Chapter 710 Teacher Tang Lectures (5600 words chapter)
The "2014 New Chinese Directors Project" hosted by the Shanghai Film Festival is not very famous. At least to the outside world, at least eight out of ten netizens have never heard of it.
Although the Magic City Film Festival is an international A-class film festival, it does not have the heritage of the Golden Horse and Academy Awards. Even to ordinary audiences, the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers are slightly more famous. Judging from the popularity of major film festivals every year,
You can see it.
There were only about a dozen media present at the press conference, and there were no complicated ceremonies.
A director came to the organizing committee, a vice president came to the China Media Group, and the opening scene was full of spectacle.
No one wants to hear it, but in most situations it is necessary to speak.
The directors in the audience are all sitting upright. They are able to sit here and enter the master class because they have been selected through layers of selection.
The organizer received a total of tens of thousands of resumes from all over the world before selecting these 30 people, all of whom have relevant experience in the industry, including at least screenwriting and directing micro-films and short films.
These domestic plans to support new directors are not just cosmetic projects. The benefits are real. No matter which plan, at least one or two movies have been produced.
No matter how low the cost is, at least the organizer is willing to pay.
And the Shanghai Film Festival definitely needs more face than private enterprises, which means that it will eventually invest in the new films of at least one or two people.
Moreover, this new director program is a newly created sub-unit of the Shanghai Film Festival for the "Chinese Film Venture Capital Project". There is also a sub-unit of the Young Director Program, which has produced many well-known films, including Berlin Golden Bear and Silver Bear.
Pass.
What's more, the Shanghai Film Festival invited Tang An to come over at short notice a few days ago, which made the thirty students present even more excited.
The number one director in the country and the owner of the largest private film and television company in the country, if Tang An takes a fancy to him, he will really rise to the top in one fell swoop.
Think about Xu Zheng, Wu Ershan, Tian Yusheng, these new directors supported by Tang An. Each of them has made a career in the film industry. The worst Tian Yusheng, the combined box office of the two movies was 700 million to 800 million.
.
Although these people were extremely excited, the teachers on the stage were watching and there were many reporters at the scene, so they were still relatively restrained on the surface.
The few media at the scene had just learned that Tang An would be coming, and were very surprised that he would attend such a small event.
The reporters took advantage of the organizer's speech on the stage and discussed quietly.
"Oh, I haven't heard any news before. Tang An's "Mysterious Superstar" is still being filmed, isn't it? How come you have time to come here?"
"God knows, maybe it was specially invited by the Shanghai Film Festival."
"How could Tang An agree to the invitation of the Shanghai Film Festival for no reason? It's not an important event. He even came to the opening ceremony only once."
"I guess it's for someone. Isn't this a director's master class? There are probably people Tang An is interested in among these thirty people."
"Yes, Tang An has a very good eye for seeing people."
After talking a lot, I finally found a reasonable explanation.
The reporters looked at these thirty people from time to time, trying to find out who Tang An was optimistic about.
This made the thirty people confused as to why these reporters were staring at them one by one.
However, the organizer's opening remarks on the stage were quickly finished, and several teachers, including Tang An, were introduced one by one.
"Today, the first session of the Chinese New Director Program at the Shanghai Magic City International Film Festival has invited four great directors: Tang An, Shunji Iwai, Guan Jinpeng, and Wei Desheng, as well as famous photographers Yu Liwei, Guan Benliang, and Li Yaohui. Everyone was very enthusiastic just now.
The applause has passed. First of all, allow me to thank everyone for coming on behalf of the Shanghai Film Festival Organizing Committee.
When I found these people at the end of last year, when I proposed to support young directors, they agreed without saying a word. Director Tang An also has two projects this year, and he also took the time to rush to the scene to talk to young people. This is
The best encouragement for young people”
bang bang bang bang
Everyone applauded.
Tang An spoke first, "Hello everyone, speaking of young directors, I should be considered one. I was here just now, looking at everyone in the audience, and it reminded me of myself back then. A few years ago, for the director industry,
For me, being young is a disadvantage. Almost no company or investor is willing to invest in a film directed by a newbie. Everyone here must have hit a wall with many film and television companies and investors."
As a representative figure among young directors, Tang An directed alone at the age of 24. He was still in that era ten years ago and has more feelings about this aspect.
