I’m a Director, I’m Not Bad

Chapter 670 667. It’s just the beginning

Xu Xin came to Japan to promote this time, and still had a day free, planning to visit Takakura Ken.

But when he dialed the other party's phone number while holding the gift, he was told by Kamehara Ai that Takakura refused.

The reason is that he is ill and is currently recovering in the hospital.

Unable to see guests.

When Xu Xin heard that he was sick, he thought to himself that it was okay for a junior not to know. Now that he knew, he would definitely go there.

Otherwise, the old man can't explain it.

But after offering to visit, Takakura Ken still refused.

He said a lot of thanks to Xu Xin, but he gave a firm answer regarding the visit.

"Please don't come. It doesn't matter to me. After I recover, I will consider going to China. We will meet again then."

At first, Xu Xin thought he was being polite, just like in his country, "Hey, no, no, don't come." He said he didn't come, but when he saw that he was here, he was polite and friendly.

In the end, who knew that this old man was also serious.

Even the hospital didn't tell Xu Xin.

Xu Xin mentioned it two or three times, but when he couldn't come up with it, he had no choice but to give up.

Unexpectedly, less than ten minutes after hanging up the phone, a strange message was sent to his mobile phone.

"Xu Sang, my name is Oda Takayuki. I'm extremely sorry for disturbing you. I was beside you when you were talking to Mr. Takakura just now. Please forgive Mr. Takakura's insistence. This is his character. He doesn't want to put himself I apologize for exposing my vulnerable side to anyone."

After getting the translation from Shangyuan Ai, Xu Xin thought about it and asked Shangyuan Ai to send a reply to the other party for him:

"It's okay, I'm just sorry that I can't visit Mr. Gao Cang this time. I hope he recovers soon. Can you tell me whether his condition is serious? Can you tell Director Zhang? He cares about Mr. Gao Cang very much."

The reply I got was:

"I'm sorry again, I'm sorry, Mr. Gao Cang doesn't want to disclose it to anyone. Please don't tell Director Zhang Yimou, Mr. Gao Cang doesn't want him to worry. By the way, he just said that the car will be sent to China this month. hope you'll like it."

Seeing this, Xu Xin stopped insisting.

It's just that he doesn't know whether the other person's condition is serious or not...

After much thought, I decided that I would just wait for the old man to finish filming "Jinling" and accompany him again.

…

Xin Haicheng is quite interesting in Xu Xin's opinion.

This guy has some skills...

How should I put it, there is a very unique sense of delicacy when getting along with her.

First of all, this guy is an avid ramen lover.

On the third day after Xu Xin came to Tokyo, Xu Xin was invited to a soba restaurant said to have a century-old history in Tokyo.

Although the way to eat the noodles with dipping sauce is that it is said to be steamed noodles but not steamed noodles, and it is said to be braised noodles but not braised noodles... but the unexpected taste is quite good.

Xu Xin was quite cautious at first and brought Shangyuan Ai with him.

As a result, after dinner that night, Xu Xin, who had finished his work the next afternoon, took Liu Yifei and Lin Xinxin to Hachioji City and ate the Japanese food he was more curious about during the chat last night. Street ramen.

On the third day, he took Xu Xin to eat teppanyaki noodles...

Noodles, for Lao Shaan, it doesn’t matter if you eat three meals a day, 365 days a year.

Only Lin Xingxin and Liu Yifei suffered.

The former likes rice, but the latter wants to eat it but can't.

Therefore, when Xu Xin called him to eat later, he basically stopped going.

I vowed to try Tokyo’s rice with my love for Kamegen...

Look at his potential.

As for Xu Xin's trip, Liu Yifei became a regular partner.

This is why Xin Haicheng is said to be delicate.

During the first half of the meal on the first day, everyone was still chatting with Shangyuan Ai as the translator.

But after a few cups of yellow soup, he began to speak English.

Xu Xin was a little stuttered at first.

After all, although he memorized enough words, he still struggled to form sentences.

But language is something... I'm afraid of practicing.

As long as you dare to speak, it's okay.

Therefore, even if he doesn't understand prepositions, nouns, adjectives, etc., he can rack his brains to say words and then combine two words together.

