In November, there may still be lingering warmth in the south of the Yangtze River, but the desert in the northwest is already as cold as a knife.
Xiao Qian was wrapped in an earth-green military coat and wore a military cap of the same color on his head. He stood on a high sand dune, overlooking this magical land.
Among all the movie theaters in China, the Western Cinema in Zhenbeibao is not very famous, but its influence is extraordinary.
Countless well-received masterpieces have been produced here, but 80% of all movies featuring the desert were shot here.
Beside Xiao Qian, there were two quails.
When Xiao Qian observed the environment, the two of them were already impatient.
After all, the desert is new to Xiao Qian, but to them, it is already commonplace.
"Mr. Xiao, it's too cold. Why don't we go back and talk?"
Qi Haowei regretted it very much.
You said that I am a good director of Xiying Film Studio. If I don’t sit in the office, why would I come here with you?
It fully proves that sometimes it is not a good thing for people to be too positive.
Xiao Qian didn't listen, just shook his head, pointed to the movie theater building below, and expressed his idea.
"Teacher Zhang, the terrain in the studio is too cramped and there is no room for buildings."
Another person named Zhang Xianliang is a famous writer in China. He also has another identity, that is, the founder of Western Cinema.
When I heard that Xiao Qian was visiting, Zhang Xianliang came to accompany him personally and also blew the cold wind on the sand dunes.
After listening to Xiao Qian's words, I couldn't help but wonder.
"It's just an inn. There's a lot of open space here. Isn't that enough?"
Xiao Qian was very embarrassed.
"Although it's just an inn, to create the atmosphere of an isolated island, there shouldn't be anything blocking the view."
He pointed to the surrounding buildings and asked, "Can those be demolished?"
Obviously not.
"Those are locations built by other crews and are also being filmed."
The difference between Zhenbeibao and other film and television bases is that it was not built the day after tomorrow.
During the Hongzhi period of the Ming Dynasty, a military fortress was built here and was named Zhenbeibao.
In the fifth year of Emperor Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty, a major earthquake occurred here and Zhenbei Fort was destroyed. So a new fort was built not far away, called Zhennan Fort.
In 1958, it was even turned into a steel mill.
In 1969, Zhang Xianliang, who was undergoing labor reform nearby, discovered Zhenbeibao.
In 1980, he was transferred to work in the Ningxia Federation of Literary and Art Circles and introduced Zhenbeibao to a crew for filming.
Since then, film and television crews have come here to shoot scenes.
What really made Zhenbeibao famous was "The Wrangler" directed by Xie Qi.
This film won the Manila International Film Festival Award and made Zhenbeipu the first choice place for filming Northwest-specific films and TV dramas.
The savvy Zhang Xianliang founded Zhenbeibao Western Cinema in 1993. Over the past few years, it has received visits from hundreds of film crews.
But what Zhang Xianliang values the most is of course Xiao Qian in front of him.
If Xiao Qian sets the filming location in Zhenbeibao this time, then this place will have a firm foothold in the history of Chinese film and television just like Hengdian.
Hearing that Xiao Qian was dissatisfied with the internal layout of the base, Zhang Xianliang became furious.
He pulled Xiao Qian, and the two of them turned back and looked at the other side of the dune.
"Mr. Xiao, what do you think of this place? We can build the inn here."
Xiao Qian was a little hesitant.
"This doesn't seem to be part of the movie theater, right?"
Zhang Xianliang did not hide anything.
"Although it's not, it's not a big deal. It's a desert anyway, and no one will care about it."
He was so courageous that even Xiao Qian couldn't help but look at him sideways.
As the problem of desertification becomes increasingly serious, the government is now beginning to pay attention to environmental protection issues. In particular, the protection and improvement of desert areas is a top priority for local governments.
Because the Zhenbeibao Film and Television Base was established early and has formed a one-stop industry including film and television shooting and tourism, it has received support from the government.
But the desert outside the base is a key control area for the government. Building scenery here without permission will cause big trouble.
However, Zhang Xianliang pointed out that this land is really good. It is surrounded by open space and separated from the base by a large sand dune. There is no need to worry about the shooting angle. The distance is not far, so the actors and crew do not have to travel hard.
"Let's see, Teacher Zhang, please help us report it to the relevant departments. No matter what, we must get permission before we can start work."
