wavenovel Chapter 23 The Promise of Two Great Directors
Chapter 23 The Promise of Two Great Directors
The middle-aged woman didn't come back after school. She felt that it was enough to take Luo Jinnian to the film set once to familiarize her with the way. She thought it was too much to make her work hard every day!
It would be better if she didn't come; the famous director's car was already parked at the door, waiting to pick up Luo Jinnian.
On the bus, Fei Yuxi hurriedly finished her homework. She had been having too much fun lately, and her teacher had just called her parents and given her a severe scolding.
Her mother called Qin Chuan again and gave him a severe scolding.
This is the true authority of an older sister! After learning the reasons behind Teacher Fei's rush to finish the homework, Luo Jinnian couldn't help but sigh—in comparison, Sister Qingning was just like a younger sister in front of her younger brother.
"You're so busy every day, how do you finish your homework?"
Luo Jinnian asked in surprise, "Who said I finished my homework?"
Huh? The girl looked blank.
"So how did you manage to evade the teacher's inspection?"
Luo Jinnian's lips curled up, which inevitably brought up his ultimate "bad student" punishment, the Burning Execution.
In the morning, when the Chinese class representative was collecting homework, he would hand in the scratch paper for other subjects.
Then I finished the homework during class.
That way, if the Chinese teacher checks his homework, he can say he submitted the wrong one and then hand in the corrected version. If the teacher doesn't check, he can pretend nothing happened.
Of course... most of the time the teacher doesn't check at all, and correspondingly Luo Jinnian is too lazy to make up for it, taking each day as it comes.
The director felt that the kid was very clever and shrewd, which fit the character perfectly, and it was a solution he could come up with.
Fei Yuxi was dumbfounded, feeling that her worldview had been greatly impacted.
They're both elementary school students, so why does Brother Jin Nian always have a way of doing everything?
"However, it's best to do this at noon."
The renowned director pressed further, asking, "Why?"
"Because something bad was bound to happen sooner or later."
The assistant laughed heartily in response, then met the director's stern face and couldn't help but laugh even harder.
Qin Chuan's face darkened, but his smile softened as he looked at the cheerful passengers in the car.
The film crew has arrived.
The group got out of the car, and the director in sunglasses greeted them, inviting them to eat the small tangerines he had just asked his assistant to buy.
"It's very sweet, so please don't be shy. I'll ask Anan to buy more after you finish eating."
The "exquisite boy" Gu Yanxi also sat down. The three porcelain doll-like children gathered together, and the assistant wanted to take a picture to capture the moment.
Fei Yuxi likes taking photos, and Gu Yanxi, who is used to the spotlight, has no objection. Luo Jinnian did not object either.
As if they had gotten permission, the assistant took more than a dozen photos of the three children, and was very satisfied with every shot.
The three children are all good-looking and photogenic, making the assistant wish she could have a few more of those beautiful babies right now.
She glanced furtively at the boss who was talking to the director in sunglasses, then lowered her head again as if she had thought of something.
Qin Chuan, of course, was unaware that he was being spied on. He was still discussing filming techniques with the director in sunglasses. The director in sunglasses was generously sharing his knowledge of managing people on set with his junior director.
"I know you're in a hurry, but don't worry, filming for 'Ice Romance' will officially begin after the National Day holiday."
Qin Chuan's film also needs to be released during the Spring Festival, so he must make sure that Luo Jinnian has time to finish filming both movies before the end of the year.
But the director in sunglasses wasn't in a hurry; he was dragging his feet, waiting for the two young leads to spark some chemistry.
If all else fails, he plans to take his two children on a ten-day trip during the National Day holiday. He believes that the children's bond will definitely strengthen quickly in an unfamiliar environment.
Director Mo changed the subject, saying:
"I saw a good script yesterday, which is quite suitable for adaptation into a movie. I think it's called 'Grandma' or something like that. I think it's quite suitable for making a movie that's only available online."
Online movies?
Luo Jinnian's ears perked up when his work was mentioned, but he was surprised to hear the director mention "online movies" so ahead of his time, especially since it was only 2012.
The later-famous concept of "online feature films" never came into being; the industry was still in the boom period of "micro-films."
In particular, the "Father and Son" and "Father and Daughter" versions of "Father" released by Chopstick Brothers in 2011 and 2012 respectively completely legitimized the new format of "micro-films," which have been gaining popularity in recent years.
