Chapter 29： The way forward (1/2)

Chicago, a beautiful city in Illinois, can be said to be the third largest city in the United States after New York and Los Angeles. This city is the home of the Bulls and the headquarters of Harper, which produces the ”Oprah talk show.” location. Several people came to Chicago when Wang Yang was invited by Harper to prepare to record an issue of ”Oprah Talk Show”.

Let ’s not say that Wang Yang has liked this show since he was a child; from a practical point of view, it is very beneficial for him to participate in the current issue of Oprah. Although the ”expulsion” incident has now been fully known, the matter is disputed Can't get rid of it temporarily. And his public image is very vague, and he may be portrayed as a ”problem boy” by the media at any time. After all, he beats people and fights so hard.

It does n’t matter what Wang Yang does, because he is a director, not a star; he is a filmmaker, and he manipulates the lens, not faces the camera. So he doesn't need to talk about the topic, he doesn't need to be chased by the media, just follow it if he has; as long as everyone knows that he is not a scumbag, he doesn't want to boycott his movie.

However, Lion Gate, especially Jon Phil Timer, who wants to make a good grade and keep the chance of being promoted to the company ’s CEO, he is not willing to miss this best post-film promotion opportunity, despite the screening of Ghost Records 118.5 million box offices have been madly received in four weeks, but the momentum has slowed down slowly, and there is still potential to be tapped. And is there any free way of publicity that is better than the last highest-rated talk show ”Oprah Talk Show”?

After getting off the plane, under the arrangement of Jon, Wang Yang and Zachary came to a downtown hotel to stay and announced their dissolution. You can go wherever you like, this is not a summer camp. ”Show” was recorded on Wednesday afternoon, and now it is only Monday noon. Jon Filtim went to Harper to discuss the specifics of the talk show, and Zachary went out to play.

He was always very excited about this trip, giggling all by himself all day long, pulling Wang Yang several times and believing in disbelief: ”I really want to go to the Oprah talk show?” Wang Yang is one every time His face nodded affirmatively: ”Yes, Oprah talk show.” Then Zachary twisted happily and performed a little dance: ”Oh, my God! My family, my friends are on TV When you see me, you must be crazy! ”

So he was in charge of picking up Rachel at O'Hare International Airport at night, and fell on Wang Yang, although he was also the first time to come to Chicago and arrived in the morning. Of course, he didn't have to go, he just had to wait in the hotel, but he couldn't wait to see Rachel.

Sitting on a chair in the waiting hall, Wang Yang observed passing pedestrians, guessing randomly about their background experience, and from time to time looked up at the flight landing message displayed on the electronic screen. After a while, he looked up at the screen again, and Rachel took flight AC5149 and landed safely.

Wang Yang remembered that the night Rachel was going back to Toronto a few months ago, before walking into the boarding gate, she turned and said, ”I look forward to seeing our movie in the cinema. At that time, we will see you again!” ”Now that the movie has been shown for four weeks, this sentence has not yet been realized; but fortunately, I will see Rachel again soon. Thinking of these, he couldn't help but smile.

After a while, I saw many passengers entering the terminal from the flight landing aisle. They dragged large and small luggage, but they did not look like a servant. Because from Toronto to Chicago, it only takes less than an hour to fly. Rachel bought the ticket to Chicago on Sunday night. At that time, Wang Yang will also arrive from Los Angeles at the same time; but because Wang Yang delayed several people For the itinerary, she had to change the ticket for today.

Wang Yang stood up and looked towards the channel. Suddenly, he saw a beautiful figure. She was wearing a purple jacket and dragging the very small suitcase. Her long blond hair was so smooth and flowing, it was Rachel.

When she saw Wang Yang, she suddenly burst out with a smiley face, and the two dimples were still so sweet. Her steps came quickly, and when she came to Wang Yang, she slowed down again, watching Wang Yang smiled and bit his lip.

”Hi!” Wang Yang smiled at her, he looked up and down at Rachel and smiled, ”You look good.”

