Nobody knows movies better than me

Chapter 61 The Development of the Two Directors

"Is this your new story?"

Zhang Jun flipped through the script Ning Hao handed him, asking questions as he read.

Ning Hao sounded a little nervous: "I came up with this idea back in my student days, but I never had the opportunity to film it. Director Zhang, what do you think?"

A few days ago, when Zhang Jun was chatting with him, he asked him if he had any new stories or ideas.

The original quote was: "You can't stay by my side as an assistant director forever; eventually, you'll have to become a director yourself."

"If you have a good script, I can help you secure investment. For one thing, Guanzhi Pictures has invested several million, and my personal studio can invest a million."

Thanks to Ye Bingcheng's generosity, Zhang Jun now has the resources to invest one million yuan in Ning Hao's films.

Ning Hao was quite excited when he heard this, and he shared the good news with his wife Xing Aina when he got back.

Xing Aina said, "Since they're willing to give you this opportunity, you can't let them down; you have to take this matter seriously."

"Of course, of course."

Ning Hao immediately took out the story he had been thinking about for a long time, improved it, and then showed it to Zhang Jun. This story was the prototype of "Crazy Stone".

This is where investors' vision is tested. In the eyes of many investors, this still-emerging idea is worthless.

Otherwise, this story wouldn't have been delayed for several years before Zhang Jun finally saw it.

Ning Hao also told him that he had tried to use this story to attract investment before, but those investors only cared about big stars, big investments and big projects.

Upon hearing that even Andy Lau and Tony Leung couldn't be persuaded to participate in this script, and considering that Ning Hao was still a relatively inexperienced director, they immediately rejected him.

Many small investors are willing to put in money, but for a movie that requires an investment of three or four million, that amount is just a drop in the bucket.

Helpless, Ning Hao had no choice but to shelve the story and wait for the right opportunity.

At this point, even Ning Hao himself lacked confidence and didn't think "Crazy Stone" had anything particularly outstanding about it.

I just felt it was a rare opportunity and I was willing to give it a shot.

However, Zhang Jun is different. He clearly recognizes the value of "Crazy Stone", so this story is very valuable to him.

Investing in movies is risky, and investors aren't just throwing money away. Only well-known directors and big stars can guarantee a safe investment.

This is why Zhang Jun previously said that creativity can be valuable or worthless in the film and television industry.

Wasn't the concept of "Crazy Stone" brilliant? It achieved considerable success in its previous form and even won the prestigious Golden Horse Award for Best Original Screenplay before it went crazy.

The reality is that even though the idea is so brilliant, no investors are optimistic about it; otherwise, it wouldn't have wasted these past few years.

The story Zhang Jun is seeing now is still somewhat different from the final version of the movie. Zhang Jun has marked many places on the script with a pen.

"These are the areas you need to improve. If you want to succeed in the theatrical market, you have to strive for perfection."

Zhang Jun handed the script back to Ning Hao: "Get ready, I'll talk to President He about the investment."

If you don't mind, I can personally serve as the film's producer.

Ning Hao was overjoyed, as this meant that Zhang Jun was determined to help him get the idea approved, and he had once again gained an important opportunity.

Ning Hao went back to wait for news with excitement and trepidation, while Guo Fan was still auditing classes at the Beijing Film Academy.

That day, right after he finished class, one of the teachers from the directing department approached him and said, "We have an independent enrollment plan for the summer, which is to recruit new students for the directing department from the general public."

These students are different from the regular four-year program; they are only two-year vocational college students. If you are interested, you can apply to participate.

This was actually what is known as a training class. At that time, the management of Chinese art colleges was chaotic, and art schools and training classes of all sizes sprang up one after another.

Even the Beijing Film Academy itself runs actor training programs, and now it's starting director training programs as well.

Even a training course is better than being an auditor!

Just as Guo Fan was about to agree, the teacher said, "I saw on your resume that you worked as Zhang Jun's assistant director. He came from a self-taught background."

