Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 423: Nobody's optimistic.
Jim Carrey really went all out to play the Joker well.

As he himself said, he had experience with weight loss when he filmed "The Number 23" in 06, which allowed him to lose weight more quickly.

He did it.

Cao Yang originally gave him three months to lose about 4 kilograms before officially starting filming at the end of April.

Unexpectedly, Jim Carrey had already achieved his target by mid-April.

Cao Yang could see that Jim Carrey's facial contours were more prominent; in other words, his face had less flesh, making his cheekbones more prominent and his face appear somewhat long and narrow.

This makes him look closer to the Joker's long, thin face in the comics.

However, due to his drastic weight loss, he looked listless and lacked energy, resembling the kind of person often seen on the streets of America at night.

To prove he met the requirements, Jim Carrey not only weighed himself in front of Cao Yang, but also took off his shirt.

He is actually very tall; at 1.88 meters, he is considered very tall even in Europe and America.

他自己说前几年体重都保持在85到90公斤，06年拍摄《灵数23》时，减到了70公斤。

After filming, she gradually recovered to around 82 kilograms and maintained that weight until she received the role in "Joker".

Now she has lost a little over 24 kilograms, and is now down to less than 58 kilograms.

You can imagine what someone who is 1.88 meters tall and weighs 58 kilograms looks like.

If it weren't for his large frame, which "supports" his overall weight, he would be a skinny "bamboo pole" with that much weight on him.

After taking off his shirt, you could see that his ribs were visible, and he could even be described as "skin and bones".

That's good enough, it's pretty perfect.

For the film "Joker", after discussing with Lao Gu, Cao Yang decided to make extensive use of warm and cool color tones, namely blue and yellow, which are easier to create strong contrasts.

Blues is a color tone that is close to cyan. In movies, this color tone often gives people a cold and gloomy feeling.

Yellow tones tend to create a warm and inviting atmosphere, making people feel gentle and comfortable.

This is the most commonly used visual principle in filmmaking.

Simply put, in traditional photography, warm-toned lighting is used to photograph good people and good deeds, while cool-toned lighting is used to photograph bad people and bad deeds.

The transition between warm and cool colors can also be used to express the protagonist's mood and changes in state of mind.

In Cao Yang's plan, once the "clown" in Arthur's heart takes over, the color tone of the scene will no longer follow the conventional logic, but will instead undergo the opposite unconventional treatment.

For example, during Arthur's first murder, when he didn't kill out of retaliation for being mercilessly beaten, but rather because he decided to kill to silence witnesses, the entire scene was shown in a warm tone, rather than a blue tone.

The unconventional use of color here indicates the presence of the "clown".

Furthermore, it also conveys that, in the Joker's view, killing and destruction are things that bring him joy, using color to convey the distortion of his thoughts.

In other words, the color scheme should be interpreted in reverse whenever the "clown" appears.

This "setting the tone" before shooting is very important, so that the photographer and lighting technician will know how to shoot and set up the lights.

Old Gu was still very interested in Cao Yang's use of color reversal whenever the "Joker" appeared in the movie.

Generally speaking, the color tone of a movie is consistent throughout the entire film, and warm and cool colors are also fixed in usage. It is very rare to use warm colors to express the evil deeds of bad guys.

However, when considered in the context of the movie's plot, this is quite interesting and unconventional.

In the case of the movie "Joker", if the traditional color scheme were still used after the appearance of the "Joker", the whole movie would appear very gloomy and eerie, tending towards a horror movie.

The use of contrasting colors, full of irony, dispels the gloomy and terrifying atmosphere, making it a highly tense black humor satirical film.

The more Lao Gu thought about it, the more he realized it made sense.

After reading the script, he was initially worried about how Cao Yang would film it to reduce the bloody and terrifying atmosphere.

Surprisingly, just a simple change in color tone elevated the film's "class."

Cao Yang is truly amazing.

Well, Old Gu isn't one to be trifled with either.

When it comes to the use of light, shadow, and color tone, Lao Gu has a lot to say.

When the college entrance examination was reinstated, what was the major he most wanted to apply for?
It's the oil painting department of Chang'an Academy of Fine Arts!

Unfortunately, he didn't pass the exam.

But when it comes to the use of color tones, he believes he has some expertise.

For example, in Jiang Wen's film "In the Heat of the Sun," as the cinematographer, he made extensive use of contrasting warm and cool tones, just like the bright and dazzling warm tones in the home of the female protagonist Milan in the film.

These were all suggestions he made to Jiang Wen at the time.

