1978 Synthetic Writers

Chapter 263: Shaolin Temple

July 7th is Comrade Mao Dun’s birthday, and this year also marks the 4th anniversary of his birth. The Ministry of Culture and the China Writers Association plan to organize a commemorative event to commemorate Mr. Mao.

In Haizili, leaders of the Ministry of Culture sat together for a meeting and discussed this matter. The meeting was chaired by Acting Minister Zhou Weishi. From the Chinese Writers Association, Ba Jin, Xia Yan, Ye Shengtao, He Jingzhi, Chen Huangmei, Zhou Yang, Feng Mu, Guang Weiran, Ding Ling and others were in attendance.

There was a flurry of activity before the meeting, and a group of older comrades, who had not brought any tea money, were anxiously running around to borrow some.

After the old comrades had settled down, Comrade Zhou Weishi slowly began to arrange the work of the China Writers Association for the next period of time.

First, it was confirmed that Comrade Ba Jin would take over Comrade Mao Dun's work and serve as the acting chairman of the presidium of the China Writers Association.

Soon they started talking about commemorating Mr. Mao.

Someone suggested making stamps, and after Mr. Lu Xun's death, he appeared on stamps many times.

A set of stamps commemorating the 100th anniversary of Lu Xun's birth was just issued this year. On the eve of this year's Spring Festival, Mr. Mao was invited to write the inscription for this set of stamps.

It is understood that this was the last inscription written by Comrade Mao Dun before his death, and this is also the last set of stamps with Lu Xun as the theme.

"Hasn't our comrade Jiang Xian been making a movie for Comrade Mao Dun?"

Ba Jin suddenly spoke, still speaking with a thick Sichuan accent, "Is there any way to have this movie broadcast on our CCTV channel on the birthday of Comrade Mao Dun?"

This sentence immediately attracted everyone's attention.

It is not just Ba Jin's status that makes others pay attention to what he says, but what is more crucial is what Ba Jin says.

"Comrade Ba Jin, can you please tell me in detail what Comrade Jiang Xian filmed for Mr. Mao?"

"He said it was a documentary," Ba Jin recalled. "I remember he said that before the Spring Festival this year, he held a big light and filmed Mr. Shen for a whole day. He also wanted to film me and kept asking me to make an appointment."

"Documentary?"

Comrades from the Film Association were more familiar with this area and quickly gave a brief introduction to the old comrades.

"It's probably just recording a video of Comrade Mao Dun, so that we can see Comrade Mao Dun on TV."

Everyone present was excited for a moment.

There are such precious film and television materials? !
Ye Shengtao was also excited.

The friendship between him and Mao Dun was extraordinary.

Before Comrade Mao Dun passed away, he took a photo with Comrade Mao Dun, and he thought that was the only film and television footage of him.

I didn't expect there was such a thing.

At this moment, he couldn't wait to meet Jiang Xian and ask him in person whether the thing had been filmed and was ready to be seen.

The propaganda comrades assigned the work to CCTV and the China Writers Association. CCTV was also very easy to talk to. It was just a tape. The higher-ups had allowed it, so of course we could broadcast it.

Finally, the comrades of the working group quickly called Jiang Xian.

At that time, Jiang Xian was still in the editorial department of "Film Creation" and had not yet reviewed the script of "Kyoto Ball Hero".

The first episode of his documentary "Chinese Literature", which brings together a group of next-generation directors and photographers including Wang Fulin, Zhang Yimou, and Chen Ai'ge, has been completed.

In order to shoot this episode, Zhang Yimou and his team took a train to Wuzhen, Shanghai and Guangzhou, and edited the film according to Jiang Xian's instructions. Only then did they finally complete the first episode.

As for what Jiang Xian asked Cao Hongxiang to deliver, it was naturally the videotape of this film.

Cao Hongxiang sent it to the CCTV studio. Unlike later generations, CCTV's headquarters was now located in the courtyard of the Radio Building.

After the studio staff got the videotape from Cao Hongxiang, they watched it immediately, discussed it and reported it, and then quickly contacted Jiang Xian to sign the agreement.

The comrades at CCTV were a little surprised, "How did you come up with this idea?"

Jiang Xian suddenly remembered that Ma Yuan was also asked this question when he ambitiously organized the filming of "Chinese Literature".

He said: I want to do something for Chinese literature.

The other party told him: Ma Yuan, if you really want to do something for Chinese literature, you should write a few more novels.

Ma Yuan's writing was completely delayed by the filming, but Jiang Xian had basically no such concerns.

His writing speed has never slowed down.

So I answered confidently: "I want to do something for Chinese literature."

The other party looked at him with admiration and then gave him a thumbs up.

On this day, a director from Hong Kong, Zhang Xinyan, came to the Beijing Film Studio.

