Volume 3: Taking Roots 2016 Chapter 606: Just Copy It
Putting aside the unknown content of the script, the scattered descriptions of Zhou Dongsheng's strong financial resources on the Internet are enough to make Zhou Dongsheng's invitation absolutely tempting, making it impossible for most directors to ignore it.
Apart from those at the top of the domestic pyramid who can be easily ignored, I guess there is no one else.
At this time, Wen Muye had already obtained a master's degree from the Beijing Film Academy and won several international short film awards with his excellent graduation works. He was already a well-known new generation director in the circle.
However, for the general public, the three words "Wen Muye" are still in an unknown stage. To put it more bluntly, the general public does not even know who Wen Muye is.
Compared to the stars standing in the spotlight, the directors who can truly become known to the public are basically a small group of people at the top of the industry pyramid.
Therefore, whether in terms of fame or capital accumulation, Wen Muye is still far behind. Compared with the endless stream of financial backers behind the famous directors, he still has to rely on himself to be self-reliant.
After all, no one knows how much money it costs to make a good movie. A seemingly simple movie of less than two hours has about a hundred minutes, and the value of one minute is easily calculated at hundreds of thousands.
The art of filmmaking can be best described as "time is money", not to mention those international blockbusters that cost over 100 million US dollars in investment. It can be summed up in two words: burning money!
Therefore, even if there was no script as an excuse, Zhou Dongsheng's strong financial resources alone would be enough to attract Wen Muye to the invitation. After all, investment is like Han Xin selecting soldiers, the more the better.
As for the script...it's not that Wen Muye is self-righteous, but as a professional, Wen Muye doesn't think a good script can be produced so easily.
In order to film the story of Lu Yong well, he spent several months on various preliminary preparations and data collection to gain an in-depth understanding of the subject.
As for polishing the script, there is not even an embryo yet. A lot of drafts have been wasted, and I haven't found the right ideas and entry points yet.
After all, any story is like a ball of wool, and you always need to find a suitable thread to interpret the whole process of unraveling the mystery...
Wen Muye made a decision immediately, bought a flight at the nearest time, and flew to Guangzhou without stopping to meet Zhou Dongsheng!
…
As for Zhou Dongsheng, he didn't know that he had become a hot commodity in Wen Muye's eyes. It was not just about money, but he also had a strong interest in his personal deeds.
Not only do they want money, they also don't let go of people.
After hanging up the phone, Zhou Dongsheng couldn't help but think of the second movie that Director Wen shot after his blockbuster success, which was also a critical and box office success...
Moreover, the subject matter is mainly about small people's entrepreneurship. If I use myself as the prototype... wouldn't it be equivalent to an autobiographical movie if rounded off?
What's more, from the perspective of drama and story alone, my personal deeds are more convincing than the original script. After all, I am a living real case.
It's just that which actor to use is still under discussion. Obviously, Prince Yi is no longer a suitable choice...
Zhou Dongsheng thought with great mischief, why not just play the role in his true self?
If he successfully makes a cameo appearance in "Wolf Warrior 2", he will be considered an actor with a salary of 5 billion yuan. If he adds this movie, wouldn't he be able to join the 10 billion yuan club?
It’s quite satisfying when I think about it. This side job is almost becoming my main job.
However, compared to joining the billionaire actor club, it is obviously faster to accumulate a billionaire fortune.
After all, even if I do nothing now, just relying on a few investments with unlimited potential in the future will be enough to allow me to easily achieve this goal.
It can be said that the words "financial freedom", which are out of reach for ordinary people, have long been within Zhou Dongsheng's reach.
Once the pursuit of wealth is no longer an urgent priority, the natural thing to do is to find fun in your life.
For Zhou Dongsheng at present, the range of fun he can find has been greatly improved.
Zhou Dongsheng couldn't help but feel eager to make some moves. Fortunately, he still had plenty of time and could live a happy life for a few years.
…
The next day, Wen Muye arrived in Guangzhou, exhausted. Zhou Dongsheng still held a banquet at the old place to welcome him and also discussed the film investment further.
Considering that this was the first time the two parties met, and it was not like a meeting between old friends like Wu Jing and Principal Wang, Zhou Dongsheng simply brought Xu Kaidao and Li Jiana along, just to make the occasion more festive.
