Chapter 214: The Controversy of Censorship: Let the Bullets Fly

"Palme d'Or winner and Oscar Director Wei Jin is once again shortlisted for Berlin."

"The Huaxia legion campaigns in Berlin; which of the two generations of Palme d'Or directors will have the last laugh?"

"Both 'Mei Lanfang' and 'The Hunt' are shortlisted; the two great Palme d'Or directors meet in victory."

The internet is full of news about this year's Berlin International Film Festival, overwhelming and pervasive.

Many media outlets called to request interviews; this time, Wei Jin did not refuse.

To avoid trouble, Wei Jin directly announced a press conference, acting in a very high-profile manner; there were some things he had not forgotten.

Inside the Shanhe Building conference room, many reporters had arrived early, hoping to get first-hand information.

Taking advantage of the time before it started, the reporters chatted in twos and threes: "Hey, why do you think Wei Jin is holding a press conference? He hasn't been this high-profile in the past."

"I heard his script was rejected domestically before, which is why he went abroad to film it. Could he be planning to talk about this?"

"No way, can this kind of thing be brought up? Does he not want to work in the film and television industry anymore?"

This person's suspicion had some merit; Wei Jin is different from other directors. He is a film and television company boss. If he were truly targeted, the losses for his films and television dramas would be too great.

"Heh, I actually think it's possible. Could they really just ban Wei Jin?"

The surrounding reporters began to get excited; if that were really the case, it would be big news. — Inside the office, Wei Jin is on the phone.

"Do you really want to do this?"

On the other end of the line, Tian Zhuangzhuang's voice was somewhat low.

As soon as the news of the Shanhe Media press conference broke, Tian Zhuangzhuang knew what his student was going to do, but he really did not want Wei Jin to go down this path.

"Teacher, there are some things that it is time to change. Even if I can't do it now, I want them to know that since they hold power, they shouldn't act recklessly."

If this bunch of old stubborns would just behave themselves as tools, everyone would mind their own business, and Wei Jin would have no objections.

Unfortunately, they are not content with being ignored; they want to jump out to show their presence, and even target him. Wei Jin could not tolerate this.

"But you will be breaking a taboo this way; the circle won't have a place for you in the future..."

"Don't worry, Teacher. The so-called circle can be broken with a single hand as long as there are sufficient interests."

Wei Jin knows the character of this bunch of people all too well; as long as there is profit, they cannot stay united. Besides, he didn't intend to launch a full-scale assault right now.

"Besides, I won't make a big scene this time; at most, I will just make them lose face."

"Sigh, since you have already made up your mind, then I won't interfere. But you must be careful about your stance; don't say anything reckless in Berlin."

"Don't worry, Teacher, I have a sense of proportion."

Wei Jin understood his mentor's meaning perfectly: no matter how much of a scene he makes, it is an internal matter of Huaxia, and absolutely no outside forces must be involved.

"Alright then, that's that."

Hanging up the phone, Wei Jin straightened his clothes and stood up to head to the conference room. — "May I ask Director Wei, this is your second time being shortlisted for Berlin; are you confident?"

"I am very grateful to the Venice Film Festival Organizing Committee for being shortlisted this time. As for whether I can win, it depends on the judges' choice, but I have confidence in my work."

Facing the reporters' questions, Wei Jin was neither haughty nor humble, but everyone could now feel the confidence in his words.

"May I ask Director Wei, your previous award-chasing films were all Chinese-language films; why did you choose a foreign-language film this time?"

A reporter couldn't help but ask this question, and the other reporters around them began to look forward to the answer.

"Well, in fact, I did want to shoot a Chinese-language film at first, but the script review didn't pass, so I had no choice but to change the script's background and shoot it as a foreign-language film."

Wei Jin was not surprised by the reporter's question; the sense of smell this bunch of people had for chasing hot topics was incredibly sharp.

"Then do you think there are problems with the domestic review environment?"

"There's no problem; as long as they are human, it's hard to avoid making mistakes."

Wei Jin's words were a double entendre; as for who specifically made the mistake, he would leave it to public opinion to guess.

"Then Director Wei, may I ask why you didn't modify the script according to the review suggestions?"

"Oh, I think my script is fine, so why should I change it?"

"Then will you make this same choice in the future when you encounter review problems?"

"Of course. Did everyone forget? I am an Oscar Director. All over the world, no one will refuse me when I go to film."

Wei Jin's words caused the media on the scene to collectively climax; was this his way of saying he would absolutely not bow to the review process?

"Director Wei, do you think the country should implement a film rating system?"

"Didn't I just say it? As long as they are human, it's hard to avoid making mistakes." — Wei Jin's remarks at the press conference, through media dissemination, had already caused a huge public reaction.

