The group of "Heroes of Fire", Ji Ming pushed it off at that time, in fact, the reason was quite complicated, but he formed a little friendship with the producer Berner Film and Television.

This film has a firefighting hero prototype, there is no doubt that it is a main theme film, and it is designed by several Hong Kong veterans, director Chen Guohui was born as a screenwriter, and his directing experience is not particularly prominent. The two important producers, Liu Weiqiang and Li Jinwen, went to look through the film list of the two - "Infernal Affairs", "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", "No One is Missing", ...... So this film doesn't rely so much on the director as on the producer.

When Ji Ming thought about showing Alice the scenes of Chinese movie shooting, he didn't know why, the first thing he thought of was "Heroes of Fire", probably because it was relatively close, and they set up a one-to-one scene at a film and television base around the capital.

So I contacted it, and the other party was also very happy to visit the class, and there were foreign friends.

There is a point of "Chinese don't come to see, let foreigners come to see it, ask him if the cow is beep".

Of course, Ji Ming can't accompany Alice all the way, he will accompany her for a few trips, and then Yang Ruyi and the others will accompany her for a turn, and she has to go to "Heroes of Fire" by herself, starting from the capital, it won't take long to arrive.

"Sister Tan, you have a play today. ”

As soon as Ji Ming entered, he saw Tan Zhuo, this sister has been developing very well recently.

"Ah, long time no see, this is the director of your new movie? Tan Zhuo glanced at it, greeted Alice, and then lowered his voice and asked Ji Ming.

Ji Ming blinked, this is the top-secret news I heard from somewhere.

"Lou Dao?"

"Yes, he asked me about you before, and then when we had a chance to talk, he said that you want to find a foreign director. Tan Zhuo was also very tight, and his mouth was up: "Don't worry, I didn't tell anyone, I also helped you tell the guide Lou." ”

"Thank you, we'll talk later. ”

Today, the people are quite together, the leading actors, the leader, um, his father, the old actor Monkey Zi is here, and the director and producer are also complete.

It takes half an hour for a circle of people to chat.

It is true that the status is different, Berner is quite enthusiastic about Ji Ming, and this battle is not excluded from being deliberately posed.

They are very close to the Hong Kong circle in the north, and you go to see a lot of Hong Kong directors who are emerging in the mainland, all of which are produced by Bernard. When Boss Yu had not yet fallen to this point in the Hong Kong City movie, when there was still movement in the world, he cooperated with that side, and until now he has brought them back to the mainland, which is also a process of historical change, offensive and defensive, easy also.

"I'm sorry to disturb everyone. ”

"There is no matter," Chen Guohui is also Mandarin with taste, the education in Hong Kong City is actually problematic, Wanwan also has Chinese classes, so these people are all half-pulled: "You can come and advise, we can't ask for it." ”

"You're serious. Ji Ming pointed at Alice: "Alice, Italian director, my friend, she came back to China for the first time, and wanted to see what it was like to shoot movies in China. ”

In this case, the translator will not give the translation, and directly say, "They are greeting." ”

The scenery of "Fire" is very real, mainly because of the solid investment, and the director of Hong Kong City is good at studio shooting, because in that small place, if you don't have a scene, you can only shoot modern dramas. They built a fire 1:1, and when the time came, they burned it directly, and they also built a big restaurant, and when the time came, it also burned down directly, which was very arrogant.

Gift films, willing to spend money.

Alice was indeed a little shocked, as a well-known director who won the Cannes Jury Award and Best Screenplay, she has really not been exposed to films of this intensity, in fact, there are very few films of this type in Europe now - you say that Europe is dying and old, it is okay not to have this gene, or that people have reached a new stage of development, in short, such a big battle of special effects films, Europe is rare, this part of the market demand, completely occupied by Hollywood.

By the time they put on their firefighting suits and watched an explosion scene.

"It's amazing, I don't have any confidence to be able to control such a crew. "Alice is like a hillbilly.

