Chapter 103 "The Akumizu Literature Award Serial Murder Case" production meeting finalized
Chapter 103 "The Akumizu Literature Award Serial Murder Case" production meeting finalized! (Includes the general plot of the novel)
In addition to the "drinking and bragging" trio, driver Kinoshita and other subordinates whom Kawaide Shizuko trusted more also sat in the cafe, each holding a simple script and reading it with relish.
Saito Rena, Kawaide Shizuko and Iwai Shunji, who had already read the original novel, also started reading it to revisit this wonderful, absurd and exciting story.
The protagonist of the story is an amateur novel lover named Ichiko Bakaro, who works for a large company under a chaebol family and lives a carefree middle-class life.
But he has always had a literary dream, hoping to become a literary writer by winning a literary award. Unfortunately, every submission he made was ignored and was not favored by the editorial department.
Until one day, when he had nothing to do, Ichiko Bakaro processed the various workplace scandals he had witnessed at work into a novel called "The Wolves of Big Enterprises". He published the novel in a fanzine, which immediately met with all kinds of bad reviews from the small circle. However, because of the eye-catching subject matter, excellent writing style, and meeting the needs of the editorial department of "Masses" magazine under "Guangdansha", he was signed and published in "Masses".
Ichiko, who had made a name for himself overnight, was ostracized by his colleagues and suppressed by his superiors because he exposed the dark side and ugly face of the chaebol group. However, due to the legal restrictions on Japan's lifetime employment system, the company could not fire him and instead transferred him to a toilet cleaner.
After his income plummeted, Ichiko's family conflicts broke out. His father kicked him out of the house, saying that he was not worthy of being his son because he could not be a real "Showa man". His wife also asked for a divorce from him. How could a man with no income be worthy of being her husband?
Although he had problems at work and at home, Ichiko's fame in the literary world grew. His editor told him that "The Wolves of Big Enterprises" had been recommended and shortlisted for the Keiji Prize, an important award in the literary world.
The Keiichi Prize is the second-highest award in the literary world and is known as the gateway to new writers.
As long as he wins this award, Ichiko will be able to turn his life around and transform himself from a social animal who can be suppressed by everyone to a "famous writer" with endless beauty and wealth.
At the same time, the editor recommended him to join his own "Guangtanshe" writer group.
When Ichiko attended a small group gathering for the first time, he was shocked by those so-called writers.
The group of writers owned by the editorial department of the well-known literary magazine "Masses" turned out to be a group of bizarre social anomalies.
Among them is a deputy editor who knows only hidden rules and business operations;
A short and fat famous writer who is extremely famous and a mainstay of a magazine, but can only copy books and have sex with female stars in the entertainment industry;
A housewife who thinks highly of herself, whose articles are full of typos, but who is obsessed with becoming famous and is willing to serve the deputy editor;
An ignorant literary girl who only knows how to show off difficult nouns;
Unemployed youth who hang out in the circle just to get sex
These people shattered the filter of writers in Ichiko's mind. It turned out that Kodansha and its writers were just such a group of people!
Ichiko was eagerly hoping that his debut work would win the championship, so that he could turn around and mock those people who looked down on him and feel proud.
But then the deputy editor told him that it was not that easy to win the award.
The main judges of the Jieqi Award come from the editorial department of Wenyi Xiadong, a group of extreme right-wing elements. There are also several resident judges, several of whom are respected figures in the literary world.
These people are constantly receiving manuscript commissions and traveling around for field trips, so their schedules are packed. How can they have the time to read the shortlisted works?
If you don't pay your respects first and offer some benefits, the other party won't even take a second look at your work!
So Ichigaya started a "bribery campaign" before the award ceremony, approaching the judges one by one and trying to please them in order to win the Keiichi Prize.
Some judges have poor writing skills and rely on managing literary factions and personal connections to maintain their status. Ichiko is willing to become his "disciple" and write for him for free in order to get his votes.
Some judges stuffed their daughters, who had no literary talent at all, into various literary associations, and Ichiko would go over to flatter them, even flirt with them, sell her body, and associate with them in order to win the votes of the "future father-in-law";
Some were greedy for money, so he would lend them money; some were lustful, so he would grit his teeth and send prostitutes to them for their pleasure.
In short, after paying a huge price, Ichigaya felt that he was safe this time.
On the day of the Jieqi Prize selection ceremony, the judges gathered in front of the television and announced the final winners and works in front of millions of literature lovers across the country.
Of course it’s not Ichiko Bakaro and his “The Wolves of Big Business”.
