The Birth of the Best Director

Chapter 132: "Real Steel" merges with "Ready Player One," bro, you're a genius!
……

After entering the private room, Dilraba sat down next to Lu Zhiyuan without hesitation.

"Brother, I work hard outside to make money for the company. Look at Kun, he didn't even invite me to the company dinner? He's such an irresponsible general manager."

"Why don't we just dismiss him?"

After Reba came up, she immediately put a hat on Xin Yukun.

Then, we need to define the nature of this matter.

This was their company's internal dinner.

Liu Shishi was an outsider.

This implies that Liu Shishi can leave.

"Kun was wrong, make him apologize to you later. As for Shishi, there are no outsiders here, let's all have a meal together."

Lu Zhiyuan smiled at Reba, then turned to look at Xin Yukun and glared at him!
He knew this gathering was no ordinary event from the moment he arrived.

Xin Yukun still wanted to fool him?

He turned directly to Reba and asked if there was a dinner party today, and when Reba would arrive.

Dilraba is also a clever girl. As soon as she heard Lu Zhiyuan's hint, she understood that Brother Kun was up to something again. She immediately brought two girlfriends over!
"Brother, you're the boss, you make the decisions."

Dilraba, who was all gentle and considerate in front of Lu Zhiyuan, turned to greet Liu Shishi: "Shishi-jie, long time no see."

Dilraba is very familiar with Gao Yuanyuan, but she has only met Liu Shishi a few times from afar and is not very familiar with her. She has only vaguely heard that Liu Shishi and Kun Ge have a good relationship.

Kun Ge is a greasy guy with a really sleazy face. He goes to nightclubs to pick up girls every few days. Which female celebrity would have a good relationship with him?

Liu Shishi's intention to get close to Kun Ge was self-evident.

"Dilraba, it's been a long time."

Liu Shishi felt a little embarrassed and silently glanced at Xin Yukun.

Kun is really useless.

We had planned to create a romantic evening just for me and Lu Zhiyuan, but now it's turned out like this?
Give me back my red envelope!
"Sister Ai, Nazha, order. Order whatever you want, Kun will pay. He's made a fortune lately, no need to save him money."

Reba glared at Xin Yukun, then took the menu and told her two girlfriends to order the most expensive items.

"My little darling, order whatever you want to eat."

Xin Yukun had absolutely no way to deal with Reba.

Dilraba, that little flatterer, immediately snuck up to Miss Jing Tian's side and became her best friend, as well as Lu Zhiyuan's little darling.

Regardless of whether they are close or distant, they will surround him in every way.

It's also the company's cash cow.

Recently, Dilraba has been busy running around for commercial deals and has signed many endorsement contracts. In just one month, she has earned tens of millions of yuan.

Yuankun Media takes 40%, which is also tens of millions!

Xin Yukun owns 10% of the company's shares, which means that Reba earns him more than 100 million yuan a month. It is clear that he can earn even more next year.

He could only serve this living ancestor.

"Nazha, come here for a moment."

After appeasing Dilraba, Xin Yukun glared at Nazha and led her out.

Reaching a secluded corner, Xin Yukun frowned and stared at Nazha: "What's going on with you? I told you to call me after you finished, it's been almost a week, have you just vanished?"

"Do you want me to call your 30 girlfriends and have them come and teach you a lesson?"

Naza lowered her head and played with her fingers, not daring to refute.

Seeing Xin Yukun getting increasingly out of line, she looked up and muttered under her breath, "Brother Kun, I'm following Senior Reba now. If you threaten me with this again, I'll tell Sister Tiantian. We'll all go down together."

Good guy!
Who said you're stupid?

Aren't you quite shrewd?

They immediately found my weakness!

Xin Yukun wasn't afraid of others finding out about his pimping for Lu Zhiyuan; he was just afraid of Miss Jing Tian finding out.

Because Miss Jing Tian really will kill him.

"Fine, fine, now you have someone backing you up, so you dare to talk to me like that?"

