I’m a Director, I’m Not Bad

Chapter 553 551. Not bad

"17 minutes..."

Xiao Yang, the editor of "Empire of Heaven", said with a hint of amazement to his companion watching the movie next to him, Guo Xiaoshi, who is also the deputy recording director of "Empire of Heaven":

"Have you ever seen anyone whose movie lasts 17 minutes and sounds like a whole chorus?"

"...It's just a coincidence."

Compared to Xiao Yang's exclamation, Guo Xiaoshi, who looked to be in his early thirties, had no expression on his face.

Although his voice was soft, the sourness in his tone could be heard.

After giving his conclusion, he said:

"I didn't see it before... Now that I see it... Heh, Xu Xin is quite scheming. The movie was submitted for selection at the Venice Film Festival, and the song was a well-known song in Italy. The movie only lasts 17 minutes. Being able to arouse emotions...tsk tsk, he can still play with his mentality."

"..."

Xiao Yang was speechless.

Although everyone is stirring the pot, they are also part of Huayi's crew.

But it doesn't mean that he agrees with Guo Xiaoshi's words.

Although he is the editor, the other person is the audio producer. But as practitioners, we still have some sensitivity.

Regardless of whether it is deliberately pandering, the real essence is... In the movie "Hawthorn Tree", the melody of "Ah Goodbye, Friend" is very suitable to be used here.

Most of the songs of that era were imported from the Soviet Union and had a strong anti-fascist flavor.

And this song, which praises revolutionary friendship, should be placed here as a matter of course.

There's nothing wrong with that.

What's more, the first 16 minutes of this movie are not just about songs.

There's a lot hidden in it... a lot.

There are thoughtful and relevant foreshadowings, as well as some very thought-provoking details.

Neither is deep.

In Xiao Yang's eyes, Xu Xin didn't deliberately show off his skills.

Everything expressed in this movie can be seen as long as you have the most basic film and television aesthetic theory.

This was particularly to his liking.

Besides, the biggest surprise for him was Liu Yifei.

He is not a fan of Liu Yifei, but he does not hate this person.

In other words... Liu Yifei may have forgotten it, but Xiao Yang had contact with her.

Just above that "The King of Kung Fu".

As one of the editors of "The King of Kung Fu", he was responsible for a small part of the editing work on the character "Golden Swallow".

When Liu Yifei came to dub, he came up with all the clips that needed dubbing.

As for Liu Yifei's impression at that time, he felt very good.

Being in Huayi, I see a lot of this brother and that sister.

Liu Yifei is one of those rare people who is not very picky about the environment, and her assistant is not that busy.

Nice touch.

The two even shared a glass of Coke at the internal banquet where the film was completed.

Later, although the company and Liu Yifei had a falling out... the company was the one who had the falling out. What does it have to do with my editor Xiao Yang?

And after two years, they reunited with each other again.

Although Xiao Yang is not confident that Liu Yifei will definitely remember him, it does not prevent him from appreciating the film and television works she brought from the perspective of a former work partner.

First of all, the editing of this movie made Xiao Yang feel very comfortable.

Everyone who does editing knows this.

At the beginning, everyone wanted to show off their skills, and everyone wanted to show off their skills. They wished that the camera would shake eight hundred times per frame to show off the editor’s awesomeness.

After working for many years, editors will find that... rather than showing off their skills, their job is to turn those films that ordinary people can't accept one after another into " Works that can be seen.

The reason why Xiao Yang likes this movie that exudes a down-to-earth storytelling quality so much is because... he has edited "The King of Kung Fu" and knows how many horrific scenes there are in that movie.

But the ingredients of the movie are too complicated. Just because the movie is bad, Liu Yifei cannot be blamed for it.

It's more like a product that is not adapted to the local environment and people are simply trying to fool you.

Therefore, because he had been in contact with her, he felt happy from the bottom of his heart when he looked at Liu Yifei in the camera.

Applaud each other for their performance in this drama.

Regardless of what happened later, at least the first ten minutes really gave Xiao Yang a new understanding of Liu Yifei.

In the first stage, Xu Xin's handling was perfect.

This is his recognition of the entire film as an editor.

As long as this rhythm is maintained, it doesn't matter how the plot develops, at least in terms of the overall rhythm, it will be complete.

As for peer prejudice…

Just listen to it.

Xiao Yang's thoughts at this moment are the thoughts of many film critics present.

Whether at home or abroad.

As professional filmmakers, they can praise good movies, but in essence, they come to watch them with the intention of criticizing them.

But at least the first 17 minutes...

Whether it was the soundtrack, the acting skills of the male and female protagonists, or the plots that had already happened, they all saw something...very new.

It is not a new technology or art, but a style.

It turns out...Chinese movies are not just about suffering and hatred.

