Huayu 05, our science fiction movie universe

Chapter 19: New Perceptions of Young Filmmakers

The next day, Wang Hao came to the Youth Film Studio again.

Unlike yesterday, this time he was holding something in his hand, and the person who received him was another one.

I have to say that Huang Lei’s phone is still very useful.

After a few polite exchanges, Wang Hao met Zhou Xuguang, the current director of Qingying Studio, through the introduction of Teacher Liu.

"Hello, Teacher Zhou!"

As a student of Beijing Film Academy, when I see older people at school, it is always right to call them teacher. It is much more intimate than calling them factory director or boss.

"Ah."

Zhou Xuguang looks to be almost fifty years old, with a horse face, tall stature, straight shoulders, hands like palm-leaf fans, thick joints, and dust on his shoulders and cuffs. He is obviously an old photographer, and maybe he is still working on the front line.

Hearing Wang Hao's address, he forced a smile on his tired face.

"Have a seat. Mr. Huang called me this morning and gave me a general idea of ​​your situation, but he was busy attending classes and didn't discuss the specific details.

Oh, would you like some tea?"

"Thank you, Mr. Zhou." Wang Hao took the paper cup handed over by Zhou Xuguang with both hands and took a sip. "This is what happened. I wrote a script and asked Mr. Huang and the TV and film department of the movie channel next door to set up a meeting."

“This is the script for the movie.”

He unzipped his backpack and handed the script and project plan to the other party.

“Now the project has been negotiated, but the film channel said that they hope this matter can be handled in an open and private manner.

It is not convenient for me to be a student alone, so Mr. Huang directed me to come here."

Zhou Xuguang took the script and did not respond to Wang Hao's words. Instead, he read it carefully.

There was no expression on his face, he looked very focused. Sometimes he would spend a long time pondering a page of paper. From time to time he would turn to the front to compare and read it very carefully.

Wang Hao didn't disturb him. He picked up the paper cup, drank tea, and observed his surroundings calmly.

Zhou Xuguang's office is not big. It is just outside the studio of Qingying Studio. Apart from an old sofa and a desk, there is a large bookshelf filled with various certificates of honor, awards and trophies.

It can be seen that this veteran photographer has won many awards and values ​​these honors very much. The trophies are polished to a shine and sparkle with charming golden light.

"The story is good," Zhou Xuguang frowned after reading the script. He pondered for a moment, stared at Wang Hao and asked, "Did you write this?"

As if realizing that his words were inappropriate after he finished speaking, Zhou Xuguang quickly added:
"This story is very mature, and the plot is very sophisticated. It doesn't seem like something someone your age would write."

As he said this, he looked at Wang Hao curiously again, which made the scriptwriter feel ashamed.

As expected of an old technician, he has a sharp eye.

Of course, the key point is that he may have been in the Qingying Studio for a long time and has seen many works shot by students, so he noticed at a glance that the design in the script was sophisticated and smooth, and full of commerciality.

It seems like it was written by a veteran who has been struggling in society for many years and has come to terms with life. It lacks the young person's desire to express his or her individuality at all.

"Times are changing, and so are young people's ideas. Maybe there are still many young students in Beijing Film Academy who are obsessed with art, individuality, criticism and reflection, but in my opinion, the commercial model has ushered in its spring."

Wang Hao seemed to have answered Zhou Xuguang's question, but he was too general and instead led the topic in another direction.

Zhou Xuguang didn't know whether he noticed it or not, and asked along the same topic:
"So you think our current teaching methods and routes are wrong?"

As an old Beijing filmmaker, Zhou Xuguang has dedicated his entire youth to this campus, so he pays special attention to Wang Hao's words.

“It’s not a mistake, it’s outdated!”

Wang Hao emphasized:
"Or in other words, in today's society, most of the knowledge taught in universities is actually lagging behind.

This knowledge gap is due, on the one hand, to the fact that teachers who write textbooks and impart knowledge have stayed in the ivory tower of campus for a long time, and their cognition is lagging behind.

On the other hand, as humans enter modern society, the speed of knowledge updating is much faster than the speed of human learning. If textbooks and teaching materials are to be fully synchronized with new knowledge, it will be a huge expense. "

When Zhou Xuguang heard this, he nodded subconsciously.

He could be said to have a deep understanding of what Wang Hao said.

Let’s not talk about anything else, just take their Qingying Studio as an example.

The development of film equipment can be said to be changing with each passing day, but their Qingying Studio is still using the old equipment purchased in the 1990s.

It was only recently that he managed to get a grant after much persuasion, which enabled him to purchase a batch of new gadgets. But even so, it is still far behind those equipments from abroad.

"Of course, the lag in knowledge and disconnection can still be caught up by students' self-study ability, but the backwardness in consciousness and concepts is not so easy to change."

Wang Hao saw that the other party agreed with his opinion, so he continued:
“At least in my opinion, the pride and prejudice of Beijing Film Academy’s teachers and students towards commercial films can be said to be deeply rooted.

Their thinking patterns are even still stuck in the era before 2000.

However, you should know that China joined the WTO in 2001. With the support of the world economic system, our country's economy has also begun to usher in rapid development.

As people have more money in their hands, their pursuit of spiritual entertainment will naturally increase.

With the release of Director Zhang's "Hero" in 02 as the dividing line, the era of China's blockbuster movies has been completely kicked off.

Elements such as big stars, big directors and big investments have become the core points of the domestic blockbuster production model. The box office is increasing day by day, and it is not uncommon to exceed 100 million yuan.

But what about in our Beijing Film Academy campus?
Those who were my age or even younger than me still turned a blind eye to all this and always talked about Pasolini and Bertolucci.

To put it nicely, they have artistic pursuits and style.

To put it bluntly, they are just pretending to be noble and cannot lower themselves.

Times have changed. As China integrates with the world, it will inevitably face huge shocks not only in economy but also in culture.

The era of commercial films is coming, and we must embrace it in time and try to change it.”

"Well said. I now believe that you wrote this script."

(End of this chapter)