Nobody knows movies better than me

Chapter 47 Your son is so filial!

In 2005, given the market-oriented reforms in China's film industry, there were very few directors who could make commercial films and achieve success.

This is why Han Sanping values ​​Zhang Jun.

It wasn't just the shock of "Little Miss Sunshine" grossing over 40 million yuan that made it so impressive, but also the youth and potential that Zhang Jun demonstrated.

Jiang Zhen would occasionally report the situation of the "About Time" crew to Han Sanping, which allowed Han Sanping to fully understand Zhang Jun's abilities.

Jiang Zhen said to Han Sanping on the phone: "President Han, I think Director Zhang's qualities in all aspects are quite mature, and his directing skills and techniques are no worse than those of top directors."

And most importantly, he has a strong capacity for innovation, which is his most valuable talent.

Innovation is crucial, and Zhang Jun's stories are independent of anyone else. Both *Little Miss Sunshine* and *About Time* were written and directed by Zhang Jun himself, a rarity in the Chinese film industry.

Therefore, when several so-called writers and cultural figures made various criticisms of Zhang Jun, Han Sanping naturally had to protect Zhang Jun to prevent the young director from having his mentality broken down.

However, seeing that Zhang Jun was not affected at all, he was relieved.

Zhang Jun suggested that China Film Group help contact the media, and Han Sanping agreed without hesitation.

With the help of China Film Group, and the media outlets bribed by Ye Xiaoyi and He Xuan, the public opinion suddenly shifted from criticizing Zhang Jun, an outsider, to criticizing all outsiders entering the film and television industry.

Moreover, the firepower was expanding, and the battle had spread to Zheng Xiaolong, Zhang Yimou, and Feng Dapao.

Zheng Xiaolong is also an amateur director. He graduated from the Literature Department of a secondary branch of Peking University and then worked in a television station.

After wasting seven or eight years, he then became the producer of "Desire".

He later became a screenwriter, then a director, and gradually became a renowned director in the television drama field.

Let's talk about Zhang Yimou. Many people are familiar with his background. He graduated from the Photography Department of Beijing Film Academy, so it would be a stretch to call him an outsider.

But he didn't study directing; he switched careers to become a director later. It was simply because he did such an outstanding job, had such a high reputation, and had no grudges against these cultural figures.

So nobody will use this as an excuse.

Feng Dapao never attended university; after graduating from high school, he joined the army and worked in cultural propaganda. With this experience, he quickly found a job at a television drama production center after his demobilization.

Later, he switched careers to become a screenwriter and co-wrote the well-known "Stories from the Editorial Department" with Wang Shuo.

Later, he gradually transitioned into directing, and has now become a leading figure in Chinese commercial cinema.

The experiences of these three individuals are far less outrageous than those of Zhang Jun, a graduate of the astronomy department of Tsinghua University, who came to make movies. However, if you insist that they are not amateurs who studied directing but became directors, you can say that they are not.

Ye Xiaoyi used Tsinghua University's free workforce to stir up trouble online and began to expand the scope of her crackdown.

Meanwhile, offline newspapers and media outlets began listing the achievements of "amateur" directors like Zheng Xiaolong and Zhang Yimou to refute the claims of those writers and cultural figures.

"Does being a film and television director necessarily require professional qualifications? Those who know this are all laymen."

"Looking back on Zhang Yimou's film career, his hard work and serious attitude are his secret weapons."

"Feng Dapao's indomitable spirit is the key to his success in becoming a director."

Similar reports began to circulate. In early 2005, most of the media industry was very serious and had not experienced the public opinion baptism of the Internet age.

After several similar reports were released, the public opinion was completely skewed.

Didn't you call me an amateur? If you're so capable, why don't you call all of these people out too? You'd be a fool not to.

The biggest bombshell was from China Film Weekly, which featured a Hollywood director, James Cameron, in this issue.

Many Chinese viewers may not know who this person is, but if you mention "Titanic", many people will probably remember him.

The article details James Cameron's resume, and many viewers who read the report suddenly realized that the director of "Titanic" was actually a truck driver at the beginning.

Now look what's happened! Do those writers and cultural figures who fawn over foreign things dare to criticize their foreign masters and tell these laymen to get out?

Of course... I wouldn't dare.

At Lu Chuan's home in the capital, Lu Chuan's father and several writer friends looked worried.

"Well, that's great now, Lao Lu. You were the one who got us involved in this, but you just stayed behind us and didn't say a word, leaving us to get yelled at terribly."

"Yes, a few days ago the chairman of the Writers' Association called and scolded me, saying that I was too old to know how to count."

"What should we do now? Say something!"

Lu Chuan's father looked worse than if he had eaten shit. At first, he just wanted to vent his anger for his son, but later he changed his mind.

He received a call from Han Sanping and realized the threat Zhang Jun posed to Lu Chuan.

Such a young director, even younger than Lu Chuan, has achieved such success. If his continued success continues, Lu Chuan's status will decline.

Thus, the game transformed from a father avenging his son into an emperor conquering the country for his crown prince, aiming to discredit Zhang Jun and eliminate the threat.

If Zhang Jun knew what Lu Chuan's father was thinking, he would laugh at him. A director isn't a star, and besides, this is all just hearsay.

Audiences don't care whether Zhang Jun is an amateur or not; he didn't commit a crime. As long as the movie is good, that's all that matters.

Lu Chuan's father's idea proved that his understanding of the film industry was superficial.

Reputation may be important to a writer, but for a film director, it is always the film that speaks for itself.

But Lu Chuan's father didn't think so. He originally thought that Zhang Jun was young and impetuous and would stand up if provoked.

Then he will mobilize more friends in the cultural field to launch a joint attack, ostensibly to offer guidance, but in reality to completely crush Zhang Jun.

But things took an unexpected turn, dragging Zhang Yimou, Feng Dapao, and others into the mess.

Especially Feng Dapao, who has always been known for his outspokenness, has not been polite in the face of recent public opinion trends.

"I've seen some of the recent reports, and they're utter nonsense. These people say we're amateur directors, but do they even know anything about making movies? Do they understand film culture?"

"Relying on their seniority, they act like they're giving orders and behaving like old men. I think they are the biggest threat to Chinese cinema."

As expected of Feng Dapao, the moment he uttered those words, few people paid any attention to Zhang Jun anymore.

In newspapers and online, Zhang Jun has perfectly escaped the eye of the storm, becoming the subject of a banter between Feng Xiaogang and several writers and cultural figures.

Things have developed to this point and are no longer under Lu Chuan's father's control.

He could only say, "I'm sorry for what happened. I didn't expect things to turn out this way. I will make it up to everyone."

After promising some benefits, Lu Chuan's father sent his writer friends away.

He turned to Lu Chuan and said, "Although we don't know who did this, it's definitely related to Zhang Jun. It's too late to ruin his reputation now."

You need to work hard, make good films and works, prove your ability, and prove that you are the hope of the next generation of directors.

Lu Chuan nodded confidently: "Don't worry, Dad, Zhang Jun just got lucky. I'll come up with a better film."

Although it's unclear where Lu Chuan's confidence comes from, he is undeniably confident and possesses a mysterious narcissism, perhaps a trait inherited from his father!