Nobody knows movies better than me

Chapter 137 The Big Argument After Winning the Award

The day after the awards ceremony, the media went wild.

It wasn't the Galaxy Awards that exploded, it was Zhang Jun who exploded.

Entertainment media have never been interested in the science fiction world, but they are interested in Zhang Jun.

This young director, a graduate of the Astronomy Department of Tsinghua University, has made money with every film he's made since entering the film industry. His cumulative box office has now surpassed 500 million yuan, and he's not only gone on to write science fiction novels but has also won awards.

This is news in itself.

The headline of the Beijing Entertainment News was straightforward: "Zhang Jun wins two Galaxy Awards, adding a new identity to the cross-disciplinary talent."

The report was fairly standard, first introducing the background of the Galaxy Awards, then mentioning that Zhang Jun won the Best Newcomer and Masterpiece awards, and finally quoting a few words from the award ceremony speech.

The reporter wrote at the end of the article: "From film director to science fiction writer, Zhang Jun's crossover journey seems to have been exceptionally smooth."

According to the publisher, the Chinese version of *The Martian* has sold 85 copies, and overseas sales have exceeded one million, making it one of the most successful domestic science fiction novels in recent years.

This is typical positive reporting; they just praise it and that's it.

The Southern Metropolis Daily took a different perspective, with the headline: "Zhang Jun: I want to make a domestic science fiction film, but the time is not right."

The report detailed Zhang Jun's acceptance speech, especially the final part about his vision for science fiction films.

The reporter wrote in the commentary: "Zhang Jun's sober-mindedness is surprising. After the success of several films in a row, he was not blinded by success, but calmly stated that the technical conditions and market environment were not yet mature."

This pragmatic attitude is perhaps the reason for his repeated successes.

This is a neutral but slightly approving stance, reporting the facts while also praising Zhang Jun.

But what truly excited the general public was the commentary in the Beijing News.

The headline alone is explosive: "Zhang Jun wants to make a domestic sci-fi film? Don't dream about it!"

The article begins by acknowledging that "The Martian" is well-written, then abruptly shifts its focus: "A well-written novel does not guarantee a well-made movie."

Writing science fiction novels only requires a computer and a richly imaginative mind, but making science fiction movies requires an entire industrial system.

Special effects technology, physical effects, digital intermediates, motion capture—do these things exist in China?

The author continues with a barrage of criticism: "Zhang Jun said that maybe one day, we will actually see a domestically produced film in the cinema..."

A hardcore, entertaining sci-fi film.

Forgive my bluntness, but that day is still a long way off.

Hollywood sci-fi blockbusters burn through hundreds of millions of dollars, using decades of accumulated technology and experience.

What about us? How many period dramas have been made since "Hero"? How many of them are watchable?

"They can't even film a proper period drama, yet they want to make a sci-fi movie?"

The last paragraph was even harsher: "Zhang Jun is a good director and a decent science fiction writer, but a person should know their own limitations. Domestic science fiction films? There's no hope for at least twenty years."

Instead of indulging in such unrealistic dreams, you should stick to making your low-budget comedies; that's what you're good at.

That's enough, but I have some objections to the last point: Reign of Assassins and Bastard Genius are not comedies.

But media reporters are always like this: don't take things out of context. They will tell you to take things out of context, and the word "no" was ignored. As soon as this article was published, it was immediately reprinted by major portal websites.

NetEase Entertainment's headline was: "Zhang Jun wants to make a sci-fi film? Stop dreaming!"

Sina Entertainment offered a slightly milder perspective: "Zhang Jun's sci-fi dream sparks controversy; industry insiders say it's unlikely to happen for at least twenty years."

Sohu Entertainment launched a poll: "How many more years do you think we'll have to wait for domestic sci-fi films? A. Less than 5 years B. 10 years C. 20 years D. Never."

When the voting results came out, 70% of the votes were for C and D, while less than 10% were for A.

Zhang Jun's fans are not happy about this.

On the film and television section of Tianya Forum, someone posted: "*** is an idiot. Which movie by Zhang Jun has ever failed? Does he think it's impossible just because he says so?"

The comments below quickly split into two camps.

Those who support Zhang Jun said, "Before 'Little Miss Sunshine,' some people said that laymen couldn't make movies."

Before "Reign of Assassins," some people said that Zhang Jun couldn't make martial arts films.

Before "Bad Genius," some people said that Zhang Jun couldn't make fast-paced crime films.

But when has Zhang Jun not been proven wrong?

Those who disagreed said, "Please, are martial arts films and science fiction films even in the same league? Martial arts films can be made simply by hiring a few stuntmen and setting up a shed."

Sci-fi movies? Have you ever seen a domestic CG company do special effects like those in Transformers? Don't be ridiculous.

Those who are neutral say, "Zhang Jun is indeed amazing, but science fiction films are not something that can be made by an individual alone. We are far behind Hollywood's industrial system."

The scene was even more lively on Douban.

A netizen posted in the "Science Fiction Films" group: "Zhang Jun said he wants to make a science fiction film, do you think it's feasible?"

One person excitedly replied, "Reliable! If Zhang Jun says it can work, it definitely can!"

Some people calmly commented: "Zhang Jun is impressive, but he's only human. Science fiction films aren't something one person can handle alone. It requires technical expertise, a special effects company, and a knowledgeable behind-the-scenes team."

We don't have any of those.

