novellhall Chapter 99: Poaching fails, casting begins
Chapter 99: Poaching fails, casting begins
Gu Qing also bowed and thanked the many students who had spoken up for him earlier.
It seems his film and television seminars over the past few days haven't been in vain; he still has quite a few supporters.
With the release of Zhang Yimou's "Hero", film school students are no longer struggling with the distinction between commercial and art films. Besides, there's no point in struggling with it anyway. When a script comes your way, can you really refuse it?
The directing students were the first to be affected. After several years of development, this problem has arisen within the department. Gu Qing has ample experience in commercial films, so whether these students admit it or not, art films have indeed declined.
After seeing everyone off, Gu Qing finally took a good look at Lu Yang. This guy could be considered a genius, having written and directed the "Brotherhood of Blades" series. He was a rare talent.
It's a pity that martial arts films have declined, and apart from the "Brotherhood of Blades" series, nothing else has really come out of the woodwork.
Of course, having a representative work already puts you ahead of 90% of directors.
Aside from the "Crazy" series, Ning Hao doesn't have many other representative works.
"Director Gu, I've heard so much about you."
"We can be friends as peers."
"Brother Qing!"
Although Gu Qing was younger than the other person and was a student at the Beijing Film Academy, Gu Qing did not want to find an elder for herself. They were all the same age, so they should be treated as peers.
Lu Yang also understood that in the industry, one should learn from those who are successful. Gu Qing became famous earlier than him, developed rapidly, and had a forward-looking vision for the development of film. It would not be a loss for him to recognize Gu Qing as his elder brother.
After chatting for a while, the two went to a restaurant together and booked a private room.
Although Lu Yang was surprised by the other party's enthusiasm, he had nothing else to worry about, so he could only attribute it to Gu Qing's gratitude for his help.
Gu Qing didn't speak rashly. After the food they ordered was served and the two had eaten, she finally found a topic to start the conversation.
"Lu Yang, I heard you stayed at the Beijing Film Academy before, why did you leave later?"
Gu Qing poured a glass of wine for the two of them and chatted about everyday things.
He had previously asked students in the directing department and had a general understanding of Lu Yang's school experience, which was quite extensive.
After graduating, I stayed at the school for a year, and then left again. I just don't know why I suddenly came back to Beijing Film Academy this time.
"Hey, Qing-ge, I won't lie to you, who among us young people would want to stay at the school as a teaching assistant?"
"I went back to the school this time to ask Professor Mu if he could help me get some investment. I wrote a script myself."
Lu Yang took a sip of his drink and said with a troubled expression.
He was quite a celebrity at school, but once he left school and actually started asking for investment, all the praise he used to receive suddenly disappeared.
There was nothing he could do but go back to school and ask his mentor, for this is the most important function of passing down knowledge and skills through generations of teachers.
"Lu Yang, why don't you come with me? You've probably heard of Tianmeng. They're rebuilding from scratch and are in dire need of a director."
Gu Qing thought about it and decisively extended an olive branch. Although he didn't remember whether the other party's first movie was successful or not, it didn't stop him from spending a fortune to acquire him.
"Well... never mind, I'll ask the teacher first."
"That's a narrow-minded view. I'll be a disciple of Teacher Mu next year, so I'll be your senior brother. It's only natural for fellow disciples to help each other, isn't it?"
"How did you calculate that? I enrolled before you, so I should be your senior."
"You did your undergraduate degree, I did my graduate degree; we're not on the same wavelength at all. Isn't it reasonable for me to call you my junior?"
……
Both of them had drunk too much, and they became less reserved in their conversation, arguing heatedly about who entered the sect first and who was the senior disciple.
So much so that Gu Qing forgot about the idea of recruiting the other party.
But it didn't matter to him anymore. He had been too busy lately, and after scolding Lu Chuan, he was in a good mood. It would be nice to have a drink to relieve his stress.
The next day, Gu Qing woke up in her own courtyard and immediately looked around the room in confusion.
Who am I? Where am I? Where is this place?
Fortunately, he made quite a commotion when he got up, and soon Jing Tian brought in a basin of water.
"Qing-ge, you're awake. Come and wash your face."
"Hey, Sweetie, what are you doing here? I remember you went home, didn't you?"
Gu Qing rubbed his forehead, then took the towel Jing Tian handed him, placed it on his forehead, and wiped his face with it, finally feeling refreshed.
Yesterday's memories also surfaced in my mind one by one.
He and Lu Yang got along very well, drinking and talking freely. The two shared a common interest in movies.
Later, they all got drunk. Gu Qing wanted to call the company, but unexpectedly, it was Jing Tian who answered. After that, he didn't remember much.
