Chapter 364
“The feasibility of gender-neutral casting”
Before the meeting, Ling Suisui looked up director Fuji Masanori's information.
Her impression of the director was his most famous masterpiece, which was a good movie both at the box office and in terms of reputation, but it was made more than 20 years ago.
After that, Director Fuji produced some good works, but the box office performance was not satisfactory.
His latest movie was released two years ago, and the total box office revenue was less than 200 million. This result is not bad for a low-cost art film, but measured by cost, it is definitely a loss. Even if the streaming copyright fees are added, it will not be profitable.
Even though Director Fuji is not a commercial film director and is not famous for his high box office, the investors are not doing charity.
Fuji Masanori approached her hoping to learn from her - if he wanted to shoot a theme like "Kung Fu" which is no longer popular, how could he achieve a balance between the content and profitability of the film?
Ling Suisui: "... This, Director Fuji. If you have seen the movie, you should know that Kung Fu Master is not just a Kung Fu movie."
Whose Kung Fu has a special effect for a big move? Anyone with a discerning eye can see that it’s a sign put up by Dilland!
It is difficult for Ling Sui to describe which system Li Mo's abilities belong to. If she has to say, it is actually closer to cultivating immortals. However, in order to shoot more fighting scenes and not let the battle end within a dozen seconds of confrontation, she often beats people up physically.
"That's indeed a skill." Fuji Masanori commented objectively, "Your moves are very professional, you can tell at a glance that you're a martial artist. At most it's... mixed fruit and vegetable juice, because it contains a lot of oranges, so it's called orange juice."
Well, there is indeed nothing wrong with this description.
Fuji Masanori continued to get straight to the point: "Investors have suggested that I change my mindset and shoot more popular things. Are works that express the core of Kung Fu really outdated and no one wants to watch them?"
This question made it difficult for Ling Sui to answer.
She thought for a moment and said, "What is the core of Kung Fu? This is a very broad question. We can give the answer in our hearts, but it does not mean that what we can think of is all, and it is necessarily correct."
"So, what should be considered when deciding whether the audience likes to watch it is not the core of kung fu, but the specific creation."
Fuji Masanori seemed to be thinking about something. He was silent for a moment and then smiled.
"You are so young, but you curse so rudely."
Ling Sui took a sip of tea and said nothing.
It was Director Fuji who set the trap for her first, so what's wrong with her hinting at him?
——It’s not that no one watches kung fu movies, it’s that no one watches what you shoot. Don’t blame the subject matter, reflect on yourself first.
If Teng Zhengde tests her, Ling Suisui can also test her back.
If the other party turned pale at hearing this, she would apologize immediately and pretend she had never heard of the matter of producing the film - she came to Hong Kong specifically, not to find a father for herself.
Fortunately, Fuji Masanori’s magnanimity lives up to his reputation as a great director.
After the verbal confrontation, he put away his elder's gaze and looked seriously at Ling Suisui in front of him.
He had known her name for a long time, after all, "Only the Moon Passes By" still holds the highest record in the Hong Kong movie box office chart.
Many people around him said that this was a love movie with no substance, and that marketing had triumphed over the quality of the film; others said that this was bad money driving out good money... This also involved box office inflation, which made his old friends feel very unconvinced.
Fuji Masanori has seen this movie. He recognizes Ling Sui-sui's Golden Horse Award for Best Actress, but he does have some complaints about Yue Yue, and thinks she is a bit of a waste of talent... Once "The Legend of Sword and Fairy" is released, he won't have to lament that his talents are not used properly.
At the same time, he also admires Ling Suisui's ability to choose scripts. He very much hopes that Hong Kong films can also produce a masterpiece like "Dragon Slayer" that will achieve both box office success and good reputation.
This is why Fuji Masanori asked her to be the producer. Of course, if you really can't have the best of both worlds, it's okay to lean slightly towards the box office...
Investors are very realistic. In order to maintain his status as a big director, he really can't make any more films that lose money.
After making the request, Fuji Masanori did not forget to put forward his own chips.
There is no need to explain much about the tacit understanding of box office dividends. No matter what is lacking, the most realistic benefits cannot be lacking. In addition, for Ling Suisui, who is still young and has no behind-the-scenes experience, the knowledge and experience in Fuji Masanori's mind, his connections and circle of relationships, are all valuable assets.
Ling Suisui listened carefully, and suddenly asked, "What if I didn't plan to change my career to become a director?"
You know, not every actor has the ideal of "becoming a director after being a good actor". With her fame, she is not afraid of having no roles to play when she gets older.
Fuji Masanori paused, then casually changed the subject to his new film project.
——Those are just extras, let’s talk about the movie itself.
At most, if the added value is not selling well, she can get a little more share of the dividends...
Director Fuji used to shoot authentic Kung Fu films, but this time he decided to deconstruct himself and shoot a movie that is "preparatory for a Kung Fu film."