The real beginning of the big internet era was the 2015 film "The Taoist Priest Goes Down the Mountain". The original title of the film was actually "Maoshan Ghost Stories", but it was changed to capitalize on the popularity of Chen Kaige's film "The Taoist Priest Comes Down the Mountain" at the time.
Although its approach was somewhat unseemly, it objectively demonstrated the commercial value of online films by leveraging a budget of 28 yuan to generate over 2400 million yuan in box office revenue, thus ushering in the era of explosive growth for online films.
So when the director in sunglasses mentioned "online movies," Luo Jinnian was very shocked.
Yes, every market has its own way of doing things. In China, short and concise scripts like "Grandma" can only be made into online movies. Although the profits are small, they can earn a good reputation and further expand the influence of Luo Jinnian's pen name.
Director Mo has brought his talent for art films to the realm of commercial films. It's like the tide rising on the Qiantang River; only today do we realize who he truly is.
He should have been making commercial films; he really wasted his talent on things that didn't make money.
"Then you'll have to talk to this child."
Qin Chuan proudly pushed Luo Jinnian forward, and thoughtfully introduced her, "This is the author of 'Grandma'."
The director, wearing sunglasses, took them off, his small eyes staring in astonishment at the boy in front of him. After a long pause, he uttered a curse:
"Wow, these young people these days are so amazing! I guess I'm really past my prime."
No wonder Qin Chuan thought so highly of this kid, no wonder the kid had a strange expression when he saw me reading "The Great Tang Dynasty Tales of Ghosts" yesterday, he's bumped into the original author.
It's unbelievable that the familiar novel "Grandma" was written by a child. Director Mo trusts Qin Chuan's character, so he has to accept this shocking fact.
Forcing himself to compose himself, Director Mo put his glasses back on and asked calmly, "So what do you think about adapting your script into a web movie? I know web movies sound lowbrow, but your script is really suitable."
He had imagined a thousand possible reactions from the boy, but he never expected Luo Jinnian to give such a rational answer:
"It's too early. We should at least wait for the streaming platform to release its policy on online movies."
Being one step ahead of the market is advancement; being two steps ahead is certain death.
In its previous life, TaoChang issued a hero's order in 2014, which opened the prelude to online movies.
With the entertainment industry being much more developed in this generation, Luo Jinnian felt that this time would definitely be brought forward even further, ideally this year.
After thinking about it carefully, the director in sunglasses realized it was true. He was impulsive and didn't have the same composure as the other kid. When it came to making online movies, it was the streaming platforms that were in a hurry.
He is now even more convinced that "Grandma" was written by the child in front of him, and he can tell from the child's speech that the child has his own opinions.
"Everyone has their own expertise. You should definitely study our script for 'Ice Love Song' carefully. A-Chuan has also told me about your family situation."
"I know you don't like being a child actor, but have you ever thought about making a name for yourself during this year's Spring Festival season and becoming a sought-after child star? Then you'll have the confidence to have a proper talk with your family..."
Since it's a commercial film, "Ice Love Song" is definitely aiming for the Spring Festival release.
Every word the director in sunglasses said to the boy had a magical quality, as if the future he was describing was right before their eyes.
However, what truly put Luo Jinnian at ease was what Qin Chuan, who genuinely treated him as a junior, said:
"As long as you can win these two films this year, Director Mo and I will stand by your side when you leave your mother."
Director Mo stood by, neither confirming nor denying.
Two movies?
Luo Jinnian was puzzled.
Qin Chuan explained that he had just made an agreement with Director Mo the day before yesterday—after Director Mo finished filming Luo Jinnian's scenes in "Ice Love Song," he would lend Luo Jinnian to him, and then let the boy star in his movie that was very similar to "Home Alone."
Luo Jinnian nodded. Even if it was just for Uncle Chuan, he would do his best to film both movies.
The boy stood up and bowed deeply to both directors.
"I am still young and have nothing to repay my two elders with. Today, I can only thank my uncles for their trust."
Luo Jinnian knew that he was still relying on others for his cultivation, so when he got up, he only dared to express his gratitude and dared not mention the matter of repaying them in the future.
He was thinking about how to repay his two benefactors.
Director Mo's small eyes narrowed into slits beneath his sunglasses. He liked what the boy said.
"I can't wait to see your performance."