Other low-level writers who were also manipulated by this group of old bastards and the top management of Kodansha also ended up in a miserable situation.
A housewife who was obsessed with becoming famous got pregnant. The child was not her husband's, and she didn't know whether it was the deputy editor-in-chief's, the famous writer's, or some big judge's. She cried in despair outside Guangtanshe with her big belly, but was treated as a laughing stock.
After getting drunk, the ignorant literary girl was sent to the bed of a literary giant. The man was old enough to be her "Oh Chicken Sauce (Grandpa)". As expected, the girl became pregnant and dropped out of school and was admitted to a mental hospital.
Ichigaya was deeply stimulated and finally made a decision: to kill all these old bastards!
So, at the end of the movie, the story reaches its climax.
Carrying a shotgun and driving a rented Toyota Corolla, Ichiko wandered around Tokyo, visiting the judges' residences one by one, shooting them one by one, calmly and decisively, leaving no one alive!
His literary colleagues from the small group of writers he used to belong to sat in the bar where they usually gathered, and stared blankly at the news breaking on TV: the serial murders of the Jiemi Literature Prize, and fell into long contemplation.
The movie then ends with a crowd of people cheering.
"It's so cool." Tuan Gui Shirou felt very proud after watching it.
Keigo Higashino held the script with a dazed look on his face, not knowing what he was thinking.
Masato Senhara was deeply touched by the ugly events that happened in the big company where Ichiko used to work.
"This... the irony is so brilliant." Iwai Shunji couldn't help but give another thumbs up.
He didn't know much about the Japanese literary world. Recently, "Literary World" was selling well and advertisements for the Akutagawa Prize were everywhere, but he just said "Oh", which was the reaction of an ordinary person.
As a film director, he pays more attention to the plot of the script and the predictable performance effects.
Mr. Kitagawa is undoubtedly a writer who knows deeply how to "please" the audience.
The whole story is smooth and simple, with a very perfect beginning, development, turning point and ending. The key is that it uses a script writing technique that Shunji Iwai has never seen before.
It is just the right amount of suppression followed by praise. How miserable Shi Gu was oppressed in the beginning and how much he was looking forward to winning the award, and how wonderful his explosion in the end was!
When Hide Kitagawa saw their reactions, he knew that the film script was a sure thing.
The movie script was adapted from his recently written novel "The Agarwood Literature Award Serial Murder Case". Because it had to be filmed, the script and the novel were slightly different, and the plot was more concise and compact.
The novel is mainly based on his personal considerations, taking into account the market environment and readers' reading habits, so the content is longer and the emotions are fuller and more rounded.
Although he was essentially a plagiarist, "No Longer Human" taught Kitagawa Hide that a simple, mindless one-to-one copy would not work.
He had to add elements of the times to suit the Japanese audience of the 90s, and even add some adaptations within his ability.
If Kitagawa Hidetoshi wants to grow into a "world's best", it is not enough to simply copy texts. He has to think while copying, and also work hard to improve his literary literacy and level.
If there is too much disparity between one's own abilities and the abilities one demonstrates, problems will eventually arise.
Fortunately, he was a graduate student in the Faculty of Literature in his previous life, and his foundation was much higher than that of ordinary people. He also liked thinking and researching, and the results seemed to be good.
Based on the current situation, Kitagawa Hide made a lot of changes to Yasutaka Tsutsui's original work. The story line continued, but many details in it were processed.
The people who watched the show most attentively and obsessedly, including Saito Rena and Kawaide Shizuko, are because they are insiders in the industry and understand the "pitfalls" of Kitagawa Hide's entry better.
Complaining is a daily routine that has only gradually become popular among ordinary people after 00.
Nowadays, everyone, whether in the workplace, school or society, is rather rigid, which is also the core reason why the current literary world lacks critical works and satirical novels.
In this film script, Hide Kitagawa included a lot of "criticisms" from the literary world.
Simple examples include the Akutagawa Prize becoming the Akutagawa Prize, Kodansha becoming Kodansha, and Bungeishunju becoming Bungeishunju.
The more obscure ones, for example, the protagonist's name is Ichiko Baka. Ichiko is the surname of Ichiko Sadajiro, and Baka is the transliteration of the Japanese "Baga", which means Ichiko idiot. It is clear what Kitagawa Hide wants to express.
Among them, the writers of Guangdansha and the bigwigs of the jury can also be identified one by one.
These details enrich the texture and allow the real audience to enjoy the fun of movies and novels more.
Of course, the guys who have disgusted Kitagawa Hide will be able to break through the defense more quickly.
