Reborn Action Star: Starting in Hollywood

Chapter 521: Generous Kano, finalizes the filming location
Lin Yuan ate a lot at this dinner.

Whether it was braised lizard feet, roasted python segments, or even grilled giant African snails, Lin Yuan ate a lot of them.

I have to say that as long as you put aside your concerns, these special foods taste quite good.

In addition, it is difficult to eat these things outside of Africa, which makes them even more novel.

This makes the food that is originally 80% good have the effect of 100%.

For staple food, Lin Yuan tried some black curry, Ugandan banana rice and mosquito cakes, but he still couldn't accept these two foods. They were too shabby.

After eating, Lin Yuan touched his slightly bulging belly and was very satisfied with his strong body, which allowed him to enjoy the food better.

It is said that the body is the capital of revolution, but in fact the body is also the source of enjoyment.

Without a strong body, you will feel full after just a few bites of delicious food, your eyes will be dizzy after just a few minutes of playing games, and women will not be able to sleep for long... Well, in short, the benefits of a strong body are really beyond your imagination.

After Lin Yuan finished another glass of the sweet and sour grass root sparkling water called "Pola" in Congo, he sat up straight and said, "Thank you, Mr. Kano, for your hospitality tonight. It tastes very good and suits my taste very well."

"I'm very glad that you like it. As long as you are in Kisangani, come and have dinner with me," Kano said enthusiastically.

Lin Yuan naturally didn't take such polite words seriously. He said, "Let's talk business. I'm in Kisangani to shoot a movie, and I have two things I'd like to ask for your help, Mr. Kano."

"You said that as long as I can do it, I will definitely satisfy you." Kano replied.

"The first thing is that I hope you can help me communicate with the villages near the shooting location so that we can smoothly enter the village and conveniently shoot nearby. It would be even better if you can provide a shooting location." Lin Yuan said.

Just like the previous filming in Cherrapunji, the crew's base camp can be located in Kisangani, but there must be a forward base like Tukamba Village to facilitate their filming nearby.

Unlike in India, filming near Kisangani requires no approval from Kano, as the local villages would never agree to the presence of foreign crews.

So getting Kano’s support is the first thing that must be done.

Kano nodded and said, "This is a trivial matter. On behalf of all the Hutu people in Kisangani, you are welcome to come and take the photo.

No matter where you choose to shoot, I will ask the local villagers to support you as much as possible.

I'd like to ask, when you're shooting a movie, do you prioritize convenience or scenic beauty?"

Although Lin Yuan had already chosen Boyoma Falls as the filming location, choosing where to shoot was still quite a consideration.

For Lin Yuan, the shooting effect is definitely the first priority, otherwise he would not have gone to such a difficult place as Tukanba Village.

Lin Yuan replied, "Convenience is not my priority. I value maximizing the shooting effect more. As long as I can get the best effect, nothing else matters."

"Then I recommend Xiala Village south of Boyoma Falls. There are more than 400 people in that village. It is located above the waterfall, so you can easily take a bird's-eye view of the waterfall. The jungle beside the waterfall is particularly dense. I think the shooting effect will definitely satisfy you." Kano said.

"The road conditions leading to Xiala Village are really bad. Off-road vehicles may be okay, but heavy trucks transporting supplies find it difficult to drive in." Kano continued.

"Is it possible to repair the road?" Lin Yuan asked.

"It's possible, but it might cost some money and require repairing about 40 kilometers of road," Kano replied.

After hearing what Kano said, Lin Yuan felt relieved. A problem that can be solved with money is not a problem.

Moreover, road repair does not mean paving high-standard cement asphalt roads. Instead, it is enough to use materials such as gravel to level and widen the road leading to Xiala Village so that vehicles can pass smoothly.

"I'd like to ask Mr. Kano to recommend a construction team for the road," said Lin Yuan.

Kano nodded: "No problem, what's the second thing?"

"The second thing is that my company has set up a screening department. Its main job is to follow the crew's filming activities and show movies to local people to build awareness. I wonder if Mr. Kano has any taboos about this matter?" Lin Yuan asked.

