Chinese Entertainment: Directors Start with the Fairy Sister

In 05, the afforestation project had not yet made much progress.

The sky over the capital was far less clear than it would be in later years, and the air was filled with a strong smell of sand and dust.

After all, a week before Zhao Yanxi and the others returned, a sandstorm of "black storm" level swept through the capital.

It is said that it was this sandstorm that spurred the efforts to control sandstorms in the Beijing-Tianjin area.

There was even a latest entertainment magazine tucked into the back seat pocket.

Although there has been no official announcement that filming for "The Return of the Condor Heroes" has wrapped up, print media have already begun reporting on it, and a group photo of the cast and crew has already appeared in magazines.

Zhao Yanxi searched for a long time before finally finding half of her head among a group of people; it looked like a horrifying photograph.

The most reported content was still the promotional posters for the second season of Super Girl.

Zhao Yanxi remembers that the 05 Super Girl competition was the most popular year in the history of the competition, especially when the finals were held, it was said that the streets were deserted!

......

Beijing Film Academy.

Beneath the familiar gatehouse stood a group of students whom I didn't know very well.

The results of the 05 college entrance examination for arts have been released. Yang Mi was admitted to the Performance Department of Beijing Film Academy with the highest score in the interview, and her overall score was also the highest among the test centers in Beijing.

Although he was still more than ten points behind the top scorer in the country, it was enough for the team behind the scenes to market him as the "top scorer".

Upon entering the campus, Zhao Yanxi headed straight for the photography department.

Although the "Cinematography Department" in vocational high schools and the "Film Cinematography Major" in undergraduate programs sound different and look very different, they are both commonly referred to as "Cinematography Departments," and the instructors and department heads are the same.

Mu Deyuan, winner of the Golden Rooster Award for Best Cinematography, was the department head. Others who taught Zhao Yanxi included Cai Quanyong, a representative of the academic school of technical expertise, Zhang Ming, a classmate of Gu Changwei, and external experts Hou Yong and Lü Le.

The photography school building has a very high-end name, the Youth Film Studio Art Building, but the teachers and students of the Beijing Film Academy prefer to call it the "Little White Building".

The building is not tall, but it is fully functional.

The basement level houses the darkroom and film processing workshop, where all the footage is developed and printed.

The first floor houses specialized classrooms, the second floor contains classrooms and the offices of the instructors, and the third floor contains the offices of the mentors and external experts.

At the end of the corridor is Mu Deyuan's office.

Without hesitation, Zhao Yanxi knocked on the door and called out softly, "Teacher Mu?"

"Come in."

After receiving permission, Zhao Yanxi pushed open the door and came in.

"Little Zhao?" Mu Deyuan asked in surprise.

"Weren't you on set? Did you wrap up filming?"

Mu Deyuan had a deep impression of Zhao Yanxi, after all, according to the tradition of Beijing Film Academy, the preferred career path for the photography department is directing.

Even if I can't be a full-fledged director, I can still be an executive director, dangdang.

Even if all else fails, he can continue working as a cinematographer on a film set and look for an opportunity to switch careers and become a director.

Zhao Yanxi is the only one who switched careers to become an actress, and she even started working with big-name directors like Zhang Jizhong and Yu Min.

This can be considered as finding a new career path for photography students!

"Filming's wrapped up, teacher, you still remember?" Zhao Yanxi smiled and handed over a Haizi cigarette. It wasn't particularly expensive, but it was a popular type of cigarette at the Beijing Film Academy.

Mu Deyuan took the cigarette, and Zhao Yanxi took out a lighter and lit it.

"Of course I remember. You never come here without a reason. You didn't come just to chat with this old man, did you?"

Mu Deyuan exhaled a puff of smoke and asked with a smile.

"Hehe, teacher, you have a really good eye for people!"

"Heh, speak, what is it?"

"Hehe," Zhao Yanxi chuckled, "I recently finished a script and would like to ask you, teacher, to take a look. Could the school give me some support?"

After saying that, Zhao Yanxi handed over the script of "Those Years".

"Hmm? A teen romance film?"

Mu Deyuan asked a question with doubt, and before Zhao Yanxi could answer, he opened the script.

To Mu Deyuan's surprise, this script was not just a text script; it even included a lot of storyboard drawings, which were better than those drawn by many students who had graduated years ago!

Zhao Yanxi didn't say anything more, and after a while, Mu Deyuan finally closed the script.

"Youth films... I don't know much about them, but I feel you're well-prepared. So, tell me, what do you need me to do?"

"Aside from investing—"

Before Zhao Yanxi could speak, Mu Deyuan stated the prerequisite.

"Um..." Zhao Yanxi chuckled, "Teacher, is it really necessary to be so adamant?"

"There's nothing we can do," Mu Deyuan said helplessly, shaking his head. "We only have so much funding each year. There are so many directing students, both graduates and those who haven't graduated, as well as undergraduate cinematography students in the directing building next door. No matter how we try, we can't get a spot here."

"Besides, this is just a youth film, and this kind of film... hehe~"

Mu Deyuan smiled, not exactly mocking, but it represented the consensus within the industry.

Art films outnumber commercial films, and among commercial films, period epics outnumber action films, comedies, and so on, with melodramatic teen movies being the worst.

