By all logic, Shen Shanden should have avoided controversy, but he did not.
Fearless in the face of controversy!
The more controversial it was, the happier he became. It was all buzz, all attention, all box office!
A real director had to dare to step into the fray and market himself!
"Director Shen! Could you elaborate? Is this your box-office target?"
"Director Shen! Why are you so confident?"
"Chairman Han, is this China Film Group's position?"
"Mr. Wu Jing, do you feel the same way?"
"Shen Shanden, do you think you're making films or being an idol? What do you think of people calling you Shen the Cannon?"
The frenzied crowd of reporters surrounded them, countless microphones and recorders practically shoved into Shen Shanden's faces.
This was explosive!
One hundred million was only a small target? Why not just fly to the moon!
Seeing this, Han Sanping wanted to cool things down.
Saying ten billion in private was one thing, but shouting one hundred million in public—what if someone came back to settle the score later?
In the media section, Ma Youde had his people set up their equipment and made sure to film his boss properly.
He knew this was a coordinated publicity barrage.
He himself took out a little notebook and wrote everything down by hand. There was so much about Shen Shanden that he could never fully learn; he still had much to study.
Shen Shanden gave none of the other main creators a chance to speak.
No one understood marketing better than he did!
"Do you all know? Recently, my team and I have truly suffered—saturated attacks! So, so much utterly unreasonable treatment!"
Shen Shanden put one hand in his pocket and gazed up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle.
Under the sunlight, even his white T-shirt seemed stained with a young man's stubbornness. A trace of desolation hung at the corner of his lips, and tears glimmered faintly in his eyes.
He slipped into character in a second!
The entire scene fell silent.
"Through countless late nights, I often asked myself one question: why?"
"Why did only our film have to suffer such a tragic fate?! A blacklist—I heard that a very famous senior figure in the industry had declared that he would blacklist me. I don't understand. Why?"
"Why? Why?"
Shen Shanden lowered his head slightly, but he did not avoid the cameras. He looked straight into them.
He displayed the formidable acting skills of a director trained in acting at Beijing Film Academy, perfectly conveying that sense of grief and sorrow.
His emotional pull was astonishing!
Han Sanping, standing beside him, could not help but feel a pang in his chest.
Yes, Shen Shanden was already in his twenties, but he was still just a child!
Chinese Cinema actually needed a child to carry it on his shoulders. It truly was shameful for the rest of them!
Fan Bingbing, who had initially been wearing an odd expression while muttering the nickname Shen the Cannon, now could not help but feel heavyhearted as well.
Some things sounded sad when spoken aloud, but they were not easy at all.
Many of the main creators looked worried. After all, publicizing the news of the blacklist like this was not good for Shen Shanden.
The reporters went crazy!
Completely crazy!
How dare Shen Shanden do this!
Entertainment reporters with good sources all knew that John Woo was the one who had made the declaration, but how dared Shen Shanden make it public?
Of course Shen Shanden dared!
He almost wanted to laugh.
Damn it!
An explosive news story delivered right to his doorstep—did they know how hard it had been for him to hold it in until the Start of filming ceremony?
"I don't understand. I don't understand. I don't understand."
Shen Shanden repeated the question.
His tone carried confusion, but also pain.
Then he suddenly raised his voice.
"We removed every court-intrigue plotline, including the mystery surrounding Emperor Wuzong's death and Jiajing's later decline, making the story more brisk and direct."
"We strengthened the Imperial Guards' role. We rooted ourselves in the institutional framework, making the alliance between the Imperial Guards and the eunuchs a major attraction."
"We discovered something previous directors of historical blockbusters had failed to see: firearms! I discussed it with the main creative team for three days and three nights. More than thirty filmmakers worked overnight, and we boldly decided to showcase the Ming Dynasty's level of firearms. Building upon our historical and cultural heritage, we designed modern weapons suited to the characters' traits."
"We wanted to heighten the sheer thrill! To give audiences the best viewing experience! We wanted to spend the money on making the film! From behind the scenes to the main creators onstage, we took no kickbacks. We were not here to grab money and buy villas. We only wanted to make a good film!"
Han Sanping came back to his senses.
He suddenly felt that he was the child.
He had been so foolish!
He had actually believed Shen Shanden might be crushed!
Shen Shanden's momentum began to surge.
"We will not highlight how the disabled crush the able-bodied. We will make sure that when audiences spend money, they receive what they deserve!"
"We do not want a voyeuristic perspective. We do not play with metaphors. We do not make creepy, sinister stuff. We just go straight for it!"
"We do not emphasize specialness. Even though the protagonist is a eunuch, what we want to show is life itself. That is something many historical blockbusters have overlooked and failed to discover. Through script research and Textual Research techniques, we will reinvent it!"
Shen Shanden clenched his fist.
The corners of his lips rose slightly, revealing an idealistic conviction brimming with youthful vigor.
