Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 475 Xu Ke Visits the Set
The filming work is progressing in an orderly manner. After the crew's initial running-in, the shooting speed is getting faster and faster.

The most tired and busiest person in the entire crew is Guo Fan. He is nominally the assistant director, but no one really regards him as the assistant director.

He is like the steward of the entire crew, running around every day.

He was most familiar with the crew, and he was responsible for coordinating and completing whatever Zhang Chen instructed.

The influence of the chronicle is still continuing to ferment. This thing has been released not only in China, but also abroad.

It doesn’t cost much to publish online anyway.

Young people are always curious about new things, and the background story of "Pacific Rim" already has a large number of fans.

Just the published chronicles and the concept drawings of the mechas were enough for them to discuss with great interest.

As usual, Qingcheng Wuji would go to Pacific Rim Bar every day and bring back anything useful he saw.

But most of them are just netizens' fantasies and there is nothing valuable.

Occasionally, some netizens would make fun of it and complete the subsequent chronicles in the name of the official.

When it was first released, netizens were very excited and felt that the project team had finally done something useful.

But after several versions appeared one after another, everyone finally came to their senses.

This is a pirated copy~
Someone couldn't wait for the original chronicle and wrote his own sequel.

……

Xingchen Entertainment, or in the publicity and promotion department.

Chen Xiaowei looked at the post on the screen and said to the people around her, "Okay, let's publish the new information."

Upon hearing this, the publicity and promotion specialist clicked the submit button and a new post was sent out.

[Candid photos of the crew of Pacific Rim leaked]

The post was very ordinary at first, but it was gradually pushed up, and later it was simply pinned to the top by the administrator.

After being pinned, the number of views increased dramatically.

In the office, Chen Xiaowei would take time out every day to check the statistics in the forum, watching the number of views of this post he carefully crafted exceed one thousand, ten thousand, and then one hundred thousand...

He specifically instructed the publicity and promotion specialist to post the message using a second account, disguising it as a candid photo taken by a crew member.

The reason why it is so popular is that the stills in it are real.

It was indeed a candid shot taken by the crew during filming, but it was a legal candid shot.

In the photos, there are Zhang Chen explaining the play to Fan Xiaopang, there are Fan Xiaopang drinking water during a break, and there are some real props.

Judging from the angle, they are all candid photos.

When netizens first saw this title, they all thought it was another scam by some bored netizen.

There are a lot of these in the forums recently, they are pure click-bait.

Just like those copycat chronicles.

I clicked on it with the mentality of giving it a try, and then I found out that it was actually true.

Oh shit, it’s actually real. I thought it was just another knockoff!

The mecha that Fan Binbin wears is so handsome~
Brother above, that can only be considered a combat uniform, not a mecha, okay?
Oh my god, don’t they take a break during the New Year?

The Pacific Rim bar is quite popular, and everyone is excited to learn a little more information.

A lot of comments quickly popped up below the post.

But soon, a second hot post appeared, and this hot post was related to the hot post about the candid photos.

[The case has been solved, Pacific Rim will wrap up at the end of April]

The post quickly attracted a lot of attention.

When people click on the post, the first thing they see is a photo.

The photo is actually the same one in the previous post, but it has been enlarged on purpose.

The photo was originally taken of Zhang Chen discussing a scene with Fan Xiaopang, but it also happened to capture a piece of paper on the table, which was the shooting schedule for Pacific Rim.

It clearly shows that Pacific Rim will be completed at the end of April.

Soon, the building under discussion was built up layer by layer.

Damn, what did I see? The movie was completed at the end of April?

Don't get excited, the person above said that it's just the final shot, the film will definitely be released at the end of the year, and there's still a lot of post-production work to be done after the final shot.

Then, there were new discoveries.

The crew is actually going to the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Base to shoot in early April?
The reason was that there was a line in the shooting schedule that the crew had to go to the giant panda breeding base to shoot.

