Chapter 55
In the taxi on the way to the sanatorium, Qiao Yiqiao was still thinking about the idea of a "horror" film.
On the one hand, he was relieved by the film's 20-minute length and relatively loose censorship. On the other hand, he was nervous. After all, the horror genre has its own characteristics in both Japan and Japan, and it is a relatively mature genre in these two regions.
His horror films must not only be good-looking, but also have Chinese characteristics.
Therefore, the horror film idea he originally had with strong visual effects, heavy blood and sense of adventure may not be particularly suitable.
At the same time, he received a WeChat message from Zheng Mao.
Director Zheng Mao: [Xiao Qiao, the theme of our compilation film has just been decided. It is the same for every participating country. The theme is just one word, "Love."]
All the films included in a compilation film are usually created based on a theme or purpose, so that the whole film does not look too scattered.
The theme of their compilation film is actually "love".
The word love...
This can be said to be the word farthest from “horror”, right?
Of course, the word "love" can also have many interpretations, such as love, friendship, brotherly love...
We can even expand it a little bit. It's not just the love between people, but love for the country, or love for something.
However, thinking this through clearly doesn't seem to help the entire conception of the horror film.
Qiao Yi Qiao was in deep thought, but luckily there was no traffic jam in Yanjing at midnight, and he soon drove to the sanatorium in the suburbs.
This sanatorium has a nice view. It is located between mountains and there is a large lake not far away.
But after all, it is late at night, and the dark lights and shiny white walls still look a bit weird.
Qiao Yiqiao was not a person who believed in ghosts and gods, so he was not afraid.
Soon, he reached the floor where his father was.
This is a private nursing home with relatively flexible visiting hours, and people can come and go at any time without disturbing others.
So even though it was late at night, there were still many people visiting patients, and there were no bustling sounds coming from the rooms, but the corridor was deserted and a bit creepy.
Qiao Yiqiao had already reached the door of his father's room. He heard heavy breathing coming from inside, and there seemed to be the sound of something heavy falling to the ground...
He thought his father had a relapse and quickly pushed the door open.
However.
Father: "Seventy-three, seventy-four, seventy-five..."
Joe □□ was lying on the ground, doing push-ups seriously.
Qiao Yiqiao: “…”
How come you are in better health than me?
Seeing his son appear, Qiao Feng immediately stopped and then stood up with a somersault.
"Son!" Qiao Feng showed joy on his face, "You're here!"
"Well," Qiao Yiqiao placed the fruit supplements he brought on the table, then helped his father back to bed, "You...recovered quite well."
"Yes!" Qiao Feng patted his chest. "To be honest, no one in our sanatorium can do push-ups better than me. If the doctor abroad hadn't been overly cautious and asked me to return home and stay in the sanatorium for another two months, I would have signed up for this year's Yanjing Marathon."
"You'd better take it easy," Qiao Yiqiao said calmly, "After all, you have just recovered from a serious illness and your vitality is still weakened."
"I know. I know my own body."
Qiao Feng sat cross-legged on the bed and began to peel an orange for himself.
In fact, Qiao Yiqiao hadn't seen his father for a long time. Now that he saw him lively and energetic, he finally felt much more relieved.
He seemed to have forgotten that his father had always been an overly active person. Ever since he could remember as a child, his father would run ten kilometers every morning without fail. In the middle of winter, he would go swimming and take snow baths. His muscular body was no less than that of an athlete.
Although he is much thinner now, his face is rosy after doing push-ups, and his body is gradually becoming stronger.
Qiao Yiqiao thought, people say those who survive a great disaster will have good fortune in the future, this old man might live to 199 years old.
"What are you thinking about, son?" Qiao Feng handed over a freshly peeled orange. "Are you a director now? I heard from Qiao Tang that you even won an award. You're doing well."
Qiao Yiqiao could accept many people's performances, but his father's performance made him feel at a loss. He just nodded sullenly: "Yes."
"You have friends now, right?" Qiao Feng asked again, "I've asked Qiao Tang to look at the information of your brothers. They are all good and have a good relationship with you. When can you invite them over so I can take a look?"
"It's fine." Qiao Yiqiao replied, "You don't have to worry about it."
He knew that his withdrawn character had always been a thorn in his father's side.
But he is actually very happy now. Not only does he have a group of brothers,
Brother, I also have good friends like Da Chong, Qi Siqi and Sabri who share the same ideals.
Qiao Feng quickly finished eating two oranges and shook Qiao Yiqiao's shoulder: "Son, why do you look unhappy?"
Qiao Yiqiao took out his cell phone and showed the bank balance in front of Qiao Feng, smiling: "How can I be unhappy?"
