Chapter 686: A Benchmark You Can Only Look Up To

Standing to the side of the podium, Professor Scott Fonda pointed to the title on the projector screen.

"Have you all seen his latest film, Transformers?" he asked.

Some students voiced their agreement, while others nodded. Almost all the dozens of people present had seen the film.

"Tell me what you think," Scott Fonda said, pointing casually to the far right of the first row. "Let's start with you."

It was a Black girl. Just as she stood up, Scott Fonda spoke again.

"Put your professional knowledge aside," he said. "Speak only from your own feelings—from the perspective of an ordinary moviegoer."

The Black girl hesitated for a moment before saying, "I think Andrew Garfield is very handsome."

A wave of good-natured laughter rippled through the classroom.

Then, more people stood up.

"I thought it was incredibly satisfying. Very thrilling."

"It was average. Not my type of film."

"The visual effects were simply flawless."

"A loud, trashy movie..."

That was Joseph. Carter shot him a glance and stood up as well.

"Watching Transformers for nearly two hours left me wanting more," he said loudly. "It wasn't boring in the slightest. Duke Rosenberg used realistic 3D effects to transport the audience to another world. Transformers makes you believe that technological innovation truly can change the viewing experience. Director Duke Rosenberg's ambition is as powerful as his imagination. This isn't just a simple movie; it's a gold mine, worth digging into deeply."

Everyone looked at Carter. This clearly wasn't his own opinion.

Carter immediately explained.

"This is a fan review on Instant Sharing that was reposted over a million times in June," he said. "I believe those people are much more representative than our small group here. Thank you!"

Having defended his idol, Carter sat back down.

One film, one director—it was impossible to win everyone over. The subsequent opinions remained a mix of praise and criticism. In the eyes of this crowd, who could all be grouped into the School Faction, the criticism outweighed the praise.

"It seems many of you don't like Duke Rosenberg."

Scott Fonda pointed to the words on the screen that read, "What makes Duke Rosenberg so unique?"

"You can dislike him, but you cannot deny his style or his success!" he said. "In fact, he is the figure in Hollywood you should emulate the most."

A buzz of discussion arose in the classroom. Scott Fonda pressed his hands down to quiet the room. Once the noise faded, he spoke again.

"I don't mean for you to walk his exact path," he said. "Duke Rosenberg's success cannot be replicated. What I want you to learn is his attitude toward cinema, along with his array of filmmaking techniques."

Those who had previously disparaged Transformers fell silent. They had been at the USC Film School for several years now. How could they not know the impact Duke Rosenberg's films and his techniques had left on Hollywood?

Standing at the side of the podium, Scott Fonda spoke in a resonant voice.

"You all know the reality: the general audience loves him, while arthouse fans look down on him," he said. "But in my view, neither camp has evaluated his films with a truly critical eye."

He looked at his students.

"Today, more and more fans and media outlets hold a favorable view of Duke Rosenberg," he declared. "Even those who dislike him are forced to admit one fact: love him or hate him, Duke stands in Hollywood, and he stands at its very peak."

Hearing this, the students who disliked Duke's style felt a bit deflated. No matter how much critics slammed his films for lacking soul or any artistic value, nothing could stop him from becoming Hollywood's hottest director.

It was a reality they couldn't wrap their heads around, and it left them feeling deeply frustrated.

Clicking the remote in his hand, Scott Fonda advanced the slide, bringing up several screenshots of massive explosions.

"Perhaps some of you think there are countless people shooting commercial films in Hollywood, and Duke Rosenberg is just one of them," he said. "Then let me remind you of something: those monumental, explosive action sequences—whether you love them or hate them—are Duke Rosenberg's definitive signature. In Hollywood, there are at least several hundred directors capable of making commercial films, but there is only one Duke Rosenberg!"

The students all stared at their professor, not understanding why he praised a commercial film director so highly.

"Every director has their merits, even Uwe Boll!"

That name elicited laughter from quite a few students. Uwe Boll was practically synonymous with terrible movies. His productions—House of the Dead, BloodRayne, and Dungeon Siege—had been mercilessly bashed and mocked by countless people.

Scott Fonda continued, "In the film industry, Duke Rosenberg is absolutely a bold pioneer. He is never afraid to try new ways of visual expression. His style is immediately recognizable; his camera movement, framing, and editing are explosive, kinetic, and unique. Even if that sheer volume of action scenes and complex elements might numb our senses, his style is undeniably distinct. Watching his films, it might only take a few seconds before you realize, 'Oh, this is a Duke Rosenberg movie.'"

