Chinese entertainment director starts with filmmaking

Chapter 73

The release of Kung Fu Panda in April taught domestic audiences and film companies a valuable lesson.

Animated films are not bad to make, and their audience is not limited to children aged eight to fourteen. Adults can still go to the cinema and pay for the film.

Even though Gu Qing had seen it more than once, she still went to the cinema to watch it several times.

The combination of kung fu and pandas should have been a domestic cultural element, but it was filmed by foreigners, and filmed so well that many netizens have started to reflect on it online.

"These foreigners have stolen all of our ancestors' things. When will our country be able to stand up for itself?"

"Kung Fu Panda is really well made. Its special effects and plot are unmatched by any domestic film."

"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is unknown, only today is a gift from heaven. I wish domestic movie lines had this kind of depth."

Online, the film is generally praised.

Firstly, because the plot and special effects are impeccable, and secondly, because this film is from Hollywood.

It's an open secret that mainland China's film technology still has a long way to go compared to that of foreign countries.

Some people began to work hard to develop themselves, while others flocked to Hollywood.

Some people also have high hopes for Gu Qing, after all, he is one of the directors who has successfully exported his work to Europe and America in recent years.

The promotional campaign for the movie "Source Code" has begun, with filming scheduled to start in June. The domestic promotional work has been handed over to China Film Group and Enlight Media.

News that the film had once been sought after by Hollywood spread quickly, and the reason why it was ultimately brought back to China has been the subject of much discussion online.

However, Gu Qing did not respond to any of these. If he personally intervened, it would inevitably be used against him. It would be better to wait for the finished product to be released and let the work speak for itself.

On the second day of filming "An Epic of a Woman", Gu Qing joined the crew with Jing Tian.

This can be seen as a form of implicit support for Jing Tian. Having a familiar director friend with consistent output will earn you more respect within the industry.

Although Gu Qing didn't consider himself a great director, he was still able to produce a steady stream of work.

That alone is enough to make people give you face.

On set, Zhao Yanzi and Liu Ye didn't dare to utter a single complaint about Jing Tian.

Director Xia Gang, with Gu Qing's intention to befriend him, naturally became a close friend of Gu Qing's.

These older generation filmmakers may lack some skill, but they value their reputation immensely.

Gu Qing was just saying some nice things; he wouldn't lose anything. Since he was out in the world, he naturally wanted to make as many friends as possible.

After resting for a day, Jing Tian found the filming on the second day much easier.

Although her acting skills weren't particularly good, after Gu Qing's experience, she specially invited a teacher from the Beijing People's Art Theatre to give her acting lessons, and she's improved a lot compared to before.

These days, it's not that difficult to get a supporting role as the second female lead in a TV series.

Gu Qing spent two days on set and carefully observed the other person's acting skills.

Well, it's pretty much unremarkable.

However, compared to Zhao Yanzi and Liu Ye, her acting skills were somewhat lacking.

"Okay, click!"

"Liu Ye, after a few more shots, your scenes will be officially finished!"

Xia Gang held up the megaphone and spoke with a joyful expression.

It wasn't easy, but finally they've all been sent away one by one.

Three days ago, Zhao Yanzi finished filming her scenes and left the crew. Today, Liu Ye's scenes have also ended.

"Director Gu, I'll be going now. See you again sometime."

There will be an opportunity.

Liu Ye waved his hand, his expression also extremely excited.

These days, although Gu Qing didn't intend to get to know him better, they got along quite well, exchanging a few words every day, and could be considered friends.

Gu Qing smiled faintly and waved back.

There's not much to say about Liu Ye; we're not on the same wavelength and can't see eye to eye.

However, maintaining a semblance of decorum is not necessarily unacceptable.

"Brother Qing, you're so popular! Everyone here wants to be your friend."

Jing Tian stood aside, took a sip of water, and looked at Gu Qing with great surprise.

It seems that no matter where she is, her older brother can get along well with everyone. He has such great interpersonal skills.

"They're all so-so; none of these guys are good people."

Gu Qing gently ruffled Jing Tian's hair and said affectionately.

This girl is naive and inexperienced. Although she has older sisters like Fan Xiaopang and Zeng Li as friends, she is still relatively young and unable to see through good people and bad people.

As the eldest brother, shouldn't he help him out more?

"Oh? So, Qing-ge, are you a good person?"

