1991: The Era of Hong Kong Dramas

"I genuinely want to learn from you."

Seeing Huo Sheng hesitate, Ning Wan immediately stood up straight and spoke earnestly.

Why do you want to learn so much?

Huo Sheng looked up at her.

"I'm from Lantau Island, and my family doesn't have any special connections." Ning Wan has a pair of clear, bright eyes that make her look very sincere.

She then explained in detail, "I graduated from CUHK and got a job at TVB as an assistant screenwriter, thinking I could write scripts myself. But when I got here, I found that what I learned in school was not enough at all."

I've been following you around for a month, delivering meals and running errands every day. It's not that I don't want to learn, it's that I don't know where to start.

She paused, then lowered her voice slightly: "I don't want to just drift along like this. I finally got into this industry, and I want to write something truly valuable."

Huo Sheng blinked, silently processing this amount of information.

First of all, he's not particularly averse to this kind of "proactive learning" behavior. If needed, he would do it too, without choosing to act as some kind of noble hero.

After all, the world is so big and there are so many talented people. It's always better to take the initiative to seek appreciation and opportunities than to just wait for a talent scout to come to you. There aren't that many talent scouts in the world.

Even if there are enough horses, they're all lining up to see a discerning eye. Which discerning eye has time to come looking for you?

Secondly, he could see that Ning Wan was a studious and hardworking person, and screenwriting is precisely a profession that requires hard work.

After all, a story is complex and complicated, and it can't be written without some hardship.

Ning Wan was able to get into the Chinese University of Hong Kong, which is known for its elite education, in 1991. This shows how much sweat and tears she had shed and how much hard work she had endured.

This shows that she will not back down easily.

Finally, Huo Sheng also wanted to find a screenwriter with less experience to help him.

The main problem is that he now has to keep up with the schedule, copying at least 10,000 words of scene scripts for each episode. He also has to be on set filming, dealing with the director's and producer's sudden whimsical ideas, which leaves him with no time to spare.

As for improving typing speed, computers are not yet widespread in Hong Kong. A 486 computer costs tens of thousands of Hong Kong dollars, which is equivalent to several months' wages for an average worker.

At TVB, it's a rare find as well.

Now that Ning Wan has volunteered to be an apprentice, it means she's willing to come and be a free laborer, someone who can be exploited at will—helping him with scriptwriting and doing other trivial tasks will undoubtedly improve his efficiency and free him from his desk.

There are quite a few benefits.

The problem is, he and Ning Wan are about the same age, and he feels that it's really going too far to be her teacher. And even if he agrees to let Ning Wan study here... would he really be making her do all this for nothing?

I definitely need to teach them something, but can I teach them well based solely on the summary papers I've written since I was born?

It would be so embarrassing if I ended up scamming them...

Huo Sheng remained silent, his mind racing as he analyzed the pros and cons.

Ning Wan looked at him and added, "Please give me a chance! If it doesn't work out, I'll leave and won't waste your time."

Having said all that, Huo Sheng hesitated for a moment, then said tentatively, "I can try to teach you... but I can't guarantee whether it will be effective."

He had to be upfront about the unpleasant aspects, as this was his first time being a teacher.

Ning Wan breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this and bowed deeply, saying, "You're too modest. Please believe me, I will try my best!"

Huo Sheng stared at her for a while, then pondered for a moment: "How about this, you come with me to prepare the scene scripts for 'The Great Era' first. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me, and I'll try my best to answer them."

Ning Wan was overjoyed and said with a smile, "Thank you, Teacher Huo!"

Huo Sheng didn't respond; he was still a little conflicted.

But since he had already agreed, he didn't want to waste any more time. He stood up, informed Yuan Yingming, and gathered the script in his hand: "Let's go, it's too noisy here, let's talk in the office."

Ning Wan quickly followed.

The two walked through the film set, bypassing several groups of crew members dismantling sets, without exchanging much conversation.

Huo Sheng walked ahead at a slow pace, already starting to formulate a plan in his mind.

First, you need to understand your own abilities as an apprentice and set a learning goal. Second, consider whether the goal is realistic and whether you can actually help others. Then, make a plan and break down the required exercises and work into independent tasks in stages. Finally, strictly execute the plan.

He thought about it for a while and felt that the plan was well-formulated and the ideas were clear, which made him feel much more at ease.

Before they knew it, they had arrived at the production building. The corridor was quiet, with only the sound of their footsteps.

"Smack."

Huo Sheng opened the door and reached out to turn on the light.

The office was small and a bit messy, with manuscripts and reference books spread out on the table.

He placed a chair next to his desk, turned around and glanced at Ning Wan, "Sit down, I'll have someone bring in another table tomorrow."

"OK."

Ning Wan obediently sat down, a little nervous, her back ramrod straight.

"Relax, I'm not a very strict person."

"yes!"

Ning Wan immediately responded, but her posture remained unchanged; she was frozen in place, completely immobile.

Huo Sheng shook his head, too lazy to say anything more. He casually pulled out the script for episode eight from the drawer, turned to a page, and handed it over, saying, "Let's test your skills first."

Leaving aside the previous plot, the following story tells of how Fang Zhanbo, after his father was beaten to death by Ding Xie, became despondent and secretly started betting on horse races.

You design the specific plot.

Ning Wan took the script as if it were a treasure, rubbing the cover several times before opening it and looking at it carefully.

After a moment, she looked up, thought for a moment, and said, "I think we should let Fang Zhanbo show his talent in horse racing next, right? After all, he is Fang Jinxin's son."

Huo Sheng listened without commenting, "Indeed, talent is a must, but if he shows his talent now, wouldn't that be too easy?"

While your approach might intensify the conflict by bringing it forward, television narratives rely heavily on structure. Bringing it forward would disrupt the structure, resulting in more harm than good.

"Professor Huo, what structure are you referring to?"

"Well, generally, TV drama creation is divided into three parts, haven't you noticed? This is a bit difficult to explain, let me give you an example..."

He recalled for a moment, picked up a pen and drew on a piece of scrap paper, and laughed: "Let's take 'The Greed of Man' as an example. It has 40 episodes in total, divided into three parts. Episodes 1-6 establish the characters and explain the background; episodes 7-29 create some twists and turns to keep the audience on the edge of their seats; episodes 30-40 advance the main plot and reach the climax."

"Oh, I see. It seems like many plays have this structure."

"Yes, this is a mature experience that has been repeatedly tested by the market. Even if the story is terrible, using this structure can at least ensure that it is not so dragging and boring that it becomes nonsensical, or that it deviates from the main plot."

Ning Wan's eyes lit up, and she quickly took out her notebook from her pocket to take notes.

Huo Sheng finished speaking casually, then, somewhat confused, asked Ning Wan, "Didn't the teacher mention this at school?"

"no."

Ning Wan's eyes lit up. "This is the first time I've ever heard of this!"