You won't learn much from him. You'd be better off taking two years of proper directing courses; that would be more helpful for your future career in the film and television industry.

Guo Fan opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but swallowed the words back.

He was actually aware that there was a lot of discrimination against Zhang Jun within the directing department of Beijing Film Academy, from the teachers to the students.

This discrimination stems from the fact that Zhang Jun is not a director trained through formal channels.

But his success undoubtedly tells all schools and colleges that specialize in directing and screenwriting that their training mechanisms are outdated and have failed. This is a slap in the face to all art schools, led by the Beijing Film Academy.

Especially Zhang Jun's statement: "To work in the film and television industry, one must have cultural knowledge."

This statement really stung the hearts of all art students, because many of them don't actually do well in their academic subjects.

They can't even compare to students from top-tier universities, let alone someone like Zhang Jun who graduated from a prestigious university.

However, the Beijing Film Academy cannot go around saying that Zhang Jun is talking nonsense, otherwise it would seem like they are being vindictive.

The best-case scenario is that directors who graduated from the Beijing Film Academy would stand up and fight against Zhang Jun to protect their alma mater's reputation.

There is indeed one such person, Lu Chuan, who graduated with a master's degree in directing from the Beijing Film Academy. However, his several confrontations with Zhang Jun have been rather unpleasant.

The most prestigious one is Zhang Yimou, who graduated from the photography department. However, Director Zhang has already achieved great success, and it would be beneath him to argue with a junior.

Winning this kind of verbal battle brings no benefit, but losing is incredibly embarrassing and actually helps the other side gain prestige and face.

In fact, students in the directing department of Beijing Film Academy generally have a high opinion of Zhang Jun's abilities when they chat privately.

His film "Little Miss Sunshine" was criticized by the Beijing Film Academy's directing department on the surface, but it has actually become a model of Chinese-language road movies.

Guo Fan mentioned the training course to Zhang Jun, who immediately agreed.

"There's nothing wrong with going to study, but you need to learn to discern. Just ignore the discussions about art at the Beijing Film Academy."

The focus should be on the film production process and some essential basic film knowledge, which is what you currently lack most.

"Okay, Director Zhang." Guo Fan indicated that he understood.

Guo Fan will need several more years to become a successful director; he currently lacks the basic qualities required to do so.

However, Ning Hao already had this foundation, so Zhang Jun directly recommended Ning Hao's revised script to He Xuan.

"Are you sure this script can be made into a movie?" He Xuan asked, looking at the script in her hand.

"certainly,"

Zhang Jun said confidently, "I trust my judgment. This is a dark comedy film that can achieve great success with a small budget."

"I don't have enough funds; my studio can only invest one million. It all depends on how much Guanzhi Pictures invests."

"How much more do you need?" He Xuan asked.

Zhang Jun thought for a moment and replied, "Around three million, that would be more than enough."

Both the big boss Ye Bingcheng and the little boss Ye Xiaoyi told He Xuan that Zhang Jun's talent, ability, and vision were trustworthy.

Three million isn't a huge amount, but it's not a small amount either; He Xuan can make the decision herself.

"Sure, we'll invest three million. What did China Film Group say?"

"If they're interested in investing, you can reduce your investment by one million and let them join in. If they're not interested, then let's talk about the issuance!" Zhang Jun said.

"Okay!" He Xuan agreed.

After the two reached an agreement, Zhang Jun quickly called Ning Hao.

"I've spoken with Ms. He, and she's agreed. You can get ready to start filming!"

Upon hearing the news, Ning Hao was so excited that he roared in his small living room at home.

"Finally, we've secured another investment! That wasn't easy!"

Xing Aina came out of the kitchen with a cleaver: "Don't get excited yet. This time we can't be careless. You need to prepare carefully."

Ning Hao took a deep breath: "This time I won't fail!"