I’m a Director, I’m Not Bad

Chapter 359 357. Calculated in years

"sister."

At Liu Yifei's home, Wu Qiqi knocked on Liu Yifei's bedroom door with a phone.

"What's the matter?"

Liu Yifei, who was lying on the bedside reading a book, looked up and asked after seeing her.

Wu Qiqi said:

"Sister Ting said that the script of "The Deal" has come out, and I will bring it to you to take a look at it. Director Xu would like to ask you to have dinner together tonight, is that okay?"

Liu Yifei's eyes lit up:

"No problem. Let's go to the study."

"Hmm~"

The two of them quickly came to the study room. After Liu Yifei found her mailbox, as expected, she saw a WORD document.

No preview, just download and print.

Soon, the printer printed 8 sheets of paper.

But Liu Yifei, who was holding it in her hand, was stunned...

Only 8 pieces of paper?

So short?

? ? ?

"Qiqi...why are there only 8?"

As she asked, she flipped through it and found that the story inside was indeed the same story, but... it seemed to have been reduced a lot.

Wu Qiqi was also a little puzzled.

Sister Yi Fei has been reading the script during this period. Although it is the first version of the script, it is at least more than 20 pages thick.

But why are there so few now?

"I'll ask Sister Tingting if her hair is missing."

As she spoke, she called Sun Ting.

"Hey, Sister Tingting, does this script only have eight pages? We just received 8 pages."

"right."

Sun Ting responded and said:

"What I received was only 8 pages, and I specifically asked Brother Xu. Brother Xu said he was basically right, and we will talk about it when we have dinner in the evening. I don't know the details~"

She hid the matter of changing the script into a short film.

Because she came to talk to Liu Yifei about this matter as an assistant, it must be thankless, and it would easily make her feel uncomfortable.

Brother Xu needs to talk to her personally about this matter.

Liu Yifei frowned completely after hearing that there were only 8 pages.

Directly asked Sun Ting on the other side of the phone:

"Where will we eat tonight? What time?"

"Qinchuan Yashe, let me ask Brother Xu about the time. Sister Yifei, please wait for me a moment."

"good."

…

On the other side, Xu Xin, who was visiting the National Center for the Performing Arts with Wei Lanfang, received a call from Sun Ting:

"Brother Xu, what time will we be tonight? I just finished talking to Sister Yifei, and Sister Yifei called me specifically to ask why the script only has 8 pages."

"At 6 o'clock. Then... you can go over there in the evening, don't drive, and drive back in my car. Bring me a copy of the script of "The Hawthorn Tree" by the way."

"OK."

Sun Ting agreed directly.

After hanging up the phone, Wei Lanfang asked:

"The script of "The Hawthorn Tree" has been released?"

"Um."

Xu Xin did not hide anything from her and said:

"The script has been completed, and now we have to start the crew formation and casting. For this kind of period drama, serving the Taoist priests is the key. When Yang Mi is out of confinement, I will go to Xi'an to do these things."

"Tsk, I also said we would have dinner together tonight."

Wei Lanfang felt a little pity.

Xu Xin laughed:

"Let's wait for another day. After all, I'm also a great director, so I'm quite busy."

"Yes, yes, great director~"

Wei Lanfang couldn't help laughing.

"Have Director Xu ever considered giving us any projects? Our National Center for the Performing Arts is still waiting for support."

"...Tsk. Sister Wei~"

"how?"

"You're a bad learner."

"Haha~...Sister Wei, go to the office first and find a printer. I have to read the script."

"good."

…

After reading the script, Xu Xin, who was very satisfied with Li Ruichao's changes, came out of Wei Lanfang's house. After finishing all his work, he started walking towards Qinchuan Yashe.

As the main work and reception place of Xiying Film Studio in Yanjing, his meals and banquets here are all paid by the factory and deducted from the entertainment fee.

The monthly amount is quite astonishing.

It was half past five when he arrived.

When she came to the room, Liu Yifei, who had put on light makeup, was already waiting in the room early.

Very beautiful, stunning enough.

"Come so early?"

Xu Xin greeted her familiarly.

Then he handed the coat to Wu Qiqi, who came over to help him hang the clothes, and then Liu Yifei said with a smile:

"You come to me, do I dare to be late?"

"Yeah! Xiao Liu has a very high level of ideological awareness~"

"Yes, yes, please give me more praise from the leader~"

Since she was freed from her mother's "shroud", her rather skinny temperament has gradually begun to emerge.

The celestial energy in his movements slowly subsided.

fine.

Xu Xin smiled and sat in front of the tea table.

