Literary Master 1978

After accepting the script task from Li Hanxiang, Lin Chaoyang had to pause the novel he was writing because after all, Party A gave him a lot of money.

Yesterday, he talked about the script with Li Hanxiang for a long time, understood Li Hanxiang's thoughts, and confirmed that he had watched "The Burning of the Old Summer Palace" and "Behind the Curtain", and he felt confident.

However, he doesn't know much about Qing history. To truly present an excellent script, he must work hard on the details.

The day after returning from the Yanjing Hotel, Lin Chaoyang took advantage of his time at work to search the library and read a lot of information about the late Qing Dynasty, including not only historical materials, but also some literary works about the late Qing Dynasty and Cixi.

"The Thirteen Dynasties of the Qing Dynasty" by Xu Xiaotian, "The Queen Mother of the West" by Hu An, "Historical Romance of the Qing Palace" by Cai Dongfan, "Yu Xiang Piao Miao Lu" by De Ling, "Notes of the Yueman Cottage" and "History of the Qing Dynasty" by Li Ciming...

Dozens of works were placed in front of him, and just stacking them there gave people a headache. Fortunately, Lin Chaoyang did not want to read through these works, but to look for useful clues and details to supplement his script.

For several days, Lin Chaoyang buried his head in the pile of old papers, and finally compiled an outline of the script and sent it to Li Hanxiang.

After reading the script outline sent by Lin Chaoyang, Li Hanxiang remained silent.

After a while, he asked: "You have prepared so many scenes for the burning of the Old Summer Palace. If you start writing, I'm afraid it will be top-heavy, right?"

Later, Li Hanxiang filmed Cixi and made two movies, "Burning the Old Summer Palace" and "The Government Behind the Curtain". In fact, his earliest idea was to make "The Government Behind the Curtain", but he didn't stop it when he was writing the script. The content was too huge, so he had to divide it into two films. Made two movies.

"From the perspective of a script, this structure is definitely inappropriate." Lin Chaoyang said.

Li Hanxiang sensed the unexplained meaning in his words, and there was doubt in his eyes.

Lin Chaoyang did not make people wait any longer and said directly: "I want to write the script into upper and lower parts."

"Upper and lower parts?"

Li Hanxiang was surprised. He never expected that Lin Chaoyang would have such an idea.

He looked at Lin Chaoyang in astonishment, feeling a little dazed for a moment, as if Lin Chaoyang was the director who held the mike on the set and kept telling the truth.

"You are the director and I am the director?" Li Hanxiang couldn't help but ask what was in his heart.

When questioned by him, Lin Chaoyang did not panic at all and said: "I only said that my script was written in an upper and lower structure, and I didn't say that you must shoot it this way. Besides, the plot is coherent, and the scenery, actors, makeup, and props are all different. There won’t be much extra cost, it’s just that the shooting volume will be larger and some labor costs will be increased.”

Li Hanxiang thought about it and it seemed to make sense.

"I'll write it out first. If you don't think it's okay, the worst case scenario is to remove the part about burning the Old Summer Palace." Lin Chaoyang continued to persuade him step by step.

Li Hanxiang flipped through the outline of the script again, and he had to admit that the story with the dual cores of "burning the Old Summer Palace" and "listening to politics behind the curtain" did seem more complete.

"That's alright. Anyway, co-production doesn't happen overnight. Just write according to your current ideas."

According to Lin Chaoyang's thinking, one script is equivalent to the content of two parts. His own workload has increased, and he may not be able to write the script before he goes to Haojiang.

Li Hanxiang was already prepared in his heart. At worst, he would take half the cost and show it to Mr. He. Script, screenplay, is the foundation of a play. The quality of the script is related to the success or failure of the movie, so it cannot be careless.

But he never expected that less than twenty days later, Lin Chaoyang would appear at the Yanjing Hotel again, bringing with him a nearly 70,000-word movie script.

"Director Li, fortunately you have fulfilled your duty. The script is finished!"

Li Hanxiang took the script from Lin Chaoyang with surprise on his face, "Did you finish it so quickly?"

Listening to Li Hanxiang's tone, Lin Chaoyang said: "You said you were in a hurry? I didn't dare to delay a day for more than half a month. I worked hard day and night and kept writing."

