The only sun in Huayu

The atmosphere in the meeting room was not serious.

On the contrary, Shen Shandeng's occasional quips made them seem quite relaxed.

Shen Shandeng doesn't like to lecture by simply reading from the textbook; he prefers to share his gains and losses from practical experience.

Young film production trainees raised questions about how to balance a director's artistic aspirations with budget constraints.

Shen Shandeng would also stop and patiently explain using his own examples, never engaging in empty theoretical discussions.

He never shied away from the core issues, speaking frankly about his own film philosophy.

"Those of us in this industry, especially those of us in the position of producer, have to recognize a reality: the film industry, at least in China at this stage, should pursue a highly pragmatic, industry-first, and market-driven endeavor."

"Don't be fooled by those empty rhetoric."

His gaze swept over the young faces present, and his tone was sincere but direct: "I think what Chinese films lack right now is not skilled workers, but plenty of people at the grassroots and middle levels who are willing to endure hardship."

"What we lack is a leader who can take the lead, make decisive decisions, and understand the direction!"

"As the old saying goes, a cowardly soldier is a cowardly individual, but a cowardly general leads to a cowardly army. Among Chinese filmmakers, there are many good soldiers, but many generals are cowards at heart."

"They either blindly worship foreign things, are stuck in their ways, or have no idea how modern industry works."

This remark drew a knowing smile from everyone.

But after the laughter subsided, they all fell into deep thought.

Many people were busy taking notes.

Shen Shandeng addressed the misunderstandings people have about him: "Some media outlets, and some people in the industry, seem to thrive on chaos!"

"To say that my philosophy, Shen Shandeng, is 'Chinese films must first learn how to do business before they can talk about making art' is true, but not entirely true."

He explained his point of view: "On the one hand, a producer must be able to do business and calculate profits; this is a basic quality."

"But the deeper logic is that we must first build a strong film industry!"

"If the skin is gone, where will the hair attach? Without an industrial base, talking about art is like a tree without roots."

Shen Shandeng never shies away from his film philosophy.

"I have said before that weak countries have no art, and strong countries have no need for art. This is a long-term reality that will not change, and it is the mainstream of the world's film industry today."

Shen Shandeng bluntly stated, "Our current film industry is weak, our market is small, and we lack international influence. Our 'artistic pursuit' is just self-indulgence behind closed doors."

"We're still at the stage where Hollywood is doing things, and we can only imitate them."

"Although we're not as helpless as we were a decade or two ago, we still can't produce good science fiction movies. We just have to listen to whatever they do."

Shen Shandeng said, "We don't want to be defined by others. There is only one way, the only path, which is to build an industrial foundation and let commerce take the lead."

"Without a mature production system, technical support, financial guarantee and distribution network, even the most brilliant ideas are just empty talk."

"Only by making successful commercial genre films, expanding the market, cultivating audiences, training talent, and accumulating capital can we have the confidence and resources to discuss genre films." "We shouldn't care what others say; the domestic market is our foundation. We must prioritize serving Chinese audiences, telling Chinese stories well, and building an unbreakable base."

"Going global with our culture? I'm not in a hurry. Empty fame is meaningless. If there's pressure from other sources, we'll just give it away for free to screen."

"But even if you give away bad movies or trashy movies for free, people won't want them."

Everyone listened attentively.

In terms of output, the film and television industry is currently in a state where movies lag far behind television dramas.

Ultimately, it's the movie that's terrible.

Shen Shandeng looked at the trainees present and said, "The establishment of the film industry cannot be separated from excellent producers and organizers. You are the future leaders!"

“Among you, some have been working in the film industry for a long time, while others have switched from other industries, such as engineering or management.”

"Why should I use you? Because when you're in charge of a film crew, especially a big production, you're essentially playing the role of the chief coordinator for a large-scale project."

"The core competency is how to make the best allocation of limited resources, time, money, and manpower to present the creativity to the greatest extent and achieve the best results."

To illustrate this point, Shen Shandeng provided a concrete example.

Shen Shandeng shook his head with a sigh: "Let me give you an example. Some of you have also been with me to the set of Lu Chuan's 'Nanjing! Nanjing!'"

"The situation of the Nanjing film crew is unimaginable. A crew of more than 100 people couldn't even get a hot boxed meal!"

"How chaotic was the organization? Either the food wasn't prepared on time, and most people were waiting hungry; or the food was served, but it was already cold."

"Lunch can drag on from noon until after 3 p.m., and the scene is chaotic. They can't even handle such a basic little thing."

Shen Shandeng presented a comparison that left the trainees speechless.

"The 2005 global and North American box office champion, 'Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith,' had a crew of nearly 3 employees working simultaneously in different locations at its peak!"

"What an incredible amount of organization and scheduling! A large Hollywood film crew still uses traditional wall charts and small pieces of paper of different colors to mark scheduling, managing the meal rotations of tens of thousands of crew members, and they still manage to keep everything in perfect order."

Shen Shandeng also said helplessly, "Distributing work meals is just the most basic part of the many things that the production team has to deal with."

"Other aspects, such as scheduling shooting, scene transitions, personnel deployment, and special effects coordination, are hundreds of times more complex than this. What China's film industry lacks most in the process of industrialization is often this most basic and core organizational and management capability, and systematic team collaboration efficiency."

Shen Shandeng expressed his expectations for the future, which was also his entrustment to these young producers.

"I hope that one day, we can not only make good movies, but also make a lot of technical breakthroughs and develop a lot of useful new equipment and processes in the process."

"The experience gained from filming 'The Eunuch' can be seamlessly transferred to 'Jiajing.' After 'Jiajing,' we filmed 'The Embroidered Uniform Guard,' continuously deepening and solidifying our work. We iterated and upgraded film technology step by step, from real set construction to computer special effects, from music to editing, and even the final playback segment."

Looking at the five energetic faces in front of him, Shen Shandeng said expectantly, "The five of you will soon be back on the front lines of the production. I hope that by then, you will be aware that you should not only focus on completing the work at hand, but also look to the long term."

"Our ultimate goal is to target projects like 'Brotherhood of Blades,' which require sophisticated industrial support. Our aim is to cultivate a well-developed team by around 2012, encompassing pre-production, production, and post-production, with mature technology, equipment, and human resources. That will be our true foundation." (End of Chapter)