Rebirth 1979: Marrying a poor girl at the beginning

The two of them immediately began to read it attentively.

For a moment, the office was quiet, with only the slight sound of Wang Yang drinking water.

This script is actually the first draft of the script for "Shaolin Temple", and there are still many differences between it and the story presented to the audience in later movies.

It is still the story of Thirteen Monks saving the Tang King.

But the conflict in the story is centered on the confrontation between the master and the generals of the Sui Dynasty in order to protect the King of Tang.

The protagonist is the master of the young monk Jueyuan, and Jueyuan is just a supporting role.

Jueyuan's father, Shentui Zhang, was killed by the Sui general just to attract hatred, and the person who took revenge was actually the master. As for the shepherdess Bai Wuxia... there was none at all.

Lin Zhengjun felt that it was too hard. From the beginning to the end, there was no harmony or buffer between the emotions between men and women, and the sense of rhythm was too poor.

Another problem is that there is no character growth. After all, the master is a master at the beginning and remains a master at the end.

The level of the entire script is hard to describe.

Seeing the two put down the script, Fu Qi asked, "What do you think?"

Lin Zhengjun laughed and said, "To be honest, it's pretty badly written."

Fu Qi was not angry but happy. He leaned forward, his eyes sparkling with excitement, and asked, "Comrade Zhengjun, how do you think we should change it?"

Lin Zhengjun said: "First, the protagonist is changed to the young monk Jueyuan. The principle is the same as "Drunken Master". Write about the growth of the character. Everyone likes young protagonists because no matter middle-aged or old, they were once young people. This way, the resonance is stronger!"

Fu Qi laughed and said, "Hahaha, General Zheng, great minds think alike. We both have the same idea. What else?"

Lin Zhengjun said: "Also, the sense of rhythm is too poor. It's just all about fighting and killing, and the audience will get tired of it. We can add a love line, and learn from "Drunken Master" to add comedy elements."

"Comedy elements? How do you add them? Give me an example."

"For example, Jueyuan was injured and entered Shaolin Temple. He needed nutrition, so his fellow disciples caught frogs for him to eat. The abbot found out and they explained that they were practicing Toad Kung Fu and jumping around on the ground, but they were still punished. The frog jumped into the abbot's robe, and everyone followed him and wanted to catch the frog. The abbot questioned everyone, and everyone laughed foolishly. The abbot said seriously that as a monk, one should have no anger or hatred. Then the frog jumped around in his clothes, and he laughed because it was itchy. When eating the frog, the master said, 'Wine and meat pass through the intestines, but the Buddha remains in the heart...'" Lin Zhengjun told a small plot as an example.

Fu Qi trembled when he heard this and said, "Okay!"

Shi Hui also smiled and said: "There is also Toad Kung Fu in Jin Yong's The Legend of the Condor Heroes. Hong Kong people will like it very much when they see it!"

This is called playing with a meme. Lin Zhengjun said, "Another way is to add a love line for Jueyuan. Create a shepherdess grazing sheep on Mount Song and have some interaction with the monk Jueyuan. The Sui army general covets her beauty, forcibly takes her back to the mansion and wants to beat her. Jueyuan, who comes alone for revenge, happens to find her and rescues her. He can get injured while rescuing her, which builds his determination to practice martial arts hard..."

This is called an Inciting Incident...

Fu Qi frowned slightly: "I have considered adding a love line, but monks can't fall in love, so how should the ending be?"

"At the beginning, Jueyuan was a lay disciple who had not yet been ordained as a monk. There was nothing wrong with him developing feelings for the shepherdess. It was a matter of courtesy and affection!"

Lin Zhengjun smiled and said, "At the end, in order to save the Tang King, Shaolin Temple suffered heavy casualties and was in turmoil. Only Jueyuan could take on the responsibility of revitalizing Shaolin. He decided to formally become a monk and serve as the abbot."

"At the abbot succession ceremony, Jueyuan wore a cassock and kowtowed in front of the Buddha. The old abbot burned the scars on his head. The shepherdess stood outside and watched him. Although they were only separated by a door, they had already separated themselves from the secular world and left the mundane world behind. Jueyuan looked at the shepherdess with tears in his eyes for the last time, bowed his head and said, "How can I have both in this world, without disappointing the Tathagata and the lover?" Then he turned around and saw the solemn appearance of the Buddha, his compassionate and speechless..."

