I was just thinking about taking the arts exam and you said I've been playing supporting roles

Chapter 336 An unexpected encounter with the future Ah Dong!
"Hi, Chan, Gwo!"

A white foreigner greeted Chen Jin and Guo Fan warmly as they walked out of the airport terminal.

"Chuck?"

Chen Jin asked the question symbolically.

The marketing manager for Warner Bros. Greater China contacted Chen Jin at Warner Bros. headquarters. The person who received her was named Chuck Lorre, the deputy director of marketing at Warner Bros. Pictures.

"Yes, Chuck Lorre!"

Chuck Lorre reached out his hand to Chen Jin, who hugged him and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Me too!"

Chuck Lorre smiled and hugged Guo Fan again.

Originally, Lao Gong wanted to come and pick them up at the airport, but the filming location for "The Dark Knight Rises" was not the same as that for "John Wick".

Although the filming location for "John Wick" was also in New York, it was far from the final set of "The Dark Knight Rises," and "The Dark Knight Rises" was about to wrap up filming, so Chen Jin had to take Guo Fan to meet Nolan and Bale first.

"I've already spoken to Director Nolan about this. He's actually very interested in you and GWO too!"

"China has always been a market that WarnerMedia values ​​very much. We were actually quite curious about how you achieved such impressive box office results!"

After Chuck got into the car, he chatted enthusiastically with Chen Jin.

Chen Jin smiled slightly, while Guo Fan beside her said in broken English, "A real commercial film still depends on the special effects, especially Nolan's being the first to use an IMAX crew for filming, which is something that directors all over the world admire!"

Guo Fan is quite adept at mutual flattery in business.

However, he was not wrong. Although Nolan was somewhat famous around the world, he had not yet reached the level of being hailed as a god in later generations.

However, as an outside director, his insistence on using IMAX cameras and physical models for filming "The Dark Knight Rises" has still shocked the industry.

This attempt is very forward-thinking, and if successful, Nolan's influence in the Big Six will become exceptionally important.

It's important to understand that Hollywood filmmaking is producer-centric, meaning the producer has absolute authority on set, and the director is just an employee; Nolan is no exception.

However, if the film is successful, he will enter the rare category of "director-centric".

This is extremely rare in the United States; only a handful of directors can achieve this.

Moreover, these directors have unparalleled box office appeal worldwide, such as James Cameron, who directed "Titanic" and "Avatar," and Steven Spielberg, who directed "Jaws" and "Jurassic Park."

These directors have the confidence to negotiate with the Big Six.

Nolan's goal is certainly the same.

Guo Fan was actually in a similar situation.

The reason he wants to make science fiction films is to gain unique directorial authority; it's not that he wants to separate from Chen Jin, but to become a completely independent director, not a small-time director who succeeded because of Chen Jin, as rumored by the outside world.

He wanted to break free from that label, so it's not wrong to say that Nolan is his "idol".

He admires independent directors like this.

"Actually, it's because of the success of the previous film. The Dark Knight was the first film in the industry to be shot using an IMAX crew. At the time, IMAX partnered with Warner Bros. for free in order to promote their equipment!"

"They started charging money for this one..."

Chuck said helplessly, then suddenly turned to the two of them and said, "And then there's the Chinese market. I hope the third movie can be released in mainland China!"

The two Batman movies, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, were not released in mainland China, resulting in a loss of hundreds of millions of RMB in box office revenue. With the mainland Chinese box office market growing every year, Warner Bros. is definitely aiming to break global box office records.

"Our company, China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC), can buy it!"

Chen Jin made a joke, and everyone in the car laughed.

In fact, everyone knows the value of "The Dark Knight Rises," and there are only two possible outcomes for its release in mainland China.

One possibility is that China Film Group won the bid, and the other is that the application fails to pass the review.

There is no third option.

It's certain that CETC won't be able to secure the distribution rights. The censorship authorities are also considering whether China Film Group wants to distribute it. If they do, they have plenty of ways to block or cut content.

The Dark Knight was made because of the Joker character; otherwise, China Film Group would have collaborated much earlier.

The group chatted happily along the way and soon arrived at their temporary hotel.

"Would you two like to rest for a bit, or would you like to head straight to the film set?"

Chuck was very polite to Chen Jin and Guo Fan.

He was just a leader in Warner's marketing department. Warner's president and top executives wouldn't bother with them. After all, Chen Jin and CETC had some reputation, but not enough to alarm Warner's headquarters.

Unless it's a giant like China Film Group, like the way they gather seven newly emerging directors like Guo Fan to study in the United States, that's China Film Group's channel.

