I’m a Director, I’m Not Bad

If there is anything at this Silk Road Film Festival that impressed Guo Qilin, an "outsider," the most, it might be the winner of the Best Actress.

At that time, he just thought that the girl looked so young.

But after searching on Baidu, I discovered that the other party was only 16 years old.

1997.

Smaller than myself.

"Dog Thirteen", Zhang Xueying.

Best Actress at the 3rd Silk Road Film Festival.

This was what impressed him the most.

Although he has not seen this movie, and the name Dog Thirteen still feels that the director is full of malice.

Dog Thirteen, Dog 13...Dog B?

Hey.

After all, he is a cultural person.

Swearing at people is so civilized.

Others, such as Best Actor Qin Hao, Best Film "Massage", and the Jury Prize "A Hundred Birds Pay Attention to the Phoenix", did not bring any special impression to him.

I blame it on the fact that I just haven’t seen it.

He cried out in his heart that it was a pity.

I wish I had come a few days earlier.

These are all his thoughts about the Silk Road Awards Ceremony.

There was no excitement, no stirring of mood.

Even... a little scared and inferior.

Because the spotlights on both sides of the red carpet... were really too dazzling.

do you like it?

like very much.

But the more I like it, the more frightened I feel.

Surrounded by a group of handsome men and beautiful women, I am a fat man weighing 200 pounds... maybe he is not even a green leaf.

Cow dung is pretty much the same.

Even from the end of the ceremony until he returned to the hotel, he didn't search for any news about the film festival.

and……

Although along the way, he was asked to use WeChat by many people... everyone would also pull him to take photos and group photos with him very affectionately.

But these experiences did not bring any joy to the 18-year-old.

On the contrary, these people's faces, their friends on WeChat, those friendly and polite greetings... At this moment, they all became a trace of deep self-loathing in the heart of the fat man standing in front of the full-length mirror, naked and about to take a shower.

And a sense of impatience.

Tomorrow...after attending the meeting that Brother Cake mentioned, let's go back to Yanjing.

"Ding dong, ding dong."

At this time, the cell phone notification sounded again in the room.

But Guo Qilin walked directly into the bathroom.

He knew without looking at him that these WeChat messages must be from others to say hello.

As for the reason for greeting him, he also knew it.

Not complacent, even a little inferior.

at the same time……

When hot water poured down on his head, he suddenly let out a long sigh.

"well……"

The reality of the film and television industry...he really saw it.

Also learned.

…

"Best Actress at 16?"

Yang Mi was a little surprised.

Xu Xin, who was holding the braised pork stewed last night with bread and considering whether to add more spicy food, nodded:

"Well, a little girl named Zhang Xueying."

"...Isn't that too young? Is the movie very good?"

"Not sure."

Xu Xin shook his head slightly:

"But you have to believe in the artistic level of the jury. If you can give it to her, it means that her performance is definitely not bad. That's the name..."

"The name is really not that good."

Yang Mi felt the same and finished speaking. After drinking all the milk in the cup, she wiped her mouth:

"I am leaving."

"Um."

"What's wrong with you today?"

"Yes, there are a lot of things going on during the preparation of the movie. I'm going to New York soon."

"...Huh? If you hadn't told me earlier, I wouldn't have packed your things for you yet."

"It's not necessary. It's mainly just a few filming locations. I'll be back in a day or two. Mengmeng can just take care of it and get me two sets."

"That's...ok. I'll go first then."

"Um."

Nodding to say goodbye to his wife and children, he finished breakfast in an orderly manner. After Su Meng packed her things, they went straight to the airport.

There is still a lot of work that needs to be done in the preparation period for "John Wick."

Moreover, since it was his first time filming a Hollywood movie, he tried his best to do some things himself.

Focusing on an immersive experience.

Soon the car arrived at the airport.

Assistant director John Sanders, director of photography Jonathan Serra, production designer CJ Simpson and others are already waiting for him.

Xu Xin greeted them and walked into the airport together.

…

"I love you mom."

"Sweetheart, mommy loves you more than anything."

Yang Mi, who was sitting on the operating table, hung up the phone and casually wiped the tears from her face.

It looks a little embarrassed and a little distressing.

"OK, next game."

The sound from Luc Besson's mouth outside the set represents the successful completion of this scene.

Soon, the prop master came over:

"Yang, you can come down first. We are going to use props to shoot your surgery. You can take a rest."

