Fringe artists in the entertainment industry

Chapter 203 201. Director’s Little Magic

Cannes is the highest hall of honor for many filmmakers, and it is also the dream stage for many actors.

Gong Li has great expectations for this movie. Farewell My Concubine failed to win the Best Actress in 1993, and the same happened in 1994. In 1995, Shake Ah Shake to Grandma Bridge failed again. If this year's Fengyue happens again, Failure, such a setback would be difficult for her to accept.

Perhaps because of this, the Cannes Film Festival later awarded her an official commemorative medal to make up for her repeated failures.

An actor can have several opportunities like this in his life. It not only requires you to act well, but also the movie itself is good enough.

Fengyue itself is quite satisfactory, and Gong Li's performance in it is also quite satisfactory, even a little soft and not firm enough.

Many people have confidence in this film, but many people have completely lost confidence in it, such as investor Xu Feng.

Xu Feng was disappointed with the movie after watching the entire movie. In her words, every character in the movie was annoying and there was nothing lovable about it.

When he came to Cannes in April to negotiate for film nominations, Xu Feng suffered a fright in the hotel and suffered from a panic disorder. When he came to Cannes this time, he even came in a wheelchair.

Chen Li'an was a little surprised when he saw her, but thinking about the rumors about Tomson during this period, Chen Li'an could understand her depression.

Her husband's business failed and he was in a lot of trouble, and now the movie was a disappointment. Naturally, he had some mental problems under the double pressure.

However, Xu Feng was still a little happy to see Chen Li'an. Last year, Extreme Cold won an award in Venice, and the copyright sold well. It was considered a good investment.

"long time no see."

Xu Feng looked at Chen Li'an from his wheelchair, seeming to remember the courtyard house in the capital, and when he deliberately teased him, there was a smile on his lips.

Chen Li'an squatted half-crouched, looked at Xu Feng and said, "Is your health important?"

"It's okay, just take good care of yourself and you'll be fine."

Xu Feng looked back at Director Cheng's room, the light in his eyes dimmed a lot, and said to Chen Li'an: "They are waiting for you. Go in and watch the movie. I'm going back to rest."

"Okay, then take care of yourself."

Chen Li'an looked at Xu Feng being pushed away and couldn't help but sigh. God seemed to be unfriendly to her.

"Teacher Chen, who is she?"

Li Dabai, who came with Chen Li'an, asked curiously and even made various preparations in his heart.

"The producer of the movie is also an investor. She helped invest money to complete the post-production process during the extreme cold before." Chen Li'an explained lightly, then adjusted his mood and said: "Let's go in and watch the movie. Wait. Once you know how to go in, don’t be so jumpy.”

Li Dabai stuck out his tongue slightly. Fortunately, it was not what he thought, just saying that Teacher Chen would not be so hungry.

Li Dabai obediently followed Chen Li'an into the room. Looking at the big star and director sitting inside, he couldn't help but feel excited. This could only be seen on TV, but now he could see it in real life!

Whether it was Gong Li or Zhang Guorong, Li Dabai couldn't help but be excited. She had met many artists with Chen Li'an, and she had also seen rising actresses like Ning Jing, but compared with Gong Li and Zhang Guorong, they were far different. .

If he hadn't remembered Chen Li'an's instructions, Li Dabai would have wanted to ask Zhang Guorong for his autograph.

Naturally, there were not only actors and directors in the room, but also photographers, screenwriters, artists, etc. Many people, like Chen Li'an, had not seen the finished film yet.

The day before the film festival started, we all gathered at Director Cheng's place to watch the finished film. At least we should know the quality and content of the film.

Otherwise, when I watch other movies in the main competition tomorrow, I won’t be able to compare them in my mind.

Chen Li'an's arrival made the room a little lively, especially Du Kefen and art director Huang Qiagui were most interested in Chen Li'an.

Everyone is engaged in photography and art, so naturally they have many common topics, so before watching the movie, several of them started chatting, from movies to art to literature. The topics discussed were very wide, and almost everything that came to mind was discussed. Speaking of which.