Some people are mocking it: "Another year of settling down for domestic science fiction?" I've heard this for years; every year someone says it, and every year it ends in a disappointing conclusion.

In the "Zhang Jun Bar" on Baidu Tieba, the fans are united.

Someone posted: "The media is smearing Director Zhang again. Everyone go and give that article a lot of negative reviews!"

The comments below were all "Roger!", "Go!", "Fuck them!"

However, some rational fans advised: "Don't be impulsive. Director Zhang has never cared what the media says. Let's just support him quietly and not bring him any negative attention."

This post has been pinned.

Meanwhile, the discussion style on the SMTH BBS is quite different.

As Tsinghua University's BBS, users here naturally have a favorable impression of Zhang Jun, after all, he is an alumnus.

A physics major posted: "I've seen 'The Martian,' and the orbital calculations and survival logic in it were written very professionally. I specifically asked my professor about it, and he said it was basically fine."

This shows that Zhang Jun did his homework diligently.

One comment from an engineering mechanics department member read: "Indeed, the technical details in the novel are very well-developed. This kind of hard science fiction is quite rare in China."

When it comes to making movies, the tone changes.

"Writing a good novel is one thing, making a good movie is another. We are indeed far behind in special effects."

"Maybe not? Senior Zhang Jun doesn't play by the rules. What if he actually pulls it off?"

"It would be great if he succeeded, but I'm afraid he'll take too big a step and mess things up."

It was followed by a string of "hahaha".

The discussions on the KDnet community were more radical.

One post was titled: "Zhang Jun: Another genius blinded by success?"

The post reads: "Zhang Jun has indeed had a smooth run of success these past few years, from 'Little Miss Sunshine' to 'Bad Genius,' one film after another has been a hit."

But too much success can make people arrogant; that's human nature.

He said he wanted to make a science fiction film, and even talked about "using imagination to sketch out the future," which sounded pretty good, but it was just empty talk.

Domestic sci-fi movies? They should figure out how to make period dramas properly first.

Others countered, "You're the one who's arrogant, your whole family is arrogant. When has Zhang Jun ever been arrogant? He's always incredibly low-key in interviews, is that arrogant?"

"Being low-key? Does being low-key mean you can say things like 'Maybe one day we'll see domestically produced sci-fi films'? Isn't that just being arrogant?"

"What's wrong with that? Can't I even have dreams?"

In short, the topic of Guan Gan Zhang Jun making a science fiction film has generated a great deal of buzz and heated debate in the media and online.

However, Zhang Jun, the person involved, disappeared from the public debate. He left the public opinion to the public and focused on his own affairs.

Besides being busy with the preparations for "Running Man! Dad" and the selection of child actors, Zhang Jun has also been paying close attention to the development of the motion effects science studio.

Everyone thought he was just talking, but few people knew that Zhang Jun was already at the forefront.

Gao Yuanyuan accompanied Zhang Jun to the animation studio, as she was very curious about it. Zhang Jun had mentioned it to her before, but at the time, Gao Yuanyuan thought it was just a passing fancy.

But when I came here today, it seems that Zhang Jun is serious.

The studio's manager, Bai Zhou, introduced some basic information to the two: "Currently, the studio has 25 people, eight of whom came from Hong Kong Island, and three of whom returned from Japan."

The rest were mostly recent graduates in computer science and visual arts.

Gao Yuanyuan asked curiously, "Does the studio get any work?"

"Yes, you can."

Bai Zhou said, "The studio is divided into a physical effects department and a digital effects department. Because the prices are low enough, we can get some jobs."

However, the studio currently relies mainly on the boss for subsidies.

Zhang Jun nodded and emphasized, "Continue to follow this path, continue to recruit industry talent, and continue to hire recent graduates."

Don't be afraid of others' lack of experience; no one starts out with experience.

Only through continuous training and experience can the talent we need emerge.

"I understand, boss!" Bai Zhou said, indicating that he understood.

Zhang Jun and Gao Yuanyuan sat in the conference room, chatting while Bai Zhou went to call someone.

"I didn't expect you to start preparing so early."

Gao Yuanyuan looked at the promotional posters on both sides, somewhat worried that Zhang Jun was wasting money: "Won't the investment be too large and unsustainable?"

Zhang Jun replied, "No, the studio has ample cash flow. I have to thank Boss Wang for that; he bought my new company's shares at a premium and gave me a considerable amount of cash."

As long as Chenxing Pictures and Guanzhi Pictures remain profitable, there is no need to worry about funding issues in the short term.

Zhang Jun paused for a moment, then said, "Besides, science fiction is divided into different genres. Some science fiction actually deals with philosophical questions, and these kinds of things don't need any special effects."

Thinking about the public opinion these past few days, he laughed and said, "The internet has been very lively lately. It seems that only movies like Transformers can be considered science fiction."

But that's not actually the case. Hollywood has long told us that big-budget productions have their own methods, and low-budget productions have their own formulas.

"So, do you want to film it?" Gao Yuanyuan asked.

"No, not now!"

Zhang Jun said, "The timing is not right yet. When people mention Chinese science fiction films now, they instinctively feel that it is impossible."

I need to change this perception, starting with low-budget soft science fiction, and the film market also needs to continue to grow.

Besides, I'm a multi-talented director; I have plenty of films to make!

Looking at the radiant Zhang Jun, Gao Yuanyuan felt she understood this man even better.

This is a man of strong will and great opinion; no one can change his mind.