Entertainment 2000: Supporting female stars will bring you a hundredfold return

Chapter 208: Look at what a master director is! (Leans back tactically)
No matter what.

Gu Changwei stayed.

Tang Wen's directing skills are now on par with any master, so he's naturally not afraid of being watched.

If it still has the same "advanced" directing skills as before.

He doesn't welcome Gu Changwei; he might accidentally reveal his weakness.

After all, the other party was a cinematographer who had grown up alongside several great directors.

Gu Changwei was a very quiet person.

He served as Tang Wen's deputy, watching him direct the film crew and organize the work.

A whole morning passed without him saying a word.

Like an invisible man, silently watching.

At noon, Jiang Wenli came over to thank Tang Wen: "Old Gu isn't very good at talking, please forgive him, Director Tang."

Filming was completed in one day.

That evening, Jiang Wenli came out of the bathroom and asked her husband, "What did you figure out?"

"Hmm, it doesn't seem too difficult." Gu Changwei's tone was somewhat hesitant.

Jiang Wenli's eyes lit up, and she quickly asked, "Can't you come too?"

Gu Changwei wasn't one to boast, so after a long silence, he nodded and said, "It should be fine."

Jiang Wenli said happily, "That's great! Let's make a script too and see if Director Tang can invest some money."

"this?"

"Hey! What are you hesitating for? Tang Wen is throwing money around everywhere. Do you know how much the copyright fee for Zhang Yimou's 'Hero' was?"

"Uh, how much?"

Although Gu Changwei is a senior photographer, his wife is clearly more dominant at home.

Jiang Wenli has contributed a great deal to her husband's career.

Years later, she hoped more than anyone else that he would succeed soon.

"Sister Gong Li said it's at least eight million US dollars!"

Eight million, in US dollars!
The number echoed in Gu Changwei's mind, and for a moment he forgot to speak.

The photographer didn't earn much; the directors he had worked with before were all known for making art films.

They couldn't offer him much compensation at all.

Besides, photographers don't have the same glamour as directors.

"Let me take another look, let me take another look." Gu Changwei felt a little out of breath and loosened the collar of his shirt.

Jiang Wenli didn't pressure him. She observed him for a day and didn't see much ability in this young director, Tang Wen.
"Okay, we'll stay a couple more days. Think it over tonight. I'm going to sleep with Sister Gong Li."

"Uh-huh."

Gu Changwei was immersed in his cinematic dream.

Fan Bingbing was taking a walk outside with Tang Wen, followed by a security team.

"Brother, do you know the story of Jiang Wenli and Gu Changwei?"

"what story?"

Fan Bingbing immediately became gossipy: "Hehe, I heard that Jiang Wenli's first boyfriend was Wang Quan'an."

"Director Wang Quan?"

"Yes."

Wang Quan was later the husband of actress Zhang Yuqi.

He became famous for winning the Berlin Golden Bear and for having an affair.

"Hehe, later it was stolen away by Factory Manager Gu..."

Fan Xiaopang didn't know where he heard the gossip from, but it seemed quite credible.

Tang Wen had vaguely heard that after getting married, Gu Changwei went to Hollywood to pursue his movie dream, but then his eye disease suddenly worsened and he had to return to China for treatment.

But after all that trouble, they were broke and could only rely on Jiang Wenli desperately taking on roles.

Back at the hotel, Fan Xiaopang visited Liu Tianchi, the teacher who was assisting him on set, to prepare for tomorrow's filming.

"Dang Dang Dang"

There was a knock on Tang Wen's door.

Gong Li and Jiang Wenli arrived.

The two women also brought a bottle of red wine and several glasses.

"Director Tang, am I not disturbing you?"

Unlike Fan Xiaopang's allure, Gao Yuanyuan possesses a pure and innocent charm.

The two women were the kind of dignified and elegant beauties, with a hint of sharpness in their eyes and brows.

Tang Wen can appreciate any type of beautiful woman.

He welcomed the two inside and instructed his assistant to prepare two side dishes.

Two beautiful women came over; they had nothing to do with anything.

It was just a rare opportunity to see Tang Wen, so I came over to try and build a relationship.