Xin Yukun chuckled coldly a few times, took out his phone, and made a call: "Hey you, stop causing trouble. I can't handle this little devil you gave me. That scene in Dunhuang has nothing to do with you. Tell your 30 little models to get out of here."

Xin Yukun's approach to Reba was primarily to ingratiate himself with her.

Because Reba's only weakness is Lu Zhiyuan.

This is also his weakness.

Both of them were Lu Zhiyuan's right-hand men, so it was impossible for them to fight each other. Occasional infighting was just a minor source of amusement for the siblings.

However, he won't be lenient when dealing with little Nazha.

What use is Nazha to him?

If it weren't for his good friend's happiness, why would he go through all that trouble? Naza, this little scatterbrain, completely doesn't understand her own value.

How dare she threaten me?

That's hilarious!
Turning his head, Xin Yukun looked coldly at Nazha, his attitude completely changing. With a flick of his sleeve, he said indifferently, "Nazha, go back to where you came from. What does our company dinner have to do with you?"

After saying that, Xin Yukun turned and left.

Naza was completely stunned.

If she really leaves like this, Nazha can foresee her tragic end.

After hesitating for a moment, she followed.

When Xin Yukun saw Nazha following him, he sneered inwardly, knowing that Nazha wasn't really stupid; at least in crucial moments, she still had some intelligence.

Seeing Nazha return, Xin Yukun knew what was going on. On the surface, he pretended to be impatient and said, "What are you doing here? Don't think that Dilraba will back you up. Don't you know who you are? Would Dilraba back you up? She must be crazy!"

After thinking it through, Nazha's face turned pale.

She remembered that she had tried to seduce Lu Zhiyuan. If Reba knew, she would definitely kill her.

wrong.

Dilraba knows.

He deliberately kept her by his side so that he could observe her closely.

If she does anything improper, I'll definitely report her to Miss Jing Tian and then kill her!
Thinking of this, Nazha's face grew even paler.

My life is so miserable!
Why are they all so evil? Why are they all so treacherous?
Isn't this bullying the honest person?

Seeing that Nazha seemed to understand her situation, Xin Yukun softened his tone and couldn't help but hint at something.

"Nazha, you're someone I hired, and you betrayed me after only a week. You've slapped me in the face. Let me tell you clearly, you either go back to your hometown right now, or if you still want to stay in this industry, think about who you should rely on?"

Even if Nazha is slow to react, she has come to her senses by now.

She knew she had completely offended Xin Yukun, and unless she clung to Miss Jing Tian or Lu Zhiyuan, she might have a chance to survive.

Otherwise, she probably wouldn't be able to continue being a child model.

Why should Miss Jing Tian be allowed to hug her legs?

Miss Jing Tian isn't stupid; she must know what Brother Kun is thinking and who she is.

"Brother Kun, I was wrong."

Nazha immediately realized that she could only cling to Xin Yukun's coattails.

Otherwise, life will most likely beat you up.

Life without money is so hard to endure.

For the past week, she has been accompanying Zhang Tianai, taking Dilraba to various events and watching her sign contracts one after another.

The amount on the contract was a huge sum she had never seen in her entire life.

She genuinely wanted to live that kind of life.

But who can give her such a life?
Kun Ge in front of us isn't up to the task, but Yuan Ge is!
But if Brother Kun doesn't help with the introduction, why should Brother Yuan let her latch onto his coattails?

"It's good that you admit your mistake. Naza, you're still a child, and children will make mistakes. I'm a big shot and won't hold it against you."

"Besides, I'm scolding you for your own good. You're such a silly little thing, how much hardship will you suffer out there?"

Seeing that Nazha had given in, and in a way that was truly unforgettable, Xin Yukun laughed.

Now they should be completely subdued.

He patted Nazha on the shoulder and started making grand promises.

“Nazha, if you follow us, you won’t be bullied and you won’t lack resources. If you want to appear on various shows, it’s just a matter of saying one word.”