Just as the sunlight in that particular era was so brilliant as to seem unreal, the only rain scene in the film also appears so unreal against the backdrop of the film's overall warm color tone.

Those in the know understand that the use of color in this film is textbook-perfect.

Old Gu was eager to prove himself and show the world that he was no ordinary person.

Following Cao Yang's usual practice, the indoor scenes were filmed first, and other scenes were filmed after the indoor scenes were finished.

There are quite a few indoor scenes throughout the film.

Most of these indoor scenes are filmed at Warner Bros. Studios in Hollywood.

All the indoor shooting sets that Joker wanted have been built and decorated.

"You must be under a lot of pressure lately, right?"

Fat Bing lay in Cao Yang's arms and asked softly.

Before filming, Cao Yang gave the actors who listened to his instructions two days off. Filming would officially begin in two days, and Fat Bing finally found an opportunity to stay overnight at Cao Yang's place.

Ning Hao was greatly influenced by Cao Yang.

When he was directing the actors, he found that he couldn't achieve the desired effect. He attributed part of the reason to himself, believing that he was not a genius like his junior uncle Cao Yang and that it was difficult for him to get the actors into character easily.

Another reason can be attributed to off-field factors.

Since I am limited by my own talent and cannot go any further, I will try to eliminate external factors and hope to improve the results.

Therefore, during the time he was replacing Cao Yang to instruct the actors, he made a rule that the actors could not leave without a reason during the "training" period, and he sincerely explained the reason.

Jim Carrey was always "sickly" and didn't care about these little things.

Since he didn't step forward, none of the Hollywood actors, who strictly adhered to the 8-hour workday in other film crews, objected.

Yes, Hollywood actors are quite humane when it comes to different film crews.

Cao Yang recalls that when he first came here to film "The Dirty Milk," he was not only stood up by the lead actor twice, but even the audition of actors required the presence of union members, and the filming process strictly adhered to the 8-hour workday...

What about now?
Hollywood is still Hollywood.

Nothing has changed.

But everything has also undergone earth-shattering changes.

union?

This isn't the first or second time Cao Yang has directly appointed actors; where is the union?

Well, they'll contact the production company afterwards to get a signature, that's all.

Cao Yang has had to work overtime and adjust the shooting schedule more than once or twice during filming. Where is the labor union?

Since the actors never raised any objections, the union turned a blind eye and never intervened in this matter.

Even when Ning Hao restricted the actors' freedom of movement, effectively limiting their personal "freedom," no one raised any objections, and no one asked the union to intervene. Of course, Ning Hao was merely using Ning Hao's authority as a pretext.

If he dared to do this as a director on his own, the actors and unions would teach him a lesson in no time, showing him the “perfection” of the American system.

"Huh? How do you know?"

Cao Yang asked, somewhat puzzled.

He has indeed been under some pressure lately, mainly because of that short film.

"That's for sure."

Fat Bing said matter-of-factly, "You've never done this kind of closed-door training with actors before, but you actually took this approach this time... Heath Ledger's death must have put a lot of pressure on you."

Fat Ice turned around to face Cao Yang, gently stroked Cao Yang's face, and continued:
“I know that the mainstream media are all reporting on Heath Ledger’s death right now, and if his Joker performance is good, you’ll definitely be under even more pressure.”

Don't deny it, otherwise they wouldn't have held closed-door training sessions for this film, *Joker*.

"Do the people in the film crew think the same way?"

Cao Yang was both amused and curious, not expecting Ning Hao's unintentional behavior to give Pang Bing such an idea.

Fat Bing nodded and said, "Ian McKellen and Anne Hathaway in the crew have both worked with you before. They know that you never shut yourself off when you're giving a talk. You must have been under a lot of pressure this time."

Cao Yang thought for a moment and said, "Fine, let them think what they want."

He glanced at Fatty Bing and tentatively said, "Yeah, I'm under a lot of pressure... Hmm, do you have any good ideas to help me relieve some of that pressure?"

Fat Bing immediately saw through Cao Yang's intentions.

"Didn't we just reduce the pressure?"

Fat Bing laughed, raised his head, leaned close to Cao Yang's ear, breathed on it, and whispered.

"Are there any other... more stress-relieving methods?"

Cao Yang asked.

Fatty Bing rolled her eyes at Cao Yang, then began to slide down, slide down...

Until Cao Yang let out a "hiss".

Fat Bing is actually very understanding.

With more "sha" sounds, more air is exhaled from the chest cavity, and naturally, the pressure decreases.

Yes, there's a scientific basis to that.

The day before filming, Cao Yang received a call from Disney CEO Robert Iger.

