Huayu: Director started with art films

Chapter 212 222 [Why are you cursing! Defeat Jiang Wen in Venice]

After a while, Qingxia put on a new set of old-age makeup and looked much more comfortable. Li Yishu nodded and said, "That's not bad! Sister Qingxia, how do you feel?"

Looking at herself in the mirror, Qingxia touched her face in disbelief.

Different from her previous appearance of being in her seventies and eighties with wrinkles all over her face, her current look is not to the point of being frail, but she looks like a woman in her sixties.

If the previous makeup made Qingxia look a little too old and embarrassing, and there was no sense of immersion, then this makeup now gives her a sense of déjà vu that she will really look like this when she gets older.

Gray hair, light age spots on the face, deeper wrinkles at the corners of the eyes, and loose skin...

The whole thing gives me the feeling of an old Qingxia.

Qingxia looked up at Li Yishu and Zhang Aijia: "Do you think I will really become like this when I get old?"

Zhang Aijia smiled and said, "Haha, I don't know about that, but if I take good care of myself, I will definitely look younger than you with this makeup."

Li Yishu smiled but said nothing. He had seen Qingxia thirty years later. She looked much younger than this on the variety show "Idol Coming".

After all, she is a big star and she married a wealthy husband. She has no worries about food and drink and has a wealthy family. She spends millions every year on skin care. She must be much younger than an ordinary person in his sixties. She looks only in her forties or fifties.

The makeup artist asked cautiously, "Director Li, is this makeup okay?"

"Okay, that's it."

Li Yishu smiled and said, "Let's get everything ready. We can finish the shoot today so we don't have to put on makeup again tomorrow."

"It won't melt. It definitely won't melt."

Qingxia shook her head desperately. After seeing how old she was, she made up her mind that she would never stay up late to film again.

Ten minutes later.

The crew officially started filming.

In a makeshift prison visiting room, Qingxia and Liang Jiahui began to perform according to the script.

Li Yishu watched it carefully and had to say that Qingxia acted really well in this scene. She showed the feeling of not wanting to let the "middle-aged male protagonist" see her aging face vividly. Perhaps this can be regarded as acting in her true colors.

After all, which big star can stand this old-man makeup?
"Director Li." At this moment, Zhang Aijia walked to the director's chair and whispered, "How about adding a temporary segment?"

"Add another paragraph?"

Li Yishu was slightly startled and asked in surprise: "Add what?"

"Didn't Liang Jiahui go to the cemetery to visit the deceased Sister Xia at the end? You said we should add a paragraph at the end where Sister Xia, on her deathbed in prison, sees you in your youth, and then you both smile and let go..."

Sylvia Chang has done careful research on this script. It is not only about a woman's life and her painful choice between dignity and suffering, but also a record of the complex emotions between the male and female protagonists throughout their lives.

The middle-aged male protagonist has always missed the woman who brought him physical and spiritual satisfaction in his youth, and Sister Xia also misses the memory of 50 years ago and meets the young male protagonist in the image of an old man.

"You can have a segment."

Li Yishu thought about it and nodded in agreement. No matter what the final editing result would be, Zhang Aijia's suggestion was quite good. Even if it was not used when registering for the film festival, it could be included as an easter egg in the subsequent release in theaters.

This way, the movie comes to a perfect end.

Just do it.

After filming this scene, Li Yishu communicated with Qingxia and asked someone to get a set of clothes that the young male lead had worn before. After the styling was done, she and Qingxia started filming the plot suggested by Zhang Aijia.

Just as they were about to shoot, Li Yishu suddenly remembered something and said, "Go get a bunch of flowers."

"Flowers?"

"Well, at the beginning I sent flowers to meet Sister Xia, and the ending should also echo that."

Sylvia Chang and Stan Lai immediately understood what the director meant and quickly asked someone to get a bouquet of flowers.

The shooting officially begins.

"Sister Xia" was lying in the cell, her eyes began to become cloudy, her mouth was moving slightly, and she seemed to be muttering something. She was already in her twilight years, with her energy running out.

At this moment, "Li Shu" appeared in the camera holding flowers. He slowly squatted down and placed the flowers next to "Sister Xia".

When Sister Xia saw the young "Li Shu", her eyes suddenly widened and she sat up abruptly from the single bed. Her originally cloudy eyes began to brighten and her eye sockets began to become moist.

When Li Yishu saw this scene, she was moved. She picked a flower from the bouquet and slowly inserted it into Qingxia's graying temples.

