Huayu: Director started with art films

Chapter 133 [Movie starts shooting, people with connections are invited]

12 month 30 number.

Jinan, Shandong.

In the square in front of the train station that has officially stopped operating.

"I didn't expect the weather in Jinan to be so good."

Li Yishu looked at the big sun in the sky. Although the temperature around was not high, it was much warmer than Yanjing where heavy snow had already begun to fall.

Gong Li nodded and said, "This is the problem with Jinan. I can't say it's like Yichun all year round, but compared to Yanjing in winter, it's definitely not cold."

Perhaps because she returned to her hometown to film, Gong Li seemed in very good spirits.

"Director Li."

While the two were chatting, Qiu Fusheng came over and said with a smile on his face: "The crew is ready, the actors are in place, and we can officially start shooting tomorrow."

"Well, then we'll officially start filming when the market opens the day after tomorrow."

Li Yishu responded, "Mr. Qiu, let's find a hotel tonight and meet everyone and get to know each other."

Li Yishu entrusted the casting of the crew to Gong Li and Qiu Fusheng.

There are only two most important characters in "Central Station", namely the heroine and the young actor, so apart from these two characters, the rest of the characters are not very important.

The reason why Gong Li also participated in the casting was mainly because she recommended herself.

After all, the film was being filmed in her hometown, so Gong Li naturally hoped that there would be more local actors among the actors, so she went to the Shandong Film Studio in Jinan with Qiu Fusheng to start selecting actors.

Finally, a list was drawn up, and after looking at the photos and performance experiences, Li Yishu agreed to all of them, even though almost all of them were actors from Shandong Film Studio.

"No problem, Director Li."

Qiu Fusheng nodded, then turned around and took out his phone to arrange dinner in the evening.

After he left, Gong Li suddenly asked, "Yishu, do you really not need me to interact with the young actors?"

"Need not."

Li Yishu shook her head and said, "We need that feeling of being unfamiliar and then gradually becoming familiar. This is also the purpose of this movie."

The plot of "Central Station" is actually quite dark. After the little boy's mother died, the heroine took the little boy home at first, but actually wanted to sell the child to human traffickers. In the end, she had sympathy...

There are also many settings in the movie that depict social chaos, such as someone being shot to death by the stall owner for stealing a bun.

After all, it is a Brazilian film, and Brazil in the 90s was synonymous with chaos, so the background is definitely not suitable to be set in China, but the cost of shooting abroad is high.

Secondly, Li Yishu took a fancy to this station, so she blurred the background setting and modified some of the plots to give people a sense of déjà vu in Southeast Asia as much as possible.

After two months, the important scenes were almost arranged and the relevant costumes and props were also ready.

A young assistant came over and said, "Sister Gong Li, the makeup artist is done, you can go try on your makeup."

Upon hearing this, Gong Li said something to Li Yishu and followed the assistant to try on makeup.

She was going to play a middle-aged woman in her forties or fifties. In addition to pretending to be a foreigner, she also had to make up her appearance a little to make it look more Southeast Asian.

Gong Li went to try on makeup, and Li Yishu also walked straight into the station. Corresponding signs were hung on the walls around her.

Assistant director Jana Shahati said with a big smile: "Director Li, the set is ready, we can start shooting anytime."

Li Yishu glanced at Jiana and nodded slightly: "Yeah, it's good."

Li Yishu also knows this 23-year-old assistant director Jana, who was one of the assistant directors of "Towards the Republic" in the millennium and was also a famous beauty director around the millennium.

Later, he participated in directing many red TV series, such as "Young Schoolmates", "The Ming Dynasty 1566", "The Dark War Before Dawn", "Autumn Harvest Uprising", "The Great Waves Wash Away the Sand", etc.

From the types of TV series he directed, you can guess what its composition is.

The reason why I appeared in the crew of "Central Station" this time was mainly because I was recommended by Beijing Film Studio.

After a few inquiries, Li Yishu learned that the Kazakh girl Jana had an extraordinary family background. She was a government-sponsored student studying in the Soviet Union in 1988 and is currently studying at the directing department of the Moscow State Academy of Film in Russia.

It's nothing, it's just a connection.

Li Yishu did not refuse the Beijing Film Studio's offer to stuff her with people.

In fact, after learning that Lee Yi-su was going to start filming a new movie, and it was an art film, many senior colleagues hoped to get in on the action.

Since the news broadcast, Lee Yi-su has become an instant hit. Unlike the previous Golden Lion Award and the reports about the incident in Taiwan, this time Lee Yi-su has truly become a model of "contemporary outstanding director". This is because the Chinese-language films shot by Lee Yi-su have made hundreds of millions of dollars in box office worldwide. The previous film "Love Letter" shot by Lee Yi-su was a Japanese-language film, and it was able to make $1 million at the box office. Many people attributed this to the booming Japanese film market.