"If Xiao Ai can't handle it, I'll help you. If I can't handle it, let Brother Yuan help you."

"Brother Yuan is a Palme d'Or winner and director. His new film is currently a huge hit. Haven't you read the reviews in the newspapers? He's the top Chinese director currently making commercial films!"

"If Brother Yuan puts a good word for you, he can get you on a CCTV program. Isn't that better than you just messing around outside?"

"Besides, you've seen our company's situation. Just take Dilraba as an example. She's already become an international superstar. Even a little bit of resources that slips through her fingers would be enough for you to live a life of luxury."

Uh-huh.

Naza nodded repeatedly.

After realizing her true identity, she felt that this kind of life was actually quite good, much better than when she was a small-time model, where she lived a precarious life.

"You just understand."

"Go back to Xiao Ai and sign a formal artist contract, which will be displayed in Dilraba's studio."

“In the past, the labor contract you signed with the modeling agency exploited you like a beast of burden, and I didn’t feel sorry for you at all. But if Brother Yuan found out, he would definitely scold me.”

"You should be thanking your lucky stars for having a boss like Brother Yuan."

With a carrot and stick approach, wouldn't someone as clueless as Nazha be completely dumbfounded?

Of course, Xin Yukun also understood that it was difficult to convince someone with coercion and enticement. It was still necessary to bind them with benefits and make them promises to make them willing to give full play to their initiative.

Just look at Dilraba.

To become a rich woman and support her artist brother, she worked tirelessly to earn money without anyone forcing her!

Only when you know what you want can you strive for it.

"Brother Kun, I will definitely work hard to earn money. My dad is in poor health, and I need to earn more money for his medical expenses."

Xin Yukun was pondering how to make Nazha, this little scatterbrain, as motivated as Dilraba.

Naza herself confessed.

"Good boy! I didn't misjudge you. Although you're a little slow-witted, you have a filial heart. Work hard, and I won't let you down."

Xin Yukun was very happy.

Naza also has her own weaknesses, so now she feels much more at ease.

"Give me your account number later, and I'll transfer 100 million yuan from the company account to you as an advance payment of several years' salary so your dad can get proper medical treatment."

After saying that, Xin Yukun thought to himself that he couldn't let this life-saving grace fall on his own shoulders.

Naza isn't a rich woman, what good is it for me to ask Naza for a favor?
I have to give my brother a perfect assist!

So, he thought for a moment and said, "Nazha, you don't need to thank me. This is what Brother Yuan told me. Actually, he liked you the moment he saw you. Otherwise, would you have been able to stay with Dilraba? Would Xiao Ai have taken you along?"

Yes!

Naza immediately realized what was happening.

That day, Xin Yukun left her alone in the hotel banquet hall.

After Lu Zhiyuan appeared, he felt somewhat helpless and sorry for her, so he called Reba to pick her up and asked Reba to take good care of her.

Otherwise, she would have ended up homeless in this city where she had no one to rely on.

"Yeah, Brother Yuan is a really nice guy."

Naza smiled sweetly and nodded blankly.

I silently added in my mind: Besides, he's super handsome, both artistic and suave, I like him a lot too.

"Keep this up. I believe in you!"

Upon seeing Nazha, he seemed to enter a love-struck state, and Xin Yukun smiled knowingly.

He was all too familiar with that smile.

……

In the box.

Dilraba and Liu Shishi were having a lively conversation.

Dilraba did most of the talking, going on about which hotels in Los Angeles were good for eating, which places were fun to visit, and which parks in New York had a lot of homeless people and should be avoided. She also mentioned some churches in Bulgaria that were perfect for weddings, with a wonderful atmosphere.

The lighthouse on Weizhou Island is very lonely, but if you're with your loved one, it gives you a feeling of being together forever, no matter where you are.

Especially on a certain evening, when the orange-red sunset shines down.

Liu Shishi felt very uncomfortable after hearing this.

