Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 895 Do you need a ticket?

"Three or four thousand people is not a small number."

Kuang Mingyi's eyes were full of excitement. He never thought that he would have a day when he would be filming such a big scene.

But what followed was another wave of anxiety.

Whether you're a director or a cinematographer, shooting such large-scale scenes is a mixed bag of joy and challenges.

Needless to say, as long as a large-scale scene can be filmed, the entire film industry will recognize the director's ability to direct and the cinematographer's ability to shoot. From then on, they will have a place in the domestic and even international film industry.

That's also what worries me.

Big scenes are hard to film!
Filming scenes with thousands of people is an extreme test of a director's coordination skills and a cinematographer's camera work.

Directors capable of filming grand-scale scenes must possess a sufficiently broad vision and perspective, qualities that require a conducive environment to cultivate. Without sufficient space and depth, one can only play with details and will never produce a director capable of filming grand scenes.

For example, Hong Kong cinema enjoyed a golden age for over a decade, yet it couldn't produce a single director with the ability to film large-scale scenes.

Kuang Mingyi had worked with directors in his previous unit and filmed several war scenes with thousands of people, so he had some experience. Therefore, the number of extras he proposed to Chen Fan was also kept to around a thousand.

Now Chen Fan is talking about three or four thousand people, I don't know if I can take them down.
If the extras can follow instructions, it's fine; but if they are disorganized and undisciplined, the difficulty increases tenfold.

Thinking of this, Kuang Mingyi quickly asked, "Director Chen, where did you find these people? How disciplined are they?"

Chen Fan coughed lightly, flicked off his cigarette ash, and said, "Don't worry about that. To support this film and to make a good start for Yunhu Film City, the Yunhu Administrative Office has said they'll provide whatever you need."

I asked them to provide three or four thousand militiamen for filming, and the armed forces department agreed; they will send people over directly. While these militiamen aren't as disciplined as the military, they are still very obedient and will cooperate fully with the filming.

Upon hearing this, Kuang Mingyi felt half relieved.

So they were just looking for militia members to act as extras, then it's alright.

The remaining half depends on whether Director Chen can do a good job of directing and whether his own cinematography skills can recreate the grand scenes.

……

Chen Fan spent the entire morning here discussing specific filming details with Director Wu and Kuang Mingyi.

After the other crew members settled in, they all came out and strolled around the old street.

The three veteran comrades, Yang Zhenlong, Zhao Lingdong, and Han Qingshan, had been on a boat all night, and even though they were in good physical condition, they still needed to rest for a while to recover.

Unable to stay still in the house, he went out and mingled with the crowd, wandering around from beginning to end. Finally, he returned to the dock and saw Chen Fan and two others talking in a house.

They didn't want to disturb them, so they waved to say hello and prepared to go back.

At this moment, Chen Fan waved to them and shouted, "Come in and sit down."

Upon being invited by Chen Fan, the three of them didn't stand on ceremony and immediately strode over.

As soon as Yang Zhenlong entered the room, he asked, "Have you finished discussing work?"

Chen Fan smiled and said, "We've almost finished talking."

I offered them a cigarette as well.

Then he asked, "Uncle Yang, how did you feel after your walk around?"

Yang Zhenlong grinned and said, "The scenery is nice."

He paused for a moment, then continued, “This place is very similar to the small towns in Jiangnan that I visited when I was young. However, back then, houses were pretty much the same all over the country. Rich people would put up stained glass windows, which made them look more fashionable, while poor people would just have paper window frames and broken roofs. That was all there was to it.”

He looked out at the road and laughed, “This place does look a bit like a small town from the Republican era, but it’s a bit deserted. If we could put some shops here, it would look even more like one.”

Chen Fan immediately said, "Yes, you've hit the nail on the head."

Upon hearing this, Factory Director Wu was somewhat surprised. "You're really planning to open a shop on this street?"

Kuang Mingyi also said, "We can just set up a set when the time comes, we don't have to actually open a shop, do we?"

Chen Fan waved his hand and laughed, "If we're going to do something, we should do it properly. Everything is arranged at the film studio. Once the guesthouse is built and the crew moves in, all the houses here will be put to use."

