Reshaping the landscape of the Chinese entertainment industry

He was engrossed in his conversation with Liu Guonan and was unaware of the discussions among those around him.

Of course, given his personality, even if he knew, he wouldn't care.

They might even say, "You're absolutely right, he should be called Master He!"

Apart from Liu Guonan, who would call him by his full name, most people in the crew who knew him simply called him Xiao He.

Even Liu Guonan only calls him by his full name on more formal occasions, and he pronounces it very clearly. In private, he hardly ever calls him by his name.

It's because his name is too advantageous.

If you're not careful, you can easily slip up and say something you don't mean.

Of course, for men from Beijing, calling someone "Master" is no big deal.

They keep calling him "Master" or "Grandpa".

For example, those guys in the Beijing circle, like Master Shuo and Master Bao...

Unfortunately, He is not part of Beijing's social circle; he only moved to Beijing with his family three years ago.

So he doesn't have the habit of calling others "Master," but he's still quite happy to hear others call him that.

Knowing this little quirk of his, Liu Guonan was very reluctant to call him that.

"You're still young. I was just like you back then," Liu Guonan said with some emotion as he looked at the confident He Ye.

"Once you've experienced more, you'll realize that making movies isn't that easy. You can get the production team together, but what about funding? If no one invests, no matter how good your ideas are... Many times you have a great script, but unfortunately..."

Liu Guonan seemed unwilling to say more about these things.

He felt no aversion to He Ye's confident and flamboyant demeanor; it was the youthful spirit he had lost.

Humans, many times, rely on sheer willpower to keep going.

Even Buddhas fight for a stick of incense, and people fight for a breath of air!

Once that breath dissipates, that's how your life will be.

As someone who has been through it all, Liu Guonan is well aware of the value of this quality.

So he patiently continued to instruct, "You've learned almost everything from Teacher Mu regarding directing techniques, camera work, and lighting."

"As for color theory, I'm not capable of teaching you that. You can try asking the director for advice."

"All I can teach you is what the crew has to offer and my own experience. I'll let you start from the bottom. Don't complain about the hardship; that's just how this industry is. If you're not grounded in reality, the things you produce will feel unrealistic."

He Ye's expression returned to composure, and he nodded solemnly.

He understood Liu Guonan's thoughts, of course.

In his past life, he had good opportunities, but he didn't cherish them. When he finally realized it, it was too late to start learning again, and that's how he ended up in such a sorry state.

In this life, he is willing to learn anything and do anything.

As for so-called self-confidence and youthful spirit~

How can a person only have one side?

A youthful appearance and confident, assertive demeanor—who says they can't be a form of camouflage?

"By the way," Liu Guonan suddenly lowered his voice, "have you noticed that Director Zhang hasn't been in a good mood lately?"

"What's wrong?"

"The budget for 'Hero' went overboard, and the investors had objections. Also, Jet Li's schedule was about to expire, and there were still a few scenes that hadn't been filmed."

Liu Guonan sighed: "This kind of big production is difficult; a small change can have far-reaching consequences."

He glanced at Zhang Yimou, who was discussing shots with chief cinematographer Zhao Xiaoding in the distance, but said nothing.

Zhang Yimou is only 51 years old this year; even in his seventies, he still has plenty of energy to make movies.

Don't worry about how bad the rest of the filming was; the question is whether "Silent Awakening" made money or not.

He's over seventy years old. He worked as Zhang Weiping's farmhand his whole life when he was young, and he didn't leave any money to his descendants.

It's understandable for someone to want to leave something for their descendants with their face and fame when they get old.

In 2026, when He Ye was reborn, it is said that in the second half of the year, Zhang Yimou will also be filming "Man Jiang Hong 2", which will be completed in three months at most, and then continue to compete with "The Wandering Earth 3".

In response, He could only say that while he understood, he'd let others provide support; he was just a bird in the air...

Back to Old Zhang, who is 51 years old, he is currently at the peak of his energy.

In this environment, he was only wearing an ordinary white T-shirt, his hair was a mess from the wind, but the energy in his eyes was even stronger than that of the young men in their twenties next to him.

This is the backbone of the Fifth Generation of directors, and this is the face of Chinese cinema today.

Upon seeing him, He Ye suddenly felt a surge of inexplicable emotion.

It wasn't worship, but rather a feeling... how should I put it, a feeling of "I can do it too".

Call it arrogance or the clear-headed understanding of a reborn person, however you will.

He just wants to avoid regrets.

In his past life, he regretted too late and missed too much. In this life, he doesn't want to miss out again.

……

"Is Team B ready for the next scheduling and filming?" Zhang Yimou's voice came through the walkie-talkie again.

He Ye grabbed the walkie-talkie: "Director, get ready!"

"Let's begin."

"Action!"

Because He Ye had done a good job with the camera, Liu Guonan was happy to continue having him work on the project, and he only needed to coordinate.

After all, carrying a camera is tiring!

He's just a young man, not quite grown up yet. If he wants to come himself, let him come.

This time, He also wants to film a scene of cavalry charging.

He squatted in the dug tunnel, with the camera on his shoulder, the lens pointed at the dark mass of cavalry.

The sandstorm was getting stronger, and the sand stung my face.

But He couldn't care less about any of that; his eyes were glued to the viewfinder.

Three thousand horses began to run.

The earth was shaking.

The vibration travels up from the soles of the feet, through the calves, knees, and spine, all the way to the brain.

He felt his heartbeat overlap with the sound of horses' hooves.

The thumping sounds were like they were trying to rip open his chest.

The cavalry were getting closer and closer.

The sandstorm is getting thicker and thicker.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the sand, casting long shadows of the cavalrymen. The interplay of light and shadow in that moment was absolutely stunning, perfectly capturing the feeling of clashing swords and galloping across the battlefield.

He was very satisfied with the shot, but it's unclear whether Zhang Yimou would like it.

"Click!"

Zhang Yimou's voice came through the walkie-talkie.

He crawled out of the tunnel, covered in dirt, looking just like a terracotta warrior dug out of the ground.

Liu Guonan walked over, glanced at the footage he had shot, and then turned to Zhang Yimou and called out, "Director Zhang, come and take a look!"

Zhang Yimou walked over and bent down to look at the monitor.

In the scene, three thousand horses emerge from the sandstorm, and sunlight shines from behind, gilding the silhouettes of the cavalrymen with a layer of gold.

Zhang Yimou stared at it for a long time, then looked up at He Ye.

"Xiao He," Zhang Yimou's pained expression softened into a smile, and he nodded in satisfaction, "This shot is excellent, absolutely perfect, this take is a success."

Liu Guonan patted him on the shoulder and laughed, "Not bad, junior brother. The director doesn't just praise people casually."

"Thank you, Director!" He Ye understood the implied meaning, "It's all thanks to the teacher's excellent instruction; I've just been learning from him."

"Yes, he has indeed learned the essence of Old Mu's teachings," Zhang Yimou nodded in agreement, concurring with He Ye's assessment. "It seems that Old Mu's decision to take on this last disciple was not in vain!"

"Director, may I learn about color from you?"

"You little rascal, you really know how to seize an opportunity," Zhang Yimou, who had already been asked by Mu Deyuan, didn't refuse this time. "Alright, leave the crew here to Xiao Liu, you're coming with me tomorrow!"

"Thank you, director!"

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