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

Chapter 239 A Bloodbath Caused by a Steamed Bun? No! It was the Empress's Two Steamed Buns That Caused the Bloodbath.

"Director Lü, what are your expectations for this science fiction film? Can it rival Hollywood blockbusters?"

"Of course! A $200 million investment? Do you think this is just 200 million RMB? If it can't even compete with a Hollywood blockbuster, why would I bother?"

"Director Lü, what are your box office expectations for this film?"

"The global box office will be at least $6 million..."

"Director Lü, do you have anything to say in response to the questions raised about you?"

"Questioning?" Lu Rui couldn't help but laugh. "Coincidentally, what I'm best at is breaking down doubts. Anyone who disagrees, come on, let's have a real fight."

A $2 million project—I was able to put together this whole thing not because of my words, but because of my abilities. If you can't do it, then shut up…”

His series of responses immediately changed the way the reporters at the scene looked at Lü Rui.

He used to be quite humble, didn't he?
How did he suddenly become so... crazy?
Today, Lü Rui is completely different from how he usually is when facing media interviews.

The main point is that, in the past, when faced with controversial issues, he would mostly choose to ignore them or give vague and perfunctory answers.

But today, faced with the doubts, he launched a powerful counterattack!

This change is truly surprising.

However, upon further reflection, everyone quickly realized what was happening.

At 24 years old, with a net worth exceeding 5 billion, he is ranked No. 1 on the list of post-80s celebrities. His directorial works have achieved both box office success and numerous awards, thriving both domestically and internationally. At such a young age, he has already taken charge of a top-tier film project worth 200 million US dollars…

If it were anyone else, they would have been incredibly arrogant by now!
Just like Zhang Guoli's son, just because he has a good father and is a second-generation star, he dared to beat people up at the gate of the Central Academy of Drama.

Lü Rui has already toned it down enough; otherwise, what would Zhang Weiping, who is known in the industry as the "most arrogant person," be?

If you really let him go completely, without any constraints, what kind of "I'm a bad guy" or "I'm infinitely arrogant" would that be? This is just the initial stage.

Ultimate beef-averse, a true homelander!
This is the real him!
Moreover, when a man encounters a mecha, especially one in which he is in complete control, his mindset is bound to change.

But Lu Rui wasn't losing his mind; it was mainly because the rumors circulating in Hong Kong and within the entertainment industry were starting to get out of control.

If he doesn't make his stance clear soon, there's no guarantee that someone won't jump out and cause trouble.

Giving a warning in advance is actually a form of prevention.

The interviews continued, but gradually shifted to other people.

Then, to the reporters' surprise, Liu Yifei, who had previously been mild-mannered during interviews, had begun to become assertive.

Someone asked her, "Many people outside the industry question you, saying that you are not worthy of the role of the female lead 'Xing Fei' at all, and that it will lead to the failure of the project. What is your opinion on this?"

"Who are these people? You can tell me, and I'll confront her face to face," Liu Yifei asked with a smile.

The reporter was momentarily speechless.

Of course he couldn't name names, because that would cause trouble!
The fate of Song Zude is the best example.

Liu Yifei didn't force him, but simply added, "Don't be a sour grapes and say I'm not good enough for you. There has to be some basis for your claim, right?"
Am I not a box office draw? Or am I too young? Or maybe I'm not popular enough? Just say it out loud, I can change.

Sunny Sisters grossed 2.26 million yuan in a single month, Taken 3.72 million yuan, and there are also Zhao Ling'er from Chinese Paladin, Wang Yuyan from Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, and Xiaolongnu from The Return of the Condor Heroes...

It's no exaggeration to say that Liu Yifei now has both box office success and popularity.

Currently, besides her, there really isn't anyone else who can match this role.

Even if Zhang Ziyi came, she would have to step aside!
At that moment, looking at her daughter's confident demeanor in the crowd, Liu Xiaoli felt incredibly proud.

As the saying goes: "One who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black."

Spending every day with Lü Rui not only boosted his abilities at an alarming rate, but also dramatically improved his demeanor!
Even with Fan Bingbing standing next to her, her aura was in no way weak, and this composure made her, as a mother, incredibly proud.

Although Liu Yifei contacted Lü Rui more frequently during this period, she didn't think too much about it.

Isn't it only natural for actors to hire directors?
It's probably just about directing the play...

It's nothing.

There were many actors on site, and some interviewees who couldn't reach Lü Rui and Liu Yifei immediately chose to interview others.

However, everyone involved had received professional training, and their answers were very formulaic.

When asked about getting the role, he expressed his gratitude to Lü Rui for his recognition.

Everyone is eagerly anticipating the movie's plot.

When asked about inside information, they all claimed to know nothing...

