dkrc Chapter 37: Poet Chen
Chapter 37: Poet Chen
In late June, the film crew moved from Weihai back to Beijing and settled in the Beijing Film Studio's soundstage.
The remaining scenes are mostly interior shots: Liu Lu's small house, the school classroom, and the music academy's examination hall.
Filming in the studio is much more comfortable than shooting outdoors. You don't have to let the sea breeze chapp your skin, you don't have to chase the sun, and you don't have to worry about sudden rain soaking your equipment.
The area in front of the Beijing Film Studio is always a mess.
A truck delivering props was blocking the entrance, and the driver rolled down his window and cursed the truck in front for being slow; several movers squatted by the roadside smoking, with several large boxes piled up next to them.
Two reporters carrying cameras squatted on the other side of the roadside, each holding a boxed lunch, eating while staring at the factory gate, like two cats waiting to catch mice.
Liu Yu jumped out of the car, and Wang Chaowen followed behind him, walking towards the photography studio.
"Old Liu, look over there."
Wang Chaowen raised his chin towards the opposite side.
Liu Yu looked in the direction he pointed and saw a group of people standing in front of the building across the street.
At the very front was Han Sanping, standing there gesturing wildly, surrounded by several people.
The man speaking to Han Sanping was wearing a baseball cap and a dark blue polo shirt with the collar turned up; even from the side, Liu Yu recognized the face – Chen Shiren.
Liu Yu's heart skipped a beat more than before. Han Sanping and Chen Shiren were standing together, with several staff members beside them; some were carrying folders, making a grand entrance, as if they were going to inspect something.
Liu Yu's impression of the poet Chen in his previous life was very complicated.
"Farewell My Concubine" is one of the best Chinese films in his mind, but the later films, such as "The Promise", "Monk Comes Down the Mountain" and "The Legend of the Demon Cat", are all more and more difficult to describe.
Some say that Chen's peak was "The Overlord Princess", and that he has been declining ever since; others say that he is not incapable, but simply doesn't want to make good films anymore.
Liu Yu didn't know which version was correct, but he knew one thing: Poet Chen was quite pretentious.
"What are they doing here?" Liu Yu asked in a low voice.
Wang Chaowen also lowered his voice, his tone carrying a hint of smugness.
"The Promise was filmed here; the set must have been built in the largest studio."
How did you know it was "The Promise"?
"What do you think? I came back half a month early, and there was a banner hanging at the entrance of the Beijing Film Studio that read, 'Filming site of The Promise, no unauthorized personnel allowed.' Besides, this movie features superstars from China, Japan, and South Korea; you can find their names in any newspaper. It's hard not to know about it."
"oh."
Liu Yu was speechless after being confronted by him.
"The Promise," a stain that the poet Chen could never erase in his lifetime.
Liu Yu hadn't seen "The Promise" in his previous life, but he had seen the "bloodshed caused by a steamed bun" that was ridiculed by the entire internet, and he had also seen the news clip of the poet Chen saying at the press conference, "People can't be so shameless."
He was young then and felt sorry for Chen Shiren, who was criticized so much for making a bad movie.
Later, when he made movies, he realized that the worst thing is not that a movie is bad, but that it is bad and everyone is watching it; "The Promise" is that kind of movie.
"Let's go." Liu Yu tugged at Wang Chaowen's sleeve. "Stop looking, let's go back to our shed."
"Why are you leaving? Chairman Han has already seen you."
...
Liu Yu looked up and saw Han Sanping looking in his direction.
From half a courtyard away, Han Sanping's gaze swept over like a searchlight, accurately locking onto Liu Yu.
He raised his hand and waved at Liu Yu.
"Director Liu! Come here, we were just talking about you!"
Han Sanping's voice came from across half the courtyard, full of energy. The two reporters squatting at the door turned around at the same time, their eyes lingering on Liu Yu for a moment.
Liu Yu cursed inwardly, but quickly put on a professional smile.
He walked over at a leisurely pace, his smile shifting from a business-like tone to a more humble one. The curve of his lips softened slightly, his eyes narrowed a little, and he appeared even more modest.
"Chairman Han, Director Chen, so early?" Liu Yu walked up and stopped.
Han Sanping walked over and grabbed Liu Yu's arm. "Director Liu, when did you get back? How come I didn't know?"
"I just got back to Beijing yesterday and didn't have a chance to tell you." Liu Yu was pulled by him, and his body turned slightly to the side.
"You're back just in time." Han Sanping turned to look at Chen Shiren. "Kaige, this is Liu Yu, whom I told you about. He's a student at the Beijing Film Academy and has directed two films, 'A Moment to Remember' and 'Speed Scandal'."
