It's reasonable for me to be a three-time Golden Horse Award-winning director and an all-around

Chapter 178: Ex-wife and Current Wife's Feud! Culture Becomes a Joke? Dreams of Catching Up with Hollywood!!! (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
This is insane! The entire film and television industry has gone completely mad!
A bloody incident triggered by a steamed bun.

With just nine simple words and a short video, traffic to major portal websites surged, and the video spread like wildfire.

No one expected that at the critical moment when "The Promise" was suffering a sharp drop in reputation, someone would come out and stab it in the back like this.

Lü Rui also watched the video, and after watching it, he had only one thought:
"Perfect! Absolutely perfect!"

It's no exaggeration to say that this guy named Hu Ge has absolutely grasped the "essence" of "The Promise".

"Old Chen must be furious by now," he muttered to himself.

It cost 3.5 million yuan, took three years to complete, and even hired big-name actors from three countries, but now it has been maliciously edited and mocked. For someone like Chen Kaige who is extremely concerned about his image, this is an enormous humiliation!
Secretary Liang Lulu covered her mouth in surprise and said, "Boss, this...this is illegal, isn't it? The movie hasn't even finished showing yet, and they've already released this kind of edited video?"

"Yes, it does involve infringement." Lu Rui nodded in response, but he was already thinking about something else.

With this video circulating, "The Promise" is probably doomed.

Given Chen Kaige's temperament, coupled with the pressure from China Film Group, it might further push for a crackdown on piracy and malicious editing.

From this perspective, "The Promise" did play an unexpected role.

...

"This editing is amazing! They strung together all those nonsensical plot points from 'The Promise' into a 'steamed bun feud,' and it actually flows better than the actual movie, haha!"

"Hu Ge is a genius! He accurately pointed out all the flaws. After watching this and then thinking back to the main film, I almost laughed myself to death. I suggest he apply for UNESCO World Heritage status!"

"I initially thought 'The Promise' was a bit profound, but after watching 'A Bloodbath Caused by a Steamed Bun,' I suddenly realized that the core story is about fighting over a steamed bun? This interpretation is brilliant!"

Most netizens were just enjoying the spectacle and the internet was buzzing with laughter.

However, this incident has sparked controversy within the industry, with many people standing up to support Chen Kaige and severely criticizing this malicious editing.

Most people are acting in their own self-interest, since no one wants their work to suffer the same fate someday.

Lü Rui has heard many voices from people in the industry:

"This must be dealt with seriously! This kind of prank is disrespectful to creators. If it is allowed to continue, who will dare to make movies with care in the future?"

"Films are works of art, not a repository of parody material. I suggest legislation to severely punish such behavior, otherwise the industry order will be thrown into chaos!"

"Support Director Chen in protecting his rights! Malicious editing is worse than piracy; it's destroying everyone's livelihood!"

The more chaotic things are within the industry, the more excited the media becomes.

A group of reporters, as if they were on steroids, went around interviewing people.

When Feng Xiaogang was cornered, he made a strong statement: "This kind of parody is just being a hooligan! If they dare to cut 'The Promise' today, they'll dare to mess with 'The Banquet' tomorrow. They have to be taught a lesson, otherwise directors will have to be on tenterhooks when making films, and how can the films they make be watchable?"

He couldn't hide his nervousness in those words; he was clearly afraid that his film would suffer the same fate.

After all, the video caused "The Promise" to experience a sharp drop in daily box office revenue, indirectly resulting in a loss of tens of millions of yuan in box office revenue.

If "The Banquet" encounters the same situation after its release, wouldn't it be a complete disaster?

On the other hand, when Zhang Yimou was surrounded by the media, he smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Netizens are creative and can find fun in movies, which is not a bad thing."

As long as everyone enjoys watching, that's fine. If one day I'm treated like this, I won't mind; I'll humbly accept criticism..."

There's a sense of nonchalance and magnanimity in those words.

Many netizens expressed their admiration upon hearing this.

It's worth noting that Zhang Yimou has been in the film industry for many years, and the controversies surrounding him have never ceased. Yet, he has always humbly faced criticism and has never engaged in online arguments with netizens. He works diligently like a hardworking ox.

In an instant, the difference in skill between the two was immediately apparent, and Old Chen's pride was once again shattered by Old Zhang.

