A great director who grew up happily

Chapter 357 Taboo Movie Themes

When Yu Xin saw his expression, she immediately thought that he really didn't know about the start of filming of "Youth". After all, if he was acting, Chen Jinnian's acting skills would be too good.

"Because of the auditions, they have all trained for a while. Deng Xiaoqi, come over and perform."

"Oh, okay, okay."

Deng Xiaoqi immediately agreed and came out to demonstrate.

But when Chen Jinnian saw that she was wearing casual clothes and had to take off her shoes and go barefoot to perform ballet, he immediately stopped her and said, "Xiaoqi, wait a minute. Since Teacher Yu said you have dance skills, there's no need to show them. Let's go discuss the script. If you think you can accept it, come to my company and sign the contract."

"Wow"

The other students looked at Deng Xiaoqi with envy. Although they knew that she had worked with Chen Jinnian before, they had never seen a director so decisive in casting, who finalized the decision in just a few words.

Deng Xiaoqi was stunned by the pie that fell from the sky and stood there at a loss.

Yu Xin showed a look of surprise. Chen Jinnian is no longer an unknown person, but a rising star in the industry. When deciding on an actor, shouldn't he bring the producer, assistant director, and director of photography along with him?

Even students in school don’t do graduation projects so carelessly.

She reminded him, "My students are all sophomores now, and in principle, they can't take leave to take on roles. So if you want to bring Deng Xiaoqi into the crew, you need a complicated application process."

The rule that prohibits taking any acting roles in the first two years of study at the Central Academy of Drama is actually an unspoken rule. It's not that it can't be negotiated, but it depends on who is negotiating it. If it's someone of Zhang Yimou's level, he can actually be given the green light, either by granting leave or postponing graduation, so that he can always free up time.

"No need. Xiaoqi's role is the second female lead, and her actual number of scenes is the third female lead. I can use the weekends and holidays to finish filming." Chen Jinnian answered casually. In his opinion, no matter how strict the Central Academy of Drama is, it cannot control holiday time.

"Or I can bring a crew to the school to shoot. There's a scene that takes place in a theater. If I could borrow the Central Academy of Drama's venue... Oh, no, the school probably can't do that."

When he finished speaking, he suddenly remembered that what he was going to shoot was not a good story. It was about a man who hunted for beauties and a young girl who was victimized. If the Central Academy of Drama lent him the venue, it would be a miracle.

Seeing Chen Jinnian hesitate to speak, Yu Xin suddenly became curious, "What kind of movie are you going to make, and what story is it about?"

"Action-thriller, a cheesy revenge story."

"Then you really can't ask for leave for Deng Xiaoqi." Yu Xin said helplessly.

If it is an art film or a commercial film with a relatively large investment, the Central Academy of Drama is still happy to let students take it, but if it is a low-cost film with too strong commercial flavor, the school will definitely not agree. Instead of letting students waste time in a small crew, it is better for them to stay in school and attend classes.

The school looked down on Chen Jinnian's new movie, but the other students were eager to try it out. It was certainly a good thing to be able to meet a new director. For example, Deng Xiaoqi, just because of her acquaintance with Chen Jinnian, had easily gotten two roles.

Yu Xin did not expose their thoughts and let the students chat with Chen Jinnian.

After her classmates added Chen Jinnian on WeChat, Deng Xiaoqi quickly came over to thank him, "Director Chen, thank you for choosing me to film. I'm so happy."

"Well, you are too happy too early."

Chen Jinnian immediately poured cold water on the situation, "This movie is quite special, and the content is a bit exaggerated. I'm not sure if it can be released, and even if it can be released, the box office won't be very good."

Such straightforward words dampened everyone's enthusiasm, especially Deng Xiaoqi, who crossed her arms and asked nervously, "Should I take it off completely? My mother might not agree."

After hearing this, his face darkened. "I'm talking about gory scenes. What are you thinking? If your mother doesn't agree, then my mother won't agree to my filming either."

He suddenly remembered what the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television had said: those "artists" blamed the subject matter and the strict censorship for not being able to make a film. But why is it that India can make a high-grossing film with the same unpopular subject matter, but we can't? If you ask me, they don't want to make "Dangal" at all, they only want to make "Come Here, Sister-in-law" and "Don't Be Like That, Brother-in-law".

Chen Jinnian now deeply agrees that those pioneering filmmakers back then really ruined the domestic film market, to the point where it continues to be poisonous to this day.

"Oh." Deng Xiaoqi's face flushed red with shame, and she hummed like a mosquito, "As long as it's not a nude scene."

Only then did the others realize that Chen Jinnian was the same age as them and was still at the age where he was afraid of his parents.

"Director Chen, are you still short of actors, or are there any roles for other plays?" Huang Ziqi asked on behalf of everyone. This was also the question that everyone was most concerned about.

"My work is already scheduled until the end of the year, so if there's another film that needs casting, it'll take a while. But if you really want to get involved in a film, I'm investing in a project called The Wandering Earth, directed by Guo Meng. You could try contacting the crew to see if they have any suitable roles."

Chen Jinnian recommended that the biggest stars in this movie at present are him and Wu Jing, so much so that the outside world generally believes that they are a makeshift team that will flop, and few actors are willing to wade into this mess.

"That's a project of China Film Group, but the plot is a hard science fiction theme. You can decide for yourself." Yu Xin reminded while packing up the teaching materials.

Hard science fiction is basically a genre that kills anyone who touches it in China. It is even worse than Paraquat. The last hard science fiction movie "Robot" has grass three meters high on its grave. It was criticized by the whole network as soon as it was released. Yu Xin is really afraid that her students can't stand it and will be criticized again.

But it is indeed a coincidence that Wu Jing also appears in "Robot" and is the finale.

"Director Chen, do you have any role in The Wandering Earth?" Huang Ziqi asked hurriedly.

"Yes, I am the male lead of this play."

After Chen Jinnian finished answering, he saw Yu Xin standing at the door waiting for him, so he said, "You don't have to call me Director Chen from now on. Just call me by my name. We'll contact each other when you have time."

After he said that, he quickly took a few steps to catch up with Yu Xin who was about to leave get out of class.

Deng Xiaoqi took a look and quickly followed.

The rest of the people looked at each other, then at Liu Haoran, "Hey, big star, you have a lot of information. Is the crew Director Chen just mentioned reliable?"

"Didn't the teacher just remind me about hard science fiction? And let me tell you, even the project led by China Film Group is facing a shortage of funds. What do you think of the project?" Liu Haoran answered and quickly packed up his things and stood up.

As a popular young actor, he has a lot of work to do. After class, he still has a bunch of announcements waiting for him. He has to go to Hunan to record a variety show tonight and then rush back to school for classes tomorrow morning.

"But I think I can give it a try." Huang Ziqi said to himself, "Director Chen has a sharp eye. All the movies he shoots are huge profits. If he didn't like the project, why would he invest in it and play the male lead?"

"Yes, Director Chen may not be the best at making movies, but he is definitely the best at making money." Several others also echoed.

Seeing that he couldn't understand several of his classmates, Liu Haoran stopped talking and left the classroom.