This director needs to apologize

Chapter 388: Acting with or against

Shen Ming picked up a beef tenderloin and chewed it slowly, then raised his glass and clinked it with Chen Yiming's. After taking a sip, he said, "In this story, you seem to want me to play a pseudo-expert. Do you think this is more groundbreaking?"

Chen Yiming put down his chopsticks and said seriously, "This itself is not a breakthrough. Uncle Shen has only become accustomed to playing a superior in recent years. When you were young, you played academic frauds and hypocrites. At most, what I am doing is awakening the dormant memories of old audiences.

But I think this role is more meaningful to young audiences, as it lets them know that age is still the best."

Shen Ming smiled and waved his hands, "It's hard to talk about it. To be honest, this physical education teacher still has something for me now. I haven't studied the script carefully yet, but from a rough look, the character's sense of contradiction is still quite strong. It's easy to fail if you don't get it right."

Chen Yiming showed an interested look, this was the first collision between the screenwriter and the actor. If they could come up with the same idea, everyone would be happy. But if they could not come up with the same idea, it would be more valuable because the sublimation of the characters' subtle details often came from this.

Shen Ming also put down his chopsticks, tapped the table and said slowly, "My first impression of this character seems to be that he is a lover who has lost all hope because of his lover's death, and he is trapped in the memories and can't get out of it.

There is nothing wrong with this background setting itself, but there are problems with the two subsequent developments derived from it.

One is his cynical and laissez-faire attitude towards life, and the other is his wholehearted act of helping a young stranger, which contradict each other.

I think it’s hard to have both, at least in the beginning of a relationship, without some external force acting on them.”

Chen Yiming nodded vigorously. He had just said that experience makes the most sense, and immediately received feedback that Boss Shen had a keen eye and immediately caught the incongruity of the magical modification.

Isn't it? Sean in the original film was just commemorating his deceased wife, and he was still an enthusiastic and sincere person in essence. The psychological counselor in the modified version has a lazy personality, which is actually the result of Chen Yiming's combination of Kikujiro.

Chen Yiming certainly has his own considerations for making such a magical change.

First, the original "Good Will Hunting" is actually a male-centered movie. Damon is the only protagonist, and all other characters serve him, including Robin, who has the greatest influence on his transformation.

The structure of the male protagonist has to be changed to two male protagonists, and the character of the psychological counselor must be more full-bodied and more interesting.

Where does the attraction come from? Of course, it comes from the spear and the shield. As the saying goes, if the logic is not distorted, there will be no drama.

Will's contradiction lies in his top-level brain and bottom-level body. The core is his awkward mentality that he has the opportunity to move up, but he dares not step out of his comfort zone.

Correspondingly, psychological counselors also need such a sense of contrast. In the original film, Robin is a wise man who has achieved unity of body and mind. It is obviously not enough to directly graft this trait onto a psychological counselor, at least logically it is not equivalent to a rebellious genius.

Therefore, Chen Yiming made it a bit difficult for Shen Ming by setting the counselor as a decadent middle-aged man who was just hanging around in the university town, heightening the character's arc by lowering the audience's expectations.

The second is the consideration of watchability and entertainment. The previous version of "Good Will Hunting" was born in the golden age of Hollywood feature films. During the same period, many high-quality films that did not rely on special effects but moved people with emotions were produced. The audiences at that time also had the mentality to slowly savor them.

The current environment is very different. The narrative style of "Good Will Hunting" seems too lukewarm. Chen Yiming dare not bet that the audience has that patience. What if Mr. Shen's carefully crafted work encounters the embarrassing situation of "The Shawshank Redemption" where it is well received but not popular? How can Chen Yiming feel at ease?
Therefore, in arranging the story, Chen Yiming chose to intensify the plot of pretending to be cool and then getting slapped in the face, first making the audience feel good and then making them think.

There is a scene in the original film where Naimeng and his best friend go to a bar near MIT to pick up girls. Best friend A pretends to be well-educated and goes to chat up female college students, but is exposed by the flower protector. Naimeng then stands up and shows off his talents. After a debate, he makes his opponent flee and gets a girlfriend by the way.

This joke is obviously not convenient to be directly transferred to China. Not to mention that it is difficult for thugs in urban villages to disguise themselves as college students. Even if it is forced to make it sound reasonable, it will not give a good impression to Chinese audiences.

In China, people generally respect knowledge and admire universities. College students are known as the chosen ones of heaven. There is no real equality between gangsters and college students, at least in the minds of the general public, it is difficult for them to be equal.

The same story about a genius gangster teasing a nerd would be a pleasant read in Nut, but a complete disaster in China.

Therefore, Chen Yiming gave this joke to the psychological counselor, who took the genius boy to "experience" college life and pretended to be a top student by relying on his intelligence.

It is obviously unreasonable to let Mr. Fang Zheng, played by Robin in the original film, do such a bad behavior, so it is necessary to modify the character of the psychological counselor, and Uncle Ming must be made into a middle-aged ruffian.

