Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 360 Art is interconnected
After leaving Cao Yang's office, Liu Yibing, the head of the Literature Department, and two others returned to the Literature Department and went to Liu Yibing's office.

"Director, Secretary Zhang, I am especially grateful for your help today. You have really gone to a lot of trouble."

Zhuang Yuxin said with some emotion.

Only by personally making a film from scratch can one truly appreciate the difficulty involved.

Zhuang Yuxin went through countless hardships from conceiving the film to securing investment and personally persuading several well-known actors to join the project. These hardships are beyond what outsiders can understand.

The reason he was able to attract investment was largely due to his status as a teacher at the Beijing Film Academy; otherwise, he would definitely have been seen as a fraudster.

What Zhuang Yuxin found most unforgettable was that just as filming was about to begin, the investor suddenly vanished without a trace and could not be contacted at all.

If it weren't for the already well-known leading lady Yan Bingyan stepping up at the crucial moment and saying: "Let's film on time, I don't need the pay, let's film as far as we can..."

If Yan Bingyan hadn't really liked the script, and if she hadn't given it her strong support, Zhuang Yuxin might not have been able to hold on until the investors changed their minds.

Party branch secretary Zhang Min patted Zhuang Yuxin on the shoulder and said with a smile, "It's not easy for our literature department to produce a director. As long as you are really capable, we will definitely find a way to fully support you."

Liu Yibing chimed in, "Secretary Zhang is right. Actually, there's not much we can do. At most, we can just use our old connections to help you verbally."

"If we were to actually go and ask the Qingying Film Studio for projects and investment, that would be putting the two of us old men in a difficult position. Director Xie is known for his impartiality and selflessness; no one's connections will work on him."

His subsequent words seemed to be praising Xie Xiaojing, but there was a stronger sense of teasing in them.

Zhang Min coughed and said with a smile, "Dean Xie has had a tough time too. In recent years, Qingying Studio has made some money and has more funds, but the amount of external investment has also increased. We have invested a lot of money in two or three projects in Hollywood."

In addition, the number of feature films produced at the school has increased from four or five to fourteen, with several backup projects added each year, bringing the total to about twenty.

There's also a lot of short film production, which costs money.

If even one or two of these twenty feature film projects turn out to be profitable, Dean Xie would probably be laughing all the way to the bank. He's under a lot of pressure; he's almost entirely relying on the Hollywood projects with Director Cao to keep the school afloat.

As the head of the Literature Department, Liu Yibing would certainly prioritize the Literature Department and strive to secure its interests.

Zhang Min is different. As the Party Branch Secretary of the Department of Literature, he not only considers the Department of Literature, but also the overall situation of the university, which is also one of his responsibilities.

"I see."

Zhuang Yuxin knew that the Party Secretary was explaining this to him because he was afraid that Zhuang Yuxin would have a problem with the Qingying Film Studio because he hadn't received the "quota" for the studio.

"However, leaders, I am both happy and nervous. I don't know how Director Cao will evaluate 'Love's Teeth' this afternoon. I'm really nervous. To be honest, I'm more nervous than when I attended the College Student Film Festival."

"Relax, think positively. If Director Cao thinks your movie is good, he'll definitely recommend it to the Venice Film Festival. Then you'll become famous overnight, haha..."

Liu Yibing made a joke; he could tell that Zhuang Yuxin was indeed a bit too nervous.

Of course, I can understand that.

Who is Director Cao? He is the top director in China, without a doubt, and one of the top and most influential directors in the world.

If he had pushed Zhuang Yuxin's film to the Venice Film Festival, Zhuang Yuxin would have had to work much less and her fate might have been changed.

That's the Venice Film Festival, one of the three major European film festivals. Just getting selected for the main competition, even if you don't win a single award, will make you famous overnight, and you'll never have to worry about funding for your future films.

"Don't worry, Director Cao is a very nice guy. He won't be back for many days this time, he's very busy. Even so, he still agreed to watch your film without hesitation, you should be secretly happy, what's there to be nervous about?"

Zhang Min smiled and comforted her.

The two people's comforting words had some effect on Zhuang Yuxin, and he... became even more uneasy.

