Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 426 Director Selection

The morning's filming was basically Jim Carrey's storyline as the "Joker".

He portrayed the Joker so well that, in Ning Hao's words, it wasn't just acting; he was the Joker himself.

The afternoon shoot was still indoor scenes.

Similar to the morning, the first scene shot was again a scene between Jim Carrey and Ice Critic.

This time, Jim Carrey plays the honest and dutiful "Arthur," while Bingbing wears makeup that makes her look a bit older and her clothes are no longer elaborate; she is playing a social worker.

In the United States, there is a significant difference in income and social status between social workers and psychologists.

The psychiatrist in the mental hospital and the social worker in the community are played by the same person, and the psychological "counseling" time for Arthur and the Joker is also 11 minutes and 11 seconds.

This can be considered a hint at the plot.

Or rather, this is a setup intended to provoke the audience's reasoning and guide them through the plot; it can be seen as a clue or as the director's way of creating suspense.

It's a fact that Jim Carrey can play the psychopathic Joker well.

However, can he portray Arthur's cowardice, introversion, and sensitivity well?
"Make a bet?"

With about half an hour left before filming was scheduled to begin, Ning Hao had already inspected the set, checking everything from the rooms to the props and furnishings needed for filming.

With nothing else to do, he went over to Old Gu, nudged him, and asked.

"What are we betting on?" Old Gu asked casually.

"I'll bet Jim Carrey's Arthur..."

Before Ning Hao could finish speaking, and before he could even say what the "bet" was, Lao Gu interrupted, saying, "I bet Jim Carrey can play Arthur well."

After saying that, he raised an eyebrow at Ning Hao and said with a smile, "Kid, dare to bet? Name your terms, I'll go all in."

Ning Hao turned and left, saying, "I still have some things to take care of..."

"Ah……"

Old Gu chuckled.

I've known Director Cao for much longer than you, kid. Do you think I'd fall for that?
Don't be fooled by Jim Carrey's current unconventional behavior; he seems different from the quiet and sensitive Arthur.

But in Director Cao's movies, no matter how the male or female lead seems to have some kind of "serious illness" in private, as soon as filming begins, they are absolutely like completely different people.

Or it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they are the main characters in the movie themselves.

Like the character Jim Carrey is going to play, who seems to have a dual personality, he needs to portray different personality traits, but there are precedents for this.

Didn't Dong Xuan play a character with a dual personality in "Black Swan"?
Interestingly, the protagonists of these two films also share a similarity: beneath their ordinary exteriors lies a madman deep within their hearts.

Just like in the morning, the first shot in the afternoon began with Jim Carrey's laughter.

"Haha, haha, hahaha...ha..."

He laughed and laughed until he seemed to be out of breath.

Arthur's aphasia is uncontrollable laughter that occurs at any time and in any place.

But Jim Carrey's performance was different from what he gave in the morning.

The laughter he heard in the "mental hospital office" that morning—there was a smile on his face, but it sounded mournful, like he was crying.

This time, in the "community office," there was no smile on his face; he looked like he was crying, but you could still hear that he was laughing.

These are two completely different kinds of laughter, or rather, completely opposite kinds of laughter.

The former type of "clown" is dominant, whose laughter is superficial, but whose inner sorrow is profound.

The latter type of "Arthur" is dominant; his laughter appears sorrowful and suppressed, but inwardly he is "laughing."

"Click, very good."

Cao Yang didn't tell Jim Carrey how to laugh, nor did he explain how to distinguish between Arthur and the Joker.

However, Jim Carrey distinguished Arthur from the Joker by using two different laughs.

This is a very minor point.

When the movie is released, attentive viewers who enjoy scrutinizing details can interpret the film from the way the main character speaks, the clothes he wears, and even the sound of his laughter.

Others present might not have noticed the difference in Jim Carrey's laughter, but Gu, who was in charge of filming, and Ning Hao, who was paying attention to the matter, certainly could.

"Damn, that's fucking perverted."

Ning Hao muttered something to himself.

"That's a bit perverted."

Old Gu thought the same thing to himself.

Cao Yang wasn't too surprised; the addition of immersive experience would definitely allow Jim Carrey to bring out more details.

This movie has a lot of memorable scenes, all of which require a great acting performance. The most classic ones are his dances after killing someone, especially the scene where he goes down the stairs. Even if it were in any movie, it would be considered a classic scene.

