Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 480 Subverting Cognition
Cao Yang got up early and prepared the materials he needed to bring to Old Master Situ in his study.

Seeing that there was still some time, I wrote down some more shooting precautions and requirements. These were not for Lao Situ to see, but for the other three groups who were going to different places to shoot footage.

The first season of "A Bite of China" consisted of seven episodes and required a great deal of complex and numerous materials. It took the CCTV team 13 months to complete the production, making it a lengthy project.

However, since it was the first time filming, they were unfamiliar with everything. In addition, they had to visit more than 30 provinces and cities to find endangered techniques and planning materials. In these 13 months, it took 7 months just for research and finalizing the plan.

In this respect, Cao Yang has a great advantage. He only needs to send more people to conduct research and make contacts in a purposeful manner according to the plan based on his memory, which will greatly shorten the process.

He was even confident that he could finish it within a month.

In terms of filming, it took the CCTV team about four months to complete the filming of all the footage.

This is why Cao Yang had Cheng Jianye form three filming teams in addition to himself.

He has a mature team, all of whom are experts in their respective fields, and the filming budget is certainly beyond what CCTV can match. In addition, his filming team will definitely be welcomed and supported by the local government wherever he goes.

For these reasons, he can reduce the shooting time by at least half.

In the later stages of production, with references to follow, even with a lot of material, he can reduce the workload and speed up the process by gathering more manpower.

Furthermore, digital cameras have a significant advantage in that they can be filmed and edited simultaneously.

Therefore, it will save a lot of time later on.

According to Cao Yang's plan, it should be basically completed within four months.

"time to eat."

Cao Yang was busy when he heard shouts from outside.

"coming."

After putting down what he was doing, Cao Yang came out of the study and saw Li Xiaoran setting breakfast on the dining table.

It was a very simple breakfast. Li Xiaoran's cooking skills... well, they were edible, nothing compared to Yu Feihong's. But no matter how it tasted, she got up early to make breakfast, and the atmosphere was still very warm.

Cao Yang walked over and hugged her from behind.

"Didn't you say last night that you were exhausted and weren't getting up early today?"

Cao Yang had originally planned to go out and buy some things later.

"Hey, be careful, look, the milk's spilled all over the table," Li Xiaoran said, putting down the carton of milk and patting Cao Yang's hand.

Cao Yang smiled, still holding Li Xiaoran tightly from behind, and whispered in her ear:

"Does the milk spilled on the table look familiar?"

"Shut up, it's time to eat, you're disgusting."

Li Xiaoran interrupted Cao Yang and turned to gently bite his arm.

Cao Yang teased, "Little vixen, what are you thinking? What I mean is, you ejaculated yesterday as well."

"Hate."

Li Xiaoran broke free from Cao Yang's embrace, gave him a blank look, and quickly said, "Let's eat, let's eat."

Cao Yang pulled out a chair for Li Xiaoran and sat down next to her after she did.

In less than ten minutes, Cao Yang finished his portion. He glanced at Li Xiaoran, who was still slowly chewing her small breakfast and hadn't finished it yet.

It's not that Li Xiaoran eats slowly.

Actors, especially actresses, must first learn to control their food intake. As the saying goes, they look three times fatter on camera, and there's nothing that can be done about it.

Li Xiaoran kept chewing her food, but she only swallowed a little bit, so it looked like she was still eating.

Like those popular female stars in later generations who established a "foodie" persona, they only looked like they were eating very well in front of the camera, as if they wanted to try all kinds of food, seemingly like true foodies.

But as soon as the camera turns to them, they almost always spit out what they've eaten. If they can't spit it out right away, they'll try to induce vomiting during a break in filming.

Female celebrities' "bodies" don't belong to them. They can't just eat whatever they want. Even if they reach a standard weight, they will still look a bit chubby on camera.

It's only those washed-up female celebrities who, perhaps feeling there's no chance of a comeback, give up on themselves and stop paying attention to their weight.

"I'm going to school later to discuss my graduation project with my teacher. I might not be back for lunch, so remember to eat."

