance and spirit, there wasn't anything particularly special about them.

But Li Jiahui was different; he was an alcoholic, always had a drink in his hand, and always tried to appear decadent.

At the same time, he also needs to project an idealist's attitude and a pursuit of truth.

If you know the truth beforehand, then what you act out will always just be an act.

To prepare for the role, Hu Ge has been drinking constantly these past few days—yes, he really is drinking! Because he doesn't have much time to delve into the character or experience life, he has to resort to this "clumsy method"!
As a result, his daily routine on set was like this: he would rehearse while drunk, vomit and then continue acting. In the morning, when filming "sober scenes," he would force himself to be slightly drunk!
His eyes were glazed over, and he burped before he even spoke!

He deliberately shook his fingers when holding the cigarette, and didn't even brush off the ash that fell onto the script!

In the afternoon, we were filming a "drunk scene." I was so drunk that I couldn't stand up straight. I stumbled and knocked over a prop table, shattering a glass on the floor. After vomiting, I came back with foam still on my lips and continued rehearsing my lines.

This also made him the "actor" who appeared most frequently in the fat man's live broadcast room!
There's no way around it, the highlight is just too obvious!

Many of Hu Ge's fans felt heartbroken after seeing this.

"Old Hu is pushing himself too hard! Chen Mo, have some decency! How many days has it been? Still drinking?"

"No madness, no life; every time he appears on a live stream, he seems drunk!"

"If he keeps drinking like this, I doubt he can last until filming wraps up."

However, no one in the crew, including Chen Mo, Liu Yifei, and Yang Mi, tried to dissuade him.

It's not a question of whether someone is dedicated or not. Actors earn far more than ordinary people, so naturally they have to make sacrifices.

Both Yang Mi and Liu Yifei have done things they would never normally do because of filming.

For example, when Liu Yifei was filming "The Return of the Condor Heroes", she was only sixteen years old at the time. As a result, she was "hanging" on the wire for 10 hours every day. When filming the scene where she jumped off the cliff in the Valley of Heartbreak, she was suspended by wires for a whole day. She was only taken down to eat a bite in the middle of the filming before continuing to be suspended.

When the director yelled "Let's have lunch," she was still hanging in mid-air. The staff held up the lunchboxes, and she ate them while suspended there.

There was a scene where she had to plunge down a 20-meter-high cliff edge, and she didn't have a stunt double; she had to do it herself.

The scene of Little Dragon Girl standing under the waterfall was so powerful that she was almost swept away, and the wire was stretched to its limit.

Etc., etc!
Yang Mi is the same. Not to mention anything else, just take the filming of "The Shallows" as an example. Yang Mi was in the water all day long and had to endure what ordinary people could not.

This is the norm in the industry, and it's why traffic stars are constantly criticized.

So you can laugh at their poor acting skills and call them just pretty faces, but you can't deny that they really work very hard.

You have to give something to get something. Having been actors for so many years, and especially having a long-standing friendship with Hu Ge, they know all too well Hu Ge's obsession.

Just like Leonardo DiCaprio, who was obsessed with winning an Oscar, and then went from a handsome guy to a slovenly middle-aged man.

While Hu Ge's words weren't quite that exaggerated, they were actually quite close.

This time, Chen Mo's role and script in "Making a Name for Himself" were clearly the best he could get. So he really put his heart into it.

I almost always go to bed the latest and get up the earliest.

I've been studying the character and the script, and even watched a lot of alcoholics drink.

They saw it all and felt a pang of sympathy, but that's what actors are for! What else can they do? Why would anyone hire them to act?
However, they didn't expect that the first person to be unable to stand it was Chen Mo, the "cold and ruthless" director.

Indeed, in their view, Chen Mo became somewhat cold and ruthless once he entered work mode.

On set, even if Yang Mi didn't perform well, Chen Mo would never treat her differently; he would scold her or be sarcastic as appropriate.

"Glug!" Hu Ge picked up the bottle and took a swig.

Chen Mo frowned as he watched.

He looked Hu Ge up and down, then held out his hand and said, "Give it to me!"

Hu Ge could not possibly be really drunk, but he had indeed gotten somewhat used to it recently.

Chen Mo asked for wine, and without any suspicion, he handed it to Chen Mo directly.