All six have to give face.

Chen Jin is now using both collaborative and private channels.

Sending Chuck to deal with the situation isn't necessarily disrespectful.

"Let's go straight there!"

"I've already texted Bell!"

Chen Jin and Guo Fan put their luggage in the hotel and headed towards the New York film set of "The Dark Knight Rises".

TEP Tower!

That's right, the TEP Building.

This is a scene from the final filming of "The Dark Knight Rises".

The crew spent the last few weeks of filming in New York.

The TEP Tower was used as the exterior view of the Batman Wayne Foundation, while the upper level of the Queens Bridge was closed for two whole days at the request of the film crew.

It was at this location that Batman gazed upon Gotham City, the city he was willing to protect with his life and everything he had.

The Bain raid on the stock exchange did indeed take place on Wall Street.

"What's wrong?"

After Chen Jin got out of the car, he looked at the skyscraper in front of him and remained silent for a long time.

"nothing……"

Chen Jin smiled. The Tepu Building in front of her was not as famous as it would be in the future.

In the future autobiographical movie, the owner of this building will become the big boss of the United States and a veritable internet celebrity leader, causing a lot of jokes.

Right now, this guy is just a fairly well-known businessman in the United States, barely making it onto the Forbes Global 500 list.

Who would have thought this guy would suddenly enter politics?!

"Given this guy's money-grubbing nature, investing in political donations in advance is a good way out..."

Chen Jin was making plans, but unfortunately Trump didn't get along with Hollywood, otherwise, it was very likely that Chen Jin could have won the Oscar for Best Actor through this channel.

It's not impossible.

In America, money makes anything possible.

Everything is business, and the Oscars are no exception.

"Director Nolan is filming right now. We'll wait here for a bit, or you can check out the set!"

Chuck entered the film set and came out a short while later.

"fine!"

Chen Jin had already spotted Nolan sitting in front of a huge monitor not far away. The entire set was surrounded by countless crew members, and many people were carrying out their work in an orderly manner.

Filmed on location, not against a green screen.

Bale is filming his character's scenes.

“There are so many people!”

Guo Fan's eyes were already scanning the surroundings like a scanner, while he held a pen and notebook in his hand. "So neat!"

"The uniforms are all the same!"

Guo Fan spoke while quickly writing.

Hollywood film crews typically have a habit of making uniforms, mainly for ease of management. They also have names and work group numbers on the front and back, making it easier for others to call them around and recognize them. In addition, it also enhances team honor and cohesion.

However, the patterns and texts printed on the clothes are not fixed. Directors with big imaginations like Quentin even draw naked women on the clothes.

The producer asked him why, and Quentin said that it would make the cast and crew happier and facilitate the smooth progress of work.

Moreover, most of them use fictional film crew names.

For example, the film crew for Nolan's "The Dark Knight" was called "Roy's First Kiss".

When filming "Inception", it was called "Oliver's Arrow", which used the names of his children.

"These are actually the crew's promotional T-shirts!"

"But it is indeed easier to manage..."

Chen Jin spoke to Guo Fan, who nodded vigorously: "Yes, it looks much neater!"

"This is just the tip of the iceberg!"

"The Hollywood standard industrial process is comprehensive!"

"The filming process is even subject to monitoring by investors and completion guarantee companies, and the funding is not provided all at once!"

Before Chen Jin arrived, she chatted with Lao Gong and several people in charge of "John Wick" every day.

The filming of "John Wick" followed the Hollywood template, but it was much simpler than the current "The Dark Knight Rises".

The funds were channeled through a special domestic approval process, which was permitted by the relevant authorities.

"Scripts all have standardized templates!"

Guo Fan wrote rapidly, looking extremely excited: "I need to find some time to read Nolan's script. I heard that sometimes they revise it while filming!"

"Yes, Hollywood film companies and major studios usually have a very important position called script analyst!"

Chuck appeared beside Guo Fan without anyone noticing.

Chen Jin had just asked him for advice about the script.

"Take the Batman script for example. If I were a script analyst, the first thing I would do after receiving the manuscript is to read the synopsis and summary, which would be about two or three sentences, followed by a plot outline of no more than two pages!"

"The suspense at the beginning must be established within the first minute, and I must see a small climax within 10 minutes!"

"The male and female leads will have a combined total of over 75 scenes..."

"..."

When it comes to professional skills and filming, Chuck is clearly very knowledgeable.

Chen Jin and Guo Fan listened attentively. Although this approach might not be applicable to domestic films, popcorn movies could certainly learn from it.

This is a set of screenwriting principles that are invincible.

