The Birth of the Best Director

Chapter 169: The world-famous painting "Pacific Rim" is about to be born!
……

Those who can strike up a conversation with Lu Zhiyuan are basically top big shots in the industry.

At this moment, Lu Zhiyuan was chatting with Mr. Wang, the young manager of Huayi Brothers.

"Xiao Lu, I've already cursed out that guy Xiao Gangpao in private. Don't take it to heart. That guy is just an uncultured scoundrel, a typical example of a petty person who has gotten ahead."

“If it weren’t for my older brother’s high regard for him, I would have slapped him twice across the face.”

While Feng Xiaogang was away, Xiao Wang was bragging to Lu Zhiyuan.

Lu Zhiyuan knew the other party was bragging, but since they had made their attitude clear, he couldn't pretend he hadn't heard it.

"Mr. Wang, I understand the media hype when the movie is released; I won't take it seriously."

What else could Lu Zhiyuan do?
We can only ignore it.

Could it be that Feng Xiaogang was indirectly criticizing someone in the media, trying to put them down... and he retaliated by criticizing them back?

What's the difference between him and Feng Xiaogang? There's no need to make a fuss about this.

What a waste of time.

At his level of status and position, he doesn't need to say many things himself; others will naturally convey them for him.

People like Feng Xiaogang, whose films have already achieved the highest box office in Chinese film history, still personally engage in heated arguments with the audience.

That was truly eye-opening.

Top directors like Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou, with their status, would certainly not do something so shameful.

Feng Xiaogang has a poor reputation within the industry.

It's all because of his mouth.

"Xiao Lu, I knew it. You didn't care about Little Steel Cannon at all."

"That guy Little Cannon, really, he didn't make us much money, but he went crazy setting off firecrackers every day, and I don't know how many people he offended for us."

"Sometimes, I really get annoyed with him."

Mr. Wang only complained a few words to Lu Zhiyuan to show his closeness.

Lu Zhiyuan ignored it completely, letting it go in one ear and out the other.

Feng Xiaogang is indeed disliked by outsiders, but he has indeed made a lot of money for Huayi Brothers.

Huayi Brothers' revenue of 10 billion yuan last year was basically all earned by Feng Xiaogang.

Others may find Xiao Gangpao's foul mouth offensive, but the two CEOs of Huayi Brothers have absolutely no right to do so.

You can just listen to those kinds of things and forget about them.

"Xiao Lu, you've given me face, so I'll give you face too."

Mr. Wang knew that talking about it wouldn't work; Lu Zhiyuan's IQ was far higher than his, and he definitely couldn't fool Lu Zhiyuan.

At this moment, he decided to show some sincerity.

"Xiao Lu, I know you have a good relationship with Liu Yifei. Let's wipe the slate clean of what happened between our company and Liu Yifei before."

"To be honest, I was quite optimistic about Liu Yifei back then. Our company even acted as a go-between, finding Hendrik Willem Van Loon and Jet Li to co-star with her in 'The Forbidden Kingdom'."

"Originally, that role was reserved for Li Bingbing."

"Ugh... This mess is too annoying to talk about, let's just not mention it."

The main problem is that the movie flopped and didn't make much money.

If "The Forbidden Kingdom" could easily rake in $5-6 million at the box office like Lu Zhiyuan's films, Huayi Brothers wouldn't care about Liu Yifei's situation at all.

The problem is that it flopped, and nobody made any money!
It left everyone holding their breath.

Hendrik Willem Van Loon and Jet Li's reputations were damaged as a result.

Therefore, public opinion can only be directed at Liu Yifei.

Who told her to be the weakest, and that's when her backer fell from grace?

In the cutthroat entertainment industry, weakness is the original sin.

"Mr. Wang, actually, Sister Fei is a nice person. But when that incident happened, she was still young and couldn't understand many things, so she made a mistake."

Lu Zhiyuan also knew a little about the affair between Huayi Brothers and Liu Yifei.

In truth, both sides are at fault.

Liu Yifei tricked Huayi Brothers.

Huayi Brothers smeared Liu Yifei for two whole years, making it almost impossible for her to make a living in mainland China. In the end, she could only rely on Hendrik Willem Van Loon's connections to try and make it in the Hong Kong entertainment circle.

