The King of Directors 2000

Chapter 528: Advantages of "Parasite"
The weather in September changes very quickly. Yesterday it was relatively hot, but today it may drop by seven to eight degrees.

Li Shengyao is a person who is more afraid of heat. He doesn't like to be sweaty and sticky.

The weather in Yanjing has been much cooler in recent days, which makes him feel more creative.

The script for "Parasite" was finally finished, and he then made several copies and sent them for review.

This movie will be shot on Hong Kong Island and released as a co-production, so the review will be relatively relaxed.

If it cannot pass the censorship, then Lee Sheng-yew will do the next best thing and turn it into a Hong Kong film and enter the mainland market as a foreign film.

This morning, it had just rained lightly and the wind was cool.

It's very quiet here in the DC area, most people are at work.

Li Shengyao was accompanying Chen Hao when he received a call from Lao Mouzi, saying he was coming to visit.

Soon after, Li Shengyao met Lao Mouzi, Yan Gexi and Zhang Mo.

Lao Mouzi's "Jinling Thirteen Hairpins" has completed post-production and will be released during this year's Lunar New Year.

He should have been relatively free in the past three or two months and could take a break.

At this time, he was wearing an Anta sportswear and a pair of sneakers. He looked very ordinary, like a retired man from the street.

Zhang Mo is more fashionable, wearing a long-sleeved shirt, a pair of wide-leg trousers, small high heels, and a ponytail, looking very smart.

Yan Gexi was more formal, wearing a casual suit and a pair of leather shoes.

She looks to be in her forties, and she must have been pretty when she was young.

Now that I am getting older, although I have a lot more wrinkles, my temperament is still there.

Li Shengyao had met Yan Gexin before, but it was just a nod and no in-depth conversation.

He has not even read Yan Geyi's novels, but he has seen all the movies such as "Return", "Jinling Thirteen Hairpins", "Youth" and so on.

This person can leave his name in the history of Chinese film.

Zhang Mo also held two gift boxes in his hand.

Li Shengyao and Chen Hao greeted them together. Chen Hao was inconvenient and went to rest after meeting. It was mainly Li Shengyao who received the reception.

After Chen Hao became pregnant, her family invited an aunt, and someone brought tea and a fruit plate.

Li Shengyao and Lao Mouzi exchanged a few words, but before they got into the topic, Yan Gexi took the lead and said: "Director Li, I heard that you are preparing a very exciting movie that reflects the story of real society. Can you let me watch it?"

There is no secret that cannot be told about "Parasite".

When Han Sanping and Cheng Long came to visit Lee Sheng Yew before, they naturally talked about his upcoming film production.

He just told me his plan and the theme of the movie.

Naturally, Han Sanping, Cheng Long and others mainly praised it, so the script of this movie became more and more mysterious, and everything was said.

Yan Gexi is a novelist and screenwriter.

Maybe she can see some of the shortcomings of Parasite.

After hearing this, Li Shengyao stood up and took out the script, "Teacher Yan, help me take a look. If there is anything not good enough, just tell me."

Yan Gexin immediately said she didn't dare. She then stood up, left the sofa, walked out of the living room, went to the yard, and sat down on the stone bench.

Lao Mouzi smiled and said, "That's just how she is. She likes to read articles quietly by herself."

Li Shengyao naturally didn't care.

He sat down and continued chatting with Lao Mou and his daughter.

"Director Li, I've been a little confused recently. I haven't found a story that interests me yet."

After the Olympics, Lao Mouzi successively filmed "Legend of Three Guns", "Love at the Hawthorn Tree", and "The Thirteen Beauties of Jinling". He tried comedy, pure love, and blockbusters of the country. It is a business, art, and then to the business cycle.

"Legend of Three Guns" had a very bad reputation, while "The Hawthorn Tree" had a much better reputation.

Now comes "Jinling Thirteen Hairpins". The script of this movie is much more complete, but the protagonists of the story are a group of romantic women. There is no doubt that it will be another bloody incident when it is released.

Lao Mouzi is 61 years old. He has watched countless movies and has a high threshold. Up to now, he has tried almost all kinds of subjects. It is completely understandable that he has not found a story that interests him yet.

Li Shengyao naturally knew that Lao Mouzi would take a break for half a year and then prepare for "The Return", returning to literary films again.

Zhang Mo continued at this time: "Director Li, please advise my dad. He is always worried about the bad reputation of "Jinling Thirteen Hairpins" and he can't sleep well."

When Lao Mouzi faced reporters, no matter how difficult the other party's questions were, he always smiled and looked kind.

But judging from his experience in making movies, he actually cares about the outside world's opinions.

The reputation of "Legend of Three Guns" collapsed, and Lao Mouzi subsequently produced "The Love of the Hawthorn Tree" to prove that he would maintain his original aspirations.

