Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 135 Yu Feihong

On November 2002, 11, Wenjie Culture Media announced the casting results of two of its works on Blog.com.

"Shoplifters" was invested with 1000 million yuan, jointly funded by Wenjie, China Film Group, and Wenjie (Hong Kong).

Among them, China Film Group invested 300 million, and the rest was invested by Wenjie Culture and Wenjie (Hong Kong).

The latter is a wholly-owned company established by Boss Lu in Hong Kong to facilitate future investment and filming in Hong Kong.

For example, when the Japanese version of "Shoplifters" was released, it was boycotted by ordinary people, who said that the film vilified and tarnished the reputation of the nation.

This is the same reason why domestic people criticize directors such as Zhang Yimou and Jia Kechang for vilifying the country's image in films exhibited abroad.

Therefore, with the investment from companies in Hong Kong, it has been transformed into a co-production, which can also clear the obstacles for the film to pass review and participate in exhibitions.

Among the main character information released, Zhou Xun plays a middle-aged woman, Fan Bingbing plays the daughter, and the remaining actors have been announced before.

In addition, the fantasy film co-produced by Wenjie and Hunan TV also announced the first batch of main characters.

Concubine Liu Yi - Zhao Linger;

An Yixuan - Lin Yueru;

Jia Jingwen - Anu;
Hu Ge——Li Xiaoyao;

Hu Ge is a sophomore at the Shanghai Theatre Academy and has been signed by Wenjie Culture.

It’s impossible that all the male artists in the company have the same image as Wang Baoqiang and Huang Bo, right?
At this moment, two people from the Shancheng "Stone" crew both sneezed...

Liu Yifei's role in "Tian Long" was postponed by the bearded man under the strong pressure of Boss Lu.

The original version was completed in January 2003. In order to match the filming progress of "Chinese Paladin", it is expected that Liu Yifei's role will be completed before the end of the year.

Of course, on the phone, the bearded man couldn't help but start nagging Boss Lu to help him play some cameo roles.

Lu Kuan also found it funny. His original development plan was to accumulate national recognition and popularity on the small screen, but he didn't expect that his first film would become a hit.

It is impossible for such a famous director to return to TV drama production.

Boss Lu’s next development plan is to focus on the two lines of film and business, and gradually build a closed Internet ecosystem to complement his own film career!

Behind An Yixuan's performance was the deal between Boss Lu and Wu Anguo, which was about poaching the core technical personnel of Xiji Animation.

Wu Dun, who is behind Jia Jingwen, reached a consensus with Lu Kuan that the filming and shooting of "Shoplifters" will be held in Taiwan Province.

Wu is responsible for communicating with the Taiwan authorities' cultural department to grant tax rebates to films.

From the perspective of actual shooting needs, the original film was shot in Xiao Rizi, and the landscape of some areas in Taiwan Province is consistent with the original film due to historical reasons, which kills two birds with one stone.

Boss Lu has calculated relationships to the extreme, no one can take advantage of him!
After the list of actors was announced, some were happy while others were sad.

Da Meiyuan has been flirting with Boss Lu recently. This time, she naturally took the opportunity to act coquettishly on the phone, and only gave up after getting Lu Kuan's promise of "I will definitely consider you next time!"

Wang Dajun and Wang Xiaolei from Huayi also called to thank Lu Kuan for hiring Fan Bingbing from the company, and expressed regret for not being able to participate in the new film this time.

What Rang Lukuan didn't expect was that an actress who had failed the exam actually came to him directly.

"Boss, Ms. Yu is here."

"Oh, please come in."

Boss Lu was a little curious when he received her call in the morning. She has always been relatively indifferent in the circle, so why is she so persistent this time?

Are you not satisfied with your loss?
"Hello, Guide. Sorry for the inconvenience."

Yu Feihong took off her camel-colored coat, revealing a plain strapless dress underneath. She wore no makeup, and her long, straight black hair was casually draped over her shoulders.

Such a thirty-year-old mature woman with a completely different temperament is really eye-catching.

"Teacher Yu, please sit down!"

Lu Kuan was not being polite when she called her Teacher Yu, as she had indeed been a teacher at the Beijing Film Academy.

It is worth mentioning that Jia Jingwen, who was kneeling under the table with her lips flying a few days ago, was once her student.

Yu Feihong sat down gracefully: "Please don't call me that, Director Lu, I should call you Teacher Lu."

Boss Lu politely opened the upper-floor window to disperse the smoke in the room.

To deal with a slutty bitch, you have to be straightforward and rough, but to deal with an intellectual female intellectual like this, you have to change your attitude.