And now, those directors from Hong Kong and Taiwan are all failing miserably.

Looking back, they're preparing to collaborate with Huayi Brothers again.

Liu Yifei is caught in the middle, which means she's being bullied from both sides.

Given her proud attitude, she's probably agonizing over this right now.

At this point, Mr. Wang took the initiative to save face for himself and stopped arguing with Liu Yifei, which essentially means that Huayi Brothers is willing to cooperate with Liu Yifei again.

For Liu Yifei, this is actually a good thing.

But for Lu Zhiyuan himself, it doesn't really mean much.

However, Liu Yifei was still his friend, and Lu Zhiyuan was quite happy to help her solve a small problem.

“I know. This matter actually has little to do with Liu Yifei. At the time, she was only in her early twenties and probably didn’t understand the seriousness of the matter.”

"A young girl, just over 20 years old, is almost at the very top of the entertainment industry. Her life has been smooth sailing, so she must be arrogant. I guess she doesn't understand one thing yet: no matter what industry you're in, you have to follow the rules."

"Those who don't follow the rules will never have a good ending."

For Mr. Wang, the matter with Liu Yifei was something he couldn't accept in terms of saving face.

There's nothing else to it.

No matter how famous Liu Yifei is, she is not a big shot in the capital market. To a large company like Huayi Brothers, she is just a small fry.

However, Lu Zhiyuan was different.

That one person earns more than the entire Huayi Brothers company combined.

It's not just a little bit.

That's a full 10 times!
Even if Lu Zhiyuan himself is too lazy to do capital, and just wants to quietly make movies, break box office records, and reach the top of the world.

But in fact, he is now the biggest capital in the domestic film and television industry.

His name alone is probably more valuable than the entire Huayi Brothers company.

If Huayi Brothers announces that it has signed Lu Zhiyuan's director studio, its stock will likely see at least 10 consecutive daily price limits.

This is the power of a top-tier director.

"Anyway, Mr. Wang is very generous. I'll toast you."

"If someone treats me with respect, I will treat them with even greater respect." Lu Zhiyuan has always understood this principle.

He personally poured a glass of wine for Mr. Wang and offered him a toast.

Mr. Wang was very happy. Before drinking, he deliberately looked around as if showing off to everyone, and then drank it all in one gulp.

“Xiao Lu, Pacific Rim is a big project. If you need funding, just ask. Huayi Brothers still has some money in its accounts.”

Mr. Wang said this with great pride.

Even if Huayi Brothers doesn't have money in its accounts, it can still issue bonds in the financial market.

If bond buyers knew it was for investing in Lu Zhiyuan's new movie, they could snap up all the bonds in an instant.

"Mr. Wang, you've come to the wrong person. I never get involved in financial matters. You need to go see Mr. Zhao."

Lu Zhiyuan politely declined with a smile.

But Mr. Wang didn't care about any of that. In his semi-drunken state, he said with a smile, "You promised. You introduced me to Mr. Zhao. And I really went."

"Okay, I agree."

Lu Zhiyuan initially wanted to refuse, but then he thought about it and realized that the filming cost of the Pacific Rim project, as publicly stated, was over 1.5 million US dollars.

We really should find someone to share the burden.

The production cost of "Real Steel" was advertised as $5000 million, but in reality, it had already exceeded the budget.

However, a large portion of that budget did not make it into the bill for "Real Steel".

Because these things belong to the Pacific Rim project.

In this project, Lu Zhiyuan went all out and spent millions of US dollars to create several highly realistic mecha prototypes.

There is also a cockpit simulator.

And the hydraulic power system beneath the simulated cockpit.

This hydraulic power system is really fun.

On the computer, as long as the relevant data is entered, this hydraulic power system can simulate the realistic feedback in the cockpit under huge gravitational acceleration due to inertial changes when the Jaeger is hit or punched during combat.

When the actors are performing, they can sit in this cockpit and have an immersive experience of what it feels like to fight in a Jaeger.

Lu Zhiyuan went there a few times.

I have to say, the realism is incredible.

With a single punch, the mech hunter swooped down, experiencing a 3G acceleration that left him dizzy and disoriented.

