After all, this is not a professional art school. The students here are interested in movies mainly because Laila is a Hollywood director who has recently achieved great success. After asking a few relevant questions, their interest shifted to other aspects related to her.
Questions about the impact of the internet on traditional media were raised, indicating that many people were already aware of this trend. It is evident that the various conveniences created by the internet in the East are not something that falls from the sky; it is the curiosity of these people that leads to future success.
"I believe that the impact of the internet on traditional media is inevitable. In fact, a few years ago, the Moran Group discovered this trend and invested heavily in related projects. For example, websites that have become news portals, and developments like Facebook, and so on."
"Why did you think so early on that traditional media would lose to the impact of the internet?"
Laila chuckled at this question. She certainly wouldn't say it's because she knew about the future development, and even if she did, it would be taken as a joke.
"It's simple, convenient! Human inertia is significant, but it's not a bad thing. It's precisely because of this laziness that various convenient things are created and produced. Take household appliances like washing machines and vacuum cleaners around us, for example. Their existence is not just to save human laziness?"
"The convenience of the internet is that it can exist on smaller terminals, such as computers or phones. When everyone has a phone in their hands and can receive information from around the world without hindrance, traditional media will have little ground to stand on."
At this time, even smartphones were not yet widespread, making her words quite forward-looking. Now, what she said was just a prediction, but in a few years, when someone revisits her speech in the news, they would realize how accurate she was.
"When traditional media can't beat the internet, how should one deal with this conflict? Do we just watch traditional media die?" Another person stood up to ask.
Laila shook her head with a smile, "Technology is evolving. If something new replaces the old, it can only mean that the old thing has lost its meaning. No industry can continue to exist by clinging to the past. If you can't defeat it, you can choose to integrate it to transform yourself."
The Moran Group is an example. Under the impact of the internet era, instead of remaining stagnant, it transformed itself, and as a result, it achieved better development. So, the impact is not entirely a bad thing; it can also be an opportunity.
Laila's speech was very successful, and the Q&A session with her classmates received rounds of applause. In the eyes of these students, she was not just a Hollywood director but a successful businesswoman.
On the second day, when she appeared at the art school, she received the kind of welcome that a true Hollywood director deserved.
The students at the art school were naturally excited to learn about Laila's visit. Those elite students from the top-tier institution understood what a Hollywood director represented, what Laila Moran symbolized, and what the thirteen nominations and eight awards for "Chicago" meant. It represented a legend!
Are the top directors in the country impressive? Even if they are, their influence is limited to the national level or, at most, within Asia. But Director Moran has global recognition—she is a treasure of the world! Young, talented, wealthy, influential, and most importantly, with a boyfriend who is an Oscar-winning actor, and even more handsome than her... she is undeniably a winner in life!
Walking into the lecture hall surrounded by so many attractive individuals, Laila felt a bit dizzy.
Indeed, being the top-ranked art school, the students they admitted were of high caliber! Beautiful faces, full of collagen and youthful vitality, made even someone who had lived for two lifetimes a bit overwhelmed.
For the art school, Laila prepared a different speech from the one she gave the day before. Yesterday, it was about "ideals" because those were future elites, and having a correct life goal was crucial for their future. She hoped that the experiences she shared could provide them with some insights.
Today, at the art school, her theme was "self-discovery."
"In Hollywood, when chatting with people, I often hear them say, 'Laila, you're good at choosing actors. You always find the perfect fit.' But I disagree with that because I rarely personally select actors unless it's someone I truly admire."
"So, how do I find my actors? It's simple, auditions. Every time I need actors, I delegate the task, and my team conducts auditions based on the movie's requirements. You might say, your staff has a keen eye; they always find such suitable actors."
"Yes, they are talented. But there's one thing I don't entirely agree with the term 'suitable.'" Laila took out two photos from her prepared materials and enlarged them on the large screen behind her.
"Here are two actors. When I told them I needed an expression of being abandoned, they each gave me this." Laila pointed to the first image and then casually gestured below, "This student, tell me, what do you see in the first photo?"
It was a beautiful girl in an apricot-colored jacket. She didn't expect to be called out, so she nervously stared at the photo for a couple of seconds before earnestly answering, "I see a painful expression on her face."
"Yes, because she's been abandoned; she's in pain and sadness." Laila pointed to the second image, "And what about this one?"
"It should be hatred and anger. A feeling of unwillingness."
Laila was satisfied with her answer, smiling and nodding for her to sit down. "Yes, in her understanding, the expression after being abandoned should be anger, a lot of hatred for the person who abandoned her. So, who is right and who is wrong between these two?"
The students in the audience looked at each other, shaking their heads in confusion. It seemed that neither was wrong. Being abandoned would indeed be very sad and painful, and similarly, hating the person who abandoned you because of the rejection was also understandable.
"Neither of them expressed it wrong. The reason they gave different performances is because of their personality traits and their understanding. To many of you here, after leaving campus, you will embark on the path of performing arts. What I want to tell you is, don't confine your personality."