Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 322 Wan Qian's Heart Flutters? Zhang Yimou is Convinced, Setting His Sights on the College Student Film Festival!

When Ma Xun took over the production of "The Return of the Condor Heroes," it became a success.

That is, Ma Xun was able to avoid many of the pitfalls in Zhang Dahuzi's version.

To be fair, Zhang Dahuzi's version definitely has its merits.

For example, some large-scale scenes, and some casting choices.

However, there are quite a few potential pitfalls.

Those who have carefully read his version will surely notice a particularly big problem.

It wasn't a problem with the filming or the design; it was something far more fatal...

The plot is 'less'!

This "few" doesn't mean that fewer films were made, nor does it mean that the entire story of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" was not filmed.

Instead, what we see with our own eyes while watching this show is... a series of cuts!

Zhang Dahuzi's version of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" was really plagued by plot holes during its broadcast. The plot would just start to unfold, and then it would be gone in the next second.

This started even in the very first episode!

In Zhang Dahuzi's version, in the first episode, Guo Jing takes Yang Guo to the Quanzhen Sect, where they encounter Huo Du. Huo Du only utters a line or two... *whoosh*! That's it!
Skip to the next scene.

When Ma Xun saw it, he couldn't help but exclaim... Holy crap!
Why are you treating the audience like this?
Therefore, although "The Return of the Condor Heroes" was indeed a very popular drama at the time, its ratings were truly appalling.

It's such a waste to generate so much buzz.

It's obvious that there was a major editing process before it aired, cutting out a lot of plot points.

Ma Xun certainly couldn't make this mistake.

So how can we solve this?
After Ma Xun arrived at the film crew, he observed everyone's work for a while and immediately called a meeting with the main creative team.

Yu Feihong, Fatty Wang, and the main actors of the crew gathered in the hall of the Valley of Heartbreak.

For Ma Xun's version of the Lord of the Valley of Heartbreak, Xu Shaoqiang was cast as the actor.

He was actually having some trouble making it in the Hong Kong entertainment circle, so after coming to the mainland, he adopted a more humble attitude.

She previously filmed a drama about sea salt, co-starring with Adam Cheng in "Meteor, Butterfly, Sword".

See? The TV drama market is all about martial arts now, and even Haiyan (a TV drama company) can't resist making money from it.

But let's not go into those details. He's a professional villain actor, and he always kept a smile on his face when he was with Ma Xun, which was quite nice.

“We won’t engage in any formalism.” Ma Xun set the tone with his opening remarks, and then said, “I’ve seen everyone’s work ethic this time, and it’s very good.”

I'll just emphasize one point: when shooting, try to avoid unnecessary detail and keep the shots concise and smooth, especially smooth – that's the key.

Next, everyone spoke freely.

Fatty Wang is a shrewd guy. "Boss, these days, those martial arts movies with people posing in front of the camera are quite popular."

That's right, it's just that a shot is made slower, deliberately giving the main character a slow motion, or a close-up or something.

Even when a person is flying in the air, their location is directly determined.

This style is indeed quite popular in martial arts dramas right now. In fact, Ma Xun filmed something like this before... it's just popular.

To be honest, Ma Xun already did a good job of not filming a lightsaber battle like in "The Sword of the Three Young Masters".

Faced with Wang Pangzi's suggestion, Ma Xun was very decisive. "Then let's have fewer poses. It doesn't matter if we've already filmed them. We can fix them in post-production. My only requirement is that the footage is smooth enough. Can you do that?"

Fatty Wang nodded naturally, "Boss, you're in charge, of course I'm OK with it."

With this guy performing like that, the others naturally had nothing to say.

Actually, Ma Xun had already considered these issues when he designed the storyboard, but upon closer inspection this time...

We discovered that our film crew is still using the currently 'popular' filming techniques.

This relates to the conflict between design and implementation, which I mentioned before. Like the version of Little Dragon Girl in Zhang Dahuzi's film where she enters the Valley of Heartbreak.

Ma Xun's design was good, but the on-site filming took a bit of a turn for the worse.

