The Birth of the Best Director

Chapter 263 The Birth of the [Emperor Organization], Healing Angel Zhang Ruonan
……

Lu Zhiyuan checked the time; it was almost 10 p.m.

It's time to go to sleep.

Before going downstairs, Lu Zhiyuan asked Zhang Ruonan a question for the first time in months.

"Xiao Nan, after looking at your paintings with me for so long, what are your feelings and understandings about your role now?"

Zhang Ruonan's biggest takeaway was that she felt completely disoriented.

She had no idea why Lu Zhiyuan was taking her to see these paintings all the time.
Artistic influence?

It seems a little bit.

But this has little to do with becoming an actor and making disaster movies like Godzilla, right?

Immersive experience?

It seems there is a little bit.

Especially after reading John Martin's apocalyptic romanticism for a long time, Zhang Ruonan couldn't help but have some dark thoughts.

But soon, these dark thoughts were washed away completely by the various training sessions during the day, such as acting training and posture training.

By now……

She was a little dazed and confused.

“Brother Yuan, if you want me to play a naive and clueless high school student, I think I’m already quite clueless.”

Zhang Ruonan gave Lu Zhiyuan a sweet smile.

Harmless to humans and animals.

She relies entirely on that smile with her rosy cheeks to indiscriminately please men, women, young and old.

“Xiao Nan, I didn’t tell you before what kind of effect you needed to achieve for this role. I just wanted to see how you instinctively perform.”

"Now, I feel...not bad."

When Lu Zhiyuan saw Zhang Ruonan's deliberately forced smile, he realized that she was clearly confused but still had to pretend to be very smart.

He couldn't help but laugh.

This is the effect you want.

He needs a sweet-looking, but clever little devil who is very good at playing dumb.

However, when pretending to be stupid, you need to be a little deliberate.

It cannot be flawless.

The audience must understand that she is pretending to be weak while actually being strong, and that she is not as harmless as she appears.

Zhang Ruonan's expression is spot on.

They look a bit dull and harmless, but there's a hint of cunning in their eyes.

"Xiao Nan, the movie 'Godzilla' is an out-and-out monster movie. The main plot is that an accidental nuclear leak awakens two monsters called 'MUTOs.' These two monsters launch a large-scale destruction against human society."

"Then, Godzilla realized this and, in order to maintain ecological peace, emerged from the underground magma and killed the two MUTO monsters."

As soon as Lu Zhiyuan spoke, Zhang Ruonan immediately perked up her ears.

After waiting for so long, Lu Zhiyuan finally revealed a little about the movie's plot and setting to her.

At least it can give her some reference.

Otherwise, spending all her time training her acting skills, posture, and artistic cultivation... she has absolutely no idea what kind of effect she needs to achieve.
She was more worried that she would perform poorly and be kicked back to her hometown vocational high school by Lu Zhiyuan.

If that's the case, she really won't have the face to see the elders of Jiangdong... She will definitely become a laughing stock of the whole village and even the whole county for the rest of her life!

At this moment, Lu Zhiyuan finally served the main course!
"Brother Yuan, wait a moment, let me grab a notebook and write this down."

Everything Lu Zhiyuan says at this moment will determine how Zhang Ruonan's life will turn out.

She soared to great heights, becoming the third-generation "Road Girl" that everyone envied!

Or they became the laughing stock of the entire county.

Zhang Ruonan dared not overlook anything in this regard.

After a while, seeing that Zhang Ruonan was fully armed and ready, Lu Zhiyuan smiled and continued, "Generally speaking, movies will have two main storylines, one light and one dark."

“Some complex films even have a third subplot… However, as a commercial film, this movie doesn’t need such a complicated plot.”

"It's enough to film the two main storylines, light and dark, in appropriate detail and summary, so that the audience can understand the plot logic of the entire commercial film."

When it comes to how to make science fiction movies, Lu Zhiyuan's words are now considered authoritative.

The success of the Real Steel series has made him almost the world's best director of science fiction movies!
“Brother Yuan, the main storyline, as you just said, is Godzilla fighting [MUTO], and I wholeheartedly agree with that.”

Monster movies, of course, should feature lots of monsters.

Not only do audiences love monster movies, but Zhang Ruonan, as the female lead, also enjoys them. Who wants to see human love and hate intertwined within a monster movie?
If you want to see the complexities of human love and hate, why don't you watch a drama film?

of course.

Most importantly, with more monsters appearing, her role as the female lead can be reduced relatively.

To film a single scene, Lu Zhiyuan was willing to have her learn to skydive!
She was terrified that Lu Zhiyuan would tell her the next second, "You still need to learn to scuba dive!"

She would really explode.

