The King of Huayu Science Fiction

Chapter 354 "Black Mirror" starts again

"Someone once asked me why I want to make science fiction movies. I also asked myself this question. Maybe I don't have a deep understanding of the world, but it doesn't mean I don't want to pursue the unknown...

The yearning for the unknown and space is the eternal pursuit of human beings. The luck of the ancients is that they can convince themselves that the radiant new world full of supernatural and superhuman power really exists.

And our luck is that we can clearly know the way to the vast new world without the help of ethereal divine power.But our great misfortune is that, standing at the crossroads of civilization, we can only faintly see this glorious and arduous long road, while on the other side, there is the incomparably clear chaos and darkness, the cyberspace in the mud. bliss...

As a way of thinking and imagining, science fiction movies list various possible futures, allowing us to examine human choices more clearly than ever before, pay attention to social changes, and look at human beings and other forms of life from another perspective. From this point of view, the perspective of science fiction is a perspective of empathy. From this perspective, we save ourselves, observe nature, observe the universe, and think about the future...

Allow me to quote a sci-fi writer I like very much, the universe is like a city, we live in a storage room in the basement of a building all our lives, but some people always come out, look at the city, go to the park , Expand your own thinking boundaries...

I think that science fiction may provide us with a possibility of the future, allowing us to re-examine our present, perceive the living conditions of human beings, learn from them, and become part of human beings' grand efforts to create a better future. "

Clap clap clap!

Chen Jingxing ended his speech amidst thunderous applause, signaling to the students to ask questions.

"Director Chen, hello, I am Xu Jiahao from the 14th director class. I would like to ask a lot of people who say that your films lack artistry. After all, film is the seventh art. The box office of DreamWorks films is higher than the other, but Didn’t win some influential awards, certainly not such awards as Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers, does it mean that you have given up your exploration in the direction of artistry? I wonder if you have thought about further study in directing?”

Although the boy who asked the question was very polite and calm in tone, he had an obvious sense of arrogance and targeting. It was obvious that he had never been beaten by society, and he had a strong ivory tower atmosphere.

Many students in the arena also glared at this boy.

Chen Jingxing almost rolled his eyes, good guy, Jingying gave him a bad reputation from the very beginning, it was because after he became famous, "I once applied for the Beijing Film and Television Directing Department and failed, but in desperation I went to Beijing Normal University" Did the experience make Jingying the target of ridicule by many netizens and movie fans?

Of course, he also knew that this was definitely not a provocation deliberately prepared by Beijing Theater, otherwise why would he invite himself to give a speech?
Chen Jingxing actually knows that many people in the industry reject his non-major background. There is a deep-rooted chain of contempt between the non-major class and the non-major class. Many film critics and art directors with majors in photography and photography will be treated differently among filmmakers.

The debate over the artistic content of Chen Jingxing's films is actually a topic of menstruation on the Internet. It stands to reason that Chen Jingxing is a commercial director. art director.

But Chen Jingxing is not a normal commercial director. Each of his films has entered Douban TOP250, and none of his films scored below 8.5, making him the director with the highest average score.

As a director of mass-produced high-reputation commercial films, most audiences will naturally think that Chen Jingxing is one of the top directors in the world, wishing to beat Ang Lee and step on Wang Jiawei.

For many audiences who can’t tell the difference between art films and commercial films, “Why didn’t Chen Jingxing win the Cannes Award”, “Why didn’t Chen Jingxing win the Oscar”, “Which status is higher between Chen Jingxing and Ang Lee”, “Is Chen Jingxing the best? Chinese directors" and other issues will lead to a debate from time to time.

Because of this, many very experienced movie fans or those who like art films, as well as some art film filmmakers have a rebellious mentality towards Chen Jingxing, especially they will ridicule Chen Jingxing for his lack of artistic achievements. Among Chinese directors, let alone the top three, the top ten don't go.

It's just that the vast majority of adults can hide their thoughts, and only the students in the ivory tower, the students who claim to have artistic pursuits, will bluntly express their feelings.

However, Chen Jingxing already had a way to deal with this, and it was not the first time he encountered such doubts, his way was not to debate the scriptures.

"Film is a kind of popular art, and the audience has the right to decide. I think word-of-mouth is more important than awards. It doesn't make sense to me whether it is business or art. Movies are movies themselves, and good directors are not taught in schools. Most of the world Great directors are not from the directing department, I don’t think there is any necessary relationship between the two, the next one.”

And you'll know when you start shooting commercials after graduation.

Chen Jingxing didn't say this, most of the so-called directors with majors either changed their careers or made commercials, there was no point in competing with young and energetic students, life would teach them.

Following the boy who was not willing to be dismissed by Chen Jingxing's words, another girl who was spotted by Chen Jingxing and who had painted delicate makeup stood up and brushed her hair by her ears, and looked at him with charming eyes: "Director Chen, hello, I'm Zhou Yaqian from Class 15 of the 2th acting class. I want to ask a question related to "Black Mirror"..."

Despite some preparations, after the first episode, the enthusiasm of Jingying's students still exceeded Chen Jingxing's expectation.

After the question-and-answer session, there were still a group of students gathered around him. In the chaos, he could even feel someone stuffed a small note in his hand and ticked his palm. Chen Jingxing managed to manage it with a polite smile. get away.

The main reason is that "Black Mirror" is coming to Beijing Film Studios for casting in the next few days. Of course, besides Beijing Film Festival, there is another performing arts school, Central Opera.

After many days of continuous discussions between Chen Jingxing and the screenwriter team, the five stories of the second season of "Black Mirror" are basically finalized. Although the script is still to be perfected, it has entered the formal project approval process and has begun to look for directors and actors.

