Just because I wrote "Zhu Xian," the school beauty sent me razor blades.

Late January.

There are still fifteen days until the film is released during the Spring Festival.

Tianxing Entertainment, Conference Room.

On the huge projection screen, the predicted film schedule for the Spring Festival was displayed.

At the very top are three movies.

First:

"reunion".

Director: Zhou Kai.

Genre: Urban comedy.

Investment: 3.5 million.

Starring:

Three top-tier comedy actors in China.

Slogan:

"A family, a meal, a Spring Festival."

Part two:

The Great Tang Dynasty.

Director: Chen Guohua.

Type: Historical war.

invest:

10 million yuan.

Slogan:

"A new milestone for domestically produced industrial films."

Part three:

Speed ​​Racer.

Hollywood imported racing movies.

invest:

$ 1.8 billion.

publicity:

"The world's fastest movie."

And the fourth name.

It was:

Initial D.

invest:

Less than 3 million.

director:

Lin Yuan.

The meeting room was quiet.

Production Director Lao Liang flipped through the documents.

"This year's Spring Festival film season will be tougher than last year's."

Fei Zhao sat in the main seat.

"To be specific."

Lao Liang pointed to the first movie.

"The film 'Reunion' needs no introduction; it has a natural advantage during the Spring Festival season."

"Comedy, family, star-studded cast."

"During the Spring Festival, going to the cinema after a family meal is the most typical choice that aligns with consumer habits."

He then pointed to the second part.

"The Great Tang Dynasty is a policy project."

"Invest one billion."

"A large number of sets were built on location, including war scenes, and it's said that over three thousand extras were used."

"The publicity campaign has already begun, claiming this is a new high point for domestically produced industrial films."

At last.

His hand stopped on the third step.

Speed ​​Racer.

"This is the most troublesome."

Lin Yuan looked up.

"Hollywood racing movies?"

"right."

Old Liang nodded.

"They deliberately bumped into each other."

"Knowing that we'll be releasing a racing movie during the Spring Festival season, we've included 'Speed ​​Racer' ahead of schedule."

A promotional poster appeared on the screen.

Sports car. Race track. Explosion. Speed.

The media has already begun making comparisons.

Film Weekly:

"The biggest highlight of the Spring Festival film season: Chinese racing movies going head-to-head with Hollywood racing blockbusters for the first time."

Can "Initial D" prove the market value of domestically produced racing films?

In the conference room.

A young producer couldn't help but speak up.

"Actually... I feel a lot of pressure."

Everyone looked over.

He continued:

"Racing as a genre inherently has a limited audience."

"Fans like it, but what about the average viewer?"

"The Spring Festival film season is not a professional auto show."

"If the whole family goes to the movies, will Mom and Dad like to watch a drifting movie?"

No one answered.

Because what he said is true.

Lin Yuan sat there without saying a word.

He looked at the four movies on the screen.

He suddenly smiled.

Fei Zhao looked at him.

What are you laughing at?

"I've discovered a problem."

"What?"

They're all talking about racing.

Lin Yuan leaned back in his chair.

"But Initial D was never a racing movie."

The meeting room was quiet.

Old Liang frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Lin Yuan picked up the script on the table.

"If audiences only want to see racing, then 'Speed ​​Racer' is better than us."

"They have larger investments, better special effects, and a more mature industrial system."

"but--"

Lin Yuan looked at everyone.

"We're not selling cars."

"It's the story of a young man who, before finding his direction in life, experienced confusion and loss, and then regained his grip on the steering wheel."

Fei Zhao remained silent.

But she knew.

Lin Yuan has thought it through.

in the afternoon.

A great deal of discussion began to emerge online.

It all started with an entertainment media article.

Title:

Is Lin Yuan getting too arrogant?

Contents:

From "Secret" to "Initial D", Lin Yuan crossed over into two completely different fields, love and racing, within a year.

But directors aren't omnipotent.

The success of a romance film does not guarantee the success of a racing film.

The biggest risk of Initial D is that it may only satisfy a small number of car enthusiasts.

The comment section exploded quickly.

I admit Lin Yuan is talented, but not everyone can make a racing movie.

[Secret relied on youth and music; can it succeed this time without nostalgia?]

[Who will accompany the kids to see Drifting during the Spring Festival movie season?]

Three hours listening to car sounds? Are you kidding me?

the other side.

Car forum.

The art style is completely different.

Finally, someone's making a real racing movie.

AE86, RX7, GT-R – this is true car culture.

Lin Yuan understands cars; he doesn't treat them as mere decorations.

The two sides began to argue.

Ordinary viewers:

"can't read."

Car enthusiasts:

"You don't understand youth."

night.

602 Dormitory.

Lin Yuan scrolled through the comments.

Zhou Zixuan sat next to him.

"Brother Yuan."

"Um?"

Aren't you angry?

Why are you angry?

"People online are saying you've gotten arrogant."

Lin Yuan smiled.

"They're right."

Zhou Zixuan was stunned.

"what?"

"It's dangerous if people believe everything a director makes."

Lin Yuan turned off his phone.

"When no one questions you, it means you're not challenging yourself with new things."

January 30th.

There are three days left until the official release of the Spring Festival films.

