New Age Artists

Chapter 1: The Outlier in the Directing Department
2004, October.

Beijing Film Academy, basketball court.

Bang bang.

The fiery figure was sweating profusely, and his strong body was dribbling the ball quickly.

He suddenly jumped up, made a hook shot, and stayed in the air.

chap!
The ball is pocketed.

"Someone is looking for me. There's something going on. You guys play."

Shen Santong greeted everyone, walked outside the court, took off his white sweatshirt, revealing his muscular body.

"Give me saliva."

He took the water from Jiang Yiyan, the architect in later generations, who was watching the game, and gulped it down.

"I'm back from the award-winning trip. Is the prize money enough for the travel expenses?" Shen Santong asked with a smile when he saw Xing Aina and Ning Hao coming.

"Go to hell, you are so sure there is no prize." Xing Aina scolded with a smile.

"'Incense' is a good movie, a good drama film." Shen Santong rinsed his mouth and commented.

The general plot of Incense is:
A young monk who lives in a dilapidated temple, looking shabby and lonely.

It was the end of the year, and the Buddha statue on which the monk depended for his survival collapsed. In order to repair the statue, he began a long journey of raising money.

"Why don't good films win awards?" Ning Hao was curious.

How can a director not have expectations when making a film and entering it at a film festival?

As a result, there were only a few fake awards.

In other words, the film festival organizers reimbursed my travel expenses, otherwise I would have no money to travel.

"Buck-passing between departments, demolitions, problems in development, come on, these are all issues in modern society."

Shen Santong smiled and said, "Look at the movies made by Section Chief Jia and Lou Ye. They cannot have any traces of modernization. In the eyes of foreign judges, are you, me, and us qualified to talk about modern issues?"

"To win an award, you have to cater to the image of others, which is like Xiao Wu."

“I can even predict that today’s award-winning sixth-generation directors will always explore modern issues.”

"Some are like your "Incense", and some are postmodern, such as homosexuality, financial fraud and the like. I can say with certainty that the people who originally supported them will immediately abandon them."

what?
There are development issues, post-modernization issues, and some cultural shocks brought about by urbanization.
Even if you have these, you are still the poor, backward, ugly
The you in our eyes.

Those who bought films before and put them in art theaters for long-term screenings, no matter how well they were shot, how tricky the angles were, or even how dark and pandering they were, would not be accepted.

Because exploring these issues itself means the destruction of certain constructed impressions.

"If you want to make art films, you can learn from Section Chief Jia. He is a true art film businessman and knows a lot about these things. The films he made made a lot of money."

Shen Santong talked about the key to winning awards for art films.

People only buy this kind of films. If you want to sell them, you should act like you are selling them. Don't be shy.

"You are indeed the most unique student in the directing department."

Xing Aina saw that Ning Hao looked unhappy, so she quickly changed the subject: "I heard that you have a movie?"

"Yes, a comedy, a commercial film." Shen Santong nodded.

He was reborn.

In his previous life, because of family connections, his parents worked at Shanying. They were not very high-ranking leaders, but they had some connections and wanted him to learn film and television production.

Shen Santong didn't like it very much, he liked civil engineering.

civil Engineering!

Listen to these four words.

There is a feeling of man's romance, just like seeing a straight branch on the road.

It would feel wrong if I didn't play with it.

So, I applied for civil engineering.

I happened to catch the great expansion of this industry, so I have seen, tasted and played in it.

One day, I was massaging my feet with too much force and before I could recover, I had a seizure.

I opened my eyes and went back to 01, the first semester of my senior year in high school. My memories were still there, and because of my rebirth, my hardware had been enhanced in all aspects.

I have experienced the bitterness of civil engineering in my previous life, and I have also tasted the saltiness of life. In this life, I want to try the entertainment industry.

The main thing is that after working again, he changed from a handsome boy to a big, dark and fat boy.

After working hard for several months, I applied to the 02 directing department of the Beijing Film Academy.

It’s amazing. Only six people were admitted to the Class of 02 in China, and the score requirement was very high.

It is not enough to just have a high score, there must also be professional requirements.

Because of my parents, I was influenced by family education.

In his previous life, he was also a photographer as a hobby.

I lost it after I started working, and picked it up again in 08. Those who understand will understand.

Anyway, I went to Beijing Film Academy.

According to his idea, he should kick Lao Mouzi and beat up Kaizi Ge, but the actual situation was somewhat unexpected.

In this era, Zhang Yimou and Kaizi Ge are non-mainstream. What is the mainstream?
Feature films, art films, author films, or films by Taiwanese masters.

Commercial Film?
vulgar!
When Zhang Yimou's "Hero" was released last year, it was met with widespread criticism in the industry. You can't imagine the thrilling feeling unless you experience it yourself.

The same is true for the commercial films that Zhang Yimou made after winning many international awards and making his mark in art films.

Brother Kaizi is better, he has a good father, so everyone gives him face.

To be honest, Shen Santong was quite disappointed, but after thinking about it carefully, he felt it was reasonable.

The further you go in the past, the more it becomes a privilege to make films, not only as a profession but also as a status symbol.

His current teachers and department heads all have deep connections in the Beijing Film Studio and the Youth Studio.

Many of them had worked as factory managers and then transferred to colleges.

With financial support, we can make some feature films. It doesn’t matter whether they are released or not, and it doesn’t matter whether the audience likes them or not.

You can continue to shoot, win awards, and have status.

Why do we want to make commercial films? What if it doesn’t turn out well?
Besides, if commercial films really become popular, what will happen to my own status and circle?
This is a simple question of interests.

As for the development of the local film industry, the invasion of Hollywood movies and Hong Kong films have squeezed out mainland movies.

Even if the Hong Kong circle bullies mainlanders, what does it have to do with them?
Not to mention the big-name stars, even Boss Yang of Eagle King and Boss Jiang of Anle.

When you meet them, you have to call them teacher or director. This is status.

Shen Santong believed that movies were first and foremost for the audience and he sneered at literary and artistic works, regarding them as the product of the self-entertainment of a small circle.

Not to mention later, even now, some art films only have a few audiences.

In addition to students with related majors, there is a need for pull-sheets.

Is it interesting to make such a film if the audience doesn't even take a look?

As someone who has had experience, I don't express this attitude directly, nor do I say anything that would embarrass others.

But even if it is a tendency, it seems out of place in the directing department.

"Do you have any work on hand? If not, come and help me. I have received the quota from the Youth Factory and the script has been approved."

In 04, not everyone could make a movie. Even though the pursuits of the movies were different, Shen Santong was also a graduate of the Beijing Film Academy.

If you want to do some film practice in your junior year, it is not difficult to spend some money and apply for quota from the Beijing Film Academy Youth Film Studio.

"Oh, your operation is quite legal."

Xing Aina took over Shen Santong's film project book. The couple came here today just for this matter.

I had to find a job. I had made enough money from filming Incense, so of course I had to work.

I didn’t expect that Shen Santong’s student works are so formal.

Produced by Locomotive Film Studio, under the name of Youth Film Studio, with investment from Santong Entertainment Group, all rights reserved.

"You really invested two million by yourself, where did you get the money?" Ning Hao was shocked when he saw the investment amount. Are you a rich second generation?
"The books he wrote have sold three million copies," Jiang Yiyan introduced proudly.

(End of this chapter)