What happened? He's never been drunk before, and this time he got drunk in front of outsiders. If it weren't for Jing Tian, he might have ended up sleeping in the private room all night.
Thinking of this, Gu Qing was secretly awakened, realizing that she couldn't do it again next time.
"Qing-ge, you're really drunk this time. You've said a lot of things, and you're being especially naughty."
Seeing Gu Qing's changing expression, Jing Tian knew what the other was thinking and immediately said with a smile.
"Did I say anything? By the way, how's Lu Yang?"
Gu Qing's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't remember what happened after he got drunk, but where was Lu Yang now?
"He didn't say anything. By the way, is the other person named Lu Yang? I've already had a hotel booked for him. Where is he?"
"Brother Qing, you said a lot of things from your heart last night, and I recorded them all. If you don't keep your word, hmph."
Gu Qing's face stiffened. Looking at Jing Tian's malicious smile, he couldn't remember what he had said at all.
If you can't remember, then don't think about it. Do you think the other party can be like Zhao Min, binding Zhang Wuji with three demands for the rest of his life?
"Sigh, drinking really leads to trouble, Sweetie. Were you the one who took care of me yesterday?"
Since it was summer and I was wearing some clothes, nothing particularly interesting or surprising happened.
Just by looking at the double pillow next to him, he knew that Jing Tian must have been taking care of him here all night.
Moved by the moment, he put his arm around Jing Tian's slender waist and kissed her on the cheek.
"Ugh, it stinks! Go take a shower."
Jing Tian's expression changed, and she immediately raised her hand and pressed it against Gu Qing's face, saying with a look of disgust.
She wasn't good at taking care of people either. Yesterday, she only wiped Gu Qing's body a little. If she wasn't worried that no one would take care of her at night, she wouldn't have slept here.
She got up early this morning and took a shower, which made her feel much better.
When she saw that Gu Qing was about to kiss her, she quickly turned her neck and let Gu Qing kiss her on the cheek.
"Hehe, didn't you sleep next to me yesterday? Why are you complaining this morning?"
Gu Qing wasn't annoyed, knowing that she did indeed have a certain odor and that she had indeed made things difficult for the other person.
He immediately went to the bathroom and washed up.
He said he couldn't remember where he was; it turned out to be Jing Tian's room.
Since he brought his family to the courtyard in August, he has been assigning rooms to everyone.
The courtyard, which is over 200 square meters, has six or seven rooms, and Jing Tian chose one for herself.
Before joining the crew, the room was renovated, and he didn't recognize it at first.
It's a pity that before they could live together, he brought her to the film set. What a shame.
This must have been the first time the two of them had stayed in the same room, but he got drunk. Drinking really does lead to trouble.
After washing up and changing into clean clothes, Jing Tian had already disappeared. There was breakfast and a note on the table.
He said he was going to class, and told him to eat properly and not to drink alcohol anymore.
Gu Qing smiled, quite pleased with Jing Tian's concern.
After finishing the last steamed bun, he prepared to return to the company.
He wasn't surprised by Lu Yang's rejection last night.
If he were in that position, he wouldn't agree either. Directors have their pride and are not easily subservient to others. Lu Yang is only in his early twenties, not much older than him, so why would he work for him?
But now we've achieved our goal and become friends. Let's try again when we have the chance in the future.
How can young people be called young if they don't experience some setbacks?
The entertainment industry was also bustling with activity in late September.
Zhou Xun's first film after joining Huayi Brothers was also released in mid-September.
Deng Chao's acting skills are already top-notch among the younger generation, but he was still overshadowed in this drama.
Zhou Xun's single glance was enough to win this film over a dozen awards.
Although "The Equation of Love and Death" did not perform well at the box office, it is undeniable that it is a rare and valuable drama film.
Although the script is somewhat rough, the female lead's superb acting skills make it worth watching in theaters.
In September, there will also be a movie starring Zhou Xun—"Painted Skin".
This film was co-invested by film companies from mainland China and Hong Kong. Released during the National Day holiday, it grossed over 100 million yuan in just one week, becoming the sixth film to surpass 200 million yuan at the box office.
For a time, the National Day film season was exceptionally hot.
Of course, the most important contribution of this film is not the box office of over 2 million, but breaking the unspoken rules.
The original male lead for "Painted Skin" was Donnie Yen, and the female leads were Zhao Yanzi and Zhou Xun.
However, for some reason, Gordon Chan repeatedly reduced Donnie Yen's screen time, which ultimately benefited Chen Kun, making him the male lead.
Donnie Yen's image is almost nowhere to be found on movie posters.