Qiao Feng was shocked for a moment, then he said immediately: "Nonono, I know your expression very well. You must have encountered a difficult challenge, and it has nothing to do with money. What's the matter? Are you in love or dumped?"
Qiao Yiqiao: “…”
We don't do that. Men and women, it's not healthy.
"The movie must have encountered some problems," Qiao Feng smiled and said, "Tell your father about it."
After saying this, he put his palms behind his ears, closed his eyes, and made a listening gesture.
Qiao Yiqiao felt much better when faced with such a dramatic father.
I immediately told my father about the difficulties I encountered when watching horror movies.
After listening to this, Qiao Feng nodded: "Well, your concerns are reasonable. We really cannot bring shame to the country."
Qiao Yiqiao smiled and asked, "So, do you have any solution?"
"Of course not," Qiao Feng sprawled out on the bed, "I don't know much about movies. The amount of movies I've watched in my entire life is not as much as the amount you've watched in a month."
Qiao Yiqiao looked disappointed.
"But!" Qiao Feng raised his eyebrows, "I recommend you to go to the most terrifying room in our sanatorium and take a look. Maybe it will give you some inspiration."
Qiao Yiqiao became excited: "Which room?"
Qiao Feng pretended to be mysterious: "It's the last room on this floor. There's a weird old man living in it."
Qiao Yiqiao immediately took a step forward: "I'll go take a look."
"Okay," Qiao Feng waved at him, "Don't forget to tell the old man to come over and play pulling the cart with me~"
…
Late at night, in the last room on the fourth floor of the sanatorium.
Qiao Yi Qiao stood at the door and heard only rustling sounds coming from inside.
Dangdang.
Qiao Yiqiao knocked gently on the door.
The rustling sounds inside stopped instantly.
Then, a voice came: "Come in, Qiao Yiqiao."
Hold the grass?!
Qiao Yiqiao was instantly covered with goosebumps.
How do the people here know my name?
Qiaoyi Bridge twists and turns with a creak
Move the handle.
The door opened a little, and then he walked in like the supporting character in every horror movie who was seeking death.
A gust of cold wind blew towards him instantly, and he entered the room with his eyes narrowed.
Then, I was stunned.
The entire wall was covered with faces.
It’s not even a human face!
They are human faces with detailed outlines, some with green faces and fangs, some ferocious, and some like beasts!
Qiao Yiqiao was a man who remained calm even when faced with a catastrophe.
But at this moment, I just felt creepy and my head was flying.
And one of the faces came to life and gently approached Qiao Yiqiao.
He stretched out a withered arm and squeezed his shoulder.
Qiao Yiqiao felt as if his whole body was electrified.
Then, he heard a difficult voice coming from behind the face...
"Qiao Yiqiao," the other party said, "is just as your father described him, handsome and elegant, and looks very young!"
Qiao Yiqiao:?
What do you mean by looking young? He is obviously very young.
Then he continued with another sentence.
"If my grandson were still alive, he would be as tall as you."
These words suddenly calmed Qiao Yiqiao down.
He then realized that the person standing in front of him was an old man wearing a ghost mask.
The faces on the wall are also masks.
Some he could identify, like Rakshasa, Yellow Ghost, Ox-Head and Horse-Face, and even Zhang Fei, Lu Bu, etc. Some he could not identify, but they looked quite religious.
The old man took off his mask, revealing a kind face.
He pulled Qiao Yiqiao to sit down.
"Your father told me that you might come to see me tonight," the old man said slowly, "and you actually came. That's great, otherwise I would have been bored to death."
Qiao Yiqiao pointed at the dozens of masks on the wall and asked, "Did you draw all these?"
"Yes," the old man smiled, and all the wrinkles on his face were piled up together, "Do you know what this is?"
Qiao Yiqiao shook his head: "I don't really understand."
"Did you watch the 'hell show' at a certain country's opening ceremony?"
“I have.”
"The form of their performance is called Dark Butoh, which can be said to be a kind of underworld dance. There are many different opinions about the origin of this dance.
, but one of the more reliable theories is that it is based on one of the oldest ghost arts in China, which is what I drew," the old man pointed to the masks on the wall, "these are the dance masks used in Nuo opera."
"Nuo opera?"
"Yes, Nuo opera can be said to be the most classic ghost art in China," the old man said, with pride on his face, "This is an art that developed from the grassroots. It first appeared more than 3,000 years ago and is still popular today. This culture has even penetrated into every aspect of our lives. So it is not just Nuo opera, but also Nuo culture."
Qiao Yiqiao finally understood.
Why is he so brave, and why does a person who never believes in ghosts and gods feel so terrified when he sees these things?
