"I'm really a celebrity!" Seeing that Tang Hong didn't believe her, Yang Xiaomi was a little anxious." I've acted in Master Xing's 'Su Begger'. He even carried me on his back."
"I thought you were going to say 'Monkey Child'? At least there are a lot of lines in there." Tang Hong chuckled.
Yang Xiaomi's face turned red." You! Why have you seen that before? No, how did you recognize it?"
That was a drama from almost ten years ago. At that time, she was still a little girl. Who would have known that the cute little doctor in the movie was nicknamed the chivalrous girl "Little Awesome" in primary school?
Tang Hong couldn't help but burst into laughter, which attracted Yang Xiaomi's attention.
" Even if I'm not a big star, you're a big director. What have you filmed before?" Yang Xiaomi was a little angry and asked.
Tang Hong's face turned serious when he heard that. He said slowly," The money is not enough, the actors are not determined, and the script is not available yet."
Yang Xiaomi's face darkened. She had almost been scared by Tang Hong." If you were a director, you'd definitely make terrible movies!"
Bad movie? I didn't act in as many lousy movies as you did in my previous life.
Tang Hong curled his lips and was about to say something when he was suddenly stunned and an idea flashed in his mind.
Bad movie…low budget…no acting skills…
Oh right, that film was just right.
Coincidentally, there was an actor in front of him who fit the image.
Yang Xiaomi saw that Tang Hong was silent and thought that he was angry. She carefully stepped forward and pulled his sleeve.
"Are you angry? It's okay. When I become a big star, I'll go and support you when I film a bad movie." Yang Xiaomi patted her chest like a little adult.
Tang Hong came back to his senses and didn't know whether to laugh or cry when he heard this. This girl, how could she comfort people like this?
"Mi Mi, do you want to film my scene?" Tang Hong tried his best to make his expression more serious.
"Sure, when you become a director in the future, I'll support you." Yang Xiaomi agreed.
"Not in the future, but now." Tang Hong looked at her and said," I have the script. Are you coming?"
"Ah?"
……
"Hello, teacher." Tang Hong had been working on the script for two days. When he was done, he rushed to the teacher to help him read it.
"Tang Hong, you won't let me off even during the holidays." Zheng Dongtian looked at Tang Hong who was standing at the door and said helplessly.
"Teacher, I wrote a new script. Please take a look." Tang Hong didn't feel embarrassed. He chuckled and took out his new script.
"Alright, I'll show you. As long as it's not the one you wrote before, it's fine." Zheng Dongtian joked. Previously, Tang Hong had come to the office to ask him to change the script, but he had rejected him several times. When he received Tang Hong's call, he was touched by his student's perseverance.
Zheng Dongtian picked up the script and looked at the title-" Don't Stop the Cameras!" He flipped to the beginning and frowned.
Zombie movie?
One shot to the end?
A show within a show?
This was even more unreliable than the previous one.
Without saying anything, Zheng Dongtian continued to read the script. When he reached the end, his expression changed. He put down the script and looked at Tang Hong." This is... Cult?"
Cult movies were a type of movie that was loved and respected by supporters in a small circle. They often had unique shooting techniques, strange subjects, unconventional styles, strong personal opinions, and controversial characteristics.
Seeing Tang Hong nod his head, Zheng Dongtian continued," The plot structure is layered. The latter part of the story is very different from the former part. It's the opposite of the mainstream movies now."
Zheng Dongtian took a sip of water and continued," This script is not bad, but you have to pay attention to the scale. I'll pass it to you."
Although this film was purely a commercial film, Tang Hong was not worried that Zheng Dongtian would not approve it because of this.
Zheng Dongtian and the other fourth-generation directors liked to explore the philosophy of society and life, and they paid attention to the artistry of the film.
However, he himself also said," The first demand of the audience when they enter the cinema is entertainment. Only then can they talk about aesthetics, exchange of ideas, and even education." He was still very open-minded towards commercial films.
"Teacher, can you contact the Green Film Studio? I want to rent some equipment and set up a film crew." Tang Hong rubbed his hands and said.
Green Film Studio, also known as Youth Film Studio, was a film production agency affiliated to Beijing Film. Zheng Dongtian had once served as the director of Green Film Studio.
Its main responsibility was to cooperate with the teaching plans of each department, complete the film homework and production practice of the students in each teaching link, and it was the place where the teachers of the whole school carried out creative practice.
In 1993, after Optoelectronics released the " Several opinions on the current film industry mechanism reform," China Film no longer monopolized the purchase and sale of domestic feature films, and each studio was responsible for its own profits and losses.
Every film studio in the country began to reform, and the production of the Green Film Studio decreased year by year. In the past four years, he had only produced two movies, and one of them was a joint work of his own school.
In this period of time, filming required a filming permit, which was a single-piece permit. Individual applicants were not allowed, and neither were studios. It had to be in the name of the company. If you don't have permission to film, you won't get permission to show it.
Even if he applied in the name of the company, it was not over yet.
Since the implementation of the Regulations on the Reforming of the Production Management of Story Movies in 1995, private companies that wanted to shoot movies had to cooperate with the studio and hang their names, which was commonly known as buying the "factory logo."
It would be until next year when the new method was implemented that units other than the studio could produce movies independently.
Tang Hong was a student of Beijing Film Academy, so naturally, the film was under the name of Green Film Studio.
"Hmm? You have the money to make your own movie? Aren't you going to wait for the school's approval?" Zheng Dongtian was curious. This meant that he was going to be the sole owner of the movie.
It was known that making a movie was very expensive. Tang Hong was still a student. How could he afford it? If this script went through the school's review, by the time he was in his fourth year, the Green Film Studio would be able to invest money to help him shoot it.
" I've spent the past two years doing advertisements, music videos, and other miscellaneous things. I've also saved up tens of thousands of yuan." Tang Hong explained.
"Alright, since you have an idea, I'll contact the production team for you. Do the actors have any ideas?" Zheng Dongtian had read the script and knew that the cost of filming would not be too high.
"Most of the roles don't need good acting skills. We just need to work behind the scenes and find some extras. As for the main role, there's still a daughter that hasn't been decided yet."
Tang Hong said," We have candidates for the roles of the male and female actors. The director and his wife are looking for Teacher Xie Yuan and Senior Sister Li Qinqin for the roles. What do you think?"
"You brat, you dare to have ideas about your teacher?" Zheng Dongtian smiled and said," But he will definitely like this script. I'll give him a call and you can send the script to him. He can also contact Li Qinqin."
"Sorry to trouble you, teacher." Tang Hong thanked him.
……
Xie Yuan, Ge You, and Liang Tian were known as the "Comedy Three Swordsmen" in China. Although Xie Yuan, who was a four-star actor, was not famous in the next few years, he could be said to be very popular at the end of the 80s and 90s.
If Zheng Dongtian had not worked with Xie Yuan before, and he was considered half a student, it would not have been easy to get him to act in a movie about a young kid who had not graduated yet.
After leaving Teacher Xie Yuan's house, Tang Hong went to look for his next actor.