I almost threw up my breakfast.

……

With Lu Zhiyuan's permission, Xiao Wang, beaming with pride, went to Zhao Shanshan to ask for a share of the investment.

Working with Lu Zhiyuan on a science fiction film project is practically a guaranteed way to make money.

The more you invest, the more you earn.

He's going to make a fortune!
"Mr. Zhao, Xiao Lu promised me he'd give Huayi a share. You can't be stingy with that."

When it comes to Zhao Shanshan, Little Wang has absolutely no temper and is extremely obsequious.

Zhao Shanshan's background is even more powerful than his.

Originally, Zhao Shanshan was not as wealthy as the two brothers, but now Lu Zhiyuan has helped Starlight Brilliant earn over a billion yuan.

Zhao Shanshan is definitely a super-rich woman.

As for Lu Zheng, the original owner of Starlight Brilliant... he has long since retired to the second line.

Because Zhao Shanshan is so capable, she personally discovered the great director Lu Zhiyuan, and the company's operations are thriving.

It also brought huge traffic to their hometown, and in terms of cultural and tourism promotion, they received top-notch treatment, almost to the point of receiving an award from the United Nations.

Several important figures in her hometown were very satisfied with Zhao Shanshan's work.

Seeing that Zhao Shanshan was so capable, the road administration decided to step down and stop interfering in the company's affairs.

After all, he still has many businesses to manage.

The Starlight Splendor area was originally just for Jing Tian to have some fun.

Now that Zhao Shanshan has handled things so well, he naturally doesn't need to do anything unnecessary.

However, Lu Zheng did not leave the film and television industry; instead, he joined Wanda Group.

That's why Lu Zhiyuan's films receive such preferential treatment from theaters in terms of screenings.

Huayi Brothers only has celebrities and directors.

On the other side of Starlight Brilliant, there are truly super film and television capital giants who handle everything from production, distribution, promotion, and release in one go.

Even for derivative products, Zhao Shanshan can find OEM manufacturers.

If it weren't for the fact that Lu Zhiyuan only makes one film a year, striving for perfection in every film and aiming to create a world-famous masterpiece, if he relaxed his standards a little and made two films a year, their company could generate half the revenue of the entertainment industry.

"Okay, since A Yuan rarely speaks up, I'll definitely give him face."

Zhao Shanshan smiled and glanced at Mr. Wang, then pulled him aside and said directly, "Pacific Rim has an investment of 1.5 million US dollars. Mr. Wang, how much are you planning to invest?"

$1.5 billion?
Converted to RMB, this is over 10 billion!
What movie is this?

That's way too expensive!
That's more than Huayi Brothers' annual revenue!
Mr. Wang was scared half to death, wondering if Zhao Shanshan was setting him up.
"How come there are so many? Wasn't 'Real Steel' only worth 5000 million US dollars?"

Xiao Wang felt that something was wrong.

"Real Steel" earned $5000 billion at the box office with a budget of $10 million, along with a host of merchandise rights.

How cost-effective is this project?

The cost of "Pacific Rim" tripled, and even if it breaks even, the profit margin won't be very high.

At this moment, Mr. Wang began to hesitate.

"Real Steel was just a small test. Pacific Rim is the heavy-industry mecha movie he really wanted to make."

Zhao Shanshan said nonchalantly, "Anyway, we won't lose much. If he wants to play, our whole company can only play along."

Lu Zhiyuan earned over a billion yuan for Starlight Brilliant.

They poured over a billion dollars into "Pacific Rim," as if they had dreamed of it all over the past two years.

Anyway, I won't lose everything.

Regardless, with Dilraba Dilmurat as the leading lady and Lu Zhiyuan's talent, making hundreds of millions of US dollars in revenue is a piece of cake.

This project is sure to make money.

It's just not as profitable as "Real Steel".

However, it will definitely make more money than Huayi Brothers' projects!
Zhao Shanshan can remain so calm because Lu Zhiyuan has helped them make a lot of money.

Mr. Wang has never made money with Lu Zhiyuan before. If he loses this time, it will be a huge blow to Huayi Brothers.

"Mr. Zhao, I'll go back and discuss it with my older brother."

