The Birth of the Best Director

Chapter 179 The Battle of Hong Kong Island: A Glimmer of Hope Amidst Despair

……

Since the movie is called "Upgrade 2: Pacific Rim", Dilraba and Keanu Reeves are naturally the leading actors.

The entire film will unfold from the perspective of the two characters' experiences.

The interaction between the two characters and the changes in their relationship, along with the progressive plot, will bring the audience an incredibly strong sense of immersion.

As for whether the audience prefers to adopt the male or female protagonist's perspective, Lu Zhiyuan believes that... they will always find the angle they like.

The protagonist, Keanu Reeves, is half-human and half-AI. He is incredibly powerful and full of human warmth. Although he is close to being a demigod, he always sees himself as an ordinary person and views everything in the apocalypse as normal.

The female lead, Dilraba, is intelligent and aloof, seemingly indifferent to the world. However, only in front of Keanu Reeves, her spiritual father, does she often do some hilarious things, revealing a touch of adorable clumsiness beyond her aloof AI-powered cyborg persona.

However, being silly and cute is just her way of expressing herself.

In fact, she is a true career-driven female protagonist who is willing to pay any price to achieve her goals.

……

Dilraba and Keanu have already played father and daughter once, and this is their second collaboration. They are already very familiar with each other and have developed a tacit understanding on screen.

Dilraba and Keanu Reeves performed well, which made Lu Zhiyuan very pleased.

However, accidents always happen sooner than tomorrow.

"Crack!"

"Shishi, you're a scientist, not a model. Don't stick your neck out so straight, or you'll get hit by flying debris."

"Right now, a great battle is taking place outside between monsters and mech hunters. You should be careful, keeping your eyes on the battle while hunching over and quickly weaving through the crowd to collect the bodily fluids left behind by the monsters."

"do it again!"

Liu Shishi's acting skills can only be described as average.

Besides that, her voice and lines were also somewhat beyond words.

But she's quite popular and has a good rapport with audiences.

Not to mention, Liu Shishi also put in a lot of effort for Lu Zhiyuan's first film, "The Coffin in the Mountain". In order to meet Lu Zhiyuan's requirements, she even went to the countryside to be a village girl for a month.

Aside from her poor acting skills, Liu Shishi was truly impeccable in every other aspect.

such a pity.

For an actor, poor acting skills are a fatal flaw.

Moreover, unlike Dilraba, who was like a blank sheet of paper when Lu Zhiyuan found her, she was someone Lu Zhiyuan could pour all his ideas about acting into.

Reba learned very quickly.

Although her acting skills are mediocre, Dilraba always manages to meet Lu Zhiyuan's requirements.

As long as Lu Zhiyuan breaks down the details that people can understand for Dilraba, she can always get the hang of it quickly.

Liu Shishi is no good.

Tangren never taught her how to act.

She has always relied on her looks to act.

The moment she cries, the audience's IQ will likely plummet instantly, feeling that no matter what's wrong, it's definitely not her fault, and they'll feel immense sympathy for her character in the show.

After all, the tears of a beautiful woman are incredibly powerful.

However, to portray Liu Shishi as a scientist with unwavering composure, fearlessness in the face of death, and a madman-like determination to go against the tide in order to collect data on monsters...

That's asking too much of Liu Shishi.

"Brother Kun, go get me a pair of black-rimmed glasses."

Liu Shishi's eyes remained somewhat blank throughout, lacking any sense of determination.

no way.

Lu Zhiyuan could only give Liu Shishi a pair of black-rimmed glasses to cover up her biggest flaw.

Scientists wearing black-rimmed glasses are not a big problem.

But it lacked just one thing: a steadfast belief in pursuing the path of science.

However, it's better to have no outstanding close-ups of the eyes than to break the audience's immersion in the story.

……

"Honey, her acting skills are even worse than yours!"

Not far away, Reba and Hanikezi stood together, watching Liu Shishi perform.

