Back to 80: My literary life.

Chapter 544 Wu Tianmin Filming "Yenching People in New York"

"I'm Wu Tianmin, who are you?"

Wu Tianmin asked quickly.

He did not speak broken English, but Mandarin with a Guanzhong accent.

"My name is Li Li. I am currently teaching comparative literature at San Francisco State University. My hometown is Xijing. Fang Minghua, vice chairman of the Qin Province Writers Association, is my cousin's husband."

"Minghua is your cousin's husband?" Wu Tianmin's tone immediately became enthusiastic.

"Teacher Li, please sit down. You see how messy this room is." Wu Tianmin said as he took out a chair from the inner room.

"You're welcome." Li Li sat on the chair and looked around curiously.

The house has two bedrooms and a living room. The rooms are very small and the living room is filled with all kinds of videotapes. It looks a bit shabby.

Wu Tianmin poured Li Li another glass of water, and then asked, "Teacher Li, what do you want to talk to me about?"

"My brother-in-law wants to invite you to star in a TV series." Li Li went straight to the point.

"Ask me to film a TV series?!" Wu Tianmin was surprised: "To be honest, I can't even go back to the country now."

"I'm not returning to China, I'm filming in the United States."

Li Li told Wu Tianmin the whole process in detail.

"Director Wu, my brother-in-law said on the phone that he really hopes to work with you again. We had a great time working together on Hidden in the Dust."

Hiding in the Dust.
That was ten years ago, right?

After Fang Minghua wrote the novel, he felt it was very well written, so he approached Fang Minghua and wanted to buy the rights to adapt it into a film.

Later, he was asked to write the script. Due to the tight filming budget, Fang Minghua was very generous and did not ask for the 2000 yuan script fee.

During the filming, they went to Minqin, Gansu Province together and stayed there for a winter, where they developed a deep friendship.

Ten years have passed, and now he is down and out in the United States, but Fang Minghua still remembers him and invites him to film a TV series!

"Teacher Li, I agree." Wu Tianmin expressed his opinion immediately.

"Okay, Director Wu, my brother-in-law is currently writing the script for 'Yanjing People in New York'. Once he finishes writing the script and sends it to me, I will come to visit you and discuss how to shoot it in detail."

"Okay, I'll wait for you."

"Okay, I won't bother you anymore." Li Li was about to leave when she suddenly thought of something. She took out a check from her small bag and put it on the coffee table in front of her.

"Director Wu, this 50,000 US dollars is the director's salary that Shengshi Films will advance to you. The specific salary will be discussed after the script is out."

Fifty thousand US dollars!

This is really a timely help.

Why would Shengshi Company make an advance payment when the project hasn’t even started yet?
Obviously, it’s all because of Fang Minghua.
"Teacher Li, please thank Minghua for me." Wu Tianmin looked grateful.

"You're welcome. My brother-in-law said that he wants to watch your new movie after you return to China." Li Liyou said.

Back home?

I guess that day has finally come?

After Li Li left, Wu Tianmin couldn't calm down for a long time.

It's not just the 50,000 US dollars, what's more important is that I can shoot another movie!

Even though it's a TV show, it's still good.

By the way, I haven't filmed a TV series yet, so I'll quickly find some American TV series tapes to watch.
Not long after, footsteps were heard outside the door, followed by the sound of the door being pushed open.

"Dad, I'm back." It was my daughter Wu Yanyan.

"Dad, what are we having for dinner?" the daughter asked after putting down the book.

"I haven't cooked yet. Let's go out for a big meal. Don't you want to eat Western food at the Lockerbie restaurant? Dad will treat you today!" Wu Tianmin looked generous.

Wu Yanyan was surprised when she heard this: "Dad, what's wrong with you? Western food there is very expensive."

"Don't be afraid, Dad is rich now! Look at this!" Wu Tianmin took out the check and handed it to his daughter.

"Wow, fifty thousand dollars! Who gave it to you?!" Wu Yanyan almost jumped up with excitement.

"Fang Minghua in China." Wu Tianmin briefly recounted what happened today.

"Dad, that's great! Your friends back home haven't forgotten you!"

"Yes, I haven't forgotten." Wu Tianmin murmured.

After Li Li got Wu Tianmin's consent, she returned to San Francisco and called Fang Minghua.

Song Tangtang also reached an agreement with the leaders of the Xi'an Film Studio to continue filming this TV series in a cooperative form. The director was Wu Tianmin, who was far away in the United States.

Of course, we also have to pay 20 yuan in management fees to Xi'an Film Studio.

Fang Minghua’s task now is to come up with the script for “A Native of Yenching in New York” as soon as possible.

Okay keep working.

To be honest, the novel of "A Native of Beijing in New York" is not very well written, but the TV series is still quite good in history. This is due to the credit of the director and the two leading actors Jiang Wen and Wang Ji, and the screenwriter also deserves credit.

The screenwriter made major changes to the novel.

The novel mainly describes Wang Qiming's struggle, which is too thin. Besides, the Americans are definitely not polite to you Orientals!
Discrimination is everywhere!

Therefore, Fang Minghua changed the main plot of the play to the war between Wang Qiming and David, a playboy, in the love and business fields according to history. By creating the character of David, he profoundly expounded the impact between Wang Qiming, a representative of traditional culture, and the representative of American culture.

OK, that's it.

But it turns out that the ending of the TV series is not as good as the novel.

In the novel, Ningning was kidnapped by the kidnappers. Wang Qiming rode alone to save his daughter, but Ningning was still shot. In her dying moments, she said to Wang Qiming: "Dad, I want to go home, I want to go back to Yanjing."

The words "I want to go home" are undoubtedly a wake-up call, revealing that these marginalized people, who are Chinese but not all Chinese, and Americans but not all Americans, are exhausted physically and mentally from the impact of two cultures, and after struggling, they finally choose to return to their homeland.

But in the TV series, Ning Ning's fate is not so tragic, she just disappeared. According to the hint in the ending words, Ning Ning did not return to China, but continued to wander.

No, let’s stick to the original.

Finally, in mid-March, Fang Minghua completed the script.

Fang Minghua immediately mailed the script to Li Li in San Francisco using a three-inch disk, and Li Li then found a way to send it to Wu Tianmin in Los Angeles.

At the same time, preparations for the film crew were also underway, and this matter was under the charge of Zhang Yimou. For the sake of his mentor's TV series, he temporarily put aside the preparations for his own movie "Raise the Red Lantern" and concentrated on this matter.

The assistant director was Yang Fengliang, with whom he had worked before. The two had worked together on "Ju Dou". When Yang Fengliang heard that he was going to be an assistant to the old factory director, he agreed without hesitation.

"When we were filming 'Old Well', I worked as an assistant to Director Wu. We had a great time working together!"

Photography by Chen Wancai, editing by Chen Dali, and art design by Yang Gang.
These are the backbone of Xi'an Film Studio and have worked with Wu Tianmin before.

Of course, Zhang Yimou did not make any requests for the selection of the main actors. Wu Tianmin was the director, and everything was decided by him and Yang Fengliang.

Fang Minghua didn't care about these.

At the end of March, another major event happened in the literary world. The third Mao Dun Literature Prize award ceremony was held at the Great Hall of the People in Yenching on March 3.

(End of this chapter)