Just then, an even more interesting interview came out.

Just as filming for "The Sun Also Rises" wrapped up, a reporter asked Jiang Wen on set how he would handle it if his film were parodied one day.

Jiang Wen was taken aback, and said with a complicated expression, "I'm not afraid of pranks, but I advise some people to take it easy and not to misinterpret things. Be careful not to get yourself involved in the misinterpretation. I'm not going to help bail people out!"

Also, don't drag me into this if anything goes wrong, it has nothing to do with me! That's your opinion, not mine.

Reporters: "..."

In a daze, they suddenly realized that Jiang Wen's movie couldn't be interpreted so carelessly.

The footage he shot was horrifying to look at, let alone analyze; it might actually land him in jail...

Two days later, seeing that the video not only couldn't be suppressed but its popularity was also rising higher and higher, Chen Kaige couldn't sit still anymore.

He came out and said, "Don't worry, fans, I've already sued the video editor. I'm determined to get justice! I'll pursue this issue to the end. People can't be this shameless..."

The description of him as "broad-minded" has never applied to him.

In his view, Hu Ge's production of parody short films was a disgrace to "The Promise," infringing on his rights and disrespecting his work. He found such arbitrary deconstruction and parody completely unacceptable.

On the contrary, Hu Ge stated that he created "A Bloodbath Caused by a Steamed Bun" simply for fun and had no malicious intent whatsoever.

Those in the industry either remained silent or chose to side with Chen Kaige.

In contrast, netizens unanimously sided with Hu Ge and voiced their support for him.

What's even more interesting is that Chen Kaige's ex-wife, Hong Huang, jumped out and said, "The ancients often said that a prime minister's belly can hold a boat. Isn't someone who can't even hold a steamed bun just petty and narrow-minded?"

Speaking of which, this person is also a "legendary figure".

When Chen Kaige won an award for a movie, the organizers rented him a stretch Lincoln luxury car.

He excitedly said to Hong Huang, "My dear, from now on we will be the elite!"

Hong Huang was very dissatisfied with this and immediately said that he wanted a divorce, adding, "If you don't divorce me, I'll cheat on you!"

Ultimately, the two divorced in 1991.

After that, her evaluation of Chen Kaige was also inconsistent, sometimes praising him as "a very talented and romantic person", and sometimes criticizing him.

For example, right now, someone said, "Women must be careful when they get married. I can't help it in this life, but if there's a next life, I must be more careful..."

Chen Hong naturally couldn't tolerate the man she admired being insulted, and immediately posted a rebuttal: "If some people have mental illnesses, they should go get treatment and stop barking!"

Hong Huang retorted, "What are you yelling about, mistress?"

Chen Hong retorted again: "Ugly people always cause trouble."

Like many netizens, Lü Rui was watching the verbal battle between the two.

The entertainment industry today hasn't reached the point where things appear harmonious on the surface but are actually backstabbing each other behind the scenes.

When people in the industry argue, they never care about outsiders' opinions; it's always the people involved who get involved.

From now on, fans will be in front, online trolls will be in the middle, and the celebrities themselves will be hiding behind the scenes, launching sneak attacks.

Now, however, the main character is leading the charge, with fans and online trolls going head-to-head with the rivals, making it quite a spectacle!
……

January 1, 2006, New Year's Day.

Today should have been a day off, but the bureau convened a meeting with a group of directors to discuss how to deal with the recent online controversies.

Left with no other choice, Lü Rui could only follow the main group.

Besides him, Ning Hao, Shen Ao, Jiang Wen, Gu Changwei and even Zhao Peng, who was filming "Sunny Sisters", also came.

"Brother Rui, what should we say if we get to speak later?" Zhao Peng asked curiously.

As soon as he said this, everyone around him turned to look at Lü Rui, wanting to hear his opinion.

But Lü Rui had no interest in getting involved in this kind of public opinion.

He was already used to the countless edits and parodies available online in later generations.

Many film companies even created their own accounts to edit content for promotional purposes, so the "The Promise" incident is nothing compared to that.

Moreover, the reason why "A Bloodbath Caused by a Steamed Bun" exists is ultimately because the film's quality is problematic; otherwise, why would anyone want to parody it?

