Reshaping the landscape of the Chinese entertainment industry

Chapter 73 Kung Fu Panda (First Update)

He Yi'an was, after all, a person who had lived two lives and experienced life and death.

Although somewhat surprised, she decisively controlled her expression, revealing a polite smile that she had learned from Richard, and stepped forward.

"Mr. Steven, Mr. Jeffrey, I didn't expect that Ms. Gong Li would introduce you to me. Good evening."

Spielberg looked him up and down, seemingly surprised by He Yi'an's composure. He rarely sensed this kind of humble yet arrogant attitude in Easterners.

He then stood up and said in slow English, "Ale, I've seen your movie. Although I don't like the core message, it's still quite remarkable considering you're only eighteen and yet you've made such a film."

Being an American, his tone and word choice were full of arrogance.

Of course, this might just be Spielberg's normal attitude towards communicating with people from the East.

After all, he was the one who openly poured cold water on our enthusiasm during the Olympics.

He Yi'an was not interested in him, nor could she say she liked him.

But this guy is a world-renowned director after all. Although He Yi'an won Best Director because of Gong Li, he's not good enough to show off in front of a director of his caliber.

But expecting him to fawn over you is even more impossible.

Maintaining a polite smile, He Yi'an spoke in a neither humble nor arrogant tone: "Thank you for your praise, Mr. Steven. Your 'Schindler's List' and 'Saving Private Ryan' have had a great influence on me, especially the portrayal of humanity in extreme environments, which is something I can learn from the director's expressive perspective."

This answer surprised Spielberg even more.

He clearly hadn't expected that even after he stood up to show his respect, this young Chinese man wouldn't feel the embarrassment of other people his age or the obsequiousness of other Asians when talking to him.

This piqued his interest, and he immediately picked up the conversation, asking, "Have you seen 'Schindler's List'?"

"I've seen it more than once."

There's nothing to object to about that.

Although this is a film made for squid, Seele's actions towards squid are their own business, and as a Chinese person, I don't need to take it too personally.

He was simply studying directing and offering his critique of the film from a director's perspective.

"Furthermore, I noticed that when you were filming that movie, you deliberately restrained the sentimental parts and used calm cinematic language to present the cruelty, letting the audience feel it for themselves. This approach is much more sophisticated than directly trying to make people cry."

"

"At the same time, your use of color in the film is remarkably similar to that of a great writer from our country more than 60 years ago, in the presentation of colors in the film."

He Yi'an, of course, didn't just flatter him; he directly pointed out his most impressive use of color, something that someone in their area had thought of decades ago.

Sure enough, this immediately piqued his interest: "Oh? The visuals and colors? A great writer from over 60 years ago? Who is it?"

"His pen name was Lu Xun. In a novel called 'Medicine,' he used black, white, and red as the first color scheme to describe the society and people of that time, just like the little girl you depicted in the film."

Seeing He Yi'an's confident assertion, Spielberg's attitude softened slightly: "Really? Then I'll have to go and read it!"

"Haha, I'll just send Mr. Steven a copy later!" After sensing the change in the other party's attitude, He Yi'an also took the opportunity to back down.

Spielberg laughed along, then turned to Gong Li and said, "Gong, you're quite something, kid."

Gong Li smiled slightly: "Mr. Steven, as I said, he is a genius junior, and he is indeed extraordinary."

.

This time, Spielberg did not deny her statement.

Katzenberg, who had been silently observing, stood up and looked sharply at He Yi'an: "Ale, I've seen your film too, but I don't think you're someone who only wants to make art films."

"Oh? What do you mean?"

"Your cinematic language has the genes of commercial films, with a strong sense of rhythm and precise timing of emotional moments."

As one of the DreamWorks executives who has been in Hollywood for so many years, judging the quality and structure of a film is incredibly easy for him.

He Yi'an never imagined that his editing skills could fool these discerning Hollywood veterans.

"Mr. Jeffrey is right," he admitted. "I have never thought that business and art are opposites."

Good commercial films are art in themselves, and good art films should also have commercial value.

"I just want to make good movies. Whether they are art films or commercial films is a label that others put on them."

Katzenberger wasn't one for empty talk; he simply nodded at He Yi'an's statement without saying anything more.

At this point, Gong Li invited everyone to sit down again.

After everyone sat down again, Gong Li sat next to He Yi'an and quickly introduced in a low voice: "Steven and Jeffrey came to Venice this time to select films, and they thought your film was quite interesting."

He Yi'an nodded, then looked directly at Spielberg and asked, "Mr. Steven, you just said you didn't like the core of my film. So, putting aside those things you dislike for now, what do you think of my film?"

"Set aside the controversy? An interesting idea."