Of course he had to point it out.

The key is not to underestimate those few seconds spent posing the main character.

A single pose might last a few seconds, but a bunch of poses together can really take up a lot of the show's runtime.

Ma Xun clearly understands why this filming technique is "popular"—it was influenced by "The Matrix."

As for that bullet time... they filmed that with special effects, but we just used wire work and stuff to imitate it.

Unfortunately, it's quite a bit lacking.

In Zhang Dahuzi's version, many scenes were cut in order to retain the posing and fighting shots.

It's all backwards.

However, Ma Xun also understood why Zhang Da Hu Zi did this.

Because the people posing are celebrities.

Ma Xun is now refusing to follow in Zhang Da Hu Zi's footsteps!

What I want is a great martial arts drama, not someone's pose!

Once this tone is set, everything else will be much easier.

The meeting went well, and everyone spoke their minds freely, which was much better than keeping things bottled up inside.

And Wan Qian was among them.

She hadn't planned to attend this meeting before, but Teacher Yu insisted on dragging her along.

Wan Qian couldn't give a reason; she couldn't very well say, "I lied to our boss."

Originally, Wan Qian was a good student at the Shanghai Theatre Academy, but now she feels terrified of being called on by the teacher.

This hasn't happened in many years, and this teacher... Ma Xun?
Hmm, this feels strange for some reason.

But Wan Qian's worries were in vain; Ma Xun hadn't even mentioned her.

However, this meeting also gave Wan Qian a completely new understanding of Ma Xun.

Who would have thought he was like this... He's totally a domineering CEO!

The decisiveness and professionalism that Ma Xun displayed at this moment left even a well-known director like Fatty Wang speechless.

This is a completely different person from the renovation boss who drove the car before.

As Wan Qian pondered, she realized that her heart was starting to beat very fast...

"Let's go. What are you thinking about? It's over."

"Oh."

The meeting had already ended when Yu Feihong reminded Wan Qian, and only then did the girl realize it.

Clearly, she was lost in thought.

But this is definitely good news. Boss Ma Xun has let me off the hook, hasn't he?

However, this kind of good fortune clearly did not belong to Wan Qian.

"Wan Qian, the big star?"

With just that one sentence, Wan Qian awkwardly kept picking at her toes inside her shoe.

“Mr. Ma.”

He was as reserved as a child who had made a mistake.

Seeing her like this, Ma Xun was having a hard time suppressing his laughter.

"Let's talk."

"Oh."

Wan Qian didn't have the courage to refuse; she felt completely enveloped by Ma Xun's powerful aura.

Having exhausted all other options, they turned to Teacher Yu for help. "Then you two should have a good talk."

Yu Feihong said she was unable to help.

Wan Qian's face instantly fell.

……

Of course, a cliff would be a must-have in the Valley of Heartbreak.

So that it would be convenient for Little Dragon Girl to jump down in the future.

Oh, that sounds a bit strange.

But right now, Ma Xun and Wan Qian are standing here. After all, we're not TVB, so the scenery is still quite nice.

Wan Qian kept her head down and didn't say a word, like a primary school student waiting for the teacher to criticize and scold her.

"Are you just going to let this matter of the signature go like this?"

Ma Xun's opening remarks were truly simple and direct.

Wan Qian seemed to be jolted, and hurriedly replied, "No, I, I was planning to apologize to Mr. Ma and admit my mistake, but I just haven't had the chance yet."

"apologize?"

"Yes, yes, I'm so sorry... I'm sorry, here you go..."

"Hey, you don't think that apologizing is enough, do you?"

"Ah, this... then, what else do you want?"

Wan Qian looked puzzled.

Ma Xun laughed and said, "If apologies were enough, what would be the point of having police?"

Wow, that completely stumped Wan Qian.

"Mr. Ma, I... I was just..."

Ma Xun interrupted Wan Qian again, "You were quite the liar when you were in the car."

"I wasn't lying!" Wan Qian straightened up when the topic came up, "Maybe I'll become a big star someday!"