By the time the three of them arrived at the private box, Wen Muye had been waiting alone for a long time. When he saw Zhou Dongsheng leading the way, he immediately stood up.
Subconsciously showing a full smile, but still a little embarrassed, he stretched out his hands to greet him, and said dryly and politely: "Mr. Zhou, I have heard a lot about you..."
On the contrary, Zhou Dongsheng has become accustomed to it now. He eats a lot of pork and watches pigs run a lot, and unknowingly has developed an aura that makes him unperturbed by fame or disgrace.
Zhou Dongsheng said apologetically, "There was a traffic jam on the road. I'm sorry to have kept Director Wen waiting for a long time. Let's order the food first. We'll talk about the movie later."
"I just got here too..." Wen Muye said, then sat down reluctantly, sitting next to Zhou Dongsheng.
"Old Xu, sit next to me. I'll show the script to Director Wen later. Let's see what the professionals have to say." Zhou Dongsheng kept smiling and invited Xu Kaidao to sit down.
Li Jiana naturally followed suit and sat in a seat slightly lower than hers, and Xu Kaidao sat down as well.
"I can't drink. If Director Wen wants to have a drink, I'll let Old Xu accompany you..." Zhou Dongsheng said casually while flipping through the menu.
However, the initiative at the dinner table is always firmly in his hands.
Wen Muye couldn't help but show a happy expression, "Actually, I don't like drinking, but there are always some occasions where I can't help myself..."
"That's perfect. I have a lot of good tea here. After dinner, let's have a good chat over tea and about this movie. I'm personally very interested in movies..."
"Not only the investment, Director Wu Jing also invited me to play a cameo role in his next movie. Then I can experience the joy of being an actor..." Zhou Dongsheng chatted casually about family matters.
"Director Wu is a senior in the industry. I grew up watching his works, and his films are pretty good..." Wen Muye said politely.
In this atmosphere of casual chatting, the atmosphere at the table became much more lively, and the distance between the two sides was shortened. After all, they were of similar age and could always find some common topics.
After the meal, even without the alcohol, the two sides had already started to treat each other like brothers.
Since it is Zhou Dongsheng's private box, there must be a tea table, and Chen Yuhang does have a lot of good tea.
After both parties moved to the tea table and sat down, Zhou Dongsheng started talking while fiddling with the tea set.
"Old Xu, show the script to Brother Wen. I was inspired by Lu Yong's deeds and asked my subordinates to help me write the script. Brother Wen, please give me some advice..."
Xu Kaidao handed over the script, and Wen Muye said politely: "I only made a few short films when I was in school, and luckily won a few awards, but I have never made a serious movie..."
"So I don't dare to give advice, I can only say that we can discuss it with each other..."
"Brother Wen, please don't be polite to me. This short film's international award is of great value. I also like Requiem very much. Brother Wen is truly gifted in portraying marginalized characters and showing humanistic care. He is born to do this..."
"I believe that Lu Yong's story will definitely shine in Brother Wen's hands!" Zhou Dongsheng's flattery made Wen Muye a little overwhelmed.
But once he started reading the script, he was soon absorbed in it.
Although from a professional perspective, the script is written very roughly and is obviously from the hands of a layman, it has a strong sense of narrative and is more like a novel than a script.
In just a few words at the beginning, the protagonist's middle-aged desolation is vividly portrayed. His life is not going as he wished, his business is not doing well, his old father is dying, and even his own son is about to die...
The cowardice and helplessness of this kind of person in middle age is so vivid that it is enough to resonate with many viewers. Just this beginning makes Wen Muye's eyes light up.
The plot may be a bit cliché, but it has the flavor of old wine in new bottles. Based on his clear understanding of Lu Yong's deeds, this beginning has obviously begun to be adapted.
After all, Lu Yong himself is a leukemia patient, but Cheng Yong is not.
Picking out the person involved and making him a bystander is an ingenious choice. Wen Muye nodded secretly and continued reading.
When you are at the end of your rope, there always seems to be a way out. The dramatic change and the huge profit difference make Cheng Yong, who is in urgent need of money, choose to take a risk and seek wealth and fame in spite of danger.
Although cliché, it has a clear narrative and a straightforward main line. Compared to some dramas that can't even tell a clear story and are deliberately mysterious from beginning to end, this one is obviously much better!
