Chapter 84 Zhang Long's Film Style
Chapter 84 Zhang Long's Film Style
Zhang Chen smiled and said nothing. Han Sanping knew that this guy must have something up his sleeve, and it was obvious that his two old friends were very interested in it.
He was also quite interested.
China Film Group and Shanghai Film Group both have distribution businesses and have the most contact with Hong Kong films. Even "New Police Story" has investment from China Film Group. Xi'an Film Studio is also working with Jackie Chan on "The Myth", which will start shooting next month.
"Talk to us. We old guys also want to hear what the young people think. Don't worry, we are not the kind of people who like to talk too much."
Since Han Sanping said so, Zhang Chen couldn't hold it in any longer.
“I’m not optimistic about the box office performance of New Police Story.”
"why?"
"Everyone is very familiar with Cheng Long's style. When people mention Cheng Long, the first thing that comes to mind is the thrilling action scenes and the fighting style with the furniture store god of war.
In every one of his movies, the action scenes are arranged very densely, and the fights are definitely humorous; this is his personal style.
But this routine has been going on for nearly 20 years.
At first, people had never seen this and thought it was very novel and exciting. He also used this to enter the Hollywood market.
But you'll get tired of it after a while.
There is another label for him, thrilling action scenes.
Back then, the movie "Rumble in the Bronx" shocked all Americans, realizing that movies could be made this way.
It also directly raised the threshold for action movies. For other action actors, it's just a job, but he is different. He will challenge you to death right away. Of course, others can't beat him, so he became famous.
But aesthetics improves with experience.
Today the audience sees you jumping off a car, tomorrow they want to see you jumping off a train, the day after tomorrow they want to see you jumping off a plane, and the day after that they want to go into space.
You can only satisfy people's desire to watch by constantly raising the bar, but human power is limited.
The task becomes increasingly difficult and dangerous, but Cheng Long is getting older.
Moreover, times have changed. You don’t have to risk your life to shoot those shots anymore. Film and television special effects can make everyone an action star. For big scenes, you just need to perform in front of a green screen and then synthesize them in post-production.
In other words, Cheng Long's advantage is gone.
In recent years, the audience has gradually become immune to Cheng Long's style, so his box office performance in recent years has not been very good, it's because of aesthetic fatigue. "
"Ah, then what should he do? Is Cheng Long just going to become a thing of the past?"
Cao Bingkun asked subconsciously, Cheng Long was his childhood idol.
That's Cheng Long.
Zhang Chen glanced at him and shook his head: "If you want to change this situation, Cheng Long must change his style. In fact, he has realized this problem, otherwise there would be no "Myth". "Myth" is a non-Cheng Long-style movie. When have you ever seen him shoot a costume movie?
But I don't think the effect is necessarily good. After the release of "The Bourne Supremacy", action movies were redefined. The action style is also phased. Thirty years ago, the acrobatic movements of Cheng Long were popular, but now it is the "Bourne Supremacy" style, where the movements must be sharp and fast, rather than repeatedly pulling back and forth..."
Zhang Chen's words made the eyes of the people on the opposite side light up. Han Sanping praised: "I didn't know you have quite a lot of knowledge. Aren't you a horror film director? How come you are also interested in action films?"
This can be regarded as Han Sanping's affirmation of Zhang Chen.
"I just like to think about it when I have nothing to do. As a director, I must understand the audience's preferences in order to cater to their tastes."
“You’re quite attentive.”
"Your parents are the ones who provide you with food and clothing. You must serve them well."
"Haha~"
"So you'll also make action movies in the future?"
"It should be, but not now. For now, we should focus on consolidating the basic situation."
"Stop talking, Cheng Long is here..."
Without any warning, Ning Hao suddenly said this, and then everyone found that a group of people really came to the food stall where they were, led by Cheng Long.
Zhang Chen was a little dumbfounded. Is this retribution in this life?
A few seconds ago, he was still here saying bad things about someone, and in the blink of an eye, the real culprit appeared.
Everyone present was amused by this scene, except Zhang Chen, who was so embarrassed that he wanted to dig out a three-bedroom, one-living-room apartment with his toes.
The laughter attracted attention from the other side. Cheng Long turned around and found Yan Yiyun here, and then came over with a glass of wine.
"Director Yan, I didn't expect to see you here. President Han, President Ren, you're here too."
Although the Xi'an Film Studio has been restructured into the Western Film Group, people still habitually call Yan Yiyun the director rather than Mr. Yan or Mr. Yan.
Cheng Long first clinked glasses with Yan Yiyun, as the two families were currently collaborating on "The Myth". He also knew Han Sanping and Ren Zhonglun.
After all, if you want to develop in the mainland, you can't avoid these large state-owned groups.
When talking to these big guys, of course he did not ignore the little unknown people next to him. Although he didn't know them, since they could eat at the same table with several big guys, they were probably not ordinary people. Cheng Long nodded politely.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Cheng Long went back. He had just come over to say hello when they met during dinner.
Since the person involved is here, it is not appropriate for everyone to continue the previous topic, but there are other things to talk about.
Zhang Chen asked about "The Myth".
"I heard it's about to start?"
"Well, it's scheduled for the 5th of next month."
"Real-life shooting?"
"Yes. Initially, Hong Kong submitted an application to the museum, but the museum did not agree. I thought the matter was over, but they contacted Beijing directly, and the higher-ups all agreed, so the museum had no choice but to copy it."
"Then be careful not to damage the cultural relics."
A while ago, the crew of "The Promise" did something disgusting that damaged the environment, turning the Tianchi scenic area into a mess. Zhang Chen didn't want the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of the Qin Shihuang Mausoleum to repeat the same mistake.
