2001 Media Godfather

Chapter 60 was crushed.

Chapter 60 was crushed.
Ji Yang was furious. How could he understand the dirty thoughts of intellectuals? They kill without shedding blood.

"I disagree!"

Ji Yang openly opposed it, even dropping the pretense and calling Chu An petty and narrow-minded.

Upon hearing this, the entire group fell silent. Ji Yang, having reached this position, certainly carried some weight with his words.

Shen Jin and the assistant director were also taken aback. On the surface, they showed no change, but they were secretly displeased.

It's true that Ji Yang is famous, but publicly denying the director's and screenwriter's work is a bit out of line, and even seems like he's acting like a diva.

As for whether Chu An is petty or not, that's obvious! Anyone with a sound mind knows he's targeting Ji Yang. The point is, he has valid reasons and evidence, and this change does indeed improve the overall quality of the series.

This is a matter of stance; in the eyes of Shen Jin and Ruan Wenlin, it has nothing to do with right or wrong!

The artwork is their work, and all their efforts are for the sake of making it better.

Ji Yang is different. No matter how good the work is, if the role brings him negative publicity, then Ji Yang cannot focus on the work itself.

At this point, the assistant director quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Teacher Ji is probably too tired today. It's alright. We're just discussing the feasibility. Whether it will work in the end will definitely depend on our discussion with Teacher Ji."

Although Shen Jin agreed with Chu An's ideas, he also had to consider the issue of unity within the production team, especially since the conflict involved the big-name male lead.

He then spoke up, saying, "Professor Ji, please be patient. The script discussion went like this: everyone was working towards a positive outcome, but whether it can be implemented depends on the actual situation."

"We'll discuss this matter gradually. Don't worry, there's no issue of demoting your role without your consent."

The director and assistant director both spoke up, which successfully calmed Ji Yang down. They glared coldly at Chu An, their eyes conveying the clear message that this production crew was not for an outsider like him to interfere with.

Ji Yang's status is still enough to keep things in check!

He added coldly, "No matter how you discuss it, I firmly disagree with this kind of change."

It was meant for Chu An to hear.

Unexpectedly, Chu An still smiled and said, "Look, why did Teacher Ji take it so seriously? I was just talking nonsense and giving suggestions. In the end, it's Director Shen's decision on how to film it."

"Alright, alright!" Taking a step back, "Let's leave this topic here."

Opening the script, it was the scene they had been filming earlier. "Director Shen, let's talk about how to revise this scene."

Shen Jin didn't want to make a big fuss, so he went along with it, saying, "Yes, yes! I asked Xiao Chu for advice, it was all for this play."

That's what he said, but Chu An's words also reminded him that he was the boss on set, which unconsciously increased his dissatisfaction with Ji Yang.

Chu An indeed stopped mentioning the issue of changing roles, saying, "Then we're back to the original question: I think this scene was too uneventful."

"Let the other characters be the background, to highlight the male and female leads. There's no need to make it an ensemble piece; it's better to keep it simple."

Shen Jin nodded, "This is what you just said: simplicity is the ultimate luxury!"

Chu An: "Yes! How about Director Shen takes a picture and lets us try it out?"

Shen Jin nodded, then called the entire crew to prepare to film the scene again. The changes were simple: significantly reduce the supporting characters' lines and shots, keeping only the necessary transitions.

All the performance space was left to Lin Wanxing and Ji Yang, which were the two of them acting together.

And the effect was indeed much better. What was originally an ordinary scene was brought to a climax and made much more three-dimensional thanks to the lyrics co-written by Lin Wanxing and Ji Yang.

Ji Yang's acting skills were indeed superb, and his performance was excellent. This made him very proud after the director yelled "cut," and he provocatively raised his chin at Chu An.

Seeing this, Lin Wanxing clenched her little fists, ran to Chu An's side, and looked at Chu An with a suspicious expression, "This doesn't seem like you."

Chu An grinned, "What's wrong? Miss Wanxing, are you unhappy that I didn't help you crush him?"

"Get lost!" Lin Wanxing pinched Chu An's soft flesh and gave him a 360-degree "channel twelve" turn.

"I can't stand seeing my brothers humiliated!" She glanced at Ji Yang and confided to Chu An, "He has a rank, and so do I. We'll make a scene together if necessary!"

Chu An gave another wicked smile, "What's with this comparison of rankings? How childish."

Turning to Shen Jin, who was beaming with joy, he asked, "Director Shen, what do you think?"

Shen Jin: "As expected of a screenwriter whom even Director Lu doesn't hesitate to praise, the revisions are excellent!"

Today's shoot was supposed to be just one scene, but it wasn't going well. Then Chu An arrived, and the problem was solved.

"I really need to thank Teacher Chu!"

Alright! Shen Jin has even started calling him "teacher."

Unexpectedly, Chu An shook his head, "I think it's still a little bit short."

Shen Jin asked, puzzled, "What's the difference?"

