Huayu: A master director who debuted as a singer

Chapter 76 Beijing Film Academy Application Consultation

The gates of the Beijing Film Studio slowly closed behind me, shutting out the bizarre and fantastical world of the film crew.

Zheng Hui tightened his coat; December in Beijing was far colder than in Macau or Fujian. Lin Dashan walked behind him, warily scanning their surroundings.

The two walked along Huangtingzi Road for a while.

"Boss, aren't we going to get the car?" Lin Dashan asked. The car was still parked in the parking lot near the Beijing Film Studio.

Take a walk and clear your mind.

After walking only a few hundred meters, Zheng Hui stopped.

He turned his head to look at a large gate across the street, then looked up at the buildings inside.

Beijing Film Academy.

Zheng Hui was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

In my past life, I only knew that Beijing Film Studio and Beijing Film Academy were close to each other, but that was just a conceptual proximity. Only after arriving in this area and measuring it with my own feet did I realize that it wasn't just close, it was practically next door, just a few steps apart.

On one side of the road is the Beijing Film Academy, and on the other side is the Beijing Film Studio—a complete industry-academia-research chain.

"Dashan," Zheng Hui called out.

"Why."

"What do you think if I came here to study?"

Lin Dashan scratched his head, puzzled, and asked, "Boss, you're already so famous, your songs have sold millions of copies, why are you still studying here? What's the point?"

These students are all out here to become famous and make money, and you've already achieved that all in one go.

Zheng Hui shook his head: "You don't understand."

He stared at the school sign and began to ponder.

He has the system, top-tier directing skills, and a forward-thinking vision. If he really wanted to make a movie, he could just assemble a team and get it done; technically, there wouldn't be any problems.

But in this industry, technical skills alone are not enough.

China is a society that values ​​personal connections, and the film and television industry is an even more particular place where family background matters.

Where did you graduate from? Who is your master? Who are your fellow disciples?

These three questions can determine a director's fate in this industry.

Beijing Film Academy – that's the gold standard in the Chinese film and television industry.

Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, and Tian Zhuangzhuang are the fifth generation. Jia Zhangke and Wang Xiaoshuai are the sixth generation. Following them are Ning Hao, Lu Yang, and Guo Fan.

Even in 2025, this group of Beijing Film Academy graduates will still control half of the Chinese film industry. Most of the top talents in every aspect, including cinematography, art direction, sound recording, directing, and even production management, come from this academy.

This is the undisputed holy grail of the film and television industry. The Central Academy of Drama can rival it in terms of actors, but when it comes to film and television production, it's a whole level below.

If you're an amateur and make a great film, people will call you a genius, but they'll also be wary of you and ostracize you.

But if you are a student at the Beijing Film Academy, even if it's just a nominal position.

If you want a cinematographer for a movie in the future? You'll find plenty of senior and junior colleagues.

Want art direction or props? They're all our own people.

Want to pass the review? The experts and professors sitting up there might just be your former teachers.

That's what circles are all about.

With this identity, getting things done in this circle will be a breeze. Without it, it's like rowing against the current, with hidden reefs everywhere.

"Let's go in and take a look."

"Huh?" Lin Dashan was taken aback. "We're in already? No need for an appointment or anything?"

"I'm from Macau, can't I come here to inquire about the application process?" Zheng Hui said with a smile, and walked towards the guardhouse.

The guardhouse was small, and an old man in a military overcoat sat inside, holding an enamel mug and listening to a storytelling performance on the radio.

Zheng Hui knocked on the window, and the old man opened it a crack.

"What are you doing?"

"Sir, excuse me," Zheng Hui said politely. "I'm from Macau and I'd like to inquire about applying to your school."

"Macao?"

The old man raised his eyelids and looked Zheng Hui up and down.

The young man in front of me was quite tall, and his overcoat looked expensive. Although he was wearing a baseball cap pulled low, obscuring part of his face, his demeanor was quite different from the poor students around him.

"Do you have any identification?" The old man put down his enamel mug.

"have."

Zheng Hui took out his return permit from his pocket and handed it through the crack in the window.

The old man took it, looked at it against the light, then at Zheng Hui's face, and muttered, "Zheng Hui—why does that name look familiar?"