"Well, we are also keeping an eye on it. Machines are not allowed to go down the pit, but people are allowed. We will try our best to arrange for museum staff." Finally, the museum has countermeasures. The Terracotta Warriors and Horses of the Qin Shihuang Mausoleum are known as the 'Eighth Wonder of the World'. It would be a big loss if a movie was damaged.
In fact, there was no need for Cheng Long to shoot on location at the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum.
That's where the people are.
In the movie you jumped off the Eiffel Tower, but you didn’t really jump off it. Are you still Jackie Chan?
You are filming the story of Qin Shi Huang, but the underground palace is not shot at the real Terracotta Warriors. Is this still a Jackie Chan movie?
What's the difference between you and those guys who rely on green screen?
So Cheng Long could only shoot on location, and he was stuck there.
It's mainly for publicity. You have already used special effects to build a mausoleum. Do you still need to dig a hole and place some clay figures?
How much does this cost?
But if it’s not shot on location, it will be difficult to promote it and it doesn’t fit with Jackie Chan’s personality.
It's all because of the character.
Cheng Long can be said to be driven by the audience's expectations.
In "Who Am I", he was just being chased by a lion, but in "Kung Fu Yoga", it becomes sitting side by side with a lion. If the story continues, I guess the audience will want to see Jackie Chan fighting a lion.
The group chatted a lot, and Zhang Chen was particularly interested in the Xi'an Film Studio.
The Xi'an Film Studio is no longer called the Xi'an Film Studio. It has been reorganized and is now called the Western Film Group.
But the Xi'an Film Studio used to be very powerful. It was one of the six major studios in China and produced many great directors.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the Xi'an Film Studio was the mainstay of Chinese films and even produced a "Northwest Gang", which shows how many talented people it had.
The highest award of the first A-category film festival in China was won by Xi'an Film Studio, which is the studio with the most awards in China.
Moreover, they have always been very courageous and seek innovation and change.
In the 80s and 90s, when westerns were popular, they imitated westerns and made a series of works such as "Yellow River Ballad", "Swordsman in Double Flag Town", and "Bombing the Double Lanterns".
Among them, "The Swordsman of Double Flag Town" was very popular in Hong Kong at that time. Although there were not many martial arts moves, the creation of artistic conception was very clever. Many Hong Kong martial arts film directors were deeply influenced by this film.
After the 90s, all the big studios declined, but the Xi'an Film Studio was still trying to transform. They collaborated with Hong Kong on "A Chinese Odyssey", but it flopped.
Unexpectedly, it was interpreted as a classic 10 years later.
After chatting for a long time, the group dispersed.
Speaking of which, I gained a lot tonight. I met several big guys and left a deep impression on them.
Zhang Chen drank a little too much in the evening. Just as he returned to his room and was about to wash up and go to bed, he received a call from Fan Binbin on his mobile phone.
"I saw you at the food stall just now." Fan Binbin's voice was as seductive as ever.
Zhang Chen had heard that the crew of "Cell Phone" had arrived, but he had never met them.
"Oh, you guys are eating nearby too?"
"No, just passing by."
"are you alone?"
"Correct."
"Then I'll go find you?"
Fan’s proposal was quite tempting, but after thinking about it, Zhang Chen decided to refuse.
"Forget it. It's a film festival now. There are a lot of people and reporters everywhere. Let's not have such an exciting time. It's better to be cautious."
Zhang Chen also wanted to talk about it later, but safety is the most important thing.
……
On the evening of the 19th, the awards ceremony began
In fact, the award ceremony is the closing ceremony of the film festival.
This time when walking on the red carpet, Zhang Chen finally didn't have to feel embarrassed because Zeng Li was with him.
The first to start was the Hundred Flowers Awards, hosted by Pu Cunxin.
"Cell Phone" became the biggest winner of this year's Hundred Flowers Awards, winning the Best Feature Film, Best Actor, and Best Actress awards.
Fan Binbin also successfully won her first "Water Queen".
This also became a dark history that she could never erase in her life.
Originally, the Hundred Flowers Awards were for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, but after Huayi Brothers sponsored the awards this year, it suddenly became Best Actress and Outstanding Actress, and the original Best Supporting Actress was cancelled.
Then Fan Bingbing won the Best Actress Award as she wished, but her role in "Cell Phone" was not the heroine at all, at most a fourth-rank female supporting role.
This is very suspicious.
But thinking about this, Zhang Chen actually felt a little sympathy for Fan Bingbing.
He and Li Bingbing fought each other to the death in the company, but the role he finally got was just a supporting role.
Wu Yue, played by Fan Binbin in "Cell Phone", is considered the fourth female supporting role, while Li Binbin's role in "A World Without Thieves" is only the second female supporting role.
The two of them are obviously big stars in their own companies, but they can't even get the role of the female lead in the works produced by their own company.
Even so, they still fight fiercely every day over who is the top female employee in the company. I don’t know what they are trying to achieve?
While I was daydreaming, Pu Cunxin announced that Zhang Chen won the Best New Director award for "The Dark Invasion".
Finally I gained something, at least the trip wasn't in vain.
The Hundred Flowers Awards is indeed an audience-oriented award.
But the Golden Rooster Awards that followed were a bit puzzling.
The Best Feature Film, Best Director, and Best Actress awards all went to "Shanghai Grand", and the Best Actor award went to Liu Ye's "Beauty Grass". I haven't seen any of them. The famous Zhang Yimou's "House of Flying Daggers" only won the Best Art Direction Award.
"Cell Phone" is even worse, he just shaved his head.
These big men from the Golden Rooster Awards really don't take the big directors from the billion-dollar club seriously.
(End of this chapter)