I’m a Director, I’m Not Bad

Chapter 719 716 The Matrix

Chapter 719 716. The Matrix

After following the old man around several parts of the set of "Jinling" and getting to know the general situation, the time came to noon.

Not really hungry, but the temperature has risen.

Amidst the chirping of the cicadas, Zhang Yimou waved his hand and led several people into his RV.

This RV is still the same one from "Golden Armor".

Xu Xin remembered that the car was quite new back then, but now when he got on it and looked at the leathery sofa and the occasionally bumped furniture, he said directly:

"Shall I change it for you?"

"Need not."

Zhang Yimou picked up his magnetized water thermos cup.

After the one Xu Xin gave him as a gift last time was smashed in an argument between him and Zhang Weiping, he bought this one again.

"Everything is fine, why waste that money?"

Seeing this, Xu Xin stopped talking.

As for what he thinks in his heart, no one knows.

Zhang Yimou put down the tea cup and pressed a few times on the control panel of the RV. The air conditioner of the car started working and made a buzzing sound.

As soon as the car was powered on, the small LCD TV opposite the bed also lit up.

Xu Xin didn't pay attention at first and asked Lao Wang and Seventh Brother to sit down.

When he took out the slightly cool soda from the refrigerator in a familiar manner, he happened to hear a muffled thunder coming from the speaker:

"Rumble..."

He subconsciously looked up, and the toothless Nico in sunglasses on the TV showed a weird smile to him...

"Scared me."

Wang Sicong and Di Wei also looked at the TV.

It turned out to be The Matrix.

"Why do you still look like this?"

After hearing Xu Xin's words, Zhang Yimou, who was looking for the remote control, was a little puzzled:

"What? Can't I have some entertainment?"

"That's definitely not the case. I think even if you're having fun, you'll find a movie about...such as suffering and hatred to criticize the humanistic spirit in it."

"..."

Zhang Yimou simply rolled his eyes.

Once you find the remote control, turn off the TV.

"No, no, no."

Xu Xin quickly stopped the old man's movement:

"The most classic part is coming soon, please watch this part."

"Don't you want to watch some movies about suffering and hatred, and criticize the humanistic spirit in them?"

Zhang Yimou's rhetorical question hit Xu Xin in the face.

Not moving at all.

Towering like a mountain.

But Wang Sicong and Di Wei's expressions were a bit subtle.

Especially Wang Sicong.

Although he had dealt with Director Zhang several times over the years, he had never seen what Director Zhang was like in private. He only listened to what Lao Xu said.

And now looking at it this way...

Director Zhang...it's also quite fun.

While the two were thinking about it, the camera in the movie also came to the classic scene of two red sofas and a glass of water.

Xu Xin did not sit down, but stood and watched.

While watching, he said to Zhang Yimou:

"The Wachowski brothers are indeed talented, let alone India... As far as Europeans and Americans are concerned, I think they are rare people who have profound research on Buddhism."

Following his words, Morpheus also said the sentence on the TV that set the core tone of the entire movie:

"It is a world that blinds you to the truth..."

Listening to the casual lines of "Morpheus", Xu Xin muttered:

"All conditioned phenomena are like bubbles in a dream, like dew or lightning, and should be viewed as such."

"Not only that."

Zhang Yimou shook his head slightly:

"The greatest thing about the script logic of this movie is that no matter what kind of philosophical logic you are embedded in, whether it is Christ, Buddhism, fatalism... you can find the closed loop of that level of logic in this movie. . It is amazing that it can be self-consistent... Just like this paragraph, you can think of it as Buddhism, but you can also think of it as the "id, ego, superego" in Freud's words .”

"?"

There was a big question mark visible to the naked eye on Di Wei's head.

Wang Sicong frowned:

"I...forgot who I heard it from. It was just hilarious at the time, but now that I listen to you two talking about it, I think it makes sense. It is said that the core basis of the entire "The Matrix" is based on Russell It starts from the premise of paradox. As long as Russell's paradox is not solved for one day, then the content filmed in this movie will have a faint trace of authenticity. It's just that our knowledge is too little and we can't tell it at all."

"...???"

There were many more question marks on Si Wei's head instantly.

At this time, Xu Xin also frowned.

"Russell's paradox? Is it the one where S belongs to S, but does not belong to S, and then contradicts itself?"

Zhang Yimou nodded:

"This point of view is irrefutable, but from my point of view, it is more like Descartes's conclusion regarding Plato's discussion: universal doubt. These two points of view may seem like arguments, but in essence they are more like "Emancipate the mind" is the unchanging central idea to carry out interpretation and discussion in all aspects. This is also what I find interesting about the script of "The Matrix"..."

I don’t know when it started or why it became like this.

In short, in Si Wei's eyes, the three men inexplicably started chatting about some topics that she didn't understand at all.

