1990: Starting from Baojia Street

Kudo Shizuka only stayed in Yanjing for four days. After her work in Yanjing was over, she followed Nangong Songzi and the others back to Neon.

A few days after she left, Zhou Yan suddenly received several song purchase requests from Neon.

It turns out that after the full version of Meteor premiered on TV Asahi, it attracted the attention of many music companies.

The complete version of Meteor not only has accompaniment, but also a melody. Anyone can hear it. This is a song. You can sing it by filling in the lyrics.

Maybe a singer has already tried to write lyrics and sing.

The song Meteor is indeed very catchy, and it is also an advertising song for Panasonic, so those music companies are naturally not willing to miss it.

These companies first contacted Panasonic. They thought that the copyright of the song belonged to Panasonic, but Panasonic told them that the copyright of the song was clearly divided. If the singer wanted to sing, the company could not take the decision at all. , can only go to Zhou Yan.

However, Zhou Yan ignored any of these requests. He was not prepared to give the song to a neon singer, at least not the first version.

He had two choices, one was to fill in Chinese lyrics and have them sung by Chinese singers, and the second was to have them sung by English singers.

In fact, Zhou Yan considered Xu Wei at the earliest.

Zhou Yan believes that Xu Wei is the best choice among Chinese singers to sing Meteor, but Xu Wei writes lyrics and music for his own songs and may not be willing to sing songs written by others.

Moreover, Zhou Yan did not sign Xu Wei in the end.

In China, he has not thought of any suitable candidate to sing this song. For the time being, he can only wait for a suitable person.

…

Zhou Yan had not considered letting Neon singers sing this song, but Neon fans were very concerned about this matter.

TV Asahi even held a poll for viewers to choose the neon national singer they most wanted to sing Meteor.

Among the popular candidates are veteran singers Shinji Tanita, Seiko Matsuda, and Takuro Yoshida, as well as rising stars like Izumi Sakai, and even Mina Nakamori, Shizuka Kudo, and Miyuki Nakajima.

The audience voted and didn't care whether these singers were suitable for the song Meteor. They only relied on their own preferences.

However, there are still some people who believe that Zhou Yan's music should not be turned into songs, and it is enough to just listen to pure music.

In fact, this argument has always been there. Although the two songs If Love Is God's Will and Stay with Me are very popular in Neon, some people still think that Zhou Yan's songs should not be turned into songs, as this will ruin the music. song.

Zhou Yan also heard about the voting conducted by TV Asahi, but he didn't know exactly who the audience voted for.

After Kudo Shizuka left, he devoted himself to his work.

Construction of the school for The Spring of the Cowherd Class has begun, and Zhou Yan took the time to take the director team to the site.

But they know nothing about civil construction, and they can’t see anything until the house is built.

This set project includes not only the construction of the school, but also the renovation of some nearby environments.

The location of the school is relatively remote, and there is no decent road nearby. Therefore, while building the school, the crew will also build a new road next to it and transplant two rows of trees next to the road.

The local government welcomed the crew's initiative to build roads.

Although the road built by the crew is only two or three kilometers long, it is still a road and has a positive effect on the local economy.

When Zhou Yan went to Jiangjuntuo, the local mayor was very enthusiastic. To the mayor, Zhou Yan and the others were the gods of wealth.

The construction of schools and roads used a lot of labor.

Now is not the busy farming season. The villagers have nothing to do and come to help, and they can earn a lot of money.

After looking around the scene, project manager Shu Guangji ran over and asked Zhou Yan, Teacher Zhou, do you want to take a photo?

Would you like to take a photo? Okay.

No, you use a shovel to shovel a shovel of cement, make a show of it, and keep it as a souvenir. In the past, when leaders inspected projects, there was such a process.

Hearing what Shu Guangji said, Zhou Yan waved his hand, Forget it, I'd better not delay the workers' work.

Where are the other directors?

no, I'm fine.

Huo Jianqi and the others also waved their hands repeatedly. Zhou Yan had already refused, so how could they agree.

Seeing that they all refused, Shu Guangji didn't say anything. Since the leader didn't like to do this, it would save him trouble.

All directors are indeed very pragmatic. Shu Guangji also flattered him a little harshly.

Zhou Yan himself is a master of flattery and has a very strong immunity to flattery. He smiled and said, It doesn't matter if you work slower. The main thing is to pay attention to the safety of the workers.

Don't worry, Director Zhou, our project department will pay close attention to safety to ensure that there will be no accidents.

Zhou Yan nodded, and he just casually mentioned that their project is not big, and the school only has two and a half floors. With such a height, the possibility of safety accidents is relatively small.

This project is still led by Tomson, and the management must be stricter than that of ordinary construction teams.

Oh, by the way, Shu Gong, there is one more thing I want to trouble you with.

If Director Zhou needs anything, just give me your instructions.

Please help me take two people with me.

