Generation Z Artists

Chapter 236 Script Finalized
Disclaimer before the article: After careful consideration, I have decided not to use original content. It's not that I can't create, but rather that people lack awareness, comparison, and empathy.

I need to use too much ink to describe unrelated things, which is not the right way, goes against the main cultural theme, and easily leads to a situation that is neither pleasing to either side nor satisfying enough.

However, Fang Xinghe will not completely replicate the classics of his previous life; I will do my best to make modifications and additions that I believe are valuable.

That's roughly the idea for the entertainment section, thank you.

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The type of movie that Fang Xinghe remembered was "Better Days".

In his previous life in 2019, when the movie was released, Brother Fang had already entered the industry and had even taken on a smear campaign against his rivals. Therefore, he was relatively familiar with the film and had even seen it himself.

Of course, in the end, the online trolls couldn't stop anything. The movie was a box office and critical success, and Fang Ge's order was even owed the final payment, making it a double celebration.

On that year's box office chart, Nezha ranked first, The Wandering Earth second, Avengers: Endgame third, Han Han's "Pegasus" seventh, and "Better Days" ranked ninth with a box office of 15.6 billion yuan.

For a film with this subject matter and cast, it can be considered a phenomenal blockbuster. How much box office did the films starring Lu Han, who was in the same period, actually achieve?
Even more impressive were the awards they won in the Chinese entertainment industry that year; in short, they swept them all.

Hong Kong Film Awards: Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best New Performer, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography...

We achieved successes in the Hundred Flowers, Golden Rooster, and Asian Games...

Academy Award nomination for Best International Feature Film, Berlin International Film Festival Generation section...

The little yellow duck won two gold medals, and the young actor with the nickname "Four Characters" won all the newcomer awards and successfully transitioned into a new generation.

A third-rate director, a rubber duck with little box office appeal, an unpromising young idol, and a repressive, niche subject matter—yet they managed to create a phenomenal film. At the time, its absurdity was comparable to The Wandering Earth and Nezha, and they were hailed as the three biggest domestic surprises of the year.

It's not an exaggeration to say that, but looking at the history of the Chinese entertainment industry, there are only a handful of movies that have achieved both box office and awards success.

Therefore, when Sister Li mentioned school bullying, Fang Xinghe immediately thought of this movie.

He certainly thought of "Silenced" as well, but let's not be silly. Putting aside whether it's possible to make it or not, the key issue is that there's simply no such systemic evil in China. Trying to make it with that kind of depth would just be black for the sake of black.

Of the remaining Japanese and Korean films on the theme of school bullying, none have been able to match the box office and critical acclaim of "Better Days," at least not in Fang Xinghe's memory, as he doesn't have a particularly large number of film viewing experiences.

Let's return to the film itself.

When Fang Xinghe first saw the film, he felt it was pretty good, but he didn't know what was missing.

Now, as a master film director and a master actor, Fang Xinghe recalls the past and finally clearly understands the problem.

Overall, this is a film of above-average quality. Its warm and redemptive tone, compared to the extreme darkness and brutality of Korean films, has a more positive meaning and a better viewing experience.

Most of the problems stemmed from the details, and these various issues diminished the overall experience.

For example, the original novel contained plagiarism and borrowed ideas, and although the script made many changes, the original sin still exists.

For example, some parts of the plot feel a bit forced.

The police investigation and the emergence of key evidence were very solid, but the handling of the reasons for the bullying was too evasive. In addition, there were too many elements, resulting in a lack of concentrated impact, inconsistent style, and insufficient depth in the investigation.

Now, Fang Xinghe's overall evaluation is—

The director's work was extremely well done, scoring 90 points, but due to limitations, he couldn't achieve a score above 95, thus failing to become a classic of the era.

Emotional impact: 85 points; the final expression was a bit lacking.

The performance of Little Yellow Duck is 95 points, and the four characters are 85 points—to avoid controversy, this is to clarify—this only refers to the performance effect of this film and its service to this theme.

The subject matter is profound, scoring 95 points. There are basically no such subjects in China, so their emergence deserves encouragement.

After completing the analysis, Fang Xinghe began to consider: If he were to make this film himself, to what extent could he achieve it in this era?
In terms of the script, there is every ability to refine and improve it, achieving both structural and depth improvements.

As for the director's performance, it's hard to say. Fang Xinghe believes that his ability is superior to that of Director Zeng, but he also has more ideas. The specific result will depend on the state of mind during filming.

At worst, the completion rate is the same, which should normally be a plus. My potential is definitely higher than Director Zeng's.

The subject matter is profound; passing the censorship is a 99 out of 100. Bullying is more direct, more serious, and more ignored these days.

As for the performance... Fang Xinghe himself goes without saying, he delivered at least a 99 out of 100; if he were even a fraction less, he'd be beheaded.

His acting skills weren't quite up to that level, but he was just too perfect for the role.

Xiao Fang is a child who went from being bullied to becoming a bully himself.