"You could try contacting China Film Group or Shanghai Film Group," Mu Deyuan suggested.

Most private film and television companies would definitely not invest in a fledgling director like Zhao Yanxi.

Only state-owned enterprises like China Film Group and Shanghai Film Group can withstand the consequences of investment failures.

"Investment is fine with me," Zhao Yanxi said with a smile. "I'll figure out the investment myself. I came to see you today mainly for something else!"

"you say."

"The students have written the script, but the film crew and equipment are still completely lacking. The school shouldn't be short of filming equipment, right? Could you provide some support to the students regarding rental prices?"

"No problem!"

Mu Deyuan readily agreed, "I can make that decision for you. You just need to cover the depreciation cost. The school doesn't make money from this."

"Teacher, could we postpone the depreciation fee for now?"

"Um?!"

"I have other proof of income; even if the movie loses money, I can definitely afford to pay this fee!"

Although the royalties from "You Are the Apple of My Eye" were enough to cover the minimum cost of filming, as a young man with ideals and aspirations, Zhao Yanxi naturally hoped to retain more production funds to make the film even better.

For example, if you don't have money, you can only find any high school in Beijing to film;

But if you have the money, you can go to Yunnan and Dali to shoot. The passionate youth of teenagers deserves the most beautiful scenery!

"I'll do my best to help you!"

......

Having finalized the equipment rental agreement, Zhao Yanxi now needs to register a company or studio as soon as possible, and then sign the rental contract with the college in the name of the company or studio.

The school has a lot of equipment, but there are more students in the photography and directing departments.

With too many monks and too little porridge, Zhao Yanxi wouldn't feel at ease until a deal was finalized as soon as possible.

Zhao Yanxi decided to postpone registering the company and instead set up a studio first.

The studio's rules and regulations are more flexible, and it is also more flexible in terms of taxation.

After "You Are the Apple of My Eye" is released and we have a share of the box office revenue, we can start more projects and then consider registering the studio as a company.

Zhao Yanxi rented a two-story building near the school. The first floor served as her studio office, and the second floor was her residence.

Riding the wave of the Olympics, Beijing's housing prices have already started to rise, jumping several times in a row.

After 08, the price will probably double; by the time the box office revenue from "You Are the Apple of My Eye" is distributed, I'll have settled down on a house!

As for the miscellaneous matters of registering the studio, he directly found an intermediary and didn't even bother to think of a name, so he just called it "Yanxi Film and Television Studio".

His own name is not unpleasant to hear; the saying "Peach and plum trees do not speak, yet a path is formed beneath them" fully reflects the excellent qualities of Zhao Yanxi, an honest and reliable young man.

These tedious and lengthy processes can be completed in two or three days with the help of money and professionals.

After registering, Zhao Yanxi submitted the script of "Those Years" for review in the name of her studio.

Since 05, submitting only a story synopsis is no longer sufficient for script review; a complete script must be submitted for dual review by the provincial and state authorities.

Then I went to the bank to get proof of funds and went back to Xiaobailou.

The teachers, including Mu Deyuan, were all taken aback. They never expected that Zhao Yanxi, a photography student who was only a junior in college by normal standards, would act so quickly!

They just announced their intention to make a movie a few days ago, and now they've already raised nearly a million dollars.

"What's the deal with this 'royalties'?" Mu Deyuan asked curiously, pointing to the details in the proof of funds.

"I wrote a novel, which is also the prototype for this screenplay, and it's selling quite well so far."

"Wow, your sales are more than just good," Mu Deyuan exclaimed. "Although I don't know the inside story of the novel, this royalties of several hundred thousand yuan are no joke."

"I never imagined our photography department would produce such a great writer!"

"Old Mu, your judgment is terrible! You didn't discover this kind of talent when you were teaching!"

"Hehe, I'm ashamed, I'm ashamed..."

The teachers praised her repeatedly, which made Zhao Yanxi shake her head. She was still too young, and she felt embarrassed by praise that didn't belong to her.

When will I be able to be so thick-skinned that I have nothing to fear?!

"Hahaha, great, great," Mu Deyuan laughed loudly, "With your royalties, owing rent for a year or two isn't a big deal. Is everything else for the production crew ready?"

"Not yet. I plan to gather a team from Qingdao Film Studio or Beijing Film Studio, and then have the actors audition at Beijing Film Academy or Central Academy of Drama."

"No need," Mu Deyuan waved his hand dismissively. "We have plenty of alumni from the Beijing Film Academy for things like photographers and lighting. Can I recommend a few?"

"OK!"

The quality of the actors at the film academy may still be debatable, but the various behind-the-scenes personnel, whether it's lighting, cinematography, or anything else, are absolutely top-notch in the industry.

Zhao Yanxi went to Qingying Film Studio to recruit people because she was afraid of the hassle. Now that the director can recommend her directly, that's naturally good.

"As for actors, don't go to the Central Academy of Drama, look for them at the Beijing Film Academy," Mu Deyuan said after taking a sip of tea. "Youth films don't require high acting skills, and we acting students at the Beijing Film Academy have that kind of ability."

"If the main actors are from the Beijing Film Academy, the academy will give you an additional discount on equipment fees!"

"That's great!"