With Lu Zhiyuan focusing his attention on the monster, Zhang Ruonan's little heart finally started beating a bit more steadily.

"The main storyline on the surface belongs to the monster."

"However, this movie will open up a monster universe."

"Since it's a monster universe, there must be a powerful organization in this world that studies monsters, monitors monsters, and develops various plans to target monsters for all of humanity."

"The name of this organization is Monarch. You can think of it as S.H.I.E.L.D. in Marvel."

"However, this organization is very different from S.H.I.E.L.D."

【Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.】 is full of superheroes, so even if their personal information is exposed, they feel no pressure at all.

Iron Man Tony Stark is actually a super-rich playboy.

However, the [Emperor Organization] is different.

After all, the main characters in the MonsterVerse are monsters, not superheroes.

Therefore, the members of the Monarchy are just ordinary humans.

It can't spit spider silk, doesn't have super armor to wear, and isn't of divine blood.

At most, they are a little smarter than the average person.

"Xiao Nan, you can think of the [Emperor Organization] as a group of scientists who have been traumatized by nuclear war and possess super advanced technology."

"They accidentally discovered that nuclear weapons explosions can affect the entire ecological balance and even breed Titan-level monsters."

"If this discovery were to become known to outsiders, it would inevitably cause panic among all of humanity. Therefore, this secret is basically kept only within the Monarchy organization."

"This organization almost never recruits new members from outside; it relies entirely on blood ties to pass down from generation to generation."

"In my concept, countries that possess nuclear weapons all have at least one mysterious family belonging to the Monarchy organization."

“Members of the Imperial Organization exist in countries that possess nuclear weapons, such as China, the United States, the former Soviet Union, France, and the United Kingdom.”

"Japan is special. Although it does not have nuclear weapons, it is the only country in the world that has been bombed by nuclear weapons in a densely populated area. Therefore, although Japan does not have nuclear weapons, it also has members of the Imperial Organization."

"According to the world view in the movie, after the nuclear bomb exploded, the survivors should have seen some monsters appear at the nuclear explosion site, feeding on nuclear radiation."

"Among these survivors, there will naturally be intelligent people who will study these anomalies... Therefore, it is not difficult to understand logically that there are members of the Imperial Organization in Japan."

Lu Zhiyuan explained to Zhang Ruonan the setting of the "Monarch Organization" within the entire Monster Universe.

In another timeline, the concept of Monarchy should have appeared in the 2017 film Kong: Skull Island.

This concept did not exist in the first Godzilla movie, 2014.

By releasing it earlier, Lu Zhiyuan can make the entire monster universe story structure more complete and refined.

"Wow."

Although filming has not yet begun, Zhang Ruonan seems to have already envisioned a massive organizational structure in his mind.

She couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

This imperial organization is similar to YG Entertainment in the Real Steel series!

There are all kinds of talented people.

But the majority of people in the organization are smart.

"Brother Yuan, in this movie, am I the super genius in Monarch? Just like Alita: Battle Angel?"

Zhang Ruonan pressed on with great interest.

As a die-hard fan of Lu Zhiyuan, she fantasizes all day about becoming the battle angel Alita, replacing Dilraba, and wreaking havoc in the world of "Real Steel".

"Look at yourself, do you look like a super genius?"

Lu Zhiyuan tapped Zhang Ruonan's forehead, signaling her to move away from him.

Don't look at yourself with those pitiful eyes.

I've already finished designing the character of Zhang Ruonan, and there's absolutely no way I'll be soft-hearted about it.

"Brother Yuan, what role should I play? A silly little guy?"

I do not want it!

Zhang Ruonan pouted, her face full of reluctance.

She wasn't very smart to begin with, and could only get into a vocational high school. She once fantasized about becoming a super smart person in a movie and dominating everyone.

So, he ended up playing a silly character in the movie?

How can we possibly live like this!

"No. Not a little fool."

Lu Zhiyuan shook his head and simply laid it all out on Zhang Ruonan: "The [Emperor Organization] is a mysterious organization with a very tight organizational structure. Not just anyone is qualified to join."

"Even among bloodline families within the organization, not all members are qualified to join the organization."

"The character I've created for you is someone who has a sister who is a genius and joined the Monarch organization with ease."

The reason they are sisters... rather than a definite older or younger sister, is because Lu Zhiyuan left room for a sequel.

This will make it easier for him to take on a new role.

He hasn't decided yet whether to cast a younger sister or an older sister for this new role.
Let's reserve this spot first.

In the first movie, it was blurred.

"You've loved studying monsters since you were little, but your intelligence is far inferior to your sisters'. You failed the tests repeatedly and were rejected by the Monarch organization."

