The Birth of the Best Director

Chapter 289 John Martin-style Compositional Trio!
……

After getting off the plane.

Lu Zhiyuan and his group headed directly to their destination.

A primeval rainforest in southern Philippines.

In the car, Lu Zhiyuan ignored Gao Yuanyuan's concern and instead took Zhang Ruonan with him for final instructions.

"Xiao Nan, from now until the movie wraps up, you'll stay by my side."

"This is your first time filming a Hollywood special effects movie, so there will be many unfamiliar things. I will try my best to explain them to you."

"If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. If I'm not available, you can ask Brother Kun or Xiao Su."

Godzilla is very likely to be a series.

Zhang Ruonan's performance as the female lead is crucial to Lu Zhiyuan.

If you don't like your girlfriend anymore, you can easily replace her.

However, once the leading lady of a blockbuster series becomes popular with audiences worldwide, she can't be easily replaced.

"Brother Yuan, I know!"

Zhang Ruonan swore to God that she had never been so valued in her entire life.

At that moment, she felt like she was the chosen one!
Even the super-rich Gao Yuanyuan could only stand in the corner and watch her with envy... The other real sister-in-law, Reba, simply didn't come.

She probably knew that from the moment filming began, Lu Zhiyuan only had her in his heart!

There's no room for a second woman!
This feels so good!

Is this how leading ladies are treated? I wish I could film like this forever!
"Xiao Nan, Hollywood blockbusters with special effects are very different from regular dramas in one big way. That is in the special effects."

"And when it comes to special effects filming, there are very few countries in the world that can do it well."

"This is Hollywood's biggest core competitiveness!"

Even 10 years later, the special effects in Chinese films have not made much progress.

According to Lu Zhiyuan, "A Writer's Odyssey," a highly acclaimed benchmark of domestic special effects films, is not as detailed and spectacular as Iron Man's transformation in 2009.

It can only be said that in terms of special effects, domestic film and television production lags far behind Hollywood.

Moreover, due to the high production costs, long production cycles, and higher risks of special effects movies, the domestic film and television industry has simply stopped making them.

Ultimately, the film industry isn't that important to most people working in it.

People come to this circle to make money.

Special effects movies are hard to make money, so people are finding other ways to make money.

To make comedy films.

Make a youth film.

To make animated films.

Make social films.

Make movies based on what makes money; there's no need to be obsessed with special effects.

Only Lu Zhiyuan, when making a blockbuster film, wants to become the best in history, and special effects are indispensable!

……

"In the movie Godzilla, the actual scenes we filmed were only about one-third of the total, which is about 1000 shots."

"Most of the shots in the entire movie were created using special effects."

"However, special effects compositing is not that simple. It is necessary to bring out that atmosphere."

"In my films, I like to use multi-layered compositions to fully showcase the atmosphere of apocalyptic destruction."

Lu Zhiyuan had a detailed discussion with Zhang Ruonan about his camera language.

For example, in the Philippines, although there is only one scene, this scene is very important.

Because this is the very first scene!
Whether it's a disaster film or a sci-fi action film, Lu Zhiyuan likes to make a strong first impression and draw the audience into the world of the movie as quickly as possible.

Generally, in the climax scene of Act 1, he would design foreground, middle ground, and background to create atmosphere.

“Xiao Nan, over the past six months, I’ve shown you many of John Martin’s apocalyptic romantic paintings.”

“Think back to John Martin’s compositional thinking now.”

Lu Zhiyuan looked at Zhang Ruonan, preparing to check her homework.

what?
On-site exam?

In an instant, Zhang Ruonan's heart raced and her palms sweated with nervousness.

She was terrified that if she uttered a single wrong word, Lu Zhiyuan would frown slightly, and she would be in serious trouble.

"John Martin's compositional thinking generally tends to depict tiny humans looking up at God in the midst of disaster, using strong contrasts of light and shadow to convey a sense of apocalyptic judgment. In addition, it is accompanied by some destructive aesthetics of collapsing buildings."

After Zhang Ruonan finished speaking, she silently looked at Lu Zhiyuan.

On the plane, she memorized the answers, just in case Lu Zhiyuan suddenly checked them!
"That was a pretty good answer."

Lu Zhiyuan smiled and nodded: "In the movie Godzilla, you have to portray a feeling, that is, the feeling of struggling like an ant in the apocalypse."

"This is the foreground of the film, the space left for the actors to perform, and the place that the audience can most easily see."

"In addition to the foreground, there are also the midground and the background."

