The Wind of China Entertainment 2005

Chapter 616 Metamorphosis

"Hey, be careful when you walk!" Ning Hao rubbed his shoulders.

He looked down and noticed a drawing lying at his feet, of an elevator leading directly into the vast space.

He looked around curiously for a few seconds, then turned around and saw a man bending over to pick up a book from the ground.

When the other person stood up, Ning Hao could see clearly that he was about 1.8 meters tall, with a beard and wearing glasses.

"Here!" He handed over the drawing in his hand: "It's a good drawing."

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Guo Fan bent down to take it and apologized repeatedly.

As a big director, Ning Hao would not get angry over such a small matter: "Are you okay?"

"It's okay, I'm fine." Guo Fan looked up and pretended to be surprised: "Director Ning! Director Ning, how are you?"

"I'm fine too. Be more careful next time."

Ning Hao said hello and was about to leave, but he caught a glimpse of the cover of the book in Guo Fan's hand. It looked very familiar and his heart was moved.

Thinking of the previous draft, he stopped and asked: "Do you like "The Three-Body Problem" too?"

"Yes."

Guo Fan was a little embarrassed: "In 09, Senior Brother Lu recommended this novel on Weibo. I had just been admitted to Beijing Film Academy and was working on a script for a play.

I didn’t understand the plot that day and was in a bad mood. I happened to see that Weibo post and bought a copy. I didn’t expect that I couldn’t stop reading it. Now I read it every now and then.”

Hearing this, Ning Hao raised his chin slightly, squinted his eyes, and scanned the six-meter-wide road in front of him.

All these coincidences made him suspicious. It was such a wide road, but it happened to hit him.

Moreover, Guo Fan’s words just now revealed a lot of information.

He started writing scripts right after being admitted to Beijing Film Academy, demonstrating his identity and creative ability, and also mentioned Lu Yuan.

In addition, he had talked about Liu Cixin's "Rural Teacher" and "The Three-Body Problem" series in front of the media.

This guy might be coming for me, Ning Hao thought to himself.

He came here with Lu Yuan today with the intention of signing contracts with several potential directors.

I have just watched quite a few short films shot by alumni of the directing department, and am now hesitating about the candidate.

"Oh, you are from Class 09?" Ning Hao became interested.

"Yes, my name is Guo Fan!"

The Directing Department of Beijing Film Academy only admits about 20 students each year, including graduate students, doctoral students, and master's students.

Ning Hao tried hard to recall the other person's name, but had no impression of it.

Seeing this, Guo Fan smiled and introduced himself: "Director Ning, I'm from the Production Management Department."

"Department of Management?" Ning Hao raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"After graduating from high school, I studied at Hainan University Law School and completed my studies in 03. It was not until 09 that I decided to apply for the Beijing Film Academy," Guo Fan explained in detail.

"Your experience of transferring from the law department of a 211 college to the film management department is truly legendary." Ning Hao said with a joking tone.

His curiosity was fully aroused: "How did you come up with the idea of ​​making a movie?"

Seeing him like this, Guo Fan was secretly delighted, thinking that the fish had taken the bait.

“When I was about 15 years old, I watched Terminator 2 directed by Cameron, and the images in that movie opened my eyes.

At that time, I wanted to be a director and make science fiction movies when I grew up.

Unexpectedly, in the year of the college entrance examination, Beijing Film Academy did not recruit students in my area, so I had to choose law as my major.

But within half a month of entering university, I began to regret it.

The most important thing in life is not to let yourself down. What is the meaning of life? It is to do something you like.

The future that lies ahead of me terrifies me.

I began to ask myself, when I am old, what will I regret not doing when I was young?
In the end, I came to the conclusion that maybe the movie wasn’t made.

So I worked part-time and bought a video camera, and spent the whole day shooting short films in the law school.

After graduating from college, I joined a media company and worked in post-production.

Because I had a good foundation in painting and had worked in several film crews, after several years of training, I felt the time was right and everything was ready, so I applied for the Beijing Film Academy in 09. ”

Ning Hao listened silently and asked, "Do you like science fiction very much?"

Guo Fan hummed.

Ning Hao's eyes lingered on him and he said, "There is no soil for science fiction films in the domestic market at present."

In the United States, most of the top ten box office movies are science fiction blockbusters. In contrast, domestic science fiction movies have always been lacking.

