The only sun in Huayu

Chapter 160 Taming the Land (24)

Hearing Shen Shandeng's question, Han Sanping was pleasantly surprised. He had only come to make the movie.

Han Sanping was already doubting whether Lu Chuan had the ability to produce a complete film.

"The Missing Gun" was controlled by Jiang Wen, "Kekexili" was copied, and "City of Life and Death" is far more difficult than the previous two, even if there are films to learn from.

Han Sanping was thinking about whether the film could be completed, while Shen Shandeng was thinking further ahead.

But when he looked at Lu Chuan again, he saw that she was still looking dazed and even had a slightly evasive look in her eyes, which made Han Sanping even angrier.

The air in the room gradually became stagnant.

Shen Shandeng only glanced at a dozen pages of the script and some storyboard sketches, his brows furrowing slightly.

The finger touched a character relationship diagram.

“I looked at your filming plan and found that your character storylines are somewhat scattered.”

Shen Shandeng began, “The perspectives of the officer played by Liu Ye, Teacher Jiang played by Gao Yuanyuan, Mr. Tang played by Fan Wei, and these soldiers and civilians switch frequently, but there is a lack of strong dramatic connection between them.”

"It's like a plate of loose pearls, missing a main thread to string them together."

Lu Chuan hurriedly defended himself, saying, "This is an ensemble piece! What I want to show is the reactions of Chinese people at all levels in that environment! Moreover, this subject matter is too heavy to be carried by a single storyline."

Lu Chuan attempted to use the "uniqueness of the subject matter" and "artistic pursuits" to cover up his inability to grasp the structure.

“It is indeed a bit heavy.” Shen Shandeng did not refute this.

The growing pains of artistic exploration and the issue of subject matter are old excuses.

If all else fails, there's always the review process.
In short, the director's ability is not a problem.

Shen Shandeng continued reading.

In his previous life, Shen Shandeng only knew that "Nanjing Nanjing" had problems, but he had never seen the movie and did not know what the problems were.

Only after reading the script in this lifetime did I realize where the problem lay.

The perspective of the Japanese Kadokawa soldiers is almost constant throughout the entire story.

His sights, sounds, and thoughts form a relatively complete narrative arc.

In contrast, the Chinese perspective is fragmented, relay-style, and even reactive.

As each character appears, suffers hardship, and then either dies or disappears, the narrative focus returns to the Japanese soldier.

This structural imbalance has potentially dire consequences.

The final result is that the invaders possess the so-called complexity and completeness of humanity, while the slaughtered are left with only vague conceptual symbols.

Shen Shandeng thought about it and decided to lend a hand, not for Lu Chuan, but because of the heavy history.

“Structural issues can be adjusted. Characters with similar functions can be merged. For example, could some of Mr. Tang’s psychological changes be integrated into Liu Ye’s character? This would make the core character more prominent and the narrative more focused.”

"This, this won't do!" Lu Chuan said, "Every actor is important! Their scenes are all carefully designed!"

“It’s not about deleting actors,” Shen Shandeng corrected. “It’s about merging functions. Actors can be retained, but certain dramatic roles can be concentrated on more core characters, while other characters can serve as supporting roles.”

"Or, quickly enter and exit, and exit after completing its narrative mission to ensure the main storyline is clear."

Lu Chuan listened blankly, completely unable to comprehend this highly generalized and refined narrative style, and simply shook her head subconsciously.

Shen Shandeng reviewed the shooting schedule again and offered several suggestions for the refined management of the production crew.

From Shen Shandeng's perspective, the filming of "Nanjing" was a huge waste of resources, and there were significant problems with the coordination between various departments.

However, considering the current state of the industry, he only pointed out a few obvious instances of unreasonable resource allocation. Han Sanping, watching from the side, nodded to himself, then couldn't help but shake his head.

He finally understood that Lu Chuan's biggest problem was her lack of ability.

Compared to Shen Shandeng, Lu Chuan's talent seemed rather immature.

However, when Shen Shandeng turned to a few pages and saw the rape scenes, his face suddenly darkened.

Snapped!
Shen Shandeng closed the script and tossed it onto the coffee table.

Shen Shandeng raised his head, looked at Lu Chuan, and said coldly, "Director Lu, haven't I made my point about 'Lust, Caution' clear enough?"

"Why use explicit scenes to depict serious historical subjects?"

Shen Shandeng was furious: "Do you really think it's okay to use visual spectacles to attract attention when you're dealing with such suffering?"

Han Sanping's heart skipped a beat, realizing something was wrong!

Before coming, I repeatedly told Lu Chuan to remove the explicit content from the script. Did this kid not listen at all, or does he think that this is "art"?
Lu Chuan was taken aback at first, then her face turned red.

He was also a proud and arrogant person with an impressive family background. He had never been questioned so harshly to his face before.
"Director Shen!" Lu Chuan adopted an artist's air, straightening her back and saying, "This is my creation! I have my own artistic pursuits and freedom of expression!"

"If I didn't make this film, how many people would know about this history? How many people would have the ability to interpret history? Only by presenting the cruelty truthfully and without concealment can the audience feel the pain of history!"

"Are you serious?" Shen Shandeng was stunned. "What was your score on the college entrance exam?"

I, Lu Chuan, was filled with humiliation and wanted to explain.

Shen Shandeng interrupted and scolded, "Do you think I can't see through your little schemes?"

"Schindler was based on a historical figure, and Germany knelt down! It even split apart!"

"And you? You can't even copy properly! If you could just shift the perspective to the Chinese viewpoint, instead you're stubbornly clinging to outdated ideas, using a Japanese soldier as the main character. Is it because Schindler in 'Schindler's List' was German?!"

"Or is it that you couldn't find any comparable Chinese characters in 'Schindler,' so you had nothing to copy, and the Chinese characters became just scattered symbols?!"

Lu Chuan was so angry that she trembled all over, pointing at Shen Shandeng but unable to speak.

These words directly shattered Lu Chuan's psychological defenses.

Lies are never as damaging as the truth.

Shen Shandeng not only revealed the fact of plagiarism, but also pointed out that he didn't even know how to plagiarize properly.

Lu Chuan was trembling with anger. He suddenly stood up, pointed at Shen Shandeng, and said, "You, you're talking nonsense! This is my film! I don't need you pointing fingers and criticizing my work!"

"I'm the director!"

"Third Master! Thank you for your kindness! I can handle my own project! No need for Director Shen to trouble himself!"

Bang!
After saying that, he grabbed the script from the coffee table, staggered out of the room, and slammed the door shut.

Han Sanping sighed deeply, rubbing his temples, his face full of exhaustion and helplessness.

Shen Shandeng's anger slowly subsided, and he said, "Factory Director, I've said everything I can say. His problem can't be solved with minor repairs. The main issue is that he lacks the ability."

"If he's willing to let me revise the script, especially by removing those unnecessary scenes that stimulate the senses, reshaping the main storyline of the Chinese characters, and clarifying the film's stance, I can bring my team to help him without pay."

The implication is that he does not approve of the current version of "Nanjing! Nanjing!", from its creative concept to its specific presentation.

Different road non-phase plan.

(End of this chapter)