"The mid-ground shows the traces left by the monster's immense destructive power. For example, cracks in the mine, sharp claw marks on the walls, and crystallized marks corroded by the intense heat!"

"The distant view is like the natural forces of God. For example, the blood-red moonlight and the incomparably dark abyssal rifts, which are used specifically to create atmosphere."

"However, the latter two are irrelevant to you, so you don't need to worry about them too much."

The foreground provides space for actors to showcase their talents.

Medium and long shots are purely the director's visual art.

In visually stunning films, the actors' performances only account for a maximum of 30%; the real test always lies in the director's ability to construct scenes and create atmosphere.

Acting?

Faced with such a grand scene, the audience's expectations for the actors' acting skills would normally be reduced to the bare minimum.

Because the director will create a very good atmosphere.

The actors' performance style should not be too different from the overall atmosphere.

If you need a delicate angel, then choose Zhang Ruonan.

If you need a powerful battle angel, then choose Dilraba.

If you need a princess who looks incredibly aloof and glamorous, then choose Gulnazar.

If you need a spirited, clever, and adorable young girl, then choose Hanikezi.

If you need an intellectual and elegant scientist, then choose Liu Shishi.

If you need a peerless fairy who is aloof and untouched by worldly affairs, then choose Liu Yifei.

Television dramas truly test an actor's acting skills.

Because the entire TV series revolves around the love and hate entanglements between men and women.

But special effects movies are not like that.

The movie is too short. The director needs to define the actors in just a few seconds and make the audience realize what kind of movie they are watching.

The big screen needs to offer the ultimate in unique features!

……

Lu Zhiyuan and Zhang Ruonan were talking.

They did not lower their voices.

At this moment, everyone on the bus was listening intently, hoping to learn a trick or two from the famous director.

But they soon realized that they couldn't learn the technique at all.

Because most people can only focus their efforts on casting actors in the foreground.

And that is precisely the simplest thing.

The construction of medium and long shots requires artistic thinking, a true grasp of the overall picture, and a director with genuine ideas to create.

Why are directors considered artists?

Because each director's approach to setting a scene differs greatly due to their own artistic inclinations, resulting in drastically different effects.

Laymen want to copy this?
Can you copy it?
A movie that's been copied is easily recognizable, not only to industry professionals but also to viewers with a wide range of film knowledge!
This kind of director can only fool the audience for a short time.

It will be exposed soon.

Even within the industry, he has a terrible reputation.

When you're making money, no one will say anything unpleasant... But once a director like that flops, the entire internet will be flooded with mockery.

Normally, the more famous a director is, the more unique their personal style tends to be.

Directors with a unique personal style, even if their films temporarily flop, will at most be criticized by the audience for being too sophisticated and unpopular, too authoritative, or simply being capricious.

If directors like this just lower their standards a little and cater to the market a bit, they can quickly win back the audience.

Because viewers can't find anyone else on the market making meal replacements.

Artists are always unique.

There will always be people who appreciate him. Even if he is temporarily tarnished, time will provide the perfect answer.

……

"Old Peng, I feel like we came here for nothing."

"Old Yan, that's what I thought too. We originally wanted to learn from Brother Yuan, but he started with the highest difficulty level right away."

The two directors from Mahua FunAge were initially very happy, hoping to learn a trick or two from Lu Zhiyuan so they could go back and start making Mahua FunAge movies.

it's good now.

They were devastated!

Why is being a director so difficult?
"No matter what, study hard. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

After discussing it for a while, the two decided to write everything down, regardless of whether they understood it or not, and then think about it slowly later.

You will benefit from this for life.

……

In the Philippine rainforest.

The mine pit is already half-excavated.

Inside the caves of the mine, many places were covered with green curtains.

"Brother Yuan, why are there curtains here?"

Upon entering the cave, Zhang Ruonan asked a question out of curiosity.

It was her first time making a movie, and she really didn't know anything. Lu Zhiyuan told her that if she didn't understand something, she could just ask.

Otherwise, she would have kept quiet and asked nothing, lest she be taken for a fool.

"Because the space and background here are not what I want. But for the time being, I simply cannot find the scenes that perfectly match what I want."

"So, first cover it with a curtain, and then I'll have the special effects engineers from [Event Horizon] recreate the scene I need."

As Lu Zhiyuan spoke, he pointed to the green screen in the mine: "After the movie is released, there will be a huge monster corpse there!"

"However, making such a large model is too expensive, and transporting it over is also very troublesome. I have already asked Schwarzschild to lead a team to make a digital effects model."