"This is the director's script, Iwai-san, please take a look." Kitagawa Hide handed over another script he had written.
Film scripts include three different types of scripts, namely film literary scripts, film storyboard scripts and film completed scripts.
Literary scripts are the foundation of movies and the guarantee of a film's success, which is also its soul. They are usually written by screenwriters and may also be adapted from novels.
A film's storyboard, also known as the director's script, is usually a more specific and detailed shooting plan created by the director based on the literary script.
For example, how many shots are used to shoot this scene, and from what angle, distance, and method (push, pull, shake, move, etc.) are these shots shot.
Which scenes can be shot in the same location?
Which dramas can be filmed in the same season, etc.
All of this is usually vague in literary scripts, so the director has to work it out in the script.
Only in this way can all the crew members start their work according to the instructions of the storyboard script.
This was supposed to be the job that Shunji Iwai should do. He took the script given by Kitagawa Hideshi woodenly, and was shocked after reading it carefully!
"Have you ever written a script before?" he couldn't help asking.
Beichuan Xiu shook his head and said, "I just learned it recently. I was worried that you would be too busy, so I drafted one myself. If it is not up to standard, you can't use it."
"No, no, no, this script is already very complete." Iwai Shunji was shocked. Did he just learn it?
No wonder.
There were many basic errors in the script, and it was obvious that it was written by someone who was not a professional, but that was precisely why he was even more surprised.
It was such a shame for him to write like this for the first time, as he is a professional and experienced film supervisor for many years!
"There are indeed geniuses in this world." Shunji Iwai immediately stood up and was motivated to take pictures.
I originally thought that this makeshift team was very abstract. It was probably because Mr. Kitagawa wanted to make a low-budget movie for his own amusement and not win the Akutagawa Prize.
Now it seems that, at least in the area of film scripts, Mr. Kitagawa is extremely serious and professional. He really wants to make it well and make it a box office hit!
But I shouldn't slack off. People invited me to be a supervisor because they trust me. If my level of seriousness is not as good as that of a layman, how can I become famous in the Japanese film industry in the future?
After everyone finished reading the script, Kitagawa Hide began to set the tone for the film production: "This is a black comedy film that satirizes the Akutagawa Prize and certain publishing houses in the literary world. Its elements are absurd, comedic, and critical, which are definitely things we must not abandon when filming.
Secondly, I think that during filming, we should focus on one word. That is "cool"! Ichiko's counterattack against the judges is the real climax of the plot. In this oppressive era, everyone is angry about the injustice above their heads! If there is a chance, everyone wants to use a shotgun to kill the tycoons, academic tycoons, and bosses! "
Kitagawa Hide glanced at Kawaide Shizuko and found that the boss was sitting upright and listening very attentively. He breathed a sigh of relief and thought about ending the meeting later and treating her to a meal as an apology.
After all, she is also a member of the chaebol, so it's inevitable that she would think too much.
The same goes for Rena Saito. After all, she is her editor. I wonder if she will think too much about someone who satirizes this profession in movies and novels.
"The tempo should be fast, and the depressing points should not be too harsh. You can use absurdity to cover it up, but the final explosion point must be intense! All aspects of Danki-san are more in line with Ichiko's character. I think you can play him well. You have to pay more attention to the changes in facial expressions to reflect emotions." Kitagawa Hide looked at Danki Shirou.
The latter showed a surprised expression, and then nodded excitedly: "I understand, I will definitely not let you down, Teacher Beichuan!"
Why did Shirou Dango write pornographic books, and why did it come to this?
A big part of the reason is the disgusting and closed literary world. His own writing ability is actually not bad. After all, he can write sexual novels and sell them, so he must have the skills.
The only time he was selected for the group portrait newcomer award, he ended up returning empty-handed, and his experience was very similar to that of Ichiko Sika.
Danki Shirou has a lively and outgoing personality, which also makes him suitable for acting.
This group of people were invited here this time, but they were actually very nervous.
Ever since Kitagawa Hide's lecture at the University of Tokyo, these "street idiots" dared not disturb him again, for fear that they would be ungrateful.
Later, after Saito Rena explained again and again, they finally got in touch again, half-believingly. Until now, they found that Teacher Kitagawa was still the same Teacher Kitagawa, and they were completely relieved.
Kitagawa Hide was still speaking passionately. He had a gift and talent for public speaking, which was demonstrated during his lectures at the University of Tokyo. Everyone present was deeply moved and felt as if this was really happening.
And the most important thing is that Hide Kitagawa is passionate and proactive in everything he does.
