HuaYu: A Great Director Starting with Dream of the Red Chamber

Li Yan has never been in a relationship.

If Leonardo DiCaprio's friends from his past lives heard this, they'd spit in his face.

But honestly, despite having had many partners, he has never had a serious relationship.

Hollywood, you know.

If we click, let's have an in-depth exchange of inspiration for art.

Let's discuss who's right and who's wrong, go our separate ways, and once we're dressed, we're just strangers, no need for even a "good morning" greeting.

Perhaps one day, on a whim, we can rekindle our romance.

If it happens too often, and neither of us has a family, well... sometimes it doesn't matter if we do.

Let's just reluctantly establish a relationship and live together as a couple.

That's it.

Many couples flaunt their love on the red carpet one day, only to tear each other apart in court the next, arguing fiercely over who committed domestic violence.

Not to mention, it was clearly a consensual sexual encounter, but they turned around and accused you, ruining your reputation.

Therefore, he is used to not taking initiative, not refusing, and not making promises.

When out and about, men also need to learn to protect themselves.

That's Hollywood for you.

Captain Jack Sparrow's future was ruined by his ex-wife.

Leonardo DiCaprio is forever 25 and can still contend for his second Oscar.

Moreover, he is a Chinese.

After hanging up Yang Mi's call, Li Yan was in a pretty good mood.

After washing up and changing into clean and tidy clothes, I hummed a little tune as I walked out of the cramped rented room.

I checked my balance at an ATM I passed by on the street.

Now I'm in a much better mood.

Since I've decided to make a short film to win an award, I need to think carefully about what to make.

The path for domestic directors to break into international film festivals is actually quite narrow.

Or it's the so-called "suffering" that some "sixth generation" individuals excel at.

Focus the camera on rural areas, the underprivileged, and marginalized groups.

Make it as dilapidated as possible, and film it as ignorant as possible.

Try your best to please those foreign judges and satisfy their high and mighty tastes.

The mystery and backwardness of the East are seen as "profound" and "thoughtful" by them.

Li Yan had never filmed this thing in his previous life, let alone now.

Having been given a second chance at life, why should I stoop to playing the victim like Lao Jia?

That's so incredibly embarrassing!

With his big-name directing skills, what film can't he win an award for?

Humanity, cruelty, plot twists, and similar color aesthetics and cinematic language.

As long as the judges see it and feel both incredibly sophisticated and uneasy, and then have to ponder it for a long time afterward, that's enough.

Tsk!

If he waits a few years, he'll definitely make "SKIN" (skin color) first.

Based on that subject matter alone, those old fogies at the Oscars would beg him to accept the Best Live Action Short Film award on their knees!

Otherwise, BLM could overwhelm them...

What a pity.

Forget it, if that doesn't work, we'll just make the French film "L'Accordeur," which is also known as "The Tuner."

It's a bit tacky.

Thrillers, suspense, voyeurism, human greed and fear, and an open ending.

Everything you need is there.

The key point is that the scene is simple, mainly in an apartment, and doesn't require a large-scale production; a few actors are enough to carry the show.

For Gravity Pictures right now, it's just right.

The grand prize might be a bit uncertain... after all, he didn't "play the victim."

With a little effort, winning a trophy of a slightly lower tier at Cannes or Berlin, or even just getting a nomination, is practically guaranteed.

enough.

Once I get back, I can completely fool those old guys.

Having figured all this out, Li Yan's sense of urgency vanished instantly.

He immediately got up, bought some cooked food in Niujie, two bottles of good wine, and a few boxes of pastries.

I'm getting ready to visit Teacher Guo at his house.

By the way, are there any vacant houses for rent near the school?

It wasn't that he was being pretentious; the apartments the agent showed him were just too much of a "seller's advertisement."

Moreover, living near the school makes it convenient to find actors or use equipment, right?

……

Cotton Alley.

Li Yangang pushed open the gate to Teacher Guo's courtyard.

Then a burst of noisy laughter came from inside.

"Professor Guo, please don't be modest. Give Xiao Huo your feedback and suggestions so she can feel at ease."

Li Yan looked up and immediately exclaimed "Wow!" in his heart.

Besides Guo Fumin, there were three other people sitting in the courtyard, drinking tea under the grape trellis.

A middle-aged, overweight man wearing glasses was sitting with his legs crossed.

Next to him was a dark-skinned, weathered-looking "tough guy".

There was also an intellectual and capable woman with short hair.

Zhang Yibai, Wang Xuebing, Huo Xin.

Three prominent figures in Beijing's elite circles.

Those two law-abiding officials have big names, needless to say.

Huo Xin, Liao Fan's wife, is someone that outsiders may not know much about.

But speaking of her screenwriting credits, works such as "Eternal Love," "Shower," "Sunflower," "Kung Fu," "Flying Over the Nursing Home," and "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons"...

Each of them is a household name; mainland screenwriters always have to include her name in the credits of Stephen Chow's movies.

