Have you ever been a celebrity? Why are you writing about entertainment?

Chapter 54 Two requests, fulfilled at once

"The Stars Planter" is a foreign film about volunteer teaching in rural areas. The male protagonist goes to teach in the countryside after experiencing setbacks in his life, but eventually falls in love with the place and chooses to stay.

This is an international masterpiece from the late 20th century. It has been remade many times in China, but none of them have been able to capture the unique style of the original.

Yu Wei looked at the script and realized that there was really no way to change it this time.

Yesterday's script just happened to match a famous scene in his memory, but it was clear that he didn't have such incredible luck this time.

Life isn't all coincidences, and after hesitating for a long time, Yu Wei returned the script to Lin Yi.

"The plot is complete, so I won't embarrass myself by showing it."

If Yu Wei remembers correctly, this should have been the Oscar for Best International Feature Film that year. If he were to actually change it, it would be superfluous.

"It's okay. The lines in this scene have been remade three times in China without any changes, so it's better not to change them."

Chi Leying followed closely behind, seemingly a prepared remark to smooth things over. Lin Yi smiled and nodded, indicating her agreement.

It's important to know that adaptations, or rather, radical alterations, are quite common in China. Many good films are easily changed beyond recognition once they pass through the hands of a skilled director.

Those who like to remake films are usually small or medium-sized directors or directors who cross over into other fields. They are prone to making drastic changes and adding their own personal touches. But even under these circumstances, no one dared to change the ending scene of "The Star-Planting Man".

The main reason is that it is too classic, and any changes would lose its essence.

“This scene is indeed difficult to change, but it’s okay, you can still write it. You’ve probably heard of ‘Scissors.’”

Lin Yi had originally planned to have Yu Wei write her songs, and the script was a last-minute idea. It's normal for international films to be difficult to modify, and she wouldn't use that to make things difficult for anyone.

Yu Weizhen had never heard of him.

After arriving here, he rarely listened to music. When he did listen, it was only to Chen Ping's songs, the international superstar who changed the timeline and was suspected to be a time traveler.

His surname was Chen, his given name was Ping, and if you added the character "An" to his name, he would be a perfect protagonist template. Unfortunately, it was precisely because he lacked that "An" that he left us so young...

However, he had never heard Mr. Chen's songs before, so they were obviously not from the same planet as him.

Getting back to the main point, Yi Jie's song "Scissors" compares time to scissors, cutting away the silk of life piece by piece, which can be seen as a metaphor for the ruthlessness of time.

Yu Wei listened to the audition three times under the guise of auditioning for a role, and only then did he understand why Chi Leying could cry.

This song resonates with the "time anxiety" of urban dwellers, such as workplace pressure and life planning. Watching time slip away helplessly, it is easy to cry when under great pressure.

He glanced at Chi Leying subconsciously, but she just smiled knowingly, seemingly unconcerned by his slightly questioning look.

If it were Qi Luoan, she would definitely ask directly, "What are you looking at?" However, the person in front of her was not Qi Luoan, and Yu Wei did not know why she inexplicably thought of an unrelated person.

Perhaps this song is indeed a bit too sentimental.

Who are you thinking about?

Chi Leying was incredibly perceptive; Yu Wei's fleeting gaze at that moment clearly indicated that his thoughts had wandered.

"I'm thinking about what song to write to compete with this one."

There are quite a few excellent songs about time; this topic is definitely a top student in the Chinese music scene, and it seems like any one of them is quite good.

As for which song to choose, we need to start with the style of the song. The key point is that "Scissors" is a reflection on what time is, and this kind of theme is indeed rare.

Most songs about time are about the helplessness of old age when looking back on the passage of time, while some focus on parent-child relationships, with the theme of wanting to care for one's parents but finding them no longer there.

There aren't many songs that specifically focus on the abstract question of what time really is. Yu Wei thought for a long time and finally remembered a song called "Time Thief".

Similarly exploring the nature of time, this song compares time to a plunderer of life, using the metaphor of a "thief" to represent the ruthless theft of time, emphasizing the fleeting nature of youth and memories.

