Gao Fei cleared his throat as Ye Sucheng's call came in, and pressed the answer button.
"Hello, Grandpa Su."
"I thought you weren't going to pick up, you little rascal," Ye Sucheng replied with a laugh on the other end of the line. "Are you upset because your company's new movie didn't pass the review?"
"It's not that I'm upset, it's just that too much content had to be cut. After the cuts, the whole movie is no different from a piece of junk."
Gao Fei spoke frankly, without any hint of complaint. He directly addressed the impact of the film's deletions.
"Little Gao, I've seen the sample reel your company submitted. If it were released in the movie market, it would definitely be a classic in the horror film series."
Ye Sucheng first offered praise, then his tone shifted, and he sighed, "It's a pity that your company's film is appearing at the wrong time. Two years ago, before I took over as head of the bureau, the higher-ups had already issued new regulations explicitly stating that horror films could not feature ghosts or promote feudal superstitions. All supernatural events had to be human-made. To be released nationwide, parts of this film must be cut and reshot according to the requirements."
Gao Fei hadn't expected that the regulations for horror films in Long Guo would be so early. He could only blame himself for not noticing this new rule. Otherwise, he would never have touched the horror film genre. Gao Fei even regretted not having transmigrated a few years earlier, as he could have made a fortune with horror films. After all, many horror films from his past life would undoubtedly be classics in this world today.
"Alright, Grandpa Su. I'll have someone reshoot and cut it according to the new regulations." He sighed in resignation. If he wanted it released, he had to comply with the new rules.
But as soon as he finished speaking, Ye Sucheng chuckled on the other end of the line and said, "Actually, there's another way for your company's film to be released."
"Another way?" Gao Fei paused abruptly and sat up straight in his chair. "Grandpa Su, you mean..."
"The new regulations issued by the bureau are only for the mainland. Other regions are not restricted. For example, places like Xiangjiang and Taiwan have no such limitations." Ye Sucheng hinted.
Gao Fei, who had already understood, immediately thanked him gratefully. "Thank you, Grandpa Su, for pointing me in the right direction. I'm extremely grateful."
"If there were no new regulations, I'd be very optimistic about your company's film. Even if released abroad, it would certainly be a classic work in foreign horror series. It's just a pity that your current identity is too sensitive, and you're greatly restricted internationally." Ye Sucheng's praise was tinged with helplessness. If it weren't for his film "Black and White Edge" being nominated for a film festival and gaining considerable fame, given the current situation, films starring Gao Fei would not only be denied release in any country but might even face bans and targeting. For instance, box office revenue abroad could be subject to fines imposed by some ill-intentioned countries. Ye Sucheng had long been accustomed to these tactics targeting Long Guo.
Gao Fei didn't dwell on the topic of restrictions. Preparations were underway for an exchange conference. Once that replicated system was handed over, those restrictions would likely ease considerably. According to Yang Guochun and Zhang Ziheng's analysis, as long as it wasn't a country allied with Mei Guo, he wouldn't face significant restrictions or targeting.
After a few casual exchanges about everyday matters, the two hung up. Just as he exited the call screen, Gao Qiang's text message arrived on his phone. The content was simple: he said the troublesome matter had been resolved and there was no need for Mr. Gao to meet him. Gao Fei glanced at the message, intending to call back, but was interrupted by Jin Qiqi, who suddenly pushed open his office door.
"Boss, Zero Degree Films is making a move." She placed her laptop on the desk and pointed to the trending topic on the screen. "In September, Zero Degree Films is releasing two movies. One is a youth romance film, and the other is a fantasy film. Specific titles, directors, and actors haven't been announced yet."
Gao Fei looked at the computer. Zero Degree Films' official account had posted a pre-release announcement stating that two romance and fantasy films would be released in September. The specific release dates were yet to be determined and would be announced three days prior, along with the opening of ticket sales. Below the announcement were two poster covers without movie titles. One was a blue poster with actors in student uniforms, but their faces were blurred. The other had a black and red background, with the actors' faces also blurred, but their attire was that of ancient times.
Gao Fei only briefly scanned Zero Degree Films' announcement before habitually clicking on the comments section.