Sun Ting quickly poured tea.

After Liu Yifei also sat down, she asked:

"When can I go see Mimi?"

"Just wait until she comes out of the cell."

"..."

Liu Yifei was speechless.

Xu Xin went straight to the point:

"Have you read the script?"

"Look, why are there only 8 pages?"

"Because it's going to be turned into a short film."

"Well……"

Under Liu Yifei's puzzled gaze, Xu Xin explained while holding a tea cup:

"Before, the screenwriter who worked on this had a meeting with me. There have been two editions, and I was not satisfied with either. Later, a screenwriter named Li Ruichao said... the character structure of this story is too fragile, because Both characters are so extreme.

It would be more appropriate to only keep the main line of the story. I thought it made sense, so I let them try it. The result... is indeed the case. After putting aside those... some of which can be said to be a forced expression of sorrow for the purpose of writing new words, the whole story suddenly became clear. What about you, how do you feel? "

After receiving Xu Xin's explanation, Liu Yifei nodded unconsciously:

"...To be honest, I think so. The whole script feels much more natural, and the emotional conflict is even more intense. Especially the last paragraph, which says that the little boy has been paying attention at home without the hostess knowing. After learning about her living habits for a long time...that touching picture suddenly appeared in my mind..."

"So I plan to take this film I made with you to the College Student Film Festival as the opening film. They have already sent me an invitation and want me to be the director of the opening film next April. What do you think? Are you interested? ?”

Liu Yifei was stunned:

"College Student Video Festival?"

"Yes. In terms of genre, it is a bit similar to the Youth Film Festival. Later I looked up this film festival... It said niche, but it is actually quite niche. Because the audience is not very large, they are all contemporary young people. . But it's... okay, pure enough. It's a bit like those foreign film festivals, where famous brands or big investments are all fictitious. The main thing is story and artistry."

"Well……"

After hearing this, Liu Yifei thought for a while and then asked tentatively:

"Do you want me... to reappear in the public eye from among young movie fans?"

"That's right. You have the most fans among young people. This is definitely an undoubted fact. It is definitely a good thing to be back in everyone's sight. But more... I am thinking about your future acting route ...I just want to see when you can break away from the shadow of "Dragon" and "The Condor". On the one hand, I will help you transform, and on the other hand...you should have a clear enough understanding of your acting skills now, right? "

As Liu Yifei nodded subconsciously, Xu Xin responded:

"What you need is promotion."

"...Why did Mimi's acting skills soar so fast?"

Yang Mi was not here at the moment, so with these words, she asked her doubts.

Xu Xin was stunned...

Then he laughed and said:

"What do you think she did?"

"I'm asking you because I don't know. Take "The Wind" as an example. I only know that she has been preparing for it for a long time, but... as soon as she appears on the screen, the feeling is completely different."

"time."

Xu Xin summarized the path Yang Mi has traveled in two words.

"time?"

"Well, time."

Looking at Liu Yifei's puzzled gaze, Xu Xin thought for a while and said:

"If I remember correctly, she encountered the novel "The Wind" in the winter of 2007 when she was filming the movie "Ugly Girl" in Dalian. I was still in Shenmu at the time, and she told me that she particularly liked this story. , recommended it to me. And since I bought the rights, she has already started preparing for the role of Gu Xiaomeng.

Throughout 2008, she was preparing. On the one hand, I searched for information. Guan Lu, one of the four most talented women in the Republic of China, can be said to be one of the prototypes of the story in this book. She began to search for information about Guan Lu, and at the same time went in and out of the library to find someone to sort out some of the true events of that year from the mouths of the only remaining old people. There are nearly two notebooks for her to write information on. "

Xu Xin's thumb and index finger made a gesture that angered the Koreans.

Much wider though.

"Make information, and then build the model in your mind over and over again..."

"Did she talk to you during this period?"

"No."

Xu Xin shook his head:

"We would talk about scripts and stories, but we never talked about the shaping of the character once before the reading meeting started. She did all the shaping of the character "Gu Xiaomeng" by herself. Even , she even went to learn Morse code by herself for a period of time.

So...you have to ask me how she improved so quickly. All I can say is...she spent a year figuring out this role. Through reading, understanding, listening and speaking, we enriched and perfected the image of Gu Xiaomeng, and created a wonderful performance on the screen. "

"Well……"

After getting the explanation from Xu Xin, Liu Yifei thought about it and suddenly asked strangely:

"Then... what about the role she is busy with now? Before the child was born, we went to a small auction, and she also got a copy of "Ji Xiao New Book". I asked her why she bought this , she said she was preparing a movie..."