For him, the afternoon screening was undoubtedly the biggest opportunity of his life. Who wouldn't be nervous?
When Cao Yang and Lao Tian arrived at the small screening room at 1:30 pm, Liu Yibing, Zhuang Yuxin, and the other two were already waiting there.

Cao Yang chatted briefly with the group, but didn't ask why they hadn't sought investment from Qingying Film Studio. He suggested that they first assess the quality of the film and then visit Qingying Film Studio to learn more about it.

Regardless of the era or whether it's in China or abroad, attracting investment is never easy for anyone who isn't a well-known director.

Of course, as mentioned before, those with powerful backgrounds, whether domestic or international, are not included in this category.

This "profound" doesn't mean anything ordinary. Films with a slightly shallow background won't do; very few of them will make money, and most will lose money.

Who would knowingly throw money into a trap? So the word "profound" is not just a figure of speech.

"Director Zhuang, this afternoon's screening was originally prepared for Director Tian's new film, but I was the one who decided to include your film. So let's watch yours first, okay?"

Cao Yang said to Zhuang Yuxin.

This was a decision Cao Yang made after careful consideration.

He was quite familiar with Lao Tian's film "Pieta". Someone in the crew would give him updates on the progress from time to time, and also report whether the filming had deviated from the script.

Even if Cao Yang hasn't seen Lao Tian's "Pieta," as long as the filming follows the script and Lao Tian put the actors through such intense training, it shouldn't be bad overall.

If people watch "Pieta" first, they will definitely compare "Pieta" with "Love's Teeth", which is not very friendly to Zhuang Yuxin.

"Okay, Director Cao, you can arrange it as you see fit."

Zhuang Yuxin quickly said.

As the group chatted quietly, people began to enter the small screening room. Among them were veteran directors such as Zheng Dongtian and Xie Fei, followed by school leaders including Xie Xiaojing and Hou Yuan.

Zhuang Yuxin felt increasingly nervous as she watched the person enter.

Then, Cao Yang received a phone call and went outside. A short while later, he came back in with Old Situ.

At this moment, apart from Zheng Dongtian, Xie Fei, and other old guys of the same generation as Lao Situ, all the school leaders, including Hou Yuan, stood up.

As Cao Yang's influence and status grew, Lao Situ's prestige also increased.

"That old bastard stepped in dog poop! A documentary filmmaker who taught someone who's best at making art films, and now he thinks there's no logic to it?"

Every time Xie Fei saw Lao Situ, he couldn't help but complain in his heart.

Seeing Cao Yang with Lao Situ this time made him even more envious.

Zheng Dongtian couldn't help but roll his eyes, muttering to himself. Without a doubt, it was an elegant word of "praise".

This was a small screening room, so there wasn't much time for small talk. After a short while, Cao Yang saw that almost everyone who was supposed to be there had arrived, so he had the staff start the screening.

"Love's Teeth" is a film with a rather artistic flair.

This reminded Cao Yang of films like "In the Heat of the Sun" or foreign films like "Betty Blue" and "Dead Poets Society," all of which are cruel tales about youthful love.

Later, as this type of film became more common, a special "category" emerged, called "youthful angst films."

However, compared to the formulaic youth films of later generations, "Love's Teeth" can be considered to have pioneered a new genre, featuring the inevitable elements of abortion and encountering a scumbag boyfriend in youth romance films...

The story is set in the late 1970s to the late 1980s. The female protagonist, Qian Yehong, was a tough girl in high school, riding a tough men's bicycle.

The film is divided into three parts to tell the story of the female protagonist's life and love journey.

The protagonist, Qian Yehong, was caught up in the confusion, awkwardness, and pride of high school. Dating during that time would make her the target of ostracism from her classmates. It was precisely because of this that she read He Xuesong's love letter to her in front of her classmates.

As a result, He Xuesong hit her on the back with a brick, and ever since then, her back has ached on rainy days. He Xuesong's self-harm and drowning also haunted her, a pain that lingered in her back.

During her university years, the female protagonist fell in love with a married man and became pregnant unexpectedly. The two secretly had an abortion at the man's home without anesthesia...