“You are very unwilling... In order to prove yourself and be qualified to become a member of the Emperor Organization, you have gone to great lengths and made some small inventions.”

"This little invention allows you to monitor nuclear radiation and strange energy fluctuations in Japan... and the special model of these energy fluctuations will excite you immensely."

"Because this is the frequency of earthquakes that precedes the imminent appearance of Godzilla!"

"You want to get firsthand information about Godzilla to prove your importance to the entire Monarch organization."

If Zhang Ruonan were a Japanese actress, Lu Zhiyuan wouldn't need to create such a complicated backstory. He could simply have Zhang Ruonan as a member of the Japanese Imperial Organization to directly enter the storyline.

However, Zhang Ruonan is Chinese, and if he wants to enter the world of Japanese monster movies, he naturally needs a more complete and reasonable setting.

This setting also needs to have derivative value.

According to Lu Zhiyuan's setting in "Godzilla II", as long as Zhang Ruonan performs well, she can join the Chinese imperial organization at the end of the first movie.

Then, in "Godzilla II", Lu Zhiyuan can take the opportunity to showcase some Chinese versions of monsters.

The appearance of these monsters can be derived from some of the settings in the Classic of Mountains and Seas.

Once the logic of the entire world is established, Chinese actors can appear on a large scale in this disaster film series.

"Your character, though essentially a clever little devil, goes to Japan with ulterior motives, wanting to obtain firsthand data on Godzilla."

"But such a character is unlikely to have any appeal."

"Your character's arc is that in the early stages you're a cute little rascal, but once you encounter real disaster, you'll transform into a kind little angel. You'll stand up without hesitation to protect the weak and save the world."

“I think this setup is more in line with your personality. You should be able to achieve the effect I need.”

"What do you think?"

Zhang Ruonan, as the female lead, naturally received special treatment.

If it were a different female supporting character, Lu Zhiyuan would never have been able to tailor the plot and character design to her personality and appearance.

Act it or don't, it's up to you!

If someone can't perform, just replace them.

But this is the female lead, so Lu Zhiyuan naturally has to put a lot of effort into sketching out the character for her and outlining the arc of the character.

With character arc lighting, the character will come alive and be full of three-dimensionality.

The characters have their own stances and pursuits, and in the process of pursuing their dreams, the shining points of humanity emerge.

This is the pace of a drama film.

However, the film itself does not have such a clear division.

Adding character development elements from a drama film to a visually stunning special effects blockbuster is definitely a plus for the movie!

However, very few directors can do this well.

At this moment, Lu Zhiyuan's portrayal of Zhang Ruonan has ignited the entire monster universe, which will likely increase the audience's sense of immersion.

Otherwise, if we film it the way it was originally... the story would be too messy, and even a bit perfunctory.

"Brother Yuan, I've written it all down."

"Just listening to you talk about it, I feel that my character is really great. I really like this character myself!"

Zhang Ruonan was overjoyed.

If it's this kind of character design and plot... given Lu Zhiyuan's expertise in making sci-fi visual blockbusters, this character might become as popular as Alita: Battle Angel.

However, she didn't possess Dilraba's fighting prowess or her cool demeanor.

I am a sweet and cute girl.

How about calling her Zhang Ruonan, the Healing Angel?

Haha!

At this moment, Zhang Ruonan seemed to understand something. What was Lu Zhiyuan thinking during this time when he had been silently observing her?
Anyway, it's not what she expected.

She thought Lu Zhiyuan was interested in her... but the truth is...

In order to create a female lead who better suited his own personality and characteristics, Lu Zhiyuan secretly observed himself for several months.

The female lead that has been sketched out now is really great!
It's like being yourself in another time and space.

Cute, clever, and a little bit kind!
Awesome!

"Alright, that's about time. That's enough for today."

Lu Zhiyuan moved to Hongluo Temple, and Zhang Ruonan naturally moved there as well.

She still lives on the third floor, next to the art studio.

Goodnight, Yuan-ge.

Zhang Ruonan escorted Lu Zhiyuan to the stairwell and waved her short hand at him.

"You should go to bed early too."

Lu Zhiyuan glanced back, and Zhang Ruonan immediately flashed a sweet smile.

After Lu Zhiyuan came downstairs, Zhang Ruonan did not go back to her room to sleep. Instead, she went to the studio again, wishing she could rush up and hug the painting "Rocky Mountains" that Lu Zhiyuan had painted.

However, she was afraid of ruining the painting, so she could only hug the easel behind her and press her head against it.

So handsome!
This painting is so beautiful!

In fact, given Lu Zhiyuan's current artistic achievements, he could easily become a painter instead of making movies.

A painting can easily fetch millions at auction.