Liu Shishi performed the role three times, but Lu Zhiyuan was still not satisfied. In the end, he had no choice but to help Liu Shishi change her appearance.

This scene almost made Dilraba burst out laughing.

Previously, she considered Liu Shishi one of her biggest rivals in love, and her destined opponent. But after today, she can remove Liu Shishi from her list.

You can't even act well, and your job is so terrible, yet you still want to pursue our great director?

Are you kidding me?
“Sister Dilraba, I’m better than her! I’m the female lead in ‘Real Steel,’ which grossed $9.5 million, the highest single-film box office record in Chinese entertainment history.”

Hanikezi was a little unhappy and hinted at Reba that her film "Upgrade" only grossed $5 million, which is only half the box office of "Real Steel".

Of course, Dilraba was the second female lead in "Real Steel" and made many contributions as well.

However, Hanikezi felt that it was only because she was young that Teacher Lu did not want to put too much pressure on her, lest she be overwhelmed.

That's why he didn't have that many scenes.

When I grow up, Teacher Lu will only be 30 years old, which is the prime of a director's life. At that time, I will surpass Sister Dilraba in no time.

"Little brat, you have no idea what I'm talking about."

Reba rubbed Hanikezi's head.

From now on, when you call me "Master's Wife" and serve me tea, you'll behave yourself.

"Crack!"

"That's enough for now, let's call it a day."

"Get ready, we're going to Hong Kong Island tonight."

Lu Zhiyuan hadn't had high hopes for Liu Shishi's acting skills to begin with.

The scenes assigned to her were all very simple.

However, Liu Shishi's grasp of details was still not good enough.

After all, when filming "The Coffin in the Mountain" last time, Lu Zhiyuan made Liu Shishi stay in the countryside for half a month before filming began.

At that time, Liu Shishi had already found that feeling of being the village beauty.

However, it's basically unrealistic to expect Liu Shishi to feel like a scientist.

Her living environment prevented her from developing a proper understanding of scientists.

This role would be more suitable for Gao Yuanyuan.

Fortunately, Liu Shishi's scenes are mostly minor, mainly to set up the plot, so that a shocking revelation will happen at the end.

It brought a huge shock to the audience.

However, Liu Shishi's acting skills are so sharp, it's truly unexpected...

At the same time, it also forced Lu Zhiyuan to seriously consider a problem.

If the next sequel gives Liu Shishi a huge storyline, will she be able to handle it?
It's highly unlikely to work!
Or, how about we have her sacrifice herself for all of humanity at the end?
"Brother, you should be more patient with Shishi. She's used to filming idol dramas and isn't quite used to the requirements of film shooting."

The biggest difference between movies and TV series lies in their pursuit of the ultimate visual effects.

Often, TV dramas are very tolerant of minor flaws in shots; as long as the scene isn't particularly distracting, the director will usually just let it pass.

But movies are different.

They have extremely high standards when it comes to details.

Even the slightest change in expression is absolutely intolerable to a demanding director like Lu Zhiyuan.

After all, how could an art student who is extremely demanding about the image tolerate even the slightest blemish on their canvas?

"Brother Kun, what are you saying? Haven't I been patient enough with her? If it were Kitagawa Keiko, I'd kick her out immediately!"

Lu Zhiyuan frowned as he looked at Xin Yukun.

Gradually, he realized that Xin Yukun was implying that he should be gentler with Liu Shishi.

After all, that young lady has feelings for you.

Normally, Lu Zhiyuan would be willing to give Liu Shishi some patience, but now it's working hours.

"Brother Kun, I understand what you mean."

Seeing the helplessness on Xin Yukun's face, Lu Zhiyuan sighed: "Last time, Hani messed with my mentality and delayed the filming process for about half a month."

“However, Hani is still young and has never acted before, so I can be patient with her and teach her how to act step by step.”

"Look, Hani did a great job this time, didn't she? She's captured the essence of a delicate, sickly young girl. But her eyes always radiate youthful energy. This complex quality makes her character very three-dimensional."