Ji Ming felt that many people were quite proud.

In fact, he himself has this sentiment, Europe is old, the United States is declining, or China is thriving - forget it, let's be realistic, as far as commercial films are concerned, Hollywood is probably still at least 30 years ahead of China, on the whole.

And some of them are chasing, but there is the motivation and action to chase, which is enough to be comforting.

What I'm afraid of is not the gap, but the lack of even the courage and ideas to chase - just like Europe now.

"We make art films, not so exaggerated, and we don't have so much money to burn. Ji Ming directly communicated with her in Italian, bypassing the editor, so that no one else could hear what they said: "And it burns money, it's not difficult to learn, if you have an idea, you might as well try to make more movies in China in the future." ”

Alice nodded.

The crew performed their own duties, and some people took Alice and the translator around to communicate with the director and producer. Ji Ming fell behind and happened to chat with Tan Zhuo.

"Director Lou is so interesting, some time ago, he asked Ning Hao, Guan Yu, and Wang Xiaoshuai to save up a bureau to talk about my book, which scared me. ”

Tan Zhuo blinked: "You didn't agree to this, it's too kind." ”

"Haha, Alice was already talked about at that time. ”

"You are very wild now, the team has been selected from all over the world, why didn't you think about finding a role for your Sister Tan?" Tan Zhuo half-jokingly.

Ji Ming glanced at her: "To be honest, when I see you now, I think of the emoticon of the noble concubine - I can't substitute you into any role." ”

“……”

Speaking of which, it is really a blessing and a curse, her previous film list, "Spring Breeze Drunk Night", "Hello! Mr. Tree", "Bursting Silence", "The Murder Chaser" ...... The whole goddess of literature and art. But after acting in "Yanxi Raiders", there are more opportunities and more money, but the image doesn't seem to be going back.

It's gone mainstream.

A lot of times that's how it is, you can't have it both – not everyone has koi.

But she also did not stand on the side of complaining.

They wandered around the set for most of the day, and it was evening at the end, Ji Ming invited guests to have supper, oysters and prawns can be made, eggplant leeks and long beans, he actually doesn't eat it himself, and he really lacks a lot of joy in life - this is the evaluation given by Alice, who is very happy to eat.

This eldest sister is really a tiger, and she can mix like a fish in water with a translator.

At this time, he was supervising and supervising Li Jinwen, who is also a woman, and was chattering crookedly over there - I was very surprised to know that the other party had participated in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". asked again, she also participated in "No One is Missing", which won the Venice Golden Lion Award, and it was even more "wow", which made Li Jinwen quite useful.

For many European filmmakers, some of their films in the early years, Zhang Guoshi, and the King of Sunglasses are actually not unfamiliar.

"Ji Ming, let's really sum it up and cooperate well. Boss Yu also came over in person and met Liu Weiqiang and Chen Guohui in person: "Ji Ming, I think he is the most comprehensive and best actor in China now, don't always make art films, you have to make commercial films, you are young, it's a good thing to have more experience, wait until you are forty or fifty, and you have deep experience, and then you can shoot some works that are beneficial to society." ”

Ji Ming listened to him and didn't brag about it.

"You have a good project, I definitely can't ask for it, which of us will refuse to be the boss. ”

"You're just—" Boss Yu nodded at him.

Ha ha.

Ji Ming thought badly: "Could it be that Director Lin Chaoxian is willing not to use Mr. Peng from Bay Island?"

At present, Berner's most concerned is undoubtedly Lin Chaoxian's main theme action, "Operation Mekong", "Operation Red Sea", and then "Emergency Rescue", but according to Director Lin's preferences, it is estimated that it will not be Ji Ming's turn to be the starring role.

Boss Yu really frowned.

"Just kidding, don't frown. ”

When the topic comes to this, it's almost the same, Ji Ming's meaning is also very clear, if you want to find me to make a commercial film, at least you have to take out the trump card project, let me help you take the risk, that is, thank you for not being sensitive, there are more opportunities.