"Black Mirror" is an online drama—of course, the so-called second season is an online movie in Chen Jingxing's mind. It relies on highly dramatic stories to attract audiences, and the first season also launched the brand.

"Black Mirror" itself is a brand, and it is currently a unique brand. There is no second film and television drama of this kind of black sci-fi fable in China. Even on the Internet, Black Mirror has become an adjective, describing a dark, Avant-garde, absurd futurism.

That being the case, Chen Jingxing naturally wouldn't invite celebrities to act, he could earn money from the brand and stories, so why pay for the film?In particular, the second season itself is a movie production level. It can be regarded as DreamWorks' test of streaming movies. The cost pressure is still not small. It is better to spend more money on production expenses.

As for actors, there are quite a few students from Central Opera and Jingying, and they are the cheapest and cost-effective. Chen Jingxing naturally focused on the students.

In addition to actors, directors are also a headache for Chen Jingxing. He wants a director to direct a story. This can be regarded as DreamWorks training young directors for the film and television industry. Signed director of DreamWorks.

But the director naturally doesn't trust the directing or photography students who are still in school. Directing is not the same thing as acting.

Fortunately, the brand appeal of DreamWorks is here, and "Black Mirror" is a well-known IP at home and abroad. As long as Chen Jingxing beckons, I don't know how many directors will come to try their luck, but the biggest difficulty lies in how to distinguish the director's level. Product, which is more difficult than weighing actors.

Some directors may not have any works, or their works are all bad films, or they are simply advertising directors, but many times they just don’t meet the right opportunity, they don’t come across the right subject matter, or they are simply puppets who don’t have much say in the production .

……

"Operation Red Sea, a military action drama co-produced by DreamWorks and China National Film Corporation, held a press conference in Beijing a few days ago, announcing the cast. Director Guo Fan who directed "Operation Mekong" will continue to be in charge of this main theme movie...

It is worth mentioning that Yin Fang, a newcomer actor in "OPERATION RED SEA", played the leading role in Dreamworks' zombie-themed web drama "The Walking Dead". A new star, the reporter interviewed Yin Fang on the spot for the first time on the big screen. Yin Fang...

As soon as "The Martian" was finished, DreamWorks started the production of the second season of "Black Mirror" non-stop. The producer of "Black Mirror" Wang Peng publicly announced that he would select young actors to play the role. ... Li Huijun and Chen Chu reported back in the capital. "

Li Hanjun bit his nails and stared blankly at the screen of "Entertainment Star Report" on the TV. The vibration of his phone woke him up.

The word Li Ge danced on the phone screen.

It's his agent.

Li Hanjun answered the phone dumbly.

"Good news, Mr. Liu from Penguin Video let go of his mouth just now. The hero of one of their ancient puppet projects "Autumn Yan Fu" said that you can come to audition. Don't look at it as an online drama. Penguin executives attach great importance to it. Now the online drama It's amazing, it's not worse than the last star drama, how much did "Suspect Tracker" earn? 2 million! What a great opportunity this is, I inquired about another candidate who's not as famous as you, and doesn't have as many fans as you..."

"Do you know "Operation Red Sea"?" Li Hanjun asked coldly.

"Ah? What action?"

""Operation Red Sea", directed by Guo Fan, is the second military action blockbuster after "Mekong", co-produced by National Film and DreamWorks."

"It's not Brother Li talking about you, this level of production is not something you can do now, don't be too ambitious, don't worry, the company has planned for you..."

"Do you know who is in "Operation Red Sea"? Yin Fang! Yin Fang participated in "Operation Red Sea"."

"Huh? You mean the kid who replaced you in The Walking Dead?"

"Yes."

There was a silence on the other end of the phone.

"How about...I'll contact DreamWorks again to see if "Black Mirror" can get you a role?"

Li Hanjun threw the phone to the ground angrily, and the fragments scattered everywhere.

What he gave birth to was not so much anger as remorse, the hatred for the manager and the company, but also the remorse for himself.

Only now did he realize what a precious opportunity "The Walking Dead" was. He couldn't remember why he was persuaded by his agent and the company to join Ye Shunan in attacking DreamWorks.

Remember, it's for a star drama that is about to be filmed?It's dissatisfaction that "The Walking Dead" has been delaying the filming, it's because it's not bound by the "overlord clause" to this zombie drama, it's because it can be hyped up, it's because...

Even after the "Suspect Tracker" became popular, Li Hanjun's belief that his original choice was correct was shattered by today's news.

The big screen, and it's a huge production like "Operation Red Sea", the second military action blockbuster after "The Mekong River", this is a resource that he can't even imagine.

But now it was taken by the unknown pawn who replaced his gap?
I remember that because he and Ye Shunan quit "The Walking Dead", DreamWorks hastily chose an unknown person from the entertainment industry to play the leading role, and he and his agent were still joking.

What if I hadn't had a feverish brain to fall out with DreamWorks?
If you are still the leading actor in "The Walking Dead".

Could it be him standing at the press conference today?
"Another rising star after Lu Hongzhe..."

Heh, Li Hanjun shook his head and smiled wryly. The words of the TV host finally woke him up. Does DreamWorks need actors and stars?

No, actors and stars need DreamWorks.

"We don't rely on the popularity and fame of actors... In my opinion, three-legged toads are hard to find, and people with two legs are everywhere. There is no shortage of good actors in Huaguo."

What Chen Jingxing said before, he and his manager still felt that they were embarrassed by the negative news about him and Ye Shunan, and Chen Jingxing threw out hard words.

Now he finally understood that what Chen Jingxing said was not a lie.

(End of this chapter)