"Of course, there aren't many good people in this world, and your older brother is one of them."

"hehe."

Jing Tian rolled her eyes at Gu Qing, thinking that if this guy didn't hold her hand while he was talking, he would be more convincing.

Gu Qing remained expressionless, took Jing Tian's hand, and led her to Xia Gang for a casual chat.

Xia Gang had many feelings about Jing Tian. After all, she was a major investor, the project needed her to start filming, and she was also a student at the Beijing Film Academy, which meant she was in his department.

But the second reason is naturally because the other party's acting skills were not up to par.

Originally, the main characters, such as Liu Ye and Zhao Yanzi, were supposed to have their scenes saved for last.

Because they don't start filming immediately, their scenes will naturally be pushed to the end. However, this time, in order to make room for the movie, the TV series will naturally be filmed much earlier.

As for Jing Tian's claim that he is popular with others, that's simply because he's inexperienced in the ways of the world.

In the entertainment industry, there's no such thing as true sisterhood or deep sibling affection.

These people are giving him face because they see his potential.

He is only 24 years old, which means he will have at least 30 years of creative work, and he has only been in the industry for less than two years.

Look at Zhang Yimou, he's over sixty years old and still active in the film industry.

The entertainment industry has always been a place where new faces are celebrated while old faces are forgotten.

Filming for "One Man's Epic" finally wrapped up at the end of April after more than two months.

As Jing Tian's first film or television drama of any significant importance, she was quite melancholy when filming wrapped up.

I wanted to have a wrap party with the whole crew, but the male and female leads had already left, so I gave up on that idea.

As for director Xia Gang, Jing Tian also gained some recognition.

Gu Qing and the other party have now officially met. If Gu Qing wants to find someone to film a TV series project in the future, he can do her a favor.

These directors from the previous generation didn't come from wealthy families, otherwise they wouldn't have had to take on these jobs.

In this way, a win-win situation can be achieved.

Having gained experience filming "An Epic of a Woman", Jing Tian has a new understanding of her own acting skills.

That means I'm a sophomore, almost a junior!

"Brother, you've been praising my acting skills and how quickly I've improved. Were you just kidding me?"

Jing Tian sat alone on the sofa, hugging her legs, looking slightly unhappy.

After the initial excitement, the filming ended, and she began to examine herself.

"Not bad, it seems you do have some self-awareness."

Gu Qing was taken aback for a moment before smiling and saying.

In previous music videos and short films, acting skills were not required at all. In "Cruise of Destiny," Jing Tian only appeared for ten minutes, and Gu Qingting was good at training her, so Jing Tian did not notice her difference.

Later, under the guidance of teachers at the Beijing People's Art Theatre and the Beijing Film Academy, she was often praised for her great progress, which made her very confident.

But as soon as he joined the crew, he was paired with award-winning actors and accomplished performers, so naturally, his talent was exposed.

When Gu Qing went to Hollywood before, Jing Tian felt depressed because of it and often called him at night to vent her frustration.

"Huh? What about my movies after that?"

Jing Tian was almost in tears. It was a shame that she was still so confident and had even boasted that she would win the three Golden Horse Awards for Best Actress and make him famous.

"It's alright, I'm just trying to think of a way for you."

"And the character in 'Source Code' was specially designed for you."

Gu Qing smiled, then got up and sat down next to Jing Tian, ​​gently comforting her.

He knew she was worried that the film's quality would suffer, not only from criticism herself but also from negative impacts on his film.

However, in "The Original Code," the female lead's scenes are not too difficult. With Jing Tian's current acting skills and his coaching abilities, it shouldn't be too difficult for her to perform.

However, it would be too much to ask Meng Lijun to play the role well in the later film "Back to 20".

Fortunately, the movie won't be released for at least another year, so Jing Tian might be able to give a great performance by then.

"Okay, fine, but you can't yell at me on set."

Jing Tian sighed, feeling a little flustered, and didn't notice that Gu Qing had taken her hand again.

When filming "Cruise of Destiny", she personally witnessed Gu Qing scolding Fan Binbin.

Although she is much more mentally prepared now than before, she is still a little worried.

"I would never be mean to you, no matter who I'm being mean to."

Gu Qing naturally agreed, but when they actually got to the film set, things might not be so simple.

However, this made him realize why Jing Tian, ​​despite acting in so many movies, was constantly ridiculed.

