The Birth of the Best Director

Chapter 180 "Upgrade" - a flashback in memory, the character of Alita is brought to life!
……

Lu Zhiyuan's original plan was to have the Templar, a mech hunter representing European, especially French, culture, fight a major battle with the Apostle monsters on Hong Kong Island before being completely destroyed.

However, he later considered...

Hong Kong Island was once a colony. If European Jaeger Hunters were to protect Hong Kong Island, it might be subject to thematic distortion by those with ulterior motives, who could then use it to attack the Jaeger Hunter himself.

This is a commercial film, and Lu Zhiyuan didn't think that much about it.

However, the four mech hunters must appear in a certain order.

As the final mecha hunter, the Qin Palace Guard should not have revealed its strength so early. It should have appeared at the crucial moment in the final episode to settle the score.

However, after discussing it with Brother Kun, they decided to change the order in which these mech hunters would appear.

The Qin Palace Guards were sent to participate in the defense of Hong Kong Island first. After being severely injured, they had to undergo large-scale repairs.

Therefore, considering the timeline, the Qin Palace Guards could miss the Battle of Los Angeles.

After the Qin Palace Guards upgrade their weapon systems and strengthen them specifically based on the characteristics of the Apostle Monsters, they will go to Antarctica for the final battle.

Therefore, it is logically reasonable to say that the Qin Palace Guards won.

As for the Templars...

Lu Zhiyuan planned to have them, along with the Planet Ripper, concentrate in Los Angeles to deliver a crushing blow to the Apostle Monster.

The apostle monsters were so badly defeated that they dared not show themselves, abandoned their final landing in Australia, and headed straight for Antarctica to carry out their final acts of destruction.

It's not surprising that the French and Americans joined forces. After all, weren't the biggest allies in the American Revolutionary War the French army under Louis XVI?
In an effort to help the United States gain independence, France suffered financial collapse and sent its king to the guillotine.

Thinking about it this way, the two mechs fighting side by side also have a certain historical significance.

Lu Zhiyuan hadn't originally intended to use this metaphor... because his initial concept for the film was simply to create a world-famous painting.

But somehow, as he continued filming, he gradually realized that he had included a bit too much of his own personal stuff.

Fortunately, setting aside all the plot details, as long as the visuals are engaging enough, the movie should be fine.

Lu Zhiyuan swears to God that he didn't mean any of this messy inner meaning.

It's purely a coincidence.

As for how the film is interpreted by critics after its release, that's beyond his control.

……

Los Angeles.

YT Pictures is located here.

This city is equivalent to Lu Zhiyuan's second stronghold.

"Boss, the Hilton luxury suite has been arranged for you. Would you like to find a couple of girls to help you relax?"

"Please rest assured, I will keep this a secret. Miss Jing will never know any of this in her lifetime."

As soon as he got off the plane, James came over to greet Lu Zhiyuan personally.

Over the past few months, box office revenue and various copyright fees from "Real Steel" have been deposited into the company's account one by one.

Seeing so many US dollars, James felt like kowtowing to Lu Zhiyuan.

YT Pictures has a registered capital of US$2 million.

Now, the company's cash inflows have exceeded that amount.

James used to be the CEO of Focus Features, but even if Focus Features ran for 10 years, it wouldn't earn $2 million.

Even worse, if you accidentally encounter a terrible arthouse film director who has a brain fart and makes a nonsensical movie, you could lose two years' worth of profits.

Art films are just that unreliable.

It's better to make commercial films.

Look at this beautiful green knife, it smells so good.

"James, our Brother Yuan has always been clean-living, don't make trouble for yourself."

After giving James a stern scolding, Xin Yukun changed the subject, hooking his arm around James's shoulder and saying, "However, those two girls shouldn't be wasted. Send them to my room tonight."

James laughed and said it was no problem.

“Reba, Hani, my two little princesses, it’s so nice to see you. I have prepared gifts for you.”

James's ability to flatter is even better than Xin Yukun's.

He didn't neglect a single detail from beginning to end, and even took good care of the two little girls, Reba and Hanikezi.

"I'm sorry, I seem to have neglected a beautiful lady."

After greeting Reba and Hanikezi, James suddenly noticed that Lu Zhiyuan was accompanied by a stunningly beautiful woman with a cool and aloof appearance.

Who is this?
It looks somewhat familiar.

I remembered!

Isn't this the beautiful woman who walked the red carpet with Lu Zhiyuan when he won the Palme d'Or?