"Okay, Peter."

Yang Mi jumped off the operating table and walked aside.

She didn't see the two children, nor did she see Tingting.

Fine.

This summer vacation has made the two children go crazy.

She picked up the water glass and took a sip while looking at the other staff on the set who were busy.

It's almost over.

At this rate...

She looked at the time on her phone again.

24th.

It is estimated that in 2 or 3 days, this drama will be completely over.

The action scenes that should be there are basically all done. Once the remaining literary and dramatic parts are completed, she can return to China with a pat on the butt.

I can finally go home...

Thinking of this, she breathed a sigh of relief, opened her phone and sent Xu Xin a message:

"Hello, handsome boy, are you busy?"

"I'm so busy that I'm going to vomit."

Xu Xin replied almost instantly.

"I don't want to use a green screen anymore. It's more technological. Without the physical scene, my imagination is almost drying up my brain."

Seeing her husband's words, Yang Mi couldn't help laughing.

hey-hey……

Make you laugh.

Obviously some scenes can be done in one go with real shots and stunt actors, but they have to use a green screen.

What to say...learn from Hollywood's advanced experience.

Is it okay now?

Frame yourself in it.

As a director with zero foundation, if you want to directly follow the Hollywood thinking and learn to use special effects skillfully... even if you have a mature team around you, it will not happen overnight.

What's more, he only knows how to use it, but wants to "understand" it.

Therefore, most of the time, as a director, he has to personally participate in various data models in the early preparation of special effects.

According to my husband’s own words, these days are just like taking the college entrance examination.

It's almost drying up my brains.

But this is not without its benefits.

After experiencing a baptism in Hollywood, then... when I go back to shoot domestic movies, I encounter some special effects shots, at least I know how to deal with them and how to do them.

So, she sent another message:

"Then if I finish filming here and you can't come back in time, I will leave directly?"

"Is it going to end over there?"

"Well, there are still two or three days of scenes at most."

"Then I definitely can't go back. I have to go through all the preparatory work in Hollywood, see how others do it, and then go directly back to Los Angeles to start filming."

"Okay. Then I won't care about you."

"Um."

The two ended their chat, and Yang Mi yawned lazily.

After the prop shots over there were filmed, the staff shouted:

"Yang, it's your turn."

Yang Mi nodded in agreement and stood up again.

Take it quickly.

It's over after the shooting.

And just like what she was thinking, on the 28th, finally, all the filming of "LUCY" was completed and the crew completed filming.

After a month of getting along, she became friends with many people in the crew.

Especially the villain Choi Min-sik.

In fact, from the bottom of her heart, Yang Mi herself is somewhat prejudiced against Koreans.

But after a month of contact, this one of the Zhongmulu Troika won her respect with his acting skills and personality.

At the wrapping banquet, everyone made an appointment to go to his favorite pancake shop to have a "baby" together while the movie was being promoted in Korea.

As for this "嘚儿", he expresses his actions when drinking.

Xukong held the small wine glass, raised it to his mouth, and made this tongue-licking tone.

Not to mention, it’s quite interesting.

And she also wanted to try the green onion pancakes and the rice wine called Margarita that he especially recommended.

Then, on the 29th, she returned to China with her family without stopping.

The children are about to start school.

…

"New York is so dirty."

This was Wang Sicong's first words after meeting Xu Xin.

Of course, it may also be because it rained on the 30th.

Indeed, although the city of New York is used in movies, whether it is a disaster movie, a romance movie, or an action movie...or an action romance movie, people are familiar with its various weather conditions and disasters.

As long as it appears on the screen, whether it's the distant view of Manhattan Island, or the colors of the streets and alleys and various taxis... people will know that this is New York.

But in fact, this city is really old.

In other words... for Xu Xin and Wang Sicong, they would feel this way after coming here from a rapidly changing world and making comparisons.

Their infrastructure...is really starting to fall behind.

Therefore, Xu Xin just nodded slightly and asked:

"Are you interested in taking wedding photos in Times Square?"

"I'm mad?"

Wang Sicong rolled his eyes:

“I took wedding photos in Times Square in the morning, and in the afternoon I was definitely on the top of domestic searches.”

Di Wei on the side was also speechless.

I thought it was rare to do such a good job of keeping secrets secret. If the result really goes according to your wishes, it would be famous all over the world.