What is Russell's paradox?

Plato...I know. Fall in love.

Who is Descartes? I did own a pair of Decathlon shoes...

Si Wei was confused all of a sudden.

Gradually, Wang Sicong and Zhang Yimou started to talk about some very... nihilistic things, just like they were having a philosophical debate.

Gradually it became separated from the script itself.

But Xu Xin fell behind in the chat between the three of them.

He just stared at the screen in front of him, watching Morpheus take out the two red and blue pills.

Seeing this, his thoughts began to wander for no reason, and he heard in his ears that when he was drinking with Brother Qian'er, the wine was very high, and Brother Qian'er, who usually didn't hesitate to open his voice on stage, always liked to sing such peaceful lyrics. .

His voice is definitely not as bright as Teacher Guo’s.

But the hoarse voice with a hint of cigarette smoke sounded stronger to him.

And how do you sing the lyrics of "Skeleton Sigh"?

Then Mr. Zhuang, take a leisurely trip... go out to the city... the north and south corners, bah!

This seems to be "Persuading People."

wrong.

Anyway, the story tells that Duke Zhuang went out for a walk on horseback and met a skeleton. When he saw that the man was about to die, he felt pity for him, and then used elixirs to revive him.

As a result, the man was not only ungrateful, but also wanted to extort Zhuang Gong's money.

I especially remember that after Brother Qianer finished singing, he lit a cigarette, blushed slightly, and made a joke.

say what:

"Thankfully, Mr. Zhuang, the old man is riding a horse. If he were driving, he might have run over..."

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but smile.

The scene on TV also showed Morpheus's sunglasses reflecting the "two Neos".

On the sunglasses lens on the left, there is already an image of Neo reaching out to grab the red pill. But with the sunglasses on the right, Neo did nothing.

Tsk.

Seeing this, he had to admit that the Wachowski brothers were unconstrained.

The red pill is the reality of the world.

The blue pill is a fake that nothing will happen.

Just like Zhuang Gong's half-red and half-white pill...

True or false, male or female, good or bad...

Um?

Suddenly, he was stunned.

The tentacles of inspiration suddenly spread out in my head, as if they had been stimulated by something.

good?

bad?

reality?

false?

surface?

Inside?

In an instant, countless "antonyms" and "opposites" were like countless pebbles, suddenly thrown into the calm lake of his heart, and the ripples spread to all directions at once.

opposition?

He subconsciously turned his head and his eyes fell on the table in front of Wang Sicong and Di Wei.

There is a pen and scratch paper on it.

He sat down directly, grabbed the pen, and quickly drew two circles on the scratch paper.

One circle says "positive" and the other says "anti."

Zhang Yimou, who was originally interested in discussing philosophy with Xiao Wang, looked over curiously when he saw this.

Wang Sicong and Di Wei also noticed something was wrong with Xu Xin.

"Old Xu, what are you doing?"

As soon as he spoke, Zhang Yimou suddenly waved his hand to signal Wang Sicong to stop talking.

Wang Sicong was stunned for a moment...and then quickly shut his mouth.

Zhang Yimou had already stood up, came behind Xu Xin, and started staring at the draft paper.

He was too familiar with Xu Xin's state.

During the preparations for the Olympics, he had seen Xu Xin suddenly become distracted and dazed countless times.

At first, everyone would still ask, but as he came up with something new every time he was distracted or in a daze... gradually, everyone became aware of this habit of his.

Whenever I think of something or get some inspiration, I quickly put it on paper.

Or write, or draw.

There are even things that others may not be able to understand.

But... in the end, he will definitely be able to tell you some... very amazing ideas bit by bit through the ghost drawings on those draft papers.

then……

The entire RV became quiet.

He even muted the TV.

The three of them just watched Xu Xin write and draw there.

The drawing is very sloppy.

Sometimes it's a circle, sometimes it's the words "Morpheus", "Sunglasses"...

In the end, two different vehicle shapes were even sketched out in a few strokes.

Not to mention Wang Sicong and Di Wei, even Zhang Yimou became more and more puzzled.

what is this?

Everything has to have a theme, right?

But he doesn't push it either.

Instead, he just watched Xu Xin think, write, and draw.

Finally, Zhang Mo came over, and Xu Xin was awakened by the sound of opening the door:

"Dad, the steamed buns have just come out of the pot, the porridge still has to wait a while... eh?"

Facing his father's dissatisfied look and Xu Xin's... look that looked like he had just woken up, Zhang Mo was stunned:

"Did I come at a bad time?"

"..."

Zhang Yimou did not answer her. After restraining his dissatisfied eyes, he asked Xu Xin:

"What did you think of?"

"Well……"

Xu Xin lowered his head and looked at the scrawled drawings in front of him, and suddenly asked:

“What kind of music do you think best embodies luxury and connotation when listening to in the car?”