In Ning Hao's opinion, the reason for the huge difference between Chinese and American science fiction works lies in the fact that the two countries' civilization systems are completely different.

China is an agricultural civilization, while the United States is a maritime civilization.

Many times, the Chinese themselves do not believe that they can create excellent science fiction works.

His attempt to adapt "The Rural Teacher" this time is actually just a small attempt to change this situation.

Guo Fan waved the novel in his hand with a determined look in his eyes.

“In fact, I have conducted a survey on the audience in the Chinese film market. The average age of the main audience is only 21.5 years old, and this number is declining year by year.

This is undoubtedly an excellent foundation for science fiction films.

The post-90s generation has been exposed to Hollywood blockbusters through various channels since childhood, and science fiction movies are no obstacle for them to accept.

I hope I can be the first to try it out and find a Chinese sci-fi perspective that the audience can accept. It may not necessarily succeed, but only by continuous trial and error by pioneers can we know which path is right. "

Although Ning Hao felt that what this guy said made sense, he didn't agree with it in his heart. He had heard too many similar words, and it was nothing more than asking for money.

He would not be fooled easily, and got straight to the point: "Tell me, what script is it? Show it to me."

Guo Fan was shocked by his directness and said, "Director Ning, what are you doing?"

"You won't tell me?" Ning Hao glanced at him and pretended to leave: "Then I'll leave."

"Hey, wait, there's a script. I have a script." Guo Fan quickly took out a script from his bag.

Ning Hao reached out to take it, saying, "I have to make it clear first. No one is clear about the current market prospects of science fiction films in China. Although the Star Project has sufficient funds, our goal is mainly to produce with a small budget. President Lu will most likely not agree to an investment of hundreds of millions."

"Yeah, I understand." Guo Fan nodded repeatedly.

"Huh?" Ning Hao looked at the name on the cover of the script and felt confused.

"My Deskmate? What kind of sci-fi theme is this? Is my deskmate an alien?"

Guo Fan was very thick-skinned and didn't feel embarrassed at all: "Director Ning, the road of science fiction is too difficult, and there is no hope in the short term. We can't let Mr. Lu lose money, it's immoral.

I plan to shoot a youth film to practice first. Actually, there are science fiction scenes in this film, soft science fiction, which I added on purpose. Take a look at this scene. "

He flipped open the script.

Ning Hao: "."

Why does my fist feel a little hard?

"My fellow juniors, this industry may seem glamorous, but it is actually very ruthless. It is difficult to gain a foothold in the long run if you only rely on talent without hard work, or just some cleverness."

"Clap, clap, clap!" There was thunderous applause.

Lu Yuan and Wen Muye ended the discussion, and then took a group photo with school leaders and students from the Department of Performance.

Soon, everyone walked out of the auditorium.

I happened to see Ning Hao walking slowly towards me, accompanied by someone.

After some introduction, Lu Yuan learned the other party's identity and the whole story of the incident.

After Guo Fan left, he tilted his head and asked jokingly, "So he first deliberately bumped into you, then used the gimmick of a science fiction movie to trick you, and finally brought out a youth film?"

"Yes, that's right." Ning Hao saw a hint of amusement in his eyes and added, "I've had an in-depth chat with him. This guy has unique insights into science fiction and the market. Some of his views are even ones I haven't considered before."

Lu Yuan put his hands in his pockets, paced, kicked the gravel under his feet, and asked: "How is the quality of the script?"

"Mediocre."

"You plan to invest even if the quality is average?"

"Aren't all youth films like that? The cost is not high, less than 20 million. There are not many youth films at present, like 'You Are the Apple of My Eye' and Zhao Yanzi's 'So Young'. The outside world has high expectations for the box office of 'So Young'." Ning Hao shrugged, looking confident.

Lu Yuan thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay, I'll discuss it with Chen Zhixi, Wu Lang and others later. If there is no problem, we will invest."

"By the way, he is also reading The Three-Body Problem?" "Yes, he must be telling the truth. I flipped through it and saw that the pages were yellowed and the footers were tattered. There were also a lot of essays written on them. It looked like it was several years old."

Ning Hao pinched his chin and recalled.

