Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 478 Graduation Project
Old Situ arrived at school very early this morning, which is unusual for him.

"Good morning, Teacher Situ. I heard Director Cao is back?"

"came back."

Old Situ looked angry and even sighed deliberately.

"Sigh, all he does is wander around outside all day. Now that he's won the Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture, instead of coming back right away, he's either talking to the Hollywood Big Six about work or getting all sorts of invitations. It's driving me crazy..."

Doesn't he realize that he's about to graduate with his doctorate, but he hasn't finished his dissertation, and his graduation project hasn't even been written yet? Doesn't he want to graduate?
I called him and told him that if he didn't want to extend his studies, he should come back immediately, and that's how he came back.

Are jobs really that important? Are awards really that important? Are box office numbers really that important? I don't understand what young people are thinking these days.

Along the way, whenever any teacher greeted Lao Situ and asked about Cao Yang, Lao Situ would basically use the same set of words.

What can the teacher say when asking questions?
I can't refute it, and I'm not qualified to agree with it.

All I could do was force a smile and force a smile.

The older generation truly understands Old Master Situ.

When Xie Fei, Zheng Dongtian, and the others saw Old Situ walking over leisurely with his hands behind his back, they all tacitly turned 180 degrees on the spot, either looking down to admire the withered branches on the ground or looking down to look for ants.

Did they think they could escape this "disaster" in this way?
Ah!
Too childish.

"Old Xie, what are you looking at?"

Old Situ walked up to Xie Fei with a smile, stood next to him, and looked down in the direction Xie Fei was looking.

The ground was bare, there was nothing there.

Xie Fei sighed inwardly. If he had known that the old man was coming to school today, he would never have come. From now on, he should check the almanac before going out.

As Cao Yang won more and more awards, became more and more famous, and gained more and more influence, Lao Situ changed.

Even after Zhang Yimou, who was practically a student of Zhang Yimou, won the Berlin Golden Bear and the Venice Golden Lion, Zhang Yimou remained unchanged.

Even after Chen Kaige, one of Lao Situ's students, won the Palme d'Or at Cannes, Lao Situ remained unchanged.

But when it came to Cao Yang, Old Situ changed.

For Xie Fei, Old Situ had become somewhat annoying—why did he have to show off his student's achievements all the time?

Really annoying.

Xie Fei didn't want to speak. He knew that as soon as he opened his mouth, the old man would definitely drag Cao Yang into it, and he wouldn't be able to refute it.

Angry.

Xie Fei is a very honest person.

Honest people speak the truth.

"I lost my Golden Bear. It's the Golden Bear that I won at the 43rd Berlin International Film Festival for my film 'Woman Sesame Oil Maker'. I can't find it."

"Oh right, you even touched it back then. When I asked you for it, you touched it again and again, reluctant to let go. You should remember, right?"

After saying all this, Xie Fei suddenly felt his state of mind had been greatly elevated. The world before him seemed to have changed. The sky was bluer, the sea was wider, and his mood was more relaxed.

So, he stood tall with his hands behind his back, smiled at Old Situ, and asked slowly in his uniquely magnetic voice, "Situ, did you see my Golden Bear on your way here?"

The smile on Old Situ's face gradually disappeared, seemingly transferring entirely to Xie Fei's face.

"I don't know, I've never seen it before, humph!"

Old Situ turned and left.

But after taking a few steps, I felt something was wrong.

She blinked twice, as if she had made up her mind, then turned her head and walked back to Xie Fei's side.

Old Situ looked regretful, patted Xie Fei on the shoulder, and said in a sympathetic tone:
"Old Xie, I know you only have one Golden Bear, and you must be heartbroken if you lose it. We've been brothers for so many years. So, Cao Yang has one Golden Bear, one Golden Palm, and two Golden Lions, right?"

I'll make the decision. You can pick one of Cao Yang's collection, erase his name, and engrave yours on it. He has so many, he won't mind giving you one.

By the way, if none of these suit your taste, he also has several Golden Globe Awards for Best Director and Best Picture. If you don't care about the Golden Globes, that's fine too.

Cao Yang also has two Oscars for Best Director, four Oscars for Best Picture, and a whole bunch of other awards—he has so many he can barely hold them all. Pick a few more…

"Hey, hey, Lao Xie, don't go! I'm telling the truth. You can pick a few more... Don't run so fast, slow down, your old arms and legs are getting old, be careful not to fall."

Old Situ was envious of Xie Fei's agile jogging posture, which was beyond his years.

"This old Xie... haha, haha..."

When Cao Yang arrived at the school, he passed by Xie Fei's office and smelled a strong odor of smoke coming from the half-open office door.