"A movie that hasn't been decided yet."

Xu Xin shook his head:

"I won't mention her name or anything like that. I won't mention it... But she is not preparing for a movie, but is preparing to audition after she is pregnant."

"...???"

Liu Yifei was stunned.

Full of absurdity:

"Audition?"

"Yes. This movie... has a lot of twists and turns in it. But to put it simply, one of her senior brothers gave her a general type of character. We both thought this character was quite interesting, and we originally wanted to ask Whether it can be filmed, but they have even found a director and everything. Now it’s just a matter of casting. What she wants to compete for is a role in it. For this role, she started last year... probably in the second half of the year, and we We started preparing before the wedding.”

"Just for a role whose availability is uncertain?"

Liu Yifei was speechless.

"Then if you don't get selected, won't all your hard work be in vain?"

"...Well, that's for sure."

Xu Xin smiled and nodded, but then asked:

"But it also shows that the characters in this script are great, right?"

"That's right."

"Then when an actor encounters a great role, even if it's just an audition, isn't it right for an actor to be fully prepared?"

"..."

His words immediately stunned Liu Yifei.

Is this correct?

It must be right.

A great script and a great role are definitely worth fighting for as an actor.

But……

When the cost of this "great effort" is measured by the unit of measurement "year"...it would be better if it had already been determined.

But, brother, this role is not Mimi’s!

It's just an audition!

you……

Her face immediately showed that "although you are right, I think you are just farting" expression.

Looks particularly fancy.

But it's more absurd.

But Xu Xin likes to watch it, because these expressions are keeping Liu Yifei away from that "fairy spirit".

Actors, that's it.

You have to learn to live, know how to live, and learn to live in order to root yourself in the soil.

People around you praise you as a god every day, say you don't eat all kinds of food, and don't even let you fart in the toilet...The end will definitely not be much better.

In this absurdity, Xu Xin said:

"I don't think she is wasting her time. Moreover, don't think that the words she often tells the media, "I would feel honored if people only remember the role but not me," are lies. She is quite She is seriously trying to separate her acting skills from her business attributes. Making money is making money, and work is work. So... after the confinement period, she will go to the audition. To be honest, I am quite looking forward to it. "

"..."

For a moment, Liu Yifei didn't know what to say.

Although many people on the Internet say that she is dedicated.

He said that when he shoots some works, he will study and prepare in advance.

But……

When she herself, or those actors who also spend a period of time preparing, meet someone who starts counting years just to prepare for an audition... this dedication is a bit funny.

Even if there may be a reason for pregnancy.

But the preparations for "The Wind" are real.

Even if I filmed "Sword and Sword III" in the middle.

Mimi, how could you work so hard in a place where others can't see her?

At this time, Xu Xin said:

"Although I don't know what she thinks about your business development. But I think... for movies, a good script + a good director + a good actor are indispensable. Although it's a bit nonsense, you should also understand me. I mean. There are too many things that a crew is not sure about. Right?"

"Yeah. For example, investors' requirements, or various interpersonal relationships..."

"So, in my crew, these situations will not happen. Then, we are looking for a good story. And this story is presented to you, for example, this "Deal", I will show it to you now.

Then you go back and prepare for a year, whether it is to make friends with the bartender, or to open a bar and KTV, or to really find a single-parent family and live with a child for a period of time... that is your own business as an actor. .

And when the movie starts shooting, you only need to appear in front of me, bring your understanding of the character and your life experience to interpret the entire movie well, and that's it. You see, filming is so simple. "

"..."

Liu Yifei couldn't help but want to roll her eyes after hearing this.

But he also knew that Xu Xin was not telling lies.

Because this is the simplest truth that exists objectively in the movie itself.

But the problem is that trying to do it... is easier said than done?

After thinking for a while, she asked:

"Then this "Hawthorn Tree"..."

"Have you read the novel?"

"I saw it. After you decided on the project, Mimi gave it to me right away. But I only read it twice and have been preparing the story of "The Deal"..."

""Deal" may be filmed next month. As for the short film, I estimate that it will be almost finished in a week at most. Likewise, get ready. For the role of "Hawthorn Tree"... I don't have any preference. Everyone can follow their own preferences. Come to the audition with your understanding of Jingqiu. I'm looking forward to your performance."

Hearing this, Liu Yifei nodded:

"good!"

…

The "no" preference that Xu Xin and Liu Yifei said was actually not an excuse.

But it's true.

In his heart, he really didn't have a clear idea of ​​what "Jingqiu" should look like.

Although the casting must be relevant to that era, Jingqiu also has a "Sanliwan" charming temperament and figure.

