Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 916 is a bit troublesome

Chen Fan slowly took out a cigarette, offered one to each of them, then put one in his mouth but did not light it immediately. Instead, he picked up his teacup, blew on it a few times, and took a sip of tea.

He put down his teacup, lit the match Deng Bo offered, took a puff, turned to look at the two men, and said with a smile, "Has your factory made its own production plan?"

Yes, making movies is also a form of production, so talking about production plans makes perfect sense.

Deng Bo immediately replied without hesitation, "Yes. In fact, after the literary and art congress at the end of last year, the members of our provincial delegation held a small meeting and reached a consensus on the need for reform."

Upon returning to the factory, the first thing the factory manager did was convene a factory-wide meeting and decide to formally transform the business, focusing on producing feature films.

Fearing that Chen Fan might not understand the situation, Ke Yu immediately chimed in, explaining, "When our Liaoning Film Studio was first established, its full name was 'Science and Education Film Studio.' We mainly produced documentaries, newsreels, and science and education films. For the next twenty years, we produced only these types of films."

It wasn't until this year, with the approval of higher authorities, that we were able to break free from these constraints and decide to make a complete transformation, focusing on feature films.

As he spoke, he raised his head, his face showing a hint of resentment, "If it weren't for the restrictions on our filming area, Liaoning Film Studio might not be inferior to Changchun Film Studio."

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan grinned but remained silent.

He has high aspirations, but the past cannot be changed, and whether he can achieve them is anyone's guess.

It's a real shame about Liaoning Film Studio.

Located in Shenyang, the city with the greatest comprehensive influence in Northeast China, and being the only film studio in Liaoning Province, it is backed by many established and powerful enterprises such as Ansteel, Fushun Special Steel, and Jinhua Machinery Factory. It can be said that it has both money and manpower.

But with Changchun Film Studio ahead of them, they could only take a backseat and make a living by producing documentaries, newsreels, and educational films.

Everyone knows about documentaries and educational films, and newsreels are also easy to understand—they are the news reports that people see on television every day in later generations.

However, before television became widespread, some filmmakers used filmmaking to record news events and show them in cinemas or other specific places, which also served a certain propaganda function.

After television became widespread, these newsreels quickly disappeared, and the people involved moved to work for television stations. There were no more independent newsreel films, only television news reports.

As for Changchun Film Studio, it was originally established as the "Manchuria Film Association Co., Ltd." during the period of the Manchukuo puppet regime. After the recovery of Northeast China, it was transformed into the Northeast Film Company on October 1, 1945.

This is my country's first film studio, known as the cradle of Chinese cinema. In the national film industry, only Shanghai Film Studio and Beijing Film Studio can compare with it; other studios simply cannot match it.

After taking another sip of tea, Chen Fan flicked off the ash from his cigarette and said with a smile, "Liaoning Film Studio is quite capable. At the very least, its equipment is better than most film studios in the country. And you haven't been idle all these years. Although you can only make educational films and documentaries, you have accumulated some experience."

He paused for a moment, then looked at the two people who were staring intently at him and asked, "Now that you've decided to change your image, have you finalized the filming plans?"

Upon hearing this question, the two thought Chen Fan might be backing out, and the light in their eyes dimmed slightly.

However, Deng Bo still forced a smile and said, "The shooting plan has been made, but shooting a feature film is completely different from shooting a documentary. When shooting a documentary, all we need is the cooperation of the relevant units, and we can focus on shooting."

But when shooting a feature film, everything needs to be prepared in advance, from writing the script and casting suitable actors to finding suitable filming locations.

As soon as he finished speaking, Ke Yu continued, "There's also the cost budget, and most importantly, the consumption of film. Everything is completely different from before. The factory is in a complete mess right now and doesn't know where to start."

Chen Fan smiled and said, "Yes, it's about the same. It was the same when I cooperated with Jiangying Studio last year. To be honest, Jiangying Studio was in a worse position than you, it had almost nothing. Even most of their old film stock was given to other companies as employee benefits..."

As he spoke, he waved his hands repeatedly and laughed, "When I went there, there was only 100 minutes of film in stock, barely enough to shoot a movie, and there was only one complete camera. It was simply unbearable to look at."

Hearing this, Deng Bo and the other man finally felt a little comforted.

But the next second, the bitterness in my heart intensified.