"If I'm not mistaken, you're planning to show movies to villagers in rural areas of Kisangani for free?" Kano said.

"That's right. Using this kind of activity to give back to the local community also helps promote the movie," Lin Yuan replied.

After hearing Lin Yuan's answer, Kano began to think.

Lin Yuan's reasons sounded reasonable, but they were only superficial reasons. The deeper pros and cons were what he needed to weigh.

Do you want to agree to Lin Yuan’s request?
Seeing Kano thinking, Lin Yuan felt a little guilty because his actions were actually mixed with selfish motives.

This voluntary film screening was a great success when it was piloted in Tukamba Village, so they planned to replicate the successful model in Congo.

More than a month ago, during the filming in Tukamba Village in Cherrapunji, Lin Yuan and director Eastwood tried to use the generator brought by the crew to play movies for the villagers of Tukamba Village.

The purpose is of course to build closer relationships with the villagers and get along more harmoniously.

When this voluntary movie screening campaign was launched, Lin Yuan found that the effect was unexpectedly good, even to a degree that Lin Yuan could not have imagined.

In fact, this is not surprising. Tukanba Village does not even have electricity. If villagers want to watch TV programs, they have to go to Cherrapunji. It can be said that spiritual and cultural life is extremely scarce.

Now they are suddenly shown a movie, an action movie starring Lin Yuan, which represents the highest level of commercial films in the past few years.

How could it not be popular?

As soon as the movie was released, the streets of Tukanba Village were deserted.

Every night when it doesn’t rain, the crew will set up a screen in the open space at the entrance of the village and show a movie.

At this time, villagers who have finished a busy day in the fields will come to the village entrance with their families and sit around to watch movies.

They attended every game without fail, and even when it rained during the day and the ground was muddy, it could not dampen their enthusiasm.

Everyone was like celebrating a festival, with smiles on their faces, eyes full of anticipation, and loudly discussing the plot and exciting scenes in the movie.

This scene also appeared in rural China in the last century. At that time, the film projection team was simply the most popular existence in the countryside.

The villagers hope that the film projection team can come to the village more often, and they even take out eggs and bacon that they are reluctant to eat to warmly entertain the staff who come to the village to show movies.

The crew was also greatly loved by the villagers for showing movies in Tukanba Village.

Previously, the crew had to spend money to buy local specialties from the villagers, but as the movie progressed, the villagers began to sell or give away local specialties at a discount, which made director Eastwood feel that they were taking advantage of them too much.

After all, it doesn't cost anything to show a movie, and it's a bit embarrassing to take the villagers' local specialties for free.

But this proves that by showing movies, the crew can quickly integrate with the locals and gain their genuine love.

However, the effect of playing movies is more than that. Unlike the film projection teams that once existed in China, they play movies shot by others and they themselves are not the main creators of the movies.

The movies played by the crew were all starring Lin Yuan himself.

Can you imagine how it would feel to have just finished watching a movie that made your heart race, and then turn around and find that the star of the movie is right next to you?

This immediately made Lin Yuan feel the fanaticism of star chasing.

Originally, the villagers of Benkamba Village regarded him as a god. Although they were respectful enough to him, they also kept a considerable distance from him.

But as the movie started to air, their admiration for Lin Yuan, mixed with their fondness for him, became even more fanatical.

Their enthusiasm was so great that they went beyond the point of keeping a distance and began to approach Lin Yuan madly, no less than those fanatical fans chasing after stars.

This phenomenon means that Lin Yuan can quickly break down the barriers between him and the locals by playing movies, making the locals fanatically like and accept him in a very short period of time.

If this phenomenon occurs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, then Lin Yuan will definitely not face any resistance from the grassroots people if he wants to mine some minerals locally.

As long as he can deal with upper-class people like Kano in the distribution of benefits, he can gain control of all classes and gain unimpeded control of resource exploitation rights.

This is the powerful influence brought by cultural soft power.

