Zhang Yimou became excited after hearing what Yue Guan said.
One thing to say is that he really liked the script "Shadow", especially the conspiracy and calculation in the script "Shadow". It was very enjoyable and his IQ was very online.
But after all, he is also a senior director, and his level has always been there.
After listening to Yue Guan's words, he immediately realized his mistake: the script of "Shadow" was indeed intelligent, but it was too petty.
If he were to make a small-scale historical film about small characters, there's nothing to say about it. It's definitely a good movie.
But what he wanted to photograph was the Warring States period when the war was raging.
It is to conquer the world.
It's just conspiracy and calculation, and it doesn't fit into this context.
There are two ways to resolve this contradiction:
First, change the background;
Second, change the characters and plot.
Of course Zhang Yimou chose the second option.
Because he himself knows very well that if he really makes those historical films about small characters in a small format, they will become literary films again.
Literary films, on the other hand, have no box office.
He wants box office.
Therefore, he cannot be willful.
And he also knew in his heart that after being named by Yue Guan, he would make changes according to the direction given by Yue Guan, which would definitely be more in line with the movie-watching preferences of ordinary audiences.
"Yue Guan, you are not authentic." Zhang Yimou pointed at Yue Guan and laughed and scolded: "You are so unreasonable."
Yue Guan: "??? Why am I not authentic?"
In order to revise the script of "Shadow" for you, I kept thinking about it until three o'clock in the morning yesterday.
Do you really think you can figure it out just by scratching your head
He actually said that I was unreasonable and could not bear it.
Zhang Yimou explained: "You knew there were so many problems with "Shadow", why didn't you point them out earlier? Isn't this script yours?"
Yue Guan spread his hands: "Director Zhang, the script of "Shadow" is really not mine. It is a script submitted by a screenwriter bought by our company. In terms of the quality of the script itself, it is indeed excellent. My targeted adaptation is actually The improvement is not the quality of the script itself, but the changes made to the audience. To put it simply, my adapted plot will increase the box office of the drama, but it may not necessarily improve the reputation of the drama."
Take Tian Zhan's point as an example. In the eyes of many viewers who like to show off, leaving something blank is far better than stating it clearly.
There is also the ending. The blank space in the original script left various possibilities for divergent thinking, but after it was changed by Yue Guan, the ending was basically fixed, which was a detractor in the eyes of many big Vs.
Including improving the structure of a drama, no longer letting "Shadow" see the big from the small, but really telling a grand story and proposition, in fact, it is not favored by film critics.
Otherwise Zhang Yimou wouldn't like the tone of "Shadow".
But what Yue Guan can confirm is that after he changes like this, the audience will definitely like him more.
Because as Yue Guan has always said, audiences go to the movies to relax, not to use their heads. As for historical movies, when audiences go to the cinema to watch them, they will definitely not only want to see shadows, assassinations, love affairs, and tearing...
But the great directors in our country seem to only be able to see these. Although there are so many magnificent stories in our history, they focus on things that are not on the stage, such as conspiracy, love affairs, assassination, and ripping off sex.
If "Hero" were to film the story of King Qin's conquest of Liuhe, wouldn't it be more relevant than filming a few assassins
If "Legend of the Demon Cat" was about the coming of all nations to court during the prosperous Tang Dynasty, wouldn't it be more attractive to the audience than the story about Concubine Yang
"The Promise", "The Night Banquet"...
It's a great historical movie, but it leaves the audience with endless flaws.
In fact, it can be made better. If the audience watching historical movies still sees romance, love, conspiracy, and intrigue, wouldn't it be better to watch an urban movie? Wouldn’t it be nice to watch a police movie? Why come to see history
Zhang Yimou has been a director for decades, so he naturally understands Yue Guan's words very clearly.
He nodded: "It is indeed as you said. If you change it like this, it will be more straightforward and straightforward, but the reputation will not necessarily be better."
Deng Chao couldn't hold back and interjected: "Director Zhang, I think the box office is more important, and there are many types of reputation. It doesn't matter whether the experts' reputation is heard or not, as long as the audience likes it."
He supported Yue Guan's proposal with 10,000 yuan.
Because Yue Guan is an example of the governor-general Yu Ju.
And Zi Yu is played by him.
