I’m a Director, I’m Not Bad

Chapter 194 192. The old lady’s foot binding

"Adapt the script?"

"Yes! I want to change this story into a script."

"Well……"

Zhang Wu was stunned for a moment, and then the sound of rushing water sounded.

After washing his face and brushing his teeth, he walked out of the bathroom and asked:

"That shouldn't be the case. You don't even know this?"

Looking at Xu Xin, Zhang Wu was a little puzzled:

"If you want to adapt it, you first go to the original author to buy the copyright. After buying the copyright, you can change the script. After changing the script, you can film... How come you don't even know this?"

"……I know."

Xu Xin nodded.

How could he not know this most basic knowledge?

But this answer made Zhang Wu even more puzzled:

"Then what do you want to ask?"

"It's a character in it... You have to help me take a look. I'm a little unsure... Mainly because of the scale. My original intention was not to change the plot or characters of this story, but to reduce it. But... this The scale is a bit hard to grasp.”

"……scale?"

"Yes, you will know after reading this book."

Hearing this, Zhang Wu glanced at the novel on the bed and nodded:

"OK."

I agreed directly.

Then, it was three days later.

"Xiao Xu, the role of Gu Xiaomeng is not good."

This was Zhang Wu's first sentence.

"If you really follow the original work, you will definitely not be able to pass the review. Although... this story is quite good. But it is limited to things that we can access and have declassified. Some things that really happened in history are actually Time is far more exciting than novels... But that's a tangent. I'll talk to you later when I have the opportunity. But as far as this book is concerned, if you want to change the story, you can. There are only two ways to change the character of Gu Xiaomeng. .Either remove it directly, or it must be the same person as Li Ningyu...the difficulty is here."

The two of them stood in the cold wind of Shenmu Stadium, watching the rehearsal team that had come from Hebei Province practicing China's contribution to the maritime industry.

The technical difficulty of this part is not high. It mainly requires the waves formed by the paddle in the hand, and there are other sub-directors below who are in charge.

So now that he was picking up this matter, Zhang Wu was chatting with him:

"After reading this book, I understand what you mentioned about Gu Xiaomeng's concerns. And the advice I can provide you is to overlap the identities of Li Ningyu and Gu Xiaomeng. In terms of artistic expression, the two People need to have a master-slave relationship, which means they complement each other in some aspects, but they also overlap in some aspects. But the bottom line principle is that if you want to keep Xiaomeng, her identity must be the same as Li Ningyu. Otherwise, according to Judging from the novel, this matter has become the single highlight of the department represented by "Gu Xiaomeng", and that is not acceptable."

"..."

Xu Xin's brows wrinkled.

He doesn't deny it...or resist this request.

After all, if he wanted to resist, he wouldn't have to ask Zhang Wu.

I have to admit that Director Zhang's words "We must compromise on the rules" were very useful to him.

So he was just thinking about how to overlap the roles of these two people, and also distinguish between complementary roles.

but……

You have to get the copyright first.

…

Hengdian.

"CUT! OK, LIU, GOOD JOB."

After Robert Minkoff nodded to Liu Yifei, he continued to speak in English:

"Jason, it's your turn."

Hearing this, Michael Angarano, who is also one of the starring actors in the crew, nodded and walked into the camera.

The name of the crew under the camera is: "The King of Kung Fu"

In the first half of the year when "The Secret That Cannot Be Tellable" failed to make any impact, this movie dominated almost all movie topics in the Chinese-speaking circle.

There is a lot to say.

For example, Cheng Long and Li Lianjie, two kung fu superstars, joined forces for the first time.

Such as Liu Yifei's first screen work.

For example, big Hollywood productions...

Another example is the expectations of Kung Fu movie fans around the world...

There is so much to talk about.

It stirred up a lot of excitement in the entertainment industry in the first half of the year, and attracted wave after wave of attention.

If "The Untold Secret" hadn't been picked up at Cannes in late May and started to gain momentum until it exploded at the box office...then maybe the popularity of "The King of Kung Fu" could have continued throughout the year.

But this is actually a good thing for actors...especially Liu Yifei.

Because this is equivalent to reducing her stress.

After all, it was my first time to make a movie, and I was cooperating with two superstars, Cheng Long and Jet Li, as the heroine... It was really stressful.

