Started as an independent producer in 1988

Chapter 104 Looking forward to Mr. Chen lighting the lamp

On the speeding train, Chen Shiping sat alone in a soft bag and was thinking about the shots.

Chen Shiping originally wanted to film according to the reference answer, but now that the script has been changed, there is no need to plagiarize.

No matter how similar the photo is, it's just a poor imitation.

Raise the Red Lantern is Zhang Yimou's mature film aesthetic, and he spent a lot of thought on composition and color.

The red lanterns were lit and turned off again and again. The cold tones of the blue-grey mansion formed a strong contrast with the warm tones of the red lanterns.

The repressive and constraining composition adds foreground to a large number of shots, and the characters are always photographed through square arches, which is used to metaphorically refer to the protagonist being bound by rules.

Such shots are beautiful and the colors are strong, but this is not what Chen Shiping wants now.

Chen Shiping is sometimes confused. He is considered a fifth-generation director, but he does not have the creative thinking of a fifth-generation director.

Whether it is Zhang Yimo or Cheng Kaige, they always work hard on the lens language and have their own film aesthetic style.

Zhang Yimo’s color and composition, Cheng Kaige’s poetry and haziness.

Chen Shiping's way of thinking is different from theirs. This may be related to the fact that he was a novelist in his previous life, and he paid more attention to characters and plots.

Of course, as a director, you must have your own aesthetic style, but Chen Shiping is not sure what he likes yet, he only knows what he doesn't like.

While Chen Shiping was thinking hard, Tao Huimin came in from outside and asked quietly: "Would you like to go to the dining car to have something to eat?"

Chen Shiping came back to his senses, looked at the time and said, "We have more than an hour to go to Jinzhong, so let's get off the bus and eat."

"Okay, let me pack my things."

"By the way, tell others to get off the bus."

Chen Shiping said something hastily, then lowered his head and continued writing storyboards.

More than an hour later, the train stopped in Jinzhong. The group came out of the train station and took the pre-arranged bus to Qixian County without stopping.

There are many hills in Qixian County, accounting for almost half of the total area, but the scenery is not bad, and the mountains look lush in summer.

This is a very interesting county. It is obviously in Shanxi but has no coal or mines, and its economic development is very poor.

However, the cultural development in Qixian County is very good. There are many historical monuments, many scenic spots, and local operas and handicrafts are also very distinctive.

Chen Shiping quite likes the scenery here. At least the green plants have not been destroyed.

After the bus stopped at the entrance of the county guest house in Qixian County, before Chen Shiping got off the bus, he saw that the entrance of the guest house was very busy, and there was a band and so on.

"Is someone getting married?"

Many people in the car looked at it curiously, and Chen Shiping was also a little confused. Are you hosting a banquet in a guest house? Quite rich.

Chen Shiping, who was sitting in the front, opened the car door and got out of the car. Before he could speak, someone grabbed his arm and shouted a warm welcome.

The band also started to play, which made Chen Shiping stunned.

"Welcome to Beijing Film Studio to film in Qixian County!" The person holding Chen Shiping's hand said with a smile: "You must be Director Chen, I have admired you for a long time!"

Although Chen Shiping couldn't figure out what was going on, he still smiled and said, "It's me. I wonder who you are?"

"I forgot to introduce myself. I am Qiao Zhiqiang from the County Cultural Bureau. Welcome to come!"

While Qiao Zhiqiang was talking, everyone in the car had already gotten off the bus, and they were a little confused looking at such a lively atmosphere.

Chen Shiping was also depressed. He was just here to shoot a movie, and he was not here to inspect, so why did he create such a big battle?

After being complimented in a daze at the door of the guest house, Chen Shiping realized why he was here.

After the Longmen Inn where Chen Shiping was filming in Gansu was burned down by fire, it was rebuilt by the local Cultural Bureau.

We are in the process of submitting applications and inviting bids to build a film and television city, and now we are promoting it in newspapers every day.

When the Cultural Bureau in Qixian County found out, they started to think about it, and that's why they launched such a big battle.

According to the Qixian Cultural Bureau, Qixian is not bad either. It has many scenery, many buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties, and a long history and culture. You can definitely try it out.

Chen Shiping admired these people, but he was not optimistic about them.

Zhenbeibao Western Cinema has unique scenery, and many directors go there to shoot the scenes, so it has long been famous.

Not to mention the New Longmen Inn, Wrangler and Red Sorghum were filmed there before.

Qixian also saw the popularity of the New Longmen Inn this time and thought it would be a good idea to give it a try.

In the restaurant of the guest house, Chen Shiping looked at the large table of dishes and could see their enthusiasm. With so many tables of big fish and meat, a lot of the hospitality quota was probably used up.

During the dinner, Qiao Zhiqiang kept talking to Chen Shiping about the local culture, history, and famous scenic spots, from Luo Guanzhong to Shanxi merchants, from Shanxi opera to calligraphy.

