Chapter 578: The Central Academy of Drama's Invitation, Office Fun, and Review Rejection

In the film market, *About Time* continues to charge forward; in six days, its box office has neared the 300 million mark.

"Jointly produced by Shanhe Media and Guangxian Pictures, and directed by Guo Fan, the film *About Time* has reached a cumulative box office of 269 million in six days of release, with its single-day box office momentum showing no signs of slowing."

"The low-budget film *Young Style*, released five days ago, has reported a box office of 17.6 million. The producers issued a statement: the film has already recouped its costs."

"*Tiny Times 2* and *Crimes of Passion* are officially released today; the battle for the August Summer Slot has officially begun."

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Although many people are cursing *Tiny Times* and Guo Xiaosi, once the film was actually released, everyone couldn't help but be curious about how much box office it would ultimately rake in.

There is no helping it; the profits brought in by this kind of fan-oriented film really make people unable to help but turn green with envy.

However, Wei Jin has no time to pay attention, because at this moment he is receiving an unexpected guest.

"Department Head Zhang, long time no see. You are a rare guest; please, sit."

The middle-aged man in his fifties before him is exactly that Department Head Zhang who took them on a tour of the Central Academy of Drama's history museum during the promotion of *Bottom-tier Girl* last year.

"Director Wei, it has indeed been a long time. I came to visit you presumptuously today; I hope I haven't disturbed you?"

"Department Head Zhang is too polite. Although I am not a Central Academy of Drama alumnus, I have had many collaborations with your esteemed school, so how could it be a disturbance?"

Wei Jin smiled and exchanged pleasantries with the other party, and at this moment, his secretary had already brewed tea and brought it in.

"Director Wei, you are a busy person of high status, so I won't beat around the bush."

"Mm, please go ahead, Department Head Zhang."

Wei Jin nodded, raised his hand in a gesture of invitation, and wore an expression of listening intently.

"It is like this: the new campus of the Central Academy of Drama has been completed and will likely be put into use next year, but there are still some deficiencies in the teaching staff. Therefore, the school plans to invite outstanding producers, directors, and actors from the film and television industry to hold concurrent teaching positions at the school."

Department Head Zhang shared the latest policies of the Central Academy of Drama in detail, as well as the currently proposed list of invitees.

Wei Jin, Zhang Yimou, Jiang Wen, Gu Changwei, Ning Hao, Lu Yang... Listening to this, Wei Jin exclaimed to himself that they were true experts.

Good heavens, as long as they are currently floating outside and not holding concurrent positions at art academies, almost every well-known figure in the entertainment industry is within the scope of the Central Academy of Drama's invitations.

Moreover, apart from Jiang Wen who is a Central Academy of Drama alumnus, they have almost swept up all the well-known directors from the Beijing Film Academy. Is this catching a brother school to poach their talent and fleece them? But it is no wonder; compared to the Beijing Film Academy, the Central Academy of Drama's advantage lies in its actors, and it is indeed lacking too much in director resources.

And in the entertainment industry, the status of a director is much higher than that of an actor.

Especially well-known directors; each one can be said to be a vital resource within the industry, representing networking channels in the film and television sector.

As long as they can poach one director, they can absolutely drive the development of related majors, and even boost the future prospects of a large group of students.

For such a beneficial and effortless matter, why not do it?

After about ten minutes, Department Head Zhang ended his "speech" and looked at Wei Jin with an expectant face:

"Director Wei, what do you think? The Central Academy of Drama is an institution directly under the Ministry of Education. With your current achievements, as long as you take the position, you would start at least as an Associate Professor, and even resolving a professorship directly would not be a big problem..."

It must be said that the Central Academy of Drama's sincerity is quite sufficient, and this teacher is also quite good at painting a big picture, but unfortunately... After careful consideration, Wei Jin spoke up.

"Department Head Zhang, personally speaking, I am very fond of the teaching atmosphere at the Central Academy of Drama. It is just that at the beginning of the year, I already agreed to hold a concurrent position at the Beijing Film Academy, and the procedures are already underway. I can only thank your esteemed school for its kind favor."

Hearing these words, the smile on Department Head Zhang's face paused slightly, and he felt some regret in his heart. Why did the policy only come out now? If he had acted last year, wouldn't it have been settled? One Wei Jin is completely worth seven or eight directors; missing out on him is truly a pity! After sighing in his heart, Department Head Zhang smiled.

"Then congratulations to Director Wei; returning to your alma mater to serve is also quite good. Additionally, may I presumptuously ask, what about Director Lu Yang and Director Guo Fan?"