After her scene was filmed, the assistant quickly put her clothes on and handed her steaming hot tea.

But this time she did not return to her mother.

Because...my mother also has a role in this drama this time, playing the role of the "Queen Mother".

I'm putting on makeup right now.

Mom is very happy.

Liu Yifei could tell...she had always had a movie dream.

I just put my movie dream on myself.

And this time he was able to realize his dream... It was obvious that his godfather had put in a lot of effort... He seemed to have thought of something. Suddenly, Liu Yifei shook her head vigorously, getting rid of the thought that gave her goosebumps. .

Then, in order to divert this thought, she turned to her assistant CINDY and asked:

"CINDY, has the total box office of "The Untold Secret" been released?"

"No. The screening in the last country, Thailand, has not ended yet. The statistics should be calculated after the screening is over. I will talk to you then."

Hearing this, Liu Yifei nodded, sitting on the chair holding a thermos cup in her hand with a straight look.

There was no way, she had to distract herself.

Otherwise...it will be very uncomfortable.

And nothing works better than The Untold Secret. After all, the film was a success across Asia.

Mimi succeeded.

The movie is great, and Mimi looks beautiful in the camera.

Especially the fringed dress played by Tanqin is very beautiful.

But how much is the overseas box office of "The Untold Secret" now?

After I came out, I had to send a text message to Mimi to congratulate her.

She thought, guessed, and even edited in her mind the words she wanted to send to Yang Mi.

There is no other way, she can only do this.

Because once something begins, the fantasies in your mind will never stop. And these fantasies gave her an... indescribable goosebumps and an inexplicable... disgust.

Thinking of this, her thoughts inevitably went astray, and her eyes moved to her mother who was putting on makeup.

Mother is indeed beautiful.

There is no doubt about this.

only……

She forcibly looked away again.

Well, by the way, where did Mimi invite me to watch Jay Chou's concert last time?

Jay Chou...the new songs released this time are also quite good.

I also like the MV about the cowboy being busy...

Um……

…

Xi'an, Xiying Film Studio conference room.

A group of people sat in the conference room, listening to Qi Lei's secretary read the "Secrets That Cannot Be Telled" financial report, and nodded in unison.

Obviously, very satisfied.

Then, just when Qi Lei was about to say something, the cell phone placed on the table suddenly vibrated.

He originally didn't intend to pay attention to it, after all, it was a meeting.

But the moment he saw the caller, he immediately waved his hand and answered the call.

Then I heard Xu Xin’s voice:

"Mr. Qi, are you busy?"

"Hahaha, Director Xu is looking for me, he must not be busy."

Qi Lei, who worshiped Xu Xinkuai as the God of Wealth, must be "not busy".

Although Xi Film Studio did not participate in the overseas distribution of "The Untold Secret", the domestic distribution was enough for them to make a lot of money.

With a box office of 191 million, a 6% share is more than 11 million.

It's just a movie.

But it is also the only film released by Xi Film Studio in the past four years.

Yes, you are not mistaken.

It's the only one.

In the early years, Xiying Studio was extremely glorious. The original title sequence with the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an was a guarantee of "high-quality" and "masterpieces" in the minds of many older generations.

However, with the passage of time and era, the declining Xiying Studio also had to face problems such as backward management mechanisms and redundant staffing.

As a result, like other state-owned enterprises, it inevitably fell into decline.

How miserable was it at the worst time?

Take one and pay for one.

What should I do if I don’t have any money?

The studio is given to you.

This land is given to you.

These devices are given to you...

The degree of decline can be imagined.

Of course, this is not just the Western Film Studio, all domestic film studios have this kind of behavior.

Then, in 2000, XA City took the lead and after the debt restructuring of West Film Studio, the current West Film and Television Group was formed. During the period from 2000 to 2003, the reform seemed to have achieved initial results, and a series of...well, let's just say it was excellent works.

"Beautiful Big Feet", "The Great Sage of Love", "Love Is Silent", "Snowflakes Gone with the Wind", "Female Prosecutor", "A Mei's Promise", "The True Story of Old Port" are still in good reputation Not to mention the film, after "learning from the painful experience", Xi Film Studio also started shooting commercial films.

Films such as "Heroes of Heaven and Earth", "Kara is a Dog", "Cell Phone", "Kekexili", "A World Without Thieves" and "Kung Fu" were released.