His determination to do well, to do outstandingly, and to achieve results has been conveyed.
Just as he was determined to pull "Wenyi" out of the quagmire, he carefully studied its market and competitors, considered what books to write, what kind of social feedback he needed, how to guide readers, and so on.
Saito Rena was very encouraged by his seriousness and attitude, and at this moment, other people also gradually felt this energy from him.
After hearing his words, Iwai Shunji handed over a glass of water, and Kitagawa Hide drank it all in one gulp. Then he stood up and bowed 90 degrees to everyone to end: "In order to make a good movie, in order to make those disgusting guys feel the pressure, and for ourselves, everyone, please!"
The supervisor Shunji Iwai was stunned for a moment. Shouldn't he do this himself?
He quickly followed suit and bowed, shouting, "Please!"
"We will do our best, Mr. Kitagawa!" The others stood up and bowed in return, their eyes becoming serious.
Saito Rena looked at them and suddenly remembered what she had said to Kitagawa Hide not long ago.
Kitagawa Hide is the unreachable sun in the sky, and they are the sunflowers on the ground, trying their best to get closer but unable to reach him.
After a few days, the sun was still too bright to look directly at.
But it seems that it is no longer so difficult to reach.
Even if we are sunflowers, we are willing to surround him, follow him, and try to do something.
Willing to shine with him as the center.
After the production meeting was finalized, the filming of the movie officially began.
As an insider, Shunji Iwai naturally took the lead in preparing the real crew. After all, there would always be deputy supervisors, assistants, photographers, makeup artists and other professionals. Fortunately, he had worked at Nikkatsu for quite a long time and knew many staff members at the same grassroots level as him.
When they heard that they were filming for Mr. Beichuan's new work, some of these people were even willing to reduce their salaries and join the crew to work!
Shunji Iwai originally thought that it would be difficult to put together a decent film production team relying on his own connections and abilities, but in fact, Kitagawa Hide's fame was far beyond his imagination.
The most crucial thing is that Nikkatsu was preparing to shoot "Hear the Wind Sing", which was Kitagawa Hide's debut film. These eliminated staff members were extremely eager to join that crew, but unfortunately they had no connections and could only watch their peers take off there.
Now that Mr. Kitagawa has created a new book and movie, they suddenly see hope and flock to him.
During the preparation process, Yumeko brought Jabami Rei and her small group to help. This was the first time that Yumeko took the initiative to return to Kitagawa Hide's arms.
She really likes that Nikon camera and took many private photos of her best friend at Jabami Rei's home. This time, she can also follow the crew and serve as a photographer's assistant.
As the "boss lady", she also took on the responsibility of managing the crew's funds, as well as other personal affairs that Kitagawa Hide could not take care of as a writer.
For example, Kitagawa Hide did not have time to read all the letters from readers, so Yumeko was responsible for reading and repeating them to him. At the subsequent book signing event, an assistant had to assist.
The lost football actually ran back by itself during this busy filming activity!
Shizuko Kawaide could not act or participate too much, but she also contributed her own strength. She first provided her own villa and a building as the filming location, and then secretly used her connections in the entertainment industry to find a group of reliable actors to expand the crew.
Otherwise, those few people are really useless.
Soon, the tall and beautiful Jabami Rei was spotted by Iwai Shunji.
Her acting talent was clearly revealed in the drama "No Longer Human", and she was very suitable to play the ignorant literary girl.
As the original author, investor and company owner, Kitagawa Hide has developed a certain interest in film production, so he basically participated in the entire process, learning all kinds of knowledge from Iwai Shunji and enriching himself.
This was the first time Shunji Iwai had met a boss who was so hands-on. On the one hand, he felt a lot of pressure, but on the other hand, he was very motivated. He wished he could have three heads and six arms to help Kitagawa Hide make a movie that would shock the country at the box office!
In this way, in the last week of September, Kitagawa Hide was busy running around the police station (to take the driver's license skills test), driving school, filming location, "Peter Cat", Kawaide Shobo, etc. He was so busy that he almost lost his mind.
After everyone was encouraged and got serious, the filming went exceptionally smoothly and it seemed that it would start smoothly. However, things never go as planned.
A few days before the filming, the actress who played the housewife regretfully left due to temporary schedule issues.
This role has a lot of scenes, and is also used to accuse the jury and trigger the climax of Ichiko's murder. The key is that this role must fit the figure and appearance of a mature woman, and the acting skills should also be online.