"Not choking, right? Sister Feihong?"

Yu Feihong was stunned. She felt that this young director was kind and friendly to others and had no airs at all.

"It's okay, it's okay, Director Lu. I'm sorry to bother you this time, but I have an unwelcome request."

Seeing Lu Kuan signaling her to continue, Yu Feihong took out a manuscript from her bag.

The cover reads: "Love Has a Next Life".

"Director Lu, to be honest, this is the main reason why I came here for the audition."

The mature woman pointed at the script on the table and said, "This is a script adapted from a short story I just bought online. I really want to create it myself and have it seen on the big screen."

"But the script is still in the preparation stage, and the funding, personnel, and actors are still uncertain..."

"I..."

"I'd like to see if I can intern with you for a while. Let me stay on the crew until the filming is finished, so I can learn the filming process."

Although she was begging for help, Yu Feihong felt quite uncomfortable in her heart.

She started out as an actress in Hollywood movies like "The Joy Luck Club". She came from a well-off family and stayed on to teach at the Beijing Film Academy a few years after graduating.

Now she had to beg for shelter in a humble manner in front of a young director who was more than ten years younger than her, and she looked quite embarrassed.

Boss Lu understood what she meant as soon as he saw the script. This matter was no secret in later generations. This movie used this hype gimmick.

An intellectual female director, ten years in the making, the Mandarin version of Ghost.

Boss Lu pondered for a few seconds and said, "Sister Feihong, it's possible."

"But let me be clear, I might have a bad temper on set. If you want to learn the entire filming process, you have to master every step."

"Not only will I be exhausted by then, but I might not do well and get scolded, this..."

Yu Feihong's cheeks flushed with excitement: "Director! It's okay! You can scold me if you want. No matter how difficult it is, I can bear it!"

Boss Lu: Can you bear the 18-centimeter one?
"Well, that's fine. Go back and prepare. When the shooting schedule comes out, I will inform you in advance. You can be my assistant director."

"Okay!" At six o'clock in the evening, at a halal hot pot restaurant near Beijing Film Academy.

Lu Kuan hurriedly took Ah Fei into the private room. The evening rush hour on Beiping Road was just beginning to appear, and he was ten minutes late for the appointment.

Today he made an appointment with Jiang Zhiqiang, Tian Zhuangzhuang and another photographer who is still unknown: Cao Yu.

Book lovers who have acted in movies may be familiar with him. He also has a more niche identity: the second husband of the Flower of Evil.

In addition to a small gathering with Lao Tian and Lao Jiang, the main purpose of this meal was to find a photography DP for the new movie.

The photography DP is the director of photography. They are not only responsible for the photographic styling of the film, but are also responsible for the photographic art creation and technical processing.

The DP's work covers camera and lens selection, lighting arrangement, camera movement techniques, etc. In this process, he and the director jointly decide all photography-related decisions, and the position is very important.

Lu Kuan was with Ning Hao when filming "Whiplash", but the cost of film production in the future will become higher and higher, and the process will become more complicated, so it will be impossible for him to worry too much about the trivial matters of photography.

As soon as we entered the room, the three of them were already drinking tea and eating melon seeds.

Tian Zhuangzhuang raised his eyelids and jokingly said, "He's become a big director now, and he's a big shot too. He's even the last one to arrive for dinner."

Lu Kuan put his hands together as if to apologize, then picked up the kettle and filled it up for Tian Zhuangzhuang and the others in a flattering manner.

The successful overseas release and huge profits of "Whiplash" are certainly the results of Lu Kuan's own deliberate efforts, but without Tian Zhuangzhuang personally taking on the role of producer, contacting Qingying Studio, and using his connections to file the film with the radio and television authorities, there might have been twists and turns along the way.

After flattering Lao Tian a bit, Lu Kuan greeted Jiang Zhiqiang and the young photographer with a smile.

"Hello, Teacher Cao!"

Lu Kuan was now well-known, so the young photographer didn't dare to be arrogant. He stood up with a smile and held out his hands. "Hello, Guide Lu, I've heard a lot about you!"

This man named Cao Yu is considered to be one of the top photographers in China after the generation of Zhao Fei, Zhao Xiaoding and Gu Changwei.

In 1997, he won the Cannes Film Festival Young Film Fund Award for his graduation work "Waiting", and last year he was nominated for the Photography Award at the New York Advertising Festival.

At present, Lukuan's industry status is far from being able to recruit those top photographers, so having such a rising star as a helper is not a bad thing.

The waiter brought warm Shaoxing rice wine, and several people raised their glasses to drink together in the winter. They all felt warmth rising from all over their limbs and felt quite comfortable all over.

