Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 361 Decisive
Cao Yang's schedule has been very full during his time back in China.

Even though he refused to be in charge of graduate students' thesis defenses and the selection of outstanding graduation projects at Beijing Film Academy, he certainly couldn't completely avoid involvement.

In addition, he spent three days carefully reviewing the approval process for film projects at the Qingdao Film Studio, and found that things were more complicated than he had imagined.

The Beijing Film Academy knows that Qingying Film Studio has become wealthy.

As a result, many teachers and staff who had been unable to direct films due to funding issues before began applying for projects from Qingdao Film Studio with their scripts.

This seems like a good thing.

Xie Xiaojing, the director of Qingying Film Studio and Cao Yang's senior, took out a thick stack of scripts and showed them to Cao Yang.

Cao Yang randomly picked out a few scripts from the stack and looked at them.

The first script was submitted by a teacher from the photography department. Cao Yang still remembered this teacher; he was a photographer with some reputation.

Those familiar with the Beijing Film Academy know that not only does its directing department produce directors, but its cinematography department is also a major producer of directors, having cultivated many well-known ones.

The most representative example is Zhang Yimou.

However, not just anyone from the photography department can be a director.

First, there was the script. Cao Yang only glanced at the beginning and couldn't help but think, "Holy crap!"

The script is set in the 1970s, and as those who know, know, movies set in that era are generally very difficult to handle well.

Sure enough, the female protagonist is a sent-down youth, and the story revolves around several absurd love affairs during that special period...

The content is somewhat similar to "Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl," but the story is not as complete or profound. It feels like it was deliberately set up this way to supposedly reveal human nature, and it was made to cater to the Western audience.

Even if such a movie were made, it would definitely not pass censorship, and the director might even be banned from directing.

It's somewhat understandable that this script wasn't selected.

But the scripts he saw next made Cao Yang realize that, comparatively speaking, the people in the photography department were at least more reliable.

Some of the scripts were like "Dream Chasing in the Entertainment Industry," extremely unreliable, with the story not even clearly written, which really broadened Cao Yang's horizons.

Cao Yang randomly selected a few more rejected scripts and finally found one with a reasonably well-written story, but the filming plan was extremely absurd...

In short, those that were eliminated always had various problems.

The overall impression is that since Qingying Studio has money and has given Beijing Film Academy so many fixed project slots, they definitely want to submit a script to try their luck, just in case it gets selected.

So Xie Xiaojing, the factory director, may seem to have a lot of power, but it is not easy for her to do things well. Just the project approval process alone is difficult and can easily offend people.

For university-affiliated enterprises like Qingdao Film Studio, having money isn't necessarily a good thing.

It's only because Xie Xiaojing has a strong enough background, with Cao Yang and Lao Situ as her backers; otherwise, it would be very difficult for anyone else to stay in this position.

After considering it for two days and exchanging opinions with Xie Xiaojing, Cao Yang decided to change the current situation.

Since everyone's eyeing it, let's compete.

He provided Xie Xiaojing with a general framework, allowing her to develop a feasible plan based on the actual situation.

That is to delegate the power of preliminary review.

For example, allocating 15 places annually to the directing department, 10 places annually to the cinematography department, and 6 places annually to the literature department...

It's not that just because their department has these quotas, they are guaranteed to get these projects.

However, this is only the list of applications submitted by their department, and it still needs to be reviewed and approved by the Qingdao Film Studio.

In other words, if a department does not conduct rigorous reviews and submits unqualified applications to the Qingdao Film Studio, it may not receive any project quotas for the entire year.

Furthermore, if projects that passed the initial review by each department failed to pass the final review by Qingying Studio, Cao Yang specifically set up a "revival" mechanism to prevent any good projects from being overlooked.

Every year, at least one project is selected from the projects submitted by each department that have been eliminated.

This can be considered a form of motivation.

Of course, the person in charge of these final reviews is the chief producer of Qingying Film Studio, namely Cao Yang.

However, he doesn't have time to do this, so Xie Xiaojing and the production department will handle the review for now.

During his time in China, Cao Yang also attended several meetings of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the China Film Association, mainly concerning this year's Golden Rooster Awards.

The Golden Rooster Awards are film awards sponsored by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the China Film Association, which is one of the 14 associations under the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles.

In other words, the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (CFLC) is a federation of 14 literary and artistic circles, including the China Film Association.

The responsibilities of Cao Yang as the vice chairman of the literary and art federation are self-evident.

The Golden Rooster Awards are usually managed by the China Film Association.

Therefore, when Cao Yang went to the Film Association to discuss the Golden Rooster Awards, although he was there to attend a meeting, his official position meant he was there to provide guidance.

This is also why Lao Hou was busy considering judges for Cao Yang and asking Cao Yang what general direction he should set for the Golden Rooster Awards, because Cao Yang can really decide on the judges and set the tone for the Golden Rooster Awards.

