Nobody knows movies better than me

Chapter 9 Feng Dapao's Praise

When Zhang Jun's class advisor, Lao Hu, told him to prepare well for his graduation defense, Zhang Jun was completely bewildered.

He never expected that the first hurdle he would face after being reborn and transmigrated would not be how to get the opportunity to direct a movie, but his graduation defense.

Although he inherited the original owner's memories and remembered what he had learned, remembering is not the same as mastering them.

It's like a young swordsman suddenly being taught the Dugu Nine Swords by a senior; the young swordsman would definitely be flustered when he first started practicing.

It takes constant practice and guidance from seniors to truly master the Dugu Nine Swords.

Unfortunately, Zhang Jun obtained this sword technique, but he couldn't apply the knowledge from his memories to his own use. If knowledge can't be put to use, then having memories is useless.

"Damn it, how did this lousy game end up at Tsinghua University?"

Zhang Jun, biting the pen handle, stared at the various pieces of knowledge that seemed like gibberish, and couldn't help but curse.

Ma Qiang had just come in carrying a large stack of books when he heard this.

"A game? What game?"

"Well!"

Zhang Jun quickly shut up: "It's nothing, you misheard. But buddy, you have to help me with my graduation defense, I'm counting on you."

Ma Qiang laughed: "I saw you were busy filming the short film every day before, and I thought you were all prepared. Now you're cramming at the last minute?"

"Godfather, please help your godson! I'm willing to do anything, I'll even offer you chrysanthemums." Zhang Jun put on a pitiful look.

These days, chrysanthemums are still just chrysanthemums, but Ma Qiang also sensed the ambiguity in them.

He hurriedly said, "Get lost, get lost! Your godfather is very busy right now and doesn't have time to instruct you."

However, considering they've been friends for four years, he would feel guilty if his brother had problems with his graduation defense.

So Ma Qiang softened his tone and said, "Alright, godfather, I'm in a good mood today. You can ask me any questions you have."

Zhang Jun was overjoyed: "Really?"

"Of course it's true."

Ma Qiang gave an affirmative answer, and then he saw Zhang Jun take out his notebook, which was filled with a lot of questions.

"Holy crap, did you waste four years of college? You've accumulated so many questions?"

Zhang Jun said embarrassedly, "If you ask me to talk about film knowledge now, I can talk about it very fluently."

But I can only rely on the textbook for the four years of astronomy knowledge I've acquired; I'm entirely counting on you, brother.

Helpless, Ma Qiang had no choice but to patiently answer Zhang Jun's questions.

Fortunately, he hadn't lost the knowledge he remembered. With Zhang Jun's recollections and Ma Qiang's professional guidance, his progress was quite fast. Like recharging, Zhang Jun's knowledge was about 70-80% charged before his graduation defense.

Although taking the postgraduate entrance exam is definitely out of the question, I can still guarantee that I'll be able to defend my thesis.

Because he was busy reviewing his lessons and preparing for his thesis defense, Zhang Jun did not participate in the exhibition with his first work after returning from time travel.

However, the small-scale sensation caused by "Andhadhun" was not diminished in the slightest by his absence as the screenwriter and director.

Feng Xiaogang is one of them. As the biggest name director at this film festival, his influence is not as great as that of Chen Gezi and Zhang Yimou.

However, he is very popular among college students. His works such as "The Dream Factory", "Endless Love", "Big Shot's Funeral", and "Be There or Be Square" ushered in the era of Lunar New Year films and Feng Xiaogang's comedies.

On the afternoon of May 30th, Feng Xiaogang arrived with Fan Bingbing, one of the main characters in the movie "Cellphone". They first accepted an interview with CCTV6, and then visited the exhibition site.

Then, right there at the exhibition, he happened to see "The Tuner" being shown on a rotating schedule.

After watching the short film, Feng Dapao exclaimed in admiration.

He said to Fan Bingbing, who had come with him, "This short film is incredibly well-made, both in terms of its story structure, suspense, and cinematic language. It's clearly made by a veteran."

Fan Pangbing became interested: "I heard that some student films are participating in the short film competition at this year's college student film festival. Is this film from Beijing Film Academy? Or the Central Academy of Drama?"

"Just ask!"

Feng Dapao randomly stopped a student and asked, "Young man, do you know which school this short film is from?"

"You mean 'The Tuner'? It's an entry from Tsinghua University, and this short film has been incredibly popular these past few days," the student who had been stopped replied.

"Wait, you mean works from Tsinghua University? Not Beijing Film Academy or the Central Academy of Drama?"

"Of course not. If you don't believe me, wait until the people from Tsinghua University arrive, and you can ask them yourself."

Having said all that, Feng Dapao believed him. When the people from Tsinghua University arrived, Feng Dapao pressed them for details about who the short film's director was.

When they learned that the screenwriter and director of the short film were both senior students in the Department of Astronomy at Tsinghua University, Feng Dapao and Fan Pangbing were very surprised.

"Without professional guidance, this Tsinghua University student named Zhang Jun is a real talent. There are hidden masters among ordinary people!" Feng Dapao exclaimed.

"Zhang Jun..." Fan Pangbing pondered the name to himself, a sense of curiosity welling up inside him.

After visiting the exhibition, Feng Dapao attended a lecture. The lecture was designed to enhance interactive engagement by having the host ask questions and Feng answer them.

These questions are supposedly a collection of questions students want to ask, but in reality, they are questions selected by the organizers and can be answered in a formulaic way.