The afternoon shoot was also very quick, about the same as the morning shoot, and was completed in less than two hours.

Cao Yang didn't add any extra scenes; he went straight off work after filming was finished.

However, he instructed the coordinator, producer, and Ning Hao and the others to develop a new shooting plan for tonight.

It's clear that the existing filming schedule needs to be changed.

At 7 p.m., Cao Yang received a call from China. It was from a deputy director surnamed Chen in the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games.

"Hello, Mr. Cao, are you available now? Is this a convenient time for you to work?"

Director Chen was very thoughtful; he specifically checked the time difference. It was 11 a.m. in China and 7 p.m. in Los Angeles. This time should not disturb Cao Yang's work.

"Hello, Director Chen, I have some time now. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Cao Yang said.

He found it a bit strange. His personal relationship with Director Chen was only so-so, so it couldn't be that Director Chen was calling at this time. It must not be a private matter.

If it's not a private matter, then it's related to the Olympics.

Furthermore, this can also be seen from the way Director Chen is addressed.

He didn't address him as "Director Cao," but rather as "General Manager Cao."

Cao Yang currently holds the title of Chief Consultant of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games. In formal settings, he is usually addressed as Consultant Cao or Director Cao. Cao Yang himself doesn't know how he came to be called "Chief Consultant Cao," a somewhat awkward title, as if not adding "Chief" would not show him respect.

Especially after he was elected as the vice chairman of the Federation of Literary and Art Circles, from the day his rank was officially confirmed, every time he went to the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games for meetings, people no longer called him "Director Cao" or "Advisor Cao", but "General Advisor Cao".

"Here's the thing, Mr. Cao. We have a theme song for the 100-day countdown celebration of the Beijing Olympics, called 'Welcome to Beijing.' It features the work of 100 Chinese singers and was released as a single on the 17th of this month."

Our organizing committee wants to make a music video for this song, which we plan to release at the end of the month. As the general advisor, we need to get your feedback.

Asking for my opinion?

Cao Yang didn't quite understand what Director Chen meant at first.

He was nominally the chief consultant of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games, but that was because he was famous and influential in the world at the time. Giving him only the title of "chief consultant of the review panel of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games" was somewhat inappropriate.

To put it bluntly, the judging panel that was originally tasked with selecting the chief director for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics was too modest and didn't match Cao Yang's fame and influence, so they directly gave him the title of chief consultant to the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games.

However, at that time he was only nominally in charge, and was only responsible for the selection of the judging panel for the chief director.

It wasn't until Zhang Yimou was selected to officially become the chief director of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics that the judging panel was disbanded, but his title as chief consultant was never officially revoked.

Everyone here is a sensible person; they certainly won't issue a special document to revoke his title as chief consultant. If they did, it would be a slap in the face to Director Cao, and the public opinion would be in an uproar.

However, not revoking the title does not mean that you are the "real" chief advisor to the IOC.

Well, it wasn't until he was elected vice chairman of the Federation of Literary and Art Circles that his "fake" chief advisor position suddenly became official.

He now has an office there, and he also has an official account; some documents will be transferred to him...

However, Cao Yang doesn't spend much time in China, so he rarely goes to that office. Everyone knows his situation is special, so no one says anything. His office is managed by a dedicated person.

Normally, if there's anything, I'll just send a document to his office as a formality to let him know. This is the first time I've called specifically to inquire like today.

Cao Yang thought about Director Chen's words and decided to shoot a music video for "Welcome to Beijing".

Do you mean you want me to direct this music video?
"Director Chen, I definitely have no objection to making a music video for 'Welcome to Beijing,' haha. To be honest, if I weren't busy filming a movie, I would have liked to go back to China and make this music video myself."

Cao Yang smiled and said tactfully.

It's not that he didn't want to shoot the music video for this song, nor that he didn't want to do his best for the Olympics, but rather that the music video for the song was really not difficult or creative, and any director could shoot it.

Besides, he's never filmed a music video before, so he might not be as good as others.

Director Chen laughed along and then said, "The Organizing Committee asked me to make this call to solicit your opinion. Since you have no objections, I will convey your message to the Organizing Committee."

After saying this, Director Chen hesitated for a moment before asking, "Mr. Cao, do you have any suitable director candidates you could recommend?"

