Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 372 A Different Request
When Cao Yang and Lao Tian returned to Beijing, to his surprise, the first person to call and congratulate him and invite him to dinner was Xiao Gangpao.

As if timed perfectly, Xiao Gangpao called Cao Yang and his group shortly after their plane landed and before they even got back to their lodgings.

Hearing Xiao Gangpao's slightly hoarse voice, Cao Yang didn't think much of it. He declined the invitation in the car, congratulating him on accepting it but saying that dinner was unnecessary.

I've taken such a long flight from Venice, and I haven't even had a chance to adjust to the time difference or rest yet, and you're already asking me to dinner tonight?

What is so important that you're in such a hurry?
To everyone's surprise, after a long silence, Little Cannon said hesitantly, "Brother Cao, it's like this, I've been doing post-production work on 'Assembly' recently, and there's a part that I feel is contrary to history, so I wanted to discuss it with you."

Then, changing the subject, she continued:

"Of course, I know you just got back and must have had a long journey. There are still six or seven hours until dinner time, right? Go back and rest first, and when you wake up, we can have a casual meal together and discuss the movie."

Xiao Gangpao lied. He filmed exactly according to the materials that Cao Yang and the others found together, without any bias. There were no plots that contradicted history; it was all made up on the spot.

The main thing is to invite Cao Yang to come out and have a talk.

Little Cannon couldn't wait a moment longer; he was eager to know if "Assembly" could participate in next year's three major European competitions.

If there's a chance of winning an award, it will definitely need to be re-edited to make the film look less commercial.

Alternatively, we could reshoot some scenes and plots that delve deeper into human nature. This is something we need to carefully consider, and figure out how to add something more reasonable and artistic.

Furthermore, the release date will definitely need to be adjusted accordingly.

There's an unspoken rule at the three major European film festivals: films selected for the main competition must have their first premiere there.

Of course, this doesn't matter for other competition units besides the main competition unit; there's no such requirement.

Cao Yang thought about it and figured he would have dinner anyway after going back to rest, so he agreed to Xiao Gangpao's request.

"Alright, let's find a place to eat nearby tonight. You can tell me what's going on with the places that contradict history."

"Okay, I'll come pick you up then."

When Little Cannon was happy, he even used the formal "you" (formal).

"Who is it? You've got dinner sorted out now? How about I come along?"

Old Tian joked with a smile.

"Take me with you too."

Hou Keming, who was sitting in the passenger seat, chimed in.

You have to admit, Lao Hou really knows how to handle things. As a high-ranking leader, he personally came to the airport to pick them up, to show the importance that the school and he himself attach to Cao Yang and Lao Tian.

"It's Xiao Gangpao on the phone. Didn't we collaborate on a movie called 'Assembly'? He said there's a problem with the plot. Let's have dinner together tonight and talk about the plot."

Cao Yang said with a smile, "Are you sure you want to go and freeload a meal?"

He was certain that it was absolutely impossible for the two of them to have dinner with Little Cannon.

Well, even though it's already 2007, the Academy still has a natural aversion to commercial film directors like Little Cannon who come from unconventional backgrounds.

Old Hou waved his hand and refused outright.

Old Tian glanced at Cao Yang thoughtfully, then asked casually, "Just the two of you? No women?"

Cao Yang looked at Lao Tian, ​​who seemed completely calm and as if nothing had happened, and was immediately surprised.

Brother, you're not serious, are you?

They're all married now.

Besides, you guys were just messing around on set back then, and after filming was over, you turned your backs on us, didn't you?
Boss, your idea is dangerous.

Wait a minute, you two haven't been maintaining a relationship all along, have you?
Probably not.

Although I know that you so-called fifth-generation directors really like this style, people can't... or at least shouldn't... right?

Uh, Cao Yang suddenly felt that he was not qualified to talk about Lao Tian.

Forget it, whatever, the fifth generation is just a mess of complicated relationships anyway.

Then, Cao Yang thought of the wedding of his senior brother Lao Chen and Sister Hong, where Teng Wenji was the witness... Did Lao Chen not know the relationship between Sister Hong and Teng Wenji?

