The Birth of the Best Director

Chapter 178 The Director's Training Ability!
……

That night.

Under the arrangement of Keiko Kitagawa, Lu Zhiyuan and his group arrived at a private club in the Roppongi area of ​​Tokyo.

This district has one unique feature.

It is full of galleries and museums.

Keiko Kitagawa somehow found out that when Lu Zhiyuan was in China, he often went to the 798 Art Center to see art exhibitions.

She arranged the dinner in Roppongi, which could be seen as catering to his preferences and trying to please Lu Zhiyuan.

……

"Reba, use your brilliant mind to help me guess what this Japanese girl is up to?"

Keiko Kitagawa invited them to a high-end private club for a simple meal, which was clearly a big problem.

As for Kitagawa Keiko's request, Xin Yukun could roughly guess a bit.

They just want to add more drama!
Or, you don't want to be sacrificed at the start of the game.

After all, Lu Zhiyuan's movies are clearly made with the intention of being a series. As long as he doesn't die completely, he still has a chance to join the main cast later.

Keiko Kitagawa certainly has some ideas.

"I do not know."

Reba shook her head, looking at Kitagawa Keiko with a suspicious expression.

What can Kitagawa Keiko do if she wants a role from Lu Zhiyuan?
Give money?

Lu Zhiyuan doesn't care about a million or two dollars at all. This madman spent $2000 million of his own money to commission custom-made mecha hunters from several heavy truck and excavator factories to make this mecha movie.

When Dilraba heard the news, she was absolutely shocked.

She earned tens of millions last year and thought she was a real little rich woman, but she couldn't even afford to buy toys for Lu Zhiyuan.

As for Kitagawa Keiko wanting to give a pretty girl a gift?
What a joke!
I've already received authorization from Sister-in-law Tian Tian, ​​but I still can't find a chance to get myself out! Who else is as pretty as me?

After guessing for a long time, Dilraba was also filled with doubts.

"Director Lu, I heard you like Sosuke Morimoto's paintings. This is an early oil painting by Sosuke Morimoto that my fiancé has in his collection."

"As the saying goes, a fine sword is given to a hero. It would be a waste for such a painting to fall into our hands. Please accept it with a smile!"

To everyone's surprise, Kitagawa Keiko did not bribe Lu Zhiyuan, nor did she try to pull strings with Xin Yukun, send Lu Zhiyuan beautiful women, or engage in any underhanded dealings.

She directly targeted Lu Zhiyuan's weakness and delivered a through ball.

A famous painting was given away!
"Sousuke Morimoto?"

Upon hearing this name, not only was Lu Zhiyuan somewhat surprised, but even Reba, Liu Shishi, and Xin Yukun all turned around and looked at Kitagawa Keiko with utter astonishment.

Good grief, you've found a vulnerability in our robot's program!

Only Hanikezi looked blank, unaware of what the painter's name represented.

"Director Lu, if you like, I have a few more at home."

When Keiko Kitagawa saw this, a satisfied smile immediately appeared on her face.

This time, she accomplished a great thing with a small amount of money.

Sosuke Morimoto's paintings are not particularly valuable, as his works are not rare; there are probably more than 300 of them on the market.

Moreover, he himself is not a world-renowned painter.

The highest price ever paid for a painting by Sosuke Morimoto at auction was no more than 500 million yen, which is about 7 US dollars.

of course!

To true enthusiasts, such paintings are priceless.

Therefore, it is essential to give gifts to the right person!
"Miss Kitagawa, I really like this gift."

Lu Zhiyuan himself has never bought any paintings by celebrities at high prices.

Because, it doesn't make sense.

If he likes someone's painting, he can easily copy it himself, and the result is almost indistinguishable from the original.

Could he possibly have any special thoughts about something that he could obtain so easily?
But if someone gives it to him voluntarily, that's a different story.

At least, he still really likes these true world-famous paintings.

Just as some people like luxury cars and others like famous watches, he only wants to become the best director in history and loves painting... Everyone should have some hobbies of their own.

Otherwise, what's the difference between them and robots?
He's just nicknamed "Robot," he's not a real robot.

“Miss Kitagawa, I have accepted your gift. However, one should not accept a gift without having done something for it. Please state your request. If I cannot fulfill it, please take this gift back with you.”

Whether or not to accept it depends on what Kitagawa Keiko thinks.

If things go too far, Lu Zhiyuan would rather not have the painting.

