I’m a Director, I’m Not Bad

Chapter 550 548. The Dignity of Pizza

"Do you still remember the text we learned in elementary school?"

At Marco Polo Airport, Lin Xingxin, who had just got off the plane, looked at the sunset on Tesera Island and suddenly said something.

Xu Xin nodded:

"Remember, Mark Twain? But the content is not clear."

"Me too. But at that time I was thinking... Do you think this place is quite similar to our south? They both live close to mountains and rivers... Hey, do you think they have returned to Nantian?"

"..."

"..."

Lin Gou's strange brain circuit made Xu Xin not know what to say for a while.

But... to be honest, he was also quite curious.

All the houses here are built on the water. Are they really not tidal?

They are not Lao Guang, they are always served with a cup of herbal tea wherever they go.

Thinking of this, Xu Xin said:

"Do you think the people here are very wet?"

"...???"

Liu Yifei was stunned by this sentence.

What are you two talking about?

But Lin Xinxin became interested and kept nodding:

"I was just about to chat with you about this. Cupping is ours, right? Marco Polo didn't seem to learn it at the time. They live close to the river for many years, so why don't they get sick? The humidity is so heavy, the body must be sick What's wrong...how do they get rid of dampness? I've never heard of eating tomatoes to get rid of dampness."

"...Pepper? Does it count?"

"Does eating that stuff mean that you haven't eaten it? It's not the Hu spicy soup in Henan. I think they don't eat chili very well... and they don't have a hot kang. How do you think people live here? Oh, right, this Is there winter in this place? If you sleep next to a ditch in winter, you are not allowed to urinate?"

"There should be winter, right? By the way, what latitude is Italy?"

"...I have the impression that if they can play in the European Cup, it should be similar to the UK?"

"It's quite distinct in four seasons."

"Yes... do you want to open an acupuncture parlor here to treat rheumatism and sell dog skin plasters to make money?"

"The plaster should be very easy to sell, but acupuncture is something that most people can't accept, right? I can't even accept it... I feel confused when I look at that thing..."

The two gentlemen were chatting there as if no one was watching.

Liu Yifei was stunned for a while.

no……

Could the content of the conversation between you two be any weirder?

We started talking about climate and then started talking about Chinese medicine?

Can the topic jump a little higher?

Listening to the flaws in their geographical knowledge, she sighed helplessly:

"Can you two stop talking nonsense? This is far away from the UK. The latitude and longitude... I remember it seems to be more than 40 degrees north latitude..."

The two of them were interrupted like this, and the topic changed again:

"Where does the forty degrees north latitude come from?"

Xu Xin looked confused:

"I remember when I was in school, didn't I learn geography? It seems like... there is a Tropic of Tropic at what degree of north latitude or something?"

"Arctic Circle, right?"

After Lin Xinxin finished speaking, Xu Xin shook his head:

"No, no, the Arctic Circle is above, and there is the Tropic of Cancer. It seems to be some kind of tropical and subtropical zone...a mess..."

"You're pretty good at geography, I even forgot..."

"hey-hey……"

To be honest, Liu Yifei was really confused.

Looking at these two people dumbfounded...

Although she is not very good at studying, things like the Tropic of Cancer can be used to praise the other party's good geography...

She really didn't expect it.

You two are also directors and actors after all, can you please stop acting so ignorant?

Just outrageous.

While she was talking, several people finally walked out of the airport exit under her leadership.

Liu Yifei saw the staff holding a sign with Chinese characters for "Xiying Studio "Hawthorn Tree"" at a glance, so she took the lead and walked over there.

The person holding the sign also noticed them and waved:

"Director Xu!"

Xu Xin turned around to look, nodded and quickened his pace:

"Brother Zhong."

Zhong Changyou, the general manager of the team that came to Venice from Xi Film Studio this time, is also the commercial director of the distribution company.

He came to lead the team, on the one hand, he considered that after "The Hawthorn Tree" was shortlisted, foreign film producers would definitely come to discuss cooperation, and Zhong Changyou could directly make the decision.

