1978 Synthetic Writers

Chapter 264 This is called quick thinking

Zhang Xinyan smacked his lips.

I didn't expect Jiang Xian to use such a strategy of first being polite and then using force.

He looked at Jiang Xian again.

This young man has an unquestionable intellectual temperament, but his demeanor is not as simple and honest as most intellectuals give Zhang Xinyan the impression, and there is a deep sparkle in his eyes.

Zhang Xinyan thought of James Wong, one of the “Four Talents of Hong Kong”.

Huang Zhan used a pen to write about his own vulgarity, wildness, madness and truth.

The young man in front of me is the same. He not only has talent and faith, but also has his own pride.

Zhang Xinyan understands this type of people too well. They are the type that you may not know or have never heard of, but you will definitely fall to your knees when you see their works.

Just based on Jiang Xian's movie "Huo Yuanjia", there are countless Hong Kong directors who want to kneel down to him.

"Mr. Jiang, let's do this."

Zhang Xinyan made up his mind, "Of course it's fine if you want the salary in Hong Kong. As long as your script satisfies me, I can give you a higher salary than Huo Yuanjia."

At the time of filming "Huo Yuanjia", Xu Xiaoming paid 9,000 RMB as salary. According to the exchange rate, one RMB is equivalent to three Hong Kong dollars, which is nearly 30,000 Hong Kong dollars.

The film "Shaolin Temple" earned at least 30,000 Hong Kong dollars, a figure that made Jiang Xian very excited.

You have to know that Hong Kong is highly commercialized and screenwriters have no status. Ni Kuang's script royalties have always been the ceiling for Hong Kong screenwriters.

Many screenwriters lamented, "It was Ni Kuang who raised screenwriters' salaries. Otherwise, the script would be disproportionate to the film production costs."

Ni Kuang's script was only worth 5 Hong Kong dollars, and Zhang Xinyan gave Jiang Xian at least 3 Hong Kong dollars, which can be said to be a price full of sincerity.

Of course, that's if "Shaolin Temple" is well written.

"Mr. Zhang, let's talk about the script." Jiang Xian took a puff of cigarette and changed the subject calmly.

He certainly didn't think he would appear materialistic by doing this.

I hope that I can receive the same treatment as screenwriters in Hong Kong. This is a pursuit of justice. How can it be mercenary?
What's more, it would cost Zhang Xinyan so much money to find a screenwriter in Hong Kong.

Zhang Xinyan didn't think there was anything wrong with it, as he was already used to this kind of commercial negotiation rhythm in Hong Kong.

He first summarized the entire story of "Shaolin Temple" to Jiang Xian, and then said: "The script of this story is too serious. I want to change it into a light comedy style that can make the audience laugh."

Zhang Xinyan explained everything to Jiang Xian in great detail, as he was afraid that Jiang Xian would not be able to handle a light comedy.

The style of light comedy is quite popular in Hong Kong nowadays and is considered the mainstream of Hong Kong films today.

In the past, leftist films dominated the market in Hong Kong, but because they failed to keep up with the times and insisted on the serious drama style of model operas, they were eliminated by the market.

On the other hand, Shaw Brothers not only made light comedies, but was also particularly good at filming erotic comedies.

It's like a woman tying a red string on her feet, and as soon as her husband falls asleep, she pulls the red string and her lover comes into the room to make love with her.

As a result, the husband found out and untied the red string and tied it to his own feet. In the middle of the night, when the husband moved his feet, the red string jumped, and the wife's lover excitedly ran into the room.
"I'm so horny!"

The pictures are erotic and the plot is humorous, so such a movie is naturally popular with the audience.

"This is simple, it's just about creating contrast between the characters."

"To create a contrast?" Zhang Xinyan glanced at Jiang Xian, "Tell me about it."

Jiang Xian pondered for a moment and said, "The monks in Shaolin Temple have strict rules and regulations. They are not allowed to drink alcohol or eat meat, and they are not allowed to get close to women. If they are allowed to break the rules, the characters will be in contrast, and the comedy effect will be achieved, right?"

"."

Zhang Xinyan was stunned, and Jiang Xian immediately gave him an example.

When Xiaohu went down the mountain to fetch water, Bai Wuxia let her dog chase him and play with him.

Xiaohu was picked up by Shuimei, who was chasing him, so he set a trap to catch a dog. However, he accidentally killed the dog, breaking the precept of killing, so he thought of burying the dog secretly.

In the end, there was no suitable place to bury the dog, so they just barbecued it.

The dish was roasted to a crispy outside and tender inside, but unexpectedly the Shaolin master came looking for it.

Xiaohu was sweating profusely, and the master also felt greedy.

Xiaohu was smart. He saw through it and started to persuade the master. The master was finally moved. Just as he and Xiaohu were planning to steal a few bites of the meat, when it was about to reach their mouths, all the disciples jumped out and the master was sweating profusely.