"But Shishi has already acted in several plays; she should have a mature methodology by now. Why is she still like this?"

“I cast her as a scientist, and her temperament actually fits the role quite well; she has a scholarly air about her and looks like a smart person… But now, my impression of her is… never mind, I won’t say anything more, it might hurt her pride.”

At this moment, Lu Zhiyuan's emotional intelligence barely passed the test.

He didn't publicly criticize Liu Shishi.

Otherwise, these words would have spread like wildfire throughout the crew and reached Liu Shishi's ears, causing her to cry with a cold and broken feeling.

"Indeed, after not seeing her for a while, her acting has become so terrible. I remember when we worked together before, her acting was quite good."

Xin Yukun couldn't help but scratch his head.

When he filmed "The Coffin in the Mountain" with Liu Shishi, Liu Shishi was quite witty.

How did it all change so quickly?

Therefore, you can't keep working with low-level directors to make idol dramas... After doing too many, even the most talented actors will become wooden figures.

"Brother, her acting is bad, it's not her fault."

Xin Yukun had a good relationship with Liu Shishi, and before filming this movie, he received a red envelope from Liu Shishi.

At this moment, although he was inwardly criticizing Liu Shishi's acting as terrible, he couldn't help but speak up for her.

"Brother, as you know, Shishi has been dancing since elementary school, just like Dilraba. She basically didn't get a proper education."

"Besides, you probably know what the situation is like on Tangren's side. It's quite remarkable that she's managed to get to where she is today by relying on her own instincts and mastering one or two unique skills."

"How about this... you design a scene where she cries. She looks quite beautiful when she cries, and it might evoke some sympathy from the audience."

Lu Zhiyuan also wanted to do that.

But the character of Liu Shishi doesn't allow her to cry!
She represents the pinnacle of human intelligence.

A human with peak intelligence who cries and whines?

Is this reasonable?

This isn't a comedy.

In the original Pacific Rim comics, the two scientists were there to provide the comedic relief.

When Lu Zhiyuan first watched it, he found it very jarring.

The director may have wanted to create two eccentric scientists, but the result feels plastic and unrealistic.

Those two people didn't look like scientists at all; they looked more like two mentally challenged people playing house.

"That's good."

After much deliberation, Lu Zhiyuan concluded that Liu Shishi's scenes could not be cut, but the filming techniques could be changed.

“From now on, don’t take pictures of her face directly. Instead, take more 45-degree side profile shots and pictures of her hair… Oh, and give her a signature black sporty headband.”

“Whenever there is an emergency, we give her a medium to long shot, and she is quickly tying her hair while walking forward in a hurry.”

"Does it give off the impression of a capable scientist?"

Have!
Absolutely!
That's exactly the kind of dashing and heroic feeling I'm looking for.

However, it also maintains the scientists' professionalism, safety, and undisturbed state.

As a woman, she is naturally fond of beauty, but when it comes to work, she immediately becomes very professional, and she must be restrained and rational in her work.

These are female scientists!

With just this one small detail, the character suddenly becomes more three-dimensional.

"Brother, I knew you would be able to come up with a solution."

Although Liu Shishi's acting skills are poor, can they be worse than Hanikezi, who starred in "Real Steel"?
It's just that Hanikezi is Lu Zhiyuan's student, while Liu Shishi is nobody, so Lu Zhiyuan is too lazy to give Liu Shishi special treatment.

Sure enough, after he casually pressed Lu Zhiyuan, the other party immediately gave a standard answer.

This shooting method is good.

Liu Shishi doesn't need to have much acting skill.

She can always quickly tie her hair up, right?
The problem was solved immediately.

It must be said that Lu Zhiyuan is a genius. He not only has an extremely keen sense of visuals, but he is also particularly good at capturing the strengths of actors!
Liu Shishi's stiff portrayal of a scientist was indeed somewhat lacking.

But if you walk quickly while tying your hair up in a stylish and dynamic way, that creates a beautiful dynamic effect.