Deng Bo sighed and said, "But they were lucky to meet you. Now, when people mention Jiangying Studio, they are on the same level as Xi'an Film Studio, only below Changchun Film Studio, Beijing Film Studio, and Shanghai Film Studio. It's different now."

As for the August First Film Studio, it wasn't part of the same system, so it didn't cooperate with them and wasn't included.

There is also Qingying Studio, which is also a pilot plant under Beijing Film Academy, but it cannot be counted either.

Chen Fan looked at the two of them and said with a smile, "Actually, the most difficult part is the first one. Once you have the first movie, you will have experience in making feature films, and the road ahead will be much easier."

The two nodded in unison, "That makes sense."

Chen Fan continued, "Originally, I wanted to see what your first film would be like. It would be best if there was a finished film, as that would make it easier to provide you with a script."

Upon hearing this, the two of them immediately perked up.

They exchanged a glance, then Deng Bo turned to Chen Fan, a hint of excitement in his eyes. "Director Chen, do you mean you can provide us with a custom script?"

Chen Fan nodded and said, "If you had experience, the scripts I would give you would be a little more difficult. But right now, you haven't even come up with a shooting plan for your first movie, so you need to be more careful when choosing scripts."

After a pause, he said with a smile, "To be honest, the simpler the first film, the better. Treat it as practice production. The film 'Little Lotus Just Begins to Show Its Tip' produced by Jiangxi Film Studio is an example."

At this point, he suddenly realized why "Little Lotus" was not included in the shortlist for this year's Hundred Flowers Awards.

Jiangying Studio, a perennial slacker in the domestic film production industry, suddenly produced a practice film and splashed right into the pool of the Hundred Flowers Awards.

What are other established film studios supposed to think about this?
Oh, all our decades of hard work are for nothing? You come in and dare to compete with me for awards? You're just asking for trouble!
Chen Fan couldn't think of any other reason besides this.

At this moment, he suddenly sighed and realized that he was indeed not suited to working in the system. A "non-governmental organization" had already made his mind go blank. If he really entered a proper administrative unit, wouldn't he be played to death?

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, he took another drag of his cigarette before looking at the two of them and continuing, "Now you have two choices. One is to wait until you shoot a feature film yourselves and gain experience, and then I will give you a suitable script."

Another option is for me to give you a simple sketchbook with complete scene breakdowns. You can just use it as a reference when you shoot. Consider it your guinea pig.

"How do you choose? Or should we call the factory first…" Before he could finish, Deng Bo straightened up, his face beaming with excitement, and said, "No need to call, we'll choose the second one. Just give us a notebook, and we'll take the pictures ourselves."

Just kidding! The factory's been arguing for half a year, and they still don't know when the first movie will come out. Now that they have a ready-made film, what more could they ask for?!
Yes, that's what the factory leaders wanted too. If they weren't busy with their own tasks, the Party Secretary and the Factory Director would have come today, determined to take a script back with them!
Now that the goal has been achieved, there's no need to be so nervous.

He was already imagining what kind of script the nationally renowned writer Chen would give him.
Chen Fan took a couple of puffs of his cigarette, thought for a moment, and said, "Since we want it simple, it's best not to use any special sets, just existing natural street scenes. Also, the story shouldn't be too complicated, and the characters' traits should be straightforward, making it easy for the actors to understand and portray them..."

He turned his head as he spoke, “At the same time, the subject matter cannot be too sensitive, otherwise it will easily cause social controversy, which would be bad. So, stories set in the Republican era that tell the tales of the suffering lives of ordinary people at that time best meet these requirements.”

The two of them were stunned for a moment. Why did this sound like something made up on the spot?

Chen Fan naturally noticed their confusion, so he coughed and laughed, "Well, I have a few old scripts at home, but I haven't had a suitable opportunity to film them. One of them is perfect."

"Will I bring it to you tomorrow, or here, or somewhere else?"

Deng Bo snapped out of his daze and quickly smiled, "Here, here is fine."

He grabbed the teacup again and raised it, "Director Chen, no doubt about it, I'll toast you with tea instead of wine, later..."

"Why turn back?"

Ke Yu immediately said, "Okay, Director Chen, we'll treat you to lunch. Please do us the honor of joining us!"

Chen Fan quickly waved his hand, "No need, no need..."

Before they could start arguing, he explained, "I have things to do later. It's not easy to come to the capital, and there are some places I need to visit. I really don't have time."

He really doesn't have time; he has to go back and write it on the spot.

Aside from novels that are likely to make a lot of money and be published overseas, writer Chen never keeps drafts!