”Really?” Rachel smiled slightly, not knowing why, her heart was beating fast, and Wang Yang was looked over, and said softly: ”You look good too.” Her hand loosened. In the suitcase, another step forward.

Seeing her like this, Wang Yang spread his hands, stepped forward to gently hug her, gave a hug, and smiled: ”Welcome to Chicago, Rachel.” Leaning on his shoulder, Rachel Feeling very comfortable, he chuckled lightly: ”Thank you, Chicago!”

The two of them lightly hugged each other and separated. Wang Yang helped her take the small suitcase and looked at her and smiled: ”Let me come, Toronto beauty.” Rachel shrugged and said: ”Of course.”

Then, the two walked out of the airport with a smile and prepared to go back to the hotel where they stayed. Although I have n’t seen each other for more than four months, Wang Yang and Rachel have no stranger feelings with each other, not only because they often chat on the phone; and the tacit understanding makes them feel very comfortable.

On the second Tuesday, it was still free time. Wang Yang and Rachel planned to go to the Navy Pier, but Zachary refused their invitation with no interest. He was going to a ”hip hop sanctuary” in Chicago, a bar Play; then they invited Jon Filtim, and Jon smiled and said, ”I still have to work, a lot of things are waiting for me to deal with it, and I wo n’t go. Hey, and the two of you are dating, I What are you going to do? ”

Knew that Jon was deliberately making fun of them, and neither Wang Yang nor Rachel rolled his eyes with a smile.

There are many tourist attractions in Chicago, Navy Pier is one of them, there is not only one pier, there are parks, shops, museums and other sightseeing facilities on the pier.

Wang Yang and Rachel went to the museum and went to the art center to watch many treasures, including some rare famous paintings. Below an oil painting by Picasso, Wang Yang said to Rachel: ”Rachel, do you know? My high school art teacher always said that I have the potential to become an outstanding painter.” Rachel suddenly said with a surprised face. : ”Wow, a painter? Like Picasso?” Wang Yang looked serious: ”No, like Van Gogh.”

Rachel smiled: ”It's not bad like Van Gogh.” Wang Yang said seriously: ”Well, my teacher thinks so too, he said: 'Yang, your painting is too incredible, too much ahead of this era, It's like Van Gogh. At my level, I can't appreciate it. '”He suddenly changed his tone, learning the art teacher's angry look, and asked with wide eyes:”' Really, what are you painting? ! This is an apple? How is it like an ass? '”

”Oh! God ... haha!” Rachel was suddenly amused by her, and her face turned red with a smile. She beat Wang Yang and smiled and scolded: ”God! You are too vulgar, you hate ghost! ”Wang Yang pretended to be innocent:” It's not me, it was my teacher who said that he caused me to have ”apple phobia”. I will feel dizzy as soon as I see an apple, and I am also a victim. ”Rachel smiled He gave him a glance.

Played for most of the day, now they came to the shore of Navy Pier, leaning on the railing, blowing the breeze from Lake Michigan, looking at the blue sky, the blue lake, all this is so beautiful.

Wang Yang and Rachel looked at each other and both smiled slightly. Rachel pulled back her hair that was blown by the wind, narrowed her eyes, and sighed: ”It's really charming here. A few months ago, I didn't think I would be here now.” Wang Yang also said: ”Well, I ca n’t think of it either. ”Rachel looked at him suddenly and asked a little strangely:“ Yang, I ’ve actually played a movie with over 100 million box office? Or the heroine? ”

Wang Yang nodded with a smile, and said, ”Hey, Rachel, you are really like Zachary. He also asked this all day. Of course, he asked the actor.”

”Oh! But Yang, you can't blame us.” Rachel looked at the blue sky with white clouds and shook her head incredulously. ”This is just too crazy.” She smiled and complained to Wang Yang suddenly. Dao: ”You don't know, I've been annoyed recently. On the way to the community, many people will yell 'Oh my God, Meier!', 'She really didn't die ...'” She smiled helplessly: ”You know, the school is about to start, I dare not imagine it, the students must treat me like a monster.”