*Zero Degree Films has emerged, and their online movies crush any domestic web series. daring to enter cinemas now shows that the upcoming two films must be exceptional in quality and plot.*
*Zero Degree's three online movies are of very high quality. Now that two films are about to be released in cinemas, I'm looking forward to them.*
*Although it's unclear who is acting in the two films, with Zero Degree's capabilities, the film quality will definitely not be bad. I'm ready to contribute to the ticket sales.*
*Same as the above, looking forward to it. Already prepared my money to buy tickets.*
*I suddenly have a feeling that Zero Degree Films' appearance, while seemingly suppressing the domestic film market, is actually rectifying the industry and spurring on various film companies in the country.*
*Pressure breeds motivation. If Zero Degree Films' two movies are box office hits and consistently high quality, it will surely elevate the filmmaking capabilities of domestic film companies.*
*It will not only improve the plots of domestic films but also enhance the acting skills of domestic actors. The actors in every film by Zero Degree Films are young people in their twenties, yet their acting skills directly surpass many popular artists in the country.*
Less than ten minutes after Zero Degree Films posted, the number of comments was around two thousand. Most netizens who commented had become fans of Zero Degree Films through their online movies, so the comment section was overwhelmingly filled with anticipation for the films' release or a comparison between domestic films.
After reading the most liked comments, Gao Fei's inner keyboard warrior began to stir. Jin Qiqi, standing beside him, was also reading and frowned. "Actually, domestic films aren't bad either. Many online movies are of better quality than Zero Degree Films, and the acting skills of some young actors are always on point. These people talk about spurring progress and pressure turning into motivation; to me, it sounds like a bunch of brainless fans. They seem to be encouraging domestic films, but in reality, they're just fawning over Zero Degree Films."
Gao Fei nodded in agreement and analyzed, "Domestic film companies have already become established. It's inevitable that large corporations will produce bad movies. These people focus on those bad movies and constantly praise Zero Degree Films. Either they are high-quality paid commenters, or as you said, they are just brainless fans who worship Korean films."
As he spoke, he logged into his alternate account, clicked into the comment section of the announcement, and typed a line.
*I don't think there's a need for such one-sided praise and criticism. What pressure, motivation, or rectification of the domestic film industry are they talking about? China isn't lacking high-quality films, so why focus only on the bad ones? Let me remind everyone, Zero Degree Films has consistently promoted Korean culture and humanistic values. Their films also subtly denigrate Long Guo from time to time. Is it possible that Zero Degree Films is backed by Korea, and they are conducting cultural invasion in our country?*
*Click!* Gao Fei pressed the send button. He then refreshed the page and quickly received five or six likes and three or four replies. Just as he was about to reply to netizens' comments, he clicked send and a prompt popped up:
*Sorry, you have been blocked by this account!*
Jin Qiqi, standing beside him, was slightly taken aback and laughed, "Wow, boss, it seems your comment just hit a nerve with Zero Degree Films. Your comment was posted less than a minute ago, and the operations team immediately blocked you."
However, Gao Fei, sitting in front of the computer, didn't laugh. He said sternly, "You know Zero Degree Films' background information. If my comment was deleted, it proves that the cultural invasion war from abroad has begun."
Upon hearing this, Jin Qiqi's smile also faded. She recalled watching Zero Degree Films' three online movies before. The content was indeed of high quality, but in some parts of the plot, Korean culture was consistently being promoted. For example, the twisted concept of love in Korea, the effeminate male actors, and so on. Furthermore, after Zero Degree Films' three online movies became popular, many film companies began to extensively remake and imitate them. Currently, about one-third of web series productions were imitating Zero Degree Films' three movies.
Gao Fei continued to refresh the comment section. Comments that agreed with his views, as well as posts that screenshotted his comments, were all deleted within a minute of being posted. The comment section remained filled with anticipation for Zero Degree Films' upcoming releases.
Gao Fei clearly remembered the period of Korean Wave invasion in his previous life. From music, movies, television dramas, to those effeminate trainees, and the plastic surgery scandals, it was the most popular and fervent trend in China at that time. During that period, Korean Wave culture was elevated to a divine status. From middle-aged people in their forties and fifties to elementary school students who had just learned to read, any casual remark would involve Korean Wave productions. If it weren't for prominent figures like King Zhou of China persisting in the inheritance of Chinese culture in his previous life, the prevailing trend at that time would have been replaced by the Korean Wave.
Earlier, Gao Fei had merely speculated whether Zero Degree Films' sudden emergence, pushing Korean movies, songs, etc., was a form of cultural invasion. Until he witnessed the Zero Degree Films official account repeatedly deleting comments. This had proven his speculation correct. Zero Degree Films' entry into the Long Guo film market was aimed at cultural invasion.
Meanwhile, at the Global Pictures Building, in the operations department. Chairman Zhang had joined forces with other companies to suppress Zero Degree Films, so the operations department employees were constantly monitoring Zero Degree Films' dynamics using their alternate accounts. As soon as there was any hint of activity, they would immediately capture the latest information and record it in detail. Gao Fei's earlier comment had already been screenshotted and saved by an operations department employee. The subsequent operation of Zero Degree Films' account to continuously delete comments was reported to the senior management by the supervisor as soon as possible.