Cao Yang stood up, kissed Li Xiaoran on the cheek, and gave her some instructions.

"understood."

Li Xiaoran said sweetly.

Filming for "The Founding of a Republic" has already begun, but her role as the third daughter of the Song family doesn't have many scenes, and she hasn't been scheduled for any scenes yet, so she's been temporarily idle.

As Cao Yang was leaving, Li Xiaoran suddenly said, "I have already promised Director Feng that I will act in his new movie. I have asked Director Han, and my filming schedule does not conflict with Director Feng's."

"Didn't you say you didn't like the female lead's character? You said just a few days ago you didn't want to act in it, so why did you take this role?"

Cao Yang asked, somewhat puzzled.

"I didn't say I disliked the female lead's character. I just didn't want to play a female lead with a similar character to the one in 'On the Beach at Night Alone'."

Li Xiaoran corrected her.

"Okay, whatever you like is fine, don't force yourself."

Cao Yang said.

"Oh, right, don't you want to know why I took on this role again?" Li Xiaoran asked.

"why?"

"Hehe, I won't tell you."

Li Xiaoran smiled and pushed Cao Yang out the door, "Hurry up and go, don't keep Teacher Situ waiting."

She would never tell Cao Yang that it was because Xiao Gangpao, after learning that she didn't want to act in "If You Are the One," decided to invite Gao Yuanyuan, with whom he had just worked on "Aftershock."

"Hmph, vixen, I won't let you off so easily."

Li Xiaoran murmured to herself.

On his way to school, Cao Yang thought for a moment and then called Xiao Gangpao, wanting to know why Li Xiaoran suddenly wanted to take on "If You Are the One" again.

He wasn't afraid that someone would force Li Xiaoran to take the role.

Given Li Xiaoran's current status, ordinary people can't force her. Those who can force her must know something about her relationship with Cao Yang, so they would be even less likely to force her.

Cao Yang was simply curious.

Xiao Gangpao was also confused; he didn't know why Li Xiaoran had suddenly changed her mind.

As he was hanging up the phone, Xiao Gangpao casually mentioned that he had originally planned to invite Gao Yuanyuan, but unexpectedly, Li Xiaoran agreed after considering it for so many days, saying it was a pleasant surprise.

After hanging up the phone, Cao Yang understood.

But what good does it do to understand?
I can only pretend I don't know.

Fine, as long as they don't fight, let them do what they want.

When Cao Yang arrived at Old Situ's office, he pushed the door but it wouldn't budge; Old Situ hadn't arrived yet.

However, this didn't stop Cao Yang. He had a key to Old Situ's office and simply opened the door and went in.

Not long after, Old Situ came in humming a little tune, looking to be in a very good mood.

"Cao Yang, you go first..."

When Lao Situ saw Cao Yang, he was about to hand him the "Retracing the Flavors of the Silk Road" project proposal, but he stopped himself in time.

We shouldn't rush things. We should first look at Cao Yang's proposal, point out its shortcomings, then offer suggestions tactfully, and finally give him the proposal. This way, we can save face for Cao Yang as much as possible without hurting his pride.

"Oh dear, I'm such a thoughtful teacher. It's not easy for me to do this for Cao Yang." Old Situ sighed, but what he said came out as, "Let me see your proposal first. I know what you're capable of."

However, the core of documentaries lies in using real materials to construct a dome of thought; they are a printing press of reality. Although they also have artistic elements, these artistic elements cannot be divorced from reality, which is fundamentally different from narrative films.

You have almost no experience in documentary filmmaking, so it's perfectly normal for the planning to have some minor flaws in the short term. There's no need to worry about it too much.

Old Situ was giving Cao Yang a heads-up in advance, so that when Cao Yang saw his plan later, he wouldn't find any flaws or shortcomings that would upset him.

Old Situ was very considerate, at least towards Cao Yang.

As for the fact that Tian Zhuangzhuang calls him "bastard" all day long in private and curses people behind his back, that's another matter.

