Entertainment: I am the peak

Chapter 421 Don’t let go
Xu Shanzheng came to Huairou to find Li Qiutang.

Li Qiutang didn't answer his calls, but he was on set, so there was no way to avoid him.

But Li Qiutang still ignored him, only being polite to him insincerely, treating him as an ordinary visiting guest, and asking him to sit next to her and watch the monitor together.

On set, they were filming the scene where Hu Bayi opens the coffin and discovers that it contains his long-lost first love, Ding Sitian.

Jing Tian's goddess costume, from the clothes to the headdress, was as heavy as Jing Tian herself. She also had to wear this costume while being suspended by wires, and Jing Tian was tortured to the point of near death by this costume.

Cut a clip! Jing Tian can't even come to the director's studio to watch the monitor. It's very difficult for her to move around. She can only listen to the staff tell her what's good and what's bad.

“We’ve been talking about industrialization for ten years, but right now only you can do it.” Xu Shanzheng only said what sounded good. “I can’t make a film like this.”

Liu Yifei, who had no role today, sat next to Li Qiutang and found these words somewhat amusing. Xu Shanzheng was a full twelve years older than Li Qiutang and had debuted and become famous much earlier, making him a true senior. However, Xu Shanzheng's directorial career was supported by Li Qiutang, a younger generation, and the copyright of the "Lost in..." series, which Xu Shanzheng relied on for fame, was also held by Li Qiutang, a younger generation.

With two awful films, Xu Shanzheng is now a well-known director in the industry, but it is indeed funny that he speaks to Li Qiutang, a junior, in such a pleading manner, even with some flattery and sycophancy.

Li Qiutang didn't tell Liu Yifei about the current situation of the "Lost in..." series, so she naturally didn't know why Xu Shanzheng was talking to her like that.

Putting aside the "囧" series, Li Qiutang is still willing to communicate with Xu Shanzheng.

"We're not truly industrialized yet; we'd barely qualify as rudimentary industrialization. We've only scratched the surface."

Is your 3D effect real-time?

“Yes, you can see it by wearing the glasses.” Li Qiutang handed a pair of 3D glasses to Xu Shanzheng. Filming this movie was incredibly hard on the eyes; Li Qiutang had gone through countless bottles of eye drops.

"Cut!" Li Qiutang stopped the performance on set. "Let's go check out the film set."

Xu Shanzheng has never directed a blockbuster film, but he has visited many large film crews. However, there are many things about Li Qiutang's film crew that he has never seen before.

For example, QC calibration seems to be used by only a few big directors in China, such as Xu Ke.

Li Qiutang was the only one who created the 3D dynamic preview for the entire film; other crew members, including himself, only created a portion of it.

He had only heard of some of the equipment but never seen it. For example, he knew the differences between the new and old cameras. Others couldn't get their hands on them, but Li Qiutang could get them from their headquarters.

"Actually, it's nothing much. This machine is just lighter and has better color management, but the improvement is limited."

What is the resolution?

“4K.” This was also Li Qiutang’s first time shooting in 4K. “4K came too fast. It feels like I was shooting in 2K yesterday, and when I woke up, the whole world was watching 4K.”

But Xu Shanzheng didn't come to Huairou to talk about some nonsense about 4K and 3D; he came to persuade Li Qiutang to let him have the Lost in the World series.

Xu Shanzheng knew he couldn't talk about this on set, so he patiently stayed with Li Qiutang for as long as she was filming, and didn't leave even after visiting the set.

It wasn't until after 9 p.m. that Li Qiutang finished work, and he thought they could finally talk. But Li Qiutang called another meeting with the behind-the-scenes creators.

He waited until 11 o'clock before Li Qiutang's meeting ended, and the two went out for a late-night snack.

Xu Shanzheng ordered some drinks, but Li Qiutang refused, saying, "Our crew doesn't allow alcohol. You drink it." It was the first time Xu Shanzheng had known that drinking wasn't allowed on Li Qiutang's film crew.