Although he didn't know the details of Xiao Qian's back, he also knew that this was a great boss. He thought that such a person was arrogant and overbearing, and would do whatever he wanted.
But I didn't expect that there would be procedures to go through to use a small venue.
Such people are the most terrifying.
Although his strength is terrifying, he can still remain humble and not do anything beyond his reach, which means that he will not reveal any flaws.
Zhang Xianliang has great influence in the local area. After making a phone call, a 212 jeep arrived in a short time.
A young man in his thirties climbed up the hill with difficulty.
Zhang Xianliang introduced him as a minor official in the local cultural and tourism department, but he had considerable power.
When Xiao Qian explained his intention, the other party was also very embarrassed.
"If you build a house here, it will create garbage when it is no longer used. The wind here is strong, and all kinds of materials will be blown everywhere, which will cause pollution."
Zhang Xianliang was unhappy and quickly reminded him.
"Chief Lu, this is Mr. Xiao's show, and the investment is more than 50 million. Our place is unknown in the country, and no one takes it seriously. If we borrow Mr. Xiao's favor this time, we may ask for subsidies from the higher ups in the future.
It’s easier.”
Chief Lu hesitated.
Of course he knew that what Zhang Xianliang said had some truth, but the potential impact was also obvious. He was afraid that he would be held accountable by his superiors before he saw the benefits.
Little did the two of them know that Xiao Qian paid more attention to environmental issues than they did.
"Teacher Zhang, Chief Lu, what do you think of this? In our drama, most of the shots about the inn take place inside, so the overall shape is not very demanding. We can use simple materials to
Build a shell in the open space here for filming. When not in use, it can be dismantled easily and completely, and no garbage will be left behind. For the rest of the scenes, we can build a studio in the base, which is enough."
Hearing what he said, Section Chief Lu breathed a sigh of relief.
"In that case, I can make the decision and agree. Mr. Xiao can understand our difficulties. I really don't know how to thank you."
Zhang Xianliang was not satisfied.
"Mr. Xiao, we can't demolish it. After your play is released, this inn will definitely become a scenic spot and attract many tourists to make pilgrimages."
Chief Lu looks at the problem from the government's perspective. As long as it is properly ended and no hidden dangers are left, he will be satisfied.
Zhang Xianliang started from a business perspective.
In addition to providing venues for various film crews, Western Cinemas also attracts tourists and is also an important source of income.
Zhang Xianliang knows very well that Xiao Qian's play will have an extraordinary influence. The inn that will serve as the filming location will definitely attract many tourists.
If this is demolished, Western Cinema will lose an important source of income.
For this filming, the film and television base was an important partner, so Xiao Qian had to consider the base's ideas.
After much consideration, he proposed a solution.
"Teacher Zhang, how about this? The scenery built here will have to be dismantled when the time comes. However, our crew will leave the drawings with you, so you can build an exact replica, how about it?"
Zhang Xianliang said to himself, how can the imitation products be compared with the real ones?
But seeing Xiao Qian's firm attitude, he had no choice but to accept it.
"This is a good idea."
Now that external issues were discussed, Xiao Qian raised her hand to call over a young man and pointed him to the place.
"You have seen the drawings. How long will it take to complete the project?"
This young man's name is Ma Jin, and he was brought into the company by Liu Wanshui.
As for why a person brought in by special effects is to work on set, there is more to say.
Ma Jin always wanted to call Liu Wanshui master, but Liu Wanshui refused and only asked him to call him uncle...
Xiao Qian has always hated this kind of backdoor behavior.
After seeing the Niujia Village that Ma Jin was responsible for building, he immediately made up his mind.
People like Ma Jin...
You need a salary increase.
For people with background and ability, this is very difficult to solve.
So this time Xiao Qian came out to inspect the site and brought Ma Jin with him. He still needed to complete the actual scene of Longmen Inn.
Ma Jin held the drawing in one hand and looked at the terrain with the other, and he quickly got a clue.
"The wind here is too strong. If you want the scenery to be built to be durable and easy to dismantle, you must use solid wood and use mortise and tenon technology."
Xiao Qian was surprised.
"You even know the mortise and tenon technique?"
Ma Jin smiled honestly.
"My ancestors participated in the maintenance of the Forbidden City."
Xiao Qian understood.
It seems like my salary will go up after I go back!