Poet Chen pushed his baseball cap up, revealing his entire face.
His expression was neither warm nor cold as he looked at Liu Yu, his gaze lingering on Liu Yu's face for a moment.
"Director Liu, hello." Poet Chen's voice was low, and he spoke slowly, looking directly at the other person as he spoke.
"Director Chen, hello." Liu Yu bowed slightly.
Chen Hong stood next to Chen Shiren, wearing a floral dress and with her hair down, looking very gentle.
She smiled and shook hands with Liu Yu. "Director Liu, it's nice to see you again. We met at Chairman Han's dinner party last time, do you remember?"
"Of course I remember. I have a deep impression of the blue dress you wore that day, Sister Hong." Liu Yu said this with a very natural expression, even though he didn't actually remember what she was wearing that day.
Han Sanping stood to the side, his arm around Liu Yu's shoulder, as if he were hugging a younger family member.
"Director Liu, you've come at the right time. Come on, let's go inside and take a look." He gestured towards the film studio where Poet Chen was located.
Liu Yu didn't want to go. He didn't want to watch Chen Shiren filming, and he especially didn't want to see Chen Shiren pontificating on set.
.....
The studio for "The Promise" was huge, occupying the largest soundstage in the Beijing Film Studio, with a ceiling high enough to fit a three-story building inside.
Liu Yu went inside and it took him more than ten seconds to adjust to the light.
Han Sanping walked ahead, turning back to talk to Liu Yu as he went, "Liu Yu, look at this set. Director Chen spent three months building it, with over three hundred workers. Just this one tree took a whole month to make. That's the scale of a blockbuster!"
Liu Yu nodded. He couldn't make sense of the calculation of over three hundred workers and a month's work on a fake tree.
Poet Chen walked beside Han Sanping, his steps half a beat slower than Han Sanping's, his demeanor very composed.
He took off his baseball cap, looked around, and his gaze lingered on every corner of the shed.
When he reached the crabapple tree, he stopped, reached out and touched a line on the trunk, then turned to the staff member next to him and said, "The color here is wrong, it needs to be darker."
"Director Liu," Chen Shiren turned to look at Liu Yu, "you've directed two films, the budgets weren't high, were they?"
"The first one cost over six million, and the second one cost twenty million," Liu Yu answered truthfully.
Poet Chen nodded, his expression indifferent, showing neither surprise nor disdain.
"Low budgets have their advantages: flexibility and lower risk. Have you ever thought that a director can't always make low-budget films? You need to have the ability to handle big productions, otherwise the audience will think that you can only make those small-scale things."
Liu Yu smiled and said, "Director Chen is right. I've also thought about big-budget productions, but I haven't found a suitable script yet."
"You can't just wait for a script; you have to find it yourself. A good shot you see on the big screen might be the result of hundreds of unused shots; a plot point that you take for granted might have been scrapped twenty times by the screenwriter."
Poet Chen shifted his gaze from Liu Yu's face, as if looking into the distance. "I'm not saying your photos are bad; they're quite good, very good for your age. If you want to go far, you can't just be satisfied with being 'good.' You should strive for 'excellence,' something that others can't catch up to."
Liu Yu didn't respond. He noticed that the poet Chen had a habit when he spoke: he would pause after saying a sentence, as if waiting for the audience to digest it, or as if giving himself time to think of the next sentence.
"Have you seen Zhang Yimou's 'Hero'?" Poet Chen suddenly asked with a smile.
"I've seen it."
"What do you think?"
Liu Yu thought for a moment and said something that was unlikely to go wrong.
"The visuals are excellent, and the colors are used very boldly."
"The visuals are good, but a blockbuster is more than just good visuals." Chen Shiren twirled his hat in his hand. "The success of 'Hero' lies in its successful combination of commerce and art. But this is not the only path. There are many possibilities for film, and I hope 'The Promise' can showcase a different, more romantic, more poetic, and more Eastern possibility."
Han Sanping added from the side, "China Film Group put a lot of effort into Director Chen's film. The investment, cast, and production are all top-notch. I told Director Chen, just go for it and don't worry about the money."
He spoke with his chin raised. Looking at Han Sanping's spirited appearance, Liu Yu thought to himself that he must think "The Promise" will be the next "Hero", or even better than "Hero".
Zhang Yimou's "Hero" grossed over 200 million yuan and broke 100 million US dollars worldwide; Han Sanping probably wanted Chen Shiren to also make 200 million, or even 300 or 400 million yuan; then kill New Pictures, because Han Sanping didn't get a piece of the pie from "Hero".