He also took the initiative to ask about film investment, and smiled and said that Chen Shiping was amazing at finding so many celebrities in Hong Kong to make movies and finding so much investment.

Chen Shiping felt a little dizzy when he heard it, but he could still vaguely hear something about it.

This is not just a matter of wanting to help with publicity, but a matter of wanting to build a house with your own money!

But he doesn't understand things like film and television cities. He's not Cheng Kaige, who can make a movie and build a film and television city.

What's more, it's not a thankless thing to contribute effort and money to this kind of thing.

Chen Shiping kept pretending to be stupid throughout the whole process, eating and drinking when he should, but he would not take the initiative to answer the phone anyway.

After the meal, Qiao Zhiqiang drank a lot and talked more, but Chen Shiping just kept thanking him and said nothing extra.

After the dinner was over and Qiao Zhiqiang came out of the guest house, he couldn't help but rub his red face, feeling that Chen Shiping was too difficult to deal with.

How could he be slipperier than a loach at such a young age? As expected of someone from the capital, he was already a goddamn sperm!

However, today's reception to Chen Shiping is not in vain. Now the Qiao Family Courtyard is selecting national and provincial advanced cultural relics units. Having a famous director like Chen Shiping filming can also increase his reputation and make it easier to pass the review.

In the guest house room, Tao Huimin poured a cup of tea for Chen Shiping and asked doubtfully: "What do they want to do? I feel like I need to ask you something."

Chen Shiping took a sip of tea and said, "If you don't ask for help, how can you treat me to a meal? The local economic development is too poor. I want to follow the example of Zhenbeibao in building a film and television city."

"Then what are you looking for?" Tao Huimin asked, not really understanding.

Chen Shiping patted his pocket and pointed at his face and said, "Money, fame."

Tao Huimin said, seemingly understanding: "But you don't have any money either?"

Chen Shiping: "." It hurts my heart!

However, Tao Huimin didn't understand the logic behind this, and mistakenly thought that Chen Shiping wanted to pay personally.

But to put it bluntly, the Qixian County Cultural Bureau is really not as rich as him.

In a small, underdeveloped county with no coal or mines, and economic development that has been experiencing negative growth, how much funding does the Cultural Affairs Bureau have per year?

After Chen Shiping and Tao Huimin explained a few words, they stopped mentioning this issue.

He would not participate in this kind of thing. He only did this kind of thing out of his mind. The key is that Qixian County has no advantages in all aspects, so it is difficult to do it.

When sleeping at night, Tao Huimin was lying next to Chen Shiping and suddenly said: "You have become a big shot before you know it." Chen Shiping hugged Tao Huimin and patted her arm gently, feeling that he had become a little more influential.

Early the next morning, Chen Shiping got up early and took the crew's art props to the Qiao Family Courtyard outside the county town.

After arriving at Qiao's courtyard, Chen Shiping walked around the courtyard under the guidance of the staff. It took him an hour to walk through the entire courtyard.

The stone carvings, brick carvings, wood carvings, and painted plaques that can be seen everywhere in the yard are full of profound heritage. Although the freehand brushwork of the later Suzhou gardens is different, they also have a unique flavor.

The artists and photographers who came with Chen Shiping were also wandering around, feeling the atmosphere of the compound and thinking about how to do the next shooting.

After walking around several courtyards, Chen Shiping came to the roof and looked down at the square courtyards that formed a whole mansion.

After seeing the Qiao Family Courtyard with his own eyes, Chen Shiping gradually understood why Zhang Yimo chose this place.

The high steps and the square courtyard are exactly what it means to have no rules or squares.

"Please take me to the school and the ancestral hall to see it again." Chen Shiping suddenly turned to the staff of the Qiao Family Courtyard and said.

The school and the ancestral hall have several very important scenes in Chen Shiping's plan, so you have to take a closer look.

After arriving at the school and ancestral hall, Chen Shiping picked up his camera and took many photos.

After taking pictures of these places, Chen Shiping went to other places to take pictures, and did not return to the county seat by car until it got dark.

Back in the county town, Chen Shiping handed the camera to his photography assistant and asked him to develop it as soon as possible.

After dinner in the evening, Chen Shiping called the photography and art crew over for a meeting. Tao Huimin and the others were also going to come, but Chen Shiping sent them away.

Chen Shiping looked through the photos taken today, looked at Zhao Fei and asked, "Which scenes do you think can be used, and do you have any suggestions?"

"The courtyard is dense, the aisles are too long, there are too many lines, and the compositions are almost the same." Zhao Fei lit a cigarette and said: "The main color is too monotonous, all blue and gray. Please spend more time on art."

The art team leader next to him interjected: "Director Chen has arranged the costumes and props a long time ago. I tried them out today. The red lanterns have a strong visual impact."

Chen Shiping listened to their conversation, took out one of the photos, pointed with his finger and said, "Actually, I kind of regret coming to the Qiao Family Courtyard. It's so upright!"