After supper, I returned to Beijing overnight.

Alice stayed in China for a week, and Ji Ming later took her to see the special effects post-production of "The Wandering Earth", which was also quite amazing. Yang Ruyi sent her to some studios of TV programs to watch it according to her ideas, dozens of cameras, three-dimensional stages, and they were quite handy.

"Chinese filmmaking is so different from what I imagined, I haven't been to Hollywood, but I think at least in terms of hardware, you can make Hollywood blockbusters. Alice waited for the big eyes: "It's like I've experienced a Wonderland, Alice in Wonderland." ”

"Haha," Ji Ming was happy for a while, this hit the name meme, and it was quite funny: "But you know that movies are too complicated, even if the Chinese make very good works, they are not necessarily more recognized than Hollywood bad movies in the West." ”

Alice nodded knowingly.

She pulled out a large notebook from her backpack.

Ji Ming took it and opened it, and sighed: "Storyboard?"

"Yes," Alice nodded, "I did some storyboards, according to the script, I think we should still have a little more understanding before deciding, what do you want the movie to look like, what I think it will look like, at least we should be able to get a general agreement before this cooperation can continue." I know it's an adventure for you to choose an Italian, your country is so big, and there are so many good directors, so let's take a look. ”

Ji Ming nodded.

The picture on the left is that the teacher Chunya, played by Tao Hong, is demonstrating dance in the dance studio.

Alice writes:

"She should be bathed in the sun and smile with the joy of immersion. The composition should be a splicing of walls, floors, and windows, and the shooting angle should be a semi-panoramic ......"

Then Ji Ming flipped down.

On the left there is a panorama, a close-up, two.

The painting is played by Yang Ming, who appears in the flashback, the stage accident that caused him to be injured and unconscious, which was the beginning of everything. The shattered ceiling fell from above, but it had not yet fallen on top of the actors' heads, and the frightened colleagues on the side stage were in stark contrast to Yang Ming, who was invested on the stage.

She writes:

"It should focus on showing the strong yearning in the content of the dance, and Yang Ming should be extremely happy and affirmative when he dances this dance. Large panorama directly ahead, close-up of the face......"

Ji Ming flipped it over, and most of the storyboards were consistent with what he imagined in his mind, and a few were different - Alice's understanding of the perfect dream was European and divine, but Ji Ming did not have this tendency, after all, he had no religious beliefs, but this belonged to the category of Alice's creative autonomy.

After reading the script, his heart is half of it, and now it's the part that "destroys this perfection" in the back, if Alice is not good at it, he can do more - in fact, Alice herself is worried about the destruction part, but Ji Ming thinks that the difficulty is the construction of the fantasy world in the front, the better it is built, the more enjoyable and simple it is when it is destroyed.

"I'm a lot more relaxed, we have a lot of things in common. ”

Alice has been looking at him and is relieved, of course she is a serious person, but she will do her work so carefully, or because she is interested in the book and working with Ji Ming, in fact, even if she is such a warm director, she also has the urge to destroy.

"I have only one suggestion, of course, I want the lens to be clearer, I think the divine brilliance is too overflowing, and it will weaken the sense of visual power. For example, this," Ji Ming clicked on the storyboard of Teacher Chunya: "She can bathe in the sun, but maybe she can let the sunlight only stay in her hair and only on the wall, without the need to fill the whole space with a warm sense of light." ”

"You mean we want to create a perfect fantasy world on the basis of reality?"

"Before Yang Ming realizes the unreality of this world step by step, we should let the audience have the cognition that this is a very beautiful and very warm real world, and it actually exists. ”

Alice thought for a moment and agreed.

After in-depth and candid exchanges, both sides have more confidence in cooperation.