Many netizens expressed their approval.

"Director Wei is right; as long as they are human, they will make mistakes. Only a system won't make mistakes. I support the implementation of a film rating system."

"To the person above, what are you thinking? Once a rating system comes out, the reviewers will no longer be the supervisors, but the ones being supervised. The resistance will be immense."

"Now the old stubborns are in a bind. He can film anywhere, and they can't ban him. Filming abroad even makes more money. If he really wins an award, won't that be a slap in the face?"

"I don't care about the rating system; I just want to say, Director Wei is awesome!"

"..."

Beijing Film Academy, Director Department office.

"Tian, what exactly does your student want to do? Is he trying to slap us in the face?"

A gray-haired old man roared angrily at his former friend.

"You insisted on offering your faces up, and now you're blaming my student instead?"

Although Tian Zhuangzhuang had tried to persuade Wei Jin over the phone, he approved of his student's actions from the bottom of his heart.

"Whether there was a problem with that script, you know in your hearts. What? You encountered something you couldn't handle and got anxious?"

"Tian, let's both speak properly. It was a small matter originally; there's no need to be so confrontational, right?"

A kind-looking old woman spoke up to smooth things over. In her view, if the review didn't pass, they just needed to pull some strings; if they interacted more, wouldn't everyone be one big family? There was absolutely no need to make things awkward.

"You need to be clear about who is being confrontational. You are always in a high-and-mighty posture. Right is right, wrong is wrong; this is a principle even elementary school students understand. Don't you understand? My student is not wrong, so why should he bow his head?"

Tian Zhuangzhuang looked down on this bunch of people from the bottom of his heart. Without achievements or awards, they spent all day talking about their seniority—a group of people occupying positions without doing any work. "Wei Jin doesn't fit in, he doesn't join the association, and he doesn't participate in activities. Isn't that a mistake?"

In the eyes of this group of stubborn old men, not respecting them was the greatest mistake.

"Heh, you all really are living in the glory of the last century. There's no point in talking further, please head back."

Tian Zhuangzhuang did not want to entangle with them any further and directly issued an order to leave. —— On the other side, in a villa.

Lu Chuan was browsing the news online and let out a satisfied laugh.

"Wei Jin, oh Wei Jin, you are courting death. Let's see how much longer you can jump around."

Qin Lan walked over carrying fruit and asked with some curiosity: "It's just complaining about the censorship, is it that serious? Haven't many big directors done this before?"

"That's different. Others just complain, and when they need to play the grandson, they still have to. Wei Jin is confronting them head-on, directly slapping them in the face. With the temperament of those old guys, there's a good show to watch."

Lu Chuan hugged Qin Lan, his hands wandering restlessly. The latter fed fruit to the man and said: "Do those people really have such great power? Wei Jin is currently at the height of his career, and Shanhe Media is an industry hegemon."

"You don't understand. The connections of this group are too complex and pervasive. If they jam him at any random link, it will be enough to make him suffer. Otherwise, why do you think it has always been that group of people in the censorship positions for so many years?"

Lu Chuan pulled the woman to sit on his lap for convenience, then added: "Of course, with Shanhe Media's massive scale, if Wei Jin were to soften his stance, he might not necessarily have any trouble, but with his arrogant and domineering personality, hmph..."

Lu Chuan knew very well what this group was planning: invite to dinner, behead, and accept as a dog. In fact, his own rise also relied on this group; Huayi Brothers was supported by them, but this did not prevent him from looking down on them.

"By the way, has our movie been scheduled?"

Qin Lan considered herself one with Lu Chuan, and although this movie had nothing to do with her, she still used the word "our."

"It's set, for the May Day slot. This time, I will successfully become a big director in the Billion Yuan Club, and then I will take you to meet my father."

"Mm." —— Wei Jin's news did not last two days before it was quickly overshadowed by another piece of information.

"Inception" officially announced that filming had wrapped.

A 250 million USD Hollywood blockbuster, coupled with a super luxurious cast, this movie had been highly anticipated since its project initiation.

Domestic media naturally scrambled to report on it, and for a time, a large amount of attention was focused on Liu Yifei.

The number of endorsement invitations Liu Xiaoli received was countless, but she was not in a hurry; she knew that more resources were still to come.

The next day, Shanhe Media announced an investment of 20 million to acquire a stake in Red Star Dock, holding 40% of the shares, and the two sides officially reached a cooperation.

A large number of female stars started to feel sour. By now, how could they not know that this pair of dogs, Wei Jin and Liu Yifei, had long been hooked up? Was "Inception" perhaps a signing gift sent out? Liu Xiaoli looked at the latest salary quotes and commercial endorsements in her hand and smiled from ear to ear.