Chen Li'an is also willing to talk about some happy things before watching the movie, otherwise he might be as depressed as Xu Feng after the movie is over.

Sitting in the corner, Li Dabai looked at Chen Li'an, who was like a star holding the moon, and felt strange in his heart. These people were all big stars and directors, but they treated Chen Li'an with great respect.

Well, except for Zhang Guorong, he seems to have a problem with Chen Li'an.

Li Dabai wasn't sure if he was wrong. He always felt that Zhang Guorong looked at Chen Li'an with the hatred of his father-in-law.

Li Dabai, who was sitting in the corner, listened quietly to their chat, unable to get in a word. The topic was too high-end and his thinking was too jumping. Before he could understand the previous point, they changed the topic again.

I could only be a silent listener. But Director Cheng soon took the initiative and suggested that we start watching a movie now.

Everyone kept silent and waited for Director Cheng to show the movie.

Soon the movie screen appeared on the TV, and Li Dabai immediately moved his chair forward. He couldn't get in the conversation, but he could understand the movie.

Li Dabai waited with great anticipation for the movie to officially start, but the first scene that appeared shocked her.

A little girl with braids and a bellyband stood in front of a screen and smiled strangely. The flickering red candlelight shone on the little girl's face, making it even more strange.

Coupled with the bizarre voice-over and lines, the atmosphere of horror is directly filled. The high-pitched voice that is neither yin nor yang speaks puzzling lines.

"What is opium? My good daughter, opium is the beauty of heaven and earth."

Listening to this line, Li Dabai couldn't help but tremble. Is this a horror movie? From the name, shouldn't it be a romance movie?

Li Dabai couldn't help but turn his head and glance at Chen Li'an, and found that he also frowned slightly, and he felt even more strange, what kind of movie was this.

The director's world is so difficult to understand. Li Dabai felt that he might not be able to understand this movie just like he had listened to them chatting before.

The movie continued to play, and Gong Li couldn't help but secretly pulled Chen Li'an's palm and whispered in his ear: "This is different from what I thought. How did it be done like this in the later stage."

Chen Li'an replied in a low voice: "Why else? In order to show the distortion of human nature in feudal society and the male dominance of women, I accidentally used too much force."

After listening to Chen Li'an's nonsense, Gong Li was too lazy to talk to him, and began to worry about the plot behind it.

Movies are not only the art of acting and directing, but also the art of editing. Editing and post-production are very important. Different arrangements and combinations of the same pictures will produce earth-shaking changes.

The simplest example, I hit a girl on the subway. She took a picture of me with her cell phone and scolded me. She called the police and I was caught. If the order is adjusted, the result will be different immediately. She took a picture of me with her mobile phone and scolded me. I couldn't help but hit her. I called the police and was arrested.

No one knows what the shots during the shooting will look like before they are finally edited into a movie, and no one knows what color filters will be added to the shots.

It is very likely that the original meaning of the actor's performance will be completely subverted. This is the director's little magic. The director can use the language of the camera to enhance the actor's performance, or he can subvert your performance.

Soon in the movie, Zhang Guorong appeared, with a close-up, a confused expression, biting the earlobes of each woman, saying disgusting love words, and then taking away their earrings.

If viewed from a single shot, Leslie Cheung's performance and charm will be well presented, but when many such shots are combined, the charm disappears and becomes frivolous, exaggerated and somewhat vulgar.

Just like writing a novel, if the same plot appears too many times, it will become boring, and readers will point their noses at you and scold you.

Such quick cuts greatly reduced Zhang Guorong's charm and turned him into a somewhat annoying little gangster.

Zhang Guorong in the movie is a cheater who deceives women's feelings to make money, but the most important thing is to show his ability to deceive women and show his charm.

The feeling presented by this kind of editing is very Western, very Hollywood, a charming playboy who can make women fascinated by just blinking his eyes.