”Oh, you can't blame me for this.” Wang Yang said with a smile, he remembered the purpose of Rachel before going to Los Angeles, because he hadn't been busy for a while, he never asked, and now he remembers And asked, ”Oh, Rachel, how is your semester paper? How are you?”

Rachel nodded and replied to him: ”It's ok, qualified. The teacher gave me good comments. He said that my ideas are very unique and I understand the movie very well. Ha! He didn't know, there are many in the paper The arguments are all from you. ”Wang Yang shrugged and said,” That's the essay you wrote yourself. ”She pouted again and said,” But, my classmates are still very stubborn, I tell those Then they said, 'Oh, anyway, the golden age of song and dance films has passed. It's like this, it's half dead. Now no one even sees ”The Prodigal Son” and ”Lightning Dance”. ”,” Rachel , Don't be naive '... ”

She looked at Wang Yang helplessly and said casually: ”I sometimes think that if someone makes a popular song and dance film, they will know who is right and who is wrong.” She shrugged and added Sentence: ”I will also know.”

”Maybe I shot one?” Wang Yang laughed at her with a smile. Rachel smiled and said, ”Wow, that's fine! Then I can tell them, see it, it's okay!”

Maybe I shot one? This blurted out words suddenly made Wang Yang feel a little moved. He looked at the deep blue lake and pondered seriously. He has been thinking recently, what will he do next after the screening of ”Ghost Record”?

Go back to San Francisco to cook? That's impossible; go back to NUS to continue studying? This idea also made him shake his head. It was n’t that he hated Nanda. He just learned the theoretical knowledge of film and television production and directors ’professional studies. He had already learned almost himself; while making movies, what ’s more important is practical experience and practical ability. Those things It is impossible to get in the theoretical classroom, and it is also difficult to compare with the campus practical class.

This is why, after graduation from college students, most people still start as assistants, in fact they are familiar with the actual operation of making movies; there are also famous directors who are not from the film, like James Cameron, they are all Starting with the work associated with the movie, while learning the shooting operation, waiting for the opportunity. Therefore, it is better to go directly to Nanda University to study directly in film production.

Wang Yang knew that there was only one way he was most willing to go, and that was to shoot the next movie. But what? It is impossible to make DV movies anymore. First, DV movies and film movies are completely different. Film movies are his biggest pursuit. He wants to let himself grow in this respect. Second, the market needs time to digest ”Ghost Shadow” The madness of Memoir is that in the short term, it is impossible for another DV movie to succeed on the big screen, even if it is done well.

Look at the original ”Witch Blair”, which staged a miracle in 1999; another 10 years later, ”Smart and Ghost Record” appeared in 2009, and ”Witch Blair 2” encountered Waterloo as proof. It's not that there are no outstanding DV movies in the middle, but that the market has been overdrawn. The first time, people feel fresh; but the second time, they won't play with you. So Wang Yang didn't plan to make DV movies anymore, he saw the film movies.

So, if you make a film movie, what is a big commercial? Not suitable for him. First of all, commercial blockbusters have to burn money. The more they are willing to burn, the more they carelessly burn, so that the director can make good movies. If they shrink their hands for the sake of cost, it will only cause the situation of the movie ”not addictive”. I still haven't got enough of it, I want to watch it again; instead, I feel depressed and wasted time, and they will send the curse to that movie mercilessly.

He is not enough in terms of funds, but more importantly, he is too lacking in actual shooting experience. He will not be an idiot to think that he has taken some practical lessons and thought that he used DV to shoot ”Ghost Record” and he can easily play around with this. The world is done with everything.

Make a regular movie. Before the filming begins, the formation of the crew must be completed, including the employment of personnel, the audition of actors, and the contact of the shooting venue.

Although many of these jobs are left to the producer to do, he wants to be a producer. The production of a movie includes these jobs and he wants to experience; in addition, he does not want to be opposed by the producer. He points his finger at himself. He makes movies and shoots as much as he likes, without being at the mercy of others. This is the spirit of independent movies. He loves this.