A good script is one that has many parts connected to each other. With Chen Yiming's drastic changes, it is inevitable that bugs will appear. Shen Ming found one after just a few glances.

Chen Yiming took out a notebook and pen to write this down, then looked up at Shen Ming and said, "Anything else? Uncle Ming, please continue."

Shen Ming nodded and said, "I feel like you are telling a case of recovery under the guise of psychology. The psychological counselor in the story does not understand psychology, and his method of guiding the rebellious genius has nothing to do with psychology. Isn't this contrary to the theme of the movie advocating the importance of mental health? Since you can get out of the haze as long as you open your arms and face life directly, doesn't it prove that mental illness is not a disease and talk therapy is not a treatment?"

Chen Yiming smiled and said, "Uncle Ming, I do hope that after this script is made, it can arouse society's attention and concern for mental illness, but it does not mean that the movie has to directly advertise for psychiatrists.

I think it is enough to have the label of "psychological counselor" in the story. If there is a psychologist talking about various theories and terms, it would be too much.

Isn't this what happens in the script? When the two protagonists first meet, the counselor just recites those clichés he has memorized and copied, but it turns out that the rebellious genius who is the patient can recite better than him.

Is a doctor who uses a lot of confusing terms a good doctor? I don’t think so. Being able to explain the complex mechanisms of diseases in plain and easy-to-understand language is the behavior of a responsible doctor and also reflects the doctor’s empathy.

You, a fake expert, have achieved success in the movie, which will surely attract professional comments from real doctors. Wouldn't that help us achieve our goal as well?"

Shen Ming laughed and nodded at Chen Yiming, saying, "You've passed. I'll take the script. When can we start filming?"

Chen Yiming replied meaningfully, "It depends on your wish, Uncle Ming. Which best actor do you want to win in Venice, Cannes, or the Oscars this year?
Forget about Berlin. This little story of life is definitely not to the taste of those political animals in Berlin, so let’s not bother ourselves.”

Shen Ming was both amused and annoyed, "Wow, you are so arrogant, you dare to look forward to the three major European awards and the Oscars without even having a script and actors together, I, Shen Ming, am arrogant enough, you are even more arrogant than me.

Don’t forget, I can only show off my status as an award-winning actor in the mainland. I have no influence abroad, and even Hong Kong doesn’t recognize me.”

Chen Yiming raised his hand and said, "That's because the directors in Hong Kong don't know what's good. Wild boars can't eat fine bran. They only know how to make routine films using template people. They don't need high-quality stuff like you, Uncle Ming."

Shen Ming waved his hands repeatedly, "You are a very obedient boy, but I know myself well. In those years, I was the one who played the same role until death. Unfortunately, although my acting range became wider, I no longer had the opportunity.

By the way, are you really planning to compete abroad? It seems like you haven’t participated in a film festival in a few years.”

Chen Yiming nodded and said, "Originally, I didn't think about getting involved in this. If there is no need for exposure, the cost-effectiveness of going abroad is too low.

Didn’t Cannes invite me to be a jury member? First, I was invited to be an ordinary jury member. After I turned it down, they even offered me the position of chairman. How could this be possible? So I said I would rather not be a jury member and would go back with my new film to show my support.

Uncle Ming, don't feel pressured. I haven't decided on a specific year. It doesn't matter if it's this year, next year, or the year after next. We can take our time shooting this film."

Shen Ming knew very well that this was Chen Yiming helping him.

Actors of his generation are at the point of opening their eyes to the world, and filmmakers all regard winning awards overseas as the highest achievement. The reason why Sun Wangquan can firmly sit on the throne of China's top director is because he has won the most awards in the three major European awards. The reason why Chen Huaikai still has people trust him after 20 years of relying on his old reputation is also because he has won the only two Cannes Palme d'Or in China.

Shen Ming's embarrassment lies in the fact that he really does not have the genes to win awards overseas. He has failed in the few competitions he has participated in, and the awards he has won are all from his own companies.

Therefore, it is obvious to Shen Ming that he would be attracted to win another overseas award at the end of his middle age.

Shen Ming was not one to say everything, so he changed the subject and asked, "Do you have any plans for the other characters?"

Chen Yiming shook his head and said, "I haven't thought about it yet. It's a good opportunity to hear your opinion, Uncle Ming."

Shen Ming hesitated for a moment and replied, "I'm not sure what kind of temperament a self-taught, high-IQ gangster should have. Currently, male actors in their twenties don't seem to be suitable.

What are your thoughts? Will I lead the performance or will I confront it?"

Chen Yiming understood what Shen Ming meant immediately. He was asking Chen Yiming how he planned to design the rivalry between the two. If he acted with Shen Ming, the psychological counselor would be the next in command; if he acted with Shen Ming, he would support the rebellious genius; if he acted against Shen Ming, both roles would be given equal importance and who would go on top would depend on their abilities.

Considering Shen Ming's acting skills, it is hard to imagine that a young actor can compete with him by relying on his natural performance and character bonus, unless an actor in his thirties is found to play a younger role.

(End of this chapter)