It's a very contradictory one.

Before seeing the specific figure, he couldn't determine what the vague outline in his mind looked like.

Therefore, he needs to audition and let everyone show the characteristics of Jingqiu that he needs to help him complete the construction of this character.

That’s what his audition was all about.

And while he was still making preparations, unexpectedly, Zhang Yimou took the lead.

November 20th.

There are still 5 days until Yang Mi is due to give birth.

Xu Xin arrived at Shanshui Cultural Garden again at around 1 p.m.

When they entered, they already saw about ten people including the old man’s official photographer Zhao Xiaoding and his manager Pang Liwei.

Everyone who comes neatly stays on the first floor.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm late."

The original appointment today was at 2 o'clock.

But seeing so many people coming now, Xu Xin quickly apologized.

Although everyone who comes here is basically acquainted, he must have the proper attitude, even if he is not late.

After sitting next to Pang Liwei, he asked:

"Where's Director Zhang?"

"Upstairs, I'm taking a nap."

"...taking a nap?"

Xu Xin was stunned.

It's easy for the old man not to take a nap.

Pang Liwei nodded:

"Today's task is heavy, in order to maintain energy."

"...Didn't I just get the audition tape?"

At the beginning of November, the old man had already started casting.

Choose "Hawthorn Tree" and "Jinling" together.

As for "Hawthorn Tree", he insisted on having the simplicity of that era. Sanliwan, the distinctive symbol of Jingqiu, is not particularly important to him.

What he was looking for was the impression left on youth... or young girls in the era when he was energetic.

Even acting skills are not required, as long as the feeling comes out.

What Xu Xin insists on is acting theory.

That is an actor who conforms to the tone of the era and conforms to all the characteristics of Jingqiu.

Then compare the two.

He was still waiting for Yang Mi to give birth, but Zhang Yimou had already started.

After hearing his words, Pang Liwei pointed to the shoe box of the TV next to her:

"It's full of them."

"...Information? It looks like there's quite a lot of it, let me take a look?"

"It's not paper materials, it's video tapes."

"..."

The corner of Xu Xin's mouth twitched instantly.

"Video tape?"

Looking at the shoe box, he was speechless:

"Is it the big one or the DV one?"

"DV."

"..."

DV video tapes, the standard format is 60 minutes.

And, its size is 51*73*15 (MM).

Very small.

It's only as big as half a palm.

It actually filled a shoe box...?

"full?"

"full."

Pang Liwei nodded:

"Anshan, Shenyang, Harbin, Hebei, AH, Jiangsu... Basically, there are people who have applied to art colleges. There are 460 people on the list. The girl with the highest age of 20 years old passed another screening and was eliminated. Of the 151 people who have had facial plastic surgery, there are still 309 people left, all of whom are here."

"..."

Xu Xin's heart skipped a beat.

He smiled bitterly:

"If I had known, I would have hugged my daughter and taken a nap before coming over."

"The wedding banquet is on the 26th, right?...I'll try my best to adjust the time. If these people can be selected, they can go. If Director Zhang says no, then we have to leave. We won't be able to go then."

"Ok, I know."

Xu Xin nodded, and then asked tentatively:

"Then Nanjing..."

Pang Liwei looked unmoved:

"I'm personally responsible for it. I'll see you later."

The reason why he specifically mentioned Nanjing was because the casting location for "The Thirteen Beauties of Jinling" had already been decided.

It will completely use local actors.

I don’t want anyone anywhere, I want Nanjing locals.

Both Thirteen Chai and those students are all locals.

But few people knew about it. Apart from Xu Xin, only a few close associates of the old man knew about it, so the largest number of people went to Nanjing.

While they were chatting, Zhang Mo called Zhang Yimou down.

It can be seen that the old man is sleepy.

But after seeing the person coming, he still nodded and said hello:

"let's start."

As he said that, he held his precious gourd plastic cup that he hadn't replaced in almost four years, sat down next to Xu Xin and took a big sip.

After hearing this, Yao Songlin, the photography assistant closest to the TV, opened the box, looked at the video tapes on it, and picked up the first tape.

"This is the video tape from Shen Yin. I brought three boxes in total."

He opened one of the boxes and pushed it into the VCR. He took the remote control and turned on the TV screen.

Soon, a girl with no bangs and a ponytail appeared on the screen, filling the screen with her entire face.

It's obvious that the photo was taken deliberately to "rebuke" the face.

The purpose is to allow Zhang Yimou and Xu Xin to see all the details on their faces.

