novellhall Chapter 286 This role is waiting for you!
Chapter 286 This role is waiting for you!
Chapter 285 This role is waiting for you! (Happy New Year, please vote with monthly tickets!)
Of course he knew Qin Hao.
Lou Ye's go-to leading man, an art-house film heartthrob, and a regular on the Cannes red carpet.
"Spring Night's Intoxication," "Massage," and "Sunshine in Chongqing" —
This man is a true icon of art-house films.
However, the movies he starred in were too niche, so even Chen Xun, who had seen countless films, couldn't possibly have watched all of Qin Hao's movies.
The perfect character selection is based on the principle of possibility space. At the current point in time, filming for "Crosscurrent" has not yet begun, and the character's assignment is undetermined.
Suddenly, several more lines of text appeared before my eyes.
Chen Xun remained silent for a few seconds.
For the past two years, he'd had the idea of trying to make a Chinese film, and he never expected that the opportunity for his first film would come from here.
He picked up his phone and dialed Rob's number.
"Find me a movie."
"What movie?"
"Crosscurrent, a film by Chinese director Yang Chao, is an independent production and has not yet started filming."
Chen Xun paused for a moment: "Help me find the production team's contact information."
Robert remained silent.
"Are you serious? La La Land isn't even finished filming yet, and the controversies online are still brewing. You're going to China to make an independent film right now?"
He didn't quite understand Chen Xun's sudden decision to make a Chinese film.
"It is precisely because the controversy is still brewing that we need to let our work speak for itself."
Robert fell silent again.
Then he sighed.
It seemed as if he had suddenly figured it out.
There was a rustling sound coming from the other end of the phone; Robert was probably touching his glasses or turning on the light.
"I'll ask around for you tomorrow. I've never heard of Yang Chao before; he's probably not a commercial film director. Do you have any specific information?"
"No!"
Chen Xun didn't know much about the director either: "I only know that this movie has been in preparation for a long time, and the script may have already been written. If you follow the connections in the domestic independent film circle, you should be able to find it."
"understood."
Robert muttered something and hung up the phone.
Being startled awake in the middle of the night, coupled with Chen Xun's sudden decision, meant that tonight was destined to be another sleepless night for him.
Rob only returned the phone after filming "La La Land" for three consecutive days.
"Found it!"
The voice on the other end of the phone sounded tired, clearly indicating that Robert had put in a lot of effort to find out about Yang Chao.
Yang Chao is a sixth-generation Chinese director. He previously directed a film called "The Journey," which was nominated for Cannes.
Rob's voice suddenly became excited: "The 'Crosscurrent' project is quite interesting. In 2005, the script stage was shortlisted for the Cannes Film Festival's Studio Program. In 2006, it won the Golden Tiger Screenplay Award at the Rotterdam Film Festival. In 2009, it received funding from the French South Fund. In 2011, it won the China Film Post-Production Award at the Golden Horse Film Project Market."
"You've won so many awards?"
Chen Xun paused for a moment.
He didn't expect that this unknown director Yang Chao was actually quite capable.
"Yes, but it hasn't been filmed yet!"
Rob began to explain that he had gone to great lengths to get this information: "Because it's so difficult to film!"
"Shooting on location along the Yangtze River, using film, in winter, requires three boats operating simultaneously—high cost, long cycle, and high risk."
"They're currently in the final preparation stage. The male lead hasn't been finalized yet. Qin Hao was originally slated for the role, but he has scheduling conflicts, and also—"
Robert paused for a moment: "They also have requirements for the investors."
"What are your requirements?"
"A budget of 3500 million RMB is already a blockbuster for an independent film!"
"But they insist on shooting on film, on location along the Yangtze River, and on capturing enough footage. All of this requires money, and they are still looking for the last bit of funding."
Chen Xun's brain began to work rapidly.
3500 million RMB is roughly equivalent to 500 million USD.
It's not a problem for him.
He hasn't touched his salary for "The Ancient One," and he hasn't spent all the money he earned from "Fast & Furious" and "Guardians of the Galaxy."