James remembered that back then, Miss Liu Shishi and Miss Jing Tian seemed to have been jealous of each other over Lu Zhiyuan.

Now, Lu Zhiyuan is already Miss Jing Tian's man.

How come he's hanging out with this Miss Liu Shishi again?

James scratched his head, somewhat confused, and asked Xin Yukun, "Kun, what's going on?"

Xin Yukun laughed and, not telling the truth, deliberately let James think the wrong thing, saying mysteriously, "No doubt about it, it's exactly what you're thinking."

"I know."

James instantly understood: "It's perfectly normal for a great director like Boss to have two girlfriends."

"Even if he changes girlfriends every month, it's not a problem."

Leonardo DiCaprio changes girlfriends every year, but Lu Zhiyuan is much better than him, changing 12 girlfriends a year. What's wrong with that?

Beautiful women are not a scarce resource for people of their caliber.

……

After checking into the Hilton Hotel.

While the others were resting, Lu Zhiyuan called Xin Yukun over and talked to him about how to film "The Battle of Los Angeles".

The script was written by Xin Yukun. Lu Zhiyuan took him with him and discussed the details. After that, Xin Yukun had to go back to his room to revise the script.

Does Kun want to have a good time in Los Angeles for a few days?
You're just overthinking it.

It will be more or less after the movie is finished.

"Bro, what's your plan?"

Before Lu Zhiyuan could even speak, Xin Yukun immediately began urging him on.

After all, Lu Zhiyuan needs to hurry up; there are two beautiful women waiting for him in the room!

James's gift must be top-quality.

"Kun, what's your first impression of Los Angeles?"

In the movie "Pacific Rim," Lu Zhiyuan is dedicated to creating a visual brand for each city, combining the city's cultural characteristics to create a prosperous scene of human civilization.

Then, by using the outsider, the Apostle Monster, to trample on these visual trademarks and cultural features, they destroy the city's human authority.

This is Emmerich's aesthetic of destruction.

Tokyo, Shintoism.

Hong Kong Island, with its everyday, vibrant atmosphere.

Now, it's Los Angeles' turn.

"Los Angeles, Hollywood, Santa Monica Pier."

Xin Yukun originally wanted to say "San Fernando Valley". He really longed to visit this place as a photographer and hoped that one day he could go there to broaden his horizons.

in the country...

Photographers can easily meet with female models.

However, before filming, Xin Yukun always made the other party sign various consent agreements, in case the filming was halfway through and the other party called the police...

Then his life would be ruined.

Since becoming famous, Xin Yukun has actually become much more restrained, for fear of encountering those frivolous girls who might try to blackmail him with such things.

It doesn't matter if he makes a fool of himself.

I'm afraid it will implicate Lu Zhiyuan, this newly minted international director.

If something like this really happens, it will absolutely make Lu Zhiyuan a laughing stock that will shock the whole world!
"Brother Kun, you think the same way I do."

Lu Zhiyuan nodded, a look of satisfaction on his face: "That's right. The visual icons of Los Angeles are Hollywood, the Ferris wheel at Santa Monica Pier, and the Queen Mary Hotel restaurant."

"This city gives the impression of being obsessed with entertainment to the death."

“Let’s imagine… what would happen if a super monster appeared on the beach outside Santa Monica Pier?”

Xin Yukun thought for a moment, but couldn't figure it out. He muttered, "Anyway, it's different from Tokyo and Hong Kong. The people here are all a bit crazy."

"That's right!"

Lu Zhiyuan seemed to have found the right feeling, and his speaking speed increased: "This city should give people a feeling of entertainment to the death."

"If a monster were to appear in Los Angeles, their first thought wouldn't be to escape, but rather the immense news value. At that moment, countless news helicopters would be deployed from the rooftops of numerous media buildings, rushing towards the monster to broadcast it live worldwide."

"On Hong Kong Island, people are willing to risk their lives for money."

"In Los Angeles, these entertainment industry professionals are willing to risk their lives for newsworthy publicity."

"For them, the Apostle Monster is the biggest news in the world."

Haha!

So real!

Xin Yukun couldn't help but want to shout out loud, "This is the Los Angeles of my dreams!"
He seems to be full of fun-loving qualities.

But soon, Xin Yukun's smile faded.

Lu Zhiyuan's tone suddenly changed, and he said quietly, "Brother Kun, you've been my assistant for two years now. Don't you want to make a movie that's truly your own?"