Therefore, he stated bluntly: "Resist piracy."

This is the only thing he values, and it is closely related to all his subsequent plans.

Whether it's their own films or collaborations with Tudou.com, they all have to resist piracy.

Once the Pacific Rim project is announced, pirates will definitely be watching it closely.

Ruishijie has been acquiring TV series copyrights and licensing them to Tudou.com for broadcast. However, they also need to prevent piracy, otherwise their own interests cannot be guaranteed. They must keep a close eye on cracking down on piracy.

"Understood," Zhao Peng and Shen Ao said in unison.

Ning Hao, who was standing to the side, nodded slightly.

Jiang Wen and Gu Changwei exchanged a glance and made their decision.

Today's meeting is chaired by Deputy Director Zhang Hongsen.

As soon as everyone was seated and he announced the start of the meeting, Chen Kaige immediately stood up.

He was emotional and stated that the person who maliciously edited the video was utterly shameless, deliberately smearing his work and seriously infringing upon his reputation, interests, and copyright.

As he spoke, his gaze swept over Zhang Yimou, Feng Xiaogang, Jiang Wen, Lü Rui, and others, and he said in a heavy tone:
"I hope everyone here understands that this kind of thing either happens zero times or countless times. If he can maliciously edit and smear 'The Promise' like this today, who can guarantee that your movies won't be treated the same way when they are released next time? If we fight each other, this kind of evil trend will only become more and more rampant!"

Immediately, a chorus of support erupted from the crowd:

"Director Kai is right! This kind of behavior must be severely punished, otherwise who will dare to create with peace of mind in the future?"

"Support the fight for rights! This is not only for 'The Promise,' but also for the rules of the entire industry!"

"We need to show our commitment and not let creators lose heart!"

Zhang Yimou remained silent throughout, simply listening attentively.

Although he has his own opinion on this, there is no need to confront Chen Kaige head-on; he should just focus on making his own good films.

On the contrary, those representative figures of the Sixth Generation directors, whose films always have difficulty passing censorship, such as Jia Zhangke, Wang Xiaoshuai, and Lou Ye, seized the opportunity to speak out:
"Actually, I think that instead of getting hung up on malicious editing, we should think about how to make the creative environment more relaxed. If we could have a rating system like Hollywood, with more diverse types of works, and audiences could choose what they want, there might not be so much controversy."

"That's right. A diverse range of styles is the normal market ecosystem. If the censorship is relaxed, different styles of films will have room to survive. When everyone's attention is spread out, they won't be fixated on one film."

“A rating system can indeed solve many problems. Creators have clear boundaries, audiences have clear choices, and malicious parody will naturally decrease a lot.”

"..."

Seeing the topic suddenly veer off course, Zhang Hongsen felt a headache coming on. Trying to emulate Hollywood's rating system? What a joke!
Given the current situation in China, opening this door would likely trigger social unrest.

So he quickly interrupted them and called out, "Lu Rui, you tell us your opinion."

The room fell silent, and everyone turned to look at Lü Rui.

"I think the main thing is to crack down on piracy. If there is no piracy and no infringement, the basis for this kind of malicious editing will be gone. Blocking the channels of infringement at the source is more important than holding people accountable afterward."

Jiang Wen and the others beside him echoed his sentiments.

Zhang Yimou nodded in agreement, saying, "I agree!"

Jackie Chan excitedly chimed in, stating that they must crack down on piracy and copyright infringement.

Of all the people present, he was the only one who had long been fed up with piracy, having been repeatedly targeted and suffering terribly.

Feng Xiaogang originally wanted to suggest that the bureau issue a warning to the media.

But seeing that everyone's attention was focused on the piracy, he opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

"That guy is such a troublemaker!"

He glared at Lü Rui resentfully, feeling extremely annoyed that he hadn't been able to impress his superior.

"What about Sanping? What's your opinion?" Zhang Hongsen called on Han Sanping again.

One hurdle had barely been overcome when another one appeared.
Han Sanping said with some frustration, "We definitely can't compromise on laws and regulations. At the same time, I think we need to introduce some relevant regulations to at least prevent such incidents from happening again, so that culture doesn't become a joke..."

Zhang Hongsen nodded silently, already having made his decision.

Despite pooling everyone's ideas, the meeting failed to reach a concrete conclusion after much effort.

