King of Hollywood

Counting the previous three times, this is Adrian's fourth visit to the mainland. Of course, this is the first time he has made an official visit as the chairman of one of the world's largest media groups. Therefore, it is necessary to face the swarms of reporters, and to say a lot of nonsense that seems to be beautiful but useless, and at the same time occupy the headlines of the current affairs and entertainment sections of various media.

After all, in addition to being the chairman of the media group, he is also a legendary director. 80% of the films he directed have been shown in mainland China, and he has a large number of fans.

However, Adrian's official visit to the mainland is not for these. Although there are many business negotiations, those professionals are responsible for it, and all he has to do is visit. That's right, to put it simply, just come and have a look and play. Of course, it's impossible to play with women this time. Such a high profile is bound to attract a lot of attention. If reporters photograph something that shouldn't be photographed, then It's a bit of a hassle, he's already famous for being a playboy.

In fact, at the cocktail party that night, those women who managed to get an invitation card were like moths on a fire, racking their brains to chat with him—mostly from the entertainment industry, Lin Zhiling, Gao Yuanyuan and their fame The road, and how the big and small double ice squeezed into Hollywood is no longer a secret in this circle, not to mention that the Wang brothers often use cooperation with the media as a sign.

So, as long as Adrian wants to, it's fine to play. It's just that it would be very troublesome if he was caught by a reporter, and it's hard to say whether there are some stupid women who want to use this stupid method to improve their reputation, even though he holds shares in many media companies in the mainland. But this is not his own territory after all, and it cannot be as easy as an arm.

The reason why it is so high-profile is that, firstly, some business cooperation needs to be negotiated in a formal way, and secondly, if you want to make a high-profile visit to the mainland in another two years, you need to carefully consider it. Adrian is not Buffett, and there is not a word. The ability to let the stock market appreciate - this is also a passport. However, he also admitted that there is a little meaning of returning home, but it is only a little bit, except for the reasons mentioned above. There are some little things that he needs to come to really understand.

"There is no doubt that you are creating miracles. Even here, the first good place, can still be regarded as the same for three days," Adrian sighed while standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling glass windows of the China World Hotel, looking at the scenery outside , "It's hard to imagine that the Fifth Ring Road was just put into use when I came a few years ago. But now the Sixth Ring Road is almost finished, it seems. The Seventh Ring Road is definitely indispensable."

Then, he turned his head and smiled at the old man beside him: "I hope you will not build the Ring Road to the United States in the future."

"That's a good idea." The other party laughed, not caring at all. "To be honest, you are the media tycoon who knows China best I've ever met, Mr. Kewell."

After a pause, he added: "This is not a compliment. Your imperial decree understands China better than many Chinese, such as your speech at Yenching University yesterday. Regarding the movie and the latter part, I personally agree very much. "

"Really?" Adrian raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Of course," the other party nodded earnestly, with a bit of contempt, "you are right, if those people can't do well within the rules, will they be able to do well if the rules are cancelled?"

"Thank you." Adrian smiled though. But he didn't pay much attention to it. His remarks were mostly compliments, and in his heart, he probably liked the last few sentences the most.

Just like all the great people will go to several well-known universities to give speeches after coming to China. Adrian was not exempt from the custom, so yesterday he gave a speech on the theme of "New Media and the Public" at Yenching University. At first, he actually wanted to go to Shuimu University. Although most of the top executives in this country came from Yanjing, the most important ones always came from Shuimu, so he really wanted to see it.

But after thinking about it, I gave up. Although Shuimu University also sent an invitation, the words were not sincere, but more like coping, but Yenching University was more enthusiastic. In order to avoid sending wrong signals, Adrian finally chose to By.

Most of the main speeches have nothing to say. The manuscripts of the speeches are prepared in advance and shown to the school and some people. The schools that come to participate are also selected. However, sometimes there are always a few daring guys. When he said that the emergence of online video may lead to more personal movies, and then allowed to ask questions, a student asked him what he thought about Chinese movies.

"There is no doubt that Chinese films are trying to catch up. Although the pace is faltering, and although the direction is sometimes unclear, it is indeed advancing. I know that "Hero" has a bad reputation in the mainland, but in North America, it is true It's a good movie." Adrian replied in fluent Chinese, the whole speech was in Chinese, which made him get a lot of surprised eyes, and at the same time gave those who were preparing to show English a chance to play.

Originally, he only intended to say the last sentence, but the person who asked the question did not seem satisfied with the answer, and immediately asked: "What do you think are the specific gaps between China and Hollywood in film production, from system to system."

After this sentence came out, what he wanted to say was basically certain. Not only did the classmates sitting near him glanced at him, but some of the principals of the school who sat at the front also turned their heads slightly, showing a worried look. .

