Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 401 Ask Our Female Lead

Inside the main hall of Xingchen Cinema, the lights are bright and the atmosphere is dazzling.

A few wisps of warm breeze still lingered on the carpet, carried by the guests from the red carpet, while inside the hall, elegantly dressed guests created a lively atmosphere.

Several standing high stools were temporarily placed in the open space of the stage area.

The cinema ceiling lights gradually dimmed, and a soft spotlight slowly illuminated the stage.

At this moment, Xie Nan, the leading host of Enlight Media, wearing a shimmering silver gown, stepped onto the stage, glanced around the theater, and gave a slight nod in greeting.

"Dear media friends, industry seniors, and dear viewers, good evening."

"Welcome everyone to the premiere of the film 'Bad Genius'."

Applause erupted instantly, and the atmosphere became lively.

Xie Nan smiled and nodded. After the applause subsided slightly, she gestured and said:

"Now, please allow me to invite the creative team for tonight to the stage."

As soon as he finished speaking, the lights dimmed slightly, and the projection screen in the center of the stage switched to a giant still from the play.

Ning Hao walked out first, followed by Liu Yifei, Wu Chen, Huang Xuan, Shu Chang, and Tony Leung Ka-fai.
Liu Yifei appeared in the center, her deep burgundy dress shimmering softly under the lights, her graceful figure drawing a burst of flashes from the audience.

Xie Nan greeted them with a smile: "Welcome Director Ning, welcome to all the main creators. I'll ask the first question, and the rest will be left to our media friends."

"Director Ning, first of all, I'm very curious, why did you choose to make the movie 'Bad Genius'?"

“Oh right, why did I want to make ‘Bad Genius’ in the first place?” Ning Hao scratched his head, feigning confusion, and looked at Wu Chen, who waved his hand.

How should I know you're the director?

The audience and media burst into light laughter.

"Oh, I remember now." Ning Hao slapped his forehead. "I think it was around July last year when Director Wu gave me a brief overview of the story. I personally thought it was a very interesting story, a type that had never been filmed before in the industry. Of course, it was also created by Director Wu specifically for Yifei."

He didn't have time to film, so he wanted to ask me to do it. I had just finished filming "Racing" and didn't have anything else to do, so I accepted.

Ning Hao's words immediately made two groups of people feel sour.

One of them is the director.

So that's how it works! Why don't they ever have such good fortune?

Of course, there's also a group of actresses.
At this moment, the media cameras quickly turned to Wu Chen and his group:
"Director Wu, did you reference any real-life events when you wrote this script?"

“Effie.”

The media behind them were particularly excited, so Wu Chen immediately interrupted, "Don't just keep asking me, ask Yi Fei, ask our female lead."

Laughter erupted again at the scene.

"Yifei, I heard you have scenes with Director Wu. What do you think of Director Wu's performance as a new actor?"

It has to be said that the media's thinking is really quick, and they find great topics to discuss.

Wu Chen is indeed a newcomer in acting.

All eyes turned to Liu Yifei, anticipating her speech.

"Haha, your standards are so high! I can only say that his talent is definitely off the charts. Of course, sometimes he shows the characteristics of a director, which is that he has the idea in his mind, but the actions and expressions are not quite right."
Then he would say, "Impossible! How could that be? The performance in my mind is absolutely perfect."

Liu Yifei, holding the microphone, occasionally became quite talkative, even playfully imitating Wu Chen's tone, which immediately drew laughter from the audience.

"Director Wu, is that true?"

"Oops, the signal was a bit bad just now, I didn't hear you clearly."

"Hahaha"

The atmosphere among the media became increasingly lively, with a barrage of questions.

"Yifei, this movie is very different from your role in 'Black Peony'. Can you tell us about your feelings about playing this role?"

“Effie.”

Looking at Liu Yifei, who was being interviewed by the media, Lu Zheng glanced at Jing Tian on his left.

He's already got an idea; he needs to prepare a tailor-made film for Jing Tian as well.

Judging by this level of popularity and exposure, this is something other films can't achieve.

At this point, after a series of interviews, the main creators had basically asked everyone, and the film was finally presented to the public.

The big screen slowly lit up.

In the opening scene, Xiaolin, played by Liu Yifei, is locked in an interrogation room, where multiple figures are vaguely reflected in the mirror...

The plot then unfolds rapidly.

A mainland immigrant girl born in Hong Kong, from a poor family, attended an elite secondary school on a scholarship.
My father is a taxi driver.

Initially, it was just to help a friend cheat and earn some living expenses.
The audience was quickly drawn into the plot, with its fast-paced and suspenseful storyline keeping them glued to the screen.

"Damn, these cheating methods are really much more sophisticated than mine. No wonder they made a movie about it."

"This kind of movie is interesting."

"."

The audience watched very attentively, and the guests nodded frequently.

The more Han Sanping read, the more uncomfortable he felt.

He felt that this film was incredibly commercially viable, and not just a simple commercial movie, because social injustices were also exposed to the audience as the film unfolded. He couldn't help but mutter to himself:
"How could I have missed it back then?"

"Huh? Chairman Han, what's wrong?" Cao Guowei didn't hear clearly.

"nothing."

Besides watching the movie, Tian Zhuangzhuang also observed Wu Chen's performance and couldn't help but say, "Old Mu, you know what, Wu Chen really has talent."

"Yes!" Mu Deyuan nodded with a smile.