Don't say it, you really don't say it.

Ma Xun's smile deepened. "Actually, I quite admire your skill."

This reversal really caught Wan Qian off guard!
A strange excitement welled up inside me. Could it be that Mr. Ma has taken a liking to me and wants to promote me?

Seeing the change in her expression, Ma Xun said bluntly, "You must have heard some rumors about me."

Wan Qian was stunned by those words again, and murmured, "Mmm."

I've heard about it, but many of the rumors aren't very pleasant.

"Those rumors..."

"Maybe they're all true."

After Ma Xun finished speaking, a playful smile appeared on his face, leaving Wan Qian in an awkward situation once again.

Does he mean... unspoken rules?

Ma Xun could tell what the girl was thinking just by looking at her face.

They've all turned red.

He couldn't help but say, "I have no interest in a woman as skinny as you, but you do have some guts. I can give you a chance."

According to industry norms, it takes seven years.

Over these seven years, you've only received a maximum of 10%.

Ma Xun dropped the rookie contract in the entertainment industry, which was entirely in accordance with the rules.

Wan Qian was experiencing a complex mix of emotions; she was both angry and deeply moved.

Getting angry... What woman wouldn't be angry if she was told she's 'not interested'?

Moreover, he's a handsome big boss like Ma Xun!

My heart is fluttering... because of this contract, of course.

This is a fantastic opportunity! This is Ma Xun, who has made so many stars famous!
but……

"Can't you raise it a bit? How about 20%?"

"So many people would sign this even if they paid me, and you're still haggling with me?"

After Ma Xun finished speaking, he simply left.

Only Wan Qian remained standing on the edge of the 'cliff'.

Whether she signs or not... she's mainly angry!
I don't believe you're not interested in me!
This interest could also be sexual interest.

……

Before Ma Xun had even left the Valley of Heartbreak, someone came knocking on his door.

He was none other than Zhang Yimou.

"Mr. Ma, I'd like to discuss the summer movie season with you further."

Very good, let's get straight to the point.

Ma Xun nodded and said very decisively, "Teacher Zhang, I have a complete plan."

"Really?" Zhang Yimou felt much more at ease after hearing this.

And Ma Xun wasn't exaggerating. He immediately said, "The summer movie season is indeed full of strong competitors, with Hollywood blockbusters coming on strong."

However, we also have our advantages.

Teacher Zhang, the College Student Film Festival is in May…”

Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Yimou's eyes lit up.

"You mean, we should start promoting it from this college student film festival?"

Ma Xun nodded, "With your reputation, Teacher Zhang, as long as you bring a few of the main creators, even without bringing the movie, you will definitely create a huge buzz for our 'Hero'!"

That's right, that's it!
The key point is that the creators of this movie are also awesome!

Li Lianjie, Real Bullets, Uncle Daoming... Just hearing the names sounds reliable, right? College students would definitely like them.

And then there's Yuanyuan! Yuanyuan is incredibly popular among university students!

So even if "Hero" was still in post-production at that time, it would still have achieved a very good promotional effect!

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yimou smiled broadly, his face crinkling with laughter. "Mr. Ma, you truly are a rare and outstanding figure in the industry!"

These are the honest words of Director Zhang. I did think Ma Xun was messing around before.

The sudden decision to release it during the summer season reveals that Ma Xun's strategies were actually well-prepared and planned long ago.

Then I thought, this college student film festival is backed by China Film Group, so there shouldn't be any problems with Han Sanping's side.

Ma Xun is truly a remarkable person!
Of course, Ma Xun had to be polite, saying, "Teacher Zhang, you flatter me."

"Haha... Alright! I have nothing to say here, I'll do whatever Mr. Ma says!"

The movie "Hero" is about to go head-to-head with Hollywood blockbusters this summer!

But in reality... Ma Xun knew very well.

This year's Hollywood blockbusters, apart from Spider-Man, are all terrible!
There are good ones too, like Men in Black 2.

But this movie wasn't imported, hehe...

……

(End of this chapter)