Chu An picked up the director's script, "Director Shen, please take a look!"

"The character Wanxing received a Western education, while the male lead is a progressive youth. Yet, their shared work is a Song Dynasty poem that represents the pinnacle of literature in the old society. Don't you think..."

Shen Jin suddenly realized what was happening and slapped his forehead, "This poem is inappropriate!"

Naturally, she looked at Chu An and asked, "Teacher Chu, shall we revise one of their poems on the spot?"

Chu An pondered, "How about... a different way of expressing it? Let the male and female leads each write a poem, with the male lead still using Ruan Lao's original Song Dynasty poem, and Wan Xing... a modern prose poem?"

As he spoke, Chu An casually scribbled down a passage in Shen Jin's notebook.

Shen Jin watched from the side, originally thinking that as long as the quality was comparable to that Song Dynasty poem, Chu An's suggestion to make changes could be adopted.

Audiences prefer to see confrontation rather than cooperation.

As for Chu An's sabotage of Ji Yang and the role reversal, Shen Jin agreed, but he really didn't want things to get too tense.

Chu An's willingness to back down was, in his view, a good thing. After all, sometimes things just don't go the way they want; things can't always go according to your wishes.

There needs to be a choice.

However, as Chu An continued writing, stroke by stroke, Shen Jin's expression gradually changed.

Finally, after Chu An finished writing, Shen Jin picked up the notebook, carefully read it several times, and looked up, saying, "Teacher Chu, this paragraph..."

Chu An smiled but remained silent.

Shen Jin hesitated for a long time before asking, "Can it be given to Ji Yang?"

Chu An: "I wrote this for Wanxing."

"Alright!" Shen Jin thought to himself, as expected, none of them are easy to deal with!
This Xiao Chu has no intention of letting Ji Yang off the hook!

But the problem is...

He glanced at the text again, gritted his teeth, and beckoned to Lin Wanxing, "Wanxing, memorize this line, and let's do another take!"

Lin Wanxing, bewildered, picked up the director's script and glanced at it. Her heart skipped a beat, and she looked up at Shen Jin blankly, "I...I'll do this part!?"

Shen Jin's gaze was firm. "You come!"

……

Ji Yang had been keeping an eye on this area, but out of politeness, he didn't dare to get closer to listen.

At this point, Director Shen wanted to do another take, but this time it wasn't a song he co-wrote with Lin Wanxing, so he didn't think much of it.

It's perfectly normal for a director to want to try different effects.

Take your positions now and start filming again.

The beginning is the same, with a few supporting characters setting the stage. The climax is when Ji Yang composes a Song Dynasty poem on his own, showcasing his talent with beautiful verses. Following Chu An's alterations, a group of supporting characters then become the straight men, either praising him highly or feeling envious.

When it was the female lead's turn, Lin Wanxing cleared her throat, and instead of writing it down, she read it aloud in a strong and clear voice as instructed by the director:

"Recently, the idea of a constitutional monarchy has gradually become popular again..."

This is a contemporary article in line with the writing style of the Republic of China. The beginning is unremarkable, simply explaining the phenomenon of "nominal monarchy" or "republicanism"—a monarchy in name only, but a republic in practice.

The other actors all appeared to be listening attentively, making it entirely a one-man show by Lin Wanxing.

Ji Yang pretended to listen, but inwardly he sneered. Chu An's writing wasn't very good either! How could such aesthetically unappealing words compare to his Song Dynasty poem?

There's only one outcome: he'll completely overshadow Lin Wanxing, the female lead. At that point, fans might not even be praising their idol's acting skills, saying no actress is good enough for him!

"The Nietzschean Übermensch, though it seems too far-fetched."

Lin Wanxing's writing was still passionate and inspiring, but while the article was good, it was still long and boring from the audience's perspective.

"But from a global perspective, among Chinese people who are qualified to discuss literature and art, please look at Byron, Shelley, and Ibsen."

Ji Yang couldn't help but let one corner of his mouth slant slightly, as if he were disdainful, which was precisely captured by the cameraman in the shot.

Sudden! !
Lin Wanxing paused, her gaze sweeping across the entire room. Her slightly reddened eyes held a flickering brilliance, her emotions reaching their peak.

May Chinese youth all shake off their apathy.

Lin Wanxing's voice trembled, tinged with loneliness.
It seemed like a shout, or a call!
We call upon like-minded individuals, and we call upon Chinese youth who share our ideals and aspirations.

"Just moving upwards"

"Don't listen to those who have given up on themselves."

"Those who can do things should do them, and those who can speak out should speak out."

"Give off whatever warmth or light you have!"

Even a firefly can shine a little light in the darkness!

There is no need to wait for the torch.

"After that, there were no torches."

"I am the only light!!!"

With this line spoken and Lin Wanxing's explosive acting skills, the female lead's fate in the drama was already sealed.

Even if the King of Heaven himself came, he couldn't change it!

"Click!!"

Shen Jin slapped his thigh hard, "Absolutely amazing!!"