1978 Synthetic Writers

Chapter 312 "Cream Boy"

"A vase? It's just a vase." Jiang Xian had a subtle expression.

Zheng Xiaolong's words gave off a tinge of shabby vibe.

It’s also difficult for those who make TV dramas.

Although the budget of the domestic film industry is relatively tight now, the TV drama industry is really a weakling in comparison.

No film studio can say that they will at least give each expert a cloisonné vase as compensation.

In the early to mid-20s, televisions began to become popular in China. At the same time, the domestic TV drama industry began to develop from scratch.

How could the major film studios look down upon them?

I feel like this is a completely makeshift team.

The machines used are second-hand equipment discarded by various film studios. The total number of staff members is less than 100. They don't even have the money to make a movie and have to beg for money everywhere. The saddest thing is that a film studio at least has a studio, but these people who make TV series don't even have a place to work.

The creative team, art department, and director's studio were all located in cheap guesthouses and warehouses, and were jokingly called the "Eight Major Places" by those who made movies.

Who could have imagined that by the end of the 80s, Chinese TV dramas had become the Chinese public's favorite art form, completely crushing Chinese films.

Then the report became: China's television industry has been blessed from the very beginning, and has received full attention and special care from the party and the government.

At this time, the people who made the movie were really anxious and jointly reported to their superiors: You are too biased. Look at what our film industry has become. Why didn’t you restrict the development of TV dramas in the first place?

No shame!
They regard TV dramas as the culprit that restricts the film industry and even call for policies to restrict the development of TV dramas, but they never consider their own problems.

Jiang Xian agreed to the deal and asked Zheng Xiaolong about the details of "Dream of Red Mansions". After all, he only knew about Chen Xiaoxu when it came to the filming.

I remember that Wang Fulin disliked Chen Xiaoxu for not being pretty enough, but hundreds of millions of viewers ended up loving her.

A group of stupid netizens in later generations even commented that she "overdrew the gentleness of Northeast China for three hundred years."

Zheng Xiaolong said, "You know, there are many actors in Dream of Red Mansions. I heard Director Wang talking about it the other day. Wow, they need to find more than 150 actors. It's a bigger show than making a movie."

"Wow, so many people?"

"Of course, you said that these 150 actors are just 150 people. How many actors from the film studios should be gathered to make up the number?"

Jiang Xian certainly knew that later on, the cast of "Dream of Red Mansions" would conduct a self-recommendation audition.

At that time, tens of thousands of people from all over the country applied, which became a phenomenon.

In addition to self-recommendations, in order to recruit these 150 actors, the Dream of Red Mansions crew also visited art schools, drama troupes, and art troupes in major cities, went to shoe factories, watch factories, and chemical factories, and even stopped passers-by on the street, and finally selected these 150 actors from tens of thousands of people.

This is how such a classic was made.

When "Dream of the Red Chamber" is filmed again in the future, not to mention the script or anything like that, how could the casting be so attentive?
It was said that auditions were held all over the world, but in the end, they didn't even go beyond the school and were directly recommended by the principal.

When Jiang Xian returned home, he happened to meet Zhu Lin and Jiang Ke coming back together.

"Oh, such a rich feast today?"

Zhu Lin was holding a lot of potatoes and cabbages, mixed with a piece of fatty pork. The fat was about three fingers thick and trembling. It was definitely a good pig.

Oil and water are scarce these days, so everyone buys fatty meat. If a child buys lean meat, he will be scolded by his family. Why? Fatty meat not only satisfies your appetite, but also can be used to refine oil.

Cut into small pieces and pour into the pot. Pour the refined lard into a yellow clay pot. Cover it with a lid. It will be like ointment. When stir-frying or stewing, add a small spoonful of it. The stir-fried or stewed dishes will be particularly fragrant and have a bit of meaty flavor.

But later I switched to vegetable oil.

This thing is very rare. I only saw it once in a world chef competition in recent years.

After the rival team took our oil, our chef curled his lips and said nonchalantly: "Turn on the fire, refine the oil." The foreigners couldn't do anything about it and called it cheating.

"A Dream of Red Mansions?"

During dinner, Jiang Xian talked about the Dream of the Red Chamber and, under the guise of inside information, revealed that it was a self-recommendation audition.

Jiang Ke's eyes lit up and he bit his chopsticks.

"I have to go. I really like Dream of the Red Chamber!"

"I feel like I was born for Dream of the Red Chamber!"

Jiang Xianxin said, "What a coincidence! There are at least ten thousand people in the country who feel the same way as you do."