In the director's job, when shooting a film, he will definitely deal with various film production equipment, including photographic equipment, lighting equipment, recording equipment, etc .; he also directs the entire crew of more than one hundred people to ensure that the crew can work normally. Operation.

Whether it is the job of a producer or a director, when he leaves the campus, his experience is close to zero. He is almost a layman. He has to enter the door first, but if he enters, it is a big investment. Movie, he is likely to screw up.

The commercial blockbuster is not suitable for him at the moment, so come a drama with no special effects and no post-production? Will some big stars play? The question is, what superstars with great acting skills will join an 18-year-old director's drama?

That ’s right, he ’s successful now, he ’s so beautiful now, many media say he is a “supernova” and “promising future”; but the fact is that even Lionsgate thinks he ’s just a lucky man, Jon-Philippe Altimer told him a few days ago: ”Yang, our company intends to shoot the sequel of” Smart and Ghost Record ”, we will probably pay you a million copyright fees, you think about it first, the company has not yet Set up the project. In addition, the director of the sequel will not be you. ”

Wang Yang knew that Jon had a sentence to say at the time, that is, ”I think you should go back to Nanda to study first!”

This is not surprising, look at the three young creators of ”The Witch Blair”. The information in my head shows that the three young people were also shocked across the United States at that time. Because they were ”mainstream people”, the media's pursuit of them was much more crazy than they are now. Not only were they interviewed everywhere, the two were only 30 years old. With the 35-year-old directors Edvardo Sanchez and Daniel Merrickdon, they also appeared on the cover of Time Weekly, and became a darling of the United States for a time.

But what happened to them later? Is the future promising? No, not only did they not achieve anything.

After the success of ”Witch Blair”, in the first two years, all their energy was used to fight the lawsuit with the artisan company. ”Witch Blair 2” released in 2000 has nothing to do with them. The sequel copyright has long been in Started packing and selling to artisans. Later, the lawsuit won, and the two directors wanted to make a comedy film, but the investors insisted that they continue to make horror films. They did not follow, and were unwilling to invest in themselves. Finally, the filming plan was still dead.

After a few more years, the two directors began to make new movies one after another, but both ended in box office failure. In the end, no one remembered the two young people who had been on the cover of Time Weekly. No one remembered the praises they gave to them, and their names faded over time.

When you succeed, you break out of the cocoon, showing your beauty to the world, everyone is praising you, you think you have the world; but if you do n’t understand your situation, you will be lost, You will fly farther and farther, and eventually find no way to return home, and then fall down exhausted, picked up by someone, and combined into a book to make a specimen. Occasionally the book will be opened, the reader will say, wow, this is really a beautiful butterfly, it must be beautiful when it used to fly! Then the book is closed and you are nothing.

This is the cruel reality, there are too many beautiful butterflies in the world, come in a hurry, and go in a hurry. He is only one of them flying higher now, and if there is no self-knowledge, he will not get better than the director of ”The Witch Blair”.

Still have to choose some low-cost, low-tech difficulty movies, first let yourself be familiar with what is going on in the movie. So what film? He has no idea, but he tends to like campus comedy and the like.

Why not make a horror movie? For horror movies, he lacks passion and impulse. He has always been afraid of watching horror movies. When shooting Ghost Records, he still has nightmares every night, and it is uncomfortable to wake up in the middle of the night; in addition, he wants to continue Working with Rachel and Zachary and also wanting Jessica to star in his movie, he knows that Jessica has been looking forward to this.

He hopes to be able to make movies with these good friends happily, and hopes that these good friends will become famous as soon as possible and enjoy their own success. So he wanted to make a film that was suitable for him and suitable for these good friends. Campus films seemed to be the best choice, and campus songs and dances? It sounds pretty good……

Seeing that Wang Yang hadn't spoken for a long time, Rachel seemed to be thinking about something, so he touched his elbow on the railing and asked with a frown, ”Yang, what's wrong?”