The Best Director

Chapter 235: Chapter 235 Dialogue Between Great Directors

Despite being the summer vacation, the film school was particularly lively today. Many students who were in Beijing had flocked back; meanwhile, the security guards strictly guarded the school gates, blocking swarms of young movie fans, as well as media reporters. Within the beautifully scenic modern campus, with its tidy roads and trees all around, there was an atmosphere very conducive to study, typical of a young university.

On the campus road leading to the main teaching building, a large entourage was escorting a young man with black hair, wearing a gray and black casual shirt and jeans. Two burly white men and a middle-aged white woman were following beside him; leading the way were several film school leaders. The man at the front, wearing a black thin suit, with a kind and full face, was the Vice President of the film school, Zhang Huijun. He pointed around and introduced various things along the way.

“Oh! Very nice.” Listening to Zhang Huijun’s words, Wang Yang looked around enthusiastically at the university environment. He occasionally responded, as college campuses are places filled with beauty, youthful folly, and the burning of youth; it was a holy ground in his heart and in the hearts of countless others. The beautiful film school made a great impression on him, but it was a pity that it wasn’t the start of the academic year, or else he could have experienced that unique vitality.

However, he also felt a bit strange, as the ceremonial reception seemed somewhat inappropriate for a personal tour; he felt more prestigious than the President. Suddenly, he noticed a vast pyramid structure far ahead and couldn’t help but ask with curiosity, “Mr. Zhang, is that pyramid a symbol of the film school?” Like the statue of Troy at the University of Southern California?

“Er that…” Zhang Huijun, who had been ready to answer any questions, suddenly didn’t know what to say. The other school leaders exchanged glances quietly, debating whether to veer towards vagueness, concoct a new meaning, or be truthful? They couldn’t avoid the fact that this young VIP was interested in the pyramid and walked towards it while asking, “The pyramid is very pretty! Is there a story behind it? Some feud between schools and the school?”

“Originally, our college established a Pyramid Academy Award,” Zhang Huijun said with a light laugh as he walked, considering an appropriate explanation. The film school leaders back then started a Pyramid Academy Award to establish some spiritual traditions, showcasing movies produced by alumni during that year. Each department would openly vote for the various award categories, presenting the Pyramid Award to outstanding alumni.

Then, the trophy, inscribed with the winner’s name and the film’s title, would be stored inside the pyramid, and a brick would be affixed to the exterior of the pyramid. As a result, this pyramid structure came into being, and the first Pyramid Academy Award took place in 1992, with the Best Film chosen by the Directing Department going to Zhang Yimou’s “The Story of Qiu Ju.” In 1993, all the awards from all departments went to Chen Kaige’s “Farewell My Concubine.”

However, these awards had to be reported and only took effect after approval from above. The higher-ups did not agree with “Farewell My Concubine” as the Best Film, citing the Cultural Revolution and homosexual content as inappropriate! The film school had no choice but to have the students vote again, and all the departments changed their outcomes, except the Directing Department continued to choose “Farewell My Concubine” as the Best Film.

Thus, the second Pyramid Academy Award came to an abrupt end. In 1994, the film school wanted to continue the award and thought of a solution—holding it biennially. Thus, the second session of the awards for 93-94 began again, and most departments chose “Back to Back, Face to Face,” but the stubborn Directing Department again chose “Farewell My Concubine.”

Ever since then, the second session of the Academy Award was never completed. The pyramid, which was expected to become a symbol of the film school, instead became a place where students talked about love, laughed, played, and drunkards climbed.

Thinking of these past events left Zhang Huijun with a frustrated sigh. It was truly difficult to engage in academic work and creative endeavors in this environment. He said, “Originally, we planned to engrave the winners’ information on the pyramid, but we’ve encountered some difficulties and placed the project on hold for now.”

“What happened?” Wang Yang, a bit perplexed, stopped and gazed at the smooth pyramid, looking left and right without finding any award information. Are there difficulties in administering school awards? Financial difficulties? Does it need a lot of funds? Aren’t there alumni donations? He asked with a smile, “I think it’s a great idea. If the students later see this pyramid, you know, it would inspire tradition, honor, a sense of belonging… Universities need these things. Why was it discontinued?”