In the end, the reporters all huddled around the mecha, snapping photos incessantly.

Some people were even shouting that they wanted the mech to take a few more steps.

But Lü Rui simply pretended not to hear it.

It's important to understand that even taking this step required the tireless efforts and immense financial resources of experts from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

If we could really walk around the site, China would have already entered the post-Three-Body Problem era, frequently flying to the moon to burn aliens' butts with cigarette butts. Why would we need to make science fiction films?

The purpose of this launch event is to give today's press conference a unique and exciting presentation. Otherwise, Crimson Storm would just be like other mechs, fixed in the arena with almost no movement.

At 11 o'clock, the one-hour launch event officially came to an end.

The media representatives received their red envelopes and left happily to go back and write their articles.

The guests either left or stayed, and no one gave them a special send-off or reception.

"Please make yourselves at home, I have to go now."

Lu Rui greeted Han Sanping, Ren Zhonglun, Wang Changtian, and Zhang Piming, then headed into the photography studio.

At this moment, the actors who had scenes to film today were already getting their makeup touched up, and Crimson Storm had been moved from the cart to the studio.

Filming is about to officially begin!

While busy coordinating the order at the scene, Lü Rui was also communicating with the system in his mind.

The new project has been completed, and the generous rewards have been successfully distributed:

[Ding! Congratulations, host! The construction of the filming set for Pacific Rim has been completed, and the film's launch press conference has been successfully held.]

[The reward for completing the mission, an A-level talent: "Guillermo del Toro's core directorial techniques of 'constructing a dark aesthetic symbol system' and 'narrative through emotional cinematic language'," has been successfully issued.]

With a quick understanding of the multitasking, Lü Rui soon grasped the details of the new reward. According to the system's explanation, 'Construction of a Dark Aesthetic Symbol System' was simply a way to utilize various 'external conditions' as supplementary mechanisms.

It includes techniques for using light, light sources, and various props, mainly to give science fiction scenes a visual soul.

The 'emotional cinematic language narrative' allows the mechs and monsters to retain a human touch even in their hardcore battles.

For example, micro-expression close-ups convey a sense of connection.

When the driver is "neural docking," close-up shots can be used frequently to capture changes in the character's eyes.

From initial tension and stiffness to gradual relaxation and synchronized eye contact, without any dialogue, the camera focuses solely on the micro-expressions on the faces, concretizing the tacit understanding between humans and machines and the trust between drivers, allowing the audience to empathize with the characters' spiritual connection.

There's also the use of slow motion to amplify the emotional weight.

For example, in the climax scene where the mech collides with the monster, slow motion can be used to film the sparks that fly as the monster's claws slice through the mech's armor.

This includes footage of the driver being thrown backward by the impact in the cockpit, his face tense from the force.

In these scenes, slow motion not only amplifies the visual tension of the action, but also, by prolonging the moment of confrontation, allows the audience to clearly feel the driver's vulnerability and perseverance, achieving a deep connection between the technical spectacle and the emotional core...

The more he learned, the more impressed Lü Rui became!
No wonder the ancients said, "One is never too old to learn." Putting everything else aside, he found each of the director skills rewarded by the system to be incredibly beneficial.

To date, he has mastered the lifelong learning of seven directors.

This is a condensation of all their directing experience in their lifetime, a truly priceless treasure!
Once he has accumulated enough experience, perhaps Lü Rui can integrate these knowledge and create his own school of thought.

……

"This morning, the launch press conference for the top-tier Sino-foreign co-production sci-fi blockbuster 'Pacific Rim,' directed by Lü Rui and with an investment of up to 2 million US dollars, was held at the Beijing Film Studio."

A massive mecha, tens of meters tall, made a stunning debut on site… It's only a matter of time before Chinese films defeat, and even surpass, Hollywood sci-fi blockbusters!

"Box office target of $6 million! Lu Rui makes a bold statement: If anyone disagrees, stop arguing and let's compete!"

Liu Yifei sarcastically remarked to certain people, "Don't be a sour grapes..."

After receiving red envelopes, the reporters tended to be rather careless when writing press releases, both in terms of headlines and content.

Lu Rui and Liu Yifei's remarks were already somewhat flamboyant today, and with their embellishment, they suddenly became even more "arrogant."

He has received much praise and admiration within the industry.

After all, most people still hope to see domestic films rise to prominence, which is also a reflection of national confidence.

However, there were also many who were sarcastic and pessimistic.

Sure enough, just past noon, disparaging comments began to emerge.

"Making a blockbuster like this is a piece of cake for Hollywood, but making it domestically? Ha! Aren't they afraid of losing everything and having to sell their underwear to pay off debts?"

"If you ask me, it would be better to disband the crew as soon as possible, so as not to waste our efforts."

