Chapter 411 409. A clever woman can hardly cook without rice

  The phone hangs up.

  Yang Mi shrugged to her husband:

   "About my schedule, maybe you want to turn around?...It's normal to think about it. Zhang Ziyi has exploded into this kind of virtue now. I guess the Shanghai Film Studio also knows the big head?"

   "Then you don't want to act anymore?"

"I…"

  The original sentence "I don't want to act" has already come to my lips.

  Yang Mi, who was still dripping with sweat on the tip of her nose, glanced at her husband...She suddenly sighed:

   "Gee... I know you love this story. You'd even want to get it yourself if you could, wouldn't you?"

"…Um."

  Xu Xin nodded:

"There are many things that can be unfolded in this script, but each of these things that can be unfolded can be hidden in the story. It belongs to the kind of story that is more refined and more flavorful. I still want you to act... "

  Yang Mi frowned:

   "That's not so humble."

   "It is not next to humbleness."

  After hearing her cognition, Xu Xin expressed his thoughts while lighting a cigarette:

"My idea is actually quite simple...Let's not mention the so-called "star" effect. Simply, I judge every script from the perspective of a director...This script, in the broad sense of all the scripts I have come into contact with Among the literary works that can be given to the movie, it can be ranked in the top five. When I saw this story, I had a kind of heart-felt mentality... just like meeting a peerless beauty."

   "But I think the tone of the story is quite slow."

"It is because it is slow that it has a taste. Of course, this is also my personal feeling. Maybe it is not the case when Wang Jiawei filmed it... But let’s not mention these, as far as the definition of an actor is concerned, in my mind, There is a picture between you and this story. Do you understand?

  Its artistry lies in the taste and texture of the character Gong Er in the story as a whole. She is much better than Ye Wen's character. She is alive, Ye Man is the witness, and she is the witness.

  If you come to play Gong Er, then this story is true to me. A real Gong Er, with the identity of a witness, slowly narrated this martial arts past. Although different people have different interpretations, but at least for me...you are the most suitable one.

   And the main reason why I have always liked it so much is also because... I think it is a movie that can make you be remembered by everyone. Let's say "The Wind" and "The Secret". Maybe in another five years, many people will forget the plot. But this story... five years, ten years, even twenty years, your interpretation of her... I think it will be remembered in everyone's mind.

  For an actor, this is something that cannot be met. "

   What he said was sincere.

   And really telling the truth.

  He trusts his instincts as a director.

  This story would not be too bad for any director to shoot.

  Because the tone of the whole story is determined by the direction of the script.

   The wife and the story really fit together.

   The story is also really wonderful.

  Of course, no matter whether the film is made or not, some people will definitely say that it is a bad film or that it does not meet their taste.

   But what about this thing.

  Business all the way alarmed customers all the way.

  According to what my wife said, all heroes are "high and high". It may be boring to watch this movie. But if you can calm down and carefully evaluate the texture revealed in the script, no matter how the movie is made, the script itself must be qualified.

   He didn't think it was humbling either.

  Wang Jiawei's artistic achievement is something no one can deny no matter how much he dislikes it.

  Each director has a different style. They must have their own reasons for gaining so many fans with this style.

  Acknowledging that others are excellent...it is not difficult for Xu Xin.

  And the wife's acting skills are not as good as every second.

  She still has a lot of room for improvement.

  This kind of room for improvement requires actors to try more different types of roles, enrich their own hearts, and climb up a little bit.

   When climbing up, the most indispensable thing is a humble heart.

  When you feel "it's mine" or "I'm not rare", then it's not far from getting lost.

  A good story, a good director, and a good actor are mutually accomplished.

How do you say that? ...a pity for others?

   It seems to say so.

  Don't say that anyone can handle the role of "Gong Er" well.

  There is still one in ten thousand.

  In case the acting is a mess... other people may just scold Wang Jiawei for making a bad movie.

  But for Xu Xin, he really loves this script. It's like when you had the opportunity to save a child, but it's a reason to regret it because you missed it.