Chen Mo unscrewed the bottle cap and took a sniff. Good heavens, it was still thatch.

However, he quickly called to the prop master: "Come on, change it for him, change it to water!"

Hu Ge immediately objected: "No, Director Chen, it's really not necessary. I'll get into character more easily if I drink something."

Chen Mo's expression changed, and he said angrily, "Drink, drink, drink! What the hell are you drinking for! I don't care how much you drink after filming is over, but if you keep drinking like this on set, I'm afraid you'll end up in the hospital one day. It's not your fault if you end up in the hospital, but it will delay the filming schedule, do you understand?"

Yang Mi, Liu Yifei, and the other actors on set all looked at each other in bewilderment.

Goodness, I thought Chen Mo was feeling sorry for Hu Ge, but I never expected that his 37-degree mouth could say such zero-degree words.

Hu Ge was also a bit dumbfounded. He was actually quite touched at first, thinking that Chen Mo was worried about him, but he didn't expect Chen Mo to be so damn realistic.

"Besides, you've been in the industry for over ten years, you're a veteran actor. I didn't say anything when you drank a little to get into the swing of things before, but you've been drinking for days now, don't tell me you still can't find that feeling? If you really can't find that feeling, do you still have the nerve to call yourself a veteran actor?" Chen Mo said irritably.

"What? You want to show how dedicated you are? Acting well is the most dedicated thing to do! It's not about drinking every day and then saying that you're dedicated to acting so well that you end up in the hospital." Chen Mo continued angrily.

These really were Chen Mo's true feelings.

Playing an alcoholic is indeed not easy to find the right feeling and state of mind in a short time, but Hu Ge has been drinking for several days now.

He really didn't believe that he couldn't get into the mood without alcohol.

Moreover, the character played by Li Jiahui is only slightly tipsy, not completely drunk.

He really couldn't understand what Hu Ge was up to, which was why he was a little annoyed.

Of course, Chen Mo also genuinely felt that if this guy continued drinking like this, he would really end up in the hospital. And now, during this special period, if he ended up in the hospital, he would be in real trouble.

Let's just stop making the movie.

Hu Ge blushed slightly at Chen Mo's words.

Because he really hadn't thought that much about it; he just felt that drinking some alcohol would make him feel better. But after Chen Mo said that, did it make sense? It really did.

This scene was unfortunately captured on camera by the oblivious fat man, Li Song.

The entire live stream chat exploded immediately.

"Holy crap, this is the first time I've seen Professor Do like this!"

"A seasoned yin-yang master! That's what he meant!"

"No, at first I thought he was just showing concern for Hu Ge as a friend, but I didn't expect him to almost strain his back!"

"However, Chen Mo is right! You don't need to keep drinking to get into the swing of things!"

"This really shows no respect whatsoever! I heard before that Chen Mo was a heartless guy on set, but I didn't believe it. Now I do!"

"Thumbs up for Chen Mo. True professionalism means acting well and not causing trouble for the crew, not acting crazy as much as possible."

"Hu Ge is too eager to succeed, especially on the big screen, so I can understand. But Chen Mo did a great job!"

"Actually, the biggest credit goes to Fatty. Let's give Fatty an extra chicken leg, haha!"

This incident quickly became a trending topic.

After all, one of them is Chen Mo, one of the most sought-after directors right now, and the other is a popular star in the entertainment industry.

The key point is that this time, the two showed contrasting sides of themselves.

Chen Mo usually gives people the impression of being quite gentle, but this is the first time that the audience has seen him get angry.

And what about Hu Ge? It's rare to see her being scolded like a quail.

"Chen Mo transforms into a tyrant on set, angrily rebuking Hu Ge; being crazy doesn't equate to being dedicated!"

"Hu Ge drank heavily for a role, and Chen Mo angrily rebuked her: 'Acting well is what professionalism is, not causing trouble for the crew is what professionalism is! Going crazy is not!'"

"Hu Ge went too far, and Chen Mo revealed his tyrannical nature!"

"Movies become reality: Hu Ge drank for days on end in preparation for 'Fame and Fortune,' and Chen Mo angrily rebuked Hu Ge for the same reason!"

Chen Mo redefines "an actor's professionalism"!

(End of this chapter)