What's the situation?
Can anyone tell me why we had to go to the Giant Panda Breeding Base to shoot the film? What does this movie have to do with pandas?
Yes, why go to the Giant Panda Breeding Base?

Chen Xiaowei looked at the discussions online and felt like a director herself.

As an internet person, she understands netizens' mentality too well.

Active guidance is definitely not as good as spontaneous discovery by netizens.

The sense of accomplishment is completely different, but in fact, they are all routines.

The shooting schedule was of course specially arranged, and a back-up plan was also planned. If netizens hadn't discovered it, they would have used a secondary account to expose it.

But now that some netizens have discovered it, I don’t need to do it anymore, this way it will be more realistic.

The information about the primitive times in Pacific Rim has never been revealed before, and today is just a starting point for discussion.

It may be released in a few days, or it may be released after the release, it all depends on the promotion needs!
But these are things for the future, the real thing is to announce the release of the comics.

Soon, another post was pinned, saying that the "Pacific Rim" comics will be officially on sale this Saturday.

When online discussions were in full swing, the crew of Pacific Rim welcomed a guest - Xu Ke.

Han Sanping came along.

After the failure of last year's "Seven Swords", he felt a bit sorry for Ciwen Media, so he produced the TV series version of "Seven Swords" called "Seven Swordsmen".

It is said that the ratings are pretty good.

But for the time being, no one dares to ask him to make a movie again.

I heard that he is currently working with Du Dapao and Ringo Lam on a movie called "The Iron Triangle". The movie has three parts and each director is responsible for one part.

Hong Kong directors always like to do these weird things, and just thinking about it you know it won't be a box office hit.

"Boss Han, Director Xu~"

Zhang Chen took them to visit the shooting location, and Xu Ke asked many questions about the technology.

When he heard that more than 70% of the $100 million was spent on special effects production, Xu Ke opened his mouth in surprise.

He highly values ​​technology and is willing to try special effects.

"A Chinese Ghost Story" released in the 80s and "Green Snake" released in the 90s were both films with great special effects at the time.

He had been here before when "Moon" was being filmed, and had discussed 3D shooting with Zhang Chen.

But Zhang Chen's attitude is very clear, he will not try 3D shooting for the time being.

Of course you can't try.

Not only is the cost of shooting that thing extremely high, but the results are also disappointing, not to mention that the supporting equipment is also pitifully scarce.

You work so hard to shoot a movie, but in the end the 3D effect can't be shown in most theaters. What's the point?
This thing really became popular after "Avatar".

God of Cards advocates 3D and also has that influence.

After "Avatar", 3D movies became all the rage. James Bond had already invested in 3D camera manufacturers and made a fortune from his shares.

Xu Ke inspected the area and learned a lot. He suddenly asked, "Director Zhang, do you know that Hollywood's motion capture technology has become quite mature? I think if it is applied to Pacific Rim, it should reduce a lot of filming costs and save time~"

Xu Ke thought that Zhang Chen didn't use motion capture technology because he didn't know about it, so he patiently explained it to him.

How could Zhang Chen not know that this thing has basically become a standard feature of cartoons in later generations.

But even though he knew it, he would definitely not adopt it. This was definitely a bad idea proposed by Xu Ke.

Although motion capture technology is convenient, it is too flexible and cannot express the heaviness of the mecha itself, and instead loses its original character.

The original version of "Pacific Rim 2" used motion capture technology. Is it still "Pacific Rim"? It's simply another version of "Transformers".

The key point is that "Transformers" are living creatures, so it's understandable that they can move flexibly, but "Pacific Rim" is about mechas, controlled machines. If you make them as easy to use as your own arms, it would be strange if the audience doesn't enjoy the show!
Zhang Chen shook his head: "I know about motion capture technology. If it's something like Transformers, it can be used, but it's not suitable for Pacific Rim. There is still a difference between mecha and robots. If you use motion capture technology, it will look fake..."

Xu Ke was originally giving a science lecture, but when he heard Zhang Chen's words, he was stunned and nodded. It was unclear whether he agreed with Zhang Chen's words or was just being polite.