"Do you have that kind of technology in mainland China? This mecha photo, it's probably not photoshopped, right?"

"Go ahead and make it, nobody's going to watch it anyway, it'll be a terrible movie..."

It has to be said that there are a lot of "dogs" online.

A bunch of mindless, sycophantic lackeys, coupled with some people who receive foreign funding stirring up trouble, and certain individuals in China deliberately directing online trolls to spread mud...

After all that, Lü Rui became the "sinner" in their eyes, and his tough attitude today was seen as brainless arrogance, a young man who couldn't hold back, and that he would suffer a big fall sooner or later.

The gist is simple: Pacific Rim will never be a success. China isn't qualified to make films of this kind; Hollywood should handle it.

As for this kind of public opinion, Lü Rui didn't even bother to look at it.

Do you really think Pacific Rim is unsupported?
Xi'an Film Studio, China Film Group, Shanghai Film Studio... these are all state-owned enterprises. Furthermore, the Film Bureau has given this project special attention, and there's also support from higher-level propaganda departments...

He doesn't even need to lift a finger; plenty of people will help him solve it.

Sure enough, that very evening, the news broadcast featured a report about the start of filming for "Pacific Rim".

[Filming Begins for Domestic Sci-Fi Film Pacific Rim; Multiple Parties Provide Support for Film Creation; State-Owned Enterprises Join Hands to Create a High-Quality Film and Boost the Upgrading of the Film Industry!]

Although the title is only one sentence, the meaning it conveys is enough to terrify some people with ill intentions!

The following day, China Film Group Corporation, along with several other organizations and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, jointly issued a statement:
"The start of filming for Pacific Rim signifies the deep integration of my country's film and television industry with the field of science and technology. It is a concrete practice of cultural confidence in the science fiction field and an important milestone for the formal advancement of domestic heavy industry film and television."

Since its inception, the project has been committed to creating a masterpiece that combines international vision with national spirit, bringing together the wisdom of top domestic film and television teams and relevant technical departments of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

From the mechanical simulation of mecha design to the engineering calculations of scene construction, every step is supported by science and professional guarantee, and cannot be smeared by false rumors!
Here, we must specifically point out that some misleading remarks and deliberately incited negative emotions that have recently appeared on the Internet have caused undue interference to the healthy ecosystem of the film and television industry and the hard work of scientific researchers.

We respect the public's diverse evaluations of literary and artistic works, but we firmly oppose using public opinion as a pretext for smear campaigns, and we will not tolerate a few individuals being driven by self-interest to spread baseless rumors and incite confrontational sentiments...

In the future, we will continue to integrate high-quality resources to provide comprehensive support for the *Pacific Rim* project, promoting a dual leap forward in both technological breakthroughs and artistic expression for domestic science fiction films and television series. This will present audiences with a masterpiece worthy of our time and inject new momentum into the high-quality development of China's cultural industry!

At the end of the statement, the red official seals of China Film Group, Xi'an Film Group, and Shanghai Film Group were placed side by side with the blue official seal of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, like four solid foundation stones, instantly suppressing the online wave of doubts.

Immediately, major official media outlets published articles in support!
Those comments that mocked "China can't make science fiction movies" the day before were either quietly deleted by the posters or fell into complete silence.

Clearly, no one wants to confront this statement bearing the official seal of a national-level organization head-on.

Huayi.

Feng Xiaogang touched his face and felt a burning pain!
So many slaps! They kept slapping his old face, it was really making him feel terrible!
But now, apart from shrinking back and pretending to be a turtle, he doesn't dare to jump anymore.

I originally wanted to annoy Lü Rui, but now I've not only wasted my energy, but I've also gotten myself into trouble.

What upset him even more was that his new film flopped!
It flopped as soon as it was released!
When he received a call from his assistant in the morning and heard the figure of "1200 million" in the first day's box office, he was completely stunned.

Although this figure successfully broke his record for the highest opening day box office for a film he has ever directed, it pales in comparison to the $2463 million earned by "Taken".

This wasn't the most painful thing for him; what truly upset and frustrated him was the ridicule from netizens:

"An Eastern version of Hamlet? What utter nonsense!"

"Ge You's mouth sounds like he's telling a lame joke, how can he play an emperor?!"

"It features a fascist violent aesthetic of rape, as expected of Feng Xiaogang, his belt is always loose."

"I don't think it's that bad! It's just as good as 'The Promise,' okay? They're both top-tier, garbage-level blockbusters..."

"If 'The Promise' was a bloodbath caused by a steamed bun, then 'The Banquet' was a bloodbath caused by the Empress's two steamed buns. Who agrees with me? Who disagrees?"

(End of this chapter)