Lu Yuan waved to the student who was secretly filming him and said, "Then please Director Ning, please pay more attention. If Guo Fan signs with the company, after this drama is finished, let him try to shoot a science fiction TV series to practice his skills. Doesn't he like The Three-Body Problem? Let him try it. As for the movie, let's put it aside for now."

He paused, then asked, "By the way, when will you finish the script for "Rural Teacher"?"

Ning Hao laughed and said, "I'm still thinking about it. I've talked to Liu Cixin about it. As you know, the original story is too bland and lacks twists and turns, so it's difficult to adapt it."

Lu Yuan did not hide the contempt in his eyes: "How about letting Kong Ergou come?"

Ning Hao rolled his eyes.

In 09, Lu Yuan accidentally bought the copyright of Liu Cixin's novel "The Three-Body Problem" and offered a high price.

Perhaps Liu Cixin felt that he had gotten a good deal, so he packaged up a number of short stories, including "Supernova Era", "Wandering, My Earth!" and "Rural Teacher", and sold them all to him.

In the past few years, some people have contacted him, hoping to develop a business together.

There was a guy named Kong Ergou in Xiaoma Pentium who contacted him many times.

Kong Ergou is an online writer who has written a series of novels titled "Northeast Past: 20 Years of Gangland".

After the novel became a hit, he finally entered the film industry, and his first company was Pony.

But Lu Yuan rejected them all. The reason was simple: the plan sounded unreliable.

Ning Hao said that "Rural Teacher" is difficult to adapt, and this is true.

The general plot of this short story.

Li Baoku, a teacher in Gujing Village who was suffering from a terminal illness, asked the ignorant children to memorize the three laws of Newton's mechanics which they could not understand when he was dying.

As a result, the story suddenly jumps to an interstellar war, and the aliens are identifying the level of civilization of the planets along the way while cleaning up the battlefield.

The children who were randomly selected to be samples of the Earth remained indifferent when faced with a series of test questions until they correctly answered Newton's laws, proving that the Earth was worth saving.

In fact, it is a celebration of Chinese teachers.

"You don't know how to adapt it, do you?" Lu Yuan asked back.

Ning Hao almost jumped up and down: "How is that possible? I must take a picture of it!"

January 1, around 16pm.

Because it is winter, it is already dark at this time.

In front of a dilapidated teaching building, Lu Yuan and Liu Shishi got out of the car.

"Li Gen is good at choosing a place. This place is indeed quite eerie."

"Yeah, yeah." Liu Shishi nodded frantically and pretended to hug her boyfriend's arm tightly. Lu Yuan also pretended to think she was scared and held her in his arms.

This is the filming location of the web drama "Soul Ferry".

But before the two of them could take a closer look, they saw a figure rushing out of the corridor quickly.

"Mr. Lu, Sister Shishi."

Lu Yuan nodded slightly, Liu Shishi coughed, acted like a big sister, and patted her younger brother on the shoulder.

"How about it."

Lin Gengxin said excitedly, "It's pretty good. Although Director Li is directing for the first time, his skills are top-notch, and the props team is also awesome. Some of the scene arrangements made me, a grown man, a little scared, and scared Mu Tingting and Chen Jie to scream more than once."

Mu Tingting plays the female lead Wang Xiaoya, and Chen Jie plays the underworld lord Cha Cha, who are considered to be the female characters with more scenes.

Mu Tingting was recommended by Jiang Xueman. She had collaborated with Zhou Yi in several dramas in her early years and had good acting skills. Chen Jie played Aunt Yang in "Young Generals of the Yang Family".

Soul Ferry is a series of short stories that are full of warmth, horror, and humanity, such as embroidered shoes, rhino horn incense, and communication between humans and ghosts.
It is similar to the format of a unit drama, so there are many supporting roles, and a new group of them are replaced in each episode.

In order to shoot this web drama, Li Weng recruited people from everywhere.

Under the banner of being a director signed by Yuanfang Media, he invited many well-known actors to guest star, including but not limited to Huang Xiaoming, Huang Bo, Wang Baoqiang, Luo Jin, Tang Yan, Hu Jian, Chen Long, Zhu Yilong, Yuan Hong.
He even set his sights on his boss and his wife, so Lu Yuan naturally told him to get out.

The guest actors don't have many roles, but the lineup is definitely luxurious.

Not only that, because the filming was taking place near Beijing, this guy also went to the Beijing Film Academy and, through trickery, managed to get a bunch of fellow schoolmates to come over as extras.

