"The sun comes out in the west?"
Xie Jin and Lin Chaoyang have known each other for a long time. First they had "The Wrangler" and then "Wreaths Under the Mountain". In the past two or three years, the two would get together from time to time to discuss scripts and movies, and their relationship gradually became
Get closer.
Although there has been no cooperation in the past two years, and the number of meetings and correspondence has decreased, the friendship is still there.
Xie Jin definitely didn't get the advantage and act like a good boy. It was more of a joke. The exemption of manuscript fees really broke his inherent impression of Lin Chaoyang.
"If you can speak, speak more." Lin Chaoyang said sarcastically.
Xie Jin confirmed again uneasily: "You really don't want royalties?"
"If you want to force it, it's not impossible." Lin Chaoyang said.
Xie Jin said: "Who wants to give you money?"
He looked at Lin Chaoyang up and down in confusion, feeling as if he had been separated for three days and was looking at him with new eyes.
"No royalties, this is really not your style."
Lin Chaoyang said impatiently: "It's not over, is it? Besides, I have to make you pay!"
Xie Jin immediately shut up, then got serious and asked, "Why don't you want the royalties?"
"A Cheng's script is well written. I'm just helping out and it doesn't take much trouble."
Xie Jin asked again: "What about the signature..."
"Just change the script and sign it." Lin Chaoyang waved his hand.
Xie Jin was really shocked now. He didn't want any royalties and no signature. Is this still the Lin Chaoyang he knew? He was almost alive.
He thought about it and thought that this was probably to take care of Acheng's face. He knew that Lin Chaoyang and Acheng had a good relationship.
Lin Chaoyang didn't want to take credit for this matter, so Xie Jin could only silently accept the favor, stop mentioning it, and talk about movies instead.
Lin Chaoyang helped him solve the urgent problem of the script, and the crew could finally get started.
"I will go back to Shanghai early tomorrow morning. I will gather the cast and crew first and let them get ready. Alas, I have to go to France in a few days, which is really a delay."
Xie Jin went to France to attend the awards ceremony of the Caesar International Film Festival held in Paris. He participated in this kind of event almost two or three times every year and had long been accustomed to it, even a little disgusted with it.
"If you really don't want to go, you can ask someone else to go." Lin Chaoyang teased him and then said, "By the way, you have to do me a favor with something."
"What's up?"
"Help me contact some movie stars..."
Lin Chaoyang told Xie Jin about the opening of Asia-Europe Garment City, and Xie Jin complained: "I asked you why you don't want royalties, but you are waiting for me here!"
"My royalties are not as good as hiring a few celebrities?" Lin Chaoyang glared at Xie Jin dissatisfied.
Xie Jin, who had taken advantage of him, couldn't refute him, "Who are you going to invite?"
"You can invite me, Zhu Shimao, Tang Guoqiang, are you still in contact? And the stars from your Shanghai Film Studio, please invite as many as you can."
"You are just ordering food. How many more can you please?"
"You don't have the strength to thank Director Xie at all?"
Lin Chaoyang resorted to provocation, but Xie Jin refused to follow his example. He pondered for a while and said, "I'll contact you first, and I'll tell you when it's confirmed."
"Okay. In addition, for the other expenses, food and accommodation will be reimbursed, and each person will be given another 500 yuan for transportation and horse expenses."
Hearing his words, Xie Jin was surprised.
"Oh, you guys are so generous!"
Folk acupuncture performances have just emerged in the past two years, and many actors from various film studios, song and dance troupes, and drama troupes have gone out to perform privately.
This kind of thing is definitely not allowed by the unit, but the people do not blame the officials, and as long as it is not too excessive, most units will turn a blind eye.
Those actors who are not famous are not qualified to go out and perform. The ones who can get the job are usually those who are somewhat famous.
The organizers of performances are mostly state-owned factories, mines and local governments. A performance costs as little as dozens of yuan, and as much as one or two hundred yuan, which is already a lot for these actors.
After all, everyone is living on wages at this time, and it is no longer easy to have this kind of extra income.
Last year, Shanxi Yuncheng Hedong Theater invited Liu Xiaoqing to perform a tour for the audience, which caused a sensation throughout the county.
Not only did local audiences rush to buy tickets to watch the performance live, but local government officials also hosted the show. Liu Xiaoqing finally received 150 yuan in performance fees.
After tasting the sweetness, Liu Xiaoqing performed 24 shows in succession, earning a total of 3,600 yuan.
At this time, Liu Xiaoqing was already a famous movie star all over the country. He only paid 150 yuan for a performance. You can imagine the value of the 500 yuan given by Lin Chaoyang.