She also wanted to travel abroad, especially with Lu Zhiyuan.

Dilraba is so lucky, it's truly enviable.

"Xiao Ai, you've lost a lot of weight lately. Eat more. Shall I peel a shrimp for you?"

Seeing that Reba and Liu Shishi were chatting so enthusiastically, Lu Zhiyuan gave up his seat and sat down next to Zhang Tianai.

"I can do it myself. Thank you."

At this moment, Zhang Tianai felt very happy and warm inside, but she quickly remembered that she had diarrhea for a week after having dinner with Lu Zhiyuan last time.

I'm completely exhausted.

She is now very wary of this.

This is what it means to be unworthy of something.

I really envy Dilraba. She can eat and drink to her heart's content with Lu Zhiyuan without any problems, and she even secretly posts honeymoon photos of her and Lu Zhiyuan in Bulgaria online...

Don't think I didn't see it, I've set you to be on my special watchlist!
……

Xin Yukun brought Nazha back.

For some reason, Lu Zhiyuan suddenly felt that Nazha had become much more friendly to everyone, especially the way she looked at him, which was full of admiration, gratitude, and a hint of affection.

baffling.

In the end what happened?
"Bro, I knew you liked Nazha's type. Don't worry, I've got it all sorted out for you, she won't run away."

Xin Yukun noticed Lu Zhiyuan's gaze and was immediately comforted.

After putting in so much effort, we've finally seen some results.

Liu Shishi was no good; Lu Zhiyuan only had a slight appreciation for her.

Liu Yifei wouldn't do either; Lu Zhiyuan bluntly said she looked like a minotaur. Who would give a girl they like a nickname like that?
Look at Dilraba?

Lu Zhiyuan called her Blood Elf and treated her like his little darling, which made sense.

"Brother Kun, stop messing around with all this nonsense. Spend more energy on serious matters."

Speaking of this, Lu Zhiyuan felt that he should first talk to Brother Kun about the plot of "Real Steel".

Otherwise, even if Kun goes to a screenwriting studio tomorrow, the script he writes will most likely still be a complete mess.

……

"On the surface, it's a robot boxing match, but at its core, it's a story about the emotional bond between a father and son?"

"Fight scenes, 4-5? The robot and the two protagonists work together to achieve a rags-to-riches story?"

After listening to Lu Zhiyuan recount the original plot of "Real Steel," Xin Yukun pondered for a while and then shook his head.

"Bro, this sounds interesting, but only a little bit. It's nowhere near as good as 'Upgrade'. I don't think it'll be very successful."

"Who wrote this script for you? You don't seem to know much about Hollywood."

"Hollywood hates movies with such ambiguous target audiences the most, as they weaken the cohesion of the core audience. A movie that tries to appeal to both sides often ends up appealing to neither."

Brother Kun does have some insightful observations!

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhiyuan wholeheartedly agreed.

In another timeline, "Real Steel" had a production cost of $1.1 million, but only grossed $8500 million at the North American box office.

This is so dismal!

He looks like he's about to collapse!

Let's leave the box office figures aside for now.

The freshness rating on the rotten tomatoes is only 60%!

Compared to 90% of District 9, it's far inferior.

This shows that the film did not receive good reviews when it was first released.

Either the promotional strategy is flawed, or the film's target audience is misunderstood; in short, the core audience wasn't identified.

"Brother, have you forgotten? We initially wanted to make an art film like 'Upgrade,' but you rejected my idea and went straight for a sci-fi action movie, fighting from beginning to end, with really exciting scenes."

"Look, Dilraba and Keanu Reeves are both famous now. Tom Hiddleston also became a bit famous for a while, and after he went back to his hometown in England, he bragged about you every day."

"You're right about one thing: film is a visual art. First, get the action going and secure your audience, then fill in some interesting concepts, and that's what makes a successful commercial film."