Zhou Yan waved to Li Haining and Xia Guobao who were not far away, You two, come here.

The two children were watching the workers working with great interest. When they heard Zhou Yan's call, they ran over.

When Shu Guangji heard that Zhou Yan asked him to bring two people, he was full of doubts. When he saw Zhou Yan calling for two children, his eyes widened.

Director Zhou, do you want me to take them?

Zhou Yan nodded, Please arrange some work for them.

Shu Guangji was a little confused, Are they... a little too young?

It's not just a minor problem. Shu Guangji doesn't know the origin of these two children. Judging from the situation, they are probably relatives of Director Zhou.

Two young masters come to experience life, and they will be the ones who suffer when the time comes.

Director Zhou said he wanted to arrange some work for them. Can he really arrange work? He must provide a good service. If something goes wrong, he can't afford it.

I've seen many construction sites, and there are children of this age, and there are quite a lot of them.

Zhou Yan's words made Shu Guangji unable to refute.

Although there are currently no minors in their team, many construction sites in other places do have children as old as Li Haining and even younger ones.

Some children have not even finished elementary school, so they go out to work with the adults at home.

Although the labor force of these children is relatively weak, their wages are also very low. They may only be able to do one-fifth of the work of adults in a day, but their wages are one-tenth.

For the contractor, with more such labor force, he can make more money.

Shu Guangji had seen the most outrageous team. The entire team of bricklayers came from the same village. Except for the forty-year-old contractor, the other workers were between the ages of 12 and 18. There were about 20 workers in total. people.

These children are basically the nephews of the contractor from the same village. They cannot afford to go to school, so they go out into society with their elders. The contractor only needs to pay a small salary to support the entire team.

As long as these children do not die outside, their parents will still have to thank the contractor when they return home.

If the contractor had more conscience and gave the children a dozen yuan or more during the Chinese New Year, the parents would be extremely happy. After all, children stay at home and eat when they open their mouths. Going out not only saves food, but also makes some money to support the family.

A few dozen yuan is not a small amount for some rural families.

Although there are many such situations outside, Shu Guangji still has a problem, These two children have tender skin and tender flesh, so they are not suitable for...

Before Shu Guangji finished speaking, Zhou Yan smiled and said, It's because I have thin skin and tender flesh that I want to come to you to exercise.

When Li Haining and Xia Guobao first arrived at the studio, they were both thin and shabby.

But after staying in the studio for such a long time, the two of them ate and drank well every day, gained a lot of weight, and looked radiant.

If this continues, these two guys will get further and further away from their roles.

Zhou Yan didn't ask them to be disgraced. They looked like rural children at first glance, but at least they couldn't be chubby in vain. It is easy for people to gain weight through the camera. If they look fat in real life, they may look fatter in the camera.

Moreover, letting them work at the construction site for a period of time can also hone their character.

Seeing Zhou Yan's insistence, Shu Guangji couldn't say anything else and could only nod in agreement, Okay then.

Zhou Yan smiled and said to Li Haining and the others, You work here and you get paid every day. I will pay you the settlement when the time comes.

Hearing what Zhou Yan said, the two boys were very happy. They stayed in the studio for a long time, and the passion they cultivated gradually weakened. They began to feel that music learning was becoming more and more boring.

Compared with studying music in the studio every day, they find it more interesting to work on the construction site. In their eyes, the work on the construction site is much more interesting than studying.

Okay, you go and have some fun. We'll start working officially tomorrow.

okay.

After Li Haining and others left, Zhou Yan said to Shu Guangji, Shu Gong, be strict with these two boys. If you have any work, do it for them. As long as there is no personal danger, it doesn't matter how hard or tired you are.

Shu Guangji gritted his teeth and said, I understand.

…

When Zhou Yan and the others left Jiangjuntuo, they left Li Haining and Xia Guo at the construction site, and Zhou Yan also left their luggage with them.

Seeing Zhou Yan give two bags of luggage to Li Haining and the others, Huo Jianqi said with a smile, Director Zhou, it seems you have a plan.

Lou Ye also laughed, Director Zhou, your move is quite damaging. These two boys are so happy now. They will probably cry for father and mother in a few days.

They are too comfortable during this period. Zhou Yan said casually.

Li Haining and the others were indeed too comfortable during this period, so comfortable that they did not appreciate the hard-won learning opportunities.

Although Li Haining and the others are children of workers, in fact, they have not suffered too much, and their parents are responsible for many things.

Now throwing them into the construction site and experiencing some pain is not a bad thing for them.

Director Zhou, aren't you afraid that after working for a while, the two of them really fall in love with the work on the construction site and don't want to go back to study music? Xiao Can asked with a smile.

Zhou Yan also smiled and said: If that's the case, then I wouldn't mind sending them to study civil engineering. They will definitely become construction site wizards.

