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

Chapter 289 The concept of a strong female lead is unveiled! Third Master strongly guarantees it! (Seeking monthly votes)
"This morning, Ruishijie officially revealed the core elements of the film 'The Witch' project: a Sino-foreign co-production, a female-centric film, directed and written by Lü Rui who also serves as producer, and the directorial debut of newcomer Xue Xiaolu..."

"The Witch" tells the story of Ziyun, a survivor of a genetic experiment, who grew up as a well-behaved and academically gifted girl, but "accidentally" reveals her superpowers, attracting the pursuit of a mysterious organization.

"Casting details for the project have been released: Daisy (the female lead's best friend), adoptive parents, the female lead in her childhood... a Hollywood villain lineup (a female PhD student working on a genetic mutation project, a mysterious man, an associate professor from the organization, and various mutants A, B, C, and D...)"

"The female lead for 'The Witch' has been confirmed and will be played by Liu Yifei."

...

With a series of official announcements released, the "Witch" project instantly sparked heated discussions in the Chinese film industry!

In fact, the project had already released relevant information a month ago, but it did not attract much attention at the time.

After all, the name "Xue Xiaolu" is too unfamiliar. Not to mention ordinary viewers, most people in the industry have never heard of her.

At the time, everyone thought it was just another foreign project invested in by Ruishijie.

Just like his previous investment in Cao Baoping's "The Equation of Love and Death," Lü Rui will most likely only lend his name to the project and won't put in much effort.

But as the full details of the project were revealed, everyone suddenly realized that they had been completely wrong!

This is hardly a low-cost foreign project.

This is clearly a major production that Ruishijie has focused on developing!
The fact that it's a Sino-foreign co-production means that the funding and production standards will definitely not be low.

With Lü Rui personally handling the screenplay and serving as producer, the film's quality is essentially doubled.

It's worth noting that he has never failed to produce a script, and every film he has produced has been a blockbuster.

The addition of Liu Yifei further confirms the project's high quality.

It's worth noting that since she rose to fame with "Chinese Paladin" and "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," her film and television resources have consistently been at the top level. In recent years, she has focused on the big screen and will only accept roles in high-quality projects.

In particular, her status as a "Rui Girl" ensures that whenever she appears on the big screen, she is always the leading lady.

Taken, Sunny, Dying to Survive, Pacific Rim...

The fact that she can now play the lead role in "The Witch" is enough to prove the value of the role and the project itself.

People in the industry were instantly in an uproar!

"Xue Xiaolu? I looked up her information. She's from the Literature Department of Beijing Film Academy. She seems to be a big name in the field. She's even worked with Chen Kaige."

"A Sino-foreign co-production with a superpower theme? Tsk tsk, looks like another blockbuster!"

"Why is it Liu Yifei again? She was pre-selected for 'Sunny Sisters,' 'Pacific Rim,' and now she's the pre-selected lead actress for 'The Witch.' What magic does she have?"

"So what if she's a 'Rui Girl'? If you're so capable, compete fairly. I refuse to believe I'll lose to her in the audition!"

"That's so unfair..."

"By the way, what does this 'female-centric drama' mean? I'm a little confused."

...

Many people in the industry are still wondering about this.

Meanwhile, reporters have been calling Ruishijie, with their core questions focusing on the definition of "leading lady".

Xue Xiaolu personally spoke out, providing a clear answer:
"The core of a female-centric film is that it not only centers on women, but also on the female protagonist's growth story, with all other characters serving only as a backdrop for her development... 'The Witch' doesn't have a male lead in the conventional sense; the female protagonist is the sole protagonist and the absolute core of the entire film..."

After this explanation came out, everyone in the industry suddenly understood!

In short, a female-centric film is one in which the female lead has the highest status, star power, and identity in the entire movie.

All the other actors, regardless of their fame, exist only to highlight her.

Once this concept emerged, the term "leading lady" instantly became a viral sensation!
Major film and television promotion companies reacted very quickly, using it as a keyword in their film and television promotions. A large number of press releases from relevant production teams also emerged, causing the term "leading lady" to spread rapidly across the internet and enter a wider public consciousness.

