Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 443 Am I too stupid?

The press conference for the start of filming of "Like Father, Like Son" almost turned into a press conference for "Joker".

The press conference was attended by a large number of media outlets, including many from the China bureaus of major international media outlets. Media outlets that were not based in China also tried to establish partnerships with Chinese media.

Those who don't know the situation simply wouldn't believe that this was just a press conference for the start of filming of a new movie.

Seeing so many foreign media outlets present, Cao Yang did not prevent them from asking questions about "Joker" and gave brief answers to a few questions.

In summary: Yes, when I returned to Beijing in August, I brought a backup of the unfinished work, but unfortunately, many shots were lost in that fire.

I could only shoot some additional scenes on this unfinished product and then re-edit it...

The reason for saying this was that it was agreed upon with Warner Bros. – saying it was a "half-finished product" would increase public sympathy, arouse their curiosity, and provide the most suitable and reasonable excuse for the film's release two months later.

This was Cao Yang's first public interview as a director and producer outside of Warner Bros., and even though it was at the press conference for another film's launch, it instantly spread around the world.

People's curiosity about "Joker" has intensified.

"Tsk, with the current influence of 'Joker,' if you take this to Berlin, even without doing anything, you might still be able to win a Grand Slam."

Hou Keming put down his newspaper, glanced at the time, and said to Cao Yang, "It's almost time, let's go."

As Cao Yang and Lao Hou walked out side by side, Cao Yang said, "There are gains and losses, and there's nothing we can do about it. If we had chosen to go to Berlin, we definitely wouldn't have been able to make it known all over the world like we do now, and the film would have had to wait until next year to be released."

Today is the first day of filming for "Like Father, Like Son". However, Cao Yang only symbolically filmed a few pre-planned establishing shots before handing the crew over to assistant director Li Mingyi, who then filmed some scenes with extras.

Cao Yang is going to a meeting with Lao Hou.

"It's all settled now, there's not much point in me going. You just need to go and represent us."

Cao Yang said to Old Hou.

"shit."

Old Hou opened the car door, pushed Cao Yang inside, and then got in himself, effectively blocking Cao Yang's "escape route."

"He is the first secretary of the Youth League. This time, he led a delegation of Chinese youth to visit Germany. He mainly did three things: first, to strengthen ties and communication with all sectors of German society, and second, to avoid attracting too much attention by being a youth delegation."

Secondly, it is to facilitate communication and preparation for German Chancellor Merkel's visit to China next month.

Thirdly, regarding your matter, if communication goes well, the pressure from their official channels on the Berlin Film Festival can be removed. Don't underestimate this; their official channels have a close relationship with capital... well, you should know that.

The original plan was for you to go to Germany as the vice chairman of the All-China Youth Federation and the deputy head of the youth delegation. As the deputy head, you could then personally discuss this matter with Merkel and the others.

However, considering that you also have to make a movie, your presence would be too conspicuous and too flashy, which doesn't fit our low-key approach.

Since you're not going, you definitely need to talk to your supervisor, and your supervisor will also want to meet with you.

Old Hou was referring to the fact that a delegation of young Chinese people will visit Germany on the 13th of this month at the invitation of the German government.

The visit was decided during the Beijing Olympics. At that time, the youth delegation's visit to Germany only involved the first two items; the third item was not yet confirmed.

It wasn't until Warner Bros. changed its promotional strategy for "Joker" and Cao Yang decided to make another Chinese-language film for next year's Berlin Film Festival that the decision was finally made to include this.

Cao Yang knew that even if he went, he would only meet with the group leaders, exchange pleasantries, and wouldn't discuss the third matter, because such a thing was not suitable to be discussed openly.

The fact that the group leader wanted to meet with him was also a way of showing his superiors that he valued the matter.

Will you go to Germany with me?

Cao Yang asked the old lord.

"Yes, I will meet with Dieter Kosslick, the president of the Berlin Film Festival, to discuss cooperation."