Without thinking much of it, he handed the documents back.

"If you want to apply, go to the admissions office. After you enter, turn left. It's the red building, the easternmost room on the second floor."

After the old man finished speaking, he added, "Never mind, I'll have someone take you there so you don't go to the wrong place."

He shouted outside, "Xiao Liu! Xiao Liu! Take these two to the admissions office!"

A young man in a security guard uniform ran out of a small hut next door. Grandpa Zheng Huichong thanked him and led Lin Dashan into the campus with the security guard named Xiao Liu.

The campus is small, and the bulletin boards on both sides of the road are covered with various lecture posters and movie stills.

Zheng Hui glanced at it and saw the poster for Xie Fei's film "Woman Sesame Oil Maker," which had just won the Berlin Golden Bear a few years ago.

Upon reaching the second floor of the Red Building, Xiao Liu pointed to the end of the corridor: "It's over there, the door is open."

Zheng Hui nodded, told Lin Dashan to wait at the door, straightened his collar, and walked over.

The admissions office door was ajar. Inside, there were only two desks. Behind the desk by the window sat a male teacher in his thirties, who was writing something with his head down.

Zheng Hui raised his hand and knocked on the door frame.

"Please come in." The male teacher said without even looking up.

Zheng Hui walked in and stood in front of the table: "Hello teacher, I would like to ask about the application process."

The male teacher then put down his pen and looked up.

He asked, "What major do you want to study? Acting? Or—"

He stopped mid-sentence.

He stared at Zheng Hui's face, his eyes slightly narrowed, as if confirming something. After two seconds, he stood up: "You're Zheng Hui?"

Zheng Hui took off his hat, revealing his face: "Teacher, do you know me?"

"Hey! How could I not recognize you!"

The male teacher's serious expression vanished instantly, replaced by the excitement of seeing a celebrity. He walked around the table and looked Zheng Hui up and down.

"My daughter plays your tapes every day at home, that 'Stubborn' song, and that 'Ten Years' song, I'm so tired of hearing them!"

He extended his hand: "Nice to meet you. I'm Wang, the teacher on duty in the admissions office."

Zheng Hui shook hands with him: "Hello, Teacher Wang."

Teacher Wang held Zheng Hui's hand, her expression turning strange: "No, Mr. Zheng, you just said—you wanted to inquire about the application process?"

"Yes." Zheng Hui nodded.

Teacher Wang asked in confusion, "You want to apply to our school? You're already so famous, why would you need to apply to any school?"

Zheng Hui humbly replied, "Learning is endless, and I've always been very interested in movies, so I want to learn about them systematically."

Teacher Wang looked at Zheng Hui to make sure he wasn't joking.

He immediately realized that he couldn't handle this situation. A popular singer applying to the Beijing Film Academy was big news and a great thing.

Although the Beijing Film Academy is prestigious, it still needs fame and star students to enhance its reputation.

"Please have a seat and a drink of water."

Teacher Wang quickly poured Zheng Hui a glass of water, then picked up the phone on the table: "Please wait a moment, I'll report to our director."

He dialed a number, covered the receiver, and whispered a few words, his tone revealing barely concealed eagerness and excitement.

After hanging up the phone, Teacher Wang's smile widened even more.

"Mr. Zheng, our director will be here shortly. Please have a seat and take a look at our school's brochure."

He handed over several picture books.

Zheng Hui took it and casually flipped through it. The album was beautifully printed, featuring the history of Beijing Film Academy and photos of its illustrious alumni.

Less than five minutes later, footsteps could be heard in the corridor.

A middle-aged man in his fifties walked in. His hair was somewhat gray, but he was in good spirits.

"Director, this is Mr. Zheng Hui," Teacher Wang quickly introduced.

Zheng Hui stood up.

The middle-aged man stepped forward and extended both hands: "Mr. Zheng Hui, hello, hello. I am the director of the admissions office, my surname is Xie."

"Hello, Director Xie."

He looked at Zheng Hui with a mixture of curiosity and scrutiny in his eyes.

"Sit down, please sit down."

Director Xie sat down opposite Zheng Hui and got straight to the point without much small talk.

"Xiao Wang just told me on the phone that you're interested in applying to our school. To be honest, I was quite surprised."

Director Xie looked into Zheng Hui's eyes: "In today's entertainment industry, those who are famous are busy making money by doing gigs, and those who aren't famous are busy finding connections to get ahead. People like you, who are incredibly famous but still want to come to school, are extremely rare."

"I want to know, why?"

This is the Beijing Film Academy, not some shady training school. They train artists, not money-making machines.

If Zheng Hui only wanted to gain prestige and obtain a diploma, then Director Xie would welcome him, but in his heart he wouldn't think much of him.

Zheng Hui sat up straight, his polite smile fading, and his expression turned serious.

"Director Xie, I started out as a singer, but when I was making my album, I also filmed a few music videos and videos."

"On set, I watched the monitor, saw how the lighting was done, how the camera was panned and zoomed, and how the editor pieced together the fragmented scenes into a complete story."

"I think that process is more interesting than standing on stage and singing."

"Later, I found some books to read."

Zheng Hui paused for a moment, then rattled off a list of book titles: "Professor Zheng Dongtian's 'The Art World of Film Directors,' Professor Xie Fei's 'Xie Fei Collection,' and Professor Wang Xinyu's 'An Introduction to the Art of Film and Television Directing.'"

"

Upon hearing these names, Director Xie raised an eyebrow.

These books aren't the cheap stuff you find at street stalls. They're textbooks from the Beijing Film Academy, highly theoretical academic works.

Especially Zheng Dongtian and Xie Fei, they are the face of Beijing Film Academy, they are titans.

Zheng Hui continued, "I've read all of these, and the more I read, the more I realize how much I don't know. I've discovered that most of the professional books I've read were written by teachers from the Beijing Film Academy."

I thought, instead of blindly browsing like a headless fly, I might as well come to the birthplace of knowledge and learn systematically. That's why I took the liberty of coming here today.

Director Xie's expression changed; if he had been politely greeting her just now, he now seemed more serious.

He could tell that Zheng Hui wasn't lying. He couldn't have named those books without actually reading them.

A popular singer, amidst a busy schedule, still manages to calmly study these dry theoretical books.

What does this tell us?

This shows that the child has a genuine love for movies and truly enjoys them.

This is exactly the kind of promising student that Beijing Film Academy likes best.

Moreover, from a utilitarian perspective, if Zheng Hui gets into the Beijing Film Academy, he'll be a living advertisement. Any films he makes will be produced by the Beijing Film Academy, which will greatly enhance the school's reputation.

Director Xie's facial features softened, and his smile became much more sincere.

"Great, great. It's commendable that you have this intention. What major do you want to study? Acting? If it's acting, with your looks and camera presence, as long as you pass your academic courses, your professional courses shouldn't be a problem."

Zheng Hui shook his head: "No, I want to study directing."

"director?"

Director Xie frowned, picked up his teacup, took a sip, pondered for a moment, and then spoke with some regret.

"Zheng Hui, this matter—is a bit unfortunate."

"What do you mean?" Zheng Hui's heart skipped a beat.

"Our directing department doesn't recruit students every year."

Director Xie sighed: "Directing is a different major from other majors. It's elite education, the master-apprentice system. Teaching it is very resource-intensive, with film, equipment, and internships all costing money."

Moreover, there's a shortage of teachers; they also have to film videos or have other things to do.

He counted on his fingers for Zheng Hui: "Our directing department admits students every other year. We admitted a batch in '96, specializing in feature film directing. We didn't admit any in '97. This year, '98, due to the expansion of higher education and market demand, we admitted a batch of students specializing in GG directing."

"Next year is 99." Director Xie shook his head. "The department has already decided that it will not recruit new students for the directing department next year. If we want to recruit, we'll have to wait until 2000."

Zheng Hui fell silent. 2000? Too late.

Time waits for no one, every day is precious. If we wait until 2000 to enroll and 2004 to graduate, it will be too late.

By then, Zhang Yimou's "Hero" had already been released, and the era of blockbuster films in China had begun. If I were to enter the film industry now, I would be a step too late.

Zheng Hui persisted: "Director, isn't there any other way? Auditing a class would be fine, or a refresher course?"

Director Xie felt a pang of regret seeing Zheng Hui's anxious expression. Such a promising talent, a big star with his own resources—it would be such a waste to let him slip away.

He thought for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up: "There's a way, you can achieve your goal indirectly."

"Please speak."

"Since the directing department isn't recruiting next year, you can apply to other departments first. Once you're in school, you'll be a member of the Beijing Film Academy."

You can audit classes in the directing department later. Our school's classes are open to all; as long as you're willing to learn, no teacher will kick you out.

Director Xie gave Zheng Hui some advice: "Think about it, Zhang Yimou was in the photography department back then, and Gu Changwei was also in the photography department. Didn't they both become directors later on?"

Many directors today come from art or literature departments.

"At Beijing Film Academy, your major is just a threshold. Once you're in, what you study is entirely up to you."

Zheng Hui's mind raced as he listened to these words.

Yeah, how did I get so fixated on this?

He has his own system, so he doesn't actually need a teacher to teach him how to use the camera or how to direct the scene. He already knows all those skills, and he's even better at them than the teacher.

What is his purpose in coming to Beijing Film Academy?

What I'm after is this identity, this circle, and the ability to say "I'm a Beijing Film Academy student" in the future.

O

As long as you can get into this school, it doesn't really matter what department you study.

"Which department do you think would be more suitable for me to apply for?" Zheng Hui asked humbly.

Seeing that Zheng Hui was listening, Director Xie began to help him analyze the situation.

"Photography major? No way, that requires too much artistic skill and physics and optics, and you have to carry equipment around every day. It's not realistic for someone like you to be out and about all the time."

"Management? That leads to film production, which doesn't align with your original intention of pursuing creative work."

After thinking it over, Director Xie clapped his hands and exclaimed, "The Literature Department! You should apply to the Literature Department!"

"Literature Department?"

"Yes! Film Literature Department, which is screenwriting or film theory."

Director Xie seemed increasingly convinced of the idea: "The literature department has relatively lower requirements for professional skills; it mainly tests story conception and literary literacy. The fact that you write lyrics so well shows that you have a good foundation in writing and that you have something in your mind."

"Moreover, the coursework in the literature department is relatively flexible, unlike the acting department which requires early morning practice every day, or the photography department which requires spending every day in the darkroom. If you want to go out to film or perform in the future, it will be easier to ask for leave."

As long as you submit a good script by the end of the semester, teachers will generally turn a blind eye.

"Finally, and most importantly, the director is the storyteller, and the screenwriter is the writer. Only directors who understand scripts can go far."

"Once you're in the literature department, focus on mastering screenwriting first. Then you can audit directing classes from time to time. You can do both without neglecting either."

As Zheng Hui listened, his eyes grew brighter and brighter; this was practically a plan tailor-made for him.

Writing screenplays? His mind was filled with blockbuster movie scripts from decades to come; any one of them could be a game-changer. For him, it was easier than drinking water.

Moreover, the literature department offers relatively freedom, preventing him from being confined to the university. He can continue releasing albums, earning money, and accumulating capital.

When the time comes, you can produce a stunning script, invest in it yourself, and direct it yourself—that's the only way to go.

"Okay! I'll do as you say, I'll apply to the literature department!"

Director Xie smiled when he saw that he had agreed: "Okay! It's settled then."

He got up, walked to the cabinet, took out a set of documents, and handed them to Zheng Hui.

"This is the admission brochure for the Literature Department this year, as well as a collection of past exam questions. Take these back and take a look."

Although you are a Macao resident and take the Joint Entrance Examination for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan students, the passing score is much lower than that of mainland students, but the content of the professional subject exams is the same as that of mainland students.

"There will be art exams in early spring next year, around February or March. You need to come and take the art exams first, get a professional qualification certificate, and then go back to Macau to prepare for the joint cultural exams in May or June."

Zheng Hui took the documents: "Understood, thank you, Director."

"You're welcome." Director Xie patted him on the shoulder. "Zheng Hui, I have high hopes for you. Although our Beijing Film Academy has produced many stars, there aren't many like you who, after becoming famous, can still calm down and go back to school for further training."

"Do your best on the exam, I'll be waiting for you at Beijing Film Academy."