Then the single mother dancer, Huangmao, the pastor and other characters appeared one by one, which made Wen Muye watch with great interest. This unique perspective of small people can be said to be exactly the same as Wen Muye's hobby of portraying marginal characters!
This made Wen Muye feel a sense of mutual admiration. He never thought that there would be someone in the world who shared the same ideas as him!
Later, when the fake drug scandal broke out, the cowardly protagonist chose to retreat while the world was at its peak and disbanded his team, which brought the vivid image of the little man to life on paper.
Relying on the original accumulation of capital to start a business successfully, when the business is thriving, the old friend of the past died of critical illness, and the patient's desire for life...
Lu Yong decided to return to the business world, and this time he would not take a penny!
Seeing this, Wen Muye couldn't help but applaud, "Great! This script is really well written, Mr. Zhou. This sublimation is not abrupt at all, and it is handled very subtly..."
"What a saying! There is only one disease in the world: poverty..."
The more he watched, the more Wen Muye's heart changed from admiration to shock. He was shocked by the solid dialogue skills and the words that touched people's hearts!
As we all know, due to the length of the movie, every line has been carefully polished, and it is not an exaggeration to say that every word is worth a thousand gold.
It can even be said that good lines are half of a film's success. After all, many famous lines from movies have been passed down to this day and still have immortal artistic magic.
For example, a certain film work that urgently needs to be applied for World Heritage status has already risen to the level of the cultural heritage of the Chinese nation (funny).
In Wen Muye's eyes, every line in the script has the potential to become a golden sentence, whether it is the incisive "poverty disease" or the old lady's understated but heart-wrenching lines.
"I have been ill for three years. I have been taking genuine medicine that costs 40,000 yuan a bottle. I have lost my house and bankrupted my family..."
"Don't we know whether the medicine is fake or not? The medicine is only 500 yuan a bottle, and we can't make any money at all... Who doesn't have a patient..."
"If you take him away, we will all die. I don't want to die. I want to live. Okay?"
Every line is a blow that strikes deep into the soul. Even though they are just words, they are like a tangible impact that hits you in the face, deafening!
Wen Muye felt that he was just like that policeman, speechless and unable to let go for a long time.
The subsequent plot is even more ups and downs, with Huangmao's death and the protagonist's heartfelt roar and questioning, "He is only twenty years old, he just wants to live, what crime has he committed!"
The police's belief in upholding justice has suffered a huge blow.
However, if we ask ourselves, who is wrong? No one is wrong, not even the prescriptions that sell the genuine drugs at sky-high prices. After all, it was they who invested hundreds of millions of dollars in research and development to bring the life-saving drugs to market.
Copyright protection is to allow them to recover their R&D costs. If there is no profit, who will be willing to go to great lengths and invest in R&D regardless of cost in the future?
Precisely because no one is wrong, people feel powerless, which echoes the phrase "poverty is a disease". It makes people feel helpless and aggrieved, as if they have raised their fists but have nowhere to put their fists.
Finally, he was thrown into prison, and the sublimation of a patient's farewell was even more touching. In the end, the national medical insurance provided a safety net, which resolved the audience's resentment and made them feel grateful for having survived the disaster.
Although the overall script is rough, the completeness of the story and the priceless dialogue skills are enough to cover up those insignificant shortcomings, and the merits outweigh the flaws!
This script is well-written, and it completely touches Wen Muye's heart, although at first glance it seems that the adaptation of Lu Yong's deeds is a bit unsatisfactory...
But after thinking about it for a while, I feel that it has achieved a certain degree of balance.
Compared to telling the story from the perspective of the parties involved, narrating the whole story from the perspective of an observer is more suitable for the movie and can resonate more with the audience.
After putting down the script, Wen Muye couldn't calm down for a long time. He looked at Zhou Dongsheng in disbelief, "Mr. Zhou...Mr. Zhou, did you really write this script?"
It's no wonder that Wen Muye had such doubts. After all, the soul-touching lines and thoughts on the hardships of life were not what this young man, who had become famous at a young age and had a smooth life, should have.
After all, according to what Wen Muye learned on the Internet, Zhou Dongsheng is definitely a winner in life!
Zhou Dongsheng took a sip of tea nonchalantly, and with a face as thick as an iron wall, he nodded without changing his expression.
"I wrote it on a whim, it's a good script, isn't it, Brother Wen?"
You can't say that I actually copied it from you, right?
