1990: Starting from Baojia Street

Chapter 252 The third chapter, with the theme of love
When it was almost noon, Zhou Yan and Wang Zuxian walked hand in hand to the Rose Hotel.

Halfway through, a man and a horse came from behind.

The two stepped aside, but the horse stopped when it reached them. The man on the horse turned over and greeted Zhou Yan with a smile, "You must be Mr. Y, right?"

"you are?"

The man was in his forties, well-dressed and well-groomed. He introduced himself with a smile, "I am Alan Rickman, who plays Colonel Brandon."

"Hello, Mr. Rickman."

"I heard that you gave everyone a wonderful performance in the lobby yesterday. It's a pity that I was not in the hotel yesterday, otherwise I would have been able to appreciate your style."

Alan Rickman led the horse and walked side by side with Zhou Yan and the others.

When he spoke, he had a dramatic accent and a strong stage style. Moreover, his choice of words and sentences are also sophisticated, which is different from ordinary people.

If he changed his clothes, he would really have the style of a small aristocrat in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Zhou Yan smiled and said, "Excellent actors like you can naturally adapt to these changes very well."

Zhou Yan nodded. What he felt just now was correct. Alan Rickman was indeed a theater actor.

Zhou Yan nodded, "He is indeed a very graceful person."

Alan Rickman replied very seriously, "I think the biggest difference lies in the performance space. On the theater stage, the actors are very close to the audience. There are many pairs of eyes staring at you at the same time, even their expressions." You can see everything clearly. When performing in a movie, just focus on the camera.”

"Really?" Alan Rickman looked a little surprised, "Can I have a chance to enjoy this musical?"

Alan Rickman nodded, "If I have the chance, I will definitely invite you. No, I should invite you."

"If I have the chance, I would also like to see your musical." Zhou Yan said with a smile.

When he heard that Zhou Yan would put music into the new album, Alan Rickman smiled and said, "I will definitely support him when the time comes."

"Ok."

"I'm afraid it's difficult. It's a Chinese theater troupe. They shouldn't have the chance to perform in the UK for the time being."

"I know a little bit, but not much. However, I have arranged the score for a musical, and I have some experience in participating in the production."

"Mr. Rickman, what do you think is the difference between theater and film acting?"

"If you want to listen to the music in it, you have a chance. My third music album in the second half of the year will include the soundtrack from this musical."

Zhou Yan did not expect that Alan Rickman had also listened to the album "Mysterious Country". In China and Neon, this album has a large audience, but in Europe and the United States, this album did not sell well.

The reason why I say almost is because Hugh Grant, who plays Edward, arrived with him.

A few people chatted and arrived at the entrance of the Rose Hotel. At this time, Alan Rickman said to Zhou Yan and the others, "I have to say goodbye to you two here. I have to go and settle the horse first."

"I'm also looking forward to Kate's performance." Alan Rickman smiled and said, "Actually, I am not a professional film actor. More often, I participate in performances and productions of musicals and dramas. . I think we might have a lot in common in terms of music.”

"Mr. Y, how much do you know about musicals?"

After Alan Rickman left, Wang Zuxian held Zhou Yan's arm and smiled, "It seems that the people on this crew are very friendly, and Mr. Rickman is particularly polite."

For the third album, Zhou Yan wants to take love as the theme. Later he will put together the songs "Drinking the Water of the Yangtze River Together", "People Like You", and "Previous Life".

Maybe he has this style originally, or maybe he behaves like this in order to better enter the role of Colonel Brandon.

On the other hand, the album "Piano Boy" sold very well, mainly due to the influence of "Flying Piano Boy".

At three o'clock in the afternoon, Zhou Yan went to the conference room on time. He was almost the last one to arrive.

Looking at Alan Rickman, Zhou Yan always felt that he had seen him somewhere, but he couldn't remember.

In fact, he can put together the songs he wrote in the past two years and release an album, but there will be problems with the overall style. The audience will be able to feel the difference between a simple hodgepodge and a sincere theme album.

……

Zhou Yan's third album has been in preparation for a long time. It was originally supposed to be released last year, but Zhou Yan has been busy with other things and has not done it.

Snape comes across as cold and cold, like a villain.

But Alan Rickman gives people a gentle feeling, which is very different from the character of Snape.

It was still some distance from the hotel, and it seemed that Alan Rickman wanted to walk to the hotel with them, so Zhou Yan started chatting with him.

Wang Zuxian smiled and said, "Then I will thank you in advance, Mr. Rickman."

In fact, during the middle of the conversation, Zhou Yan remembered where he had met Alan Rickman.

Faced with Alan Rickman's compliment, Zhou Yan said modestly, "I just played a short piece of music. It was not a very exciting performance. But Miss Winslet sang very nicely. Of course, the movie was shot later." When the time comes, you will realize it.”

Alan Rickman regretted, "That's a pity. I particularly like the music album "Mysterious Country", so I am very interested in the soundtrack of the musical you mentioned."

If it is a drama, the requirements for music are actually not high. In some dramas, there is no music from beginning to end, only some sound effects.