"I've already told you the specific ideas for the Los Angeles scene; you're in charge of designing the storyboard."

"I'll check it out by tomorrow night. If there are no problems, you'll be in charge of this part of the filming."

Upon hearing Lu Zhiyuan's words, Xin Yukun was completely dumbfounded.

what?
I'll be in charge of filming?

He really wanted to ask Lu Zhiyuan, "You know my skill level, don't you?"

Xin Yukun felt that he was quite good at writing scripts, but his grasp of visuals was absolutely terrible.

Regardless of the subject matter, his photographs always have a dark atmosphere, never bright or cheerful.

The visuals also failed to convey the emotions I needed.

In short, he's okay at writing, but when it comes to creating visuals, he's really not good.

He's already incredibly lucky to have been nominated for an Oscar for Best Screenplay for "Real Steel".

He never even considered leaving Lu Zhiyuan to start his own business independently.

"Brother, I was wrong. Don't joke with me like that. I'll have James take those two blond guys in the room right away."

Xin Yukun sensed that Lu Zhiyuan was angry.

It must be because James gave him two big, blond, wavy haircuts.

He immediately admitted his mistake without the slightest hesitation.

"As long as you know."

Lu Zhiyuan sighed and couldn't help but say, "We've known each other for so long, and there are some things I've never said. I also know that you work very hard."

"However, I have emphasized to you many times that when making a movie, don't do those messy things, put all your energy into the movie."

"After the movie is finished, I won't interfere with what you want to do."

"You went a bit too far today..."

If Xin Yukun secretly goes out to play, Lu Zhiyuan will pretend he doesn't know.

But today, with so many people from the crew present, Xin Yukun openly accepting James's hospitality... that's a bit much.

What will the rest of the crew think?
The upper beam is not right and the lower beam is crooked.

If morale is low, it's difficult to lead a team.

"Brother, no, Mr. Lu, I was wrong this time!"

Lu Zhiyuan had never spoken to him about this so seriously before, and Xin Yukun realized that Lu Zhiyuan might really be angry.

This made him feel extremely apprehensive.

If he hadn't followed Lu Zhiyuan, would he have been able to achieve such great success?

Many people are envious of him.

But who can blame him for being lucky in this life? He just happened to have such a brother!

If Lu Zhiyuan kicks him out, he's finished. "Brother Kun, clean things up. Don't let it happen again. If you like to have fun, after the movie is finished, let James arrange it for you. You can have fun until your kidneys are ruined, no problem."

"When you are working, please prioritize your work."

Although Lu Zhiyuan's tone was cold and hard, Xin Yukun could still tell that Lu Zhiyuan had forgiven him.

It was a warning to him not to go too far.

He's definitely gotten a bit cocky lately.

According to Xin Yukun, Lu Zhiyuan could easily make a film like "Pacific Rim" and it would still gross at least $5 million.

The film's production cost is around 70 to 80 million, and the marketing and distribution costs are about the same, so it will not exceed 150 million US dollars at most.

The cost can be recouped through movie box office revenue.

DVD rights, television streaming rights, merchandise rights, game rights... all of these combined guarantee the company a profit of at least $3 million.

Because he felt the movie was a sure thing, he did become a bit complacent.

If it were a normal person, they probably would have given up long ago. With three consecutive successful films, Lu Zhiyuan has become a legendary director.

Xin Yukun often thought to himself, what's wrong with Lu Zhiyuan, a successful and famous director, enjoying himself a little?
He worked so hard to build the empire with Lu Zhiyuan, and now that he has achieved success, what's wrong with him slacking off a little?

They didn't make the investors lose money.

It's just that we'll earn a little less.

Who can say anything?
However, at this moment, Xin Yukun suddenly realized that Lu Zhiyuan was not a normal person!

He's a madman!
A mad artist!

He wants to become a historic director, even the greatest director in history!

He couldn't achieve this in the art world, so he wanted to prove himself in the film industry.

He couldn't tolerate any stains on his canvas, nor could he tolerate his easel tilting precariously and creaking.

And I am merely an easel used to assist him.

In the entire studio, my easel was probably the cheapest and least valuable, even less valuable than the two domestic paints, Reba and Hanikezi.

Realizing this, Xin Yukun immediately decided to put in his utmost effort in his work from now on.

……

The next morning.

On a beach in Los Angeles.

Tsunami warnings have already begun to sound loudly.

At the pier, tourists continued to laugh and take photos, seemingly oblivious to the noise.