Cao Yang was a little puzzled. Old Xie rarely smoked, especially at school, where he was even more careful.

I don't know what's going on. Most people wouldn't dare smoke in Xie Fei's office, would they? Could it be that Teacher Situ is in Xie Fei's office?
In this respect, Professor Xie is indeed much better than some teachers... well, I mean, Professor Situ.

Old Situ was a notorious heavy smoker. He was the kind of person who felt restless if he didn't smoke during a class. Sometimes, if he had classes in a row, he would definitely find a place to smoke during the break.

Cao Yang hesitated for a moment, then decided not to go to Xie Fei's office, but to wait in Teacher Situ's office instead.

At that moment, he seemed certain that it was his own teacher in Xie Lao's office, because only his own teacher would dare to smoke in Xie Fei's office.

However, when Cao Yang arrived at Old Situ's office, he realized he was wrong.

In the office, Old Situ was gently shaking his head, tapping his hands to the beat, and humming a Peking Opera tune. It was clear that Old Situ was in a very good mood today.

"teacher."

Cao Yang shouted.

However, Cao Yang was even more curious about who was allowed to smoke in Xie Fei's office.

Of course, it was just out of curiosity. I couldn't just go into Professor Xie's office to satisfy my curiosity.

"Yes, I'm here."

Old Situ looked up at Cao Yang, then stopped shaking his head and humming Peking Opera; only his hands were still tapping out the rhythm.

Cao Yang was not at all out of place here.

He walked straight to the back of Old Situ's desk, opened the drawer of the cabinet, and felt around. Sure enough, there was a packet of tea, his favorite Maojian tea, not the oolong tea that his teacher preferred.

Old Situ doesn't usually come to the office, but the presence of Maojian tea leaves in the cabinet drawer shows that he still cares.

Cao Yang didn't point it out; it was best to keep these things to yourself.

He boiled water and made tea, while Old Situ sat there, keeping time with a smile on his lips, watching Cao Yang busy himself.

Taking the teacup from Cao Yang, Old Situ took a small, contented sip, placed it on his desk, and said with a smile:

"Hou Keming has talked to you, right? You need to think this through carefully. It's no exaggeration to say that this matter concerns the rest of your life. Others can't really give you much advice. Ultimately, it's up to you to make the decision."

"I know, and I've thought it through. I'll just continue making my films. As a director, I'm afraid I can't do anything else. That would be irresponsible to the country, the people, and myself."

Cao Yang said with a smile.

Old Situ nodded, but didn't say anything more.

He valued and liked this last disciple of his extremely much.

If Cao Yang chooses to go into politics, he might be a little disappointed, but he will still try his best to support him.

He had already decided a few days ago that if Cao Yang were to go into politics full-time, he would most likely be in the cultural or optoelectronic departments. Coincidentally, he and that traitor Tian Zhuangzhuang had some connections in those two departments.

Especially the cultural sector.

If Cao Yang really goes to the cultural department, his starting point will definitely be quite high. His connections may not be of much use, but they will still be a help to Cao Yang to some extent.

Cao Yang's choice now makes him extremely gratified.

Professionals should do professional things.

"How are you doing with your thesis and graduation project?" Old Situ asked casually.

This is actually the part he's least worried about.

There's not much suspense in choosing a graduation thesis.

Today, there is a large following of Cao Yang in China who are studying his methods of training actors and have published many papers on this topic.

Among them are Tian Zhuangzhuang and Ning Hao, and many sixth-generation directors such as Wang Xiaoshuai have also joined this group.

These days, before filming, these people always give the actors a "lesson," breaking down the entire movie and explaining it to the main actors, making sure they understand exactly what they're making and what they want to achieve...

When Tian Zhuangzhuang was teaching at the Beijing Film Academy, she specifically added courses on this topic, which were very popular.

His research topic is also in this area, and every year the number of people applying to his graduate program is the highest at Beijing Film Academy, making it the most competitive.

Therefore, Lao Situ believes that Cao Yang's graduation thesis must be in this area, and countless people are waiting for Cao Yang's thesis in this area.

When it comes to choosing graduation projects, Lao Situ has even less to worry about.

Given Cao Yang's current achievements, even if he were to strap a camera to a dog and shoot a 90-minute feature film from the dog's perspective, that would be an ultimate exploration and experiment in art.

To put it bluntly, after Cao Yang achieved the "Three Great European Film Awards," becoming the only living director in the world to achieve this feat, he, in a sense, represents the art of film.

Not convinced?

Hold it in!

You'll only be qualified to talk to me once you've won the three major European Grand Slam titles.