The youth delegation consisted of youth workers, civil servants, representatives from the education, science, culture, health and sports sectors, journalists, and university students.

This includes representatives of individuals who made outstanding contributions to earthquake relief efforts, athletes who won gold medals at the Beijing Olympics, and outstanding volunteers who served at the Beijing Olympics.

Old Hou laughed as he said this.

"The number of university student representatives sent this time was limited, and our school was lucky to get 6 slots."

Seeing the corners of Lao Hou's mouth twitch up involuntarily, Cao Yang felt that if he didn't play the straight man, Lao Hou would suffocate.

Forget it, let's satisfy Old Hou's vanity.

"Peking University and Tsinghua University are the two most prestigious universities in China. Their students must have received quite a few places, right?"

"Six!"

Old Hou held up a six and couldn't help but smile.

"Their two schools combined have six, but our school is far ahead, having secured the most visiting student slots in the entire country, haha..."

In the end, Lao Hou couldn't help but laugh out loud.

childish!

However, Cao Yang's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately asked, "Have all the spots been decided?"

Old Hou nodded, glanced at Cao Yang, and said, "It was decided a few days ago."

He didn't discuss this with Cao Yang. He thought Cao Yang wouldn't care about such a small matter. Did Cao Yang want a spot?
These quotas aren't very useful for students who want to enter the entertainment industry, but they are very useful for students who want to go into politics or work in public institutions.

Cao Yang nodded. He had originally wanted to ask Jing Tian for a spot, but since the spot had already been decided, he decided against it.

As Cao Yang had expected, the next meeting was very polite to him. They talked a lot about the prospects for the film and television industry, as well as the current problems and limitations.

But we didn't talk about the main issue.

This kind of unspoken understanding is indeed not suitable to be discussed.

In short, the two had a pleasant conversation, and it was clear that the group leader had done his homework beforehand.

After returning home, Cao Yang continued filming the movie.

According to the filming schedule, the first few days of filming for "Like Father, Like Son" mainly consisted of scenes featuring the male lead, his wife, and their child.

Huang Bo and Chen Hong's scenes will not begin until the third day.

However, even though they don't have any scenes to film right now, they still came.

Huang Bo's main concern is that he's not a big star yet, so he definitely needs to make a good impression on Cao Yang when he collaborates with him. This is something Ning Hao, who is currently in the US, advised him to do.

Huang Bo rose to fame mainly because of the film "Crazy Stone" directed by Ning Hao.

During filming, the two developed a good friendship, and since Huang Bo was also a graduate of the Beijing Film Academy, they became like family.

That's why when Huang Bo was chosen for an important role in "Like Father, Like Son", Ning Hao, who was far away in the United States, told him to do his best.

The reason Chen Hong came even though she had no scenes was mainly because she had never actually worked with Cao Yang before. Using herself as a reference, she felt that even if she tried her best to act seriously during the two weeks of so-called acting training, she definitely couldn't portray the naturalness of the "character in the play".

She was very curious and somewhat suspicious. Did Cao Yang, like Wang Jiawei, achieve the desired effect through constant refinement?

However, Chen Kaige also tried the same approach as Wong Kar-wai when making movies. In Chen Kaige's words, that was just nonsense. No one makes movies like that, and he wouldn't stoop to making movies like that.

Cao Yang has gradually figured out some patterns, namely, he will never let the actor join in the scene before it is his turn to act, so as to avoid causing unnecessary trouble.

Therefore, that evening, he decided to give Wu Qihua and Li Xiaoran an immersive experience.

Having worked with Wu Qihua and Li Xiaoran multiple times, there was no need for superficial work or any special "torture" before getting into character.

Cao Yang summoned the system, too lazy to check how much reputation he had, but it had definitely increased a lot again.

After thinking for a moment, he redeemed three immersive experience experiences.

I added a few things to Wu Qihua's resume, and just as he expected, one immersive experience was all it took.

If we follow the original storyline, once you've had an immersive experience, there's no need to add anything else.