Of course, without the support of people like the Beijing Film Academy, Lao Hou, and President Han, even if Cao Yang wanted to decide on the judges and set the tone, the Film Association had plenty of ways to fool him if they didn't want to cooperate.

In the world of gangsters, status matters, but even more so, the power behind you matters.

Sometimes, even with a prestigious status, it's difficult to get things done without the support of powerful figures.

With the support of Beijing Film Academy and China Film Group, as long as Cao Yang doesn't go too far, his initiatives can be effectively implemented.

Furthermore, the current chairman of the China Film Association is Wu Yigong, who graduated from the Directing Department of Beijing Film Academy.

With so many factors at play, plus Cao Yang's own influence, do you think Cao Yang can earn money with dignity... no, do you think Cao Yang can make his voice heard?

Besides the Golden Rooster Awards, Cao Yang has another matter to attend to.

Next year is the Beijing Olympics, and as the chief advisor for the Beijing Olympics, now that I'm back in China, I'll definitely have to attend some meetings and discussions.

After Cao Yang became the chief consultant, he never expressed his opinion on Zhang Yimou's plan, nor did he participate in it. Zhang Yimou had initially sent Cao Yang some preliminary plans, wanting to test Cao Yang's opinion.

His main goal was to confirm whether Cao Yang would interfere in the Olympics, and if so, to what extent, so as to prepare and develop countermeasures.

Actually, Zhang Yimou had initially prepared for the worst.

Don't let Zhang Yimou's quiet demeanor fool you; he's a very shrewd person.

After he was hired as the chief director, he even wondered if this was Cao Yang's "conspiracy"—that Cao Yang was afraid of ruining the Olympics and affecting his reputation, so he found a "scapegoat" to give up the position of chief director.

Then, as the chief consultant for the Beijing Olympics—and remember, not the chief consultant for the opening and closing ceremonies, but the chief consultant for the entire Beijing Olympics—there were so many things he could get involved in, and his power was immense.

In the end, I'll be the official director, while Cao Yang will be the unofficial "director." If the opening and closing ceremonies go well, the higher-ups will definitely know it's Cao Yang's doing; if they botch it, I'll be the perfect scapegoat...

However, after several attempts, he finally confirmed that Cao Yang would not interfere in anything. This made Zhang Yimou feel both impressed and somewhat respectful towards Cao Yang.

From then on, even if Cao Yang didn't interfere in anything, whenever Lao Zhang made a major decision, he would inform Cao Yang to maintain due respect.

So when Cao Yang returned to China this time, Zhang Yimou insisted on holding several meetings with him.

With the main tasks mostly completed, Cao Yang prepared to head to Los Angeles, as post-production for "Pirates of the Caribbean" wasn't finished yet.

Actually, everything else is almost done, except for the CG effects.

In addition, Nolan has called Cao Yang several times.

It seemed like a very important matter; for example, Nolan would call Cao Yang whenever the Batman crew finalized a main actor or a key staff member.

He also urged Cao Yang to go to the US as soon as possible on the phone, jokingly saying that the producer of Cao Yang's project had never been to the film set, and everyone was looking forward to Cao Yang's arrival.

Cao Yang was speechless. He had already sent executive producer Ning Hao to the crew. How could he not know about anything that happened on set?

However, because Nolan frequently called, not only to discuss matters on set but also to explore the film itself, Cao Yang unknowingly became good friends with Nolan—which was probably Nolan's intention.

Before Cao Yang left, Lao Hou "exploited" him one last time.

The Beijing Film Academy held an award ceremony for outstanding undergraduate and graduate theses, and Cao Yang personally presented the certificates to the winners.

Furthermore, Cao Yang also presented certificates to the winners of the outstanding graduation projects.

Don't underestimate this seemingly "small" gesture from Lao Hou; it brought the enthusiasm of Beijing Film Academy graduates to its peak. Who wouldn't want to personally receive a certificate from Cao Yang and take a group photo?
Many recent graduates are very regretful. If only they had done their best to write a thesis or create a graduation project. If they could win an award and be remembered by Cao Yang, that would be an incredible opportunity.

Upon hearing the news, the third-year students were all eager to get started and decided to take this matter extremely seriously next year.

Strange noises echoed in the room for a long time.

Everyone's physical condition is different, their tolerance is different, and their immersion experience is different.

Yu Feihong is a female knight, and in that respect, she seems to possess extraordinary abilities.

However, she was just a brave but reckless female knight.

They can't hold on for long before their eyes glaze over, their bodies go limp, and they start babbling incoherently.

Cao Yang got up, wiped himself clean, and when he looked up again, he saw Yu Feihong, who had just looked like she was about to die, now struggling to move her body and lift her legs up, propping them against the wall.

However, his disheveled appearance made him look rather pathetic.

"What are you doing?"

Cao Yang was a little confused, but then he realized what was happening and wanted to laugh.

"I heard that this can increase the chances."

Yu Feihong said weakly.