He asked a very puzzling question.

After Zhang Yimou thought for a while, he said:

"What car?"

"Volvo."

"..."

A group of people were stunned.

But after Zhang Yimou thought for a while, he said:

"Do you want to be elegant?"

"...Better bring a little. What do you think of the symphony?"

"No, it's too pretentious."

After rejecting Xu Xin's proposal without thinking, Zhang Yimou pinched his chin and frowned, lost in thought.

Then, he seemed to have thought of something and walked directly to the TV.

The car TV is forward in a square grid. And underneath is a drawer.

After he opened the drawer, he took out a CD case from inside. After rummaging around, he found a CD. After exiting "The Matrix", he pushed the CD player.

"When I directed Turandot, they gave me a version of Pavarotti's Turandot and Nessun Dorma. Have you heard of it?"

"I have some impression, but I can't remember it."

"Um……"

Zhang Yimou seemed to be very familiar with the contents of this CD and immediately started to adjust the time and said:

"Actually, what kind of music to listen to in the car mainly depends on personal taste. But if you ask me to choose a song... which I think best embodies "luxury", I will definitely choose a magnificent aria. And in the aria, Pavarotti's "Nessun Dorma" is my favorite. Feel it..."

Although he still doesn't know what Xu Xin wants to do, he still gave his recommendation.

Soon, along with the sound of a symphony, a loud, solid, full of energy, and a voice as rich as a mountain sounded:

"NESSUN~DORMA~~~~~~"

Frankly speaking, the acoustics in Zhang Yimou's RV are not very good.

But Xu Xin listened very seriously.

He half-closed his eyes and listened to Pavarotti's singing bit by bit... It can't be said that it was used to drill, it was more like a battering ram smashed into his mind and pierced his heart. .

From the beginning to the end, he probably had to vomit violently because of his desire to compare:

"VINCERO~~~~~~"

When Pavarotti's soul-piercing high notes lingered throughout the RV.

Xu Xin slapped him in the face instantly:

"Snapped!"

"That's him!"

This song "Nessun Dorma" became the most solid branch that ran through all his inspirations and connected the fragments, allowing him to connect together all the things he was thinking about, thinking about, and having flashes of inspiration.

Then, he picked up another scrap of paper and started writing quickly.

Wang Sicong stretched his head and looked over.

"Act 1:

She and I met Morpheus.

(Morpheus - doorman position)

Morpheus - Two sets of car keys. A bunch of red tags, a bunch of blue tags.

Intrusion: An XC90 appears.

(With thunder)

Act 2:

I drove and she took the car.

I feel unreal. (Describe the car interior)

From the back row, Morpheus suddenly entered: No, this is the truth.

(Introducing vehicles to reflect low-key luxury)

Reality that is touched, reality that is seen.

Finally, the sound effects are introduced - → the reality heard.

(No one sleeps tonight)

Act 3:

The Matrix special effects, special offers, time pause, and other vehicles were blasted as the XC90 drove.

(Vulnerable, no opponent at the same level)

Act 4:

When the song ended, the cat from The Matrix burst in, the traffic stopped instantly, and the cat walked across the road safely.

(reflecting safety)

End→Leave one to two seconds for the slogan and Volvo logo. "

"..."

He is writing and others are reading.

And after he finished writing, Zhang Yimou also understood what it was.

He asked in confusion:

"You signed a contract with Volvo?"

"Yes, I just signed a contract before I left. Two years of endorsement for the entire SUV series, three ads, one for three million. They wanted to release it with the launch of the new car in August, so they gave me nearly one hundred ads. I rejected all the ideas after reading them in the past few days. I was just worried...and suddenly I got inspiration. What do you think?"

Following Xu Xin's words, Zhang Yimou picked up the draft paper in front of him and frowned again.

he was thinking.

After thinking for about a minute, he asked:

"You want Laurence Fishburne to play?"

"Is he Morpheus?"

"Yes. This is his real name."

"That's him. I want him to wear the Matrix costume, especially the reflection of the sunglasses. It just needs to be a man and a woman, one red and one blue, to give consumers a choice. Choose a mediocre car series, or choose a A car series that is luxurious and restrained but full of connotation...

In other words, I want to make Volvo's XC90 as technologically colorful as "The Matrix"... Finally, on this song "Nessun Dorma"... Think about it, this kind of magnificent aria, when the vehicle is moving, The kind of explosion scene..."

"..."

Following Xu Xin's description, Zhang Yimou frowned and thought at the beginning, but finally a smile appeared on his face:

"Sounds pretty good. Although I don't know what advantages the Volvo brand has compared with its peers, but... as long as its seats, interiors, and sound effects all meet your expectations... or it doesn't, it's okay. , an advertisement. This advertisement...is very good."

