Chapter 259: Register for the Three Major European Film Festivals

In the evening, after the show, Wen Lian knocked on Cheng Cheng's door.

Cheng Cheng opened the door and found her standing alone outside.

She wore a royal blue knitted suit. The top had a pullover collar and a small V-neck with a black bra underneath. The depth of the V-neck was just right, revealing a bit of the bra.

Paired with wide-leg pants in the same color, the high-waisted pants tuck the top into the waist, cleverly highlighting the slender waist and plump buttocks.

Cheng Cheng was in his pajamas, looked around, and asked, "What's wrong?"

Wen Lian was embarrassed: "Director Cheng, are you ready to take a break?"

Cheng Cheng shook his head:

"Not yet. I'm still looking through the information about the film festival. Are you looking for me?"

Wen Lian lowered her head slightly, revealing her fair and slender neck: "I want to talk to you about drama."

"Hold on."

Cheng Cheng returned to the room, put on a coat over his pajamas, and came back after leaving, closing the door and saying:

"Let's go, take a walk."

Wen Lian nodded: "Okay."

Two people were walking on the road in the ancient commercial city.

It was already night, and the surrounding shops were closed. A street lamp stood at the corner, looking like a chrysanthemum bean from a distance, emitting a dim light.

Many places in Zhoucun Ancient Commercial City have not been opened to the public. When you approach, you can smell the gloomy and decayed smell of the ancient buildings. From the appearance, there is also some blackness and dilapidated ruin from the years, but the ground is paved with stone slabs and is very smooth in some places.

Cheng Cheng put his hands in his coat pockets and walked with his long legs.

Wen Lianlian moved lightly, and the night breeze blew her hair.

She expressed her distress:
"Maybe I was too immersed in the play. I knew Jiazhen's ending and always felt that she was a tragedy. So when I was acting in the early stage, I always felt something was wrong and couldn't act out Jiazhen's early state."

Cheng Cheng looked at the stars in the sky and said, "Yeah, I can see it."

Wen Lian lamented: "So I became less and less confident the more I acted."

She said in distress, "Director Cheng, do you think I have no talent? I have been experiencing the role for several months, but I still can't play it well. Brother Chu Qing can play it perfectly as soon as he gets the script. When he was my age, he had already won two Best Actor Awards. And Director Cheng, you are much better than me."

Cheng Cheng asked: "Do you think Chu Qing is a good actor?"

Wen Lian: "Of course, Director Cheng, haven't you always been praising Brother Chu Qing?"

Cheng Cheng said: "Then can you imagine him playing Wei Chenggong in "The Killer Is Not Cool"? "

Wen Lian thought for a moment and shook her head: "It seems... I can't imagine it."

What would it be like for someone as artistic as Chu Qing to play Wei Chenggong?
Cheng Cheng: "Then can you imagine him playing Zeng Xiaoxian?"

Wen Lian: "I can't imagine it either."

Cheng Cheng said, "That's right. Every actor has his own way. You don't have to be afraid of him. Acting is like playing table tennis. You pass a ball to me and I pass a ball to you. We are evenly matched and have perfect tacit understanding. Did you see anything today, Li Yang?"

Wen Lian said: "He seems to want to show off too much."

Cheng Cheng said, "Yes, he wanted to show off so much that he used too much force, but using too much force doesn't mean the ball is hit well, so he was hit back by Chu Qing with ease every time. As for you, you showed your weakness after a few poor hits."

Wen Lian felt a little embarrassed.

Both he and Li Yang were artists under Cheng Cheng, but they were both abused by Chu Qing to the point where nothing was left. Not only were they embarrassed, but Cheng Cheng was also embarrassed.

Wen Lian apologized: "I'm sorry, Director Cheng~"

Cheng Cheng said, "It's nothing. It's just that you are not good at this. The acting skills that are favored by the European Film Festival are still not popular in Serbia and Hollywood. There is a gap between your previous acting skills and the acting skills required for "To Live."

Passing by a noodle shop.

Cheng Cheng stopped and said, "Would you like some noodles?"

Wen Lian said: "Okay."

After walking in and looking at the menu on the wall, Cheng Cheng said, "Give me a large portion of ban mian, and a green pepper and a piece of tofu."

The owner of the noodle shop was a middle-aged woman. She also went to watch Cheng Cheng and Wen Lian yesterday, but she was standing far away and didn't see them, so naturally she didn't recognize them at this time.

But looking at their looks, she felt something was wrong. They were too good looking, weren't they? But then she thought, why would a big star come to her place to eat ban mian?
After ordering his own, Cheng Cheng asked Wen Lian: "What do you want to eat?"

Wen Lian said to the proprietress, "I'll have a small portion of ban mian, the rest will remain the same."

