Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 306 Wu Chen, embroiled in internal strife
"You'll handle the editing?"

Jason Blum paused, then looked at the screen, his brow furrowing slightly. "You mean, it has potential?"

"I think it has potential, although it's still quite rough in post-production, but I'm confident."

Wu Chen leaned back in his chair and nodded firmly: "But when you go to negotiate, don't mention me, I'm afraid CAA will raise the price."

"Of course, I'm not stupid. If I bring you up, CAA will definitely take the opportunity to rip us off. Right now, other studios aren't interested, so I might have to act more casual."

Jason Blum smiled and replied that, based on his feeling and Wu Chen's affirmation, theoretically this shouldn't be a particularly bad deal.

"However, knowing CAA's nature, they'll try to persuade directors to sign us to a tiered revenue-sharing agreement. Fortunately, they only take a cut of the directors' agency fees. These people are real bloodsuckers!"

Wu Chen smiled helplessly.

CAA's agency fees are indeed very high, but without CAA, the director of this movie would never have gotten his hands on the DVD. You can't have everything.

"How much marketing budget should we prepare?"

“Let’s finalize the deal after we’ve finalized the purchase and finished editing. But I suggest that when we’re negotiating, if it’s a tiered revenue split, try to give more of the initial percentage and lower the percentage for the later ones.” Wu Chen thought for a moment and then specifically mentioned this to Jason Blum.

He is now in charge of the production of "Paranormal Activity," and his screenplay for the horror film "Insidious" will be released at the end of the month. This may attract another wave of horror movie fans.

Add to his influence, and then get the Big Seven Hollywood studios or Lionsgate to handle the promotion and distribution. If done well, it could even generate more astonishing box office potential than the original. This would definitely be a return that would make the whole world scream.

"OK, I understand what you mean."

"."

Filming for "Black Swan" in New York is progressing smoothly, with a relatively calm overall atmosphere.

Wu Chen's daily routine mostly revolves around three points: monitor, script, and actor guidance.

The set design was simple yet artistic, with dark gray curtains, mottled wooden floors, and retro rehearsal room windowsills. These backgrounds, combined with Keira Knightley's cool demeanor, gave the entire film a solitary and restrained aesthetic style.

Scarlett Johansson visited the set during the event, bringing her new boyfriend Ryan Reynolds with her.

Scarlett Johansson was extremely displeased to see Keira Knightley shining on set, but she still offered a congratulatory message against her will.

"Kayla, congratulations! You acted really well."

Kayla smiled and replied, "Thank you. You and Wu have such a good relationship. I'm envious."

These words made her feel much better.

No matter what, her relationship with Wu Chen is better than Keira Knightley's, at least for now.
After staying for a few hours, Scarlett Johansson hurriedly pulled Ryan Reynolds away to continue their romance.

As night falls, the streets of New York are bathed in a hazy neon glow, and the autumn atmosphere deepens.

"What's wrong? I feel like you haven't been in a very good mood lately?" Liu Yifei asked in the early morning in Beijing, wrapped in a soft blanket. She turned over and her voice was filled with concern.

When I spoke with Wu Chen on the phone recently, I could clearly sense that he seemed to have lost some of his energy.

"Oh, really?" Wu Chen was taken aback.

"Yes, you didn't know?" Liu Yifei said confidently, "The filming didn't go smoothly?"

"No, it went quite smoothly." Wu Chen shook his head, the neon lights outside casting dappled shadows on the windowpane.

Filming has been going smoothly lately, and Keira Knightley's performance has been better than expected. Her coldness and morbidity are more in line with his directing style, and she carries a greater sense of loneliness and mystery than Natalie Portman's version of "Black Swan".

"That's strange." Liu Yifei frowned.

"Ah, Xixi, are you saying that Director Wu seems to have lost some of his energy and passion lately?" Xing Aina looked at Liu Yifei with a teasing smile.

The latter was taken aback, then her face flushed red, and she couldn't help but pat Xing Aina's arm, "Oh dear, that's not what I meant, not in that direction, it's just that feeling in daily life, like a kind of weariness."

"You can feel that too?"

Xing Aina said incredulously, patting Liu Yifei's head, "Qianqian, I've discovered that you have a really strong sense of empathy."

"Oh, sister, can't you feel it?"

Xing Aina's smile froze slightly. She suddenly recalled her recent interactions with Ning Hao, as if someone had turned her romance script into a silent film. She slumped into her chair, tapping a pen a few times on the table.

It's all that damn Ning Hao's fault; all the passion in our relationship has vanished.

Now all she wants is to have a child as soon as possible.
"I don't really know either. Let's go ask Ning Hao!"

Hearing their conversation, Ning Hao fell into deep thought, muttering to himself, "I hadn't noticed that at all."

"Isn't that obvious?" Xing Aina rolled her eyes at Ning Hao. "Not only can't you sense Director Wu's condition, you can't even sense it from me now. What can you possibly sense?"

Xing Aina's words made Liu Yifei cover her mouth and chuckle.