“Mr. Wang,” Zhang Huijun said with an embarrassed expression as the other film school leaders fell silent, trying to cover his embarrassment with a laugh, “The situation here is different. The results from one session were not approved by the authorities, so… that’s why it ended.”

Authorities? Wang Yang frowned, puzzled about what kind of selection process required “the authorities’ approval. What were these “authorities”… He suddenly realized what Zhang was referring to and couldn’t help but exclaim, “WOO, How-Could!” In the heat of the moment, an English exclamation escaped him, and he swallowed back “What-The-Hell!” He looked up at the pyramid a few more times, anger brewing within him as he sighed with raised eyebrows, “How could this be, I cannot believe it, such a regret… It’s such a shame.”

Having said that, he took a step towards the academic building, suddenly feeling as if the pleasant environment around him was bound by a red shackle, and the entire world was just fireflies.

He was aware that a year later, the universities here would suffer greatly, but he had not expected it to reach such an extent. The transformation of the pyramid from cutting-edge to sorrowful really broke his heart.

Universities are supposed to be independent havens of freedom, where academic and creative expression flourishes among both professors and students, creating that unique atmosphere known as a university… If even an award must be approved by “higher-ups,” how could one possibly expect good education… or good filmmaking? He wanted to beat that person who denied approval, to break the damn bastard’s ribs.

After passing the pyramid, he found that although the academic building was beautiful and some film laboratories were advanced, and Zhang Huijun among other leaders from Beiyi were laughing and talking cheerfully, Wang Yang’s mood wasn’t great. He just kept smiling, since, as an ungraduated student from University of Southern California, he had no suggestions to offer, and even if he did, they would likely have no impact. However, the students were unfortunate, yearning for education yet encountering such a soulless university.

After wandering around the buildings for a long time, and coming out again onto a tree-lined campus path, Wang Yang didn’t want to be surrounded by a large crowd and told the leaders from Beiyi that he wanted to walk around on his own, accompanied only by bodyguards and assistants. Zhang Huijun naturally did not object, and no accidents were expected, as the school only allowed staff and students to enter that morning, and they had all been ordered to follow the rules.

“Wang Yang was just hanging out here for a long time! We practice here every morning, what a hassle! Now we’ll think of him every morning!” “Hahaha!” “Stop being silly!” “I see Wang Yang!! He’s over there, it looks like he’s watching us! He’s smiling!” “Ah, is he walking this way? It looks like he’s coming over! Hey, he’s coming over!” “Oh my God!”…

After touring a bit more, they returned to the pyramid, where about ten girls stood beside it, pointing and talking with laughter. Seeing a long-haired girl looking over excitedly, Wang Yang smiled back at her. These people must be students from Beiyi, right? Drama and performance? Are there any like Nancy studying directing? Seeing that they seemed quite excited and joyful, Wang Yang walked over with a smile.

The young girls were all pretty and had a camera-ready presence, with diverse temperaments and stylish outfits. Wang Yang thought they must all be drama students. As he approached with his bodyguards, the excited girls fell silent, extremely nervous. There stood Amazing Yang! He raised his hand and greeted them with a smile, “Hi! How are you all?”

“Hi! Hello…” The somewhat disoriented girls immediately responded, each with their own thoughts swirling in their minds, from excited and nervous fan behavior, ready to ask for autographs and photos; to wondering how they could make an impression on this superstar director and gain familiarity, thinking that maybe later on there would be a suitable role for them, then he might remember her, right?! How could they get to know him, was it even possible?! And the one thing on everyone’s mind was, what a rare opportunity!

“Director Wang! I am a student from the performance department here…” “Mr. Wang, could you give me an autograph?” “Can I take a photo with you?”…

The voices suddenly erupted, with almost all the girls excitedly speaking, while one or two smiled silently, surrounded by a variety of voices. Wang Yang nodded and said with a smile, “I can sign autographs! No problem.” He took the autograph pen from Susan McCarthy and started signing the notebooks the girls handed him, while they introduced themselves: “Director Wang, my name is Zheng Luoxi!” “I’m Mu Tingting.” “Director Wang, I love your ‘High School Musical’ the most.”…

“Oh! Thank you, everyone.” Wang Yang kept signing his name, glancing at the person when he heard their name. He had wanted to talk about university life here, but it felt like a fan meet and greet instead.