"The Thirteen Hairpins" caused great controversy. Lao Mouzi then produced "Return". This movie praises love. Both the male and female protagonists prove their attitudes by persevering and waiting. Isn't it just showing Lao Mouzi's own love? He believes that he can stick to the idea, and time will prove that "The Thirteen Hairpins of Jinling" is a good movie.

Li Shengyao smiled, then nodded and said: "Director Zhang, don't think so much. I don't know what to shoot now, so just rest for a while. When "The Thirteen Beauties" is released, maybe you will have an idea."

After hearing this, Lao Mouzi thought for a while and asked: "Director Li, what do you think the future direction of commercial films in the mainland will be?"

Lee Sung-yew is Asia's most successful commercial film director.

This is the consensus of the Asian film and television industry.

"1937" has been released in Europe and the United States. It is expected to earn US$2000 million in beautiful countries and US$2000 million in Europe.

Although the total overseas box office is definitely not as good as "Taken", it is already very miraculous in the eyes of many people that a movie that reflects the Songhu War can earn tens of millions of dollars at the box office.

When Zhang Mo heard Lao Mouzi's words, he immediately turned around and looked over.

Li Shengyao smiled and then said: "No matter what time it is, aesthetic direction is closely related to economic conditions.

Our country is now richer and stronger, and the people are more confident. Movies that reflect Chinese heroes will be popular, such as mythological themes, Sun Wukong, Nezha, Xu Xian and White Snake.

In addition, the same is true for movies that reflect modern heroes. For example, Rambo, a captain of the Magnesium Kingdom in "First Blood", can still be popular if the setting and nationality are changed to tell the story of a Chinese captain.

There are also comedy movies. Although people are more affluent now, the highly developed Internet has brought a lot of anxiety to the people. Comedies will be very popular, and audiences need comedies to relieve their emotions. "

He paused and then said: "However, I don't recommend making costume comedies. There is no sense of substitution in this genre. It is easier to be substituted in modern comedies.

In addition, there are emotional movies between men and women that have caused great discussion. Nowadays, the problem between men and women is becoming more and more serious. Many people do not know how to fall in love and do not want to fall in love, but they are willing to watch this type of movie and they want to vent their emotions in the movie. "

When Lao Mouzi heard this, he frowned slightly.

None of the three genres mentioned by Lee Sing-yew are what he is good at, so will his movies become less and less popular?

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Li Shengyao sitting calmly aside. Lao Mouzi couldn't help but think about it carefully. It seemed that Li Shengyao was not very good at these three subjects.

Lee Sheng Yew has never filmed this type of Captain China.

As for comedies, Lee Sheng-yew has filmed "The Hangover". Although this movie is a hit in Europe and the United States, there is a huge gap between Chinese and European and American comedies. "The Hangover" has not been released in the mainland, and its reputation is not good.As for the topic of relationships between men and women, Li Shengyao also did not touch on it.

So why is Director Li so calm? Was he prepared?
"Director Li, do you want to make these three types of movies?"

"I can invest, but I probably won't be able to direct these three types of movies myself."

Just like the captain of the Chinese team, he was naturally handed over to Wu Jing for filming, and Li Shengyao could still make money by investing in it.

The same goes for comedy, leave it to Shen Teng to shoot and he will invest.

As for movies about the relationship between men and women, such as "The Next Us", the "Ex" series, and "A Story More Sad Than Sad", such messed-up movies have really high box office, really low cost, and really poor quality. Watch He was irresponsible physically and mentally for a minute, and he was a little unsure whether he should just waste money.

Lao Mouzi was stunned when he heard this, and then asked: "Do you still focus on feature films?"

"Well, it's mainly feature films. I have a hunch that there may be more than a billion, 20 billion, 30 billion, or 50 billion movies in the future. If you pursue box office, there will definitely be someone better than me on this track. , there is no victorious general. I want to make some interesting movies. I hope that 30 years later, when film school students discuss movies, they will talk about my movies."

Li Shengyao's tone was sincere and his eyes were open, and he did not shy away from eye contact with Lao Mouzi.

He knew that Li Shengyao was telling the truth.

Lao Mouzi felt a power from Li Shengyao.

Director Li can be himself, and so can I.

Zhang Mo sat on one side with admiration in his eyes.

She felt that Lee Sheng-yew was abandoning the field of commercial films and wanted to make films that could compete for awards.

In today's environment, it is undoubtedly very difficult.

In particular, Li Shengyao is not from the generation of Lao Mouzi and Brother Kaizi.

The three major European countries prefer movies that reflect dark realities, but such movies will not be popular with mainland audiences. People will think that they are vilifying China.

Li Shengyao was so young, and Zhang Mo felt that Li Shengyao could not make films that reflected the difficult life in rural areas and the old times.

And excluding such a major category, telling stories after the millennium, the three major European movies did not like it.

It's impossible for the next movie, like "1937", to have such an innovation as one shot, right?
The three of them chatted for a while, and Lao Mouzi got a choice from Li Shengyao. He was about to leave, but he saw that Yan Geyi was still reading the script.

"Old Yan, have you finished reading?"