Zhao Fei seized the opportunity of this sudden plot change and immediately moved the camera forward, aiming it at the flowers, then slowly backing away, creating a sharp contrast between the delicate flowers and Qingxia's old face and white hair.

Qingxia smiled.

Li Yishu also laughed.

"Crack!"

As Zhao Fei called out, Li Yishu also sighed and stood up. At that moment, he seemed to be immersed in the perspective of the male protagonist "Li Shu", facing this woman who brought him happiness, he felt endless pity and joy.

Zhao Fei said excitedly: "Director Li, you did a great job in adding this part just now. The combination of flowers and Qingxia is so beautiful."

Just from the perspective of the camera, the scene just now was so beautiful.

The beauty of the flowers and the oldness of Qingxia form a sharp contrast.

Especially combined with the initial setting in the script, the flowers echo each other in front and behind.

If this part was added to the movie, anyone who watched the film carefully would definitely burst into tears when they reached this part.

"That's fine."

Li Yishu smiled, then looked at his watch. It was already past noon. He said to Lai Shengchuan, "Director Lai, let's take a two-hour break at noon and continue filming at two o'clock in the afternoon."

"Okay!" Lai Shengchuan nodded.

Li Yishu turned around and was about to talk to Qingxia, but found that she had disappeared. Zhang Aijia walked over and said, "Qingxia went to the dressing room and seemed to be crying."

"Crying?" Li Yishu frowned: "Why are you crying again?"

"Maybe... I'm into the role."

As a bystander just now, Sylvia Chang was also moved by the scene just now combined with the plot of the script. As Qingxia, who was involved in the incident, how could she not feel anything after acting out the whole process?
Thinking of this, she asked, "Director Li, do you want to go and take a look?"

"Well, I'll go take a look."

After walking a few steps, Li Yishu suddenly turned back and said, "By the way, tell Liang Jiahui not to leave in a hurry tonight. Wait until the afternoon filming is finished and hold a wrap-up party for him."

Liang Jiahui's scene has been completely filmed. Qingxia was in good condition today, and the previous scene between the two of them was finished in just one morning.

Dressing room.

Qingxia sat alone in front of the makeup mirror, silently shedding tears. She was indeed a little into the role, especially the last scene with Li Yishu that was not supposed to be there.

Lying on the bed in the "prison", Qingxia imagined herself dying. The feeling of despair made her feel very uncomfortable.

Until Li Yishu appeared, that young face, combined with her current old look, suddenly touched the softest part of Qingxia's heart. Li Yishu knocked on the door, "Sister Qingxia, are you okay?"

Qingxia wiped away her tears, then turned around and forced a smile: "No, it's okay."

Seeing this scene, Li Yishu closed the door, walked over to her and sat down.

Looking at the flowers in Qingxia's gray hair and her red eyes, he couldn't help but smile and said, "Sister Qingxia, your look suddenly makes me feel poetic."

Qingxia looked up in surprise: "You can also write poetry?"

"Isn't it easy to write poetry?" Li Yishu raised the corners of his mouth. If he can't write, can he copy it?

"With my image, how can I write good poems?"

Qingxia touched her face, which was wrinkled.

Then she looked in the mirror, her face was old, her hair was gray, and there was a flower in her ear.

"It's so ugly."

Qingxia was overwhelmed with shame. This old-age look with a flower on was too eye-catching. She quickly reached out to take it off, but was caught by Li Yishu.

He just smiled and said, "No, it's just that your flower gave me inspiration."

"Don't laugh at me for wearing flowers in my white hair, time never defeats beauty..."

Just the first sentence attracted Qingxia. It was indeed a poem that Li Yishu came up with herself.

Li Yishu smiled and recited the next line: "If you have poetry and books hidden in your heart, you can pick up the beauty and become the truest!"

This song "Getting the Beauty Back" was heard by Li Yishu when he was watching "Chinese Poetry Competition" in his previous life. It was used to describe the host Dong Qing, who was well-read and elegant, and whose beauty lay in the bones, not in the skin.

However, this poem is just right for Qingxia, who is now in her old age.

And the last sentence corresponds exactly to the image of the heroine in the movie who has been studying hard after entering prison.

Qingxia's eyes flickered. She had little education and reading difficulties, but that didn't mean she was illiterate. This poem seemed pretty good?

"Clap!!"

At the door, Zhang Aijia applauded and said, "Director Li, I didn't expect you to have the potential to be a great poet. This poem is really well written."

Li Yishu was anxious: "Why are you cursing?"

"Ah?" Zhang Aijia was stunned: "I, I didn't scold you, Director Li, did you hear it wrong?"