After some drinks and pleasantries at the table, Lu Kuan knew that it was time to get down to business.

"Teacher Cao, I'm asking Teacher Tian and Director Jiang to accompany you this time because I have a personal business invitation."

Cao Yu was feeling troubled and looked a little embarrassed.

"Director Lu, Director Jiang and Teacher Tian have both told me what you mean, but we do have other crews filming plans recently, so the time may be..."

Whether in the system or in other sectors of society, generally speaking, status and authority increase with age.

Even if one says "Ambition does not begin at a young age" or "Don't bully the poor young man", no one would willingly work for a young director who is younger than themselves.

Lu Kuan wasn't sure whether he was telling the truth or just trying to shirk responsibility, so he pondered for a moment and remained silent.

The room suddenly felt awkward. Jiang Zhiqiang glanced at Lu Kuan and was about to raise his glass to discuss his feelings with Cao Yu, but he didn't expect the young director to speak confidently and said,
"Teacher Cao, don't be so quick to refuse. First, please take a look at a few scripts and give me some advice on lighting and cinematography."

As he spoke, he took out several scripts from his bag, which were "Inception" and scripts adapted from novels that Lu Kuan bought from several science fiction writers.

During this period, there were many notices from the army and no one was working, so Boss Lu was polishing his manuscript in his own courtyard.

Tian Zhuangzhuang and Jiang Zhiqiang looked at each other, not knowing what Lu Kuan meant. Did he want to use the script to impress the professional photographer?

Lu Kuan poured himself a drink, and the rice wine tasted a little spicy in his mouth.

Looking at Cao Yu's gradually furrowed brows and the shock in his eyes, he swallowed a mouthful of wine with satisfaction, feeling very relieved.

"Director Lu, have you studied photography?"

Cao Yu put aside his formatted social etiquette and truly began to examine this famous young director from a professional perspective.

"I understand a little bit. Did Teacher Cao see anything?"

Cao Yu looked at a lighting and camera technique in the script of "Inception" in shock:
Using a double exposure method directly on negative film, a scene is recorded with a window blocking the light, and then recorded again by removing, rewinding and replacing the negative film.

The second time, the rest of the room is dark, and the windows are exposed to show the character's psychological flashbacks, which is basically a double exposure on one negative frame!

So bold, so original!

"Hey."

Cao Yu put down the script in frustration.

"Director Lu, with all due respect, you don't need to look for another photographer with your level."

Lu Kuan smiled but didn't respond. Tian Zhuangzhuang and Jiang Zhiqiang looked at each other, with a hint of surprise in their eyes.

Lu Kuan waved his hand and said, "No, no, the director's energy is limited, so photography should be left to professionals."

The cinematographer can be said to be the most important position in a film besides the director.

Not only do they need to have good photography skills and aesthetic standards, but they also need to understand elements coordinated by the director, such as lighting, color grading, dubbing and music.

The relationship between the director and the cinematographer on a film set is very delicate.

Book lovers may often hear a term called the royal photographer, such as Du Kefeng is Wang Jiawei's royal photographer, Zhao Xiaoding is Zhang Yimou's royal photographer, and Zhao Fei later became Jiang Wen's royal photographer.

Being the exclusive photographer means that the photographer and the director have a close collaboration, understand and are familiar with each other's film style, composition, and aesthetic attainments, and can produce confrontation and fusion.

In other words, the director and the cinematographer are rivals in the film.

The director certainly has the most say, but top photographers also have their own understanding and opinions, and can often even argue with the director and ultimately win.

Only by discussing and polishing in this way can the film achieve the best effect.

Cao Yu opened and closed the script in his hand. After a while, he seemed reluctant to open it again and ponder it, with a struggle between his conscience and his desires in his mind.

"Teacher Cao, we are not much different in age. I hope we can work together in the future to explore and innovate more photography techniques!"

The photographer's psychological defenses were completely broken by this sentence.

His goal is to become a top photographer like Gordon Willis and create works that will go down in history like "Annie Hall", "Manhattan" and "The Godfather".

To achieve this goal, he not only needs to continuously improve his photography skills, but also needs the cooperation of a top director who knows the field.

After watching films like Inception, where the lighting and camerawork are expertly executed and bold, it seems that this will be easier to achieve with this young director who modestly claims to know “something” about photography.

"Director Lu, please give me more guidance in the future!"

Everyone raised their glasses with a smile. The most important part of Lu Kuan's crew was finally completed, and the filming of "Shoplifters" will be put on the agenda.

(End of this chapter)