The thirty or thirty people in the audience were also silent. Most of them were around thirty years old. This age is definitely not very trustworthy for the director industry.
Most of them have also submitted planning documents and scripts to many film and television companies, but they have all failed, otherwise they would not be here.
Nowadays, the film and television industry is getting bigger and bigger, and the talent gap is also bigger. Those who are capable and qualified have been promoted early. The editorial departments of major film and television companies are responsible for the preliminary review. Most of them are recent graduates of literature majors. 90%
The project was removed from their hands and could not reach the decision-makers.
Tang An's words reminded them of their repeated rejections by laymen in their 20s from the editorial and review departments of film and television companies.
Being young is a disadvantage. Either you have connections, or the project is submitted to the top management of the film and television company step by step, and is finally chosen. Otherwise, you can only wait for luck.
However, with the precedents of Tang An and Ning Hao who have soared to the sky, they have not lost confidence and patience in this industry.
Tang An was not here to pour cold water on them. He instead said, "But that was before. The most important elements in the film and television industry now are capital, stories, and young people. This is an era of change, just like the Chinese nation at the beginning of the century.
The film market has entered the era of costume blockbusters, and the types of films released in China have taken on a completely new look because of that change.
Now, ten years later, large-scale costume productions have begun to withdraw from the stage of mainstream blockbusters. Major companies basically have no plans to produce costume blockbusters. Instead, they are romance, comedy, youth nostalgia and other movies that do not have big scenes and focus more on story-telling.
Keep coming to the fore.
This is exactly what young people should have, unbridled imagination and enterprising talent."
Once he spoke a long paragraph, everyone looked at him as he spoke alone.
After Tang An finally finished speaking, Guan Jinpeng spoke.
He coughed lightly and said, "What Director Tang said makes sense. Young people have the advantages of young people, and their thinking is more in line with today's trends."
However, directing is a strict position. You have to be responsible for the entire crew and need to be familiar with every aspect of the crew.
I remember the first time I became a director was 28 years old, in 1985. I was still a young director in Hong Kong. In the past, the film industry in Hong Kong was in the 1960s and 1970s, when I was still an apprentice. No matter which industry I was in, even if I changed to another
When it comes to light bulbs, you have to work with a master before you can start making them, and then you can bring in an apprentice.
At that time, in the Hong Kong film industry, if you had no relationship with anyone in the industry, no relatives or friends, it would be difficult to enter the film industry, and it would be difficult for you to have a chance to perform.
In the past, if you were an apprentice and wanted to be a director, you had to follow several directors for at least ten years and then become an assistant director. After working as an assistant director for 10 to 15 years, you would have the opportunity to become a director. Directors who are 40 years old are considered young.
, so don’t be discouraged, you are still young and still have time to learn.”
They are still young and need to learn more, so this is pouring cold water on them.
Although this is true, but throughout the 1980s and 1990s in Hong Kong, among all the famous directors, there was no one who directed independently when he was around thirty, or even became famous.
Moreover, these newcomers had heard similar words so many times that they couldn't help but feel a little disgusted with what Guan Jinpeng said, but they just didn't dare to show it.
Many of them have professional backgrounds and their ambitions are as high as the sky. How can they listen to me when the boss is the boss and I am the second child?
Besides, this new director plan is to select "genius" directors.
There is a shortage of directors in the industry, but there is no shortage of mediocre directors, so what's the use?
Film festivals are looking for capable people who lack opportunities. Besides, this is not the last century. If you were to direct alone in your forties or fifties, you would not be able to go with the audience.
However, Guan Jinpeng's words were somewhat opposite to Tang An's. As soon as Tang An finished speaking, he said that you are still young and need to learn more.
Tang An was not too surprised. He is a director of literary films and a commercial director. Guan Jinpeng is from Xiangjiang, his agent is under Wang Jinghua, and he is also the producer of "To Youth", which means he is from Ah Li.
However, Tang An had no time to pay attention to him. It was boring to argue. In a debate, it was impossible to convince anyone. It was not like fighting, where you would give up after the pain.
The press conference didn't last long, and class started immediately.
In the first class, it is impossible for seven teachers to teach one by one.