On the other hand, it is because he is also an old man from Xi Film Studio. He has participated in many international film festivals with the factory and has rich experience.

So strictly speaking, Xu Xin and the others are also under the control of Zhong Changyou.

Unexpectedly, he would come to pick up the plane in person this time. Xu Xin's attitude of hurrying and taking his time was also a way of expressing his gratitude.

"Why are you here in person?"

"Haha~"

Zhong Changyou said with a smile:

"I'm in a hurry. Our movie will premiere at 8:30. No, after picking you up, we'll go directly to the cinema."

"ah?"

In the surprised eyes of the other two people, Xu Xin was stunned and asked:

"Such a good time period?"

"yes."

Zhong Changyou's eyebrows were also full of joy:

"However... the Venice Film Festival seems to be relatively balanced in this regard. It has given us such a good time period, but relatively speaking, the capacity of the theater will be smaller... There is no way, Director Xu, this has to be understood Let’s take a look. On the first day of the opening, there are many movies, so a balance must be struck. Then the subsequent audience ratings and media ratings will be used to divide the shows. So it doesn’t matter if the theater is small. As long as the reputation is good, there will be more and more shows in the future. "

"Then let's leave quickly."

Xu Xin looked at the time.

It's almost 7 o'clock.

Afraid of not being able to make it in time.

Zhong Changyou didn't say much, and walked out with Xu Xin.

As soon as a few people came out, they could immediately see a group of foreign reporters blocking the door.

However, after seeing a few Asian faces, although these reporters were not sure about the identities of Xu Xin and others, some reporters still took a few photos, which was rather perfunctory.

Seeing that the target was not them, they didn't say much, passed through the group of reporters blocking the exit, and came to the roadside to start moving their luggage.

Only then did Xu Xin ask:

"Are these paparazzi?"

"no."

Zhong Changyou shook his head:

"But the purpose is similar. Natalie Portman also arrived at this time."

Upon hearing this name, the image of Matilda popped into Xu Xin's mind.

His impression of the Hollywood star always remained in "This Killer Isn't Too Cold". Although that was already sixteen years ago.

He was also very curious about the other party's participation in "Black Swan" this time:

"Has Black Swan been screened?"

"Tonight at 9:30, La Fenice Theater in Venice."

When he said this, Zhong Changyou had a look of emotion on his face.

The reason why I feel emotional is because La Fenice is one of the most famous opera houses in Venice, Italy, and even the world. Although it is also used to play movies and award awards during the film festival, it can be used here. The movies performed are obviously the ones with the biggest background and the best production.

Films that don't get into the Phoenix Theater may not win awards, but if they get in... the probability of winning will definitely increase significantly, that's for sure.

Because the film catalog played in La Fenice Theater must also be a list recognized by the Venice Film Festival.

The reason why he sighed was because of this.

Although the play "Black Swan" is produced by Hollywood, it may be performed in the Phoenix Theater, which itself represents a kind of recognition.

pity……

As an "uneducated gentleman" who was just discussing with Lin Xingxin about Venice what to do if a person gets rheumatoid arthritis, Xu Xin doesn't even know which way the Phoenix Theater door opens, let alone understands the emotion on Zhong Changyou's face. .

He just asked:

"What about us?"

"We... are not bad either. We are in the auditorium of the University of Venice."

Zhong Changyou seemed a little embarrassed.

Added another sentence:

"After all, their venues are big. For example, the Malibrand Theater, the Venice Fixed Theater, and the Geldoni Theater are all temporary renovations of opera houses. The viewing effect may not be as good as ours... and our time is also good."

It's actually better if he doesn't explain.

These three people didn't know much about Venice, and they didn't know the difference between the theaters and cinemas he mentioned.

But once explained like this... all three people understood it.

The venue for "The Hawthorn Tree" is definitely not as good as those previous theaters.

It’s just not clear whether it’s the worst.

No need to ask.

The place has been decided, so let’s go and have a look.

