The Birth of the Best Director

Chapter 145 A concise and fast-paced battle movie should be filmed like this!

……

“Welcome to the new world!”

Dilraba, dressed as Empress Alita, delivered this line with a heroic and dashing air.

It was filled with a cold, mechanical, and stiff feeling, like an electric current.

With just one line, Hanikezi turned around instantly, her eyes widening, covering her mouth, her gaze filled with astonishment.

She had also seen the movie.

I greatly admire Dilraba.

To my utter surprise, I heard those familiar lines in the first shot of the second scene.

awesome!
As the leading actress, Hanikezi couldn't wait to see the movie right away!
"Little one, are you surprised? Have you never seen a lady as beautiful as me before?"

Reba smiled mischievously and winked playfully at Hanikezi.

"Crack!"

"Perfect."

"Dilraba's acting is good, she has a great presence."

Lu Zhiyuan called a halt and nodded to the makeup artist: "Change Dilraba's makeup."

"Okay, director."

The makeup artist came over immediately and changed Dilraba's clothes, putting on a wavy wig and a pair of very sophisticated black-rimmed glasses.

In addition, Dilraba's makeup also needs to be changed.

Empress Alita's makeup is too aloof, making her seem unapproachable.

The next scene needs the kind of bookish, approachable older sister next door.

—In fact, this is an AI adaptive function that reflects the inner world of the character [Ophelia].

She grew up in a slum and witnessed her parents die, which filled her with helplessness. Her dream when she grew up was to become a doctor.

Dilraba's first line is about AI, hinting to the audience that she is Alita. In the previous movie, she transformed into a cybernetic cyborg saint.

In her second line, Dilraba instantly switched gears, making the audience realize that this might be a prank.

This is exactly the effect Lu Zhiyuan wanted.

This leaves the audience wondering whether it is really Alita.
They were kept in suspense, eagerly awaiting the end of the movie's plot.

20 minutes later.

After Dilraba finished her makeup, she transformed into an intellectual and elegant older sister, and even put on a black magic robe with gold trim, just like Harry Potter's.

"Little one, is this your first time playing Real Steel?"

—(The English title of "Real Steel," but when applied to this movie, it can be interpreted as indomitable spirit.)
Seeing Hanikezi in a daze, Reba twirled the magic wand in her hand: "Looks like I'm in luck today, I can do a beginner's guide quest."

……

Next, Dilraba unleashed a flurry of attacks into the air, frantically touching the void with her fingers, pretending to control a non-existent game panel.

Then, he kept reciting his lines and giving Hanikezi various game guidance tasks.

In the later stages of special effects, various game announcements will be added here, while also introducing new maps.

For example, the map where Hanikezi is currently located is called "Sandbar".

After completing all the mission tutorials, Hanikezi received many mission rewards, including a combat robot that was uniquely his own.

In an instant, looking at the open space in the distance, Hanikezi's eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh, lucky little guy."

"This is a unique newbie Easter egg in [Sandbar]: the [Dragon Fist] combat robot, which has many privileges."

All the performances here are without props.

Fortunately, there were no action scenes; it was just eye contact and physical performance, so it wasn't too difficult.

The focus isn't on those two characters.

It was the robot in that open space.

Of course, the special effects haven't been done yet, so watching their performance live felt quite absurd.

Whether an actor has a sense of conviction is revealed in these kinds of details.

……

Reba gave a brief introduction, then pulled Hanikezi along, pushed open the door, and went to the [Sand Island Arena] in the square to start the points competition.

……

Lu Zhiyuan knew very well that for this kind of movie, the audience didn't need to watch any tutorials. Just like playing a game, they could skip all the NPC introductions.

All rewards can be claimed with a single click.

What we're looking for is the cool robot battles.

Therefore, Lu Zhiyuan's character design for Dilraba as the AI ​​guide is to take action rather than talk, and to push the female lead forward.

I will never do any side quests.

Spend all your gold coins on your robot and get it into the arena!

……

"Crack!"

"Dilraba is in great shape."

"Honey is also good. Her eyes are very expressive. Keep it up. These next few days, you need to stay in a state of excitement and anticipation, like you've opened your eyes to a new world."

The Kashgar part of the story takes up about 10 minutes in the movie.

