Huayu 1999: Starting with nothing but getting something for nothing

Of course, people like Zhang Guoli and Xu Fan, who frequently appear in public, naturally have to praise the "My Sassy Girl" production team.

Unlike that silly girl.

"The producer of 'My Sassy Girl' said that Yang Che could have kept all the money we received for himself. But my brother, my brother Yang Che, said to the producer: 'If you really care, then share it with everyone.'"

Hearing this, Su Chenggang's father turned green with rage. Oh, his father was Huang Jiazuo, the producer of "Wrong Carriage, Right Groom".

In short, the fact that Yang Che earned tens of millions from one movie gradually became widely known, and some people who thought Yang Che was not good enough for Wang Fei also thought it was "not bad"...

The best news for Yang Che was that the girl called him and said that her mother was very happy to find out that Yang Che had bought them a house, and asked her to come back to Beijing so she could have a meal at her home.

The next day, March 22, was the second round of entrance examinations for the directing graduate program at Beijing Film Academy.

More than a month later, Yang Che appeared in a public setting in China for the first time. The last time did not count as being in Japan, because no one recognized him.

Yang Che drove his Grand Cherokee there; the car is quite famous now, mainly because its license plate is very conspicuous.

What makes this car even more conspicuous is that it's an official vehicle of the Beijing Olympic Bid Committee. Back in 93, when they were bidding for the Olympics, it had a special license plate, "beijing2000," and it was incredibly unrestricted. It's pretty much the same now, except Yang Che is much more obedient to traffic rules.

After getting off the bus, Yang Che clearly felt the different gazes from the students at Beijing Film Academy compared to before.

However, most of them were friendly, and Yang Che responded with a smile.

To his surprise, he saw Zhang Yimou's future wife, Chen Ting, who was looking at him together with Huang Xiaolei beside her.

The girl was indeed beautiful, with a round face and big eyes that made her look endearing.

However, Yang Che remained unfazed until he heard a shout: "Boss Yang, keep it up!"

Yang Che stopped in his tracks: "Hey? Biyou, you didn't go to Yangzhou?"

Upon seeing this, Wang Huijuan, also known as Juanzi, quickly walked up to him and whispered with a smile, "Are you coming to visit me on set next month?"

Yang Che twitched his lips: "We'll see when the time comes."

Juanzi smiled, waved, offered another word of blessing, and walked away.

Speaking of TV dramas in 2000, the highest-rated was "Journey to the West: The Sequel," followed by "Spring Bright Pigsy," and then "Journey to the West: The Legend Continues"...

Juanzi gained some popularity with her role as Biyou Fairy. Of course, her role as Princess Changping in "Wrong Carriage, Right Groom" was also decided last year, just like the chubby girl in "My Sassy Girl" who hasn't been released yet.

Taking another step forward, he unexpectedly encountered Zhao Zhetian, with Chen Kun beside him.

I've been to the Beijing Film Academy so many times, but this is the first time I've met this person.

Chen Kun took the initiative to greet him, calling him "Brother Che".

Yang Che walked over with a smile, exchanged a few pleasantries with Chen Kun, and then looked at Zhao Zhetian: "Hello!"

Zhao Zhetian smiled and nodded, then asked, "Hello!"

She felt a little wistful. She had gone to see "My Sassy Girl" in the cinema, and just as she had thought when she first read the script, it was so popular with audiences.

Chen Kun then asked, "Brother Che, is there a suitable role for me in the new film?"

Yang Che looked at him and said, "No, you're too handsome."

Chen Kun's expression froze.

Zhao Zhetian maintained a composed smile throughout, showing none of the lively and clever demeanor people expected of him; instead, he exuded calmness and confidence.

Yang Che waved his hand, turned around and walked towards the screening room. The exam was about to start in fifteen minutes.

A total of 25 people entered the second round of interviews, and 6 were selected from 25.

Today's exam was still in English, but the format was different.

I've included clips from five very old European art films, all in English with no subtitles. Then I've written the plot and the themes each film conveys in English...

Yang Che had no problem hearing, but writing was a bit difficult for him.

Then came a one-on-one English oral Q&A session. Yang Che was speaking with a female teacher surnamed Ren, who was around forty years old and always had a smile on her face.

Spoken English is simpler compared to Yang Che's.

After the self-introductions, Teacher Ren asked, "Who is your favorite foreign director? What do you like about him?"

"Mikhail Karatozov's films are poetry, prose; he moves audiences with strong emotional color, making the images speak for themselves. His use of long takes is still among the world's best."

Then, Teacher Ren changed the subject and asked about some plot points in "My Sassy Girl".

We chatted for about three to five minutes, and then the first day of exams was over.

The second day consisted of two written exams, three hours in the morning and three hours in the afternoon.

The morning session involved writing the director's concept and creating at least 12 storyboard frames, taking into account the current social context and social phenomena.

Yang Che lazily wrote "Car Forty-Four," which is about highway robbers and bandits.

The afternoon assignment was to write a short film script of no more than 3000 words on the theme of "perseverance".

This person wrote "Fifteen Seconds Before Death," emphasizing perseverance and achieving a counterattack before death. It doesn't matter if you don't remember the details, the gist is simply luring the murderer to destroy evidence, then being electrocuted.

The third day is a comprehensive professional interview, accounting for 70% of the score, with an average of 10 minutes per person.

There were five examiners in total, lined up in front of Yang Che: Xie Fei, Xu Tongjun, Wang Xinyu, Xie Xiaojin, and Hou Keming.

Yang Che's exam number was 16. After submitting his scripts "My Robot Girlfriend" and "Myth", he began his self-introduction, which included explaining why he wanted to take the directing exam. He didn't try anything unconventional; he simply said he wanted to learn how to make movies.

Unexpectedly, the first question interviewer Wang Xinyu asked with a stern face was: "You once said in an interview that making movies is easier than painting, which is why you entered this industry. Why?"

Yang Che's lips twitched, but the other four interviewers burst out laughing.

Yang Che thought for a moment and said, "That's right. China's accession to the WTO is a foregone conclusion. Opening up trade channels will inevitably lead to tremendous economic development in China. And economic development will inevitably bring about cultural prosperity. As the most representative cultural carrier in the last hundred years, film will naturally be the first to prosper."

For example, after World War I, Hollywood in the United States ushered in a golden age of more than 20 years; after World War II, Italy, whose economy was the first to recover, contributed the Neorealist movement to the world, which still has an influence today; the rise of the French economy brought about a new wave; and Germany brought about the New Cinema movement.

On the Asian side, there were Japanese films that influenced the world in the 1960s and 70s, and Hong Kong and Taiwanese films in the 1980s and 90s.

That would be the case.

Most importantly, the public is the judge in the film industry. I don't need to beg or grovel to anyone to achieve success. "My Sassy Girl" proves this point.