Although it was just one or two shots, the students from Beijing Film Academy enjoyed it.

If you want to get into the film and television industry, you must know the ins and outs of it.

Although Li Weng is not well-known, he is signed to Yuanfang Media. His father is Li Xuejian, his classmate is the new billion-dollar director Wen Muye, his boss is Lu Yuan, and the network of relationships behind him is terrifying.

The filming of "Soul Ferry" has been going on for some time.

As the year is coming to an end, Lu Yuan brought his girlfriend here today for a visit.

He asked Lin Gengxin: "Which scene are we shooting today?"

"Red-clad senior."

"Ah~" Liu Shishi shrank back in fright.

"Okay, take us to have a look."

"Okay." Lin Gengxin saw that the two of them were showing their affection, which was a bit disgusting, so he turned around and led the way.

The corridor was a little cold. A group of people walked up the stairs and stopped in front of a classroom.

The classroom was filled with cobwebs, broken desks, and open windows with several pieces of glass missing, letting in cold wind.

Mu Tingting and a group of girls dressed as students stood in the middle of the classroom. In the corner, a figure with blue body, long flowing hair, and wearing a red dress stood upright. It was difficult to tell whether it was a man or a woman.

"Ahhh!"

"There's a ghost!!"

Mu Tingting and others were howling like ghosts.

"Good!" Li Gen looked at the picture in the camera, clapped his hands, and was beaming with joy.

"Next scene, next scene. Oh, and touch up the red-clothed girl's makeup."

He turned his head and said, "Boss!"

Lu Yuan took a look and saw that he had lost weight. He smiled and joked, "Director Li, how do you feel?"

"Tiring, but exciting!" Li Gen rubbed his hands with an excited expression.

"I seem to like making horror movies, especially seeing the actors screaming and shaking all over from fear."

Lu Yuan looked at the senior girl in red, her face full of red lines. He felt that this kid was more or less a bit mentally abnormal. He thought he might have grown up crooked. What if Teacher Li Xuejian blamed him?

Li Gen took the two of them around and said, "Boss, I've read a lot of horror novels online recently, and some of them are very suitable for adaptation into web dramas. I want to buy the copyrights of those novels, and after the Soul Ferry series is finished, I'll have the company's screenwriters adapt them."

"Stop, stop, stop it now, your idea is not reliable." Lu Yuan was not optimistic: "Although the current censorship mechanism is relatively loose and the scale of online dramas is large, it is now in the pioneering stage. Once it is on the right track, it will inevitably be regulated. It is inevitable that this kind of supernatural film will be restricted."

Li Guang hesitated for a few seconds: "Boss, it's not that there is no solution."

"Oh?"

"I've thought about it. When PPS can expand overseas and spread out in Southeast Asian countries and have a group of audiences, I will take a team to Thailand to shoot horror films, Chinese-style horror films. This way we can avoid domestic censorship. That place is also the radiation circle of Chinese culture, with ghost marriages, feng shui masters, and zombie films." Li Gen vowed, and the more he talked, the more explicit he got.

"Uh" Lu Yuan was surprised. Isn't this the "Pan-Asia Plan" mentioned by Chen Kexin before?

Horror movies also take the lead.

"You finish filming this series first. If PPS develops smoothly, I'll let you try it then."

"Thank you, boss!"

Li Gen turned around and went to film.

"Mr. Lu!" Pan Yueming approached quietly and greeted him.

Lu Yuan cast his eyes towards him. He had a short haircut and looked a bit fierce, perhaps because of his appearance. He asked, "How did things go?"

Pan Yueming knew that he was talking about Dong Jie, and shook his head in distress: "I've been busy filming recently, so I haven't paid much attention. But a few days ago, she called me and asked me not to hire paparazzi to take pictures secretly, otherwise she would call the police, but I didn't hire any paparazzi at all."

You didn't find it, Chen Zhixi helped you find it. Lu Yuan said nothing.

A few days ago, Chen Zhixi received a tip from paparazzi Zhuo Wei, saying that the investigation had made some progress, that Dong Jie's recent whereabouts had been suspicious, and that he had been meeting with Wang Dazi frequently in private.

But the two were very cautious and had not yet captured any conclusive evidence.

I guess it will be soon.

(End of this chapter)