Given Lu Zhiyuan's fast-paced habits, a 120-minute film would require approximately 2000 shots, averaging about 4 seconds per shot.

In other words, he needs to shoot about 200 shots just for the Kashgar segment.

Breaking it down, that's 30 per day, with a minimum of 20.

Otherwise, it would slow down the progress of the entire film.

However, we can only shoot some scenery and dialogue scenes here... The actual battle scenes and robot effects need to be filmed in a green screen because they involve special effects compositing.

Therefore, filming here is actually relatively simple for the actors. Once they find their rhythm, it can be finished quickly.

"Let's go, change the scene!"

……

Next, Reba acted as a tour guide, presenting the entire scenic spot of the "Sandbar" to the character of Hanikezi.

In this shot, Lu Zhiyuan demonstrated his strong composition skills, capturing the entire Kashgar Old City in a particularly beautiful way by switching between high and low angles.

It's practically like a scenic travel film.

Of course, such visual effects must be accompanied by the main storyline of Hanikezi and Reba.

Reba was like a database, constantly introducing the entire game background to Hanikezi, and then focusing on introducing the [Sand Island Arena Tournament] to Hanikezi.

Once you accumulate enough points, you'll be eligible to receive a mysterious Easter egg.

Nobody knows what this Easter egg represents.
But whoever gets this Easter egg, given the game's popularity, they're sure to make a fortune if they sell it.

Therefore, Hanikezi was motivated to participate in the ring matches.

"Sophie..." (derived from a Greek name, a symbol of sacred wisdom)

Hanikezi called out the name of the character Reba, then hesitated, unsure how to begin.

She entered the game to ask how to make money, since she had heard that the game could make money.

"Artemis (short for Artemis), it's your turn to step into the ring!"

Little did anyone know, Reba's character was specifically designed to cause trouble; while Hanikezi was still in a daze, she helped her register for the ring competition.

It pushed her to make rapid progress.

After all, audiences buy tickets to see cool robot battles; who wants to see those pretentious, literary dramas?

Up to this point, the plot has lasted a maximum of 5 minutes.

For 30 seconds, Hanikezi's beauty is stunning, and then, from her perspective, she introduces the game environment to the audience, followed by high-energy 3D special effects scenes of robots hunting monster eagles and exploding with gold coins.

—After this scene ends, the movie "Real Steel" credits appear.

The melodious strains of Middle Eastern music, full of exotic charm, fill the air as children fly kites and run through the streets. The story officially begins.

At 1 minute and 30 seconds, Dilraba appears, introducing the story's background. Her empress attire and the transformation into an intellectual older sister are breathtaking.

Two minutes later, the robot appeared, its cool and stylish design generating great anticipation from the audience!
At 2 minutes and 30 seconds, the dreamlike streets of Kashgar, with their fairytale-like atmosphere, present a beautiful 3D fantasy world.

Three minutes later, the concept of a ring battle emerged. Two unidentified robots engaged in a heated battle on the stage, which lasted for a full minute before the robot finally emerged victorious.

Reba let Hani bet on one side and won enough gold coins.

About 4 minutes later, Hani wanted to exchange game coins for real money and quit the game, but Dilraba deliberately led him to sign up for the arena battle!
At 4 minutes and 30 seconds, Hani, after being fooled by Reba, was full of confidence and ready to step into the ring when he suddenly realized that his opponent had changed... from a small robot to a Barbarian King robot wielding a giant axe!

After much hesitation, Hani finally took the stage!

About 5 minutes later, Hani went on stage for his first ring match and easily defeated his opponent, as the high-energy heavy metal rock music began!
The pacing of the entire movie is incredibly fast!

It's dazzling.

The moment the audience relaxes even slightly, they worry that they will fall behind the pace of the film.

With its rousing music and intense visual effects, the game constantly bombards the audience's minds, drawing them into this world first.

As for when the pace can slow down?

As usual, let's talk again in 30 minutes.

……

"No, I don't want to go, I can't fight!"

Hanikezi appeared flustered as he looked at the non-existent giant axe robot on the stage.

At that moment, her acting skills exploded, imagining herself as the girl in the Ponte Tower who was about to be sold, and she was extremely nervous.

"it is good!"

"Hani did a really good job!"

"That's enough for today, you can rest now."