"I roughly understand what this classmate means." After a few seconds of pause, Adrian said with a smile.

Is this...a tradition of Yenching University? Saying that they were mple was not wrong at all, and since that was the case, then he would be rude.

"There is such a country," he suddenly raised his voice, "their film industry has just started, and the domestic market is occupied by foreign films, people are very tolerant of other countries' films, even bad ones, But they are very harsh on domestic films. In order to support the domestic film industry, the government has to legislate to restrict foreign films and encourage domestic filmmakers to make more and better works. But at the same time, they set up various review committees to ensure the film The box office and the 'pure' movie footage, started cutting and banning movies they thought were bad."

Having said this, Adrian laughed with a meaningful expression: "Now, is there any classmate who can tell me which country I am talking about?"

The auditorium of Yenching University was silent for a while, and then a small but clear mutter came from out of nowhere: "If you take it as an example, it's definitely not our country."

Immediately there was a burst of laughter.

Adrian also laughed: "Yes, this country I'm talking about. It's the United States in the first half of the last century."

There was a buzzing sound, but it quickly decreased. With the rapid development of the Internet, these students here will not know what he is talking about.

"That's right, I'm talking about the Hays Code," Adrian continued. "As early as 1915, state governments at all levels prepared censorship committees to force films to be edited according to regulations. Or face the consequences of being banned. A few years later, the state committees joined together and became a national organization. A few years later, the code for reviewing standards was published and approved by the then head of the agency, Will B. Hayes enforces it, so it is called the Hayes Code. The entire code has 12 prohibitions, covering various situations such as crime, sex, religion, etc. Of course, whether it is violated or not depends on the reviewers of the committee. Attitude. I think the classmates here should have seen the movie "The Aviator" on the website, about the difficulties suffered by the film made by Howard Hughes. I guarantee that those details are true. "

A low laugh sounded with a hint of embarrassment, not because of the Hays Code, but because of the phrase "I have seen it on the website".

"I know, some classmates will definitely say that the times are different. The standards are also different, and now there should be more freedom, I agree with this," Adrian raised his hands up. "In fact, I totally agree that the imagination can fly higher without restraint, and the fact that what the Hessian Code banned in the first place is now abound in Hollywood movies, and the deeper the violation, the more the box office."

There was another burst of low laughter, but the smiles of those students seemed meaningful, and the school leaders in the front row exchanged glances a little uneasy.

"But I'm not using the example of the Hayes Code to say this," Adrian changed the subject, "What I want to say is that the Hayes Code ruled Hollywood for nearly 40 years from its official issuance to its conclusion, and in the In the past 40 years, we still have "Hell's Angels", "Wuthering Heights", "Casablanca", "Roman Holiday", "Ben-Hur", and many works that can be called classics! I believe that even if The same goes for watching these movies decades later."

His voice rose again, and on the contrary, the voices of the students in the auditorium gradually fell.

"So," Adrian smiled meaningfully, "my question is, where is your "Hell's Angels", your "Casablanca", your "Roman Holiday"?"

Without waiting for an answer, he immediately said loudly: "If a person can't make the most basic movements to stretch his wings under not-so-strict rules, why do I believe that you can get out of the shackles of the rules? Fly higher and farther instead of doing Brownian motion?"

There were a few more chuckles, and then it fell down quickly.

"I like China, and I am optimistic about China's potential," Adrian said again, "I don't think it needs to be proven."

Of course, there is no need to prove that among the American entrepreneurs visiting the mainland, his Chinese is definitely the best.

"Although China's film industry lags behind the United States in all aspects, I still hope that China's film industry can develop, because Hollywood needs competition, and the United States needs competition. Don't argue or hide, this is a fact, and it will be a long time in the future. In time, cooperation and competition between China and the United States will be everywhere." He said seriously.

To be honest, he originally wanted to use the word "opponent". This neutral word can better reflect the current relationship between China and the United States. However, considering that others may not necessarily use his ideas to interpret it, both sides may not be flattered at that time. , so in the end it was replaced by "competition".

"Without competition, there is no vitality. Without vitality, there will be degradation and survival of the fittest. This is a proven truth," Adrian's voice echoed in the auditorium. On. We are invincible in the global market, but because of this, many producers begin to think that as long as the special effects are done well, no matter how much investment is made, they can make money back, and then they forget the most important point. So it's a good movie because it has a good story."

He raised his hands again, and many people present showed a thoughtful look: "I first hoped that Europe could play this role, but unfortunately they would rather shrink in a small circle to keep warm and maintain their so-called 'art' rather than more Further. Regarding my comment on this point, if you have watched The Ellen Show on the Internet, you should be able to find it, No. 43 in 2005."

