HuaYu: A Great Director Starting with Dream of the Red Chamber

Zhang Qiang pondered the ending of "The Tuner" from the meeting room all the way to his office.

As a veteran television professional who has worked in Beijing and Taiwan for many years, he has a slightly different perspective.

He poured Li Yan a cup of tea and carefully advised him:

"Junior brother, open endings sound sophisticated, but why do we use them so little here? At most, we use them on romance plots. If we do it this way, what if the audience doesn't like it..."

"How about we cut out an Easter egg? A little hint?"

Li Yan sat on the sofa, watching his senior brother's conflicted expression, and shook his head with a smile.

My senior's concerns are not without merit.

He has a certain, if not wrong, judgment about the tastes of domestic audiences, which should be described as conservative.

Moreover, it uses the logic of a TV drama.

Of course, mainstream audiences nowadays still hope for a happy ending for the whole family, or at least for the characters they've invested emotionally in.

It's like reading a novel; you're having a great time when suddenly they tell you it has an open ending and they don't write the rest...

That's a eunuch!

One reason.

Unlike later, ten years later, no matter what kind of drama it is, it seems that the production company feels it is degrading if it does not have an open ending.

But movies are different. Take, for example, Nolan's "Inception" next year.

Did the spinning top stop spinning or not?

This ending has been a point of contention among movie fans worldwide for over a decade.

Putting the movie aside, isn't this a form of marketing, and a very long-lasting one at that?

A definite ending makes a story; an uncertain ending just makes it fodder for conversation!

Li Yan put down his teacup and reassured Zhang Qiang with certainty:

"Senior, believe me, it'll lose its charm if we explain it all. The audience will enjoy the 'was he or she' ending, the judges will enjoy it too."

"Fine, you decide."

Seeing his confident demeanor, Zhang Qiang, though still somewhat unsure, decided to let him have his way, given the example of Canon, and helped him fill in any gaps in his knowledge.

"By the way, the application deadline for Venice is approaching. What are your plans? Applying online directly?"

Li Yan shook his head: "The online application was a bit lacking; the film selectors' taste is hard to judge."

After pondering for a moment, he flipped through the calendar on the table: "It's better to do it sooner rather than later. How about this, I'll go ask Teacher Guo if we can get someone to recommend us, just to be on the safe side."

……

Guo Fumin is very efficient.

The day after watching the film, I asked Li Yan to bring it over.

As soon as they got home, before they could even say a word, Guo Fumin put on his coat and pulled him outside.

"Let's go to school."

Li Yan, carrying the portable hard drive, followed behind, puzzled.

"Teacher, why go to school at this time? Let's just stay home and watch the house."

Guo Fumin continued walking without turning his head, saying:

"Old Lu is coming for a meeting. I'll have him give you his opinion. Everyone should be here by now."

The Guo family lived not far from the Central Academy of Drama, and the two of them arrived at the school quickly.

Before Li Yan could ask any questions, he was startled when he pushed open the door to the audiovisual room.

So many people?!

There was some kind of seminar today, and apparently someone overheard that the teacher wanted to find a recommendation for Venice.

This is rare! Old Guo from the library is recommending a film? And it's a short film at that. Let's go check it out.

They quickly lined up and sat down in a row.

Xu Feng from film and television, Peng Tao from drama, and several professors whose names Li Yan recognized but couldn't quite place...

It took Li Yan a long time just to bend down and greet these teachers.

There was another elderly man in the middle, around sixty years old, with a graying beard, wearing a traditional Chinese jacket, who was the old man Guo Fumin was talking about, Lao Lu.

Lu Wei.

A titan in the screenwriting world, a notorious "troublemaker," and a big shot from Xi'an Film Studio.

"Farewell My Concubine" is his, "To Live" is his, and "Tuya's Marriage" is also his.

This guy dared to point at the great poet Chen and tell him not to change a single word of the script.

Li Yan was stunned. Was it really that serious? It was just a short film...

Is such a high standard really necessary?