In this situation, a decision can only be made after further discussion at higher levels.

Everyone dispersed before noon.

"Director Lü." As soon as they stepped out of the Film Bureau, Yu Dong approached Lü Rui with an awkward smile.

But Lü Rui didn't even turn his head, as if he hadn't heard him speak, and walked straight ahead.

The others followed behind him, but none of them paid him any attention.

Yu Dong stood frozen in place, looking extremely embarrassed.

He had previously approached Han Sanping, but was told that the other party was powerless to help.

Besides, Han Sanping is preoccupied with the "Wuji" project these days, so he has no time to deal with his affairs.

This also means that he completely missed out on the project benefits of Ruishijie.

"Chairman Yu."

Just then, Jiang Zhiqiang and Li An came to greet them.

Yu Dongqiang forced a smile and replied, "Chairman Jiang, Director Li."

"Shall we find a place to sit down?" Jiang Zhiqiang suggested.

Yu Dong nodded in agreement.

Li An maintained a smile throughout, appearing gentle and refined, and got into the car with the two men.

"These three guys getting together is never a good thing!"

Inside the van, Jiang Wen watched Li An, Jiang Zhiqiang, and Yu Dong leave together in the same car and made some blunt complaints.

"Ignore them," Lu Rui said calmly.

He knew in his heart that the three of them had most likely gone to discuss the follow-up arrangements for "Lust, Caution".

Thinking of "Lust, Caution," a memory suddenly flashed through his mind. He then looked at Jiang Wen and changed the subject: "Director Jiang, now that 'The Sun Also Rises' has finished filming, what are your plans for post-production?"

Jiang Wen casually replied, "I plan to do it abroad. I heard there's a new batch of film editing equipment in Europe that's quite good."

Upon hearing this, Lü Rui's eyebrows twitched incessantly.

He clearly remembered that in his previous life, when Jiang Wen took "The Sun Also Rises" to Europe for post-production, the film was accidentally damaged, which greatly extended the post-production time.

By the time the film was ready to compete for awards, it was already 2007, which coincided with the release of Li An's "Lust, Caution".

At that time, Zhang Yimou was the president of the jury at the Venice Film Festival.

When Jiang Wen went to the film festival to participate in the awards ceremony, he confidently stated in public: "Zhang Yimou is the chairman of the jury, and I have known him for so many years... Whether this matter succeeds or not depends half on human effort and half on fate, but I think there shouldn't be any major problems."

He even privately planned the celebration after winning the award, feeling that with his relationship with Zhang Yimou, winning a major award was a sure thing.

However, the result was that "Lust, Caution" won the Golden Lion Award, while "The Sun Also Rises" won nothing.

This incident caused Jiang Wen and Zhang Yimou's previously good relationship to plummet to a freezing point, and they almost never interacted again afterward.

Upon thinking of this, Lü Rui's eyes lit up and he said, "Why go to Europe? Rui Vision has recently imported a large number of post-production equipment from abroad, including the latest film editing machine. You can get it from me."

"Really?" Jiang Wen's eyes lit up.

If he could handle it domestically, he naturally wouldn't want to make a special trip abroad, wasting time and effort.

"Of course, why don't you go and see for yourself?"

"Haha, okay, let's go take a look. If it works, I'll use yours." Jiang Wen readily agreed and immediately set off to visit Ruishijie.

Lu Rui was thinking to himself that if he could avoid the incidents of "The Sun Also Rises" and "Lust, Caution" in his previous life, Jiang Wen and Zhang Yimou's relationship might not have soured.

More importantly, Jiang Wen's goal has always been Cannes, not Venice.

If "The Sun Also Rises" can be submitted to Cannes as planned, it might actually win a prestigious award.

As for "Lust, Caution"...

Lu Rui's eyes sharpened, and he thought to himself, "I'll handle these level three bamboo leaves!"

Meanwhile, in another private room, Li An, Jiang Zhiqiang, and Yu Dong were eating and chatting around the dining table.

"The subject matter of 'Lust, Caution' is quite special, and we'll have to rely on Yu Dong's efforts to get it approved later."

Jiang Zhiqiang put down his chopsticks, looked at Yu Dong, and spoke with a hint of entrustment in his voice.