At first glance, they all seem quite popular.

But the problem is that this cake was requested by Xiying Film Studio.

Leaving aside "Kung Fu", the box-office champion in which the star remembers his old love, let's talk about "A World Without Thieves" if nothing else.

The total investment of "A World Without Thieves" is 30 million, and here Xiying Film Studio only distributes it without investment proportion. The crew is fully funded by Taihe People's Film and Television, which is jointly funded by Feng Xiaogang, Zhang Guoli and Taihe.

To put it bluntly, people don’t need to bring Xiying Studio to play.

But due to connections, the company was handed over to people from Xiying Studio for distribution.

Not to mention the film's box office of nearly 120 million yuan, the advertising revenue alone, whether it was BMW or Taobao, collected nearly 40 million yuan in advertising fees.

Just get your money back.

It doesn't matter, you get paid for how much you do.

Very normal.

But the problem is that "A World Without Thieves" is Taihe's first work and the first work after the company was established.

While it was a hit, Xi Film Studio took millions in distribution fees, and even exposed their connections.

The protagonist of this movie is a "thief".

Before "A World Without Thieves", who had ever seen a domestic movie with a "thief" as the protagonist?

Therefore, when it was submitted for review, if the relationship with Xi Film Studio had not been strong enough, whether the film would be released or not would have been two different things.

Logically speaking, Xi Film Studio has a lot of credit for this film, right?

Yes, people recognize it.

But the problem is that in these related jobs, people from Taihe must be present when the Xiying Studio is working.

After "A World Without Thieves" was released, everyone's connections and connections were laid.

Xiying Studio is like an old lady's foot wrap. It works well when you use it, but when you're done with it, it gets kicked away.

Take the money and leave.

Nothing happens without you.

We got to know each other through you, and you also received the introduction fee as the introducer. You have fulfilled your job responsibilities, and we have also fulfilled our duties.

But you can’t say that you control everything, right? That's not realistic either.

This is true of "A World Without Thieves" and other movies as well.

It's the same as Zhang Yimou letting Xu Xin come to Xiying Studio.

Before Director Zhang didn't mention that Xu Xin could sign a contract with Xiying Studio at the beginning, Qi Lei thought that the other party came with this idea.

Everyone knows that Xiying Film Studio has connections, and everyone knows that your family has a great business.

We give you money and you help us pave the way.

Everyone gets what they need.

But over time, Xiying Studio actually helped others. After taking part of the short-term profits, it became a little embarrassed after the domestic market began to get on the right track.

Not to mention the relationships you have, introductions from others, and contacts.

What are you thinking of doing? They haven't taken you to play yet.

If I have money, can’t I make it myself?

Of course, Xiying Film Studio itself is not stupid, so after 2006, it suspended all such distribution work and planned to start internally selecting excellent scripts and directors. Then, the director resources of Xiying Studio were gone.

Only Gu Changwei and Wang Quan'an were left.

have to.

Director Wang Quan'an and cinematographer Gu Changwei worked together. In March 2006, Xi Film Studio's own film "The Beginning of Spring" began to be prepared.

The company no longer accepts any external film distribution business, and begins to focus on self-production and sales.

Then began to bear huge economic pressure.

After all... the employees in the factory also need to eat, and the movie "The Beginning of Spring" was originally planned to be filmed in six or seven months and released at the end of 2006. As a result, the movie was firstly slow and secondly delayed. It was delayed until October this year.

The company just got the negatives two days ago.

However, for the time being, the prospects are quite optimistic.

With this movie, Jiang Wenli just won the Best Actress Award at the Rome International Film Festival.

However, the domestic release was directly scheduled to April 2008.

During this entire period, Xi Film Studio was under tremendous financial pressure.

As a result, his life should not be cut off.

After stopping all distribution work, with the guarantee of director Zhang Yimou, Xiying Film Studio undertook the distribution of "The Secret That Cannot Be Tellable" and at the same time signed its first director contract in four years.

"The Untold Secret" was titled with the title of Xi Film Studio, making the old film studio's LOGO appear again in the audience's sight, and it also earned nearly 200 million at the box office like a robbery.

You know...as long as Xu Xin signs the contract, Xiying Film Studio is not afraid of being an old lady's foot binding like others.