But if it's just a small request, he doesn't mind making minor changes to the script.

Scripts are often optimized during the filming process as the director's inspiration changes and ideas evolve.

From the start of filming to the completion of the movie, the script will most likely become unrecognizable.

For a film, the script is not the most crucial element; the editing rights are the most important.

"Director Lu, my script, although only a few pages long, I can feel the depth of life in my character. Thank you for designing this beautiful character for me, as radiant as cherry blossoms."

First, he praised Lu Zhiyuan a few times.

Immediately afterwards, Keiko Kitagawa's tone changed, revealing a sorrowful expression: "But, could you change my ending? I don't want to die young."

"Not in principle."

Lu Zhiyuan gave a cold reply.

Upon hearing this, Kitagawa Keiko's face darkened slightly, but she still looked at Lu Zhiyuan with a pitiful expression and a hint of expectation in her eyes.

"but……"

Upon hearing Lu Zhiyuan utter the word "but," Kitagawa Keiko immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

It worked!
At this moment, Lu Zhiyuan had someone put the painting away and continued, "However, on the way here, I thought about it carefully, and your role does indeed have potential for development."

"Fine, I'll change your fate."

"Before sinking to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, you relied on your indomitable willpower to open the life pod and escape at the last moment."

For Lu Zhiyuan, it was just a matter of filming one more scene.

It's not difficult at all.

Of course, after a moment's thought, he realized that keeping the character of Kitagawa Keiko was more beneficial than harmful.

After all, even without Keiko Kitagawa, Lu Zhiyuan will still need to find another Japanese actor to attract audiences if he wants to make the film a box office success in Japan.

In that case, it's more convenient to work with people you know.

"Thank you so much, Director Lu!"

Lu Zhiyuan's words left many uncertainties for Kitagawa Keiko's future.

Regardless of whether she becomes one of the main characters in the next installment, at least she leaves Japanese viewers with something to look forward to.

If she dies at the beginning of this movie, then there will be no hope left.

As for her next project, what kind of script she'll get... that all depends on how her agent handles public relations for her!
Monet!

I absolutely must get my hands on a Monet painting!

Sosuke Morimoto's paintings could help her change her fate... If she could get her hands on a painting by Monet, a pinnacle of Impressionism, it would likely make her one of the main characters.

Even Japanese audiences know that the great director Lu Zhiyuan is a disciple of Impressionism!

……

The next morning.

Keanu Reeves has arrived in Tokyo.

Without wasting any time, Lu Zhiyuan immediately arranged for on-location shooting.

In the storyline, Dilraba accompanies Keanu Reeves to the shrine of Keiko Kitagawa's family to communicate with the shrine maiden and carry out a ritualistic spiritual redemption.

After all, Keanu Reeves is a character who is half-human and half-AI.

To survive in this world is a huge philosophical question.

As for this philosophical topic itself, Keanu must have been quite frustrated, so in the movie, he had to be full of decadence, giving people the impression that he had lost the meaning of life.

This scene is set in Tokyo.

The most obvious visual label that Lu Zhiyuan gave was Shintoism.

After the monster appears, it will cause complete destruction to all the foundations of Japanese Shintoism.

Keanu Reeves is a special being who possesses a human soul but is forcibly controlled by an AI chip.

He possesses both the instinctive intuition of humans when facing danger and the calmness and quick problem-solving ability of AI.

But now, he has lost himself and is in a state of confusion.

However, this confusion will gradually be forgotten as the monsters continue to destroy human civilization... because survival is the primary issue.

Whether as a human or as AI, only living has meaning!

……

"Crack!"

"Keanu acted well!"

“Reba, something’s not right with you. You clearly don’t care about him at all, but you’re pretending to care. That’s the kind of feeling you’re trying to project.”

Keanu Reeves hasn't shaved for three months in preparation for this movie.

At this moment, his beard and hair were like a chicken coop, making him look like a颓废丧男 (颓废丧男 is a dejected and listless man), without needing to put on any performance.

In particular, his eyes, which normally convey a melancholy feeling when he looks at people, only intensify with this outfit.

As soon as the audience sees his state, they can instantly feel the pain and struggle he is going through.

However, the role of Dilraba is not easy to play.

On one hand, she has become an AI cybernetic human; on the other hand, she wants to feel closer to her spiritual father.

Unfortunately, she couldn't do it at all.