Anyway, the two of them didn't continue the topic.

Han Sanping also noticed that the two technical directors did not seem to reach a consensus on technology, so he changed the topic and talked about martial arts movies.

"Do you think it is possible to use 3D technology in martial arts movies?"

The reason why he accompanied Xu Ke was also to win him over.

Martial arts are the signature of Chinese films. Han wanted to make a splash in this area, and Xu Ke, the martial arts master, was of course the best candidate.

When he heard the word "martial arts", Xu Ke's eyes lit up, but he did not speak immediately. Instead, he looked at Zhang Chen.

Zhang Chen said bluntly: "The only application of 3D in martial arts that I can think of is in the area of ​​hidden weapons.

For example, if someone throws a hidden weapon towards the audience, and the hidden weapon spins and flies towards the audience, the audience will feel as if they are in the scene and may subconsciously try to dodge.

At this point, Xu Ke's eyes already revealed a look of longing.

But Zhang Chen changed the subject: "But apart from this, other aspects are not so good."

Hearing this, they were stunned.

Zhang Chen continued: “First of all, the 3D camera is very bulky and inconvenient to move.

Secondly, 3D is not very effective for fast-action shooting, and the fighting actions in martial arts films are usually very fast.

Moreover, 3D technology is only suitable for daytime scenes and is not good for presenting night scenes.

The 3D presentation principle mainly relies on sufficient light, but the light is insufficient at night, so the 3D effect is poor. Also, because there are a lot of shadows, it is difficult to focus, which greatly limits the performance of the movie.

Night is a very important scene in martial arts films. If it cannot support this, 3D is not suitable for martial arts films..."

This is not nonsense. Even a few years later, Xu Ke's "Flying Daggers of Dragon Gate" all took place during the day.

Because the night is not very friendly to 3D presentation, this is a technical difficulty that has not yet been overcome.

The group visited for two hours and before leaving, they were interviewed by reporters who had been waiting for a long time.

The reporters were brought by Han Sanping, which could be considered as a warm-up for the movie. After all, Xu Ke is a big director after all, it would be a waste not to take advantage of the popularity.

"Director Xu, after visiting the set of Pacific Rim, is there anything you want to share with our audience?"

Xu Ke was also very considerate and replied with a smile: "I read the storyboard of Pacific Rim, and the project team was very attentive in this regard.

This will definitely be a good movie, because all the good steel is used on the blade. I envy Director Zhang's creative environment~"

Putting aside their differences on technology, the thing that impressed him most about Pacific Rim was the proportion of funds used for special effects.

Xu Ke never dared to hope for that in his lifetime.

This is because Zhang Chen is the boss, so he dares to play like this, so he said that he envied Zhang Chen's creative environment. However, even if he put himself in his shoes, Xu Ke felt that even if he became the boss, he probably wouldn't dare to play like this.

Failure = career ruined!

Han Sanping also said a few good words, and then the interviewee became Zhang Chen.

"Director Zhang, some people outside have been questioning Pacific Rim. One of the reasons is that Pacific Rim has no stars. How do you respond to this?"

Zhang Chen smiled: "Originally I didn't want to bother with this kind of question, but since it's been mentioned today, I'll respond.

A movie like "Pacific Rim" doesn't need big stars at all. The biggest stars in this movie are those mechas.

Bao Feng Chi Hong’s current popularity is no less than that of first-tier stars.

It’s like the protagonists of Jurassic Park were never humans, but the dinosaurs.”

Zhang Chen already had a plan for this kind of question in mind, so he just had to answer it directly.

As soon as this question was answered, another reporter immediately asked: "Is Pacific Rim a story about Chinese people saving the world?"

Zhang Chen did not answer immediately, but glanced at the other party. It was obvious that this question was malicious and Zhang Chen would fall into a trap if he was not careful.

This time Zhang Chen shook his head decisively: "No, you may be wrong. Pacific Rim is not a story about Chinese people saving the world..."

This time, all the media were shocked.