It's not just a mess of kung fu movies that have great fighting but weak plot core.

The movie "Under the Hawthorn Tree" is... very good.

At least for these 17 minutes.

…

And the following story is the same as the movie temperament given by Xu Xin.

Whether it was Jingqiu's "capitalist-roader" family or some of the things she went through to stay in school, Xu Xin's handling was quite restrained.

When Jingqiu returned home, she just showed a sad expression when she thought about never seeing her third child again.

Then he silently picked up the brown paper envelopes at home.

Fold it skillfully and seal it with glue.

These envelopes are to supplement household income.

When Jingqiu's mother came back, she saw her busy daughter, and her joy was fleeting.

Then he also picked up a pile of envelopes, while still nagging Jingqiu to try to stay in school as a teacher.

In Xu Xin's treatment of the entire movie, the "family" setting is not a warm home.

Home, of course, must be warm and affectionate.

But considering that era and the name "capitalist roaders", he gave the family the feeling that Jingqiu and Jingqiu's mother were both "people with their tails between their legs."

Afraid of hands and feet.

It also makes the role of Jingqiu more reasonable.

And Liu Yifei's acting skills perfectly controlled this "inferiority".

From the way she walks to the slow whisper and cautious feeling in her speech and behavior... she directly uses contrast to let the audience see a completely different Jingqiu.

Jingqiu in the county town is like a bird in a cage.

She was completely different from the girl who smiled at every turn when she was in the countryside.

Because she couldn't see Jingqiu's smile, Liu Yifei used her eyes more to express her inner emotions.

Therefore, in the entire scene in the county town, she feels like a puppet living on her mother's wishes and the crime of wearing a "big hat" on her head.

During this period of the movie, Xu Xin reduced all unnecessary sounds.

Not once did the background music come on.

Even wherever Jingqiu went, there were very few people.

At the same time, the treatment of tone is also more metaphorical.

Blue can be seen everywhere, blue khaki work clothes, blue to black roofs, and the darker sky...

In order to make this blue color create a sense of immersion and add a "bitter yet sweet" taste to it, Xu Xin arranged the appearance of the third child at night.

That kind of blue-black color is not under a completely black sky, but under a dim street light.

The third child was standing under the street lamp.

And when Jingqiu walks into the light and shadow that symbolizes lighting up her heart, she will lose her inferiority and uneasiness, and at this moment she seems to have transformed into a bird spreading its wings and flying high...

Everyone watching smiled unconsciously.

Very simple shooting technique.

The same simple inner description of the characters.

But...it goes with that calm temperament and the quietly played variation version of "BELLA CIAO", a slow piano solo played by Lang Lang himself.

The night in this county seemed to come alive in the girl's smile.

"Wow~"

When they saw the beautiful smile of the girl under the street lamp, the exclamations from less than half of the audience at the scene were the best praise for Liu Yifei.

Unconsciously, her face felt hot.

Fortunately, in the dark screening room, no one else could see her bright red face.

And she turned her head unconsciously and looked at Xu Xin, who was sleeping on his back until he was unconscious...

The shame turned into helplessness again.

If this was played by Mimi... If you still dare to sleep, I will respect you as a man...

well……

Restraining the thought of pinching Xu Xin's nose and calling him out, she shook her head helplessly.

…

The whole movie moves slowly in Xu Xin's unhurried narrative style.

Gradually, the audience also understood.

Every time this girl named "Jing Qiu" appears walking, it represents an alternation of time.

The road she takes is short, and the time transition is short.

The longer the journey, the longer the time span.

During this period, the changes in mentality of Jingqiu and Lao San, including the confirmation of their relationship, and their secret emotions, were perfectly integrated with the "big birdcage" environment of the entire county.

That warm light, starting from the street lamp at night, moves towards dawn little by little.

To dawn, to daylight, to lighting up everything about a girl.

The entire dark blue tone was quietly dispelled by the appearance of Lao San again and again.

And the smile on Jingqiu's face was finally no longer inferior and artificial.

The relationship between the two has developed rapidly.

Everything is so beautiful.

And the progress of the movie was over halfway without even realizing it.

The story progressed to the point where Jingqiu discovered that Lao San was hospitalized.

The word "leukemia" appears for the first time in the entire story.

Those who have already been immersed in the peaceful and unique atmosphere of this movie will wake up instantly...

Abrupt?

Very abrupt.

In the original work, the third child suddenly contracted leukemia, which was also very unexpected.

But in the movie, Xu Xin had already given advance foreshadowing in the work of the geological exploration team described by Lao San.

Jingqiu asked Lao San what they were looking for, was it a coal mine? When it came to other ores, Lao San always kept silent.

Obviously, what this geological exploration team is looking for is something secret.