Since this behavior will have an impact on local residents, it is no wonder that Kano did not agree immediately.

After all, no one wants others to exert influence in their territory.

Fortunately, Lin Yuan's influence is only cultural and does not involve political propositions, so there is still room for negotiation.

Kano asked, "What movies are Mr. Lin going to play?"

Movies are full of ideas, and there is no movie without personal opinions. Therefore, what Kano cares most about is the subject matter and content of the movie.

"They are all action movies with fighting and killing, just for fun." Lin Yuan said with a smile.

He was telling Kano that films with strong Western ideologies would not be included in the playlist.

Lin Yuan emphasized the two key points of "fighting and killing" and "having fun" in order to dispel Kano's concerns.

Kano still asked cautiously: "What specific movies are you going to play?"

"We have preliminarily selected six film series: Hero, The Song of Tang Dynasty, Lord of Spy, The Lord of the Rings series, The Fast and the Furious series, and Rush Hour," Lin Yuan replied.

The list of movies is carefully selected.

Lin Yuan was also embarrassed to choose only his own movies, as it would sound too self-promoting.

Therefore, half of the selected films are Lin Yuan’s own films, and the rest are films produced by companies that have close ties with Lin Yuan.

During their stay in Tukanba Village, the crew screened dozens of movies, and ultimately it turned out that the action movies starring Lin Yuan were the most popular.

Many villagers took the initiative to express that they would rather watch Lin Yuan’s "The King of Spy Wars" and "The Legend of Tang Dynasty" repeatedly than watch those films that they have not seen but are obviously inferior to Lin Yuan’s films in quality.

Therefore, Lin Yuan is well aware of how competitive his films are and that they can definitely break through cultural barriers and be loved by everyone.

In addition to Lin Yuan's own films, half of the films are from other companies, which can alleviate the audience's aesthetic fatigue of Lin Yuan.

The "Fast and Furious" series, with a bunch of bald black guys, seems a bit more familiar when it is shown in Congo.

Not to mention "Rush Hour", Chen Long is already quite well-known in Africa, and the second protagonist in the movie is also a black man, which can also bring him closer to the audience.

According to later experience, the "Lord of the Rings" series is quite popular in Africa, and Lin Yuan has obtained the authorization from Time Warner.

After all, the African continent was a colony of European and American countries for centuries. Just look at the Baroque-style palaces in Kano and you will know how much similarity they have on the cultural level.

So in the end Lin Yuan came up with this carefully designed movie list.

After hearing the movie list given by Lin Yuan, Kano's expression relaxed a lot:

Indeed, as Lin Yuan mentioned, these are action and fantasy films, primarily focused on visual stimulation, without any worrying ideological output. African rulers are extremely wary of European and American propagation of values ​​like "freedom," "democracy," and "equality," as this could significantly undermine the foundation of their rule.

"How many teams does your film projection team have? Do they only show movies in the village?" Kano asked.

"There aren't many people, just ten groups in total. After arriving at the village, in addition to showing movies, they may also check on the local villagers and distribute some food and medicine," said Lin Yuan.

As soon as the words came out, Lin Yuan stared at Kano closely. The most critical moment had come.

At this point he had revealed all his intentions, and it was up to Kano to accept them.

During his brief time with Kano, Lin Yuan knew that Kano was definitely a smart man and he was fully capable of seeing the twists and turns behind this.

Showing movies can already win people's favor to a great extent, and adding free medical consultations and the distribution of medicines and food is simply a naked way of winning people's hearts.

If this had been done during the chaotic times of ancient China, it wouldn't have taken long for one to gather a team. For example, the Heavenly Master who shouted "The Blue Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven should be established" might not have been able to achieve this.

But Lin Yuan is not Congolese, nor even black. In today's world of awakening national consciousness, it is impossible for him to really do such a thing.

In addition, it is impossible for Lin Yuan to really establish an organization in Congo, draw up a roster, and organize activities in a unified manner. If he really did that, Kano would immediately stop his actions.

After thinking for a while, Kano nodded and said, "I agree. Mr. Lin, you can do it without worry."

