I am a historical film director in the entertainment industry.

Chapter 135 Refusing a Guest Appearance
Even before the movie was released, Chen Kaige led the cast and crew of stars to promote it everywhere. Posters were plastered all over major cities across the country, and various media outlets also created hype and devoted themselves to promoting the film.

Chen Kaige is full of confidence and has high hopes for this film. He not only wants to create a movie-going frenzy in China, but also wants to open up the international market and win another Oscar. He is determined to surpass his previous film, "Farewell My Concubine".

With a massive publicity campaign, the film achieved remarkable success after its release, breaking numerous records, including the highest opening day box office, the highest single-day box office, and the highest preview box office in China.

Many professional film critics have also given the film high praise, believing that "The Promise" is a surrealist film that not only has profound Eastern elements, but also has the magical elements of a Hollywood blockbuster.

It's normal for people in the industry to praise each other.

This also attracted countless movie fans to go to the cinema to watch "The Promise," and Hu Ge was one of them.

After watching the movie, he found the plot rather simple and laughable, and he simply couldn't understand what the movie was trying to express.

Therefore, using footage from the movie "The Promise" and combining it with a legal program from CCTV and a performance video from the Shanghai Circus World, a humorous video of about 20 minutes in length was created titled "A Bloodbath Caused by a Steamed Bun".

The video uses a steamed bun to tell a revenge story in a seemingly serious manner, interspersed with many funny scenes, along with nonsensical narration and dubbing, thereby satirizing the plot of the movie "The Promise".

Some netizens were simply curious about how a steamed bun could lead to such a bloody incident after reading the title, and were drawn in by this unusual subject matter, flocking to join the frenzy.

"A Bloodbath Caused by a Steamed Bun" has become a topic of discussion on the streets, with a trend that it's considered out of touch with the times if you haven't seen the video.

Chen Kaige naturally heard about this online, and he was furious after watching the video.

It's worth noting that his films took several years of painstaking effort to write, involved an investment of over 100 million yuan in production funds, featured many big-name stars, and involved tens of thousands of people in the crew. They also underwent excellent editing and beautification before being released, making the costs extremely high.

However, the number of views and influence of one video almost surpassed that of the movie "The Promise" itself.

Thus, Chen Kaige uttered that classic line: "A person cannot be so shameless."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Chen, as you know, I'm busy with my new movie and I'm afraid I won't have time for a cameo role," Cheng Sheng politely declined.

Cameo appearance in "The Promise"?
That's absolutely suicide!
If Chen Kaige uses himself to promote the movie, wouldn't that harm his own fans?

Although the ticket price of 50 yuan is not high, it can buy 20 buckets of instant noodles!

Chen Kaige was a little disappointed upon hearing this, but he didn't blame Cheng Sheng, since it was true that Cheng Sheng was busy with his new movie.

"What a pity, my Kai-ge still wants to learn from you!" Chen Hong said with a smile.

Cheng Sheng smiled slightly. If he actually believed Chen Hong's words, then something was definitely wrong.

He probably knows Chen Kaige as well as Chen Hong does about what kind of person he is.

He'd actually learn from others? That's a joke.

"Boss, over here."

Just then, Ning Hao shouted at Cheng Sheng.

Upon hearing Ning Hao's voice, Cheng Sheng said, "Excuse me, everyone, someone is looking for me over there. I'll take my leave now."

Watching Cheng Sheng's departing figure, the group didn't pay much attention.

"what's up?"

Cheng Sheng approached Ning Hao and said, "I'd like to put 'Crazy Stone' on hold for now and film 'Buried Alive' first."

“I’ve given you the script, you can make the decisions yourself. There’s no need to tell me about these things. By the way, your film ‘Green Grass’ is also participating in this film festival. Are you confident you can win an award?” Cheng Sheng said.

"Hehe, the organizers have already notified me," Ning Hao said with a smug smile.

The meaning is clear: if he doesn't win an award, the organizers won't notify him.

Cheng Sheng nodded secretly. Just like in the future, Ning Hao won the Most Popular Film Award at the Asian New Talent Awards with "Green Grassland".

While Cheng Sheng, Ning Hao, and Xing Aina were chatting, the time for the awards ceremony soon arrived.

Cheng Sheng was seated in the first row.

Seats at film festivals are a symbol of status in the industry.

Seating arrangements typically reflect a star's seniority, influence, and professional standing in the film and television industry.

The front row at film festivals has always been "the domain of kings."

In this area where land is incredibly valuable, every location exudes an aura of power and status.

Industry insiders revealed: "The seating arrangement for film festival juries is carefully planned. They represent professional judgment on the films, so naturally they should sit in positions with the best view of the stage."
The other seats in the front row are also occupied by some veteran directors and highly respected actors. They have won the "front row privilege" in this silent battle for seats, either because of their decades of professional dedication or because of the reputation of their works in recent years.

These positions are undoubtedly the best recognition of their status in the film and television industry over the years.

If the first row represents absolute authority, then the second row is a perfect combination of strength and popularity.

The arrangement of this row is quite intriguing, featuring both seasoned veteran actors and rising stars.

The seating arrangement at the film festival is like a mirror, clearly reflecting the current ecosystem and rules of the entertainment industry.

From the "authoritative zone" in the first row to the new generation in the back, each position tells a different story.

The battle for seats may never end, but ultimately, what determines a star's status is always their work and talent.

As a veteran film critic put it: "In this age of information overload, online traffic can create buzz for a short time, but only genuine professional skills and high-quality works can allow celebrities to gain a foothold in the industry and earn lasting respect."
Although Cheng Sheng directed one film, the influence of "The Great Tang Dynasty - Origins" is far-reaching.

It has won international awards, broken box office records in mainland China, broke box office records in the United States, and broken box office records for Chinese-language films in the United States.

With this string of achievements, Cheng Sheng's influence once surpassed that of most directors in China, second only to the top three directors in the country.

Therefore, no one would criticize Cheng Sheng for sitting in the front row, after all, it was his achievement.

The first row was also filled with foreigners, some of whom were members of the film festival jury, and others were directors who came to participate in the awards.

The host gave a long speech on stage, and then the awards ceremony began.

Like another film, Best Film went to the people of the country of Little Days, the Jury Special Award went to Huang Jianxin's "Please Praise Me", Best Director went to Denmark's "Young Andersen", and Best Screenplay went to Huang Jianxin.

(End of this chapter)