Sure enough, one still needs to rely on a big company to get more commercial resources; fighting alone cannot amount to much.

Nolan also called Wei Jin.

"Wei, the post-production of the film will take about half a year. If you have time, you can come over and take a look."

"I'll see how things go. Perhaps after the Berlin International Film Festival, I will come over."

"Oh, I haven't congratulated you on being shortlisted yet. Then I wish you in advance to win the big prize."

"Thanks, let's leave it at that. We'll chat when we meet." —— Approaching the Spring Festival, many heads of departments came to Wei Jin to report on their work.

The development of Shanhe Media over the past year was very gratifying, and every sector had achieved eye-catching results.

In terms of film, "The Martian" plus "Ip Man 2" had profits as high as over 500 million. Although it could not be counted as 2008 profit, it did not affect the Film Production Department from holding their heads high.

In terms of television dramas, the revenue was also not bad; several rounds of broadcasting plus online platforms brought in a total of 190 million.

Among them, "The Empress of China" had a net profit of over 80 million, "Let's Get Married" had a net profit as high as 70 million, and "My Chief and My Regiment" had a net profit of over 40 million.

In terms of cinema lines, the Shanhe Cinema Alliance controlled a total of 238 cinemas, controlled over 960 screens, and had a market share of over 20%. Last year, the total revenue reached 1.15 billion, and the net profit was as high as 240 million.

In terms of artists, they brought a total of over 180 million in net profit to the company, and the commercial value of the artists was getting higher and higher.

The reputation of Shanhe Ink for being high-quality and inexpensive had already spread. Last year, it undertook over 30 movies and television dramas, with a cumulative revenue of 210 million and a net profit of 70 million.

In terms of variety shows, the ratings for "I Love Remembering Lyrics" were already unstable, with cumulative earnings of only 10 million. "Boys and Girls Rush Forward" brought in 30 million in profit, and the most profitable one was "The Voice"; according to the agreement with the television station, the net profit was as high as 180 million.

In terms of distribution, it cumulatively distributed over 20 movies, and the distribution fees were as high as 70 million.

In terms of Shanhe Technology, the total revenue of "Starry Transformation" exceeded 1 billion, and "CrossFire" was even more popular nationwide. In just one year of being online, the revenue was as high as 1.2 billion.

Yinxiang Net was also undertaking various advertising businesses, but the promotion time was still short, and it could currently only maintain expenses.

The Anime Production Department's "Starry Transformation" had 1 billion clicks. According to the cooperation with Tudou, the income was about 10 million, which could barely be considered a start.

In addition, there were various television dramas invested in by the company, as well as copyright income from previous television dramas. Adding up all the odds and ends, it was barely around 100 million.

After a rough estimate, Shanhe Media's revenue last year was as high as 4.8 billion. After deducting various expenses and taxes, the net profit was nearly 1.5 billion, and this did not include "Ip Man 2" and "The Martian."

Looking at the data in front of him, Wei Jin thought of the Yinyue Zhizuo Bu again; it was truly too miserable and didn't even deserve to have a name on the profit list.

Just as he was planning to leave the company, he was informed by his secretary that Jiang Wen was visiting, which was quite surprising to Wei Jin. —— "Director Wei, long time no see."

After some pleasantries, Wei Jin learned of Jiang Wen's intention.

It was his first time making a commercial film. Although he was full of confidence in himself, he still wanted Wei Jin to help look at the script. After all, the latter's reputation as a gold-medal screenwriter was not for nothing, and he hadn't lost money yet.

But he, Jiang Wen, was different. If he lost money this time, he probably wouldn't be able to find investment in the future.

"Boss Yang is covering everything for you?"

"Mm, Chairman Yang is a person worth befriending deeply."

Jiang Wen also felt some emotion. 150 million, and Boss Yang didn't even frown; he certainly had boldness. Even if it really wasn't enough, he didn't intend to ask; he would just scrape some together himself.

"Fire Clouds?"

Taking the script and flipping through it, Wei Jin saw it; it was indeed "Let the Bullets Fly."

However, there was only a framework and an outline for now, and it was estimated that there would be many changes on set. Wei Jin couldn't offer guidance on this kind of script.

"Director Jiang, the script is very interesting. Follow your own style; I'm optimistic about it."

Since he couldn't offer any opinions, Wei Jin could only give his affirmation and incidentally offered a small suggestion.

"However, the name could be changed; it's too literary."

The first update today, I earnestly request all book friends to reward with subscriptions, follow-up reading, collections, monthly tickets, and recommendation tickets. Thank you all! (End of chapter)