Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 102: Seeking the best, only getting the middle
In Xiaohuowa Lane, the winter afternoon sun shines into the house through the old wooden windows, casting mottled shadows on a carved wooden table.

Although Zhang Jiqing's small two-bedroom apartment is not spacious, it is kept tidy and orderly. Several early stills from dramas are hung on the wall. The purple clay teapot on the table is quietly emitting wisps of tea smoke, and the air is filled with the faint aroma of aged Pu'er tea.

Zhang Jiqing picked up the teacup, took a sip, and his eyes fell on Wu Chen across from him, frowning slightly: "Ask me to come out of retirement?"

She was confused. At her age, it was impossible for her to perform on stage again. And if she was only to be a consultant, Wu Chen would not bother to use the word "coming out of retirement".

Did he hope that she would teach her disciples again?

Then he shook his head slightly and said, "I no longer accept disciples."

Wu Chen's expression remained unchanged as he calmly said, "I'm not asking Teacher Zhang to teach me personally, I just hope you can give me some personal instruction."

Zhang Jiqing suddenly understood what he said. He looked at Wu Chen with a slightly scrutinizing look and smiled, "Are you planning to spend a few years honing your skills?"

Wu Chen said bluntly: "Yes!"

Zhang Jiqing nodded gently, his eyes far-sighted. "There are so many famous Kunqu Opera teachers, why do we need only me? It's not a bad idea to let others teach."

Wu Chen answered without hesitation: "Although there are many famous Kunqu Opera teachers, there is only one Queen of Kunqu Opera and the chief priest of female roles.

There is a saying that goes "If you aim for the best, you will only get the middle." Even if you learn from the best teacher, you can only get part of the essence.

To achieve perfection, every step must be demanding."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jiqing's eyes showed a hint of appreciation. He was indeed a genius of the younger generation in the film industry. His ideas were indeed different from those of ordinary people.

She smiled and nodded: "How many years do you plan to work on this?"

"Two years!" Wu Chen held up two fingers, his eyes determined. "What do you think, Teacher Zhang?"

Zhang Jiqing put down his teacup, tapped the table lightly, and after a moment of contemplation, said, "Of course. But I'm very strict when teaching people. If you can't meet my standards, I won't accept you."

Wu Chen smiled slightly and asked, "Teacher Zhang, is your requirement talent or..."

Zhang Jiqing shook his head slowly, his eyes showing a trace of the sedimentation of the past years:

“I only have one requirement – ​​hard work.

I did not have the innate talent to sing opera, and my voice was particularly shrill. I was considered to be of average talent in the field of Kunqu Opera. There were many people of the same period who were more talented than me, but I never gave up.

To this end, he specially learned the female role of the painted face, the Mei style singing style and the Cheng style singing style of Peking Opera to change his voice, and used all his spare time to practice, practicing the round stage, stepping on the horse, walking side, as well as the blanket and handle skills.
Every time I return to my room after class, I always think over and over again about what the teacher explained in class. After understanding it, I try to integrate the singing, performance, character's inner thoughts and lines into one, and then practice silently alone.

Now that I know what I am lacking, I will learn it.

Basically, my life at that time was just learning, practicing, and rehearsing."

At this point, Zhang Jiqing looked at Wu Chen in a daze: "I'm not a natural talent, so when I accept disciples, I don't look for talent, I only look for diligence."

Wu Chen's eyes were calm and he nodded solemnly: "Understood!"

Zhang Jiqing picked up the teacup, blew away the foam, and took a sip: "How many people do you want me to teach? Two?"

She thought of the characters in Wu Chen's script. Xu Wei was the protagonist, but another character, Liu Qing, could not be ignored either.

Wu Chen nodded carefully: "Yes!"

"There may not be anyone willing to spend two years of their youth studying Kunqu Opera and acting skills. If you look for two people, they're not going to be easy to find."

Zhang Jiqing sighed, "And when Du Liniang appeared, she was only 28, or 16 years old. Don't choose someone too old, otherwise it will lack some authenticity."

"It all depends on man!"

Wu Chen stood up, bowed slightly and left. The winter scene in Xiaohuowa Lane remained quiet.

Zhang Jiqing looked out the window, pondered for a moment, and then dialed Cai Zhengren's number.

On the other end of the phone, Cai Zhengren's voice was filled with curiosity: "How is it?"

Zhang Jiqing sighed softly and said slowly, "Very good. I was worried I might mislead him. Do you know what he said?"

Cai Zhengren asked: "What did you say?"

Zhang Jiqing smiled softly, a hint of anticipation in his eyes. "He said - to take the best of all, use it for my own benefit, and let the world see it. This is their responsibility as a director."

Cai Zhengren was silent for a moment, then sighed, "That's good. I had my doubts after that day, too. I was afraid that if I taught him too much, he might go the wrong way in the script."