He didn't bully good students, but he really did go all out against those notorious troublemakers.

In addition, there are too many people around to observe. There are plenty of people being bullied, and just as many people bullying others. These are all excellent subjects.

The only problem is the female lead; finding the right actress is no easy task.

Later, many ordinary viewers looked down on Little Yellow Duck, but in fact, there were only a handful of Chinese actresses who won so many Best Actress awards at her age, and most of them were not suitable to play Chen Nian.

The 27-year-old actress played the 17-year-old Chen Nian to a degree that perfectly blended reality and conviction.

When 27-year-old Gong Li played Chen Nian, with her chin raised and a disdainful look, the audience immediately thought of a self-dubbed line: "So your name is Wei Lai, huh?"

27-year-old Zhang Ziyi played Chen Nian, stubbornly raising her head, looking as fierce as if she were going to raid Wei Lai's entire family at night...

When 27-year-old Zhou Xun played Chen Nian, her hoarse voice came through... Holy crap!
27-year-old Mi Xiaolu plays Chen Nian. With a single, alluring glance, she's all about to beat up this green tea bitch!

Well, actually speaking purely in terms of ability, Lu Han is really not bad. He is currently at the peak of his age and acting skills. But no matter how suitable he is, Fang Xinghe will not use him.

It's not that I despise her for having an affair. It's hard for outsiders to understand the truth and falsehood, right and wrong in the world of relationships. Demanding that anyone maintain absolute morality at this level is unrealistic and immoral.

Fang Xinghe simply despised her for dating a rapper named Xidu. Although a delinquent girl and a rapper are a perfect match, Fang didn't like it and thought it was low-class.

It's unbearable to think that a film that could have been made to leave its mark on Chinese film history has been left with such a stain.

In short, after a thorough search, it's really hard to find an actress who can play this role well.

It seems the only option is to use Zhou Xun and solve the voice problem with post-production dubbing, so we can get the performance sorted out first.

Realizing that the actresses were passable, Fang Xinghe's determination to revise the film became even stronger.

Let's modify it and make a fringe art-house romance film that fully showcases the director's vision and the actor's performance!

I briefly explained my idea to Mouzi and Sister Li, and they were both very impressed.

"This is the perfect genre for you!"

"If you can't fight, then making romance movies is the right thing to do. If you don't talk about love now, what will those young girls watch?"

"The theme of redemption is very appealing. Although it may reduce the chances of winning awards, it will strengthen the box office guarantee."

"Who said that? The theme of redemption itself doesn't affect the depth of a film. It's just a small part of the ending, whether it's an upward ascension or a despairing fall. Only those crazy people would nitpick about the depth of a film. Just make a good film, bro, I'll take care of the judges!"

"That's not what I meant. Isn't it true that Redemption is more friendly to fans and general viewers?"

"Who cares what you mean? You better hurry up and find Old Gu to be Xinghe's photographer!"

"Where am I supposed to find him? He's currently preparing to shoot his own movie, and I've been dragging his feet for half a year already..."

"All this stalling and procrastination is so unpleasant!"

Suddenly, the two of them started arguing.

They are currently at Gong Li's home. Even though the two have been separated for a long time, it's clear that they get along smoothly without any inhibitions.

Ultimately, of course, it was Mouzi who surrendered.

"Stop talking nonsense. I'll ask Ding Zi for Xiao Fang. He should have time."

Zhao Xiaoding was the assistant cinematographer for "Hero," and together with Lao Gu, they upheld the cinematographic aesthetics of this landmark film.

Using him wasn't really in line with the style Fang Xinghe wanted. But on second thought, after excluding photographers from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Europe, and America, among all the remaining candidates, Zhao Xiaoding seemed to be the one who best understood Fang Xinghe's intentions; the others were even less capable.

The photographers who work with Lao Lou and Lao Jia are also quite good and could be considered as alternatives.

It takes a long time to dig down the list before it's Ning Hao's turn.

This guy is famous and quick-witted, but his core identity is as a director. The core of those classic cinematography styles was established by Du Jie, so hiring Ning Hao as the cinematographer was purely wishful thinking.

Gong Li then stopped and turned to Fang Xinghe, asking, "You're handling the screenwriting, directing, male lead, and investment all by yourself? How much are you planning to invest?"

"5000?"

Fang Xinghe casually mentioned a number, and Mou Zi couldn't help but shake his head and smile wryly: "Where would we need that!"

"My salary must be at least 4000 million plus profit sharing..."

Halfway through his speech, Mr. Fang suddenly remembered that this film was fully funded by his wholly-owned company, so perhaps he didn't need to go through all that trouble?
After thinking about it, I changed my mind.

"That should be enough for a decent film with 800 million. After setting aside Xun Ge's (Zhou Xun's) salary, the rest will be for filming costs. As for me personally..."

After reviewing the relevant tax knowledge, Mr. Fang quickly came up with a plan.

