Who says Beijing Film Academy has no great directors? (2002)

After leaving his uncle's house, Chen Yan carried a bag full of delicious treats, including fresh fruit, pickled vegetables made by his aunt, and dried sausages.

It's overflowing with love.

Before leaving, Zhao Changlin said to Chen Yan, "Let me know if anything happens. Don't be afraid of the trouble. I'm already this old, what am I afraid of?"

Chen Yan's throat was dry. "Okay, Uncle, I understand."

Wang He held Chen Yan's hand and said, "It's cold, wear more clothes. Come back and stay for a couple of days if you don't have to. Your aunt will cook you something delicious."

Chen Yandu agreed.

After finishing his meal, Chen Yan felt warm all over on the way back. This was the first time he had felt the warmth of family since coming to this world.

As Chen Yan gazed at the setting sun, images of his mother from his previous life flashed through his mind. Before she passed away, she often made him pickles, but by the time he achieved success, his mother was long gone.

Chen Yan suddenly had a strong urge to smoke a cigarette, so he bought a pack of cigarettes at a small supermarket by the roadside, squatted down by the roadside, and smoked two.

After finishing his cigarette, he inexplicably picked up his phone and sent Liu Yifei a message: "How was today?"

They replied quickly, so they've probably finished filming.

Sisi: "I'm so happy! Mom said a lot of people online have seen my pictures and are praising me."

Free and Easy in the Wind: "Oh? That's amazing."

Sisi: "Of course! Sisi is the best! She's worth two people! (V)"

Chen Yan laughed out loud. It's so good to be young.

Free Spirit: "Exactly, just do it!"

Liu Yifei was like a shot of adrenaline; after chatting with her for a while, Chen Yan's depressed mood immediately dissipated. Yes, since we're here, we might as well make the best of it.

Always look forward!

Chen Yan returned to Beijing Film Academy, reported to Qiao Liang, and directly borrowed the school's computer room.

The place is fully equipped, and Chen Yan plans to spend this time editing here.

Ning Hao glanced at Chen Yan midway through, and was promptly dragged over by Chen Yan to do free work, so the room became a place where two oxen and horses were struggling.

A week later, the film was finally edited.

It was early December, and Chen Yan invited people from Changchun Film Studio to come and see the finished film.

Bi Shulin thought for a moment, "Should we release this film in February next year? February is Valentine's Day, so we can ride the wave of its popularity."

Chen Yan decisively refused. March and April of 2003 were the peak period of the SARS outbreak. If the film were released during that time, it would be a complete flop.

Chen Yan looked at Bi Shulin: "Doesn't Director Zhang have a big movie coming out at the end of the year?"

"Director Zhang?"

Bi Shulin suddenly raised his voice: "Director Zhang!?"

"You're not talking about Zhang Yimou, Director Zhang, are you?"

A leading figure among China's fifth generation of directors, his film "Red Sorghum" won the Golden Bear at the 38th Berlin International Film Festival, "The Story of Qiu Ju" won the Golden Lion at the 49th Venice International Film Festival, and "To Live" won the Jury Prize at the 47th Cannes International Film Festival.

This character, whose defense and damage are off the charts, is someone that many big-name directors, both domestic and international, would avoid like the plague. This young kid who has just come of age is going to take a teen romance film and compete with a big-budget production that has an investment of 3000 million US dollars, which is more than 2.5 million RMB?

For the first time, Bi Shulin felt regret; this child was either an idiot or insane.

"Uncle Bi, what are you imagining? I certainly can't use 'Heartbreak' to compete with 'Hero' in the same time slot. I'm thinking about taking over the remaining massive audience of 'Hero'."

If Chen Yan is aggressive enough, he could even overlap with the schedule of Hero by a few days.

However, judging from Bi Shulin's reaction, he probably absolutely cannot agree. Indeed, Bi Shulin thought so too; it would be like an ant trying to shake a tree, or a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

Bi Shulin began to earnestly advise, "Even taking over the production of Hero is quite difficult. If things go wrong, you could ruin 'Love is Not Blind'."

He couldn't understand why they had to rush things. February next year would have been such a good release date, perfectly matching the theme of "Love is Not Blind".

"Uncle Bi, I've made up my mind. It will be released on January 5th. Heroes will be a groundbreaking film, and it will definitely revitalize the market. Heartbreak is not the same type of film as Heroes, so it won't cause visual fatigue for the audience."

"We could even use this for marketing, pairing it with a hero for promotion. After watching a blockbuster, why not watch a lighthearted, heartwarming romance to heal your soul?"

Chen Yan's voice and tone were not loud, but Bi Shulin could hear the decisiveness in them.

Bi Shulin agreed: "Okay, I'll do as you say."

I don't know if it's because I'm getting old, but I'm not as decisive as a child who has just come of age.

The next day, Bi Shulin called Chen Yan and announced that "Heartbreak" would be released on January 5th.

Bi Shulin also arranged for several familiar media outlets to interview Chen Yan, and the gimmick was all ready: the first film by a sophomore at the Beijing Film Academy was going head-to-head with Zhang Yimou's "Hero".

"How did you, as a college student, have the courage to choose this film release date?"

Chen Yan smiled and told the media, "The era of commercial films has quietly arrived. I hope everyone won't get stuck in the vortex of art films. As for courage, well, youth is capital, and there are plenty of opportunities to try and fail."

"Director Zhang Yimou has already taken the first step. I hope that we younger generations can follow in his footsteps and try our luck in this new era."

These words thoroughly angered the veterans in the Chinese entertainment industry who prided themselves on making art films.

Most of them are still using special funds to film those obscure, difficult-to-understand, and unpopular old relics.

"What a ridiculous brat! Absurd!"

"What's the point of responding to a child who hasn't even grown all his hair yet, spouting nonsense?"

While in Berlin, Lu Chuan also made sure to spread the word through a friend: "It seems that the younger generation of directors in China has become rotten. Instead of following in the footsteps of their predecessors and working steadily, they are going against the grain and trying to get ahead in one step. Be careful not to fall and get a lot of bumps in the face. Of course, this is not advisable."

Domestic media were already discussing the lavish promotional campaign for Zhang Yimou's "Hero," which starred Li Lianjie, Leung Chiu-wai, Zhang Manyu, Zhang Ziyi, and Chen Daoming, making it a truly grand affair.

Not to mention those extreme marketing methods: the first time they auctioned audio-visual copyrights, the first time they chartered a private jet for publicity, and the first time they spent more than 1000 million yuan on a bombardment of publicity.

Chen Yan didn't use any of these publicity expenses, but instead quietly tied "Love is Not Blind" to the mountain of "Hero".

Now, whenever someone mentions the upcoming film "Hero," someone brings up Chen Yanhe's "Love is Not Blind" as a point of discussion.

If "Hero" was the first domestically produced commercial blockbuster, then "Love is Not Blind" is the second.

Beijing New Picture Company.

Zhang Weiping spat angrily: "Pah! Where did this little brat come from? With this kind of marketing, aren't they afraid the movie will flop?!"

"You'll get stuffed if you try to freeload off our movie!"

Zhang Yimou suddenly spoke up from the side: "Wei Ping, we can't stay silent. I think this kid is right. I've already taken the lead, so I'm not afraid of what others say."

Zhang Weiping was stunned: "Are you crazy?"