Yannan University Student Film Festival: Breaking Through Ten Billion Counts as Success
The last time Lu Ban came to Yannan was during the Yannan University Student Film Festival.
At that time, he was a fledgling film director with only experience in online films. Now, just one year later, Lu Ban can no longer participate as a contestant and can only attend as a judge.
Seeing that the judges who critiqued him last year have become his colleagues this year, and the young director who was his competitor last year is now a contestant, Lu Ban felt as if he had been transported to another world.
But for many directors, it feels like a distant memory.
Lu Ban, who had only directed online movies last year, has become one of the top ten highest-grossing directors and actors in China in just one year. His new film will be released globally, directly competing with "Speed of Light 11".
We've all seen prolific directors who make two or three low-budget, terrible films a year just to get by, and we've also seen high-quality directors who spend three or four years meticulously crafting a single film.
But Lu Ban is a director who is both prolific and produces high-quality work; no one has ever seen anything like him.
What's even more frightening is that Lu Ban's film production speed is even faster than that of counterfeit films.
Just as "The Cry" sparked a craze for hospital-themed horror films, "The Mouth of the Madman" ignited a trend of deconstructing the Fourth Wall. Even before the pirated online movies are finished editing, new movies are already being released. How can this world make such a fuss?
Moreover, the actors in Lu Ban's movies all gave outstanding performances. Even the extras had acting skills worthy of an award-winning actor. Coupled with the amazing special effects, it's really hard to imagine how he managed to get such good resources.
In the lecture hall of Yannan University of Media, Lu Ban is attending an academic salon, a program where the host chats with directors. During the student film festival, they have a dialogue with a different director every day to discuss issues such as the development of film.
The show had many college students as audience members, and it was also broadcast live online. Because of Lu Ban's presence, the number of viewers was several times higher than usual.
"We are honored to have Director Lu Ban as our guest on the first day."
The host's name is Cao Song, a formal host at Yannan TV. He returned to his alma mater to host this program, which can be seen as a way of repaying the students who nurtured him.
"Director Lu Ban, your film ' The Demon Tide ' has attracted a lot of attention. It is the only Chinese-language film to be released simultaneously worldwide in recent years. What would you like to say to the audience who are looking forward to this film?"
Upon hearing the host's question, Lu Ban picked up the microphone.
"This movie is really good. I hope everyone can go to the cinema to see it, and it would be best if you could go several times to boost the box office."
The audience below the stage responded with good-natured laughter.
"So, Director Lu, you're very confident about this film's box office performance?"
The host then followed up on Lu Ban's answer and asked another question.
"Not entirely. I think it would be a success if ' The Demon Tide ' could gross 13 billion worldwide."
Lu Ban spoke the truth.
"That's a very impressive goal, 13 billion votes, etc., 13 billion???"
The host belatedly realized what was happening and checked the numbers.
It's not 1.3 billion, but 13 billion.
"Director Lu, are you joking? 13 billion is no small number. You know, our previous domestic box office champion was 5.6 billion. 13 billion is more than double that. This is no small goal."
The host, Cao Song, was somewhat taken aback.
If Lu Ban says his goal is to surpass his previous films, then that truly reflects his pursuit of excellence.
To directly quote a figure of 13 billion, which is utterly absurd, is truly hard to comprehend.
"We've done so much pre-release publicity and promotion for this simultaneous global release, hoping to achieve a breakthrough at the box office."
Lu Ban replied immediately.
"Speaking of which, ' Speed of Death 11 Demon Tide '. Some say that the box office performance of these two films will represent the production level of the new generation of films from both countries. What are your thoughts on this?"
When the host saw that Lu Ban seemed to have no intention of explaining the 13 billion yuan box office figure, he changed the subject.
There's no point in arguing at times like this; it's better to stick to the topic and let the conversation continue.
"I'm also really looking forward to ' Speed of Death 11,' which is the final installment in the series and should give it a good ending."
Lu Ban replied.
"We respect these predecessors who created wonderful films, but now it's our time."
"Director Lu, you sound very confident. Do you think ' The Demon Tide ' can surpass ' Speed of Death 11 ' at the box office?"
Host Cao Song pressed for an answer.
"It's not a question of whether it can surpass others. I believe that box office revenue is not the only standard for determining the quality of a film. Some commercial films with a wide audience will certainly have higher box office revenue than niche art films or films with a specific subject matter, but can we say that these commercial films are better than other films in every aspect?"
Lu Ban countered with a question.
"Does Director Lu believe that even if ' The Speed of Death 11 Demon Tide,' the underlying message of ' The Speed of Death 11 ' is more valuable than that of ' Demon Tide the Wind'?"
Cao Song smiled.
Although what Lu Ban said was indeed true, mentioning it at this time inevitably gave the impression that he was preparing for the worst in case his own box office performance couldn't beat the other side.
"No, what I mean is, even if ' Speed of Death 11 ' doesn't do as well as ' The Demon Tide ' at the box office, it doesn't mean it's a worthless movie."
Lu Ban corrected him.
"?"
This guy is a bit arrogant.
Cao Song had previously heard that Lu Ban was a very easy-going and kind person, but now it seems that although he does not have the airs of a big director, he is actually quite arrogant at heart.
Directors like this usually face one of two fates: either their work is actually thoroughly criticized and they become a laughing stock.
Or he might actually accomplish what he said, successfully showing off, and leave people in awe, saying, "He succeeded in showing off again."
If it were any other target, Cao Song might think it was possible for Lu Ban to get it, but this target of 13 billion is the last one to surpass a classic work of more than ten years, so it seems impossible.
"Director Lu, it seems you have high expectations for the box office and critical reception of ' The Demon Tide '. I'd like to know what kind of impact you think ' The Demon Tide ' will have on the domestic film industry?"
The host remarked with emotion.
"This is not an expectation, but a goal. I have always been a down-to-earth person and I will not do things that I cannot do or that I am not sure about."
Lu Ban replied again.
"As for the impact of ' The Demon Tide ' on the development of the domestic film industry, I think that the release of ' The Demon Tide ' means that this type of film will no longer be the exclusive domain of Europe and America. Domestic companies can also produce such epic blockbusters. That's probably the impact on our domestic counterparts."
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