Chapter 368 TV Series Starts Filming

The whole month of June has passed in excitement, and the summer season, which many domestic films have been looking forward to, is about to arrive.

The arrival of the summer vacation did not attract Gu Wei's attention. After all, Xingchen Film and Television Company had no movies released during the entire summer vacation. Instead, some other things made him pay more attention.

The topic of "Who owns the right to edit movies" has attracted widespread attention in the industry.

The cause was that in mid-June, the domestic film "Butterfly on the Shoulder", which was participating in the Shanghai Film Festival, was cut from two hours to one and a half hours by the film producers. The film was cut to such an extent that it would be meaningless even if it was submitted to the competition again. This also led to the film's director Zhang Zhiliang announcing his "withdrawal" in anger.

Although the incident ended with the film company compromising and restoring the running time to two hours, the two sides reached a settlement.

But this topic was still brought up for heated discussion.

The producer is naturally supportive. After all, this is equivalent to taking the right to speak into his own hands and holding the power of life and death over a movie.

But in the eyes of most directors in the industry, this is extremely unrealistic. Not to mention how many producers in the industry understand movies? Even if there are some who do, can they edit the film well? Can they understand the significance of all the shots shot by the director in the film?

To this end, the producer also used Hollywood as an example, saying that the reason why Hollywood movies swept the world is because the editing rights of the movies have always been in the hands of the producers. "They understand the audience, know the audience's needs, and can better present the selling points of the movie."

However, regarding the question of who has the final editing rights, major directors in the circle, such as Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, Feng Xiaogang, and Tsui Hark, have all been interviewed.

To sum it up in one sentence, China has a director-centered system and directors do not have the right to edit films. Who would be willing to make movies?
After all, directors still want to hold the power in their hands, and the right to edit cannot reflect the director's art.

"It is always said that compared with Europe and the United States, compared with Hollywood, the film industry system does not want to catch up, but instead wants to seize the editing rights. If we have this time and energy, it is better to think about how to produce high-quality films and improve the production capabilities of the domestic film industry."

Gu Wei's speech naturally received the support of most directors. Everyone had a similar idea that the business capabilities of domestic film producers were worrying. If they really handed over the editing rights, no one knew what kind of trouble would arise.

Furthermore, there is no film rating system in China, and when it comes to the scale of a film, the producer certainly cannot compare with the director who shoots the film himself.

There is a saying in the industry: Film is the art of the director.

Although it is a bit one-sided, it still makes sense, because movies are meant to tell stories or emotions, and the director is the one who decides the final direction of the story.

...

The editing of "2012" is still in progress. The more the editing progresses, the more confident Gu Wei becomes about the film.

Since the emergence of "Avatar", 3D blockbusters have changed the existing industry landscape. The birth of special effects movies has also set a standard for the film industry.

For example, as we all know, electronic products are updated very quickly. For example, the amazing electronic products a few years ago will eventually become obsolete over time, but once an industry standard is established, it will not be broken in a short time.

"Avatar" is a good start, but to be honest, the plot of this movie is just average, typical colonialism, oppressed alien natives' resistance plot, and the story content is not outstanding.

"2012" has a production cost that is not inferior to the former, and its technology is no less than the former. Although the content and story are not novel, it is still about doomsday and salvation, but the old routine is played well and there is no embarrassment of being outdated.

After all, classics last forever, and the older the classic routines are, the more they can attract people's attention.

On the other hand, the ratings of "Ode to Joy" also reached its peak, with the highest rating reaching 2.82, making it a phenomenal TV series that dominated the screen.

The leading actors such as Liu Tao, Jiao Junyan, Jiang Xin, Yang Zi, etc., naturally became very popular. This is not only reflected in the national enthusiasm, but also in the increase in the number of activities they participate in, and the numerous endorsements and announcements.

Everyone else was fine. Liu Tao and Jiang Xin were sincerely grateful for Liu Yifei's recommendation. They often contacted Liu Yifei when they had nothing to do. To outsiders, they looked like good sisters with a good relationship.

As for the company's other TV series "Parents' Love", post-production has been completed, and Gu Wei decided to release it at the end of the year as the big drama of the year.

In early July, "The Immortal Sword" started filming at Hengdian World Studios. The former three treasures of Zhouyi, Yu Bo, Yang Junyi and Zhang Jin, worked together again, which made countless audiences exclaim that their youth is back and they felt a little emotional.

Gu Wei did not attend the opening ceremony. Jiang Xueruo represented the company and served as the producer of this TV series. Together with Zhao Liying, who had just joined the 18th Company, and a group of veteran actors, the scene was bustling.

At the same time, Huang Bo, who had just finished filming the TV series "The Militiaman Ge Erdan", was lured to the Magic City by Huang Bo using the same old trick.

The only difference from last time is that this time Wang Baoqiang is there to help out.

Magic City, Xu Zheng’s home.

In order to show how much importance they attach to the wedding, they did not go to a restaurant this time, but chose to have it at home, with Tao Hong cooking the meal herself.