Even after drinking too much and having a big tongue, I even learned a few Japanese words.

The most common thing to say is to point to an object and say:

"これ, beautiful!"

In short, after the first drink, the two of them became accustomed to this stumbling communication method.

Love from the source becomes less important.

So, after Lin Xinxin took her away, Liu Yifei, a talented person with "Chinese and English bilingual subtitles", became a follow-up translator.

The price was... under Brother Xu's eyes, he chose to turn a blind eye to Wu Qiqi, the fairy sister who wandered around to eat.

no way.

That's the boss...

The boss said it was edible... What can I, a wage earner, say?

So, under the leadership of the boss these days, the fairy sister who finally lost weight to 114, started to gain weight again under the influence of alcohol and delicious food.

But what they are playing is reality.

It’s time to eat and drink.

The worst case scenario is that Yang Mi will give her a bloody lecture when she goes back.

What's there?

Teeth clicked.

Not afraid.

And this is where Xin Haicheng can get along.

After drinking, as a local, he did not lead Xu Xin and Liu Yifei to go elsewhere.

He especially likes to take the two of them for a stroll.

After dinner, just like a conscientious tour guide, we took the two of them around various attractions in Tokyo.

Moreover, his "transfer" is different from traveling.

This is the place that best suits Xu Xin's taste.

He likes to take Xu Xin and Liu Yifei to hang out.

For example, go to the Edo-Tokyo Architecture Park.

Everyone went to see the architecture, but what he led the two of them to see was the architecture in the "director's" eyes.

In front of these old houses from the Edo period, he would discuss with Xu Xin how to make these old buildings look better in photos.

Xu Xin is an expert in this area.

So Xu Xin was talking most of the time.

For example, when you want to shoot a character, how should you express that kind of beauty?

Even to prove her point of view, Liu Yifei, whose face looks like hair these days, even became a model.

After seeing the photos taken by Xu Xin and using the camera on his mobile phone to create a very charming film through simple scene hints, the next day when the brothers gathered together for dinner, he took it. Got a SLR...

Xu Xin talked with him about real-life photography, and he would talk about how to move real-life buildings into animation.

Then I started sketching the old house from the notebook I brought with me.

For example, how to use the scene structure of this house to express "horror, gloominess", or "tranquility", etc.

Because it is not a professional painting, just a line drawing.

So everyone can only communicate through language.

And when Xu Xin got excited and started sketching pictures in the director and cartoonist's notebook, the guy's eyes started to shine.

As a result, Liu Yifei has more and more opportunities to be a model these days.

And never get tired of it.

Yes, she was really enjoying it.

On the one hand, it’s the psychological reason why I can’t tell anyone...

Even if they are not alone, she is very happy just... walking together.

On the other hand, as an actor, when acting as a translator for some "difficult sentences", she would also keep in mind what the two outstanding directors discussed.

Then interpret it from the actor's perspective.

For example, on Shin Haicheng's recommendation, Xu Xin watched "Midnight Diner" which was particularly popular in Japan in 2009.

At first he thought it was a food TV series.

It's similar to "The Little Master of China".

But after actually watching it, I found it surprisingly interesting.

The day after watching it, after everyone finished their work in the afternoon and made an appointment to have dinner, he and Liu Yifei were taken to Shinjuku.

Shinkai Makoto is very familiar with Tokyo.

As a cartoonist, screenwriter, and director, he traveled to all corners of Tokyo when collecting stories.

After calling Xu Xin and the others over, on the one hand, everyone had an authentic "civilian cafeteria" meal in Shinjuku.

A small shop similar to "Late Night Diner".

Although the environment is gloomy, the taste is really not bad.

On the other hand, Shinjuku at night allowed Xu Xin to see another side of Tokyo.

A few people stood in front of a vending machine on a small road, looking at the people coming and going. The topic that Xin Haicheng talked about seemed a little heavy.

Issues such as the "lost thirty years", or the employment environment in Japan today, work pressure, etc.

As someone who has experienced Japan's golden development period, even though he was only a teenager at the time, you can still hear the "fantasy myths" of that era from his mouth.