Lu Zhiyuan's small change instantly transformed Liu Shishi's acting skills from -30 points to over 80 points.

...That evening.

On the plane to Hong Kong Island.

"Brother Kun, what's going on with Liu Shishi? Why is she tying her hair up one minute and then letting it go the next? Has she gone crazy?"

Seeing Liu Shishi's strange behavior, Dilraba couldn't help but ask her a question.

Previously, Liu Shishi was partially blind.

Now that she's blind and insane, she could totally play Mei Chaofeng.

In her current state, she is sure to create a classic character.

"She's finally getting into the swing of being a scientist. In a couple of days, when filming starts on Hong Kong Island, she'll definitely surprise everyone."

Xin Yukun smiled mysteriously.

"Her? A scientist?"

Reba didn't believe it at all.

Liu Shishi's acting skills are even worse than Hanikezi's; even if she finds the right feeling, it won't help.

Moreover, what does practicing tying hair have to do with scientists?
……

Two days later.

During filming in Hong Kong, Dilraba suddenly understood what it meant when Liu Shishi found the feeling of being a scientist.

"Red alert! An unusual energy fluctuation was detected in the waters outside Victoria Harbour one hour ago!"

Inside an office building.

The alarms kept sounding.

Reba, Jinu, Hanikezi, and Liu Shishi received an urgent notification and rushed to the operations room.

Dilraba was as cold as a robot, her face expressionless. Even if the world outside were to end, she would remain no different from before.

Keanu looked dejected, his eyes seemingly filled with regret. He was deeply disappointed that he hadn't been able to save the child on the streets of Tokyo.

But then he looked up, his eyes suddenly hardening, even filled with anger.

Both of them acted well.

In addition, Hanikezi was wearing combat uniform, with a serious expression and eyes full of fighting spirit. Although he was not particularly outstanding, he was still in line with the scene.

Only Liu Shishi, the last one, hurried along while quickly tying up her disheveled hair.

While tying her hair up, she had a black sports headband in her mouth.

The white lab coat she wore, a symbol of her identity as a scientist, billowed in the wind as she walked briskly.

It made her feel like she was carrying the wind.

This sense of urgency in the face of an emergency was immediately apparent in her.

"it is good!"

"Shishi feels good!"

Lu Zhiyuan skipped this scene entirely.

Liu Shishi performed well and truly captured the feeling he needed.

"hey-hey!"

Finally praised by Lu Zhiyuan, Liu Shishi couldn't help but giggle.

In the past few days, she hadn't been able to portray the feeling that Lu Zhiyuan needed, and she was actually quite anxious.

Fortunately, Xin Yukun later communicated with her and said that although her acting skills were a bit lacking, Lu Zhiyuan was very fond of her and personally designed a few small details for her.

It allowed her to experience the kind of treatment that Dilraba received, like a beloved daughter.

have to say.

Being praised by Lu Zhiyuan in front of so many people made her feel incredibly happy.

He still loves me; he specially designed this little detail for me. Only Dilraba receives this kind of treatment... Others, like Keiko Kitagawa, definitely don't!

……

"what the hell!"

Of all the people in that group, only Liu Shishi had an extra action in the scene. It was clearly Lu Zhiyuan's favoritism that led him to design a small, eye-catching detail for Liu Shishi.

This made Hanikezi a little jealous.

She quietly tugged at Reba's sleeve and whispered, "Reba, you've fallen out of favor. The teacher is clearly paying more attention to Liu Shishi."

"hehe!"

Reba chuckled coldly and said nonchalantly, "Honey, you're overthinking it. Brother Yuan designed so many details for her, but the camera didn't give her a close-up, which means that Brother Yuan's patience with her has reached its limit. He's just keeping a semblance of dignity for her on the surface."

Dilraba was initially worried that after the movie about Liu Shishi was over, Lu Zhiyuan would add a lot more storyline for Liu Shishi in the next sequel.

Let Liu Shishi replace Hanikezi and become part of the main character group.