Originally, he played two roles, the governor, Ziyu, and Ziyu's shadow substitute, Jingzhou. Among them, Jingzhou's role was to crush Ziyu.
From a high-profile perspective, Jingzhou also crushed Ziyu.
After Ziyu was defeated by Yang Cang, he was trapped in a cave. The living person was neither a human nor a ghost. He was emaciated and all he could think about was revenge. He knew that his wife and the shadow double were getting together. I just dared to look out the window.
It would be weird if a character like this could attract fans.
Originally, Deng Chao didn't think it was a big deal. After all, he still had the role of Jingzhou, and Jingzhou was still very proud.
But after hearing what Yue Guan said, he felt it made sense.
As the idol of all the people of the Pei Kingdom, Yu, the governor-general, was both civil and military, and was recognized as a hero. How could he just look like this
Jingzhou is indeed very prosperous.
But if Ziyu can be more brilliant, then why not
Deng Chao is not stupid. This is obviously something that is beneficial to him, so he will definitely support it firmly.
After Deng Chao opened his mouth, Wang Qianyuan joined in: "Director Zhang, I think what Mr. Yue said makes sense. Although the script of "Shadow" is exquisite, the layout is indeed small."
The character Tian Zhan he plays has a lot of secret scenes, but actually nothing can be seen on the surface...
If the audience is too lazy to think after watching this, the Tian Zhan played by him will probably be just a passerby general.
Of course Wang Qianyuan also wanted to highlight his presence.
And if the modifications mentioned by Yue Guan are followed, his character will definitely need to add some scenes and personality.
Therefore, Wang Qianyuan is also a firm supporter of Yue Guan.
Of course, there are people who support it, and there are certainly people who are against it.
Because according to the changes Yue Guan said, some people's roles will definitely be reduced.
It may even be deleted entirely.
Because if the style of the entire drama is changed, the existence of some characters will seem out of place.
But even if they had ideas, they did not dare to openly oppose Yue Guan. After all, there was nothing wrong with their brains. They could only place their hopes on Zhang Yimou, hoping that Zhang Yimou would show his domineering power as a great director and sternly reject Yue Guan's proposal.
Zhang Yimou disappointed them.
Because there is nothing wrong with Zhang Yimou's mind, he also believes that changing it as Yue Guan said will definitely be better for the box office.
"Yue Guan, what specific changes do you think should be made?" Zhang Yimou asked.
Yue Guan hesitated.
Zhang Yimou saw Yue Guan's concerns and waved his hand casually: "Don't have any worries, just say it. This is my play. Even if the actors' plot is affected by deletion of the script, I will be responsible for it." , we will naturally introduce other resources to them in the future.”
With his status as a national master, he is qualified to say these words.
And even if he doesn't say that, if he really wants to forcefully delete it, there's nothing the other actors can do.
When facing big directors, actors themselves are weak.
Coupled with capital like Yueguan, it becomes even more vulnerable.
So this matter itself is indeed the final decision of Yue Guan and Zhang Yimou, but neither of them is the kind of person who bullies others. If it really affects the interests of the actors, they are still willing to compensate them.
Seeing what Zhang Yimou said, Yue Guan also nodded: "Affected actors can also come to me. Our company has a lot of dramas, and we will try our best to compensate you with some resources."
Zhang Yimou stopped Yue Guan: ""Shadow" is the movie I want to shoot. I am the director of the crew, and I invited you. I can't let you take the blame for me. Don't worry, although the resources in my hands are not as good as yours, But actors can still make up for their losses. And if this drama doesn't work, there will be another time, and I won't retire this year."
Since Zhang Yimou had said this, of course Yue Guan could not say anything more.
In fact, normally speaking, Zhang Yimou should make up for this consequence himself. Yue Guan changed the script to help him, but it actually did not bring much benefit to Yue Guan himself.
Zhang Yimou obviously knew this, so he was very wise.
Naturally, Yue Guan would not rush to be taken advantage of.
Despite this, Yue Guan did not say whose scenes would be cut off directly. He started with the changes to King Pei, played by himself, and Yu, the governor of the capital, played by Deng Chao.
