The reason why Xiang Nan dropped out of "The Banquet" is because this movie, along with "The Golden Armor" directed by Zhang Yimou and "The Promise" directed by Chen Kaige, were ranked among the top three worst movies in 2006. The level of bad films made domestic films once synonymous with bad films.
It was not until seven or eight years later that domestic films gradually gained recognition. It can be said that these three bad films are really very popular. Even the three top mainland directors make movies of this level. How can any audience have confidence in domestic films?
That's why Xiang Nan doesn't want Feng Xiaogang to make such a bad movie.
"There is nothing interesting about this drama. The story of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, that dynasty, except for historians, who can ordinary people be familiar with it?
The history that we Chinese people are most familiar with is the struggle for hegemony between Chu and Han, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty, and the Ming and Qing Dynasties and the Republic of China. We have limited knowledge of the remaining dynasties and have no sense of involvement.
What's more, your script is adapted from "Hamlet". I do not deny that "Hamlet" is indeed Shakespeare's masterpiece, but it does not meet the taste of the Chinese people.
Chinese people pay attention to revenge with tooth for tooth, blood for blood, life for life, and there is no entanglement or hesitation at all. So even if your movie completely replicates Shakespeare, it doesn't look good at all.
And if you make the audience unhappy, the audience will make you unhappy. So I will not invest in this drama. Xiang Nan waved his hand.
"Then what should I take pictures of?" Feng Xiaogang said blankly after being criticized by Xiang Nan.
"If you really want to make a historical film, then I suggest you choose a period from the history I mentioned above to film." Xiang Nan thought for a while and said, "Actually, I don't really recommend that you make a historical film. Because The audience for this genre is very small, Zhang Yimou's "Hero" and Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" are more martial arts films."
When making historical films, the most important thing is to be knowledgeable and have considerable research on the history of the dynasties you are filming. Hu Jinquan, the famous director of Xiangjiang, has thoroughly researched the history of the Ming Dynasty just by making martial arts films of the Ming Dynasty.
Just for the clothes worn by Jin Yiwei, I didn't know how much information I checked and how many ancient paintings of the Ming Dynasty I read before I finally got the inspiration.
However, Feng Xiaogang has limited knowledge and is not even a college student, so he is not capable of making historical feature films. It won’t look good if you force yourself to take pictures. Just like his film "The Night Banquet", it was pretentious and pretentious, and it was a complete bad movie.
"Director Feng, what you are good at is realistic themes, using absurdity and ridicule to deconstruct tallness. Why don't you continue to work hard in this area?" Xiang Nan persuaded.
Although Feng Xiaogang collaborated with him the most, he was more ideologically influenced by Wang Tie and liked to use a joking attitude to deconstruct high-level things.
For example, in "Party A and Party B", the talkative Li Qi is used to deconstruct the martyrs who would rather die than surrender; in "Big Shot", the advertisement at Taylor's funeral is even more of a huge black humor.
Not to mention "Chicken Feathers on the Ground", "I Am Your Dad" and "A Sigh", which even stripped the skin of intellectuals, parents, writers, etc.
When Feng Xiaogang heard it, he felt it made sense.
When he makes historical films, he mainly follows the trend.
Cheung Yimou and Ang Lee both filmed the film, and both achieved good box office and word-of-mouth success, which inevitably made him itchy, so he also wanted to give it a try.
But hearing what Xiang Nan said, he also felt that historical films may not be suitable for him. If you don't take the photo well then, you will lose face and lose your status. Instead of doing that, it’s better to take pictures of what you are good at.
"Then tell me, what should I take pictures of?" Feng Xiaogang asked curiously.
"Did you notice the story about migrant workers carrying corpses thousands of miles away at the beginning of this year?" Xiang Nan looked at Feng Xiaogang and asked.
Feng Xiaogang was stunned for a moment, and then shook his head. He really wasn't too clear about this matter.
Xiang Nan then turned on the computer, searched for relevant news, and showed it to Feng Xiaogang.
After Feng Xiaogang read it, he felt a little silent and felt a little confused.
He was in poverty when he was young, but no matter how depressed he was, he still had a serious job and could afford to eat and drink. Moreover, with Xiang Nan's guidance, he quickly rose to prominence and became a human being.
Today, he is also a man with a net worth of over 10 million. I dare not say how wealthy I am, but at least I am free from wealth. He didn't expect that there were such miserable people in the world.
When a migrant worker fell ill at a construction site, the contractor didn't even register when he heard that it couldn't be cured. In addition, he had to pay 100 yuan for medical expenses. One hundred dollars for a life sounds like a joke.
And the old man, who was also a migrant worker, actually chose to carry the corpses of his fellow workers thousands of miles away in order to let them return to their roots... This chivalrous spirit alone is touching.
"I think you can film this story. It's about a migrant worker carrying a body on the road. What he sees, hears and feels along the way is like a Hollywood road movie." Xiang Nan suggested, "I want to be sure Interesting, what do you think?"
Feng Xiaogang thought about it and felt that this story had great potential.
To be honest, until now, there has not been a road movie that is deeply rooted in the hearts of mainland movies. But in Hollywood, road movies are a very successful genre.
Through what the protagonist sees and hears on the road, he completes his life experience, changes his thoughts, and shapes his character, creating a series of dramatic conflicts. Or communicate with others or with your own soul.
This is a very clever way of telling a story. If he can adapt this story, he will be the first mainland director to make a road movie. For him, it would be much better than following the trend and making costume movies.
"What you said makes sense, just look at mine." Feng Xiaogang said with a smile.
Afterwards, Feng Xiaogang began to prepare the script.
…
In mid-2005, the National Olympic Committee announced the bidding plan for the opening ceremony performances.
Xiang Nan and Zhang Yimou's design was successfully selected. When the news came, Zhang Yimou was very happy.
The Olympic Games is a century-old dream of the Chinese nation and is of great significance. This Olympic Games is the largest event held by China since the founding of the People's Republic of China. By then, tens of thousands of athletes and millions of tourists from more than 200 countries and regions around the world will come to Beijing to participate in the grand event.
The whole country is united in its efforts to make this event a success. Therefore, it is undoubtedly a great honor for him to be able to participate in this grand event.
"Professor Cheng, thank you for your plan." Zhang Yimou said gratefully.
"You're welcome, you help me and I'll help you~" Xiang Nan smiled and said, "Director Zhang, I believe you can direct well."
"Yes." Zhang Yimou nodded.
After a period of time, Zhang Yimou stopped making movies and focused all his energy on directing the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. To him, this is the most important job.
Xiang Nan also supported him.
To be honest, Zhang Yimou directed the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, which is a higher honor and status than the honor and status he achieved by directing a hundred films. His films may not be immortal in history, but the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games will definitely go down in history forever.