"Of course, we have ambition too! Great ambition!"
"We want to forge a new backbone for Chinese action film! We want to redefine historical blockbusters! We want to explore how Martial arts film should be made!"
"We will have Chinese kung fu crush Hollywood action choreography once again! We will make the kung fu system clear, realmified, and realistic. Then, with industrial capability and engineering technology, we will recreate the soul of traditional martial arts and pioneer a new action aesthetic!"
"Thousands of troops and horses, the rise and fall of dynasties, the martial soul of China—all of it is in The Grand Director!"
The reporters were not fools.
They caught the scent of it.
Shen Shanden was fucking giving a film introduction.
Fuck!
He really was a genius!
Shen Shanden pressed his lips together, his gaze turning sorrowful again. "This film! I even mortgaged the house I had painstakingly saved up to buy! Wu Jing has gone broke too! Nearly every one of our lead actors took a pay cut to join us."
Shen Shanden looked over.
Wu Jing's eyes reddened.
Director Shen had it so hard!
The pressure was enormous!
Before, he had felt that juggling several jobs, traveling around the country for months, and often sleeping only four or five hours a day was difficult. But compared to Shen Shanden, his little bit of effort was nothing!
Shen Shanden had always kept his promise to write him letters, carrying things out step by step. Wu Jing was deeply moved!
Being able to join this project was an honor!
Zhou Qifeng's eyes had reddened as well!
As Shen Shanden's junior disciple, he was often rushed off his feet too, sleeping only a few hours a day. His girlfriend had complained, thinking he had found another woman outside.
Only after he handed over his salary did she finally understand.
Now he realized just how hard his senior brother had it!
There was no need to mention the other actors. Actors were emotional by nature, and their eyes shone.
Clap clap clap!
Rounds of applause rose from the audience section, with some people shouting encouragement as well!
Shen Shanden clenched his fist again, displaying unwavering conviction.
"I asked myself: was it worth it, refusing to live a perfectly good, happy life? Was it really worth it? I was terribly anxious."
"Later, as our project gradually took shape, our lead actors gave us tremendous support. Industrial-grade management, world-class scriptwriting, world-class creative awareness—they miraculously began taking shape bit by bit."
"Look at us now. Our film has not even started shooting, yet it has already surpassed ninety-nine percent of projects!"
Shen Shanden looked toward the audience, his gaze full of gratitude.
"The key is that so many viewers have been supporting us. I did not sleep at all last night. I forced myself to come here today, but I have gained an unprecedented sense of fulfillment. Our work has truly received recognition!"
"So I want to say this: for the sake of film, any sacrifice is worth it!"
"Of course, we must also march toward becoming a Strong film nation. In the end, all contempt comes from us not being strong enough. We must become stronger, stronger, and stronger still!"
"One day, when we become a Strong film nation and are no longer looked down upon, we will be able to make art with dignity!"
After Shen Shanden finished speaking, there was a brief moment of stunned processing before the audience erupted first into thunderous, unending applause!
They had never seen a director who respected audiences so much!
Many viewers were genuinely moved. Shen Shanden's fans in particular, along with those who had been following The Grand Director, cried their eyes out.
Our Director Shen had it so hard!
The reporters erupted completely, going utterly mad!
Shen Shanden was simply too good at this!
He echoed the previous triple blow of "A weak nation has no art," "Abandon art for commerce," and "Art alone cannot save Chinese cinema," then threw out new topics: "the new backbone of Chinese action film," "redefining historical blockbusters," and "Martial arts film."
He claimed to have suffered smears and persecution, directly pointing out that a Big Director in the industry had blacklisted him, then added "one hundred million as a small target" and "kung fu crushing Hollywood action choreography again."
From professional film topics to social gossip, he had given them everything.
One heavyweight bomb after another—its news value was through the roof!
The reporters had never fought such a well-supplied battle.
They loved Shen Shanden to death!
Sohu, which had secured the live text-and-image coverage rights for The Grand Director's Start of filming ceremony, had its editors pumped up as they relayed Shen Shanden's speech.
"Director Shen, who is blacklisting you?"
"Director Shen, what is your reasoning for taking Hollywood action as your target?"
The reporters pressed him madly.
They instinctively positioned Shen Shanden as a director, and the previous controversy was completely buried beneath the new topics.
But Shen Shanden no longer responded. "I have made my views clear. The core of it is that I hope everyone will focus on The Grand Director. Please give some attention to our other main creators."
At this point, maintaining a little mystery was better instead.
"I'll say just a few words. I think that as a young director, Director Shen Shanden is very clear-headed. It is time for us Chinese filmmakers to wake up! Rooted in the Local, serving audiences, and striving constantly for self-improvement—those are the only ways to withstand the raging waves of globalization."
Han Sanping said.
The reporters were all stunned. Han Sanping's words were far too blunt, and then they became even more frenzied.
The news value today was absolutely explosive!
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