The Rise of Chinese Entertainment in 2008

In the news report, Cheng Yan made a comprehensive comparison between "Jinling! Jinling!" and "The Red-Clad Swordsman".

In conclusion, whether in terms of national sentiment or story, this film is inferior to the short film "Red Cliff".

This news caused a great stir.

The most important quality a journalist needs is keen insight, and there are many journalists as intelligent as Cheng Yan.

Cheng Yan had things hesitant to write, but they didn't have those concerns.

However, they wrote the article after watching the short film online, so they were a step behind Cheng Yan in terms of publication time.

But compared to other things, this kind of gossip is definitely more attention-grabbing.

After reading the news, some netizens jokingly commented: "Director Gu Ning's method of revenge is somewhat similar to that of ancient literati."

In ancient times, when scholars had conflicts, they liked to write poems and articles to criticize each other. Lu Chuan said that Gu Ning did not understand the art of directing.

Gu Ning immediately responded by making a short film when his movie was released.

Moreover, judging from the timing, Director Gu Ning clearly had made preparations well in advance.

…………

Inside a cinema in Shanghai, Lu Chuan and the main cast are answering questions from the audience.

After these days of roadshows, he is now more adept at answering audience questions.

At this moment, Lu Chuan held the microphone and said solemnly, "The biggest problem now is that many people, both domestically and internationally, do not acknowledge that this horrific event is real."

Domestic war films don't get many viewers abroad.

Because domestic war films and foreigners have different ideas and values.

Only films with an anti-war theme can attract foreign viewers.

Only when more people watch this film will they learn about this period of history.

It must be said that what Lu Chuan said made some sense.

War films made in China are not popular in other countries, not because of language or cultural differences.

Some Chinese people even say that watching foreign war films often evokes a profound emotional impact, while domestic war films rarely do.

The main reason is the difference in the core ideas expressed; foreign war films are all anti-war in their core message.

Therefore, we can explore aspects of human nature, which makes it more relatable.

However, what was expressed domestically was a spirit of patriotism and resistance.

But in reality, Lu Chuan's words were utter nonsense.

This is like two people fighting, both equally matched, resulting in mutual destruction and no good outcome.

At this point, advocating against war is naturally not a problem.

But what's the situation like in China?

It's like a child being bullied by an adult, and the bullying even extends to their home.

If we don't resist now, are we just going to surrender and let the other side rob us at will?

But ordinary viewers don't think that deeply. Instead, they think Lu Chuan's suggestion to let more people see it first and then learn about this history makes a lot of sense.

Lu Chuan said with a hint of bitterness, "I know this will draw a lot of criticism, but it's my mission as a filmmaker!"

His defiant tone, as if saying "I will go even if there are thousands of people against me," made many viewers who were still angry feel a little guilty, realizing that they had misunderstood him.

Just then, the assistant hurriedly walked onto the stage and whispered a few words in Lu Chuan's ear.

Upon hearing this, Lu Chuan's face instantly darkened. He briefly greeted the audience and then hurriedly left with several key members of the production team.

Back in the car, I checked the online comments on my laptop, and my expression turned even uglier.

"What happened?"

Qin Lan sat down next to Lu Chuan and looked at the screen.

"Hmph, someone's trying to step on me to climb to the top," Lu Chuan sneered.

He didn't think it was just because of that past conflict, but rather that Gu Ning wanted to use this method to step on him and increase her own fame.

After all, he was named one of the world's top ten young directors by American media.

At the time, domestic media followed suit and reported on him, calling him the number one young director in China.

Gu Ning's attempt to extort money from him to elevate herself is perfectly normal.

"Let's watch his short film first," Qin Lan said.

"Um."

Lu Chuan clicked on the video, but because she was using a wireless network card, the network speed was not fast, and it took a while to load and play.

The short film, which was only ten minutes long, took about twenty minutes to finish playing due to buffering.

"Oh."

Lu Chuan sneered, "With this level of skill, you dare to try and extort me? It doesn't make any sense."

Given the circumstances at the time, how could they possibly have quietly confined so many children inside the theater and obtained so much gasoline?

Although the video did not show the process of setting the fire, the fire was already very large when it was discovered that a fire had started outside.

Moreover, when the fire broke out, the children tried to break down the door to escape, but found that the door could not be opened at all.

It's even more unbelievable that none of these ordinary folks brought guns while watching the play.

In short, in his view, this was not only an attempt to force emotional appeal, but also riddled with logical flaws.

"That's right, there are too many logical flaws." Qin Lan agreed somewhat insincerely.

She thought the short film was very good, and the junior sister in it was very charming.

But she dared not say these things, fearing that Lu Chuan would not be able to bear it.

"What do we do now?"

Qin Lan asked, "The online public opinion is too great. If we let it go unchecked, it will have a significant impact on the box office."

"Don't worry, we're anxious, but there are people even more anxious than us."

Lu Chuan said nonchalantly, "I'll make a few phone calls."

After saying that, he took out his phone and called several investors, explaining what had happened.

Although he personally invested in this film, the actual amount he put in was not much.

In comparison, those investors who have invested the majority of the capital are more anxious.

Upon learning the news, the investors verbally abused Gu Ning and immediately stated that they would contact Sohu as soon as possible to remove the video from the platform.

They used various connections to reach out to Sohu executives, who readily agreed, but soon told them that the matter could not be accomplished.

These executives contacted Sohu Video and learned that Zhang Chaoyang had made the decision to produce the short film, so they didn't dare to talk to Zhang Chaoyang about it.

Despite Zhang Chaoyang's seemingly humble and open-minded demeanor in meetings, all of Sohu's senior executives know that he is actually a dictator.

For things that are still undecided, Lao Zhang might take their advice, but for things that are settled, Lao Zhang will not listen to them at all.

They didn't have a deep relationship with those companies. It was fine to give them face for small things, but no one was stupid enough to go to Lao Zhang and invite a scolding.

Even after learning about this, the investors did not give up and contacted Zhang Chaoyang through an intermediary.

But Lao Zhang was also very straightforward and refused outright.

They even went so far as to say that a short film with an investment of a few hundred thousand yuan could not possibly have any impact on a movie with an investment of tens of millions of yuan.

Old Zhang ignored them, and they had no choice but to ask Lu Chuan to find a solution.

Lu Chuan's family has a high status in the industry, and this was caused by a personal conflict between Lu Chuan and Gu Ning.

When Lu Chuan found out, she was furious, but she had no choice but to agree.

…………

"Feed".

Gu Ning answered the phone and smiled, "President Han called to inquire about the filming progress."

"You should know why I'm calling."

Han Sanpin asked, "Since I'm here to mediate, could you please give me some face?"