"After we finish filming and return to Yanjing, I'll take you to the [Black Hole Event] special effects company."

As Lu Zhiyuan spoke, he called over the director of photography and casually instructed, "Record the direction of the light source. Also, the intensity and color temperature of the light."

"Understood, Brother Yuan!"

This director of photography worked with Lu Zhiyuan on at least three films.

Of course I know that this data will be used to input into the rendering engine when creating CG in post-production, to ensure that the lighting of the digital effects model is completely consistent with that of the actual shooting.

Otherwise, the movie will lose its sense of realism!

……

Seeing Lu Zhiyuan picking out details, the two directors from Happy Twist watched silently from the side, while simultaneously calculating a cost for Lu Zhiyuan.

"Old Peng, I heard from Brother Kun that they filmed a scene on location here, and the pre-production took half a month and cost over a million US dollars."

The initial expenses amounted to millions of dollars!

This is not a big deal.

Next, so many of them came to the Philippines, to this primeval rainforest, where they had to find food for themselves and horses, as well as various medical and transportation options.

How much will this cost?

Happy Twist is a team we can't afford to mess with!
"Old Peng, I think if we're making a movie, we shouldn't go for such a large-scale setting. And we shouldn't go all over the world to film. Let's not set our standards too high."

“Let’s just find a small city and set up all the scenes within 10 kilometers. Otherwise, Boss Zhang will definitely kill us!”

Making Hollywood special effects blockbusters, striving for realism and an epic feel, is really too expensive.

Comedy movies are unnecessary.

The main problem is that even with such a big production, the audience isn't appreciating it.

It was a complete waste of effort.

"Old Yan, I think you're right! When we have money... no, even if we have money, we can't be like Brother Yuan."

They always felt that they and Lu Zhiyuan were not on the same path.

They make movies mainly to make money.

Lu Zhiyuan is different; he is indeed an artist who pursues the ultimate audiovisual effects.

Otherwise, if it were about making money, Lu Zhiyuan would already be worth tens of billions of US dollars. If it were them, they would have been enjoying life long ago.

Just look at Brother Kun and you'll know.

Lu Zhiyuan is worth tens of billions of US dollars, and Xin Yukun, not to mention anything else, is worth 2 million US dollars just for his 10% stake in Yuankun Media.

That's enough for him to live a carefree life for the rest of his days.

And as expected, Brother Kun was indeed lying on the floor.

……

After inspecting everything, Lu Zhiyuan was fairly satisfied with Xin Yukun's preliminary preparations.

However, he noticed that Xin Yukun looked worried and was immediately puzzled: "Brother Kun, what's wrong? I didn't scold you. Who are you making that face for?"

"Brother, see for yourself."

Xin Yukun took out his phone and showed it to Lu Zhiyuan, showing him his WeChat chat history with a friend.

The contact person on Xin Yukun's phone was none other than Mr. Wang, the general manager of DJI Technology.

"Brother Kun, I heard you're a minor shareholder in Yuang Technology. Is your company planning to move its production base to Dongguan next year?"

"—Mr. Wang, you're really well-informed! Once the company's production base moves there, I'll be going on a business trip there at least once a month. As for the reason, you know... hehehe!"

"Brother Kun, I have some bad news for you. I've heard rumors that Dongguan might be raided. We'll have to find another place."

"What? We're going to be swept away?"

……

After reading the chat history, Lu Zhiyuan was speechless.

It turns out Dongguan is going to be swept away, and Brother Kun has lost a great place to live a life of pleasure.

Only then did he feel as if he had lost his parents.

Lu Zhiyuan shook his head, patted Xin Yukun on the shoulder and said, "Brother Kun, Dongguan has been raided, so they'll most likely move to Huizhou. What are you afraid of?"

Huh?
How did you know?
Xin Yukun couldn't help but raise his head, looking at Lu Zhiyuan like a curious child, and kept asking, "Brother, something's not right with you."

Xin Yukun always felt that he didn't know enough about Lu Zhiyuan.

After so many years, he thought he understood Lu Zhiyuan pretty well, but then he realized that he couldn't understand Lu Zhiyuan anymore.

This kid even knows about Huizhou!
Definitely an experienced driver!
Most people know Dongguan, but they certainly don't know Huizhou.

Lu Zhiyuan was too lazy to chat with him any longer, and silently glanced at the sky: "The weather is nice today. I have a feeling it'll rain later!"

rain?

Once it rains here, it just keeps raining.