It now seems highly likely that Liu Shishi has been completely eliminated!
Throughout so many scenes, Lu Zhiyuan didn't even design a single close-up of Liu Shishi's face, which shows that Lu Zhiyuan had completely given up on Liu Shishi's acting skills.

The treatment is even lower than that of Hanikezi.

At least, Hanikezi's eyes are still very expressive, able to convey both a sense of fragility and a youthful smile that is very infectious.

Where is Liu Shishi?

Her crying is quite infectious.

Unfortunately, in Lu Zhiyuan's movies, the female protagonists are always heroic figures, persevering, highly intelligent, and able to find a way to be resurrected even if they die physically!

How could a female lead like this possibly cry?

And she's crying like a little white flower?
It can only be said that Liu Shishi's strongest acting style is not what Lu Zhiyuan needs at all.

After counting all the female celebrities in China, you still have to look at yourself!
Thinking about it this way, Dilraba felt much more at ease.

Later on set, Dilraba became much warmer towards Liu Shishi, unlike before when she was cold and distant, as if she were treating a class enemy!

……

"Brother, how are you going to film this major battle on Hong Kong Island?"

Although the script was written by Xin Yukun.

However, the script at most only shows a plot outline.

The real visuals will have to be brought to life by Lu Zhiyuan, a gifted art student.

Lu Zhiyuan thought for a moment and said, "On the streets of Tokyo, I photographed the clash between Shinto beliefs and monsters. On Hong Kong Island, I also want to design a visual label for this place."

“I had never been to Hong Kong Island before. My impression of it was that it was a place of extravagance and luxury, an Asian financial center, and skyscrapers everywhere.”

"However, after personally touring Hong Kong Island, I gained a completely new understanding of this city."

Lu Zhiyuan had never been to Hong Kong Island before, and his understanding of Hong Kong Island was entirely based on his imagination of the capitalist world.

After arriving, he discovered that the city was full of everyday life and local flavor.

Especially the narrow alleys and rows of shops, which have a more vibrant local atmosphere than many cities in the interior.

"So, how exactly do you plan to film this?"

Xin Yukun asked curiously.

He followed Lu Zhiyuan, partly to provide support and partly to learn from him.

Sooner or later, he will make his own movie.

"During that great battle in Tokyo, the monster demonstrated its terrifying melee combat abilities, as well as its special chemical attack of spewing acid."

"To differentiate it from the major battle in Tokyo, I plan to design a corrosive toxic fog disaster on Hong Kong Island..."

Lu Zhiyuan, along with Xin Yukun and several photographers, stood in the streets and alleys of Hong Kong Island.

Not far away are countless neon signs and narrow tenement buildings. Further ahead are street fish stalls, with constant shouts and bustling crowds.

“The core visual identity of Hong Kong Island is these narrow alleyways.”

"Besides that, there's the landmark building, Victoria Harbour. And outside of Victoria Harbour, there should be the Star Ferry."

"After determining the visual labels, I'll describe the scenes I need. After you listen, please feel free to add anything I need..."

Lu Zhiyuan closed his eyes quietly, pondered for a while, and then said, "One calm afternoon, suddenly, the passengers on the Star Ferry noticed a colorful giant wave not far away, rushing towards the Star Ferry."

"It was a strange, poisonous fog."

"In the blink of an eye, the passengers on the ship began to foam at the mouth and collapsed to the ground, their bodies turning into pools of blood."

"Some people frantically called the hospital for an ambulance, but after the call was connected, they could only say a few words before collapsing to the ground."

"Colorful, toxic fumes began to spread across the entire Hong Kong Island."

"Amidst countless sirens, vendors in the electronics market, wearing gas masks and using umbrellas as makeshift protective gear, shouted that they had to save the goods! If we got sprayed with the toxic fumes, we'd all be finished!"

“The residents of Hong Kong Island value money more than their lives. They live a hard life, and even if the end of the world comes, they will not forget to make money.”

Within the grand scene, there are subtle details of daily life.

This would greatly enhance the realism of the disaster.

