Chapter 305: Didn't walk out

Tian Zhuangzhuang received a call from Old Situ, asking him to come over for dinner in the evening.

This made Old Tian a bit puzzled. He couldn't hear any joy or anger from Old Situ's words, and he was a bit unsure what it was about.

He thought about all his recent behaviors, and he was very sure that he hadn't done anything out of line, so there was only one thing left: film!

Okay, Cao Yang, this kid is really something. He went to Old Situ to complain, right?

He felt a bit depressed for a while, guessing that he would definitely be scolded tonight.

Let him scold if he wants to.

He didn't believe that Old Situ could force him.

Old Tian clearly remembered that when he was just admitted to the Beijing Film Academy in 1978 and saw Old Situ in class for the first time, Old Situ once said:

... You are a generation with a special mission. In the future, when you become a director, you must not forget your original intention, you must learn to use the appearance of the hardships and fate of small characters to expound the stubborn diseases and future of the country, showing deep sympathy for the bottom of society and ordinary people...

He has always done this, so did he do something wrong?

Cao Yang's script called *Pieta* is really well written!

In a big way, it is to describe the stubborn diseases and pain points of society, pointing out those problems that plague us and need to be solved urgently.

In a small way, it is to dig into human nature through the hardships and fate of small characters, showing sympathy for the bottom of society, holding a compassionate feeling.

Old Tian couldn't help but sigh again, this script is really well written. It uses extreme character relationships to explore universal emotional propositions, wrapped in a shell of bloody violence with an ultimate question about human redemption.

Such a good script, why set the background in Hong Kong?

Isn't the mainland just right?

If Old Situ scolds him, Old Tian is prepared to use the words Old Situ said in class to refute him.

Old Tian couldn't help but think proudly, this is using his own spear to attack his own shield. Let's see how the old guy scolds him then.

In the evening, when Old Tian arrived at Old Situ's house, he didn't expect Old Situ to be cooking himself.

"You sit down first. I'll finish this tomato scrambled eggs and we'll eat."

Old Situ was wearing an apron and pointed to the sofa.

Then, he went to the kitchen to get busy.

Old Tian opened his mouth and sat on the sofa, feeling a bit depressed.

He had thought of countless situations, but he never expected Old Situ to cook himself, and he even made his favorite tomato scrambled eggs.

He remembered very clearly that the old guy didn't like eating tomatoes, didn't like the sour taste of tomatoes, because the old guy was allergic to tomatoes. As long as he ate tomatoes, red rashes would appear between his lips and chin.

This old guy, don't think that this can make me moved and surrender.

After Old Situ finished cooking, Old Tian helped serve it and asked: "Where is Cao Yang, that kid? Didn't he come?"

"Just the two of us today."

Old Situ washed his hands and asked while wiping them: "What do you want to drink? I have Luzhou, Wuliangye, and Red Star here."

Old Tian was stunned again. Did the sun rise from the west? The old guy actually took the initiative to let him drink a little.

"Red Star, Red Star is still smooth to drink."

Old Tian has a special feeling for Red Star. During his ten years of being banned, especially in the first few years, he drank a lot of Red Star. It was spicy and tasty enough and smooth.

To Old Tian's surprise, until the meal was almost finished, Old Situ didn't talk about anything.

What surprised him even more was that when the old guy was eating, he actually ate a lot of tomato scrambled eggs.

He watched Old Situ eat one chopstick after another, and couldn't help but remind him: "You are allergic to tomatoes, so eat less."

Old Situ picked up another chopstick, put it in his mouth, and said while chewing: "I was allergic to tomatoes when I was young, so I didn't dare to eat them, and I didn't dare to try them. I lived like this for decades.

When I was old, I couldn't help but try it once. It was so delicious that I liked it. At first, I was still allergic, and my mouth and chin were numb and itchy. However, after eating it a few times, it was fine. It's really strange."

Old Tian is not stupid; he must have heard what Old Situ meant.

He looked carefully at Old Situ's chin, and there were really no small red rashes, which made him a bit puzzled.

Old Tian picked up the small wine cup, drank it in one gulp, smacked his lips, and simply clarified: "If you have anything to say, just say it directly. Beating around the bush is not your style."

Old Situ glared at Old Tian, didn't pick up the topic, but also picked up the small wine cup and took a sip, then said: "I still remember your graduation work is called *The Courtyard*, right?"

"It's been so long, who remembers."

Old Tian picked up a piece of tomato scrambled eggs, chewed it, and swallowed it before saying.