Otherwise, wouldn't it be awkward for Feng Dapao if the students asked strange questions? For example, the question about the unspoken rules against female celebrities would be awkward for him to answer, whether he answers it or not.

After answering a few questions, the host asked, "Director Feng, I see you've visited our exhibition before."

Our film festival has a short film competition section for university students. Have you seen any of the students' works? Which one impressed you the most?

Feng Dapao raised the microphone and replied, "There is one, an entry from Tsinghua University, called 'The Tuner.' I think everyone has seen it, right?"

The students in the audience answered in unison, "We've seen it!"

"It's quite beautiful."

"It's the best short film I've ever seen."

After the students quieted down a bit, Feng Dapao continued, "Since everyone has seen it, I'll briefly explain it again."

First of all, this short film has a very complete structure, with all the necessary elements of a story, including its beginning, development, climax, and resolution.

Secondly, the visual language in this short film is very impressive; I dare say that many directors in the film industry might not be able to match its level.

The most impressive thing is that the story of this short film is very engaging. Although it is only thirteen minutes long, it tells a complete story.

The actors in it also performed very well. I could tell that they were all amateur actors, but they had all the necessary details and didn't make the audience feel out of place.

That's amazing. It shows the director is very skilled...

Feng Xiaogang raved about "The Tuner," as if everyone would be missing out if they didn't see the short film. The students at Tsinghua University were very excited, because Feng Xiaogang is a well-known film director in China.

For him to utter words of praise is tantamount to receiving an award.

It's a pity Zhang Jun hasn't arrived yet. If he knew Feng Dapao was praising him like that, I wonder how excited he would be...

To this, Zhang Jun could only say that his classmates were overthinking it. If they wanted to get him excited, Feng Dapao wouldn't work, but Fan Pangbing next to him might.

However, Feng Xiaogang's praise once again brought great prestige to "The Tuner," and the short film was appreciated by more people.

It's unclear how many people knew the name of Zhang Jun, the creator of the short film, during this process.

After the lecture, Feng Xiaogang took a break, and Fan Bingbing asked him, "Director Feng, you praised this short film so much, are you thinking of acquiring it?"

Feng Dapao didn't shy away from his thoughts: "That's right, I do have that idea. This short film has a lot of potential for development, and I think it would be fine to turn it into a feature film."

Why not give it a try? It's just a waste of breath anyway.

He genuinely believes in the short film; otherwise, he wouldn't have publicly expressed his opinion. However, he also has other ideas: adapting "The Tuner" into a crime thriller would be a great success.

After his classic Feng-style comedies, Feng Xiaogang quickly realized the importance of transformation.

He can't make Feng Xiaogang comedies forever. If he wants to become a top director in China and stand on equal footing with Chen Gezi and Zhang Yimou, he must explore many different fields.

Therefore, in addition to starting production on "A World Without Thieves" this year, which involved collaborations with Andy Lau and Rene Liu, he also followed the example of the two renowned directors and ventured into period epics.

However, Feng Xiaogang is also exploring other possibilities, such as war films and pure crime thrillers.

Therefore, with a "let's give it a try" attitude, Feng Xiaogang publicly praised the film, thus establishing this positive connection. It's worth noting that since becoming a top-tier director, he hasn't been one to easily promote others.

After learning of Feng Xiaogang's idea, Fan Bingbing couldn't help but exclaim, "This little director named Zhang Jun should really thank you; you've helped him become famous."

Feng Dapao waved his hand dismissively: "No need for thanks, just transferring the short film to me is the greatest gratitude."

"If such an excellent short film can be made, Zhang Jun might become arrogant, and I'm afraid he won't agree," Fan Pangbing said.

Feng Dapao, however, was very confident: "I will give him a reason he can't refuse."

Evening finally arrived, and the closing ceremony and awards ceremony of the 11th Beijing College Student Film Festival were finally held at the Olympic Sports Center, broadcast live by CCTV-6 Movie Channel.

Nearly 5000 teachers and students from 28 universities in the capital gathered with well-known filmmakers to cheer on the Chinese film industry in their own ways.

The atmosphere at the party was lively from beginning to end.

The roller skating team moving around the venue, the highly modern freestyle slam dunks, and the enthusiastic dances on the main stage pushed the atmosphere to a carnival climax.

However, what truly ignited the atmosphere was undoubtedly the presence of the celebrity guests.

Zhang Jun finally appeared. He and Ye Xiaoyi sat together on the other side of the Huaqing University formation, watching these old-timer celebrity guests with great interest.

In his previous life, when he was active, these so-called celebrity guests were no longer active. Few people in the entertainment industry can maintain their popularity for long; the turnover rate of celebrities is faster than the stock market crashes.

Those whose names have been remembered are all figures who were once extremely popular.

For example, Jiang Wen and Chen Kun, the actresses who starred in "Warriors of Heaven and Earth" and "Jade Goddess of Mercy" respectively, were removed from the cast list. These three actresses won the awards for most popular male and female actors among college students, and the award for male actor was even a tie.

Feng Xiaogang also won the Most Popular Director Award among College Students, and he accepted his first directorial award with great pride.

Zhang Jun had already heard that Feng Dapao had been praising his short film extensively that afternoon.

He immediately understood what Feng Dapao meant and planned to talk to him about it later.

However, what Zhang Jun cares about most is whether his short film can win an award.