The most vehement reaction came from the "Painted Skin" production team.

Zhao Yanzi and Zhou Xun's teams launched their efforts almost simultaneously, releasing a deluge of press releases, both trying to firmly attach the "leading lady" label to themselves.

One moment Zhou Xun's Xiao Wei is the emotional core, a true female lead; the next moment Zhao Yanzi's Pei Rong is the main character, the true female lead...

The two sides traded blows, creating a tense atmosphere!

In contrast, most other production teams are just trying to ride the wave of popularity.

After all, no movie has yet focused its core selling point entirely on the female lead like "The Witch," truly achieving a situation where there is no male lead and the female lead carries the film alone.

At the same time, with the official release of the project's casting requirements, actor resumes from various talent agencies began to flood into Ruishijie's inbox like snowflakes.

Whether it's the young actresses vying for the role of Dai Qi, the female lead's best friend, or the established actors competing for the roles of the adoptive parents, they are all flocking to this project that already has a lot of buzz.

Even if they're just supporting characters, everyone wants to hitch a ride on this wave.

Especially the Tang people.

Cai Yinong's recent marketing campaign for Liu Shishi, creating the persona of "Little Liu Yifei," has been quite effective, successfully helping Liu Shishi gain public attention.

If I can successfully audition for the role of the female lead's best friend, it will undoubtedly make the collaboration easier.

Meanwhile, Huayi also sent over several resumes.

Zhao Liying's name appeared on the list!

After making her debut in "The King of Nanyue" and then making a comeback with "Golden Wedding", her ambition has clearly spread to the film industry.

At the same time, the emergence of the "leading lady" concept has also led to a new surge in Liu Yifei's popularity.

For fans, it is an immense honor for their idol to be able to carry a big-budget Sino-foreign co-production on her own and even play the lead role!

Look! My idol is the female lead! I'm so proud!

But just as Lü Rui had predicted, behind the surge in popularity was a new round of malicious attacks.

A large number of comments smearing Liu Yifei began to appear online:
"Why does she get to play the leading lady? Isn't it all because of her connections?"

"Her acting skills are mediocre; besides being good-looking, what other advantages does she have?"

"No doubt about it, Lü Rui must have given her special treatment; otherwise, how could she have gotten in?"

Some people even dug up old materials and maliciously misinterpreted them, throwing mud at the situation wave after wave.

These attacks include both malicious smears from competitors and bandwagon comments from some netizens.

After all, the concept of "leading lady" is too novel, and Liu Yifei has taken the lead and firmly attached herself to this term, which inevitably attracts jealousy and dissatisfaction.

……

……

Ruixing Jinyi International Cinema was Warner Bros.' most important affiliated cinema project in the capital city in its early years.

In 04, Warner Bros. International Cinemas signed a cooperation agreement with Guangdong Jinyi Film & Television Group to build multiple Warner Jinyi International Cinemas across the country.

However, due to Warner's sudden announcement in 06 that it was withdrawing from the Chinese market, the cooperation between the two parties had to be suspended.

It wasn't until Ruixing Cinemas took over all of Warner's shares in mainland China that a new cooperation was reached with Guangdong Jinyi.

Therefore, this cinema, which was associated with Warner Bros. during its preparation stage, was eventually renamed "Ruixing Jinyi International Cinema".

Since its opening in May, the cinema has hosted several Hollywood imports, including "Spider-Man 3," "Pirates of the Caribbean 3," and "Twilight," achieving both box office and critical success!

Now that "Transformers" has been introduced to mainland China, cinema revenue has skyrocketed!
The newly upgraded iMAX-2D theater, in particular, has seen a surge in demand, with tickets selling out quickly.

However, as the boss, it was naturally easy for Lü Rui to get two movie tickets.

Liu Yifei, who was initially feeling down, finally cheered up after receiving an invitation from Lü Rui to go to the movies together.

"Senior, I'm really curious, why do they insist on badmouthing me? Can't we just compete based on our own abilities?"

While crunching away at popcorn, Xiao Liu complained, seemingly channeling his grief and anger into his craving for food.

