Is a Greenhorn Worthy of Making a Movie?

On September 30th, Happy Family was released.

The National Day holiday slot is quite a popular period of the year.

Many big films are scheduled for release during the National Day holiday.

For example, kung fu superstar Cheng Lianjie's Project Panda.

International kung fu superstar saves national treasures, with a 22.6% share of screenings.

Hollywood blockbuster Hurricane Partners, with top-tier special effects and a star-studded cast, has a 21.3% share of screenings.

Hong Kong veteran director's new horror film, a haunted house adventure, thrilling and suspenseful, The House That Never Dies, has a 23.5% share of screenings.

Besides well-known blockbusters, there are also some animated films.

Bear Party, Penguin Battle, Little Deer Bus.

Don't underestimate these animated films.

During the National Day holiday, many parents take their children to the cinema after the break.

The first choice for them are these family-friendly films.

The directors of these films are all battle-hardened veterans; those who have directed fewer than five films wouldn't dare show their faces.

And Happy Family's director is Lin Chuan.

He previously directed Spoon Killer Demon on Bika Net, which seemed quite popular.

Later, he directed Balloon, which was said to be quite terrifying.

But compared to these filmmakers, he's completely outmatched.

At this moment, in the eyes of those who are paying attention, Lin Chuan is like a husky that has wandered into a wolf pack.

Ye Weiming walked into the cinema.

He is the director of the film The House That Never Dies.

Ye Weiming is forty-two years old this year, which is the prime of a director's career.

In the directing industry, achieving success places a high demand on age.

If one is too young, their qualifications are too shallow, they lack connections, and their experience isn't rich enough.

If one is too old, they have the qualifications, connections, and sufficient experience, but their thinking becomes rigid, unable to keep up with the younger generation.

Therefore, at this best age, Ye Weiming is ambitious and eager to achieve something.

Ye Weiming has directed many films in Hong Kong; many well-known films came from his hands.

Unfortunately, because the actors were too famous, many people attributed the credit to the actors, completely forgetting him, the director.

Fortunately, The House That Never Dies is different.

The lead actress, known in the industry as Lin Gege, was indeed immensely popular across the country twenty years ago.

But that was almost twenty years ago.

Now, Lin Gege is an outdated actress.

Even so, she is the biggest star in the cast of The House That Never Dies.

Ye Weiming has placed great hopes on the film The House That Never Dies.

Previously, he directed a horror film called Strange Tales Association.

Although the box office performance was not ideal, it still broke even.

Moreover, Strange Tales Association was released in the same year as the star-studded period in Hong Kong.

In recent years, with the popularization of the internet, modern audiences, bombarded by bad films, reluctantly seek out old movies.

Strange Tales Association was dug up by these netizens and received high ratings.

Ye Weiming is confident that as he ages, his directing skills are improving day by day.

Furthermore, the box office success of Balloon has also given Ye Weiming full confidence.

An Uploader from a video website actually managed to gross ninety million yuan with an animated film.

Wasn't that just capitalizing on a trending theme?

The House That Never Dies is also a horror film, and it has a real-life basis, originating from the famous BJ Haunted House Ghost Stories.

To film this movie, Ye Weiming specifically read nearly a hundred horror novels, drawing the most essential parts from them.

And with Ye Weiming, a seasoned director, at the helm.

It's truly hard for it not to be a hit!

In the cinema, looking at the large promotional poster for The House That Never Dies.

Ye Weiming felt quite proud.

Amidst the crowded National Day releases, The House That Never Dies had surpassed Brother Lian Jie's Project Panda, ranking first in screen allocation!

It was Saturday, and the cinema was packed with people.

Many had gone to the theater showing The House That Never Dies.

There were parents with children, couples holding hands, and groups of three to five friends going to the movies together.

Ye Weiming, wearing sunglasses, walked through the crowd, feeling a sense of pride.

At the same time, he felt a slight regret.

He was only wearing sunglasses, and no one recognized him.

Just then, a young couple walked past him, muttering, "Hey, why is a blind person at the cinema?"

"Shut up, don't insult disabled people. Can't they just listen to the sound?"

Ye Weiming felt like cursing.

His fame might be a bit low, but he never expected that by wearing sunglasses to keep a low profile, he would be mistaken for a blind person.

Ye Weiming took a deep breath and walked towards the screening hall for Happy Family.

Ye Weiming had watched the trailer for Happy Family and thought it was pretty good.

The promotional song, Rice Fragrance, was also pleasant to listen to.

It made Ye Weiming more curious to see the strength of his competitor.

Of course, Ye Weiming was still confident.

A director who came from being an Uploader, who had only made one animated film, was just a greenhorn.

The House That Never Dies could be compared to Happy Family...

The movie began.

After a stretch of darkness, the movie screen slowly appeared.

In a rundown apartment, a dejected young man watched TV, crying miserably.

He popped small pills, presumably sleeping pills, into his mouth like candy.

As the young man took the pills, his inner monologue played on the big screen:

"Children's Day, and it's always different people visiting the orphanage~"

"But no one remembers my name, and no one has ever called my name~"

"Children's Day spent in the orphanage, it was just that repetitive~"

"Living a life of serious effort alone, for long enough~"

"No matter what, no one in this world will remember me~ I've lived long enough!"

A jarring phone ringtone sounded.

The young man hesitated for a long time between answering the phone and a bottle of mineral water costing ten yuan, then chose to answer.

Pfft!

The sleeping pills in the young man's mouth sprayed out like machine-gun bullets.

The person on the other end was the landlord.

It turned out the landlord wanted to charge extra because the young man had stayed a bit longer.

The young man cursed and went to the bathroom to rinse his mouth.

As he walked, his vision blurred. The young man tried to hold on, but his legs gave out, and he collapsed on the ground.

The landlord, who rushed over, found the young man who had fainted.

"Wake up, young man!"

Seeing the sleeping pills scattered on the floor, he quickly rushed into the room, turned the young man over, and began chest compressions:

"Oh dear, this kid, if you want to die, go die somewhere else. What bad luck!"

After the young man was revived.

Under the bridge, staff on a rescue boat were frantically providing aid to a suicidal person who had fallen into the water.

"Honestly, why today? Didn't they just carve anti-suicide slogans on the bridge?"

The camera cut to the slogan on the bridge:

[How have you been lately?]

[Are you tired?]

[Is something bothering you?]

[Go see the people you love now!]

[Your wife and children are waiting for you at home for dinner.]

Before the voice faded, the male protagonist suddenly fell into the water with a splash from the bridge.

The two rescuers were dumbfounded.

Laughter filled the cinema.

Although it was a tragic suicide scene, the director handled it brilliantly.

Many childlike humorous moments were added, allowing everyone to laugh heartily without suffering moral condemnation.

Amidst the audience's cheers and laughter, only one person sat uncomfortably, fidgeting as if suffering from hemorrhoids.

Ye Weiming rubbed his face, his heart a tangle of complex emotions.

He felt out of place with the surrounding crowd.

People's joys and sorrows are not shared.

Ye Weiming felt a vague sense of foreboding.

How come it felt like this director's skill was even more profound than mine?