I’m a Director, I’m Not Bad

Chapter 791 788. What a fast knife

Xu Xin doesn't think he is...a genius.

He couldn't imitate Lao Xu's brilliant literary talent, who could write "If there were really no regrets in life, how boring it would be."

It's not that material either.

But he knew what he needed.

In other words, in his daily life, he pays careful attention to everything around him every moment. Everything that a director can take and turn into inspiration.

Even when he was relaxing, he never stopped thinking.

Just like now.

Faced with everyone's doubts, he scratched his head and said, slightly tipsy and contented after half a kilo of wine:

"I was thinking just now. For example, the people on our table are... people who know everything on the surface, but as Joe said, what if we also provide a medium similar to a "birdcage" in the script? , and through this medium, our character can be amplified. Our...inner side can be expressed. And as the inner... appears, the relationship between us begins to change...For example, you, Jesse, You and Antonio.”

After he finished speaking to the couple next to him, he pressed his palm down:

"No offense, I mean what if. If you two are the ones in the divorce case that Pep handled, your cell phone information revealed that you had another woman outside, and Jesse divorced you after finding out. So, let’s integrate the entire story into this medium... Wouldn’t the story be much smoother like this?”

"..."

"..."

"..."

A group of people were lost in thought.

Jasmine reacted the fastest and asked:

"You mean to express something through a medium similar to a game? For example... or let's sit together. Antonio and I are very loving on the surface, but in fact we seem to be inseparable?"

"right."

Xu Xin nodded and pointed at himself and Liu Yifei:

"For example, we are also an old married couple, but we also have our own pressures. For example... her mother doesn't like me."

Liu Yifei rolled her eyes directly.

"As for me, I am middle-aged, have accomplished nothing in my career, and am experiencing a mid-life crisis. Another example is Eva. She seems to be a glamorous female host, but in fact, she... and Philip are a couple. She is facing a crisis on the TV station. Being harassed by your boss...Eva, you know what I mean."

Eva, whose face was red, smiled and nodded:

"Of course, Xu, I don't mind, my dear, what about you?"

Phillip just shook his head calmly:

"Honey, I'm at work and I don't have the time to listen to your trivial matters."

Eva shrugged:

"Look, I want a divorce."

"Hahahahaha..."

Bursts of laughter broke out among several friends.

Jasmin, who had gradually understood what Xu Xin meant, thought for a moment and continued to ask:

"Xu, what do you want to add to this story... or what do you want to express?"

This kind of feature film is naturally not a commercial film.

In fact, based on her judgment, if such a script was to be written, it would probably be a very small group drama.

Therefore, the film needs a theme and core, which is very important.

"This proposition is very broad."

Xu Xin said and looked at Ai Qing.

He didn't know how to say it because of some technical vocabulary.

So he said to her in Chinese:

"The most basic content to be expressed is actually the discussion of the relationship between men and women, marriage, family, love, friendship... These are similar to what Antonio said, the external personality we show. But every individual should They have their own needs and what they can’t get. In fact, there is no need to express anything very clearly. We are sitting here today, like...the moon."

He pointed at the bright moonlight outside Jessica's floor-to-ceiling window.

"The moonlight is soft and pleasing to the eye. But... I remember reading a report. In fact, the back of the moon is full of craters. It is very ugly, just like... an avocado. SI~"

He used a very classic Italian word:

"Look, the front side of the moon is very beautiful. But beneath the beauty, the back side is a mess. It's just like the hearts of us "characters" in the script. Everyone has a glamorous appearance, loving feelings, or success. There are advantages such as career. But the backside is something that cannot be told to others. We can explore gender, men and women, even same-sex, etc. These can become thought-provoking issues in this script... Hmm."

Speaking of this, he fell into thinking.

It just happened to give Ai Qing a complete translation opportunity.

And as her Italian resounded throughout the room, everyone fell into thinking.

Following the director’s perspective, I thought about the spiritual core of this story.

At this time, Xu Xin's voice sounded again:

"As directors, we can thread some clues into the dialogue and into the whole story. It's like ocean waves.

At first glance, we are solving the problem between you and Antonio. However, as time goes by, maybe the two of you have not solved the problem. Suddenly, Eva and Philip also have problems.

Then came Pep and Joe... one layer after another, one link after another, keeping the narrative rhythm of the entire story in an ups and downs link.

