Recently, a movie, a person and a thing have set off the film circle. That is the event that producer Fang Li knelt down on the webcast platform for the film "A Hundred Birds at the Phoenix".
Who is Fang Li? Many outsiders may not know him very well. Although Fang Li is a senior filmmaker with a good reputation in the film industry at present, he is actually a "monk halfway".
Fang Li graduated from East China Institute of Geology (now east china institute of technology) with a major in applied geophysics in 1982, and obtained an MBA from WakeForest University in 1989. In 1991, Laurie Industrial Company was founded, which is currently the top geophysical instrument company in the world and has achieved great commercial success in the fields of earth science and marine science and technology.
It is such a "sophisticated" person with high intelligence similar to Andy, the heroine of Ode to Joy, who resolutely devoted herself to the film industry in 2000 and founded Laurie Film Company. Fang Li made movies out of his true love for movies, rather than simply holding the mentality of making money by investing. Most of the films he has invested in are literary films, such as Wang Chao’s Anyang Baby and Lou Ye’s Summer Palace. Recently, he has invested most in Li Yu’s films, Guanyin Mountain, Second Exposure and Growth of Everything. The one who makes the most money should be Han Han’s "See you later".
Recently, Fang Li’s busy movie is "A Hundred Birds at the Phoenix". A Hundred Birds at the Phoenix is the posthumous work of the famous director Wu Tianming. Wu Tianming is a representative of the fourth generation directors in China. Many people may have seen his Old Well and FACE/OFF when they were "children". Although he has not made many films, almost every one of them has won domestic or foreign awards. He is a director who makes movies with his heart and loves movies with his life. Wu Tianming was 73 years old when filming "A Hundred Birds in the Phoenix". At this age, most people should stay at home and support their grandchildren. Wu Tianming still insists on being in the first line of filming.
The content of the film also tells the persistence of an old artist. Similar to Wu Tianming’s old work FACE/OFF, A Hundred Birds at the Phoenix is also a story of the demise of traditional art. In Wushuang Town, the folk art of suona, which has been passed down for a long time, is not only for entertainment, but also a kind of life evaluation for those who died in a long journey when holding a funeral. Only at the funeral of a respected person can you play "A Hundred Birds at the Phoenix". And "A Hundred Birds in the Phoenix" is a difficult piece, and only the top suona master can be competent. In the whole town of Wushuang, only Jiao Sanye, the leader of Jiaojiaban, who is famous in all directions, can play "A Hundred Birds at the Phoenix". The old-school suona craftsman held his breath, smothered one mouthful blood, and would rather die in the plush chair where the performance would be held.
The People’s Daily commented that a hundred birds pay homage to the phoenix: It is a realistic film development path with China characteristics, China style and China style, which is in line with Life, Old Well, FACE/OFF and CEO and keeps pace with the times. This is precisely under the realistic background that the eastern and western cultures are coming from all sides. In the face of all kinds of historical nihilism thoughts and the "Westernization" of the East, it still retains valuable cultural consciousness and cultural determination. It is the result of China’s characteristic film creation.
However, after the release of "Hundred Birds in the Phoenix", the proportion of films has been only about 1-2%. Most of the performances are in the early morning and late night, and many viewers said they wanted to see a movie, but they couldn’t buy tickets. For a literary film released at the same time as Captain America: Civil War, this result is regrettable, but not unexpected.
Producer Fang Li couldn’t sit still. May 12th is the eighth anniversary of the Wenchuan earthquake, which is also a day of "phoenix nirvana" for the film "Birds at the Phoenix". On the same day, the film was released for a week, only earning 3.64 million at the box office, and the number of films was as low as 1.2%. Even though there were many big-name film platforms to help out, it didn’t help, and it was about to be shown. On the evening of the same day, Fang Li, the producer of "A Hundred Birds at the Phoenix", knelt down and kowtowed on the webcast platform, which shocked the industry and the outside world. When Fang Li knelt down, he said, "If you can arrange a golden field for us this weekend, Laos will immediately kowtow to you and kneel down to you … For the wishes of director Wu Tianming and for the audience, I am willing to beg you."
This incident triggered the crazy brushing of social media and quickly evolved into a social topic. On the 13th, "Hundred Birds in the Phoenix" broke through one million in a single day and began to counterattack. On May 15th, the screening ratio of "Hundred Birds Facing the Phoenix" rose to 7.4%, ranking first. As of May 16th, the total box office of the film reached 25.98 million.
Some people praised Fang Li for disregarding his own dignity for his feelings and loyalty, while others thought that this was a moral kidnapping, which ran counter to Wu Tianming’s own spirit and his theme of "suona is for himself" in "A hundred birds fly at the phoenix". Some people even think that this is a marketing tool.
But even if it is a marketing tool, what’s the harm? The literary films invested by Fang Li, especially those directed by Li Yu in the past two years, have all done well at the box office. This has a lot to do with the team’s market awareness and marketing plan. Moreover, compared with the "hidden rules" such as buying box office and dividing points with cinemas, such marketing methods may be more tragic and aboveboard. To tell the truth, I don’t like to watch "high and low" literary films, but it is precisely because of the lack of audience base that China film market needs filmmakers like Fang Li who love movies and know how to promote different kinds of movies.
After all, a mature film market can’t only have the living space of commercial films. After all, movies are not only commercial, but also an artistic expression. For the general audience, it is also a good choice to eat more big fish and meat and occasionally taste some porridge dishes.