I’m a Director, I’m Not Bad

Chapter 308 306 The Product of Compromise

Chapter 308 306. The product of compromise

As the famous "two Zhangs" in the entertainment industry, Zhang Weiping and Zhang Yimou will definitely be the focus of the crowd wherever they go, that's for sure.

Even in my own crew.

Among the actors and actresses in the circle, after meeting these two people, who would not be allowed to call Director Zhang or Mr. Zhang to save their face?

But in Xu Xin’s opinion…

Although it is impossible to say that he has any prejudice against Zhang Weiping, it is true that he does not have a very good impression of him.

But the bad impression is not due to the things that happened before Gong Li or Yang Mi played Jiang Chan. But based on the most common point...

He felt that the other party...

how to say.

According to Yang Mi’s words:

"This man is not very smart."

really.

My sister's views may be quite extreme. In her opinion, the film and television industry and the entertainment industry should actually be viewed separately.

What everyone in the film and television industry looks for is acting.

So when it comes to interpreting and playing roles, everyone only needs to distinguish between good and bad acting skills.

There is no need to consider things like character and humanity.

Just serve the role honestly.

But in the entertainment industry, there are two types of people.

One is a smart person, and the other is a fool who is not very smart.

Applying her template, Xu Xin felt that Zhang Weiping might be that idiot.

Looking at the history of his family, it can be summarized in a very simple sentence.

"The pig on the cusp of the storm."

In the 1980s, he went into business and started his career as a real estate, aviation food and pharmaceutical agent.

At that time... the business environment could be said to be a barbaric era in a strict sense. Whether it was through plundering or following the trend, in short, he quickly accumulated a fortune... not a lot, but definitely a lot of wealth.

What happens next is relatively simple.

His wife is a fan of Gong Li.

As a wealthy businessman and wife of a famous family, in those days, it was completely normal to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a meal with your favorite female star.

Female celebrities also need this kind of income generation.

After his wife got acquainted with Gong Li, they became friends from time to time. Then, Gong Li and Zhang Yimou also met the couple.

From that moment on, the friendship between the two began to develop.

Then, after filming the movie "Shake, Shake, Shake to Grandma Bridge", Zhang Yimou and Gong Li broke up, which also led to the withdrawal of the investors of "If You Have Something to Say".

After all, the investors originally invested in this movie because of Gong Licai.

But at that time, the two broke up and Gong Li stopped acting, so the investors naturally refused to pay.

When Zhang Yimou was at a loss, Zhang Weiping relied on his hard work over the years and invested more than 20 million to produce the movie "Speak Well".

This was the beginning of the two becoming partners.

Then the next step is simple, set up a company and combine the two.

Zhang Weiping's trust in Zhang Yimou made him say this at the beginning:

"New Picture exists just for Yimou. One day when Yimou retires, there will be no need for this company to exist."

Moreover, when it comes to Zhang Yimou's filming, he "firstly doesn't read the script, and secondly he doesn't read the account books."

Obviously enough trust is given.

So, starting from "If You Have Something to Say", every movie was made by the two of them together.

But why does Xu Xin say that he is not smart...

The reason is... In the eyes of outsiders, everyone may think that Zhang Weiping established the film company entirely for Zhang Yimou. The slogan "Don't look at the script ledger" shows that Zhang Yimou has extremely high creative freedom.

This man is so open-minded.

But the reality is that all the calculations are in the invisible place behind the light.

Because Zhang Weiping is not particularly rich.

But now he has to rely on movies to make money.

The general approach is to set up an investment company, make more investments, invest in films with potential, reduce the risk of losing money as much as possible, and work step by step.

But he didn't take this path.

Instead, he relied on Director Zhang for all the things he wanted to do to make money, and on the movies made by Director Zhang.

Of course, they also shouted that slogan at the beginning. This company was opened by Zhang Yimou alone. He had no intention of using anyone else, and he had no intention of expecting to make much money. It's just a matter of buddies doing something together and having fun together.