How could you not know?

These scandals in the industry are just guesses for outsiders; everyone in the industry knows them.

Moreover, all these scandalous affairs took place openly on set. The so-called "set couples" had no intention of hiding anything from anyone; it was just that the staff could gossip among themselves, but no one told anyone outside the industry.

Cao Yang is very wary of having affairs with actresses during filming because he doesn't want to become the subject of gossip among the staff.

Old Chen definitely knew about the relationship between Sister Hong and Old Teng.

Knowing all this, yet still letting Lao Teng be the witness... truly requires a broad mind, and perhaps even a little bit of a hobby.

Cao Yang felt he should remind Lao Tian, ​​since he was very careful about these things back in China.

“Hey, Lao Tian, ​​do you know that when you were filming ‘The Great Eunuch Li Lianying,’ Xu Fan and her Central Academy of Drama’s speech teacher, Wang Zhiwen, hadn’t broken up yet, and they were still living together.”

Cao Yang gave a subtle, low-key reminder.

"I knew."

Old Tian looked at Cao Yang with a puzzled expression, wondering why Cao Yang would ask such a question.

Fine, fine, whatever.

Cao Yang waved wearily, saying he was tired.

I know you Fifth Generation filmmakers are very avant-garde, not only in terms of film trends but also in your own thinking. But I never imagined you could be this avant-garde.

As a filmmaker of the new era, I am still too conservative.

Go home and sleep.

After sleeping for five hours, Cao Yang tidied up and was about to go have dinner with Xiao Gangpao when he received a call from Xiao Gangpao saying that he was already waiting for him at the entrance of Ziyu Villa.

This little cannon is being way too enthusiastic!

I got into the little steel cannon's car.

"Congratulations, bro."

Little Cannon said with a grin.

He sat in the driver's seat and drove here himself.

Cao Yang smiled and asked, "Old Feng, where should we eat? Just something simple is fine."

"Okay, don't worry, I know a private restaurant that's really good and not far from here. Let's go try it today."

The little gun started the car and explained very attentively.

"It's hard to get a reservation at this restaurant. They only serve a fixed number of tables each day, and they won't serve more than that. It's quite mysterious. They say their ancestors were all imperial chefs, but I don't know if it's true or not. Anyway, the owner is quite good at pretending."

He still had to pull strings and make several phone calls to get a spot for today.

Upon arriving at the location, Cao Yang found it... very familiar.

He has come here several times.

He was initially brought here by a deputy leader from Beijing who was on secondment to the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games. At that time, the boss personally came out, cooked for them, drank with them, and saw them off.

Furthermore, he gave a business card to everyone present except for the deputy leader.

Cao Yang later brought Lao Tian and a few female friends to the restaurant a few times. As long as they called, there were always seats available. They never heard Xiao Gangpao say that reservations were required.

This private restaurant is located in a quaint courtyard house. Cars can't drive in; you have to park far away and walk through a narrow alley to get there.

So Cao Yang only brought those few people here a few times just for novelty, and didn't come often, mainly because parking was a hassle, and they had to walk eight or nine hundred meters to get in.

In addition, the doors of the courtyard houses are locked from the inside, and you have to knock before you arrive at the door.

"I wonder what's so special about this place."

Little Cannon muttered something, reached out and knocked on the door, then explained to Cao Yang, "When they hear the knock, they'll open the small door, ask for the appointment number, and only let you in if it matches. It's like an underground rendezvous."

The small door opened, and the other person was about to ask for the appointment number, but upon seeing Cao Yang, they paused in surprise, then smiled broadly and said to Cao Yang:

"You've arrived! Please come in, please come in quickly."

"you know me?"

Cao Yang asked, somewhat puzzled. He only knew the owner of the place, not the person who opened the door.

Of course, it's not about whether the other party recognizes me as a director, but rather whether they recognize my "identity" in this private restaurant.

The other person smiled, didn't explain anything, stepped aside, and gestured for them to enter.

The young man next to him was completely dumbfounded. He hadn't even had a chance to give his appointment number yet, how did he get connected with the "head"?

