I am a historical film director in the entertainment industry.

Chapter 98 Third Master Han Makes a Move

Wu Baige's "excessive" actions were quickly spread online, sparking controversy among many netizens.

There are those who support Wu Baige, and those who say that Wu Baige's methods are despicable; in any case, the opinions on the internet are all over the place.

[Support Director Wu! Cheng Sheng is nothing! He needs to be taught a lesson and made to blacklist all the actors who starred in Director Wu's "Red Cliff".]

I'm not criticizing anyone in particular, but I just think Cheng Sheng is too arrogant. Director Wu is a senior figure, and respecting one's seniors is a fine virtue of Chinese people.

[It seems Cheng Sheng has a strong aversion to Hong Kong and Taiwanese artists; none of the films he's made feature actors from Hong Kong or Taiwan.]

[What's all the fuss about? It's perfectly normal for 'Red Cliff' to be filmed at Zhuozhou Film City! It's just a clash of locations. Cheng Sheng is a new director; what's wrong with him giving way to the more experienced directors?]

I'm a fan of Zhao, the female lead in "Red Cliff." If Cheng Sheng dares to blacklist her, I'll boycott his movies.

[I'm also a supporter of Zhao, and our supporters unanimously boycott Cheng's movies unless Cheng casts Zhao as the female lead.]

[Upstairs, go to hell! Cheng Sheng ate your rice and slept with your wife, what kind of Cheng dog is he? Does he even know how to respect people?]

[Holy crap! So many people are criticizing Cheng Sheng? Are you kidding me? Can't you tell right from wrong? Cheng Sheng is the victim! He was the one who first chose Zhuozhou Film City as the filming location, and Wu Baige later used any means necessary to steal it from him. How come it seems like Cheng Sheng is the one in the wrong?]

[These brainless fans are beyond saving; they should be put back in their mothers' wombs and start all over again!]

The person upstairs is right. At the very least, one should know right from wrong. Cheng Sheng, a victim, has somehow become the perpetrator.

[I'm not a fan of Wu Baige and Cheng Sheng, but I've read about their feud online. Cheng Sheng never provoked Wu Baige! Yet, Wu Baige launched a scathing attack on him as soon as she returned to China. Is this the attitude a senior should have? If we have seniors like that, we'd rather not have any at all!]

The world has changed, and so have people's hearts. Wu Baige is ruthless, but I think the real culprits are the management of Zhuozhou Film City. They agreed to cooperate with Cheng Sheng, so why did they change their minds?

[I agree. Zhuozhou Film City's actions were disgusting. I suspect they backed out because they felt Cheng Sheng's influence wasn't as great as Wu Baige's.]

The online discussion is heated, with everyone having different opinions.

The majority of people support Wu Baige, after all, his influence is undeniable. Even if people want to blame Wu Baige, some will focus their criticism on the administrators of Zhuozhou Film and Television City.

Another reason why Wu Baige has such high approval ratings is that some celebrities' fans have also intervened.

The actors who starred in "Red Cliff" were basically all popular stars or top stars.

These people have a large number of fans.

Especially Zhao, who gained countless fans because of the role of Xiao Yanzi.

These fans formed a support group. The fans who could participate in the support group were basically brainless fans. Regardless of whether Zhao was right or wrong, they would stand on her side.

The people who target Cheng Sheng most online are fans of a certain Zhao.

China Film Group.

Snapped!
In Master Han's office, Master Han slammed his hand on the table in anger.

"Has Wu Baige lost her mind? She's always up to some weird and crooked tricks," Han Sanye cursed angrily.

He already had a problem with Wu Baige, and he targeted Cheng Sheng again and again.

Cheng Sheng is a promising young talent whom he has high hopes for; this has already spread throughout the industry.

Wu Baige knew all along, yet she still dared to target Cheng Sheng, showing him absolutely no respect.

Human tolerance has its limits, and this time he wasn't going to tolerate it any longer. He had to teach this bastard a lesson, otherwise he'd take advantage of him and think he could do whatever he wanted just because he was an internationally renowned director. With that in mind, Master Han picked up the phone and dialed the Film Bureau.

"Hello, who is it?"

After the call connected, upon hearing the voice on the other end, Master Han said, "I am Han Sanping from China Film Group. I'm looking for your bureau chief."

"Okay, Mr. Han."

Not long after, a cheerful middle-aged man's voice came from the phone: "Old Han, what brings you to call me?"

"I need your help," Master Han said bluntly.

"Help? You're the bandit leader Zuo Shandiao! You don't need my help!"

“This time it’s different, it’s related to the film studio. Film-related matters are all managed by your Film Bureau, so that’s why we came to you.”

"Oh! Who offended you? Don't you have any sense at all?"

"What else could it be? Haven't you been watching the news lately?"

"Wu Baige and Cheng Sheng!"

"Yes, Wu Baige went too far this time. Her methods of suppressing people are too shameless."

"Old Han, are you trying to help Cheng Sheng save face?"

"good."

"Old Han, not to be nosy, but what's your relationship with that kid Cheng Sheng that you'd use my connections to help him?"

"Old Chen, what nonsense are you talking about! I just think highly of Xiao Cheng. I don't want such a talented director to be ruined."

Master Han was not lying; he truly had high hopes for Cheng Sheng, aiming to promote the development of China's film industry and create works that embody Chinese characteristics, reflect the spirit of the times, and are loved by the people.

He has high hopes for directors like Cheng Sheng and hopes to protect them so that they can make outstanding contributions to Chinese cinema.

"Fine, then what do you want me to do? Blacklist Wu Baige?"

"No need. I hope your General Administration will intervene and have the Zhuozhou Film and Television City filming location returned to Cheng Sheng," said Master Han.

As tourist attractions or cultural projects, film and television cities are usually managed by local governments or tourism departments.

But don't forget that all film-related work nationwide is managed by the State Film Administration, which is under the Publicity Department and is responsible for guiding the high-quality development of the film industry.

In other words, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television can also manage film and television cities, but it has never interfered with local film and television cities before.

"Old Han, wait a minute, let me check."

Five minutes after the other end finished speaking, another voice rang out: "This matter is difficult to handle. Zhuozhou Film and Television City has already signed a contract with Wu Baige's production team. We have laws and regulations in place. If we force them to terminate the contract, we will have to pay compensation, and this time the amount is huge. Our State Administration of Radio, Film and Television can't force the film and television city to break the contract."

Master Han frowned and said, "Then I won't make things difficult for you. However, if the film 'Red Cliff' is completed and submitted for review, I hope the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television will strictly follow the rules and requirements."

China implements a pre-screening system for films, and all films must be approved by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television before they can be released to the public.

Due to the lack of a rating system, censorship agencies have a broad definition of "sensitive content." Even if some scenes do not directly involve violence, pornography, or political sensitivities, they may still be cut due to metaphors, cultural differences, or audience acceptance issues.

(End of this chapter)