It turns out that this is a fear that comes from deep in our DNA.
Nuo culture can even be said to be the epitome of China's ghost culture. It is indeed... quite scary.
Looking at these strange masks full of strong Chinese style, Qiao Yiqiao asked again: "Uncle, who are you?"
"Me?" The old man smiled. "My name is not important. I am just an inheritor of Nuo culture."
After saying that, the old man picked up a green-faced, fang-toothed mask and looked at Qiao Yiqiao: "Shall I perform a Nuo opera for you?"
Qiao Yiqiao nodded: "Please."
The old man was humming and dancing, muttering to himself, as if he was singing something.
Under the dim light, there were gusts of cold wind.
The old man's performance seemed like he was expelling something, or talking to someone.
Sometimes he lowered his body like an animal, and sometimes he stood up like a strong man.
Just a few minutes of Nuo dance gave Qiao Yiqiao goosebumps all over his body.
To be fair, Nuo dance and Nuo opera are not directly frightening, but they are creepy enough.
This is itself a kind of all-round three-dimensional art. As long as you are in it, you will feel the weirdness and...beauty.
Qiao Yi Qiao looked at the masks carefully again.
Although weird, you can see each mask is carefully outlined, and each mask combines various techniques such as fine brushwork and simple brushwork... Looking at them one by one, he seems to be dragged into the world of Nuo.
The old man sat down next to Qiao Yiqiao and asked him, "How do you feel?"
Qiao Yiqiao spoke the truth: "It feels like the door to a new world has been opened."
The old man sighed:
The number of people who know this is decreasing.”
The two looked at each other in silence, and Qiao Yiqiao didn't know how to comfort the old man.
Nowadays, many traditional arts are being replaced by emerging arts. Let’s not talk about other things, just take movies as an example. Everyone may go to the cinema at least four or five times a year, but how many people go to see several drama performances in a year?
Not to mention Nuo opera?
The old man looked at Qiao Yiqiao and said, "It seems that I can still infect some young people. Then I am satisfied."
"Of course," Qiao Yiqiao responded, "I believe that if we promote it well, many young people will fall in love with Nuo opera."
The old man suddenly looked out the window and said, "Yes, my grandson is one of them."
Then he heard the old man tell his own story.
His grandson was in a fire when he was a child, and his face was disfigured afterwards.
So the old man painted many masks for his grandson, and his grandson gradually fell in love with these masks and the art of Nuo opera.
His grandson is extremely talented and can perform on stage when he is in his teens.
But accidents happen, and his grandson passed away in an accident, leaving the old man alone in this world. He moved into a nursing home. After that, the old man no longer performed Nuo opera, but just painted these masks and thought about his grandson.
Qiao Yiqiao couldn't help but sigh when he heard this.
Reality is always so cruel, ruthlessly beating the fragile soul.
Finally, the old man sighed and said, "It would be great if Nuo opera could really communicate with ghosts and gods. Then I must get my grandson back."
bite--
A story instantly exploded in Qiao Yi Qiao's mind.
He thought about it for a moment, then looked at the old man excitedly: "Uncle, are there many people who can perform Nuo opera now? Can I find them? I want to make a movie based on Nuo opera!"
The epitome of Chinese horror is Nuo opera.
Nuo opera itself has a strong sense of horror...
The old man's eyes lit up, and he asked tremblingly, "Really? Do you really like it?"
"Yes!" Qiao Yiqiao nodded firmly, "I'm planning a horror movie right now, and I think Nuo culture is simply... my savior."
"Hahaha, good," the old man laughed heartily, "Then it was worth my dancing for you. So, take my business card and go to the Nuo Culture Research Association, where you can get a lot of help."
After that, he handed Qiao Yi Qiao a business card.
Qiao Yiqiao looked at the name card.
Although the words are very concise, I am still excited.
[Inheritor of Baiqiu Nuo Opera]
…
Qiao Yi Qiao hurriedly walked out of Uncle Bai's room, said a simple goodbye to his father, and got into a taxi.
In the taxi, he turned on his computer and started writing frantically.
The film will begin with a family full of weirdness.
The color tone is gray. All kinds of items in this house are neatly arranged, even spotless, but the movements of each family member are weird - the mother works non-stop in the kitchen, but the food she cooks is like a pot of blood and offal, the father keeps smoking and drinking, and the whole person is like a walking corpse; and the grandfather is even weirder, he keeps pointing at the air and saying "I see you", then he draws the person he sees, but after he puts pen to paper, it becomes a scary mask with green face, red hair, huge teeth and fangs. His room is full of masks, but in the middle of the room there is a mask that is upside down and completely colorless...