Lin Chaoyang's words are of course an exaggeration. In fact, these days, he focuses more on looking up information, and does not have that much time to write scripts.

After Li Hanxiang was surprised, he didn't worry about how much time it took Lin Chaoyang to write a script equivalent to two movies in such a short period of time. He couldn't help but doubt the quality of the script, so he had to take a look first.

The script written by Lin Chaoyang refers to the structure of the original versions of "The Burning of the Old Summer Palace" and "The Curtain". The character settings and plots of the original movies are very brilliant, the language level of the shots is also very high, and the scenes are grand, which fully reflects the director's scenes. Scheduling capabilities.

But it is a pity that many plots in the movie are quite different from the real history. If it follows Hong Kong's usual method of shooting historical films, this will of course not be a big problem.

But if you want to make a truly rigorous and epic historical blockbuster, this shortcoming will undoubtedly be fatal.

In this version of Lin Chaoyang's script, what took the most thought was how to better integrate historical facts and drama.

The script written by Lin Chaoyang has a total of 70,000 words, which is divided into two parts: "The Burning of the Old Summer Palace" and "The Government Behind the Curtain".

It would take at least a few days to read such a thick script carefully. Li Hanxiang specially opened a room for Lin Chaoyang and asked him to stay at the Yanjing Hotel for these two days to facilitate his communication with Lin Chaoyang.

It is the screenwriter's job to communicate with the director about the script. Although Lin Chaoyang does not agree with major changes to the script, necessary communication is indispensable.

He asked the co-production company to help him take a leave, went home and told Tao Yushu, and then lived in Yanjing Hotel peacefully.

Yanjing Hotel is the hotel with the highest hardware level in China today, and it is definitely more comfortable to live in than the guesthouse of Yanying Studio.

Li Hanxiang read the script for more than a day, but never found Lin Chaoyang. He thought he had met a director with a normal schedule.

Unexpectedly, the next night, Lin Chaoyang was sleeping soundly when he was awakened by the knocking on the door.

He opened the door and saw Li Hanxiang's face full of excitement and excitement, "Mr. Lin, let's talk about the script."

"Director Li, it's two o'clock in the middle of the night." Lin Chaoyang yawned.

"It's two o'clock? Let's talk quickly and have a good sleep during the day."

Lin Chaoyang: ? ? ?

Is this what I mean to you?

Li Hanxiang ignored Lin Chaoyang's opinion, broke into the room, flipped through the script and started chatting.

"The script is well written. The two core plots of 'burning the Old Summer Palace' and 'ruling behind the curtain' are well established. I think it can be cut into two films."

Li Hanxiang first affirmed Lin Chaoyang's script, and then studied the details in the script.

"I think the first few folk scenes can be deleted without affecting the plot." Li Hanxiang said.

"It can't be deleted."

"Why?"

"Our previous plot is 'The Burning of the Old Summer Palace'. I wrote in the beginning how well the skilled craftsmen built the Old Summer Palace, how much money the people spent, and how many ordinary people suffered for it, all to set off this climax.

If these scenes are deleted, the shock of 'The Burning of the Old Summer Palace' will be greatly reduced."

"You can show the beauty and historical significance of the Old Summer Palace in the middle of the palace scenes."

"It's wrong to change the perspective like this. You must know that the 'Burning of the Old Summer Palace' itself was a heavy blow to the Qing Dynasty, but the Old Summer Palace was built with the people's money, and the ruling class of the Qing Dynasty was unaware of the meaning behind this incident.

Only when we look at it from the grand perspective of the people and history can we realize the impact of this incident on the entire Chinese nation.

And the audience in the cinema is exactly from this perspective."

Lin Chaoyang's attitude was firm. He did not follow Li Hanxiang's ideas just because he was the director. His remarks refuted Li Hanxiang speechless.

Li Hanxiang thought about it and decided that it would be fine if there were more scenes. It was planned to be cut into two parts anyway.

He then asked, "Isn't the emotional drama between Yulan (Cixi) and Xianfeng in the 'Burning of the Old Summer Palace' a little too weak?"

"Do you want to strengthen their emotional drama? Like Li Longji and Yang Yuhuan?"

Lin Chaoyang's words hit the mark on Li Hanxiang's needs, and he said excitedly, "Yes, yes."

