The Birth of the Best Director

The post-production work for Chapter 192 is finally finished, and it's ready for release!

……

Lu Zhiyuan stayed in Los Angeles for two days.

In the past two days, besides handing over some work to James, he also accompanied Dilraba on a tour of Los Angeles and had a meal near Santa Monica Beach.

Yang Mi participated throughout the entire process.

At first, she was quite happy, but gradually she realized that she was completely superfluous.

After returning to the hotel after dinner, Yang Mi couldn't help but ask, "Dilraba, why didn't we eat at the Queen Mary Cruises restaurant today? I heard that restaurant is very unique."

Reba snorted coldly: "My brother doesn't like eating on the deck."

Liu Yifei treated him to dinner at that restaurant before. Can I let him relive yesterday?

"Oh."

Yang Mi didn't think much of it, because tomorrow they were leaving for Texas to carry out a sniper training program.

Really convinced.

She's a young actress who relies on her figure and looks, and she's actually going to take the action actress route?

Yang Mi had every reason to suspect that Lu Zhiyuan was targeting her.

However, Dilraba also participated in the training, leaving her speechless.

……

The next morning.

"Director Lu, it's been a long time."

Tom Hiddleston arrived and first greeted Lu Zhiyuan.

"Tom, I have a new project."

“But I’m considering the focus of this project. I’ve prepared two plans.”

Lu Zhiyuan and Tom Hiddleston were old acquaintances, so he didn't bother with any tricks and just said directly, "Plan A: male and female partners. You'll be in charge of livening up the atmosphere, and the female lead will be in charge of the brains."

"Plan B: You will be responsible for fighting from beginning to end, acting as the force and intelligence provider. The female lead will be responsible for the main storyline, with a special background to serve as the conflict and contradiction in the plot, while also being responsible for being beautiful."

Lu Zhiyuan doesn't have much faith in Yang Mi's acting skills.

The main problem is Yang Mi's nasal tone; it really takes the audience out of the movie.

However, Yang Mi is a newcomer abroad, and people don't know what her pronunciation is like. This problem can be solved by dubbing.

In addition, he also has some reservations about Yang Mi's action scenes.

But Lu Zhiyuan should at least give Yang Mi a chance, just as he would give Liu Shishi a chance.

If Yang Mi really can't do it, then he can only come up with plan B.

The story outline was slightly modified, and the role of the male lead, Tom Hiddleston, was expanded... At least, Hiddleston's acting skills and professional attitude were fine, and he could withstand his messy demands.

As for Yang Mi...

Lu Zhiyuan can even manage Miss Jing Tian, ​​so giving Yang Mi a special identity and letting her enter the High Table at the end of the story and become one of the elders shouldn't be a problem.

However, with this move, it's highly likely that Yang Mi will have nothing to do with Pacific Rim 2 herself.

After all, plans can never keep up with changes.

Things often unfold in ways that catch people off guard.

Lu Zhiyuan could only make more backup plans for himself to avoid being caught off guard.

"What a heartless man. Saying these things to my face? He's trying to put all the pressure on me!"

"Aren't you afraid I won't be able to handle it?"

When Lu Zhiyuan said these things to Tom Hiddleston, he didn't try to hide it from Yang Mi and Dilraba.

It's obvious they want Yang Mi and Tom Hiddleston to compete fiercely.

Whoever is more outstanding will carry the storyline.

The other one, although also one of the main characters, will most likely have his scenes cut.

If Lu Zhiyuan hadn't given Yang Mi a month of special training beforehand, and hadn't intentionally or unintentionally given her the message that he wanted to promote her to be the leading lady...

Right now, Yang Mi probably wouldn't be so angry and upset.

After all, being able to collaborate with Tom Hiddleston on a film directed by an internationally renowned director was an absolute stroke of good luck for Yang Mi.

But now, realizing that she might go from being a main character to a supporting female lead, Yang Mi felt an immediate sense of imbalance.

She gritted her teeth and swore to God that she could do it.

Dilraba observed Yang Mi from the side and couldn't help but smile when she saw her gritting her teeth.

Yang Mi wants to compete with Tom Hiddleston in acting skills?