Because the Philippines only has a rainy season and a dry season. And right now, we're at the tail end of the rainy season.

"Brother Kun, get the helicopter ready. We'll start work as soon as it starts raining."

"Also, please help me coordinate the filming locations in the mining area."

When Xin Yukun started work, Lu Zhiyuan had great confidence in his abilities.

As the assistant director, my right-hand man, Xin Yukun is the best in the world.

As long as his heart is still in the movies.

After giving the instructions, Lu Zhiyuan called the makeup artist over: "Please fix my hair, and also, bring me a pair of half-rimmed glasses."

Dr. Li will make his appearance in the very first scene of the movie!

Shooting special effects movies on location is relatively simple; the difficulty lies in the pre-production preparation and the director's requirements for visual artistry.

Once these two factors were determined, the next step was for each department to handle the technical aspects.

Those who didn't meet the technical standards were fired by Lu Zhiyuan long ago; those who remained were all elites!

He can rest assured.

These elites are like the battle-hardened soldiers of an ancient emperor, following him to sweep across the world. So far, they have won every battle and have gained absolute confidence.

……

Near the mining area, the film crew set up a temporary tent for Lu Zhiyuan.

Inside the tent.

The makeup artist began to customize a look for Lu Zhiyuan.

His slightly dark skin indicates that he has been working in the field.

My hair was a little messy. As a scientist, it's impossible to present myself as dashingly elegantly as an artist.

In addition, a pair of slightly old-fashioned half-rimmed glasses serves as a visual identifier for Lu Zhiyuan as a scientist.

"This outfit is alright. But I feel like something's missing."

Lu Zhiyuan stood up, looked at himself in the mirror, and was generally satisfied, but he had a gut feeling about it.

This outfit isn't convincing enough.

"Oh, and get me two fountain pens."

Lu Zhiyuan suddenly realized something.

He recalled that when he used to wander around the hospital, he always saw that every nurse's pocket was full of pens.

That's because nurses are always very busy, and there's so much to record in the wards, so they always carry spare pens in their pockets.

He felt that scientists should be like that too: rigorous, meticulous, and efficient.

Lu Zhiyuan is a person who pays great attention to detail.

Details are what make things authentic.

"Brother Yuan, here you go!"

Zhang Ruonan gave two fountain pens from her backpack to Lu Zhiyuan.

"No, it's too bright. It doesn't look like something from 1999."

Lu Zhiyuan glanced at them, shook his head, and finally took two unremarkable fountain pens and put them in his breast pocket.

"Baoqiang, as my assistant, help me get the documents."

"Then you won't need to wear glasses anymore."

Lu Zhiyuan noticed that Wang Baoqiang was wearing the same work clothes as him, and there was no difference between them.

He pondered for a moment and said, "Props, change Baoqiang's clothes, dress him up properly. Make him look like an important person."

Lu Zhiyuan wanted to create a visual contrast between the two characters.

As an assistant, Wang Baoqiang's brighter attire might easily confuse the audience and draw their attention to the character.

Lu Zhiyuan, the scientist, was dressed like a factory worker. Wang Baoqiang, the assistant, however, was dressed in a suit and tie, looking like a big shot.

This is so unreasonable.

With such contradictory attire, no lines are needed. Just by the two standing together, a huge visual contrast is created, leaving a deep impression on the audience.

This contrast in appearance allows the audience to understand the personalities of the two characters at a glance.

He is meticulous, rigorous, and serious. Although he is very handsome, he doesn't care about his appearance at all and only wants to be a crazy scientist.

One was slightly flamboyant and pretentious, always ready to show off, but his looks and demeanor were what they were, so no matter how he tried to impress, it wouldn't make a difference.

"it is good!"

"That's almost it."

After the two finished dressing up, the newly made Dr. Li and Assistant Wang made a grand entrance.

……

The two rested inside the tent for half an hour.

Suddenly, a light drizzle began to fall outside.

After a while, the rain intensified, and a misty fog appeared in the mountains.

"it is good!"

"That's exactly the feeling I wanted!"

"It's filled with an air of conspiracy. Yet it also evokes a sense of life's birth and the earth's nourishment."

Lu Zhiyuan finally got the rain he wanted.

Although it wasn't a downpour, this level of rain was sufficient.

"Brother Kun, let's begin!"

Lu Zhiyuan did not go on stage immediately because there was a prelude.

He has made his decision: the film will be told from the perspective of a drone.

Although the movie is about Godzilla, it is actually promoting the aerial photography capabilities of DJI drones.