With Teacher Guo around, even though Li Yan disliked those two law-abiding individuals, he had no choice but to put on a shy and honest smile.

The younger generation, pretending to be sensible and taciturn, greeted everyone.

Without saying much, he went inside, moved a small stool to sit down, and served tea and water to the guests.

Guo Fumin knew nothing about those two scumbags.

He genuinely wanted to give Li Yan a helping hand, so he kept praising him in his words.

Then they mentioned the Canon GG they had just shot.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yibai put down his teacup and glanced at Li Yan a few times.

He's called a "product manager," so he's naturally very perceptive about the market, and he was very interested in the effects of this product.

It just so happens that he's currently preparing for "Eternal Love," and we can utilize this young man who understands marketing and has some directing skills.

It also allows me to do Guo Degang a favor.

"GG ​​did a pretty good job."

Zhang Yibai took a sip of tea, adjusted his glasses, and said:

"Since Professor Guo values ​​you so much, it just so happens that I have a film that's about to start production. Would you be interested in being an assistant director in my B team?"

As soon as he said it, Wang Xuebing and Huo Xin, who were standing next to him, were both a little surprised.

Guo Fumin was overjoyed.

Even though Zhang Yibai's role was in Group B, it was a huge leap for Li Yan, a newcomer.

Zhang Yibai leaned back in his chair, swinging his legs, exuding the air of a seasoned veteran of Beijing's elite circles.

The young man wouldn't refuse the offer; he was confident of that.

Looking at the fat man's big, wobbly feet, Li Yan suppressed his inner grumbling.

If it were someone else, this might be a good opportunity.

But for him, Zhang Yibai's level of skill—making everything he shoots look like a music video—was so bad that he wouldn't even consider him as the B-team director.

More importantly, these two are toxic.

Li Yan is a man who has sworn an oath to never coexist with gambling and drugs.

At this moment, Li Yan was possessed by Little Li.

First, she was flattered, then feigned difficulty, and after hesitating for a few seconds, she finally spoke with a face full of apology:

"Director Zhang, I'm honored by your high regard; I should be eager to agree immediately..."

"What? Is there a problem?" Zhang Yibai frowned slightly, his voice turning cold.

Li Yan sighed:

"To be honest with you all, my senior colleague bet everything on that Canon guy. Now that he's become famous, the company's business has exploded, and we're in dire need of manpower."

"My senior brother helped me when I was so poor I couldn't even afford to eat. We've just signed a few deals. If I were to abandon him and run away, I'd be ruining his life."

"As human beings, we should always have a sense of morality, wouldn't you say?"

Li Yan looked at Zhang Yibai with a sincere yet foolish gaze.

In Zhang Yibai's view, this was still a slap in the face, though he couldn't say what the reason was.

He squinted and chuckled softly:

"It's good that young people value relationships, but once the opportunity is missed, it's gone forever. Just don't regret it later."

Li Yan seemed oblivious to the barb in his words and remained polite:

"You're right. Once I'm done with this busy period, I'll definitely go to Director Zhang's team to learn from them."

If you don't see eye to eye, even half a sentence is too much.

Zhang Yibai felt disappointed and lost interest in chatting. After sitting for a short while, he got up and said goodbye with Wang Xuebing and Huo Xin.

Guo Fumin got up to see them off, and Li Yan politely followed behind.

Watching the group walk away, Guo Fumin turned around and pointed at Li Yan with a look of exasperation:

"Do you know what a great opportunity that was? At worst, you could just run around doing nothing, but if you offend Zhang Yibai, do you still want to be in the film industry?!"

"Teacher, I know you mean well."

Li Yan helped the teacher walk back. He couldn't directly say that the two people were poison dogs, so he could only smile and explain:

"My senior brother really can't be left alone. If I really left, I wouldn't be human."

Guo Fumin's expression improved somewhat.

Old-school intellectuals value character highly.

"Alright, it's a bit of a pity, but you didn't do anything wrong. Being a good person is more important than anything else. Let's talk about it again another time."

Guo Fumin sighed and sat back down under the grape trellis:

"However, Yi Bai is arrogant, and his social circle is only so big. There will inevitably be some gossip in the future. You should be aware of that."

"I understand, I'll be careful." Li Yan poured the teacher another cup of hot tea.

He didn't want the teacher to dwell on the matter any longer, so he changed the subject:

"Oh, right, teacher, there's something else I'd like to ask you."

"Speak, what is it now?"

"Could you please keep an eye out for suitable apartments near the school for me when you have time? Real estate agents are so unreliable! I was also thinking of staying close to you so it would be convenient for me to ask you for advice later."

That's the important thing.

Guo Fumin thought for a moment and said, "Okay, the self-built house you're living in now is really inadequate. I'll inquire around and let you know if I find a suitable one."

"Thank you so much, teacher!"

"Don't give me that!" Guo Fumin glared at him.

"From now on, try to connect with people at school more often. Don't always be a loner. If you don't want to go to Zhang Yibai's place, that's fine, but you can never lack connections, understand?"

"I'll do whatever you say..."