The $1.5 million budget for "Pacific Rim" really made Mr. Wang's scalp tingle. A sci-fi mega-movie is not something that ordinary people can afford.

It has to be said that Lu Zhiyuan is somewhat crazy.

Zhao Shanshan and her group used to be just a bunch of spendthrifts, but after following Lu Zhiyuan for two years, they've been infected with a bit of his madness.

They're talking about hundreds of millions of US dollars all the time, it's insane!
Feng Xiaogang's new project, "Back to 1942," was supposed to be an epic war film, but he only dared to ask his older brother for 200 million yuan.

It's still in RMB.

No confidence at all.

Listen to how others ask for it?

$1.5 million, and they didn't even blink. That's terrifying.

Damn it, that Little Cannon guy can't even out-brag like others, he's really useless.

……

After Mr. Wang left.

After circling around, Lu Zhiyuan appeared beside Zhao Shanshan.

Zhao Shanshan glanced at Lu Zhiyuan with a doting look in her eyes and said with a smile, "You're getting more and more mischievous. You were deliberately teasing him. You scared him half to death."

Lu Zhiyuan shook his head: "I'm not kidding him. 1.5 million US dollars, if it were a Hollywood team doing it, that's probably the amount of money they would need."

Zhao Shanshan understood Lu Zhiyuan's implied meaning and asked in a low voice, "If we make them ourselves, how many will we need?"

Their films are much cheaper than Hollywood's, mainly because they have their own digital effects team.

There is no need to outsource to others.

Lu Zhiyuan started the company 【Black Hole Horizon】not to make money, but to have a capable special effects team when he was making science fiction movies.

It has to be said, he really did manage to train them.

"Probably around seventy or eighty million US dollars."

Lu Zhiyuan made a simple estimate.

As a heavy-industry science fiction film, for "Pacific Rim," Lu Zhiyuan first needed to build a soundstage and create a repair bay for the Jaegers.

There are also miniature cities built to the same scale.

In addition, a seawater circulation system simulating ocean tides is required, as well as, most importantly, an LED background wall to simulate various environments.

There are many expenses that cannot be avoided.

The only area where we can cut corners is on special effects.

If Hollywood were to handle the special effects, the special effects for the movie "Pacific Rim" would cost seventy to eighty million US dollars.

However, if Lu Zhiyuan's own company were to do it, only 2000 million US dollars would be enough.

After all, the labor costs are different.

This could save $5000 million.

In addition, Lu Zhiyuan hopes to keep the expenses for the main actors within 1500 million US dollars, and use the saved money to build the physical entity.

He actually doesn't like using special effects.

I love real shots!
From an art student's perspective, he would easily be pulled out of the scene if the lighting and shadows were even slightly off.

But if you use physical objects, natural light, and rusty armor, it would definitely be a world-famous painting.

A colossal mech hunter stands atop the ice and snow of Antarctica, with a steel-blue sky overhead. Snowflakes, reminiscent of home, are about to fall, creating a feeling of home.

The whole world was bleak, and Hanikez stood alone, supporting the entire world.

Like a pillar supporting the sky, it will never fall.

That's the kind of epic, heroic, and tragic feeling I'm looking for.

Oedipus, the hero-king whose life was filled with misfortune... should die in a place like this for the sake of all mankind!
The death of humanity's greatest pilot!
Reba, the AI ​​fighting angel and Hanikezi's former guide, a cold and lonely AI robot, will shed a tear in her robot form.

Warm tears fell onto the ice and snow, melting the snow and creating a small, thumb-sized hole.

She will tell all viewers that she is not an AI robot.

At their core, they are still true human beings.

It possesses a variety of emotions.

It's only temporarily suppressed by AI computing power.

The cold robot sheds tears because of the death of its comrade, with a huge glacier behind it, an endless world of ice and snow... In such a cold world, how warm human tears seem.

A cold and lonely world, with intense yet suppressed emotions!

This is the story of Jaeger Hunter!

This scene would definitely be a world-famous painting!

Of course, what truly inspired Lu Zhiyuan in this movie was not these human emotions, but those romantic steel behemoths!
No company would dare to accept an order for a 200-meter-tall mech hunter.

At least for now, no company can build it.

However, there are quite a few companies willing to take orders for 20-meter-tall Jaeger Hunters.

