Global Film Emperor

Chapter 208 Quarrel
"Aze, Zhejiang TV sent me an invitation to their New Year's Eve gala. They're asking if you'd like to participate this year."

Shen Jinghan called to ask for Lu Ze's opinion. She used to frequently travel to the capital because she was worried about Lu Ze's condition, but after Lu Ze joined the film crew, he became more like a normal person, and his personality was more cheerful than at home, which put her at ease.

Since Lu Ze fell ill, she began to study some psychology courses on her own. She knew that Lu Ze's current behavior was very strange, because no patient with multiple personality disorder would stop having an episode after starting work.

Lu Ze's current behavior was hard for her to understand, but at least he had returned to normal, so Shen Jinghan pretended not to know anything and kept his secret from him.

The two resumed work, just like before Lu Ze became ill, except that Shen Jinghan began to show more care for Lu Ze in their daily lives.

Lu Ze is currently getting his makeup done in the dressing room. He wasn't particularly interested in the matter, since he didn't have any talent to perform on the spot and it would interfere with filming. Why should he go?
"Aunt Han, send me the director's phone number. Tell him I can't make it. I'll call him to apologize after I finish my makeup."

"Not considering it anymore?"

"Well, there's nothing to consider. Filming is still the most interesting thing."

After hanging up the phone, the makeup artist chatted with Lu Ze for a few minutes, not trying to pry, just chatting casually. Lu Ze was well-liked on set, after all, he didn't act like a diva and had superb acting skills. Everyone's favorite form of entertainment was watching Lu Ze film when they weren't working, which was a real treat for them.

After they finished talking, Lu Ze got up and walked out of the dressing room, only to find Wang Zhen standing helplessly at the door, scrolling through web pages on her phone, looking quite upset.

The sound of two men arguing came from afar, and Lu Ze knew what was going on. He picked up a stool, sat down, and lit a cigarette. When Wang Zhen saw Lu Ze come out, he also pulled up a stool and sat down.

"Put out your cigarette. Don't you know I don't like the smell of smoke?"

The two had a good relationship. Wang Zhen snatched the cigarette from Lu Ze's hand, threw it on the ground and stomped on it twice, then lightly punched Lu Ze on the shoulder.

"What? Are you arguing again?"

"What else? Didn't you hear? They're almost at each other's throats. Hey Lu'er, if they really start fighting, should we break them up?"

Lu Ze rolled his eyes at Wang Zhen. The director and assistant director fighting on set? How embarrassing would that sound? If either of them had any self-control, they wouldn't have fought on set, but he still made a sarcastic remark.

"No, why would we pull them? The director is an artist, he might come up with something creative while they're fighting. Let them fight."

Yes, the conflict between Zhuang Yu and Guo Mingde finally erupted in December. They had a small argument almost every day and a big argument every three days, with no end in sight.

To be honest, Lu Ze was really unhappy. Of the entire crew, he was the only one who had worked under both directors before. Now that the two were arguing, Lu Ze was in a difficult position, even though neither of them asked him to be their judge.

But after the argument, it's wrong to comfort either of them, or even to comfort one of them first. He can only keep quiet until the two of them finish arguing and discuss with him where things need to be changed. Once he listens and understands, he starts filming without saying a word.

"Sister Zhen, strawberries."

Wang Zhen's assistant brought over a box of strawberries, which had already been washed. Wang Zhen took the box and placed it on the table, inviting Lu Ze to have some. Lu Ze did not refuse; the hollow strawberries were very sweet.

The two of them ate while glancing at the two directors. Now the two of them were like roosters, hands on their hips, arguing fiercely, neither willing to back down, their faces red with anger, like two loud roosters having a shouting contest. There were no staff members around anymore; they had all run away, afraid that the two of them would get into trouble if they got into a fight.

"This is a drama! Not an art film! You can't bring your own ideas into it. You need to shoot this scene from an objective perspective. This story needs to be judged by the audience, not imposed on them with a biased view because of your own ideas! Do you understand what I mean?"

Guo Mingde took a deep drag on his cigarette, then held it out, palm open, facing Zhuang Yu, his face practically screaming, "Do you even know how to direct?" Zhuang Yu, not to be outdone, insisted on his own opinion. While he didn't have Guo Mingde's extensive experience, he had still won film awards, after all. Besides, as the director, did he need to be bossed around by the assistant director?