This street is now named "Republic of China Street," and all the houses will be occupied. Residents will live upstairs, while the ground-floor shops facing the street will be used as businesses—grocery stores, cloth shops, rice shops, teahouses, restaurants, inns, and so on—to recreate the scene as closely as possible to the original era.

As he spoke, he turned to look at Kuang Mingyi and said, “We set up a set once for a movie, then take it down after filming, and then set it up again the next time someone comes to film a movie, and then take it down again. Why bother?”

A film and television city isn't just about building a few buildings; it also needs to include living scenes that reflect the historical context of those buildings. Only in this way can the film and television city truly come alive and provide as much convenience and minimize trouble for the film crew as possible.

This way, more film crews will come here to shoot, attracting more tourists and generating revenue for the film studio, thus creating a virtuous cycle.

Upon hearing this, Kuang Mingyi immediately asked, "You mentioned before that Ming and Qing Dynasty City, Warring States City, and Han and Tang Dynasty City will be built here in the future... If that's the case, will these ancient scenes also recreate the living conditions of those times?"

Chen Fan smiled and nodded, "Of course I want to."

Upon hearing this, Director Wu and Kuang Mingyi exchanged bewildered glances, wondering if they had really invested so much.

Yang Zhenlong and the other two standing nearby seemed quite excited.

Han Qingshan grinned and said, "If that's really the case, it would be quite fun."

Zhao Lingdong nodded in deep agreement, "If I had known such a place existed, I would have definitely gone to see it, no matter where I was in the country."

Yang Zhenlong clicked his tongue and said, "It would be even more interesting if we could buy things."

Chen Fan immediately laughed and said, "Of course we can buy things. The film and television city is operated as a tourism project. The ultimate goal is to attract tourists to come and play. If we spend so much money and all we can do is look but not buy, wouldn't that be a waste?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Zhenlong's eyes widened instantly, and he looked at Chen Fan, asking, "So, once the guesthouse is built and the shops here open, we can buy things there?"

Chen Fan nodded vigorously, "We can definitely buy it."

"Then I have one question."

Yang Zhenlong stared at him and asked in a low voice, "Do I need a ticket to buy things here?"

Chen Fan was speechless for a moment.

This angle was quite tricky, and it was indeed somewhat unexpected for him.

Kuang Mingyi and Factory Director Wu, who were standing nearby, also lit up. Kuang Mingyi nodded and said, "That's right, that's right. This is supposed to be the Republic of China Street. Back then, you didn't need ration coupons to buy things."

Chen Fan blinked, looked at the five people staring at him expectantly, and felt a bit of a headache.

He was certain that if he said he didn't want tickets, they would empty their pockets, and the crew of over one or two hundred people would also empty all the shops with bags and packages.

But who is Chen Fan?
How could they possibly benefit from this?
In the blink of an eye, he had a solution.

He gently tossed away the cigarette butt, lit another, exhaled a puff of smoke, and when he looked up, his face was full of smiles. "Director Kuang, you're absolutely right. There really weren't any ration coupons back in the Republic of China era..."

Upon hearing this, all five of them wore smiles.

But the next second, Chen Fan changed the subject, "However, prices were very high during the Republic of China era, and we have to respect the facts, right? So, all the shops inside the film studio don't require coupons, but the prices have to be set according to the internal prices."

Upon hearing this, all five faces instantly darkened.

There was no benefit to be gained.

Without even thinking about it, the internal price is definitely much higher than the outside price. Only a fool would buy goods here.

……

Leaving behind the unreliable group, Chen Fan left triumphantly and walked into a stylish little building diagonally opposite.

This is the Yunhu Film and Television City Management Office. Before the office building was built, the only management personnel worked here.

Next to this building was a two-story brick and wood structure with six storefronts, which was the place Chen Fan had introduced to Factory Director Wu and the others for meals and hot water. As soon as Chen Fan entered, he saw Ma Jiajia and Dong Zhengyang coming out and couldn't help but ask, "Are you two going out?"

Dong Zhengyang immediately pointed to the next room and said with a smile, "We're going to have lunch. Have you eaten yet? Would you like to join us?"