  Although Xu Xin didn't express these thoughts clearly, Yang Mi felt the taste of expectation from her husband's words.

That…

  After thinking about it, she sighed helplessly:

"well."

  At the beginning, it was your old man who said "this character is very interesting", and I was the only one who took the trouble.

  Then let’s start from the beginning.

   If you want me to act, then I will act.

  Who made me love you.

   "Then I'll talk about it when my brother comes to see me. He said he will come to see me in a few days."

  After she finished speaking, she wiped the sweat off her face:

   "I'm going to take a shower."

"Um."

  …

  The New Year's Day in 2010 is actually quite nonsense.

  Because it is Friday, January 1st.

   And then... 3 days of statutory holidays.

  The 2nd is Saturday and the 3rd is Sunday.

  The three-day vacation is no different from taking a weekend.

   During the three days of New Year's Day, the couple lived quite peacefully.

   Quite a calm taste.

  January 4th, after the end of the New Year's Day holiday, all units resumed normal work.

   And Xu Xin received a call on this day.

   "Hi, Director Xu, hello. This is CCTV's "Documentary Project Plan Collection Team", and I am Luo Ming, the team leader."

  Hearing this title, Xu Xin was taken aback.

   Then cheered up:

   "Well, Hello, Team Leader Luo, I'm Director Xu Xin."

   "Hello, Director Xu. That's it. I'm calling to talk to you about the project related to the documentary "A Bite of China" you submitted. Do you have time tomorrow?"

"tomorrow?"

   "Yes, January 5th."

   "Yes, I have time tomorrow. Shall we have an interview?"

   "Yes, we like the prospect of the proposal you provided, so we would like to discuss with you about the establishment of the proposal."

   "Okay, then, Team Leader Luo, please tell me the time, I will go...is it at CCTV?"

   "Yes. How about... 9:30 tomorrow morning?"

"no problem."

  Xu Xin readily agreed.

   Fang Xiu said before that these documentaries are planned as the opening project of 2010, and the results of whether they are passed or not will be produced after New Year's Day.

   I didn't expect it to come so fast.

   He got the news just after the first day of New Year's Day.

  The phone hung up, and Yang Mi, who was listening all the time, asked:

   "What about the documentary? Are you going to start filming?"

   "It was passed. But it's hard to say when it will be filmed..."

   "What about the hawthorn tree?"

"Keep shooting. Although this documentary is made by me, it doesn't mean I have to shoot it myself. I'm not a director of photography... More often than not, I'm the one who controls the shooting plan, and everyone shoots it. When I come back, I will control the general direction. I don’t need to do everything myself~”

   While talking, Xu Xin stood up:

   "I'm going to the study."

"okay."

  In the study.

  He once again took out the "Bite of the Tongue" plan that was much thicker than when he submitted the plan.

  In all honesty, Xu Xin really felt that he was quite busy.

  Starting from "The Hawthorn Tree" and getting the news from Lao Fang that CCTV was going to make a documentary, he seemed to be idle every day at first glance, but in fact he didn't miss any of these jobs.

  "The Hawthorn Tree" sometimes got stuck, so he changed his mind and made "A Bite of Tongue".

  After "A Bite of Tongue" had no inspiration, he started working on "The Hawthorn Tree" again.

   Then after getting the book "Sunspot" from his literary consultant Lu Haibo, in order to adapt it into the story script he wanted, he was still sorting out the overall story direction.

   And after all these things are done, I have to work on the "Trading" thing.

   These tasks are all done by his brain, and he has to do it all by himself.

  Ordinary people really can’t do it.

  It's not...

  When the original "Bite of the Tongue" was submitted to CCTV, the proposal was only about ten pages long.

  But now, including the materials and the preparation work, it is almost turned into an exercise book now.

  The content inside is also varied and has everything.

   It was all made by him with little additions, deletions and changes.

   I dare not say that it is particularly mature. After all, documentaries are the same as movies, and there are quite a lot of details that need to be brainstormed.

   But at least the main idea is there.

  The core soul of the whole idea is "eating".

  Use "eating" to explore the cultural and ethnic roots of the Chinese people.

   Firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar and tea are ordinary things for ordinary people.

   See true knowledge in the ordinary.

   This is a story he wants to "see".

  …

  January 5th.

  CCTV. In the small conference room of the "Charm Records" column group.

  When Xu Xin arrived, there were already about ten people in the conference room.

  Maybe it's "celebrity effect"?

  When he was led by the clerk to the entire big office, he received no less attention.

   And entered the meeting room, looking at these people, he quickly said politely:

   "Sorry for being late."

   "Haha, Director Xu, welcome."

  A big brother in his forties with a dark face greeted him first.

   "I am Luo Ming."

   Seeing the Lord, Xu Xin smiled and held hands with him:

   "Hello, Team Leader Luo, I'm Xu Xin."

   "Come, come, sit down and talk. Director Xu, please."

   "Don't dare, group leader Luo is too polite."

  Xu Xin hurriedly let out a humility.

  When he was in the Olympics before, he had a lot of dealings with people from CCTV, so he was not nervous or timid.

  Everyone is here to talk about things, not to build relationships.

   Normal communication is fine.

   But the atmosphere is quite formal.

  Not to mention anything else, just looking at the teacups, manuscript paper, and writing pens placed in the positions marked with a caliper in front of my desk, I know that this is also a continuation of the meeting within the system.

   After Xu Xin took his seat, Luo Ming said:

   "Since Director Xu is here, let's start today's meeting...everyone applauds!"

  Amidst the clapping applause, Xu Xin got up again, bowed and sat down again.

  Luo Ming continued:

   "Director Xu, the purpose of inviting you over today is to discuss matters related to the establishment of the documentary film "A Bite of Heaven"."

"Um."

  Xu Xin nodded in response:

   "Did my plan pass our review?"

   "Yes, it has been passed. We want to hear Director Xu's thoughts on shooting."

"good."

  Xu Xin took out the stack of manuscripts from his bag.

  But it didn't open it, but handed it to the recorder behind:

   "Please make a copy for me."

   "Okay, Director Xu."

  The recorder nodded and took the document and walked away quickly.

   Then Xu Xin said:

  “Actually, the shooting idea of ​​this documentary is very simple, that is, to explore our cultural roots through the act of “eating”…”

  He began to talk about his shooting concept.

  Although the entire concept has been described in writing in the proposal, some things are still clearer through my own dictation.

   It is also convenient for everyone to ask questions.

  Xu Xin made this statement for about 20 minutes.

  The core point of view is summed up, which is actually the last paragraph of Xu Xin:

   "The purpose of the entire documentary is to show the rich experience accumulated by the Chinese people in food, the vastly different food habits and unique taste aesthetics, and the oriental life values ​​that have risen to the level of survival wisdom. ... My statement is over, thank you all."

  When this sentence was used as a summary and the statement was concluded, the eyes of everyone present today were completely lit up.

  This idea...

OK.

  Although this sentence sounds a bit stereotyped at first glance.

   But heavy shape and heavy meaning.

  The ideological realm of the entire documentary was raised at once.

  Surprise occupies most of the emotions in Luo Ming's eyes at this moment.

  Looking at Xu Xin who was seated, he thought for a while and asked:

   "Then how does Director Xu plan to demonstrate these values?"

   "Every episode, one core."

  Xu Xin put down his teacup and said unhurriedly:

"For example, when I created the episodes of "Time", my inspiration was the poem "Nostalgia" by Yu Guangzhong. The taste of hometown is the longing for every wanderer who goes out, and the sense of taste to distinguish the environment Password. It is also the most important consolation for their hometown.

The so-called "food and sex" means that people of different classes, cultures and regions cannot live without "eating". Through the link of "eating", we can see how farmers produce crops and how cooks Production, how diners taste... This entire closed-loop process is the best embodiment of our country's thousands of years of reproduction, migration and survival.

  Farm cuisine, local cuisine, trendy cuisine, Hakka cuisine... Our cuisine, chef gangs, and even diners from the north and the south have different taste pursuits for the same food, these are the people of our entire country..."