He raised his right index finger and wagged it at the students.

"There are very few directors in the entire world who can accomplish this!" he said.

"I don't know if you're clear on this point, but Duke Rosenberg's influence on the visual language of modern Hollywood cinema is exceptionally profound."

Scott Fonda pointed at the screenshots on the projector screen, firing off a series of questions.

"Duke's action films are famous for their rapid, razor-sharp editing," he said. "Compared to other directors, such as Paul Greengrass, who helmed the Bourne series, what makes him so special? Sequential car chases and massive explosions are by no means original concepts in Hollywood movies, so why is Duke Rosenberg the one who succeeded so wildly? Why do fans and major Hollywood studios alike flock to him?"

Hearing the professor's questions, a brown-haired boy in the front row raised his hand. However, Professor Scott Fonda had no intention of letting the students answer; he provided the answer himself.

"I have discussed this with Jerry Bruckheimer, George Lucas, Charles Roven, Katherine Kennedy, and Steven Spielberg, and their views are essentially unanimous."

Raising his voice again, Scott Fonda delivered his conclusion.

"They all believe that Duke Rosenberg deeply understands the demands of the film market and knows exactly what the audience wants," he said. "He possesses a remarkably powerful intuition. It's as if he inherently knows what it takes to produce a movie the audience will love, and he presents those elements in their most extreme form."

Carter watched the professor, nodding without realizing it. Whenever he went to the theater, he always went in feeling confident that he had seen it all, yet Duke's productions never failed to blow him away.

"When I was twenty-eight, I attended the premiere of The Rock," Scott Fonda recalled. "If I had high expectations for Duke Rosenberg's film before watching it, then after seeing it, I thought it easily deserved an eleven out of ten. That is his cinema. He will always make the audience feel that their ticket was worth the money."

"He is a master at manipulating and combining cinematic elements. Set design, camera movement, color palette... he handles all of these with effortless skill. He is also a master at picking his material. The subjects he chooses allow his imagination to run wild, bringing all his craziest ideas to life."

Hearing this, Joseph, being an anti-Duke student, could no longer hold back. He raised his right hand.

"Yes, you," Scott Fonda said, letting him stand up. "Go ahead. What's your question?"

"Professor," Joseph said in a concise, ringing voice, "Duke Rosenberg is nothing more than one of Hollywood's many traditional directors!"

"That is indeed true."

Gesturing for him to sit back down, Scott Fonda continued.

"In some respects, Duke Rosenberg adheres to the classic Hollywood playbook, such as the pursuit of the grandest possible spectacles and an assembly-line production model," he said.

"But think back," he said in a reminding tone. "Don't early Hollywood legends like William Wyler and Cecil DeMille, whom you hold in such high esteem, also belong to this category?"

Seeing quite a few students nod in thought, Scott Fonda pressed on.

"The biggest difference is that today's audiences have lost interest in epic tales of ancient Rome or the Bible," he said. "Instead, superhero movies adapted from comic books are on the rise. In other words, Duke Rosenberg is already the leading figure of mainstream Hollywood cinema!"

Scott Fonda equating Duke with William Wyler, the director of The Best Years of Our Lives, left Joseph and several other students fuming. If the man standing at the front hadn't been their professor, they would have had the urge to flip their desks.

Sweeping his gaze across the classroom, Scott Fonda naturally noticed the dissatisfaction of some students.

"Think about it carefully," he said. "From Ben-Hur driving his chariot, to Superman launching into the sky with a single bound, to massive transforming robots from outer space... for the audience and for Hollywood, is there really any difference?"

Was there really any difference? Joseph froze for a moment, then grasped the meaning behind those words. For a highly commercialized Hollywood, there was no difference at all...

These were all just products used by Hollywood to generate profit!

"In today's Hollywood, Duke Rosenberg is a very special case. More and more people are imitating him, but the vast majority will never reach his level," Scott Fonda said, having witnessed how Duke-style movies had swept across the globe over the years. "It must be said, even if many refuse to admit it, that the truth is this: Duke Rosenberg's films will become a benchmark that many can only look up to."

It wasn't just the USC Film School. In film and television production programs all across the United States, more and more people were studying Duke's films.