Isn't film art?

What kind of movie is "Whiplash"?

It tells the story of a 19-year-old drumming prodigy at a music conservatory who, through the extreme pressure and harsh criticism of his demanding instructor, gradually becomes an elite jazz drummer.

The two protagonists clash intensely: one is willing to push, and the other is willing to endure. One constantly torments his students with perverse methods, while the other, as if possessed, is solely focused on becoming the best drummer.

"Jade cannot become a useful article without polishing; without obsession, one cannot live." This is the first impression "Whiplash" gives. The former carries obvious inspirational elements, while the latter represents a darker aspect of the film.

It's very much like an inspirational film, but it's definitely not an inspirational film.

It's more like an extreme obsession film, where transformation is achieved under immense pressure.

"I would rather die at thirty or forty, remembered for my music, even if it means a broken home and drunken madness, than live a long, peaceful life with wealth but remain unknown!"

This line from the protagonist directly summarizes the film's tone.

Ultimate fervor, crazy hype!

This is a film about going mad if you don't succeed, a story about someone who became a madman because of music.

Regarding script selection, the first thing Bai Youlou did was to exclude films that were purely made for box office success.

With his current reputation, even if he were to miraculously produce something like "The Wandering Earth," he'd probably still face a wave of "criticism" first.

Does "good wine needs no bush"?

This doesn't always hold true in the entertainment industry.

Otherwise, why would the publicity for so many projects be so important?

The publicity costs for some films are even higher than their production costs.

He decided to take the art film route first.

Art films have their own ways of making money. Generally, films that win awards at major film festivals or receive good reviews, as long as the production cost isn't too outrageous, can recoup their costs or even make a significant profit just from selling the copyrights.

In that situation, when it's released, the box office performance is truly a matter of fate.

It's all profit, no matter what.

This is the survival strategy for many art films in the commercial world, not that they genuinely aim solely for awards and fame by making these films.

Of course, Bai Youlou isn't entirely without expectations for the box office, but that's another plan.

After finishing the script, he also wrote a few other things.

Old Zhou spent some time reading the script, and then his gaze towards Bai Youlou changed completely, as if he were looking at a monster.

He had been wondering how this kid managed to write a script himself.

Now he realized the kid had truly gone mad!

The movie script he wrote was also going mad.

It was quite fitting for his current situation.

Reasonable.

However, the quality of the script also made Old Zhou marvel.

Looking at the now "mad" Bai Youlou, then at the script in his hands.

And then thinking about the fifty thousand yuan that had just arrived in his bank account, he suddenly felt a surge of ambition.

"I'll go mad with you too!"

Bai Youlou wasn't excited at all. It would be strange if a script for a film that received six Oscar nominations and a pile of other awards couldn't stir anyone's heart.

But their makeshift team definitely couldn't shoot a movie right away.

Moreover, Bai Youlou's few million yuan might not be enough, and they might have to find ways to attract investment.

"How about this, you find a way to raise investment. If you raise a million, you get a fifteen percent commission."

"Wait?!" Old Zhou immediately interrupted Bai Youlou. It wasn't that he was overly pure, but he was confused. "Isn't that too much?"

"If you raise a million, four hundred thousand will be spent on filming, I'll pocket four hundred and fifty thousand, and you'll get one hundred and fifty thousand. It's reasonable."

Old Zhou fell silent.

Isn't film art?

If Bai Youlou had come up with a trashy script, it would have been understandable. They could all abandon their principles and make money; there was nothing wrong with being a businessman.

But he had created such an amazing script, and yet he was immediately thinking about making money.

It was truly strange.

The two images were too contradictory, yet they appeared so vividly in just one person, Bai Youlou.

Old Zhou thought that if he were Bai Youlou's age and could write such an amazing script, he would have spent all his money on the film, even the money he had saved for condoms, let alone finding ways to skim money.

One moment he was like a madman, an artistic fanatic, and the next he was pulled back to the vulgar reality.

Old Zhou, unable to accept this, slammed the table angrily. "Damn it, are you really Bai Youlou? Give me back that naive kid from before!"

Bai Youlou: ???

He remained silent for a moment, then reached into Old Zhou's cigarette pack and pulled out two cigarettes. After handing one to Old Zhou, he put the other back in his pocket.

Click

He lit the cigarette and took a deep drag.

"You're as disgusting as a gay guy right now!"

Registering the company, setting up the project, filing the script, and obtaining the filming permit.

Whether it was Old Zhou or Bai Youlou, their execution was swift when it came to these tasks.

After all, with a ragtag team of only two people, there wasn't much room for lengthy, inefficient procedures.

Though the beginning is always the hardest, the two of them got off to a quick start, and the progress only slowed down afterward.

Old Zhou took on all the subsequent "miscellaneous tasks" himself. Since Bai Youlou had already paid him his salary in advance, he felt he needed to demonstrate his worth.

However, a person can't just sit around idly; otherwise, their physical and mental faculties will decline. Even Patrick Star knows to call SpongeBob SquarePants to go jellyfish catching when he has nothing else to do.

Bai Youlou genuinely wanted to assemble the film crew himself. After all, with a limited budget, it would be ideal to "PUA" some hot-blooded idiots, potentially saving a significant amount of money.

There were never a shortage of such people in the entertainment industry; it was quite ironic and amusing. The world of fame and fortune was never lacking in those who genuinely yearned for art – the "fools."

In his previous life, Bai Youlou had been one of those people.

But just as he was about to get ready to go out, Old Zhou stopped him.

The reason was simple: given his current situation, it was better for him not to go.

No matter how the crew was assembled, Bai Youlou's presence would always have a counterproductive effect, at least at this stage.

Although the online discussion about his mess had cooled down somewhat, it was still ongoing.

The "Bai's nonsensical remarks" he had made were spreading across the internet at an alarming rate. Some netizens who hadn't even been following his situation could now casually spout a few lines. That was the true destructive power of a viral meme.

It was almost predictable that the female lead would likely become the most infamous "slut" in the entertainment industry in recent years. Bai Youlou, that piece of "stinking dog shit," had successfully gotten his revenge.

But Bai, as he was, was still that scumbag who messed around with other people's wives. It was a mutual destruction.

Fortunately, he was in the entertainment industry. If he were in the underworld, he would have been subjected to the "three cuts and six holes" punishment.

Therefore, Bai Youlou didn't object to Old Zhou's reasoning. He did indeed have a "repellent" aura at the moment.

He decided to stay home, refine the storyboards, and secretly work on the budget, acting as a hands-off boss.

Well, and to see if Old Zhou would screw him over.

Bai Youlou always preferred to assume the worst of people. His heart was rather dirty, so he naturally assumed others were bad too.