Unexpectedly, Lin Chaoyang shook his head again, "Director Li, you have to think clearly, whether you want a love story between a man and a woman, or a heavy historical blockbuster. Writing about the secret affairs of Xianfeng and Cixi in the boudoir is certainly very attractive to the audience, but it will undoubtedly greatly reduce the audience's attention. The style and heaviness of the film. "

Li Hanxiang's status in the history of Chinese film is beyond words. Since he filmed Huangmei Opera films in Hong Kong in the 1950s, he has been famous in Southeast Asia and became the mainstay of the Hong Kong film industry at that time;

In the 1960s, he went to Taiwan to establish Guolian Company, pioneering the film industry in Taiwan and stirring up the film industry in Taiwan at that time;

In the 1970s, he returned to Hong Kong and filmed many scam films and erotic films, becoming the initiator of many Chinese-language film types later. His fantastic ideas and artistic creativity in filming are amazing.

But even the most powerful directors have their own limitations. Lin Chaoyang has seen many of Li Hanxiang's works and knows that Li Hanxiang's directing style is actually more suitable for filming literary and artistic films with a strong humanistic atmosphere and luxurious scenes.

This time he wants to shoot a historical blockbuster with rich background, so the first thing he has to abandon is some of the conventional thinking of filming erotic films and palace films in the past.

"…So, the love scenes between Xianfeng and Cixi can be there, but they must not be too aesthetic, nor can too many subjective shots be used.

If it is shot like this, it will be no different from the erotic films you shot before.

You told me that you wanted to make a breakthrough, to reflect the political corruption of the Qing Dynasty and the stupidity of those in power, and to film that tragic history. Now this idea is wrong."

Lin Chaoyang bluntly pointed out Li Hanxiang's self-contradiction in the shooting idea. Because he was picked up from the bed in the middle of the night, his tone was even more impolite.

As the saying goes, honest advice hurts the ear. Li Hanxiang naturally felt uncomfortable after hearing Lin Chaoyang's words, but he had to admit that Lin Chaoyang's statement made sense.

But he still couldn't help arguing: "But if it is written like this, the movie will lose a highlight."

"Isn't 'burning the Old Summer Palace' interesting enough? These five words are the focus of the first half of the script. Too many emotional scenes will distract the audience's emotions."

After the two argued, neither could convince the other.

Before, Li Hanxiang only wanted to find a good screenwriter for the movie, and thought that Lin Chaoyang was competent for the job of screenwriter.

Now, it seems that he is indeed competent for the job of screenwriter. But his presence is too strong, and even the director himself can't persuade him.

"After talking for a long time, I can't change a word of your script?" Li Hanxiang said dissatisfiedly.

"I didn't stop you from changing it, but you have to change the place, not change it randomly!"

Lin Chaoyang's words almost made Li Hanxiang vomit blood in anger.

I have been a director for more than 30 years, how can I change the script?

"This is my movie!" Li Hanxiang said angrily.

"But I wrote the script!"

Lin Chaoyang's tone was calm and showed no anger at all, but the more he behaved like this, the angrier Li Hanxiang became.

Li Hanxiang was so angry that he couldn't sit still and turned around, unable to vent the anger in his heart.

"Director Li, why don't you sit down for a while and we can discuss it slowly?"

Li Hanxiang had just completed heart surgery, and Lin Chaoyang was afraid of making him angry, otherwise it might lead to a WJ accident.

"Sit down!" Li Hanxiang pointed angrily at Lin Chaoyang with his hand, "I want to fire you! Fire you!"

Lin Chaoyang's expression remained normal, "It's OK to fire him, but the royalties must be paid first."

His words were like a knife thrust straight into Li Hanxiang's heart. Li Hanxiang covered his chest with a look of pain on his face.

Lin Chaoyang was startled. Why was he getting more and more worried about something? He quickly stood up and supported Li Hanxiang.

Seeing Li Hanxiang pointing at the coffee table, he quickly went over to take the medicine bottle from the coffee table and fed him the medicine.

After dozens of seconds, the painful expression on Li Hanxiang's face finally calmed down. He looked at Lin Chaoyang and said feebly: "What evil have I done to hire a screenwriter like you?"