Finally...the moon reaches the zenith, and the dinner ends. We will not explain whether there is a complete solution to everyone's problem, or what they will do when they return home.

This is just a dinner party. When the dinner party is over, the film is over. And for the rest, we can leave it to the audience to think... Art comes from life, and not everything in life has to have an ending...

We are just performers, but we cannot perform a life that solves anything. So, I leave this part to the audience to think about... What do you think? "

"..."

"..."

"..."

…

As Ai Qing finished her translation, more than a minute had passed.

No one spoke.

Everyone was thinking about the meaning of Xu Xin's words.

Or rather, how about this story.

Among them, Qiao’s point of view is the most direct:

"Sounds a bit like This Man Is From Earth?"

"That's right."

Xu Xin nodded:

"I like that movie very much. However, its themes are very big, such as art, religion, immortality... A group of high-level intellectuals from Harvard are talking about major issues related to the entire human race. I don't think it needs to be like this... Life is not only about the distant fields, but also about the near and far. I focus the story on... issues that everyone is more or less likely to have and are concerned about."

"Sounds great!"

Joe nodded vigorously:

"This is a wonderful idea, Xu, cheers and salute to you."

Clearly, he enjoyed the story.

Stories that happen to ordinary people.

At this time...

"Xu, how about leaving this story to me? Let's finish it together?"

Philip, as a screenwriter, has a burning gaze.

The ideas, inspiration, and even the general outline of the plot were all provided by Xu Xin.

Naturally, he would not take it and write it directly.

but……

This story sounds really awesome.

"no problem."

Xu Xin, who had just put down his wine glass, agreed very casually.

"Let's get it done together."

"Give me a role and I'll play it!"

Jasmine Trica also raised her hand:

"It would be best to have a psychiatrist like Antonio, a psychiatrist who also suffers from a mental disorder. What about this proposal? The psychiatrist seems to be able to help many people, but she can only find others to repair the water pipes in her own home. It sounds like this Doesn’t that seem ironic?”

"I want it too, I want it too!"

Liu Yifei also raised her hand:

"I want a character that's...well...interesting too!"

"Hahaha, where are the others?"

Xu Xin asked with a smile:

"Eva?"

"Forget it, Xu, I became a host just because I couldn't be an actor."

Eva shrugged helplessly:

"I'm like a kid compared to Jesse."

"Let's not even mention it. This must be done by professional actors. But... this story is really great, Xu, if you need a legal role, you and Philip are welcome to come to my place of work. I believe it. I, my friend, no one in Italy has ever seen more absurdities in my work!”

Pep broke the bread in his hand and said casually:

"There are more absurd things than the populations of Italy and China combined..."

“Like a sheepdog being president of a football team.”

After Antonio said this sentence, the group of people quickly became lively.

Only then did Xu Xin understand...it turned out that this matter was true.

The story of a ridiculous shepherd dog named "Oka Shibushi IV".

Seeing that Xu Xin didn't understand why, this incident that happened more than ten years ago quickly became a topic of discussion on the table.

…

"Xu, let's have a cup of coffee together tomorrow morning?"

Hearing Philip's invitation, Xu Xin readily agreed:

"Okay. See you tomorrow~"

Then, he hugged others, kissed each other, and finally got into the car drunk.

"Bye-Bye."

After three rounds of drinking, Xu Xin and Liu Yifei, who were fully energetic, said goodbye to everyone. He leaned back comfortably on his seat and narrowed his eyes.

At this time, he heard Liu Yifei say:

"Where do you plan to shoot this movie?"

"Italy."

Xu Xin said casually:

"It's the inspiration from these friends. Of course I have to shoot in Italy, and... if I shoot here, the subject matter may not be so restricted. I think it's quite interesting. It's an experiment~ What do you want to do? Have you played the role yet?”

"No... let's see how Philip performs."

Liu Yifei shook her head and stopped talking.

But thinking.

If we shoot in Italy...do I have to learn Italian?

Don't be embarrassed if everyone communicates in Italian and you don't understand anything.

Um.

Then learn it.

She glanced at Xu Xin who was concentrating with his eyes closed, took out her mobile phone, and wrote on the memo:

“Learning Italian (is important)!”

…

For this script, which only had a story frame, Xu Xin was left behind after putting all his inspiration into it.

It's not that he doesn't care, but he has more important things at this stage.

Moreover, with the help of Jiu Jin, he already had a general framework in his mind.