"Ziyu is the governor of Pei State, the first person under King Pei, and has made great contributions to Pei State. Since King Pei is talented and has the ambition to dominate the world, of course he cannot cut off his own arms. Therefore, King Pei and Ziyu need a There must be a reason for life and death, otherwise these two characters will become petty."
It would be nothing if it was an internal fight in the peaceful era.
In a time of war, the king of a country is at odds with his most powerful minister. Does this mean he wants to subjugate his country
This setting gives off the aura of a faint king, but King Pei is not fatuous, which is very contradictory.
Therefore, King Pei and Ziyu must have a reason to be enemies.
Zhang Yimou quickly figured this out and looked at Yue Guan with burning eyes: "What's a better reason?"
Yue Guan had already thought about it before he came and said decisively: "Of course he is trying to usurp the country and usurp the throne. It is set that the throne inherited by King Pei belongs to his elder brother, and his elder brother already has a son. There is no need to set too detailed, just the background To explain a little bit, after King Pei came to power, his brother's only son died of illness. In this way, Ziyu and King Pei had a reason to be enemies, but this did not affect the fact that they also had the world in mind. Governor Ziyu is not a traitor, but he is not loyal to this king."
Deng Chao slapped his thigh: "Wonderful."
In this way, Ziyu's personal establishment was immediately established.
Of course, Yue Guan will not deliberately discredit the role he plays, and he is not sick.
In the war-torn times, the war rages on. A young monarch and a talented, ambitious, civil and military younger brother, Pei Liang, both consider themselves responsible for their own selfish desires and for the sake of the country.
There's actually not much wrong with this idea.
Therefore, Tian Zhan still loyal to King Pei.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with Ziyu being loyal to the late king.
Everyone was right, and the situation improved instantly.
Deng Chaolai said "Wonderful", which attracted Yue Guan's attention.
Yue Guan set his sights on Deng Chao, and then moved to Sun Li.
"Brother Chao, isn't it fun to add drama?" Yue Guan asked.
Deng Chao smiled sheepishly.
He really enjoyed it.
Jingzhou already has the most scenes.
And after Yue Guan's adaptation, Ziyu's plot has become both popular and important.
Of course he has 10,000 support.
However, a movie only lasts so long.
If more drama is given to him, the drama for others will be reduced.
"I'm sorry for you, Brother Chao, but I'm sorry for Sister Li." Yue Guan gave Sun Li an apologetic look: "In the new script, Zi Yu will be portrayed as a perfect commander, so Xiao Ai's plot will be deleted, because In the original script, Xiao Ai is basically a stain on Zi Yu."
In front of Zi Yu, Xiao Ai and his substitute Jing Zhou hugged each other and even touched each other at a distance. This kind of scene had to express some kind of metaphor... To put it bluntly, wasn't it just a box office scam
What the hell are you talking about
There are many ways to express metaphors, but chicken love drama is the worst one.
Yue Guan does not reject chicken love dramas, but the problem is that his revised script really has no place for Xiao Ai.
In the original script, Yang Cang's sword skills were the best in the world, and the one who cracked Yang Cang's sword skills was Xiao Ai.
The solution is to use yin to defeat yang.
This is out of place in Yue Guan's new script.
On the battlefield, use yin to defeat yang...
This is not how you seek death.
Moreover, Xiao Ai is a puppet, an ancient woman who cannot control her own destiny, and she has cracked the world's best swordsmanship...
You must also pay attention to the basic laws when adding drama.
This is really illogical.
In fact, after Sun Li heard Yue Guan say that she wanted to revise the script to "Heroes and Heroes" before, she realized that her role might be greatly cut out, and she was mentally prepared. However, when Yue Guan called her name, she was still a little agitated. Uncomfortable.
But she quickly came to her senses and said with a forced smile: "Yue Guan can decide how much you want to delete."
Yue Guan hesitated for a moment, then said: "Actually, deleting them all won't affect the plot."
Just let Ziyu and Jingzhou talk directly.
In the history of war and war, stop holding innocent women hostage.
Sun Li: "..."
She thought that a lot of her plot would be deleted, but she never thought that Yue Guan actually wanted to delete it all.
Not only was she shocked, but Zhang Yimou was also shocked.
"Yue Guan, delete everything?"
"Director Zhang, I just said casually, you are the one who makes the final decision." Yue Guan said politely.