When Zhou Yan saw Hugh Grant, he immediately recognized him as the leading actor in the movie Notting Hill. Compared to Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant is more lively and gives the impression that he just came out of college, but in fact he is already in his thirties.

"You're welcome, it's my honor to invite you."

Because Alan Rickman's current outfit is very different from that in the movie, and his hair color is also different, so Zhou Yan didn't recognize him just now.

If it's the former, it can only be said that the crew's casting was very precise.

Speaking of which, the actors in "Sense and Sensibility" have basically participated in musicals and dramas. This is just like many professional actors in China who have acted in dramas. Here, dramas and dramas seem to be collectively referred to as dramas. .

He has played a very famous role, that is Snape in "Harry Potter".

He is about the same age as Emma Thompson, but when the two of them are together, it feels like they have an obvious sibling relationship.

Seeing Zhou Yan and Grant walking into the conference room together, producer Sidney Pollack smiled and clapped his hands, "Okay, everyone is here, our meeting can begin."

Then he pointed out a seat to Zhou Yan, "Y, you sit over here."

Foreign countries also pay attention to sequencing. Zhou Yan's position is arranged next to chief photographer Michael Coulter. Between them and director An Li, there are also screenwriter Emma Thompson and several producers.

On the other side of Zhou Yan were several deputy directors and director assistants.

They sat around a long rectangular table, with the actors basically sitting across from each other.

Because there are so many people, some people can only sit in the back, and some can only stand.

There were thirty or forty people crowded into a small conference room.

After Zhou Yan sat down, Sidney did not make any fuss about introducing them to each other. He probably felt that there were too many people and it would be a waste of time to introduce them.

It can be seen that the person chairing the meeting today is executive producer Sidney Pollack.

Sidney Pollack is about sixty years old. He is not an unknown person. Before becoming the producer of "Sense and Sensibility", he made many films and even won the Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture.

In addition, he has also been nominated for three major awards, such as the Palme d'Or and the Golden Bear.

His movie "Out of Africa" ​​is very famous and highly praised by movie fans.

To have such a big director serve as an executive producer on the crew, one can imagine how much pressure director An Li was under.

"Let's first review the schedule of the entire project..."

Sidney then told everyone the timeline of the entire movie, including when filming would start, when each location would be visited, and how long the filming would take.

These things actually had little to do with Zhou Yan, but he still listened to Sidney very carefully and took some notes.

In fact, he can remember these things without taking notes. After time travel, his memory is very good, but taking notes has become a habit of his that cannot be changed.

He felt uncomfortable without taking notes.

After talking about the time points, Sidney talked about some specific matters regarding shooting.

He first asked about the situation of several plot locations. These filming locations should be rented, applied for, and reported.

After asking about the filming location, I asked about the costumes. There is a bit of a problem with the clothing, and there are still some clothes that haven't been finalized, but it's not a big problem.

But even though it was not a big issue, Sidney still led everyone to discuss it for a long time. At least half of the thirty or forty people in the conference room expressed their opinions.

Zhou Yan felt that, in this situation, it was meaningless for too many people to participate in the discussion, and that it might not lead to a conclusion in the end, and it would be a waste of time.

Just write down the problem, bring the costume team over later, and discuss it with the director and the actors involved, and that's it.

Now when we are chatting in the conference room, even people who have nothing to do with the relationship want to express their opinions.

After the clothing issue was over, Zhou Yan looked at his watch. He had been talking about these two issues for more than an hour.

After talking about clothing, they started talking about styling.

When they were talking about clothes just now, they talked about history. Now when they talked about style, they talked about history again.

It stands to reason that clothing and styling must be related to the historical background, but Zhou Yan felt that the direction of their conversation was not right.

Professional things need to be done by professionals, and it’s not like the crew didn’t ask for historical guidance. When it comes to historical issues, just let the historical director speak, and few others will understand.

Moreover, they talked in great detail, and even brought out some pictures on the spot and circulated them to everyone.

Zhou Yan specifically observed An Li and found that An Li was always silent and didn't talk much, but he would listen carefully when others expressed their opinions.

Sometimes, he would also name some people and let them express their opinions.

Zhou Yan found that those people An Li ordered could always give some insightful suggestions.

This gave Zhou Yan a new understanding of An Li. This guy is definitely a master.

An Li must have understood these people and knew that they were proficient in certain aspects, so he allowed these people to express their opinions.

This way, he can get some good advice, and the people whose names are mentioned will also be happy.

Or maybe An Li is very good at catching other people's expressions, and he can tell who can say good things through their expressions.

No matter what, An Li is awesome.

This meeting will end, and those who are selected will be in the limelight in front of others, and they will also feel that they are taken seriously.

On the contrary, producer Lindsay was a bit unsatisfied. She would also name people to express their thoughts, but not everyone she named could speak well. Some people said some unhelpful things after being named. If so, the on-site response was relatively lukewarm.

If you have a good attitude, you won't feel anything bad. If you encounter someone with a bad attitude, you might be able to hold a grudge against Lindsay.