Soon, the noodles were served. Cheng Cheng ate the noodles while explaining the play to Wen Lian:

"The character of Jiazhen is characterized by resilience, which is an extremely feminine quality. She is as solid as a rock in the ups and downs of the times and has the characteristics of the times. You said you knew Jiazhen's ending and thought she was a tragedy. In fact, her essential core has not changed. Unlike Fugui, who grows and changes, she has always been resilient. She does not need to grow. Many experiences will only leave marks on her, like a piece of paper with strokes added on it."

Wen Lian suddenly felt enlightened, as if she had understood Jiazhen's entire experience.

Wen Lian: "Director Cheng, I think I understand..."

Cheng Cheng: "I told you that you have this understanding."

After eating a bowl of noodles, Cheng Cheng wiped his mouth and said:

"Let's put it this way. Starting tomorrow, I won't call CUT for your scenes. You can act them out as many times as you want. After you're done, you decide for yourself whether or not it passes. If it passes, you'll shoot the next one. If not, you'll keep shooting."

"Ah?" Wen Lian was stunned, her red lips opening and closing, "Is this okay?"

Cheng Cheng: "I'm the director, if I say yes, then yes."

Wen Lian stared into Cheng Cheng's eyes: "Director Cheng, have you ever doubted that I can't play this role?"

Cheng Cheng: "I give you unlimited trust."

-

The next day, filming of "To Live" continued.

Jiazhen came to the casino to find Fugui and advised him not to gamble anymore. Fugui asked Jiazhen to go back first, but Jiazhen did not respond and stood beside Fugui. Long Er was sarcastic and Fugui felt ashamed and started to curse.

He shouted, "Aren't you embarrassing me? What are you doing? Go away, get out!"

Fugui cursed harshly, he wanted everyone to hear it on purpose, to let others know that he was not a man who listened to his wife and was not afraid of her.

Jiazhen was in great distress and grief, but she still stood there.

Fugui said to Long Er:

"Come on, come on, ignore her, ignore her, come on!"

Long Er looked at Jiazhen and said nothing.

Fugui slammed the color cup on the table and said, "Get out, get away from me, okay?"

Jiazhen remained silent. At this time, she was still pregnant. Fugui said again, "Get out!"

There were laughters all around, everyone was laughing at her.

Jiazhen looked around at the reactions and finally left.

After the scene was over, everyone did not wait for Cheng Cheng to shout CUT, but saw Wen Lian walk behind the monitor, look at the previous screen, and say:
"Director Cheng, shall we do it again?"

Cheng Cheng: "You have the final say."

This was filmed four or five times, and Wen Lian also reopened the film four or five times.

During this period, Cheng Cheng did not urge her or interfere with her at all. He let her act however she wanted and how she acted was entirely up to her.

During the break, Cheng Cheng said to Chu Qing: "Thank you very much."

Chu Qing waved her hand and said with a smile: "Why are you being polite? I can act better if I take more shots."

Over the next few days, the filming progressed steadily. Jiazhen decided not to live with Fugui because he was addicted to gambling and refused to listen to advice, so she took Fengxia back to her parents' home.

In fact, Jiazhen didn't know that while she was waiting for Fugui, Fugui had already lost all the family property.

Overnight, Fugui lost everything, even the big house to Long Er.

In one scene, Fugui was crossing the street with a cart full of his belongings. People around him pointed at him and the heavy cart bent Fugui's back. Chu Qing gave a superb acting performance in this scene, which amazed everyone.

A year later, Jiazhen came back after giving birth to a child.

He passed away when she thought her family was still rich and prosperous.

He returned when his wealth and family fell into decline.

From a young lady to a wife in a poor family, she supported the family without any complaints.

Li Yang also adjusted his mentality and made progress. Although he was not evenly matched with Chu Qing, he was not suppressed too badly either.

-

A week later, the scenes in Zhoucun ended, the plot entered the 1950s, and the crew needed to move to another location for filming.

Before leaving, Li Xiangcheng prepared a farewell ceremony for the crew. He was reluctant to leave and wished that Cheng Cheng could shoot for a while longer. He was also looking forward to the release of the movie, but he didn't know that at that time, there was basically no possibility that the movie would be released and would not be available on domestic video websites.

During this week, there were many group scenes, so Cheng Cheng found some part-time college students to play extras. They were paid 50 yuan regardless of the time they worked, and one meal was provided.

Apart from anything else, these college students all have a strong desire to act. It’s better than being an extra and cheaper.

The next filming location is Hengdian World Studios.

After one day of preparation, filming continued. Cheng Cheng's shooting speed and scheduling ability were amazing. Chu Qing had been filming for twenty years and had never seen such a highly efficient crew. There were almost no wasted shots.

Cheng Cheng has never used such a good actor.

