Thump, thump!
"Come in."
Zhang Tiancheng pushed the door open and stepped into Li Changxiong's office.
"Professor."
Li Changxiong looked up at Zhang Tiancheng and set his fountain pen down on the desk.
"Finished shooting the film?"
"Yes, finished."
Li Changxiong gave a slight nod. "Since the filming is done, you should focus on your studies with peace of mind. Even though seniors don't have classes, as long as you haven't graduated yet, you are still a student, and a student should focus on studying. I've already arranged your internship for you; it's right near the campus, and the work is quite easy. Normally, when you have free time, go back to the school library and read. Director's manuals, acting books, literature—no matter what kind of books, read more of them. It will do you good."
Zhang Tiancheng felt a bit awkward. Li Changxiong had taken such good care of him, even finding an internship for him, but he had already made up his mind that as soon as registration was over, he would start preparing for his next movie.
"Professor, thank you for looking out for me, but I've already made my plans. In a few days, I'm going to start preparing for my next film."
Li Changxiong's face instantly filled with astonishment.
"Your next film? Tiancheng, you just finished shooting one, and it hasn't even been released yet, yet you're already thinking about preparing another."
"It hasn't been released, true, but this shoot taught me a great deal, so I want to keep going and shoot another film to thoroughly digest and master everything I've learned."
Li Changxiong frowned slightly. "Tell me, then, what did you learn?"
"Professor, I've gained a deeper understanding of cinematic framing. Aside from making the subject and predicate clear and choosing the type of composition, framing also has to start from Enlight and perspective. Furthermore, cinematic progression shouldn't just move forward; it also needs vertical depth—up and down. Since that can't be directly displayed, you have to use negative space, letting the audience ponder it themselves. As for cinematic emotion..."
"Hold on, let me ask you a question first," Li Changxiong interrupted the articulate Zhang Tiancheng. "In your heart, what is film? Don't answer me by quoting definitions from textbooks. Tell me your own thoughts."
This question stumped Zhang Tiancheng. He had learned to direct films solely for the sake of the tech companies listed in the system's reward column. What film actually was—he had never once considered the question.
Seeing that Zhang Tiancheng couldn't answer, Li Changxiong looked deeply disappointed.
"Tiancheng, there is an idiom: *shuhu yu dao*—to be thoroughly versed in the Way. When young people today hear that phrase, they think it just means someone is very familiar with a certain branch of knowledge or skill, but very few actually know its true meaning. *Shuhu yu dao* comes from the book *Mencius*, and it means the skilled mastery and profound understanding of the moral principles of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and virtue. Being thoroughly versed in the Way represents true mastery and comprehension. The definition of film in the depths of your soul is your understanding of film. If you don't even understand film, what good is mastering any amount of shooting technique?"
Zhang Tiancheng began to grasp it dimly.
"Professor, film is perhaps... perhaps just a vehicle for me to express my thoughts."
Li Changxiong's eyes lit up, and he nodded with gratification.
"Let me ask you this: every outstanding director has a unique style of their own. Where does that style come from?"
Zhang Tiancheng hesitated for a moment before offering an answer he wasn't entirely certain of.
"Experience."
"That's only a part of it. Style comes from their inner self. Experience, environment, the books they've read, and everything else that can touch the soul make up the inner self. And the inner self determines emotional inclination and aesthetics—which is their style."
Li Changxiong picked up the teacup on his desk, took a sip of water, and continued.
"Tiancheng, you're still young and lack life experience, which is why I told you to read more books. Reading makes a person wise, gives them independent thinking, and can make up for your lack of life experience."
Suddenly remembering that the first film Zhang Tiancheng had shot turned out to be a commercial picture, Li Changxiong couldn't help letting out a low sigh before continuing his earnest admonition.
"Tiancheng, whether you shoot arthouse films or commercial films in the future, I advise you: until you find your own style, stop making movies. No matter what the school teaches you or what techniques you pick up from shooting films, those are merely tools to express your ideas. Tools are certainly better the more refined they are, but style is the foundation. If you don't even have a style, then no matter how good your technique is, the films you make will remain entirely ordinary. This is just like conducting yourself as a person—you must have an independent personality and your own thoughts; otherwise, spiritually, you will become a puppet of others or of society."
Zhang Tiancheng was silent for a moment, then replied respectfully, "Professor, thank you for your guidance. I understand."
Originally, he had been in a rush to raise his directing skill to Level 5 and claim the technology company in the reward section. But Li Changxiong's words had awakened him, especially that final sentence, which hit him like a lightning bolt. If he strained himself just to meet the demands of the system panel, wouldn't that mean he was being controlled by the system panel?
This wasn't his past life, where he had to scurry about in a frantic rush for a few pennies. He wasn't short on money, and he had a girlfriend; it was time to calm down, slow his pace, and enjoy life. Furthermore, with so many tech companies waiting in the reward column, reaching Level 5 in directing definitely wouldn't unlock them all at once—there would be more requirements further down the line. And once he rushed to push his directing skill to Level 5, he would surely keep rushing to meet whatever demands came next, driving himself endlessly for the system's sake and becoming its puppet.
Li Changxiong nodded and smiled. "Tiancheng, I haven't said those words to any of the other students because they haven't found their own styles yet. Telling them such things would only delay them. Although directors without their own style aren't really directors in my eyes, I can't hold them back from working to earn a living. I told you all this because the short film you handed in during your freshman year already had a touch of your own style. It wasn't very strong, but the early sprouts were there. When I used to praise your directing talent and pin my hopes of vindicating our film department's reputation on you, it wasn't because you picked up techniques quickly, but because you had the chance to forge a style of your own."
Zhang Tiancheng was somewhat bewildered. That short film he handed in as a freshman? He had just shot it blindly at random.
At the time, Li Changxiong had given all the students an assignment: use a camera or a camcorder to shoot a single photograph or a short clip and submit it. Back then, he had just transmigrated over and hadn't even entered the system to study yet; he only had the directing knowledge belonging to the original owner. But he was only a freshman then, and the original owner hadn't learned much of anything either. He could only fumble around blindly. After racking his brain and still coming up empty, he figured he would just wing it to get by—it was only an assignment anyway, and nothing bad would happen if he messed up.
He had originally planned to go to a shopping mall to film people shopping, but upon arriving, he suddenly remembered how, when he was a little boy in his past life, his grandfather used to take him to the wet market to buy pork, carefully picking and choosing this and that. So he rushed off to the wet market and filmed a segment of elderly grandpas and grandmas buying pork.
"Tiancheng, calm your mind and read more books to make up for your lack of experience and find your style. Don't waste your talent," Li Changxiong urged earnestly.
"Yes, Professor. I'll stay at school during my senior year and read. However, the internship you arranged for me—I won't be going. I intend to spend this senior year entirely dedicated to reading at school. As for the internship certificate required by the school, I'll have my dad pull some strings and get a stamp for me later."
"If you can secure your own internship certificate, then skipping the internship is fine," Li Changxiong agreed with a nod.
"Professor, thank you for your guidance. If there's nothing else, I'll head over to the administrative office to pay my tuition."
"Go ahead."
Zhang Tiancheng went to the administrative office to pay his tuition fees, and then set off to rent a place near the campus.