Wei Jin understood the meaning behind Department Head Zhang's words, but he only shook his head.

"I am not very clear about their situations, but the company will not interfere in personal affairs..."

"Fine, then I won't disturb Director Wei further and will take my leave. I still have to represent the school to invite others next."

"Alright, Department Head Zhang, I will see you out."

Wei Jin stood up with a smile, watched the other party enter the elevator, and on the way back, he couldn't help but mutter to himself:

"Li Jie's mouth is really tight; she didn't even let a whisper leak out? I'll try tonight..."

A night passed, and Wei Jin had to admit that Li Jie's mouth was indeed very tight, at least as far as he was concerned.

With lingering thoughts, Wei Jin got into Lao Zhu's car and headed to the company.

On the way, he paid attention to industry news.

As a fan film, the opening day box office for *Tiny Times 2* was indeed not bad, but because of its reputation, apart from fans, there would basically be no extra audience entering the theater.

Therefore, compared to the first one, it was far inferior, reporting only 49.8 million, a drop of more than 20 million.

Of course, *About Time* was also inevitably affected to some extent, with its single-day box office barely maintaining just over 30 million, though its total box office had already broken the 300 million mark.

On the other hand, Gao Shu Qun's *Crimes of Passion* encountered a Waterloo, with its opening day performance actually failing to reach even 4 million, at only 3.85 million.

Just as Wei Jin expected, the backlash from Gao Shu Qun's opening fire had arrived; his Weibo comments section was already piled high with mockery and insults.

"A film with an investment of nearly 50 million, and the opening day box office is just this? How much will the investors lose?"

"What investors? Director Gao himself is the producer, otherwise why would he curse his opponents before the release? 'Looking like a pig on the outside, but bright on the inside' is exactly what describes him..."

"Damn idiot, I thought he was so awesome, so I specifically went to watch it. What kind of garbage is this? A waste of ticket money."

It wasn't just the fans of *Tiny Times* and Guo Xiaosi who were cursing; even many real film buffs were cursing, and the rating on Yinxiang Net was not even 5 points.

"The thinking of all the characters in the story is neurotic, and the female lead's brain is especially unfathomable. For me to understand it, I just can't..."

"Damn it, compared to the original TV series, it's really dozens of streets behind."

"Every movement and expression of the leader, even the angle of his smoking, looks like he's shooting a fashion magazine; the affectation is almost overflowing from the screen, it's too awkward."

"I beg you, Huang Xiaoming, change someone else to support; with Yang Ying's acting, you really can't carry her."

Looking at the comments online, Wei Jin didn't know what to say.

Huang Xiaoming is truly on a path of letting himself go and won't turn back, picking up what kind of bird scripts day after day.

After sighing, the car slowly came to a stop. Wei Jin got out and headed straight to the company's conference room, where he saw the *Lost and Love* crew ready and waiting; most of the people had already arrived.

From the initial project initiation and preparation to the completion of casting, and now to the upcoming start of filming, this production has taken over three months.

Compared to the company's other directors, this efficiency is naturally considered very low, but for Wen Muye, Wei Jin does not blame him.

"Xiao Wen, how long is the filming expected to take this time?"

"Senior brother, according to the shooting schedule, it should be within three months. But as you know, the filming of a road movie might have some accidents; I cannot guarantee that we will wrap up within the stipulated time..."

As Wen Muye spoke, he adjusted his glasses, clearly feeling a bit embarrassed.

Because if a director cannot control the filming schedule, they are actually somewhat unqualified.

However, Wei Jin was very understanding of this.

On one hand, this was Wen Muye's first time directing a feature film; on the other hand, the location scouting for a road movie is relatively complex, and filming would be more cumbersome.

Especially for this film, which involves over four filming locations: Fuzhou, Xiangnan, Shuzhong, and Chongqing; just the transitions alone might require a great deal of effort.

Furthermore, one must consider the actors' performance, so one cannot be too demanding.

Thus, Wei Jin immediately spoke up to comfort him: "It's okay, you don't need to feel pressured. Our budget is very sufficient, and the situation at the filming locations has all been coordinated with the relevant local departments. Just follow the plan, there's no problem."

Chen Xi had participated quite a bit in the early preparations for this film, and all aspects of the work had been handled very properly; as long as they performed steadily, there wouldn't be much of an issue.

Afterward, Wei Jin chatted with several actors for a while. Except for Liu Tianwang, who was heading to Fuzhou directly from Hong Kong, the rest of the cast was here.

The casting for this film had been completed at the end of July, and Wei Jin had arranged for Zhang Junning from Taiwan to join, playing the role of a pickpocket.