Anyway, if you don't do what I say, I'll just run away.
"It's not just Sister Li." Yue Guan turned his attention to Guan Xiaotong and Wu Sanshi.
Both of them had an ominous premonition.
Unfortunately, this hunch was correct.
"The characters of Xiaotong and Sanshi can actually be deleted entirely."
Yue Guan opened his mouth and sentenced them to death.
"In a time of great strife and war, there are many stories that can be told. The roles and scenes of Xiaotong and Sanshi are very useless to the entire plot. It is better to delete their plots and flesh out the characters of King Pei and Yang Cang."
Hu Jun wanted to give Yue Guan a thumbs up.
He played Yang Cang.
But he endured it.
After all, Wu Sanshi is still here.
However, Hu Jun still admired in his heart: "Yue Guan is Yue Guan. He is so discerning. I feel that Yang Cang's role is too small."
In the script of "Shadow", Yang Cang has the best martial arts in the world and is the supreme commander of the enemy army. The prototype of the character is Guan Yu.
Then in the original script, Yang Cang, an invincible character with invincible sword skills, was defeated by Xiao Ai, played by Sun Li.
First of all, I would like to state that I am not discriminating in any way, nor do I want to attract any boxers. From this description alone, the character of Yang Cang becomes LOW.
Xiao Ai's phone function is also inexplicable.
A woman who had never even been on the battlefield figured out a way to crack the martial arts of an invincible general.
All other famous generals in the world can wipe their necks and commit suicide.
The weapon used to defeat Yang Cang, the umbrella sword, is known as the most sinister weapon in the world.
How should I put it? Yue Guan watched the movie "Shadow" in his previous life.
One thing to say, the picture of the umbrella knife is really beautiful.
There is nothing wrong with the logical setting of yin over yang.
The problem is that the place where Ziyu and Yang Cang compete is the battlefield.
What the battlefield requires is iron blood, chilling and brutal killing.
It's not artistic beauty.
The battlefield in "Shadow" is very artistic and beautiful.
Very yin and yang.
But the battlefield has nothing to do with yin and yang.
A group of elite soldiers fight with the best weapons in the world. Their fighting movements are twisted and twisted, just like women dancing...
Again, it looks beautiful from the picture.
But it's not a battlefield.
Since Yue Guan wants to change the plot, he is going to change all these.
There is no doubt about Zhang Yimou's ability to manage large scenes. During the filming of "Shadow", he gave up his ability to manage large scenes and devoted himself to pursuing his own aesthetics.
What Yue Guan wanted was for Zhang Yimou to show off his ability to coordinate big scenes.
The battle on the battlefield is just a good battle on the battlefield. There is no need to instill in the audience any unfathomable principles about the conflict between yin and yang, and the audience does not need to know these principles.
Therefore, the character Xiao Ai no longer needs to exist.
In fact, the Princess Qingping played by Guan Xiaotong and Yang Cang's son Yang Ping played by Wu Sanshi have become less important.
"Director Zhang, what do you think the roles of Princess Qingping and Yang Ping mean to the drama "Shadow"?"
Zhang Yimou thought for a while and then said nothing.
The real situation is that these two roles are reserved for young stars, or to be precise, they are for traffic.
Count on them to bring in the box office.
But do Zhang Yimou’s movies still need actors to bring in the box office
Even if it is useful, Yue Guan is here and Deng Chao is here, Guan Xiaotong and Wu Sanshi will not be able to get their turn.
Deleting their scenes and leaving the saved scenes to King Pei and Yang Cang will naturally make the overall structure of the play fuller.
Zhang Yimou soon realized this.
So he remained silent.
And silence itself is an answer.
Guan Xiaotong and Wu Sanshi were both child stars. They knew the entertainment industry better than many adult stars, and they did not dare to struggle when they saw this.
Although they still wanted to gain a celebrity status in Zhang Yimou's movies, Yue Guan and Zhang Yimou both chose to give up on them, so they had no choice but to accept their fate.
In fact, Yue Guan is not targeting them, but their characters really do not need to exist. In addition, they did not become a bonus in the movie in the version of "Shadow" that Yue Guan watched.
