Chapter 324: The Audience Will Destroy You

When the leaders said those below could speak, the room fell somewhat quiet, and for a moment no one raised a hand.

Many people suddenly didn't know what to say; those policies and signals from earlier needed time to digest.

Besides, the level of this meeting was rather high.

"It seems the comrades aren't very enthusiastic. Then I'll just call on someone directly. Xiao Fang, you're a new-generation film director, and Chairman of Jade Rabbit, do you have anything to say about the industry? Feel free to speak." The leader set the tone—say whatever.

Everyone turned their eyes to Fang Hong; it seemed the leader had also noticed the Principal's presence.

Fang Hong wasn't prepared at all. He had just planned to play dead, attend this meeting, and be done with it—he hadn't expected the leader to call on him.

There was a microphone in front of him. He opened his mouth: "Seeing the leaders' concern for the development of the film industry and the series of policies released, I feel immensely encouraged. I think we film workers should work harder to go out and expand the international influence of Chinese-language films."

This was a well-worn topic—going abroad, boosting international influence, that sort of thing.

But who actually has the ability to go out? Unless they make misery art films, and that's debatable.

"Heh heh heh."

The leaders all couldn't help but laugh. This young man was a bit slippery. The leader said casually: "Having that goal is a good thing. The films your company made—'You Who Came from the Stars,' 'Big Shot,' 'Lucy'—are all very good. Make more films on this kind of subject matter."

All three of these had gone abroad and set off waves overseas, especially 'You Who Came from the Stars,' which exploded in popularity across Asia.

The Ming dynasty costumes inside, the high-end modern costumes, were very nice.

'Big Shot' even took the South Korea box office championship.

Actually, the leaders don't care what ideas or ideology you export—it's fine without that. What they care about is whether Chinese-language film and television, Chinese films, can have a market overseas.

"What foreign audiences like to watch, we're actually still in the exploration stage," Fang Hong said.

"Then have you figured anything out? Share some experience with us." The leaders were very keen to engage with him.

It was just because, among so many film and television workers, only he had gone abroad in the form of commercial films—like Lao Mouzi's 'Hero,' which had major significance.

But Lao Mouzi wasn't sustainable; this young man still had potential.

Everyone present watched, their eyes holding the ordinary, envy, and also displeasure.

The displeased ones were those few people with grudges.

"Right now we're just following the Hollywood model, making films with strong feel-good plots, but the visual technology is hard to break through," Fang Hong said.

In other words, the film technology couldn't break through.

"Mm, this is also an issue we've always been concerned about—the film industry system, building film industrialization. Of course, this requires the joint effort of all film people."

The leader still spoke with official cadence: "Your path isn't bad—providing feel-good plots is worth learning from for other film people."

"Still exploring, and this won't last either. It's still very hard for Chinese to break through overseas." Fang Hong was covering for himself here.

Films with plenty of feel-good moments are destined to cause visual fatigue, just like Marvel later on.

"Learn first, then improve. Let's not be so pessimistic." The leader offered encouragement.

The audience present, listening to the leaders' exchange with the Principal, couldn't help but envy this young man. Clearly, he had made an impression on the leaders.

Of course there was jealousy too—the heavier the Principal's position, the lighter theirs became.

Making good films and getting high box office really is useful. Take Wu Jing—one film shocked the nation, and afterward he rose meteorically; whatever meeting it is, he's there.

Was that film really that good? Not necessarily—it just got high box office.

"Swish"—at that moment, someone suddenly raised a hand.

Everyone looked over, and it was Feng Kuzi. The leader gestured for him to speak.

"Leaders, colleagues, there are things I have to get off my chest."

Feng Kuzi leaned forward and blasted into the microphone: "Squeezing into release schedules, underhanded tricks, malicious competition through ticket fraud, empty talk—every single thing has broken the rules of the film industry. If someone like that can be held up as a model, how sad is our film industry?"