This aligns with the theme song of "Scissors," and both are movie theme songs, making them comparable in terms of their ability to convey a story. Compared to Lin Yi's song, "Time Thief" carries a more wistful and resigned tone. While the original singer was also female, there have been many male covers. As long as the emotion is sincere enough, it has a high chance of winning.

After selecting the song, Yu Wei felt a surge of inspiration, so he simply found a corner and started writing on his phone.

Chi Leying watched from the side, speechless. Last time, he knew to close the door and write secretly, but since he was discovered, he simply stopped hiding from people, didn't he? He's not even pretending anymore.

She couldn't just stand there and wait, so she took advantage of Yu Wei's writing time to audition for a segment of "The Star Planter," and she actually got selected.

This scene depicts the male protagonist's girlfriend trying to persuade him to go back, but the male protagonist has already fallen in love with the simple and honest life in the mountain village and the tranquility away from the hustle and bustle of the world.

More importantly, he was unwilling to give up on these children, so he resolutely chose to stay and teach, and the two eventually broke up.

Planting stars actually represents the male protagonist planting hope in these children.

In the end, the female lead descends the mountain with a resolute expression, but bursts into tears after hearing the male lead and the children sing her a folk song. The scene where she forces a smile through her tears and looks at the male lead on the mountaintop is visually striking and truly a classic film.

The main reason is that the female lead's acting is so good. From reluctance to struggle, to relief and finally respect, she portrays it all perfectly with just a look.

Chi Leying's performance wasn't actually that good; it was mainly due to the contrast with her peers. The other actresses who auditioned struggled even to cry, and crying scenes are considered a basic skill for actors.

"It's so pleasant to write when I'm in a good mood."

After posting the new chapter, Yu Wei felt refreshed all over; if only he had a glass of soda, it would be perfect.

"Is the dog-writing author finally going to target veteran artists?"

"Sister Yi is my childhood goddess, how could you do this to me?"

"So what if we fought? Why call her your childhood goddess?"

"This song is really hard to play. It's still on my playlist. I listen to it all the time. It's not comparable to 'Scarlet' or 'Together'."

"Can you release the song soon? My ears are itching to hear it."

"You need to clean your ears, bro."

The comments section was as cheerful as ever, but Yu Wei wondered if it was just his imagination, but the number of comments seemed to have decreased significantly.

He didn't have time to think it through. He couldn't just write on a variety show; he had to do something more productive. Yu Wei came to the "The Star-Planting Man" crew to try out a role.

Before filming began, he searched for the original footage of four films, and this one was the one he was most interested in, especially the final Irish folk song farewell, which was very touching with the children's choir singing it.

Actually, the three domestic adaptations are all missing this one thing: the actors' lines and plot can be adapted to suit local tastes, but this song just can't be adapted no matter what.

The first remake directly used the original song. The song was great, but it felt out of place in the rural context of China. Having a village child sing an Irish folk song—this director is a genius.

The later version was smarter and added Chinese lyrics to the original song. Although the style was normal, the foreign music with the new lyrics just didn't feel right. Many viewers said that it would have been better to just play the original version.

The director of the third version discovered the problem and specifically chose a local folk song from China to replace the original song. While this localized the song, the two songs were completely different in style, and he ended up being the one who received the most criticism.

The more they try to improve, the harsher the criticism they receive, which shows that there's a reason why some directors choose to give up...

Yu Wei felt increasingly eager to try it. If he wrote this foreign folk song into a book and then created a localized version with a similar style, wouldn't the casting problem for the program be solved?
More importantly, he is about to start the next round of the competition, and it's not easy to find a song for his opponent, so this one is just right.

Traditional folk songs, original singer unknown, so as not to offend anyone.

Including this song in a targeted attack can be seen as helping domestic directors solve a long-standing problem. Not only does it avoid offending anyone, it's actually a great achievement.

Who says I can't change the script? I can just change the background music.
Coming to this venue was definitely the right decision; it resolved the storylines of two of his songs in one go.

　Thank you so much, Yi Yitian, for being the Alliance Leader! I never imagined I'd have an Alliance Leader when I started writing this book. I'm so grateful!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)