And in this context, in Xin Haicheng's words:

"We know that the big future is inevitable towards decline, so in everyone's eyes, every little bit of warmth is precious."

Xu Xin helped him complete his words:

"So this is the main reason why Japanese movies have been so touching in depicting the joys and sorrows of small people in recent years."

His words were recognized by Xin Haicheng.

After Liu Yifei heard this, she couldn't help but ask:

"Is this the gap between our two countries in terms of movies?"

"Not really."

Xu Xin shook his head:

"In terms of cultural concepts, in the education we have received since childhood, there is a saying that our today is watered with the blood of countless ancestors. You can interpret a lot of meanings from this sentence. But put it in our current language Under the circumstances, collective progress will inevitably involve noble people making fearless sacrifices.

Our country is moving forward and thriving. In this journey full of thorns, the sacrifices of our predecessors, our sacrifices, and the belief in the hearts of all those who sacrifice for the collective hope that our future will be better.

Or, we can understand it more one-sidedly. The sacrifices of our ancestors were pushing our huge boulder towards the top of the mountain. In a bright future, these noble people are willing to make themselves stepping stones. Sacrifice the small self to fulfill the greater self.

This kind of brilliance accumulated and worked hard by ordinary people will be remembered under the sun, but more often it will be transformed into the green grass along the way. History will never forget, and the people will never forget. What these people want is not for us to forget, but for a bright future in everyone's hearts.

The brilliance of this bright future is so dazzling that it will attract all your brilliance.

Therefore, those fragrant grasses, under these brilliance, are sometimes ignored.

And the meaning of Brother Cheng's words... Well, you can imagine that the boulder has reached the top of the mountain and is about to start rolling down.

Rolling down means weakness and the absence of glory.

Therefore, those who originally pushed the stone up the mountain began to desperately try to maintain the position of the boulder. Unfortunately... their strength is not enough. The speed of the boulder may be slowed down, but it will not stop.

And in the process of this fall, the light is no longer there, and the sacrifices of those who work hard to prevent all this, which is what we call the emotions of ordinary people, will become their motivation and motivation to stop the decline of the boulder under this increasingly dim light. hope.

Because they have lost their brilliance, they can only rely on igniting themselves to become the hope of others.

Therefore, they cherish hope and engrave hope.

A weak candle flame formed in the darkness.

This kind of candlelight is also the ultimate. Because it’s the same as those of us pushing rocks up mountains. Everyone is a member of the so-called "ordinary people".

Pushing the stone upward, we sacrifice for the sake of "bigness".

After seeing these candlelights again, I can empathize with them.

But that doesn’t mean our path is wrong or that we are inferior to others. Just saying...the emphasis is different.

That’s why I said that Chinese movies and Japanese movies are similar in appearance, but not similar in spirit.

It's two different things. "

When he said this, he was speaking in Chinese.

After all, with his level, he is still unable to express himself so fluently in English.

Xin Haicheng couldn't understand.

But after hearing what Xu Xin said, he looked at Liu Yifei with curiosity, wanting to get her translation.

But after hearing this, Liu Yifei asked thoughtfully:

"Then... we, as filmmakers, what role do we play in pushing the stone up the mountain? As you said, we can't burn ourselves to become the fire of hope that stops the stone from going down the mountain, right? "

"Um."

Xu Xin nodded again:

"Our role is to ensure that those expectations that have turned into grass will not be forgotten by people. Because... forgetting is the most terrifying thing."

"..."

Liu Yifei's brows tightened instantly.

It's not that I'm dissatisfied with this answer, but I instinctively started to think about the meaning of this sentence.

Looking at her frowning expression, Xu Xin smiled and said:

"This is the so-called inheritance and development. Every generation has its own responsibilities. As film and television practitioners, we enjoy the great achievements that our predecessors have pioneered for us, but in the end, we must also turn this prosperity into The soil at the foot of the market nourishes them to bloom brighter flowers. And

When the time comes...just like when we inherit from our ancestors...someone will naturally succeed us and then carry this responsibility and continue to push this stone forward towards a brighter future. "

"..."