But this time it was different. With the global box office of Chinese-language films exceeding 100 million US dollars, and the creation of a new type of photography technology, coupled with the fact that the News Broadcast praised Li Yishu in a straight face, he naturally became an international director in just a few days!

Therefore, many people hope that their juniors, students, friends' children... will come to Li Yishu's crew to make themselves familiar to the audience. If they can go to Europe to participate in film festivals and win awards, it will be a resume at least.

It’s just that Li Yishu pushed everything to the Shandong Film Studio. The casting issue has already been taken care of by the studio. If you want to discuss it, go talk to them.

Shandong Film Studio was at the bottom of the list among all the major domestic film studios, so naturally it rejected these people's attempts to take advantage of the situation.

Just kidding, if this movie wins an award, it will be a great opportunity for Shandong Film Studio to show off!

Maybe this would allow them to get more funding for their own studio before cancelling the underwriting system where they have to bear their own profits and losses. Naturally, Shandong Film Studio would not agree to such a good opportunity.

It was just that it was difficult for Li Yishu to refuse this client who was sent in by the Beijing Film Studio. He had heard that the Beijing Film Studio had spent a lot of effort to speak well of him, Li Yishu, and that was why there was a two-and-a-half-minute news report on the news.

Just stuff him in. He's just an assistant director. And although he's called an assistant director, he's actually a stagehand who arranges the work. He's responsible for all the preparations before the crew starts filming. This is also the position that's most likely to be scolded if something goes wrong.

The candidate for executive director is a veteran director recommended by Shandong Film Studio. (The executive director is responsible for following the director's arrangements and implementing the filming plan. The assistant director is the senior assistant of the chief director, responsible for connecting with the costume and makeup departments.)
Jana admires Lee Ye-su, a young director who is about her age. Not only did her film win an award at the Venice Film Festival in Europe, but she was also able to make a film that grossed over 100 million US dollars worldwide.

This is what countless directors dream of!

So after seeing Li Yishu reply with a word, she ignored her and instead looked around at the scenery. Jiana was very disappointed and wondered if she was ignored by Director Li because she had connections?

Thinking of this, Jana gritted her teeth and decided that while she was on the crew, she must work very hard to prove her ability.

If Li Yishu knew about this, he would probably be at a loss whether to laugh or cry. He really didn't ignore her.

He was just looking at the set, and Li Yishu didn't object to people with connections, but the prerequisite was that it didn't hinder the normal filming of the crew.

For example, if he wanted to insert an actor who knew nothing, like the actress that Zhang Yimou later promoted, he would never agree to it no matter what.

But it's just an assistant director position to gain experience, so Lee Yi-su certainly wouldn't care. In terms of social skills, he is much more familiar and mature than his peers.

In the blink of an eye.

Soon it was the third day of filming.

Early in the morning, Li Yishu took Gong Li to the station.

At this time, the square outside the station was already crowded with small stalls and vendors who came to the market, forming an extremely lively market.

After observing the market, Li Yishu did not stay outside for long, but went straight into the station. Looking at Jiana and another executive director Zhang Shijie who had already arrived, he asked, "Have you made arrangements with the people outside who are going to the market?"

"Yes, it's all settled."

Jana nodded with a tired look on her face. She had come to the train station by bus at around four in the morning, just to explain the situation to those who came to the market before them, together with the staff from Shandong Film Studio, to ensure that there would be no shooting scenes in the next market, which would cause unnecessary commotion among the crowd.

Many people were curious about the crew coming to film a movie, so they naturally agreed immediately.

Li Yishu glanced at the huge crowd of crew members in the station and asked, "Has Ye come in?"

Jana nodded: "I'm here, I'm putting on makeup in the back."

"Let's go over and have a look."

Li Yishu strode towards the temporary dressing room in the station.

The dressing room next door was used by Gong Li. Li Yishu took a quick look and came to another dressing room.

At this time, the young actor was sitting there, obediently letting the makeup artist put on his makeup.

Seeing the person coming, Ye Jin hurriedly called out politely, "Uncle Li!"

Li Yishu walked over, touched the child's head, and asked with a smile: "Ye Jin, how is it, are you used to it?"

"is acceptable."

Ye Jin smiled and said, "Uncle Li, don't underestimate me. I have filmed many movies."

"Haha, I don't underestimate you."

Li Yishu laughed out loud. Ye Jin can be said to be one of the most famous male child stars in China. He starred in Qiong Yao's dramas "The Cliff of Waiting for Husband", "Green Grass by the River" and "The Plum Blossom Mark" with Xiao Jinming.

It became an instant hit in the country.

(End of this chapter)