Search
  • Home
  • Media center
    • News
    • Biz updates
    • Life
    • Specials
    • Videos
    • Photos
  • Government
    • News release
    • Personnel changes
    • Annual reports
    • Officials
    • Bureaus
  • Living
    • Life
    • Dining
    • Shopping
    • Entertainment
    • Arts
      • Craftworks
      • Theater performances
      • Museums
      • Galleries
      • Art zones
    • Transportation
    • Services
    • FAQ
  • Doing business
    • Biz updates
    • Introduction
    • Planning
    • Procedures
    • Policies
    • Industries
    • Industrial parks
    • Enterprises
  • Visiting
    • Travel log
    • Attractions
      • Historical
      • Parks
      • Religious
      • Museums
      • Nature
      • Landmarks
    • Itineraries
    • Maps
    • Transportation
    • Hotels
    • Dining
  • Study
    • Student stories
    • Overview
    • Universities
    • Scholarships
    • Services
    • Learning Chinese
    • Testing
  • About
    • Profiles
    • Maps
    • Districts
    • Special areas
    • Festivals and events
    • History
  • Events
    • Dates
    • Categories
  • Forum
 
Home / Life

The words behind the movie

Updated: 2014-12-18 /By Wang Kaihao (China Daily)
  • printer
  • mail

The words behind the movie

[Photo/China Daily]

"It will make me depressed to always be thinking about how to make people laugh," says Zhou, who has written scripts for film and TV ranging from romance to horror and even sci-fi.

Zhou has always seen himself as a maverick. Born in Shandong province, he came to Beijing in 1994 as a waiter at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, which houses foreign dignitaries.

"I met many different kinds of people when I was a waiter," he says. "Those days told me how to read human nature."

Zhou jokes that he's "the first waiter in Diaoyutai who resigned from the job". He enrolled in the prestigious film literature department at the Central Academy of Drama - although Zhou says his only previous experiences relevant to film were his days in video lounges.

But he was skilled in writing, and after college he spent years as a ghost writer and polishing his technical skills.

Zhou did not release any major script under his own name until 2004.

"Many screenwriters consider themselves to be artists, but I am only an industrial worker," he says.

Instead of complaining about the restrictive film system, he says: "We should reflect more: How can we bring a film to an audience if even we don't want to watch it?"

While orthodox filmmakers call for "art derived from reality", Zhou unconventionally claims that "screenwriters are those who tell audiences lies but remain sincere to themselves". For example, he never even went to New Oriental when writing American Dreams in China.

"However, that doesn't mean I fabricate what I write," he explains. "I will find any chance possible to talk to people during trips.

"Sometimes, I pretend to be divorced, and maybe the man sitting next to me will also complain about his marriage. Many interesting elements are collected - it's like saving small change. When I write stories, I can withdraw a huge sum of money."

Previous 1 2 3 Next
Previous 1 2 3 Next

News:
  • Peking Opera thriving in Hawaii
  • Americans go 'Hao' over Jingju
  • Beijing holds Feast of Golf
  • Li Lei brings his visual symphony to Beijing
  • A better Beijing in the Year of the Rooster?
  • 刷脸进站(shuāliǎn jìn zhàn): 'Face ticket' at train stations
Specials:
Tsinghua Holdings Co. Ltd launched “Top 10 Talents” in response to the 13th Five Year Plan goal of building Beijing into a national Technology & Innovation Center with a creative spirit and innovative cultural atmosphere.
Top 10 Talents of Tsinghua Holdings read more
Videos:
Easy Talk: Advocating environment protection through storytelling read more

Turn the page and discover Beijing in all its eclectic delights.

Explore the charm of the city in our promo videos

    • Contact
    • Site Map
    • Disclaimer
Copyright © 2011 China Daily All Rights Reserved Sponsored by Beijing Municipal Government Powered by China Daily              京ICP备10023870号-9