Hearing this, everyone laughed. Xiao Can's question was naturally mostly joking. How could anyone in this world be willing to do tiring work?

It would be amazing for someone who can't even endure the hardships of studying music to fall in love with working on a construction site.

After the car had driven for a while, Lou Ye suddenly asked, The road behind has been repaired, will it end here?

Zhou Yan stretched his head and looked out the window, then nodded and said, Well, that's probably where it is.

After receiving Zhou Yan's confirmation, Lou Ye said to the driver in front of him, Master Huang, please stop the car.

Master Huang is a man who doesn't like to talk. Hearing what Lou Ye said, he didn't ask any questions and directly stepped on the brakes and stopped the car.

After Lou Ye got out of the car, he took several photos of the dirt road under his feet.

After taking the photo, he returned to the car and said with a smile: Take a photo and leave it as a souvenir. Maybe next time you come here, this place will be completely different. After leaving the image, people will compare it with the previous pictures. Looking at this road, you may feel a little more emotional.

Huo Jianqi also turned to look at the road behind and said with emotion: If we were filming a movie like Jyl, we could film the changes before and after, so that we can create a strong sense of contrast. The changes of the times , hidden in these concrete changes.”

Wang Xiaoshuai joked, Lao Huo, you can make a movie in the future, and the name will be called One Road. Ten years ago, there was only a path in the weeds that people stepped on step by step. Ten years later, the weeds disappeared and turned into a The hardened dirt road, with people riding bicycles, turned into a gravel road twenty years later, and people rode motorcycles. Thirty years later, it turned into a cement road with cars on it. This movie doesn't need it either In other scenes, the camera is locked on this road, and all the stories happen here.”

Huo Jianqi curled his lips and said, That's not called a movie, that's called a promotional video. But a road movie is a bit interesting.

Road movies are great. I think Lao Hu, you might as well remake Journey to the West. That would be a real road movie.

...

After a few people joked around for a while, Wang Xiaoshuai suddenly asked Zhou Yan, Director Zhou, I heard a few days ago that The Sixth Sense will be released in North America. How is the situation now?

After hearing Wang Xiaoshuai's words, everyone else turned their attention to Zhou Yan.

Although The Sixth Sense has nothing to do with them, they are also very concerned about the fact that Chinese movies have not achieved good results in North America.

In fact, very few Chinese films are screened in North America.

If there is any Chinese director's film that has the best chance of achieving good results in North America, it is undoubtedly Zhou Yan. Therefore, The Sixth Sense was released in North America and attracted much attention.

First of all, The Sixth Sense has already achieved great success in Neon, indicating that the film has the ability to conquer overseas markets.

Secondly, The Flying Piano Boy has done very well at the box office in Europe and the United States, and this movie is a remake of The Flying Piano Boy, which shows that Zhou Yan's story has the ability to attract European and American audiences.

Taken together, The Sixth Sense is indeed very promising.

Zhou Yan replied with a smile, The movie won't be released until the day after tomorrow. I don't know what the situation is now, but I advise you not to have too high expectations. After all, it is a Chinese-language movie, and the filming schedule is not ideal.

Although The Sixth Sense got the opportunity to be released in North America, it did not get a good film schedule. This was also expected by Zhou Yan. This movie has no gimmicks in North America and is still a foreign language movie. I, cinemas and distributors It’s normal not to be optimistic about it.

In Asia, Zhou Yan's musical influence can still have some effect, but in Europe and the United States, it is not so effective.

In Europe and the United States, Zhou Yan's music is not unknown. The soundtrack of Flying Piano Boy also sold well, but those who bought the soundtrack were not very concerned about who composed the music in it.

That's the Flying Piano Boy soundtrack, not Zhou Yan's album.

When American listeners hear songs such as Tears, Reunion and Wind, they may say This is the music from The Flying Piano Boy, or even This is the music from something I have watched Music from a French Film without thinking of Zhou Yan's name.

Even if the publisher uses this for marketing and explains to the audience that Zhou Yan is the creator of these music, those people will most likely just say oh and then praise it, and will not spend money to go to the movie just because of this. Movie.

Although Zhou Yan advised them not to have too high expectations, their enthusiasm remained undiminished.

I'm optimistic about this movie anyway. If the box office can reach 10 million...

It would be great if it could earn US$5 million. Has any Chinese-language film ever exceeded US$5 million at the box office in North America?

Yes, didn't Farewell My Concubine say it grossed more than five million US dollars at the box office in North America?

Didn't The Wedding Banquet also exceed US$5 million?

Can The Wedding Banquet be considered a Chinese-language film?

Forget it.

Well, it should be calculated. In fact, there are films in Xiangjiang that have sold over 10 million in North America.

Is it?

there is.

…

Listening to their discussion, Zhou Yan looked at the scenery outside the car window. He did not expect that these directors, who least cared about the box office, would get together to discuss the box office with such enthusiasm. (End of chapter)