Until how to shoot.

In a word: learn "This Man is from Earth".

It won't cost much investment, and there are no requirements even for acting skills.

It is destined to be a low-budget and fast-released movie.

It will be fairly easy to photograph.

I won’t think about it now, I’ll put it aside for now and wait until I start working on it.

Number 13.

He and Liu Yifei attended Sino-Italian friendly cultural and artistic performances.

Frankly speaking, in a foreign country, when he saw that the lights of the Colosseum turned red to celebrate this event, he realized... It turns out that for people who are wandering in a foreign country, what can this touch of red do? Arouse so much homesickness.

All I can say is, I like it very much.

Very touched too.

Moved but moved, on the 14th, he returned to reality.

Dragging on the severe discomfort caused by jet lag, he forcibly took Mr. Yu who was in Yanjing to the hospital and had his body examined from the inside out.

When the test results came out, he specially used his connections with the previous Olympic Games to find a leading figure in the medical field to show the results to Mr. Yu.

When the two parties were communicating, the teacher asked Mr. Yu if he smoked. Yu Lao’s answer is:

"Smoking, one pack a day."

Asked again:

"Are you drinking?"

"Drink, don't drink too much, about half a catty a day."

Xu Xin, who didn’t understand anything, said:

"How about you quit."

But before Mr. Yu could speak, he got a rebuttal from the doctor.

At Yu Lao's age, what is more dangerous than tobacco and alcohol is the psychological and physical maladjustment caused by changing living habits.

Therefore, the entire inspection, in the end, only got one answer:

"Smoking less. Drinking less alcohol."

There are no other problems.

The old man who has practiced martial arts and internal martial arts all his life has no physical problems.

According to the doctor, if a person really dies, the end of his life has come.

Medicine and stone are difficult to cure.

The laws of nature.

Just take it easy and that's it.

Faced with these words, Yu Lao smiled easily.

"That's right, as a commoner when you come, you should leave easily. This life is worth it."

While talking and laughing, Xu Xin was in awe of the life and death of a generation of sword masters.

What a strange person.

…

After telling Yang Mi what happened, she felt at ease.

Although she did not show filial piety in front of the master like her children, she cared about him and felt much more at ease.

After Xu Xin finished his business in Yanjing, he returned to Xiamen in a hurry.

As a result, I had another day off on the 15th.

No, I’m really tired from all the hard work.

When I returned to the set, I lost all my energy. I lay in bed and fell asleep all day. Until the early morning of the 16th, I felt hazy.

Fortunately, his preparations were meticulous. Although the crew was delayed for a few more days, with the slow adjustments throughout the morning of the 16th, Xu Xin got into working mode in the afternoon.

There are no words to describe some of the interesting things that happened on the set during this period, or some of the wonderful moments that were filmed.

Throughout the story of "Heart of the Burning Sun", the director has clear ideas, the actors have excellent acting skills, and they work well together.

No wind, no waves, calm.

Time flies and it’s the 20th.

…

number 20.

Just like the previous audition, Yang Mi did two exercises in a row during this morning period.

Here's a little trick.

She discovered it while practicing martial arts.

As we all know, our skin is in its worst condition when we wake up in the morning.

It has nothing to do with whether you sleep well or not. Just like a car in winter, the body's internal organs always need a period of "run-in" before they can perform at their best.

There is intermittent movement between the two fields, which can speed up this process.

With appropriate physical exertion, the whole person will exude the same fullness in the morning as in the afternoon.

But the disadvantage is that it is easy to get tired on this day.

At night, the condition is slightly worse.

But the audition for "Sea of ​​Silence" was scheduled in the morning, so she could only come this way.

This time, the location of the audition was placed in the studio of Warner Pictures.

Yang Mi finally got the content of the audition.

Two plays.

In one case, she was asked to demonstrate actual combat footage of her "proficiency in martial arts" as described in the information.

To put it bluntly, just look at your figure.

Is it just random information, or is there something real? The truth will be revealed in the final audition.

One scene is a scene opposite an actor.

The male actors who were shortlisted for the final audition over there will perform in groups of two without any NG.

Everyone's audition content is the same.

Random selection, random matching, whoever NG will be eliminated.

If it doesn’t work out, the final choice will be left to the director.

In the waiting room.

After Yang Mi saw the audition content, she fell into deep thought.

Start to adjust your mood.

There are no actors waiting today.