In the end, he decided to go all out and eat it together with his disciples!
Finally, they have to find an excuse: "Monks should do more good deeds, so there is no need to be so particular about details!"

Zhang Xinyan's eyes lit up when he heard this.

What is quick thinking? This is quick thinking!

He discussed with Jiang Xian for a short while, and Jiang Xian wrote a plot for "Shaolin Temple" that suited his taste.

"It's not over yet, it's not over yet."

Jiang Xian took a puff of his cigarette and spoke excitedly, "After that, Bai Wuxia went up the mountain to look for the dog and asked Xiaohu if he had seen it. Xiaohu brought the dog skin and said it tasted good. Bai Wuxia got so angry that she picked up the whip and started whipping him."

"Hahahaha!" Zhang Xinyan and Shao Shaosong couldn't help but applaud.

One burden upon another, how can this young man think so quickly? !

At this moment, neither Zhang Xinyan nor Shao Shaosong had any doubts about the powerful strength and talent displayed by Jiang Xian.

“When will it be written?”

Zhang Xinyan asked, "The company is following very closely. We wasted too much time before. We are very busy with production. It would be best if the script could be written earlier."

Jiang Xian thought about it.

"How about half a month?"

".Half a month!"

Zhang Xinyan and Shao Shaosong looked at each other in disbelief, and couldn't help but asked in amazement: "You wrote it so fast?"

Jiang Xian nodded confidently, "Maybe it will take less than half a month."

He is very familiar with the classic "Shaolin Temple". He watched it hundreds of times when he was a child and can recite every line.

Zhang Xinyan had been conquered by the talent that Jiang Xian had shown before, and now he had no doubts at all, "Then I'll leave the script of Shaolin Temple to you."

After Jiang Xian said goodbye and left, Zhang Xinyan and Shao Shaosong talked about their arrangements in Beijing.

They were pressed for time and also had to look for martial arts masters from all over the country.

"Can anyone really finish writing a script so quickly in just half a month?" Shao Shaosong said.

"Of course."

Zhang Xinyan had no doubts. "For talented people like them, writing is not a brain job, it is a physical job."

Shao Shaosong immediately knew who Zhang Xinyan was referring to.

UI.

Ni Kuang is famous for his speed in writing novels. On average, he can finish a book in four days and publish an eight-episode series in a month.

After becoming a screenwriter, he produced a script every three days, which scared his colleagues so much that they dared not speak.

For him, writing anything is easy, just like rummaging through a drawer.

Chen Wengui, the screenwriter of "Iron Teeth and Bronze Teeth Ji Xiaolan", recalled: "When I joined Shaw Brothers, an employee told me that Ni Kuang would go to work every day, open drawer A to write script A, and an hour later open drawer B to write script B. It is said that the table had eight drawers." "Shaw Brothers has Ni Kuang, and we in Zhongyuan also have a Jiang Xian." Zhang Xinyan said gently.

Shao Shaosong was surprised. Although Zhang Xinyan had not directly elevated Jiang Xian to the level of Ni Kuang, from the meaning of his words, it seemed that he did not think Jiang Xian was much inferior to Ni Kuang.

After Jiang Xian returned home, he attracted a lot of attention from the neighbors.

"Did you meet the senior leader? Why did you send a car to pick you up?"

Jiang Xian laughed it off and maintained his mystery.

When they got home, Zhu Lin had just finished cooking. The couple sat at the table and Jiang Xian told her about being asked to write the script for "Shaolin Temple".

“You’re here to write about Shaolin Temple?!” Zhu Lin exclaimed, completely surprised.

During this period, she had been preparing to join the crew of "Shaolin Temple", but she didn't expect that Jiang Xian would be the first to join the group.

"Zhang Xinyan has promised me that he will give me a higher remuneration than for Huo Yuanjia."

"Higher than Huo Yuanjia?"

Zhu Lin blinked and looked at him in surprise, "30,000 yuan?"

Jiang Xian nodded.

Zhu Lin glanced at him with an incredulous look on her face, and whispered, "Writing scripts for Hong Kong people is so profitable, will you still write novels in the future?"

"Of course I did. I don't write novels just for money." Jiang Xian answered without any hesitation.

In his opinion, there are some things that money cannot buy.

After taking over the task from Zhang Xinyan, Jiang Xian immediately began to write the script of "Shaolin Temple".

Only on this day, he put down his pen and waited in front of the TV with Zhu Lin, tuning into the CCTV channel. At eight o'clock in the evening, during the prime time, the screen turned blue, accompanied by exciting music.

In the upper left corner of the screen it reads:

"CCTV"

In the middle of the screen is the name of the show:
"Chinese Literature

Episode 1: "Half a Life of Storms Burns the Red Flame, and the Lights Still Brighten at Midnight"

The film starts off neatly. The scene is in a room where a man is sitting trembling on a chair. He is wearing a collarless wool cardigan. He is thin but in good spirits.