However, Cao Yang made some changes to the plot and added to the male lead's character arc. If he acts well, the difference between the beginning and the end will be significant, which would give him a chance to win an award.

Cao Yang hesitated only for a moment before giving Wu Qihua another immersive experience.

The remaining aspect of immersion was added for Li Xiaoran.

Sure enough, Li Xiaoran only needed to get into character. The character she played was too "flat," lacking the nuances of personality found in Chen Hong's other "wife."

There's no need to add two more immersive experiences.

That night, Wu Qihua experienced some strange things.

He had some experience, so he simply took it as a step forward in his understanding of film based on Director Cao's explanations, and after waking up, he began to reflect on himself.

He felt that he had failed in educating his child and shouldn't have done it... Wait, I don't think I have children yet, do I?
Wu Qihua was confused, wondering if he actually had a child.

That night, Li Xiaoran also experienced some strange things.

After she woke up, she sat blankly on the bed for a while before frowning and saying softly, "I finally had a child with Cao Yang, how could they have switched babies?"

Then, somewhat puzzled, he muttered to himself, "Maybe it was that vixen Gao Yuanyuan who instructed the nurse. I knew it, that vixen can't stand to see me doing well..."

Then, she took a deep breath and whispered to herself, "I can't get angry, I can't get angry. I'm a gentle and virtuous person, I absolutely can't get angry, otherwise Cao Yang won't like me anymore..."

I have no idea what she went through.

It seems that the experience of getting into a role didn't have a big impact on her, but... how did it involve Gao Yuanyuan?
From this perspective, the impact of immersion in the role seems to be quite significant.

Chen Hong was deeply affected all day.

She began to seriously doubt whether she was too stupid and had not understood Cao Yang's explanation of the play at all.
Otherwise, just look at the scenes between Wu Qihua and Li Xiaoran; they don't seem like acting at all. No matter how you look at it, they are incredibly natural and smooth.

Many times, if it weren't for the children causing reshoots, the scenes between Wu Qihua and Li Xiaoran would almost always be filmed in one take...

Get it right in one take!
Isn’t it so outrageous!
Chen Hong began to look Li Xiaoran over again.

She has never worked with Wu Qihua, so she declined to comment.

However, she has worked with Li Xiaoran.

Not long ago, they collaborated on "Mei Lanfang" for more than half a year.

In Lao Chen's words, Li Xiaoran is a very talented actress with good acting skills, just like you...

Chen Hong felt that even if Lao Chen exaggerated his acting skills a bit, it wouldn't be too far off, since she had many scenes with Li Xiaoran and could feel it.

Can……

But what is the situation now?
Chen Hong put herself in Li Xiaoran's shoes and thought about it, realizing that she would never be able to act so naturally.

Furthermore, Wu Qihua often plays extremely "oppressive" roles, and she is well aware that she cannot handle them so easily.

This shouldn't be the case.

Is there really such a huge gap between me and Li Xiaoran? Did Li Xiaoran lower her standards to act opposite me before because I was too "weak"?

That must be it!

Given this, deeply mired in self-doubt, she decided to forgive Li Xiaoran for her rude remarks a few days ago and not hold it against her.

After all, they lowered their standards voluntarily so they could keep up with the pace...

Chen Hong was not the only one who fell into self-doubt.

Having also undergone two weeks of acting instruction, Huang Bo hasn't smiled a single day today.

In order to get along well with the other crew members and at least leave a good impression, he always acted carefree and smiled at everyone he met...

Now, he feels as if a mountain is pressing down on his heart.

At the same time, I had a sudden realization:

It turns out I'm really not a genius actor. Compared to acting geniuses like Wu Qihua and Li Xiaoran, I'm nothing. No wonder Li Xiaoran has won so many awards, and no wonder Wu Qihua is a superstar with global fame.

Why is there such a huge difference between people?
He felt somewhat suppressed and really wanted to talk to Chen Hong, to ask her how much she understood about the film after two weeks of acting instruction, and whether she could also act so naturally and smoothly.