If a suitable role comes along in the future, I'll try to get one.

Considering that the woman's husband lived downstairs, Tang Wen thought for a moment and decided not to close the door completely, but to leave it slightly ajar.

Gong Li and Jiang Wenli were secretly surprised.

Everyone says Director Tang is a womanizer and a romantic, so why is his style even more conservative than that of old-school directors?
There are three people in the room, what are they afraid of?
Little did they know.

Director Tang has played many games with multiple people. Who says that nothing can happen when there are three people in a room?
Three people make it even more exciting!

"Ding"

As the wine glasses clinked together, Jiang Wenli looked at Tang Wen's handsome young face through the glass, and then thought of her own husband, Old Gu, and couldn't help but shake her head secretly.

A bottle of red wine was finished.

The two women took their leave and went home.

The next day.

The film crew coordinated with the local military to send a plane.

Today we're filming scenes with airplanes and paratroopers.

An airplane streaks across the sky.

Paratroopers jumped down one after another.

The camera faithfully recorded this scene.

Domestic paratroopers are all highly trained soldiers, and their parachuting skills are already very proficient, so there are no accidents.

In the afternoon, the plane flew over again.

That completes the day's filming schedule.

Standing next to Tang Wen, Gu Changwei, who had been watching the monitor all day, increasingly felt that he could do it himself.

Before wrapping up, he hesitated for a long time, wanting a copy of tomorrow's shooting schedule, but he was too embarrassed to ask.

Finally, Tang Wen noticed that his gaze was fixed on the schedule and asked a staff member to get him a copy.

As for the script, Gu Changwei has also read it.

"Thank you so much, Director Tang. Thank you so much, Director Tang."

Tomorrow's shoot will be one of the main events.

The female protagonist rides a bicycle, chasing after an airplane in the sky.

It represents her yearning for freedom and a beautiful beginning.

Gu Changwei got the information he wanted and didn't even have time to eat.

Back in his room, he immediately began to study.

If he were the director, how would he film this scene tomorrow?
night.

Jiang Wenli returned to her room and watched her husband intently studying the filming script, feeling quite gratified.

Maybe?

Is Lao Gu finally going to become a director?
Thinking of this, she felt a surge of excitement and pulled a dress from her suitcase to change into: "I'll be your leading lady, let's work on it together!"

"Good!" Gu Changwei's eyes lit up.

"Tomorrow is a very important scene. I need you to show your yearning for freedom..."

The couple undoubtedly both love movies.

With one director and one actor, they quickly got into their roles and into character.

As usual, Tang Wen and Fan Bingbing went out for a walk, but when they came back, they didn't spend any time together.

Fan Bingbing still went to Liu Tianchi for extra help, analyzing tomorrow's performance.

Her acting talent is quite good.

She's a bit better than the average female celebrity.

But compared to Zhou Xun and Gong Li, they're nothing special.

If you don't have the talent, you have to make up for it with hard work.

Fortunately, Fan Bingbing is indeed hardworking, and her dedication to honing her acting skills over and over again surprised Liu Tianchi.

I once remarked to Tang Wen in private: "If Bingbing could hone her skills at the Central Academy of Drama for four years and then hone her skills on the stage for a few more years, with her tenacity, she would deserve an award for Best Actress."

Tang Wen smiled. Given Fan Xiaopang's strong desire to improve, it was possible for him to persist in honing his acting skills for a year and a half.

Over time, I'm afraid I won't be able to calm down.

The next day, at dawn.

Having not slept all night, Gu Changwei and Jiang Wenli took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and prepared to go out, feeling refreshed.

I thought about this scene over and over again last night.

They rehearsed it dozens of times.

Thorough preparation gave the couple plenty of confidence!
Upon reaching the door, Jiang Wenli turned to her husband and instructed him, "Make sure you find the right opportunity to give Director Tang your suggestion again. I'm not going anywhere today; I'll stay by your side!"

"Good!" Gu Changwei's voice was much louder than usual.

After working on it all night, they believed that even Tang Wen, who had already received the script, could understand it.

No one understands or knows better how to film today's scene than they do.