It’s simply price gouging!
"If you don't be generous, wouldn't I ask you to bear the favor?" Lin Chaoyang said in a brisk tone.
No matter whether he asked Xie Jin or Chen Huaikai for help, Lin Chaoyang never thought of taking advantage of them. He only asked them to help because he lacked channels to contact the actors.
"Besides, the opening ceremony of the clothing city will probably have a huge impact. After these actors come to participate, they may be criticized and have to write a self-criticism. The extra money will be considered as mental compensation!"
Hearing this, Xie Jin couldn't help laughing, "You are quite thoughtful."
"Okay, leave this to me!"
Xie Jin left Yanjing satisfied with the script.
The New Year also passed quietly with people in a jubilant mood and with red smiles on their faces, and everything returned to its usual rhythm.
On the Lantern Festival, Lin Chaoyang received a letter and package from Japan by Mihiro Kitamura.
As early as late December, Lin Chaoyang had received the sample book of the Japanese version of "Into the Kanto" from Kawade Shofu. At that time, Kitamura Mihiro said that the novel would be published in Japan in early January.
Two months passed in a flash, and Miyu Kitamura introduced Lin Chaoyang in a letter to the situation after the publication of "Enter Guandong" in Japan.
The novel was launched in Japan on January 3, 1986, and is available in hundreds of bookstores including Kinokuniya Bookstore, Maruzen Bookstore and other chain bookstores.
Before the novel was released on the market, Kawade Shobo published book advertisements for the novel in several purely literary publications such as "Literary Arts", and also invited three well-known writers in the Japanese literary world to write recommendations for "Enter Guandong".
Among them were Tsutomu Minakami, who had dinner with Lin Chaoyang last time when he went to Tokyo, and Seicho Matsumoto and Kenzaburo Oe.
Among these three writers, Tsutomu Minamizu and Seicho Matsumoto are both important writers of Japanese socialist reasoning, and were later rated as the three masters of Japanese reasoning.
Oe Kenzaburo's achievements were in the field of pure literature. In the 1950s and 1960s, he won almost all literary awards in the Japanese literary world. By the 1980s, he had become one of the most important writers in the contemporary Japanese literary world.
Another thing these three people have in common is that they are all ZY writers.
When a new book is published, it is a normal operation of the publishing house to invite writers to write recommendations.
But what level of writers can be hired depends not only on the influence of the publishing house, but also on the quality of the works.
After all, many writers have a shame and write recommendations for new books. To a certain extent, the writers are using their own credibility to endorse the book.
The publication of "Into the Guandong" was recommended by these three writers. Kawade Shobo only played the role of connecting threads. The most important thing is that the creative level of the novel itself was recognized by them.
On the waistband of the Japanese version of "Enter Guandong" sent by Miyu Kitamura to Lin Chaoyang in December, three people's comments on the novel were written.
"A grand epic narrative that skillfully combines magicism with historical reality, "Into the Guandong" is a rare masterpiece - Seicho Matsumoto"
"This is an incredible epic work that depicts the rise and fall of a family in Northeast China in the early 20th century, and shows the historical picture from the end of the Qing Dynasty to the eve of World War II.
The author uses delicate brushstrokes to describe the original style of rural life, reflecting the great changes in Chinese society and the twists and turns of personal destiny, as well as people's struggles and choices in the torrent of history.
With its profound cultural heritage and unique artistic charm, it has become a monument in contemporary Chinese literature and has also added a cornerstone to the world of literature - Shui Mian."
"I recommend readers who want to understand the modern history of China, or friends who seek literary enjoyment, to read "Crossing the Guandong". This is a work full of vitality that people will not forget for a long time after reading it.
I think it not only belongs to China, but also to Asia and the world - Kenzaburo Oe."
Tsutomu Minakami, Seicho Matsumoto, and Kenzaburo Oe's high praise for "Into the Kanto" opened a good start for the novel's release.
When the novel was first released, many readers were attracted by the joint recommendation of the three people.
In addition, Kondo Naoko and Fujii Shozo, other fans of Lin Chaoyang in Japan, also actively promoted the novel to the Japanese literary circle after the publication of "Enter Guandong".
A review article "Magical Realism from Latin America to China" written by Fujii Shozo for "Enter Kanto" was also published in the well-known Japanese newspaper "Asahi Shimbun", which attracted the attention of many Japanese intellectuals.
Under such unremitting publicity, "Enter Guandong" quickly became famous among Japanese pure literature audiences. The novel sold nearly 9,000 copies in the first month after it was put on the shelves.