He really couldn't hold back—he had to take a swing at this kid. Time and again the kid played dirty, costing him a lot of money.

Now the kid was still bouncing around, bouncing higher and higher. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.

The audience present were all stunned. Just moments ago things were fine, and now he was firing off—everyone knew perfectly well who he was targeting.

But it wasn't unexpected—who hasn't he blasted before?

He'd blasted the audience, blasted the Golden Horse Awards, blasted the Golden Rooster Awards, blasted censorship, blasted the film world: The audience will destroy you!

Fortunately, the films he made were genuinely decent; otherwise he'd have vanished long ago, like Zhang Weiping.

Besides, mutual sniping in the film and television industry was commonplace.

Fang Hong and Chen Zhixi exchanged a glance—this was a cornered dog jumping over the wall.

"If the film industry lets a certain person run wild, then everyone will copy him, and won't it all fall into chaos?" Yu Pangzi couldn't help but chime in in support.

Still, he spoke relatively mildly, mindful of his image.

General Manager Xiao Wang said nothing—he was holding back.

Fang Hong asked into the microphone: "May I ask—are you talking about me?"

The room went quiet. Feng Kuzi and Yu Pangzi were silent. Of course they meant you—who else could it be?

"You've already done your dirty deeds, and now you play moral saints, accusing us newcomers of being dirty. Then I have to say—we learned it all from you predecessors. You predecessors never thought it broke the rules, so why should we juniors think it broke the rules? We're just copying what we saw."

Fang Hong didn't indulge them either—he fired right back.

The meaning was: he's dirty, but you predecessors did even dirtier things back in the day—you all used underhanded tricks, you all used dirty moves.

And it was them who broke the rules first.

The leaders didn't stop it either, watching with great interest. The film screening system was inherently unregulated—there were plenty of loopholes to exploit.

And competition was a good thing; it could drive progress.

"Our predecessors taught you this stuff? Is this what you learned—all this nonsensical rubbish? Absurd." Feng Kuzi fired back again. "Hey, you're right. What you people showed us was exactly that—nonsensical rubbish." Fang Hong countered with sarcasm, equally blunt.

"You—"

Feng Kuzi was furious, really wanting to slap him across the face.

He had lost from the start—accusing others of being dirty, but how clean was he himself?

"Young in age, big in tone."

Xiao Wang, the General Manager, couldn't help himself and said again: "Stop beating around the bush. What we're discussing today is you making empty promises and engaging in malicious competition by inflating ticket sales. Don't you owe us an explanation?"

He pulled the issue back to the film and television industry itself; arguing with the Principal wouldn't get him anywhere.

Two giants publicly going head-to-head with the Principal — this was going to be a good show.

"Whether a film gets released is my internal decision. If the film has technical problems, of course it needs to be readjusted. Is that wrong?"

Fang Hong retorted, then continued: "There are plenty of films pulling from release or switching release dates, yet you fixate on my one film. General Manager Wang, please don't single me out. I think you should actually thank me — if my film had been released, could your 'Journey to the West' really have hit 1.2 billion? I think that deserves a question mark!"

Besides, isn't staggering release dates just common sense? Two blockbusters hitting theaters at the same time — that's malicious competition. I don't think the leaders would want to see that either."

He first pinned the "targeting him" hat on Xiao Wang, the General Manager, then made Xiao Wang thank him, and finally dragged the leaders into it.

What the leaders want to see is prosperity. 'Lost in Thailand' and 'Journey to the West' back-to-back, two films each hitting 1.2 billion at the box office — that's a landmark event for the prosperity of Chinese cinema.

Xiao Wang, the General Manager, was momentarily speechless. That was indeed how things stood — by not competing with them, he'd let their film rake in the big box office.

But the truth wasn't like that at all — he was being wronged to death!

"As for the alleged malicious ticket-buying, that was ticket subsidies given by the online ticketing platforms — a perfectly normal commercial activity. Is giving money to the people so they watch movies and develop the habit of watching movies really a crime? And you people are calling it malicious ticket-buying." Fang Hong spoke with an aggrieved tone.

