Nobody knows movies better than me

Chapter 11: First Encounter with the Film and Television Industry

Zhang Jun declined his invitation, which surprised Feng Dapao.

"Why? I see you've produced such a fantastic work, and you've even participated in the student film festival. Isn't it because you want to enter the film industry?"

Zhang Jun shook his head and said, "Director Feng, I understand what you mean. If you want the adaptation rights to 'The Tuner,' I have no problem with that. You can discuss the rest with the Tsinghua University Film Association."

But I'm not used to being an assistant director.

I'm the kind of person who likes to give orders, not to be told what to do.

As the screenwriter and director of the short film, Zhang Jun enjoys the right to be credited for the script and the short film.

However, the copyright of the script and short film belongs to the Tsinghua University Film Association, since the film association is both the provider of funding and the producer. Ye Xiaoyi also spent five thousand yuan to buy Zhang Jun's script.

Although this makes "The Tuner" seem a bit cheap, there's no other way; we have to consider practical issues first.

Besides, "Andhadhun" has already won awards, so it's not a complete loss.

No matter how excellent a short film is, it is still just a short film and will not have the same impact as a feature film.

It's clear that Feng Xiaogang has a rather vague understanding of copyright. If he wanted to remake a film, he could have just gone to the Tsinghua University Film Association; there was no need for him to contact Zhang Jun.

However, copyright law is still imperfect in this day and age, the definition of copyright is not clear, and not many people care about copyright issues.

Feng Xiaogang could even plagiarize outright, simply changing the plot and the name to create a new movie. But Feng Xiaogang is, after all, an established director, and the other party is Tsinghua University.

If they really do that, it will be a troublesome matter if Tsinghua University takes it seriously.

Hearing Zhang Jun's words, Feng Dapao was surprised again. However, considering Zhang Jun's status as a student at Tsinghua University, it was normal for such a high-achieving student to be arrogant.

Maybe they're just dabbling in it for fun and aren't actually that interested in the film industry.

Since Zhang Jun had already said he was contacting the Tsinghua University Film Association, Feng Dapao stopped pressing the issue, but he still left Zhang Jun with his contact information.

"If you change your mind, you can contact my assistant. I welcome you to join us anytime."

Putting aside his desire to acquire the adaptation rights to the short film, Feng Xiaogang greatly admired Zhang Jun and his appreciation for talent was immediately aroused.

After Feng Dapao, Fan Pangbing also came over, her beautiful eyes curiously sizing up Zhang Jun.

Zhang Jun wasn't shy at all, and openly let her look him over, while he himself was also looking at this stunningly beautiful actress.

"Would you like to make movies?"

The two stared at each other for ten seconds before Fan Bingbing broke the silence.

"Of course!" Zhang Jun nodded affirmatively.

Fan Bingbing wrote down her contact information and handed it to Zhang Jun: "Call me if you have the chance, future great director."

After saying that, Fan Bingbing left with a lingering fragrance, without even giving Zhang Jun a chance to take a photo with her.

The assistant following behind whispered to Fan Bingbing, "Sister Bing, how do we give him our contact information? What if he harasses you?"

"He won't!"

As Fan Pangbing walked, he said, "Consider this an investment. I have a feeling that this person might give me an unexpected surprise."

After watching Fan Bingbing leave, Zhang Jun soon spotted another familiar actor.

"Professor Fan Wei, wait a minute, let's take a group photo together!"

Fan Wei was very approachable, with a friendly smile on his round face, fulfilling Zhang Jun's dream of taking a photo with a celebrity.

After taking the photos, Fan Wei praised, "Zhang Jun, right? I've seen your short film; it was really well done."

Zhang Jun smiled broadly: "You're too kind. You're one of my favorite actors. If I become a director someday, perhaps we could collaborate?"

Fan Wei didn't think Zhang Jun was exaggerating, and agreed, "Okay, if there really is such an opportunity, I definitely won't refuse."

After taking a photo with Fan Wei, Zhang Jun also took a photo with Chen Kun and Jiang Wen, satisfying his obsession with collecting celebrities.

Jiang Wen was quite amusing. After taking the photos, he said to Zhang Jun, "Damn, your short film was so damn good!"

As expected of someone who loves TM the most, their speaking style is truly unique.

Another person who was removed from the group, Zhang Jun, didn't get a photo with her. At the height of her fame, she looked down on Zhang Jun, a student director who had just made a short film.

However, Zhang Jun was not disappointed, since the group photo would probably not be shown in the future.

This was Zhang Jun's first encounter with these veteran figures in the film and television industry since he traveled through time.

The results were pretty good; we got many photos with celebrities and obtained several contact details. However, at present, these contact details haven't been very useful.

As for how many of these people were just being polite because of Tsinghua University's reputation, or if they genuinely appreciated his short film and his talent, only the parties involved know the answer.

But at least, it gave Zhang Jun one foot in the door of the film and television industry. The next step is to figure out how to fully enter that world.

But there's no rush.

After winning an award at this year's College Student Film Festival, the Tsinghua University Film Association naturally received attention from the university, as it had brought honor to the school.

Hou Yu, who served as the mentor, received praise, and it seems that his professorship is secure. Zhang Jun, who made a great contribution, was also awarded a school-wide commendation.

The wealthy school also gave Zhang Jun a bonus of 20,000 yuan, which Zhang Jun hadn't expected.

In those days, 20,000 yuan was a considerable sum of money, enough for Zhang Jun to survive for a while in the capital city where living was difficult.

Moreover, Ye Xiaoyi also paid him for the script, so it shouldn't be a problem to cover his living expenses.

The success of this short film has made Zhang Jun a prominent figure on the Tsinghua University campus. Even the cats and dogs on campus have probably heard of Zhang Jun's legendary deeds.