Their generation has already shone for half of their lives, and there is not much light left. Whether they can continue this torch depends on the successors.

Cai Zhengren suddenly asked, "Do you know when his film will start shooting?" "It's estimated to take two years. He plans to personally train two actors and slowly polish them." Zhang Jiqing paused and suddenly asked, "Would you be willing to recommend the fifth generation of 'Du Liniang' you trained?
If you're willing, I can give you some pointers."

Cai Zhengren was stunned when he heard this: "You? Didn't you stop accepting disciples?"

Zhang Jiqing laughed and sighed, “Not accepting disciples doesn’t mean I can’t direct.

However, you have to think carefully. If she is recommended and chosen by Wu Chen, her fate will be different from what you and her parents imagined.

If I remember correctly, you and her parents want her to become the fifth-generation successor of Kunqu Opera, right?

But Wu Chen meant that acting skills and Kunqu Opera should be honed together.

Given Wu Chen's reputation, if this drama is a success, whether she plays the female lead or the second female lead, she will probably be sought after by the film and television industry, and may not be willing to return to be the successor. "

Cai Zhengren was silent for a long time, then said in a low voice, "Let me think about it."

“Think about it carefully,” Zhang Jiqing said softly, “Actually, this is a personal choice;

After all, Kunqu Opera's audience is not as wide as that of film and television dramas, and some people have even argued that Kunqu Opera can be regarded as museum art, seeking only preservation rather than development.

Film is a tool for inheritance and promotion, and this may also be an opportunity for Kunqu Opera."

At the same time, Wu Chen was walking through the deep alleys.

The alley was so quiet that only the sound of the wind could be heard. The branches of a few old plum trees protruded from the top of the wall. The withered flowers swayed slightly in the cold wind, and occasionally one or two petals fell and scattered among the cracks in the stones.

Several old ladies were still sitting on the bamboo chairs, chatting in low voices about family matters.

After leaving the alley, he stood on the side of the road, took out his cell phone and dialed Zhang Huijun's number.

On the other end of the phone, Zhang Huijun's voice was filled with laughter: "How is it? What's the harvest?"

"It's like listening to your words is worth ten years of reading. I also have to thank Director Zhang for the recommendation. The next step is to perfect and polish the script."

Wu Chen was not in a hurry. This was not "Black Swan". It was not that easy to write and polish the script.

"Take your time, don't rush." ​​Zhang Huijun nodded, paused, and suddenly remembered something, "Oh, right, at 10 o'clock this morning, the call for creative proposals for the Olympic Games opening and closing ceremonies officially started.

A notice has been sent to the academy, telling everyone to submit excellent creative ideas. Once adopted, the future directors will carefully consider their feasibility, and suitable ones will be selected for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics. You can prepare more."

Wu Chen was startled for a moment, then smiled and said, "Director Zhang, this shouldn't be my stage yet, right?"

He is only in his early twenties, so he has no chance of getting the position of chief director, let alone being a member of the director team.

“It’s just a creative idea, the director team’s selection process isn’t that fast.

And if you are not selected into the director team, you will not be able to provide creative solutions?
If you have any good ideas, just bring them up. If you do well, you will definitely get some benefits."

Zhang Huijun's meaning is very clear, that is, to do it boldly, as long as you do it well, there will definitely be benefits in the future.

On the other side, in a courtyard in the capital, several wintersweets were in bloom. When the cold wind blew, the fragrance of the flowers mixed with the cold air drifted into the house.

Brother Chen Kai sat at his desk, holding his phone in his hand, his brows furrowed. The voice of Zhu Jiaxin, head of Hong Kong Xintao Digital, came from the other end of the line:
"Director Chen, if you can't find an actor to voice Zhang Baizhi, we can't do anything about it. We have to stop all post-production work in Hong Kong."

Brother Chen Kai hung up the phone, his anger rising, and he cursed in a low voice:
"These companies are rubbish! They can't even find a dubbing artist."

Brother Chen Kai was very worried. After all, stopping work meant losses and might also affect his next schedule in Cannes.

At this time, Chen Hong pushed the door open and came in, holding a cup of tea in her hand. She walked behind Brother Chen Kai, gently pinched his shoulders, and whispered:

“It’s okay, it’s just the voice actor, we’ll find him later.

"Have you seen today's call for creative proposals for the Olympics? What do you think?"

Brother Chen Kai put down his phone and rubbed his temples: "Don't worry, I know it in my heart, it is destined to be mine.

In China, apart from me, only Zhang Yimou can be good at aesthetically pleasing picture composition. However, those eight minutes at the Athens Olympics had a bad impact.

As long as my plan works consistently, I think the organizing committee will adopt it."

Chen Kai smiled confidently: "Right now, The Promise is more important."

Upon hearing this, Chen Hong saw that Brother Chen Kai was confident and nodded in agreement.

(End of this chapter)