"You heard me right. You said I was a great poet. Isn't that an insult?"

Li Yishu snorted. There is only one great poet, and that is Brother Chen Kai. Calling him a great poet is just insulting him!
Zhang Aijia, who had no idea about this joke, actually thought that "great poet" was an insult in mainland China, and quickly apologized: "I'm sorry, Director Li, I didn't know that "great poet" was an insult in mainland China."

"it's okay no problem."

Li Yishu smiled and waved his hands, saying, "I was just joking. My poem cannot be compared with the great poets. It's just a doggerel, pieced together from here and there."

Zhang Aijia breathed a sigh of relief and complimented, "This is not a doggerel poem. Most people can't write it."

The two chatted for a few sentences, and seeing that Qingxia was about to remove her makeup, Zhang Aijia stayed here to accompany her. Li Yishu also came out of the dressing room and prepared to talk to Lai Shengchuan about the subsequent filming of the plot.

Now the scenes of the adult male lead have been finished, and the bed scenes between Lee Yi-su and Ching-ha have also been finished. The follow-up is the normal plot, which is estimated to be completed in ten days to half a month.

After he left, Zhang Aijia glanced at the closed door and smiled at Qingxia who was removing her makeup: "How is it, Qingxia, were you moved by Director Li just now?"

"What are you touching about?" Qingxia looked up in surprise.

"Of course I am touched that Director Li is so considerate and came all the way to comfort you."

"Zhang Aijia, why have you been acting weird lately?"

Qingxia stared at the other person suspiciously, not understanding why Zhang Aijia kept saying such things during this period of time.

"Haha, it's nothing, it's nothing, you take off your makeup yourself, I'm going to leave first."

Sylvia Chang just smiled and said she would never say that she wanted to read gossip.

noon.

Inside a hotel.

A group of main creative staff ate and chatted.

“There’s no rush at the later stage.”

Lee Ye-seo smiled and said, “I plan to send this movie to the Venice International Film Festival next year.”

Hearing this, Lai Shengchuan said, "If we are participating in the Venice International Film Festival next year, then the post-production can be done slowly. But I think it would be a good idea for this movie to participate in the Cannes Film Festival."

"Cannes is not an option." Li Yishu shook her head and said, "I already have films to be exhibited at Berlin and Cannes. I am more confident about taking this film to the Venice Film Festival."

If nothing unexpected happens, Li Yishu will have to compete with Jiang Wen at the 1994 Venice International Film Festival next year.

Li Yishu had seen an interview with Jiang Wen in the newspaper before. The other party seemed to want to send "Sunny Days" to Cannes, but considering that Jiang Wen's crew is currently lacking funds and has stopped filming, it will definitely be too late to catch up with next year's Cannes Film Festival.

Then he can only participate in the Venice International Film Festival in the second half of the year, unless Jiang Wen is willing to wait until the year after, but he probably can't wait.

If the two were to face off in Venice, Li Yishu felt that he had a greater chance of winning the award. After all, he had much stronger connections in Venice than Jiang Wen.

Secondly, although the themes of the two films are different, they actually overlap in some ways.

One is the young man "Ma Xiaojun"'s desire for sex, and the other is the love-hate relationship between the young man "Li Hua" and a mature older sister.

Both of them contain the theme of teenagers squandering their excess hormones, but Lee Yi-su's "The Reader" is a little more profound.

Lee Yi-su knows a little about the preferences of the Venice Film Festival. Since "Sunny Days" was nominated for the Golden Lion Award, there will definitely be no problem with his "The Reader" as well.

As for whether or not he can win the Golden Lion Award, that’s hard to say.

However, Li Yishu still has confidence in winning the award. She might even take this opportunity to get Qingxia a Venice Film Festival Best Actress Award.

Qingxia acted very hard and immersed herself in this film, so it is very likely that she will win the Best Actress award.

He suddenly remembered that in 1994, it was also a Chinese-language film that won the Golden Lion Award!

However, it was not a mainland movie that won the award, but a movie from Taiwan. He couldn’t remember the name of the movie, but he still had some impression of the content of the movie. It seemed that a young man fell in love with an older sister.

So, won’t there be three films with something in common next year?

This is very interesting!

If it weren't for Lee Yi-su, perhaps Baodao's film would have won the Golden Lion at next year's Venice Film Festival, but with him appearing with "The Reader", it's hard to say.

As for who will win the Golden Lion Award in the end, it definitely won’t go to Jiang Wen.

(End of this chapter)