Before Jingqiu found Lao San in the hospital, she also went to the exploration team once. From conversations with others, she learned that Lao San did not belong to the exploration team.

Like some other geological experts, he belongs to a special team.

All of this is foreshadowing the rationality of Lao San’s leukemia.

Therefore, when Jingqiu asked Lao San, "Do you have leukemia?" Lao San denied it outright.

Called it just a "little cold".

But Xu Xin made full preparations for the decoration.

The brand new hospital gown worn by the third child, with its blue and white stripes, is darker in color than a hospital gown that has been washed many times.

At the same time, Lao San’s lunch box is also blue and black, not aluminum.

All the little hints label this dark blue with death.

In this scene, Liu Yifei finally showed her acting skills of switching between four emotions in one second.

First the anxiety when asking seriously, then the joy when getting the answer, the sadness that urgently needs to be vented after the joy, and finally the feeling of loss...

All the emotions were reflected in the gaze after Lao San answered, "It's just a common cold."

The emotional progression is quite complete and the connection is just right.

When the tears in those eyes refused to fall, the first reaction of the audience at home and abroad was:

"It's time for you to hug her."

But Xu Xin hid this emotion again.

It suppresses the feelings of both parties and also suppresses the emotions of the audience.

It's like continuing to load ammunition into the barrel.

Not satisfied yet.

It's not time yet.

Next, as the plot progressed, the two finally faced the scene... which was jokingly called "the cleanest sex scene in history" by the crew.

Two people, one room.

The ambiguity of being alone and alone begins to brew.

However, this ambiguity did not arouse any charming desires in people. On the contrary, many people frowned.

Could it be that...the director really wants to...

They dare not think about it.

Obviously the entire film was conducted in this clean and quiet atmosphere, although in the scene where the two of them were swimming, one could feel the ambiguity of the skin-to-skin contact between men and women blending together.

But if there really needs to be a sex scene...

Then this atmosphere...

But nothing remains.

Just thinking about it.

In the dark room, Jingqiu had already said the words "I can't let you stay with me like this... just lie next to me."

Oh no……

Countless people frowned.

Rarely, this time they didn't want any depiction of men and women.

But I hope the director can finish filming it in this peaceful atmosphere...

Why must there be "sex"?

Why can't Jingqiu and Laosan spend a night that is warm on the surface, but hidden in their hearts is a night of separation and death?

Are we going to let Jingqiu, pregnant with the third child, live alone in that era?

Some people have already begun to think about the subsequent plot.

But...

Xu Xin seemed to have guessed their thoughts in advance.

When he saw the third child lying down, he opened the quilt covering Jingqiu and put his hand inside...

"OH NO......"

I don't know who made a voice of resistance.

No one agreed.

But I deeply agreed in my heart.

This director ruined this film... The third child shouldn't have done this... What Jingqiu needs is to be protected rather than... huh?

When the slow camera began to pan, the bulge representing Lao San's arm was looking down a little bit...

Suddenly, the scene changes.

The picture of Jingqiu's anxious and slightly uneasy eyes suddenly appeared.

Then, the screen switches again.

The third child took out his hand.

What followed was the interlocking of fingers with Jingqiu.

"..."

"..."

"..."

He just wanted to hold Jingqiu's hand...

"call……"

Xu Xin, who didn't know what he was dreaming about, snored slightly.

Everything is under control.

…

1 hour and 26 minutes exactly.

When the darkness ends, a shot of Lao San and Jing Qiu walking towards the long-distance bus station one after another appears.

26 minutes and 10 seconds.

A scene of Jingqiu and Laosan in the car appears.

At 15 seconds, Jingqiu peeked at Lao San, but Lao San kept frowning. It was not until he found Jingqiu looking at him that he smiled.

43 seconds, by the river, Lao San watched helplessly as Jingqiu boarded the boat to the county seat.

At 27 minutes and 9 seconds, Jingqiu, who had arrived on the other side of the river, found that Lao San on the other side of the river had been following her along the river bank.

At 27 minutes and 33 seconds, Jingqiu stood still.

For a full 1 minute and 33 seconds, there were no lines.

There is no dialogue.

Even the camera, except on the car, only gives medium shots and long shots.

Silence is like gold.

Then, at 27 minutes and 35 seconds, Xu Xin used a super wide-angle lens, with the middle of the river as the dividing line, with Jingqiu on the right side of the screen and Laosan on the left.

It's obviously just the span of a screen, but this distance feels as if it's as far away as life and death!

it's time.

When the shells had been loaded to the point where they could no longer be filled, he finally handed the fuse to people's hands.

On both sides of the river that represents life and death.

Two tiny human beings are so insignificant and insignificant compared to this river that has been flowing for countless years.

The stillness of the picture seemed to make everyone's hearts stop for a beat.

until……

The picture suddenly showed Jingqiu.