"A symbolic 1 yuan fee plus 50% of the creative profits can at least save some personal income tax."

"puff!"

Gong Li was amused: "You don't care about paying taxes!"

"I don't really care about paying a little more tax," Fang Xinghe shrugged. "But doesn't it sound better to have a small investment and a big return?"

Yes, that's the core reason.

Having climbed out of his hospital bed, Dafang had long lost his sensitivity to money, but his need to show off remained.

By turning his heavily modified version of "Better Days" into a low-budget personal work, he ultimately achieved a double victory in terms of box office and critical acclaim, allowing the world to recognize his talent.

This shouldn't be a big problem, after all, he plans to cheat... oh wait, it seems he's never turned it off.

After chatting happily with Sister Mou Zili and asking her to find a suitable producer, Fang Xinghe returned to his villa and opened the Starlight Panel.

The panel contains billions of stars.

This thing has long since lost its effect on Fang Xinghe's basic attributes.

But that doesn’t mean it’s useless—in the newly added career panel, there’s a feature that’s never been used before: Inspiration.

Ignite the starlight and inspire creativity.

What are its specific uses?

We'll know now.

Fang Xinghe sat upright at his desk, with a computer in front of him. He had already opened a Word document with the title "Better Days".

This name is not bad; it shares the same lineage as Fang Xinghe's "Youth" series, so it's usable.

Select the screenwriter career panel, and then activate Inspiration.

A roar seemed to resound in my brain, and then countless thoughts suddenly popped up.

They emerged from the tiny, crevices of the brain, cheering as they surged toward the sea of ​​consciousness, exerting no pressure on the galaxy, yet bringing unparalleled clarity.

The plot of "Better Days," which he had seen in his previous life, appeared in Fang Xinghe's own scriptwriting ideas in a rather clear and easy-going way.

He subconsciously started typing on the keyboard, rewriting the script.

This isn't about analyzing the plot of the original movie, but rather about developing a better interpretation in my mind.

For example, Fang Xinghe neither liked nor approved of the design of the core conflict in the original work.

Every form of bullying may have a variety of underlying reasons, but it may also be based on the purest form of evil. If you look for the reasons afterward, you will find hundreds of possibilities. If you experience it during the incident, it is nothing more than pain and pleasure.

So how can we portray the trio of Wei Lai in a more profound way?
Simple, contrast.

Wei Lai is beautiful, so her evil is very pure, stemming from jealousy—because Chen Nian is even more beautiful.

The fat girl is rich, so her evil is very simple: it stems from arrogance—looking down on any poor person equally.

The skinny girl is a good student, so her evil is very hidden and stems from darkness—eliminating one more competitor increases her chances of getting into a good university.

All other reasons are superfluous.

From a screenwriting perspective, there is no reason to give them more complex motivations.

Of course, at the director's level, the audiovisual language must be sufficiently evocative and able to withstand deeper scrutiny and analysis.

This illustrates the different logics used by screenwriters and directors when creating content.

The screenwriter provides the core characteristics of the character, while the specific presentation is a secondary creation jointly undertaken by the director and actors.

The script should be concise, its power subtle and understated.

Director Ying Fan used rich audiovisual language to convey more information.

For example, how exactly should bullying scenes be filmed? That's the director's job, not screenwriter Fang's.

Of course, since he wrote and directed it himself, Fang Xinghe already has the answer.

All the positive perspectives focus on showing pure evil, and then in the side shots involving their respective families, the causes of their personalities are presented objectively and calmly.

In other words, the subjective party is responsible for the emotions, while the objective party is responsible for the presentation, without any analysis.

This thing doesn't need to be analyzed.

With well-designed details, a single shot can make the audience realize something and feel a sense of resonance.

In the final stages of the script, Fang Xinghe also designed a more impactful scene.

It was a special long take, challenging and artistic, with a shift from subtlety to passion, and a sudden burst of intense saturation.

Of course, Fang Xinghe didn't mess with the good parts of the original work; he preserved them all.

For example, the scene where Chen Nian and Xiao Bei shave their heads together was filmed a little bit poorly, but the concept was excellent.

He never shied away from using other people's things; he just didn't want to completely copy them.

If re-creation can make the original better, then it's not just a boring copying. The head of the online trolls has no morals, only a pursuit of perfection.

One person is carrying the banner of cultural warfare. Who the hell is going to fight you fair and square? These international NGOs and domestic traitors don't deserve to be treated fairly and squarely.

There's a pit where they can bury their rotten bones; that's humane enough.

Fang Xinghe finished the final script in three days.

He showed the photos to Mouzi and Lijie. The former had many opinions, which Fang Xinghe ignored, while the latter praised them highly and suddenly had a whimsical idea to play the policeman.

Sis, can we stop messing around?
However, Sister Li's antics were just a minor incident, and whether she acted out the scene or not didn't affect the overall situation.

The real blow came before the script was even filed for approval...

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(End of this chapter)