I’m a Director, I’m Not Bad

Chapter 828 824 Ringtone

Chapter 828 824. Ringtone

"Director Xu?...Hello, we are reporters from the Hollywood Reporter. Can we...interview you?"

Xu Xin, who was chatting with Liu Momo, was startled when he heard the noise. He turned around and saw a pair of... young people who didn't look very old.

There is even a bit of childishness on his face.

They look like students who have not graduated.

The boy is tall and thin and wears black-rimmed glasses.

The girl had long hair with bangs and her eyes were looking at him with sparkling eyes.

"Well……"

Xu Xin looked around.

Xin said...how did these two people show up in the middle of the night?

and……

"You are not the invited media, right?"

Hearing Xu Xin's words, the girl quickly shook her head:

"No... Director Xu, I'm sorry to bother you two. We are actually international students majoring in journalism at the University of Southern California, and then... we made a self-media about various Hollywood news. We are not the invited guests today. , but knowing that Director Zhang’s "The Thirteen Hairpins" would premiere here, I came here specially to... try my luck."

It turns out he is an international student...

While Xu Xin was thinking about it, Liu Momo next to him said:

"Then did you drive?"

"……ah?"

The girl was stunned and nodded subconsciously:

"Yes, we just drove here..."

"That's okay. The nights in Los Angeles are quite dangerous. It would be better to go out as little as possible at night in the future. Especially the equipment you are carrying..."

Liu Momo looked at a device similar to a MINI camera in the boy's hand.

She also has this thing, called GOPRO, which is a very famous action camera.

Quite expensive.

"Be more careful."

"Well……"

Hearing this, the two people were obviously surprised.

However, Liu Momo obviously didn't mean to introduce himself. After saying this, he stepped aside.

Xu Xin also nodded:

"Okay, just ask whatever you want."

Overseas students must be taken care of no matter what. What's more, he is Zhang Mo's alumnus.

After hearing his words, the girl's eyes instantly lit up.

"Thank you, Director Xu, please wait a moment... Ah, yes, sorry, sorry, my name is Wang Aileen, and this is my classmate Zhou Run."

"Well, hello."

Looking at the confused girl, Xu Xin waved his hand:

"It's okay, don't be nervous."

"Yeah, thank you, Director Xu!"

Wang Ailin glanced at Zhou Run and saw that the other person had already raised the GoPro camera, then she took the voice recorder and put it to her mouth:

"Hello, Director Xu, our first question is... we want to know what happened inside the premiere of "The King". After the film ended, what were the reactions of the guests who came to watch the movie?"

"..."

Xu Xin's mouth twitched.

My heart said, girl, you know how to ask questions.

This question is so suspenseful that our old man, Xu, even suffered from cerebral thrombosis.

After thinking for a while, he said:

"You may be disappointed with the answer to this question. Because of the subject matter, this is a serious historical movie. Although many domestic audiences have already seen this movie and think it is very exciting...

But in today's premiere, after the film was screened, in fact, no one clapped, cheered, or shed tears as they imagined. Director Zhang used a very serious approach to handle this movie, and if the audience warmly applauds our pain after watching it, that in itself is a violation.

So, if I had to sum up the audience's reaction, it was calm. They are very calm, but behind the calmness, whether it will make them have some thoughts depends on everyone's thoughts. "

"Do they think it looks good?"

The girl asked again.

Xu Xin shook his head slightly:

"I don't know, but I think it looks good. Is this an okay answer?"

"Uh-huh!"

Zhou Aileen nodded quickly and said with a smile:

"Many of our classmates are actually waiting for the premiere on the 13th. After seeing the domestic reviews, many people said they were moved to tears by this movie. They are all looking forward to it!"

"Ha~"

Xu Xin chuckled:

"Then you will definitely not be disappointed. As for whether foreign friends can empathize with this movie...it's hard to say. I hope, I hope that Director Zhang's work can give them a new understanding."

Hearing his answer, Liu Momo glanced at him.

Sighed inwardly.

Then, after the girl asked a few more questions about the movie, the conversation suddenly changed:

"Director Xu, can I ask some... questions about you?"

"Okay, you ask."

"Excuse me, where is Yang Mi now?"

"I'm filming in Toronto. I've attended the premiere today and have to rush there tomorrow."

"Details about that movie..."

"This can't be said."

Xu Xin made an "X" with two fingers, put it to his lips and smiled:

"Stop digging holes for me!"

"……hey-hey."

