Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 136, Section 134: 'The Theory of Tutoring'

In July, the heatwave in Beijing, mixed with the smoke of public opinion, hit us head-on.

The debate between the film studio alliance and the provincial-level film company alliances quickly intensified within a few days, spreading from professional discussions within the industry to national media coverage, becoming the most eye-catching focus in the cultural field this summer.

Articles from southern media outlets such as Wenhui Daily and Labor Daily, which were the first to launch an attack, stirred up huge waves, like a boulder thrown into a calm lake.

This time, however, the film studio alliance did not passively endure attacks or experience internal anxiety as it had in the past. Instead, it quickly organized a powerful counterattack.

With Han Sanping in charge of overall coordination, the publicity departments of the alliance's various film studios were efficiently mobilized. Based on the core data and arguments compiled by Wang Sheng's team, they submitted articles to their respective local media, industry newspapers, and even major media outlets.

The counterattack article, like a precision-guided missile, aimed directly at the vitals of the provincial film company.

The first wave involved showcasing data, highlighting achievements, and complaining about their grievances.

Major media outlets such as Guangming Daily and Economic Information Daily published a series of lengthy reports and commentary articles with titles that directly addressed the core issues: "Television and Film: Innovative Practices for Revitalizing Existing Resources," "Data Speaks: How Can the Film Studio Alliance Turn Around Losses?" and "Who Forced Film Studios to Take Such a Desperate Step?"

The article begins with detailed and irrefutable data: In just a few months since its establishment, the alliance's television and film business has brought in over 100 million yuan in direct revenue for 31 film studios, and is expected to exceed several hundred million yuan for the whole year; it has cumulatively solved the employment or income problems of more than 5,000 film studio employees (including a large number of unemployed children); and its tax payments to the state have far exceeded the level of the same period last year.

In stark contrast, the article lists numerous examples from the past few years of film studios struggling with consecutive years of losses and difficulties in paying employee wages due to extremely low box office revenue, sometimes even failing to cover costs. A photo of an annual report from a western film studio, marked "loss" in red on its bulletin board, was reprinted by several newspapers, a truly alarming sight.

The second wave exposed the monopoly and directly addressed the root cause of the problem.

The alliance's hired "henchmen"—several economic commentators and cultural scholars known for their outspokenness—no longer held back in their column articles, launching direct attacks.

They pointed out incisively that the biggest problem in the Chinese film market lies in "fragmentation" and "channel monopoly".

Provincial film companies, leveraging their regional monopoly through administrative allocation, wield absolute power in the distribution process, implementing "low-price buyouts" or "extremely low revenue sharing" with film studios, resulting in most box office revenue being intercepted by intermediaries.

Some articles even cited data revealed by insiders, pointing out that for a film that grosses tens of millions at the box office, the film studio may only receive less than a million, while provincial companies and their affiliated cinema chains make a fortune.

The third wave exposed the discrimination in film scheduling and spoke out for domestic films.

This attack was more specific.

The article provides a detailed analysis of the screening schedules of several well-received domestic films in major cities recently: during prime time (7 pm to 9 pm), screenings were almost entirely given to imported blockbusters or more commercially viable co-productions, while domestic films were relegated to "garbage time slots" such as morning, noon, or 3 or 4 pm.

"This kind of scheduling strategy is tantamount to killing domestic films at the starting line!"

One commentator wrote indignantly: "On the one hand, they complain that no one watches domestic films and they don't make money, but on the other hand, they don't give them a fair chance to meet the audience. Isn't this a short-sighted act by provincial companies to protect their own short-term interests (imported films have more room for manipulation and stable profits) at the expense of the long-term development of domestic films?"

The fourth wave involves proposing solutions and calling for deeper reforms.

Having fully exposed the problems, the alliance's voice began to point towards the future.

Several influential experts have strongly urged that the current distribution and exhibition system has seriously hindered the development of China's film industry and must be drastically reformed.