Zhao Fei couldn't help but nod and said: "The original script was suitable, but if the new script wants to highlight the character's heart, the Qiao Family Courtyard is indeed a bit inappropriate."

Chen Shiping smiled and said, "So now we have to think of ways to make up for this."

Zhao Fei thought for a while and then said: "Let's work on light, shadow and tone."

"That's what I mean too, I want to be dark and gorgeous!"

Chen Shiping patted Zhao Fei on the shoulder and said, "I'll go out with the lighting team again tomorrow night and hang up the lanterns to see the effect."

After explaining the photography and lighting, Chen Shiping turned to look at his executive producer and said: "Xiao Li, you go and communicate with the staff over there tomorrow. I want to move potted plants in and add lotus flowers to the pond in the garden."

After Chen Shiping explained these things, he went to inquire about the weather in Qixian County these days.

He wants to wait for cloudy weather and rain!

In the next few days, Chen Shiping also asked the actors to go to the Qiao Family Courtyard every day to familiarize themselves with the scenes and learn about the history of the Qiao Family Courtyard.

Go ask the Qiao family what rules they had in the past, how the ladies lived, and get a feel for it.

Chen Shiping himself looked at photos in the guest house every day to come up with storyboards.

In the afternoon when the sun was shining brightly, Tao Huimin and others were taking refuge in the pavilion in the backyard of Qiao's courtyard, their faces all red from the heat.

This was Jiang Shan's first time joining a crew for filming. She had seen it a lot in the factory before, but after actually joining the crew, she felt completely different and couldn't help but express her doubts.

"We've been here for a week, why haven't we turned it on yet?"

"It's not that easy to make a movie." Zhu Lin said with a smile: "Have you not seen that the photography team and the art team are all being bossed around by Director Chen, and props are placed everywhere for light testing every day."

Jiang Shan couldn't help but sigh and said: "This is too slow. The summer vacation has been over for more than ten days. I don't know when the filming will be finished."

Tao Huimin couldn't help but said at this time: "Just wait slowly, I won't be able to finish filming until you start school."

"I just go shopping like this every day, and I haven't even seen a new script." Jiang Shan felt like she was so idle that she was going to get sick.

Zhu Lin said with a smile: "In ancient times, wives just stayed idle every day, so they acted as if they were in advance."

"But I'm just a maid."

"But you have the heart to be a wife."

As soon as Zhu Lin finished speaking, Jiang Shan glanced at Tao Huimin guiltily.

Jiang Shan's little moves did not escape Zhu Lin's eyes. He couldn't help but squint his eyes slightly. He felt that Jiang Shan was quite funny.

Teacher Yu Ping, who had been silent for the whole time, wiped the sweat from her forehead and said, "I guess it's almost time to turn on the computer. Isn't it necessary to go to the meeting tonight?"

Zhu Lin said with a smile: "I can read the script. I was quite confident at first, but now I'm starting to panic."

"I'm panicking too. You all don't know that Shi Ping is so busy that he doesn't go to bed until late every day. I look stressed." Tao Huimin couldn't help but say.

He Saifei smiled and said, "Your Director Chen didn't open a small stove for you."

"Where there is a small stove, I can't even eat from the big pot."

"Haha, we didn't compete with you."

In the evening, when they returned to the guest house, they heard Chen Shiping holding a phone and asking the Jinzhong Meteorological Bureau about the weather in the past few days.

"Are you sure it will be cloudy tomorrow?" Chen Shiping said with a smile: "I have caused you trouble in the past few days, okay, bye."

During the meeting in the evening, Chen Shiping looked at everyone and said: "It will start tomorrow!"

"Director, where's the script? We don't have a script yet." Jiang Shan couldn't help but interjected and asked.

Chen Shiping looked at the anxious actors and said with a smile: "There is no script. I will talk to you individually later. After reading the script, I am afraid that you will not be able to achieve the effect I want."

Hearing Chen Shiping's words, several actors were a little surprised. What kind of operation is this? Not giving the actors a script?

How can you act then?

"How can I act without a script? I can't even figure out the emotional state of the characters." Jiang Shan asked doubtfully.

Chen Shiping shrugged and said, "What I want is that I can't find it accurately. You will know tomorrow."

Seeing the mysterious Chen Shiping, the girls looked at each other. They didn't have much confidence in the first place, but now they were even more nervous.

The looks in Chen Shiping's eyes changed. They didn't know what the script was or what they were going to play.

You can only count on when Chen Shiping lights up his own lamp and talks to himself.

It’s okay to be nervous, and it’s okay to place your hopes on one person!

There is no wife who lives in a deep house who doesn't sit there cautiously and abide by the rules, hoping that the master will light a lamp in her yard.

　There's a lot of work today, sorry. I'll try to finish the next chapter before ten o'clock.

　　

　

(End of this chapter)