“That’s normal.” Lu Rui glanced at her sideways, his tone flat. “First, there’s the jealousy among women; most can’t stand seeing others do better than themselves. Second, the more popular you are, the more resources you can get, and naturally, the fewer opportunities others have. So it’s inevitable that they want to bring you down from your pedestal. After all, when one whale falls, everything else is born.”

In his view, the current doubts and accusations are not worth mentioning at all; their aggression is no different from scratching an itch.

It's worth noting that some celebrities in later generations even actively bought up dirt on themselves, just to gain attention through "black fame."

Marital separation, divorce, child custody battles, lawsuits...

In comparison, the controversy surrounding Liu Yifei is negligible.

"I know." Liu Yifei nodded, picked up a piece of popcorn and fed it to Lü Rui. "Luckily, I have you here, senior, otherwise I would have been called a transgender person and a toothless person again."

Lu Rui took her hand and teased her again: "Don't be so polite. You're my girlfriend. If I'm not good to you, who will? If you really want to repay me, give me a lot of chubby babies in the future..."

"Hey! Keep your voice down, someone will hear you..."

Liu Yifei's face flushed red instantly. She reached out and slapped him, her eyes filled with shyness.

Seeing that things were going well, Lü Rui changed the subject: "By the way, have you signed the contract yet?"

"Yes, it's already signed."

"That's good."

At this stage, Liu Yifei no longer receives a fixed salary, but instead joins "The Witch" on a box office revenue sharing basis.

The main issue is that her market value is increasing, and paying her a fixed salary would reduce production costs, while paying her too little could easily cause controversy...

Let's just directly link it to box office revenue.

In this way, how much she earns depends entirely on the film's performance, which is both fair and motivates her to be more dedicated to her role.

Sometimes, even Lü Rui himself felt that he had really gone to great lengths for Liu Yifei's future development.

He even used the "strong female lead" concept, which only became popular in 2016, in "The Witch".

Of course, this is not about pandering or groveling.

To be precise, it should be described as mutually beneficial.

He is a director; he has stories he wants to tell, and he particularly enjoys the vanity and sense of accomplishment that comes with being the center of attention after a film is made.

Conversely, even if someone can write a script and is a top-notch director, they will never achieve their ideal result if they can't find the right people.

Liu Yifei perfectly matched all his imaginations of the female lead in "The Witch".

Beneath her pure exterior lies a powerful explosive force; she possesses both the fragility of a well-behaved academic high-achiever and the coldness of a genetically modified individual…

This is also true for many previous film projects.

Lü Rui could even shamelessly say that she was born to be the way she is for the movie scripts she writes.

This is the charm of film. Whether it's directing or creating, it's essentially about satisfying Lü Rui's own aesthetics and ideas.

He wanted to see her act, to see her appear in different roles under his lens, radiating different kinds of brilliance.

Female college student, nurse, ancient costume beauty, princess, witch, elf, high school girl, black stockings...

In just four days since its release, Transformers has grossed over 4 million yuan in China.

Inside the theater, Lü Rui rested his chin on his hand, completely absorbed in the film.

His focus wasn't just on the exciting fight scenes; he was secretly observing and analyzing the film's mechanical design, action choreography, and visual impact to see if they could be incorporated into the development of a sequel to Pacific Rim 2.

Regarding Pacific Rim 2, Lü Rui has already made up his mind that if a sequel is to be filmed, it must be completely rewritten!
In my past life, those people at Universal Pictures were practically insane; they made a complete mess of the sequels.

What should have been a great mecha battle has degenerated into a mindless action movie, with a fragmented plot and a collapsed protagonist character.

The original core selling point, "giant mechs vs. monsters," has been weakened, and instead, a large number of irrelevant human side quests have been added.

Although the special effects were upgraded, they lost the epic feel of the first film and instead looked like a pile of plastic shells, ultimately leading to a double flop in terms of both critical reception and box office.

This time, he must learn from his mistakes and perfect the mechanical aesthetics and tight plot of the first film.

Lu Rui's attention was mainly focused on Megatron's domineering presence, Bumblebee's agility, and the overall characterization of the Decepticons.