And the reputation continues to grow, and it has received great praise among these readers, further promoting the sales of the novel.
By the time Mihiro Kitamura wrote to Lin Chaoyang, the 12,000 copies of the first printing of the novel by Kawade Shobo had been sold out, and the 20,000 copies of the second printing had been placed on the shelves of major stores in Japan.
Mihiro Kitamura sent congratulations to Lin Chaoyang at the end of the letter.
"The first printing of "Enter Guandong" was sold out in less than a month and a half, which is undoubtedly a very successful start.
I believe that in the near future, this novel will definitely create even better results.
Thank you Lin Sang for bringing such wonderful works to Japanese readers. I hope you can continue to maintain your strong creative energy and create more great works for the Asian literary world.
Yours sincerely, Mihiro Kitamura."
After reading the letter, Lin Chaoyang opened the package sent to him by Kitamura Mihiro. Some of the letters inside were letters written to Kawade's study by enthusiastic readers.
The letters are all in Japanese and have been opened. Presumably, they have been screened by Kawaide's study room.
Lin Chaoyang read the letter and couldn't understand it at all. Fortunately, Miyu Kitamura had thoughtfully inserted small translated notes into each letter.
"Dear Lin Sang:
Hello! I am a third-year student in the Faculty of Literature at Waseda University, and I am also your reader.
Because I was attracted by Mr. Matsumoto Seicho's high praise for your works, I read your works and was deeply moved. I wrote this letter to convey to you some of the emotions and thoughts I felt through your works.
.
When I first read "Into the Guandong", I always compared it with Shiba Ryotaro's Taiga novels. They have many similar characteristics.
For example, it has characteristics such as long length and time span, and grand historical background.
But as I read this novel in depth, my views were revised little by little.
Ryotaro Shiba's novel is more like a historical romance, while "Into the Guandong" is a fragment taken from history.
It is a history that really happened, with flesh and blood..."
There were more than ten letters sent from Hechu's study. Because the contents of the letters were translated in advance, Lin Chaoyang could easily understand the contents of the letters.
These letters are all praise for "Crossing the Guandong" and Lin Chaoyang himself. It is very satisfying to be praised so much by readers in a foreign country.
In addition, Lin Chaoyang also discovered a phenomenon, that is, almost all readers who wrote these letters had a literary background or were intellectuals.
This shows that "Into the Guandong" should have been recognized by at least a considerable number of intellectuals in Japan after its publication.
After looking through letters from readers, there are still some postcards and photos in the package. The postcards must be from readers. Japanese readers like this the most.
As for the photos, I don’t know where Kitamura Miyu found them. They were all photos of readers buying "Entertainment of the Kanto" in a bookstore, or reading "Enterprise of the Kanto".
Looking at these photos, Lin Chaoyang's vanity as a writer was greatly satisfied.
He had to admit that when it came to attracting writers, small publishing houses were indeed ahead of domestic publishing houses.
While domestic publishing houses were still thinking about encircling writers with PEN Clubs, they had already begun to show spiritual and humanistic care.
This method is not bad at all!
You have to let Lao Li study hard later. Only by comparing can you make progress!
In the evening, Tao Yushu, who came back from outside, solemnly saved the postcards and photos of readers in photo albums. In her words, "They all came from across the ocean. They are light on courtesy but heavy on affection, and are very valuable for collection."
"
After she put the postcards and photos away, she said to Lin Chaoyang: "Chen Kaige came to see me today and said that the clothing city was opening. Zhang Jinling, Li Xiuming and Fang Shuneng from Yan Film Factory came over. Liu Xiaoqing had a new business in the United States in early March.
I may not be able to make it to this event."
Lin Chaoyang said with a smile: "Old Chen is so proud that three golden flowers came to him at once."
In the 1970s and 1980s, domestic film studios liked to use "Golden Flower" to promote their actors.
Yanying Factory previously had "three golden flowers", namely Zhang Jinling, Li Xiuming and Liu Xiaoqing. In the past two years, two more golden flowers have been added, Zhang Liwei and Fang Shu, and they are also known as the five golden flowers of Yanying Factory.
These five golden flowers are all popular movie stars, especially Liu Xiaoqing and Fang Shu, who have been in the limelight in the past two years.
The two also served as hosts at the Spring Festival Gala that just passed, and their popularity has distanced themselves from the other three golden flowers.
It is true that the Five Golden Flowers are all actors from Yanying Studio, but they spend most of their time filming, often in other places.
Let alone five people, it is not easy to gather three people at once.
Tao Yushu also said happily: "Yes, if the three of them can come, there will definitely be a huge crowd of people on the opening day. Lao Chen has been a big help this time."