It can be said that the veil has been completely lifted, breaking the unspoken rule of Hong Kong male leads and mainland female leads.
John Woo was so angry that he cursed Gordon Chan for breaking the rules.
As for John Woo, there's no need to say more; we're simply not on the same page.
Of course, there are gains and losses. Painted Skin was successful at the box office, but it was unsuccessful in terms of awards. It lost all three major awards, and only gained some recognition at the Huabiao and Hundred Flowers Awards.
Even a top company like Huayi Brothers cannot change the unspoken rules of the Golden Rooster Awards and is excluded.
Of course, Huayi Brothers also has films vying for awards, such as the Golden Rooster Awards.
Since Wang Jinghua left, Huayi Brothers has been on an upward trajectory.
They've signed Zhou Xun, Huang Xiaoming, and Deng Chao in quick succession, and their projects are becoming hits one after another.
I remember that Huayi Brothers also has a movie called "The Message" coming out next year. It's not just a movie, but the TV series is also very well received.
Unfortunately, he had already acquired the copyright to this script.
In the past two years, Huayi Brothers has basically swept all the awards, big and small.
Gu Qing sometimes thought that once Huayi Brothers went public, he would buy a batch of shares to make money; it wouldn't be shameful.
After finishing their business in Beijing, Gu Qing sent Jing Tian back to Hengdian. As expected, Yang Mi came over again.
"Yang Mi, how do you manage to time this so perfectly? You always manage to run into them!"
"Director Gu, it's all fate."
Yang Mi smiled and then stepped forward to take Jing Tian's arm. The two were very close, chatting and laughing, like good sisters who had known each other for many years.
"Honey, where have you been these past few days? I haven't seen you at the Beijing Film Academy."
Jing Tian asked curiously, still regarding this person as her good friend.
"Oh, my sister is so busy. She just got back from the set of 'Dream of the Red Chamber'."
"By the way, Director Gu, I heard you held an audition at the Beijing Film Academy?"
Hearing Jing Tian's words, a hint of weariness flashed in Yang Mi's eyes, but after hearing rumors at the Beijing Film Academy these days, she became full of energy again.
"Honey, have you heard about it? You're not thinking of giving it a try too, are you?"
Before Gu Qing could answer, Jing Tian looked surprised.
These past few days, she and a few of her roommates went to join in the fun, but unfortunately, it seems they weren't selected.
Thinking of this, Jing Tian turned to look at her boyfriend. Whether she was selected or not, wasn't it all up to him to decide?
"Look at what you're saying! I'm only a senior in college, and I'm still within the casting pool, aren't I?"
"Don't you think so, Director Gu?"
Yang Mi said rather indignantly that the relationship between the group had eased somewhat, and they were no longer so reserved when they were together.
"Heh, you already have two TV series in hand, and you still want to take on more? I don't accept taking on multiple projects at the same time."
Gu Qing sneered. He wasn't really against Yang Mi taking on this role. After "Chinese Paladin 3," those main actors became famous all over the country. Why wouldn't she be happy to work for him?
But if it's about taking on multiple roles at once, then forget it.
Hearing this, Yang Mi finally felt deflated, but she still asked one more question out of disbelief.
"Does this mean I've already missed my chance? When does Director Gu's TV series start filming? I can squeeze in some time for it."
"Honey, why are you pushing yourself so hard to work for your agency? You might as well take on a few more endorsement deals and relax a bit."
"I'm still young, let's talk about these things later."
The two have different values and different perspectives on things.
Rong Xinda is stingy. Even if she keeps taking on gigs, the money she gets is pitifully little, and her goal is to endorse high-end luxury products.
Why not take advantage of the present to take on more roles, increase your fame, and lay the groundwork for your future departure?
Gu Qing, on the other hand, was thinking that since her contract was about to expire, she should carefully choose a new employer or start her own company so that working for herself would be worthwhile.
Neither of them could convince the other, and for a time they were at an impasse.
Jing Tian couldn't help but chuckle softly.
"Brother, you've said so much, but you don't seem to have any intention of signing Sister Mi."
"What Honey does is none of your business. You're just being a chauvinist."
Gu Qing felt embarrassed upon hearing this, and couldn't help but blush. Indeed, he had been meddling a bit too much.
However, Jing Tian didn't give him any face in front of everyone, and immediately grabbed his hand and started playing around with him.
This young lady doesn't support her man and even undermines him; she needs to be disciplined.
Seeing the two of them acting as if no one else was around, Yang Mi was speechless. She had thought that Jing Tian's words meant that Gu Qing wanted to sign her, but her expectations were dashed.