……

On the outskirts of the mining area.

A Filipino child received his birthday present.

He was overjoyed when he opened it and found a brand new DJI drone with "Phantom 2" written on it!

Then, as the rain subsided a little, he couldn't resist taking out his new toy and piloting the Phantom 2 drone to explore deeper into the mining area for a while.

"what!"

The next second, the child screamed as the drone accidentally crashed into the edge of the mining area and plummeted to the ground.

The drone tumbled and rolled until it finally landed in a secluded pit deep within the mining area.

After the drone crashed, although the flight structure was damaged, the indicator lights on the drone were flashing and the camera was not broken.

They captured everything inside the crater perfectly.

And then the drone's indicator lights flashed.

The perspective shifted.

Viewing the interior of the mine from the perspective of a drone.

At this very moment, in the dark mine, a colossal object vaguely appeared, emitting an eerie glow of nuclear radiation.

……

Twenty seconds into the film, Lu Zhiyuan uses everyday events to bring Godzilla, which had disappeared for countless years, back into the public eye.

The original version, with its opening hydrogen bomb experiment, is very epic and the footage is extremely valuable.

However, Lu Zhiyuan felt that such a powerful weapon should be unleashed only after the atmosphere had been sufficiently built up, so that the shock in the audience's mind could reach its peak.

Instead, you can't just throw it out at the beginning.

Because the movie had just started, many viewers hadn't yet settled in.

Even many viewers around the world were unaware that the nuclear radiation emitted from this hydrogen bomb test caused the death of a fisherman on the Japanese fishing boat, the Daigo Fukuryu Maru.

It triggered nuclear fears!

This led to the creation of the Godzilla character on screen!

This movie wasn't just made for Japanese audiences... Japanese audiences are very familiar with the origins of Godzilla.

But many new viewers in other countries around the world, especially teenagers, have no idea how Godzilla came to be.

To throw out these concepts at the very beginning would be far too obscure and difficult to understand!
This has inadvertently raised the bar for moviegoers.

When Lu Zhiyuan first watched this movie, although he was very impressed by the opening scenes, he still felt that the director's narrative language was a bit top-heavy.

Because after such a stunning beginning, the subsequent plot just fell flat.

This pace is definitely not going to work.

The pacing of a film should have ups and downs, highs and lows, to keep the audience on the edge of their seats and immerse them in the world of the film.

Instead of starting off with high aspirations and then, like Baofeng Technology, plummeting to rock bottom and causing frustration.

Who can stand this pace?
Lu Zhiyuan, in any case, didn't like this kind of pace.

"Guarantee one!"

"Now, the rain has lessened a bit. Let the young actors disassemble another drone."

"One more."

Is it better to fly a drone when the rain has stopped or when it is raining?
Under normal circumstances, when it's not raining, the drone's field of vision will be clearer.

But does flying a drone in the rain make DJI drones seem even better?

Without compromising the quality of the film, Lu Zhiyuan needs to consider all aspects.

do not care.

Take pictures of everything, and then compare them during post-production editing.

……

"Old Peng, is this some kind of live-streaming sales event?"

"Definitely. I have inside information that Brother Yuan just raised $1 million through a private placement and is now the second-largest shareholder of DJI drones."

When Lu Zhiyuan was filming "Art Students," he helped promote Yuan Technology's robot dog, which directly increased Yuan Technology's market value five or six times.

Now, it's DJI's turn!
This made the two directors from Happy Twist who came here to learn start to think about it.

Could their comedy film also bring in some merchandise?
Live-streaming e-commerce is the key to success!
How much is a movie's box office revenue worth?

Even if a director makes movies his whole life, he probably wouldn't earn 100 billion US dollars.

A director who can achieve $100 billion in box office revenue is already the greatest in history!
Whether Lu Zhiyuan is the greatest director in history is another matter.

But in their minds, Lu Zhiyuan is definitely the most profitable director in history!

George Lucas sold the company he had painstakingly built and received $40 billion from Disney, bringing his total net worth to $60 billion.

Lu Zhiyuan is so young, yet he already has a net worth of 100 billion US dollars!

From a money-making perspective, Lu Zhiyuan is already number one in history!
……

Whether it's doing art or selling products.

Lu Zhiyuan's skill level was extremely high, enough to make the two of them bow down in reverence.

……

The opening scene, which introduces the Godzilla storyline, is already there!

Next, Dr. Li, a scientist, will make a dazzling appearance with his assistant.