Lin Chaoyang added: "As well as Lao Xie, we should be able to invite a few people."
Xie Jin is one of the biggest names in the Chinese film industry today. He helps to contact people, and he will definitely not be inferior to Chen Huaikai's lineup.
Tao Yushu imagined the opening day of the clothing mall, with loud music and crowds of people, and couldn't help but feel excited.
"Du Feng also found colleagues from their art troupe. When the time comes, their colleagues will be responsible for the stage design and art. They can also produce a few shows..."
As Tao Yushu talked, he felt something was wrong, "Hey, why do I feel like there are too many people invited? Will it overwhelm the guests?"
Lin Chaoyang thought about it and felt that it seemed a bit much. This was not a concert.
Don't let the audience just watch the show, and no one will care about the opening of the clothing city.
"It can be done in two or three days, and then we can make a preview to see which celebrities will appear on that day, so as to attract more people to come."
Tao Yushu clapped his hands when he heard this, "This is a good idea!"
Lin Chaoyang warned again: "But don't count too much on celebrities. People coming here can bring popularity to the Asia-Europe Clothing City and build its reputation. However, the clothing city takes a high-end route. Whether it can retain customers remains to be seen.
your goods and services.”
"I understand." Tao Yushu said, picking up the clothes she brought back from the company, "You try on this dress."
In the clothing business, product selection is a very critical link.
Since participating in the preparation of the clothing city, Tao Yushu has brought back two pieces of clothing from time to time for his family members to try on as models.
What she took out was a Japanese version of a dark gray trench coat. The European version of the trench coat that is popular on the market today is because it is designed and cut according to European and American figures. These trench coats often do not fit the Chinese figure that well.
The Japanese version of the trench coat is different. They are all from East Asia. The design and tailoring of the Japanese version of the trench coat are more suitable for the Chinese body shape.
After Lin Chaoyang put on his windbreaker, Tao Yushu looked at him for a long time with a very satisfied face.
"Du Feng really has two brushes when choosing clothes!"
When Lin Chaoyang was taking off his clothes, Tao Yushu suddenly had an idea, "Hey, what do you think when those celebrities come, how about I give them a few sets of clothes each?"
Lin Chaoyang's expression was a little surprised, and then he immediately understood what Tao Yushu was thinking.
The purpose is not to give away clothes, the purpose is to let these celebrities wear these clothes on the opening day.
Lin Chaoyang suddenly thought of the fiery toad mirror in "The Man from the Bottom of the Atlantic", Ken Takakura's trench coat in "The Manhunt", and the red lapel shirt that Liu Xiaoqing made famous on the spring night.
The business atmosphere of this era was not as strong as that of later generations, and the ability of film and television works and celebrities to sell goods was actually a hundred times stronger than that of the so-called celebrities and anchors of later generations.
The popularity of a film and television work can often make a fashion item popular throughout China.
He smiled and praised: "You are quite smart! If celebrities share the same style, I'm afraid the common people will go crazy over it!"
The term "star style" was very unfamiliar to Tao Yushu, but she immediately understood what Lin Chaoyang meant and said excitedly: "This term is so accurate!"
The more Tao Yushu thought about it, the more she felt that this idea was feasible. There are advertisements in China now, but there is no awareness of asking celebrities to be spokespersons. This method of hers is a disguised form of inviting those celebrities to be spokespersons, and everyone benefits from each other.
As the couple talked, Lin Chaoyang felt that Tao Yushu's business acumen was slowly being stimulated by him, and he became more and more like a businessman.
Two days later, Tao Yushu came back and said that she had received a call from Shenzhen during the day. It was Xu Anhua who sent someone from the crew to Shenzhen to make a special call to her.
Nowadays, calls between China and Xiangjiang are international long distance calls. Those foreign companies with strong business offices in Yanjing Hotel or Minzu Hotel can enjoy the hotel's international long distance services.
Asia-Europe Garment City is just a foreign company. The store is in Xidan shopping mall and the company is in a public housing near Xidan.
Because it is a joint venture, we can apply for a domestic long-distance phone line, but we cannot receive international long-distance calls.
Xiangjiang and Shenzhen are very close. When it is inconvenient to make international long distance calls, many companies often use Shenzhen as a transit point, so that they only need to make domestic long distance calls.
The content of Xu Anhua's phone call was to tell Tao Yushu that the post-production of "The Truman Show" was about to be completed.
Let her go back to Xiangjiang when she has time to see the finished film. After all, the couple is also one of the investors of the film.
