Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 34 Zhang Songwen Wang Baoqiang GET
Influenced by his mother when he was a child, Zhang Songwen converted to Buddhism at Nanhua Temple in his hometown and entered the secular world to practice Buddhism.

But at the age of 23, he changed his indifferent character, gave up his job with a monthly income of 2 yuan, and went to Beijing Film Academy to pursue his dream.

In 2000, the Beijing Film Academy's vocational college class had not yet established a directing department, so he had no choice but to apply for the acting department. He stuck to this path until the end, and after graduation he stayed at the school as an assistant teacher in the vocational college class.

Life is not easy. He and Lu Kuan met by chance at Fan Bingbing Film and Television School when he was there as a part-time acting teacher.

Sitting in a private room at the Jimen Hotel near Beijing Film Academy, Zhang Songwen felt a bit like he was before applying for the higher vocational class.

A message I sent last night received a response, which may be the biggest gain of this winter vacation. Otherwise, I would have to do some part-time work as a dishwasher to save money for rent.

The door suddenly opened, revealing a short-haired man in his forties, wearing a shabby, untidy cotton coat and with dark circles under his eyes.

Li Yang was stunned when he pushed the door open, then stepped out of the private room and took a look. Yes, it was 007, why wasn't Lu Kuan inside?

"Director, what's wrong?" A silly young man followed in from behind, grinning happily.

He was successfully selected by the crew, and today an investor invited him to dinner and specifically asked to meet him. Sha Gen, who is the same age as Lu Kuan this year, can’t be unhappy.

He hasn't been home for two years. His salary for this film is 2000 yuan, and he is already looking forward to the day when filming is finished.

When the road widened, people in the house were already chatting. In addition to the three people mentioned above, there was also the photographer of "Blind Well" Liu Yonghong and the leading actor Li Yixiang.

"Mr. Lu!"

Li Yang was the first to say hello. He and Lu Kuan were the only ones who were familiar with each other here, so the others also quickly stood up and said hello.

Zhang Songwen has traveled all over the country and is much more experienced in dealing with human relationships. Seeing Wang Baoqiang still eating melon seeds, he quickly grabbed a handful.

In this society, or in the entertainment industry, a small detail may offend people and ruin one's career.

"Everyone, please take a seat."

Lu Kuan calmly took off the scarf around his neck and first conveyed an exciting news to Li Yang.

"Director Li, in addition to the initial 100 million, I will transfer the remaining 100 million in installments based on your filming progress. You don't have to worry about the money."

Li Yang graduated from the Cologne Film Academy in 94 and just returned to China last year.

When he was in Germany, he made a four-year plan for himself to save money and do whatever could make money.

He was a painter, a bricklayer, worked in a restaurant, a driver, and a cameraman at a TV station.

The documentary director, who had less than one million in initial investment, breathed a sigh of relief at this moment. Poverty is a difficult disease to cure, and making underground films is extremely difficult these days.

Li Yang didn't feel embarrassed at all, and stated in front of his photographer and the lead actor: "Don't worry, Mr. Lu, I will complete this film with guaranteed quality and quantity. Even if it can't be shown in theaters in China, your money will not be wasted."

Lu Kuan smiled in his heart. It was because he was kind that he left some share for Li Yang. Otherwise, he would regret it when selling the copyright at the film festival.

Zhang Songwen was very tactful and came out of the private room to ask the waiter to serve the dishes. Everyone ate and chatted.

"Director Li, have the crew members purchased insurance?"

Li Yang hesitated for a long time: "The main actors and creators have bought it, and the others..."

In the previous life of "Blind Well", people died in a landslide accident, which scared the heroine away.

"Everyone will be covered by the maximum accident insurance. I'll cover the budget, which is in addition to the 200 million investment."

The others were surprised but didn't say anything. At this time, the boss of the crew was Li Yang, and everything depended on his statement.

Even with such a good thing, who could guess the director's true thoughts? He might think Lu Kuan was trying to win people's hearts and be furious. Sha Gen, who couldn't hold back his outburst, raised his glass and said excitedly, "Thank you, Mr. Lu! You're the best investor I've ever met!"