Halfway through the filming, Cheng Cheng found Chu Qing and asked about the three major European film festivals.

He doesn't know as much as Chu Qing, who is in the industry.

Chu Qing said: "From a time perspective, the only option for us is the Venetian Film Festival in August. The Berlin Film Festival is held in February or March every year, which has already passed. The Cannes Film Festival is held in mid-May, so we will definitely not be able to make it."

Cheng Cheng asked: "What is the focus of each of the three major film festivals?"

Chu Qing smiled and said:

“Do you know what the three major film festivals are nicknamed?”

Cheng Cheng shook his head: "I don't know."

Chu Qing said: "The Venetian Film Festival is called the pioneer tea party, the Cannes Film Festival is called the gimmick auction house, and the Spring City Film Festival is called the political correctional facility. In terms of time, the Venetian Film Festival is the oldest film festival. In the middle, it declined for a period of time. After the reform, it is more inclined to individuals, encourages innovation, and encourages bold experiments in audio-visual language. Even if there are some defects, as long as there is innovation, it can be accepted by the film festival. The Spring City Film Festival has the heaviest political traces among the three major film festivals, and it pays equal attention to art and commerce. The Cannes Film Festival pays more attention to the artistry of the film, tends to the film art itself, and emphasizes classics."

Cheng Cheng asked again: "What about the gold content?"

Chu Qing said: "From the perspective of value, the Cannes Film Festival is undoubtedly the most valuable."

Cheng Cheng said: "Then I want to participate in the Cannes Film Festival."

Chu Qing spread his hands: "But it's too late. The film submission date is about a week away. We have only shot one-third of the film so far. The film will take until at least April, plus editing and post-production. By then, the film festival will have already opened."

Cheng Cheng said: "I still want to participate in the Cannes Film Festival."

".", Chu Qing showed a resentful look for the first time.

Cheng Cheng: "Aren't you very popular in Europe? Can you help me ask around? I'll cut out a part of the film first and send it over along with the film materials and copyright certificate before the film submission date. I'll sign up first. It'll be more than enough to finish the film before mid-May."

Chu Qing asked, "Are you sure? There are less than two months left. Can the movie really be completed in two months?"

Cheng Cheng said: "Of course, you don't know how fast I shoot movies."

Chu Qing frowned, thought for a long time, and said:
"Okay! If you're sure, I'll give it a try. Even if we fail, we can still enter the Cannes Film Festival in August. Coincidentally, the chairman of the jury of this year's Cannes Film Festival is an old friend of mine. I'll give him a call and try. In fact, it's fine to choose the Cannes Film Festival. The Cannes Film Festival focuses on ideology the most. If we choose the Cannes Film Festival, it may not necessarily give us an award. In recent years, the Cannes Film Festival has been hosting experimental films every year."

Trina called her old friend Julian Mordang.

He spoke fluent French and said, "Hello, Julian, I'm Trina."

There was a loud laugh from the other side, and Julian said, "Hahahaha, Trina! I'm so happy to hear the voice of an old friend! How is everything going lately?"

Chu Qing smiled and said, "Everything is fine. How about you? I heard that you are the chairman of the jury of this year's Cannes Film Festival."

Julian was proud and sad:
"Yes, old friend. I get into all kinds of trouble every day, but when I think about making some contribution to the film industry, it's all worth it. Are you hiding somewhere, brewing some masterpiece?"

Chu Qing said, "Yes, there is one. Speaking of this, I was just about to tell you that the director and I want to participate in the Cannes Film Festival, but we are a bit pressed for time. I would like to ask you to make some concessions and submit it before the deadline for submission."

Julian asked, "So how do you want me to help you?"

Chu Qing: "We have completed part of it now, and we would like to send it to you first. Please help us register."

Julian hesitated and asked, "Can your film be finished before the film festival opens?"

Chu Qing assured: "Of course, don't worry."

Julian: "Okay, although the film festival has clear rules and procedures, since it's an old friend who asked, I will naturally try my best to help. However, my old friend, the competition this year is very fierce. Whether it will be selected in the end depends on the quality of the work itself. I can't guarantee whether it will be successful."

Chu Qing: "As long as you agree to help, it doesn't matter whether you dare or not, I will thank you."

Julian laughed out loud and said, "I believe in talent. Please prepare the materials as soon as possible and send them to my email. I will deal with them as soon as possible. Keep in touch and I look forward to seeing you in Cannes!"

Chu Qing: "Thank you."

After hanging up the phone, Chu Qing said to Cheng Cheng: "He agreed to help. We need to send the advance part within a week. Can we complete it?"

Cheng Cheng: "Don't worry, I'll cut it tonight."

The worst that can happen is just taking energy pills and not sleeping for a week. Cheng Cheng is used to it.

(End of this chapter)