After hearing Kano's answer, Lin Yuan finally breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't expect Kano to agree so readily.

So Lin Yuan returned the favor and said, "Please, Mr. Kano, arrange for someone to connect with me."

"Connecting what?" Kano asked.

"It's the list of medicines and food to be distributed. We only provide supplies, and you are the ones who will do the distribution work." Lin Yuan replied.

"Hahahaha!" Kano laughed: "Mr. Lin, you are really funny."

Lin Yuan smiled but said nothing. He knew that this was the "unspoken rule" of doing things in Africa.

Basically, most humanitarian organizations that come to Africa to work have to distribute supplies through local bosses.

These supplies are all real money, whether it is food or medicine, they are absolutely practical materials, and there is no need to worry about not being able to sell them.

Therefore, the local tyrants will inevitably set their sights on this piece of fat meat.

If you don't let people handle it, how can they make a profit from it?

If you don't let people take a cut of the profits, they won't let you get your job done.

You come to other people's territory to do charity and gain moral satisfaction, but what does it have to do with my local tyrants?
You come here to win people's hearts and even harm my rule.

This is why Lin Yuan had to obtain Kano's consent, and why Lin Yuan took the initiative to ask Kano to find someone to coordinate the distribution of supplies with him.

In fact, after the local tyrant has handled the matter, he can also help promote it for you and tell the local people that it was you who gave it to them, which is already very considerate.

If the commission rate is only 30%, it can be said to be quite conscientious and authentic.

Some local tyrants are more extreme and have taken away more than half of the supplies. Even when distributing supplies, they don't mention your name, but act like good people in their own name.

If you go to question them, the local tyrant will confidently say:
Don't you want to be a good person? Haven't the supplies been distributed? Have you already done good things?

As for not knowing that it was sent by you, is it that important?
You care so much about your reputation, are you really doing charity work?

This ability to turn the tables is comparable to that of the fairies in China in later generations.

Lin Yuan looked at Kano who was laughing, and knew that both things today had been accomplished.

He originally thought that there would be some twists and turns, but he didn't expect it to be so smooth.

It seems that since he saved Kano's life today, he is still very generous and wants to show his loyalty.

But to Lin Yuan's surprise, Kano shook his head and said, "No need for any coordination, just distribute the supplies yourselves."

"Mr. Kano?" Lin Yuan asked doubtfully.

"I took in that group of people, don't I understand? They're completely unprofessional, but their ability to take bribes is unparalleled.

You are my savior. I can't do such a thing as helping you and then taking advantage of you.

Just go ahead and do it, I will support you." Kano said.

"Mr. Kano, your frankness exceeded my expectations." Lin Yuan said with some emotion.

Kano was indeed more generous than he had imagined. It was already remarkable that he could agree to do this to win people's hearts. Lin Yuan originally thought that it was necessary to pay some price.

I didn’t expect Kano to be so generous and take the initiative to refuse the benefits offered by Lin Yuan.

At this point, the meeting between the two tonight has come to a successful conclusion.

After enjoying a delicious African meal and finalizing two things, Lin Yuan said goodbye and left with satisfaction.

"I'm sorry I can't accompany you when you go to the filming location for an on-site inspection tomorrow. You also know what happened today and I have to stay in Kisangani to deal with it," said Kano.

"As you should. At times like this, you must stay in the city and deal with any accidents that may occur at any time. I hope you can uncover the mastermind behind this as soon as possible." Lin Yuan replied.

"I will arrange for a subordinate to take you to Xiala Village. He will also communicate with the village chief on my behalf. You don't have to worry at all." Kano said.

"Thank you again, Mr. Kano." After Lin Yuan thanked him, he stood up and prepared to say goodbye.

Kano personally sent them to the door before turning back.

After coming out of Kano's manor, Lin Yuan, who was sitting in the back seat of the Hummer, asked GAKKI-chan, "How are Buta and Gary?"

"They have basically completed the resettlement of refugees and have also selected the list of employees. They will set off for Kisangani tomorrow." said GAKKI.