The girl nodded quickly in embarrassment and then asked:

"Director Xu... I read domestic news before. You first met Nicholas Tse in Hong Kong, and then when Keanu Reeves came to Hong Kong, you and he had dinner together... Considering that you make one movie a year style. Seeing these two people...does it mean that a new movie is already being prepared?"

"No, it's two different things. There is a movie with Keanu... but he will direct it himself. I am just a friend to help connect people. As for Mr. Nicholas Tse..."

He thought for a while and said:

"We are talking about some business matters. It is not convenient to talk about this, but if the cooperation can be successful, everyone will know about it by then."

At this time, Liu Momo noticed that Zhang Yimou was getting into the car after finishing his visit, so he said to Xu Xin:

"It's over with Director Zhang."

Xu Xin looked over there and happened to see the old man looking over there.

However, he had no intention of coming over. Instead, he waved and walked directly to the commercial vehicle on the street. Xu Xin understood the meaning and said proactively:

"Okay, that's it for the interview. Director Zhang arrived at noon, and the time difference is still reversed. I won't help you get connected for the interview this time. Thank you for your hard work, you two, hurry up and get in the car and go back. It's very dangerous at night. of."

Without giving the two of them any chance to continue, Xu Xin waved his hand, turned to Liu Momo and said:

"Sister, let's go."

"See you."

Liu Momo waved politely to the two of them and walked towards the car with Xu Xin.

"I'll get in Director Zhang's car."

"Well, I'll drive myself."

"good."

The two of them were talking, and after hearing the words "Goodbye, Director Xu, thank you" behind them, Xu Xin turned around and smiled at the two of them, waved his hands, and got directly into Zhang Yimou's car.

As soon as I got in the car, I heard the old man say:

"Are those two domestic journalists?"

"No, an international student from the University of Southern California. A journalism major. I came here to try my luck. I just happened to be blocked."

Xu Xin explained.

In addition to the driver from the publishing company, there were Zhang Mo and Meng Danqing in the car at this moment. There was no outsider, so he said directly:

"I'm a little worried about the media's feedback tomorrow..."

"..."

Zhang Yimou was silent for a moment.

Looking at the night scene in front of him, he said calmly:

"There is nothing to worry about. Whether you accept it or not is up to you."

"..."

Originally, Xu Xin still had a lot to say.

But after hearing this, I took a look at his sunken eye sockets in the darkness.

His lips moved slightly... and finally fell silent.

Whatever.

The wood has become the boat, the matter has come to an end.

Then let's go and see...

…

"Chang indulges in gorgeous cinematography and exaggerated slow motion, emphasizing the spurts of blood triggered by each gorgeous gunshot wound. Bale plays an opportunist with a conscience of self-discovery, but ultimately, his path to redemption feels like just the right thing to do. A weak imitation of "Schindler's List". But his character at least has some layers, unlike the evil Japanese officer or the seductive prostitute. In "The Thirteen Girls", Zhang mostly just confirmed the transformation into a visual feast. The effect of tragedy is greatly diminished—human suffering is reduced to a visual sleight of hand.”

——"Village Voice", Tim Grierson

"Mr. Zhang used a one-dimensional, patriotic approach to reveal that the Japanese invasion and occupation of Nanjing was not unreasonable and untimely. Some recent Chinese films have shown more sentimental nationalism, chauvinism and disapproval of the Japanese invaders. Demonization. "The Thirteen Hairpins" has been compared vertically with several classic films of the same type, but horizontally there are very few films about the Holocaust. Only Lu Chuan's "Nanjing Nanjing" and the documentary "Nanjing" can be used as references. Those filmmakers came to arm the film with ideas, while Mr. Zhang retreated into the fog of old movies and refused to occupy the high ground.

—Mike Hale, The New York Times

"There is no doubt that "The Thirteen Hairpins" directed by Zhang Yimou is a movie with propaganda intentions. In the film, all the Chinese soldiers are heroic and the Japanese invaders are despicable. We have seen this type of war movie before, but what about the audience? Still haven’t transcended rigid black and white morality?”

——Pasadena Art Beat, Jana J. Monji

…

On the morning of the 11th.

Airport.

When Xu Xin searched for "Jinling" on Twitter, he looked at the negative reviews given by film critics and media one after another, with a calm expression on his face.

Just like what Sister Mo said yesterday.

Some people will definitely associate this movie with "Schindler's List".

There will definitely be people who feel that this period of history is untrue.

I've obviously guessed it all.

But looking at these negative reviews at this moment, he found that he still felt... like vomiting.