There were two cars in total. After loading all the luggage, the group walked from Marco Polo Airport towards the city.

Xu Xin originally planned to take a look at the scenery, but when he got on the bus, Zhong Changyou handed everyone some information.

"Here, we are the last Chinese-language movie today. The previous ones "Sword Rain", "Jia Biangou", and "Chen Zhen" have all been screened. This is a rough evaluation, take a look."

A piece of information was handed over to Xu Xin... Although it was a bit inappropriate to say it, he finally felt a kind of competitive pressure belatedly.

Not to mention "Sword Rain" and "Chen Zhen", "Jiabiangou" and "Di Renjie" are serious works shortlisted for the main unit.

Except for "The Hawthorn Tree", three of the four movies have been played, and the information in hand is the translated evaluation.

Xu Xin first flipped through the screenshots on the A4 paper and noticed the scoring system keenly.

10 point scale.

"Sword Rain", 9 points.

"Chen Zhen", 8.3 points.

"Jiabiangou", 7.2 points.

"Di Renjie"......

“What does this percentage mean?”

"The expectation level before the release probably means how many ticket holders who registered and scored on the Venice official website this time are interested in it."

After receiving Zhong Changyou's explanation, Xu Xin looked at the 68% figure...

Not even low...

Then he turned to the last page, and he was stunned;

"Isn't it worth our expectations?"

"That's not necessary. Isn't this going to be released soon?"

Hearing this, all three of them could sense Zhong Changyou's reluctance.

Xu Xin suddenly became happy:

"Haha, what's going on? Brother Zhong is afraid that I won't accept it?"

"No, no, but this data is not necessarily accurate, and high data does not mean you will definitely win awards."

"So...how many are we?"

"..."

"There are no outsiders, Brother Zhong, just tell me."

Xu Xin continued to ask.

Anyway, except for a foreign driver, there were only these four people in the car.

Su Meng, Wu Qiqi and the others were all in the car behind.

What’s not good to say?

"……All right."

Zhong Changyou said:

"27 percent."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Although he didn't turn his head, Zhong Changyou had already guessed the expressions of the two people behind him when he saw the stunned look in Xu Xin's eyes sitting next to him.

So he explained:

"Actually, this thing has no reference significance. After all... Wu Yusen and the others are all old faces in Venice. And kung fu themes have always been one of the most attractive types of our movies. But our movies with this theme are not as attractive as theirs. It’s also normal. Before it was released, "Jia Biangou" was even lower than ours... only 18%, but after it was released, it also got a score of 7 points... so there is no need to compare this. And..."

As if he felt that his words were not attractive enough, he quickly added:

"Not all the people who are here tonight are movie fans with Venice Film Festival package tickets. The package actually attracts movie fans from other places to come here to visit and travel. It is also the revenue point of the Venice Film Festival. But here, the locals People... Take for example the University of Venice we are going to.

There is a "LAST MINUTE" there, a last minute limited time offer.

The Venice Film Festival is held every year, and all films will be rotated through various film screening venues during this time. They are not like movie fans from out of town who go to watch movies they particularly like.

In fact, as long as you endure it, the entire Venice Film Festival can be watched in a very low-cost format. Therefore, although there are tens of thousands of movie fans with package tickets attending this Venice event, there are even more hundreds of thousands of local movie fans.

There is a cycle of 3 days. After one cycle, after all the movies have taken a turn, it will be time for registered fans to release their ratings. At that time, more people will participate.

So these early data are... useless. "

Although Zhong Changyou is indeed a veteran, he introduces various rules in very detail, and he has rich experience at first glance...

But his words are actually contradictory to his actions.

Since it's useless... why are you typing out this information?

So I can’t believe it all…

At least, there were some parts where he was "liar to himself."

But Xu Xin didn’t expose it either.

Because the truth is... "The Hawthorn Tree" didn't get a lot of attention.

But now I am deceiving myself or others.

The movie hasn't been released yet.

Let’s talk about it after it’s released.