"Who says a drama can't incorporate the director's ideas? Besides, even if I didn't film this scene the way I do, wouldn't the audience think the same way? It needs to reflect the director's vision, otherwise what's the difference between it and a mass-produced genre film!"

"Yes! Director Zhuang! You make great art films, but have you ever understood the difference between drama and art films? Art films are about emotions! Dramas are about stories! Stories! Okay? Don't get so caught up in the techniques of art film shooting. Don't you understand how big the difference is between the two?"

"What do you mean I haven't understood it? If I didn't understand it, would I dare to move the camera? But this scene has to be shot this way! What I need is emotional impact! What I need is tension! Don't confine yourself to a framework in your own film. I admit I haven't read as many books on film as Director Guo! But you have to trust my professionalism in terms of color usage and emotion! After all, I worked as a cinematographer for more than ten years! Besides, I'm also the art director for this film, Brother Guo!"

Zhuang Yu angrily picked up an empty mineral water bottle, drank a few drops of water, screwed on the cap, and started banging on the monitor, pointing at the scene from before, her face turning red.

"Look! You still mentioned emotion! Don't bring emotion! Don't bring emotion! The emotion in a drama is conveyed to the audience by the actors, not by colors or hues! You have to consider the commercial aspect. How much of a 30 million investment can you recoup? Not many viewers can understand your use of color. A simple and straightforward set design, with two or three cameras shooting in staggered positions, is enough to express the meaning of the shot. What you're doing now is like taking off your clothes to fart, wasting your time. Besides, it's a thankless task. If people don't understand it, it's meaningless no matter how well you play with color, right? I'll say it again! Drama! Drama! You have to consider commercialization! You have to consider profitability!"

"Even for profit, you still have to express artistry, right? That's what makes directors different—it's about personal style! I don't want my work to lack its own style! Besides, I know that the emotions in a drama mainly come from the actors, but with the help of color, those emotions become more pronounced! It's easier to engage the audience! Color is a singular visual element! Red is red! Green is green! It's intuitive and direct! Even if the audience doesn't understand the set design, they can immediately receive the emotions conveyed by the colors, even faster than receiving the actors' emotions! I still maintain that I want my work to be artistic! Not mass-produced!"

"What about the cost? Don't you consider the cost?"

"Director Guo, you've wasted almost an hour discussing this with me. If we hadn't argued, we could have filmed two scenes by now at Lu Ze's pace! This is a real waste of resources! It's lunchtime! Everyone, eat! Hurry up! We still have filming this afternoon!"

Zhuang Yu shouted, probably because he had been too loud earlier, and now his voice was cracking. Lu Ze finished eating the strawberries, grabbed a tissue to wipe his hands, and stared at Wang Zhen, speechless.

Why are you looking at me like that?

"Let's eat, didn't we say we were going to eat? (Let's eat, didn't we say we were going to eat?)"

Speechless, he crumpled the tissue into a ball and threw it into the trash can. Who knows why the two of them were so in sync? Wang Zixuan brought them boxed lunches, and together with Wang Zhen's assistant, the four of them started eating at this small table.

"Lu'er, if you don't like potatoes, give them to me, I won't mind. I'll trade you a chicken leg, is that alright?"

"Here you go, Sister Zhen, have you been in contact with Xiaonan again recently?"

"Of course! She was just talking to you, and she even secretly filmed you eating strawberries. Let me show you. I said, she seems to have figured it out. You don't need to worry about it anymore. The two of them won't make it."

"That's fine."

After eating two chicken legs and a boxed lunch, Lu Ze got up, took out his phone, walked to the side, and called the director of the New Year's Eve gala on Jiangsu and Zhejiang TV.

Lu Ze expressed his "deepest apologies" for not being able to attend the New Year's Eve gala, explaining that he was simply too busy filming to attend. The director also expressed his understanding, and the harmonious conversation came to an end. Lu Ze hung up the phone, and Wang Zixuan made him a cup of tea.

Picking up the yellowed script, Lu Ze licked his fingers, opened it, and began to read silently. In the distance, two directors were still arguing, which slightly disrupted his thoughts.

The phone rang again. Lu Ze took it out and glanced at it, then frowned. It was Vice President Li of Qian Shijia, whom he hadn't contacted in a while, calling.

"."

(End of this chapter)