For her husband's sake, Tao Hong used her special skills of frying, stir-frying, and deep-frying, and she managed to make several authentic Shandong dishes.

"Is it true? Director Gu is very optimistic about this movie and you, and gave you 40 million in start-up capital?"

In the living room, Huang Bo nodded slightly after tasting the authentic Shandong cuisine. However, he was skeptical when listening to Xu Zheng's words, suspecting that the other party was bragging. …

On the set of "The Blade of the Assassin", filming is still going on.

Zhao Wenzhuo's performance was good. The Shen Lian he played looked calm and composed, and many shots were shot in just one take. The only thing that bothered Lu Yang was that this face looked too upright, and failed to highlight the contrast between the Jinyiwei who were both good and evil.

"Director, why don't we do it like I did in my previous film 'Fang Shiyu' and have more side shots," suggested Zhao Wenzhuo.

At the beginning, when Zhao Wenzhuo was just starting out, he collaborated with the "Kung Fu Emperor" and played the role of Nine Gates Admiral Ordo. At that time, his face was also handsome and upright. Later, with a side profile and a bottom-up shot, he played this classic villain role.

“Then let’s give it a try.” Lu Yang was not pedantic and started filming directly to see how the film turned out.

You won’t know if you don’t try, but you’ll be shocked if you try.

The subsequent scenes also went smoothly. Basically, the number of NGs for Zhao Wenzhuo's shots did not exceed three times, and the progress was much faster.

Commercial films also have their own fixed patterns. Just like online writing, everything has routines. Different scenes use different lighting. Everything is very stereotyped. Generally, directors and photographers are not too picky. At most, they adjust the light angle according to the actors.

In most scenes, three cameras are used for photography, with a "positive and negative shot" plus a panoramic view, which is a very efficient mode. At the same time, the crew of "The Blade of the Assassin" is divided into groups A and B to shoot simultaneously. Group A is responsible for the fighting scenes of the protagonists, and Group B is responsible for some of the literary scenes. This can speed up the progress.

In the script, Wu Jing plays the chief eunuch Zhao Jingzhong, a eunuch with superb martial arts skills who can use a spear, and he is quite majestic and domineering.

But if we count the male stars in the Chinese entertainment industry, there are very few who have a domineering look and body, are both feminine and gentle, and do not look out of place in martial arts style or ancient costumes.

For example, Sun Honglei, who rose to fame with the role of "Liu Huaqiang", looks very tough in modern clothes, but his appearance in "Warring States" is quite eye-catching.

In addition, for example, Tang Guoqiang, Chen Daoming, Chen Baoguo, etc., have strong aura when playing emperors and generals, but when it comes to playing feminine roles, it seems a bit incongruous. Of course, it is impossible for them to come to the crew of "The Blade of the Assassin".

Hong Kong stars Xu Shaoqiang and Gao Xiong are both good in ancient costume martial arts style with domineering looks. Qian Zhen Yiye, who plays Xiongba in "Feng Yun", is also very domineering. However, there are only a handful of actors who are both feminine and domineering.

Therefore, the role played by Wu Jing in "The Blade of the Assassin" can be regarded as an attempt on his acting career and also a new breakthrough.

The actor wearing a white robe and playing Wei Zhongxian is the veteran actor Jin Shijie. Lu Yang took the initiative to invite him. The two had worked together before, and the old gentleman happened to have a schedule, so he gladly took on the role of Wei Yan, a villain.

"Cough." Jin Shijie coughed lightly and sat on a chair. In front of him was Zhao Jingzhong, played by Wu Jing. His hushed voice sounded like a string that could break at any moment. It was highly recognizable, cold and serious.

"How is the situation at the East Factory now?"

"The Emperor has ordered the three judicial officials to check all the documents of the East Factory. I think the Emperor wants to banish the East Factory to the cold palace."

When Zhao Jingzhong said this, his eyes would occasionally look at Wei Zhongxian who was standing sideways in front of him.

Immediately afterwards, Zhao Jingzhong fell to his knees.

"Foster father, within twelve hours, I will chop off the heads of Shen Lian and the others."

Wei Zhongxian, who was sitting on the chair, had a questioning and doubtful tone in his voice.

"Jingzhong, could it be that you revealed your identity in front of some police guards?" Wei Zhongxian said, leaning forward.

"Okay." At this moment, in front of the monitor, Lu Yang could feel a sense of oppression.

As soon as Wei Zhongxian finished speaking, Zhao Jingzhong's face was filled with subtle expressions.

As expected of a veteran actor, his tone of voice and facial expressions are all on point. With just a few lines, he has created an image of a strong and unruly man who remains superior even after losing power.

"Click, this one passed." As Lu Yang shouted loudly, other voices suddenly rang out at the scene.

"Director, how is it?" Wu Jing strode over. He also served as assistant director, which was different from ordinary actors.

"Wow, that's great. You two really sang in this scene." Lu Yang exclaimed.

"Teacher Jin's acting is still the best. I just followed his rhythm." Wu Jing said.

……

(End of this chapter)