Chen Fan glanced at the time. "Ha, it's already twelve o'clock."

He then turned and walked out, saying, "Let's go together, I need to talk to you about something."

Upon entering the open door of the next room, one finds a number of people already eating. They all greet Chen Fan, calling him "Director Chen."

Chen Fan suddenly felt like reciting poetry.

He waved in response and rushed into the kitchen, where Huang Li was inspecting the work with her hands behind her back and a serious expression on her face.

That's right, the first canteen in the film and television city has been successfully occupied by Lujiawan, and the head chef is Huang Li, the head chef of Lujiawan canteen.

In order to make a splash, the brigade leaders made a difficult decision and specially sent Huang Li over, leaving only the two cooks she had trained. It can be said that they made a great sacrifice.

As soon as she saw him come in, Huang Li's expression changed instantly, and she ran over excitedly, "Master, what would you like to eat?"

Chen Fan said, "I want to eat dragon liver and phoenix gall."

Oriole, “…o(╯□╰)o”

Looking at the remaining ingredients in the kitchen, Chen Fan said, "Make a steamed three delicacies dish, a pot of river catfish, steamed pork with rice flour, and a pot of pork rib and lotus root soup. No pork ribs, just extra lotus root."

Huang Li nodded immediately, "Okay, I'll send it up right away."

Steamed Three Delicacies consists of fish cake, vermicelli, and wood ear mushrooms. Like steamed pork with rice flour, it is kept warm in a large steamer and can be served immediately after being taken out. The pork rib and lotus root soup is stewed in a large pot and can also be served immediately after being ladled out.

The only dish that needed to be made on the spot was a hot pot of catfish. Without saying a word, Huang Li immediately put on an apron and directed people to start the pot and kill the fish.

Chen Fan went up to the second floor and found Ma Jiajia and Dong Zhengyang already seated in a private room. However, they both left the main seat to him, and there was a cup of hot tea on the table.

He didn't stand on ceremony and sat down directly, looking at Dong Zhengyang with a smile, "Hasn't the administrative office appointed a general manager for the tourism company yet?"

A glint of surprise flashed in Dong Zhengyang's eyes. He casually bent down, took out a cigarette, offered one to him, and lit it for him with a lighter before smiling and saying, "Not yet. I heard that Commissioner Yang went to the provincial capital the day before yesterday to finalize the selection of the general manager."

Chen Fan took a drag of his cigarette, his brows furrowing slightly. "Didn't the province say that these three projects would all be resolved locally in Yunhu? Why does Commissioner Yang still need to go to the province? Does the general manager need someone from the province to come?"

Dong Zhengyang chuckled dryly twice, "I don't know about that. Perhaps Commissioner Yang and the First Secretary have their own considerations."

At first, he wanted to try for the position of general manager, but when the approval came through, everyone realized that the newly established Yunhu Tourism Company was actually designated as a deputy-department-level unit, and the position of general manager was naturally also at the deputy-department level.

In this way, it has nothing to do with him anymore.

When he heard from the First Secretary about Commissioner Yang's preferred candidate, he was extremely surprised. He was even more surprised to learn that he didn't know who this "candidate" was.

It's infuriating to have a position you dream of, but others might not even want it!

But if this person were actually made general manager, he wouldn't be angry at all.

Now it all depends on whether Commissioner Yang and the First Secretary can win this person over. Maybe then I can also take advantage of their power and show off a bit.

Unfortunately, Chen Fan hadn't developed the ability to read minds, so he couldn't guess what the man was thinking. Seeing that the man also didn't know who the general manager would be, he stopped thinking about it.

In any case, whoever comes can only cooperate with the work arrangements made by the organizers; it is impossible for them to add any scenes on their own.

After taking a sip of tea, Chen Fan changed the subject to business, saying, "I had previously planned for all the shops in the film city to operate normally, and this has been approved by the administrative office and can be implemented."

However, we overlooked one problem.

Upon hearing this, Ma Jiajia and Dong Zhengyang both pulled out small notebooks from their pockets, ready to take notes.

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly, and he couldn't help but glance at Ma Jiajia.