The protagonist Xiao Wei is the most normal one in the family. He reads comics and uses his phone in the house, but the comics he reads are always on the same page, and his phone has no signal. He can only look at the scene at home through a small window, and it seems that he can never escape from this family... His family thinks that Xiao Wei's life is not normal, so they are going to hold an exorcism ceremony for him.
This exorcism ceremony was full of Nuo culture. All the so-called masters were played by family members. Grandpa, father, and mother all wore all kinds of scary masks, dressed up as evil spirits, heavenly masters, witches, lions, tigers, etc.
Xiao Wei was pinned to the bed, with only a colorless mask on his head, so he couldn't move, as if he was possessed by a ghost. He struggled violently, and finally broke the mask, struggling to run out.
When he ran to the street, he found himself being dragged into a bizarre "Nuo" world, where everyone was wearing masks, looking scary and hideous. Wherever he walked, passers-by looked at him sideways, which made him sure that he had entered a place like hell.
He didn't know why, but even though there were thousands of roads in front of him, he could only follow one road. He went to shops, bookstores, and schools, and these normal scenes in the past all turned into a terrifying Nuo world... He almost used up all his strength to run out of these places.
There is only one road left, the way home.
He walked to the door of his house, but his hands seemed to weigh a thousand pounds. He was reluctant to go in.
At the same time, he found the way to the rooftop.
The road was actually lit, which meant he could walk on it.
Even though it was just a few steps, all kinds of people wearing masks of evil spirits and beasts appeared around him. They pulled Xiao Wei and tried to stop him, but he still stepped onto the rooftop.
He finally reached the edge of the rooftop.
Then, almost without any reluctance, he jumped down.
At that moment in the air, he looked down at the whole world, and the whole world almost returned to normal.
At the same time, some memories came to his mind.
His parents and grandfather are inheritors of Nuo opera, but although he was born in this family, he had no interest in Nuo opera. His parents and grandfather tried to persuade him, but he remained unmoved. His family still respected his ideas.
But an accident left him with a terrible appearance, with huge scars all over his face. He didn't want to go to school anymore and locked himself in the house all day. His parents and grandfather were very worried about this, but fortunately there was Nuo opera. Xiao Wei found out that Nuo opera can be performed with a mask, so he started to learn it seriously.
He was extremely talented and soon became famous, but he still dared only go out wearing a mask. The more famous he became, the more he felt that fate was unfair. Why could he only hide his face under a mask? He began to read ancient books and gradually came to believe that Nuo opera was a means of communicating with ghosts and gods. He studied it deeply and worked day and night, reaching the point of being obsessed with it.
His parents and grandfather hoped that he would stop studying Nuo opera, but he insisted on doing so. On the last day of his life, he wore a mask and walked the path he had walked before, but in the end he did not go home, but went to the rooftop.
Here, he performed the last Nuo opera of his life, almost sacrificing everything he had. But after he took off the mask, the ghosts and gods did not return his normal appearance as he wished.
It's all fake.
So he jumped off the roof.
From then on, my parents and grandfather were deeply shocked and became like zombies, becoming mentally ill.
And finally, they placed their hopes on Nuo opera, hoping to exchange their three lives for Xiao Wei.
The upside-down mask on Grandpa’s wall was the best mask he promised to give to his grandson before he died.
But every time I picked up the pen after that, all I could think of was my grandson falling after leaping.
He was in too much pain to complete this last mask of his life.
What is Xiao Wei at this moment? Perhaps he is the soul of the dead that they pulled back from hell, or perhaps he is the spirit of the artist who can call the wind and rain in the Nuo world.
, or maybe it's just a fantasy incarnation of the strong love of parents and grandfather.
As he fell, he saw three people in his family dancing an almost insane Nuo opera, even cutting their flesh with knives, almost wanting to use their own deaths to pray for mercy from God.
Xiaowei's tears burst out.
He almost completely ignored this love during his lifetime.
But he still has a chance to turn everything around.
He melted all his love and regrets into tears and bounced forward...
After the Nuo opera ended, the parents and grandfather certainly did not call back the deceased Xiaowei.
They took off their masks and returned to their grandfather's room, intending to burn everything with a fire to complete their final sacrifice, but suddenly found a tear mark on the upside-down mask.
The corners of the mask's mouth were originally drooping, but now they were inverted, like a smile.
Since then, the three have continued to work in Nuo opera.
Although they know that Nuo opera cannot really communicate with ghosts and gods, it is at least a source of comfort for the living.
The whole film is over.
…
After finishing writing the creative idea and returning to the Elf Center, Qiao Yi Qiao finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Regardless of the story itself, the addition of Nuo culture is definitely a highlight.