"not yet."

Yan Gexin raised his head and glared at Lao Mouzi, very dissatisfied with him for interrupting his reading of the script.

Lao Mouzi was not surprised, "How long will it take?"

"This script is very good. I want to read it slowly."

Yan Geyan paused, "Come and take a look, maybe you can find creative inspiration."

Hearing this, Lao Mouzi looked at Zhang Mo, then stood up and went over to read the script.

Li Shengyao saw it and smiled: "Look, let's eat here at noon. Anyway, it's just a few more pairs of bowls and chopsticks."

Yan Geyi, Lao Mouzi, and Zhang Mo sat down to read the script. They were really fascinated by it as soon as they read it. Then they had lunch at Li Shengyao's house and watched it until 02:30 in the afternoon before finishing it.

Yan Gexin clapped his hands and said: "Director Li, this script of yours is really good. It is better than "1937", "Sicario", and "Punch, Dad". As long as the judges are not blind, this script of yours will definitely be a success. Can win a prize.”

In Lee Sheng-yew's previous life, "Parasite" won the Oscar for Best Screenplay, Best Film, Best Director, and Best Nationality Film.

And in Cannes, he won the Palme d'Or.

It's not that the Cannes judges think the script of "Parasite" is not good, but that few films in Cannes can win two awards at the same time, unless there is a breakthrough innovation.

Just like what Yan Gexin said, the script of "Parasite" is indeed very good. To put it bluntly, this script is even qualified to compete for the best after the millennium.

Yan Gexi continued: "Lazy, greedy, despicable poor people, seemingly kind, motivated, generous rich people, your story is full of thinking about the world, care for human nature, and it is the kind of narrative model that the West likes. ,very exciting."

In the story of "Parasite", the poor are indeed lazy, incompetent, and greedy, while the rich seem a bit silly.

This movie is about the poor, the rich, and the classes. It is not an exaggeration to say that it has humanistic concerns.

As for the narrative mode that the West likes, this is very true.

When Lao Mouzi and Zhang Mo heard this, they both raised their heads and looked at Yan Gexin.

"This script is a common entry in the Western novel world."

The so-called entering the hall literally means entering the lobby, and then entering the inner room, which means taking a step further.

Western novels especially like this way of writing to describe and shape characters.

Just like the plot at the beginning of "Parasite", the male protagonist's family gathered together to chat and spank. The male protagonist was sitting in the middle, looking like I'm awesome, I'm great, but a drunkard came over and in their house He peed next to the window, but he didn't dare to point it out, which highlighted the fact that the male protagonist pretended to be the boss in front of his family, but was actually very weak.

Another example is when my son’s classmate came over. This classmate introduced his son to work as a tutor in a wealthy family, and also gave him landscape stones. At this point in the plot, it seems that this classmate is really kind-hearted.

As a result, his classmate soon revealed his real purpose. This person was going to study abroad, but he still missed the rich man's daughter. The reason why he introduced the male protagonist's son was because he felt that the male protagonist's son would not threaten him, and the rich man's daughter could not be with the male protagonist. If the hero's son has an idea, he can easily handle it.

First establish an image, and then quickly dig out the deep-seated characteristics of the character. This is the so-called entry into the room.

Chinese novels like to reflect characters' personalities through intense conflicts.

Western novels like to express things directly and in very obvious words.

Almost all the characters in "Parasite" are like this. In just a few minutes, their personalities are quickly and clearly revealed.

For example, the former nanny of a rich man's family was thought to be a love interest at first, but after seeing through the hero's family's plan, his face immediately changed.

Another example is the rich man, who seems kind and generous, but that is without threatening him. When he finds a pair of women's underwear in the back seat of the car, he immediately falls out. He does not allow the poor to cross the line.

When the actor offered him the job of driver for the first time, he held up a cup of coffee. He was actually testing the actor's driving skills. If the coffee spilled slightly, it goes without saying that the actor would definitely not be hired.

Relatively speaking, Western novels create characters more directly and quickly. In film script creation, this method makes it easier for the audience to remember the characters.

"Parasite" grossed US$[-] billion at the global box office and was a huge hit.

In addition to the fact that the story background can be indulged in all directions, another very important point is that the character creation is very good, fast and precise.

Mainland creators should learn from this.

Let's not talk about "Tiny Times", a bad movie with several stories but lackluster character creation.

Even in many excellent movies, the character creation is very poor, often with only one characteristic, flat and no tension.

When Yan Gexin talked about the professional field, he spoke clearly and clearly, and then analyzed the character creation of "Parasite" in detail. Hearing Lao Mouzi and Zhang Mo nod repeatedly, they looked at Li Shengyao with even more admiration.

Finally, Yan Gexin said: "Director Li, this movie of yours will definitely be a "1937"-level movie, and it might even win the Grand Prix at Cannes."

Upon hearing this, Li Shengyao smiled and said: "With your good words, I hope to win the Palme d'Or twice in a row."

(End of this chapter)