   When he said this, he made a gesture of grasping and squeezing each other with his hands:

  "The process of coming together. This is the core idea of ​​the creation of the entire "Bite of Tongue". We want to show everyone the food flavors of different regions in the surface phenomenon.

   Let some people with narrower horizons realize that...besides the living soil they are familiar with, we still have so many delicacies that can make him feel the urge to eat.

  But at the inner level, we embrace all rivers and rivers through "eating", and integrate the thousands of years of history of nations, countries, and civilizations to reproduce. "

   "What about the theme of the story? Is it a straightforward food description? Or..."

   another person asked.

   "No, it is to record the stories of ordinary people."

   "Director Xu to shoot in person?"

"Of course not... Our country is so big, let's not say too much, just shoot according to the season, it will take three to five years to say nothing. I can... The problem is that we can't let me be a sheep to die Bar?"

   "Hahaha, that's definitely not possible."

  A joke made the atmosphere in the conference room quite relaxed.

   "I heard... aren't we planning to hire an external film crew this time? Right?"

  Hearing his words, Luo Ming nodded:

"That's right. This time we are all soliciting plans from the outside in a unified manner. The shooting team also adopts a "project system". The standards for the total budget items, personnel, board and lodging, etc. are all bidding, and are uniformly controlled by the station. But the shooting Progress is made by the project team."

  The implication is that on the basis of the "big framework", the shooting process is not restricted by the system and should be freer.

  Of course, this freedom is also relative.

  The final program content is still controlled by themselves.

"That's it. If this documentary is going to be filmed, then when I form a team and act as the director, I will assign the episode directors in the team to take the project materials prepared in advance to shoot. After filming, I will make it myself. control."

  Xu Xin's words are also reasonable.

   After all, Xu Xin’s idea of ​​this food documentary is to shoot according to the season, so some things may be filmed in the south in a certain season, but the north has already missed it.

  Then, the people in the meeting room made some explanations about the formation of the team and the refinement of some positions in the documentary, and then began to enter the highlight of the documentary.

   is the budget.

   This kind of documentary is remembered by years, and it is a big deal for people to eat horse chews.

  In Xu Xin's vision, he will make six to seven episodes of documentaries, at least the budget for each episode is around one million.

   It sounds absurd at first glance.

   This is not a movie, and there is no such thing as celebrity salary, how could it be so much?

  But in fact...making movies and documentaries is just spending money like this.

  First is artificial.

  External directors are not directors within the system. They are paid a dead salary, whether they work for a month or not.

  First of all, the director must consider the issue of labor costs.

  Director, cinematography, drama management, etc., these people are a fee.

  What kind of hotel to stay on a business trip, what kind of car to rent, is another expense.

  The most important thing is the equipment. This time it was a project system, and CCTV only paid for it, and all equipment and equipment were set up by the documentary directors who won the bid.

   Also includes soundtrack, editing, packaging, post-production and more.

  A series of links are all piled up with money.

   And the schedule has been set, and the calculation will start after joining the team.

  Under the subcontracting team model adopted by Xu Xin, the director team for each episode, including some professional consultants, is at least 15 to 20 people.

   These people are based on a "salary" of 5,000 yuan a month for one person, and they will pay 100,000 yuan a month.

  If it is filmed for one year, it will be 1.2 million.

  So, the budget he gave for an episode of "1 million" is already taking into account that this is a public project, and it does not belong to the compression limit of private investment.

   To put it bluntly, there is an advance allowance for the Olympics, and Xu Xin knows how much money the "public" will grant.

result…

  When they heard his offer, all the people present, including Luo Ming, were speechless.

   "Director Xu, we will be partners soon, so we won't lie to you. The truth is, seven episodes, one million per episode, a total of seven million production costs, we can't give that much."

   "..."

  Xu Xin's mouth twitched.

"Is that much? Each of the BBC documentaries is worth tens of millions. Each of these seven documentaries should be about 50 minutes long according to the expected duration. Seven million is already too low. Budget."

  He originally felt that one million dollars per episode was too low to be lower.

  But how do you hear this meaning...