Early in the morning, the crew began working in the field.

After breakfast, filming officially began.

Fan Bingbing rode a bicycle and chased after the airplanes in the sky.

Of course, no planes were flying by at that time.

The two shots were filmed separately.

She maintained her composure, tilting her head back as if she were truly watching an airplane. Her long neck, so engrossed in her gaze, gradually arched backward, the bicycle chain gleaming in the sunlight…

This……

Looking at the monitor, the image was perfectly rendered in just one take.

The light in Gu Changwei's eyes dimmed considerably.

Was the shot taken too smoothly?

This is exactly the same scene I imagined all night yesterday!

Jiang Wenli was equally surprised by Fan Bingbing's acting skills.

This young girl doesn't seem to have formal training, does she?
Liu Tianchi was on set, but she didn't recognize him.

Jiang Wenli graduated from Beijing Film Academy, and only started teaching at the Central Academy of Drama in 2010.

Liu Tianchi had been studying at the Central Academy of Drama and was not well-known in the industry at the time, so the two were obviously not familiar with each other.

Jiang Wenli was unaware that there was a mentor and assumed that Fan Bingbing had figured it out on his own.

Naturally, they were surprised by the other party's talent.

No wonder Director Tang gave her a special film.

And their roles are so significant.

She felt a pang of jealousy.

This is a chance to get it fed into their mouths.

What's the difference between this and a free lunch?
However, she was more resilient than her husband. Seeing that Director Tang had done an excellent job, her husband was somewhat dejected and muttered a curse under his breath for being so useless.

He quickly went over to comfort and remind her, "Don't be discouraged, take a good look and see if there are any details that can be improved!"

Gu Changwei quickly perked up.

As they had agreed, they were going to seize the opportunity today to offer their opinions to Tang Wen and showcase Gu Changwei's directing talent.

The two spent the whole night figuring out how to film today's scene.

Jiang Wenli even thought that Fan Bingbing was so young and not from a traditional academy, so acting in this scene would definitely not go too smoothly.

At that time, she can also offer some pointers based on her understanding of the characters.

Show off your talent in front of Director Tang.

As for whether doing this would offend Fan Bingbing, she didn't care at all.

There are only a handful of truly great directors in the industry.

Top-tier resources, and there's only so much of it.

If you want to climb up, you have to step on countless people to get to the top!
If you're afraid of this and that, you'll never get ahead!

"Let's replay it."

Staff members operate the monitor to play back the footage.

Gu Changwei and Jiang Wenli also came over to take a look.

They stared wide-eyed, carefully read through the entire passage, and were disappointed: it seemed there were no flaws.

This set of shots is not complicated.

Fan Bingbing had prepared for this for several months, hoping that she could easily find fault with it.

She should change careers as soon as possible.

"Keep one. This one lacks tension and a sense of destiny. Prepare Plan Two." Tang Wen issued a new filming order.

Option Two?

Gu Changwei and Jiang Wenli exchanged a glance, somewhat bewildered.

They also wondered if there was a better way to present it.

But after one night, they decided that filming according to the original script was the best approach.

The props team got busy.

A wooden platform was assembled in the field, covered with shelves and draped with sky-blue cloth.

The rough setting looks like a tie-dye factory in a small rural town...

Fan Bingbing rode past the blue cloth on his bicycle.

With the help of the blower, the blue cloth rippled like waves.

Like a reflection of the sky.

Tang Wen pondered for a moment: "Arrange for a fabric dyeing worker to spray water with a spray bottle and create an artificial rainbow later."

This suggests that the dream the female protagonist is chasing is like a rainbow—beautiful but unattainable, and even more impossible to obtain.

This scene is also one of the few color clips in the entire film.

Placing it early in the film can engage the audience's emotions and generate anticipation.

At the same time, it can serve as a suggestion.

They were misled into believing that the female protagonist's predicament would be resolved and that she would have a bright future.

In this way, when the tragic end finally arrives.

The psychological gap for the audience will be even greater.

In comparison, the female protagonist appears even more pitiful.

If the judges at Western film festivals saw this, they would surely award her Best Actress.