Lu Zhiyuan has already placed orders with several major heavy industry manufacturers that make excavators, asking them to modify their largest excavators to create several Mech Hunters for him.

That's about it.

He can re-attach the outer layer of armor.

From start to finish, he will create a cyberpunk mech hunter with his own unique aesthetic style!

In robot movies, human pilots are never the main characters.

If Keanu Reeves dares to offer him more than $500 million, he will immediately replace him... He will use the saved dollars to build Jaeger Hunters.

When the movie is released, those Jaeger robots will be transported directly to exhibition halls in various countries and placed there.

This is the best form of advertising!

"what?"

"You're saying you used the director's fee from the last movie to build a 20-meter-tall Jaeger? A cockpit, about two meters high, the kind you can actually sit in and control?"

Zhao Shanshan stared at Lu Zhiyuan in disbelief.

"Yes, that's fine. I had them modify a super-large excavator; the hydraulic boom and stuff are just the excavator's hydraulic boom. They only changed the external design."

"As for the cab... excavators have cabs all the time. There's nothing strange about that, is there?"

Lu Zhiyuan spoke very casually.

Little did they know, Zhao Shanshan had very mixed feelings after hearing this.

You're crazy!
You secretly spent $2000 million to play with Jaeger... If I didn't know it was for a movie, I would have thought you were really crazy!
No, I have to include the bill in the movie project, otherwise, Tian Tian will definitely come after me.

"Don't do that again next time. Tell me what you want to do, and I'll get it for you. At least, don't spend your own money."

Zhao Shanshan looked at Lu Zhiyuan with a strange expression.

No wonder there's a saying that goes, "Men are boys until they die." They don't care who they date; they just want brand new toys!

Mech Hunters Modified from Excavators...

You really know how to play!
"Sister Shan, special effects are still fake. No matter how realistic the special effects are, they can't compare to the real Jaeger, the reflections, the feel, and the mechanical roar."

"Just like in 'Real Steel,' I went to great lengths to transport the equipment up to Muztagh Ata, even if it meant making the entire crew wait for a week, to film the divine scene of the sunrise over the mountain on location."

"It's because I know very well that no matter how good the special effects technology is, it can't simulate the real world."

"The feeling of light and shadow shifting, every moment is unique. It is the greatest miracle in the world."

"After those mech hunters are built, I will personally create a brand new and cool paint job for them. I can even evolve your name into a visual symbol and imprint it on the chest of one of the mech hunters as an eternal medal."

"Aren't you looking forward to it?"

After being described like that by Lu Zhiyuan, Zhao Shanshan suddenly felt a strange urge to wait until the mecha hunter was finished and see what the Eternal Medal, which evolved from her own name, would look like.

I have to say, Lu Zhiyuan is really good at conning people!
It whetted my appetite.

"Have you spoken to Keanu Reeves?"

Zhao Shanshan was speechless after what Lu Zhiyuan said, so she had no choice but to change the subject.

She even thought to herself that Lu Zhiyuan had made so much money, yet he hadn't messed around outside, and he completely disdained those female celebrities who threw themselves at him.

I just want to play with a robot.

Hey?

Everyone needs to have some hobbies.

Moreover, spending $20 million to customize several 2000-meter-tall Jaeger Hunters doesn't seem like a bad deal.

We'll set up an exhibition company for these mechs and exhibit them all over the country. I estimate it won't be long before we can recoup our investment.

"James asked for me. I made it very clear to James that it would be a maximum of $500 million. Of course, if the box office is very good, Keanu can participate in the profit sharing."

"As for the specific profit-sharing ratio, James, being a seasoned veteran, should be able to help us negotiate it."

YT Pictures is owned by Zhao Shanshan, but when it comes to making movies, Lu Zhiyuan is in charge of almost everything in the project.

Zhao Shanshan also understood that her role was to assist Lu Zhiyuan.

Without Lu Zhiyuan, she would just be a rich second-generation who lives a life of idleness and complacency. When she's with Jing Tian, ​​people would just call her that good-for-nothing spendthrift girl from the Zhao family.

With Lu Zhiyuan by her side, she truly became the respected CEO Zhao.

(End of this chapter)