What a joke!
Yang Mi is at most pretending to be a smart person... Tom Hiddleston is a genuinely smart person, plus Oscar-worthy acting skills.

Graduated from Eton College and a Cambridge graduate.

After graduating from Cambridge, he entered the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in the UK and studied there for three years.

After overcoming numerous obstacles, it was only with great difficulty that they finally broke into Hollywood.

Looking back at Yang Mi... all I can say is that this comparison is unfair to her. She is still very hardworking.

Although the competition hasn't even started yet, Dilraba feels that Yang Mi has already lost.

Another one eliminated.

Thinking of this, Dilraba's mood immediately improved, and she went up to Tom Hiddleston and greeted him warmly: "Brother Tom, long time no see. Congratulations on becoming a world-renowned superstar. Your name should be on the list of famous alumni of Eton College, right?"

"Haha."

Besides becoming a big star, being a renowned alumnus of Eton College is what Tom Hiddleston is most proud of.

Dilraba's compliment made him incredibly happy.

"Dilraba, are you partnering with me again this time? If so, I'm looking forward to being carried by you."

Seeing Dilraba appear, Tom Hiddleston immediately felt relieved.

Tom Hiddleston knows better than anyone how popular Dilraba is.

"I'm just making a cameo appearance. The beautiful lady next to me is your leading lady."

After chatting with Tom Hiddleston for a few minutes, Dilraba pulled Yang Mi over: "Brother Tom, let me introduce you. This is my good friend, Yang Mi."

"Hello, Miss Yang."

Celebrities of Tom Hiddleston's caliber are not uncommon in the UK, though not everywhere.

Moreover, the British have a greater fondness for football stars.

In fact, Tom Hiddleston is far more popular in China than he is in the UK.

After all, his first internationally acclaimed film was "Upgrade," directed by Chinese director Lu Zhiyuan, in which he played a very distinctive villain.

As for Loki in Thor, although he also has a strong personality, he was already famous at that time, and the audience had a preconceived notion.

In many people's minds, he is still regarded as the strongest among the first generation of cyborgs.

Therefore, Tom Hiddleston is naturally very enthusiastic about Chinese celebrities.

……

"James, Dilraba and Yang Mi's personal assistant, will be here in a few days. Please take good care of them for me these next few days."

Lu Zhiyuan believed that James would handle these matters well.

James understood immediately and quickly said with a smile, "Boss, don't worry, these are two of our company's cash cows. Even if I have to treat myself badly, I won't treat them badly."

Hearing this, Lu Zhiyuan smiled.

Even if James, that Jewish guy, doesn't disregard family ties, he'll still value money.

Turning back, Lu Zhiyuan spoke a few more words to Reba: "Take good care of yourself. If you can't handle it, you can apply for a break. Your main task isn't training, it's taking a vacation."

"Shoot some guns, practice some martial arts, and clear your mind. Be in a better state to embrace a new life."

Lu Zhiyuan patted Reba on the shoulder, then turned and left.

He only gave Yang Mi a look, but didn't say anything more.

Because from this moment on, the competition between Yang Mi and Tom Hiddleston to see who will become the main character in the new movie has already begun.

As the referee, he must maintain fairness.

"Reba, what did President Lu say to you?"

After Lu Zhiyuan left, Yang Mi couldn't help but go up and ask Reba.

“It’s nothing. My brother sent me to Texas to play with guns, hunt, and ride horses, while keeping an eye on you. If you don’t do well, just report to him and he can prepare a plan B in advance.”

Dilraba raised an eyebrow at Yang Mi.

Although we're all working for Lu Zhiyuan, you need to understand your role.

You and I are different!
I am his little darling.

You are... little stinky feet.

"You brat. Just wait until I'm in charge, you'll be sorry!"

Yang Mi wasn't particularly interested in Lu Zhiyuan, nor did she ever think about becoming the wife of a famous director.

However, seeing that Lu Zhiyuan was actually treating her and Dilraba differently... her competitive spirit suddenly flared up.

As the old saying goes, a woman dresses up for the man who appreciates her.

But as a woman, Yang Mi must correct this old saying... Most of the time, when women dress up, it's not to attract men, but to defeat another woman!
……

Lu Zhiyuan returned to Yanjing alone.