It feels too stylized, and Chen Li'an feels very bad. The shots are obviously great, and although the script has some flaws, it shouldn't have such an effect.

Chen Li'an couldn't help but glance at Zhang Guorong and found that he was also frowning and seemed a little unacceptable.

After worrying about others, Chen Li'an began to worry about himself again. With Zhang Guorong being cut like this, he probably couldn't escape the bad luck.

I hope I won't make myself look too perverted. Chen Li'an calmed down and started to watch the plot carefully.

Soon it was time for Chen Li'an to appear in the scene. After watching it for a while, Chen Li'an felt relieved. Fortunately, his role was relatively simple and simple, and there were relatively few scenes, so he was not cut out by Director Cheng.

However, Gong Li's shots are a bit disappointing. It is obviously intended to portray a bold and rebellious woman, but a lot of hazy white light and filters are used.

Chen Li'an looked at the strange and hazy light in the picture. It was difficult to put a strong and rebellious woman into the role, and he felt sorry for Gong Li.

This kind of picture only shows a kind of neurotic morbidity, which is beautiful but not exciting enough.

As the movie continued to play, the room became more and more silent. At first, everyone chatted from time to time, but now they have closed their mouths and don't want to talk anymore.

In particular, Chen Li'an didn't want to talk the most. Why did he feel more and more perverted as he went on? Although the plot and the emotional direction of the characters were like this, the editing and camera amplified this feeling.

There is no such thing as the edge-to-edge temptation and restraint and the final explosion that Chen Li'an used in his acting. The movie feels like a lively licking dog evolving into a perverted and dark little person.

Li Dabai, who had been working hard to understand the movie, was now filled with questions. What kind of movie is this? What a bunch of lunatics?

After the movie ended for more than an hour, the lights came on in the room, but no one spoke. They were all still immersed in the "shock" brought by the movie and couldn't let go for a long time.

Li Dabai clearly felt the oppressive atmosphere in the room at this time. He grabbed the chair with both hands and moved it back carefully, not daring to make a sound.

"How do you feel after watching it?" Director Cheng looked at the people who were immersed in shock and felt extremely satisfied with the movie.

Chen Li'an opened and pursed his lips, and in the end he only said: "It's a little different from what I thought, but the photo was beautiful."

The shots are indeed beautiful, the scenes are beautiful, and the actors are also beautiful, but they just don’t look pretty together.

Individually, each part is on the passing line or even considered excellent, but when combined, it becomes a bit strange.

Chen Li'an only said half of what he said, but he didn't want to say anything else. The post-production of the film was finished and it was sent to the jury of the Cannes Film Festival. It was too late to say anything, so he might as well say a few words of praise to make Director Cheng happy. .

As a human being, the most important thing is to be happy.

Director Cheng is the director. He can shoot how he wants and edit how he wants. Movies are the director's art. As an actor, if you give a qualified performance, you are worthy of your job.

Gong Li is the most disappointed. She originally expected to win a Best Actress award, but now it seems her hope is slim.

The language of the camera made her performance develop in another direction. As long as the jury is not stupid, she will not be awarded the Best Actress, unless the heroines in other movies have performed poorly.

But where does the if come from...

Seeing the complacent and expectant look in Director Cheng's eyes, Gong Li sighed slightly in her heart, squeezed out a smile and said, "Li'an is right, the photo is beautiful, I like it very much."

"As long as you like it. A lot of effort has been put into this movie, and it will live up to expectations!" Director Cheng smiled smugly. He was very satisfied with the movie, and even thought that "Feng Yue" is no worse than "Farewell My Concubine".

Gong Li's copy and paste seemed to open up other people's ideas, and they all said that it was beautifully shot, the camera was beautiful, the acting was good, and the story was very deep.

Director Cheng is a great director. The film festival starts tomorrow, so there is no point in finding fault.

And how to judge the quality of a movie, everyone has different standards in their minds. As actors Chen Li'an, they didn't think it was very good, but as photographers and artists, Du Kefen and Huang Qiagui thought it was very good.