In fact, the two of them were not going to New York this time, but to Boston.

Went to a place called Eastham over there to finish the last set of wedding photos.

But Lao Xu is in New York.

It just so happens that Brother Qi has always wanted to visit the Metropolitan Museum.

Then come and take a walk.

Xu Xin asked casually while driving the two of them toward the city:

"How's the house going? Where did you buy it?"

"Don't mention it...that's why I had a toothache and anger in the past two days."

"Why?"

"We never chose a suitable place. Later, my dad gave us a house in Dongshan Villa. Do you know that place?"

"have no idea."

"Next to Chaoyang Park on the North Fourth Ring Road."

"That's not far. It's only about ten kilometers to my home. It's also convenient to get to the city."

"..."

The young master who had no toothache at first suddenly felt that his toothache started to hurt again.

Do you hear that?

Urban area?

Um? ? ?

What are you talking about, boy.

In the eyes of Di Wei who was suppressing a smile, the eldest young master sighed:

"Sigh... If it weren't for the uncomfortable living in that house, I would have a battle with you right now."

"Isn't it comfortable to live in?...Why? Too small? How big is the house over there?"

"The building area is more than 500 square meters, and the usage is about 1,000. It also has a garden of 1,000 square meters. It is average, but a bit small."

"..."

Xu Xin's face turned green now.

"How did you say such shameless words?"

"Then how come you, with your 36-degree 5-degree mouth, can say such cold words as entering the city?"

"...Okay. Isn't that okay? Why is it uncomfortable to live there?"

"Because it's big."

Wang Sicong looked dumbfounded:

"When we first went to see it, we quite liked it. In addition, my father also said that I would use the house as a wedding room, but I bought it a little early and the decoration was a bit old. I wanted to make a transition first. After getting married and renovating... we lived in it for a few days. It turned out that it didn't work. It really didn't work. Communication basically relies on shouting, you know?"

"Well……"

Just when Xu Xin was still thinking about what level this "roar" was, Di Wei in the back row said:

"It's really inconvenient. It's not the same as Shijia Hutong. The house has a very high ceiling, and... it seems very empty when we live there. When it gets dark, there's echo sound when I walk. He is installing a computer in the computer room. , I was cooking on the first floor, and I vaguely heard someone calling me, and finally I turned off the range hood and heard his movements."

"It's like living in a haunted house. It's not popular at all. I just said this house is not good... I'll be honest with you. We were in a hotel before, which was about 100 square feet. It was very comfortable. Living as a couple The house really can’t be big, it will be too uncomfortable to live in..."

"..."

Seeing the two men acting like husband and wife, Xu Xin always felt that what they were talking about was not human.

"Brother Seven, won't Auntie come over then?"

"I won't come. My mother has stayed in Chengdu all her life, and her relatives and friends are all there. I think she is going to jail if she comes here."

"This... okay."

Xu Xin didn't know what to say.

Then I heard something:

"Old Xu, how about you sell the east courtyard of your home to me?"

"ah?"

Xu Xin was stunned.

Just listen to the eldest young master start spraying feces:

"Hey, really, you're selling the east courtyard of your house to me. Brother Sanshui doesn't live in that house anyway. Then our two families can work together! In the future, our children can play with Dabao and Erbao, and I'll cook at your house. You can still go eat, and you can come to my house to cook. We two brothers enjoy the flowers and the moon every day, and just sip some wine if nothing happens... Hey, what do you think?"

"Not good."

Xu Xin rolled his eyes directly:

"That's what you planned. Especially if I'm in New York, I'll hear it clearly even when I'm in Los Angeles."

"Look, we're not friends enough anymore... My friend got married and now has no house. Why don't you help?"

"Help me. If you really want to live there, go and talk to someone yourself. It's just a matter of one or two hundred million."

"You think I didn't ask? The problem is that the owners near your house are not short of money! They don't even pay attention to me."

The eldest young master’s face is full of “happy troubles”.

But he was also telling the truth.

If you really want to talk about Shijia Hutong, in fact, whether it is infrastructure or other aspects, it is no different from ordinary Yanjing Hutong.

Even when Xu Xin goes out now, there are all kinds of wires flying over the roof and walls.

But if someone can enter the courtyards of these old alleys, they will find out... What does it mean to have stuffing in a bun but not in the pleats?