All the actors who passed the audition are in the studio.

Wait for the director and investors to come over in a while, and then start the performance directly.

Yang Mi came still early.

At this moment, she was watching the video on her phone.

On the phone is an action demonstration sent by the director.

A man wearing protective gear holds a wooden stick and mechanically demonstrates a set of actions.

There are no martial arts fingers, no movement guidance, and four sets of movements. The actors themselves design how to counterattack.

I have to say that this is not the same as a Hollywood action movie in the traditional sense.

At least, after Yang Mi got the video, she asked Liu Momo to ask people and found... This audition method seemed very fresh to everyone.

Apparently, it was Guillermo Toro who came up with the idea himself.

But...it doesn't matter.

Looking at the four attack moves that were full of loopholes in the video, Yang Mi had only 13 sets of counterattack moves left after she got them, and now only has one set of good-looking and fast, accurate and ruthless moves.

These days, the sparring partner she has been looking for has been miserable because of her.

After rehearsing these four movements in her mind, she closed her phone and continued watching the opera.

At this time, there was the sound of the door opening at the back.

She turned around and saw a fat Guillermo Toro and about a dozen people in suits and ties walking in.

It looks like the auditions are about to begin.

At this moment, she noticed a gaze.

Turning around, he was stunned for a moment, then smiled.

Rinko Kikuchi is also there.

The other party was also shortlisted for the final audition.

At this time, Yang Mi's eyes finally glowed with fighting spirit.

sorry……

My eldest sister in 1981.

This time, I can't let go.

…

"Ladies and gentlemen, here comes the audition for the first action scene. We are looking forward to your performance."

After Guillermo Toro finished speaking, the staff on the side called out the name "001".

This time it’s not Yang Mi.

She is number 6.

Soon, the first girl walked onto the performance area, which was made of a hard foam floor.

Opposite him, staff members wearing full-body protective gear and holding soft glue sticks were also ready.

Just like a fight, with an order, the performance begins.

The staff's soft glue stick struck down at a constant speed.

The girl went straight to meet him with the glue stick in her hand.

The two started a "martial arts scene".

You cut me, I'll cut you.

It looks like a street fight, not a killer move.

It was all a collision of weapons, and the protective gear seemed superfluous.

Yang Mi took one look and knew that this action was a temporary act.

That step...

Tsk.

Can not bear to look.

She withdrew her gaze and continued to stare at the audition footage in the script.

Soon, the first person is over.

The second one also walked up.

Then the third, the fourth, the fifth...

Guillermo Toro deadpanned.

I wonder if he is satisfied.

No one can see the idea.

finally.

It's Yang Mi's turn.

When he saw Yang Mi play, Guillermo Toro's eyes showed a look of anticipation:

"Yang, I'm looking forward to your performance."

Yang Mi smiled back.

Then he weighed the soft glue stick in his hand and nodded casually:

"let's start."

The staff member who had been playing sword duel with others for several rounds in a row was also in a casual posture. After hearing her words, he still took two steps forward, holding the "knife" in both hands and raising his head high, intending to chop Huashan with one blow.

At two steps, Yang Mi remained motionless.

But when his right foot left the ground and was about to take a step, Yang Mi's foot suddenly rubbed forward!

After a "squeak!" and some tooth-aching movement, she had already arrived in front of the other party.

The glue stick she was holding in her backhand turned into a backhand at some point. She leaned sideways and reached half of the opponent's body. The glue stick she held in her backhand was pressed against the opponent's throat with one hand.

"Sa!~"

The staff wearing protective gear used old tricks, giving people a sense of déjà vu...as if he was coming up to him.

When he struck down, his neck just brushed the edge of the "knife".

Take the initiative to die.

"You are already dead."

Facing the staff member who didn't react in time, lost control of her body, and fell to the ground, she held the soft glue stick in a knife shape and hid the knife in her back with a chuckle.

"Ha~"

Then, she stretched out her hand in front of the other person and motioned to give him a hand.

"Come again?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

There was total silence.

Everyone was confused by her... a little unconventional way of playing tricks, but even if it was just a soft glue stick, people could still notice how sharp the moves were.

This person...

Is that so?

The eyes of everyone in the room were focused on the girl who returned to her position and still had a relaxed look on her face.

Guillermo Toro subconsciously pushed up his glasses.

In my heart, an idea came out belatedly:

"What a fast knife."