On the contrary, points were reduced, especially for Yang Ping, played by Wu Sanshi, whose acting skills and lines were actually surpassed by Guan Xiaotong...
The so-called acting talents among young stars are so watery that it scares people to death.
After settling Guan Xiaotong and Wu Sanshi, Zhang Yimou re-read the script and discovered a problem:
"Yue Guan, if this is the case, wouldn't there be no female characters in the entire drama?" Zhang Yimou frowned.
Yue Guan asked: "If we don't arrange female roles, is it suspected of discrimination against women?"
Zhang Yimou: "Definitely not suspected."
"Will it attract Boxer?"
"It won't portray female characters, and it will definitely not be insulting. Boxer will naturally not be attracted to it."
"So why must there be female characters?" Yue Guan said seriously: ""Soldier Assault" also does not have female characters, which does not prevent it from becoming a recognized classic. The drama "Shadow" itself is not suitable for female characters. .”
Of course Yue Guan does not hate women. He likes beautiful young ladies the most, and the number of harems can prove it.
However, if there is obviously no suitable female character, and one must be forced into the role, that does not respect the female community, but will make the female community even more uncomfortable with it.
Because people think your photography is not good and it vilifies the image of women.
The background and story involved in "Shadow" can theoretically include beauties, but they should be the kind of stunning beauties, such as Diao Chan and Zhen Mi.
But the main structure of "Shadow" is war and city capture, so Beauty is meaningless.
On the contrary, it will lower the tone of the entire show.
Zhang Yimou was convinced.
Deng Chao reminded in a low voice: "If we really don't arrange a female role, the boxer will probably be boxing. They say that our drama discriminates against actresses and does not give actresses a chance."
Yue Guan: "..." is something a boxer can do.
"Then let Sister Li take a chance."
Yue Guan also didn’t want to cause trouble.
However, Zhang Yimou seemed very courageous at this time: "No, it depends on what you think. If we make a historical drama full of male hormones, it should be more attractive to the audience. And this can also be used as a promotional selling point. The original "Soldier Assault" "I think that's what I've done before, and it attracted a lot of people."
That's true.
Yue Guan knows many young ladies. When they watch a play, if a play cannot portray a female character well, they would rather not have this female character.
If a character who is destined to be meaningless and only serves a vase or decorative role, removing it will not affect the box office, and may even lead to a higher box office.
Since Zhang Yimou had such courage, Yue Guan certainly would not stop him.
"Actually, this way, it becomes very simple." Yue Guan sorted out the specific points to be changed: "To put it simply, it is the characters of the plump governor Zi Yu, the king of Pei Liang, and the world's best general Yang Cang . When these three characters stand firm, so does the play."
"In what specific direction should the plumpness go?" Zhang Yimou asked.
"This is even simpler. Commander-in-Chief Yu is a man of both civil and military skills. Brother Chao, you should act like a scholar and handsome man, not a pervert. Is there any problem?"
Deng Chao immediately replied: "Absolutely no problem."
"As for Yang Cang, Mr. Hu, you should act in the direction of a great hero. You can be more arrogant, but you must be invincible enough. Is there any problem?"
Hu Jun smiled: "What I am best at is playing this kind of role."
"I also have confidence in Teacher Hu."
If Hu Jun's hero can't be played well, then there won't be many actors in the domestic entertainment industry who can play heroes well.
"As for King Pei, it's actually very simple. Just set it up as a lonely man who can dominate the world and can kill anyone and do anything."
Yue Guan didn't want to play a good person.
Emperors, especially those in war years, are too kind, but they are irresponsible to the country and the people.
The character design of King Pei in the original version is relatively good. If the character is fleshed out, less of a pretense of madness and stupidity, more decisive and courageous, and some short stories are added, a three-dimensional image of the emperor will be freshly created.
Ziyu/Jingzhou, King Pei, Yang Cang…
As long as these four characters stand firm, the drama "Shadow" will be able to stand firm completely.
In times of great strife, heroes emerge in large numbers.
The governor was both civil and military, with a majestic appearance.
Jingzhou hides the weapon in his body, waiting for the time to move.
Yang Cang is invincible and invincible in the world.
King Pei was a multi-faceted tyrant who looked down upon the world.
The story between these four men is enough to make a wonderful historical drama.