"You can even perform like that! Ingenious idea, truly ingenious idea..."

Zhang Yimou is a master of color.

As his long-time partner, Gu Changwei was equally sensitive to the expression of color.

He quickly figured out Tang Wen's purpose.

He patted his head, annoyed that he had thought about it all night and still hadn't come up with an idea.

Sure enough, there's still a gap between myself and a famous director.

However, it's not over yet.

At Tang Wen's command, the props team got busy again.

We began working on a section of asphalt pavement.

Gu Changwei realized that he couldn't understand what they were doing at all.

It looks like liquid metal that was smeared on the ground.
An hour or so later, a section of the road with a mercury-like surface was paved.

The production crew coordinated for the parachute training aircraft to take off again. Two groups of photographers found good angles, one pointing at the sky and the other at the mirror-like road surface, to capture the reflection of the plane flying across the road.

"What is this for?"

Hearing his wife's question, Gu Changwei subconsciously shook his head.

A deep sense of disappointment flashed in Jiang Wenli's eyes.

She staked her youth on this man; when will she finally see the outcome?
In recent years, he has had no income whatsoever.

He supports his family entirely on his own.

Now they can't even understand Director Tang's filming techniques...

"Then let's go ask!"

Gu Changwei wanted to ask, but he didn't know how to start.

If Zhang Yimou is introverted, he is the most introverted of all...

According to popular belief in later generations, i people are introverted, so Gu Changwei was an i person.

He didn't go up to them until the filming was finished.

Jiang Wenli was filled with disappointment.

But she was unwilling to let it pass by so easily, and was about to pull her husband forward to ask him.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Ning Hao, who was wearing a gold chain and holding a notebook.

She knew he was the assistant director of the film crew, but he didn't understand either?

Ning Hao genuinely didn't understand, but he had no qualms about asking questions.

So what if Director Tang is younger than me?
To be able to receive one-on-one guidance from Director Tang is something that would make many people envious!

After he finished asking the question, Jiang Wenli and her husband quietly went up to listen.

Tang Wen took the paper and pen and started drawing as he said, "Do you know about the infinite loop of the Klein bottle? It's something like this."

He pointed to the oddly shaped bottles in the picture and explained:
"A bottle with an outside but no inside. It's a bottle imagined by a scientist named Klein; it can't be made in reality..."

I filmed this segment by using the angle between the airplane in the air and the airplane in its reflection to edit the footage into a loop-like clip, enhancing the sense of destiny!

The airplane operates on a loop.

The female protagonist's fate is also like that.

She will have a daughter, and her daughter will have the same personality as her mother.

The same stubborn look in their eyes…

"Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant! Director Tang is truly brilliant!" To be honest, Ning Hao didn't quite understand what he was saying.

But he sensed a strong artistic atmosphere!
His eyes involuntarily turned to one of admiration.

What about "Klein bottle," "fate," and "cycle"?

Jiang Wenli was equally confused.

But as an excellent actress, she also felt a sense of "high-class".

Director Tang truly deserves his Golden Lion Award; no wonder he's so successful internationally.

The cinematography in those movies sounds so high-class!

Then look at my husband, who's like a clueless goose.

Jiang Wenli sighed silently, a hint of disgust flashing in her eyes: No need to ask, he definitely didn't understand.

She released her husband's arm, tiptoed closer to Tang Wen, and asked softly, "Director Tang, which film festival are you planning to submit this film to? Don't laugh at me, but I think the chances of it winning an award are really high!"

The people around them pricked up their ears to listen.

Tang Wen turned around and smiled: "Cannes, I guess. As for winning an award, well, someone has to win one."

Just a casual remark.

But it was like a loud bell exploding in Jiang Wenli's ears, making her head buzz.

Someone has to win an award...

So ordinary, yet so domineering!

An unusual light shone in Jiang Wenli's eyes...

We finished work in the evening.

The reporters, who had been waiting for a long time, rushed towards Tang Wen like wild donkeys let loose.

Before even reaching her, he started asking loudly, "Director Tang, you personally wrote an entire album for Ms. Wang Zuxian. What's your relationship? Are you dating?"

(End of this chapter)