"Our initial concept for Real Steel was a sci-fi robot boxing match. The core audience it attracted was teenagers, as well as some male sports fans who were looking forward to that kind of hardcore mecha showdown."

"The script you just told me seems to lean towards family warmth... I'm not looking forward to this kind of story about a useless father reconciling with his son at all."

After analyzing the situation, Xin Yukun emphasized his first instinct.

"In any case, mecha action movies must focus on cool robot fighting scenes to attract enough action movie fans."

"As long as it attracts action movie fans, the global box office will not be less than 3 million US dollars!"

"Based on this, if you put your genius into it and come up with some super cool concepts, the box office could reach around 4 million US dollars!"

"Based on this, if you leverage your world-class artist aesthetic and incorporate some incredibly cool concepts from world-famous paintings, the box office should, barring any unforeseen circumstances, reach around 5 million US dollars!"

$5 million, a sci-fi action movie.

almost!

That's awesome!
In addition, there are the mechs designed by Lu Zhiyuan.

For example, with the "Qin Palace Guards" series, if you own the copyright, find a reliable domestic OEM manufacturer, and don't sell it at too high a price, sales should be quite good.

Selling Onimusha to Japan would definitely make a fortune.

[Planet Ripper], sell it to the Americans, they have money, maybe it'll sell like hotcakes.

The Templars, if sold to Europe, those French and British would definitely love them.

These derivative products might also sell for hundreds of millions of US dollars.

Why are they putting on this family-themed drama?
By blurring the lines between its target audience, this commercial film is doomed to fail!
But after thinking about it, Xin Yukun realized something and added, "I reckon the screenwriter who wrote this script for you probably considered that the Transformers series, as a mecha battle, stands there like a monument, and it's too difficult to surpass."

"Others who want to make mecha battle films must avoid the visual spectacle of Transformers, otherwise they will not be able to defeat Transformers and will inevitably become mediocre."

Kun-ge is right.

Lu Zhiyuan thought about it and realized that the original production team of "Real Steel" probably thought the same way.

Because this movie was released in 2011, and Transformers 3 swept the globe that year, grossing $11.2 billion at the box office.

After watching the cool robot battles in "Transformers 3," a regular robot boxing match really isn't very interesting.

Therefore, the team behind Real Steel wanted to create a differentiated competitive experience by highlighting the heartwarming father-son relationship.

But still the same sentence.

As a commercial film, "Real Steel" features robots that are designed to be too ugly, lacking any distinctiveness or commercial appeal. As a result, toys, models, and other merchandise simply don't sell.

As a commercial film, the characters have to be cool!

Whether it's a human character or a robot character, they can't be too ordinary and lack any distinctive features.

The success of Lu Zhiyuan's version of "Upgrade" stems from his in-depth exploration of the character of Dilraba.

A super cool persona was created for Dilraba.

"Brother Kun, I have an idea. How about putting the robot arena battles from 'Real Steel' into a virtual online game? What do you think?"

"It's that kind of virtual reality game that's popular in online novels these days, the one where you wear a helmet."

"I've reconsidered my character design."

"Grandpa's role is that of a former boxing prodigy and later a top coach. Because technology has developed too quickly, people have become immersed in the virtual network, and human boxing matches have completely lost their attention. This old man has also gradually lost his former glory, and his life has become completely decadent."

"But then he suddenly learned that his son, whom he hadn't contacted in a long time, had died in a car accident, leaving him with a granddaughter."

"My granddaughter has a congenital disease, and treatment requires a lot of money. In order to earn enough money, her grandfather heard that there are robot arena battles in virtual online games, which have 10 times the attention of human boxing matches. Many people have become famous and made money overnight. So, at the retirement age of 65, he chose to enter this game to earn money for his granddaughter's medical expenses."

"As a former boxing prodigy and a top coach after retirement, my grandfather is very old, but his nerves are exceptionally active. He controls the robot to fight in the ring with ease and quickly earns his first pot of gold."

"However, in one match, he encountered a strange opponent who used the same footwork, the same order of attacks, and even the same dodging techniques as him."