"My dear director, what have you been busy with lately?"

As Disney's CEO, Robert Iger certainly knew that Cao Yang was busy with the movie "Joker," but he still had to make this call.

Pirates of the Caribbean 2019 was a global blockbuster, grossing over $1 billion and becoming the third film worldwide to surpass $1 billion.

Robert Iger was riding high for a while...

Following "Pirates of the Caribbean," Disney's "Campus Tour" was released in North America on March 7.

This film was also produced under the direction of Robert Iger.

He actually had very high expectations for this movie.

"Campus Tour" is a comedy film starring the famous African American comedian Martin Lawrence.

This actor co-starred with Will Smith in "Bad Boys" and also starred in "Big Mommy" and "Wild West."

He is still very famous.

"Campus Tour" is another comedy, a genre Martin Lawrence excels at, and it seems to have the potential to be a big hit.

To everyone's surprise, the film, which cost $3500 million to produce, grossed an "astonishing" $3800 million after its release, falling far short of Robert Iger's expectations.

Although the failure of this film did not significantly impact Robert Iger's career, it had a considerable psychological effect on him.

This is what's called a sense of disparity.

So Robert Iger thought of Cao Yang and the sequel to "Pirates of the Caribbean".

"Robert, you know, I'm going to be filming 'Joker,' and I've been preparing for it lately."

Cao Yang said.

He found it odd. The sequel to "Pirates of the Caribbean" that he had previously agreed with Robert Iger was scheduled for September. He wondered what the head of Disney meant by calling at this time.

"Cao, I've heard about it, and I understand the pressure you're under."

Robert Iger even sighed dramatically before continuing, "That's how Warner Bros. people are. They're all devoid of humanity, just bloodsuckers who only care about immediate gains."

They're now promoting Heath Ledger so blatantly, completely disregarding the pressure you're under and your feelings. Having a partner like that is truly…

Then, Robert Iger changed the subject, saying, "Disney isn't like that. We don't have such a bad corporate culture, and I wouldn't allow anyone to do that."

Damn, because of Heath Ledger's death, I heard Warner Bros. is going to try to get him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Damn, have you thought about that? Because of Warner Bros.' shortsightedness, Joker is doomed. This movie is unlikely to achieve much.

If Heath Ledger wins the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, then his Joker will be an insurmountable mountain. Your subsequent Joker will inevitably become the object of comparison, and will become cannon fodder for Heath Ledger's ascension to godhood..."

"Robert, what are you trying to say?"

Cao Yang was silent for a moment, then asked.

"Let's shelve 'Joker' now before it's filmed, and then reboot it in a few years, after Heath Ledger has been gradually forgotten."

I think Warner will understand.

"Come back, my dear director, come back and continue working with Disney. You can make a sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean ahead of schedule, or you can start a new project. I will fully support you."

"Robert, just tell me, what's it that you've got your eye on?"

Cao Yang laughed. He didn't believe that Disney could be any better than Warner Bros.
If you could really tell me which of my novels you didn't like, I'd really be impressed with you.

“My dear director, I have always admired your talent. Some time ago, I read through your novel and it was an eye-opener, like opening the door to a new world.”

Robert Iger first praised Cao Yang highly before saying, "Speaking of which, I've actually become interested in a novel, Twilight."

This novel is very suitable for adaptation into a movie, and it could even be made into a series, with a relatively small investment.

If you don't want to start making the Pirates of the Caribbean sequel too early, you can definitely finish making Twilight before September.

really.

Robert Iger has a good eye for talent.

Twilight is Cao Yang's best-selling novel series, and it also has the largest number of fans.

Not only Robert Iger's Disney, but many film companies have their eyes on the adaptation rights, but Cao Yang has no plans to adapt it into a film for the time being.

"Robert, this novel isn't finished yet, and there are no plans to adapt it into a movie for the time being."

Cao Yang directly refused, saying, "Besides, 'Joker' is already in preparation and will officially start filming tomorrow. It's impossible to stop it. Robert, thank you for your kindness, wish me success."

Robert Iger hung up the phone and shook his head helplessly.

He believes that if it had been earlier, such as when Heath Ledger had just died, as long as he had been told that Warner Bros. would definitely use "dead men" as a theme, they might have been able to stop Cao Yang's "Joker." But now it's clearly too late.

But this is for the best. If Cao Yang's "Joker" fails, it will be easier to talk about a sequel to "Pirates of the Caribbean." Even if the revenue share is reduced by one percentage point, that's still a lot of money.

(End of this chapter)