Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 5 Be a human being
To make a movie these days, it takes more than just money.

In 97, a loophole was opened, allowing individuals to participate in film production in the form of funding or investment, thus breaking the monopoly of the 16 state-owned film studios.

Some things have good intentions, but as long as no specific documents are issued, the scope of implementation is difficult to control and the review is troublesome.

Therefore, "selling factory logo" became the best solution.

The so-called "selling factory logos" is similar to "selling book numbers" in the publishing industry, that is, paying money to a film studio with production qualifications in exchange for its factory logo to shoot a movie.

It was not until 02, with the promulgation of the new "Film Management Regulations" as a general sign, that the production, distribution and screening of domestic films began to be fully opened to private capital.

Beijing Film Academy has its own school-enterprise, Qing Film Studio. As a student of the directing department of Beijing Film Academy, it is natural to give priority to obtaining indicators from Qing Film Studio.

Speaking of Qingying Studio, its original positioning was to cooperate with the teaching plans of various departments and complete students' film assignments and production internships in various teaching links. It is a place for teachers throughout the college to carry out creative practice.

Money is tight these days, and Qingying Studio only has so much funding a year, mainly for short films, and can invest in three or five feature films at best. How many professors, directors, and teachers with ideas from schools are waiting in line eagerly.

If you ask Qingying Studio to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in a movie for college students who have not yet graduated, it would be impossible even if you are the principal's illegitimate son.

But on the other hand, if you don't ask Qingying Studio to pay real money, as long as there is a factory logo, then it will be a green light and everything can be discussed.

Of course, the prerequisite is that you must be a teacher or student in the school and be able to help them complete their teaching and practice plans.

After coordination, Cao Yang's film was included in the "exploration of a new model of cooperation between schools, enterprises (individuals) to shoot practical films" and was considered part of the teaching plan. The enterprise (individual) provided the funds, and the school provided all photographic equipment and personnel except film.

In terms of copyright, domestic copyright is shared, with a 10% share of the domestic box office, while foreign copyright belongs exclusively to the enterprise (individual).

Cao Yang was quite satisfied. What did an art film need for domestic copyright? It only made a few dollars at the box office and there was no sequel.

The school is very interested in this. They hold the domestic copyright, and even if it is shared, they don't have to pay for it. If there is any success, they can confidently tell the outside world (superiors) that this is a practical film shot by college students under the guidance of the school, and it is a political achievement that no one can erase.

As long as the movies are good, this model will definitely continue.

As long as the film is well made and has the potential to win an award, especially at one of the three major European film festivals, the school will certainly be more proactive in finding ways than Cao Yang.

Although awards won by college students and awards won by graduated students are both honors for the school, they are essentially two different things.

Because the film was small in scale and had few scenes, Cao Yang only asked Qingying Studio for an assistant director, a producer, a stylist, a lighting technician, a sound operator, and a script supervisor.

I don't need a photographer, but I have Tian Zhuangzhuang here, so he'll be useful.

Cao Yang selected the right people, arranged the time schedule, brought the assistant director and producer with him, and started working.

There is a scene in this movie where the heroine can't stand the pressure of public opinion, so she flees abroad to relax and meets a friend.

Cao Yang originally planned to shoot in Germany, but then he thought that there were so many places in China with European and American architectural complexes, so there was no point in wasting money.

After he and the producer's field investigation, they found Badaguan on Ludong Island in Shandong Province to be very good.

Badaguan was built in the 1930s and is also known as the "International Architecture Museum". Here you can appreciate the architectural styles of more than 20 countries including Europe and the United States without going abroad. Whether it is the buildings or the park paths here, they all meet the requirements.

Ludong Island is a coastal city with plenty of beaches, and you can shoot beach scenes nearby, which is really killing two birds with one stone.

There was no need to go abroad, and a very cheap female lead was found, saving more than 100,000 yuan in the filming budget. This was something Cao Yang did not expect.

But this money cannot be kept in hand, it must be spent. It is actually a troublesome thing if the budget cannot be fully spent.

"Teacher Cheng, the crew's food and accommodation will be upgraded to a higher level during the filming."

"When renting a villa near the sea on Ludong Island, there must be a beach where you can walk. The fewer people, the better, but you must pay attention to safety."

"Call Li Xiaoran and ask her to come over as soon as possible. Don't think about saving money. Buy her a plane ticket and pay for all the expenses on the crew's account."

"Rent her some videotapes like "Waterloo Bridge," "Casablanca," "Gone with the Wind," "Edward Scissorhands," "Titanic," "The Bridges of Madison County," and "Roman Holiday." Rent her lots of them and let her watch them every day. When she gets tired, she can go for a walk on the beach to get some inspiration."

"Don't just rent movies from Europe and America. You can also rent movies like Farewell My Concubine from China, Love Letter from Little Days, A Moment of Romance, Almost a Love Story, Half a Lifelong Romance, City of Glass from Hong Kong, and the recently released In the Mood for Love. Any movie about sadomasochism is fine."

After thinking for a while, he added, "Don't let her bring anyone with her, even her agent or assistant. Just stay there for 24 hours. Find someone to bring her food on time. Try not to disturb her and talk less to create an atmosphere of loneliness. For safety, rent a small house next door and hire two retired security guards."

"Remind me in a month, I'll go check on her and talk to her about the play. Well, let's rent the house for three months. I estimate she'll be in shape in two months, leaving one month as a backup."

Producer Cheng Jianye took a breath after hearing Cao Yang's instructions. Although he knew that this was to get the heroine into the right state in advance, wasn't it a bit inhumane?

Watching those heart-wrenching love movies every day, aren’t you afraid of making girls depressed?

"Okay, I'll make arrangements right away."

"Also, have someone buy some sad love songs, the sadder the better, and buy her a Walkman so she can listen to it when she's not watching a movie. Don't be afraid to brag, just tell her that the movie is a success and she's a top actress. Tell her to be more positive and not really treat this as a vacation."

Cheng Jianye couldn't help but glance at Cao Yang. This sunny, handsome, boy-next-door young man was really not a human being!
Well, you'd better just listen and work hard. You must not offend such people.

Before he could finish his sigh, he heard Cao Yang muttering with some regret.

"I feel that listening to music and watching movies is still a bit of a one-size-fits-all approach. If she really finds an old married man to have a passionate love affair with, and then abandons her, this movie will be perfect."

Cheng Jianye staggered and nearly fell, forced a wrinkled smile on his face, and fled in embarrassment.

Even if the rough man Brother Zhuang Zhuang were here, after hearing this, he would say: Cao Yang, please be a human being!

Li Xiaoran thought she had sunshine, beaches, and big villas, and wanted to experience a luxurious life at public expense, but the process would probably be a bit tortuous and bizarre.

I don’t know if she will regret it.

(End of this chapter)