"Relying on his experience, he easily defeated his opponent, won the extra bonus for 10 consecutive wins, and returned home happily."

"But to his surprise, his granddaughter looked unhappy."

"The reason is naturally... the opponent of his last 10 consecutive victories was actually his little granddaughter who was lying in a hospital bed."

"The reason I'm angry is that the young girl wants to get the extra reward for a 10-game winning streak so she can buy the old man a better pickup truck!"

Lu Zhiyuan completely overturned the script.

They even redesigned the characters for "Real Steel".

Like "Upgrade", it focuses on the mutual care between two generations and is full of warmth.

However, due to the pride of both grandfather and grandson, or their clumsiness in expressing emotions, this emotion appears more restrained, yet full of tension.

"interesting!"

After listening to Lu Zhiyuan's story, Xin Yukun began to ponder it.

The combination of exciting robot battles and the concept of immersive virtual online games is indeed quite novel.

At least in this era, there has never been a film with this subject matter!
Moreover, the filming of Muztagh Ata, that kind of treasure hunt, seems to be able to be integrated into the plot of the robot arena grand prix.

It won't be so abrupt.

In addition, the emotional changes between the grandfather and grandson, as well as their respective character settings, are full of the arc of human nature.

The grandfather, once a boxing prodigy, fell into despair due to technological advancements. In order to cure his granddaughter's illness, he returned to the world of boxing, controlling robots in a virtual online game to achieve a winning streak.

It can evoke empathy from the audience, who look forward to his return to the top!
A frail and sickly girl transforms into a gaming genius. The contrast between her power in the virtual world and her weakness in reality strengthens the arc of her character's growth.

From the perspective of character design alone, the story is very interesting.

In particular, the dual storylines, one in reality and one online, intersect and advance, which looks quite novel.

It's refreshing.

In addition, because it is an online game, the robot will also accompany the protagonist to continuously win and obtain enough points to continuously upgrade in a targeted manner.

It will give the audience a great sense of accomplishment.

Finally, when you control your own robot, defeat one opponent after another, and stand at the top of the world, it's incredibly exhilarating.

The thrill of competitive gaming is amplified in movies.

Just thinking about it made Xin Yukun start to look forward to it.

"Action fans should like it."

"Internet addicts would probably like it too, right?"

"There are so many people playing online games these days; almost everyone who goes online does so to play games. If we can attract internet-addicted teenagers to see this movie, we'll be set for life!"

Do it!
Must do it!
That scriptwriting studio wrote over 100 scripts, but none of them came up with such an advanced concept as Lu Zhiyuan.

Yuan Ge's ideas are unconventional and have a fresh appeal.

"Brother, let me play the female lead. The female character I played last time had a genetic disease and only lived for three months, right?"

"This time, let me play a yandere."

When Dilraba heard about this role, she couldn't resist wanting to take it.

This movie sounds a bit more interesting than Upgrade.

The main thing is that the atmosphere isn't too heavy, and the grandfather and grandson are hiding their identities from each other, dominating the virtual world of the game.

If the ultimate showdown of the arena were to be held offline in the future, and the grandfather and grandson met each other... just thinking about it makes the scene very interesting!
"Dilraba, this role is not suitable for you."

"Your image is suitable for playing indomitable characters; your eyes have an unwavering quality. Alita in 'Upgrade' would be a perfect fit for you."

"But this yandere girl isn't suitable. The role needs to have a bit of a fragile feeling, and a kind of delicate and touching temperament."

When Lu Zhiyuan was speaking.

Liu Shishi immediately smoothed her hair, lowered her head to the side, revealing a gentle and weak demeanor, her eyes filled with expectation.

Naza was stunned for a moment, then lowered her head, squinted her eyes, and tried to imitate the posture, but unfortunately, she only managed to imitate a half-baked one.

"Cough cough."

"I want a little girl, around 12 years old!"

(End of this chapter)