After seeing Wu Chen's character, a rich second-generation villain, hire someone to beat up the male lead and throw him into the garbage dump, the audience couldn't help but chuckle.

"It has that flavor."

"Haha, he really is a villain, but it's not so bad. He was just thrown into the garbage dump instead of being thrown into the sea to feed the fish."

"Are you crazy? They're just taking the exam, not doing anything else."

The audience watched with great interest, whispering among themselves.

In the front row of the theater, Zhou Xun rested her chin on her hand, turned her head to Huang Xiaoming, and asked in a low voice, "Xiaoming, do you think you can play the male lead?"

She thought the movie was really good, from the plot to the characters.
"no problem."

Do you think I'm suitable to play the female lead?

"It shouldn't be a big problem, it's just that the age isn't quite right." Huang Xiaoming paused and said rather vaguely.

Hearing Huang Xiaoming's hypocritical remarks, Zhou Xun couldn't help but retort: ​​"So you can play the male lead, but I'm too old to play the female lead?"

"Hehe, there's no point in us discussing it. It all depends on Director Wu and Director Ning. Besides, this script was specially made for Yifei. Even if we did it all over again, you still wouldn't stand a chance. As for me, it's really hard to say."

Huang Xiaoming said smugly.

"Tch," Zhou Xun glared at him irritably.

The final act was the most tense, with everyone in the theater holding their breath as they stared intently at the two people on the screen who were relaying the answers.
The cheating was successful, and the audience couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

If that's the case, the movie can only be described as excellent, but not perfect.

Finally, Tony Leung's performance as a father and the emotional conflict between him and his daughter brought tears to the eyes of the audience.

In the end, Xiaolin, played by Liu Yifei, chose to turn herself in with her father's help, but the male lead, played by Huang Xuan, became increasingly mired in the abyss of cheating and fell into depravity.
A perfect plot twist impacts the audience's emotions and prompts deep reflection.

As the big screen gradually dimmed and the subtitles slowly appeared, thunderous applause erupted in the theater and lasted for a long time.

The lights slowly came on.

Ning Hao stood up, took the microphone from the host Xie Nan, and asked the audience with a smile:
"Does it look good?"

"nice!"

"awesome!"

"."

Applause and cheers filled the theater once again.

Seeing this, Liu Yifei looked at Wu Chenyan and smiled.

The media members in the audience eagerly raised their hands to ask, "Director, why did it end like this? Can you explain?"

"This plot was designed and written by director Wu Chen, so let Director Wu answer that question."

Ning Hao gestured, and Wu Chen accepted the microphone without hesitation.

"Actually, what I wanted to express from the beginning to the end was the same point: cheating doesn't change your life, it changes a person."
Of course, there are other elements in the film, and I'm sure everyone has their own opinions on that.

At this time, the media also quickly located Liu Yifei.

"Yifei, Director Ning previously said he expected the film to gross 300 million. As the female lead of this film, what are your expectations for the box office?"

"I believe in Director Ning."

Liu Yifei smiled.

The media was excited, and the audience was excited too, because the film was excellent.

Of course, the most excited were the theater owners, who were even more thrilled.

"There are only two days left until the start of the new year. I'm guessing I'll have a great start, and maybe even a generous New Year's red envelope."

"Sure enough, at this time, you still have to watch movies by big directors. Ning Hao is the director, Wu Chen is the screenwriter, Liu Yifei is the lead actress, and with this plot, it's hard for it not to be a hit."

"How many screenings do you plan to give the premiere?"

"We initially set the price at 42%, but it looks like we can raise it a bit more. The target audience is very broad; this film precisely targets the demographic that most enjoys going to the cinema right now."

"."

The theater representatives spoke one after another, clearly very optimistic about the film.

"The film was excellent, and the script was well-written." Before leaving, Mu Deyuan specifically communicated with Wu Chen, "By the way, Principal Zhang asked if you have any new ideas recently. The year after next is the school's 60th anniversary celebration, and you will also be graduating. Do you want to make a graduation project?"

"Of course, it's okay if you don't have any ideas. We'll just put your work from the last few years on the list."

"Teacher, I need to think about this. I don't have any new ideas yet."

Wu Chen didn't think it through for a moment.

"It's okay, there's still plenty of time, a year and a half. Take your time to think it over; there's no need to feel pressured."

Watching Mu Deyuan and Wu Chen's conversation, Tian Zhuangzhuang was filled with envy. However, looking at Lu Yang, he immediately felt that there was someone to carry on the family legacy, as Lu Yang had performed quite well among the graduating postgraduate students.

"Lu Yang, I remember you had a idea for a film with a strong focus on humanistic concerns. How's that going lately?" Tian Zhuangzhuang asked with concern.

"It's still being improved. I was thinking of showing it to you, teacher, once it's finished."

"You should also ask Wu Chen to help you with the selection process. When it comes to winning awards, he's much more knowledgeable than us." Tian Zhuangzhuang smiled, and then left with Mu Deyuan, Gu Changwei, and the others.

Jiang Wen greeted Zhou Yun and Wu Chen and was about to leave when Han Sanping suddenly remembered something and quickly called Jiang Wen back.

"Chairman Han, a cameo role? Who?"

Mao Renfeng

The premiere of "Bad Genius" has ended, but the media's work has just begun, and all the major media outlets are extremely busy.
(End of this chapter)