Little Cannon isn't stupid. Judging from the other party's attitude towards Cao Yang, even a fool could figure something out.

So he followed Cao Yang inside, head down, feeling incredibly frustrated.

You son of a bitch Cao Yang, I wanted to show off in front of you, but you're the one who got to show off!

That son of a bitch Cao Yang, if you could come to eat without a reservation, you should have said so earlier. Do you know that I owe a huge favor because of this "spot"?

That damn Cao Yang, ugh, he's a real bastard!

The food is served, and we eat.

At first, Little Cannon just kept eating, and to be honest, although the portion was small, the taste was actually quite acceptable.

As he ate, Little Cannon also realized the taste.

So, he smacked his lips, pretending to savor the taste, and gave Cao Yang a fawning smile, saying:

"Hey, no wonder people make reservations, this taste is absolutely amazing, I couldn't help but eat so much in one go, Brother Cao, please excuse my poor appetite."

"The food here is actually pretty good."

Cao Yang smiled and added a comment.

Xiao Gangpao laughed along, but in his heart he was wondering whether he should talk to Cao Yangming about why it wasn't installed today and ask him what he thought.

After thinking it over, I realized that Cao Yang, despite his young age, was a man who didn't tolerate any nonsense. It was best to speak his mind to avoid any misunderstandings.

“Brother, you know I’ve always had a strong desire to get closer to art! I also have a heart that loves art.”

After glancing at Cao Yang and seeing that Cao Yang showed no unusual reaction or disdain, Xiao Gangpao felt much more at ease.

He simply couldn't stand the strange looks he received from others. Every time he saw their haughty, disdainful, or indifferent attitude, he felt both inferior and wanted to curse.

Fortunately, Cao Yang didn't show those expressions.

Little Cannon perked up and continued, "Little brother, tell me the truth, could we try our hand at 'Assembly' next year?"

After saying that, Little Cannon stared at Cao Yang without blinking.

Cao Yang actually considered the possibility for a moment, and then asked, "Old Feng, let me ask you, according to tradition, what kind of film is 'Assembly'?"

"Traditional?"

Xiao Gangpao pondered for a moment, then frowned, realizing what Cao Yang meant.

However, he still argued, "Although 'Assembly' can be categorized as a patriotic film, this is... this is commercial... no, this is a variant, different from traditional patriotic films..."

The more Little Cannon spoke, the softer his voice became.

Yes, no matter how you argue, "Assembly" is still a type of patriotic film. And for domestic patriotic films to want to win awards at the three major European film festivals... what a pipe dream!

Unless the three major European powers have gone mad, or collectively defected and started vigorously promoting and advocating for it...

Or perhaps it was the Berlin Film Festival, which was held exclusively for East Germany during the East German era; that's another possibility.

"I understand."

After Xiao Gangpao finished speaking, he was momentarily lost in thought.

"I offered my heart to the bright moon, but the bright moon shone on the ditch. The fallen flowers longed to follow the flowing water, but the flowing water had no heart to love the fallen flowers."

Little Cannon couldn't help but murmur softly.

Cao Yang almost burst out laughing.

"Okay, okay."

Cao Yang waved his hand, “Assembly” is a new form of mainstream film. As long as it is filmed according to the materials and not changed arbitrarily, it has both artistic merit and commercial appeal. Domestic awards should recognize this new form.

Not only that, I reckon the audience will buy it, and it might even become your film's highest-grossing film. What more could you want?

"what?"

Little Cannon was taken aback, thinking he had misheard, but seeing that Cao Yang wasn't joking at all, he suddenly perked up.

Recognition from domestic awards, and a new box office record!
what!
What more could you want?
“Brother Cao… no, Boss Cao, if it’s really as you say, then you’re my boss from now on! I’ll absolutely follow your lead from now on…”

Little Cannon got more and more excited as he spoke, and began to express his determination.

Cao Yang waved his hand, "Alright, hurry up and eat, the food's getting cold."

That evening, Cao Yang went to Yu Feihong's place.

