Top Chinese celebrity: Debuted from Running Man

Chapter 432 Director Chen's Little Trick

Chapter 432 Director Chen's Little Trick (6k)
……

……

"Director Kaige's assistant?!"

Holding her phone, Zhao Ya subconsciously repeated the sentence, her voice rising slightly in surprise. But she quickly realized she had lost her composure, took a deep breath, and forced herself to calm down.

She was now representing her boss's reputation, so she couldn't afford to overreact or lose her composure.

"Hello, teacher."

Zhao Ya adjusted her breathing and responded in as calm a voice as possible, "May I ask if there's anything specific you need to discuss with our boss?"

"Boss... he's currently dealing with some work follow-ups and is temporarily unable to answer the phone."

If you have any questions, please feel free to communicate with me first. I will record everything in detail and relay it to the boss immediately.

The person on the other end of the phone seemed to understand the procedure and responded politely and warmly.

One should show due courtesy and humility to senior directors in the industry, but there's no need to be overly obsequious.

It’s different in the past.

Having witnessed the box office success of "Detective Chinatown," Gu Qing's current commercial value and industry status have reached a level unmatched in the industry, making him a true "walking money-printing machine" and a "ratings/box office guarantee."

The other top stars may need to be more cautious, or even humble themselves, in order to secure opportunities to work with renowned directors.

But even though their own boss can't be considered on par with these accomplished directors, he still has the confidence to stand up straight and speak his mind.

……

"Kaige? Director Chen?"

"Why did he contact me?"

Gu Qing, who was gazing intently at the scenery outside the window, heard the name of this renowned director from the fifth generation and a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes. He then turned to look at Zhao Ya, who was returning a phone call.

"Contact information? Okay, please tell me, I'll write it down."

Zhao Ya typed out the number skillfully.

After writing down the contact information,
Zhao Ya exchanged a few more pleasantries with the person on the other end of the phone, a professional smile appearing on her face: "Want a few autographed photos of the boss? No problem, I'll talk to the boss when I get back and arrange for them to be sent to you."

Okay, best of luck with your work, goodbye.

When the call finally ended,

The brief silence in the carriage was broken by Zhao Ya's barely suppressed excitement.

Zhao Ya suddenly turned her head, her face flushed with excitement, and clenched her fists: "Boss! It really is Director Kai Ge calling you! It was his assistant who called personally!"

Her eyes lit up, and almost immediately she began to imagine the most wonderful possibilities:
"Could it be that Director Kaige...could it be that he saw your previous works and wants to collaborate with you on his new film?!"

"Oh my god!!"

It's no wonder Zhao Ya was so excited.

In her view, her boss now seems to be thriving in all three fields: singing, television, and film, enjoying unparalleled success.

However, there is one crucial aspect that remains unresolved to this day – namely, the recognition and credibility of film awards!
An actor without prestigious awards is ultimately like someone lacking the strongest foundation, appearing flashy but insubstantial.

Although Gu Qing has already won numerous awards in the TV drama field, including the most prestigious "Best Actor" award.

However, within the clearly defined "hierarchy of contempt" in the entertainment industry, awards in the television drama field have very limited effect on elevating an actor's core status in the film industry.

This is similar to Hu Ge in his previous life, who had already achieved legendary status in the television drama field, accumulating numerous awards and honors;
Another example is Sister Zhao, who is also a ratings queen and a grand slam winner of awards in the TV drama field.

But when they turn to the big screen, they can only start with low-budget art films or films of specific genres.

Or they play minor supporting roles in films by renowned directors, essentially starting their journey afresh as "film newcomers."

This is the invisible yet solid barrier between TV series and movies.

The root cause lies in the fact that the two have completely different evaluation systems and "rules of the game".

TV dramas are more geared towards mass entertainment and market orientation.

High viewership and a large audience base greatly increase the probability of winning awards, which to some extent reflects "audience appeal" and "market value".

And movies,
Films aiming for awards, in particular, place greater emphasis on so-called "artistic merit" and "depth of acting."

The judges have a more rigorous eye, and they tend to reward performances that can deeply explore human nature, showcase the inner world of complex characters, or achieve a very high level of completion in a specific genre.

A very real example is,
Chen Long, who dominated the box office in the 1980s, 1990s, millennium and even the 2010s and enjoys a global reputation, has an undeniable commercial value and global influence.

However, when it comes to professional performance awards, he has received very few recognitions, which stands in stark contrast to his enormous reputation.

same,

Kung Fu Emperor Li Nianjie has captivated countless viewers with his unique martial arts style and captivating character.
Stephen Chow, the King of Comedy, ushered in a new era with his nonsensical performance style.