But let the judges decide the final outcome, in case they win the prize.

The atmosphere in the room became lively again, everyone was chatting casually, and some even suggested having a drink together.

Li Dabai looked at this scene and a big question popped up in his little head. Is this movie really good? Why don't I think it's very good? Is there something wrong with my aesthetics?

Zhang Guorong took out a cigarette and held it in his hand, looked at Chen Li'an and asked softly: "Li'an, do you think it is possible to win the prize this time?"

"Probably not. European filmmakers don't like this style." After Chen Li'an replied, he took away the cigarette from Leslie Cheung's finger and said, "Don't you know what your body is like? What kind of cigarettes do you smoke? Sister Shufen asked me I’m staring at you, and I can’t even smell the smell of cigarette smoke.”

Chen Li'an said the last sentence loudly, and then winked at the confused Zhang Guorong. Gong Li couldn't help but snickered at the side, but she felt very happy in her heart.

Several other people in the room who were planning to smoke put down their cigarettes after hearing Chen Li'an's words, or ran to the balcony to smoke.

Zhang Guorong looked at Chen Li'an and his teeth were itching with anger, but when he thought that Gong Li was pregnant now, he snorted and didn't bother to expose Chen Li'an.

Perhaps because he had to go to the balcony to smoke a cigarette, the lively atmosphere in the room cooled down quickly, and after a while someone suggested going back to rest.

After coming out of the room, Zhang Guorong originally wanted to ask them to have a drink together, but seeing Gong Li walking with her waist slightly supported, he shook his head and went back to his room.

Gong Li held Chen Li'an's arm and whispered: "Come here tonight and rub your legs for me. My legs are so sore recently."

"Yeah, but you have to be more honest." Chen Li'an was really worried when he thought about how Gong Li sometimes went crazy.

Gong Li rolled her eyes at Chen Li'an and said, "What can I do if I'm so dishonest now? I'm afraid you're dishonest! You haven't explained to me what's going on with your assistant?"

Li Dabai, who was following Chen Li'an and Gong Li, vaguely heard them talking about him, and immediately pricked up his ears like a wary rabbit.

Chen Li'an said nonchalantly: "What's the point of finding an assistant to explain?"

Gong Li turned her head slightly and glanced at Li Dabai's beautiful face and proud figure. She reached out and pinched Chen Li'an's waist and asked, "Are you just trying to make someone look good? You must have bad intentions again."

Chen Li'an: "." I said she brought it to the door by herself. You won't believe me and can't explain it. You are not afraid of slanted shadows when you are upright!

I don't know if the shadow is slanted or not, but Chen Li'an is not upright right now. He is leaning over to support Gong Li, who has sore feet when walking.

In the quiet corridor of the hotel, Li Dabai looked at Chen Li'an walking with his arms around Gong Li and felt so strange. Why was he still holding on to the Empress Dowager Cixi?

Gong Li's aura is really like that of a queen, but she doesn't know if she can manage Teacher Chen's harem well. Li Dabai tilted his head and thought for a while, wondering whether he should go to worship the mountain.

Not to mention being a concubine, being a royal minister, and being a personal palace maid should be no problem.

No, I am an assistant now, right? Li Dabai shook his head, ran two steps to catch up with Chen Li'an and asked, "Teacher Chen, do you have any other arrangements for the evening?"

"No, you can go back and rest." Chen Li'an shook his head, but was worried about Li Dabai's English, and seriously warned: "Don't get up late tomorrow morning, set more alarm clocks, the hotel restaurant has breakfast on the sixth floor. It’s self-service, come find me after you finish.”

"Yeah, don't worry, it won't happen!" After Li Dabai nodded in agreement, he gave Gong Li a sweet and polite smile and ran back to his room.

When Li Dabai's figure disappeared around the corner, Gong Li looked at Chen Li'an with a half-smile but said, "You are quite gentle to her. You are clearly the boss and the assistant."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Go back to bed quickly!" Chen Li'an interrupted Gong Li and helped her back to the room.