Everyone Is Uneasy

Taiwan.

Tamkang High School.

Jay Chou picked a scene he liked from the footage provided by the assistant director and called for a break.

"Damn, why are they putting my movie and his in the same discussion?"

Seeing some reports in Hong Kong and Taiwan tabloids comparing his Secret and The Grand Director, Jay Chou felt a bit nervous.

Times have changed.

Before, Shen Shanden had never been a serious contender in music.

Four years ago, Shen Shanden was indeed formidable.

So formidable that even he couldn't understand it; he released potential hit songs for free.

But soon, without signing with a record company, without going through TV or radio channels, and without a solid foundation, Shen Shanden was suppressed.

This time, it's different.

Now that everyone is a singer turned director, a pop singer superstar with record releases and awards, and an internet singer, there's not much difference in the eyes of film directors; they're not enough to watch.

Whether in mainland China or Taiwan, film directors naturally have a higher social status than singers.

"It's okay, it's okay."

Producer Jiang Zhiqiang put his arm around Jay Chou and comforted him, "His is a purely commercial film, yours is an art film, so you're naturally in an invincible position."

Art films can market prestige. As long as they don't admit defeat, or if The Grand Director's results are exceptionally heaven-defying, there's no need to worry about comparisons.

Of course, by then, Secret would have already been released, and fans would have paid for it. That wouldn't be Jiang Zhiqiang's problem then.

"But I want to win," Jay Chou said.

At the beginning of the new year, Jay Chou established his own record company, becoming his own boss and ascending to the title of "Jay Chou." Now, directing and starring in a film, he was ready to make his mark.

Jiang Zhiqiang couldn't help but feel speechless; this guy was getting carried away.

Shen Shanden was carrying China Film's key project and was a student at Beijing Film Academy, the top film school in mainland China. He had basically reached the pinnacle of the film industry.

In the film industry, China Film is king!

Jiang Zhiqiang thought of a way to put Jay Chou in an invincible position: "When the time comes, I'll have Paperclip say a few good words for your movie."

Hearing the name Paperclip, Jay Chou immediately showed respect and asked with concern, "Is Paperclip almost finished filming?"

Paperclip was a co-production, jointly produced by multiple parties: mainland China's Shanghai Film Group, Taiwanese directors, Hong Kong's Emperor Cinemas, Indo Agency, and America's Focus Features under Universal Pictures.

Compared to a film like Paperclip, with the participation of China, America, Greater China, and Lesser China, a film like Secret, which was solely supported by the Hong Kong and Taiwan film circles, wouldn't measure up.

Jiang Zhiqiang nodded, "Almost. I'm heading to Shanghai soon. You're on track here too, Jay Chou. Stay confident."

"Is it him?"

John Woo asked producer Terence Chang.

As Paperclip was nearing completion, John Woo's crew for Red Cliff was working hard to secure Tony Leung Chiu-wai, trying to minimize the impact of Chow Yun-fat's withdrawal.

The reason John Woo was paying attention to Shen Shanden was that China Film's attitude towards the Red Cliff project had changed.

Before, they were very easy to talk to, granting almost any request. Now, they were frequently auditing accounts.

They kept urging them to start filming and even proposed using mainland actors, suggesting Huang Xiaoming and Jaycee Chan.

This was outrageous!

John Woo had always had his own little plans.

He wanted to use the mainland market, mainland funds, and mainland stars to promote his own people from Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The Red Cliff project was meant to be the culmination of his efforts.

China Film's demands had touched John Woo's bottom line, and he vehemently refused, citing that mainland actors lacked box office appeal.

After all, as long as they weren't given a chance to perform, they would never have box office appeal.

However, John Woo felt uneasy. He knew himself; he had been kicked out by Hollywood.

When he first came to mainland China, he was also cautious, constantly observing.

It wasn't until later that he discovered how much mainland China respected them, treating them as honored guests and trying to please them, that his attitude gradually became more unrestrained.

But if mainland China were to truly stand firm, he wouldn't have many options.

Terence Chang thought for a moment and said, "There are rumors that Shen Shanden has influenced Han Sanping, but I don't think it's possible."

John Woo preferred to err on the side of caution: "Spread the word in the industry that Hong Kong and Taiwan actors should not support his films."

