Chapter 54: Preview Screening
Upon hearing that Jiang Cheng had recently made a movie, the entire Tangren Company was abuzz with excitement!
Wow, just a few days after the release of his third book, and now there's something new?
What? He made a movie! Nonsense, right? He's only seventeen, how can he be a director?
What? I heard the total investment was only 100,000 yuan! Are you kidding me? Today's not April Fool's Day!
What? And it's a sci-fi movie! This is crazy! Is it even possible to have a sci-fi film with a shooting period of just a few days and an investment of only 100,000 yuan? And it's made by a seventeen-year-old!
But it's true, and it's Jiang Cheng's [Immortal]
Despite their disbelief, everyone at Tangren was intrigued by Jiang Cheng's new film. Employees like Li Guoli, Zhang Da, and Xu Yiming were drawn to it, and the main cast members like Sun Li, Hu Ge, Yuan Hong, Sun Xiao, and Han Xue also came to watch their performances.
Shanghai Tangren had an internal screening room, perfect for watching the film. At this time, the small screening room was packed with Shanghai Tangren's staff and several actors. Watching the eager audience, Jiang Cheng felt incredibly excited.
Finally, his movie would be seen by the world! Although it wasn't in a regular cinema, it was still a memorable moment for Jiang Cheng.
The projector slowly started, and the movie began!
First, the logo of the National Radio and Television Administration appeared, followed by a darkened screen that transformed into an ink painting of the Great Wall winding through the mountains, with an eagle soaring above and finally perching on the highest watchtower, where a large flag fluttered with two characters: "Apex Films!"
This logo, symbolizing the Great Wall and ink painting as symbols of China, and the highest watchtower representing the peak, was chosen by Jiang Cheng and Zheng Hai for their Apex Films Studio. It was cool and demonstrated Jiang Cheng and Apex Film's ambitious aspirations.
The screen brightened again, and Jiang Cheng appeared, followed by several unobtrusive lines of subtitles.
Producer: Jiang Cheng
Director: Jiang Cheng
Lead Actor: Jiang Cheng
Screenwriter: Jiang Cheng
Special Appearances: Huang Lei, Li Ruotong, Sun Li, Hu Ge, Yuan Hong, Han Xue, Sun Xiao.
Seeing their names, Hu Ge and the others were extremely excited. It was their first time seeing their names in a movie, a novel and thrilling experience.
The staff of Tangren were somewhat shocked. The opening logo animation was grand and impressive, a rarity in domestic films and usually seen only in Hollywood blockbusters, signaling the start of a big movie. With this psychological hint, everyone began to watch the film more seriously.
Amateurs watch for the excitement, professionals watch for the details.
Li Guoli noticed a lot in these few shots.
From the logo animation, it was clear that this young man had big ambitions! The professionalism showed that this wasn't just a playful project as many thought.
The beginning of the film was ordinary, without any spectacular opening. The shooting technique seemed a bit immature, but that was only for a professional like him. For the general audience, it was already impressive.
Moreover, for a young person to have this level of skill was commendable. Li Guoli himself wasn't at this level at that age.
As the movie's story unfolded, Li Guoli realized it had no action, no special effects, no dazzling camera changes, and didn't match the previously claimed sci-fi blockbuster at all.
But this movie captivated him more and more. As the characters in the movie questioned the protagonist, his calm and seamless responses made it seem like it was all real. Li Guoli became more engaged, eager to find out if "immortality" really existed in the film. Just when he, like the characters in the movie, started to believe it, the narrative turned, leaving him feeling a bit frustrated.
The plot twisted dramatically towards the end, revealing that the furniture in the protagonist's home were genuine antiques. Was the protagonist really immortal? But if so, why did he debunk that conclusion?
The movie ended there, leaving the question of the protagonist's "immortality" unanswered, raising many more questions.
"Good!" Li Guoli couldn't help but praise it. It had been a long time since he was so engrossed in a movie, thinking about it even after it ended.