If your acting is bad and you're afraid of being scolded by the director, plus the director is a major investor in the project, then you can naturally get it right in one take.

"I'll remember that. If you yell at me, I'll... I won't talk to you for a whole day."

Jing Tian wrinkled her nose, looking somewhat smug, clearly pleased with Gu Qing's words.

"Yes, I remember."

Gu Qing sighed inwardly, already pondering how to film it.

The two chatted for a while longer, with Gu Qing mostly comforting Jing Tian. Jing Tian's girlish thoughts came and went quickly, and she was soon amused.

"Dinner's ready!"

Inside the restaurant, Lu Zheng, having grown bored with the conversation, spoke up loudly.

These days, Gu Qing comes here every noon to freeload, which makes him very unhappy.

"Here you are, Uncle Lu."

Gu Qing and Jing Tian exchanged a glance before taking each other's hands and getting up together.

This habit needs to be cultivated gradually. Start by holding hands to raise the threshold, and then it will be easier to do whatever you want later.

……

April has passed, and the film market is now bustling with activity, like oil being poured on a hot fire.

Hong Kong and the mainland jointly produced a film called "Painted Skin," with an investment of over 100 million yuan. The female lead is Zhou Xun, who plays Zhao Yanzi, and the male lead is Chen Kun. All the supporting actors are also movie stars from the mainland, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. It is touted as a fantasy blockbuster for the mainland.

Meanwhile, Chen, one of the three great directors, is preparing to redeem himself by securing investment from China Film Group to make a film called "Mei Lanfang".

Gu Qing felt sorry for China Film Group as she listened. Soon, one of their films, "Red Cliff," was going to flop, and the same would happen to "Mei Lanfang."

With an investment of over 100 million yuan, the box office revenue after its release was just over 100 million yuan.

But overall, it all ended up rotten in the pot, so it wasn't too bad a loss.

In April, besides the Hollywood blockbuster "Kung Fu Panda," there's another historical epic in the film release schedule.

The historical epic "Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon," starring Andy Lau and Sammo Hung, has also been released.

Also based on the Three Kingdoms period, this can be seen as a prelude to "Red Cliff".

However, this film can only be considered a war story with the Three Kingdoms theme on a veneer; it doesn't actually have any Three Kingdoms background at all.

With an investment of nearly 100 million yuan, the film only grossed over 60 million yuan at the box office. Andy Lau's two consecutive period historical films flopped, solidifying his reputation as a box office poison.

Sometimes, it's not that actors can't tell the difference between a good and bad script, but that they simply can't refuse it.

Of course, Gu Qing has never liked owing favors to others; he prefers exchanges of benefits.

Let's just talk about money, not feelings.

After finishing filming her TV series, Jing Tian rested at home for a few days before immediately joining Ning Hao's film crew.

The short film "Chasing Dreams" was filmed at the Huairou Film and Television Base.

Although Gu Qing said that Ning Hao would be in charge of filming, she still came to the set to observe the start of filming.

"You little brat, didn't you say you couldn't do it?"

"I'll definitely be there on the day filming starts, but I'm leaving soon anyway."

Gu Qing knew what Ning Hao wanted to say, so she preemptively shut him up.

He really had no other choice but to take the call; he only managed to squeeze in this half-day today.

The filming of "Source Code" is about to begin. Although there are some things that he doesn't need to prepare, he still has to take responsibility for them.

"Let's have a nice drink at noon, and I'll introduce you to some people."

Ning Hao understood this as well, and immediately put his arm around Gu Qing's shoulder and said...

Although "Chasing Dreams" is only about forty minutes long, the plot is relatively complete and it can be prepared as a film and television project.

In terms of casting, he also invited some of his friends to participate.

"It's just Huang Bo and his group. We've known each other for a long time, so what's there to say?"

Gu Qing didn't want to stay for lunch, as it would involve drinking, which would only cause delays.

"Sweetie!"

"They're here!"

Ning Hao knew that his words were not as reliable as those of other underlings, so he waved to the other side and called Jing Tian over.

"Brother Hao, what's up?"

"Sweetie, Qing's come all this way, shouldn't we treat her to lunch?"

"Absolutely!"

Jing Tian didn't think too much about it and looked at Gu Qing with anticipation.

Well, even Hao Ge isn't behaving himself.

What else could Gu Qing say?