Daddy Academy

Chapter 3349 Father and Daughter Discuss the Script

Chapter 3349 Father and Daughter Discuss the Script

After returning from the Pujiang Revolutionary Martyrs Memorial Hall, Xiaobai felt heavy-hearted for several days.

Those names, those stories, took root in her heart like seeds, growing into a quiet forest. She knew that simply visiting and being moved wasn't enough; she had to do something.

Just like in "Being a Sister Isn't Easy," we can film our inner thoughts and let more people see them, especially those young people like Little Red Horse who haven't been to the memorial hall yet.

On Saturday morning, sunlight streamed through the French windows of the study, casting streaks of light on the wooden floor.

Xiao Bai, holding her notebook, knocked on the study door.

Zhang Tan was facing the computer screen, his fingers flying across the keyboard, seemingly processing work emails. Hearing the sound, he turned around, saw Xiao Bai, and a smile immediately spread across his face: "Xiao Bai? Didn't you say you were going shopping with Grandma today?"

Xiaobai went inside, placed her notebook on the old man's large desk, and sat down in the wide chair opposite him. The chair was too high for her; even with her back straight, her toes couldn't touch the ground, and she leaned back so much that she ended up falling into the chair.

Xiao Bai fluttered around a few times, sat up straight, and said seriously, "Old man, I have something to tell you. I want to make a new film."

Zhang Tan stopped what he was doing, leaned forward slightly, and asked, "What kind of subject matter? Still older sisters?"

"No."

Xiao Bai shook her head. She opened her notebook, which contained several brochures she had brought back from the memorial hall, as well as her own scribbled notes drawn in pencil.

She said, "I want to photograph the heroes in the martyrs' memorial hall."

Zhang Tan was somewhat surprised, but mostly relieved.

He picked up a sketch drawn by Xiaobai, which showed a blurry little figure against a backdrop of war and flags.

"Why did you want to film this?" he asked, his tone not questioning, but guiding.

Xiao Bai organized her thoughts and said, “We went to the memorial hall, we looked at it, and we cried. But I feel that just crying and being sad is not enough. Teacher Wu Mei said that the red scarf is a corner of the national flag, dyed red with the blood of martyrs. When we wear it, we must remember its weight. I want to use my film to express this weight, so that the children of Little Red Horse, and many more children in society, will remember it.”

She paused, then said, "Being a sister isn't easy. This is about the present, about the things around us. This is about the past, about why we are where we are today."

Zhang Tan listened quietly. The sunlight outside the window shifted slightly, illuminating the little girl's earnest profile, making even her downy hairs shimmer with golden light.

He affirmed, “I’m glad you have this idea, and I fully support you! Just tell me what you need me to do, and Dad will definitely give you his full support. However, before that, I want to remind you that this kind of subject matter is very difficult to film. It needs to be real, it needs to be respectful, it can’t be fictionalized, it can’t be made up, it can’t rely solely on being touching, and it can’t be funny.”

"Yes!" Xiaobai nodded heavily: "Don't worry, old man, I know. History can't be made up. I will definitely take it seriously."

Zhang Tan nodded with satisfaction and asked, "Do you have any more detailed ideas? Tell me about them."

Xiao Bai had obviously thought it through and said directly, "I want to start with a story, not too long, just a few minutes long, to make a short film. Kids don't like watching long movies, short films are more suitable. That way, we can show it in Little Red Horse Academy, or in kindergartens and primary schools. The story is about a little hero who is about our age."

Zhang Tan listened attentively and asked Xiao Bai to be more specific.

Xiao Bai pointed to the line "Chen Xiaodong, 12 years old, messenger" on the notebook and said, "For example, a boy who delivers letters, how he delivers the letters, what dangers he encounters, and what happens to him in the end."

Zhang Tan nodded, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "The idea is correct, but a story about a boy delivering a letter might not be substantial enough. Xiao Bai, have you ever heard the saying: 'One generation fights a war that three generations have fought'?"

Xiao Bai shook his head blankly.