The details are actually all in the yard.

It has a good location and belongs to the real inner core circle of Yanjing. In addition, in the old society, this place was a place where a group of people who were either rich or noble lived, and there were surrounding facilities and so on, so there was no shortage of buyers.

And those who can really live in this place are indeed not short of money.

Seeing that his friend really liked this piece, he said:

"Let me ask you first. My dad knows a lot of people in this area. Don't settle on Shijia Alley. I'll ask you about the alleys in and around other places. If you want to buy one then, you can also get one. Row.”

"Yeah, that's okay. You need to implement it as soon as possible. It will take a year or two for the house to be renovated and designed."

"good."

After keeping this in mind, Xu Xin pointed to the co-pilot's storage compartment:

"Look at what's inside."

Wang Sicong was stunned:

"What? A gift?"

"That's right. I won't give you any gifts at your wedding. I'll just treat this as a wedding congratulations to you two."

Upon hearing this, even Di Wei became interested.

When Wang Sicong opened the storage compartment, he found that there was only a solitary document in the lower storage compartment of the Lincoln.

And nothing else.

After he took it out, he discovered that there were actually two copies inside.

"One for each of you."

Following Xu Xin's words, he handed a copy to Brother Qi, opened the cover directly, and pulled out a few pages of A4 manuscript paper.

Then……

Both he and Di Wei saw the cover title of the document: "What makes a home" - part.1 - 48 hours before marriage.

"This is……"

Wang Sicong looked at his friend in confusion.

"You two are the subject of a documentary."

Xu Xin shrugged and said while driving:

"You'll know when you open it and take a look."

"..."

The two of them fell silent. After Wang Sicong opened the first page, he saw the title of the plan.

1. "River"

2. "I"

3. "He/She"

4. "Uneasy"

5. "Wild Geese"

These are five chapter titles.

A trace of doubt appeared in Wang Sicong's eyes.

this……

"Me, him, her"...even "uneasy", he can probably think of what it is.

But what are the "river" and "goose"?

With some doubts, he couldn't wait to turn to the third page.

Then I was speechless.

Because, 99% of the entire page has been crossed out.

【■■■■■■■】

【To Wang Sicong■■■■■】

【■■■River■■■Flow■】……

"????"

Looking at these black lines, Wang Sicong subconsciously turned another page.

The entire information has also reached the last page.

This time there are no black lines on it, only one line of words is left: [Unfinished, to be continued]

"what is this?"

He suppressed the absurdity in his heart and asked his friend dumbfounded.

"Your documentary subject."

Xu Xin gave his answer as if nothing happened.

The eldest young master talks nonsense.

When I saw the title, I knew what it was.

"I mean, what are the... contents in your plan? Why are there so many black boxes?"

"Have you never seen that kind of Hollywood movie? In "The Bourne Supremacy", the declassified files have to be crossed out with a black pen."

At this time, even Di Wei was speechless.

Then she heard her fiancé's very essential question, and Director Xu's answer that was even more essential than her fiancé's.

"You...why do you do this?"

"Because I think it's cooler."

"..."

"..."

At this time, both the unmarried couple were speechless.

"No, brother, please be serious."

"I'm very serious. I've been planning this documentary idea for several months. How can you tell that I'm not serious anymore?"

"From these blackened places."

"That's the surprise I prepared. When I take the photo for you two, I will try my best to avoid any psychological burden on you two and show what I want in the most natural state. If I give it to you two in advance, If you have a standard answer, what’s the point?”

Xu Xin said it easily, but for these two people, these places smeared with black notes were like cat scratches, which made them feel uncomfortable.

Wang Sicong couldn't help but ask:

"Then tell me first what the title means, PART 1? Is there another meaning behind it?"

"Yes, yes."

Xu Xin nodded:

"This is a fifty-year project."

"Oh, how many points are there... huh? What!? Win the younger one!?"

Wang Sicong was stunned when he reacted.

He looked at Xu Xin as if he were mentally ill.

But Xu Xin, who was holding the steering wheel with both hands, just shrugged calmly:

"Fifty years. 5 chapters, what happened?"

"are you crazy!?"

Wang Sicong was really confused.

At this time, Xu Xin directly showed his small white teeth.

In fact, he also knows how ridiculous his words are...

But indeed, this was an idea he came up with.

