Chapter 28 Screening
In the first row, Vice Dean Hou Keming smiled at Xie Xiaojing and said:
"The kid you just started mentoring this year is quite brave!"
"He dared to face the scrutiny of the entire school's faculty and students as soon as he entered the school."

The head of the performing arts department chimed in:

"Old Xie, a freshman who dares to shoot a short film and release it after only two months in college, that's unprecedented at Beijing Film Academy, isn't it? Aren't you afraid your student will be ruined here?"

Xie Xiaojing adjusted her glasses and said with a smile:

"He doesn't seem like a greenhorn to me. It's quite an achievement that he was able to raise money and produce a short film as soon as he entered the school. True gold fears no fire!"

If we're going to fail here, then it's better to give up on movies sooner rather than later and try a different path.

"If he can hold on, no matter how the movie goes today, I'm rooting for him."

"What a fine saying, 'True gold fears no fire'!" Hou Keming laughed heartily.

The head of the performing arts department next to Xie Xiaojing also gave her a thumbs up, saying, "You're still the hard-hearted one!"
Time passed by, and as it drew closer to seven o'clock, the sound in the entire screening room gradually faded away, becoming quiet. The students of Beijing Film Academy still paid great attention to movie-watching etiquette, regardless of whether the movie was good or bad; it was a way of showing respect to the creators.

At 7 o'clock sharp, the big screen went dark for the first time, and then white subtitles began to appear.

"A joint production by the Beijing Film Academy Film Group."

Director: Wu Yuchen.

Screenwriter: Wu Yuchen
Assistant Directors: Jia Zhangke, Wu Shixian, Chen Er

......"

Then the title "Bus 44" flashed in the center of the screen.

The film opens with a long shot of a bus traveling on a deserted, sparsely populated road in the middle of nowhere. The sky in the background is a vast, gray expanse, the land is a dull yellow, and the cawing of crows can be heard.

With just one shot, the color scheme and the sound of crows create a sense of oppression and gloom for the audience.

The next moment, the scene shifts to the inside of the car. The passengers are all dressed in dark colors, and few people are talking, creating a sense of lifelessness. When the camera pans to the female driver, her bright red coat stands out in stark contrast, making one instinctively feel that she is unusual.

Hou Keming thought to himself, "This new approach to color language is quite something!"

Seeing someone waving to flag down the bus, the bus slowly came to a stop. A thin young man with a slightly roguish but not unpleasant air boarded the bus and started chatting with the female driver as if they were old friends.

His statement, "I've been waiting for over two hours," also reflects the female driver's kindness.

The bus continued its journey, but stopped again a moment later because of two men pretending to be sick in the middle of the road. Unexpectedly, as soon as the door opened, the two men rushed onto the bus, straightened up, and pulled out daggers, revealing their vicious nature!

Everyone on the bus was terrified by the vicious robbers, and those who didn't want to pay were beaten up.

The students in the screening room were already engrossed in the story, but the teachers in the front row saw even more.

The upward-angled panning shots show the passengers' fear of the robbers, while the downward-angled shots highlight the passengers' cowardice and incompetence from the robbers' perspective. Several close-up shots are also inserted at just the right time, vividly depicting the psychological state of the robbers, the female driver, and the passengers. It is simple, quick, and clear, and has a sharp feel to it.

This Wu Yuchen is really something!

Let alone freshmen, even some who have worked on film sets for several years after graduation may not be able to skillfully combine and use these camera techniques. Is this kid exceptionally talented?!

Just as the robber finished robbing the money and was about to get out of the car, the tall robber stopped at the car door, tilted his neck slightly, and stared at the beautiful female driver with his eyes glazed over, motionless. The air seemed to freeze. Suddenly, he pulled her out of the car.

The female driver's struggles and cries for help reached the car, and everyone knew what was about to happen.

The thin young man stood up and looked around at the passengers: "Why are you all sitting?"

A middle-aged man got up as if to move, but his wife pulled him back down, and the car remained silent.

The young man stood at the car door, frowning as he looked at everyone inside, but still rushed out alone.

Everyone in the car immediately stood up and crowded to the windows to watch. The scene followed their perspective, showing the skinny young man who rushed forward being brutally beaten by the henchmen guarding him, with a cut on his leg as he collapsed to the ground.

On the other side, despite the female driver's struggle, her clothes were already torn, and her heartbreaking cries made it clear what had happened.

The camera no longer focused on the scene of the atrocity, but moved from the front to the back of the car through the glass outside, giving the passengers watching inside a 10-second long close-up shot. The sunlight shone on the car windows, making the entire car body appear somewhat dazzling.

"Wow, that shot is really clever!" The head of the acting department couldn't help but exclaim softly.

Several teachers could see that this shot, whether in terms of shooting angle, lighting, or color, was metaphorical.

When the scene cuts back to the wasteland, the two thugs have already fled. The young man is lying on the ground clutching his injured leg and groaning, while the female driver silently gets up, looking dazed, and walks unsteadily back to her car.

Looking at the female driver with her disheveled hair covered in weeds, her collar torn, and her face stained with tears, blood, and ash, all the passengers remained silent, but they all looked away, and no one dared to meet her gaze.

The female driver stood at the car door, looking at the people in the car. In just a few seconds, humiliation, sorrow, anger, and resentment were all displayed on her face. Then she sat back in the driver's seat, buried her face in the steering wheel, and sobbed.

She honked the car horn, and when she looked up, she saw the small dog figurine in front of the car, nodding and grinning. The usually cute dog now looked like it was mocking her, and a look of hatred and revenge flashed in her eyes.

Chen Shasha and Yin Qiaoqiao, watching from the audience, were stunned. When did Jiang Qinqin's acting become so good?!

The head of the performing arts department in the first row nodded in satisfaction as he watched Jiang Qinqin's brilliant performance as the female driver.

Hou Keming, who was standing next to him, thought the details were really well done. The female driver's emotions were triggered by a car ornament. This director really surprises people everywhere!

"Are you OK?"

The young man, limping, stood by the car door and asked with concern, then gave a look of guilt.

"sorry!"

The female driver gave the young man a complicated look:

"Get off the bus! Get off the bus!"

"Why? I was the only one who saved you!" The young man's face was full of surprise and grievance.

The female driver gritted her teeth, pressed the close button, threw the young man's bag out of the car window, and drove away, leaving the young man alone in the desolate wilderness.

"Damn it!" The young man sat in the middle of the road, touching his injured leg, panting heavily, completely bewildered.

At this moment, a strange and eerie piece of music suddenly began to play, with a dynamic rhythm and a psychedelic style, as if what had just happened was a dream, yet it struck the hearts of the audience one by one.

At this moment, many students watching from below the stage also muttered "fuck" under their breath, just like the male protagonist in the movie.

In 95, morality was still relatively high and acts of bravery were encouraged. Moreover, the audience consisted of a group of passionate and energetic students.
Therefore, this part made them feel a surge of anger, and they felt incredibly frustrated. What kind of situation is this?!
A passing jeep kindly gave the injured young man a ride, but when they arrived at a certain place, they found a police car blocking the road. The young man got out of the car and limped over to get a closer look.

The police officers were heard saying, "What we saw was bus route 44."

It has just been confirmed that all the passengers and the driver on the bus are dead.

The young man stood in front of a car accident wreckage, his expression initially blank, then a strange smile appeared on his lips.

The background music stopped abruptly at that moment, and the screen went dark.

"Holy crap!" The audience below could no longer contain themselves and exclaimed in surprise.

The original video's post-credits scene can't be uploaded; it won't pass the review. Everyone should watch it on Bilibili.

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(End of this chapter)

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