Thinking of this, he turned his head and glanced at Lin Xingxin and Liu Yifei.

Like themselves, the two of them didn't read the information...or they didn't have the intention to read it.

Seeing him turn around, everyone focused their attention.

Especially Liu Yifei...

The anxiety in her eyes was real.

Xu Xin suddenly smiled slightly:

"Hey, are you familiar with this plot?"

"...?"

The two of them were stunned.

"In that kind of passionate novel, the protagonist is ignored at the beginning...and then he soars into the sky and becomes invincible. Are you familiar with the plot?"

"Pretend to be a pig and eat the tiger?"

Lin Xingxin, who also likes reading novels, reacted immediately.

Xu Xin nodded:

"That's right. If the reputation is incredible after we release it, will it be exactly the same as that plot?"

Lin Xin was delighted:

"Hehe. No, no~"

He looked down at the information on the paper again...

Simply throw it aside:

"Slap them in the face later!"

Liu Yifei also laughed.

Smiling and nodding:

"Um!"

…

Marco Polo Airport is seven or eight kilometers away from the city of Venice. Soon, the two cars arrived in the city of Venice at dusk.

To be honest, exotic scenery is one of the fresh attractions for every tourist.

But at this moment, including Xu Xin, none of the three people actually had any intention of appreciating it.

Xu Xin sat in the middle row, looking at the scenery outside the windshield in front as if chewing wax.

The width of the road, the number of foreigners, the characteristics of the buildings, the architectural style... he had no idea.

At this moment, his mood was very much like...the state before the exam results were released.

I feel that I did very well in the exam and am very confident.

But while he is confident, he is also worried that the objective facts before him will be inconsistent with his predictions.

I want to ask the teacher to hand out the results quickly, but I also want the journey of this car to never reach the end...

He believed that he and the two friends behind him felt the same way.

only……

He couldn't say.

Although it was also his first time.

But as a director, his backbone must be straightened.

He can be less blindly confident and think that these people don't expect or want to watch my movies because they have ideological problems.

But for "Hawthorn Tree", a movie that he devoted all his efforts to, at least he did not feel any guilt or regret.

And actors can panic, and producers can also panic.

But the director is the soul of a film, so you must not panic!

"call……"

He took a deep breath quietly and pursed his lips.

Soon, the driver arrived at the road full of food stalls at the entrance of the University of Venice.

"Let's stay here, shall we? We just have something to eat. You guys have worked hard all the way."

Hearing Zhong Changyou's words, Xu Xin nodded and got out of the car.

Looking at the busy street with people coming and going, I temporarily suppressed the anxiety in my heart.

It’s not that I feel ashamed…

What's so shameful about this?

Xu Xin once asked the old man whether he was nervous when "Red Sorghum" won the first Golden Bear Award.

The old man's original words were: During that time, my heart was in doubt every day. Even if I couldn't understand German, I would buy newspapers every day and have people in the factory translate them for me. Some people don't like it when they praise me for being able to fly into the sky. Even if they say the movie is not good, I will feel sad all day long.

You see, all old men are like this. He was already so virtuous when he made this movie... It's not shameful for us, Lao Xu, to be like this, right?

It's all the first time.

He was just a little hungry.

And he saw a stall... It's not appropriate to call it a stall. It was just like a domestic stall that sells food from a cart. He didn't know what was sold inside, but he knew the English word for "Pizza".

Chinese pronunciation: Pi Cha!

Pizza.

So, when Zhong Changyou got off the bus, he pointed at the stall:

"Brother Zhong, I want to eat that."

"..."

Zhong Changyou's mouth twitched...

No matter how I heard it, I felt that this was exactly the same as the tone in which my son asked me for something.

So I couldn’t help but be happy:

"Haha, okay. Update, Yifei, do you two eat?"

"I'm... not very hungry."

"Me too……"

Lin Xingxin and Liu Yifei seemed to have little appetite.

At the same time, Lin Gou looked at Xu Xin in amazement.