These thirty people have all prepared a project, and they were selected based on this project. The ultimate goal is to be recognized by the master class organizing committee and teachers, and finally selected for filming.
They took out their projects one by one and asked the teachers to comment on them one by one, which was the focus of today's course.
"Time is tight, so let's get started. I'll randomly select a director's film project first."
As the most famous person at the scene, Tang An spoke unceremoniously.
I looked around at them, but no one objected.
Tang An looked at the audience. Their purpose was to find faults, point out shortcomings, and then direct these directors to improve.
So Tang An ordered a tall and thin young man in the crowd who was dressed the most formally and had his hair specially done.
And you can tell at a glance that this is not his usual dress.
This is not like an actor's audition. Dress up handsomely and see which director has the time to care about appearance.
For such an important occasion, which could even determine their future fate, what really should be done is to stay up all night revising the plan and ppt.
"Hello, Director Tang, hello teachers, my name is Li Chi."
The person whose name was called immediately stood up and briefly introduced himself, with a bit of excitement and nervousness in his tone.
Tang An nodded and said without further ado, "Well, please introduce your project."
Li Chi immediately hurried to the other side of the stage, plugged in the USB flash drive in his laptop, and a ppt immediately appeared on the projection on the big screen.
"Dear teachers, the film project I brought is called "Breaking the Waves". It tells the story of a Chinese international student who encountered difficulties and prejudice in the United States and won victory and victory by forming a Chinese rowing team with several other Chinese students.
A story of respect.”
After summarizing the general plot in dozens of words, Li Chi began to explain his plan.
"I have watched your "Chinese Partner" directed by Tang, and I also understand the situation that Chinese students encounter in the United States. This movie "Breaking Waves" is just for that."
In five minutes, he quickly explained his plan.
From the moment he heard the plot summary, Tang An lost interest and commented unceremoniously.
"Li Chi, right? Do you still remember what I said just now?"
The young man opened his mouth, as if recalling what Tang An had just said.
However, Tang An did not give him time and continued, "I said that young directors should show their imagination and talent and give full play to their own advantages, but your project has no sharpness and is very formal in terms of genre and creativity.
, I wish we could behave in the 50s and 60s."
Tang An's not tactful comment immediately made the young man's face look a little ugly.
Guan Jinpeng blushed and said with a smile, "The genre is a bit old-fashioned and not very creative, but from the planning point of view, the narrative is relatively smooth. Although the story is a bit stiff, the overall style is pretty good. Young people
The struggle of the character can resonate with the audience if it is well performed, and the soundtrack you chose is also just right.”
After receiving the compliment, a smile appeared on the young man's face again, and he quickly said, "Thank you, Director Guan."
Tang An shook his head secretly. No project is without merit. It is easy to find the bright spots.
But what Guan Jinpeng said cannot cover up the problems of the plot itself.
Tang Andao said, "Struggle can really resonate with the audience. After all, all of us are fighting for our future all the time. However, the story of your project is too bland and has no twist. The protagonist wants to form a rowing team because of prejudice. Why?
It’s not a rowing team. The explanation in your story is that there happened to be a rowing competition in the local area, and the protagonist happened to be a little bit good at it. This explanation used to be far-fetched.
And judging from your narration, there were not many twists and turns in the game that was supposed to be the climax of the film. First, they fell behind, then the whole team worked together to slowly catch up, and finally won the game and took first place. After that, they were recognized by foreigners.
It’s so peaceful. It’s conceivable that it’s difficult for the audience’s emotions to follow the plot, and the soundtrack is in vain without corresponding pictures.”
The more he talked about it, the more his expression dropped.
Guan Jinpeng also felt a little unhappy. As soon as he finished praising him, Tang An dismissed him as useless and dismissed some of the advantages he mentioned.
The other 29 people in the audience also had different expressions, some were deep in thought, and some also disagreed with what Tang An said.
But Tang An hasn't finished speaking yet, "This type of movie is easy to make. There have been countless similar movies in the past few decades, but it's not that simple to make it well. The plot you introduced at the beginning determines that this is
It’s a failed project. I suggest you upload this plot to any movie-related forum or website tomorrow. The comments below will be “boring” or there will be no response at all.”
This is even more embarrassing. The audience is full of young people, including international students and directors who graduated from professional colleges. They always think that they are just an opportunity and lack an investment, otherwise they will be the next Tang An.