But looking at his sister now, with his intervention, she might really have a chance to become a good candidate for the role in "Dream of Red Mansions".

"Don't get excited."

Jiang Xian said, "Hasn't the audition started yet? Go back to school and practice your acting skills. Also, take advantage of this free time to study Dream of the Red Chamber carefully."

Jiang Ke immediately took it to heart.

Jiang Xian's sister is a person with her own ideas. Although she usually looks careless and it seems that her great ideal is to become a veteran, once she has a goal, she will get it no matter how hard she tries.

Zhu Lin also had this idea.

Not to mention this era, even in later generations, how many people's hearts would be touched by hearing the three words "Dream of Red Mansions"?

The three of them chatted happily and ate up all the food on the table. Jiang Xian liked the eating habits of this era very much. Even though they were two female comrades, they didn't mention anything about losing weight and just ate to their heart's content.

Objectively speaking, Jiang Xian's family was well-off. They didn't have meat for every meal, but they had basically never been hungry. Despite these conditions, there was no sign of weight gain in his family.

This seems to be the case in this era. Although most people's diet is completely carbohydrate-based and many people have a huge appetite, it's strange that they just can't gain weight.

Some people may say that they didn’t get to eat any desserts, but that’s true, as old-fashioned pastries these days are all very sweet.

Jiang Ke stayed at Jiang Xian's house for a few days and then went back. Jiang Xian discussed the "Long Live Understanding" report with Xinhua News Agency.

At this critical juncture, Xie Jin and Li Jun, as well as the crew members of "The Garland under the Mountain", came to Beijing from Yunnan by train.

"We must come and try this restaurant. We usually have to queue up here." Jiang Xian brought the two of them to Yuebin Restaurant in Cuihua Hutong.

"Don't spend too much." Xie Jin said.

Li Jun was also a little worried. Although he had lived in the rural area of ​​Henan for a long time, he had seen the world.

This restaurant doesn't look very impressive from the outside, but the customers coming and going all have blue eyes and blond hair, which is even more impressive than Lao Mo's. Lao Mo's formal western restaurant is now a place where a bunch of naughty guys gather and make a fuss.

"Don't worry, the maximum spending per person here is 10 yuan. The three of us can eat food worth 30 yuan at most." Jiang Xian explained the rules of Yuebin Restaurant.

"Come on, let's have a bottle of 'Maotai' first."

After ordering the dishes, Xie Jin took out a bottle of Xishui Daqu and poured it for Jiang Xian and Li Jun.

The three of them clinked their glasses, and while waiting for the food, Li Jun and Jiang Xian talked about the script of "The Wreath", which Jiang Xian had already read in the morning.

"What do you think of the author of 'The Wreath'?"

"Well, Comrade Li Jun's script is of course very good," Jiang Xian said.

Li Jun is a screenwriter at the Bayi Film Studio. He has lived in rural Henan for a long time and is very familiar with rural plays, but this is the first time he has written a script like "The Wreath".

Jiang Xian can still see some traces of rural drama in the script of "The Wreath", but overall, it can be said to be quite well written, and Li Jun is also very good at the main theme.

You know, the movie he wrote, "A River Runs Through It," was the first movie to bring the image of a leader to the screen.

The opening subtitles of the next episode of the film specifically pointed out that the next episode will feature the glorious images of the great leader and the beloved prime minister, played by Yi Shizhi and Wang Tiecheng. "Director Xie, you should decide on the actors when you come to Beijing this time," Jiang Xian said.

Xie Jin said: "A few have been decided temporarily, and a few need to be watched again."

Xie Jin has a roster in his head, which contains the names of many old artists.

Every time he made a movie, he would look for actors from this "roster".

"Who has been decided?" Jiang Xian asked.

"Commander Lei, Aunt Liang. I plan to ask Comrade Tong Chao to play the role of Commander Lei. Aunt Liang is the mother of Comrade Liang Sanxi, and is one of the most touching characters in the whole film. I will ask Comrade Lu Xi to play the role."

"These are all drama stars!" Jiang Xian smacked his lips.

Lu Xi is a drama star as famous as Bai Yang, Zhang Ruifang and others.

As for Tong Chao, he is an actor from Beijing People's Art Theatre. He played Liu Zhensheng in "The Death of a Famous Actor", Er Qiangzi in "Camel Xiangzi", Yang Zirong in "Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy", and Zuo Xianwang in "Cai Wenji".
He also played Eunuch Pang in "Tea House".

"Why do you, a small rich man, dare to argue with me?"

Jiang Xian had a very clear impression of this shot.

"Several comrades have written to me, expressing their desire to play a role in The Wreath," said Xie Jin.