"Helicopter!"

Xin Yukun called over the helicopter, then personally arranged for a camera crew to follow Lu Zhiyuan up the helicopter.

Before Lu Zhiyuan boarded the helicopter, Xin Yukun whispered in his ear, "Brother, the parachute is with you. If there's any danger, don't worry about anyone else, just jump out with the parachute on your back."

"Don't worry. Nothing will happen." Lu Zhiyuan thought Xin Yukun was worrying unnecessarily.

In such an open space, what could possibly happen if a helicopter just flies around in the sky?
He's not like Kobe, that unlucky guy!

"Caution is the boat."

Xin Yukun patted Lu Zhiyuan's arm, then warned the helicopter pilot a few words!

After boarding the helicopter.

Lu Zhiyuan took out his sketchbook and, right there in the bumpy helicopter, quickly sketched out the overall outline of Godzilla using sketching techniques.

The camera focused on his canvas for several tens of seconds.

When editing, cutting out two or three seconds is enough.

"Brother Yuan, OK! We got all the photos!"

In the photographer's eyes, Lu Zhiyuan is definitely the best actor in the world.

When Lu Zhiyuan was an actor, he always managed to find a shot that would interest the photographer.

Normally, once the actors board the helicopter, they can only sit quietly, and the cameraman will most likely give them a side profile or one or two close-ups.

In this situation, actors will show expressions of anxiety, doubt, or even anticipation.

But frankly, this kind of acting is too straightforward, not subtle enough, not charming enough, and not enough to make the audience feel immersed.

When Lu Zhiyuan was an actor, he had a completely different style.

A scientist who can draw.

In a few dozen seconds, the outline of Godzilla appeared on his paper. Although it wasn't very realistic, it was drawn to be extremely accurate.

The audience can tell at a glance that it is Godzilla.

Not some other monster.

"Doctor, your watch is really nice." The assistant, played by Wang Baoqiang, looked envious.

While painting, Lu Zhiyuan revealed an exquisite watch on his wrist, a special prop he had commissioned.

This watch is only available to official members of the Imperial Organization.

In the original version, Dr. Serizawa also has a pocket watch, which serves as a visual anchor for the audience. It is a memento left by his elderly father during the Hiroshima atomic bombing.

The time on the pocket watch is forever frozen at the moment of the nuclear explosion.

Lu Zhiyuan also wanted a pocket watch like this as a souvenir from filming the movie, but unfortunately, the Japanese side did not provide such a prop.

……

The footage inside the helicopter consisted of only two shots and one line of dialogue.

The helicopter flew around in the sky just to film those 5 seconds!

After a few minutes.

The helicopter landed at a rest area on the edge of the mine.

"Is this Dr. Li?"

“Last month we discovered a radioactive ore pocket. We initially thought we had struck uranium. But that’s not the case.”

After delivering a line, one of the extras suddenly fell silent, looking hesitantly at Lu Zhiyuan: "They told me you're an expert in this field."

Lu Zhiyuan walked out in the rain, and soon his hair was soaked.

His hair was too long, and the wet ends hung down, obscuring half of his face and seemingly interfering with his vision.

He slowly raised one hand with distinct knuckles and casually swished it backward.

The next second, her smooth forehead, which had been hidden by her hair, and her sharply defined profile were fully revealed.

Water droplets rolled silently down his hair and forehead.

As a handsome guy with a strong artistic flair, he truly creates a great atmosphere at this moment.

This is a treat for female fans all over the world!
The photographer was very knowledgeable and gave Lu Zhiyuan several close-up shots.

Where can I find this in the original version?

Middle-aged men and women, nobody wants to watch it.

Suddenly, Lu Zhiyuan stopped and listened intently: "What's that sound?"

Of course, there was no sound on set.

Later on, a subtle, low-pitched ripple will appear here, like some ancient creature breathing.

Immediately afterwards, the camera shook.

Something has clearly collapsed!

……

At this moment, we are off-camera.

"Brother Yuan, you're so handsome! That way of smoothing your hair with your hand was so dashing."

Zhang Ruonan watched them filming from a distance inside the tent, originally intending only to observe and learn.

However, when Lu Zhiyuan smoothed his hair, she stared wide-eyed, somewhat involuntarily.

Gao Yuanyuan too!
She silently added in her mind, "My husband is so handsome! Even if Dr. Li destroyed the world, there would probably be people who would forgive him."

Hearing this, Xin Yukun couldn't help but look in the mirror.

Is there any difference?