"I'm going to finish my work in China at the end of December, and I'll be here until I finish the storyboard, and then I'll have a deeper understanding of the script. ”

Ji Ming nodded: "Budget and crew, I will contact you well, if you have a team, you can also bring it together." Some of these important people, such as photographers, will wait until you come over and hand-pick. I try my best to provide you with everything you need - except for money that goes out of budget. ”

“……”

Since Ji Ming planned to become a producer, the first and most important piece of advice given to him by all his seniors was to "control the budget and control the shooting schedule".

"The director is a bottomless pit, and he can finish whatever you give him. ”

Therefore, he strictly adhered to the earnest teachings of his predecessors.

One word: picking.

Xu Zheng told him: "You just remember to 'pick' anyway, with your level, you won't pick indiscriminately, when it comes to the quality of the film, you don't need the director to fight for the budget with you, you will naturally give him the money, but if the director lets go of himself, you have to pick it, keep every penny, tighten the line in your hand, don't let them get big." ”

Alice sighed helplessly: "I know, I know, I'll save money." ”

Ji Ming gave her a thumbs up.

A director who can save money is a good director in the first place - the "liar" of Director Guo in "Earth" cannot be promoted.

……

Alice's circle, in fact, there are many people who know, or half-guess and half-inquire, Ji Ming's new movie is already in preparation - the main control production is still the name of Xitian Film and Television, which is also part of the cooperation between Xitian and Ji Ming, they are responsible for casting and pulling the group - in addition to several protagonists, many actors are also needed, some of them are supplied by Xitian, and some of them have to be selected.

Snowflake-like resume.

All kinds of handsome guys and beauties.

Ji Ming also flipped through the resumes of Zhou Xin's ex-girlfriend Liu Linhong - there are several idol dramas on it, and it seems that the owner is not very powerful. Among the others, I don't know if there are any of his classmates, or brothers and sisters.

"Do you want to stay?" the assistant director looked at him.

"Ask me?" Ji Ming glanced at the casting assistant director from Xitian: "I only choose during the audition, if I can't choose, it will be your dereliction of duty, how do you choose before, that's your job, and it's also your right - don't let me hear anything that damages the reputation of the project, understand?"

The assistant director was nervous, he had just passed an actress - after drilling wood for fire, of course.

"Understood. ”

This kind of thing, Ji Ming can't manage it if he wants to, one is willing to take care of the other.

As soon as Ji Ming left, the assistant director directly pulled out Liu Linhong's resume and threw it away-bad luck.

Look, this is the entertainment industry, this is the thinking of decision-makers, you don't need any reason and basis, who can you reason with?

……

When Ji Ming returned to Chinese opera from Xitian - Chu Qing had already gone to Europe, and it was a coincidence that he was on the same plane as Alice who returned to China. So there is no need for him to go home recently, he pours on both sides of Xitian and Chinese opera, and occasionally goes to perform two performances of "The Last Emperor", which is basically in the Capital Theater, the base camp of human arts, which is considered an exclusive, and recently only the Capital Theater can see the all-A coffee "The Last Emperor".

Then he found out that he was about to truly say goodbye to his school days.

When Mr. Chen asked him, "Can I recommend a few new people to you?"

Ji Ming was full of emotion in his heart.

From the beginning of his sophomore year when he was selected by Zhou Shaohong to play the youth version of "Thunderstorm", to "I Am an Actor", to New York Fashion Week, to "God of Medicine", to "Immortals", to "The Wandering Earth", and now to "Struggle" - he will always return to Chinese opera after being busy, remove all kinds of smiles, return to the campus, and return to the dormitory of the four Chinese opera tyrants.

But now, that's all in the past.

He lowered his head and smiled: "I'll let the assistant director contact you, but there is no priority." ”

If someone is really selected, then in the crew of "Struggle", Ji Ming is an investor, a producer, a screenwriter, a starring actor, he or she, a supporting role, and even a big trick - the cruel understanding of the different encounters between classmates is almost unconcealed.

"Is that good?"

"Every opportunity is good, and superfluous thoughts are bad. "Teacher Chen is very meaningful, as an experienced teacher, she has seen too many of these things.

"Listen to you. ”