But the problem is... you talk about such a character, starting from "Hero", to "House of Flying Daggers" and "The Golden Jacket", you are all rushing to go to commercial films, and what are you doing for hype... Period Zhang Yimou and Ken Takakura filmed "Ride Alone for Thousands of Miles", which reportedly made you very angry. You felt that Ken Takakura was wasting Zhang Yimou's time...

This behavior is a bit both serious and upright.

Therefore, in Xu Xin's opinion, there was no truth in his mouth.

Putting aside other intrigues, if you want to make money, you must be prepared to take risks. The wool can be collected by one person alone.

Director Zhang's directing skills are more artistic than commercial.

In art films, his achievements are enough to become a giant in the world.

But commercial films... although they are not bad, they really cannot reach the level of art films.

This is not only Xu Xin's cognition, but also Director Zhang himself admitted.

He told Xu Xin that he and Li Yu were the same kind of people.

Both of them are like old scalpers, they have no "talent" and can only work diligently to make every movie.

As for Zhang Weiping, since "Hero", I don't know if he has tasted the benefits or something, but he has always wanted Director Zhang to start transitioning into commercial films.

If you trust your buddy and don't read the script or the accounts, why would you interfere with his creative ideas?

If you want to make money, then have a money-making attitude. If you want to make small money, take small risks. If you want to make big money, take big risks.

Nothing more than that.

But he doesn't want to take risks, but he also wants to make money. In the end, I can only rely on Director Zhang for everything...

Keep small fortunes and don’t want to encounter big storms...

How can there be anything so cheap in this world?

Therefore, Xu Xin really thinks he is quite stupid.

Poor and stupid.

I didn't have any coins in my pocket, but I was shouting slogans loudly.

Of course, this is just his personal opinion, and he will definitely not say it to others.

Facing Zhang Weiping who walked in, he just put down the script and shouted politely:

"Hello, Mr. Zhang, I'm sorry to bother you."

"Hahaha~"

Zhang Weiping patted his shoulder rather affectionately:

"Just call me brother. We are all on our own, so don't be so polite."

Xu Xinxin said, "Who are you taking advantage of?"

What about brother...

But there is still a humble and "respectful" look on his face:

"No, no, no, no, this is so disrespectful. Teacher Zhang~"

He changed his title again.

Zhang Weiping didn't seem to be confused. He patted Xu Xin's shoulder again and then asked Zhang Yimou:

"How's the progress?"

"good."

Zhang Yimou responded and asked:

"What did you do in the afternoon?"

"A few reporters wanted to dig up news. We usually have good relationships with each other, so we accepted a few interviews on the phone. It's not a big deal..."

Zhang Weiping waved his hand:

"I'm done with my busy work. I heard Xiao Xu coming, so I came to take a look...Xiao Xu, how come you're all the way here?"

"Come and see Director Zhang. It's summer vacation. Come and study with Director Zhang."

Xu Xin said again very modestly.

"Hahaha~"

Zhang Weiping smiled happily:

"Is that so...then we can't all sit down at the table tonight? How about Yimou?"

"No, no, no."

As soon as he heard that he wanted to eat, Xu Xin quickly shook his head:

"Teacher Zhang, I'm here to study. How can I delay the filming progress of the crew? I will just follow the crew to see more and learn more. This kind of opportunity is so rare, it is more important than eating and so on... ... Just treat me as a stage manager, and I will train under Director Zhang. That’s all. You want to arrange for me to eat, but you treat me like an outsider."

He made his point clear.

Don’t delay the crew’s filming.

Work as a horse boy under Director Zhang.

They are not here to socialize or socialize, but to learn.

As soon as these words came out, Zhang Weiping couldn't say anything else.

I can only show regret:

"That's it... I also said that (guests) are coming to my house, so I have to entertain them for the first meal."

"I'm not a guest either."

After saying this, Zhang Weiping smiled and nodded:

"Haha, that's fine, then my family won't be outsiders... Yimou, do you have any shooting plans tonight?"

Zhang Yimou, who had been checking the footage on the monitor, nodded:

"Yes, I guess I'll be busy for a while."

"Um."

Zhang Weiping nodded and did not leave. He just sat aside and chatted with Xu Xin.