But he didn't; he was afraid.

It's quite possible that you're the only one who's stupid.

When Huang Bo got back that night, he didn't care about the time difference or what Ning Hao was doing. He couldn't wait to call Ning Hao, who was filming "The Hangover" in the United States.

"Director Ning, this is Huang Bo. Are you busy? I hope I'm not bothering you?"

Ning Hao is currently filming "The Hangover" in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas, like Los Angeles, uses Pacific Time, which is 15 hours behind Beijing time during daylight saving time.

When Huang Bo made the call, it was a little after 19 p.m., which meant it was a little after 4 a.m. in Las Vegas.

"Nonsense, look at the time, it's four in the morning, man! Do you think that's disturbing me?"

Ning Hao grumbled for a while, cursed Huang Bo a few times, and yawned, saying, "Bozi, you better have something important to do, otherwise when I get back to the capital, ugh, see if I don't beat you to death."

"I'm so sorry, Director. Look at this... I was so anxious that I forgot about the time difference. I'm so sorry, Director. Don't worry, once you return to Beijing, I'll arrange everything and make sure you're satisfied..."

"Alright, alright, I didn't fall asleep until after midnight. I finally managed to drift off. Stop talking nonsense and get to the point. I need to sleep some more."

Ning Hao interrupted Huang Bo, yawned, and said impatiently.

Huang Bo didn't dare to be negligent and quickly told everyone what he had seen that day. He also said that he was too stupid and wondered what he would do when it was his turn to film in a couple of days.

"Director, do you think Director Cao might think I'm too stupid and fire me? You've been with Director Cao for so many years, you must know him very well. What should I do?"

Huang Bo asked miserably at the end.

"Ha ha……"

Ning Hao burst into laughter after hearing Huang Bo's words.

At that moment, he wasn't so sleepy anymore.

"Don't worry, don't worry, I've seen this kind of thing many times. Don't worry, it's nothing."

Ning Hao offered a word of comfort, recalling how many now-famous actors and actresses were "trained" by Director Cao before they suddenly understood and got into character.

However, this matter definitely cannot be told to Huang Bo, lest it get out and look bad.

"I'll give you a shortcut. Just go to Director Cao and tell him you can't get into character and don't know what to do. Director Cao will create a special plan based on your current understanding of the film. It usually only takes two or three days to get you into character."

At this point, Ning Hao couldn't help but admire his junior uncle, who was able to formulate the most reasonable plan based on the actor's own understanding.

He discussed this with Lao Tian and put it into practice. They concluded that it was a talent, a sensitive perception of an actor's state, which cannot be learned.

There's no way around it; geniuses always have something different about them. Otherwise, how could they be geniuses?

"Really?"

Huang Bo had some doubts.

"Just do as I say, believe it or not is up to you. I'm not saying anything more, I'm so sleepy, I have to get up early to film tomorrow, bye."

Before Huang Bo could say anything, Ning Hao hung up the phone, tossed his phone onto the bedside table, and went back to sleep.

As for why I'm not worried about Huang Bo.

What is there to worry about?
As long as Huang Bo followed his instructions and sought advice from his junior uncle, he had never seen his junior uncle refuse an actor.

Of course, this is on the premise that Huang Bo is willing to listen to him.

Will Huang Bo listen?
This is not something Ning Hao should worry about.

He has already explained the method; whether Huang Bo listens or not is his own business.

Huang Bo looked at the phone after it was hung up, frowned and thought for a moment. He didn't doubt Ning Hao's words, but he was worried that Director Cao might give him some acting advice.

Director Cao is such a big director, and he has already set aside two weeks to give everyone acting instructions. If I go to him again, won't he be angry?
Oh well, there's nothing we can do now. It's better than getting scolded for not performing what Director Cao wants, right?
Huang Bo steeled himself, straightened his clothes, and practiced his smile in front of the mirror, bowing and scraping, until he could squeeze out a smile that didn't look so lewd before he went out.

(End of this chapter)