It's one thing for Dong Zhengyang to act like this, but you, who came from America, also know this kind of thing?
However, he didn't say much. After they were ready, he continued, "It's about the tickets and permits. I have two options for operating the shops inside the film studio. One is to operate like outside, requiring tickets and permits, and keeping the supply and pricing of goods consistent with the outside. But in that case, we would need a dedicated department to coordinate with the supply and marketing cooperative."

Dong Zhengyang nodded and quickly made notes in his notebook.

When Ma Jiajia heard that it was about this matter, she felt that it didn't seem to have much to do with her, so she only noted down a few key words.

At this moment, several waiters came in carrying trays and served them the dishes.

No alcohol was served at noon. Instead, a large bucket of rice was brought out. Dong Zhengyang was busy taking notes, while Ma Jiajia took a rice bowl, filled it with rice, and placed it in front of Chen Fan.

Chen Fan is used to it now. It was the same when Ye Yufeng was here before, and it was the same when Ma Jiajia first came here. So let it be.

He smiled at Ma Jiajia as a thank you, and then continued, "The second option is to not use ration coupons."

Upon hearing this, Ma Jiajia didn't react, but Dong Zhengyang immediately raised his head.

Although he didn't say anything, his meaning was clear.

No tickets or passes?

Are you kidding me?
Chen Fan smiled and said, "I had someone do a survey, and the production team can basically provide everything that's sold in the shops in the film studio. It's really just rice, oil, tea, wine, and some handicrafts."

In ancient times, there couldn't be many high-quality industrial products, so most industrial products were unnecessary. The few that were available, such as cloth and pottery, were produced in the Lujiawan Industrial Park.

As a collective enterprise, their products were not included in the Commerce Bureau's planning system, and therefore did not require ration coupons.

Therefore, they can sell their products here without needing tickets or permits.

I've heard that the authorities are also studying the possibility of gradually phasing out ration coupons. For example, Dacron coupons were abolished because production later increased significantly enough to meet market demand.

If possible, this time we could use the shops in the film studio as a test site to try out commercial activities without tickets and see what the results are.

Hearing this, Dong Zhengyang understood that although Chen Fan had offered two suggestions, his personal preference was the second one: not to use ration coupons.

But what if everyone buys tickets without needing them?
Just as he was about to ask a question, Chen Fan continued, "Since ration coupons are no longer required, the pricing of some goods may need to fluctuate to some extent. As for the percentage of fluctuation, the Commerce Bureau can provide guidance."

After finishing speaking, Chen Fan stubbed out his cigarette, picked up his rice bowl, took a piece of lotus root, and said, "That's all for now. Report this to Commissioner Yang later and ask him to approve it as soon as possible. Let's eat now."

As soon as he finished speaking, he took a big bite of lotus root. In his heart, he was thinking that he had only planned to take advantage of Yang Kangnian's new appointment to get the film and television city built ahead of schedule. However, he did not expect that there were too many things involved. Inadvertently, he could be related to some of the pain points of reform.

The ration coupons have been a part of people's lives for over 20 years, starting in the mid-1950s, and will not be gradually phased out until the early 1990s.

The first thing to be cancelled was the cotton cloth ration coupon.

Starting in 1983, my country's textile production surged, so the government decided to completely abolish cloth rationing and implement an open supply of cotton cloth.

There are still three years left.

On the other hand, with the gradual progress of reform and opening up, many places have established collective enterprises. Many of these enterprises are outside the planned system and rely on their own abilities to find raw materials, produce products, and find sales channels, becoming the earliest enterprises to engage in "market competition" after the reform and opening up.

The vast majority of products from these companies do not require invoices or receipts.

So it's not accurate to say that Chen Fan committed a major taboo.

At most, it's just bringing some things that were underneath the table onto the table.

Next, we'll see which option Yang Kang chooses for the annual meeting.

Based on Chen Fan's understanding of him, it's highly likely that it's the second possibility: no tickets required.

If he were a little smarter, he might have used this as an opportunity to get involved in the pilot program for rural reforms and prepare for the next stage of reform work.

What if I choose the first option?
Cough cough, Chen Fan would advise him to choose the second option.

(End of this chapter)