Huayu: Are you even sitting up straight? You're going to be the director?

Chapter 81 Cao was not wrong; Cao was merely fighting back.
Compared to the freshman representatives and the principal's empty rhetoric, Cao Zhong's speech was clearly more engaging and attracted more attention.

Moreover, Cao Zhong's remarks were clearly spoken off-script.

He smiled at all the new students.
But the level of mockery didn't diminish at all; it went all the way up!

Hello everyone, I am Cao Zhong, a third-year university student whose film grossed 250 million yuan. I am also the person that director Lu Chuan referred to as a cultural tragedy on Weibo yesterday.

Imagine how Lu Chuan would feel if he heard that.

Many students at the scene felt it was somewhat cruel upon hearing this.
The contrast between "students" and "directors," the box office and cultural tragedy, coupled with the figure of "250 million," is too stark!

Cao Zhong's box office performance is currently only slightly inferior to Zhang Yimou's.

They crushed Lu Chuan to who knows where.

Cao Zhong's words not only stunned the principal and teachers, but also instantly made the atmosphere of the freshman ceremony more lively.

They were all seventeen or eighteen-year-olds; where would they have seen this at school?
The last time we met was when Cao Zhong confronted Jia Zhangke at the entrance of China Film Group!

In his last interview, Cao Zhong confronted Jia Zhangke, drawing all the enemy's defenses to the limit...

The last time, it was Cao Zhong again...

Compared to Cao's actions, Zhang Weiping's criticism of Jia Zhangke regarding the Lunar New Year film season is nothing!

Squander your civilization, squander your rarity!
These two sentences really got the students off their feet.

Many students were drowsy just now, they were sleepy from going through the procedures, but now they are all wide awake!
"Has Director Cao pulled another rare move?"

For freshmen, it's hard not to have heard of Cao Zhong's reputation. Before the release of "Nanjing Photo Studio", he had already fought against the Japanese and the rare, from Xiaojin to the three major universities, from Jia Zhangke to the entire director circle, from writing articles to creating public intellectuals to the box office breaking 250 million. In just one year, he has achieved unparalleled success!

Watching it online is one thing, but it's not the same as watching it in person. Watching it in person is absolutely amazing!

Everyone was looking at Brother Cao on the stage, who was actually only two years older than them.

Without warning, a punch was thrown! Directly aimed at renowned director Lu Chuan!

For these students, and even for the president, professors, and teachers of the Beijing Film Academy, Lu Chuan still holds a fairly high position.

The Beijing Film Academy doesn't care whether it plagiarized or not, or whether Jiang Wen directed the film.
At least Lu Chuan has won the awards he deserved. "Looking for a Gun" and "Kekexili" have won at least seventeen or eighteen awards of various kinds, achieving widespread success both domestically and internationally!
We have the necessary reputation, so at least we don't have to worry about attracting funding at all!

Moreover, he's a pure academic, with powerful connections, and also a graduate of the Beijing Film Academy—a truly impeccable background.
My father is the son of someone from the Federation of Literary and Art Circles, the Writers Association, and the Film Association—a true member of our own faction.

Cao Zhong's move silenced the audience.

It wasn't appropriate to go on stage to persuade them during the freshman orientation ceremony, so Cao Zhong could only continue speaking.

But the students below were engaged in a heated discussion.

Vocational college class.

"As expected of the screenwriter and director who wrote and filmed 'Nanjing Photo Studio,' it seems that Director Cao has always maintained his anger."

Below the stage, Zhang Ruoyun looked at Tan Songyun, a classmate from the vocational college, and said with sharp eyes:

“Songyun, I’ve always felt that being an actor means maintaining anger. Now I see that being a director should also be about this attitude. Director Cao’s personality is what makes him destined to win. I need to work on my ability to maintain anger so that I can act it out when filming explosive scenes in the future.”

Tan Songyun said, "You're really amazing, you know so much. I just listened to Director Cao's words and found it quite interesting."

Undergraduate program.

Shuangzi clenched her fists: "Director Cao is really something, showing no respect at the freshman ceremony. Hahaha. We've really come here to watch the show."

"Does Director Cao have a short temper?" Han Qingzi asked innocently. "Wasn't this supposed to be funny at the opening ceremony?"

Lu Shan pointed to the news on her phone, "Why is it that only Lu Chuan is allowed to make sarcastic remarks about my fellow townsman and senior? My fellow townsman and senior can't even criticize him?"

Jing Tian, ​​on the other hand, was not surprised by Cao Zhong's behavior. Since last year, she had been paying close attention to Cao Zhong's news.

Cao Zhong's reaction was perfectly normal.

Jing Tian was already familiar with this kind of opening move.

This is the taste of Brother Cao, it has never changed.

But Jing Tian suddenly felt very lucky. Not only did he know Brother Cao before "Nanjing Photo Studio", but he was also praised by him many times.

Why belittle yourself?

If I can't find the camera, I'll let the camera find me.

Every time Jing Tian thought about it, she felt that Cao Zhong had given her his most tender emotions.

Jing Tian looked up at Cao Zhong, who was exuding charm on the stage.

She felt a little smug: "Actually, my senior brother is very gentle, but this side of him is probably only known to me."

...After Cao Zhong felt satisfied with his remarks, he began to give a speech to the freshmen. He didn't go into too much detail, as it's not easy to start a long talk with freshmen. He just focused on his views on the film market.