Logically, Shen Shanden's "commercial supremacy" philosophy should have resonated with Hong Kong directors, yet it inexplicably made John Woo feel repulsed and displeased.

Ignoring Terence Chang's surprise, John Woo continued, "Get the project started as soon as possible and push for filming to begin. We can't delay any further."

He was still uneasy.

Chen Kaige, who was filming The Warlords, secretly lamented his misfortune.

Han Sanping had come to inspect the filming of The Warlords.

Discussed the launch ceremony for The Grand Director.

Chen Kaige realized it wasn't mainly about The Grand Director, but a way to pressure him.

Han Sanping suggested, "Chinese martial arts films still need fighting, and it should look beautiful."

Upon hearing this, Chen Kaige feigned ignorance and said, "I think the action should pursue a sense of 'realism' and 'impact'."

Chen Kaige went all out with the The Warlords project.

He offered Jet Li, who was acting in dog movies abroad and even paying out of his own pocket, an astronomical sum.

Then, all the strengths of martial arts films were removed, and Jet Li's strengths were also completely removed, leaving him to only act in dramatic scenes.

He was also one of the directors who went north and practiced the "borrowing a chicken to lay an egg" strategy.

As a project primarily funded by China Film, The Warlords had no new generation mainland actors among its main cast, nor even middle-aged ones.

The three main leads were Jet Li, a Chinese actor from overseas; Takeshi Kaneshiro, originally from Taiwan and now a Japanese national; and Andy Lau from Hong Kong Island.

He once thought that with them, mainlanders wouldn't be able to take over the film industry.

Now, he was starting to feel uneasy, continuously uneasy.

Facing Chen Kaige's constant evasiveness, Han Sanping remained calm. He even extended the shooting schedule for the first scene from 7 days to 20 days, comforting Chen Kaige and assuring him to shoot with peace of mind.

"A maverick has emerged among the young directors here!"

Charles Perrik looked at the reports about The Grand Director and quickly formed a judgment about Shen Shanden.

Film, especially theatrical releases, was the forefront of cultural warfare. Film industry news from this region ranked high on Charles Perrik's list of concerns.

He was the cultural attaché at the America embassy here, serving as a bridge.

Connecting to the international public opinion sphere and developing cultural influence in this region.

Looking at Shen Shanden's background, Charles Perrik suddenly understood.

So he wasn't from a directing background, no wonder.

In the past, more often than not, Charles Perrik felt an urge to tear apart the filmmakers of this land.

Not tearing them apart felt like an insult to their stupidity.

Even though both sides were in an adversarial relationship, and he viewed them as prey, they treated him like a friend.

It was an unusual level of naivety.

However, at this moment, Charles Perrik felt that naivety was better.

It was difficult to deal with one who suddenly wasn't naive.

Charles Perrik's assistant analyzed, "Shen's remarks show clear tendencies of Social Darwinism, and in his previous posts on blogs and other social platforms, he displayed characteristics that leaned towards our side."

This was Shen Shanden's preparation for wanting to pursue an overseas award route.

In the parlance of "winning studies" from later generations, Shen Shanden was playing the "Surrender Faction."

To concede first, to admit defeat.

We are lagging behind, you are advanced, but we will learn from you (America), become your student, and strive continuously. One day, perhaps we will be as strong as you.

Shen Shanden tried it out, felt that people shouldn't eat shit, and then slipped away.

It must be said, Shen Shanden, who was playing the role of an artistic youth, was actually labeled as a radical youth and a "wumao" (a derogatory term for pro-government commenters).

This was because, in this era, the prominent figures active on blogs and other platforms were all "Three-Loss Faction" adherents – losing in the past, losing now, and losing in the future, unable to win even with their utmost effort.

Shen Shanden, despite his low probability of success, was a "Surrender Faction" who might win, making him seem out of place.

Clearly, Charles Perrik's assistant had collected comprehensive information and noticed this point.

With the assistant's analysis, Charles Perrik connected Shen Shanden's remarks about "A weak nation has no art" and "Hollywood will crush the European Big Three," and indeed, one could conclude he had strong "Social Darwinist" tendencies.

Thinking of this, Charles Perrik got a headache and became uneasy.