Huayu: This producer has no bottom line.

Chapter 117 Passionate People

After hanging up the phone, Ren Pingsheng glanced at Nazha through the glass.

The little girl was still the same, head down, holding a copy of "An Actor Prepares," completely still.

After thinking about what Xiao Shenyang was talking about, he realized that it was essentially desensitization training, which is based on the same principle as the academic approach of liberating one's natural instincts.

To put it bluntly, it means the same thing: to make you completely numb to the idea of ​​being embarrassed.

One was forced into it by the need to survive, while the other was coaxed into it by a teacher.

But Naza's situation doesn't fit either of those categories.

She was indeed under pressure to treat her father's illness, but that was a completely different matter from the fact that she would die if she didn't act.

She's, after all, an 18-year-old girl who's been relatively well protected by her family since childhood. It's unrealistic to expect her to suddenly become the kind of person who's willing to risk everything.

Taking the proper route is even less likely to work.

If you really send her to film school to start from scratch, by the time she comes out after four years, it will be too late.

Moreover, once she goes to school, she will most likely revert to the wooden beauty she was in her previous life.

Formal training can teach her voice, acting, and physical expression, but it will also wear away the little bit of talent she has left.

So, we still have to use some unconventional methods to get over the hurdle of not daring to act first. As for whether the performance is good or not, that's a matter for later.

Besides, not all actors have to rely on acting skills to make a living. This face is enough.

Ren Pingsheng pushed open the door and walked out.

"Nazha".

The girl's shoulders twitched, and she almost dropped the book. She hurriedly stood up.

"Director Ren."

"Stop reading for now. Starting tomorrow, you don't need to go to the performance with Qiao Xiang anymore."

As soon as she finished speaking, Naza's face turned pale instantly.

Should we stop following?

Is it because they think she's stupid and want to give up on her?

"Director Ren, did I do something wrong? I can change..." Her voice was already trembling with tears.

"No, I'm giving you a new task," Ren Pingsheng was amused by her reaction, "Starting tomorrow, you'll go out on the street and ask people for directions."

"Huh?" Naza was stunned. "Asking...for directions?"

"Yes, ask for directions," Ren Pingsheng nodded seriously. "Just look for those elderly people who are strolling on the streets, dancing in the square, or exercising in the park. The more free time they have, the better. Tell them you're a tourist in Yanjing and ask them where to go for fun and where to eat."

Naza opened her mouth, but for a moment she didn't know what to say.

Seeing her still bewildered expression, Ren Pingsheng joked, "This is a good opportunity for you to get familiar with Yanjing, so that you won't have to send people all over the city to look for you if you ever get lost."

Naza blushed, and although she was full of doubts, she obediently nodded, "Okay, I understand."

Seeing that she sat back down, Ren Pingsheng didn't say anything more.

For a girl like Nazha, asking her to do animal imitations right away, like meowing like a cat or crawling like a dog, will only make her more embarrassed.

The most appropriate thing to do at this stage is to let her do something normal in a normal environment.

Asking for directions is something everyone has done; there's nothing shameful about it.

But for an introverted girl who gets nervous even talking to her colleagues, taking the initiative to strike up a conversation with a stranger is already a huge step.

As for the remaining 99 steps...

Ren Pingsheng believed that the elderly people in Yanjing would help him sort it out.

The enthusiasm of these people is outrageous; if you ask for directions, they can talk to you for half an hour about the history of Beijing.

If you say you want to eat Peking duck, they'd love to take you there themselves and tell you all about the history of Qianmen along the way.

Moreover, Nazha's face...

Which elderly person would refuse such a pretty young girl?

The fear is that it won't be that Nazha is afraid to speak, but that the elderly folks will be too enthusiastic and she won't be able to leave even if she wants to.

After dealing with Nazha's matter, Ren Pingsheng's attention returned to his work.

The money from Tencent and Baidu has been deposited into the regulatory account, and they are just waiting for the final business registration change to be completed.

The buzz surrounding "Old Boys" continues to grow, with Shengping TV receiving hundreds of collaboration emails daily, and Dapeng and Baike's performance fees changing every single day.

All these complicated business matters were left to Wang Li, while Ren Pingsheng sat in front of the computer, staring at the screen.

In the video, a man named Li Xianji is playing a video game.

To win back his lost girlfriend, he repeatedly fought through levels and traveled through the river of time, acting like a madman.

The business card Yin Le handed him at the Potato Image Festival was still on his desk.

After returning home, he rewatched the original animation.

twenty minutes.

In just twenty minutes, a story spanning decades was told, and with its boundless imagination, it made the audience both thrilled and moved to tears.

This is why it was deified.

But what about the live-action version that Guo Fan filmed in his previous life?

Ren Pingsheng shook his head.

In order to meet the runtime requirements for theatrical release, a lot of foreshadowing and irrelevant subplots had to be crammed into the originally tight story.

Li Xianji's daily life, his relationships with his colleagues, and some inexplicable action scenes...

Each segment is passable on its own, but when put together, they resemble an old woman's foot binding cloth.

Many viewers felt that the first half was too dull and they couldn't understand what it was about. When it finally got to the main point, the long build-up in the beginning forced them to rush the later parts, resulting in a rushed climax and insufficient emotional build-up.

There are also some changes that have been heavily criticized by fans of the original work.

This change, taken alone, may seem harmless, but it destroys the idea that only a madman would do something like that in the original work.

But it is precisely because of its madness that it is so moving.

What's the point of replacing your arm with a metal one?

Is it a superhero movie?

In general, while appropriate expansion can certainly fill the gaps in animated short films, it doesn't have to be as long and tedious as a feature film.

This is very embarrassing.

If it's too short, it won't fit; if it's too long, it'll rot.

Ren Pingsheng leaned back, his fingers tapping the table unconsciously.

To get released in theaters, you need to increase the runtime.

To increase the runtime, you have to cram things in.

If you stuff things in, the rhythm breaks down.

If the rhythm breaks down, everything is over.

This is a vicious cycle.

"unless..."

He murmured something, and his fingers stopped.

"Unless the goal wasn't to get it into theaters from the beginning?"

The moment the thought popped into his head, he sat up straight.

Yup!

As long as it's not shown in theaters, there's no need to artificially pad the runtime.

The story can breathe freely, as long or as short as it needs to be.

Whether it's thirty minutes or forty minutes, as long as the story is told coherently, who cares how many minutes it takes?

If not in theaters, where should we put it?

The answer came almost reflexively.

Youth Image Project.

This is perfect for submitting to the Youth Image competition!

He was previously worried about what kind of work he should make to stand out from the many contestants.

School violence?

The subject matter was profound, but risky, and he himself wasn't satisfied with the script.

Whiplash?

The requirements for actors are too demanding; it's impossible to find suitable people in a short period of time.

But "Li Xianji" is different!

Once freed from the constraints of time, this story can be told beautifully.

It retains the rhythm and atmosphere of the original animation while also providing ample space to develop the characters' emotions.

Ren Pingsheng went through the whole story in his mind and the more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.

But here is the problem.

Yin Le and Li Yang are now obsessed with making a big movie that will be released in theaters and make a lot of money.

How can we convince them to give up the big theatrical release and make a short film that won't be shown in theaters?