Take a 110-minute movie script for example. From the first minute to the final scene, the content to be presented is fixed within a rough range.

It begins with visual presentation, then gets to the main theme at the 5-minute mark; the setup and plot structure are completed at the 10-minute mark; and the first twist must occur at the 12-minute mark, because by then the audience is gradually getting tired.

Then there are the arguments, the second-act turning points, the B-story, and so on.

The climax of a Hollywood movie usually occurs between the 55th and 75th minute. This is the 10th plot point, where the enemy approaches, creating tension.

Then there is the 11th plot point where there is nothing left, which is suppressing the protagonist.

Chapter 12, the dark night of the soul. At this point, emotions are suppressed to the limit, and the protagonist is ready to show off and counterattack.

From the 85th minute onwards, the protagonist began to turn defeat into victory.

This three-act screenwriting rule with 15 plot points is applicable to all Hollywood movies with similar superhero or family-friendly themes, and audiences love it.

This conclusion was drawn by professionals in the Hollywood film industry from long-term theoretical and practical experience, and even by incorporating psychological analysis.

It's like an assembly line, so the three major European film studios are hostile and exclusive to Hollywood because they treat movies as pure commodities and ignore exploration in the field of art.

Moreover, precisely because of this, screenwriters and directors are essentially the producer's left and right hands.

One person was responsible for writing, and the other for taking photos.

Just like two marionettes.

"Ok!"

With Nolan's shout over the walkie-talkie, cheers erupted instantly on the film set, which had been operating like a machine.

After a scene was perfectly filmed, the actors could take a break, and each group began to divide up their tasks clearly: tracks, lighting, photography... all the staff started to set up for the next scene, without the need for the director to give instructions.

Because the producer's industrialized call sheet contains every detail of what each person in every position needs to do every day, down to the minute.

"Tsk tsk, how terrifying!"

"But this is actually what we Chinese are best at!"

Guo Fan suddenly said to Chen Jin, and Chen Jin understood what he meant: "Yes, discipline!"

China's current film industry, talent pool, and number of screens are no match for Hollywood.

But we are also very strong, possessing the oldest and most splendid culture, the most passionate moviegoers, the most magnificent market, and the best human resources and the most responsible "oxen and horses"!
In this respect, no one in the world has an advantage over China.

Hollywood's industrial system may seem indestructible, but in reality, it's just that it hasn't become popular in China yet. Once someone standardizes it, it will be easy to learn.

In this aspect of copying, Chinese people are number one in the world.

"A harvest!"

"This has been very rewarding!"

"It doesn't matter for ordinary movies, but for special effects blockbusters, every aspect really needs to be well-matched, otherwise it won't be a good film!"

Guo Fan was still somewhat shaken.

If we hadn't come to Hollywood and had simply followed the existing filming process to shoot "The Wandering Earth," even if the script was okay and the director had a complete story in mind, the various parts just wouldn't have been able to connect.

There is only a story and dialogue, but no special effects or lighting, because it lacks the necessary industrial processes.

Special effects need to be synchronized with the filming process at all times.

Special effects artists need to constantly watch the footage of each special effects shot and then work on the corresponding special effects shots in real time; so-called post-production is just integrating all the special effects footage into a movie.

Each step works in tandem to complete a product, rather than doing this first and then that, with each department responsible for one thing.

This is a completely wrong idea.

Hollywood filming involves clear division of labor among various departments, but also meticulous collaboration.

"Hey, Christopher!"

Chuck then walked over to Nolan in front of the monitor on set and pointed to Chen Jin and Guo Fan behind him: "This is the Venice Film Festival Best Actor Chan from China, and their best-selling director, Gwo!"

Many Hollywood directors delegate authority to the first and second directors, the cinematographer, and the props and lighting directors, and then sit behind the monitor all day without doing anything.

Following the process of positioning, lighting, rehearsal, fine-tuning and formal shooting, the actors put on makeup and moved as needed, and the on-site setting, shooting track layout and lighting equipment debugging were also carried out in an orderly manner.

If Chuck hadn't called out to Nolan, this guy probably wouldn't have turned around.

After hearing Chuck's words, this future world's most successful commercial film director turned around in confusion and looked at Chen Jin and Guo Fan beside him.

As if suddenly realizing something, he got up and walked out of the film set with Chuck.

Chen Jin suddenly saw a very funny scene.

Some people, like them, were actually waiting for the scene to finish filming.

Before Bale could even leave the set, he was stopped by a blond foreigner who brought his own filming crew.

If not Trump, then who is it?
(End of this chapter)