RPAGF Chapter 4 Sample Issue
Chapter 4 Sample Issue
In the days that followed, Lin Ruiyang divided his time into three parts: professional courses, attending directing classes, and film analysis.
Every day, I lived a simple life, going between the classroom, the library, the audiovisual room, and the dormitory. Life was ordinary yet rhythmic and orderly.
Then one day in mid-March, the old man gave Lin Ruiyang a "surprise".
The class that day was "Analysis of Classic Film Screenplays." Liu Yibing had just finished a section when he glanced at the students in the classroom.
"Before we move on to the next lesson, I have something to say." His voice wasn't loud, but the classroom fell silent instantly.
"One of you has written a stage play script for 'The Three Battles with the White Bone Demon.' He showed it to me, and I think it's very solid."
Liu Yibing spoke in a very calm tone, as if he were talking about something very ordinary.
Sitting in the second row, Lin Ruiyang's fingers tightened, and he immediately sensed that something was seriously wrong. He had originally planned to keep a low profile and wait until someone saw him and asked about it before speaking up, but who knew that this old man would pull this stunt.
"This script has been accepted by the magazine 'Script' and will be published in next month's issue."
As soon as he finished speaking, the classroom erupted in chaos.
They were only sophomores in the second half of the 03 class, and hadn't even finished half of their major courses, yet some of their classmates had already published their work in core journals?
The fat guy was the first to turn around, staring at Lin Ruiyang, who looked constipated. His lips trembled, and his voice shook slightly: "Old... Old Lin... it's not that one you wrote in the dorm before, is it?"
Lin Ruiyang didn't speak, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. But that expression was enough to answer.
"Holy crap!" The fat boy slammed his hand on the desk, the sound so loud it could be heard half the classroom. "Are you serious?!"
The surrounding classmates turned their heads at the sound, their gazes sweeping over Lin Ruiyang. Some looked surprised, some envious, and others with a hint of something indescribable in their eyes.
Ignoring the commotion below, Liu Yibing continued, "Let's congratulate Lin Ruiyang. Everyone should learn from him. Remember, creative work has nothing to do with your grade level, but rather with how many ideas you have and whether you can turn those ideas into words."
"Alright, break time. Ruiyang, come with me for a moment."
Lin Ruiyang stood up, while the fat guy was still muttering "Awesome, Lao Lin," and he followed Liu Yibing out of the classroom without turning his head.
I walked through the corridor and entered office 301.
Closing the door shut out the noise from outside.
Liu Yibing walked behind the desk and sat down, took out two magazines from the drawer, and handed them to him.
Lin Ruiyang looked down and saw the fourth issue of "Script" in 2004.
Sample copy.
"It was sent by the magazine publisher. Take it back and check if there are any adjustments needed. If not, then it's considered the final draft."
Lin Ruiyang picked up the sample copy, opened the table of contents, and found his name.
In a daze, he felt a little unreal. In his previous life, he had written for eight years and hadn't even managed to become a literary coordinator. Now, the three characters "Lin Ruiyang" were printed in a national core journal.
"Stop looking." Liu Yibing's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Sit down, I have something to tell you."
Liu Yibing leaned back in his chair, his tone more casual than in class: "As a student, having your script published is a good start, but it's only the first step. You still need to attend your classes properly and not think you're all that special."
Lin Ruiyang hummed in agreement.
"You'll be considered for this year's departmental awards. The specific honor is still uncertain, but I'll try my best to help you get it."
Hearing this, Lin Ruiyang's heart skipped a beat. The number of awards for outstanding students within the school was limited, and those who could get them were basically in the top 1% of their major in their senior year.
"As for rehearsals—" Liu Yibing paused, "Don't rush it. This script needs quite a few resources to be staged. I need to contact a few more friends and ask around. I'll let you know when I have some news."
"Thank you, Professor Liu. It's already great that it was published."
"No need to thank me." Liu Yibing waved his hand.
"Alright, class is about to start, let's go."
On the way, Liu Yibing casually reminded him, "I forgot to mention earlier, you need to keep a close eye on your 'Three Battles with the White Bone Demon.' Publication is just the beginning; there's a lot more to come."
"Understood, Teacher Liu."
When I got back to the classroom, the break was still going on.
As soon as Lin Ruiyang entered, the fat man clung to him, his gleaming eyes saying, "You'd better explain this to me later."
Several classmates nearby also gathered around: "Ruiyang, what kind of subject matter is your script?"
Lin Ruiyang gave a few perfunctory replies, not saying much. After answering one question, the next one came, and he didn't know what to say.
Fortunately, the school bell rang soon after, saving him from the predicament.
Time spent immersed in the classroom always slips away silently, and the four professional classes in the morning are over in a flash.
In the afternoon, Lin Ruiyang was going to audit a class on "Audiovisual Language" in the Directing Department, so he had to finish his lunch quickly.
To get rid of the fat man who kept asking questions behind him, Lin Ruiyang gave him a sample copy of the magazine to barely send him away.
In the afternoon, Lin Ruiyang arrived at the multimedia classroom ten minutes early.
The teacher was a man surnamed Zhou, who looked to be in his early forties. He spoke quickly and had a good reputation among the students.
There weren't many students in the directing department; fewer than twenty people were sparsely seated in one classroom.
As soon as the bell rang, Teacher Zhou didn't waste any words and started lecturing.
"Today we're going to talk about long takes." He wrote three words on the blackboard.
What is a long take? Simply put, it's a shot that's filmed from beginning to end without any editing.
The next slide in the PowerPoint presentation featured a still from Alfred Hitchcock's "Rope".
"Hitchcock did this back in 1948. The whole film has only ten long takes, each lasting nearly ten minutes."
"Due to the limitations of film length at the time, strictly speaking, it was called a 'pseudo-one-shot'. True one-shot technology only came into existence in the digital age."
Teacher Zhou paused for a moment, then switched pages.
"Today we're not going to talk about technique; we're going to discuss a more fundamental question: when a director chooses to use a single take, what exactly is he trying to express?"
The classroom was silent for two seconds, then a boy in the front row raised his hand and stood up:
"I think it's for the sake of realism. Without editing, time isn't cut off, making the audience feel more immersed and able to experience the whole process with the characters."
"Anything else?" Teacher Zhou asked without offering any comments.
Another person answered: "It places higher demands on the actors. If they make a small mistake, they have to start all over again, and that tension that accompanies the performance will be transmitted to the audience."