Chapter 100: Controversy

Wang Dong was the boss of a small, self-run media traffic platform. He was still in the earliest stage of his venture, so the site’s daily traffic was modest, and the company’s main line of business was centered on hired shill work and routine page-view boosting. He did not even have a proper reporter on his staff. Today, for the launch event, he had come in person, and the press pass in his pocket was one he had obtained many years ago.

Unlike the others, who showed little interest, Wang Dong was a modest sci-fi enthusiast. The moment Jameson began explaining the props, Wang Dong’s attention snapped fully into place. Ideas erupted in his mind one after another, and he keenly sensed that this film was something unusual.

The props Jameson described were far too lifelike. A little imagination was enough to realize they might actually be usable in real life. The question was whether someone would truly spend money making props that realistic for a movie, or whether this was all just a publicity ploy.

He knew Chen Jingming well enough, and he was no stranger to Ling Xuan either. She was a gifted young actress, unfortunate enough to have offended the Su family, one of the entertainment industry’s heavyweights, not long after her debut. As a result, she had spent the past two years drifting in and out of view, with little exposure.

What kind of spark would these two create together? Wang Dong’s interest was suddenly piqued.

Looking at the people around him, who remained entirely indifferent, he felt an indescribable sense of mismatch, as if they might be about to miss something important. The amount of information contained in Above the Firmament was considerable. That was the judgment he had arrived at after years in the business.

Once the launch event ended, the reporters began packing up and preparing to leave, showing no interest in interviews at all. A faint smile touched Wang Dong’s lips. He pushed through the crowd and approached Chen Jingming’s group.

“Director Chen, I’m Wang Dong from Today’s Viewpoint,” he said, adopting the posture of a reporter rather than a boss. Smiling, he greeted Chen Jingming and the others. “If you have a moment, I’d like to do an exclusive interview with you.”

“An exclusive interview?” Chen Jingming had by then also realized the issues with today’s event. He had not expected anyone to show genuine interest, so he sized up Wang Dong’s ordinary clothes. He had never heard of Today’s Viewpoint and assumed it was probably some small traffic platform from somewhere. “The film hasn’t officially started shooting yet. An exclusive interview is unnecessary.”

There was not much to say in an interview at this stage anyway. Better to keep the mystery.

“No problem, no problem,” Wang Dong said with an easy laugh, unsurprised by the refusal. “Actually, I’d like to follow this film closely and do a series of special reports on it. To put it simply, I’d like to open a dedicated column for Above the Firmament on the Today’s Viewpoint website and track the film comprehensively.”

“Ah...” Chen Jingming froze. To be honest, having someone promote his film was a good thing, but he was the director, not an expert in online publicity. He turned a consulting look toward Ling Xuan.

Ling Xuan was an actress, and she had at least some experience with publicity and traffic. Wang Dong’s proposal was certainly workable, but the terms had to be made clear. She smiled, cleared her throat, and said, “Hello. You should know that our film is still in the preparatory stage. Even after filming begins, and even when it is eventually released, there may still be some controversy.”

Judging by the results of today’s event, it had not generated the explosive buzz they had hoped for. Han-Tang audiences were not especially interested in domestically produced sci-fi films.

“That’s fine. Controversy is a good thing,” Wang Dong said, visibly relieved. Online topics did not fear controversy; the more people argued, the hotter the subject became. What was truly troublesome was lukewarm indifference, something that sat neither high nor low and drew no attention at all. “If possible, I’d like to discuss it in detail. Ideally, we could set up a cooperation framework. Today’s Viewpoint doesn’t have huge traffic, but I do have some connections in the industry, and they can all be used for promotion.”

That was already a fairly deep level of cooperation. What Wang Dong wanted was exclusive, full-cycle publicity for Above the Firmament, or something very close to it. Ling Xuan could not make that decision herself, so she pressed her lips together and looked toward Chen Jingming.

“In that case, we’ll need to communicate further,” Chen Jingming said after some thought, feeling that it was feasible, though the specifics would need to be overseen by Xiao Kaitian. “If it’s convenient, let’s set a time and talk in detail. The investor may need to be involved as well.”

Wang Dong was very satisfied with that outcome.

As for the event itself, the effect was just as the现场 response had suggested: that evening, websites of all sizes gave flat, matter-of-fact reports on the launch event. Chen Jingming’s influence was no longer what it had once been, and Ling Xuan could bring in a little traffic from her older fans, but without support from mainstream media, the topic could not stir up much of anything.

What’s more, the reporters who attended had not truly bothered to understand the film’s production details. Jameson’s explanation of the props had been obscure and hard to grasp. The press copy that went out was full of the same bland praise and polite excitement, offering no real point of interest beyond the fact that the investment was substantial.

And yet, surprisingly, it did become a topic after all—just not the one Chen Jingming had wanted.

Not long after the information spread through various small and mid-sized media outlets and self-media accounts, a new update appeared on the microblog of the celebrated Han-Tang director Li Qiuping.

Over the years, Han-Tang film screens had been dominated by Li Qiuping’s works for a long time. Saying that he had supported half of Han-Tang cinema’s box office would not have been an exaggeration. His ability to rally attention was simply not something people like Chen Jingming could compare with.

“I happened to see a film launch event, and to be honest, I’m very heartened to see the vigorous development of Han-Tang cinema, especially the opening of a new sci-fi market.” The post was a video. Li Qiuping wore a Tang-style robe and kept a grave expression. “The film is being directed by Chen Jingming. I think everyone knows what’s been going on with him. I studied the relevant materials for the launch event carefully, and I found them hard to understand.”

“It is said that the production received an initial investment of two hundred million, followed by another three hundred million later on. At a total of five hundred million, this is unquestionably a major production. The producers also claimed that a substantial portion of that money went into the development of the props, which left me quite puzzled. I can understand the pursuit of realism in props, but there is no need to think in terms of practical application, is there?”

The video continued with a pointed, unnamed criticism of Above the Firmament. In the end, he concluded: “Every film is the result of the hard work of the director, the actors, and many others. Money should be invested in order to bring the world and the story being conveyed to life as perfectly as possible, not to hang a big-budget label over it as a publicity gimmick. I hope everyone in the film industry can remain clear-headed and rigorous, so that Han-Tang cinema can continue to grow. Thank you, everyone.”

As soon as Li Qiuping’s video went up, it immediately drew tens of thousands of reposts and likes, and those numbers kept climbing as time passed.

Among his followers were many domestic directors, stars, and industry insiders. In response to the issue he had raised, someone quickly posted a detailed analysis and comparison, laying the whole situation out point by point.