The investors' pessimism, the difficulty in selecting actors, the difficulties encountered during the filming process, and even the downturn after the release...all can be drawn from his real experiences.
This is not the real kung fu film in Director Fuji's mind, but it can film kung fu fighting scenes.
He described it quite clearly, and Ling Suisui could understand what he meant, but at the same time she could also hear something a little awkward in his tone.
Ling Suisui: "I'd like to ask you a question - are you not ready to add comedy elements through self-deprecation, or do you feel that making this film is a bit of a sacrifice for a few dollars?"
"That's too presumptuous." Fuji Masanori felt a little toothache, "What if you speak more tactfully? I'm 68 years old!"
"That means you are not even seventy yet. You are still young." Ling Sui replied.
Thanks to Pei Xuehai, she has a lot of experience in dealing with this kind of old Deng...old generation artist.
Fuji Masanori: …
He snorted, but he was very, very satisfied in his heart.
If the producer doesn't understand the director, the collaboration between the two will be a disaster. But now it seems that even though they have never met before, it does not affect their mental synchronization.
"You're right," Fuji Masanori readily admitted, "No one is perfect, and this is exactly what I need from you."
"I want to keep up with the times. You must also want something from me, otherwise you wouldn't have said that just now."
To point out problems is to test his bottom line on the basis of considering cooperation. Otherwise, a star who can make a name for himself internationally will not easily say something that directly offends others.
Ling Sui was not surprised that his thoughts were seen through. If the other party didn't even have this ability, then he would have been wasting all these years.
Director Fuji has already taken a few steps back, and she is about to start making demands.
"First of all, I hope the protagonist of the movie is a woman. I have seen many of your works. If the male protagonist is changed to a woman, and the partner is also changed, it will not have any impact on the plot and logic of the whole movie."
"If you object, give an example."
Ling Sui's face showed an expression like "I'd like to hear what kind of kung fu the heroine can't practice." This almost provocative mentality made Fuji Zhengde frown, but he thought about it for a long time and really couldn't think of an answer for the moment.
He asked Ling Suisui: "Since men and women are the same, why do you want to change?"
Ling Suisui asked back: "Since men and women are the same, why don't you want to change?"
Fuji Masanori: …
Fuji Masanori responded with silence, and Ling Suisui smiled at this time.
"Then I'll take a step back," she said. "I once discussed an idea with my friends and I hope to put it into practice in this movie."
"Director Fuji, are you willing to try gender-neutral casting?"
According to Ling Suisui's idea, all the characters in the movie only need to be set in personality, and the most capable people should be chosen. Whoever performs better and fights better will be on the show.
The advantages of this casting method are very obvious. The range of choices for each character is doubled, and the probability of selecting the best from the best is also doubled.
Fuji Masanori did not answer immediately. He thought about it and said, "For movies with male protagonists, the vast majority of female audiences will still support it. But if the protagonist is a female, some male audiences will not watch it - at least they will not give priority to it."
These people may not all hate women, but prejudice and stereotypes are definitely huge mountains that are difficult to move.
This sounds harsh, but Ling Sui has to admit that this is the reality of the film and television industry.
Take the recently released "Kung Fu Master" for example, even though its protagonist is Ling Suisui and the audience likes Li Mo, there are still "industry insiders" commenting that Diland is confused, and if a male protagonist is replaced, the box office will increase by at least another 10 billion, and the audience for female superheroes is still not wide enough.
Look, if there is a man, the credit is given to the man; if there is no man, a fictitious man will be created to grab the credit.
Although such remarks were criticized in the comments section and could not become mainstream, they still disgusted Sui Si and Li Mo's fans.
If there are men at the box office, then all the superhero movies that have failed are fake? He really has no shame at all!
"That's what you need to weigh," Ling Suisui replied calmly, "Are you not confident in the quality of your own film, or are you not confident in the male actors? Do you think they will definitely lose to the female actors in a fair competition?"
Fuji Masanori chuckled twice. The casting hasn't even started yet, and we don't even know who the candidates are. What can he compare with?
He said: "I have no say on this matter alone. I have to ask the screenwriter for his opinion. What we discussed is a very general concept and has not yet touched on the specific plot... We also have to consider the presentation effect of the gender ratio of the characters. The idea you mentioned can be used for certain characters, but it cannot be promoted throughout the film."
Ling Sui held her chin in her hand, saying, "Many movies have an all-male cast, and no one thinks it's wrong; but as long as they consider the possibility of an all-female cast - or even just a possibility, not a fait accompli, they immediately realize that gender ratio is very important."
She doesn't think she is too sensitive. Others are much more sensitive than her.
She’s an actress, and this is something that’s very much her thing. If she doesn't care about this, what else can she care about? Are you going to endure people saying “the box office would be higher if it was a male actor” for the rest of your life? Why?
But you can't achieve everything in one go. She was only an invited producer, not the paying party, so Director Fuji would certainly limit the extent to which he would accept her opinions.
It doesn’t matter, just take your time. She will only be 31 at the end of the year.
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