There was no other way, Xu Xin had to continue chatting with him.

"Xiao Xu, the box office of "The Wind" should have exceeded 250 million today, right?"

"No, around 2.3. It is estimated that it will reach 300 million when it is released... Once Transformers is released, the box office is expected to be compressed for a few days. But there should be a rebound~ After all, summer vacation is here, and many people are rushing It comes with Transformers. "The Wind" should also be able to pick up its box office."

Xu Xin took the cigarette from him with both hands and helped him light it sensibly.

"What is your total investment in this play?"

"Forty million. Including post-production publicity and other things, it's about forty-five million."

"Solely owned by Xiying Studio?"

"No, they offered two thousand seven, and I offered one thousand eighty."

This thing is not a secret, you will know it after a little inquiry.

So Xu Xin didn't hide it either.

"If it's three hundred million..."

Zhang Weiping calculated and nodded:

"A net profit of more than 100 million is enough. The later DVDs and other items are also a sum of money."

"Um."

"What about the next movie? Do you have any plans?"

"I haven't thought about it yet. After all, the baby is due at the end of October or early November... maybe I won't be able to move for the next two years. The priority is family."

What he said was true.

And Zhang Weiping seemed to have just remembered that the young man in front of him was married and his wife was pregnant.

So while changing the topic, he said:

"We will have more opportunities to cooperate in the future."

"Hey, that's for sure."

Xu Xin agreed happily.

…

Zhang Weiping stayed on the set until he finished eating the evening lunch before leaving.

However, Xu Xin's focus has changed from watching Director Zhang filming to observing Zhang Mo's work.

no way……

He really couldn't stand the acting skills of these actors.

Except for Ni Dahong who could accept it, others including Sun Honglei couldn't accept it.

To be honest, he always felt that Sun Honglei's acting skills were expressionless.

It's not that he has no acting skills.

It's just...his acting skills need to be contrasted with some specific roles.

He is very suitable for such deep roles, such as this Zhang San. He didn't even need an expression, it was enough for him to cool down.

Therefore, I can only say that he acted in his true colors this afternoon, but if you want to say there is anything shocking about it...nothing.

All emotions are well hidden.

But it is precisely because it is so well hidden that it cannot be seen at all...

It's quite outrageous.

And he doesn't even want to comment on others...

Watching them chirping, it felt like watching a duo performing.

It's exaggerated, and... awkward.

Therefore, his focus naturally turned to Zhang Mo.

Frankly speaking, Zhang Mo's work level is average.

Not to mention Li Haiping, A Wei during the filming of "Secret" can't be compared.

What is one of the most important jobs of an assistant director?

Be one step ahead.

When the director is filming this scene, you have to find out from your own work manual how the director will shoot the next scene. After you get the sub-shots, allocate layout tasks in your mind in advance.

For this scene, the director has said that the actors should prepare, and you, as the assistant director, should directly instruct the staff or photographers to get in position in advance.

To ensure that the progress of the shooting will not be delayed.

In other words, to be more professional, weather factors, light factors, etc. must be taken into consideration. Strive to build a rough framework as quickly as possible, and then hand it over to the director for fine-tuning.

In this regard... Zhang Mo did very poorly.

She spends most of her time with Zhang Yimou, like an assistant.

These tasks are usually done by Liu Guodong.

Xu Xin doesn't know if the father and daughter will communicate in private after filming is over.

But... he felt that it would be better to ask some things face to face.

For example, "Why was this shot like this?" or "I have some thoughts about that shot just now."

Since you are not a professional assistant director and you come with a learning mentality, just like the teacher giving a lecture, ask questions you don't understand in a timely manner.

nor……

So... Xu Xin felt that Zhang Mo was a little out of place.

But he said nothing.

Instead, they waited until the filming of a scene between Ni Dahong and Sun Honglei ended in the evening. When the crew finished filming and planned to walk into the ZY city, they directly handed the car keys to Zhang Jiao.

Then he got into Zhang Yimou's car.

Xu Xin had never seen the driver and did not recognize him.

So after getting in the car, he didn't talk about anything else about the movie.

