Rebirth 02, the Celestial Being Told Me to Stop Pretending

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In late March, "Stone" was taken off the screens, with a box office of 2068 million yuan.

Lu Chen arranged to meet the reporter from Film News at a café on the back street of the art museum.

When Lu Chen arrived, the other person had already arrived.

There was only half a cup of coffee left in front of me, and a voice recorder and a brown paper notebook were placed next to me.

The reporter's surname is Zhou, given name Jianguo, he is in his early forties, wearing a dark suit, and his hair is neatly combed.

"Director Lu?"

Just call me Lu Chen.

"Okay. Shall we begin?"

Lu Chen sat down and ordered an Americano from the waiter.

When the coffee arrived, Zhou Jianguo pressed the recorder button, and the red dot lit up.

"Crazy Stone" had a budget of three million yuan and grossed over twenty million yuan at the box office. How do you feel about that?

Lu Chen thought for a moment. "The feeling is, finally I don't have to eat instant noodles anymore."

Zhou Jianguo was surprised by Lu Chen's humor. "I'm asking seriously."

"I'm serious. I really ate instant noodles for half a month before that."

Why?

"I have no money."

"A three million investment, and you don't have the money?"

"Investment is the investor's money, and my money is my own money."

Zhou Jianguo jotted down a few notes in his notebook. "So you're working for free?"

"I'll take a cut."

Why?

"Money should be spent wisely. And I also believe my project will succeed."

Zhou Jianguo looked up. "Many people say you're a genius director. What do you think?"

"I'm not a genius."

"What is that?"

"Good luck."

Lu Chen picked up his coffee and took a sip.

"It just so happens that everyone had a lot to say but nowhere to say it, so we spoke for them."

Zhou Jianguo didn't reply, but wrote a few lines in his notebook.

After a while, he asked again, "What do you think is the reason for the film's success?"

"First of all, this success is not my personal achievement, but the result of our entire team."

He took a sip of his coffee. "Also, our film is 'down-to-earth,' isn't it?"

"What does it mean to be down-to-earth? Please explain in more detail."

"Brother Dao talks about 'civility,' Blackie talks about swearing, and the thief Mike, whom I play, says 'Fuck you.' These are all things that ordinary people have heard and seen, so the audience can understand them."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "If the audience can understand the story we're telling, then we've done a great job."

Zhou Jianguo nodded. "Some people online are saying that the film's success is accidental and cannot be replicated. How do you respond to that?"

"They're right."

Zhou Jianguo paused for a moment, then asked, "Aren't you going to object?"

"Refute what?"

Lu Chen put down his cup. "Whether the next movie will be a success, I don't know. Who can guarantee they'll succeed at everything they do?"

Zhou Jianguo smiled. "So what are you planning to make for your next film?"

"It's not decided yet."

"Do you have a direction?"

"have."

Can you tell me?

"inconvenient."

Zhou Jianguo smiled helplessly and changed the subject.

"You're 21 years old and a freshman at the Beijing Film Academy. Many people question your academic background and experience, thinking you're just lucky. What's your opinion?"

"They're right."

"You agree again?"

"I really have no experience." Lu Chen leaned back in his chair.

"But experience is something you gain after making one film."

Zhou Jianguo quickly jotted down a few notes in his notebook.

"One last question. With a box office of 20 million, what would your share of the profits be?"

"Less than two million."

"How do you plan to use it?"

"Let's register a company and then make some money."

"Hmm, aren't you afraid people will say you're tacky?"

"I'm not afraid, I'm just an ordinary person."

Zhou Jianguo glanced at him, then closed his notebook.

"Okay. Interview over."

Lu Chen stood up. "That's it?"

"It's over."

"Aren't you going to ask anything sensitive?"

"for example?"

For example? For example, asking me what my opinion is on the situation in Syria.

They asked me about the Russia-Ukraine war and things like that.

Lu Chen walked to the door, then turned back: "Reporter Zhou."

"Um?"

"When you write your article, don't portray me in too positive a light."

Why?

The higher you're lifted up, the harder you fall.

Zhou Jianguo looked at him.

Aren't you afraid of being criticized?

"I'm afraid. But I'm even more afraid of being praised to death."

After saying that, he pushed the door open and left.

The wind blew in from outside, knocking the tissues off the table to the floor.

Zhou Jianguo bent down to pick it up, watching the young man's back disappear around the street corner. Suddenly, he felt that this person didn't sound like he was twenty-one years old.

Three days later, the front page of Film News published an exclusive interview.

The title is "The 21-Year-Old Director's 20 Million Miracle".

The article was quite long and included a photo of Lu Chen in front of the Beijing Film Academy's teaching building, wearing an old jacket and with a blank expression.

When the news spread, the entire film industry was shaken.

Film Art quickly published a commentary titled "Crazy Stone: A New Path for Low-Budget Domestic Films".

The article states that the film's success was not accidental; it represents a new creative direction, using low-cost, relatable stories to resonate with the widest audience.

It was also said that although Lu Chen was young, his market acumen far surpassed that of his peers. The combination of elements such as roadshow marketing, dialect comedy, and multi-line narrative has created a brand-new paradigm for domestic comedy.

Editor's comment on Lu Chen himself:

Young director Lu Chen attributes his success to his team and luck.

They say it's all thanks to the team; without the team's efforts, this movie wouldn't have been successful.

During the interview, his sincere tone left no room for doubt about the genuine sincerity behind his humility.

The China Film News also published a short review entitled "Looking at the growth space of young directors from 'Stone'".

The article states that young directors are the future of the film industry, and Lu Chen's emergence proves that as long as they have talent and perseverance, young people can also make a name for themselves.

But there are also those who disagree.

The culture section of Nanfang Weekend published a long article with a rather long title.

Behind the phenomenal success of "Crazy Stone": A "miracle" that has been over-interpreted.

The article sets the tone right from the start: a budget of three million and box office revenue of twenty million, the numbers certainly look good.

But beneath this glamorous exterior, what we see is nothing more than a precise marketing victory, not an artistic breakthrough.

The combination of factors—the gimmick of dialect comedy, the novelty of roadshow marketing, and the benefits of the Valentine's Day period—created the so-called miracle.

However, it would be too hasty to haile Lu Chen as a genius director based on this alone.

The article concludes by saying: We welcome the emergence of new people, but oppose blind idol worship.

Lu Chen has a long road ahead; his next film will be the real test of his abilities.

The online community quickly split into two camps.

On the Tianya Film and Television forum, a user with the ID "Movie Veteran" posted a thread titled "Don't Praise a Young Director to Death."

The post was very realistic: a budget of three million and a box office of twenty million, that's really impressive.

But don't exaggerate it as the hope for domestic films.

Several factors contributed to the film's success: its Valentine's Day release meant there was no competition for it;

There is actually a Hong Kong film called "The Mouse Loves the Cat," but he selectively ignores it.

He listed the second point: dialect comedy, novelty;

Then came the roadshow marketing, which gave them an early advantage.

Changing the movie, the release date, and the marketing strategy might not necessarily work.

Lu Chen said he was lucky, and that was true.

But the media's portrayal of him as a genius director is a bit excessive.

If his next movie flops, let's see how he handles it.

The post received hundreds of replies.

Some people say, "That's right, don't overpraise someone."

Some people say, "You're just jealous."

Some people even directly cursed: "Nan Fang's biased stance this weekend is the same as yours. You can't stand seeing domestic films do well."

"He made a film that grossed 20 million at the box office when he was 21, can you do that?"

"Sour chicken is jumping up and down."

Lu Chen was eating instant noodles in his office when he saw these comments.