This became a major event that attracted much attention at the Beijing Film Studio. Everyone knew that Zhang Xinyan came to the Beijing Film Studio to select the heroine for the movie, and everyone was eager to make a move.

However, no one expected that when Zhang Xinyan came to Beijing, the first person he wanted to find was Jiang Xian.

"Brother Jiang, this is incredible." After hearing the letter, Ge You went to Jiang Xian to inform him immediately.

After filming "The Chess King", this guy had some free time, so he went to hang out with Jiang Xian.

He understood it now.

Why did the life of the piglet suddenly take a turn?
It’s all because of the appearance of the noble man Jiang Xian in my life!
As long as you follow the right person, you will never have to worry about not being able to make a living as an actor!
"Brother Jiang, this is a big director from Hong Kong. Why do you want me to help you?" Ge You gossiped with him while baring his teeth.

Jiang Xian tapped his bald forehead with a bowl, "What's the big deal? Meet him for a while."

Soon, he received a call from Zhongyuan Film Company, "Hello, Comrade Jiang Xian, I am Shao Shaosong from Zhongyuan Film Company."

"Hello." Jiang Xian replied.

Although it is called Central Plains Film Company, it is actually located in Hong Kong but its heart is in Central Plains.

This is a film company jointly established this year by Great Wall Film Company and Xinlian Film Company, which was later merged into Yindu.

After the other party introduced himself, Jiang Xian asked him what he wanted even though he knew the answer.

"Director Zhang Xinyan wants to meet you. Do you know Director Zhang Xinyan?"

"know."

As a member of the Beijing Film Studio, it is not surprising that he knows Zhang Xinyan, who has already been famous in the studio.

"Director Zhang Xinyan wants to meet you and talk to you."

"Director Zhang wants to talk to me? What do you want to talk to me about?"

"Well, I'm not sure. I just came here to pass on a message."

Shao Shaosong kept his mouth shut, but was afraid that Jiang Xian would think he was being perfunctory, so he added, "We are a Hong Kong leftist film company. Director Zhang wants to talk to you about the new movie. The publicity department and the Film Bureau both attach great importance to this movie. I hope you can spare some time."

The other party's attitude made Jiang Xian feel comfortable.

Moreover, he knew that they were from the Central Plains Film Company, a leftist film company in Hong Kong, and they were all family members, so Jiang Xian certainly would not deliberately make things difficult for them.

He set a time, and Shao Shaosong thought it was suitable, "Then we will send a car to pick you up in the morning."

"That's not necessary. I'll just ride over there."

"Yes, yes."

Jiang Xian didn't want to show off, but Shao Shaosong insisted, so he finally agreed to let him pick him up. That morning, a black sedan Toyota Crown drove to the downstairs of No. 15 Hufang Road, attracting the attention of many neighbors.

Cars of this era are rare enough, let alone ones of the Toyota Crown's caliber.

These are a batch of "official cars" purchased two years ago. They have spacious interiors, square shapes, and are both grand and restrained.

Jiang Xian walked downstairs and saw the car at a glance.

"Is it Comrade Jiang Xian?" Shao Shaosong saw him and hurried over to ask.

"Yeah." Jiang Xian nodded.

"Please." Shao Shaosong helped him open the car door.

Jiang Xian got into the car under the gazes of his neighbors, touched the seat, and couldn't help but sigh that "Shaolin Temple" was indeed a major project that the higher-ups paid attention to, and that a car of this level was equipped.

Speaking of which, Zhang Xinyan is also a director who has long attracted the attention of the higher-ups.

Rumor has it that a few years ago, Zhang Xinyan was filming "The Legend of the White-Haired Witch" in Huangshan. The actors in ancient costumes were fighting fiercely with weapons in hand, and suddenly a figure appeared in the camera:
An old man of short stature walked over with a trekking stick, looking at everything at the scene with great curiosity.

When they recognized who that person was, the onlookers were all stunned. The crew members were also very excited and all gathered around to greet him and shake his hand.

This was how Zhang Xinyan met him.

Jiang Xian and Shao Shaosong were chatting, and the car soon arrived at the hotel where Zhang Xinyan was staying.

The person who opened the door was a man in his forties, wearing black-framed glasses, with slightly curly hair. He was short, a little fat, and had a double chin when he smiled.

"Comrade Jiang Xian, this is Director Zhang Xinyan. Director Zhang, this is Comrade Jiang Xian."

"Hello."

"Hello."

The two held hands.

Zhang Xinyan grinned and spoke in Mandarin with an accent, "Are you Mr. Jiang Xian? Your Huo Yuanjia was very popular in Hong Kong. I didn't expect you to be so young!"

"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Zhang." Jiang Xian said modestly.