The claim that he "has several notebooks he wrote before" is all a lie; he has to go home and type them out on the computer on the spot.

If it were just a literary script, he could finish it in an hour. But he took on a lot of responsibilities and said he would provide a storyboard. Storyboards are hard to draw. Even if they are not that detailed and only a few important scenes are drawn, he still has to rush to finish them. And he probably has to work overtime tonight.

He could have just given us the script, but he was also thinking of ripping someone off... to get them to collaborate. How could he get them to take the bait without offering some sincerity?

Seeing Chen Fan's response, Deng Bo and Ke Yu could only regretfully give up, but then said they would definitely do him the honor of having a meal with him when they had time.

Chen Fan had no problem with it. It was just a meal. He wasn't afraid of anything as long as he didn't drink alcohol when eating with people from Northeast China!
He's never lost when it comes to appetite.

Having finalized a script, Deng Bo and his colleague instantly relaxed. Their minimum task was accomplished, and they could go back and report.

Getting a script is the minimum requirement, so what's the next level up?
Naturally, they hoped that, like the Jiangxi Film Studio, their first film would be directed by Director Chen himself, setting an example for the studio's directors.

Unfortunately, seeing how busy Director Chen was, they were too embarrassed to say anything.

They were too embarrassed to say it, but Director Chen was about to take the bait.

After finishing his cigarette and throwing away the butt, Chen Fan picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then looked at the two of them, asking, "The film I prepared for you is quite simple. You can take it back and finish filming it in two or three months at most."

"After that, what are you planning to film next?"

Ke Yu immediately shook his head and laughed, "We have absolutely no clue. It's too early to talk about these things now. Let's finish filming the script you gave us first."

Deng Bo smiled and nodded, "You're right. Let's start by making a sample film to see how feature films are made. Once we understand the ins and outs, we can then make our next plan."

Apart from a few major studios, it's actually quite difficult for a film studio like Liaoning Film Studio, which has never made a feature film before, to make one. Without a suitable director or producer, they have to figure everything out on their own.

Especially since things weren't very open at that time, some stories were difficult to film.

For example, the film "Crescent Moon" produced by Liaoning Film Studio, which was adapted from Lao She's original work, was also prepared for several years before it was finally made. The reason was that the film was still somewhat controversial, and they only dared to make it after things became more open.

Without Chen Fan, their first feature film would have to wait until next year, when the "Liaoning Aviation Labor Protection Education Center," affiliated with Liaoning Film Studio, produced a film called "Laughter Is Better Than Crying," which caused quite a stir locally at the time, and the theme song of the same name was sung for quite a while.

As he spoke, Deng Bo gradually came to his senses. He hesitated for a moment, then looked at Chen Fan and said, "Director Chen, do you have any opinions or suggestions for us when you say this?"

Upon hearing this, Ke Yu, who was standing nearby, immediately realized what was going on and said, "Just tell us what you need. As long as we can do it, we'll do it without hesitation."

Chen Fan laughed, picked up the cigarette case again, and handed one to each of them, saying, "I do have an idea, but it's a bit troublesome. We'll have to see if you agree."

Deng Bo took the cigarette, immediately lit a match, and instead of lighting it for himself, he offered it to Chen Fan's lips. "You said that as long as it's good for the factory, we can overcome any difficulty, no matter how big or small."

Chen Fan leaned over, lit the lamp, exhaled a puff of smoke, and looked at him with a smile, "Then I'll get straight to the point. It's like this, didn't I mention before that I wanted to collaborate with you on a feature film?"

Seeing that the two nodded in unison without saying a word, just staring blankly at him, Chen Fan continued, "We also have the outline for this film. It tells the story of two young men from Northeast China who experienced and made choices against the backdrop of the great changes in Northeast China and the Japanese invasion."

After thinking for a moment, Deng Bo said, "The background is fine, it's just a matter of how to craft the specific story."

He then looked up and smiled, "But since it's directed by Director Chen, I'm sure it will be very exciting."

Ke Yu nodded in agreement, then paused, and asked, puzzled, "There doesn't seem to be any trouble here, right? You need to involve the military for filming? I guarantee there won't be any problem!"

Chen Fan chuckled and said, "The story of the movie is fine, but..."

He smiled again, feigning embarrassment, and said, "I'm too busy to stay in Shenyang permanently. Could you please bring your crew to Yunhu to film?"

(End of this chapter)