So the explanation was given:

"I thought it would be ten years after you two got married, twenty years later, thirty years later... According to this rhythm, I will take pictures for you. Of course, this is just my imagination, but... think about it, After the golden wedding, you two look back at your journey. I think in terms of your desire for expression, you always have a lot to say, right? So you might as well make a longer-term plan. If you want to in the future, just follow this idea. Come and shoot. If you don’t want to, forget it, and don’t force it.”

Wang Sicong was stunned.

Then he turned to look at his fiancée who was also stunned.

Then his eyes softened:

"Okay! Then in fifty years! Once in ten years?"

Xu Xin glanced at him.

My heart says, look at your potential.

But he still agreed:

"Well, once every ten years."

"Ha ha!"

Now, the eldest young master felt comfortable.

But immediately a bigger doubt appeared:

"Why is the documentary called "What is Home?"... To put it bluntly, it means... "What is Home," right? What does the name mean?"

"Literally, I just want to see what [home] is in your eyes."

"this……"

The eldest young master thought for a moment and showed an expression of "well, not bad". He opened the information in his hand again and pointed at the topics:

"Then what do these chapters mean?"

"The first one, "River", let me ask you, what are the characteristics of river water?"

"...Is there water in it?"

"..."

Xu Xin's mouth twitched.

I just felt a sudden surge of hot blood rushing to my brain.

My blood pressure must have gone straight to 180 right now.

He glanced at the other party helplessly, shook his head, and said with an unteachable look on his face:

"The river is a long river, and time is a long river. This is a general outline in the documentary. I will review your growth experience at that time. I compare you two to streams. The two streams merge to form a small river..."

"Oh~"

The eldest young master showed an expression of understanding, and then started to think:

"Then the river must not end up in the sea? What about the sea? What is the sea?"

"..."

Xu Xinxin asked why you are so good at association.

So he said angrily:

"Death. The river has an end, and so does life. What do you think when the river reaches the sea?"

"Does this mean that we have come to an end?"

"I beg you, please shut up. How come the good words taste bad in your mouth? How come my poetic topic is so unlucky for you!"

Following Xu Xin's words, even Di Wei shook her head helplessly, leaned on the back seat again, and flipped through the few pages of the plan.

And Wang Sicong continued to ask:

"What about this "Uneasy" and "Wild Geese"?"

"Uneasy is the literal meaning. As for "Wild Geese"... it is the end of the first scene of this documentary, and it is also my blessing to you two. As for why the wild geese are used to compare you two, I actually hope that you two can be as inseparable as the wild geese. Growing old together. That’s what it means.”

"Well……"

Wang Sicong blinked...

Suddenly I felt that the concept of the documentary title had been sublimated.

Can't help but nod:

"Yeah! This is good. It's really good... So how do you plan to shoot it?"

"No comment. Won't you know by then? All documentaries will be placed within the 48 hours before your wedding. I think that at that time, as the first time you experienced this kind of thing, you two should have a very complicated mood... …”

"Shouldn't you be happy?"

"I'm so happy. As someone who has been there, I can tell you responsibly that getting married is very tiring and annoying. Being happy only happens in the next few days. Before getting married, both I and Yang Mi...actually both of us had complicated moods. Especially in those two days, as the most important thing in your life, you will be particularly confused, flustered, and even particularly irritable when encountering some sudden negligence or poor consideration... At that time, it is actually the most important thing in your life. When the truest feelings are revealed.”

"Then you're not afraid that now that I know about it, you can make preparations in advance?"

"you?"

After Xu Xin heard this, he turned to look at his friend.

Then he let out a sneer:

"Tsk. Don't be ridiculous. I thought there was nothing wrong with me at that time and was prepared. But you will understand after those two days... Don't talk so eloquently, young man. It's a mule or a horse, You’ll have to pull it out to find out when the time comes.”

"..."

Wang Sicong remained silent.

I just looked at the plan over and over again.

Especially the time spent staring at those black frames is particularly long.

It’s as if through these smeared blacks, we can see how Lao Xu wanted to shoot this documentary.

but……

Have to admit.

Whether it's the name of the documentary "What Is Home" or the title of this chapter...

He liked them all.

"Old Xu."

"Um?"

"Thanks!"

"Ha~"

Hearing this, Xu Xin chuckled:

"It should."

May you two have a happy marriage for a hundred years.

Two wild geese fly together.