Spielberg thought for a moment and said seriously, "Your film reminds me of how I felt when I watched Akira Kurosawa when I was young. That Eastern-style use of silence and restraint doesn't rely on dialogue and plot to drive emotions, but rather on visuals..."

It relies on lighting and shadows, and on the actors' eyes.

"Moreover, if you remove the negative plot points," he paused, "your film has real people in it," not symbolic figures, not mere tools, but living, breathing people. Some directors can't achieve that in their entire careers."

"Of course, if you can direct your criticism at those in power, I think the characters in your movies will become more vivid."

He Yi'an never expected to be praised.

However, He Yi'an completely ignored his final nonsense and simply expressed his gratitude: "Mr. Steven, you flatter me."

Seeing that He Yi'an ignored his suggestion, Spielberg's idea of ​​exchanging ideas vanished immediately. However, he still asked, "I was just talking to Gong about a movie, and she said that your next movie has already been cast with Gong?"

He Yi'an nodded: "Yes, filming will begin next January."

"Could you give me a brief overview?"

He Yi'an briefly explained the structure and presentation to him, without going into the specific plot.

Spielberg nodded thoughtfully, without asking any further questions: "Gong, the filming schedule for this movie doesn't conflict with my movie."

After he finished speaking, he stopped talking.

Seeing that the atmosphere was getting a bit awkward, Gong Li tried to ease the tension, but then Katzenberg spoke up: "Ale, you just talked about commercial and art films, so what do you think of animated films?"

He Yi'an was overjoyed; he had been worried about not finding a starting point.

It is said that opportunities are given to those who have them, and those who don't have opportunities shouldn't bother preparing.

He Yi'an felt that he had encountered an opportunity; he had originally thought it would take several years to push the project forward.

I never expected to run into you by chance today.

Controlling his facial expression, He Yi'an said calmly, "I think the animated film market has great potential, and I have a complete concept."

"Oh?" Katzenberger became interested. "Tell me about it."

He Yi'an didn't speak immediately. Instead, he looked around the room and saw a pen and a stack of sticky notes on the coffee table, so he picked them up.

"Mr. Jeffrey, do you know about pandas in our country?"

Katzenberg nodded: "Of course, your national treasure is loved by people in many countries around the world, and I love it too."

"That's good," He Yi'an said, while quickly drawing on a sticky note, "Pandas are unique to China. They are black and white, round and chubby, and naturally have an endearing and comical appearance."

"But in traditional Chinese culture, pandas are not just cute animals; they also have a deeper symbolic meaning."

He drew the outline of a panda on the paper, and then drew the shape of a yin-yang symbol in the inner circle.

"In Chinese philosophy, black and white represent Yin and Yang. When Yin and Yang are in harmony, all things coexist. The black and white of the panda is itself an Eastern philosophical metaphor."

Upon noticing the storyboards and figures drawn by He Yi'an, Katzenberg, who had initially paid no attention, began to focus intently.

"The story I envisioned," He Yi'an continued, "is about a panda. It's fat and clumsy, and all it does is eat all day, but it has a dream: to become a martial arts master."

"A martial arts master?" Katzenberg repeated.

"Yes, like the kind of master in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

He Yi'an drew a few simple storyboards on the paper: "It learns from a master, goes through hardships, and finally discovers that the secret to becoming a master is not strength or speed, but finding one's true self."

"—Its master is an old raccoon, its adversary is a snow leopard, and its companions are the Furious Five: tiger, mantis, snake, crane, and monkey."

"Each character has a different personality and martial arts style. The tiger is fierce, the mantis is agile, the snake is supple, the crane is light, and the monkey is nimble. As for the panda, its style is to use softness to overcome hardness and to use the opponent's force against them."

He Yi'an's pen never stopped, and one storyboard sketch after another flowed from his pen.

Katzenberg leaned closer to look, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

"Are all these characters animals?" he asked.

"Yes," He Yi'an nodded, "all presented using animals."

"This approach combines the charm of anthropomorphism with the preservation of the natural characteristics of animals, and since animals have no nationality..."

There are no racial or cultural barriers; the whole world can understand it.

He paused, then added, "I've finished polishing the script, and I've also registered the script and character copyrights in my country and Hollywood. I've even made samples of the related items. If I hadn't forgotten to bring them this time, I think I could have shown you the real thing."

"Of course, before I do all that, I also plan to conduct research in multiple locations around the world to gather real information —"

After He Yi'an finished speaking, the room was quiet for a few seconds.

"Doing research? Ale, it seems you're not just saying this casually, but have been well-prepared."

Katzenberg looked up at He Yi'an, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"How long have you been working on this idea?"

He Yi'an thought for a moment: "About two years. My partner, Richard Novett, is already doing preliminary research, including the global popularity of pandas, the market potential for animated films, and the possibility of developing related products."

"If you are interested, I can send you the project proposal."

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