Who are you calling "little fresh meat"? I'm the king.

Chapter 602 Science Fiction Film (33)

Andy Lau…

Shen Yan wants to continue the collaboration!

After all, it's quite difficult to find a Hong Kong actor who won't have a scandal...

Every single Hong Kong actor in later generations is at risk of their career collapsing!
Most importantly, Andy Lau's salary is very reasonable—his current salary is lower than that of Huang Bo and Xu Zheng.

The latter two start at 3000 million...

The six leading middle-aged actors at their peak all commanded starting salaries of 6000 million!

Actually, Leung Ka-fai could also be cast, but he's there to ensure the quality of the film.

Some people live for appearances, while others live for substance.

He is the top influencer among the elite.

Shen Yan also plans to collaborate with Tony Leung Ka-fai…

As for Andy Lau's acting skills...

Actually, it's qualified!

At least in terms of commercial films, his acting skills are sufficient.

The biggest problem is that I always have to be tense when I'm acting, no matter what role I'm playing.

Because of that drive, he always plays Andy Lau rather than the character himself, which is an unsolvable problem. Therefore, he can't portray many profound roles…

However, the acting in "Protégé" was quite good...

It might be related to his image—a hooked nose, so sharp, making him look very intelligent, which naturally suits him to play ambitious characters like Brother Kun.

Oh, Shen Yan is planning to work regularly with a few Hong Kong actors.

To prevent those people from constantly complaining about discrimination against Hong Kong and Taiwanese actors!
Damn it, who's discriminating against me?
Lao Tzu was clearly acting out of caution...

Who knows if you guys are traitors!

Back to the dinner party.

Guo Fan asked, "Brother Hua, would you be interested in acting in a science fiction film?"

"A sci-fi movie? Like 'Future X-Cops'?"

"No...we're a true science fiction film...I'll show you a clip from 'The Martian'..."

Guo Fan took out his notebook and then clicked on "The Martian"—a full 20-minute trailer.

The main reason was that the original mission crew learned of Dafei's survival during the return journey and decided to pilot the "Zhurong-3" spacecraft back to Mars to retrieve him. Ultimately, by detonating the airtight compartment to slow down, they successfully docked with the launch vehicle.

There was no violation of the space agency's instructions...

The space agency simply analyzed the pros and cons and the likelihood of success.

Andy Lau opened his laptop and started reading…

Shen Yan hurriedly asked Guo Fan, "Is post-production of 'The Martian' finished?"

"Almost there..." Guo Fan suddenly remembered something: "Brother, you're the director, so you don't care about post-production at all?"

"How can I manage that? I don't understand special effects rendering..." After a pause, Shen Yan continued, "The result I wanted has already been made into an animation, and they said it will be completed in eight months..."

"So you're really that relaxed?"

“They’re different from extras…” Shen Yan waved his hand: “Extras are the kind of people you have to yell at before they’ll listen to you!”

……

Shen Yan had worked with extras in Hengdian, and generally, after more than two years, they became numb to it…

You try to explain to him in a gentle voice, but he completely ignores you!

What should I do?
Curse him! Point your finger at him and curse him!
Moreover, the actors and directors in the crew must be tall and strong, the kind that look intimidating... Otherwise, they really can't hold the fort!
In film and television projects, the two biggest factors affecting costs are time and the error rate.

Essentially, filming is like taking an exam: minimizing the error rate and getting the highest possible score within a limited time.

A good director is like a good test taker, aiming for a consistently high score.

More time spent means higher labor costs.

Reducing the error rate is essentially about saving time. Every mistake not only costs consumables, but also takes time to redo makeup, lighting, and camera positioning.

One mistake by an extra could render the entire shot unusable…

Then we have to reshoot…

If you happen to be on a long take, a three-minute long take, and you're almost done, then the camera focuses on an extra yawning... and the whole shot is ruined!

It's hard not to curse in a situation like this!
Shen Yan analyzed the reasons—extras are paid by the day, 100 yuan a day, and there's practically no path to promotion…

They don't care about the lowly, working-class people.

……

After watching the 20-minute trailer without fast-forwarding at all, Andy Lau couldn't help but ask, "Is this a movie you made?"

Guo Fan nodded: "Yes, it cost 4 million!"

"Are all these special effects made in China?"

"Yes, we contacted 11 special effects companies across the country... and the costumes were also custom-made by a manufacturer that supplies the aerospace agency!"

Andy Lau couldn't help but praise, "...You guys are amazing! Hong Kong films could never produce such special effects."

Shen Yan interjected: "Special effects either cost a lot of money or a lot of time... We had considered hiring foreign special effects companies before, but on the one hand, they are very expensive, and on the other hand, they are busy with Hollywood's top commercial productions, so they have very few resources to allocate to you. They are often led by interns, and their effects may not be as good as those of domestic special effects teams!"

Guo Fan nodded: "Foreign teams have a prejudice against Chinese orders; they're simply unwilling to do a serious job for you..."

Lu Yang also said: "For foreign special effects companies, first of all, you are not in their circle. You are an outsider and have no influence on their reputation or career in the industry. This means that you can only get mediocre jobs from them. If your attitude is bad, they may not even bother to give you jobs... They don't care about your orders!"

"So, we have to do it ourselves..."

Shen Yan summarized, adding casually, "The project Guo Fan mentioned is called 'The Moon,' a very simple movie..."

Having discussed the plot of "Moon"...

The story is simple: a company on Earth develops an energy company on the moon, specializing in mining Helium-3. At the lunar base, there is a dedicated person—or more accurately, a clone—working there.

The clone's lifespan was set at only 3 years. Because the memories and emotions implanted in the clone told him that his family and children were waiting for him to return to Earth, he signed a 3-year contract with the company, so he had to serve for 3 years before he could go back.

The so-called "going back" is actually just being put into a "coffin" and recycled, while a new clone is reactivated.

The story begins when a new clone is activated and discovers that the management robot is chatting with Earth in real time, learning that an employee has "died." So he tries to get out and finds the injured (but not dead) employee who looks exactly like him and has the same name.

So together they uncovered the secret…

That's right, Duncan Jones's breakthrough film, *Moon*...

Guo Fan said, "We've built a Mars base, which can be converted into a lunar base..."

"Isn't this story too cruel?"

Shen Yan shook his head: "It's been revised. Initially, we planned to film an astronaut stranded on a strange planet, awaiting rescue, similar to being trapped underground in a mine disaster with no food. He has a machine that can quickly create clones, so he plans to use his clones as food. However, there's a problem: his clones are born with all of his memories, including the memory of cannibalism. Therefore, a bloody battle ensues, with the living eating the dead. Many days pass like this until the rescue team arrives. By this time, the astronaut no longer knows if he's still the same person he originally was..."

Andy Lau nodded: "Okay, I'll take it!"

Guo Fan was a little embarrassed: "The cost won't be too high... after all, this film is very experimental... and its market potential isn't very high either..."

"It's okay, I can ask for a lower fee!"

Shen Yan smiled and said, "That's fine then..."

(End of this chapter)