Wanda Cinema in Beijing.

The national premiere of Initial D.

On both sides of the red carpet, flashbulbs of light formed a continuous stream.

This is Lin Yuan's most high-profile public appearance this year.

The past year.

He's had it too easy.

"Secret" won awards and its box office exploded.

"Summer Wind", "Suspended" and "Coral Sea" topped the charts.

The IP value of "Zhu Xian", "Dragon Raja", and "Orient Express" has skyrocketed.

Everyone said:

Lin Yuan is the most terrifying young director.

Some people even labeled him beforehand.

--genius.

But today.

This label is facing a challenge for the first time.

Because of Initial D.

It's a racing movie.

Red carpet entrance.

The reporters had been waiting for quite some time.

"Director Lin is here!"

"quick!"

"The camera!"

Countless cameras turned toward the entrance.

Lin Yuan wore a simple black suit without any exaggerated decorations.

Behind.

He is the lead actor in the movie.

They walked down the red carpet.

On the background board.

A huge Initial D poster.

A white AE86 cuts through the night.

Interview area.

The host picked up the microphone.

"Director Lin, first of all, congratulations on the release of Initial D."

"This is your first time tackling a racing theme since your youth romance films."

Why choose such a completely different direction?

The surrounding reporters all fell silent.

this problem.

Actually, everyone wants to ask that.

Lin Yuan glanced at the poster behind him.

Pause for two seconds.

"Because I think so."

"Racing movies aren't about cars."

The reporter was taken aback.

"Not about the car?"

Lin Yuan nodded.

"The car is just a vehicle."

"What really matters is the person sitting in the driver's seat."

The scene was quiet.

He continued:

"Initial D is about a boy."

"He gets up at five in the morning every day to deliver tofu."

"He didn't know what his talents were, nor did he know where his future lay."

"Until one day, he discovered what he truly loved."

"Then, for the first time, he stepped on the gas for the direction of his life."

The reporter bent down to take notes.

Another reporter raised his hand.

"Director Lin, I have a question."

"The Spring Festival film season has always been a family-friendly market."

"Comedies and family films have always been mainstream."

"But racing movies naturally have a barrier to entry."

"Many ordinary viewers don't even know anything about the AE86 or drifting."

Do you think parents would be willing to watch a racing movie with their child?

The words fell.

The scene fell silent for a moment.

This is a very pointed question.

It even sounds a bit like a question.

Lin Yuan did not answer immediately.

He looked into the distance.

It reminds me of my childhood.

I think of things that others don't understand.

Then he opened his mouth:

"When I was a child, the first time I liked something."

"Nobody thinks that thing is meaningful."

The reporter was stunned.

Lin Yuan continued:

"They think it's just a hobby."

"I don't think it can be eaten as a meal."

"I don't think it's necessary to spend the time."

"But later."

"It has become a part of my life."

There was no sound at the scene.

All the journalists are writing.

"So I think..."

"What truly moves the audience is not whether they understand racing or not."

"The real question is whether they have something they've never liked that others didn't understand."

"Everyone has their own steering wheel."

"It's just that many people haven't found their own path yet."

The interview has ended.

This video.

10 PM.

It was posted by the official account.

Title:

#Lin Yuan talks about his original intention in creating Initial D#

One hour.

Views:

800 million.

Comments started appearing.

[Now I understand why he wanted to film racing.]

[It wasn't a film about cars, but about a young man finding his own path.]

I used to think racing was something far removed from my life, but this sentence suddenly resonated with me.

but.

People within the industry.

Remain cautious.

That evening.

A film media outlet released its predictions for the Spring Festival film season.

Title:

Who will emerge as the biggest winner in the Spring Festival film market, with its four strongest contenders?

Ranking:

the first:

"reunion"

second:

The Great Tang Dynasty

third:

Speed ​​Racer

fourth:

Initial D

reason:

"Racing-themed content has a limited audience."

"The success of the previous work does not mean that the genre transfer will be successful."

602 Dormitory.

Zhou Zixuan was scrolling through his phone.

See the rankings.

silence.

"Brother Yuan."

"Um?"

Lin Yuan was watching the final version of the video on his computer.

"They all think we're going to lose."

Lin Yuan did not turn around.

"normal."

Aren't you worried?

Lin Yuan pressed pause.

on the screen.

The scene shows the AE86 parked as it enters the first bend of Mount Akina.

"Why are you worried?"

Zhou Zixuan pointed at the phone.

"Because everyone thinks racing movies are a niche genre."

Lin Yuan smiled.

"They're right."

Zhou Zixuan was stunned.

"what?"

"Racing movies are indeed a niche genre."

Lin Yuan turned his chair around.

"So we never make racing movies."

"What is that?"

Lin Yuan looked at Takumi on the screen.

"Coming-of-age film".

outside the window.

The capital city is brightly lit at night.

The Spring Festival film season is approaching.

Three more days.

Everyone is waiting.

We await Lin Yuan to prove himself.

or.

Waiting to see a genius fail for the first time.

Lin Yuan knew this.

A real match.

It hasn't started yet.

Because of the first match.

It's never on mountain roads.

Rather, it resides in the hearts of the audience.