I look handsome even with my hair up, so why don't you guys compliment me?

……

Lu Zhiyuan's acting skills are, to say the least, phenomenal!
However, his acting was very solid, and he had a special aura that made it easy for people to believe that he was a certain authoritative scientist.

Therefore, this part of the filming went exceptionally smoothly.

The scene quickly shifted to the interior of the pit.

……

The inside of the pit was completely dark.

Lu Zhiyuan felt that this was not conducive to creating a good atmosphere.

How can it be completely dark?

Without light, how can darkness be highlighted?

Therefore, Lu Zhiyuan had a pit dug at the back of the tunnel and a passage blasted out from above, allowing light to be projected down.

This also suggests that the two spore eggs of [Muto] left from here.

"Unfortunately, there aren't many ancient civilization relics in the Philippines. It would be even better if there were ancient relics like the Egyptian pyramids here!"

Filming such scenes in ordinary mines always seems to lack a certain religious atmosphere.

Lu Zhiyuan was quite disappointed.

But for the opening scene, this is all we can do; we can't expect too much.

……

It has been confirmed that monster eggs have appeared in this mine.

However, the monster's eggs have already hatched and left, foreshadowing an impending disaster.

"Doctor, what should we do? We've been looking for him for so many years. We're still too late."

Wang Baoqiang, playing the assistant, asked in a low voice.

Lu Zhiyuan stood up, flipped through the documents in Wang Baoqiang's hand, and found a news article about a nuclear leak at the Sellafield Nuclear Power Plant.

He raised his eyes and said firmly, "To England!"

……

Scenes from the Philippines.

And that's how it ends.

The scene, which lasted only a few minutes, briefly outlined the birth of the monster "MUTO," and through camera angles and hints in the dialogue, made the audience realize that the duo of Dr. Li and Assistant Wang were not as simple as they seemed on the surface.

They were not upright scientists who were selfless and devoted to public service; rather, they had their own selfish motives.

……

Zhang Ruonan watched Lu Zhiyuan filming a movie and initially found it quite interesting. However, she soon realized that money wasn't so easy to earn!

It's certainly interesting to watch others start their work.

But when it came to her own turn... Zhang Ruonan was completely dumbfounded.

"Crack!"

"The dialogue, the dialogue should carry a bit of emotion!"

For non-professional actors, the biggest weakness is their delivery of lines.

He will never be able to speak with full energy.

Actors from the Central Academy of Drama and the Shanghai Theatre Academy are relatively better at this. This is probably because they rehearse stage plays frequently.

"You don't have to speak so loudly; we can use voice-over in post-production. But when you're delivering your lines, you need to bring the emotion into it!"

"do it again!"

Lu Zhiyuan encountered the same problem that novice actors are most prone to making in Zhang Ruonan.

The dialogue and the emotions are not aligned!

The acting was too forceful!

"Brother, Xiaonan is a bit too nervous. How about we use the old method, montage editing? Let her record the lines for this part in the recording studio."

"Change the visuals and present all the monster concept art we've collected before... She'll narrate Godzilla's mutation, and then quickly move past the scene."

"Otherwise, we've already wasted a whole day here, and we can't afford to waste any more time!"

Lu Zhiyuan originally planned to give Zhang Ruonan a close-up in this segment, showing that she, like himself, is a crazy science girl!

Unfortunately, Zhang Ruonan was simply incapable of going crazy.

Like a little quail.

This left him quite helpless.

Actually, he knew it was his fault... because Zhang Ruonan was indeed quite well-behaved, unlike that kind of crazy girl.

This kind of crazy girl is quite hard to find in the Chinese entertainment industry!

Needless to say, he needs a character who is crazy at heart, cute on the surface, and kind at heart... This kind of role is something that most people simply can't play!

Dilraba looks great on you!
Unfortunately, Dilraba is no longer 17 years old.

"it is good!"

"Listen to you!"

Lu Zhiyuan thought for a moment, realizing that continuing to mess with Zhang Ruonan would probably be pointless. It seemed he'd have to rely on post-production editing skills to solve the problem!
After all, this isn't an art film!
The focus of this movie is not the female lead!

Monsters are the most important!
"pass!"

Lu Zhiyuan made Zhang Ruonan do it again.

This was the umpteenth time already, and Zhang Ruonan was on the verge of a breakdown, her face even becoming somewhat ferocious.

It felt a little bit crazy.

Lu Zhiyuan finally let her off the hook.

