independent filmmaker

A few weeks later, Xie Lansheng met Xinye.Xinye came by himself, but the "broker" did not follow, probably because he had many other jobs in Los Angeles.

Xie Lansheng was stunned when he saw Xinye.I saw Xinye wearing a black shirt with golden dark stripes on the sleeves, a pair of trousers underneath, half-formal and half-casual shoes, and a pair of sunglasses on the bridge of his nose. Everyone stared at him when he got out of the arrival gate of the airport.Xie Lansheng had never seen anyone dressed like this, and once again lamented that the actor who grew up in the United States had a lot of western style.

There is also some vague sandalwood fragrance on Xin Ye's body.Almost all the men around Xie Lansheng have a bad smell, the best ones are not smelly, this is the first time I met Xiang.

In order to pick up Shen Ye, Xie Lansheng took the other party to "taxi" with pain and blood.Everyone knows that a taxi costs about one yuan per kilometer, which is too scary. It is basically used to pick up foreign guests, and sometimes picks up tourists from other provinces. Ordinary people can neither afford nor afford a taxi.Fortunately, there are cars at the airport.

The two of them got into the "taxi", and Xie Lansheng whispered to Xinye: "Taxi in Beijing is super expensive, so I can't let him take a long detour. I have to watch and talk after getting out of the car."

Xinye: "..."

The driver drove the car out of the airport, glanced at the two people in the back seat casually through the mirror, suddenly became nervous, and asked, "Brother! Are you a gangster?!"

Xin Ye: "???" He took off his sunglasses.

The driver said again: "You must be a gangster!"

Xie Lansheng thought: You have watched too many Hong Kong movies...

Just when he was about to answer that he was not, Xie Lansheng heard Xin Ye lazily replying: "Yes, yes."

Xie Lansheng: "...?"

The driver was obviously more excited: "Brother! Do you think I can join the gang? Can you recommend me to join the gang?"

Xin Ye rested his elbows on the edge of the window, glanced casually out of the window, absent-mindedly, and said, "Let me take a look."

"Thank you brother!" the driver said, "I will give you your phone number later, please help me think about it!"

"Okay, I got it. Let me take a look. If there is a shortage of newcomers, just mention it... It's best not to have too much hope."

"Yes, yes, just ask."

Xie Lansheng was already a little stunned by the side of Xinye, and he didn't know why the driver wanted to be a gangster.Taxi drivers are high-income, and it is not easy to become a driver.Only the state-owned enterprises can enter the "taxi" business. There are training places for two people per car, which is very tight. If a driver wants to learn to drive, he needs a certificate from the unit.

And Xinye, relying on his actor acting skills to deceive the driver so much that he can't find him.

When Xie Lansheng heard the driver ask him how the gangsters taught his younger brother and how to teach the police, Xinye answered "chop his fingers" and "hit him with a book", thinking that Xinye must have watched too many Hong Kong movies...

Finally, when we arrived at the Luojiao Hotel, Xie Lansheng ordered the fare, but the driver pushed it back and said, "Brother, how can you spend money by car?"

Xie Lansheng tore it too, but he threw 20 yuan on him, pulled the car door with Xin Ye, and ran away.

After entering the hotel, Xie Lansheng asked, "Why do you admit to being a gangster?"

Xinye felt puzzled, put the suitcase aside, and said: "Isn't it for you to save costs? Seeing how nervous you are, if you can save a dime, you can save a dime. 25 yuan will cost you money." Who knows Finally gave it.

"You..." Xie Lansheng didn't want to pay for the taxi, and Xie Lansheng was shocked by the shamelessness of the great actor, but the other party was doing it for his own good, so he couldn't say anything more.

"Wait two days before telling him that our gang has been kidnapped, isn't it over?"

Xie Lansheng was quite speechless, feeling that Xinye was talking about running the train without telling the truth, so he changed the subject bluntly, and said, "Xinye, let's go, let's go to Guijie Street for a meal."

Xin Ye looked at him: "Let's go."

…………

Beijing Baodu is hot.The chef of the shop soaked the lamb tripe in boiling water for ten seconds, took it out, and served it on the table. It was served with sesame sauce, chive flowers, red fermented bean curd, sauced tofu, green onion, garlic juice, coriander, sauce vinegar, shrimp The seasoning made from oil and other things is full of fragrance.

Xinye obviously hadn't eaten it before. He looked at it for a long time with his chopsticks before he finally took a small piece into his mouth, like swallowing poison. However, after only two or three mouthfuls, he was no longer afraid of it.

"Xinye," Xie Lansheng flattered again, "Does your name mean "Youxinzhiye"?"

Surprise flashed in Xin Ye's eyes: "Yes, it's rare that you know this."

Xie Lansheng smiled: "I usually like to read books the most." There is a sentence in "Mencius" that says "Yiyin cultivated in the field of Youxin", which means that Yiyin lived in seclusion in the country of "Youxin", and later Shenye used it It refers to a secluded place, which is very peaceful and beautiful. The first time Xie Lansheng saw this name, he had a feeling of being hit.

Xin Ye nodded, feeling that the other party was indeed "literary".