So many years have passed, and Dilraba, this AI cybernetic human, has long been completely formatted... or rather, her soul has long been polluted by massive amounts of data.

In this movie, at Ms. T's request, she had to portray a character who clearly didn't care about Keanu's character, but because Keanu had great research value, she had to pretend to care about him a lot.

She even had to play an innocent and adorable 17-year-old girl in order to transfer Keanu's love for his daughter onto her.

but……

Lu Zhiyuan's requirements sound simple, but they are incredibly difficult to fulfill in practice!

……

"How can someone pretend to care when they don't really care about him at all?"

"Earth, explode!"

At this moment, Dilraba felt her scalp tingle and wished the end of the world would come quickly; she was so mentally exhausted.

Unable to think of a good solution, she couldn't help but want to pull her hair out again.

Although Lu Zhiyuan had told her long ago that she should play a cold and strange robot, she often practiced at home.

But it's easier said than done.

But how do you act in a situation like this?
Where is the sense of realism? How are the details presented?

Dilraba knew nothing when asked; her mind was blank, she lacked artistic thinking, and she couldn't come up with anything at all.

"Brother, please, make it a little easier for me..."

Reba could only look to Lu Zhiyuan for help.

She knew that her genius older brother would definitely help her come up with an easy solution.

Otherwise, forcing a solution would be impossible with her acting skills; it would ruin the entire movie.

“I told you a long time ago to try to capture the feeling of Zuckerberg’s interviews. It seems you didn’t listen at all.”

Lu Zhiyuan first gave Reba a lecture.

However, he also knew that Dilraba's acting skills were limited and she could not possibly portray the powerful immersion that Harrison Ford possessed.

Moreover, playing a robot sounds simple, but it is actually very difficult.

In particular, the robot needs to be portrayed as having human emotions and warmth, but not as being too indifferent.

In order to avoid the audience disliking the character, Dilraba's robot persona had to be both funny and approachable.

There is no doubt that Dilraba could never act that way.

Fortunately, Lu Zhiyuan had already considered this issue.

"Dilraba, let me ask you a question first. What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a robot?"

At this moment, Lu Zhiyuan looked at Reba and began to give on-site guidance.

"Super computing power? A rigid, methodical way of answering questions? Cold and mechanical?"

Dilraba gave several examples in a row.

"No. That's all too superficial. You need to get to the core of the robot's soul."

Lu Zhiyuan shook his head and gave Reba a little hint.

What is the core of the soul?
Robots have no souls at all!

Look how good I am to you. Everyone knows I have a crush on you. Can you feel it? Dilraba internally ranted. At this moment, her head started to heat up, and there was even steam swirling around her head.

I reckon my brain's CPU is about to overload.

Seeing this, Lu Zhiyuan didn't press Reba any further and gave the answer directly: "It's about proceduralization! You have to remember, robots must be procedural in everything they do. Follow the programmed procedures."

"Now, do you understand?"

Faced with Lu Zhiyuan's probing question, Dilraba shook her head, revealing a pitiful expression.

Brother, just give me the answer!

Giving me the solution is useless... This question is beyond my comprehension.

I'm not a robot!
What is as simple as eating and drinking for you is a century-old problem for me.

"Okay, I'll teach you one more time."

Dilraba is getting better and better at acting cute. Whenever she doesn't know what's going on, she blinks her big eyes and pretends to be pitiful in front of Lu Zhiyuan.

Lu Zhiyuan knew perfectly well that Dilraba was pretending to be cute, but he still fell for her act.

At this moment, Lu Zhiyuan shook his head helplessly and gave his answer: "Your behavior right now is based on insincere greetings at the last minute."

"For example, Keanu was just inside the shrine, having a psychological consultation with the shrine maiden... You were standing outside, staring into the distance, completely lost in thought. Suddenly, you realized it was around 5 p.m., and you instantly snapped back to reality."

"Every day at this time, you would send Keanu a message like, 'How's your day? Want to have dinner together?'"

"Today, of course, is no exception."

When Dilraba heard this answer, her scalp tingled.

That's right!

This is something that robots would definitely do!

Even though the other person is still inside, asking how their day went is so awkward. It's so stiff, unlike something a normal human being would do.

It was indeed full of procedural processes.

Once the execution program is set up, and no changes are made, even if the sky falls, this robot will still execute the program.

However, doing something so deliberate will definitely upset Keanu... But how could AI Alita, with such a high IQ, make such a basic mistake?