Lu Zhiyuan gave Hanikezi a thumbs up, then patted Reba on the shoulder.

After the huge success of "Upgrade", Dilraba became completely uninhibited when acting, exuding confidence and charisma.

After all, with such popularity, who wouldn't be confident?

Of all the actresses in China, I'm the coolest right now.

I can act however I want.

There are no wrong ways of acting, only wrong people.

Even if I, Dilraba, just frown here, I am the most beautiful woman in the world.

With this confidence, Dilraba fully unleashed her true nature in her second film, and the role that Lu Zhiyuan gave her was specifically designed to cause trouble.

This perfectly reflects Dilraba's personality.

In reality, she's just a mischievous child who never grows up.

At home, she often teased Hanikezi in the same way, and the two of them acted out these scenes together without any sense of incongruity.

……

Reba and Hanikezi have finished get off work.

Lu Zhiyuan, along with his photography team, also planned to photograph some street scenes, children flying kites, and caravans in the distant desert.

As a film director, Lu Zhiyuan personally checks almost every shot.

In addition, he personally determines the composition, lighting effects, and artistic style of the shot before filming.

As an actor, all you need to do is act well.

The director has so much work to do that he has absolutely no energy to worry about anything else.

……

at dusk.

After a long day, Lu Zhiyuan finally finished his work.

As for the final tasks, Su Lun and Xin Yukun, his two deputies, naturally took care of them.

If it weren't for two people helping him, Lu Zhiyuan really couldn't have done the job of directing.

"Brother, you must be exhausted. Shall I give you a massage?"

When Dilraba saw Lu Zhiyuan return, she lay down on the chair and didn't get up for a long time. Her mind was blank and she didn't move at all.

If it weren't for his chest still heaving, one would have wondered if he was dead.

Dilraba was already used to Lu Zhiyuan's workaholic, obsessive-compulsive work ethic.

She was really heartbroken.

At this moment, Dilraba, the actress with the highest commercial value in China, temporarily forgot her own worth and acted as a devoted and attentive companion, diligently massaging Lu Zhiyuan.

"No need, you've had a long day too."

Although Lu Zhiyuan verbally refused, Dilraba's hands were really strong, squeezing his shoulders, which felt tingly and numb, and it felt incredibly good.

Suddenly, his fatigue lessened by 30%, making him want to close his eyes and take a nap.

"Brother, you should rest for a bit. A couple of days ago, Sister Xiao Ai hired an assistant for me to take care of my daily needs. I'll call you when the food is delivered."

As a big star, Dilraba should have had her own personal assistant long ago.

However, since she used to live at Lu Zhiyuan's house, there was no need for an assistant. But now that she's busy filming or doing promotional appearances, she really needs to hire one to run errands for her, like buying drinks.

Especially now.

A personal assistant takes care of her.

This way, I can save more energy to take care of Lu Zhiyuan.

Over time, Lu Zhiyuan became inseparable from her, feeling that she was gentle and considerate, beautiful and generous, with a great figure and super energy.

Just like a robot, never getting tired.

You're a robot, and I'm a robot, aren't we a perfect match?

Haha!

What a genius I am!
……

Hong Kong Island.

"Future X-Cops," directed by Wang Pangjing and starring Andy Lau and Fan Bingbing, premiered on its first day of release.

Everyone in the Hong Kong film industry is watching the box office performance of this movie.

After all, this is also a science fiction action movie.

They have high expectations for Fatty Wang's directing abilities.

"That mainland guy's 'Upgrade' grossed over HK$5 million on its first day of release in Hong Kong, and raked in over HK$50 million in total. I wonder if Fatty Wong can surpass him?"

"It's definitely possible!"

"Andy Lau is the most influential movie star in Hong Kong, plus the beautiful Fan Bingbing, and it's a very popular futuristic sci-fi movie. With all the right factors in place, this movie is bound to be a flop."

"Have Fatty Wang book a larger private room on Portland Street for a celebration party, so everyone can have some fun."

"I haven't had any fun in a long time, and I've been really irritable lately."

A group of people are playing mahjong and chatting in a card and chess room.

The room was filled with swirling smoke and the smell of cigarettes was pungent.

Just as they were boasting and bragging, news suddenly arrived.

"The data is out."