He knew that Bona had always had an advantage in policy communication, and it would be more prudent to leave this matter to Yu Dong.

Of course, he would also contribute his own efforts, for example, by using the pretext of "united front work" to advance the cause...

Upon hearing this, Yu Dong immediately patted his chest and agreed, "Don't worry, President Jiang, leave it to me! This is no problem for me."

His tone was full of confidence.

Bona not only has long-term cooperative relationships with the above-mentioned entities, but also maintains good communication with publicity departments in many places. Furthermore, it has been in contact with film and television censorship-related work for many years and has a considerable network of contacts.

For example, films such as "Protégé" and "Confession of Pain," which are about to be released in mainland China and involve sensitive topics, all passed censorship smoothly thanks to these connections.

Although "Lust, Caution" is special, he felt that as long as it was handled properly, there wouldn't be any major problems.

Jiang Zhiqiang nodded, and was about to discuss the production details further when Li An suddenly spoke up: "By the way, have you guys been following Lü Rui's 'Dying to Survive'? The cast and crew for that project seem pretty impressive."

These words startled Jiang Zhiqiang and Yu Dong, who then recalled the previously announced news.

Yu Dong was the first to react, counting on his fingers: "The four major state-owned film studios: China Film Group, Shanghai Film Group, Xi'an Film Group, and Beijing Film Studio."

In addition, there are AiHua Film & Television, HaiShi Film & Television, Golden Shield Film & Television, and the People's Procuratorate Film & Television Center... a total of eight state-owned enterprises jointly producing this film. This scale is indeed rare, and the support behind it is extraordinary.

"Are you worried that the two films will clash in their subsequent award competitions?" Jiang Zhiqiang understood Ang Lee's concerns.

After all, realistic films like "Lust, Caution" and "Dying to Survive" are clearly aiming for awards.

Especially on platforms like the Golden Horse Awards and the three major European film festivals, they are very likely to run into each other.

Li An nodded slightly, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes: "Last time at the Golden Horse Awards, Lu Rui and I had a disagreement, which can be considered a minor grudge. Young people are hot-tempered, and given his style of doing things, the probability of 'Dying to Survive' and 'Lust, Caution' clashing is extremely high."

Upon hearing this, Yu Dong's resentment immediately surfaced.

He had been holding back his anger for a long time, after being rejected by Lü Rui when he asked him to bring Bona into the project and was not even answered by phone.

He immediately followed up, saying, "Director Li, don't worry! I fully support you in this matter. Lu Rui is only good at making commercial films. When it comes to award-winning skills, how can he compare to you?"
Besides, films with depth like "Lust, Caution" are what the judges like; we'll definitely beat him!

Li An smiled slightly and raised his glass: "Then thank you very much, Chairman Yu."

The three of them clinked glasses.

But after putting down his wine glass, Li An's worries did not subside at all; on the contrary, they grew heavier.

He couldn't help but have doubts, especially when he thought about the lineup of eight state-owned enterprises behind "Dying to Survive".

The fact that this film has managed to garner support from so many officially affiliated organizations suggests that its message and quality are quite remarkable.

Its future competitiveness will likely be far stronger than he anticipated...

……

"Holy crap! This equipment is amazing!"

In the post-production office area of ​​Ruishijie, Jiang Wen circled around the brand-new film editing machines and color grading tables, his eyes filled with longing.

He reached out and touched the camera body, his tone full of amazement, "I've seen this model in European materials. It's said to improve image resolution by two stops. You actually managed to get your hands on it!"

"These are all newly arrived goods, and they haven't been fully tested yet."

Lu Rui smiled and waved his hand, his tone nonchalant, but he had his own plans in mind.

He poured almost all the money he made from Nasdaq and the domestic stock market into these devices.

In addition to wanting to build a complete post-production chain for Vision, he also plans to expand into visual effects and special effects support services.

After all, when making big-budget movies in the future, we certainly can't always rely on foreign teams for special effects.

For this reason, he even registered a new company named "Dianjing Digital" to do the "finishing touch" and make up for the shortcomings in post-production.

Of course, he also knew that in the early stages, it was impossible to compare with Hollywood.

The equipment needs to be broken in, the team needs to be trained... but he believes that he can catch up eventually, if he takes it slow!

(End of this chapter)