Putting aside the unknown content of the script, the sporadic descriptions of Zhou Dongsheng's strong financial resources on the Internet are enough to make Zhou Dongsheng's invitation full of absolute temptation, making it impossible for most directors to ignore it.
Except for those at the top of the domestic pyramid who can be ignored by Feng Qingyundan, there is probably no one else.
At this time, although Wen Muye had received a master's degree from Nortel and won several international short film awards for his outstanding graduation works, he was already considered a well-known new generation director in the industry.
However, for the general public, the three words "Wen Muye" are still unknown. To put it more bluntly, the public does not know who Wen Muye is at all.
Compared with stars who stand in the spotlight, directors who can truly make themselves known to the public are basically the small group of people at the top of the industry pyramid.
Therefore, whether it is in terms of fame or accumulation of capital, Wen Muye is still far behind now. Compared with the endless stream of financial backers behind the famous director, he still has to rely on himself to make a living.
After all, no one knows better than the director how expensive it is to make a good movie. For a seemingly simple movie that is less than two hours long, in about a hundred minutes, one minute is random.
The value of convenience is calculated in one hundred thousand.
The art of making movies can’t be more aptly described as “one inch of time, one inch of gold”, not to mention those international blockbusters that often cost over 100 million US dollars in investment. That’s just two words: money burning!
Therefore, even if there is no script, Zhou Dongsheng's strong financial resources alone are enough to make Wen Muye flock to this invitation. After all, investing in this thing means that Han Xin wants more troops, the better.
As for the script...it's not that Wen Muye is self-righteous, it's just that as a professional, Wen Muye doesn't think that a good script can be produced so casually.
In order to film the story of Lu Yong, he had already spent several months in various preliminary preparations and data collection to gain in-depth understanding.
As for the polishing of the script, there is not even an embryo yet, but a lot of drafts have been scrapped, and a suitable idea and entry point have not yet been found.
After all, any story is like a ball of hair, and you always need to find a suitable thread to interpret the entire process of unraveling the cocoon...
Wen Muye immediately made a decision, bought a flight at the nearest time, and flew to Yangcheng non-stop to meet Zhou Dongsheng!
…
As for Zhou Dongsheng, he didn't know that he had become a favorite in Wen Muye's eyes. Not only was he interested in money, but he also had a strong interest in his personal deeds.
Not only do they want money, but they also don’t let “people” go.
After hanging up the phone, Zhou Dongsheng couldn't help but think of the second film he shot after the literary director became a blockbuster, which was equally well-received and a hit...
And the subject matter is still mainly based on the entrepreneurship of small people. If I use myself as the prototype... wouldn't it be equivalent to an autobiographical movie?
What's more, from a purely dramatic and story perspective, my personal deeds are more convincing than the original script. After all, I am a living example of reality.
But which actor to use is up for debate. Obviously Prince Yi is no longer a suitable choice...
Zhou Dongsheng thought in a funny way, how about letting himself play the role?
If I successfully make a guest appearance in "Wolf Warrior 2", I will be considered an actor worth 5 billion by rounding up. If I add this movie, wouldn't I be rounded up into the 10 billion club?
It's quite enjoyable to think about it. This side job is almost becoming my main job.
However, compared to joining the tens of billions actor club, it is obviously faster to accumulate a net worth of tens of billions.
After all, even if you don't do anything now, just relying on a few unlimited future investment guarantees is enough for you to easily accomplish this goal.
It can be said that the four words "financial freedom" that are out of reach for ordinary people are already within reach for Zhou Dongsheng.
Once the pursuit of wealth is no longer an urgent priority, it is natural to find fun in your life.
For the current Zhou Dongsheng, the scope of fun he can find has been greatly improved.
Zhou Dongsheng couldn't help but feel anxious in his heart. Fortunately, Zhou Dongsheng still had plenty of time, and he still had a few years to be happy.
…
The next day, Wen Muye, who was tired of his travels, rushed to Yangcheng. Zhou Dongsheng still held a banquet at his old place to cleanse himself from the dust and talk further about film investment.
Since the two parties met for the first time and it was not like a meeting between old friends like Wu Jing and Principal Wang, Zhou Dongsheng simply brought Xu Kaidao and Li Jiana with him, treating it as a personal occasion.
When the three of them arrived at the private box, Wen Muye had been waiting alone for a long time. When he saw Zhou Dongsheng leading the way, he stood up immediately.