It is very rare for an actor to recommend himself when the crew has just been formed, which shows how great the influence of the novel "Wreath" is in China.

"For example, comrade Wang Yumei wrote me a letter of recommendation, expressing her wish to create the role of Aunt Liang."

"Comrade Wang Yumei, the mother of Renwen in "A Happy Family"?"

"That's right, but I still want to give this role to Lu Xi. Comrade Wang Yumei is also very good, but she doesn't quite match the image of Aunt Liang in my mind."

"."

Jiang Xian was helpless. Wang Yumei had a very high status in the performing arts industry. Even though she had written a self-recommendation letter so humbly, Xie Jin still insisted on his own judgment and said that it was not necessary.

This kind of determination, without regard for consequences and without fear of offending others, is something that future filmmakers would never dare to imagine.

Xie Jin also told Jiang Xian that in order to choose suitable roles, the crew also opened a column through a Shanghai newspaper titled "Please recommend actors for "The Garland under the Mountain"."

The readers were very enthusiastic and actively recommended their favorite actors to the film crew.

"Oh, there's one more person."

Xie Jin picked up a piece of food with chopsticks and suddenly remembered something.

"Comrade Tang Guoqiang also wrote me a letter of recommendation, hoping to create the role of Zhao Mengsheng."

"Tang Guoqiang?"

Jiang Xianle is playing.

"What do you think of him?"

"It's too useless."

Xie Jin waved his hands with a look of resistance.

Even though young and handsome men are the main actors in later TV dramas and movies, in fact, in the early 80s, many male protagonists on the big screen also had some "feminine air".

Xie Jin hated this and it gave him a huge headache.

When he asked his assistant Wu Zhennian to select actors, he first eliminated those "pretty boys" who were "all show and no substance" and chose those "tough guys" with masculine temperament.

It doesn’t matter even if the actor is not famous.

As for Tang Guoqiang, he was one of the most famous male stars in the film industry in the 80s.

But the embarrassing thing is that Tang Guoqiang happened to be among the "pretty boys" that Xie Jin disliked.

"How can he play the role of Zhao Mengsheng well without some masculinity? Moreover, his acting skills are not very good, and there are some weaknesses in his performance." Xie Jin made a series of comments, but in short, there are only two words:

--dislike.

"How can I use an actor like this?"

"Haha, it's up to you to decide."

Jiang Xian knew that Tang Guoqiang was indeed the one who played Zhao Mengsheng in the end.

But I didn't try to persuade him.

Tang Guoqiang will definitely ask Xie Jin for it again in the future, but that is now his business.

Tang Guoqiang is in a very embarrassing situation at the moment.

He has not played Zhuge Liang, nor has he played Yongzheng, let alone the old man himself.

Five thousand years, and not a single one of them has been performed yet.

At present, he is a "creamy boy" known to people all over the country.

Because he is so handsome.

That’s right, at this moment, Teacher Tang Guoqiang is a real pretty boy, the kind that any sister would want to love and pamper when she sees him.

But because he is too handsome and because of the title of "creamy boy", countless viewers complain about and hate him, thinking that Tang Guoqiang is too feminine and sissy.

This is not a good thing for an actor, and it can be said that his acting career is facing challenges.

Therefore, Tang Guoqiang urgently needs a tough guy image to change his image in the audience's mind.

After talking about Tang Guoqiang, Xie Jin talked to Jiang Xian about a few actors.

The filming of "Wreath" was jointly supported by the Bayi Film Studio, the Military Region, and Chen Huangmei. It can be said that both money and people were provided.

Siqin Gaowa, who became famous this year for her role as Huniu in "Camel Xiangzi" filmed by Ling Zifeng, willingly came to play a supporting role in "The Garland under the Mountain".

Visible appeal.

So no matter which studio they were from, no matter if they were movie actors or drama actors, they either walked into the trap themselves or waited for Xie Jin to choose them. No one was unwilling to film "The Garland".

Xie Jin was so proud of himself.

I have never fought such a rich battle in my life!
After having dinner at Yuebin Restaurant, Jiang Xian followed Xie Jin and the film crew to the Central Academy of Drama in the afternoon to select actors.

The Central Academy of Drama attached great importance to the crew of "The Garland".

School leaders and teachers from the Central Academy of Drama took the film crew on a tour of the campus.

Jiang Xian looked around the campus curiously. He had been to Beijing Film Academy but had never been to China Film Academy.

Strolling around, I came to the door of a physical education classroom.

A young man who looked a little anxious and a little expressionless walked towards him staggeringly.

(End of this chapter)