Reshaping the landscape of the Chinese entertainment industry

He didn't rush to answer, but instead opened his notebook, picked up a pen, and drew a few lines on the blank page.

"Senior, have you seen 'Hiroshima Mon Amour'?" he asked.

"certainly."

"What about 'Somewhere in Time'?"

"I've seen it too."

He smiled and said, "That's good. Actually, there's a simple concept in the two movies I mentioned—dual narrative."

"Moreover, it is a dual narrative across different time periods."

He turned to the back of the notebook, drew two parallel lines on the paper, and then drew several arcs between the two lines.

"Senior, the conventional narrative style of movies on the market now is linear narrative, following a single line from beginning to end, with the introduction, development, climax and conclusion all on a single line, making it easy for the audience to deduce what will happen next."

"One advantage of this narrative style is that it is relatively easy to film and the story is relatively simple. There will be no surprises or too many disappointments. However, if the story of 'Ginkgo, Ginkgo' is filmed along only one line, it will be too bland."

"What's so filmable about a man waiting under a tree for fifty years? Audiences will get tired of it after ten minutes."

Yu Feihong frowned slightly, but did not interrupt him.

"So what we need to do is turn 'waiting' into 'searching'."

He pointed to the two lines on the paper: "One line represents the past life. The male protagonist is a patriot in a chaotic world, and the female protagonist is a gentle and refined lady. The two met, got to know each other, and fell in love under a ginkgo tree. Then the male protagonist died, and his soul was trapped under the tree."

"The other storyline is this life. The female protagonist is a girl from a modern city who accidentally stumbles into an ancient temple and is attracted by the ginkgo trees in full bloom. She begins to have frequent dreams. In her dreams, there is always a man in blue waiting for her under the ginkgo tree, but she can't see his face clearly."

"Two parallel lines intertwine. Every exploration in this life touches upon fragments of memories from the past; every obsession from the past life transforms into dreams and heart palpitations in this life."

"The audience follows the female lead, uncovering the truth bit by bit, piecing together that forgotten love story."

As Yu Feihong listened to He Ye's story, his eyes gradually lit up, even though he hadn't taken it seriously at first.

"In this way, the story is not about 'waiting,' but about 'searching.'"

He also explained the advantages of this kind of filming: "The audience is not waiting for the male lead to find peace, but for the female lead to remember, which keeps them emotionally engaged."

"By the time she finally remembered everything, the male protagonist had already let go and was ready to leave."

She wanted to keep him, but he smiled and shook his head, saying, "I've waited fifty years just to see you once. Now that I've seen you, that's enough."

Then he vanished, and ginkgo leaves fell to the ground.

"The female protagonist stood under the tree, tears streaming down her face. Unfortunately, she only remembered and recalled that moment. As the male protagonist disappeared, his appearance and his name once again blurred in the female protagonist's memory, and eventually disappeared."

He put down his pen and looked at Yu Feihong: "Senior, what do you think of my version?"

Yu Feihong opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but didn't know where to begin.

Is the plot that He Ye mentioned touching?

of course!

It was much more touching than she had imagined.

Yu Feihong stared at the two lines on the paper for a long time, remaining silent for a long period.

Her thoughts were clashing violently.

Because Yu Feihong was well aware that she had already discussed the adaptation of this novel with many people.

But even the original author's adaptation isn't as good as He Ye just said.

However, the adaptation and filming methods that He Ye mentioned put unprecedented pressure on film production, especially on directors like herself who are beginners.

She asked herself honestly, even if she studied directing diligently, could she complete the kind of filming He Ye had just mentioned?

To be pessimistic, it's simply impossible!

On a more optimistic note, the final product might turn out to be a hodgepodge.

But she completely ignored He Ye's version, as if she had never heard of it.

Unless she has never actually heard this version before!

Yu Feihong was moved by the adapted story He Ye told her. She realized that she was not the kind of person who would give up the pursuit of something better and choose something inferior.

Looking at the figure in front of her who was much younger than her, Yu Feihong's mind was filled with a surging mix of thoughts.

Ultimately, they all converged into one thought.

Is this what genius is?

Suppressing these emotions, Yu Feihong raised his head and looked at He Ye, his surprise and admiration no longer concealed.

She looked directly into He Ye's eyes: "He Ye, this adaptation... was it something you came up with when you were telling me about this book?"

This is Yu Feihong's real question.

It's a bit childish, and a bit ridiculous.

Because in her view, if what He Ye said was what she had thought of during the time she had listened to him, then how terrifying must his talent be?

Is he really a genius?!

"It was just a sudden inspiration." Seemingly unable to bear Yu Feihong's intense gaze, He smiled shyly.

Then, shifting her gaze slightly, she explained, "Senior, don't be surprised. I actually wanted to make some romance films before, and I had a vague idea in my mind. It only became clear after we talked today."

Upon hearing this, Yu Feihong finally breathed a sigh of relief.

If you were prepared beforehand, that's good; it means it wasn't something you thought of on a whim.

But when she heard He Ye say that he also wanted to make a romance film, she perked up again, pushed the books on the table aside, and sat up straight.

"Go on."

"What did you say?"

"Tell me your adaptation plan," Yu Feihong's tone became serious. "How exactly do you intend to implement the dual narrative structure you mentioned?"

He thought for a moment, then turned to a new page in his notebook and began drawing storyboards.

"First of all, the color tone of the past life was warm, leaning towards yellow and red, like an old photograph. The color tone of this life is cool, leaning towards blue and cyan, like the sense of alienation in the city."

"In my past life, I used a film-like texture, with a heavier grain. In this life, I use a digital texture, which is cleaner."

"The transition between the two time periods is not abrupt; it is connected by falling ginkgo leaves, rising tea mist, and the gentle tinkling of wind chimes."

"Let the audience jump through time and space without realizing it, and by the time they realize it, they've already been drawn into the story."

……

He kept talking, and Yu Feihong kept listening.

Watching He Ye speak eloquently, Yu Feihong was completely absorbed in the conversation.

He also made some changes to some details of the story.

Of course, besides his strong memory, which allowed him to remember many adaptation and filming techniques, the more important reason was that when He Ye presented his adaptation of "Ginkgo Ginkgo," he had some movies and stories that Yu Feihong was unaware of as references.

For example, "Your Name" and "Ancient Love Song".

I happen to have watched both of these dramas. Well, each one has its own minor issues, but when you combine their strengths, they blend together with the story of "Ginkgo".

It can only be said that it was a matter of timing and fate.

Yu Feihong met him at just the right time.

If we wait a few years, until her obsession is fully formed and her own story is fully revealed, it will probably be much harder to persuade her.

After all, once an ideological imprint is formed, it takes several times, or even dozens of times, more effort to erase it.

Yu Feihong currently only has a vague idea, so it would be relatively easy to change her mind.

What He didn't know was that while he was trying to change Yu Feihong's mind, Yu Feihong was thinking: No, she probably can't make this movie by herself; she needs someone to help her.

And if it comes to providing assistance, who would be more suitable than the eloquent He Ye?

Thinking of all this, Yu Feihong's gaze toward He Ye took on a more scrutinizing and examining quality.

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