James is right; he has to keep a close eye on the later stages of Pacific Rim.

Otherwise, if all his efforts were in vain, he would definitely be so angry that he would want to kill someone!
For the next month, Lu Zhiyuan worked from dawn till dusk every day, and finally, by the end of September, all the post-production work for "Pacific Rim" was basically completed.

All that's left is the final color correction and compositing.

This will also take some time.

The production process for heavy industry films like Pacific Rim differs somewhat from that of typical drama films.

Especially post-production.

After filming was completed, Lu Zhiyuan spent a long time doing a rough cut to determine the frame of the shots.

Next, he continued to follow the special effects team, going to the company every day to oversee the creation of each CG element.

Fortunately, his mecha was a physical object.

No modeling is required.

Otherwise, just creating the mecha model might take about a year.

In addition, these mechs have gone through different stages of combat, and the details of the damage need to be adjusted, which involves a very complicated process.

After returning from Los Angeles, Lu Zhiyuan spent another month slowly integrating the special effects shots with the live-action footage, adjusting the rhythm and coherence of the shots.

In particular, the battle between the Jaeger Hunters and the monsters in the city required editing to balance the visibility of the Jaeger's silhouette with the background.

After all, this was filmed using a miniature model.

It requires camera work to present a realistic and grand scene to the audience... In fact, this requires the application of a lot of physiological knowledge.

Especially the limitations of human vision.

In addition, the camera angle also needs to be adjusted very well.

The foreground needs to be a large-scale model, while the background uses smaller models to expand the field of view... During battles, some smoke and dust, as well as some special lighting, can be used to mask the difference in scale.

This can create a visual deception for the audience.

After all, humans are the most imaginative creatures.

"The final step: compositing and color correction!"

"Special effects shots and live-action footage need to maintain aesthetic consistency in terms of color, lighting, and depth of field."

Finding a master colorist is extremely difficult, even in the entire Hollywood scene.

Fortunately, Lu Zhiyuan himself is an extremely talented colorist.

Xin Yukun once joked that if Lu Zhiyuan hadn't become a director, but instead worked as a colorist in Hollywood, he could easily earn millions of dollars a year.

"Schwarzschild, here, redo it."

"The details of the collision between the seawater and the mecha are not natural enough."

"It doesn't feel right."

Although Lu Zhiyuan didn't know exactly why this detail looked unnatural, as a top art student, he could spot it at a glance. It wasn't harmonious enough.

The feeling of light flowing, the tactile sensation of seawater colliding, all feel artificial and unreal.

"Okay, boss."

Upon hearing this, Schwarzschild instantly knew that things were going to get bad.

"Something feels off," was the phrase he dreaded hearing most.

During the post-production of the film "Pacific Rim," from beginning to end, Lu Zhiyuan never uttered this phrase. He thought that this time he could finally escape this misfortune.

Who knew, the movie was almost finished.

During the final synthesis stage, Lu Zhiyuan made a comment.

At that moment, Schwarzschild felt like his scalp was about to explode.

Lu Zhiyuan said something felt off, and his entire team would have to work overtime for at least a week!
But Lu Zhiyuan was the boss, and he couldn't argue with him. If it were outsourced work, he would simply ignore it.

"Besides that, the spatial layout of the repair base lacks a sense of realism. You need to readjust that for me."

"I want that grand, epic feel."

“I know you can’t mix it up… use the rust on the support frame as the complementary color, understand?”

Lu Zhiyuan didn't know how to do the special effects.

But in terms of color, Lu Zhiyuan can claim that in the entire film and television industry, even if you bring together all the teams from Hollywood, no one is better than him.

He is the absolute authority in this regard.

"Boss, I'm relieved to hear that."

Schwarzschild's biggest fear is not knowing what the client wants, but if the client has their own exclusive customization direction, then it's simple.

He doesn't need to create art; he just needs to be an obedient bricklayer. How difficult could that be?

"You keep working overtime. I'm going home now."

Lu Zhiyuan glanced at the time; it was already quite late.

Today, he unusually left work early.

Because filming for "Time Raiders" has finished, and Miss Jing Tian has returned from Zhuozhou Film and Television City.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder; we're sure to have a passionate night together.

