Chapter 36: The Launch Press Conference

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As The Beach at Night became a major hit, discussion of Li Xiaoran, Tian Zhuangzhuang, and Cao Yang grew increasingly intense.

Everything said about Li Xiaoran was praise: praise for her acting, praise for her beauty. Some public intellectuals even began proclaiming her a representative of the independent woman of the new era.

So acting in a film was enough to make someone an independent woman of the new age?

What nonsense.

As for Old Tian, the discussion came mainly from tabloids and online forums. People lamented his fate, saying that if he had not been barred from directing all those years, he would long since have become an internationally acclaimed great director like the National Teacher and Brother Kai.

They even offered proof. A certain coal magnate had boasted to the media that he had invested in the film, and that he had opened his wallet in the first place because of Tian Zhuangzhuang. If it were not his own film, why would Tian Zhuangzhuang be so invested in it?

What could a third-year student possibly know about filmmaking? He was merely a puppet pushed to the front. Old Tian was the one truly calling the shots.

From there, they moved on to attacking the censorship system, and so on and so forth…

As for Cao Yang, opinions fell into two camps.

One held that Cao Yang was merely a director in name and that the film had actually been made by Tian Zhuangzhuang. How could a third-year student possibly have made such a good movie?

The other believed Cao Yang had simply been blessed with extraordinary luck. Look at his blunt, simple shots—static pans and zooms, fixed-position shots lasting forever. Who could not do that? If he had not encountered an actress with Li Xiaoran’s godlike skills, forget winning a Silver Bear; he would never even have made it into the main competition.

Quite a few directors had even issued public appeals through the media, expressing their desire to work with Li Xiaoran and make a run at the top prizes of the three major European film festivals.

The implication was obvious: Give me Li Xiaoran, and I can do it too—and do it even better.

An enormous number of media outlets came to the production launch press conference for The Empty Room.

Before the event, production manager Cheng Jianye had asked Cao Yang whether they ought to screen the media, in case things became impossible to handle.

Cao Yang had initially considered doing just that. But then he thought about it. If they screened the media, would those kept outside the venue simply stop reporting?

It might be easier to keep things under control if they let everyone in.

Sure enough, at The Empty Room’s production launch press conference, apart from the local media of Ludong Island, which asked a few relevant questions, most of the others focused on matters unrelated to the film.

Tian Zhuangzhuang did not attend. He had a feeling that something troublesome might happen, so he decided it was better not to see it at all.

Besides, as the art director, what business did he have attending a production launch press conference?

So the scene consisted of Cao Yang leading a group of actors.

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Yu Feihong had some fame, but not much—nothing worth reporting.

Liu Ye? They did not know him. Not worth wasting column space on.

Wu Qihua, however, was familiar to many reporters. He had played Fang Tangjing in The Ninth-Rank Magistrate, that thoroughly punchable character. More memorable still, of course, were the art films such as Sex and Zen…

That might be worth mentioning in passing. It could even boost newspaper sales.

“Director Cao, the camera work you used in The Beach at Night was very straightforward. Will this new film continue in the same style?”

The question came from a reporter with Xinlang Entertainment. It was at least related to the new film, making it relatively friendly.

Cao Yang answered with a smile. “When I made The Beach at Night, I had only just finished my second year. You may not know this, but before their third year, students at our school study only the fundamentals. So when I made that film, those basic techniques were all I knew.”

“Ah?” The reporter from Xinlang Entertainment had not expected Cao Yang to say that.

“I’m a third-year student now, and I’ve learned a great deal of professional theory. So in this film, I’ll be putting that knowledge to use.

“Have you forgotten? This is a student-practice film, an examination and application of what I’ve learned. All you have to do is watch and see whether I can apply it flexibly.”

He was joking, right?

Many of the reporters smiled, playing along.

“Director Cao, some people say The Beach at Night was actually directed by Tian Zhuangzhuang. Is that true?”

Cheng Jianye rose to his feet, intending to stop this baseless claim, but the moment he stood, Cao Yang pressed him back down.

“Yes, you’re absolutely right. Tian Zhuangzhuang was the cinematographer on the film. Those shots were certainly filmed by him.”

Cao Yang smiled. “You can even report directly that all those simple, straightforward shots were filmed by Tian Zhuangzhuang. I’d quite like to see the expression on his face when he reads it.”

“Hahaha…”

The room erupted in laughter. Everyone knew that Tian Zhuangzhuang belonged to the Fifth Generation of directors, and that this generation was especially fond of playing tricks with the camera. Anyone who knew him would not mistake those ideas for Old Tian’s.

“Director Cao, some people say that The Beach at Night won two Silver Bears entirely because of Li Xiaoran. What do you think?”

Cheng Jianye could not take it any longer. He picked up the microphone and reminded them, “Friends in the press, this is the production launch press conference for The Empty Room. Please note: the production launch press conference. Kindly refrain from asking unrelated questions. Thank you for your cooperation.”

“All right, I’ll answer this last question. And to the reporters who are eager to try their luck, please stop adding to the chaos. Let’s not turn The Empty Room’s production launch press conference into a celebration banquet for The Beach at Night, shall we?”

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After Cao Yang finished speaking, the reporters below burst into laughter, and the atmosphere eased considerably.

Whatever else one might say, they had asked such awkward questions, yet the director had neither lost his temper nor refused to answer. He had already shown them considerable courtesy.

“Everyone witnessed Li Xiaoran’s acting in The Beach at Night. It was precisely that performance that won her the first Best Actress award at Berlin for a mainland actress.”

Cao Yang established the premise before continuing. “But it would not be entirely accurate to say the achievement was all hers. A film is not made by one person alone. There were other actors and members of the crew. Without them, she could not have performed either, could she?”

“How much credit do you deserve, Director Cao?” a reporter called out.

Cao Yang smiled and counted on his fingers, one item at a time.

“I directed the film. I initiated the project. I wrote the screenplay. I personally decided on her as the female lead… How much credit do you think I deserve? All right, let’s get to the main subject.”

The opening of The Empty Room’s production launch press conference had practically turned into a special session devoted to The Beach at Night, but in the end, things remained under control.

The reporters had not expected Cao Yang to answer every question. Since the director had shown them so much courtesy, they could not be too tactless in return. After all, this was not yet the age of paparazzi. Everyone still observed the rules of social appearances.

Of course, that was only on the surface. One should not assume that reporters of this era were weak. When they wrote articles attacking people, they named names, and they were remarkably direct.

Which major actress had never been singled out for abuse? Which director had never been called out by name? Even the National Teacher and Brother Kai had been attacked head-on. When they cursed you, they made sure you knew it.

In truth, the larger media outlets were fairly friendly toward Cao Yang. This was an era that showed considerable tolerance toward young people.

A student director in his twenties might have succeeded for any number of reasons. Even the most jealous among them, without concrete evidence, could do little more than make a few sarcastic insinuations. They would never personally charge onto the battlefield and attack him outright.

Why?

Because he was young. Because he was a student at the Beijing Film Academy.

Of course, that did not mean the media would stop reporting. They simply would not name him directly. Instead, they could use another method.

For example, they might interview an ordinary passerby and use that person’s mouth to say what they themselves wanted to say.

As for how that passerby happened to express precisely the views they desired, well, that could only be called an absolute coincidence.

They could also add certain phrases, such as “it is said” or “according to reports”…

One should neither idealize the ordinary media nor think too badly of them. Bias was perfectly normal. When interests were involved, the best approach was simply to maintain a level head.

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