Although the concepts are different, Xu Xin is indeed taking a serious look at it. Moreover, Zhang Yimou also confessed:

"The choice is yours."

Xu Xin nodded and looked at the girl in front of him seriously...

The girl has a very polite smile on her face, and the background looks like it was taken in a ballet classroom.

Yao Songlin should go to Shen Yin. While watching the girl introduce herself, she said:

"When I arrived at Shen Yin's place, the school was very cooperative and took me to choose the ones in person. According to your instructions, I should not be so outstanding in stature and have a better body and temperament. I took photos of the ones I saw suitable, so The auditions this time were relatively scattered, they were all freshmen, and there were only a few sophomores who were of the right age..."

"Let's get through it."

Before he finished speaking, Xu Xin denied the girl.

Yao Songlin nodded, took the video tape and started fast forwarding.

Soon came the second girl.

Then when he opened his mouth, Xu Xin looked at it twice and shook his head:

"This won't work either."

And then the third one…

"Pass."

"no."

"This... forget it, let's get through it."

"no."

"Next."

"Pass."

"Change……"

Soon, the first videotape ended.

Then comes the second box.

The third box.

The fourth box...

Slowly, Xu Xin began to become a little numb.

At first, he could still watch carefully, but as more and more people gathered, his mind became more and more confused.

To be fair, these girls are pretty.

But...maybe it's because of the DV shooting?

Or maybe I saw too much.

Slowly, each one gave him a rather ordinary feeling.

During the first video tape, he occasionally spoke, but later... simply, he didn't need to hear them introduce themselves. The audition clip started, and after seeing that face, his voice just clicked.

"Go, go, go."

He felt as if his nerves had entered an unusually peaceful stage.

When there are so many beautiful girls, he will naturally and automatically enter a stable mental state.

Although occasionally hesitant because of individual people.

But most of the time, I just pass as soon as I see the face, and I don’t even need to listen to these girls’ self-introductions.

After quickly watching five or six video tapes, Xu Xin rubbed his eyes:

"No, my mind is a little confused right now... Are you here?"

Zhang Yimou nodded and signaled Zhang Mo, who had switched from Yao Songlin to him, to continue.

Then……

A voice similar to Xu Xin's sounded:

"this is not OK."

"no."

"No... ok, pass."

"Next……"

"Pass……"

From two o'clock in the afternoon, it slowly came to dinner time.

When the nanny finished cooking, Xu Xin's eyes turned red.

I can't help it, I've been staring at the screen for too long.

…

"This girl is not just beautiful. You have to be able to find that youthful feeling in her. When everyone talks about "The Hawthorn Tree", they all know that it is pure love. If you want to be pure, you can't have that kind of look on your face. This kind of... I have grown up, and I understand the sophistication and sophistication. That doesn't work... there are two faces there, without acting, the audience must understand! I understand the feeling of youth..."

While eating, Zhang Yimou was still working tirelessly to make everyone understand his casting requirements.

But Xu Xin felt that he was "wasting time."

Although he also admitted that the old man's idea was right. But...an amateur actress will handle this drama?

Essentially, he still disagreed.

But there is nothing we can do.

After all, these are the results of the work of many people running around the country.

The old man is here, so he definitely can't leave.

I can only continue to endure it.

After eating, he took a break. After eating, he changed to new tea, and he continued to cook there.

I stayed up until past 12 o'clock in the morning.

Finally, I finished watching a box of video tapes.

309 people.

Number of people who advanced to the second round of auditions: 71.

Among these 71 people, Zhang Yimou selected about 40 people, and Xu Xin selected about 20 people.

"……Anymore?"

Hearing Zhang Yimou's words, Pang Liwei shook her head:

"No more. This is for everyone in the freshman stage. If you go on to the next level, you can only go to various professional art schools."

Hearing this, Zhang Yimou looked at Xu Xin who was rubbing his eyes:

"When do you plan to start the audition there?"

"November 30th. The "The Voice" finals will be broadcast live on the 28th. After participating, we will come back on the 29th and start on the 30th."

Xu Xin didn't even open his eyes, and said while rubbing his eyes with tears.

Seeing this, Zhang Yimou thought for a moment and nodded:

"Okay, let's have another round. Send a message to these professional art schools and ask them to record the audition VCDs of the female students in their respective schools who meet my requirements within ten days and a week and mail them over together."

"Pristine feel, no plastic surgery, acting skills are irrelevant?"

"Yes. That's it..."

Zhang Yimou nodded, glanced at Xu Xin who was still rubbing his eyes, hesitated for a moment, and said:

"That's it for today. If there's anything else, we'll talk about it tomorrow."