The core idea is to promote the "cinema chain system"!
Break down administrative boundaries and allow capable capital to establish cross-regional cinema chains, introducing a competitive mechanism; at the same time, it is essential to establish a clear, transparent, and reasonable revenue-sharing system for film production, distribution, and screening, so that content producers (film studios) can fairly share the market's success.

"Only when those who create content are rewarded can Chinese cinema have a continuous source of vitality!" This has become the alliance's most powerful slogan. They emphasize that television films are a helpless exploration and effective supplement to the rigid old system. They have cultivated audiences, trained the workforce, and have not eroded the traditional film market. On the contrary, their widespread dissemination may even benefit the big screen.

Faced with the overwhelming and well-reasoned counterattack from the film studio alliance, the provincial company alliance seemed somewhat caught off guard.

Their rebuttals mostly focused on the old problems such as "the film studios themselves are not competitive," "they like to make art films that audiences don't understand," and "their management is poor." They mostly avoided or gave vague answers to the core issues of "unfair revenue sharing," "discrimination in film scheduling," and the call for "reform of the cinema chain system," accusing the other side of "confusing concepts" and "denying the achievements of reform."

Such weak and feeble explanations appear increasingly unconvincing in the face of the irrefutable data and concrete examples presented by the film studio alliance.

Public opinion began to tip quietly in favor of the film studio alliance.

……

Amidst the heated debate and public opinion, the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) was held as scheduled on July 7th.

Wang Sheng calmly walked into the examination room set up in a middle school in HD District.

……

The day after the college entrance examination ended.

On Thursday, July 10, the China Youth Daily published in a prominent position an in-depth interview with Wang Sheng conducted by reporter Zhang Jianwei several months earlier, with a thought-provoking title: "Wang Sheng: 'Making Up for Lessons' Amidst the Tide of the Market."

The article provides a detailed account of Wang Sheng's journey from a child of the Beijing Film Studio to a young entrepreneur who has shaken up the industry. It focuses on his thoughts on the industrialization of film and television, the integration of technology and culture, and Shengying Media's innovative practices in wedding films and television movies. However, the most insightful part of the article lies in the latter half, which reveals the deeper reasons why Wang Sheng chose to return to school at the peak of his career and apply to the Beijing Film Academy's management department.

The report quoted Wang Sheng as saying: "I feel like a nouveau riche who suddenly has a lot of money. The building is being built very quickly, but I am always uneasy, afraid that the foundation is not deep enough."

The market changes too quickly, and relying solely on experience and intuition is very risky.

I need to systematically learn management knowledge and economic theory. I need to calm down and "recharge" myself, and elevate the problems I encounter in practice to a theoretical level for thinking.

The future of Shengying Media and the film studio alliance cannot always rely on unorthodox methods; it must have more solid internal strength and a clearer strategic framework.

In his article, Zhang Jianwei commented, "Knowing one's own shortcomings and being willing to humble oneself to make up for them is a rare kind of clear-headedness."

"While many people are still complacent about their current success or stuck in their ways, this young trendsetter has already seen the storms ahead and has taken the initiative to return to port to 'repair the ship'."

His choice may offer some inspiration to his peers who are still struggling within the inertia of the old system or feeling lost in the face of new opportunities: true strength stems from continuous learning and self-renewal.

The timely release of this interview is like a clever flanking maneuver in a war of public opinion.

It did not directly participate in the debate, but by showcasing Wang Sheng's personal choices and profound reflections, it metaphorically raised a sharp question: Even Wang Sheng, who created the "miracle of television and film," is well aware of his own shortcomings and is eager to seek progress. How should those vested interests who cling to the old ways, refuse to change, and even obstruct innovation conduct themselves?
After the article was published, it resonated widely and sparked discussion.

Many people have begun to re-examine this debate, shifting the focus from a simple struggle for interests to the learning attitude and courage for reform needed for the future development of the industry.

Wang Sheng's "make-up class theory" became another invisible weight pressing down on the provincial company alliance.

(End of this chapter)