……

After coming down, Zhang Ruonan didn't want to talk to Lu Zhiyuan anymore... She felt that she must have been targeted and bullied!
However, she only sulked for three minutes!
After changing her clothes, Zhang Ruonan quickly became like a happy little dog, circling around Lu Zhiyuan again.

"Brother Yuan, I'm sorry, I didn't meet your requirements. Hit me if you want!"

Zhang Ruonan didn't know anything else, but she did know that Lu Zhiyuan spent one million US dollars a day on work!

The actual filming took a month, and with the pre-production work, the total cost was 30 million US dollars!
The post-production digital effects will cost $8000 million!
In addition, the miniature model shooting on Guo Fan's side will also cost tens of millions of US dollars!

Every time she does it again, she wastes at least tens of thousands of dollars!

She was heartbroken over the money, and only regretted that she was so useless.

"Newcomers always have their flaws. I don't blame you. It's my fault for not teaching you well!"

Lu Zhiyuan understood that Zhang Ruonan, as a newcomer, would face various pressures.

After all, it's my first time!
Who wouldn't be nervous?

Of all the newcomers he's mentored, Dilraba performed the best, but even she had her share of shortcomings at the beginning of the shoot.

Fortunately, he was very experienced in this kind of situation.

Over the years, without relying on any talent, but purely on his own hard work, he has become very skilled at using montage editing effects.

"Xiao Nan, after this movie is finished, you still need to go to a formal school and take acting classes systematically. Otherwise, if you want to rely on talent to make a living in this industry, you will easily encounter a bottleneck."

Of course, you can't encounter a bottleneck when acting in idol dramas!

However, a good actor needs to have their own unique characteristics as well as their own methodology.

Methodology is something that is difficult to master without proper guidance.

The methods taught by Lu Zhiyuan may not be entirely suitable for Zhang Ruonan!
"Brother Yuan, thank you!"

Zhang Ruonan could tell that Lu Zhiyuan genuinely cared about her!

Overwhelmed with gratitude, she could only say, "Brother Yuan, let me massage your shoulders. You must have been very tired these past few days!"

Lu Zhiyuan waved his hand, directly shooing Zhang Ruonan away.

He said impatiently, "No need! You should use this time to figure out how to act in the next part of the plot. If you make any more mistakes, I'm really going to beat you up!"

"Oh."

Zhang Ruonan left reluctantly.

When Gao Yuanyuan saw Zhang Ruonan return dejectedly, she couldn't help but glance at her and said irritably, "I told you a long time ago not to bother him. When he's making movies, he's incredibly cold and doesn't care about anyone's feelings."

In fact, Gao Yuanyuan used various tricks to seduce Lu Zhiyuan every night.

Who knew that Lu Zhiyuan had no time to think about anything else; his mind was completely occupied by that brat Zhang Ruonan!
Even when he occasionally talks in his sleep, Lu Zhiyuan will call out Zhang Ruonan's name.

Gao Yuanyuan once thought that Lu Zhiyuan had grown tired of her and was about to find a new mistress to have some fun with.

Who knew that during the day, Lu Zhiyuan would give Zhang Ruonan a thorough dressing-down.

He really went to great lengths for Zhang Ruonan!
"Brother Yuan, let me treat you to coconut juice."

Zhang Ruonan returned and brought Lu Zhiyuan a fresh coconut, which had already been cracked open and had a clean straw inserted.

"Thanks."

Lu Zhiyuan gave Zhang Ruonan a deep look and said, "Your eyes are very expressive, and your smile is sweet, which makes you very likable. But why can't you show that quality properly when you're filming?"

what?
He said he likes me?
wrong!

It sounds like he's cursing at me again!
Lu Zhiyuan sipped his coconut juice, his deep eyes fixed intently on Zhang Ruonan: "Xiao Nan, I have high expectations for you. I want to show you to the world. I believe you are capable of more than this. In the next few scenes, Tom Hiddleston is the lead. Observe carefully how he acts."

Zhang Ruonan completely ignored what Lu Zhiyuan said next.

All she heard was Lu Zhiyuan's high expectations for her, wanting to show her to the whole world.

What a romantic confession!

I've heard that most directors, if they want to film their leading lady in a beautiful and artistic way, will first fall in love with her before they begin their artistic creation!
I guess I'll get the same treatment, right?

You can tell just by looking at Sister Cha's resentful face every day... even though she sneaks into Lu Zhiyuan's room every night in the middle of the night!

However, it was obvious that Brother Yuan was too lazy to touch her!
No energy, no mood!
(End of this chapter)