"Yes, I understand. This is my first time filming a documentary. My teacher is an authority in this field, and I am very happy that he can point out my shortcomings and give me suggestions."

Cao Yang handed the completed plan to Lao Situ and said with a smile.

"Haha, it's good that you think that way. Actually, making documentaries is relatively easy. The most difficult thing is how to achieve a balance."

Old Situ took the documents.

Just as I was about to watch it, I changed my mind again.

Since Cao Yang has a clear understanding, there's no need to wait until his shortcomings are pointed out before giving him the "Retracing the Flavors of the Silk Road" project proposal.

You can give it to him now, but don't say it's for him yet. Let him study and refer to it first. When you point out the shortcomings and deficiencies of his plan later, it will be good for him to know what's going on.

"Cao Yang, I happen to have a documentary proposal here, which is similar in subject matter to yours. Take a look and see what you think."

Old Situ said.

"Okay, teacher."

Cao Yang took it and started reading it too.

"A Bite of China? The name is nice, I hope the content will surprise me too."

Old Situ opened Cao Yang's proposal and thought to himself.

He didn't expect Cao Yang to come up with any amazing plans, nor did he expect the plan to be comparable to "Retracing the Flavors of the Silk Road." As long as it reached a certain standard, he would be very satisfied.

After all, you can't expect too much from someone who has never made a documentary before, even if that person is Cao Yang.

However, as the old master looked at it, he began to frown, and the wrinkles on his face almost squeezed together.

"More than 65% of the content is devoted to farmers instead of famous chefs? And these are marginalized workers, this... this is simply revolutionary! Which TV station would dare to accept such a documentary? The ratings would plummet! Viewers want to see masters of state banquets! Can lotus root diggers really boost ratings?"

"Although as a documentary director and a documentary artist with his own pursuits, viewership ratings are certainly not the main consideration, artists also need to make a living and try not to be so eccentric."

“Documentaries can be about marginalized workers, and I support making documentaries about them; it’s a good thing, and it’s also a director’s responsibility. But isn’t this one too long? Would anyone watch the food made by marginalized workers?”

Old Situ knew he was wrong to think this way. He had also come from a time of hardship and knew the difficulties faced by marginalized workers. He sympathized with and understood them very much, but times had changed... Alas!

Old Situ suddenly felt that Cao Yang had done the right thing.

It's extremely rare for someone like Cao Yang, who achieved fame at a young age and has reached his current status, to still be able to use marginalized workers as a starting point!

Why should I oppose it?

Forget the ratings!
Cao Yang did the right thing!
Why did I want Cao Yang to follow the mainstream documentary filmmaking style? Why did I want mainstream documentary filmmakers to approve of him?
Who is Cao Yang?

He is who he is; he doesn't need anyone's approval, nor does he need to cater to anyone!

I'm just letting my concern cloud my judgment!
At that moment, Old Situ suddenly understood, and a smile returned to his face.

The fact that Cao Yang could still think of using the vast working people as a starting point proves that taking on this last disciple was the most correct choice he ever made!

"it is good!"

Old Situ looked up, smiled, and said something to Cao Yang that left Cao Yang somewhat puzzled.

However, as he continued reading, Old Master Situ frowned again.

He circled the Phantom at 1000fps to film the chili oil with a red pen, and then took close-up shots of the hot oil splattering and the chilies bursting.

"Is this how high-speed cameras are used? What's the point? Is this a food documentary or scientific research? Do viewers care about molecular motion? Is this 'A Bite of China' or 'A Bite of the Laboratory'?"

"Phantom captures the reticular expansion of gluten proteins through alkaline water at 2500fps, extending from 0.3 seconds to 12 seconds?"

"Using an underwater listening device to record pan-fried dumplings? Are they filming 'Undersea Cooking Crew'? Why would they use a listening device to record pan-fried dumplings?"

Filming at Chagan Lake at -32°C? Cameras aren't polar bears. How can they function properly in such low temperatures? What if the equipment freezes? What if the crew freezes? Are they risking their lives to make this documentary?