This guy has also learned to flatter. He has been a supporting actor for two years and has met Mao's investors.

Zhang Songwen knew that it was difficult to persuade the damned ghost with kind words, so he stopped pulling at his clothes. The words had already been said, so he could talk about whether it was appropriate or not later!
Li Yang sighed deeply, stood up solemnly with his glass full, and toasted Lu Kuan: "Mr. Lu, thank you so much. I won't say anything else, it's all in the wine!"

An investor who does not interfere in the crew's mundane affairs, an investor who can give constructive suggestions on script structure and photography.

And an investor who is people-oriented and treats the underground film rat-like creators as human beings. These days, there are too many people who talk about profits and too few who talk about conscience.

The leading actors and photographers also took the opportunity to express their gratitude respectfully, whether for physical or mental reasons or just for market reasons.

Lu Kuan responded to each of them, then pointed to Zhang Songwen and introduced him, "This is Zhang from the Beijing Film Academy, my schoolmate. I'd like to ask Director Li if he can play the role of Tang Zhaoxia."

Li Yixiang asked curiously, "Is Mr. Lu also from Beijing Film Academy?"

He is a graduate of the Performance Department of Beijing Film Academy in 92. During this meal, I still thought Lu Kuan was a second-generation coal miner who was just playing around. I didn't expect that he was also someone in the circle.

"Oh, I'm going to take the art exam after the holiday, for the directing department, haha."

Boss Lu didn't notice that he was talking nonsense. The last time he stepped into the Beijing Film Academy campus was decades ago.

Although Li Yang was grateful to Lu Kuan, he would not give up the role he had already decided on just because of his simple recommendation. He immediately made an appointment with Zhang Songwen for an audition and did not discuss further during the meal.

A group of filmmakers were chatting and looking forward to starting the creation of this crime film as soon as possible while drinking.

Photographer Liu Yonghong used to be a TV reporter and also worked as a wedding photographer for a year to make a living.

I was very curious about Lu Kuan's previous suggestion of using 16mm handheld and shoulder-mounted photography, so I took the opportunity to ask for his advice.

"Mr. Lu, I'm still worried about the exposure issue with photography..."

Except for Li Yang, the other three people were puzzled. How come this investor even knows photography?
Lu Kuan smiled and said, "Kodak's 16mm film has a maximum sensitivity of only ASA500. Although it can't compare to the current starting sensitivity of 800, this is the oppressive atmosphere of insufficient lighting that we want."

Friends who have common sense in photography know that this T1.3 Zeiss lens has very low reflectivity in deep pit scenes such as mines, and the underexposure caused is consistent with the scene shown in the original film "Blind Well".

This is exactly the effect that Lu Kuan pursues, and it is also what the Berlin Film Festival values ​​most: authenticity!
It’s the dark, pseudo-documentary effect of this underexposure that heightens the authenticity, like a documentary about a crime.

Of course, such authenticity also doomed "Blind Well" to be banned in China. It is inevitable that there are two sides to the same coin.

After dinner, everyone went their separate ways.

Wang Baoqiang and his extra friends shared a low-rent house near the Beijing Film Academy. The two schools were separated by a wall, which made it convenient for them to find work.

Zhang Songwen graduated in the summer, so he naturally lives in the school dormitory now.

Lu Kuan walked with them for a while, then took out a business card and gave it to Baoqiang. He didn't have a cell phone, so he could only contact him one-way if he had any questions.

He then patted the shoulders of two future talented actors and left.

"Perform well and I'll sign you to my company in the future!"

Sha Gen was a little flattered. He was so happy that he could be a small or medium-sized special, let alone be signed with an entertainment company.

"Brother Wen, Mr. Lu also has an agency?"

Zhang Songwen shook his head silently, and inexplicably recalled a Buddhist verse from the Sixth Patriarch Huineng, whom he believed in:
A lamp can dispel a thousand years of darkness, and a bit of wisdom can eliminate ten thousand years of ignorance.

Will Mr. Lu be this thousand-year-old beacon for me?
(End of this chapter)