On the nearby coastline, surfers, instead of being alarmed by the approaching tsunami, shouted, "Big wave coming, let's go again!"

After shooting this long shot.

The scene shifts to a combat building in Los Angeles.

Seeing that the crowd outside seemed completely unaware of the danger posed by the Apostle Monster, Liu Shishi frowned slightly and asked, "Can't we save them?"

"Probability of death: 100%!"

Reba replied coldly, then asked Liu Shishi, "Monsters fear high temperatures. What is the data for 'high temperature'? And how accurate is your guess?"

The apostle monsters have flesh and blood; they are clearly carbon-based life forms.

Carbon-based organisms are naturally afraid of high temperatures.

Even the Jaeger Hunters are afraid of high temperatures!
What things in the universe are not afraid of high temperatures?

But what exactly is the temperature?
You can't exactly tell others that it requires a temperature of 10 billion degrees, can you?

In that situation, the Earth could be burned through, so how could we possibly deal with apostle monsters?

Moreover, Liu Shishi, this scientist, had no data to prove it at all; she only put forward a conjecture...

Speculation is meaningless to an AI cyborg like Dilraba; what she needs is concrete data.

But for humans, intuition is very important.

Sometimes, many scientific discoveries are not based on data, but on the scientist's intuition.

This is the biggest difference between humans and AI, and it's also the crux of the film's conflict.

“I never gamble. Continue your research.”

Unable to speak upon seeing Liu Shishi, Reba left with a cold remark and walked away expressionlessly.

Alita.

At the corner, Dilraba met Keanu.

Keanu seemed to have something to say to her, but looking at Dilraba's face, which looked exactly like his daughter's, his expression was completely different.

Keanu hesitated for a moment, then finally said, "Be careful."

Dilraba's character slightly raised an eyebrow, revealing a hint of confusion, as if her CPU was spinning wildly, pondering the meaning of the phrase "Be careful."
It neither increases the success rate of defeating the apostle monsters nor brings any positive benefits to oneself.

Why did the other person say that?

From a practical standpoint, this statement is utterly useless.

The AI ​​cybernetic human Reba, devoid of emotional fluctuations, couldn't fathom the true intention behind Keanu's words and switched to a different state.

She forced a strange, Zuckerberg-esque robotic smile and asked in a formulaic manner, "Grey, how are you feeling today? Want to have dinner together?"

This moment brought Keanu Reeves' acting skills to their ultimate test!

Upon hearing this, Keanu's eyelids twitched slightly, and a hint of sadness flashed in his eyes.

This is not his daughter, no matter how much she looks like him, no matter how much she shares the same soul.

If Keanu Reeves' acting skills are only at this level, Lu Zhiyuan would at most give him a passing grade.

But soon, Keanu told him why he was able to earn $2000 million a month!

At this moment, Keanu made another small move.

His neck muscles tilted back slightly, indicating that he wanted to keep his distance from the character of Dilraba and didn't want to get too close.

This allows one to sense the inner struggle he is going through at that moment.

At the same time, Keanu's fingers gripped his trouser leg tightly, clearly conveying to the audience that subconsciously he did not want to accept any of this.

He still hoped that the person in front of him was his daughter, Alita.

At this moment, Keanu's inner conflict reached its peak.

Reason told him that the person in front of him was not his daughter. But emotionally, he was unwilling to accept it, and even wanted to deceive himself.

Keanu Reeves, through subtle details, fully conveys his inner conflict to the audience through the visuals.

I must say, their acting is superb!

However, to Lu Zhiyuan's surprise, Dilraba's performance was just as good as Keanu's, and even slightly better.

"Grey, remember to find a real Italian wife."

At this moment, Dilraba looked at Keanu Reeves, her cold gaze suddenly softening, and her previously somewhat hard face now becoming tender and affectionate.

She uttered a classic line!
This is a heartwarming conversation between a father and daughter in the movie "Upgrade".

Upon hearing this line, Keanu froze for a moment, his eyes trembling violently, his fingers gripping his trouser leg so tightly they almost bled.

Tears welled up in his eyes.

At that moment, his heart was churning wildly; it was the most beautiful memory of his life.

But that was more than a decade ago.

He had grown old, but the Alita in front of him looked just like she did more than a decade ago, the most beautiful age of his daughter in his memory.

A few seconds later, Keanu suddenly regained his senses and shouted at Dilraba's retreating figure, "Don't mimic her! You're not her! You never will be!"

