Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 179 Commercial films are not the opposite of art; people are!
July 7, Friday, afternoon.

The summer sun in Beijing was blazing, and the chirping of cicadas echoed from the branches. The air was thick with heat, and even the ground seemed to tremble slightly.

The campus of Beijing Film Academy was bustling with activity, rivaling the crowds during previous years' entrance exams for art students.

On the red brick path, groups of people walked together, and students would occasionally run by with their notebooks in hand, their voices rising and falling.

Some specially invited media outlets also rushed to the center with their cameras and microphones.

In front of the teaching building, a banner was already hanging high, with the following words written in eye-catching font:

[Thematic Lecture: From Concept to Screen – A Brief Discussion on Commercial Film Creation and the Market]

Speaker: Wu Chen
Location: Auditorium

At this moment, Yang Mi, Yuan Shanshan, Zhang Xiaofei, and Jiao Junyan were squeezed in the crowd.

"Mimi, hurry up! I heard there are almost no seats left in the auditorium!"

As they walked and discussed, they overheard the chatter of others in the crowd.

"I heard that some teachers and students from the Central Academy of Drama also came today."

"Hey, it's a sister school, nothing special. Hurry up, you might even see some beauties from the Central Academy of Drama."

"Luckily, the seniors have already left campus, otherwise there wouldn't be enough seats today."

"."

Yang Mi and the others jogged towards the auditorium.

Even before the 3 PM lecture, the auditorium of Beijing Film Academy was already packed with people.

Inside the auditorium, those who arrived early had already occupied most of the front-row seats.

Xiang Zhuo, Pu Songri, Chu Tianshu and others took their seats early and occupied the best spots.

Xiang Zhuo curiously looked at the person next to him, feeling that he was somewhat familiar, and couldn't help but strike up a conversation:
"Hey, are you from the directing department? You got a spot pretty fast."

Lu Yang turned his head and nodded slightly; he was no stranger to Xiang Zhuo.

Because of Wu Chen, his entire dormitory was famous throughout the school, and Xiang Zhuo even served as the producer of "Black Peony".

"Yes, I'm a directing major, and I'll be a third-year graduate student soon."

"I remember now!" Xiang Zhuo's eyes lit up. "You're the director of the short film 'Going Home,' right? The one that won first prize at the National College Film Festival. Impressive, senior!"

In no time, the conversation began.

Lu Yang felt a little embarrassed. If it weren't for the other person's somewhat sincere eyes, he would have thought the other person was joking.

After all, Wu Chen was in the other person's dormitory, so something just didn't feel right.

Xiang Zhuo seemed to understand, and then sighed, "Hey, not everyone can be like Brother Chen. When I first came to Beijing Film Academy, all I wanted was to win a photography exhibition award."

Park Song-il and Chu Tian-shu, who were standing nearby, both laughed.

“Xiang Zhuo has become a producer, and his habits are just like those of other producers. He tries to chat with people and get close to them as soon as he sees them,” Park Song-il whispered to Chu Tian-shu.

Amidst the banter, not far away, on the main stage of the auditorium, school leaders including Zhang Huijun, Mu Deyuan, and Xie Xiaojing exchanged pleasantries with professors from the Central Academy of Drama who had come from the surrounding area.

"Old Mu, I really didn't expect this," Chang Li said with a sigh as she chatted with Mu Deyuan.

It seems like just two years ago, Mu Deyuan called her and asked her to recommend suitable actors for Wu Chen's movie. In the blink of an eye, things have changed so much.

Mu Deyuan stood to the side, chatting casually with a smile: "Who could have guessed? It's all about luck."

"Your photography department must have good feng shui," Chang Li complained.

"Then I won't deny it. By the way, I heard that Li An's 'Lust, Caution' selected people from the Central Academy of Drama?"

At this point in Mu Deyuan's speech, some of the teachers in the Performance Department of Beijing Film Academy looked displeased.

Damn it, the role was taken away by the Central Academy of Drama again.

However, Chang Li didn't seem particularly happy. "Well, I graduated from the directing department."

"Isn't that comparable to Jiang Wen?"

Mu Deyuan is a good talker. Jiang Wen also graduated from the directing department back then, but he was the most popular star in the industry at the time.

If Jiang Wen hadn't gone back to directing, he would definitely still be one of the top actors in China today.

"hope"

"."