Qiao Yi Qiao immediately sent this story to teachers Zheng Mao and Bai Qiu.
Both of them gave quite positive responses the next day.
Teacher Zheng Mao believes that this may be the first time that Nuo culture has entered the public eye and will even enter the international stage.
The story itself is full of weirdness, but it also retains the element of "love" - the family loves Nuo opera, and they also love each other as family, which is a good way to hit the point.
The most important thing is that the review side also thought it was pretty good.
After all, Nuo culture is not about real ghosts and gods, but our own culture that evolved from ghosts and gods.
It is neither superstition nor mystification.
This is something that really exists.
Teacher Bai Qiu thinks that this story is like writing about himself.
If he had a way, he would definitely sacrifice himself to get his grandson back.
Unfortunately, Nuo opera is ultimately just a ritual and a means of expression.
With the approval of both parties, Qiao Yi Qiao began the next step of creation.
The entire film is small in size, but there are two specific difficulties.
First, the overall industrial process - Qiao Yiqiao or
Want to try it.
The second is several leading actors and other actors.
It is obvious to the naked eye that all the actors in this play can perform Nuo opera.
At least the Nuo opera performance can be completed.
There are two roads in front of Qiao Yiqiao.
One way is to find existing Nuo opera actors and invite them to perform.
The second is to train the actors he already has.
The most important thing among them is the protagonist.
Regardless of age, temperament or acting skills, Qiao Yiqiao hesitated again and again and still believed that Li Wei was the most suitable candidate.
Another highlight is the countless extras on the street.
He contacted Teacher Bai Qiu and confirmed that even if all the currently active Nuo opera actors were brought in, they might not be able to satisfy all the scenes.
What's more, recently it is the peak season for Nuo opera performances. Many Nuo opera actors may rely on these few months' income for the whole year. Moreover, in many areas, Nuo opera is also a necessary culture. If Qiao Yi Qiao wants to invite all these actors to leave at this moment, these places will not agree.
There was no other way, Qiao Yi Qiao could only mobilize all the actors of Yi Zheng Entertainment for screening. He needed seventy actors with suitable height and body shape to perform Nuo opera, and these actors could not be music-deaf, because there were many clips from the scenes.
All non-actors at Yizheng Entertainment must prepare for the industrialized process.
During this period, not only Qiao Yi Qiao was busy, but also none of his employees were idle.
Everyone put in endless energy into this short 20-minute film.
After preliminarily selecting more than 80 brothers who could perform Nuo opera, Qiao Yi Qiao took them and Li Wei to visit the Nuo opera research association.
They hope to get recognition from some professional teachers.
The person in charge of the Nuo Opera Research Association was named Su. He was surprised and delighted to hear that a film crew was willing to shoot a script with Nuo Opera elements. When they saw the business card of Teacher Bai Qiu handed over by Qiao Yi Qiao, they were even more shocked.
"This guy is..." Coach Su said, "He is a legend in our Nuo opera world. However, he encountered a very unfortunate thing in his early years, and he has since retired. What a pity."
Qiao Yiqiao already knew that regretful story.
He just nodded silently.
"But since you are willing to shoot Nuo elements, and Teacher Bai introduced you, we will definitely help you with all our strength," Coach Su promised, "I will contact the best teacher for you right away."
Soon, five Nuo opera teachers of different schools and roles moved into the Yizheng campus.
The group performed a simple apprenticeship ceremony and then began training.
Nuo opera is also divided into five major roles: Sheng, Dan, Jing, Mo, and Chou, and there are also very rich ghost performance routines. Qiao Yiqiao had to split the extras into more than a dozen classes and let the teachers teach them separately.
In order to gain a deeper understanding of Nuo culture, Qiao Yiqiao also trained with them.
Visit this class today and that class tomorrow.
At first, the body shape classes were not too difficult, they mainly focused on some body shape release and basic skills.
Because Nuo opera has many martial arts elements, I also practiced some boxing and kicking techniques.
Qiao Yiqiao had been practicing martial arts with his father since he was a child, so he was no problem with these things.
What made him less confident was the singing class.
Qiao Yi Qiao has basically never sung outside, so he doesn't know how good his level is.
However, one day during training, the Nuo opera teacher quietly walked up to him, listened to him for a long time, and looked puzzled.
"Student," the teacher said uncertainly, "You seem to have practiced your skills, and your vocal skills are so good. Do you want to study Nuo opera seriously with us and become a Nuo opera actor?"
Qiao Yiqiao: “Ah?”
Directly poaching a director to switch jobs, this is not a good idea!!
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