I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 156 - 156 155. Film Report incisive comments on Lu Ban_1

Chapter 156: 155. ‘Film Report’ incisive comments on Lu Ban_1 Chapter 156: 155. ‘Film Report’ incisive comments on Lu Ban_1 Five days later, the new issue of “Film Report” quickly hit the market.

In it, featured on the cover’s key content summary was a line of text, neither too large nor too small.

“Exclusive Interview with Up-and-Coming Horror Film Director Lu Ban.”

The article, centered around an interview with Lu Ban and using the development of domestic horror films as a subtext, showcased the current state of domestic horror genre films. Additionally, the journalist mentioned having seen snippets of Lu Ban’s new film in preparation and gave a very high appraisal.

The magazine article’s impact wasn’t huge, but to say it was small would definitely be an understatement.

“Film Report” is considered a rather high-end magazine within the domestic film circles, unlike those gossip weeklies that focus on celebrity scandals. “Film Report” often concentrates on industry insiders and can be considered semi-official media. Hence, to the average person, this article might just seem like a special interview, but to industry professionals and relatively core film enthusiasts, it was a signal.

On the famous film and television exchange rating website Douban, in related discussion groups, the number of discussions about this report quickly grew. Among these discussion groups were not a few directors and actors within the circle, as well as practitioners.

[Actor Zhao Kuo]: What did this Lu Ban direct before, I seem to have never heard of him?

[Movie Bricklayer]: Internet films, I guess. Have you watched “The Hundred Poets”? It was quite popular a while ago.

[Hengdian Xiaozhi]: I watched it, and it’s really scary. Moreover, it makes you empathize deeply. I didn’t expect him to be participating in a film festival soon; seems like he’s well-prepared.

[Actor Zhao Kuo]: Internet films? Are they really that scary? I feel like internet films are mostly shoddy knock-offs, there are hardly any worth watching.

[Ordinary Screenwriter Ah Xiang]: Aren’t you just being sour? Some recent web series earned both clicks and credibility. Compared to those satellite TV dramas that are currently airing, the web series are way better.

[Red Bean Popsicle]: I’ve seen his previous films and I must say, the atmosphere he creates is very strong, and the special effects are amazing. Judging by the visuals alone, they are of big screen movie quality. However, the films participating in Yannan University’s student film festival this year are all very strong; he probably won’t win any awards.

[Yannan Xiaoliu]: The horror genre is inherently at a disadvantage; it’s not mainstream enough, and he’s had too little time to prepare. It hasn’t been more than a few months since his last film came out, which makes me doubtful about the quality of his new work.

[Hengdian Xiaozhi]: He acts as the lead in his own films, and most of the cast are newcomers. Once the set is built, filming should proceed quite quickly.

[Movie Bricklayer]: But the editor in “Film Report” praised him so much; it’s quite rare. I wonder what the final film is like.

Just like the situation in the discussion groups, many professionals in the film and television industry, especially those who have appeared on big screens or television broadcasts, don’t really respect internet films and web series. Many relatively core enthusiasts also approach this emerging media with skepticism.

The main issue is the sheer number of productions, among which many are shoddily made and deceptive, leading the public to mostly see those of low quality and thus forming a general impression.

However, with the popularity of some web series and internet films, along with the intense competition within the film circle, more and more professionals originally focused on movies and television dramas have begun to engage with internet films and web series. This has caused the original perceptions to slowly change. Previously, some films intended for theater release went directly to online platforms instead. The boundary between traditional and emerging is gradually blurring.

Lu Ban, on the other hand, didn’t care about these doubts.

He had studied the composition of the film festival awards, such as best director and best actor, which were highly competitive. On the other hand, categories like best special effects faced much less competition.

After all, it was a student film festival, and most young directors lacked the resources to pour into big-budget special effects films. Their projects tended to focus on making much from little. Even if they shot science fiction films, they were more likely to be sci-fi romance, with gimmicks like time loops or returning to the past at most.

However, Lu Ban’s videos were not lacking in grand scenes.

Especially this time, whether it was the self-activating elevator, the monster with a thousand eyes and mouths in the room at the end of the corridor, or the hospital’s dramatic collapse at the end, everything was portrayed so realistically that it would be difficult for an average director to achieve.

Therefore, Lu Ban’s goal was very clear—he was aiming for the best special effects award.

Two days after “Film Report” was published, Lu Ban’s phone vibrated while he was working.

Looking at the caller ID, it was his old squad leader, Feng Yu.

“Wow, you’re in a magazine, and it’s ‘Film Report,’ no less! You’re the second person from our class to be featured in this magazine!”

Feng Yu’s voice sounded very happy and excited.

“The second one? Who was the first?”

Lu Ban was somewhat surprised.

It wasn’t that he thought himself so great for being able to feature in an official media level magazine interview at such a young age, it was just pure curiosity.

“Huh? You don’t know? Zhou Ying, she was harassed by a big director before, which brought to light many of the director’s shady dealings. It made the headlines for two issues!”

After all, Feng Yu was also a girl, and she took these kinds of gossip to heart.

“That’s despicable!”

Lu Ban exclaimed, these days many people, relying on their power and influence, liked to bully others, and it really should be dealt with properly!

“Let’s not talk about that, oh right, I saw that you’re planning to attend the Yannan University Student Film Festival?”

“Yes.”

“What a coincidence, my crew should also be there for publicity, so we can meet up at Yannan!”

Feng Yu’s voice sounded very cheerful, like a primary school student about to go on a spring outing.

“Such a coincidence?”

Lu Ban flipped through his calendar.

“Yes, yes, hey, we should find some time to have a meal, I’ve heard there are quite a few good restaurants in Yannan.”

“No problem.”

He chatted with Feng Yu for a few more sentences and then hung up the phone.

Which crew had Feng Yu joined anyway?

Lu Ban was puzzled, but he suppressed the urge to search for Feng Yu’s name online; such stalker-like behavior was not fitting for the positive energy persona that Lu Ban maintained.

He continued working until he had dealt with all the stories the files required.

Lu Ban’s approach was a storyline based on reality; the story started with a problem arising from the demolition of a hospital. Following this, the protagonist went to investigate, acquired several tapes, and listened to them while investigating, finally entering the hospital to resolve the issue.

This kind of structure that builds up through several supernatural short stories and ultimately comes together is common in mystery and thriller films. Lu Ban remembered being quite impressed by “The Great Hypnotist,” which used a series of hypnosis sessions to create a cohesive narrative, which was quite good.

In the mid-October evening, Lu Ban stretched and then noticed a message popping up on WeChat.

[River Oblivion]: Is the drainage in your place still okay?

[Motionless]: ?

[River Oblivion]: The sewer in our building burst, and it’s completely uninhabitable now, can you let me stay at your place for a couple of nights?

[Motionless]: ??

[River Oblivion]: Why are you sending question marks, I’m not going to eat you!

[Motionless]: ???

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Asking for monthly tickets, recommendation tickets!