As they asked for autographs, the other girls who also liked him but were not keen on collecting autographs suddenly found something to hand over, wondering if it was better to stand out by not asking or if it would seem disrespectful. They might as well just do it! As each person handed over an item to be signed, they would excitedly introduce their own names: “My name is Zhao Ke.”… “Hi Amazing Yang, my name is Wang Luodan.”

“Oh!” Wang Yang, holding the pen, signed the notebooks, looking up at the short-haired girl as she spoke, while writing “Wang Yang, YOUNGWANG,” he said with a smile: “Is it King of Tigers? Classmate, we might not have known we were related hundreds of years ago!”

The girls, despite not hearing a joke, naturally let out light laughter, and many of them were quite envious of Wang Luodan for receiving such a comment. “He just said that, didn’t he? Isn’t that impressive? Had I known, I would have called him ‘Magical Yang’!” Wang Luodan, who was smiling, wasn’t particularly overjoyed; in fact, she didn’t understand what all the excitement was about. The youngest Oscar-winning Best Director and a group of gofer students from the other side of the planet…

Forget about Hollywood movies, she thought she was so unattractive that becoming a TV Series actress here would be quite an accomplishment!

“All signed! Then, goodbye!” Wang Yang twirled the autograph pen in his hand and said with a smile as he prepared to leave amidst the girls’ farewell exclamations. He left the scene with Susan McCarthy and two others.

After touring around for a while and signing autographs for a few groups of students, Wang Yang’s already waning enthusiasm quickly depleted. He asked Susan McCarthy to inform the school officials on the phone, and then he left Beijing Film Academy, concluding the morning sightseeing. After a lunch break, in the afternoon, they once again visited the academy and attended a film discussion in Yifu Building’s multi-function hall where the speakers included Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaogang.

Both were representative figures of China’s fifth generation of filmmakers and, together with Chen Kaige, were the “Three Kings” of mainland China’s directors.

Wang Yang had met Zhang Yimou at the Oscars ceremony in March of this year, where they chatted quite a bit backstage. His impression of Zhang was that of a very cautious person who was always polite to a fault, which wasn’t very interesting; Feng Xiaogang, on the other hand, he was meeting for the first time. However, not long after the discussion began and after a few topics were covered, Wang Yang had already noticed that Feng spoke frankly and was an excellent conversationalist.

In the multi-function hall, a stage was set up at the front with red carpeting and pleasing potted plants. The three guests sat in the center on mahogany chairs, each holding a microphone with bottles of mineral water placed on the ground beside them. The spacious hall below the stage was filled to capacity, with leaders in the front row, media journalists who had come with pleasure upon invitation, and the remaining seats were filled with young students from Beijing Film Academy, from the director’s department, the art department, the acting department…

Everyone listened intently to the discussion, especially the students from the directing department who were extremely excited, focusing so intently that they didn’t allow themselves to miss a word. If Akira Kurosawa influenced Zhang Yimou, Feng Xiaogang, and all the other fifth-generation directors, as well as western filmmakers like Spielberg, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese and the likes, who in turn influenced Wang Yang; then these “seventh-generation directors,” who grew up watching Western films, were influenced by Spielberg and by their contemporary, Magical Yang.

Now the host had brought up a rather sharp question, “Compared to Hollywood films, what is missing in Chinese cinema?”

Zhang Yimou, dressed in a black top with a crew cut, smiled without speaking first; next to him, Feng Xiaogang, wearing a light-colored shirt, pursed his lips and then spoke up, “In terms of film technology, we have a long way to go.”

“Film technology is very important,” Wang Yang nodded, he had always watched Chinese mainland movies, and for this discussion, he had also reviewed a lot of films and materials. Speaking into the microphone, he said, “Let’s not even talk about computer effects, a movie without CGI effects. From what I understand, in aspects such as props, costumes, sets, and makeup, Chinese cinema indeed has significant shortcomings. Directors are not magicians; a good movie relies on the concerted effort of professionals in various fields and departments.”

He looked at Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaogang, who had not spoken, and continued, “Things have to be done with great attention to detail, to bring out the character of the film, which also requires art direction and production design.” He smiled and added, “If you want to make an epic film with impressive scope, you must excel in these areas, otherwise an item of clothing that doesn’t fit the story’s setting can appear quite comical.”