   Still pressing down?

   Hearing his words, Luo Ming shook his head slightly:

   "We are just getting started, and we are definitely incomparable with a big station like the BBC."

   "...Then what is our budget?"

   "One episode is around 650,000."

   "65... six seven forty-two, five seven thirty-five... four and a half million!????"

  Xu Xin was instantly stunned.

  People say that a clever woman can't cook without rice.

  What do you think of me?

  Don't talk about clever women... Do you think I'm some kind of Doraemon?

  650,000 one-episode documentary, about 50 minutes?

  Feed mud into the belly of the chicken, and let the chicken pull out a golden egg for you? ? ?

  Compared with you, the Olympic Organizing Committee is considered generous!

   His eyes are full of absurdity.

  And Luo Ming also knew that this request was indeed a bit...too overwhelming.

   But still explained:

"Director Xu, it's not that we are stingy, but that the total budget of the station is limited. To tell you the truth, there were five projects that we had our eyes on in the same period. And the total budget for this project outsourcing bidding documentary is only 1,500 yuan. Wan. Director Xu, "A Bite of the Tongue" has already taken up one-third of our project budget for this year..."

  The implication of the words: We are really full of sincerity.

   After he finished speaking, a middle-aged man next to him also nodded:

"That's right, Director Xu. What we pay attention to is also crossing the river by feeling the stones. First, single-point experiments, practice and summarizing experience, and then large-scale promotion. This is the first fire, and we must use it within a limited time. Only when it burns well."

"…ha."

  Xu Xin couldn't help laughing bitterly:

   "Leaders... do you know? The one million I said for one episode is still not counting my personal labor costs, the production cost of a single episode."

   "..."

   "..."

   "..."

  The whole room fell silent again.

  What can they say?

  There is only so much money. In the first year, everyone got it and crossed the river by feeling the stones. The money was not much. If you consider your labor costs...then the production cost might directly exceed tens of millions.

   Wouldn’t it be impossible to make other films?

   But what Xu Xin said was also true.

   "Bite of the Tongue" His purpose is not to make money, and he didn't even think about making money at the beginning.

  He intends to get a Starlight Award, and then after he graduates from graduate school and stays in school, he will logically start to transform resources from the Olympics to the World Expo, etc., and turn them into nourishment for himself.

  Seniority is too important.

   People who don't need **** are useless. But those who need it want it even if they beg their grandparents to tell their grandma.

   It's fine if he doesn't take this path, so he can earn box office as a director honestly.

  But now that I have decided to take this path, sometimes it is "I have to do it for nothing".

  What is this called?

  This is called knowing the general body.

  Practical, hardworking and general, with a spirit of dedication to the collective.

   is a very, very good and extremely important character.

  But the problem is...

  I don’t even want money anymore, I work for nothing.

  You can’t ask me to pay back the money, can you?

  A budget of 600,000 for one episode?

  Where can I find you such a bunch of ghosts and monsters...

   After thinking about it, he said:

   "I don't need to talk about my labor fee...but... Team Leader Luo, can you add more, can you? One million per episode, you can ask, it's really the price of cabbage!"

   "Director Xu, we have already considered 4.5 million for you! Five documentaries! The total budget is only 15 million!"

   "No... you can add more... 4.5 million is the same as zero."

   "...We can provide you with the equipment, okay?"

  The documentary project establishment meeting, which was supposed to be well-thought-out, to explore the deep cultivation of civilization in the Celestial Dynasty, suddenly turned into a bargaining in the vegetable market in just a few words.

   Suddenly forced to drop down.

   But neither side can do anything.

  One side is 4.5 million rounded up to approximately equal to zero. It is better not to give.

  On the one hand, one-third of the budget has already been allocated, and it is held in front of you pitifully and told you: overcome difficulties if there are difficulties, and overcome difficulties if there are no difficulties.

  Both sides have nothing to do with each other, and this originally pleasant discussion has turned into an inseparable tug-of-war.

   There is no one left.

  (Today is just one chapter, take my wife to the hospital, her heart is not feeling well.)

  (end of this chapter)