For a newly formed crew, the usual approach would be to start with simple scenes and gradually tackle more difficult sequences; this process is called a "shake-down" or team adjustment.
But for Gilbert's team, aside from actors needing to get used to the crew, almost no extra adjustment time was required—they could get into the rhythm almost immediately.
When the crew moved to Shanghai for filming, they were even briefly surrounded by enthusiastic fans.
In recent years, quite a few Hollywood films have used locations in China, such as Mission: Impossible III in Xitang water town, 2012 on Mount Everest, and The Mummy 3 with the Terracotta Warriors.
James Cameron also visited Zhangjiajie while preparing Avatar, drawing inspiration from the scenery there—the floating mountains of Pandora owe their design to this.
Of course, perhaps the most famous example is the large-scale filming in mainland China by The Lord of the Rings crew in the early 2000s.
Even though many Hollywood crews have filmed in China, the Chinese people, who love excitement, never seemed to tire of it.
Especially Gilbert's crew—it was like an old friend for the Chinese audience. Many people wanted to catch a glimpse of this world-class director, though fortunately, the fans were not excessively frantic.
The outdoor shoot in Shanghai lasted about three days, which seemed just right, as Beijing Film Academy extended an invitation to honorary president Gilbert, asking him to give a speech to the new students starting this year.
Gilbert discussed it briefly with producer Charles Rowen and coordinated with the partner studio, China Film, turning the event into a "Inception Enters Beijing Film Academy" activity.
The schedule was short—just a single day.
The school took the event seriously, preparing a welcome ceremony and banners, while informing students that all directing department students were required to attend, with no absences allowed.
However, the reality was surprising. Not only did directing students show up, but even graduates from several years prior came to maintain connections and participate.
Even students from the nearby Central Academy of Drama were tempted, planning to sneak in.
Unexpectedly, it wasn't just the directing department—students from acting, cinematography, and other majors also came to join, and in considerable numbers.
Zhou Chi, a first-year directing student who had entered BFA last year, was quite displeased. His seat could have been closer to the front, but because several returning actors from the acting department were attending, his seat was pushed back instantly.
"Seriously, this is a directing department event, not an acting one. Why are all these people coming back?" he complained.
Beside him, Pan Jiayou, also a first-year directing student, replied, "You don't get it. Actors need opportunities more than us. What if they get noticed and go to Hollywood to make it big? Everyone wants to be the next Shu Chang—they're thinking about chances like that."
Zhou Chi scoffed, "Do you think Hollywood lacks that kind of talent? Shu Chang didn't even make it big in the end and came back."
As he spoke, Zhou Chi thought of one person—Guo Fan, their senior, now making a name in Hollywood.
After graduating from BFA, Guo Fan was selected to study in Hollywood. Back then, the fake student roster incident caused a huge uproar, almost escalating into a diplomatic issue.
Guo Fan was one of the five cleanest participants in that event. After returning, he directed two films, both achieving solid box office and critical success.
Logically, Guo Fan's career path could have followed the typical trajectory of domestic Chinese directors—only he was a little too young.
Perhaps feeling he needed to improve, Guo Fan returned to Hollywood for further training, this time directly under Gilbert's guidance, and now was directing a Hollywood film himself.
Guo Fan's experience is one that young directors across BFA and the greater Chinese film industry dream of replicating—but achieving it is extremely difficult.
To this day, people wonder what qualities in Guo Fan impressed Hollywood's Gilbert enough to see him in a new light. Otherwise, why would he treat him differently?
Unfortunately, neither party disclosed the details, leaving others in the dark.
From Shanghai to Beijing, Gilbert received a warm welcome from BFA's leadership. After exchanging greetings, Gilbert and his entourage entered the auditorium.
Upon entering, Gilbert was startled: "So many people?"
A school leader beside him explained, "We heard you were coming. Not only are the directing students here, but also acting students. Additionally, many graduates with works have returned."
"They're giving me, the honorary president, a lot of face," Gilbert said, smiling, waving as he walked up to the podium amid warm applause to greet the students.
"Hello, students. I am your president, Gilbert Landrini."
As soon as he finished speaking, the students responded with enthusiastic applause.
Gilbert continued, "Originally, this speech was meant for new students, but I didn't expect so many of you today. You don't all look like freshmen. But that's fine—you're all welcome to listen."
Such an important event, of course, required a host. Gilbert recalled his connection with BFA and spoke about his appreciation for excellent Chinese-language films.
Of course, the directing students were particularly curious about Guo Fan's progress in Hollywood, and Gilbert addressed that as well.
"From the start, I was drawn to Guo Fan because of his meticulousness and broad thinking. During our work, he constantly learned and improved, showing unique perspective and insight," Gilbert said.
He added, "In fact, a recent project entrusted to him is a recognition of his abilities. I believe he can handle it."
As expected, there are no surprises—next year, you should be able to see this film directed by him."
When the topic turned to the progress of Chinese-language cinema, Gilbert added a few more words.
"I believe the issue isn't that Chinese-language cinema lacks talented creators, but that the system cannot cultivate enough skilled people. Simply put, it's a shortage of highly educated talent.
In reality, the film industry today has become a hub of high technology and cutting-edge innovation. The old model of creation purely guided by artistic expression is no longer sufficient.
Therefore, talent who understand both technology and creation will be essential for the future development of the industry. This is also one of the reasons I think BFA needs to improve its methods of nurturing talent."
It's almost as if he was saying, "You may excel at art exams, but your academic scores are too low—go study harder and come back!"
Though harsh, it was the truth.
The students below had mixed reactions: some were puzzled, some suddenly enlightened, and others frowned in thought.
Gilbert had no burden in saying this—he isn't part of the Chinese-language film circle, so he doesn't need to worry about saving face.
It's a pity it isn't the age of social media controversies, otherwise he could have posted a sharp critique on Weibo about certain students, interacting with their fans—though doing so might slightly harm his reputation as a director.
As the event concluded, several familiar faces in the front row, seemingly already having become celebrities, surrounded Gilbert.
They eagerly requested autographs and selfies, creating a lively scene.
By the time other students approached, the autograph and photo session had already ended.
This left Zhou Chi furious—he had a chance to get a photo with Gilbert, but it had been taken by others first.
In all honesty, though, those celebrity seniors probably got a better shot with Gilbert than Zhou Chi would have, since celebrities need the attention.
...
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