There is only one answer!
She didn't care about Keanu's feelings at all; she was just going through the motions of completing the tasks Ms. T had given her.

This contradiction between her behavior and her inner feelings immediately makes it seem as if she is only pretending to care about the other person.

Not sincere enough!

It's all about formulaic routines!

"understand?"

Lu Zhiyuan looked at Reba and asked her a question.

"understood!"

Reba nodded hurriedly.

This scene is so easy to act out. It's full of details and doesn't require much acting skill to bring out the character's inherent contradictions in the audience.

Moreover, the act of sending a text message to her father, who is so close at hand, is not only absurdly mechanical but also makes her character seem stubborn.

Moreover, even if she doesn't like doing it, once the program is set, she will continue to do it forever... This scene, this setting, will never appear only once in the movie.

The first time, it might seem fake, or even offensive.

But if it appears repeatedly in a movie... then the audience will definitely be moved by the robot's persistence.

From beginning to end, never to change!
What a beautiful meaning!
The character's arc suddenly appeared, and he gradually became somewhat cute instead of somewhat annoying.

A touch of human warmth also appeared in the robot.

Pretty!

These small details make the AI ​​Alita's image even more deeply rooted in people's hearts!
"Good. All units, take note: filming begins!"

After seeing that Dilraba had found that ability to express details, Lu Zhiyuan restarted filming.

Sure enough, on the second take, this shot was filmed instantly, as if it were a natural progression.

……

"Details, I've said it countless times. Only details can reveal the realism of the cinematic world."

After filming this scene, during the scene change, Lu Zhiyuan complained to Xin Yukun a few times.

He wrote the script.

There are no details at all.

The script only focuses on the plot's expressiveness, the dialogue between characters, and simple requirements for the scenes.

If the film were actually made according to this script, the audience would at most see a fictional story, without this immersive experience.

“Brother Yuan, not everyone has the experience of being a robot like you.”

Xin Yukun also felt very wronged.

If he could both write scripts and, like Lu Zhiyuan, naturally bring all the filming details to life in his mind...

He had already started his own team, instead of always playing support for Lu Zhiyuan.

Of course, after playing support for Lu Zhiyuan for so long, Xin Yukun gradually realized... that he really wasn't good enough.

Just now, Dilraba couldn't portray that feigned emotion, so Lu Zhiyuan directly gave her a different answer...

This changed the difficulty of Dilraba's performance from that of a high school student to that of an elementary school student.

Acting under Lu Zhiyuan's direction must be so exhilarating!

Lu Zhiyuan's ability to train actors is at least S-level talent!

……

The scene we just filmed, where all the characters were in a static environment, relied entirely on their inner emotions to drive the plot forward, was actually quite difficult to shoot.

The acting skills required of the actors are also very high.

As a commercial film, shooting this kind of scene wouldn't be very useful.

For actors, it's another kind of torture.

Lu Zhiyuan doesn't like to shoot too many scenes like this, as they aren't cost-effective.

In the next scene, he took the main actors directly to the streets of Tokyo.

……

The extras have been arranged.

A group of people were shouting and yelling in the street, pretending that monsters had landed in Tokyo, and that they were scrambling to escape in the apocalyptic environment.

"Rescue!"

Keanu's character sees a child lying on the ground and prepares to save him.

Not only did he rush forward himself, but he also shouted to Ai Reba next to him, hoping that she would come with him to save people.

There is strength in numbers.

Not to mention, Dilraba, this AI cybernetic human, has far superior physical abilities in all aspects compared to Keanu Reeves, a real human.

"It's too late. We'll all die."

Dilraba shook her head coldly.

In the later special effects, countless calculation characters will flash before her eyes, and she will finally come to the conclusion that, in the current environment, the choice to save people will reduce their survival rate to less than 10%!

But Keanu had already charged off.

If she doesn't follow...

Therefore, the probability of Keanu dying is 100%!

The moment the calculation was completed, Dilraba said there wasn't enough time, but she moved with lightning speed and rushed forward to help Keanu save people!
At this moment, the cold, impersonal AI robot showed a touch of human warmth.

God has begun to descend upon the mortal realm!
……

This movie is a disaster film from beginning to end; there is no savior.

Humanity is its own greatest savior!
However, this movie will have a hidden subplot.

That is, Dilraba, the strongest AI cybernetic human, is a god-like existence who will gradually become human, thus deepening the theme of "upgrade".