Instead, we started chatting about our plans after "The Wind":

"After "The Wind" is released and Yang Mi's variety show starts, I plan to see if I can get into graduate school next year."

Hearing this, Zhang Yimou, who was sitting on the chair, nodded:

"Well, what then?"

"I don't have any other special arrangements. I will spend time with my children at home, start taking extra classes, reading books, and after getting admitted to graduate school, I will go to get a doctorate. But I do have a script of my own. Is there a printer in the hotel? I will show it to you later. Here is The script...I am here to win the award..."

"Don't have that mentality."

The moment he heard this, Zhang Yimou waved his hand:

"Works that proactively cater to you will appear to be very utilitarian even if they win awards. Do your own thing well and face it calmly whether you win the award or not. If you don't have desires, you will be strong."

Perhaps it was because he was very satisfied with Xu Xin's answer, or perhaps because he saw that the child had firmly fulfilled the agreement with him and chose to settle down after "The Wind".

It was rare that Zhang Yimou was in a good mood and made a joke:

"I have a lot of trophies at home. If you really want them, just take them away."

"..."

Xu Xin was speechless.

I think you are really generous as an old man.

However, after the joke was over, Zhang Yimou suddenly said:

"What do you think of Zhang Mo's work? I see that you have been staring at her from afternoon to evening."

Zhang Mo, who was sitting in the back row, subconsciously raised his head.

"Great."

Xu Xin’s answer was almost without hesitation:

"Sister Mo and you have a good understanding, right?"

Finally, he turned around and said to Zhang Mo.

But after he finished speaking, another sentence came:

"Sister Mo, what are you planning to do soon?"

"..."

Zhang Mo thought for a while and said:

"Take a break and write some summary thoughts."

"That's it..."

Xu Xin nodded:

"Not to mention, Hollywood still pays more attention to personal abilities."

After saying that, he smiled and nodded to Zhang Mo:

"Our custom here is that the assistant director usually has to discuss the next day's work with the director. It requires teamwork..."

What he said was actually pure fart.

It can also be said that it helped Zhang Mo escape.

Because... those summaries are not the job of an assistant director.

As an assistant director, if everyone else takes a break, you will definitely be the last one to take a break. If you don’t communicate the shooting plan with the director in advance, and then communicate with various departments in advance... you’re going to write a summary?

What about tomorrow?

All live activities saved?

Do you want to just replace him?

Do you need to communicate with the photographer about the shots?

Is it possible for the photographer to come to the director tomorrow and ask him how to assume the camera position, what equipment is needed, whether the shot to be taken tomorrow is a crane, or a close-up shot...

These are the tasks of the assistant director.

You do nothing but write a personal summary?

But if you say this directly in the face, everyone will lose face.

So Xu Xin found a clumsy but sturdy step for Zhang Mo to walk down.

At the same time, it also reminded her: do your job.

As expected, Zhang Mo was stunned for a moment...

After thinking for a while, he asked Zhang Yimou:

"Dad, then I'll... go find Brother Liu later?"

Unexpectedly, Zhang Yimou waved his hand:

"No, if you want to do it, you can try to write down a work plan of what you think you should do tomorrow. After you finish writing it, show it to me."

"okay."

Zhang Mo responded:

"I'll write it down and bring it to you in a moment."

"Um."

The entire journey was silent.

…

After arriving at the hotel, Zhang Jiao went to book a room.

But Zhang Yimou pointed to the door and said:

"There is a beef rice restaurant over there, which is a special delicacy here. Make two bowls and then come to my room to find me."

"okay."

Xu Xin nodded:

"Do you want to eat anything else?"

"I won't eat anymore."

"Well. Where are you, Sister Mo?"

"I don't want to eat anymore. I have to stay in shape..."

"Haha, what's the point, just in case you get hungry."

Xu Xin responded and walked directly outside the hotel.

At first, Xu Xin thought it was rice, braised beef or something like that. But it's not, it's a... a bowl of soup that looks like spicy soup, with something like... very small, diced noodles that look like sauerkraut inside.

Like rice, but with gnocchi.

