The Rise of Chinese Entertainment in 2008

Actors don't make a one-off deal when they're acting.

TV ratings, movie box office, and post-release reviews all have a significant impact on actors.

Therefore, the actors are quite willing to cooperate with the promotion.

Although the film had poor reviews, its box office performance spoke for itself.

Even though they were criticized, the company behind Gao Yuanyuan and her team did not stop them from participating in the promotion.

But now, not only is there a barrage of criticism, but there are also large-scale ticket refunds.

Continuing to participate in promotions will not result in positive word-of-mouth or box office revenue.

There are no benefits to it, and it could even have a negative impact on their careers, so naturally they don't want their artists to continue participating in promotions.

Lu Chuan didn't say anything upon hearing this. She took out her phone and then realized that she had forgotten to turn it on.

They rushed to catch a plane this morning to come to Jiangcheng for promotional activities. After getting off the plane, they were surrounded by a group of reporters who interviewed them, which delayed them for quite a while.

Lu Chuan quickly turned on her phone and immediately received many text messages.

…………

"Teacher Xu, is there something you need that's causing this sudden call?"

"I'm calling to talk about your application for graduate school."

"A guaranteed admission to graduate school?"

Gu Ning was taken aback and said, "Professor Xu, I don't need to be recommended for postgraduate studies. Let's give this opportunity to other students."

"It's not the photography department, it's the directing department. Director Tian gave you a spot for postgraduate recommendation," Xu Bing said.

Gu Ning never expected that Tian Zhuangzhuang would actually give him the qualification to be recommended for a master's degree in directing, even though he was a photography major.

"I'm almost done filming here. Let me go back to school after I'm done with my work, and then we can talk about this. Is that okay?"

"There's no rush for now."

Xu Bing pondered for a moment and said, "Your conflict with Lu Chuan is pretty much over."

"Killing someone is just a matter of a swift death; making a short film isn't a big deal, but manipulating public opinion is going too far."

"Teacher Xu, you've really wronged me."

Upon hearing this, Gu Ning immediately protested, "I just filmed a short video and posted it online; I didn't do anything after that."

"You really didn't do those things online?" Xu Bing asked.

"No, it's not!"

Gu Ning assured him, "I've been incredibly busy lately, I don't have the time for that."

Besides, we're all in the industry, so I know the rules.

Every industry has its rules, and it's no exaggeration to say that a film's box office performance can determine a director's future.

If the conflict arises from a particular movie, it's okay to use any means to smear that movie.

However, if it's due to other conflicts, it's okay to say a few derogatory remarks during an interview, but other methods are not allowed.

Although Gu Ning and Lu Chuan had some conflicts, they were not at the point of killing each other.

He made a short film, and if you really think about it, he went a bit too far.

If we try to manipulate public opinion against the other side, it will cause a lot of dissatisfaction.

Otherwise, if every conflict is handled this way, wouldn't things get chaotic?

"That's good, it's not you."

Xu Bing said, "I will explain everything to the school, so you don't need to worry."

"Teacher Xu, he went to the school over such a small matter?" Gu Ning asked, feigning surprise.

"A small matter?"

Xu Bing said, "Do you know how much his movie grossed yesterday?"

"I'm busy making movies, I don't have time to pay attention to these things."

"Less than three million."

Xu Bing said, "This movie is over."

The film was quite brutal after its release.

If box office performance is poor, cinemas will reduce screenings. Even if word-of-mouth improves, it will be difficult for cinemas to increase screenings.

Moreover, the film itself has problems, so there's no chance of it turning around.

"Teacher Xu, there's something wrong with his movie, yet he still dares to go to the school. Doesn't the school care?" Gu Ning asked.

"How will the school manage this?"

Xu Bing said, "It's hard to say what his subjective thoughts are. He said it was to reduce Xiao Ri's resistance and to get Xiao Ri to accept and recognize it in a roundabout way. What can the school say?"

Many people support his viewpoint; otherwise, how do you think the script passed censorship?

Don't worry about these things; the school will handle everything. You'll have to deal with the rest yourself.

"Thank you so much, Professor Xu!"

Gu Ning understood the underlying meaning in Xu Bing's words: he, or rather many people at the school, believed that he was the one who did it.

However, the school does not intend to actually get involved in this matter.

But if Gu Ning does this, she will offend the investors who invest in the film, and there will definitely be some trouble later.

"You don't need to thank me. Just make more use of our students from Beijing Film Academy in the future. The acting department has quite a bit of resentment towards you," Xu Bing said.

"I understand. I plan to use all of our school's students for my next film!" Gu Ning said with a smile.

He has acted in two movies, and the male lead in this one, Zhu Yilong, is a student at the Beijing Film Academy.

How could the performing arts department not harbor resentment?

From the school's perspective, there's no right or wrong.

The school provided a lot of help for his first film.

If it weren't for the school's help in connecting them, he wouldn't have been qualified to meet Director Chen directly if he had gone to China Film Group to discuss distribution on his own.

The filming of "You Are the Apple of My Eye" required many actors to play the classmates of the male and female leads.

If we just use Jing Tian's classmates, and the teachers have all asked acting professors to make cameo appearances, how could they possibly ask us for payment?

Many university scenes can be filmed inside the Beijing Film Academy.

Surely the school has nothing to say now?

"Cough cough~"

Xu Bing coughed a few times and said, "There's no need for that. For some important supporting roles, we can use actors from the Beijing Film Academy as much as possible. Everything should be based on the quality of the film."

Gu Ning chuckled after hearing this and joked, "If the photography department teachers heard what you said, aren't you afraid they'd give you trouble?"

"What did I say?"

Xu Bing said dismissively, "I have something to do, I'll hang up now!"

"I didn't expect that even Lao Xu would look down on students from the Performance Department of Beijing Film Academy."

Gu Ning smiled and put away her phone.

……

After Lu Chuan's movie was released, it grossed more than 70 million yuan in the first week.

Then it plummeted. By May Day, the box office not only failed to improve, but even fell below one million yuan on a single day.

Given the current situation, it's likely that it won't be long before it's completely ignored, and even breaking 80 million in box office revenue is highly unlikely.

For a film with an investment of 70 million, this box office performance is practically a complete loss.

Faced with questions from investors, Lu Chuan could only try to silence them by mentioning the overseas release of the film.

For this film, he contacted entertainment companies in almost every major country in the world.

Entertainment companies from more than 20 countries have expressed their intention to import and screen the film.

This includes not only small-town residents and many Asian countries, but also those in Europe and America.

This is unprecedented in China, so investors have high hopes for it.

Gu Ning didn't pay attention to any of this. The entire crew had a day off for May Day, and he spent the day with Shu Chang going sea fishing.

Filming resumed the following day.

On May 11, when Gu Ning announced the wrap party after filming the last scene, the crew erupted in cheers.

In the evening, we had a sumptuous wrap-up dinner at the hotel.