"We've got the long shot of Victoria Harbour and the medium shot of the electronics market. Now, all we need is a close-up."

"Let me think about it."

At this moment, as Lu Zhiyuan spoke, Xin Yukun and the photographers behind him wrote down his words.

Because Lu Zhiyuan wouldn't personally participate in these shots that don't require high visual quality.

The director of photography will guide them through shooting these scenes.

What Lu Zhiyuan truly cares about are those world-famous paintings that can truly move people's hearts.

"Have it!"

At that moment, Lu Zhiyuan saw a kindergarten school bus slowly driving by on the side of the road, and an idea came to him.

"Because Keanu is still haunted by the fact that he didn't save a single child on the streets of Tokyo. So, on Hong Kong Island, Keanu must complete his own redemption."

"When the Jaeger was fighting the Angel Monster, Keanu was probably near the kindergarten school bus. After seeing the danger, unlike the other people who were running away, he rushed forward without hesitation to evacuate the children on the school bus."

"At this moment, in the grand battle scene in the distance, Hani will pilot the [Qin Palace Guard] to fight against the Apostle monsters. While destroying the world, she will always keep an eye on Keanu's side."

"At the last moment, she used her Jaeger body to block one of the monster's attacks, but the monster's strength was too great, and the Jaeger was slammed hard onto the kindergarten school bus."

"A close-up of the interior of the kindergarten school bus, with its creaking and rattling steel and the overwhelming sense of oppression overhead, makes the school bus seem like it's made of paper."

"In the face of apocalyptic disaster, human civilization appears so fragile."

"At the same time, Keanu quickly evacuated the children, while Honey piloted the Jaeger and fought the monster to the death."

"In the end, Keanu successfully rescued all the children."

"The price was that the mecha hunter, [Qin Palace Guard], lost an arm."

"This robotic arm will be completely wrapped up with the metal sheet on the school bus that is covered with McDull pictures."

"It will become a world-famous painting left behind after the end of the great war!"

After saying this, Lu Zhiyuan looked at the others and asked, "How does this feel?"

"The visual symbols and the type of disaster in this major battle on Hong Kong Island are different from the major battle in Tokyo."

"Keanu's human weaknesses were redeemed during this great battle."

"After this battle, Keanu will no longer be so resistant to the AI ​​Cyber ​​Legion. He even realizes that only the AI ​​Cyber ​​Legion led by Miss T can save the world."

Lu Zhiyuan already had a very complete picture of the battle in his mind.

He even created special visual effects for the battle on Hong Kong Island, as well as a special disaster-themed setup before the Jaeger Hunters and monster battles.

However, this is not important.

Importantly, in that great battle in Tokyo, the Angel monsters wreaked havoc, even wiping out the Japanese Jaeger Hunters, the Onimusha.

If it weren't for Kitagawa Keiko's desperate pleas and the generous gift she gave Lu Zhiyuan, he would have been prepared to sacrifice even Kitagawa Keiko, a major character, to the monster.

However, this great battle took place on Hong Kong Island.

Lu Zhiyuan was very tactful; he didn't film the scene to make it seem particularly desperate. The only ones who died were the passengers on the Star Ferry outside Victoria Harbour.

At least, the child is alright.

From the perspective of the film as a whole, the child's rescue represents a glimmer of hope.

The scene will gradually shift from a dark, despairing tone to a glimmer of light from this moment on.

"correct."

Lu Zhiyuan suddenly thought of something and emphasized it.

"Here, let me add a detail: after careful observation and analysis, the character Liu Shishi finally discovered the monster's weakness."

"It seems to be afraid of high temperatures."

In that great battle in Tokyo, the monsters seemed invincible, destroying the world and crushing human civilization under their feet.

After the great battle on Hong Kong Island, Lu Zhiyuan gave a hint from the visuals, plot, and details that the monster was not invincible.

It has weaknesses!

Without a doubt, in the upcoming battle in Los Angeles, humanity should begin to shift from defense to offense!

(End of this chapter)