Seeing Old Situ raise his chopsticks to hit him, Old Tian said quickly: "Yes, yes, it's called *The Courtyard*."

Old Situ was so angry that he threw his chopsticks on the table and cursed:

"Forget it, I won't pretend anymore. I can't pretend to be nostalgic and gentle, especially to you, this rogue. Seeing you makes me angry. You rabbit, go pour me a glass of water. This broken tomato makes my mouth numb and itchy."

Old Tian got up quickly, wanting to laugh a bit, but didn't dare. He poured a glass of water and put it in front of Old Situ, asking with concern:

"How are you? You are so old, why are you trying to be brave? If you can't eat it, don't eat it. You have to be stubborn. Do you want to go to the hospital to see?"

"See my ass!"

Old Situ drank some water and said angrily: "Who is the photographer of *The Courtyard*? Don't say you don't remember. Believe it or not, I'll beat you."

Old Tian pouted. With your fiery temper, no wonder Xie Fei and Zhengdong call you a rude documentary craftsman.

It's really strange. You, a documentary filmmaker, actually taught so many art film directors. Where can I reason? No wonder Xie Fei is so depressed.

"Zhang Yimou, Hou Yong, and Lv Le."

Old Situ sighed and said earnestly:

"Zhang Yimou is from the photography department. He was your photographer and Chen Kaige's photographer. Look at him now, winning awards until his hands are soft. Whether it's fame or influence, he has long surpassed you and Chen Kaige.

And Chen Kaige, you are classmates. He didn't have as much spirituality as you at the beginning. Among you, I was the most optimistic about you. Now? He has the Cannes Golden Palm in his hand, and his fame and influence have also surpassed you.

Not only me, Xie Fei, Zheng Dongtian, those old guys, all thought you were the most talented one at the beginning, and Marco Müller, he was also the most optimistic about you... Sigh!"

Old Tian didn't speak, picked up the wine bottle to fill Old Situ, filled his own, picked it up, and drank it in one gulp.

"Cough, cough..."

Maybe it was because he drank too fast, or maybe it was for other reasons, Old Tian was choked and coughed, his face flushed red.

Old Situ didn't care about the coughing Old Tian. He slapped the table hard and said with hatred for iron not becoming steel:

"I also read the script Cao Yang gave you. This kind of script is easy to win awards if filmed well. It is your last chance. I will talk about a few points, and then you decide where to set the background.

2008 is the Olympics, and next year is 2007. At this juncture, do you think such a film can pass the review? Anyway, I think it's very difficult.

You have been banned for ten years. Do you want to be banned again?

Also, don't you use your brain? The whole world is coming to Jingcheng for the Olympics, but you tell the whole world that there are still such cruel black society organizations in the country? Isn't this smearing?

Have you thought about it? Even if you are the director, the screenwriter is Cao Yang. To be blunt, your reputation abroad is not at the same level as Cao Yang's. When those foreigners see it, they will only think that this is Cao Yang conveying something to the outside world.

Aren't you harming Cao Yang? What will the higher-ups think of Cao Yang? They will think Cao Yang wants to make trouble at the critical moment of the Olympics.

Cao Yang gave you a script that can win big awards, but you let Cao Yang bear such a reputation. Aren't you guilty?"

At first, Old Tian didn't take it seriously. Even if he was banned again, what could happen? Maybe it would fulfill his reputation instead.

But as he listened, it didn't feel right, and he couldn't help but start frowning.

"It shouldn't be, right? I am the director. If there is any blame, it should be blamed on me. How can it involve Cao Yang?"

Old Tian asked with some lack of confidence.

"What do you think?"

Old Situ glared and said angrily:

"If the screenwriter were an ordinary person, it certainly wouldn't be blamed on the screenwriter, but is Cao Yang an ordinary person? Others will think this is Cao Yang conveying something through your hands. Otherwise, why would Cao Yang set the background in Hong Kong instead of the mainland?"

"I..."

Old Tian opened his mouth, and the words he said became, "I was just thinking about the possibility of setting the background on the mainland, and I didn't say that the background must be set on the mainland."

He is not afraid of being banned, but if Cao Yang is implicated because of this, it is not his wish. He certainly doesn't want Cao Yang to be implicated.

"Can I present the story in the script completely?"

Old Tian picked up the wine glass and looked at the transparent liquid in it, a bit dazed.

If the background is on the mainland, he has rich experience and knows how to film it, how to present the story. This is also one of the reasons why he wants to set the story background on the mainland.

"How should I film it?"

This is the first sentence Old Tian asked after seeing Cao Yang again.

"What how to film?"