Their acting skills, especially their portrayal of specific types of characters and their control of pacing, are often more exquisite and creative than those of many serious drama actors.

however,
On the stage of the three major film awards recognized in China: the Golden Rooster Awards, the Hundred Flowers Awards, and the Huabiao Awards, including the Hong Kong Film Awards, they have repeatedly suffered setbacks and have not even been nominated.

Want to win an award?
Even if you have the highest box office in the universe, if the film's genre doesn't match the judges' "aesthetic preferences," then it's basically a "no-go zone."

The judges favored works that explored profound aspects of human nature, exposed acute social issues, were full of philosophical reflection, or contained elements of psychological violence and obscure metaphors.

"Auteur films" or "art films" that leave ordinary viewers confused.

Gu Qing is now clearly facing this "award bottleneck".

His film credits since his debut:

"Brotherhood of Blades" is a martial arts action film.
The Left Ear is a youth romance film.
"Detective Chinatown" is a commercial comedy-mystery film.

Action, youth, and comedy—these three genres are precisely the "insulators" of mainstream film awards.

The judges would find it disgusting to even look at it, and would never give it a nomination option.

Even though "Detective Chinatown" set an amazing box office record, Gu Qing's portrayal of Qin Feng in it received a lot of praise.

But Zhao Ya knew in her heart that even if she received a nomination during the year-end awards season, it would most likely just be a "runner-up" event, a mere formality on the red carpet to increase her exposure. Her hopes of actually winning a significant award were slim.

but,
If you could work with a director of Chen's caliber, the situation would be completely different!
Why is it that directors like Wong Kar-wai, who almost never consider making money when making movies and often leave investors with huge losses, are so unreliable?

Countless companies and top actors still flock to it?

The answer is simple: You can win the prize!
Achieving something, even just a nomination, at an A-list international film festival or one of the three major domestic film awards is enough to give an actor a glamorous boost in prestige and elevate their status.

Since then,

The marketing and promotional approach will be completely changed, and the label of "powerful actor" will be firmly attached to him.

This is enough to create an insurmountable gap between them and those "fresh meat" and "young actresses" who only have popularity but no representative works or awards.

The two sides will no longer be competing on the same track.

This is precisely why Zhao Ya was so excited.

If their boss could get even a Best Actor nomination based on Director Chen's film, then all those stereotypical labels like "pretty boy" and "idol" would be completely shattered.
Instead, they will be "actors who possess both talent and idol appeal" and "outstanding actors certified by renowned directors"!
By then,

What face and audacity do those so-called "A-Qian" and "A-Lu" have left to try and extort or compare themselves to others?
The two sides are no longer on the same level.

In stark contrast to Zhao Ya's elation, Gu Qing's expression quickly returned to calm after her initial surprise, revealing more headache and confusion than joy between her brows.

"cooperate?"

He repeated the word in a low voice.

Director Chen, of course, is a household name.

As one of the most representative figures among China's fifth-generation directors in terms of reputation, international awards, and public recognition.

However, he is also a complex figure who is highly controversial and has received both praise and criticism.

Back then,
Director Chen's career can be described as peaking right from the start.

Tall, handsome, dashing, and exceptionally talented—that's the general public's impression of him.

He was far from the abstract old man of later generations who only knew how to say "Arthur, please sit down".

In 1984, his debut film, "Yellow Earth," was a resounding success, winning the Silver Leopard Award at the 38th Locarno International Film Festival.

In 1987, he won the Special Award for Director at the 8th Golden Rooster Awards for his film "King of the Children".

In 1993, his art film "Farewell My Concubine" reached unprecedented heights in Chinese-language cinema.
It became the first Chinese-language film to win the Palme d'Or, the highest award at the Cannes Film Festival.

This was truly groundbreaking and solidified its legendary status.

Three films, each a rising star, each a classic.

In the world of directors at that time, he was like a scorpion taking a dump, a unique and rare existence.

Its influence and the praise it received are comparable to Gu Qing's current dominance in terms of traffic and commercial value.

Unfortunately, things in life are often unpredictable.

In a sense, it can be said that "Farewell My Concubine made him both, and it also ruined him."

In later years, there has been a growing voice on the internet questioning whether the success of "Farewell My Concubine" was mainly due to the behind-the-scenes leadership of Director Chen's father, the famous director Mr. Chen.

But objectively speaking,

During the middle of filming, Mr. Chen's health was already poor, and he personally completed most of the directing work for the film.

After all, there is a very intuitive place to prove it.

If he hadn't filmed it himself, how could Director Chen have dared to look down on people all the time?
This has drawn complaints from many of his friends, who say that talking to him feels like facing a boss.

Then,

Why did Director Chen's creative level fluctuate and decline so significantly after the peak of "Farewell My Concubine"?
At its root,

It was during the time of "Farewell My Concubine" that Director Chen had not yet achieved fame and success, and his inner artistic "exuberance" and "self" were "suppressed" by the powerful forces within the film crew.