Wu Chen naturally couldn't be the last to appear, so he arrived early and greeted the teachers in the audience.

When it was time, Xie Xiaojing, the vice dean, went on stage first, said a few words, as if she were giving an introduction, and applause rang out.

The climax came when Wu Chen, dressed casually, slowly walked onto the stage.

The crowd fell silent, then erupted in enthusiastic applause and shouts, with the girls seeming to be the most vocal.

"Why do I feel like Brother Chen has a lot of female fans?" Xiang Zhuo glanced around and was startled by the shouts nearby.

"No need to feel."

"."

Wu Chen stood in front of the podium, his expression calm, his gaze sweeping across the entire room.

There is no manuscript.

There was no teleprompter.

He simply smiled faintly, his voice clearly echoing in every corner:
"Good afternoon, teachers and students."

A simple opening line, both humble and confident.

"Today's topic, um..."
It's titled "From High Concept to the Big Screen: A Brief Discussion on the Creation and Market of Commercial Films." Actually, I didn't want to use such a professional title. This is like writing a thesis, and even my thesis isn't this professional.

However, Principal Zhang said that the title should be more professional.

Hey, what can we do when Principal Zhang is the principal, right? We can only listen to him. The title is a bit misleading, just take a look.

"Hahaha!"

The audience below the stage laughed nonstop.

"This kid," Zhang Huijun said, shaking his head with a smile from below the stage.

Wu Chen paused, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

"But I want to start differently—"

"Do you want to know what the Chinese film market will look like in the next five, ten, or even twenty years?"

There was a sudden murmur among the audience, as if they were speculating.

Wu Chen smiled, opened his palm, and said firmly:
"Can you even imagine a movie grossing 500 million yuan?"

The crowd responded loudly, "We dare!"

Now that "Now You See Me" is almost 300 million yuan, it doesn't seem too difficult for the next movie to reach 500 million yuan.

"What about the billion?"

Many people fell silent; some shook their heads, others nodded.

Even some of the professors in the front row were pondering this.

"Theoretically, one billion should be possible."

"It's hard to say," Wu Chen continued, "What about the two billion?"

The room fell silent instantly.

Clearly, no one could imagine when this number would occur.

"Two billion is still a bit unrealistic," Chang Li shook her head. "These days, a movie breaking 100 million is already a big deal."

"That being said, we still broke the 100 million mark, so there's always hope."

Although Mu Deyuan felt that 2 billion was indeed unattainable, he naturally did not deny what Wu Chen had said.

"It's normal not to know or be able to guess."

Just like when they finished filming "Dingjun Mountain" in 1913, they couldn't have predicted that a domestic film would one day gross over 100 million yuan.
But what I want to say is that daring to think is very important; what I want to talk about here is imagination.

You have to imagine what the audience likes to watch, what concepts they like to see; that's the high concept of commercial films.

Wu Chen tapped the podium lightly, his gaze sharp and intense.

"A good commercial film is never about piling up big scenes and big stars, but about the 'concept'—the kind of magic that makes the audience want to pay to go to the theater just by hearing or seeing the synopsis."

He gave an example at random:
"For example, in 'Now You See Me,' a top magician's crime show, a bank robbery that spans thousands of miles, seems impossible, but you are the director. Whether it happens or not depends on you, on what you think, and whether you dare to make it a reality."

For example, Spielberg combined Jurassic dinosaurs with the real world to make a movie.

For example, traversing the cosmos and exploring the deepest parts of the ocean—these are concepts, and it may seem difficult to imagine these scenes and stories. But if you can imagine them, then many people will be willing to go to the cinema and pay for your tickets.

Wu Chen spoke eloquently, covering almost everything about why audiences want to watch commercial films, what they fear, and what they yearn for.

"Now I understand why Director Wu was able to succeed. Director Wu's imagination is just too rich." Lu Yang, who was next to Xiang Zhuo, sighed with admiration.

"Any ideas? Any inspiration?" Xiang Zhuo's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked.

"Alright, I don't think I can film any of the things Director Wu mentioned." Lu Yang shook his head repeatedly.

"Mimi, did you understand?" Yuan Shanshan couldn't help but ask, her mouth slightly open the whole time, and finally she couldn't help but ask.

"It's no use even if we understand it, we're not directing the film."

"It seems so."

Zhang Xiaofei and Jiao Junyan were relieved. Since they didn't need to worry about that, they could listen to as much as they wanted.