“I’m not very familiar with the situation in China, but in Hollywood, for example, the prop master Drew Petrota of ‘District 9’ comes from a family that has been prop masters for three generations. He grew up amidst props, and many of his technical skills and aesthetic sensibilities are cultivated over years, not something you can master in a year or two. Hollywood has many such people. Actually, this applies to producers, screenwriters, and other roles as well.”

For instance, Joss Whedon comes from a family of screenwriters. They naturally have more opportunities from a young age and are more likely to succeed. However, talented young individuals can also showcase their abilities through low-budget independent films, securing opportunities to join the behind-the-scenes teams of mainstream blockbusters.

“I think this aspect needs to develop slowly, after all, an industry also has its age,” Wang Yang said as he looked at the many faces in front of him, inadvertently catching sight of a few students who had asked for his autograph in the morning. He finished by saying, “Regardless, professionalism, enthusiasm, and patience are also very important.”

“As for me, I hope…” Feng Xiaogang shifted his legs and leaned back in his chair, looking out at the audience, he said, “I hope that young people nowadays are not so impatient, not just randomly thinking about becoming a director or a producer. What we lack now are professional craftsmen like prop masters and costume designers! My hope is for more young filmmakers to go to Hollywood to apprentice and then come back to serve their own country.”

The students in the audience were somewhat unconvinced, with many from the directing department nearly ready to boo this influential industry figure. What did he mean by that? Who were the young people he was referring to? Some muttered under their breath, “Director Feng, you talk a good talk, why don’t you go learn? Who doesn’t want to be a great director or a great producer? Who are you trying to fool?”

What status do prop masters and costume designers have? Everyone knows Feng Xiaogang, but who knows who the prop master or the costume designer was for ‘The Dream Factory’ or ‘Big Shot’s Funeral’? Or who the set designer was?

Let’s not talk about that, even if you’re a “top-notch prop master” in the industry, your salary won’t necessarily be high. If you demand more, the investors wanting to save money will not even look for you. They couldn’t care less if the props or costumes look good or not, aren’t the movies without “top-notch prop masters” still being made fine? If some investors are willing to spend the money, they will directly hire someone from Hollywood and then advertise with the banner of a “top Hollywood behind-the-scenes team.”

These professionals simply did not have a nurturing environment to flourish in, no one wants to be busy all their life and not even own a house. Apprenticing in Hollywood is fine, but once they have learned the trade, they stay there. Who would come back just to be frustrated? As for what Wang Yang said about putting in passion, many times your zeal will be met with a bucket of cold water poured over your head by others. That is the impatience given by this impatient environment. You want to be patient, but there are no opportunities.

These were the thoughts of the many art and directing students seated, they who had made short films and participated in projects, had already learned quite a bit about the industry and that was the reason they wanted to jeer at Feng Xiaogang. It’s easy to talk without feeling the pain!

“So, is it just movie technology? Anything else? Director Zhang, what’s your view?” The male host in the black suit steered the conversation.

※※

※※

※※

PS: The dialogue in these chapters is well-founded; Feng Xiaogang’s words are all drawn from reality, that is exactly how he spoke. Don’t say that I’m smearing anyone or belittling anyone; I have reiterated many times that I’m very meticulous with my writing and wouldn’t make such a mistake. It seems like when I write about domestic issues, everyone becomes particularly sensitive, with the mentality that their ‘naughty child’ cannot be criticized by others.

In fact, Feng Xiaogang did not have this awareness back then; he once “imagined his movies could soar across the world,” these are his exact words. He only pointed out the issue with the technical level of Chinese cinema after making ‘Assembly’ and ‘Aftershock’ and even described the technological gap between Chinese cinema and the world as “the same gap as the national soccer team.” The timeline in the text is 2003, so don’t use today’s perspective to judge that era or the so-called fifth-generation directors who were “late bloomers among the flowers”, otherwise, there wouldn’t have been ‘The Banquet’, ‘Curse of the Golden Flower’, ‘The Promise’…

Also, it’s Monday, and I ask for your recommendation tickets! Everyone, give a little, let’s get on the category recommendation list! (To be continued, for more, please log in at www.qidian.com. There are more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)