Liu Yifei frowned more and more.

But the eyes looking at Xu Xin are getting brighter and brighter...

until……

Xin Haicheng couldn't restrain his curiosity and asked Liu Yifei what they were talking about just now.

And when Liu Yifei translated Xu Xin's words word for word as much as possible, the buddy's eyes also lit up.

But after the flash, there is a sadness.

The sadness of being a citizen and an ordinary person.

A few people just gathered around the vending machine, looking at the soil that Xin Haicheng said "underneath the prosperity is extremely rotten", no one spoke for a while.

Everyone benefited a lot from Xu Xin’s words.

Liu Yifei looked at the man who lit a cigarette, her eyes were like fire lighting up the day.

But the more he commented, the more sad he felt. Xin Haicheng's eyes dimmed, and his sadness was like a river flowing into darkness.

Liu Yifei was very happy.

Because I am on the right path.

No need to be confused or hesitant.

You just need to believe in this path and keep going down.

Xin Haicheng is just the opposite.

Unless someone can travel through time and space, change the past, and create a new future.

otherwise……

There is no hope.

…

In the early morning of February 10th.

"Hawthorn Love" ended its 49-day screening cycle.

Officially offline.

Total box office: 422 million.

After "The Wind"'s 330 million, Xu Xin once again created his own record.

The small-budget film, with a total investment of 20 million (excluding publicity and distribution), has a box office of 422 million.

Successfully won the honor of "the highest-grossing literary film in history".

Congratulations arose throughout the country.

Whether inside or outside the circle.

Everyone knows that Xiying Film Studio and Shanghai Film Studio are making a lot of money this time!

Make a fortune!

It’s like picking up money for nothing!

Xu Xin helped them get off to a good start in the new year!

Although "Hawthorn Tree" still lost to "If You Are the One" which is only five days away from being released...the two movies are now entering their final stages, both in terms of film schedule and box office.

Looking at it, "If You Are the One" may be between 440 and 450 million...

It seems like a win.

But in reality?

How much did you spend on the announcement? How much did the filming cost?

Did you really win?

…

February 11, 9 a.m. Japan time.

After Xu Xin got up, he received a message from Yang Mi.

"The first-day box office of "Wulin Gaiden": 19.6 million. The total box office of "Hawthorn Tree": 422 million."

The former successfully won the box office championship on February 10th and got off to a good start.

The latter has a perfect ending.

Along with this message, there were several photos.

The first photo was of her and Liu Zhishi in front of a heart-shaped signature board.

On the background of the photo are gaudy signatures, and at the top of the signed version are the words "Carry Love to the End".

The second photo is an explanatory poster for the event.

[Shout your love loudly - carry your love to the end] fundraising activity.

The third photo is a close-up of a signature board, which reads:

"YM loves the big husband XX and the little wife LSS."

Fourth photo:

"↑, XX, you have to believe me, your wife and I are innocent - LSS"

The fifth photo is a selfie of two people wearing masks while sitting in a movie theater seat.

"We're watching a movie."

For these four photos, Xu Xin's attention is on the first and second photos.

He was no stranger to these two pictures. In the past few days, Qi Lei had sent some of the activities of "Will Love" one after another.

The first signature board is available in every theater chain.

Just like the promotional life-size statue of "If You Are the One", it stands at the entrance of the theater and can be seen when you enter.

As for the second one...

That’s a bit interesting.

February 7th, the fifth day of the lunar month.

Basically, movies stuck in the Valentine's Day period started to gain momentum at the same time.

Among them, "Jiang Ai" has the biggest buzz.

First of all, in Shenyang, an elderly couple who were over seventy years old and had a "diamond wedding" made headlines as a role model for "carrying love through to the end."

After it hit the headlines, it was also widely publicized on the Internet, making it almost nationally known.

Then there are several big cities across the country, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hangzhou. Some activities are kissing activities. Couples go over to kiss, and whoever stays longer can get gifts.

Then there is this activity, the so-called "Shout out your love" to express your love to the person you like.

This activity is more popular than kissing.

On the Internet, you can often see scenes of hundreds, one or two thousand people participating.