Tang An looked at the group of young directors in the audience. He might have said something a bit harsh, but if he didn't listen, he deserved to be thrown into the street.
Several people looked a little unconvinced, including the person involved.
Tang An picked up the tea cup and moistened his throat.
"I know you are not convinced, and you reject a movie just by looking at the synopsis. But let me tell you, director, star, IP, title, plot introduction, these are the few things that can attract audiences to a small-budget movie.
Conditions, and your film may not have a big star or a big IP, so you need a title that is eye-catching enough to at least make the audience search for it, and if the plot introduction can attract them, half the battle is won.
"
"Not only the audience, this is also an important condition for you to attract investors. If I were an investor, I would not pay a penny for this plot!"
"Don't be dissatisfied. Let me give you an example. In 2011, a film was released at the China Film Project Venture Capital Meeting called "The Piano of Steel". This film was very unusual among the many shortlisted projects at that time. Many
No one can understand how a movie like "Artificial Pianos" could be made, but the director used an overview of only 40 words to get the opportunity to invest."
"Does anyone still remember those short 40 words?" Tang An asked, looking around.
Everyone, look at me and I look at you. Basically everyone has seen "The Piano of Steel". This film won the Best Actor Award at the Dongjing Film Festival, and also won the Best Film at the Shanghai Film Festival, Golden Rooster, and Golden Horse Film Festival.
, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress nomination.
However, everyone knows the plot, but no one remembers director Zhang Meng's introduction to impress investors three years ago.
Tang An looked around and saw no one answered, so he smiled and said, "Actually, I don't remember exactly." ???
The audience is full of question marks with black faces. You can’t even remember it, so why are you asking us?
Everyone looked at Tang An, waiting for him to continue.
Tang An didn't sell it off, "I can't remember the whole thing, but I still remember that the general meaning is that the male protagonist makes a piano by hand with the help of a retired thief, a full-time gangster, a gangster brother, and a pork prince. It's probably like that."
I remember the words retired thief, full-time gangster, gangster brother, and pork prince. This is also the reason why the director impressed the director of Perfect Film and Television."
"Perhaps from a director's perspective, you think differently from investors. Mr. Chi and I accidentally talked about this movie during a chat. He said that at first he thought it was a movie similar to "Crazy Stone"
The comedy movie "Crazy Stone" is about a group of people with different identities trying to grab a stone, while "The Piano" is about a group of people with different identities trying to build a piano."
"It's as simple as that. Several characters with different identities come together to create a funny story. This is the investor's idea. There is a market for comedy, and movies like "Crazy Stone" have proven that this genre has the potential to become popular.
"
After Tang An finished speaking, he looked at Li Chi, "The members of the rowing team in your "Breaking Waves" almost all look like they were carved by the same Mozi. You can set up several completely different characters. There must be conflicts between the characters. You can
It would be better to write a comedy story based on the narrative method of "Crazy Stone"."
Anyone who can come here through layers of selection is not an idiot. At least he has the basic abilities of a director. Li Chi thought about what Tang An said and figured it out.
He quickly bent down and thanked Tang An, "Thank you, Director Tang, for your guidance. Thank you."
"Pah, pah, pah, pah"
Applause rang out, a bit sparse at first, as many people were thinking about what Tang An just said.
There was not much time, so Tang An pressed his hands to indicate silence, and the class had to continue.
Only then did I review one person's project. Not everyone has the opportunity to do so in an entire afternoon.
Everyone stopped quickly. It would be bad if time was wasted and their projects didn't show up.
Some people in the crowd were still whispering. The bespectacled Wen Muye was discussing with Han Yi, an alumnus of the Beijing Film Academy who also graduated with a master's degree in directing, whether to incorporate some comedy elements into his projects.
"Old Wen, your book is a literary road movie, and it can be added with comedy elements. Isn't "The Flowers of the Heart" directed by Ning Hao said to be a road comedy?" Han Yi helped with ideas.
Wen Muye nodded and asked, "What about you?"
Han Yi shook his head and said, "I won't change. This is a love between a human and a ghost. It only sells tears, not laughter."
Just as he was talking, Tang An directly called his name on the stage over there, and the person he called happened to be Han Yi next to Wen Muye.