Time slipped away, and it was nearly five o'clock. Wu Chen slowly walked to the front of the stage and looked directly at the audience:

"I believe the future belongs to the era of blockbusters, which presents an opportunity for Chinese filmmakers."

And each and every one of you here could be the next person to disrupt the market.

Wu Chen spoke each word with resounding force:

Don't limit yourself, don't be afraid of ambition, and don't fear failure.
Because the most terrible thing is not the failure of the film.

The most terrifying thing is not daring to even think about it, not even daring to dream about it.

A thunderous applause erupted.

Some students, who were quite emotional, even stood up and applauded.

Many girls were so excited that their faces turned red.

Finally, Wu Chen softened his tone and said gently, "Commercial films have never been the opposite of art."

Truly great commercial films are art in themselves.

As long as we remember, the core of film is—telling a good story and touching people's hearts.

After saying this, Wu Chen bowed deeply.

Applause swept through the entire venue like a tidal wave.

"How should I put it? It feels like our old system is going to be overturned and we have to start all over again," Xie Xiaojing and Tian Zhuangzhuang said, discussing as they cheered.

"The times push people forward, but we can't move forward anymore; we're stuck."

"If I were to actually film what Wu Chen said, it would end up looking like 'The Blue Kite,'" Tian Zhuangzhuang shook his head.

"You, you," Xie Xiaojing said with a smile and a shake of her head.

"But the next generation of directors can take over; we can take it one step at a time."

"."

After the lecture, the host walked onto the stage with a smile and announced, "Next is the Q&A session. Everyone is welcome to ask questions!"

As soon as he finished speaking, countless hands shot up in the room.

The atmosphere was so lively that it didn't feel like a typical Beijing Film Academy auditorium; it felt more like a meet-and-greet with a top celebrity.

The first person to be called was a second-year male student majoring in directing.

He stood up, his voice tinged with excitement: "Senior, you just mentioned that 'concept' is very important. So how do we, as new directors, fill in the story with a high concept? Does it have to be particularly grand?"

After listening, Wu Chen smiled and nodded, replying:
"good question."

"Many people think that high-concept stories must be filled with grand scenes of saving the earth and saving humanity, but that's not necessarily true. What touches people the most is often the most private, ordinary, and sincere emotions."

For example, a teenager wants to go home, an old man wants to see his long-lost daughter, and a dog wants to wait for its owner to return.
Grandeur is not about the size of the outer shell, but the depth of the emotion.

If you can move yourself, you have the chance to move the world.

Applause erupted again from the audience.

Many people were murmuring Wu Chen's words: "As long as you move yourself, you have the chance to move the world."

The second person called out was a female student from the Management Department. Her eyes lit up, and her voice was slightly excited:
"Senior, you just mentioned 500 million, 1 billion, 2 billion. Is it really possible for the film market to reach that level in the future? Are you confident in your abilities?"

“Of course, as the director, I have the most daring ideas and must be confident,” Wu Chen replied with a smile.

Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this.

"I'm very serious," Wu Chen added at the end, which surprised everyone present. Even the invited media were quite excited and took notes.

Several students then asked questions about how to enter the industry, how to balance personal interests with the market, and how to cope with failure.
Next came the Q&A session with the media, and the reporters didn't let Lu Xun off the hook, starting with him.

"Director Wu, Director Lu Xun said you are too commercial, implying that your films lack artistic pursuit. What do you think?"

The room fell silent for a moment.

Many people pricked up their ears, and even some people on the professors' seats turned their heads.

"Senior Brother Lu Yang, what do you think of Lu Xun in the Directing Department?" Xiang Zhuo asked with great curiosity.

"So-so," Lu Yang shook his head. In his opinion, if the other party didn't have a good teacher, they wouldn't have reached this level. They would even have to copy documentaries to make a movie.

They're not incapable of analyzing film clips; once they do, it's immediately clear whether or not they plagiarized.

Wu Chen's expression remained unchanged; he merely smiled slightly.
"Actually, I already said that earlier, but I'll add half of it now."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the room with a gentle yet powerful intensity.

"Commercial films are never the opposite of art."

"—It's people."

hum-

In an instant, thunderous applause erupted in the auditorium!

The students in the audience almost instinctively stood up and applauded.

In short, it both responded to the question and elevated the overall tone of the lecture, being sharp yet sophisticated.
(End of this chapter)