It can be said that "Will Love" takes advantage of the popularity of Valentine's Day to the maximum.

This kind of publicity, let alone Xiying Studio, even made Xu Xin salivate with envy.

Grandma's...how much does it cost?

You know, the venues for "Love Will Be" are all large supermarkets.

These venues all cost money...

Isn’t the cost of this movie only RMB 30,000?

This announcement... Although it is not as popular as "If You Are the One 2", the announcement of "Wulin Gaiden" is nothing compared to others.

Although he hasn't had time to read the reviews of "Wulin Gaiden" yet, just looking at the box office on the first day... it should be a certainty that it will exceed 100 million.

Shang Jing...that's okay.

I'll wait until I get back to my country to watch the finished film.

He was in a good mood.

He gave his wife a thumbs up gesture in reply.

Yang Mi replied quickly:

"Woke up?"

"Well, I was planning to go have breakfast, what about you?"

"I have to do laundry today. Our dad lost so much weight last year that many of the clothes I bought for him don't look good on him. This time he is going to Shanghai to have his size re-measured. I sorted out all his clothes. , choose it and give it to your relatives at home. So you need to clean it."

"Oh. Okay, I'll check the messages on my phone and then go get busy."

"Well, go ahead."

Overnight, there were many congratulatory messages on his mobile phone.

After browsing for a while, he found that there were too many, so he simply ignored them.

Called Su Meng:

"Mengmeng, come to my room."

Soon, Su Meng rushed over.

After seeing a lot of congratulatory messages on my phone, I picked them up with ease and started replying one by one.

Xu Xin's mood also returned to calm after being happy.

Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of the suite at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, he looked at the city made of steel and concrete and frowned slowly.

He asked himself a question.

A question that seems a bit lucky.

"If You Are the One" If you are like this, you are not blocking me.

"Wulin Gaiden", you are still "popular", but you still don't stop me.

Now……

Do you want to continue?

Because now the facts have been revealed.

If you do this, the effect will not be good.

Despite this serious imbalance in the ratio between publicity and production costs, our movie's box office has not been affected in any way.

You can't suppress me, and you can't suppress anyone else.

Now...do you want to continue?

He was asking himself and those people.

Because...as I said before, if my guess is true, then Beijing Circle's strategy is actually a gamble.

I bet that no one in Xiying Studio could beat me except myself.

But the current results of "Wulin Gaiden"... although it cannot be said to be explosive, it proves that the momentum is definitely not weak.

He asked himself...if it were him, he might think twice about it.

But having said that, after the idea came up, he knew it was unrealistic.

Because the market for "Wulin Gaiden" lies not in publicity, but in feelings.

is an exception.

Thinking of this, he suddenly became enlightened.

That is to say...

Next, when there are no more feelings to consume, and everyone stands on the "same level", will it be considered a real success?

Thinking of this, he took a deep breath.

"call……"

Next one...

"Steel Piano"?

It seems that it has just begun.

Just thinking about it.

It's like it's destined somewhere.

Suddenly, Su Meng from behind said:

"Brother Xu, Sister Bingbing sent you a WeChat message."

Let’s talk about it, in fact, the reason why I got stuck yesterday lies in today’s chapter. This chapter describes the friendship between Xin Haicheng and Xu Xin, which is to catch Liu Feifei's tail.

The next chapter will also have the conclusion to something that she has been criticized for. And about how to choose movies in the future.

Readers should have the impression that her mentality started from seeing Yang Mi preparing for the movie, to returning to the mountain village to prepare for "The Hawthorn Tree", and now...this set of mental journey is complete.

But similarly, her template is actually the same as Xu Xin's, disdain for commercial films.

So this is the point of her transformation. It was impossible for me to use the same experience as Xu Xin to describe her change of mentality in a large space, so the method I chose to deal with it was to "let her fish it out first, and then suddenly wake up".

As one of the important characters in this book, I feel that this way of handling the situation makes the transformation of mentality more natural, rather than the rigid feeling of suddenly knowing what I want to do.

But that paragraph was difficult to write, and that was the reason why I was stuck yesterday. I have a detailed outline, but no clue. I apologize to everyone.