And this profit of more than 10 million, although it seems not much... After all, Xiying Studio can make a fortune every year by releasing the DVD copyright of old movies.

But this one is completely different!

And don’t forget, although the overseas box office has nothing to do with them, the number of moviegoers in South Korea has exceeded 100,000, the box office in Japan has been a hit, and the "Secrets That Cannot Be Tellable" trend has swept across Southeast Asia, all of which have proven one thing thing……

Director Xu Xin is capable!

If no one introduces it, others may think that his debut novel is just bad luck.

But the fate between the two parties was brought about by Zhang Yimou.

This shows that Zhang Yimou is completely optimistic about this young man in all aspects.

After being optimistic in advance, after this young man handed in such an answer sheet, if the people at Xiying Studio hadn't been sensible and knew that they were busy with the Olympics... I'm afraid the knife would have been put on Director Xu's neck, forcing him to He quickly took the shot...

This is a chicken that lays golden eggs!

God of Wealth!

But now that the God of Wealth has found him, Qi Lei's heart has begun to beat faster and faster.

Even though he was having a meeting in the factory, he was still joking and after mentioning the name "Director Xu", he directly pressed the hands-free button on the phone under the eyes of other people in the conference room who subconsciously shut up.

Then he asked:

"Director Xu, what do you want to see me for?"

"Yes, yes."

Xu Xin, who didn't know where Qi Lei was on the other end of the phone, said directly:

"I want our factory to help me negotiate the copyright for a book."

"!!"

"!!!"

"!!!"

Looking for a book?

Buy copyright?

Xiying Studio is very familiar with this matter.

Finding creative inspiration from literary works is something that Xiying Film Studio knows well.

Whether it is Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, or other directors, many of the works of these older generation filmmakers are actually derived from literary works.

Therefore, Qi Lei asked without thinking:

"Director Xu is going to make a movie?"

Then, the eyes of everyone in the room began to surge.

Immediately afterwards, Qi Lei patted his chest:

"Don't worry, Director Xu, I promise to help you negotiate whose work you like this time. There are quite a few writers who maintain good cooperative relations with our Xiying Film Studio."

This is true.

Whether it is Yu Hua, Mo Yan, or other writers, these literary giants have maintained very good relations with Xiying Film Studio.

Including the entire literary circle, Xiying Studio has a very good reputation.

These reputations were created one after another by those once excellent directors from the West Film Studio.

And when they heard that Xu Xin was going to start with literary adaptation, all of a sudden... an idea came to everyone in the room.

This is definitely the right path to take.

With a work supported by literature, as long as the spirit of the work can be found accurately, then this movie will definitely not be bad!

This is the perception of the older generation of Xi Film Studio... and even all film studios.

It's also culture.

It's more traditional...even orthodox.

Xu Xin was also happy after hearing this:

"Haha, I know that...it's like this, Mr. Qi. I have a novel in my hand called "The Wind", which is a work by the Mao Dun Literary Award-winning writer Mai Jia. I have fallen in love with this novel. Let's go to the factory Are you asking about copyright? This book... I like it very much.

In other words, it's not an exaggeration to say that I like it very much. If you can, please help me get the copyright first. Of course, Mr. Qi can also react to the leaders and let everyone read this book first. After I got the copyright, I started thinking about the adaptation in my free time. After the Olympics, I can start working on it. How about it? "

"no problem!"

Qi Lei agreed immediately and repeated:

"Mao Dun Literary Award Writer...Which MAI? Which JIA?"

"The Wheat of Wheat, the Home of the Family, and the Sound of the Wind of the Howling Wind. His book is for sale in Xi'an. I bought it from Xi'an. Mr. Qi can take a look at it, and then let the leaders take a look at it. I After reading it, I approached director Zhang Wu, you know? Zhang Wu, deputy director of the Olympic Games..."

"knew."

Qi Lei responded.

He knew Zhang Wu's identity very well.

"I specifically asked Director Zhang about the characters that may cause controversy, and Director Zhang gave me a lot of professional advice. So don't worry, and please don't worry, leaders. I'll wait until the copyright discussion is over, and if I need to explain, , I will go to Xi'an. Okay?"

Hearing this, Qi Lei didn't say anything, but other people in the conference room felt a sense of surprise.

This young man does...