Although the screen time was not much, being able to act alongside Liu Tianwang was a very good resource for her.

Especially with this time, from now on, she would have truly made the connection.

Therefore, at this moment, this beauty with exceptionally exquisite facial features looked at Wei Jin with eyes that revealed a hint of heat.

Just like her, there was also Li Xian, who had just wrapped up filming with the *Wei Wei* crew; the role of the second male lead was handpicked for him by Wei Jin.

This kid had been with the company for several years, his acting was good, and he didn't cause any trouble; plus, his age was very suitable for this role, so there was no reason to give the benefit to an outsider.

For the villainous role of the female trafficker, Wei Jin arranged for Yang Xue to play it. Although this sister was somewhat laid-back, her acting skills were still quite good.

Wei Jin did not intervene with the remaining actors; they were all chosen by Wen Muye himself, and among them was a familiar face, Xu Yajun, who played the traffic police officer.

This actor, who graduated from the Central Academy of Drama, usually wasn't picky about roles and was very low-key.

However, since winning the Golden Horse Award for Best Supporting Actor last year, his market value had seen a wave of growth. Being able to come over to play a role equivalent to a cameo this time could be considered a gesture of returning a favor.

After giving some instructions, Wen Muye chatted about the script with the main creative team in the conference room, while Wei Jin returned to his office.

But unexpectedly, after only a short while, Zhang Junning actually knocked on the door and entered, incidentally locking the office door behind her.

"President Wei, Director Wen is too busy over there, I would like to ask you to guide me on the acting."

As she spoke, Zhang Junning had already proactively sat on Wei Jin's lap and unbuttoned her fitted shirt.

Good heavens, actresses from Taiwan really know how to adapt.

However, how could Wei Jin refuse such a desire for progress from Zhang Junning?

"It seems Ah Ning is truly eager to improve, then let this director guide you properly."

Two hours later, with a flush still lingering on her face, Zhang Junning departed from Beijing with the rest of the crew, heading to Fuzhou.

"Director Wen Muye, along with Starry Sky Culture's young actor Li Xian, Yang Xue, and others, traveled to Fuzhou today with a group of staff from Shanhe Media."

"It is expected that the realistic anti-trafficking film *Lost and Love* is about to start filming!"

Perhaps because the box office defeat was too ugly, and the fans of *Tiny Times* were cursing too harshly, Gao Shu Qun couldn't help but open fire.

He bluntly stated that *Tiny Times* was just brainless trash, and its high box office was because the capital behind it was suppressing *The Incident of a Flower and Moon*, snatching his screen allocations.

There was nothing wrong with what he said; previously, *Tiny Times 2* was originally scheduled for the Qi Xi Festival, then later moved up to the 9th, and finally moved up again to the 8th, making the intent to pick on the weak very obvious.

But Guo Xiaosi and his fans wouldn't take it; losing at the box office meant losing, and they immediately began to fight back online.

As everyone knows, the fans of *Tiny Times* and Guo Xiaosi are all young people, so the cursing was very nasty, and some even human-fleshed Gao Shu Qun's home address.

This time, it had truly poked a hornet's nest.

Although Gao Shu Qun was not a well-known major director in the industry, everyone felt it was going too far to be cyberbullied like this.

Especially Feng Dapao; back when his home address was exposed by paparazzi, he was harassed quite a bit and had been furious, so this time he was the first to stand up in support.

Immediately following that, many filmmakers and production companies in the industry began to take sides, and the battle between the two sides escalated instantly! Throughout the weekend, the internet was in an uproar, and the impact was extremely negative.

Having no other choice, on Monday morning, the Film Bureau summoned both of them, as well as the production and distribution companies of the two films, for a meeting.

The message expressed to the public was very clear: screen allocation is a market behavior, and attendance rate is the audience's choice.

There is no dark curtain, no conspiracy, and certainly no suppression.

Since the direct governing body had stepped in to mediate, both sides naturally chose to value harmony.

Guo Xiaosi apologized, Gao Shu Qun shook hands, and the matter ended there, with the dust settling.

But no one expected that only a few hours after this drama concluded, later in the afternoon, an even bigger storm arrived.

"After *The Hunt*, 5 years later, another film script from Shanhe Media has been rejected by the censors..."

"According to the audit announcement document on the Film Bureau's official website: the film *Operation Mekong* was written by Director Wei Jin himself, adapted from the true event '10.5 Mekong River Case'..."

"According to industry insiders, *Operation Mekong* is a mainstream-themed film..."

Once the news broke, the entire circle instantly boiled over!

(End of this chapter)