"Come here, Li Yan."

Guo Fumin beckoned him over and proudly introduced him:

"This is the student I told you about, Li Yan. This is Teacher Lu."

"Hello, Teacher Lu! I've heard so much about you! I grew up watching your plays!"

Li Yan bowed humbly once again.

Lu Wei grew up in Chang'an and has the straightforwardness typical of people from Northwest China.

At that time, it was common for professors to smoke during meetings, especially those involved in the arts.

He looked Li Yan up and down, then flicked his cigarette ash.

"You're a good young man. Old Guo praised you a lot on the phone. We Guanzhong people are straightforward. We'll see the film first, and if it's good, it's good, and if it's bad, it's bad."

Without wasting any words, Li Yan quickly plugged in the hard drive, turned off the light, and stepped aside.

Start playing.

At first, most of the teachers present leaned back in their chairs in a relaxed posture.

After all, countless students ask them for film recommendations every year, but almost none of them are good enough for them.

When the protagonist, who is pretending to be blind, acts blind in front of his employer, he sees all kinds of human nature because he "cannot see".

The professors' postures had noticeably changed.

When the old lady, played by Lü Zhong, appeared and forced the male lead to take off his clothes in the most kind tone,

The immense pressure from the contrast made Lu Wei sit up.

Until that darkly humorous open ending...

The audition room was quiet for half a minute.

"Not bad!" Xu Feng was the first to break the silence:

"This is a great angle; psychological suspense forms the shell, existentialism is the core—very mature!"

As soon as Xu Feng finished speaking, Lu Wei stubbed out her cigarette and commented:

"The script is ingeniously structured. What makes this film so good is that you used the narrative structure of Hollywood genre films to tell a very absurd and extreme story about human nature."

"Especially that final blank space, it's just right."

Guo Fumin listened from the side and burst into laughter.

"How about it, Lao Lu? I wasn't lying to you, was I? This kid has some talent."

Lu Wei nodded and pointed to the still scrolling cast and crew list:

Are you planning to vote for Venice?

"Yes, prepare to present the Horizon short film."

"Horizon?" Lu Wei hummed in agreement.

"Marco Müller, that China expert, loved this kind of thing that had a touch of dark humor and philosophical reflection on human nature."

"so,"

He took out a pen from his pocket, grabbed a piece of paper from the table, and quickly wrote a few lines.

"This is my studio. Go back and convert the film to a different format, then send it over along with your application materials. I'll send it directly to Marco for you. You'll definitely pass the preliminary selection. I'll also ask him to arrange a better screening for you."

"Thank you, Teacher Lu. With your help, this matter is half accomplished."

Li Yan thanked him; he had also dealt with Marco in his previous life.

He's said to be a China expert and has a very good relationship with the "fifth generation" in China.

Actually, that old guy was a shrewd person and a mastermind.

Lu Wei waved his hand, thought for a moment, and then instructed:

"Don't forget to register it. Many young people don't believe in this and insist on going 'underground,' thinking it's art and ideas."

"And what happened? They couldn't get anywhere in China. You'd better not follow their example."

Li Yan nodded secretly.

He almost overlooked this detail, thinking the short film wouldn't need it.

It has to be an old hand like Lu Wei; his advice is truly invaluable.

Lu Wei paused again, then, determined to help this person to the end, spoke once more:

"If the queues in Yanjing are too slow and difficult to process... let me know. If that doesn't work, we can submit it under Xi'an Film Studio's name, which will make things simpler."

Li Yan knew the value in this, whether it was due to his personality or to save face for Teacher Guo.

This is a huge favor for him right now.

Li Yan's gratitude this time was much more sincere:

"Thank you, Teacher Lu. I'll try to register myself first and follow the rules as much as possible."

He understands that such favors are rare and precious, and that one shouldn't always seek shortcuts.

Lu Wei stood up, patted Li Yan on the shoulder, and looked at him with admiration.

"Alright, you're a smart guy. Do a good job from now on. I have faith in you."