Zhang Tan stood up, pulled a thick history album from the bookshelf, turned to a page, pushed it in front of Xiao Bai, and pointed to the contents of the book. It was an old black and white photograph of a group of young boys with tender faces, wearing ill-fitting military uniforms, standing in front of a dilapidated mud wall, their eyes filled with fear, but even more so with determination.

Zhang Tan said, "This means that a generation was forced to shoulder heavy burdens that they should not have had to bear when they were young. They used their youth and lives to end war, poverty, humiliation... all these heavy sufferings in their generation. They fought desperately so that their children, their children's children, and their descendants would never have to fight again, could study, play, pursue their dreams in peace, and have the right to laugh under the sunshine of peace."

Xiao Bai stared blankly at the photo, then looked up at the old man.

She seemed to understand a little, yet her heart ached as if weighed down by the immense sacrifice and expectation in those words.

Zhang Tan continued, "So, your story can be more than just what a little hero did, but what a generation sacrificed to bring us to where we are today. That's how you get the main storyline and theme."

Xiao Bai's eyes lit up, and he nodded quickly: "I understand! It's like they endured all the hardships and fought all the battles for us, and then turned around and said to us: Go on, peaceful days are ahead."

Zhang patted her head approvingly: "Yes! That's exactly what I mean."

Xiao Bai pushed his hand away: "Hey, why are you touching my head?!"

Zhang Tan chuckled and said, "So, perhaps the title of the script could be: 'One Generation Fights a Battle That Lasts Three Generations'."

"One generation fought a war that spanned three generations..."

Xiao Bai repeated it softly, feeling that the name was both heavy and powerful, like the granite wall in a memorial hall.

She asked, "Then how do we write the script? Chengcheng is very capable, but she might not be very familiar with this."

Zhang Tan sat back in his chair and said, "I can help you build an outline, but you two have to discuss the specific story details, dialogues, and characters yourselves, because you understand best what kind of story can make children understand, remember, and be moved."

He took a piece of white paper and drew a simple structural diagram on it with a pen.

As he drew, he said, "The outline can be divided into three parts: The first part is about boys in the midst of war. There can be two main characters: one is Xiaodong, the communications officer you're thinking of, and the other could be his younger sister, Xiaohua, or perhaps a battlefield medic apprentice. It shows what they are facing at an age when they should be going to school and playing."

"The second part, the responsibility of a generation. Through specific tasks, such as delivering crucial intelligence or rescuing a batch of important medicines, it shows how they shouldered the heavy burden of life and death on their young shoulders. There was danger and sacrifice, but even more so, there was the belief in why they were shouldering this responsibility. They experienced the War of Resistance Against Japan, the War of Liberation, and the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. They started fighting when they knew nothing and continued fighting into their thirties and forties. It seems that they were born to fight, to fight endlessly..."

"The third part is about eternal vigil and inheritance. The battle is over, and Xiaodong and Xiaohua may not have seen the victory, but the camera should turn to today. For example, in the memorial hall, you, wearing red scarves, and Liuliu, Dudu, Xier, and Xiaomi are looking at their photos and belongings. There should be a message to convey: they finished the battle, and we recorded their story and passed it on."

Zhang Tan put down his pen, stopping here, and handed the outline to Xiaobai: "This is the skeleton; you need to fill in the flesh and blood. For example, what specific difficulties did Xiaodong encounter on his way to deliver the message? What did Xiaohua say when she rescued the wounded? How do you connect the past and the present in the end? You guys hold a script discussion meeting, and everyone can contribute their ideas; you're sure to come up with something."

Xiao Bai held the paper as if it were a precious battle map, and nodded vigorously: "Okay! I'll organize it right away!"

Zhang Tan concluded by saying, "Remember, be serious and earnest during discussions. You can argue, but you must have reverence for history."

"know!!"

Xiao Bai jumped off the chair, grabbed his notebook and outline, and ran out of the study like the wind.

The fire in her heart had been completely ignited, and she couldn't wait to call her friends and share her thoughts.