The cast and crew of "Farewell My Concubine" back then were so luxurious it was almost dreamlike: the actors included the already legendary Asian superstar Leslie Cheung,

Actress: Gong Li

Uncle Ge, Zhang Fengyi, etc...

They are all truly skilled.

The entire behind-the-scenes team, from cinematography and lighting to art direction and screenwriting, consists of top-notch professionals in the industry. Furthermore, the father was present to oversee the project.

In this environment,

Even if the young director Chen has many imaginative ideas and a strong urge to express himself, he finds it difficult to "let loose" as he pleases.

after all,

Everyone here is a leader in the industry. Who needs you to teach them how to act or make movies?
If you honestly follow a mature and excellent script and production process, the quality of the film will naturally be guaranteed.

Director Chen's greatest strength lies precisely in his highly distinctive visual aesthetics and atmosphere creation.

He was able to capture the actors' best moments and most moving scenes on camera. With these combined strengths, the success of "Farewell My Concubine" was almost inevitable.

unfortunately,

After that, having lost this "external constraint," Director Chen completely immersed himself in personalized artistic expression.

The art film "Temptress Moon," which he directed in 1996, already showed signs of becoming "abstract" and "personalized," and became one of the turning points in his career, marking his decline from prominence.

The film boasts a strong cast, including Leslie Cheung and Gong Li, making it essentially half the team behind "Farewell My Concubine".

The first half of the film remains of high quality, vividly portraying the darkness, oppression, and cannibalistic nature of feudal ethics.

However, in the latter half of the film, the characters' behavior logic becomes chaotic and unclear. The entire film is filled with uncomfortable and overly explicit scenes of lust, completely obscuring the tragic nature and rebellious spirit of the characters who want to break free from feudal constraints.

In the beginning,
In the early stages of the film,

The character Yu Zhongliang, played by the older brother, fought back bravely after suffering abuse and humiliation. He used arsenic to poison his brother-in-law, whose brain had been damaged by drugs, turning him into a vegetable. Then he escaped from the Pang family mansion.

She wants to save her sister who has distorted feelings for her, but she also doesn't want to be swallowed up by feudal ethics and wants to break free from all these constraints.

The character is very inspiring and positive.

But in the later stages of the film,

Yu Zhongliang has completely become a villain.
Out of jealousy for Ruyi, the rich girl played by Gong Li, Ruyi dared to stop loving her after seeing her cheating, murder, swindling money, and committing all sorts of bad deeds, and even dared to fall in love with someone else.

What makes you think you can do that?!

then,

The corrupted Yu Zhongliang reverted to his old ways, accepting the arsenic his sister offered and poisoning Ruyi, rendering her speechless.

He wanted to escape to a distant place, but was shot and drowned in a river. The movie ends with everyone being a villain.

The screenwriter of the film at the time, Wang Anyi, a well-known writer who had written "The Song of Everlasting Regret," wrote something disgusting. He later wrote a memoir criticizing the director, Chen.

We make films like this to evoke sympathy, awareness, and a sense of memory among the oppressed people in feudal society.

Instead of watching the movie,
It makes the audience feel no sympathy for anyone; they just think, "You people should all just die already, it would be good if you died."

However, judging from his later works,
Director Chen clearly doesn't think so.

He arrogantly believes that it's because people like you don't know how to appreciate or understand the art he creates.

Until the release of "The Promise" in 05.

A bloody incident triggered by a steamed bun
This caused Director Chen to be heavily criticized by the audience, but he also left behind a timeless classic line: "Ten years from now, you will be able to understand Wuji!"

But 20 years later,

There are also viewers who were disgusted back then, who post under Director Chen's videos every day: "Twenty years have passed, and I still don't understand Wuji."

Director Chen has finally learned his lesson and fallen silent, recognizing reality. His subsequent works have finally gained some humanity.

……

"Boss, this is Director Kaige's contact information. His assistant said we can call him or add him as a friend on our phones."

Zhao Ya sent the number she had written down to Gu Qing.

"Well, I see."

Gu Qing gave a simple reply and gestured to the driver to roll down the car window a little to let in some fresh air.

"Boss, you... don't seem too keen on directing Kaige's film?"

Zhao Ya keenly sensed that Gu Qing's emotions were off, and asked in a low voice, her excitement cooling down a bit.

"Sister Xiaoya, filming a movie by a famous director is very troublesome."

Gu Qing sighed, "Especially directors like Director Chen, who are so immersed in their personal art that they can't extricate themselves."

"What if he suddenly sends you to the countryside for a month or two before filming even starts? What will happen to the jobs I've already booked?"

"Of course, if the script is good, it's not impossible to take the role and experience it, but they might change the script halfway through filming!"

"The time it takes to film one of his movies is probably equivalent to the time it takes me to film two or three movies. I'm exhausted, and I still have to be treated like a grandson."