It was really difficult for Kitagawa Hide and his team to find new people at the moment, so Iwai Shunji and Kawaide Shizuko used their connections to find a bunch of agencies, but as the end of the month was near, many actors' schedules were full, and the remaining ones were either too expensive or unsuitable.
Moreover, at this stage, the consumption of funds is also increasing. For such a not-so-important role, Kitagawa Hide just wanted to get a friend for free.
Unfortunately, Saito Rena looks too young, so Kawaide Shizuko cannot play the role.
It was stuck like this for a few days, and with the official end of the first "Literary Haiku Competition" of Kawaide Shobo, a qualified woman appeared under the building of Kawaide Shobo.
Mayumi Aso never expected that the haiku she wrote, which complained about the injustice in the workplace and the literary world, would win an award!
This time, the "Literary Haiku Competition" adopts the method of editorial preliminary selection and reader group voting to finally determine the winning haiku.
Mayumi Aso's song "Those who make the decisions/are always those/who are not present" actually received more than 7000 votes, leading the second place by nearly 2000 votes, and won the championship without any suspense.
Recently she was worried about losing her two part-time jobs and her family was unable to make ends meet. The 10 yen bonus was like a godsend, it really saved her life!
What’s more, the winning haiku poet can receive personal instruction from Mr. Kitagawa!
Mayumi Aso followed the staff all the way to the editorial office area.
She was wearing a purple one-piece sweater today, which could wrap up her sexy and plump body. Other clothes were not big enough and would easily make her look too sexy, but when she walked into the office area, she could still feel the men's fiery gazes.
Mayumi Aso shrank her head, remembering the damn words, then lowered her head and quickly followed the staff into the deputy editor-in-chief's office.
"Deputy Editor Saito, this is the winner of the Haiku Contest," the staff member introduced.
In the office, Rena Saito and Hide Kitagawa were looking at the latest sales chart of "Wenyi" and the situation of other competitors.
When she looked up, their eyes met, and she immediately said with joy and surprise, "Ms. Aso?"
"Deputy Editor-in-Chief Saito, long time no see." Mayumi Aso was still very grateful to Rena Saito. After the latter replaced Akira Yasuhara, she took the initiative to contact her. Her new novel was originally scheduled to be published.
Unfortunately, Kodansha is not a human being.
"Do you know each other?" Beichuan Xiu looked up and asked puzzledly.
"Well, she was also one of my former authors, but unfortunately we lost touch later." Saito Reina nodded, then introduced Kitagawa Hide to Aso Mayumi, and asked, "Ms. Aso, did you move?"
"Well, the rent was not renewed when it expired."
Because she had no money, she moved to Adachi Ward. Her daughter Aiko was in kindergarten, and she really wanted to give her daughter better educational resources, such as settling in Bunkyo Ward or Shinjuku Ward, but her financial conditions did not support it.
"I see. Anyway, congratulations. Once you sign the contract, you can go to the Finance Department to collect your bonus." Saito Reina knew that her financial situation was not good, and then asked, "By the way, are you still writing novels? Your debut work is actually quite good. It was published that time."
Realizing that she had hurt someone, Saito Rena immediately stopped talking and looked at Kitagawa Hide, only to find that he was staring at Aso Mayumi intently.
Mayumi Aso has seen photos of Hide Kitagawa in the newspaper and felt that the real person looks younger and more handsome!
But seeing him staring at her like that, she felt a little embarrassed and lowered her head in embarrassment.
"Well, Saito, do you think that Ms. Aso is suitable for the role of Hanako?" Kitagawa Hide withdrew his gaze.
Hanako is that housewife.
When he said this, Saito Rena suddenly felt that it was true.
Mayumi Aso is a single mother with a great figure, outstanding looks, and a mature temperament. The key is that she is also a literary practitioner and is more familiar with the circle of writers than ordinary actors.
"Ms. Aso, I'd like to ask, are you interested in starring in the movie adapted from Mr. Kitagawa's new work?" Saito Rena immediately stood up and asked.
Movie?
New work by Mr. Kitagawa?
Participate?
Mayumi Aso was stunned for a moment, and blurted out subconsciously: "Will you pay me for the film?"
"Daily salary is 1 yen, including food and accommodation." Kitagawa Hide said.
Hearing this number, Mayumi Aso's eyes lit up. She looked at Saito Rena and then at Kitagawa Hide. If it was Kodansha, she would consider whether the other party wanted her to shoot some erotic films, but if the other party was them.
"If it's not that kind of movie, I would like it!" She nodded, holding the award envelope in her hand.
Two chapters in one, 5 missing.
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(End of this chapter)