Xu Shanzheng doesn't see anything wrong with wanting the rights to the "Lost in..." series. Yes, the "Lost in..." series belongs to Qiu Tian, ​​and his success as a director was largely due to Qiu Tian's support. But how much money did "Lost in Thailand" make for your company? More than enough, right? You've repaid any debt you owe. The huge success of "Lost in Thailand" was entirely due to me. What's wrong with me wanting to make my own "Lost in..." series?
I want the copyright, it's not like I'm not willing to pay. As long as the price is right, I won't budge an inch. But before Xu Shanzheng could even think of a way to say it, Li Qiutang launched an attack: "I heard you're not planning to use Bao Qiang and Huang Bo in 'Lost in Hong Kong'?"

Xu Shanzheng said, "It's not that I don't want to use them, it's that Bao Qiang and Huang Bo are both unavailable."

Li Qiutang just watched as the bald man seriously lied to her. Did he really think I didn't know?
Li Qiutang pressed further: "Here's what we'll do: I'll talk to Baoqiang for you, and he'll definitely be willing to act."

"No, Baoqiang really doesn't have the time. I've already asked, and Huang Bo is the same."

He added, "The core of a film is the director. As long as the director is there, it doesn't matter if the actors are replaced. Bao Qiang and Huang Bo are both big names and too expensive. This will save the production team some money."

Your previous film grossed 12 billion, and now you're saying you want to save money? Investors are more than happy for you to spend money; how can you come up with such a reason?
Xu Shanzheng lied to his face, and Li Qiutang didn't hold back either: "I think you shouldn't rush to film 'Lost in Hong Kong'. You should try your best to make sure that Huang Bo and Bao Qiang can come back. At least one of them has to come back. Otherwise, if it's a road movie and no one balances your character, the audience will feel very awkward."

It's true that Xu Shanzheng is in charge of "Lost in Hong Kong", but Qiu Tian has the ability to ruin this film.

Xu Shanzheng will absolutely not press the pause button: "I've already assembled the cast. I know a road movie needs a partner, so I found Bao Beier to work with me."

“I know this actor,” Bao Beier had auditioned for his film crew but was rejected. “This guy is no good at comedy.” Bao Beier is actually quite good at playing villainous young masters, but he has the same problem as Deng Chao: they both think they have comedic talent. Bao Beier dreams of playing Wei Xiaobao.

"I think it's great." Xu Shanzheng strongly supported Bao Beier.

"If you think it's good, then use it." Li Qiutang didn't want to say anything more.

Xu Shanzheng drank a glass of wine to bolster his courage and said, "Qiutang, could you..." He was about to ask if he could sell the copyright of "Lost in Hong Kong" to Li Qiutang when Li Qiutang's phone rang.

"Excuse me, I need to reply to something."

Xu Shanzheng didn't know what else to say.

It was an international email.

"I have to go, I have some things to take care of back home," Li Qiutang said as she stood up. "We can talk about it later."

"Okay." Xu Shanzheng couldn't very well stop Li Qiutang from leaving.

Xu Shanzheng knew that Li Qiutang was trying to lure him in, but he had no choice. For the sake of development and profit, he had to take the bait.

The Lost series is a treasure trove. Road movies are different from other dramas. It's so easy to make a series of road movies; you can shoot one just by changing the location.

Road comedies don't even need to be connected in their parts. What's the connection between "Lost on Journey" and "Lost in Thailand" in terms of plot and characters?

Xu Shanzheng had someone assess the IP value of the "Lost in..." series, and it's worth at least tens of billions!
He couldn't just stand by and watch the autumn take that money.

So he was willing to pay a certain price, but to his surprise, Li Qiutang didn't take the bait at all and wouldn't even listen to his offer.

How can we continue negotiating this deal?

On the way back, Li Qiutang emphasized in the company's senior management group, especially to the investment and production management department and the copyright operation department: "He invited you to dinner, karaoke and sauna. You should entertain him as you see fit. I don't care, but no one is allowed to give in."

(End of this chapter)