Because from the information they learned, "Pacific Rim" is such a movie, so why is Zhang Chen denying it now?

"Isn't it? But the information we saw online seems to be like this~"

Zhang Chen shook his head again: "Of course not.

This is a fictional story, and the monster invasion happened in 2017, ten years later.

If you have read the chronicles, you will know that with the strength of mankind, a single country cannot fight against monsters.

So it is all of humanity that is fighting against the monsters.

In the story setting, countries have long abandoned their prejudices and worked together to fight foreign enemies.

In the movie, several countries around the Pacific Rim have made huge sacrifices. Everyone is a team. This is a story about humans resisting monsters and actively saving themselves..."

Zhang Chen was very careful about his wording.

You have to pay attention!
This is not just simple publicity, this is a red line, a red line that could ruin the entire project if it is not handled properly.

Who is the world boss now?

Bald Eagle!
The military strength is the best in the world!

The economic strength ranks first in the world!

The world's best technological strength!

So in the Bald Eagle movie, there’s all kinds of heroism!
Rambo can take down an entire Vietnamese regiment by himself. He is simply a modern version of Zhao Zilong, going in and out seven times.
In disaster movies, the Americans are the first to discover all kinds of natural disasters. Haha, we were the first to land on the moon, so our technological strength is there.

Even something as big as a planet hitting the earth, the Americans just sent a few miners to solve the problem;

There is no way. The status of the bald eagle is there. Hollywood is the world's film and television center. No matter how they shoot it, everyone just believes it.

Because they are the world's number one, the world's only superpower, one country can dominate the whole world.

In comparison, China is still too weak.

It’s not even the second in the world, at most it’s the third.

Who would believe that the third oldest man in the world could save the world?

If no one believes it, it means that the idea of ​​the movie is untenable, which is a very serious problem.

If Zhang Chen really dares to say that China saved the world, then European and American audiences will only think that China is getting ahead of itself.

It's just like how we view Vietnam's claim to be the world's third most powerful military country. It's completely ridiculous.

The consequence is that everyone sneers at you.

Gradually, this disdain will be transferred to movies.

Zhang Chen could imagine how American audiences would evaluate Pacific Rim...

Have you watched Pacific Rim?
That movie about China saving the earth?
Are you kidding me?
Am I out of my mind?

China has accomplished what the United States cannot do?

Absolutely complete sarcasm.

This is like a movie released in China about an Indian man saving the world. What do you think the Chinese people’s attitude will be then?

Funny?
Can Ah San also save the world?

On what?
dance?
Americans probably have a similar mentality.

If American audiences don't go to the cinema, then this movie will be a real flop.

Markets all over the world are looking to the United States.

For this type of film, other markets will only buy it if it performs well in the American market.

Therefore, we must never admit that it is China that saves the world.

It must be emphasized that this is a joint effort from all countries in the world!

This is very important.

This is also the consensus reached by the entire "Pacific Rim" project team.

At any stage of the film, it must be constantly emphasized that "this is a science fiction film about all mankind fighting against foreign enemies together, which embodies the unity of all mankind."

The story must be told from the perspective of humanity, not a particular country.

Of course, there are definitely some personal opinions, such as why "Honghuang" is a panda?
But at least it should be acceptable on the whole.

Start-up, tidbits, previews, publicity...

Promotion at all times and in all links.

This should also be promoted in the trailer, so that the West cannot find any reason to argue.

Only in this way can they put aside their prejudices and go to the cinema.

Don’t say movies are movies, reality is reality!

The reality is that your national strength is not strong enough and your culture has no say, which will really affect the movie.

If you want audiences all over the world to accept you, you can only slowly cultivate their habits.

Perception can be changed. As long as one or two films are successful, the audience will accept the rationality of Chinese science fiction blockbusters.

During this process, the United States will definitely not let you grow, and their media will definitely make trouble~
China still wants to save the world?

What? You want to be number one in the world?
What Zhang Chen needs to do is to try his best to prevent this situation from happening, and if it does happen, try not to show any confrontational emotions.