Do you still want to eat at this time?

What a big heart.

After looking at the menu of this stall, Zhong Changyou said:

"What he recommends is Margherita pizza. What flavor would Director Xu want?"

When Xu Xin heard this...

"Is there anything similar to the domestic seafood supreme pizza?"

He was quite proud of the taste of Pizza Hut.

Then I didn’t know what Zhong Changyou said. The stall owner was stunned. He stared at Zhong Changyou and repeated Pizza Hut’s English “PIZZA HUT” several times, each time with questions.

Zhong Changyou nodded in confirmation.

Then the shopkeeper continued to chatter a lot and used gestures.

After saying a lot of things, before Zhong Changyou had time to translate, he suddenly pointed at Xu Xin:

"YOU!"

"...?"

Then this guy pointed at himself:

"Love, gee, by! No pizzahut, no pizzahut! no China! no American! No pizzahut, no pizzahut! no China! no American! No pizzahut, no pizzahut!"

Xu Xin was half confused after hearing this.

It was Liu Yifei who helped him translate:

"He said he was going to give you the perfect Italian pizza, not Pizza Hut, not China, not America, just...the perfect Italian Margherita pizza."

"Well……"

Hearing this, Xu Xin nodded and made an OK gesture:

"OKOK, GOGOGO."

When it comes to poor English, he really has no one else.

Then the owner grabbed a piece of dough and started making it.

In fact, in Xu Xin's opinion, his craftsmanship is far inferior to that of domestic Bai An masters.

And it's very simple to make. Just make the dough into a size about the size of a plate for eating at home, then spread a circle of tomato sauce, sprinkle some green...it should be basil leaves, and tear a few balls into it. white cheese and finally drizzle with olive oil.

Throw it in the oven.

Zhong Changyou wanted to pay, but the shop owner waved it away. Instead, he said a lot of things to Zhong Changyou seriously, and finally pointed at Xu Xin and asked him to translate.

He looked quite angry.

Zhong Changyou looked embarrassed and looked at Xu Xin:

"He said he doesn't want your money, but he must let you understand that pizza is the pride of Italy. Just like pasta that cannot be broken. It represents the dignity of Italy. He wants you to taste the most delicious Margherita. Special pizza, Pizza Hut pizza with pineapple is garbage. You will understand after eating it.”

"...???"

Is it garbage to put pineapple?

Perhaps looking at Xu Xin's eyes with surprise, Zhong Changyou nodded:

"They are very particular about this, just like our family never puts green pepper in their meat buns..."

As soon as he spoke these words, Xu Xin immediately understood.

I also understood the seriousness of the matter.

That’s right, Roujiamo, that’s steamed bun with meat.

Although it's not unpalatable if you add green peppers, Lao Shaan's authentic Roujiamo does not contain green peppers.

He got it.

And looking at his nodding look of realization, the shop owner also laughed.

A few minutes later, a freshly baked Margherita pizza was served.

The shop owner didn't even use the takeout box, but took the plate and put it on the small table of his food truck, with a "please use" gesture.

Xu Xin didn't show up either. The pancake was a little hot, but he could bear it.

One bite...

"Ouch?"

His eyes lit up.

It's different.

It’s completely different from what we eat in China.

tasty!

It's a pity... It would be more delicious if I could have a spoonful of spicy food...

Seeing him wolfing down the food, the shop owner smiled with pride, while Liu Yifei and Lin Xingxin swallowed their saliva.

"How about... let's have some too."

After hearing this, the shop owner went to work without saying a word.

In the end, this guy said he didn't want Xu Xin's money at all. He paid for three lira for four pizzas, and gave him the extremely romantic and persistent blessing of Italians.

While eating the cake, Xu Xin suddenly said:

"Well, it's definitely right to insist on being yourself. It doesn't matter what others think! Right?"

Lin Xingxin and Liu Yifei were stunned...

He nodded heavily and responded:

"right."

"Nothing wrong!"

"Under the Hawthorn Tree", here we come!