Even though this was not a movie he made, these comments still gave him a strange feeling at this moment.

These people, these comments, these words are like coming alive.

They turned into images of foreigners with arrogant faces, wearing formal clothes, high hats, and holding civilized sticks. They pointed at "their" works, slobbered and spat out arrogant squirt after squirt. And prejudice stinks.

"..."

With one stroke of his hand, he exited all programs on the IPAD and handed the computer to Su Meng.

Then I planned to go to the toilet to smoke a cigarette before boarding the plane.

But at this moment...

"Brother Xu, there is an email."

Su Meng just took over the computer and said quickly after seeing the screen light up.

"...?"

Xu Xin was stunned and took the iPad over again.

One look at the sender…

It turned out to be Philip.

He clicked on the mailbox.

"Xu, this is the first version of the script for "The Ringing Ring". According to your idea, I have completed it. Take a look, we are communicating. By the way, when do you plan to shoot? If it is this year, then I I just rejected the script that another company asked me to write. Happy New Year, my friend."

This is the content of the email, and there is an attachment in the mailbox.

Seeing this, he glanced at the time.

9:20 a.m. Los Angeles time.

The time difference is 6 hours.

In other words, it’s now…3pm on the Italian side.

"Mengmeng, give me the notebook."

As he spoke, he took out his mobile phone and headphones.

I found Phillip's phone number and called him.

"Ding ding ding... CIAO, my dear director. You reply so quickly~"

"CIAO, Philip. Did you just finish the script?"

"Yeah, currently enjoying my coffee. How's the weather over there in Los Angeles?"

"I'm not British."

"Hahahahaha..."

Amidst Philip's laughter, Xu Xin glanced at the sunny weather outside the airport and said:

"The weather in Los Angeles is terrible."

"Wow, the weather in Rome is not very good. Do you want to start a video? Let you feel the scenery of Rome?"

"Forget it. I'm about to board the plane."

I took the notebook, opened the mailbox and downloaded the attachment.

Xu Xin clicked on it and said:

"Philip, do you have other invitations to write for this year?"

"Yes, that's why I asked you if you plan to shoot this year. If so, then I will reject the other party's invitation."

"Well... I feel like this shouldn't take more than a year. To be honest, if we look at the framework we mentioned, as long as we find the right actors, then this movie won't take much time at all in other aspects. . Now I will look at the overall story of the script. If there is no problem, we can slowly modify the remaining small areas that need to be modified. You can definitely take over the next job."

"Take the next one? No, no, no, no, Xu. Why should I take the next one? I have worked very hard this year and worked hard to write a story. The next time is time to enjoy the vacation life. Two stories a year?...Xu, I can only say that you still don’t understand Italians.”

"..."

Xu Xin was speechless for a moment.

No, brother...it's only January.

How did you say that you have worked hard all year?

"Okay, Philip, let me take a look first. If there are no problems with the story, we can start the project."

"Filming this year?"

"Well, it will be filmed this year."

Xu Xin gave an affirmative answer.

The wife's movie will have to be filmed until at least March.

Although the work is not intensive, it is very tedious. The actual time spent shooting may only be two or three hours a day, but the time spent waiting for location decoration or makeup is very long.

After April, he will basically be liberated.

"Heart of the Burning Sun" does not require such a large post-production workload, and he will naturally have time to work on a new movie by then.

Even strictly speaking, this script, tentatively titled "Telephone Ringing", is not within the scope of his "new movie" plan.

Because it is too "small".

But no matter what, he shouldn't be very busy this year, which is true.

"Okay, let's just say that. Xu, please read the script first. I'll wait for your reply."

"Well, I may be a little slower here. Let me read the story first. As for the dialogue lines, we still use Italian. But I don't understand, Philip, your correction work is a bit more complicated."

"No problem. You read the story idea first. As long as there are no problems, I will start preparations immediately."

"Um……"

The two of them chatted until the plane started boarding before hanging up the phone.

After boarding the plane and waiting for the flight altitude to stabilize, Xu Xin quickly turned on the computer and started reading this story.

Every screenwriter has different habits when it comes to script design and writing structure.

The structure of Philip's writing is somewhat similar to that of a novel.

Up above are the names and background introductions of all the protagonists.

[Eva: Psychiatrist, Locke’s wife, she secretly asked a famous doctor to perform breast augmentation surgery. After many years of marriage, she and her husband were worn out by the trivialities of life and lost all passion. She found another lover to seek emotional sustenance. At the same time, she was worried about her adolescent daughter. Emotional and relational confusion. 】

[Locke: Plastic surgeon, Eva’s husband. He and his wife have been married for many years. He has psychological problems, but he does not consult his wife, who is a psychiatrist. When his wife had a headache over her rebellious daughter, he tried to help her "learn to let go." 】......