Xu Xin came to Xingxu instantly.

This side... doesn't look bad.

He ordered four large bowls and planned to give Zhang Jiao some food later.

Then I packed two more cold dishes.

Walking back with the bag in hand.

He walked to the hotel lobby and handed one of them to Zhang Jiao:

"Here, midnight snack."

"I don't want it! No, no, no! I really don't want to eat it!...Huh? It smells so good! What is this?...Oh no no no..."

"..."

Seeing her unscrupulous moral integrity, Xu Xin rolled his eyes:

"I can tell you that this bowl of pimple soup is the essence of thousands of years of cultural food in the northwest frontier. What you eat is not noodles, and what you eat is not meat..."

"……what is that?"

“It’s the history and heritage of this thousand-year-old town.”

"..."

Well, for the history and heritage of Zhangye.

Gotta taste it.

…

In front of the sofa coffee table in the suite.

Two bowls of beef rice and two cold dishes.

No beer.

Xu Xin took the spoon and scooped out the dough inside spoonful by spoonful, and nodded:

"Is this food suitable for breakfast? It would be so comforting to have a hot bowl in the morning."

Zhang Yimou nodded. Compared to Xu Xin's gusty food, he ate more leisurely.

While eating, he asked:

"How many days are you going to stay here?"

"I don't know. Director Zhang Wu has found a host, and Yang Mi is going to take a look. If it works, I will go back in early July. If it doesn't work, I may have to leave tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."

When Zhang Yimou heard this, he nodded slightly:

"Well, just go and get busy. In fact, there is no need to make a special trip here... I originally planned to ask Momo to follow you in your crew when you start a new play."

"Come on."

Xu Xin agreed directly:

"no problem."

After Zhang Yimou scooped another spoonful of rice, he said:

"You have finished reading the script of "Three Guns". What do you think?"

"..."

It's a good thing he didn't mention it.

Speaking of which... Xu Xin didn't know how to answer.

Because his heart was a little blocked.

And fell into deep self-doubt.

After thinking for a while, he said:

"I did not understand."

"Have you seen the Coen brothers' "Blood Labyrinth"?"

"without."

"You can look back and see that this is a remake."

"...?"

Xu Xin really reacted for a while before he understood what Director Zhang meant:

"Blood Maze, a remake of "Three Guns"?...a foreign film?"

"Yes. It's just that "Blood Maze" is a very serious thriller-themed movie. It's not an exaggeration to say it's a little dull, and it's also a bit bloodier."

“…So you added some funny elements?”

After speaking, he added another sentence:

"In the style of absurd comedy?"

"Yeah. But it's not my decision."

Zhang Yimou waved his hand:

"My original intention was to remake this story, keeping it intact."

"...?"

Hearing this, Xu Xin became even more confused.

Although he has never seen Blood Maze, he doesn't know whether the story is exciting or not.

But if Director Zhang is interested in it, this movie must be something special.

But the problem is...

"Why did you think of a remake? You particularly like this story?"

If so it still makes sense.

After all... it's a pure remake, although the director of the remake can also add his own interpretation... But overall, in terms of artistry, there is very little the director can do.

Because the director's ideas cannot escape the frame structure of the story.

Even if he adds or deletes, he is nothing more than a tinkerer.

Just a hammer here and there to make amends.

Director Zhang is going to remake a movie for someone else?

There really is no other explanation except that I love this story so much.

But the problem is...

This script... is really bad!

Of course, it is also possible that our old Xu is not good at artistic "fat making" and cannot understand the core of things under this pile of fat filling.

but……

Xu Xin really didn't believe that this situation of losing the ability to judge the quality of a script happened to him... and even Director Zhang.

It's just weird.

After hearing this, Zhang Yimou did not answer directly. Instead, he pointed to the bedroom:

"There is a black-covered folder on the table. Take it over."

"okay."

Xu Xin responded, got up and entered Zhang Yimou's bedroom.

After finding the only black folder among the piles of files on the table, he took it out and opened it for a look.

A line of words came into view:

""Thirteen Girls in Jinling""

He was stunned.

Just listen to Zhang Yimou say: