Huayu 2015, the Artist of Light and Shadow

……

There are actually quite a few Chinese actors attending the Busan International Film Festival this year.

Even the crew of "Bad Guys Always Die," led by renowned director Feng Xiaogang, was present. Feng Xiaogang is the film's producer, hence his attendance.

In addition, there was the crew of "Mountains May Depart," led by renowned art-house film director Jia Zhangke.

Of course, some works by directors from Hong Kong and Taiwan were also shortlisted for this year's Busan International Film Festival.

Director Wang Xiaoshuai is the dean of the film academy at this year's film festival, and director Sylvia Chang is the chairperson of the jury at this year's film festival.

One is a director from mainland China, and the other is a director from Hong Kong and Taiwan. But when they are abroad, they are both Chinese and can't help but stick together.

Under their organization, Lu Yunzhou and Tang Yan also attended some private banquets over the past two days and got to know some people in the film industry.

We were just acquaintances, and had exchanged a few nods.

If we're really talking about cooperation?

It's not even close to being true.

"Tangtang, you look really beautiful in the short film."

Tang Wei is the female lead in the film "Mountains May Depart". She can no longer make a living in the domestic film market, but she is very popular in the international art film scene.

Tang Wei and Tang Yan were the only two female celebrities present. Although they were not very familiar with each other at first, after a few interactions, they felt that the other had a nice personality.

Being abroad can be quite lonely.

Tang Wei also wanted to find a friend to chat with. It was obviously inappropriate to talk too much with male celebrities, and Tang Yan had a very nice personality. After meeting a few times, the two gradually became familiar with each other.

"This should be Gestalt aesthetics. Doesn't it mean that human perception always tends towards wholeness and completeness?"

Faced with Tang Wei's compliments, Tang Yan couldn't help but use a professional term she had just learned from Lu Yunzhou a few days ago to show off.

In the short film, her close-up profile is the most beautiful, completely avoiding all her flaws and only showing the most exquisite parts of her face.

After watching, viewers can't help but imagine how beautiful the rest of her body must be. This is called the "law of closure" in psychology.

"Tangtang, you're amazing."

Unlike other actresses, Tang Wei graduated from the Directing Department of the Central Academy of Drama.

Correct.

You read that right.

Tang Wei didn't graduate from the Central Academy of Drama's acting program, but rather from the directing program, making her quite unique among actresses.

However, Tang Wei graduated a long time ago, and he has basically forgotten all of this theoretical knowledge.

But at this moment, Tang Wei vaguely recalled some knowledge: "About this. I seem to remember it somewhat. Is it a theory from Arnheim's *Art and Visual Perception*?"

I rely on.

You actually know that?

Tang Yan had intended to show off, but almost gave herself away. Now she could only force a nod, smile without showing her teeth, and say elegantly, "It's a performance of directional tension! The director specifically told me about this."

"Yes, yes, that's it."

After listening, Tang Wei nodded seriously, his gaze towards Tang Yan changing several times before finally giving her two thumbs up.

"Tangtang, you think completely differently from me."

"I've seen people online saying you're the kind of naive and innocent girl with no acting skills, but now I'm starting to wonder if this is a form of online bullying?"

Tang Wei hasn't watched many of Tang Yan's idol dramas.

However, during the screening, she saw Tang Yan's three-minute short film, which was very charming and exactly the elegant female teacher she had imagined.

In short, Tang Yan acted very well.

……

"See you next time, Tangtang."

The two had a very pleasant conversation, and even after the banquet ended, they were still reluctant to part.

After Tang Wei left, Tang Yan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief: "She's finally gone. If we had kept talking, I would have given myself away."

Tang Wei is a directing major.

Her father was a painter who called himself Beiyanshanren, meaning he was from the area north of Yandang Mountain, and his ancestral home was Yueqing, Wenzhou.

Upon hearing this, Tang Yan immediately started talking to Tang Wei about Yueqing.

Because Zhang Ruonan, a young artist recently signed by her studio, is from Yueqing.

The two finally found common ground and no longer needed to talk about art and aesthetics. Otherwise, Tang Yan felt that she would have exposed her true level within three minutes at most.

In any case, she put on a great show in front of Tang Wei, making herself feel like an artistic goddess.

After the banquet, Ji Rujing approached Tang Yan and jokingly asked, "I saw you chatting quite happily with Tang Wei. Tang Wei even praised your artistic taste. Should I help you connect with some art-house film resources so we can win international awards?"

"Let's forget about it."

Tang Yan shook her head: "I know my own limitations. I'd rather stick with our Little Boat Brother. He can take good care of me. Nobody else can."

When Tang Yan went to work on other directors' film sets, she worried that she would soon be exposed and bring shame to the entire company.

……

Every international film festival is a huge social ball for actors and directors, where they can meet well-known directors or actors they admire.

Perhaps a few conversations will lay the foundation for the next collaboration.

But for the judges, the situation is completely different.

At this moment, the three members of the short film review committee were caught in a dilemma.

The three short film judges came from Japan, South Korea, and the United States. The American judge was Claudio Godfrey, whom director Wang Xiaoshuai had mentioned before.

This person is virtually unknown to Chinese netizens, but he has a strong network of connections in the North American film industry.

The two young directors of "Instant Universe" were discovered by this person at a short film festival, who then supported them in making the absurd comedy "Swiss Army Man," which propelled them into the feature film arena.

Just a few years later, these two young directors swept the Oscars with "Instantaneous Universe," causing a global sensation! They became famous overnight!

At that moment, the three judges were arguing.

The Japanese judges commented: "I think the Best Short Film award this year should have gone to Taiwanese director Liao Ke-fa's 'Nia's Door'."

"Nia's Door" is a 15-minute short film.

This film focuses on the plight of Filipino maids in Taiwan and is a realistic drama.

The work's portrayal of marginalized groups is profound, and its cinematic language is restrained yet powerful.

Upon hearing the nomination, the South Korean judge remained silent and instead looked at the American judge: "Mr. Godfrey, you may go first."

South Korean judges instinctively favored domestic works.

However, she received a phone call from a very high-level person a couple of days ago, suggesting that, in a fair and impartial situation, she should lean towards Lu Yunzhou's book, "Dream".

During the phone call, the connection between Lu Yunzhou's work and the Hangzhou G20 summit was specifically mentioned.

There is a very strange connection between Hangzhou and Korea... After Japan annexed Korea in 1919, the Korean Provisional Government went into exile overseas.

In 1932, the Provisional Government of Korea moved its offices to Hangzhou.

Hangzhou holds a very special place in the eyes of the current South Korean government. Countless South Korean tourists visit Hangzhou every year.

The road signs along West Lake are in three languages: Chinese, English, and Korean.

Many people in South Korea are willing to support Hangzhou hosting a major event like the G20 summit.

However, this South Korean judge was still somewhat unhappy. After all, she was a judge, yet she was under pressure from higher-ups, which naturally caused some resentment.

She watched Lu Yunzhou's short film with a highly critical mindset.

After reading it, she changed her mind.

Although it's a bit frustrating that this short film got in through connections with big shots, it has to be said that the director's cinematic aesthetics are unique among all the films at the Busan International Film Festival.

Most importantly, the short film "Dream" became a hit.

It became the most widely circulated short film at the Busan International Film Festival, and Tang Yan's portrayal of the female teacher swept across the entire South Korean internet.

This has led to a continuous increase in the popularity of the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea.

Actually, apart from industry insiders, not many people really care about film festivals of this caliber. It's not like the World Cup or the Olympics, which attract nationwide attention.

Winning this short film an award would obviously help expand the film festival's popularity.

Both the Japanese and Korean judges were looking at him. Claudio Godfrey stroked his chin before speaking seriously, "Gentlemen, I have a question. What is the purpose of our award for Best Short Film?"