Therefore, some people may appear to be smart, but they may not be really smart, while some people are taciturn, but are good at it.

It makes sense that An Li can build a team and do better and better in the future.

Zhou Yan was also wondering whether Zhang Yimou or Chen Kaige would be able to do well if they were thrown into this kind of environment.

Zhang Yimou may be possible, but Chen Kaige probably cannot control the situation.

However, under the producer system, Chen Kaige may be able to restrain himself and cooperate with the crew to produce good works.

Zhou Yan thought about himself again, what he could achieve if he was put in An Li's position.

It's hard to say, because I have never tried it, and there is a high probability that I will never try it in the future. It is basically impossible for him to accept a movie in this mode.

The meeting lasted for nearly three hours. Sidney said, "Let's talk about the soundtrack. Although the soundtrack work is usually delayed, in our movie, some music needs to be used on the shooting scene, and the soundtrack director Y chou also came to the scene.”

After Sidney finished speaking, many people looked at Zhou Yan's position.

Some people didn't know that Zhou Yan was the soundtrack director before, but now they know because of everyone's attention.

Seeing everyone looking at him, Zhou Yan smiled and said, "I have already given Mr. Bregman the soundtrack that will be used during the filming of the movie. Many of my friends here must have heard the song "Don't Cry" yesterday."

“And the song ‘Someone Like You’.”

Kate Winslet, sitting opposite Zhou Yan, said with a smile.

Sidney nodded, "Kate, could you please sing "Don't Cry" for us?"

Kate nodded, "No problem, I've already written the song down."

This song is very simple. You can basically memorize it after singing it a few times. After Kate went back yesterday, she practiced for a while and is already quite familiar with the song.

Kate then sang "Don't Cry" live acapella.

When she finished singing, there was warm applause and praise in the conference room.

This time, everyone will still discuss it, but most of them are praising Kate for singing well, and few people really express their opinions.

Music is something that although everyone has access to, it is very professional and most people really don’t dare to express their opinions.

If you want to say there is a problem, fine, just tell me where the problem is. If you don’t understand, you won’t be able to explain it at all.

Assistant director Chiesa found it difficult to comment on the melody, so he talked about the lyrics, "I think the melody of this song is very good, and the lyrics..."

Emma Thompson coughed lightly, "The lyrics are a poem that has been circulating for a long time."

Chiesa was stunned for a moment when he heard that the lyrics were from a long-circulated poem, and then said, "No wonder the lyrics match the background of the novel. It turns out that's the case."

Zhou Yan noticed that when Chiesa was speaking, Hugh Grant opposite him lowered his head, but he could be seen smiling.

Many people were suppressing laughter, and Chiesa himself was quite embarrassed. He originally wanted to show off his presence, but he almost lost face.

Seeing that no one commented, Sidney asked again, "Is there another song to sing?"

Bregman, who was sitting next to him, said, "Yes, but I haven't sung it for Kate yet."

"why?"

"Because this song is in the plot, it is the first time for Kate to get it, and she is relatively unfamiliar when playing and singing. Y suggested that we can wait until the filming, and then give it to Kate, so that we can truly capture Kate's rawness. Feeling good. We are having a meeting today, let’s talk about our ideas. Do you think this is a good idea?

After Bregman finished speaking, many people at the scene began to express their opinions. Some people thought this was good, while others thought it was unnecessary.

Zhou Yan was speechless as he listened to their lively discussion. Is this issue worth discussing? It’s okay for the producer and director to make the decision directly.

In fact, it’s best not to show it to Kate for the time being. If there are any problems during filming, it’s never too late to get familiar with it. The song is inherently simple, and you can become familiar with it very quickly.

This in itself is not a big issue. In Zhou Yan's opinion, there is really no need to discuss it.

After the discussion on this issue was finished, An Li suddenly said, "Y, why don't you play some other songs live for everyone to listen to, including yesterday's song "Someone Like You"."

Hearing An Li's words, Zhou Yan was surprised, "Are you here?"

He spread his hands, indicating that he had nothing in his hands and could not play.

An Li smiled and said, "It's ready for you."

After saying that, he turned and looked at the corner.

Several people in the corner stepped aside, and Zhou Yan saw a box containing a cello.

Zhou Yan's brows twitched. He didn't expect An Li to prepare a cello for him. It was probably because Zhou Yan mentioned the cello during the chat yesterday, that's why An Li arranged it like this.

In fact, Zhou Yan really didn't think there was any need to play those songs now, but the atmosphere was so high, and there were so many pairs of eyes looking at him, that he had to play.

"can."

Zhou Yan stood up directly and walked to the corner, "Please make room for everyone."

In fact, Zhou Yan didn't need to say anything. Others had already stepped aside, leaving a space of about two or three square meters.

Zhou Yan took out the piano, tuned it, then sat on the chair, ready to play.

He looked up and saw a group of people surrounding him, and suddenly he felt like a child who went home to perform talents during the Chinese New Year, and An Li, who showed an eager expression, was a parent who wanted to show off his child.

(End of this chapter)