Cao Yang was a bit puzzled. Old Tian's question was too abrupt.

"I think you are right. It is most appropriate to set the background of the story in Hong Kong."

Old Tian was still a bit awkward when he said this, but after saying it, he suddenly felt much more comfortable, as if he had unloaded a psychological burden.

"However, I am afraid that I can't film the taste of Hong Kong and waste such a good script. That would be a pity."

Cao Yang originally wanted to say, just film it according to the script. But thinking about it, such a general statement might make Old Tian even more at a loss, so he said it in more detail.

"You can use rough and direct performance techniques, use more zoom shots and close-up shots, as well as overhead shots, and try to show a suppressed and cold feeling."

After thinking about it, Cao Yang added:

"You don't have to deliberately pursue the feeling of the so-called Hong Kong underworld. There is no so-called underworld in the script. From beginning to end, there is only one debt collector. The focus is on the character, not the underworld.

We just set the background in Hong Kong for the sake of passing the review, not necessarily to film the taste of Hong Kong. As long as the male and female protagonists can stand up, the film will be successful."

Cao Yang tailored a script for Tian Zhuangzhuang!

This news is quite sensational in the industry.

Everyone envies Tian Zhuangzhuang very much.

Everyone knows that Cao Yang can win awards, can lift people up, and has a super high box office, but under the cover of these halos is his ability to write scripts.

As long as you know a little about Cao Yang, you know that Cao Yang's films are all written by himself, so an ignored fact is that Cao Yang's script is definitely at a first-class level in the industry.

This point is based on facts.

He wrote *Juno* for Fox Searchlight, won the Oscar for Best Picture, and also won the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay for the third consecutive time with this film.

He wrote *Crazy Stone* for a small director like Ning Hao who had no fame, and it directly made Ning Hao one of the few directors in the country with a box office of over 100 million.

It was even earlier than Chen Kaige entered the "100 Million Club."

Now he wrote a script for Old Tian, and it is said to be an art film, so it is certain that Old Tian is going to turn over.

For a time, everyone began to pay attention to *Pieta*.

Especially the actors, they have already started to act, inquiring about what kind of actors this film needs, whether they have a possibility, or whether they have a way to join the crew.

In this era, film resources are not many, good resources are even fewer, and top resources are even rarer.

As long as the resources are related to Cao Yang, they are top resources.

"Do you know? Cao Yang wrote a script for Tian Zhuangzhuang. It's spreading in the industry now."

Sister Hong walked in from the outside in a hurry and said to Old Chen.

Since *The Promise* was criticized by the public in the country and failed at the box office in North America, Old Chen was once disheartened, staying at home all day, not going anywhere, not socializing, not contacting friends, and claiming to be in seclusion.

Hearing Sister Hong's words, Old Chen, who was lying on the recliner and closing his eyes to rest, was startled, sat up from the recliner, sat blankly for twenty seconds, and then lay down decadently.

"Tian Zhuangzhuang has been banned for so many years and has long lost his spirit. Look at what he has filmed in the few years since he was unbanned. There is no spirituality at all. Even if Cao Yang wrote him a good script, whether he can film it well is unknown."

Old Chen closed his eyes again and said lazily to Sister Hong.

"You are classmates, close fellow apprentices, why are you so unoptimistic about him?" Sister Hong asked curiously.

"What's the use of me being optimistic about him? It's that he doesn't strive for progress and is decadent. Can this be blamed on others?"

Old Chen's tone was still as casual as ever.

"What if he succeeds?"

Sister Hong asked.

At the same time, a thought suddenly appeared in Sister Hong's heart: Can Cao Yang also write a script for Old Chen? If she went to Cao Yang, should he agree?

Subsequently, Sister Hong denied this thought that popped up. Old Chen is arrogant. The more the outside world says his script is bad and the film is inexplicable, the more he wants to prove himself in this regard.

It is conceivable that Old Chen is almost impossible to use Cao Yang's script.

Because even if the film succeeds, Old Chen certainly cannot accept the outside world saying that the success of the film is because the script is good.

"If he succeeds?"

Old Chen muttered.

What is success? What kind of success?

For a director like Tian Zhuangzhuang who comes from an art film background, success at the box office certainly doesn't count as success.

Just like Old Mouzi now has two films with a box office of over 150 million, but when people in the industry mention him, the first reaction is still the numerous awards he has won.

So if Tian Zhuangzhuang wants to succeed, he must win big awards, preferably the highest awards of the European Three Major Film Festivals.

"Is it possible? Impossible, right."

Old Chen muttered again and closed his eyes again.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 306 =====