"What if Director Chen suddenly gets the idea to include male friendships in his movies? What am I supposed to do then?"

Just thinking about all this made Gu Qing's head spin.

If we say,
Every great director has their own unique aesthetic preferences.

Zhang Yimou is fond of capturing a sense of fragmentation, desolation, and stubbornness in extreme environments;
Tsui Hark is obsessed with creating sisterhood among actresses;
So, director Chen, starting with his debut film "Yellow Earth", seems to have an unusual obsession and preference for portraying the complex and profound friendship between men.

Gu Qing was genuinely a little scared.

"boss…"

Upon hearing Gu Qing's analysis, Zhao Ya's face paled slightly.
"Given your current status and influence, Director Chen should... he should respect your opinion, right? He wouldn't treat you like a newcomer..."

"What do you think?"

Gu Qing asked, "Am I more famous now, or was my brother more famous back then?"

Zhao Ya opened her mouth, but couldn't say a word.

"Boss, well... how about we find a suitable reason and politely decline?"

Zhao Ya naively made the suggestion.

"push?"

Gu Qing gave a wry smile, shook her head, and leaned her head back against the soft headrest of the car seat.

"That depends on how you push it, and whether you can push it away at all."

For a director of Chen's caliber to suddenly contact him through his assistant, it's highly unlikely that it was a whim or a coincidence.

He had just finished filming his scenes and officially wrapped up work on the set of "Love O2O"
The other party called precisely the moment afterward, which must have been facilitated by a middleman.

Gu Qing hardly needed to guess who this middleman was.

About a month ago,
When he finished filming at the Beijing Film Academy and was preparing to leave the school, several school leaders had a special, cordial talk with him, their words filled with praise and expectations for him.

They also mysteriously indicated that they would give him an unexpected surprise after he finished filming, to help him go further in his film career.

Now it seems,

This "surprise" was undoubtedly—to act as a go-between and secure an opportunity for him to collaborate with the renowned director, Chen.

Gu Qing had nothing to say about this.

It stands to reason,
Director Chen doesn't have particularly deep feelings or a strong bias towards his alma mater.

Many of the actors he used in his films were actually from the Central Academy of Drama.

The reason for this is quite simple.

Back then, Director Chen was arrogant and ambitious, wanting to apply to the Literature Department of Beijing Film Academy, but unfortunately he failed the exam.

Ultimately, I entered the performing arts department through the expanded enrollment channel.

This experience may have left him with a lingering resentment and dissatisfaction towards the Beijing Film Academy, a feeling that "they didn't recognize my talent back then."
Therefore, they don't really cherish the so-called "affection for their alma mater".

But that's precisely where the problem lies.

As the middleman, the Beijing Film Academy clearly went to great lengths and used considerable personal connections to persuade Director Chen to give the green light to Chen, the "face" of the Beijing Film Academy.

The intention was to promote their most outstanding student, giving him the opportunity to participate in top-tier productions and compete for prestigious awards.
This will also enhance Nortel's reputation and influence in the industry, showcasing Nortel's extensive network and strong sense of unity to the outside world.

The middleman acted out of good intentions.

But Director Chen probably agreed somewhat reluctantly, "holding his nose" at the time.

This "forced" acceptance attitude will naturally be reflected in some details.

For example, he arranged for his assistant to make phone calls, and specifically instructed Gu Qing to take the initiative to contact him.

This small procedural arrangement not only reflects Director Chen's desire to maintain absolute control, but also serves as a subtle "show of force" or a reminder of his status.

Gu Qing is not a child, so she naturally wouldn't get angry or upset because of Director Chen's little bit of arrogance.

Despite his current immense popularity and status as a rising star, even earning a share of the box office revenue from blockbuster films like "Detective Chinatown," he has earned the right to "eat at the table."

But what he gets to eat are still the scraps that are served at the table.

And directors like Director Chen, who have deep roots and enjoy international renown.

They are the core figures who have long occupied the "main table" of film art and mainstream award selection.

They not only receive high director salaries, but also participate in all aspects of film revenue sharing (including investment, advertising, copyright, etc.), giving them significant say and decision-making power in projects.

The movie hasn't even been released yet, and they're already making a fortune.

if,

A film with a budget of 100 million yuan includes not only the actors' salaries but also the director's share.

Even if a movie flops, big-name directors won't be affected too much; people will still be eager to give them money.

If Gu Qing's drama flops, her share of the profits will probably be halved.

If he flops in a few films in a row, he might have to leave the film industry.

"Forget it, let's just let it go."

Gu Qing came up with a solution.

Aren't you supposed to be arrogant?

After adding him as a friend, he didn't initiate any conversation.

I'm sure that Director Chen wouldn't lower himself to just send him a message like, "Are you there?"

Let it cool down for a few days.