In a post-apocalyptic cyberpunk world, humanity is powerless against a cataclysmic disaster.

But at least some psychological comfort is needed.

The character Dilraba is Lu Zhiyuan's way of bringing a touch of warmth to the world.

Throughout the entire film, Dilraba wears warm-toned clothes, like the sunset. They may look cold, but when you touch them, they always bring a touch of warmth.

……

"Crack!"

"Again."

"Keanu felt extremely guilty and remorseful because the child couldn't be saved. When Dilraba comforts him, she should pay attention to the details of how robots comfort people."

Thanks to Lu Zhiyuan's previous impromptu tutoring, Dilraba has already found some of the feeling of being a robot.

At this moment, she didn't even follow the script; she changed the lines directly.

Seeing Keanu's remorseful and pained expression, Dilraba pursed her lips slightly and lowered her voice, trying to make the atmosphere seem somewhat somber.

She began to speak in a serious tone: "I once found a mechanical dog in the steel ruins. I wanted to take it back to repair it, but on the way back, its circuit suddenly malfunctioned and it burned itself to death."

"I understand this feeling of loss."

Haha!

The crew members nearby almost burst out laughing when they heard this line.

You're just a robot, what do you know?
Do you understand this feeling of loss?

Is finding a robotic dog the same as Keanu not saving a child?
However, Dilraba's performance was really good!

It definitely has that cyber-AI human feel to it.

Cold and robotic, he clumsily tries to comfort Keanu, a human, yet he doesn't understand human thought processes or emotional warmth.

At that moment, in an attempt to comfort Keanu, she was clearly trying to retrieve some answer from the database, but unfortunately, what she said was both laughable and absurd.

However, the more clumsy she is, the more adorable Dilraba, the robot, becomes.

After the movie is released, the audience will definitely fall in love with it.

……

"Beichuan, this movie is going to be a hit again!"

"Even as a pure disaster film, this movie isn't too bad; it's at least on par with '2012'."

"Not to mention, beneath its disaster film core, it's also a visual blockbuster, filled with thrilling battles between mechs and monsters."

"In addition, Director Lu even infused disaster science fiction films with human warmth."

"More importantly, in order to make this film, Director Lu used two previous works that grossed a combined $15 billion to develop the relationships between several characters."

"I can't imagine what level this movie will reach after its release?"

"The box office is likely to be no less than that of 'Real Steel,' and may even break the $10 billion mark."

"You gave Director Lu a gift the other day, that was so wise. Even if you don't get any important roles in the future, at least you've maintained your personal friendship."

"After this movie is released, Director Lu will become a true top-tier Hollywood director, on par with Christopher Nolan."

Even top Hollywood directors have varying levels of skill.

A director who only makes commercial films may be a top-tier director, but due to a lack of originality, his status will be lower.

The truly enduring and acclaimed directors are those who can single-handedly create a logically consistent and highly realistic cinematic world.

Roland Emmerich is the gatekeeper for top-tier directors of this caliber!

Christopher Nolan, though a rising star, has been one of the most dazzling figures in Hollywood in recent years.

"Director Lu, you're really amazing."

"I've never seen a director this talented in Japan. His talent is almost palpable, overflowing!"

Keiko Kitagawa looked at Zhiyuan with admiration.

Just now, Reba's performance was terrible. Kitagawa Keiko thought that Lu Zhiyuan would be furious and give Reba a good scolding.

In the Japanese entertainment industry, this kind of thing is commonplace.

However, after a moment of contemplation, Lu Zhiyuan realized that this was beyond Reba's capabilities, so he began to make alternative plans for her.

I personally crafted a small detail for her to create the visual feel required for the film.

When filming started for the second time, Dilraba's acting skills were absolutely phenomenal.

Compared to the beginning, it's like she's a completely different person.

However, everyone knows perfectly well that none of this has anything to do with Dilraba. It's the great director Lu Zhiyuan who has such a powerful ability to fill in the blanks.

The actors are merely paint in his hands.

Just now, Lu Zhiyuan's design for Dilraba has drastically reduced the film's requirements for her acting from 100 points to 60 points.

However, the viewing experience for the audience will not be diminished in the slightest after the film's release; in fact, there may even be improvements in the details.

This makes the whole story seem more real.

no doubt!

As a director, Lu Zhiyuan is a super genius!
(End of this chapter)