Subconsciously, he showed a smile on his face, but there was still a trace of embarrassment that he couldn't hide. He stretched out his hands to greet him, and said dryly and politely: "Mr. Zhou has been looking up to me for a long time..."
On the contrary, Zhou Dongsheng has become accustomed to it now. He eats too much pork and watches the pigs running around. Unknowingly, he has developed an aura of being unfazed by honor and disgrace.
Zhou Dongsheng said apologetically: "There's a traffic jam on the road. I kept the director waiting for a long time. Let's order food first. We'll talk about the movie later."
"I've just arrived..." Wen Muye said something and sat down beside Zhou Dongsheng.
"Old Xu is sitting next to me. I will give the script to the literary director for a look later. Let's take a look at the comments of professionals." Zhou Dongsheng's smile did not diminish and he asked Xu Kaidao to sit down.
Li Jiana naturally followed her lead and sat down at the next seat, and Xu Kaidao also sat down without hesitation.
"I can't drink. If the literary director wants to have a few drinks, I'll ask Lao Xu to accompany you..." Zhou Dongsheng flipped through the menu and said casually.
However, the initiative at the dinner table is always firmly in his hands.
Wen Muye couldn't help but look happy, "Actually, I don't like drinking either, but I just can't help myself on some occasions..."
"That's just right. I have a lot of good tea here. After dinner, we will have a cup of tea and talk about the movie. I am personally very interested in the movie..."
"Not only is it an investment, Director Wu Jingwu also invites me to play a guest role in his next movie. Then I can experience the joy of being an actor..." Zhou Dongsheng chatted casually about his homely affairs.
"Director Wu is a senior in the industry. I grew up watching his works, and the movies are also pretty good..." Wen Muye said politely.
In this atmosphere of casual chatting, the atmosphere at the table became more lively, and the distance between the two parties also became closer. After all, they are of similar age, so they can always find some common topics.
After a meal, even without alcohol, the two parties have begun to call themselves brothers.
And since it is Zhou Dongsheng's private box, there is no shortage of tea tables, and Chen Yuhang does have a lot of good tea here.
After the two parties moved to the tea table and sat down, Zhou Dongsheng started to speak while playing with the tea sets.
"Old Xu, please show the script to Brother Wen. I was inspired by Lu Yong's deeds and asked my subordinates to help me write the script. Brother Wen will give me some advice..."
Xu Kaidao handed over the script, and Wen Muye said politely: "I made a few short films when I was in school, and I was lucky enough to win a few awards, but I have never made a serious movie..."
"So I don't dare to offer opinions. I can only say that we want to discuss it with each other..."
"Brother Wen, don't be polite to me. The international award for this short film is very valuable, and I also like "Requiem" very much. Brother Wen is really talented in portraying marginalized characters and showing humanistic care. I was born to eat this bowl of rice..."
"I believe that Lu Yong's story will definitely shine in Brother Wen's hands!" Zhou Dongsheng praised it so much that Wen Muye couldn't resist it.
But when he read the script, he became fascinated after a while.
Although from a professional perspective, the script is very rough and seems to have been written by a layman, it has a strong narrative sense of immediacy, more like a novel than a script.
In just a few strokes at the beginning, the protagonist is vividly depicted in his middle-aged life. His life is unsatisfactory, his business is sluggish, and his old father is critically ill. Even his own son can hardly survive...
This kind of middle-aged person's sense of emptiness and helplessness is very visual, enough to arouse the resonance of many viewers. The beginning alone made Wen Muye's eyes light up.
The plot may be a bit vulgar, but it has the flavor of old wine in a new bottle. Based on his familiarity with Lu Yong's deeds, he has obviously begun to adapt it at the beginning.
After all, Lu Yong himself is a leukemia patient, but Cheng Yong is not.
It was an ingenious choice to pick out the person involved as a bystander. Wen Muye nodded secretly and continued reading.
There is no way out, but there is a bright future in another village. The dramatic changes and the huge profit difference make Cheng Yong, who is in desperate need of money, choose to take risks and gain wealth through danger.
Although it is cliché, it has a clear narrative and a clear main line. Compared with some styles that can't even tell the story clearly and make mysteries from beginning to end, it is obviously not high!
Then the single mother dancer, Huang Mao, priest and other characters appeared one by one, which made Wen Muye watch with gusto. This unique little character perspective can be said to be exactly the same as Wen Muye's hobby of portraying marginalized characters!
