How can a director be a gigolo?

Chapter 58 The Art of Light and Shadow

The point that Wang Xiaohao criticized most was that there was far too much narration in the movie.

The audience may disagree and find the narration fascinating.

However, for those in the industry, this approach is really not very clever, and could even be described as too crude.

This is probably why this movie didn't win any prestigious international awards!

Film is an art of light and shadow; if something can be conveyed visually, try to avoid using dialogue.

If you absolutely must use dialogue, it's best to avoid using voice-over and instead use narration.

Because film is the art of light and shadow, the art of visuals, not the art of text.

If you want to experience the art of text, read poetry and novels!

So Wang Xiaohao thought a lot during filming.

Although he felt that removing the narration might make the movie lose a lot of its flavor.

But at the same time, Wang Xiaohao felt that he wasn't Lao Tuo.

Old Torres, that narcissistic guy, would ramble on and on as if he were narrating to the audience.

And Wang Xiaohao is not director Lao Tuo himself. These narrations are not what Wang Xiaohao wanted to express at all, and they are not his own experiences either.

For example, there are those lines like: "I rode my bike and pedaled furiously, as if trying to escape the innocent feelings of my youth. Later in my life, I loved many women. In our embraces, they asked me if I would remember them. But the woman I loved most never asked me that."

Therefore, Wang Xiaohao deleted all of these narrations and monologues.

Wang Xiaohao never uses unnecessary words when he can express something through film.

Then, without realizing it, Wang Xiaohao finished filming the movie in just over two months.

It went more smoothly than I imagined!

First of all, the local authorities were very cooperative. When Wang Xiaohao wanted to close off the streets for filming, the local authorities were very accommodating.

The local residents were proud that the film was shot in their area and had few complaints.

Then, after filming the movie "My Sassy Girl", director Wang Xiaohao's abilities improved a lot.

Editor Chen Dawei is the most qualified to speak on this point!

That's right, Wang Xiaohao invited Chen Dawei again to act as his editor.

Although Chen Dawei is not a very famous editor, the two had a very pleasant collaboration on the last film.

In addition, Chen Dawei's editing skills are quite proficient, making him a master at editing feature films.

Chen Dawei also greatly admired Wang Xiaohao, believing that it was quite rare for Wang Xiaohao to be able to shoot his first film so smoothly.

He also helped promote the movie "My Sassy Girl" when it was released.

Although Chen Dawei isn't some big shot, he's lived a long time and has a lot of experience. Even though he didn't play a significant role, we should still appreciate the favor he received!

Therefore, Wang Xiaohao was not replaced in this movie.

After watching the footage shot by Wang Xiaohao, Chen Dawei exclaimed that Wang Xiaohao's abilities had really improved a lot!

In fact, this is not just about Wang Xiaohao's improved abilities.

Rather, the entire production team has made significant progress!

First, Ding Binbai, Wang Le'an, and others honed their skills after working with Wang Xiaohao on "My Sassy Girl".

Then there's the crew Wang Xiaohao used when filming "My Sassy Girl." It was really just a makeshift crew, and many of the people they hired were quite amateurish, with many having no experience in television dramas or even being unemployed.

This time is different, although the core members of the crew are still Wang Xiaohao's own people.

However, many of the other crew members were hired by Zhen Liang; they are all professional film crew members.

This naturally elevates the overall quality of the film "Beautiful Legend".

How should I put it!

Actually, Wang Xiaohao's original film, "My Sassy Girl," was rather unremarkable.

Even an expert like Chen Dawei gave it the highest praise: it was decent, something an insider would do, not amateurish.

That's just how it is!

Basically, it belongs to the category of excellent student essays!

However, it falls far short of being a masterpiece, or even a work that can be considered presentable.

This is also why many large film companies do not pay much attention to Wang Xiaohao.

Because Wang Xiaohao's skills were too immature, the entire "My Sassy Girl" lacked any outstanding technical aspects and relied entirely on its plot for success.

However, plot ideas are often just fleeting flashes of inspiration.

All I can say is that you came up with a brilliant idea for this movie. So, will you have that kind of inspiration for your next movie?

Moreover, many film companies had already started producing romance films at that time.

Furthermore, given that Wang Xiaohao is a nobody with no connections, it's easy to see why people don't take him seriously!

But the situation is different now!

Wang Xiaohao's second film, "Beautiful Legend," has indeed matured a lot in terms of technique. It has completely moved beyond the level of an excellent student's model article. The camera language, staging, and so on have all improved a lot.

This is truly remarkable. Indeed, any improvement in ability is just like the old oil seller's saying: "Practice makes perfect!"

More importantly, narrative films like "Beautiful Legend" perfectly suit the tastes and habits of old-school filmmakers like Chen Dawei.

This impressed him greatly, and he exclaimed, "Director, you've matured not only technically, but also in your thinking!"

If this movie is handled properly, it might even win an award!

Wang Xiaohao was overjoyed and asked, "Can I really win an award? Which award?"

He didn't ask whether it was an international award or a domestic one. Because the answer was already clear: it was definitely a domestic award.

The original film didn't win any major awards, not even in Italy.

This only shows that although this narrative film is very much to the liking of ordinary viewers, it is not particularly outstanding in terms of art films, or in terms of directing techniques and artistic achievements!

When this movie was originally made, it was in the year 2000, in a previous life?

At least a decade or more has passed since then!

More than a decade is enough time for film techniques to improve considerably.

If you didn't win an award back then, it would be even more unlikely to win one now!

However, if this were in China, it might actually be possible!

Sure enough, Chen Dawei said, "The Phoenix Award! The Phoenix Award is for outstanding feature films."

Of course, what Chen Dawei didn't mention was that he had closer ties with the Phoenix Awards. That would make things easier!

Although Chen Dawei isn't exactly a big shot in the industry, he works within the system and has decades of experience, so he has connections everywhere! In fact, he does have a certain influence within the industry!

In fact, people like Chen Dawei are the backbone of every industry.