A few more embarrassed laughter.

"Afterwards, I also inspected Japan, South Korea and... India. Unfortunately, their markets are too closed. For example, India, they always like to add some songs and dances to the film, so I finally set my sights on China." Adri Ann finally slowed down and said with a smile. "You have created many miracles, and you will continue to create miracles, so why can't you create miracles in this? Although you still have a long way to go, although your filmmakers are still not in their right place, although you There are still many restrictions on your head. Although your market has a scale but is not mature and systematic enough, I am optimistic about you. So, I am waiting. Waiting for you to adjust your attitude, waiting for you to get rid of the rules, waiting for you to be more Mature, wait—your challenge."

Warm applause rang out.

On the second day, there were naturally all kinds of voices in the mainland media, but they were barely standing in a neutral position. Some southern newspapers turned a blind eye to the defense of a certain bureau. Then he praised Adrian for his broad-mindedness. Who made him one of America's super-rich? Although some six-generation directors protested, thinking that some of the remarks were suspected of insulting, but unfortunately no one cared. Because Adrian is also a super director, from the Palme d'Or to the Oscars, it's his stage, no one has a richer genre than him, and neither can Kubrick, Chinese directors who can blame him in this regard... Basically No.

In addition, the full text of the speech has resonated with many young people after it was posted on the Internet. They believe that this legendary rich man and director from the United States who speaks fluent Chinese is quite good, and this is the person who is really good to China. In this case, those directors who jumped out to show their presence or want to hype are naturally unflattering, unless a few particularly thick-skinned guys basically died out quickly.

Well, let's not talk about this, no matter how much waves the speech at Yenching University caused in the mainland, Adrian has already run behind his head. As for the United States, it has already passed with Claude, and there will be no problem. What we really have to face is this old guy who is almost 60 years old in front of him. The more compliments the other party compliments, the more troublesome the next thing.

"I also feel honored to be praised by a mainland electronics giant like you, Mr. Ren." Adrian said two polite words, and then changed the conversation: "Okay, let's talk about the specifics. things."

"Of course..." Although Mr. Ren smiled, the embarrassment still fell into Adrian's eyes. What could it be?

"I'll just say it straight, Mr. Cowell," Mr. Ren said directly after hesitating for two seconds: "The shares of Bona in your hands... Have you ever thought about selling it?"

Adrian blinked, connecting the cause and effect in just a few seconds, and then spent a few seconds thinking about the matter more clearly - he is not unprepared for the mainland government, data collection It is very sufficient. After Mr. Ren, who has little contact with his own industry, expressed that he wanted to talk privately, he spent a lot of time preparing, how could he not think of what they wanted.

"I don't think I have any illegal behavior, right, Mr. Ren? Compared with Murdoch, I am quite abiding by the rules." Adrian said with a half-smile.

Mr. Ren coughed dryly, and the embarrassment became more and more obvious. At the same time, he was a little annoyed. Obviously, he was unwilling to take on this task, and he also wanted face.

"You know, under normal circumstances... the government doesn't allow it..." He smiled bitterly, and finally said it bluntly: "Simply put, you control too many properties."

"But I didn't exceed the line you drew, did I?" Adrian looked aggressive. "I'm a very disciplined person, as long as the other party also obeys the rules."

On the surface, it seems to be due to Bona's reasons, because Poly Group, which acquired most of Bona's equity, is the military's territory, and they obviously do not want to share it with foreign capital, especially the media group, which is one of the largest in the world. This is also the reason why Mr. Ren will be the messenger. He also has a military background, which is regarded as a warp among mainland officials and businessmen. The company and the media holding Apple shares are also somewhat connected. It is suitable for him to come forward and spread the word-Wang Brothers Insufficient.

But if you think about it from Adrian's point of view, you will understand that this is actually a measure of the mainland government under a kind of worry, because he already holds too many mainland media companies.

Huayi, Bona, Hairun, Orange Sky, etc., as long as they are the top mainland media companies that can be ranked, basically all have a foot in it. As for those well-known IT companies, video, community, search, instant messaging... basically all of them have not been spared, although he has always adhered to the bottom line drawn by them, and is always the second or third shareholder, but in terms of quantity The above is too exaggerated.

This is unacceptable to the mainland government, which can tolerate other corporate giants but does not allow the emergence of large media groups. But Adrian has always kept his own feet. He has never overly challenged their bottom line, and he is still pro-China. I don't see how many Chinese women around him? They really couldn't find any good excuses, so in the end they had to let old man Ren come forward and test it out. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to the starting point (m) to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation.)