Zhang Xinyan asked him again, "I heard that you wrote both the novel and the script?"

"I wrote the novel with someone else. I couldn't have written it without his help. But I wrote the script myself."

"What a young man with so much to offer!"

Zhang Xinyan was very interested in him for a while.

He had lived in Hong Kong for a long time and was not used to beating around the bush like the Chinese, so he said directly: "We want to make a movie about Shaolin Temple. Can you write a script for us?"

Shao Shaosong on the side was immediately surprised. He didn't expect that Zhang Xinyan would directly ask Jiang Xian to write the script of "Shaolin Temple".

Jiang Xian himself was also surprised.

"Mr. Zhang, are you kidding?"

"How could I be joking?"

Zhang Xinyan shook his head, "I really want you to take charge of this script."

Seeing his sincere face, Jiang Xian knew that he was really thinking of letting him write "Shaolin Temple".

He didn't agree right away.

"There are so many excellent screenwriters in Hong Kong, why did Mr. Zhang think of looking for me?"

Zhang Xinyan smiled and said, "There are so many screenwriters in Hong Kong, how many of them can write "Huo Yuanjia"?"

In his opinion, how could Hong Kong screenwriters understand Shaolin Temple better than mainland screenwriters?
Moreover, Jiang Xian has already written works such as "Huo Yuanjia", so his creative level can be absolutely trusted. In this light, it is really appropriate to ask Jiang Xian to write the script for "Shaolin Temple".

“Isn’t the casting for Shaolin Temple already underway? How come the script hasn’t even been written yet?” Jiang Xian asked deliberately.

Zhang Xinyan smiled awkwardly and immediately explained that he had succeeded the previous director Chen Wen.

Now that he wants to change the style of the serious drama he filmed before, the script naturally has to be changed as well.

So rather than saying that I was writing the script for "Shaolin Temple", it would be more accurate to say that I was revising the previous script.

As for coming here directly to select roles, this is the custom for filming in Hong Kong. It is not necessary to have a script first and then actors.

The film and television industries there have been commercialized, and the emphasis is on making money quickly. A script can be written in a day or two, and the entire film can be produced within a month.

TVB also often talks about "flying paper" when filming a drama. That is, there is no complete script before filming, only a story outline. The complete script is not available until a few days or even half a day to a few hours before filming. It is equivalent to writing while filming. The actors simply have no time to carefully study the script and the roles.

Of course, there’s something even more exaggerated: there’s no script at all, and the rest of the filming depends entirely on on-the-spot experimentation.

For example, Wong Kar-wai usually puts a piece of paper in his handbag when he enters the set. He writes a few lines on the paper, then taps it, pauses, and then takes out the paper to look at it. Sometimes he only taps one sentence written on the paper all day.

Actors often complain: I have no idea what I am acting after shooting for the whole day!
The storyline of "Shaolin Temple" has already been established, and the images of the male and female protagonists, the monk Jueyuan and the shepherdess Bai Wuxia, have also been basically finalized. It is not difficult for Jiang Xian to complete the script.

"I can take on the job of writing Shaolin Temple. It's not easy for leftist comrades, and it's a good thing to contribute to leftist films."

Seeing Jiang Xian agreed, Zhang Xinyan immediately smiled happily, and heard the second half of his words, he was even more moved.

Leftist films have a difficult time in Hong Kong.

He studied film developing in Hong Kong in the 50s and witnessed the entire process of the rise and fall of leftist films in Hong Kong.

Seeing that Jiang Xian had such awareness at such a young age, one couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity with him.

"But I said yes."

Jiang Xian said again: "I also have a family and parents to take care of. I can't write this script for nothing."

Zhang Xinyan smiled and said, "Of course I will give you the remuneration."

Seeing that he didn't understand what he meant, Jiang Xian gave another hint: "Director Zhang, if a screenwriter from Hong Kong were to write the script for Shaolin Temple, how much would you give him?"

Zhang Xinyan reacted now, "You mean..."

"I know that the treatment in mainland China and Hong Kong is different, but since I have paid for this script, I don't want to be treated differently," Jiang Xian said.

If we follow domestic standards, for a feature film, according to the highest standards set by the Ministry of Culture, the script remuneration is only 2000 yuan.

But in Hong Kong, the salary and benefits are very different.

Although the status of screenwriters there is much lower than that in the mainland, their income is much higher than that in the mainland.

Jiang Xian knew that he could fight for this matter.

When filming "The Burning of the Old Summer Palace", there was a big difference in pay between Hong Kong and mainland actors. Liu Xiaoqing made a big fuss and thus won some benefits for the mainland actors.

So now his attitude is quite clear.

He can choose not to take this job, but if he does, he must be paid according to the Hong Kong screenwriter salary standards.

(End of this chapter)