This director lacks vision.

Chapter 45 Utilizing Negative Public Opinion
Jiang Yifeng had anticipated and prepared for Xinlang Entertainment's preemptive move.

As two of the three major portal websites, Sinlang and Sohu have always been competitors, vying for market share in multiple product categories.

Jiang Yifeng was a member of Souhu, so he was naturally considered an opponent by Xinlang, who wanted to attack and suppress him.

This is like how Liu Yifei was heavily criticized by Sina after she became the spokesperson for Sohu's games and Weibo.

This is brutal business competition, which is beyond the control of any individual's will.

Hu Qian walked over and exclaimed, "President Jiang, you're amazing! Xinlang's rhetoric against Old Boys is exactly what you predicted."

Jiang Yifeng smiled and explained, "It's not that I'm a genius, it's just that I understand the media's tactics."

"Don't we at Sohu Entertainment often do this too?"

Hu Qian nodded and said, "Then I'll release the press release as planned."

"Go ahead and post it. Controversy is a good thing, but be careful to keep it discreet."

People in the news media often like to consider themselves elites, and once they have control of the discourse, they unconsciously exhibit a superior attitude.

Their attacks on Old Boys definitely start with the quality of the work, aiming to belittle web dramas as being poorly made and that they are low-quality, fast-food culture that corrupts people's spirit and will.

Little did people know that these facts were already known to netizens, without the need for media reports.

People watch online videos for entertainment, and being lectured by these media outlets will only have the opposite effect.

What Jiang Yifeng wants to do is to use the public's aversion to media preaching to stimulate their rebellious psychology, thereby gaining more support for the "Old Boys".

Learning to leverage negative public opinion is an essential skill for navigating the entertainment industry.

So after Xinlang Entertainment took the initiative, Jiang Yifeng not only did not defend himself, but also arranged for his studio employees to secretly fuel the fire and release some press releases that were unfavorable to Old Boys.

Immediately, there was a lot of criticism of Oldboy online.

Other media outlets followed suit upon seeing this.

[Oldboy is a low-quality, sentimental film; its popularity is an insult to cinematic art!]

People with true taste don't enjoy web dramas, much less childish old boys.

American TV series are the classics, Chinese web series are all trash, and Old Boys is the worst of the worst!

[Old Boys is a movie that only the "Shamate" subculture likes; liking Old Boys is like being uncultured, just like the Shamate subculture.]

With numerous media outlets joining forces, it seems that "Old Boys" is universally condemned.

When Lu Chuan Taijun saw this, he was overjoyed and posted three blog entries in a row.

Art is fair; "Old Boys" should be boycotted.

[From Old Boys to Jiang Yifeng: A layman's misunderstanding and misrepresentation of film.]

[Looking at "Old Boys," we see the low quality of Chinese film audiences and the need to improve their aesthetic standards.]

Lu Taijun had a rare good game and got really excited, so in his last blog post he revealed his true feelings.

He believes that domestic film audiences are not good enough and cannot understand the art films he makes.

The reason is that his films can win awards abroad, but are constantly criticized domestically.

"The masses are always ignorant, and domestic moviegoers are no exception."

Being misunderstood is the fate of those who express themselves; this is the price I pay for my artistic creation, and I am willing to bear it.

Time will tell, art is fair.

A hundred years from now, when people talk about movies, they will only remember "My Hoh Xil" and "My Nan Jing Nan Jing," and no one will remember "Old Boy."

Whenever I think of this, I smile with satisfaction.

Lu Chuan was probably too depressed lately. He wanted to win Qin Lan back, but kept hitting a wall. He also failed to find investors for the "Hongmen Banquet".

So this blog post was written very emotionally, and it really got the support of a group of my nephews.

However, Lu Chuan's goal of removing Old Boy from the platform was not achieved.

The media and elites are criticizing "Old Boys," but ordinary netizens are not buying it. These days, whether they are online at Sina, NetEase, Tencent, or on forums and message boards, they see news everywhere that denigrates "Old Boys" and the web series.

Even viewers who liked the old boys were ridiculed and criticized.

This situation immediately triggered everyone's rebellious mentality.

"I'm just an uncultured, uncultured man, I just like watching Old Boys!"

"What a load of bull! Lu Chuan's 'Nanjing Nanjing,' John Woo's 'Red Cliff,' and Chen Kaige's 'The Promise' are all rotten turds, and you're still trying to talk to me about art! 'Old Boys' may have some problems, but it's free! It's much better than some theatrical releases!"

"Support Old Boys! The number of views has surpassed 3000 million. I'm going to watch it again, and I've even clicked on the ads!"

"These media outlets are disgusting! I was so angry that I gave Oldboy a donation!"

"I said it long ago, the cherry blossoms in my hometown are in bloom, Mr. Rikawa should go back to Japan to make a NTR action movie, the Japanese are more likely to appreciate his art."

By July 3rd, the growth rate of Old Boys' viewership had slowed down somewhat.

Because of this wave of controversy and confrontation, the popularity of "Old Boys" increased rather than decreased in the following week, with the number of views soaring and the number of people giving rewards also increasing.

The song "Old Boy" topped the play count charts on multiple music platforms and even climbed to number one on the ringtone subscription chart.

Jiang Yifeng used public opinion attacks to attract traffic to Old Boys, and also gained a group of die-hard fans.

That was a brilliant move; even Zhang Chaoyang had to admire it.

By July 10, some media outlets finally realized what was happening and chose not to report on Old Boys.

However, a few major media outlets remained defiant, insisting on their own artistic pursuits.

Until July 13th, CCTV-6 broadcast "Old Boys" and gave it high praise in a program featuring film and television soundtracks.

"As a film, Oldboy has many shortcomings, but its strengths are prominent: the story structure is complete, the characters are realistic, and the soundtrack is just right."

All of these things combined are enough to make us reminisce about our youth and shed tears.

The clever twist at the end elevates the film's overall message to a new level.

Jiang Yifeng, as a new director who switched careers temporarily, is able to make an film called "Old Boys," which is commendable.

Whether this movie is streamed online, shown on television, or in theaters, it's simply a matter of different platforms.

You can't just dismiss a movie because a website isn't a traditional platform.

This is a true desecration of the art of film.

After this assessment was released, all the media outlets that had previously criticized Jiang Yifeng fell silent.

Netizens who support Jiang Yifeng acted as if they had won a battle, forwarding Yangshi 6 Princess's comments on Old Boy everywhere.

Jiang Yifeng was also surprised to see this.

He hasn't used his backup plan yet.

Jiang Yifeng reacted quickly and immediately called He Haimin.

"Director He, thank you for your help!"

"Haha, I also really like your film about Old Boys. Just don't think I'm making things worse," He Haimin said with a smile. "The station is making a program about it, so I just casually recommended it."

Even after you have capital, you should still be more generous in your dealings with others.

Jiang Yifeng previously helped Yangshi produce public service advertisements for free and even treated He Haimin to a meal, thus establishing a good relationship.

The advertising center is the most lucrative department at CCTV. He Haimin became the deputy director of the advertising center in his thirties, which shows that he has an extraordinary background and ability.

He had a very good impression of Jiang Yifeng and felt that he owed Jiang Yifeng a favor.

Seeing that Jiang Yifeng's "Old Boys" was criticized, they arranged a special episode for him.

"You've done me a huge favor. Are you free tonight so I can thank you in person?"

"Sure, you choose the location."

(End of this chapter)