When the truth came out, the man tried to shirk all responsibility to keep his job, but the female protagonist calmly took full responsibility for everything, ultimately leading to her expulsion from school.

In the third part, the female protagonist marries a man she doesn't love, and their five-year marriage eventually comes to an end.

When they got married, the female protagonist said her husband's canine teeth were beautiful. When they decided to divorce, her husband pulled out his canine teeth with pliers and gave them to her—again, without anesthesia.

At the end of the film, the female protagonist, Qian Yehong, asks the dentist to extract one of her teeth as well—the canine tooth in the same position as her ex-husband Wei Yingqiu's—without any anesthesia, because she wants to experience that feeling as well.

Or perhaps, she wanted to experience the taste of love.

To be honest, the third segment, including the ending, is indeed forced and falls into formalism and conceptualism. The director seems too eager to emphasize the relationship between pain and love, as if afraid that the audience hasn't felt enough pain and hasn't grasped his deeper meaning. In short, it lacks the simplicity, directness, and authenticity of the first two segments.

But compared to the formulaic youth films of later generations, this movie is much more normal.

In Cao Yang's opinion, the biggest highlight of "Love's Teeth" is actually the performance of Yan Bingyan, who plays the female lead.

Especially in terms of acting skills, Cao Yang can say without exaggeration that Yan Bingyan's acting skills are absolutely among the best in China.

In this melodramatic coming-of-age film, her performance was surprisingly natural, as if it were based on the real experiences of a woman.

It's almost like having an immersive experience, at most just a little bit different.

Cao Yang then thought of Yan Bingyan's future film, "A Thousand Arrows Piercing the Heart," in which her performance was also absolutely outstanding.

It could even be said that, whether it's "Love's Teeth" or "A Thousand Arrows Piercing the Heart," it wasn't the films that made Yan Bingyan famous, but rather Yan Bingyan's performances that made the films famous.

She's such a versatile actress!
The only regret is the movie.

Cao Yang was even tempted to ask director Zhuang Yuxin directly what he was thinking. If he wanted to win an award so badly, why didn't he change the plot a little? Why did he just focus entirely on the female lead's love and growth?

Even a little exploration of the characters' humanity would be appreciated; don't just skim the surface and then stop.

If you don't want to delve too deeply, you can learn from "Beijing Bicycle" and use love to reflect the changes of the times.

Awards or box office success—you have to choose one, right?

If you don't want to win awards, just make it a commercial film, make the audience cry, make them feel wronged, make them want to punch you...

If you want to win awards, you don't delve deeper; if you want box office success, you hesitate and are unwilling to completely compromise with commercial films. If it weren't for Yan Bingyan's brilliant performance, this movie would really be just an ordinary, mediocre work.

Just as Cao Yang had expected, after the movie ended and the symbolic applause was finished, several people started discussing it.

"This actress is quite good. Did she graduate from the Beijing Film Academy?"

"I don't think so. It's most likely someone from the Central Academy of Drama. Their acting is really good."

Do you know the actress's name? I've never heard of her before.

……

At these preview screenings, after watching one movie, you definitely need to take a break in between to try not to be affected by the movie and then continue watching the next one.

Cao Yang thought for a moment, then beckoned to director Zhuang Yuxin to come with him.

Zhuang Yuxin was taken aback, and for a moment he was nervous and at a loss. He sighed and glanced at Liu Yibing, the department head next to him.

Liu Yibing patted Zhuang Yuxin on the shoulder and whispered, "Don't be nervous. Just answer whatever Director Cao asks. Tell the truth and don't lie, so as not to affect Director Cao's judgment."

Zhuang Yuxin nodded quickly, then stood up, two steps behind Cao Yang, and followed Cao Yang to the small office on the side.

Cao Yang gestured for Zhuang Yuxin to sit down and talk. Zhuang Yuxin gave a somewhat stiff smile and sat down in the seat below Cao Yang.

"When this movie was being made, why didn't you think about exploring human nature or the changes of the times?"

Cao Yang couldn't suppress his doubts and asked the question.

Zhuang Yuxin almost stood up reflexively. He took a deep breath and replied:

"There are two reasons. One is my personal reason. The process of raising investment for this film was very difficult. I was afraid that if I dug too deep, it would be troublesome if it failed to pass the censorship."

