Huayu: Starting with mentoring female stars

Chapter 41 Chen Zhou's Verbal Battle with Lu Chuan

After Chen Zhou said those words, Lu Chuan immediately turned cold.

"You're overthinking it. I've never paid any attention to any news about you. It's just that friends often mention you, and I got annoyed with it, so I remembered a little bit of it."

"Besides, 1.5 million in box office revenue isn't that high, it's just so-so."

After saying that, Lu Chuan sat down in her seat and didn't say anything more.

Chen Zhou smiled calmly.

Lu Chuan is still the same as before, always stubborn and refusing to admit her mistakes.

This made him suddenly realize that, from a certain perspective, Lu Chuan was actually a little bit 'cute'.

Jiang Wei, who had witnessed the scene, said to Chen Zhou, "You and Lu Chuan are still so at odds. How did things turn out like this between you two, who were once such good senior and junior brothers?"

"Yes, Director Chen, is there some kind of conflict between you two?" Sun Honglei asked.

So Chen Zhou told Sun Honglei about his relationship with Lu Chuan, which earned him repeated praise from Sun Honglei.

"Well done! That's the spirit young people should have!"

Shortly afterward, the exchange meeting officially began.

The first speaker called to the stage by the host was the director of "Garland at the Foot of the Mountain".

He mainly talked about his mental journey when creating this film.

Later on, people like Li Youbing also went on stage as representatives of the actors to share their experiences.

An hour passed.

The host on stage announced loudly, "Next, let's welcome representatives of the film directors, Director Lu Chuan and Director Chen Zhou, to the stage to share their stories about filmmaking."

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhou was taken aback for a moment.

He was just there to make a show of things and give the authorities some face.

Why did I suddenly have to go on stage and give a speech?

And it's unclear whether the organizers did this intentionally to create some entertainment value.

They actually made him give a speech together with Lu Chuan.

On the other side, Lu Chuan was laughing, as if this was a great opportunity for him.

This so-called opportunity is definitely intended to target Chen Zhou.

Then, Chen Zhou and Lu Chuan both sat on the sofa on the stage.

Lu Chuan crossed her legs, exuding an air of authority.

Chen Zhou sat upright and proper, like a good student in class.

The female host smiled and said, "Directors Lu Chuan and Chen Zhou are both well-known figures among the younger generation of directors, and you're both currently filming new movies. Do you have any related content you could share with us?"

Lu Chuan picked up the microphone and began lecturing:

"First of all, I've always felt that film is an art product within culture."

"But there has always been a problem in our country, which is that the level of knowledge among moviegoers who go to the cinema is too low."

"So much so that even when we produce some excellent works, these viewers still can't appreciate them."

"Therefore, I believe this is a predicament for our domestic film industry."

"As expected of Director Lu Chuan, her critiques are truly sharp." The female host praised her, then looked at Chen Zhou, "So, Director Chen Zhou, do you have anything to say?"

Chen Zhou picked up the microphone: "Originally, there wasn't much to say, since I'm just here to humbly learn. But I really can't agree with what Director Lu Chuan just said."

Upon hearing this, Lu Chuan and the female host froze.

And everyone below suddenly felt that the atmosphere was a bit strange.

Then, Chen Zhou continued:

"The reason why movies can continue to develop is because of the audiences who are willing to go to the cinema."

"Some directors' works are clearly just empty talk and are clearly incomprehensible."

"Then, because of poor box office performance or being criticized, people start saying this and that about the audience."

"If I were a viewer, I would want to directly criticize this kind of director."

"Why should I have to pay for a ticket and then get lectured by some directors? What kind of ridiculous thing is this?"

Instead of pushing all the blame onto the audience, we should use our brains and think about how to make a better movie.

"To put it bluntly, some directors are becoming increasingly detached from their audiences!"

As Chen Zhou finished speaking, everyone present felt a chill in their hearts.

In particular, Chen Zhou's last sentence, "Some directors are getting further and further away from the audience," was particularly powerful and weighty.

"Well said!"

A round of applause erupted from the audience.

Everyone looked closely and saw that it was the director of "Garland at the Foot of the Mountain" applauding Chen Zhou.

Chen Zhou looked at the senior director, smiled and nodded to express his gratitude.

Then applause rang out one after another.

Jiang Wei, Sun Honglei, and others were all supporting Chen Zhou.

This situation made Lu Chuan's face extremely gloomy.

Chen Zhou is deliberately going against him!

I just want to cause him trouble!

Utterly disgusting!

However, he doesn't show these emotions on his face; he maintains a gentle and refined demeanor, presenting a good image.

To ease the awkwardness, the female host changed the subject: "I heard that director Lu Chuan's previous film, 'City of Life and Death,' has successfully wrapped up filming. I wonder what stage your film is at now?"

Lu Chuan replied, "It's already in the formal editing stage, and if all goes well, it will premiere in China this year."

"However, I want to tell everyone that my film is a macro-narrative, not just limited to the domestic market, but with a global perspective."

"You could even say that my film was made specifically for foreign audiences."

"This is also to help them better understand our tragic history."

Chen Zhou couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"What do you mean? What are you laughing at?" Lu Chuan asked coldly.

"I didn't laugh," Chen Zhou replied.

"I'm not blind! I clearly saw you laughing just now!"

"I really didn't laugh." Chen Zhou appeared very calm. "I just thought what Director Lu Chuan said was somewhat humorous."

"Where's the humor?" Lu Chuan asked in a deep voice.

Chen Zhou responded:

"Director Lu's film 'Nanjing Nanjing' is based on the history of the Nanjing Massacre in China."

"As a director, when you film this kind of history, shouldn't you really be considering the domestic audience? Why are you focusing on the international audience?"

"If you can't even win over domestic audiences, do you think foreigners would be willing to watch?"

Hearing Chen Zhou's question, Lu Chuan laughed instead of getting angry: "Just like I said, I adopt a more macro-level shooting method, so it's normal for some younger directors with a smaller perspective to have questions about it. I don't mind at all."

The next moment, Chen Zhou continued, "If that's the case, then why did you choose to premiere it domestically instead of premiering it overseas first? Is it because you can't let go of the domestic market? You want it both ways?"

Chen Zhou's words brought the atmosphere in the room to a freezing point once again, because the angle was just too tricky!

Just as Chen Zhou said, Lu Chuan kept saying that she prioritized foreign audiences.

However, when the movie was released, it prioritized the domestic market, which was an extremely "slick" move.

Lu Chuan fell silent, the microphone was brought to her lips several times, but she couldn't utter a single word.

That bastard Chen Zhou really choked him to death!