Recommended director candidates?
Cao Yang knows many directors, but most of them are film directors. He also knows quite a few TV drama directors, but he doesn't know any directors who make music videos.

Huh?
Cao Yang suddenly thought, "Could it be that you want me to recommend an American music video director?"
He knows many American directors who have directed music videos, and they are all very famous.

Martin Scorsese, a longtime friend with whom he had a love-hate relationship, once directed "Bad" for Michael Jackson.

Johnny Depp's longtime collaborator, Tim Burton, once directed "Bones" for The Killers.

There's also Michael Bay, who directed "Rock 'N' Roll Dreams Come Through" for Mitter-Lauffer.

There's also David Fincher, who has worked with Madonna and Michael Jackson.

There's also Francis Lawrence, the director of "I Am Legend" and "Constantine," who has directed films for Britney Spears, Shakira, Avril Lavigne, Justin Timberlake, and others.

Guy Ritchie, who is still married to Madonna, has also directed many music videos.

These directors are all very famous, but if Cao Yang were to speak up, even Martin Scorsese would likely give him face.

The key question is, is it necessary?
Cao Yang recalls that the music video for "Welcome to Beijing" was filmed by a hundred singers in front of various Olympic venues and famous historical sites in Beijing.

The music video features locations including Olympic venues such as the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube, famous historical sites such as the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, and the Great Wall, as well as the National Centre for the Performing Arts, Beijing Capital International Airport, and traditional Beijing courtyard houses.

It's quite an achievement to ensure so many singers get screen time while also covering so many meaningful aspects.

Even if these big Hollywood directors were to be brought in, what kind of "Welcome to Beijing" could they possibly make without understanding China?

"Director Chen, in my personal opinion, it would be better to have our own people film the music video for this song. Foreigners have limited understanding of us, and I'm afraid the result might not be suitable."

Speaking of this, Cao Yang suddenly remembered that Ning Hao had shot quite a few music videos, all of which were collaborations with well-known singers. Wasn't this a ready-made solution? He had both fame and influence.

"I recommend someone, Ning Hao."

He directed the film "Crazy Stone," which grossed over 100 million yuan, and also served as the executive director for the Golden Lion Award-winning film "Pieta," directed by Tian Zhuangzhuang. He was also the executive producer of "The Dark Knight," a film with an investment of over 200 million US dollars.

He has experience directing music videos for artists like Tu Honggang, Pu Shu, and Chun Ge, so he's a good candidate.

Cao Yang didn't mention the series of films Ning Hao had worked on as his assistant director because he wanted to "avoid suspicion." Although everyone knew Ning Hao was part of his regular team, he still had to maintain appearances.

"Okay, okay, Mr. Cao, I will convey your opinion and get back to you as soon as possible."

After hanging up the phone, Cao Yang thought about it and realized that the call might actually be about getting him to direct a music video.

Perhaps what they meant was that if I didn't have time, they wanted me to recommend an internationally renowned director to direct the film, so as to generate a greater impact?

Ning Hao is actually quite famous in Hollywood, much more so than many people in China imagine.

Although he has never directed a film independently in Hollywood, his experience as an executive director and assistant director in so many blockbuster or award-winning films, as well as his role as an executive producer on "The Dark Knight," gives him a rich resume.

The next day, Cao Yang didn't mention the matter to Ning Hao and continued filming.

In the movie "Joker," the male lead has a lot of screen time. According to later generations, this can be considered a "male-centric" movie, and there is practically no female lead.

If Jim Carrey performs well, the movie is almost a success.

Was Jim Carrey's acting good?
This is beyond doubt.

When he's not making movies, he has a very eccentric personality, you could even say he's a bit abnormal.

But as soon as she's in front of the camera, she seems like a completely different person.

The shots weren't filmed in the order of the script, so when he was supposed to be Arthur, he was repressed, decadent, and heavy; when he was supposed to be the Joker, he was confident, high-spirited, and manic—two different characters.

Add to that his eccentricities when he's not making movies... it's incredibly contradictory.

It was 7 p.m. again when Director Chen called once more.

He told Cao Yang that the Organizing Committee had agreed with Cao Yang's opinion.

In other words, Ning Hao will be returning to his "old profession" to shoot the music video for "Welcome to Beijing," which can be considered a kind of experience.

(End of this chapter)