A moment ago he was saying everyone was equally dirty, and now he was single-handedly whitewashing himself.

In short, you guys are the bad ones, and he's the good one.

He looked forward and said: "Director Zhang, please tell me which rule exactly did I break?"

"There are some blemishes, but overall it's fine."

Zhang Hongsen was also at a loss for words. You people can argue all you want, but don't drag him out to endorse you.

Still, he couldn't say Fang Hong had fully followed the rules either — he could only say there were mistakes, taking a neutral stance and helping no one.

"Fine." Xiao Wang, the General Manager, was very unwilling.

The other side had already brought in a management department leader to vouch for them — what could he possibly say?

Feng Kuzi was also seething with indignation; Yu Pangzi had no recourse either.

A buzz of murmuring rose in the room, everyone asking what was going on — after all, many people didn't know the inside story.

The leaders on stage said nothing, watching the show like spectators.

"If you all have a grudge against me, we can compete fairly at the box office." Fang Hong's words sounded nice, but this was pure mockery.

"Don't get cocky. We'll definitely get our revenge, and we'll take you down." Feng Kuzi threatened.

At those words, Fang Hong and Chen Zhixi exchanged a glance and couldn't help but let out a "heh-heh" of derisive laughter — like Russians at the negotiating table laughing at country bumpkins, full of contempt.

Seeing the two of them like that, Feng Kuzi, Xiao Wang the General Manager, and Yu Pangzi were even more furious — they hadn't been taken seriously at all.

The other film and television bosses were more or less silent inside. The Principal was so respectful to the leaders, yet so arrogant toward them.

"Alright, let's move past this. Try not to engage in internal friction." The leader spoke up, and the matter was dropped.

It was time for others to speak. Jia Zhangke raised his hand and said: "I just listened to the policy, and I also listened to the leaders, my peers, and General Manager Fang's exchange.

I found something very sad — amid this clamor of commercial films, under the bombardment of too many shoddily made movies, in an atmosphere where entertainment reigns supreme, Chinese screens are losing their power of thought.

Focusing only on commercial value, with no films of intellectual substance, will only make people's spiritual lives poorer and rob them of their ability to judge films."

"The issue you raised is a good one, and it deserves attention." The leader played it down.

These art-film types always loved filming suffering — that wasn't something the leaders wanted to see.

The leader added: "Xiao Fang, Director Jia just mentioned you. What's your view?"

I'd watch it lying down — that's not what Fang Hong said. He said: "As long as it's an art film with correct values, I think it should be supported."

"I've noticed that Jade Rabbit has produced plenty of shoddily made commercial films. Does Jade Rabbit not want to change this situation?" Jia Zhangke said.

"We are changing it." Chen Zhixi said.

She wasn't going to discuss this kind of issue with him — it was a tired old topic. Art-film makers wanted the authorities above and capital to value art films and give them more resources.

Commercial-film makers wanted the authorities to loosen controls and let them do whatever they wanted.

The contradiction was irreconcilable!

The meeting ended quickly. Only the Principal and those three going at each other gave people a bit of a thrill; everyone else barely spoke up.

Even Chen Daren, who normally would fire off a retort at the slightest provocation, stayed unusually quiet.

Fang Hong had no grudge with this person, so there was no reason to target him. From start to finish, Fang Hong's enemies were just those few — they hadn't changed.

The Beijing Circle was also divided into factions; it wasn't a monolithic bloc.

When the meeting adjourned, the attendees filed out of the multi-function conference hall with their belongings and notebooks.

When Fang Hong walked past Xiao Wang the General Manager, Feng Kuzi, and Yu Pangzi, the looks on both sides instantly sharpened — they glared at each other.

The bystanders didn't get involved — that was their business.

"Xiao Fang, come here a moment, I need to talk to you about something." Zhang Hongsen patted Fang Hong on the shoulder.

(End of chapter)