Cao Yang heard something interesting: college students have a particularly high chance of getting pregnant, and many of them conceive on the first try.

Couples have a lower chance of getting pregnant, but it's still quite easy for them to conceive.

The chances of getting pregnant after marriage decrease significantly, and it may take many attempts to succeed.

For couples trying to conceive, the chances of getting pregnant are extremely slim, and even if they count the follicle dates, conception is often exceptionally difficult.

Cao Yang didn't know if this was a joke, but ever since Yu Feihong said she wanted a child, she hadn't succeeded.

"Why don't you come with me to Los Angeles for a while? The more times you go, the higher the chances will be."

Cao Yang sensed that Yu Feihong might genuinely want to have a child, so after considering it for a moment, he said...

Yu Feihong kept her eyes closed, the blush on her face still lingering. It was unclear whether she had heard anything or not, as she remained silent for a long time.

Cao Yang glanced at Yu Feihong, smiled, and it seemed she wasn't planning on washing up for the time being, so he went by himself.

When he came out, Yu Feihong was still wearing the same outfit.

"Your phone rang just now, and I had to stay on hold, so I didn't tell you."

"It's been over twenty minutes already, how much longer are you going to maintain this posture?"

Cao Yang asked as he reached for his phone.

"I don't know either, maybe the longer the better?" After such a long rest, Yu Feihong's spirits have recovered quite a bit.

Cao Yang looked through his phone and sat down next to Yu Feihong, casually placing his other hand on the white rabbit.

Looking at the missed call, it turned out to be from Little Cannon.

"It's almost midnight, why isn't this guy asleep yet?"

Cao Yang said something softly and dialed the number back.

"Director Feng, are you still up so late?"

"Hey bro, did I disturb your rest? I worked overtime during filming today, and then I had to have a meeting to check today's footage and tomorrow's plans and tasks. I've been so busy that it's already this late."

The little cannon was unusually enthusiastic and polite, and seemed very excited.

This reminded Cao Yang of Xiao Gangpao's attitude when he was running for the position of director of the Olympics. It was similar to his current attitude, which was equally enthusiastic and polite.

"Old Feng, is something the matter?"

Cao Yang asked.

"Hey bro, you've been back in China for so many days, why don't you come to the film crew? You're the producer of our film crew, a big boss, everyone's eagerly waiting for you to come and give us your guidance."

The little cannon is still so enthusiastic, it almost sounds like flattery.

Cao Yang knew that Xiao Gangpao was just being polite. If he really went over, Xiao Gangpao would definitely be unhappy inside, and would be afraid that Cao Yang would find fault with him again.

"Old Feng, I'm a bit busy and don't have time to go to the film set. Just tell me what's up."

Little Cannon was silent for a moment, then said seriously, "Brother, I mean it. I sincerely welcome you to the crew. I welcome your guidance and suggestions. Brother, every word I say is true, I'm not kidding..."

Cao Yang listened to Xiao Gangpao's long-winded rambling, and considering his somewhat "flattering" attitude, he thought about it for a moment and roughly understood.

It seems that Little Cannon must have received information about his series of actions at the Golden Rooster Awards through some channel.

Little Cannon has always wanted to win awards, gain recognition in the industry, and be accepted by the mainstream.

He had very high expectations for this film, "Assembly".

Therefore, he has already "backed down" to Jinji on different occasions, wanting to repair the relationship that was damaged by his big mouth before.

Who would have thought that Cao Yang would suddenly be "in charge" of the Golden Rooster Awards!

This news left Xiao Gangpao dumbfounded for a long time. From initial disbelief to speechless after confirming it repeatedly, he remained silent for a long time and smoked half a pack of cigarettes.

Amidst envy, jealousy, and感慨, it suddenly dawned on me that Cao Yang was both the screenwriter and producer of "Assembly"!

This is simply a stroke of good luck!

I quickly adjusted my mindset and couldn't wait to make the call.

Furthermore, he was determined to film exactly according to the new script, and he insisted on reshooting the few minor changes he had secretly made.

Inspection, self-examination, and rectification.

There has never been a situation closer to the mainstream and the Golden Rooster Awards than this.

"Old Feng, I don't have time to go to the film set. As long as you film according to the actual situation, don't make random changes, and don't add your own personal touches, I think you can make a very classic movie."

Cao Yang didn't say much to anyone, leaving it to Xiao Gangpao's interpretation.

Little Cannon laughed heartily, this time a very genuine laugh, a laugh from the bottom of his heart.

"Don't worry, brother. You know what kind of person I am, Little Cannon. I'm a man of my word. I'm here to guarantee it for you."

I will absolutely film exactly according to the materials we found, without adding even the slightest bit of subjective opinion..."

"Okay, Lao Feng, I'm relieved to hear you say that. You can rest assured too, just focus on filming."

Cao Yang smiled and said to Xiao Gangpao.

Little Cannon hung up the phone with a smug look on his face.

(End of this chapter)