Chapter 1491 1493 [Road Movie]
The reason why Xiang Nan rejected "The Banquet" was because this movie, along with Zhang Yimou's "Curse of the Golden Armor" and Chen Kaige's "The Promise", were tied for the top three bad movies in 2006. The level of badness made domestic films once synonymous with bad films.
It wasn't until seven or eight years later that domestic films gradually gained recognition. It can be said that these three bad films are really far from poisonous. Even the three top directors in the mainland have made films of this level. Who else has confidence in domestic films?
That's why Xiang Nan didn't want Feng Xiaogang to make such a bad movie.
"This drama is nothing to watch. The story of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, except for historians, who can ordinary people be familiar with that dynasty?
The history that we Chinese people are most familiar with is the struggle for hegemony between Chu and Han, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the prosperous Tang Dynasty and the remnant Song Dynasty, the Ming and Qing Dynasties and the Republic of China. The remaining dynasties have limited knowledge and no sense of substitution.
What's more, your script is still adapted from "Hamlet". I don't deny that "Hamlet" is indeed Shakespeare's masterpiece, but it does not meet the taste of Chinese people.
Chinese people pay attention to revenge with an eye for an eye, blood for blood, and life for life, and they will not be entangled or hesitant at all. So your movie, even if it is a complete remake of Shakespeare, doesn't look good at all.
And if you upset the audience, the audience will upset you. So I will not invest in this drama. "Xiang Nan waved his hand.
"Then what should I shoot?" Feng Xiaogang said blankly after being reprimanded by Xiang Nan.
"If you really want to make historical themes, then I suggest that you choose a part of the history I mentioned above to shoot." Xiang Nan thought for a while and said, "Actually, I don't really recommend you to make historical films. Because This genre has a very small audience, Zhang Yimou's "Hero" and Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" are more martial arts films."
To make a historical film, the most important thing is to be knowledgeable and have a considerable amount of research on the history of the dynasty being filmed. Hu Jinquan, the famous director of Xiangjiang, only made martial arts films during the Ming Dynasty, and he thoroughly studied the history of Ming Dynasty over and over again.
Just a piece of clothing worn by Jin Yiwei, I don’t know how much information I checked, how many ancient paintings of the Ming Dynasty, and I finally got the inspiration.
Feng Xiaogang's knowledge is limited, not even a college student, and he is unable to make historical feature films. If you try to take pictures, it won't look good. Just like his filming of "The Banquet", it is a big bad movie that is mysterious and pretentious.
"Director Feng, you are good at realistic subjects. You use absurdity and jokes to deconstruct Gao Dashang. Why don't you continue to work **** this?" Xiang Nan persuaded.
Although Feng Xiaogang collaborates with him the most, he is more influenced by Wang Yi in thought, and likes to use a playful attitude to deconstruct high-level things.
For example, in "Party A and Party B", the broken-mouthed Li Qi is used to deconstruct the martyr who would rather die than surrender; the advertisement at Taylor's funeral in "Big Wrist" is even more black humorous.
Not to mention "A Chicken Feather", "I Am Your Dad" and "A Sigh", they even skinned intellectuals, parents, writers, etc.
Feng Xiaogang also thought it made sense when he heard it.
He made historical films, mainly following trends.
Zhang Yimou and Li An both filmed, and both achieved good box office and reputation, which made him feel itchy, so he also wanted to give it a try.
But hearing what Xiang Nan said, he also felt that historical films might not be suitable for him. If the filming is not done well at that time, it will lose face and reputation. Instead of this, it is better to shoot something that you are good at.
"Then tell me, what should I shoot?" Feng Xiaogang asked curiously.
"Have you noticed the story of [migrant workers carrying corpses thousands of miles away] that happened at the beginning of this year?" Xiang Nan looked at Feng Xiaogang and said.
Xiang Nan then turned on the computer, searched for relevant news, and showed it to Feng Xiaogang.
Feng Xiaogang was a little silent after reading it, feeling a little panicked in his heart.
When he was young, he was downcast, but no matter how downcast he was, he still had a serious job, and he didn't have to worry about food and drink. Besides, under Xiang Nan's support, he quickly made a fortune and turned out to be a human being.
Now, he is also a person with a net worth of over ten million. I dare not say how rich it is, at least it is wealth and freedom. He didn't expect that there were such miserable people in the world.
Migrant workers were working on the construction site. After they fell ill, the contractor heard that there was no treatment, so he refused to register, and he paid 100 yuan for medical expenses. One hundred dollars per life sounds like a joke.
The old man, who is also a migrant worker, actually chose to carry his corpse thousands of miles away in order to let his fellow workers return to their roots... This chivalrous spirit alone is touching.
"I think you can film this story. Tell a migrant worker on the road with a dead body on his back. What he sees, hears, and feels along the way is like a Hollywood road movie." Xiang Nan suggested, "I'm sure Interesting, what do you think?"
Feng Xiaogang thought about it for a while, and felt that this story had great potential.
To be honest, up to now, there hasn’t been a road movie that has won popular support among mainland movies. But in Hollywood, road movies are a very successful genre.
Through what the protagonist sees and hears on the road, he completes life experience, changes in thought, and character shaping, resulting in a series of dramatic conflicts. Or communicate with others, with your own soul.
This is a very clever narrative method. If he can adapt this story, then he will be the first mainland director to make a road movie. For him, it is much better than following the trend and making costume movies.
"What you said makes sense, just look at mine." Feng Xiaogang said with a smile.
Afterwards, Feng Xiaogang began to prepare the script.
…
In 2005, the National Olympic Committee announced the bidding plan for the performance of the opening ceremony.
Xiang Nan and Zhang Yimou's design was successfully selected, Zhang Yimou was very happy when the news came.
The Olympic Games is a century-old dream of the Chinese nation, and it is of great significance. This Olympic Games is the largest event held by China since the founding of the People's Republic of China. At that time, tens of thousands of athletes and millions of tourists from more than 200 countries and regions around the world will come to the capital to join in the grand event.
With the hearts of all the people in the country, we will do our best to make this grand event a success. Therefore, it is undoubtedly a great honor for him to be able to participate in this grand event.
"Professor Cheng, thank you for your proposal." Zhang Yimou said gratefully.
"You're welcome, you help me, I'll help you~" Xiang Nan said with a smile, "Director Zhang, I believe that you will be able to direct well."
"Yes." Zhang Yimou nodded.
In the following period of time, Zhang Yimou no longer made movies, but put all his energy on directing the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. For him, this is the most important job.
Xiang Nan also supported him very much.
To tell the truth, Zhang Yimou directed the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, which is higher than the honor and status he obtained by directing 100 films. His movies may not be able to make history, but the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in 2008 will definitely be recorded in the annals of history forever.
(end of this chapter)