Currently, only Yu Feihong, who has almost no ambition, stays in Beijing; the others are either filming or doing promotional appearances, and all have their own careers.

The next day, Cao Yang arrived at the Beijing Film Academy. He had just sat down in his office when Hou Keming followed him in, as if he had timed it perfectly.

Cao Yang knew that if Old Hou came to see him right on time, it must be because he had something to say.

"Honorary Attendant, where has this gone wrong again?"

Hou Keming smiled and pointed at Cao Yang, saying, "You little rascal, can't you hope for something better?"

He then gave a wry smile, poured himself a glass of water, and continued:

“There is something. Before you came back from Venice, someone brought it up. I kept putting it off, thinking they would understand what I meant, but... I was still urged.”

Cao Yang frowned. Even Old Hou couldn't solve it? This seems to be more than just a simple matter.

"What's so troublesome?"

Old Hou blew on his cup, took a sip of water, and said, "Isn't this year's Golden Rooster Awards being held in Suzhou? Liu Jialing's agency persuaded some locals to step in and try to win her the Golden Rooster Award for Best Actress."

"Liu Jialing's management company?"

Cao Yang asked, "Didn't she leave Huayi Brothers with Wang Jinghua back then? Was it Wang Jinghua who helped her?"

Old Hou shook his head and explained, "I made a special inquiry. She came out with Wang Jinghua at the time. Wang Jinghua had been invited by Orange Field Entertainment, but she didn't go."

She and several other major artists set up their own agency.

However, the other Hong Kong actors who came with her weren't very optimistic about dedicated talent agencies. They felt that such companies would have difficulty securing resources. Therefore, most of those who came from Hong Kong with Wong King-wah joined Orange Field Entertainment.

Why should Suzhou stand up for Liu Jialing?

Cao Yang had some doubts. Even if someone had "taken a liking" to Liu Jialing, at most they would find her resources. This kind of behavior of trying to stand out in terms of awards was overstepping the bounds.

“Liu Jialing was born in Suzhou and lived there for fifteen years before moving to Hong Kong with her parents.”

Old Hou replied that he had found out everything about these matters.

"Oh, I see, that's the reason."

Cao Yang understood; the host city wanted to promote one of their own people to be the Best Actress.

What movies did she act in?

Old Hou said with a smile, "Zhang Yibai's 'Curiosity Killed the Cat', she was the female lead. I even watched the movie myself, and how should I put it, Zhang Yibai couldn't break free from the mental block of being a TV drama director when she transitioned to making movies."

His handling of clues, perspective, and narrative was unnatural, and his casting was also unsatisfactory. I actually felt that the other female lead, Song Xiaojia, completely overshadowed Liu Jialing.

"So, awarding Liu Jialing the Golden Rooster Award for Best Actress is completely unconvincing?"

Cao Yang asked.

Old Hou nodded. "This movie was already mediocre, so giving Liu Jialing the Best Actress award is even more unreasonable."

"Then just ignore it and do what we agreed on beforehand."

Cao Yang said directly.

Looking at Lao Hou, who still wore a wry smile, Cao Yang thought for a moment and understood Lao Hou's concerns. He was afraid that the other party would cause trouble on their turf when the film festival was held.

If they make things difficult for people in places like transportation, security checkpoints, or hotels, this year's Golden Rooster Awards will be criticized for a long time.

Cao Yang thought for a moment and said to Lao Hou, "I'll figure out a way to handle this. Wasn't there an application for the torch relay in a domestic city before the Olympics? As the chief consultant of the Organizing Committee, I am qualified to conduct on-site inspections."

I remember Suzhou also applied. Let the relevant people in Suzhou know that I might be going there for an inspection. They'll figure out why I want to go; anyone in that position knows what to do.

Old Hou's eyes lit up, and he nodded with a smile.

Cao Yang and Lao Hou both knew that this precedent was actually not easy to set.

The Golden Rooster Awards are currently held in different cities across the country on a rotating basis. What if this precedent is set and other cities make similar requests?
What's the point of even doing it then?!

(End of this chapter)