As long as such public opinion does not form, "Pacific Rim" has a great chance of success.

As long as the first part of "Pacific Rim" is successful, the possibility of subsequent collapse is unlikely.

What's more, the sequel to "Pacific Rim" is the Monster Movie Universe.

What kind of political leanings can a monster movie have?

The battle between prehistoric times and King Kong?

This is possible, but the final result will definitely be that everyone will become acquainted with each other through fighting.

How else can we deal with it?

Are you going to knock King Kong down?
Mapping reality?

Want to be number one in the world?

Do you still want your film to be released globally?
So the two big guys must be in the same camp.

So how do we unify the camps? It’s simple, just assign a villain.

Godzilla is good~
It has been politically correct since childhood whether in China or the United States!
Zhang Chen even had a picture in his mind:
Honghuang and King Kong fought a great battle, but there was no clear winner.

Both behemoths were covered in wounds and were gasping for breath to recover their strength.

Then the despicable Godzilla launched a sneak attack.

The two giant beasts responded hastily, but because they had just been through a big battle and were still injured, they could only barely fight Godzilla to a draw.

The two sides fell into a delicate balance, neither could do anything to the other.
Then Godzilla got upset and started shaking people off...

As an old native, I always have a few friends.

Then Mothra, Anguirus, Mjora and the like appeared one after another and stood in a row behind Godzilla...

Godzilla howled to the sky: I have more people than you, do you have more people than me?
Honghuang and King Kong on the opposite side suddenly seemed alone and helpless. The two beasts stood back to back, both knowing that today would probably be a dangerous day.

But retreat is impossible.

The Last Stand~
When the two giant beasts exploded and set themselves a buff of mutual destruction, the Storm Red Divine Soldiers descended from the sky, followed by other mechas that arrived one after another...

The two brothers, who were at the end of their rope, immediately straightened their backs.

King Kong beat his chest and howled, while Hong Huang threw the bamboo in his hand to the ground: "Brothers, do it for me~"

The two societies started fighting!
Hmm, I got it wrong. How did they turn a monster movie into a Young and Dangerous movie?

But why is it so touching?
Forget it, forget it. Zhang Chen cleared his head of random thoughts. All of this had to be built on the success of Pacific Rim.

Only if it succeeds will it be possible to collaborate with King Kong or Godzilla.

Copyright and other things are just minor issues.

By then, maybe they won’t even need to negotiate, people will come up to discuss cooperation on their own.

"Pacific Rim" did not hold a press conference for the launch of filming. Today's interview was the first one after the start of filming, and the media prepared many questions.

The third question is finally not so sensitive:

“Why did Pacific Rim choose a female protagonist?”

After hearing the question, Zhang Chen answered naturally: "Because I want a contrasting effect."

He paused and said, "In traditional cognition, women are weak. But I think a weak woman paired with a strong mecha will create a contrast, just like a beautiful girl driving an off-road vehicle. This contrast will be impressive...

Moreover, I don’t want Chinese women to be portrayed as weak internationally, which happens to fit in with Fan Binbin’s acting style.

All along, the roles she played in "Eden Lake" and "The Shallows" were all positioned as strong women, which I think is in line with the qualities of Chinese women..."

"Director Zhang, there are rumors online that Pacific Rim will be filming at the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Base in late March. Could it be that there are pandas in this movie? Can you tell us?"

Zhang Chen immediately put on an angry expression when he heard this: "I know what you are talking about. It was leaked by someone inside our crew. We have already fired the relevant personnel~"

The Ao Youjie that Zhang Chen mentioned is a director. He guides others in acting every day, so he must have some acting skills himself.

"I can't reveal too much. I can only say that there are indeed pandas in Pacific Rim, and they are closely related to the sequel..."

The media were excited, and they all reached out for the microphones: "Can you tell us specifically what the panda's role will be?"

Zhang Chen shook his head: "I can't reveal this casually. I can only say it's very important. Everyone will know when the movie is released."

(End of this chapter)