The two of them ate and talked.At the beginning, he talked about the United States and China, but later, Xin Ye was really curious and asked Xie Lansheng: "Can I ask and listen to why you make movies and why you became independent."

"Hmm..." Regarding this question, Xie Lansheng thought about it, and his tone changed a little.He put his chopsticks on the table, crossed his fingers, raised his head, stared at Xinye's clear dark eyes, and said in the most sincere tone, "Because we can shed tears here."

Xinye looked at him quietly, without saying a word, feeling that he had come to the right place - Xie Lansheng was like a panda, a hypocrite he had never seen in his life.

Xie Lansheng picked up the fried belly again, dipped it in the sauce, swallowed it in one gulp, and said to Xinye: "Eat quickly. Wait a while and have a good rest."

Xin Ye said, "Okay." After a while, he went back to sleep.

Speaking of "you can shed tears here", Xie Lansheng suddenly remembered that the teacher asked them to keep a diary when they were in junior high school.He lives a peaceful life, but he likes to observe others the most, seeing their ups and downs, honor and disgrace, joy and anger, good and evil, and is deeply fascinated by them.So, in order to feel empathy, he fabricated life wantonly, wrote himself as the protagonist in those stories, and finished the diary. He often cried while writing, which made his soul tremble.At the beginning, the teacher believed everything, sighed with emotion, felt sorry for him, but later found out that he had made it up, and was furious, feeling that his feelings were all fed to the dog.

…………

Once the main actors are confirmed, Fudao will be put on the agenda.

Xiaohong and Xiaolu bought clothes from the mall according to the manuscript, but Xie Lansheng felt that it was too new.

"Uh," Little Red and Little Green were at a loss, "otherwise where should we grind?"

Xie Lansheng shook his head: "Little red and little green, the tattered clothes worn out are completely different from the tattered clothes worn out. The worn out tattered clothes have different degrees of wear on the neckline, cuffs, hem, and armpits. Bigger."

"Then we will grind separately?"

"It won't be exactly the same after all." Xie Lansheng thought about it and said, "Both of you go shopping in the countryside and pay more attention to what other people are wearing. If you see similar clothes, you should buy from the person who wears them!"

Xiaohong and Xiaolu were dumbfounded: "There is still such a way?"

"Well," Xie Lansheng said, "it just so happens that Da Jing, I, and the leading actor are going to go to a scene, and we're leaving tomorrow. You two should follow along, and you'll be responsible for buying clothes." It's best for everyone to have a clear division of labor.The little red and little green should be responsible for the costumes, so let them be responsible to the end.

Little Red and Little Green asked: "What is a scene survey?"

"It's the framing. See if the scenery does not meet the requirements of the script, whether it can meet the shooting conditions, and then think about where and where to shoot each scene. Brother Da Jing will also give me some professional advice."

"Oh oh oh oh……"

"Let's split up there. We'll scout the scene, and you'll buy clothes."

"Row!"

…………

The impoverished village they surveyed was called "Two Rivers Township".It is located in a canyon, and two rivers bypass the village and merge into one at the end. Therefore, Lianghe Township is surrounded by water on three sides, with inconvenient transportation and very poor.I don't know which dynasty's parents and officials were arty, and they planted some flowers and trees along the banks of the two rivers. They are so beautiful and suitable for the photo.Xie Lansheng once read some introductions in a book called "Tackling the Poor Village", and I remembered it, and now I think it is very suitable for the shooting of "Growing Roots".

The two assistants, Little Red and Little Green, disappeared as soon as they entered the village.

However, the two of them reappeared just half an hour later, holding a pile of clothes in their hands.Xie Lansheng rummaged through it and found that it was what he wanted - a women's striped sweater, a women's plaid jacket, a large white vest, and a... The important thing is that it is very old and weather-beaten.

Xin Ye is still very foreign.He was wearing a black shirt, only the top edge of one pocket was hooked with silver thread.He looked at the pile of clothes and asked, "What is this?"

"Oh, the new clothes are too unreal. I told them to use the money to buy worn clothes. By the way, Xin Ye, your height is too ridiculous, 1.8 meters seven, Xiaohong and Xiaolu ran all over here to find it He's pretty much the same, he's called 'Giant' here." With a smile on his lips, Xie Lansheng lifted the sleeves of his sweater, touched it with his hands, and said lovingly, "Wow, look~~~ There's pilling here! "

Xinye: "..."

Xie Lansheng grabbed the ball again, rubbed it between his fingers, closed one eye, pinched the fur ball with his thumb and forefinger, and held it in front of his other eye, blocking the pupils of his eyes, and "looked" at everyone In a circle, showing off the hairball.

Then he turned out the hem again and said, "Look again~~~ Several places have been frayed. This is much more realistic than old-fashioned." Convincing the Tao and trying to be as real as possible can make "Rooting" better.

Xinye's eyes slowly slipped from the sweater to the other person's face.At the end of May, the sun shone on his hair, casting a layer of light gold on him.The drooping black eyelashes flap lightly like a butterfly's wings, shaking off tiny bits of light, like lifting up many stars.