Keanu Reeves delivers a phenomenal performance, and Dilraba Dilmurat also shines in her acting.

Especially the line, "Remember to find a real Italian wife," was improvised by her.

Her eyes, tone of voice, and playful demeanor are exactly the same as the arrogant genius girl in "Upgrade".

At this moment, she is Alita!

Such a scene, appearing in a movie, would definitely give the audience a powerful flashback to their memories.

Lu Zhiyuan is certain that most viewers who have seen the movie "Upgrade" will be moved to tears when they see this scene again.

While this scene may not be considered a world-famous painting, it is definitely one of the classic moments in the entire film.

……

"Crack!"

"feels good."

"Keanu, Dilraba, you did a great job, you guys were fantastic. It was definitely a memorable moment."

Lu Zhiyuan led the applause.

Dilraba's acting is getting better and better; she's capturing the essence of the character more and more.

Sometimes, Dilraba can even give people the feeling that she is Alita, the cyber AI robot.

But yes.

She's acted in three movies, all of them Alita!

It's probably impossible to tell now whether Alita is a character or the real Alita.

Keanu Reeves' acting was also good, especially the last scene, where he had a hysterical outburst, with tears and snot streaming down his face.

So dedicated!
After praising Dilraba and Keanu, Lu Zhiyuan looked at Liu Shishi beside him and said, "Shishi, pay attention to the details they are learning."

"Crying is not about shedding tears, but about conveying the inner struggle and pain to the audience through details and visuals."

"Simply shedding tears is very low-class."

“You may be trying your best to portray pain, but the audience can’t feel that image… You have to remember that in film and television, the audience looks at the image first.”

"If there are no visuals and they have to imagine it out of thin air, that's a deduction from the actors' performance."

Lu Zhiyuan originally meant well, wanting to give Liu Shishi some pointers on acting techniques.

But when Liu Shishi heard this, her lips tingled with a sour feeling.

What is Dilraba compared to that?
She's just lucky to have studied under you for so long and to have played Alita all this time; she's purely an experiential artist.

and I?
How can I improve if I'm just following Tangren's lead in making those idol dramas every day?
I really envy Dilraba.

At a young age, she found the love of her life.

Liu Shishi knew very well that although Lu Zhiyuan did not regard Reba as his lover in terms of emotions, the meticulous guidance he gave Reba during the filming process was something that many people could only envy.

Even Miss Jing Tian doesn't receive this kind of treatment.

Even assuming the worst, which world-class director would personally mentor a newcomer in acting? And how could they possibly mold her into an Oscar-winning actress?
Only Dilraba receives this kind of treatment.

……

Lu Zhiyuan was a man of few words.

He has very high standards for himself, and while he doesn't have such high standards for others, he is very stingy with praise and unwilling to give it easily.

At that moment, he led the applause, which made Dilraba feel incredibly happy.

After coming down from the stage, Dilraba gave Hanikezi a small hug and boasted, "Hani, isn't my acting amazing?"

“Super awesome.”

Hanikezi nodded, then asked in confusion, "Sister Reba, how did you come up with that line on the spot?"

"You should find a real Italian wife." When Dilraba said this line just now, Hanikezi almost cried.

Memory flashback!

A famous scene in "Upgrade" is when Dilraba, using Quentin Tarantino's violent ritualistic style, kills an invading cyborg and then talks to Keanu Reeves and his daughter.

A boy complained that his father's cooking was terrible, but he secretly saved money so that his father could find an Italian wife.

A man who disliked his daughter dropping out of school to work in a flower shop secretly saved money to buy a house, move, and support his daughter's college education.

The father and daughter interact in a way that involves verbally criticizing each other, but deep down they care about each other.

This attention to detail and sincerity gives people a warm and tender feeling, which is very beautiful.

At that moment, these beautiful moments, like a sharp sword, pierced Keanu's last line of defense, and resonated deeply with the audience.

Although Keanu said, "You will never be," deep down he probably already accepted that the AI ​​cyborg in front of him was his daughter!

His tears and immense grief stemmed from the realization that his daughter would never return.

He had no choice but to accept this reality!
At least he can still see his daughter, which is a huge comfort.

The phrase "find a real Italian wife" has also infused Ai Dilraba with a soul, gradually merging her with the former prodigy.

This allows the character of Dilraba to descend from a demigod and become a true human being.

However, it's still a little short!
One more kneel from the gods!
(End of this chapter)