Quite cautious.

Watertight.

Although I don’t know how big the “controversy” he mentioned is, but if I got professional advice and guidance from Zhang Wu, a person who specializes in ideological work, then the lines of this script must be in line with some... correct paths.

This young man...

Thinking of this, several obviously older men present let out a silent sigh.

No wonder Yimou values ​​him so much...

Just this sensitivity and caution in the pursuit of art...are simply carved from the same mold as Yimou.

It makes people feel reassured.

After Qi Lei heard this, he nodded:

"Okay, I understand. After I bought the book, I looked at the publisher and started contacting them."

"Um."

After Xu Xin responded, he suddenly said:

"I really think this story is very good, so... let's get it as much as possible while it's just been released, okay? There are a lot of things that can be explored in this story. At least... after I read it, I think movies and TV series can be made, and they will all be exciting. So... okay?"

He didn't finish his words, but Qi Lei already understood the meaning.

This is making a request.

The 3+1 contract is signed, but it doesn’t mean that you are working for free.

If you can't even get the copyright of a book...

That means the partner is not capable enough.

That’s a lot to say.

So, Qi Leile was happy:

"Haha, Director Xu, just relax. Leave this matter to us."

"Yeah, okay, then I'll wait for the good news from Mr. Qi."

Xu Xin was in a good mood and hung up the phone after a few more pleasantries.

Then he counted the time.

In more than half a year, the Olympics will be over...

If the copyright is obtained smoothly, the script will have to be tightened.

Nothing else mattered. What was important was that after he got the script, he should give it to his girlfriend as soon as possible.

Then I felt a little troubled again...

Although the character Gu Xiaomeng appeared in the original work, the vague image of the character was revealed through the words "She looks bad-tempered...but she is very beautiful" through Feiyuan Longchuan's telescope...

But "beautiful" has become a rule.

And in Xu Xin's world...

What?

Isn’t my girlfriend beautiful?

So who is beautiful?

But the problem is what to do with my girlfriend’s acting skills.

Following Director Zhang's experience, he tried his best not to talk about acting matters when his girlfriend didn't need help.

And even if they talk, they will carefully choose their tone to avoid hurting their girlfriend's self-esteem.

So he just read the script of "Ugly Girl" and gave some opinions, but he never let his girlfriend perform in front of him like an audition.

But Gu Xiaomeng is the protagonist in this movie.

He must be responsible for his girlfriend's acting skills.

But this is where the trouble lies.

On the one hand, I am worried that my girlfriend cannot handle this role.

On the other hand, I am afraid that I will mess up and let my girlfriend be affected by this role...

Worrying about gains and losses...

well.

He sighed, but he still edited a message:

"I asked people from Xiying Studio to discuss the script of "The Wind". If the negotiation ends, you will be Gu Xiaomeng. Am I great?"

…

"...?"

Yang Mi, who was just about to start filming, was stunned when she saw this message.

I subconsciously replied to three questions:

"???"

"What's wrong?"

"You want to take pictures!?"

"That's right. You don't like this story?"

"I like it, but...you're going to shoot it now?"

"That's not the case. We'll wait until the Olympics are over. Buy the rights first, change the script, and shoot after the Olympics."

"Shall I play Gu Xiaomeng?"

"right."

"????"

"What's wrong? Not confident? Don't worry, you'll be fine! Gu Xiaomeng is very beautiful in the original novel. Although you are more beautiful, please deign to cooperate with me, okay? This time, you are definitely the protagonist!"

Is this disgusting?

Quite disgusting.

But a warm current surged out from the girl's heart and kept going downwards...

But that's not the point.

The emphasis is on the last sentence.

It’s the phrase “absolute protagonist”.

After looking at this sentence for a moment, she suddenly showed a coexistence of shyness and joy, but more of a longing and intense heat, like oil or fire.

Mixed with this kind of heat, after she heard the words "Mimi, get ready to start", she responded, stood up and quickly typed a string of words:

"Congratulations to player Xu Xin for unlocking a new pattern in cheongsam PLAY."

"..."

Looking at the row of dots in her boyfriend's reply, Yang Mi could no longer hold back her fiery emotions and laughed out loud:

"Goose goose goose~"

The cake for the default heroine is too big.

I can't afford it...can't I pay for it with my flesh?