Jingqiu is smiling.

Smiling very happily, smiling extremely happily, waving in the direction of the other side of the river in the camera.

He didn't say anything, but suddenly made a gesture of clasping his hands in a circle.

That's hugging the third child.

Right now, there's no one around.

Only then can a girl reveal her heart without any scruples.

Gave his hottest feedback.

At the same time, the guitar sounded urgently.

At the same time, there was another voice inside... It sounded like a human voice recorded by a machine with too old recording equipment. A hoarse and urgent male voice began to sing.

It's still "BELLA CIAO".

In other words, the entire hawthorn tree has no second accompaniment.

Just a different version of "BELLA CIAO".

This version of "BELLA CIAO" was written by Zhou Qin, the third lead singer of the Xi'an Choir.

The microphone used by Jay Chou was used by Elvis Presley in Las Vegas.

Zhou Qin's slightly hoarse but high-pitched voice, after being recorded by this antique microphone with a hard diaphragm and a dull sound, but with the sound of gold and stone, showed an explosive force no less than that of a bomb. feel!

Amid the rapid singing and guitar sounds, her smile slowly became stagnant after appearing in the camera for about three seconds.

Then doubts emerged.

As for why I'm confused...

The scene changed again, and a burst of smoke slowly passed from the river.

After the smoke cleared, the motionless figure of the third child appeared.

Seeing that he didn't move, the audience understood why Jingqiu was confused.

But in the next second, the third child in the long shot raised his hands.

Jingqiu's hesitation disappeared instantly without a trace.

But at this time, after singing a short section of the song again, it accelerated again.

At this moment, the screen suddenly switched to a close-up of Lao San.

Lin Xingxin burst into tears, collapsed to the point where she couldn't help herself, but her expression without saying a word, and the hug that she was trembling but trying to maintain, were like a bomb, paired with the smooth guitar and hoarse voice, The accelerated bombing was in front of everyone.

"!"

All of a sudden, the emotions accumulated for nearly 90 minutes burst out at this moment.

Finally, everyone understood the purpose of this music and this scene.

The third child...just like this song, is getting closer and closer to death...right?

When I first heard it, I didn’t know the meaning of the song.

But when I came to understand, looking at the two people in the camera... everyone's hearts were like this song speeding up for the last time after completing a bar...

Following the river, I rushed towards the grand death...

"hiss……"

Sun Youwei touched the goosebumps on his arms...

Suddenly I felt that this song was so harsh...

It was like a punch to his face.

Caught off guard.

Bang!

And finally, those three dull drum beats hitting the guitar box sounded.

The more than two minutes of silent performance ended here.

The scene changed and Jingqiu had come a long way.

The movie... has come to the final PART.

…

Finally, the 109-minute movie scene ends with an obviously mature woman standing alone under a hawthorn tree with her back to the camera.

That one hit of the bomb left everyone covered with bruises.

So... when the last paragraph saw the death of the third child, their grief had been vented in advance, and was replaced by a kind of peace... as time passed and the reality changed.

And the movie ended in this tranquility.

However, outside the fixed scene, the melodious sound of the mouth organ came.

"Ah, goodbye my friend~"

"Ah, goodbye my friend~"

"Ah, bye, my friend, bye, bye, bye..."

"Whenever people~"

"Walk through here~"

"Everyone said it's so beautiful~~~~~~~~"

"Flower~~~"

The melodious melody of the mouth organ and the clean and clear singing echoed throughout the auditorium of the University of Venice.

With the screen slowly turning black...

The subtitles finally started rolling.

"Director: Xu Xin"

"Producer: Zhang Yimou"

"Starring: Liu Yifei, Lin Xingxin"...

Snap.

The lights come on.

"..."

"..."

"..."

For a moment, people felt lost and sat on their chairs, staring blankly at the big screen, not knowing how to react.

The melody echoing in their heads soothed their restlessness and calmed them down again and again.

Calmly looking at the staff list on the screen...

Almost dead silence.

At this moment, Xu Xin finally woke up due to the dazzling light.

"Um...it's over?"

The sound is neither loud nor quiet.

But it attracted the attention of Sun Youcai, who was also sitting quietly on the chair.

Turning to look at the sleepy young man...

The middle-aged reporter, who was obviously a fan of Liu Tao, unconsciously closed the notepad that contained ten or twenty pages of thick fonts at this moment, looked at Xu Xin, and applauded sincerely:

"Pah, pah, pah..."

And he took the lead.

The domestic and foreign audiences in the venue felt like they were waking up from a dream.

The group of foreign friends quickly followed the applause and joined the team.

"Hua la la la la..."

In the sea of ​​applause, Xu Xin was stunned...

Feel the praise conveyed from the applause...

A smile appeared on his lips.

Look.

Isn’t this a good response...