"Give me their contact information."
"What are you going to do?"
"I want to fly to China."
Rob paused for a moment on the other end of the phone.
"Are you in such a hurry?"
Despite complaining, Robert still hurriedly arranged the nearest flight for Chen Xun.
Chen Xun is now eager to experience the power of the perfect character, Gao Chun, that he drew.
A week later.
In the capital city, in the Dongcheng District, there is an inconspicuous cultural and creative park.
Wearing a mask and a baseball cap, Chen Xun walked into an office building converted from an old factory.
The hallway was covered with various movie posters, the walls were painted with bright graffiti, and faint sounds of discussion could be heard from the end of the corridor.
He knocked on the door that had a label that read "Passing on the Torch Culture".
The door opened.
A middle-aged man wearing a black hoodie stood at the door. His hair was a little messy, his glasses were thick, and he exuded the kind of fatigue that comes from staying up late for too long.
"Chen—Chen Xun?"
The man was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting to see this face at his own doorstep.
"Director Yang?" Chen Xun reached out his hand.
Yang Chao grasped his hand, his expression still somewhat dazed.
"Please come in, please come in. Wang Huo told me you were coming, I thought he was joking—"
Wang is either the producer or someone who previously liaised with Rob.
Chen Xun followed him into the office.
The space was small, filled with books and documents, and a map of the Yangtze River basin was pasted on the wall, densely marked with various symbols.
On the table by the window sits an editing machine, with a single frame frozen on the screen.
The mist over the Yangtze River, the gray-blue water, and the distant, indistinct mountain shadows.
"Please have a seat!"
Yang Chao frantically tidied up the books on the sofa: "Sorry, it's too messy here—"
Facing Chen Xun, a globally renowned actor, he was inevitably a little nervous.
"fine."
Chen Xun sat down and looked at the map on the wall.
"Is this the filming route?"
Yang Chao nodded, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.
"Yes, starting from Wusongkou in Shanghai, going upstream, passing through Jiangyin, Nanjing, Tongling, Pengze, Yichang, Badong,..."
The river flows from Wushan all the way to Yibin, then turns into the Jinsha River, and finally reaches the Chumar River in Qinghai.
He spoke of these place names with a devout tone, as if he were on a pilgrimage.
Chen Xun stood up, walked to the map, and looked at the lines formed by the red dots.
Why use film?
Yang Chao remained silent.
He hadn't expected Chen Xun's first question to be this.
This is completely different from young actors in China.
Those people are more concerned about compensation and availability.
He considered for a moment before speaking: "Because the texture of the Yangtze River cannot be captured digitally."
He pointed to a point on the map: "Look at the mist over the Yangtze River, that misty feeling. Digital images show it as flat, but film has grain, layers, and a sense of breath."
He turned around and looked at Chen Xun.
"What I want to film is not the Yangtze River in a physical sense, but the Yangtze River in time and space, the Yangtze River in the Book of Songs, the Yangtze River in Li Bai and Du Fu's poems, and the Yangtze River in the Misty Poetry of the 1980s."
Chen Xun listened without saying a word.
Yang Chaoyue said excitedly, "Gao Chun is a character who uses poetry to fight against reality. He failed in his attempt to make it in Beijing and fled back to the river, thinking he could hide in his father's old boat."
"But he discovered he couldn't escape!"
"He went against the current, but he was actually chasing himself."
19
He looked into Chen Xun's eyes.
"This role requires one person to simultaneously portray decadence and persistence, failure and romance, reality and fantasy."
"You climbed from being an extra to the Oscars, from commercial films to art films, from America back to China; you yourself are someone who goes against the current."
He looked at Chen Xun: "Gaochun is also going against the current."
"Perhaps, this role is waiting for you in the grand scheme of things!"
The office was silent for a few seconds.
Chen Xun looked at the map.
The Yangtze River flows from west to east, from the plateau to the sea, from its source to its estuary.
But Gaochun is the opposite.
Starting from Shanghai, we traveled westward to the source.
Heading back to where it all began.