"Ahem!" Ning Hao coughed awkwardly, then pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "I guess Wu Chen is probably experiencing 'aesthetic fatigue' in his creative process, or rather, a period of internal friction." "Huh? What do you mean?" Xing Aina was taken aback, while Liu Yifei seemed to be deep in thought.

"It's very simple. Aren't 'Black Peony' and 'Black Swan' from the same source?"
Although "Black Swan" is not exactly the same as "Black Peony" in terms of story and characters, they both stem from the theme of psychological thriller. Wu Chen now estimates that during filming, he felt that "this scene seemed familiar," resulting in a lack of novelty. Moreover, the structure and subject matter overlap with his previous work.

“That makes sense!” Xing Aina’s eyes lit up, and she nudged Liu Yifei. “Qianqian, what do you think?”

"I think Director Ning makes sense." Liu Yifei nodded gently, with a hint of anticipation in her eyes.

"Ning Hao, what's the solution?"

"Forehead"

When Xing Aina asked him this question, Ning Hao was at a loss for how to resolve the issue of aesthetic fatigue.

Because he only made a few movies, and although "Crazy Stone" and "Crazy Racer" seem to be part of the "Crazy" series, their narrative structures and stories are actually quite different, so he didn't encounter this situation.

"I think Ifi should probably ask a more experienced director about this."

"So I asked for nothing," Xing Aina complained. "Then tell me, who would be the most suitable person to ask?"

Director Zhang Yimou

"Director Zhang? He's directing the Olympics right now, won't he have time?"

Upon hearing this, Xing Aina didn't think there was anything wrong with Ning Hao's suggestion. However, with less than a year until the opening ceremony of the Olympics, the entire Olympic construction in Beijing was in full swing and undergoing acceptance. All kinds of resources were being tilted towards the Olympics, and everything was making way for it.

Just by looking at the scene, you can feel how busy things are these days.

"It's nothing serious. Besides, given Wu Chen's relationship with Director Zhang, this is a small matter. Don't worry," Ning Hao said confidently.

"Okay, I'll call back later."

Liu Yifei pondered for a moment and decided not to disturb Zhang Yimou at this time.

"The problem's solved. Let's take a look at our script. We should be able to polish it by the end of the year, according to Director Wu's suggestions." Xing Aina clapped her hands, grinning, and put her arm around Liu Yifei's shoulder, saying as they walked, "Qianqian, you're so thoughtful. Director Wu is so lucky to have you."

"No, sister." Liu Yifei's cheeks flushed slightly, and the tips of her ears turned pink.

Xing Aina chuckled at her expression and didn't say anything more.

Only someone who pays close attention to a person and is also very perceptive can sense something is wrong with the other person just from a phone call.

As night deepened, the lights of the capital city resembled a layer of flowing water.

Inside the Olympic Organizing Committee building, Zhang Yimou had just picked up his boxed lunch and was about to eat a few bites when the phone rang. He looked at the caller with some surprise, but after hearing what Liu Yifei was saying, he smiled slightly and pondered for a moment:

"If you're talking about the 'internal friction period' in the creative process, every director will encounter it, and the solutions are actually different for each director."

"Really?" Liu Yifei's voice sounded excited.

“Of course.” Zhang Yimou’s voice was steady but tinged with fatigue. “Actually, the simplest solution is to finish filming this movie. This situation will most likely end then, and it won’t be a big problem.”

It's just that Wu Chen is so young, and it feels like a waste of his talent to simply finish making this movie. You could try communicating with him.

When I finished filming "Hero," the market response was quite good, and all the investors wanted me to make another film in the same style.

I didn't feel anything at the time. It was like I was trapped in a loop, and no matter how I filmed, it felt like I was repeating myself. I just couldn't muster any enthusiasm.

"So what did you do?" Liu Yifei pressed.

Zhang Yimou smiled:

"At that time, I filmed 'House of Flying Daggers,' which also looks like a period drama, but I played with a lot of structural and audiovisual tricks in it, and even deliberately deviated from the narrative in order to break myself out."

Although not everyone may agree, for me it's a new attempt and a breakthrough.

Liu Yifei listened intently on the other end of the phone, her eyes sparkling: "So... you think Wu Chen also needs a breakthrough right now?"

“That’s right.” Zhang Yimou said with certainty, “He just finished filming ‘Black Peony’ at the beginning of this year, and now he’s filming ‘Black Swan,’ which is based on the same theme. The psychological thriller themes are similar, and the structures overlap to some extent. It’s normal for him to be creatively fatigued.”

He was advised to be bold in his innovations in visual art, audiovisual language, and character portrayal, such as more extreme visuals, more deconstructed camera work, or even to try to integrate narrative and music more closely.

Give him some time and space, or let him see a stage play or an art exhibition; change his environment, and inspiration will come.

Liu Yifei's eyes lit up: "Thank you, Director Zhang!"

"Haha, this is nothing," Zhang Yimou said gently. "If it still can't be resolved, you can have him come directly to me."

"Yes! I will definitely tell Wu Chen."

(End of this chapter)