After browsing through the characters and summaries one by one, Xu Xin started to read the story.

It takes more than 6 hours to fly from Los Angeles to Toronto, which is quite a long journey.

It just so happens that these tasks can be used as good companions to spend time.

…

Soon, at around 3pm and almost 4pm, the plane arrived at the Toronto Airport.

Su Meng was walking in front pushing her luggage, while Xu Xin only carried a backpack with a computer on his back and walked more or less casually behind.

He had finished reading Philip's story.

and……

To be honest, I am very satisfied.

If you really want to sum up this story, it is actually very simple.

Just a small gathering of friends.

Then at the party, everyone played a game based on an excuse.

That is to put everyone's mobile phones on the table. Regardless of anyone's calls or messages, they must be read out or put on speakerphone for everyone to listen to.

In this party, there are a total of 7 people, each of whom has his or her own secret.

For example, psychiatrist Eva, plastic surgeon Locke and his wife.

Locke had some psychological problems, but he did not choose to communicate with his wife. Instead, he chose to talk to other psychiatrists.

Similarly, if Eva wanted plastic surgery and breast augmentation, she could have asked her husband. But she made an appointment with a plastic surgeon who was much more famous than her husband.

Lehrer, who works in the legal department, has an "ambiguous" friend who sends him a very explicit selfie on time every night.

Leler's wife has an "net friend" who is similar to the alphabet circle. The two of them will use some alphabet circle phone calls to satisfy each other's "interests."

For example, the taxi driver Cassimo is in the honeymoon period with his wife, but he has cheated on many women.

Or maybe Pep, the physical education teacher, Casimo, Leler, and Locke have been friends since childhood, but no one knew that Pep turned out to be gay...

In short, this script is nested layer by layer by Philip. Everyone has their own secrets, and these secrets will be exposed through this night's game.

There is some reversal involved. Many problems are embedded in these reversals.

For example, sexual orientation, marriage, love, even career, outlook on life, etc.

Xu Xin was so happy watching it.

This was much more interesting than the dinner he and Jasmine attended.

Of course, there are also some structural problems.

This has nothing to do with the screenwriter, it needs to be solved by the director through shooting.

Thanks to this excellent script, Xu Xin's mind was filled with this story for more than 6 hours until he got off the plane.

The novelty of facing a new story made him put aside all his unhappiness.

Not to mention...he has now left the United States and came to Canada.

All of a sudden... the whole world became sunny.

Soon, the two got into Cheng Hu's car.

Xu Xin sat in the back row and continued to meditate.

Cheng Hu, who was driving, followed Xu Xin's habit and originally wanted to play music while driving... But as soon as he put his hand on the car CD, he saw Su Meng waved her hand and pointed to the back.

Cheng Hu glanced at Xu Xin's pensive look through the rearview mirror and nodded slightly.

No one spoke the whole way.

Xu Xin finally came back to his senses when he returned to the rented villa and saw Nuan Nuan and Yang Yang.

Yang Mi is not here.

Being a father and taking care of a baby has become much simpler and rougher.

Not to mention that Yang Dalin and Yang Chunling were going to the supermarket to buy groceries with Cheng Hu after their son-in-law came back.

As soon as the three people left, Xu Xin lay down on the floor mat and simply ignored the two children.

Looking at Nuan Nuan and Yang Yang grabbing toys, he yawned as usual.

let's hit.

Cry.

Make a fuss.

He hadn't seen the two children fighting for several days, and he was actually feeling lonely.

Anyway, the child is young now and will not complain.

Love so much.

then……

"Mengmeng, bring me the drawing."

"Okay, Brother Xu."

Su Meng quickly handed him a dozen brand new drawings and pens.

When Yangyang saw this, he immediately stopped grabbing things from his sister. I quickly ran over, picked up a pen, took away one of my father's drawings, knelt down in front of the coffee table and started to doodle.

Who knows that Nuan Nuan is not happy anymore.

Who should I play with if you leave?

then……

Do you paint?

I'll grab it!

Do you have a pen?

I'll grab it!

Do you dare to cry?

I have a super double flying kick...

"Wow..."

Hearing the cry, Xu Xin raised his head and took a look.

Looking at the two siblings who suddenly got into a fight, he scratched his chin...