Before the two could answer, he said directly, "Our goal is to discover talented young directors for the global film industry."

After answering the question, he spread his hands and looked at the Japanese and Korean judges: "The short films that made it to our final round are all of extremely high quality. So, given that, I ask you both, who has more talent? Who is more likely to become a great director in the future?"

This question left the two speechless.

The South Korean judge silently relinquished his last shred of insistence, leaned back slightly in his chair, and said with a sense of relief, "Dream, directed by Lu Yunzhou."

"He's very different."

"My intuition tells me that he will become an excellent director in the future. Because his framework is more perfect. His short films have a special quality, making them the most unique among all 30 short films shortlisted."

The Japanese judges also stopped insisting: "Dream, directed by Lu Yunzhou. His style is indeed very unique. It makes me feel as if I am seeing the beauty, delicacy and subtlety of Shunji Iwai, and also as if I am seeing the hazy beauty of Sosuke Morimoto."

The American judge smiled and nodded: "That's right. He's unique. Only a unique artistic style can lead to a long and successful career. I sincerely hope that the Busan International Film Festival is his starting point. And 10 years from now, the whole world will know that it was the three of us who discovered his talent!"

After the three reached a consensus, they wrote "[Dream, Lu Yunzhou]" in the envelope for the Best Short Film Award.

……

the other side.

After practicing for two and a half months, Cai Xukun took leave from the training camp and went to Busan, where he finally found Lu Yunzhou.

He first poured out his grievances to Lu Yunzhou, explaining how he had endured the past two and a half months.

Not to mention eating kimchi every day, the trainees of Korean girl groups were simply unrecognizable before their plastic surgery.

He couldn't wait to return to China right now.

After venting his frustrations, he looked expectantly at Lu Yunzhou and asked curiously about the film festival. After a few words, he couldn't help but bring up Lu Yunzhou's new project: "Brother, I heard you're filming a TV series?"

Lu Yunzhou nodded and said, "Do you want to be an actor? If you do, I can reserve some small roles for you so you can experience what it's like to act. Next time, I'll take you on a big project."

Cai Xukun's heart skipped a beat, but he shook his head and said, "Never mind. I don't really like being an actor. My real dream is to be a singer."

Standing on a stage in front of tens of thousands of people, singing, dancing, and rapping are his true calling.

What's the point of being an actor?

They're just puppets of the director.

"You have your own dreams. That's good... Wait, excuse me for a moment."

The two were chatting casually when suddenly, Lu Yunzhou frowned slightly.

Because he heard a strange mechanical voice in his ear. He pretended to get up and go out to make a phone call, and went to a quiet environment to listen to the system's announcement.

— [Congratulations to the player for winning the Best Short Film Award at the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea, taking a solid step towards becoming a director.]

— [Congratulations to the player! Your short film "Dream" has helped actress Tang Yan gain popularity among Korean fans, and your acting skills have begun to be recognized by industry insiders, marking a firm step on your path to idol transformation.]

— [Congratulations to the player! You have gained some international recognition in the film industry, received initial approval from the international directing community, and officially become a director.]

—[Congratulations player, you have received the reward—(Delayed Aging by 50%), making you look 30 at 40 and 40 at 60.]

This reward may seem like a mere facade, only making someone appear younger than average, but it doesn't mention the health of their internal muscles, organs, etc.

But since he got this for free, what could Lu Yunzhou possibly complain about?

However, he never expected that this system would also have a [settlement system]!

He originally thought that this system could only help him learn, allowing him to obtain a certificate permanently and not easily forget the knowledge of light and shadow he had learned.

It seems that his understanding of the system is completely insufficient.

"A short film award can bring you this kind of special reward? If I won an Oscar, what kind of grand prize would the system award me?"

Suddenly, Lu Yunzhou felt that being a director might be the best profession in the world.

It filled him with enthusiasm.