……

Go home.

Miss Jing Tian had been waiting for a long time.

However, besides Miss Jing Tian, ​​Zhao Shanshan also came, Su Lun also came, and Brother Kun also came back.

In addition to these familiar faces, there is a new face: Guo Fan.

"Brother Yuan, you've worked hard."

While Lu Zhiyuan was filming on location, Guo Fan was in charge of filming the miniature city using green screens.

He initially ruined several models, but in the end, all the shots he produced were unusable. None of them satisfied Lu Zhiyuan.

He was anxious for a long time.

However, Lu Zhiyuan did not scold him. Instead, he asked him to redo it and comforted him, saying that this is how heavy industry films are.

If you don't spend a lot of money, you simply can't shoot good shots.

Upon hearing these words, Guo Fan was deeply moved and immediately comprehended an unparalleled divine skill.

Correct!
How can you make a good sci-fi movie without spending a lot of money?
False teachings may be thousands of words long, but true teachings can be summed up in a single sentence!

What Brother Yuan said is definitely right.

Thus, Guo Fan began to leave everyone else in the dust on his spending spree.

This approach pushed the cost of *Pacific Rim* to over $1.2 million. Even so, it was still considered relatively budget-friendly for a big-budget film.

After all, Thor cost $1.5 million.

"Xiao Su, 'How Long Will I Love U' is going to be released in a couple of days, right?"

Lu Zhiyuan looked at Su Lun, then turned to Xin Yukun: "Brother Kun, you're the producer. How's this movie going?"

"Brother, don't worry, it'll definitely work."

Xin Yukun smiled and nodded, reassuring Lu Zhiyuan: "We announced a cost of 3000 million, but we actually used less than 2000 million. The remaining 1000 million was used to buy a villa, which increased the company's fixed assets."

"From now on, if you and Tian Tian want to go on vacation to the suburbs, you won't need to stay in a hotel anymore. You can stay in the villa owned by your own company."

Depend on!
This works too!
As expected of Brother Kun, he always has so many crooked ideas.

They actually bought back the childhood villa that the female protagonist in the movie dreamed of buying back, directly under the company's name, and even included it in the movie's cost.

of course.

This film was invested in by Yuankun Media.

There are no external investors.

They can do whatever they want, as long as there are no tax issues.

"With a cost of 2000 million, we only need 6000 million in box office revenue to break even. That's definitely not a problem. Moreover, we can sell the copyright to TV stations and to Southeast Asia in the future."

"After all, Yang Mi made that movie, what's it called, right, 'Mysterious Island'. Such a terrible movie still made over 9000 million at the box office."

"Xiao Su's skill level is definitely better than that Hong Kong director."

"That Hong Kong director, I still can't remember his name."

Miss Jing Tian also said a few good words for Su Lun, and then added, "Little Su, after your movie is released, I'll book two screenings for you at Wanda Cinema to support you."

"Thank you, Sister Tian Tian."

Kun Ge only offered empty words of support, but look at Tian Tian Jie, she directly supported him with real money, helping him boost box office numbers.

It really touched Su Lun deeply.

Miss Jing Tian truly lives up to her reputation as her rightful sister-in-law; for that reason alone, she will always support Miss Jing Tian.

"Don't mention it, we're all family."

Miss Jing Tian nodded with a smile.

What she was thinking was that if "How Long Will I Love U" became a hit, her "Time Raiders" might be considered by the audience as part of a film series.

Maybe it can even help boost box office revenue.

"Tian Tian, ​​you're getting better and better at keeping accounts. You're practically a housekeeper now."

Zhao Shanshan, who was standing next to Jing Tian, ​​couldn't help but laugh and tease her when she saw Jing Tian helping Su Lun with the accounts.

"hey-hey."

Miss Jing Tian glanced at Lu Zhiyuan and smiled shyly.

As Lu Zhiyuan earns more and more money, he definitely needs to learn how to keep track of his finances.

Otherwise, Kun might have embezzled the company's money without Lu Zhiyuan even knowing it... Of course, although Kun is bad, he's not stupid.

It's highly unlikely that they would do such a thing.

Unless, of course, he wants to spend the rest of his life in a comfortable iron bed.