"How much? What was the box office on the first day? Did it exceed 5 million? Why are you in such a hurry? It can't have exceeded 15 million, can it? Fatty Wang can't be that good, can he?"

On its first day of release in Hong Kong, Avatar grossed US$2.9 million, which is roughly equivalent to HK$20 million.

"Upgrade" almost reached 500 million.

Most decent movies, if they make around 1 to 2 million on their first day of release, are considered to have done their job.

"3..."

The messenger was panting heavily and could barely hold up three fingers.

"300?"

"Not bad, pretty impressive. It's just that he was outshone by that mainland guy, which is a bit unfair."

"Fatty Wang is still not up to par, he lost to that mainland guy. It's really embarrassing."

A group of people sighed and complained, but in their hearts, they were already quite satisfied after a moment's thought.

On its first day of release, it grossed 3 million HKD. Normally, the total box office in Hong Kong alone would exceed 30 million HKD.

If it goes north to mainland China, the box office will definitely exceed 100 million, and might even reach 200 million.

It's already great.

The box office success shows that Wang Pangzi's method is effective, and everyone can follow suit.

These people can't copy "Upgrade" because they really don't understand it; they don't know what Lu Zhiyuan did in the visuals.

In short, it looks awesome.

But who among them didn't know Wang Pangzi's tricks?

If Fatty Wang can do it, I can definitely do it too!
"It's not 300 million, it's 34!"

Hearing a group of people interrupting him again, and even starting to dream happily, the messenger finally couldn't take it anymore, slammed his hand on the table, and revealed the final answer.

This statement immediately caused an uproar.

"What?! 34!"

"You useless piece of trash! You're so worthless!"

"That fat bastard, he's a complete idiot, I don't know what he's up to. 34, he's shameless. He might as well have the brothers book a few games, at least enough to raise 100 million."

"It's ruined, completely ruined."

"I'm leaving now, I'm going to set up a stall to sell char siu."

The group was so distraught that they couldn't even play mahjong or boast anymore.

I can't live like this anymore, they're all useless.

Liu Zhenwei's *Metallic Attraction: Kung Fu Cyborg* flopped, Yip Wai-shun's *Bodyguards and Assassins* flopped, Chow Yun-fat's *Confucius* flopped, Hendrik Willem Van Loon's *Little Big Soldier* flopped...

In the past two years, the number of films made by this group of people in Hong Kong that have flopped is countless.

On the contrary, the brothers who jumped out and went to work for Huayi Brothers got a hot meal.

The Hong Kong Island entertainment circle is doomed.

……

The news that "Future X-Cops" flopped, grossing only HK$340,000 on its first day of release in Hong Kong, instantly swept across the entire entertainment industry from south to north.

Andy Lau, Fan Bingbing, and Fatty Wang suddenly found themselves in the eye of the storm.

What a pitiful group of people.

……

Jiaozuo Film and Television City.

"Haha."

"so funny."

"That's a really funny joke."

Miss Jing Tian is in a particularly good mood today, and her beautiful face is even more radiant.

"Sister Tian, ​​what's going on? Why are you smiling so happily? Wait, are you going to win an award? The Golden Rooster Award or the Hundred Flowers Award? The Best Newcomer Award is definitely yours."

Sun Honglei and Miss Jing Tian have become quite familiar with each other, and he comes over every day to join in the fun.

He has high emotional intelligence; he can easily make Miss Jing Tian very happy with just a few words.

"No, although my acting skills are good, I'm not at the level to win awards."

Miss Jing Tian said a few words of modesty.

I definitely won't win the Best Newcomer Award because I debuted too early and flopped so badly that even my own mother wouldn't recognize me.

It's nothing compared to Dilraba's debut work.

If I win the Best Newcomer Award, shouldn't Dilraba win Best Actress?

Dilraba Dilmurat winning Best Actress? That's definitely impossible.

"Sister Tian Tian, ​​did you hear that Hua Ge and Bing Bing's 'Future X-Cops' grossed 34 yuan on its opening day?"

Sun Honglei had heard from somewhere that Jing Tian and Fan Bingbing were not getting along, and after hearing the news that morning, he came to tell Jing Tian the good news.

"is it?"

Jing Tian pretended not to care and smiled calmly: "This result seems to be a little bit short. It doesn't match the popularity of Brother Hua and Sister Bingbing."