This couldn't help but make Wen Muye feel a sense of sympathy for each other. He didn't expect that there were people in the world who thought the same as him!
Later, when the counterfeit drug scandal broke out, the protagonist, who was greedy for life and feared death, chose to retreat and disbanded his team, which brought the vivid image of the little man to life on the page.
Relying on the primitive accumulation of capital to start a successful business, when the career is booming, I am touched by the death of an old friend who was critically ill, and the patient's desire for life...
Lu Yong decided to return to the world of martial arts, and this time he didn't take any money!
Seeing this, Wen Muye couldn't help but exclaimed, "Wonderful! This script is so well written, Mr. Zhou. This sublimation is not abrupt at all and is handled very delicately..."
"It's a good saying that there is only one disease in the world, the disease of poverty..."
The more he watched, Wen Muye's heart gradually changed from appreciation to shock. He was shocked by the solid line skills and the words that directly touched the heart!
As we all know, due to the length of the movie, every line has been carefully refined. It is not an exaggeration to say that one word is worth a thousand dollars.
It can even be said that good lines are half the success of a movie. After all, some golden lines from many movies have been passed down to this day and still have everlasting artistic magic.
For example, a certain film that urgently needs to be applied for World Heritage status has already been elevated to the status of a Chinese national cultural heritage (funny).
In Wen Muye's eyes, every line in the script already has the potential to become a golden sentence, whether it is the hit-and-miss "poor disease" or the old lady's lightly written lines that are like crying blood.
"I have been ill for three years. I took genuine medicine worth 40,000 yuan a bottle for three years. I lost my house and my family was ruined by me..."
"How can we not know whether the medicine is fake or not? That medicine only costs 500 yuan a bottle and makes no money at all... Who doesn't have a patient..."
"You captured him, and we all have to wait to die. I don't want to die, I want to live, okay?"
Every line is a blow that hits the depths of the soul. Although it is just words, it is like a substantial impact, shocking and enlightening!
Wen Muye felt that he was just like the policeman, speechless and unable to let go for a long time.
The subsequent plot was even more ups and downs, with Huang Mao's death and the protagonist's heartfelt roar and questioning, "He is only twenty years old and he wants to live. What crime does he have?"
The belief that the police once held in upholding justice has been greatly impacted.
However, we ask ourselves, who is wrong? No one is wrong, not even the prescriptions for selling genuine drugs at sky-high prices. After all, it is they who have invested hundreds of millions in research and development expenses to make life-saving drugs come out.
Copyright protection is to allow them to recover their research and development costs. If it is not profitable, who will be willing to spend a lot of money on research and development regardless of the cost in the future?
It is precisely because no one is at fault that it gives people a sense of powerlessness, echoing the phrase "the disease of poverty", which makes people cry out for help and feel a sense of frustration like raising their fists but having nowhere to hit them.
In the end, Dang Dang was imprisoned, and the sublimation of the patient's farewell was even more emotional. In the end, the national medical insurance paid off, and the audience's resentment was resolved, and a sense of joy in surviving the disaster arose spontaneously.
Although the overall script is rough, both in terms of the completeness of the story and the valuable line skills, it is enough to cover up the trivial shortcomings.
This script is well written, and it is completely written with Wen Mu's ambition in mind, although at first glance it seems that the adaptation of Lu Yong's deeds is a bit unsatisfactory...
But after thinking about it for a while, I feel that it has reached a certain degree of balance.
Compared with starting from the perspective of the person involved, telling the entire story from the perspective of a bystander is more suitable for movies and can resonate with the audience.
Putting down the script, Wen Muye couldn't calm down for a long time. He looked at Zhou Dongsheng with some disbelief, "Zhou...Mr. Zhou, did you really write this script?"
It’s not surprising that Wen Muye had such doubts. After all, the lines that directly touch the soul and the reflections on the hardships of life are not what the young man in front of him, who became famous at a young age and had a smooth life, should have.
After all, according to Wen Muye’s understanding on the Internet, Zhou Dongsheng is definitely the winner in life!
Zhou Dongsheng took a sip of tea carelessly, and his face was as thick as the iron walls of a city wall. He nodded calmly.
"It's true that I wrote it on a whim. Isn't it a good script, Brother Wen!"
You can’t say that I actually “copied” yours, right?