Liu Yifei, standing next to him, kept glancing at Megan Fox on the screen.

This Hollywood actress, who is the same age as her, portrayed the character's coolness and swagger to the fullest, making her secretly ponder it.

When filming "The Witch" later, will I be able to draw on this style, break out of the previous soft and beautiful framework, and show the cold and tough side of the character?

At the same time, in the conference room of the Central Propaganda Department, Han Sanping was arguing his case for Ruishijie and trying his best to win policy support.

He first threw the box office results of "Transformers" on the table, and said firmly:
"Breaking 100 million in 4 days! This is the appeal of Hollywood blockbusters! It also gives us a conclusion: if Chinese films want to truly stand up, they can't just stick to low-budget art films; they must produce blockbusters."

Since they can bring their works to our market, why can't we go to the international market?

"Ruishijie's Sino-foreign co-productions are now thriving. 'Pacific Rim' received excellent pre-release feedback, and the box office success of films like 'The Prestige' and 'Taken' is undeniable. We have no reason not to support them!"

Taking a deep breath, he continued:
"I visited Ruixing Industrial Park a few days ago. Lü Rui has made significant investments in technology, special effects, and hardware facilities, and is building a complete film and television industry system."

Looking back, our slogans such as "cultural export" and "the rise of film and television" have had little effect.

I think it would be better to focus on supporting a company with potential and strength, using Ruishijie as a pilot project to see what path it can take.”

However, no sooner had he finished speaking than a leader raised a different opinion:
"But I think Huayi's approach of 'de-emphasizing film' has a greater chance of success."

Their future plans include expanding into cultural tourism and live entertainment, creating a more diversified industry chain and significantly strengthening their resilience against risks.

Han Sanping did not back down and immediately retorted: "Huayi's approach does make sense, but at present, their results are still far behind those of Ruishijie."

Ruishijie focuses on its core film and television business, leading the way in project quality, market appeal, and industrial system development. Furthermore, Lü Rui is young and energetic, and his works combine artistry and commercial appeal, making it a more reliable approach than blindly expanding the industrial chain.

No sooner had he finished speaking than someone else interrupted:

"I think Bona's plan to list on Nasdaq is very promising."

"The merger of Orange Sky and Golden Harvest is now a done deal..."

"We don't need to consider the Japanese investors; we can just cut our losses from there. We could look into Xingmei, though..."

"Why not continue to cooperate more deeply with the Hong Kong entertainment industry? Hong Kong used to be the most developed region in the entertainment industry."

"You know that was in the past..."

The meeting room was filled with lively discussion, with various viewpoints clashing back and forth.

Everyone has their own goals and interests, and they all want to use this opportunity to gain policy support, whether it's for the future of Chinese-language films or to satisfy their own selfish interests...

Ultimately, it was the top leader who made the final decision: "Then let's pursue both paths simultaneously, with support from both Huayi Brothers and Ruishijie, and see who can find a path more suitable for the development of Chinese-language film and television. After all, healthy competition is what promotes progress."

Upon hearing this, everyone expressed their agreement, and no one uttered a word of rebuttal.

The senior leader then looked at Han Sanping, his tone probing: "So it seems you're more inclined to support Ruishijie?"

“Yes!” Han Sanping nodded without hesitation, then gritted his teeth and added decisively, “I am willing to vouch for Ruishijie!”

Their projects, team, and overall strategy have all stood the test of time. I believe Lü Rui is absolutely capable of carrying the banner of Chinese-language blockbuster films!

The moment those words were spoken, the entire room fell silent.

Everyone cast surprised glances at them.

Han Sanping has clearly tied his future to Ruishijie!
If Ruishijie's future development goes smoothly, he will be considered a wise man who has recognized its potential.

However, if something goes wrong with Ruishijie, he will definitely have to bear joint responsibility.

Watching the high-ranking leader slowly nod, Han Sanping couldn't help but mutter to himself:
"Lu Rui, you really have to live up to my expectations! Don't let me down, and don't let my guarantee go to waste!"

(End of this chapter)