"Great! Really great!" "The plot is amazing!" "Absolutely fantastic, I've never seen a movie like this before!"...
Applause erupted spontaneously. As professionals in the film industry, they could distinguish between good and bad movies.
Although the film lacked highlights in terms of cinematography, acting, and was just average in execution, considering the investment of only 100,000 yuan and mostly new actors, what more could you expect? Yet, the exceptional storyline, brilliant dialogue, perfect music score, and even the lifelike makeup were dazzling, enough to cover any flaws in the movie!
The trend in Chinese cinema is increasingly leaning towards American blockbusters, becoming simple and stupid in plot and relying only on dazzling visuals. For instance, Ang Lee's internationally acclaimed "[Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon]" didn't perform well in China despite its authentic Chinese style and hard-working actors, mainly due to its unimpressive plot.
Rather than the comprehensive progress of Chinese cinema as the media claims, it's more like a forced adaptation. Everyone knows movies are risky, and if you can make a popular film with low cost, why not? The lower the cost, the lower the risk. Keeping the budget under ten million yuan is almost risk-free.
But the problem lies in the declining quality of Chinese screenwriters, now relying on flashy special effects and quirky gimmicks to attract audiences to theaters, especially with rampant piracy in China.
This has resulted in movies that are commercially successful but critically panned because audiences are lured in by gimmicks and find the films to be trash. Trust dwindles over time.
But it's a helpless situation. Each blockbuster's failure is a result of poor screenwriting. Finding a good screenwriter, especially for movies, is challenging, especially with the recent improvement in TV screenwriting.
Good screenwriters in the film industry are few, and their works are rare and in high demand.
A film relying solely on its plot is even rarer, and the screenwriter is this young and seemingly naive boy, giving a sense of new waves surpassing the old.
"Very good, indeed!" Li Guoli smiled, "Truly a great film!"
"Yes!" Cai Yinong applauded, "It's hard to believe that this is a film made by a seventeen-year-old boy! And with an investment of just 100,000 yuan, shot in just one day!"
"Some geniuses exist to break the norms," Zhang Da commented, "This young man's talent is undeniable. What we can do is support him and then look forward to more."
"You've changed a lot recently, not the same 'Zhang Da' who used to defy everyone!" Li Guoli pointed at Zhang Da, "Your speech has improved a lot. It seems directing a TV series really helped you grow!"
Zhang Da laughed, "How should I put it? I always thought I was strong, but when I actually directed, I realized my limitations. Without Acheng's help, I couldn't have made it. That's when I knew this young man was truly talented, and his future is unpredictable!"
"Why do you sound so long-winded now?" Cai Yinong frowned, "In summary, you've finally understood that there are always people better than you, and this 'higher person' is Acheng. Why not just say that, instead of talking so much?"
Zhang Da smiled awkwardly, and Li Guoli laughed, "Old Zhang, you still have a lot to learn! Look, your summarizing ability is not as good as Anong's!"
At that moment, Jiang Cheng, having escaped the congratulations of the crowd, approached and asked, "Sister Cai, Teacher Li, Brother Zhang, what are you discussing?"
Cai Yinong smiled gracefully, "We were discussing your movie. Acheng, I don't know what to say. Although I knew you would surprise us, I didn't expect it to be this big! It looks like the movie market early next year will be exciting!"
Jiang Cheng was thrilled, "Sister Cai, you've agreed to distribute this movie?!"
"Of course." Cai Yinong nodded, "Such a good movie, if Shanghai Tangren missed it, it would be a lifelong regret!"
"Thank you, Sister Cai!" Jiang Cheng said excitedly.
"You're welcome, this is mutually beneficial. Honestly, Tangren will benefit from your film this time. Now, we should talk about the distribution and release dates!" Cai Yinong smiled. This was indeed a win-win situation, as "[Immortal]" would enjoy a successful release, while Shanghai Tangren would earn a significant cut.
"Sure!" Jiang Cheng nodded in agreement.
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