"Oops!"

Fu Qi's eyes lit up and he clapped his hands in praise, "Great, this ending is great, subtle and meaningful, with an endless aftertaste!"

Shi Hui wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled, "It's really good! Let alone making it into a movie, I feel like crying just by listening to the outline Zhengjun said!"

"Awesome!"

Wang Yang said proudly: "Zhengjun's modification has turned decay into magic, but it does not change the background of the story, nor the core conflicts. It only changes the roles of the characters. The costumes and props you bought before are not wasted at all, and it saves money!"

"I don't know what's wrong with Zhengjun's brain. I've been reading this script for half a month and still can't figure out how to revise it. But you've done it in just a few words..." Jiang Huaiyan admired him sincerely and was willing to admit defeat.

Fu Qi smiled and said, "Comrade Zhengjun, are you interested in writing and revising the script? We can discuss the remuneration."

Lin Zhengjun smiled and said, "Forget it, I won't participate in this play. You can ask the director and screenwriter to modify it according to my ideas, and it will definitely work!"

Fu Qi looked disappointed.

Wang Yang said: "Comrade Fu Qi, Zheng Jun has no choice. He still has the script of "The Shepherd" for Shanghai Film Studio to write!"

Fu Qi nodded to show his understanding and said with a smile, "However, you helped us with revision suggestions today. In Hollywood, you are called a script doctor, so you should be paid. How much do you want?"

"I don't want money."

Lin Zhengjun said with a smile: "Your Great Wall Company is not well-off, so use the little money you have to make the best use of it and make a good movie!"

Fu Qi and Shi Hui looked at each other and exclaimed: "Oh, Comrade Zhengjun, you are truly a man of high moral character and indifferent to fame and gain!"

“Haha, Songshan Shaolin Temple is in Central Plains, and I’m from Central Plains, so it can be considered as promoting my hometown.” Lin Zhengjun said with a smile.

The Shaolin Temple buildings are now dilapidated, the gate is deserted, and only a few monks are left.

In fact, when the movie "Shaolin Temple" was being filmed, it was impossible to shoot there because the buildings in the Shaolin Temple were too dilapidated.

The crew had to go to temples and scenic spots all over the country to shoot, and only completed the filming through post-production editing and splicing.

But after the movie was released, Shaolin Temple immediately became famous all over the world. In addition, the spread of Jin Yong's martial arts novels in mainland China also contributed to the popularity of Shaolin Temple.

Later, the Shaolin Temple in Songshan became a famous tourist attraction in Zhongyuan Province, with an annual income of over 200 to 300 million yuan, and there were even rumors that the company had gone public...

"Haha, then we are really destined to be together. The film company that Great Wall and Xinlian formed specifically for the filming of Shaolin Temple is called Zhongyuan!"

Fu Qi laughed happily, and then said: "However, Comrade Zhengjun, are you interested in writing a few more scripts for us?"

"The Great Wall Film Company was once very good. In the 1960s, it shared the market with Shaw Brothers and Cathay Brothers, but now it has declined."

"Taiwan's population is four times that of Hong Kong, and it has always been the largest market for Hong Kong films. If a film wants to be shown in Taiwan, the director and actors must join the Freedom Association, which is controlled by the right wing and the Taiwan news department, and become members. This is called a pledge of allegiance. Therefore, there is no possibility that our film will be shown in Taiwan."

"The screenwriters, directors, and actors who worked with us were all banned, and once banned, their acting careers were ruined, so those artists didn't dare to approach us."

"In the past three years, we have made five films, but we were far behind in technology and concepts, the box office was not good, and the company was short of funds..." When he said this, Fu Qi was filled with sadness and his voice was slightly choked.

Shi Hui patted his arm. Fu Qi took a deep breath and said, "But if you are willing to write a script for us, I will pay you according to the remuneration standards of famous writers in Hong Kong—"

"Okay! I'm willing to write!"

Lin Zhengjun laughed.

He didn't even ask about the specific remuneration.

Because he knew that the standard of remuneration would definitely not be low!