An astronomy student was able to produce the short film "The Tuner," which aroused the curiosity of many teachers and students.

It's a pity that Zhang Jun is about to graduate; otherwise, with his current popularity, he would definitely be the most popular person in the school.

Now, all we can do is enjoy our last bit of glory.

After that, Hou Yu took the main contributors out for a meal to celebrate. Zhang Jun naturally became the center of attention, constantly receiving everyone's congratulations and compliments.

In the end, I was so full from drinking cola that I didn't eat much of the delicious food.

Hou Yu and Lao Hu, along with several other class advisors, were bragging there, while Zhao Liangchen, the male lead, was a particularly prominent figure.

Zhang Jun is about to graduate, but Zhao Liangchen still has a year of study left, allowing him to fully enjoy the fame and fortune brought by this short film.

As the celebratory dinner was about to end, Zhang Jun approached Ye Xiaoyi and began his final attempt to deceive her.

"So? Have you considered my suggestion?"

Ye Xiaoyi panicked a little: "Senior... this matter is too big for me to decide on my own. I need to ask my dad first."

Zhang Jun was just trying his luck; he wouldn't lose out if Ye Xiaoyi disagreed.

Upon hearing this, he replied, "I'll still be in Beijing for a while after my graduation defense. If you've made up your mind, you can contact me; you know my phone number!"

Ye Xiaoyi nodded solemnly: "Okay!"

After the celebratory dinner, the award for the short film was a thing of the past for Zhang Jun. He started looking ahead, and the first thing he needed to deal with was his graduation defense.

However, the media still gave this year's College Student Film Festival some coverage, given the number of celebrities in attendance.

Most media outlets only briefly mentioned Tsinghua University's short film winning the competition, but some media outlets reported on it in detail.

The Beijing Youth Daily wrote: "At the recent Beijing College Student Film Festival, young students showcased the youthful spirit of the new era with their vigorous creative enthusiasm."

Among them, the entry "The Tuner" from Tsinghua University won the Best Short Film Award in the College Short Film Competition.

The film's screenwriter and director, Zhang Jun, is a senior student in the Department of Astronomy at Tsinghua University.

This interdisciplinary creative achievement has attracted media attention. Education experts point out that it reflects a new stage in higher education, aiming to cultivate well-rounded individuals.

The film festival not only serves as a stage for young students to showcase their talents, but also reflects the positive trend of interdisciplinary integration and innovative practices in contemporary higher education.

The Beijing Daily also reported on the matter, mentioning Tsinghua University's entry "The Tuner" and Zhang Jun's name.

Well, these days the media are relatively serious and haven't learned UC style, but at least a few newspapers mentioned Zhang Jun's name.

Zhang Jun collected all the newspapers that mentioned his name, in case Ye Xiaoyi, this rich young woman, didn't agree, he would use these newspapers to fool the coal mine owner.

Unfortunately, the Tsinghua University newspaper interviewed Ye Xiaoyi and Zhao Liangchen, but not him. Aside from interviewing him on the night he received the award, other media outlets showed little interest in him afterward.

Otherwise, Zhang Jun could have built up some goodwill and made things worse for himself.

There's nothing we can do about it. Unless you reach the position of a top-tier director, people are more concerned about the shining stars and actors in front of the camera than the director, who is a behind-the-scenes role.

But the most important news for Zhang Jun was that his short film "The Tuner" would be broadcast on CCTV-6. He also called his parents, whom he had never met, to tell them that his short film had won an award.

They were also told the broadcast time of the short film so they could watch their work then.

This is also a precaution, proving that I have the ability. It wouldn't be good if one day it was discovered I was working as a director and it angered the original owner's parents to death.

As the excitement of winning the award gradually subsided, Zhang Jun began preparing for his graduation defense.

"Didn't you say you were going to try your luck in the film industry? Why did you turn down Director Feng?"

In the dormitory, Ma Qiang looked at Zhang Jun, who was engrossed in his books, and asked curiously.

"How would you feel if I said I didn't want to be someone's lackey?" Zhang Jun countered.

Ma Qiang was speechless: "I don't quite understand you. You were so confident that you were going to make a movie and serve as an assistant director. What a great opportunity! It would be a shame to miss it."

"It's not a pity!"

Zhang Jun explained, "Feng Dapao gave me this opportunity for the adaptation rights of the short film, but I would prefer to direct a film independently."

Ma Qiang expressed his skepticism: "I think this is highly unlikely. The concepts of short films and feature films are different. Feature films are more complex and more difficult to make."

Even if you win a short film award at a student film festival, it doesn't necessarily mean that film studios will give you a chance.

"Now it's not just about winning awards at the student film festival anymore. I heard from my junior sister Ye that the school plans to send students overseas to participate in international film festivals," Zhang Jun said.

Because of Zhang Jun's involvement as director, Ma Qiang also did some research on the film.

"etc!"

He said, "The Venice and Berlin International Film Festivals, held in August and September and in February, do not have short film awards. The selection will have to wait until the Cannes Film Festival next May."

Are you going to wait until then?

"It's not just the three major European film festivals that are called film festivals. There are many film festivals in the world. The Tokyo International Film Festival and Shanghai International Film Festival are both A-list film festivals."

Zhang Jun gently shook his head: "But I didn't intend to rely on winning awards for my short film overseas to create opportunities for myself; it was all based on luck."

I have a better way!

"What method?" Ma Qiang asked curiously.

"You'll find out when the time comes; I'll keep you in suspense for now," Zhang Jun said mysteriously.

Speechless, Ma Qiang continued to immerse himself in his postgraduate entrance examination battle.

Zhang Jun was determined to make movies, but he didn't have the courage to follow in Zhang Jun's footsteps.