Cao Zhong said that the development of commercial films in China is still in its infancy, and many people are unclear about it.

It is recommended that students majoring in film scriptwriting, culture and communication, related majors in literature, and related majors in directing also consciously strive towards commercial film development while studying their coursework.
“Many people say that my films express extreme emotions, but I don’t think so. The so-called ‘extreme’ is not actually caused by us.”

Cao Zhong talks to everyone about "Nanjing Photo Studio".
"During the filming, my camera was always restrained and did not incite. It was always guiding the audience to remember history and be self-reliant and strong. Moreover, the content shown is only the tip of the iceberg of the inhumane crimes committed by the Japanese. If simply presenting the truth is to be labeled as inciting emotions, then why do they not criticize Ozu and the Japanese for committing heinous crimes? It is a clear double standard."

Cao Zhong also joked with everyone, "By the way, I was talking about Jia Zhangke."

Everyone below laughed.

"I still don't know what I did to offend him,"

Cao Zhong looked up, feeling wronged. "Later I found out that he was using resources from Kitano Takeshi's company, which was Japanese-funded. I was just repeating what his master had done back then. He brought his own food and patrolled, being loyal to his boss."

"The Beijing Film Academy is still the best. They admit their mistakes and correct them, and they offer their opinions. I also want to thank President Zhang for standing firmly on my side, on the side of the people and justice."

The students below applauded and laughed.

Zhang Huijun was somewhat at a loss, as he had originally intended to maintain a degree of objectivity and neutrality.

Now they've truly become allies.

Jia Zhangke has been completely expelled from the school.

Zhang Huijun had nothing to say. This wasn't a phrase he had seen before, but Cao Zhong completely complied with his request, not attacking anyone else, only targeting Lu Chuan and Jia Zhangke.

For a time, I had mixed feelings of love and hate.

……

"In conclusion, as a cultural product, film naturally possesses cultural attributes and carries the task of disseminating culture. The film market is a battlefield for public opinion and propaganda. We should face up to the voices of the audience and recognize that culture is the soul of a nation. When people discuss whether my film is extreme, they also need to examine what commercial narrative structures I used to keep the audience in the theater."

Pay attention to whether my film, despite its low budget, is well-made, whether the story flows smoothly, and whether its values ​​resonate with you. I believe this will be helpful for your studies over the next four years.

Cao Zhong said: "You are all college students now. You should have your own critical thinking skills. Don't be swayed by certain groups who try to change concepts and relentlessly smear you. I, Cao Zhong, have offended the interests of many people, but my goal has always been to contribute to the diversification and maturity of Chinese films."

I threw a stone down; only a dog would bark in response.

Everyone should be vigilant and watch out for the dogs around them; these people are not cute.

Moreover, we must be especially wary of some directors who take pride in traditional workshop processes, earning salaries from Hollywood and the Big Three European cinemas to make small, niche, and fringe works, and then conducting film reviews in schools to test students' compliance. In the end, they invest a lot of money but can only rely on selling copyrights.

The film was exposed as soon as it was released, and people started to believe that Chinese films were finished and that China could no longer produce commercial blockbusters.

It barked frantically, saying, "Foreigners love my movies!"

My assessment of these directors is that although they may appear to be honored guests at various film festivals and preachers in niche art circles, they are actually just wasting time, making foreign films, and making fools of themselves.

They alienated films from the masses, pushing them towards marginalization, sensationalism, and even vulgarity.

This is of no benefit to the progress, system establishment, and development of Chinese cinema.

Audiences have only one standard, and will only ever have one in the future: to watch good movies.

After Cao Zhong finished speaking, all the new students stood up and applauded.

Although Cao Zhong ultimately scorned directors like Jia Zhangke, leaving many academics looking utterly distraught.

However, many people were unable to refute Cao Zhong's words.

Because Cao Zhong refused to discuss art, genres, techniques, or explorationism throughout the entire session.

We were just discussing its functions and goals.

All they could do was grit their teeth and swallow the blood.
But upon closer inspection, the faces of several teachers in the directing department turned green.

To refute is to admit it, and not to refute is to say that Cao Zhong is pointing fingers at Jia Zhangke. Only someone with a brain problem would pick on the insults at this point!
……

After Cao Zhong finished speaking, many people in the audience fell into deep thought.

Shi Yifan, who majored in screenwriting, and Pan Yiran, in turn, looked at Cao Zhong with much more admiration.

After the freshman ceremony, Cui Xinqin looked at Cao Zhong and smiled, but her smile was full of affection:
"You little rascal, can't you be more careful next time? Jia Zhangke got beaten up, but he doesn't even dare to show his face. Lu Chuan, you'd better watch out. His dad is on the review committee after all; he might hold you accountable next time."

“Then I’ll play Han Dongguan.” Cao Zhong smiled as well. “Teacher Cui, don’t think I’m someone who goes around criticizing others. I, Cao, did nothing wrong. I’m just fighting back. If he doesn’t provoke me, I won’t bother with him.”

He brought it on himself.

Cui Xinqin immediately recalled her initial assessment of Cao Zhong after he enrolled in school: he was an honest man who didn't talk much.

I was a little lost for a moment.

Mr. Han, this kid dares to make fun of you?
(End of this chapter)