A line of words appeared next to it, introducing their identities: Mao Dun, Shen Yanbing.

A guard peeled an orange and handed it to him, and Comrade Mao Dun chewed it with relish.

The voice-over asked: "Mr. Mao, are your teeth okay?"

He said, "It's fake."

The scene changes.

In 1926, Shanghai.

It was raining, the picture was dim and there were thunders.

In an alley, the camera follows the backs of a man and a woman holding an umbrella.

"I remember one night in August, I had a meeting and was about to go home.

It was raining outside and there were no pedestrians or cars.

The raindrops hit the umbrella with a loud noise. Walking with me was one of the women I had been paying attention to.

She talked too much in the meeting just now, and now her face was still flushed with happiness.

As we walked along, I suddenly felt a surge of inspiration. If possible, I would have picked up a pen and started writing even in the heavy rain. "

(Narrator) This is a scene that Mao Dun recounted when he recalled the inspiration for his debut novel Disillusionment. The time was in the 20s and the location was Shanghai.

At that time, Mao Dun was still Shen Yanbing, and he was engaged in a dangerous cause, revolution.

He has an equally dangerous identity, a party member.

This episode is divided into seven chapters: The Light of Enlightenment, The Waves of Revolution, The Voice of Pen and Ink, The Path of Resistance, The Messenger of Culture, The Realm of Memories, and The Glow of Sunset.

Using events as points and time as axis, the book comprehensively displays the eventful life of Comrade Mao Dun.

Members of the China Writers Association all sat in front of the TV tonight to watch this program.

For too many of them, Mao Dun means a lot.

Even people like Ba Jin and Ding Ling were waiting in front of the TV to watch "Chinese Literature".

Ba Jin regarded Mr. Mao Dun as his teacher, and Ding Ling was one of Mao Dun's six students.

The film not only features images of Comrade Mao Dun himself, but also shows his life through the back of a man standing at the place where he once dedicated his life, making the audience feel as if they were also witnessing him during that period.

The only shortcoming is that there is no content from the Buzz Buzz Buzz period, and it jumps directly to Mr. Mao’s later years, and the scene is still that small courtyard.

The film shows the audience Comrade Mao Dun's bedroom.

There are about a dozen small medicine bottles on a row of low bookcases against the west wall.

However, another scene can be seen in the bedroom: on the bedside table are books and periodicals such as "Journal of Modern Chinese Literature Research", "Debate on National Defense Literature", "Historical Materials of the Left-wing Literary and Art Movement", as well as "Novel Monthly" and "Literature" which Mao Dun once edited.

On the three-drawer table were placed a desk lamp, ink bottle, magnifying glass, manuscript paper and a dozen or so pens and brushes of various types.

"I love wearing traditional Chinese pants, and this is my belt."

Mr. Mao pointed at the horsetail-like ropes on the railing at the end of his bed, took one off and put it around his waist, "I use this kind of rope to tie my belt."

The last scene of the film is the back of a scholar in white.

He was bent over the table, writing something diligently.

"I received a lot of kindness from my parents when I was young, and I was cautious in what I said and did. When I was young, I joined the Commercial Press Translation Office right after I graduated from school. Four years later, I became the editor-in-chief and reformed the "Novel Monthly". It can be said that everything went smoothly.

I experienced some troubles in my middle age. Although I had ambitions, they were shattered early on. I had no choice but to write. "

The picture was dim, and Jin Zhenlin sat in front of the TV, unable to let go for a long time.

He was the last interviewer of Mr. Mao Dun before his death. At that time, Mr. Mao Dun's spirit seemed to have recovered, and he also wished him to finish writing his memoirs.

Unfortunately, life does not last forever.

What comforts Jin Zhenlin is that he unexpectedly made such a film, which allows future generations to see his voice, appearance and smile again, so that they will not gradually forget the figure of this great master of Chinese literature.

After much thought, Jin Zhenlin sat at the table and decided to publish an article to describe the scene of his last meeting with Mr. Mao, so as to provide some real memories for those in the future who had never met Mr. Mao.

In this era, the names of the six people "Lu, Guo, Mao, Lao, Ba Cao" are known to every citizen.

After the broadcast of "Chinese Literature", it caused a great response among the masses, and even the re-published works of Mao Gong were sold out in Xinhua Bookstore.

Both the Literary Gazette and Wenhui Daily, two newspapers in the north and south, published articles on the film "Chinese Literature" and paid tribute to Mr. Mao.

Jiang Xian heard from Wang Meng that day that someone in the Ministry of Culture proposed to give their film an award.

When Jiang Xian told this to Zhang Yimou, Gu Changwei and others, a group of young people jumped up excitedly.

"Chinese Literature" really did it!
(End of this chapter)