How dare you rip off your own robot? Did you even ask me first?

Give him the guts!
"By the way, bro, have you seen the movie 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2'?"

After eating and drinking their fill, Xin Yukun started talking about the hottest movies of the year.

That's Harry Potter 8!
"I've seen it. What's wrong?"

Lu Zhiyuan would watch any movie that would go down in film history.

Firstly, to relive the feeling of those days, and secondly, to experience the current popular elements so that he can capture similar aesthetics when making his own films.

"This movie is awesome."

Xin Yukun couldn't help but exclaim, "I heard that when this movie premiered in North America, it grossed over 9000 million US dollars on its opening day, breaking records!"

"In the UK as well, it broke all records."

"Released simultaneously in 59 countries and regions worldwide, it grossed $4.76 million in its opening weekend!"

"What kind of incredible data is this?"

"If our Pacific Rim movie had achieved this level of success, I would be willing to shorten my lifespan by 10 years!"

While Pacific Rim's box office performance won't be bad, it's absolutely impossible for it to reach $4.76 million in its opening weekend.

After all, how many fans does Harry Potter have?

The whole world does.

Moreover, its opening weekend box office of $4.76 million is the highest ever recorded worldwide for an opening weekend!
Even Avatar couldn't do that.

Breaking this record is extremely difficult.

Unless, of course, the Chinese box office explodes early, helping Lu Zhiyuan rake in 10 billion yuan a day... then Pacific Rim might have a chance to break records.

"Brother Kun, don't make rash oaths. There are three Pacific Rim movies. Even if the first one is impossible, what if the next two break the record..."

Su Lun nudged Xin Yukun with his elbow, telling him to watch his mouth and not curse himself to death.

Xin Yukun then remembered something.

He hastily raised his hands in surrender: "Hehe, I was just joking. Please forgive me, passing deities."

China's cinema chains are constantly expanding.

In the future, China's box office will gradually catch up with that of North America.

After all, the US has such a small population, so at best, the box office will hardly exceed 10 billion US dollars.

But with so many Chinese people, the $10 billion mark at the box office in a single country will eventually be broken.

However, the premise is that this film cannot be limited to the Chinese market; it must go global.

After all, from a military perspective, no single country can take on all the other countries in the world by itself.

The same principle applies to box office revenue.

Lu Zhiyuan's films generally account for 30% of the box office in North America, 30% in Europe, and about 30% in East Asia, mainly China.

Other scattered countries, added together, account for 10%.

In North America and Europe, box office revenue has always been very stable, but the Chinese market has been steadily increasing, becoming the world's largest source of growth.

Hollywood has always coveted the lucrative Chinese market, and has been trying to collaborate with Chinese directors for years.

Before Lu Zhiyuan, Hollywood had actually collaborated with Chen Kaige, investing $2000 million to produce an art film called "Fatal Tenderness".

Ultimately, the film grossed less than $800 million at the box office.

It’s a huge loss.

Not only did it suffer huge box office losses, but it also received terrible reviews, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of only 12%!

It's the worst movie ever.

Since then, Chen Kaige has dared not touch foreign subjects.

He talks about cultural barriers.

However, Xin Yukun was very certain that Chen Kaige simply did not understand the theory of commercial film creation, and his artistic aesthetics were too narrow.

Look at our great director... He's a hit with both art films and commercial films.

Next, all we need to do is wait for China's economy to continue to take off. Xin Yukun believes that sooner or later, Lu Zhiyuan's film will definitely be able to surpass 10 billion US dollars at the box office.

It could even reach 15 billion US dollars!
……

After eating and drinking their fill, the group prepared to play cards for a while and then chat for a bit.

After all, bragging is really addictive!
If Pacific Rim can gross $10 billion, everyone will benefit, their status in the industry will be greatly enhanced, and they will all be remembered in film history!

"Ah Yuan, have some soup..."

Just then, Miss Jing Tian brought out the nutritious soup she had carefully prepared for Lu Zhiyuan, looking at him with suggestive eyes.

Upon hearing the code, the others immediately found various excuses to leave!

If they don't leave now, Miss Jing Tian will hold a grudge against them!

……

(End of this chapter)