If Zhang Ruonan could receive a painting from Lu Zhiyuan, and if this painting were strongly related to the movie... this painting could absolutely be passed down as a family heirloom, from generation to generation.

pity.

Dilraba thought so too.

She treated all of Lu Zhiyuan's paintings as family heirlooms, and wouldn't leave a single one to anyone else.

……

Inside the master bedroom on the second floor.

Dilraba checked the time; it was exactly 10 o'clock. Lu Zhiyuan, as usual, came down on time.

She immediately put down her phone and hugged Lu Zhiyuan from behind as he closed the door.

"Honey, you must be tired from work. Little Zhang, are you feeling dizzy or lightheaded under your influence?"

Dilraba couldn't help but ask a question.

Back then, she suffered a great deal of hardship.

However, during those years, she endured all the hardships of her life.

The rest of my life will be filled with sweetness.

If I hadn't suffered so much back then, how could I possibly be sleeping in the same room as a famous director today?

"Xiao Zhang's eyes are the very typical puppy eyes, which have an innocent look. So when she tries to act smart, she looks a bit silly."

"However, when she pretends to be stupid, she also appears a little cunning. And this cunning is very obvious, the audience can see through it at a glance, making her seem very vivid."

"Her condition is very interesting."

"I like her very much."

How dare you admit to me to my face that you like her?

I have such a good temper!

Upon hearing Lu Zhiyuan's words, Dilraba's composure instantly crumbled.

However, as soon as Lu Zhiyuan said his next sentence, Reba's mood instantly brightened, and she burst into laughter.

Because Lu Zhiyuan added, "She seems like the kind of obedient girl who really wants to make money, perfect for being our family's slave. For the next three or four years, I won't need to look for a new leading lady."

They'll be our slaves!

Whose home is it?
Of course, it's my and Lu Zhiyuan's home!

Thinking about this, Dilraba couldn't help but chuckle.

"Honey, I'm going home in a while to pick up my household registration book. Shall we go register our marriage?"

The six-month deadline that Lu Zhiyuan and Jing Tian had agreed upon is almost here.

To prevent Jing Tian from becoming a mistress and pushing her aside, Dilraba decided to go all out and cut off Jing Tian's escape route.

It's not that she doesn't want to accept Jing Tian.

The main problem is that their bed can only sleep two people; it would be too crowded for three.

"Honey, why aren't you saying anything?"

After Reba mustered up her courage and said those words, Lu Zhiyuan remained silent, which made Reba feel very down.

But it's normal.

Lu Zhiyuan is now a top director in Hollywood, with countless beautiful young girls madly wanting to throw themselves at him.

If Lu Zhiyuan wanted, he could sleep with a different person every night.

Putting aside others, with just one phone call from Lu Zhiyuan, one could sleep with Gao Yuanyuan today and Liu Shishi tomorrow.

I can sleep with Zhang Ruonan upstairs the day after tomorrow.

If Lu Zhiyuan were to disregard moral principles and give Hanikezi a phone call, Hanikezi would definitely come running over eagerly.

She went directly from apprentice to master's wife!

“I was just thinking that my film schedule has been very full in recent years, and I may not have time to hold a big wedding for you.”

Lu Zhiyuan was quite satisfied with Dilraba.

He has never considered changing girlfriends.

Moreover, Dilraba is right.

If I and Dilraba got our marriage certificate first, how many unexpected romantic advances could I turn away?
Guy Ritchie's S-class poison would certainly attract famous actresses. But there should be a prerequisite: that they are unmarried, right?

I'll fix this bug myself first!
"Honey, what did you just say? I want to hear you say it again."

Reba was initially feeling down and thought Lu Zhiyuan had other ideas, but now she heard that Lu Zhiyuan was already considering the wedding.

She sat up abruptly from the bed, took a step, straddled Lu Zhiyuan, hooked her arms around his neck, her big eyes blinking, even glistening with a hint of tears.

"What I'm saying is that the wedding might be a little later. Because I want to give you a grand wedding, and such weddings usually require a long time to prepare, and are no less stressful than making a movie."

Getting married is a very troublesome thing.

Just notifying his relatives and friends and agreeing on a time would be enough to give Lu Zhiyuan a terrible headache.

"Honey, the wedding is fine. We can discuss that after I get pregnant."

Once you get the marriage certificate, you'll be invincible.

Reba never doubted that Lu Zhiyuan might get tired of her and dump her.

She was just worried that Jing Tian was still hung up on Lu Zhiyuan and would stop at nothing to win him back.

Jing Tian might even threaten Lu Zhiyuan's career.

At that time, Reba felt she would soften her heart and not want to affect Lu Zhiyuan, so she would cry and leave on her own initiative.

The thought of that scene breaks her heart.

(End of this chapter)