Hua Ge and Fan Bingbing starred together in a sci-fi action film.

The box office on the first day was only 34?
Oh my god!

This is too tragic.

Instead of gloating, Jing Tian couldn't help but think of the TV series "The Warring States" that she and Sun Honglei were filming.

Will this movie suffer the same fate?

if it is like this……

Just thinking about it made Miss Jing Tian's vision start to go black.

She finally managed to play a cold and aloof female CEO in Lu Zhiyuan's movie, which cleared half of her bad reputation, but now she's going to get it all back?

Do not!
I don't want it!

"Sister Tiantian..."

Sun Honglei had no idea what Jing Tian was thinking and assumed that Jing Tian was overjoyed to hear that Fan Bingbing had failed.

At this moment, he tugged at his collar and said with a smile, "Sister Tian Tian, ​​Brother Yuan is almost finished filming in Kashgar and has summoned me to Dunhuang in three days to pilot a mecha."

"Before I leave, I'd like to ask, Brother Yuan, is there anything you like?"

"Oh, besides you, he definitely likes you the most... I mean, do you have any favorite snacks, fruits, or cigarettes or anything like that?"

"Um, Monet's paintings?"

Sun Honglei was dumbfounded.

Although I am not well-educated, I have heard of Monet.

Monet's paintings are famous, but I definitely can't afford them.

I'd be too embarrassed to give away something that's not well-known or cheap.

Seeing Sun Honglei standing there in a daze, like a bull terrier that had eaten rat poison, Jing Tian chuckled.

She stopped teasing Sun Honglei and said directly, "Besides me and Monet's paintings, his favorite is Reba. Just treat Reba to a meal and have her say a few good words for you, that will be enough."

"Don't believe the rumors outside that our robot has a strange temper, is arrogant, and is difficult to approach. It's all slander."

"I know you won't believe me if I tell you this. You'll understand in three days."

"However, don't get your hopes up too high. Knowing him as I do, he won't give you any close-up shots of your face. He might just put you in a facial capture device and turn you into a CG character."

Jing Tian knows Lu Zhiyuan very well.

Sun Honglei was able to get the role in "Real Steel" entirely because Lu Zhiyuan gave her face. She's quite proud of that.

If it weren't for her influence, Duan Yihong would definitely be driving this "Great Wall Guardian".

No other reason.

Sun Honglei has a good temperament and a tough guy vibe, but he's not good-looking.

In this situation, Sun Honglei can only shoot long and medium shots at most, and definitely cannot give close-ups, as that would ruin the dreamlike feeling in the movie.

"Thank you, Sister Tian Tian."

Jing Tian revealed a lot of information, but Sun Honglei grasped one key point.

Trying to please Dilraba.

This is the female lead in the movie "Upgrade," Lu Zhiyuan's first commercial film, which was a great success.

He must have considered Dilraba his lucky star.

……

Kashgar.

Filming has been going on for 7 days.

Everyone has adapted to this 24/7, tireless work schedule.

"Lost."

"impossible."

“My reaction speed is much faster than his, and my punching angle is also very tricky. That’s how my dad taught me since I was a child.”

"He clearly had weaknesses, so why was I the one who lost?"

"And why are all his techniques exactly the same as my dad's?"

After winning nine consecutive matches, Hanikezi found that exhilarating feeling and was about to win his tenth match and receive the extra bonus.

But in the final match, they lost.

The opponent she encountered puzzled her greatly; his fighting style was very similar to her father's.

However, her father is already dead.

A look of confusion appeared in her eyes.

Before filming this scene, Lu Zhiyuan gave Hanikezi a mock math competition paper for junior high school students and asked her to do three questions first...

She immediately grasped this feeling of confusion and bewilderment.

"Crack!"

"Hani is doing better and better."

Lu Zhiyuan went up and patted Hanikezi's head, telling her to stop daydreaming, go back and pack her things, and take a plane to Dunhuang that night.

As for Muztagh Ata...

It's still too cold.

We'll wait until June, when the weather is warmer, to shoot the final scene.

At that time, Black Lake will be at its most beautiful, with blue skies and white clouds, and snow-capped mountains in the distance, presenting a surreal and dreamlike atmosphere.

That will be the world-famous painting that Lu Zhiyuan wants!

(End of this chapter)