Xie Lansheng grabbed a few more balls from the sleeves of his sweater, rubbed them in the hands of Little Red and Little Green, turned around and walked towards the village, shaking his arms, and said, "Okay, okay, the clothes are here." The stubble is over, let's continue to look at the scenery!" They had just returned from the river.

Luo Dajing: "Alright!"

Looking at the two rows of dilapidated houses, Xie Lansheng asked Luo Dajing to take more photos and go back to study. Luo Dajing agreed to take the scene, adjust the focus, adjust the shutter speed, fiddle with the aperture... holding the camera and snapping dozens of photos in one go , The neck is full of sweat.Luo Dajing is fat, and there are several creases on the back of his neck, usually like a stack of tires, when stretched straight, one side is black and the other side is white, the black part is from the sun, and the white part is hidden in the flesh.

Everything seems to be going well.

Until after five o'clock in the afternoon.

Changes are always very sudden, without warning.None of the six people expected that just when they thought the filming was almost done, a large group of people suddenly came and surrounded them!They are hunchbacked, with fierce eyes and murderous looks, obviously not easy to provoke.

For a man in his forties wearing a leather jacket: "Hey, hey, what are you doing?!"

Xie Lansheng was stunned.

The man directly stretched out his index finger, about ten centimeters apart, pointed at the tip of Xie Lansheng's nose, and asked, "Where is the letter of introduction?"

Xie Lansheng: "..."

These days, you need a letter of introduction for everything, especially for shooting. If you want to make a video, you have to deal with the local government and get approval. They used to go through this process in the Xiaoxiang factory.Xie Lansheng was unemployed, so naturally he didn't have a letter of introduction.He once tried to get one from a relative's work unit, but failed. No one wanted to take the risk to help this young man.

He asked Da Jing to put away the camera, looking very dull and slow, and said slowly: "I'm sorry, I didn't know I needed a letter of introduction..."

"Come here without a letter of introduction?!" The group narrowed their circle, making the space even tighter. "You guys are reporters, why are you filming our village?"

Xie Lansheng didn't answer.

"Say!!! Why are you filming our village!!!" Their voices were sharp and sharp, like hyenas, and even echoed.Xiaohong was a girl, with tears in her eye sockets, she stomped her feet and said, "We are really not reporters!" Explain to them, but speak in a hurry, even stutter, and there is something wrong with the lips of the donkey.

More and more people gathered around.They held iron bars in their hands and opened eyes like tigers and wolves.

"..." Xie Lansheng remembered.A few days ago, a certain reporter revealed that a certain township was corrupt and accepting bribes—the number of acres of land was wrong, and the number of houses was wrong. The incident became serious, and several officials were dismissed from their posts and had to be imprisoned for reform. Suddenly, township officials in impoverished areas Everyone is at risk.

From this point of view, there are tricks in this "Two Rivers Township".The township head was afraid that they had found the evidence and would be exposed. When he saw a large group of people walking into the village to shoot a video, he hurriedly led his helpers to chase them down and stop them without saying a word.

If that's the case, they can't leave easily.

If something serious happened, they might die here quietly today!

It is also possible to be detained.

Xie Lansheng's enthusiasm was splashed with ice water.

Without a letter of introduction, you cannot shoot.I can't even finish the scene, and it's simply impossible to shoot in the countryside for a few months.

Xie Lansheng thought, he was lucky enough to make a hard shot and the result was before his eyes.The township cadres and their helpers surrounded them in a menacing manner, and filming was prohibited. As for them, they couldn't prove that they were not journalists at all.how to say?Say you're filming an underground movie?It's so hilarious it won't work.

Two groups of people confronted each other, their swords were tense, and the air seemed to be tense.But Xin Ye was not in a hurry at all, he stood there, staring at Xie Lansheng with great interest, and began to observe the giant panda.

Well, Xie Lansheng made an underground movie, but he stumbled when he went out... was blocked by a group of people, and he couldn't even finish the "scenery".

What is he going to do now?

Give up dreaming?Back to Xiaoxiang factory?

Xinye was thinking about it, when he saw Xie Lansheng approaching in two steps, patted him on the shoulder, and said to the leader: "Brother, let me guess...you are the head of the township, right? We are not reporters. His name is Yves, Chinese American, and his ancestral home is Lianghe Township! His grandma is 105 years old this year, and she is still in the United States. She can’t walk anymore, but she misses her hometown very much. Filial piety, I couldn't bear to see the old man leave with regrets, so I came back from the United States, took some photos, recorded some videos, and wanted to bring them back to the United States to show to my grandma, so that my grandma can know what Lianghe is like through the video, as if it was in person I’ve been here before. Look, this is Yves’ ticket to return home…” Xie Lansheng thought, the age must be a little bit older, and the whole thing was in the [-]s, so the township chief couldn’t check it.

The mayor said nothing.

"Really. If you don't believe it..." After a pause, Xie Lansheng turned his face again, looked at Xinye, grabbed his thin fingers on the shoulder and squeezed them hard, and said, "Come on, Yves, perform a piece of English for Everyone listen."

Standing outside the circle all the time watching the giant panda with relish, he suddenly noticed that everyone was looking at him in unison, Xin Ye: "?????"