Will the three major European tournaments allow another person to achieve a triple gold medal grand slam in a short period of time?

That's almost impossible.

One "living father" is enough; can you really expect to have another one? The three major European clubs still have some pride and insistence on this matter, and they won't easily let anyone else win the Grand Slam.

"As for my graduation thesis, if my professor agrees, I plan to write one about directors' understanding of film and how to get actors into character quickly."

Cao Yang said.

Old Situ nodded. As expected, Cao Yang's choice was not unexpected.

After all, Cao Yang already has so many "followers," and it would be irresponsible of him to write papers on other topics.

"For my graduation project, I want to make a documentary."

Cao Yang filled the old Situ's cup with water and said with a smile.

Old Situ picked up his cup, nodded subconsciously, and then took a big gulp.

Just then, his brain finally realized what Cao Yang had said.

"puff……"

Old Situ spat out the tea he had just drunk, followed by a fit of coughing.

Cao Yang quickly came over to help him catch his breath.

"What...what did you just say? A documentary? Is it a documentary? Or am I hallucinating?"

Old Situ stared wide-eyed at Cao Yang, looking on incredulously.

"Teacher, you heard me right. I plan to make a documentary as my graduation project."

Cao Yang hadn't expected Lao Situ to react this way. It was just a documentary, right? The teacher's reaction seemed a bit too much.

"you sure?"

"I am sure."

Old Situ could no longer sit still. He stood up, patted Cao Yang on the shoulder, and then paced excitedly back and forth in the office, muttering something under his breath.

"teacher?"

A minute later, Old Situ was still pacing back and forth, occasionally patting Cao Yang on the shoulder and laughing out loud.

Cao Yang couldn't hold back any longer and asked softly, "Teacher, you..."

"Ha ha……"

Old Situ stopped beside Cao Yang, patted Cao Yang's shoulder again, and smiled broadly.

"I'm fine, I'm happy, I'm so happy!"

After saying that, he patted Cao Yang on the shoulder again and said:
"Documentary, very good, very good... Don't worry, Cao Yang, you've never made a documentary before, so you might not know much about documentaries. Don't worry, I'll teach you step by step, and I'm sure I can help you make a great documentary!"

He then laughed heartily and said, "I'm very happy that you can choose a documentary."

To be honest, a large part of the reason why Cao Yang chose to make a documentary was indeed because of Lao Situ.

As the "father of Chinese documentaries," Lao Situ may not be very good at feature films and has no outstanding achievements, but he is an undisputed master of documentaries.

By a twist of fate, the students that Old Situ mentored throughout his life posed no threat to him in the field of documentary filmmaking, but in the field of feature films, they were all among the most famous in China.

On the contrary, none of his outstanding students were able to inherit his mantle.

I can only say that it is fate.

He has given up hope.

I just feel that as long as I can teach these students in this lifetime, whether it's a feature film or a documentary, isn't it all a contribution to Chinese film and television?

Do we really have to be so clear about what constitutes a contribution?

Who would have thought that my most outstanding student, who is already world-renowned for his feature films, would say he wants to make a documentary for his final graduation project!

Old Situ was so excited and moved that he lost his composure.

It took him a long time to calm down.

But after calming down, Old Situ regained his senses and started thinking more.

Who is Cao Yang?

He is not only his own student, but also the pride of China and one of the most influential directors in the world.

Now that he is about to graduate with his doctorate, it is no exaggeration to say that the eyes of the Chinese film and television industry are on Cao Yang's graduation project, and the eyes of the world film and television industry are also on Cao Yang's graduation project.

But Cao Yang unexpectedly chose to watch a documentary.

Old Situ could guess that Cao Yang chose the documentary because of him, which deeply moved him.

But he was also very clear that Cao Yang had never made a single documentary.

Since Cao Yang started making his first film in his junior year of college, he has rarely attended classes and has hardly studied any knowledge about documentary filmmaking.

Even the most talented director cannot be proficient in a field they have not studied.

If this project fails... Cao Yang might become a laughing stock worldwide.

Even if he didn't mess it up, under his guidance, he might be able to shoot something decent, but for Cao Yang, something decent was almost the same as messing it up!

No!

I can't be that selfish.

I can't let Cao Yang become a laughing stock.

"Cao Yang, I've thought about it. You can't make documentaries. Don't misunderstand, it's not that your teacher doesn't believe in you, but there are only so many kinds of documentaries, they're almost all set in stone, and no matter how you make them, you can't come up with anything new."

I think you should focus on your expertise and make another classic art film, or even an experimental film. That's what you should be doing.

Listen to your teacher. If you want to make a documentary, I'll teach you properly after you finish your graduation project.

(End of this chapter)