After receiving his praise, Xu Xin's eyes filled with joy:

"You think that's okay too?"

"Well, it's very good. Whether it's the subject matter or the entry point... it feels quite fresh. But there is a prerequisite, you have to get the authorization of "The Matrix". The copyright fee..."

"Their advertising budget is very sufficient. This is the first time that Geely has obtained Volvo's independent domestic operating rights. It attaches great importance to it, otherwise it would not offer me a price of less than 3 million per advertisement. And for this kind of copyright... It’s not too expensive, right?”

"About half a million dollars. That's what I know...you'll have to ask for more details."

"That……"

Xu Xin thought for a while and confirmed with him again:

"Can I take a photo?"

Zhang Yimou laughed:

"You are the director, you have the final say. Is there anything that can't be filmed? Besides, this idea is really good and I feel very fresh."

"That's okay."

Xu Xin took the piece of paper back, took a photo, and sent it to the people at Volvo:

"Mr. Liu, this is an advertising idea I thought of, and Director Zhang and I also talked about it. We both think this idea is good. Take a look and give me an answer."

Xu Xin's mood instantly improved after he settled a worry.

When Si Wei, Wang Sicong, and Zhang Mo looked at them like "monsters", he smiled and said to Zhang Yimou:

"Just for this inspiration, my trip to Nanjing was really not in vain."

"Ha~"

Zhang Yimou chuckled:

"That's fine...eat more when you eat later. I've wasted a lot of brain cells after thinking so much. I need to replenish it."

"Okay~"

Xu Xin agreed immediately.

…

Lunch was eaten in the car.

The food was very simple.

A bowl of thick porridge, three steamed buns, one steamed bun eaten dry, one steamed bun greased with spicy sauce, and one steamed bun used as a steamed bun.

The meal is actually very simple, but it is extremely comfortable to eat.

During the meal, Xu Xin also asked about the movie.

However, he didn't ask about the "sex scene", but made some indirect inquiries.

Zhang Yimou’s attitude is very firm:

"It's impossible to film it. If I did, I would really be a sinner in history. So it's useless for anyone to say anything about it."

With his attitude, Xu Xin felt at ease.

After dinner, although there was still some time left, it was almost done.

Upon seeing this, Wang Sicong said hello.

He went to warm up the car.

When I arrived just now, the car was parked under the sun, and there was nothing going on in Lao Xu's hot spot.

Brother Qi can’t do it.

It's a girl.

Si Wei, on the other hand, very wisely helped Zhang Mo clean up the dishes.

Xu Xin was picking up the last cup of tea and chatting with Zhang Yimou about the film festival.

When the two of them are together, the topics seem endless.

Chat about everything.

On Wang Sicong's side, after turning on the car's air conditioner, he got out of the car and squatted next to a blackened, rotten house to smoke.

Just after taking a few puffs, he suddenly saw Di Wei walking towards the sun.

Seeing this, he quickly went to the back seat of his Land Rover, took out an umbrella, and walked towards Di Wei.

Seeing him walking towards her, Di Wei also ran a few steps to meet him.

"Hey, thank you Brother Cong."

"Hehe~"

Wang Sicong giggled.

"Where's Lao Xu?"

"I was chatting with Director Zhang there. He said he would come right away."

She and Wang Sicong were walking side by side under the umbrella. When she saw him heading straight to the car, Di Wei shook her head:

"I'll finish smoking with you and go up there."

"Well, okay...do you want some water?"

"I'm not thirsty. Are you thirsty? I'll find a place to buy you a bottle of cold drink later?"

"No, there's still some in the refrigerator."

As the two of them talked, they squeezed into the shadow of what was left of the dilapidated house.

Di Wei closed her umbrella, fiddled with her hair, and suddenly said:

"Brother Cong... I understand more or less what you said."

"What?"

"Just... Director Xu is really a genius."

Her eyes sparkled:

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it... the so-called "inspiration" in Director Xu's hands could actually turn into this. It's really amazing!"

"..."

Wang Sicong's mouth twitched...

My heart says that you haven’t encountered the time when my inspiration broke out.

As Di Wei said this, she turned to look at him.

When I saw his weird expression, I seemed to understand something and suddenly smiled:

"Jealous?"

"..."

Wang Sicong was stunned.

Then my heart felt hot.

"A little...a little bit."

"You are also very powerful. But...Brother Cong, your erudition is already a matter of course for me. It's just...not so strange, okay? So...don't be jealous, okay?"

"Then you can't reward me with rewards?"

"..."

Under the scorching sun.

Following his words.

moment……

Ambiguity began to arise between the two.

And the next moment...

Wang Sicong's body suddenly tensed up.

his hand……

I felt a touch of softness...with a hint of sweat.

Someone... took his hand.

"Is this... okay?"