Another reason was that the investors repeatedly emphasized that the film absolutely could not be banned, otherwise they would have to recoup their investment.

Cao Yang glanced at Zhuang Yuxin with some surprise. "You're really honest. Don't you know that the directors at Beijing Film Academy are best at shooting enough footage to cut two versions?"
One version was used to fool people, and the other version was used to participate in film festivals abroad.

Cao Yang considered for a moment, then, without beating around the bush, said directly:

"Your film is set in the 1970s and 80s, a time when it was easiest to win awards abroad. But there are prerequisites for winning awards, which are either to delve into human nature or to reflect the changes of that great era. You did not do well in either of these two aspects."

Zhuang Yuxin's face showed disappointment and frustration.

Cao Yang continued, "Personally speaking, it was a good choice for you not to touch upon the changes of that era; the boundaries were difficult to grasp."

To be honest, these kinds of teen romance films aren't easy to win awards, so you'd better not get your hopes up too high. However, if you just want to participate in the Venice Film Festival, getting into the main competition shouldn't be a problem.

"what?"

"what!"

Zhuang Yuxin's emotions couldn't keep up with the changes in Cao Yang's words, and he let out two sighs. Anyone who didn't know better would think that Cao Yang had done something to him.

"Thank you so much, Director Cao. I'm really grateful. I'll be fine. Getting into the main competition at the Venice Film Festival is something I never even dared to dream of... Thank you, Director Cao, thank you, thank you..."

Zhuang Yuxin was so excited that he was almost incoherent.

"It's alright, keep up the good work. If you have any questions about a script next time, feel free to call me. We at Beijing Film Academy are a unified entity, and I'm happy to offer any help I can."

Cao Yang stood up and said to Zhuang Yuxin, "Let's go. You stay here later and watch Director Tian's new film."

"Ah? Ah!"

Zhuang Yuxin's emotions fluctuated significantly once again.

My mind is a complete mess right now. Have I... have I entered Director Cao's circle?

Next, everyone perked up and started watching Lao Tian's version of "Pieta".

As the movie plot unfolded, watching Fu Dalong's performance, Cao Yang almost exclaimed "Holy crap!" What the hell was Lao Tian teaching him? He's making Fu Dalong look like a pervert.

The male actors in the original Pietà performed with a somewhat restrained style, while Fidel Rand's portrayal of the character was completely unrestrained.

Can you imagine him being able to cut off a debtor's hand with a blank expression and a smile on his lips?
This is not an isolated case. In Lao Tian's version of Pietà, every time Fu Dalong is collecting loan shark debts or committing evil deeds, the corner of his mouth twitches a few times, as if he is laughing and disdainful.

Furthermore, it must be said that Lao Tian is truly a pervert.

The film is quite gory, and many vigilante acts were filmed in their entirety. If these were not censored, it definitely wouldn't have passed censorship.

In front of the debtor, Fuda Long stripped the man's wife naked, then pulled out his belt and slapped her buttocks repeatedly.

Also, when the female lead, played by Kara Hui, approaches the male lead and claims to be his mother, he initially doesn't believe her, but then the plot unfolds to a crucial point. The male lead, played by Fu Dalong, pins down the female lead, then makes his signature twitching mouth, appearing to be smiling.

Without hesitation, he removed the female lead's panties, and then, laughing, covered his nose and took a deep breath to smell them.

She said, "This isn't the taste I'm familiar with..."

Then he stuffed the panties into the female lead's mouth.

He then began to unbuckle his belt, pulling it all the way down.

Old Tian even patted Fudalong's butt from behind, which was quite a wicked joke.

Just like when Cao Yang filmed Depp's butt in "The Dirty Milk".

Then Fidelity climbed up.

Next comes exercise.

Furthermore, Lao Tian, ​​in a very perverse sense of humor, placed the camera behind Fudalong and filmed his buttocks moving forward for over a minute.

Sure enough, Lao Tian has something in common with European art-house film directors.

However, if these things are to be shown domestically, many scenes will have to be cut.

(End of this chapter)