She also mentioned that before the Chinese New Year, Li Hanxiang hooked up with Hu Jinquan to contact the Cannes Film Festival. In late March, Gilles Jacob, the current film selection director of the Cannes Film Festival, might make a special trip to Hong Kong.
The current reputation of the Cannes Film Festival is still slightly behind that of later generations, but this does not prevent it from being one of the top three in Europe and having a decisive influence in the world's film industry.
Every year at the film festival, being shortlisted is a major threshold. Hundreds of films from all over the world compete for the qualifications to be shortlisted for more than 20 main competition units every year. The intensity of competition is self-evident.
The film selection committee of the Cannes Film Festival generally consists of three groups. The first group is responsible for selecting local French films and is composed of local French media workers.
The second group is responsible for selecting potential films from a large number of video tapes. Such films are usually created by young filmmakers who are not famous, have no connections, and lack funds.
The last group is responsible for selecting films from outside France, and the person in charge is film selection director Gilles Jacob.
There are also three film selectors, whose professions include directors, journalists and film lovers. This group of committees is directly responsible to the chairman of the film festival.
It can also be seen from the configuration of the film selection group that this last film selection group has the most power in the film selection process of the Cannes Film Festival and also has the highest chance of being shortlisted.
"The Truman Show" has invited film selection director Gilles Jacobs. It cannot be said that being selected into the main competition unit is a certainty, but it is definitely a high probability event.
This film has been aiming to win awards since the beginning of the project. With the endorsement of two great directors, Li Hanxiang and King Hu, the chance of being selected is not a problem.
But the more critical reason for being able to recruit Gilles Jacob, the film selection director of the Cannes Film Festival, is that Jiahe is behind "The Truman Show."
Xiangjiang Film has swept across Asia in recent years, and several film giants such as Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest have been frequent visitors to the Cannes Film Festival copyright trading market.
The Cannes Film Festival may look down on the artistry of Hong Kong films, but they will never ignore the commercial value of Hong Kong films.
After all, if a film festival is to be successful, in addition to the quality of the participating films and the fame of the filmmakers, another very important factor is that the copyright trading market must be active.
And it is undeniable that Xiangjiang Film's influence in the Asian film industry has indeed become more and more important in recent years.
"After I finish my work in the clothing city, I have to go back to Xiangjiang to have a look. I really don't know what the final effect of the movie will be." Tao Yushu said expectantly.
"It shouldn't be too bad."
No one can predict whether a movie will be good or bad in the end, but for those who are deeply involved in it, everyone actually has a feeling.
"The Truman Show" strives for excellence from the investment to the script, from the actors to the actors. Even if it cannot become a classic, the lower limit will not be too low.
Time flashed to March, and the major universities in Yanjing had just started school. Xie Mian suddenly found Lin Chaoyang's home and said that the May Fourth Literary Society wanted to invite him to a symposium.
Xie Mian was a member of the original May Fourth Literary Society back then. After the May Fourth Literary Society was reestablished in 1978, he has been deeply involved in it.
Lin Chaoyang has had nothing to do recently and is happy to communicate with the students.
Early in the morning, he drove to the south gate of Yanda University, parked the car on the side of the road, and then walked into the campus.
Although it is the beginning of spring and the temperature at night is still around zero, the rain has passed and the vegetation on the Yanda campus is sprouting with life.
The campus, which had been empty for most of the winter, was now full of young and energetic figures. He had not seen this scene for a long time, and Lin Chaoyang couldn't help but feel a little closer to it.
I happily walked to the entrance of the library. Students were coming in and out, and it was very lively. But once I entered the library, the atmosphere was very quiet.
In the blink of an eye, it had been more than a year since Lin Chaoyang appeared in the library. As soon as Lin Chaoyang appeared, he was immediately noticed by some sharp-eyed old colleagues.
"Chaoyang?" Tu Mansheng saw Lin Chaoyang at the library desk on the first floor and called him in a low voice excitedly.
Lin Chaoyang walked over, and Tu Mansheng asked happily: "Why are you back when you are free?"
"The May 4th Youth Club invited me to attend a meeting in the conference room in our building."
Lin Chaoyang chatted with Tu Mansheng for a while, and within a short time, a group of colleagues gathered around him.
In the past two years, Lin Chaoyang's appearances in the library have become less and less frequent. Colleagues who were once familiar with him gradually became able to only learn about him through newspapers, magazines and television.
When we meet again, everyone is still talking and laughing, but everyone can feel the sense of distance caused by changes in time, identity, and status.
"It's not easy to see you now!"
Du Rong sighed, with a hint of sadness in his tone that "it will never be the same as a young man."
Chapter completed!