"They are really fast and efficient. We have to hurry up, otherwise by the time these temporary employees arrive, the crew will still not be here, which is not acceptable." Lin Yuan continued.

"Well, tomorrow we will confirm the shooting location and road conditions, and then we can notify Director Eastwood to bring the crew over." GAKKI replied.

"I hope everything goes well." Lin Yuan sighed.

……

……

Everything went smoothly and the next morning’s trip to inspect the filming locations went smoothly.

Although it took a full five hours to drive from Kisangani to Xala Village, a distance of 102 kilometers.

However, there were no unexpected situations along the way, and Lin Yuan did not encounter any road problems that he was worried about, nor did he find any insurmountable difficulties.

It only takes an experienced engineering team seven or eight days to repair the road. At that time, heavy-loaded trucks transporting elephants and tigers will be able to drive directly to Xiala Village.

Under the leadership of Kano's subordinate, Lin Yuan met with the village chief of Xiala Village.

I don’t know what Kano’s subordinates said, but the village chief behaved extremely respectfully, and it can be said that he was even a little afraid of Lin Yuan.

But Lin Yuan couldn't figure this out because he and the village chief didn't speak the same language and had to communicate through an interpreter.

Although in Africa, English, French, Belgian and Spanish are used most of the time, we can communicate with locals quite smoothly.

This remote Xiala Village obviously does not belong to most of the time. The language barrier means that the locals have little communication with the outside world, which means that Xiala Village is very backward.

This is also a backward village without electricity, but Lin Yuan has gotten used to it.

After experiencing life in Tukanba Village, Lin Yuan can endure anything as long as there is clean water.

But apparently in the village of Xala, which is right on the Congo River, there is no need to worry about this at all.

After confirming that there was no problem in Xiala Village, Lin Yuan and his group came to Boyoma Waterfall.

The spectacular Boyoma Falls are self-explanatory, and it is definitely a plus if it is included in the movie:
Lin Yuan had seen many rainbows over waterfalls, but he had never seen one as exaggerated as the one in front of Boyoma Waterfall.

I don’t know why, but this rainbow is three times bigger than the one at Niagara Falls!

Not only is it big, but it is also extremely clear and colorful. It is so beautiful that it seems unreal, as if it was pasted directly in front of a waterfall using special effects.

In addition to the great waterfall, what is more important is the nearby jungle.

The waterfall is a plus, but the jungle is the deciding factor.

Before coming here, Lin Yuan heard Kano introduce that the jungle here is particularly dense.

But when Lin Yuan actually saw the jungle with his own eyes, he couldn't help but roar: "What do you mean by extremely dense? This is so dense that there is no way to walk!"
The jungle before my eyes, from the low bushes on the ground to the lush treetops above my head that completely covered the sky, perfectly illustrates the powerful vitality of nature.

Although such a jungle would make filming more difficult, Lin Yuan fell in love with it at first sight.

This dense jungle is a perfect fit for the next stage of the film's plot.

According to the needs of the plot, after the wild man Udi, played by Lin Yuan, gets rid of the anaconda, he soon faces the threat from another jungle overlord: "Tiger King Raja".

The plot begins to move towards a tense confrontation.

The dense forest before us looked particularly gloomy because the treetops above blocked the light.

The densely packed trees and almost seamless jungle scene can interfere with the visual range to a greater extent, giving people a strong sense of oppression.

It's like when you're adventuring in a haunted house, the empty rooms with great views won't make you nervous.

But the feeling of not being able to see the corner ahead will make your adrenaline rush.

Finally, Lin Yuan finalized the shooting location.

He took out his cell phone and called director Eastwood.

Since arriving in Tukanba Village, Lin Yuan had long since switched to a mobile phone that supported satellite calls. Otherwise, filming in such an isolated place, unable to communicate with the outside world for several months, would cause a lot of trouble.

"I finally got your call! Lin Yuan, please tell me it's good news!" Director Eastwood's energetic voice came from the phone.

(End of this chapter)