"Honey harvesting footage on a high-altitude cliff? At an altitude of 3800 meters? And close-ups? This is insane! This must be risking their lives to film a documentary!"

Old Situ couldn't help but look up at Cao Yang. Are you afraid that the ratings won't be good, so you're planning to do something sensational?

"Close-up of foam and dead crickets floating in a sauerkraut jar?"

"Focusing on a close-up of an old man's worn-out rubber shoes in northern Shaanxi?"

"Close-up of an old man in Nuodeng rubbing salt on his cracked hands?"

"Close-up of the elderly man's chapped hands?"

"Using cameras to count how many times a lotus root digger has to bend over to dig up one lotus root?"

"Why is the focus of a filming session on a fermented tofu workshop in southern Anhui on the moldy earthenware jars rather than the tofu itself?"

Old Situ scratched his head, turned to the first page again, and glanced at the large characters: "A Bite of China"!
Are you sure this is a food documentary, and not a documentary depicting the hardships of an old farmer?
Old Situ began to wonder if Cao Yang had brought his understanding of art films into documentaries? Was he trying to ruin the depiction of suffering in food documentaries in order to increase their artistic appeal?

He suppressed the thousand words welling up inside him and forced himself to read on.

Suddenly, his brows furrowed and then relaxed, his pupils contracted, and his gaze locked onto the vertical montage sequence.

"Chaozhou beef balls are pounded at a frequency of 120 times per minute—can this be converted into an acoustic spectrum and compared to a heartbeat?"

"The sound of hand-beaten beef balls gradually fades—is the roar of an industrial meat grinder swallowing the scene?"

"A descendant of Suzhou boat-making masters sits alone in an empty courtyard—a phantom of an express train emerges from the steam-filled charcoal?"

"A coordinated camera movement between a honey hunter in western Tibet suspended by a rope and a cake decorator in Shanghai using a piping bag? The camera moves vertically downwards along the trajectory of falling honey—through the clouds—and then into the tip of a piping needle?"

"Close-up of frost on a Northeastern sauerkraut vat – seamlessly transitioned to a Chaozhou preserved radish drying yard under the scorching sun?"

"Shaoxing rice wine fermentation: Endoscopic imaging of rising bubble trajectories—a kind of superimposed star trail motion?"

"The reflection of fishermen on the ice of Chagan Lake—a superimposed Han Dynasty 'Fishing and Hunting Scene' mural—a montage of a modern supermarket frozen fish counter, with a time stamp of 7000 years?"

"The sound of Penicillium mycelium bursting, replacing background music? A fermentation sound at 90 decibels?"

"The camera was at the same height as the kneading board where the old man in northern Shaanxi kneaded yellow steamed buns, and flour splattered and stuck to the lens?"

"The oily texture of the century-old wooden handle of a Shanxi noodle-cutting knife—is it a composite sedimentary rock layer from the old course of the Yellow River?"

At this moment, Old Situ seemed to be hallucinating.

A hallucination appeared on the white walls of the office: mycelial networks expanded like neural networks.

The sound of the air conditioner running seemed to have turned into the sizzling sound of chili oil being poured over it.

Old Situ swallowed hard, then picked up his water glass, his fingers unconsciously mimicking the motions of kneading steamed buns...

Montage breaks down the boundaries of linear time and geography.

Nested narrative, negative space narrative, interdisciplinary narrative...

Old Situ suddenly realized that the core of this documentary's narrative was never about food, but rather about using a pair of chopsticks to measure the negotiation between agricultural civilization and modernity!

The essence of this intracranial storm is that the project, using the scalpel of high-speed photography, microscopes, and montage, dissected the skull of documentary authority and injected its gray matter with a hallucinogen that blends the elegy of agricultural civilization with molecular gastronomy.

When they stumble out of the storm, they will either become believers in the new era or become gravediggers of the old!
When scientific parameters become the rhymes of poetry, even the most stubborn authority will turn into a trembling pilgrim!
(End of this chapter)