The Birth of the Best Director

Chapter 326 Mirror Hanging at the Heavenly Gate! The world-famous painting we wanted has been found!
……

In Shennongjia, the weather is not cooperating, with continuous torrential rain.

However, Lu Zhiyuan was not idle either.

Shennongjia, as a super scenic area, is not only world-famous but also a well-known tourist attraction in China, and its popularity is already very high.

There's no need for them to make their presence felt in Lu Zhiyuan's movies.

However, many places are racking their brains to be brought into Lu Zhiyuan's films and become world-famous paintings!

Once you enter Lu Zhiyuan's movies, it's like having an "Ascension Token" for many small local attractions. Getting it is like getting a free super advertisement all over the world.

At least 100 million people will see this!
This is like a windfall for local cultural and tourism units; it's like a gift from heaven to boost their business.

That night.

Some astute individuals noticed that Shennongjia was experiencing continuous torrential rain and unpredictable weather, so they began to try to contact Lu Zhiyuan's team.

Xin Yukun had originally planned to contact some local friends after talking with Lu Zhiyuan and try the local specialty, Laoxiang Chicken.

But at that moment, he received a phone call.

"Correct!"

"I am Xin Yukun. How did you get my phone number?"

"Introduced by Zhang Li?"

Xin Yukun originally wanted to ask in return, "Who is Zhang Li?"

There are just too many people named Zhang Li.

However, there is only one person in the entertainment industry with this name who is also exceptionally beautiful!
That's the long-legged girl from "Breakup Buddies"!
The movie "Breakup Buddies" was just released last night and has caused a huge sensation during the National Day holiday.

The box office reached 1.35 million yuan on its opening day!
Under normal circumstances, as long as the plot doesn't fall apart, this movie's box office will definitely be aiming for 10 billion!

Don't be fooled by Lu Zhiyuan's movies, which routinely rake in 30 billion yuan at the domestic box office; that's because Lu Zhiyuan's movies are made with massive investments.

The production cost of each film, calculated in RMB, exceeds 10 billion.

With such a high investment and strong promotion, isn't it normal for the film to have high box office returns?

For road movies like "Breakup Buddies," the biggest expense is the salaries of the two actors, Xu Guangtou and Huang Bo.

Excluding actor salaries, how much did this film cost to produce?
This is what you call a small investment with a big return!
The investment-to-box-office ratio reached 30 times!
It's definitely an investor's favorite.

No one can refuse this rate of return on capital!
Suddenly, Ning Hao, who had disappeared for a long time, made a comeback and became known as a genius director in the media!
Of course, Ning Hao is no longer worthy of the title of genius.

In front of Lu Zhiyuan, who would dare to call themselves a genius?
The media are too embarrassed to even mention it anymore.

The only option was to change Ning Hao's name to "Genius Director".

Besides, this also fits the style of his films.

His cinematic style is indeed somewhat quirky!
……

"If Zhang Li recommended it, then there's definitely no problem."

"You are from a cultural and tourism-related unit in Guilin, right?"

"Want some sponsorship for our film? No problem! I'll send you Mr. Zhang's contact information. The financial transactions for this project are not my responsibility."

"Don't worry! Since Lili introduced us, I'll definitely give her face. I'll book the plane tickets right now, and we'll go to Guilin tomorrow to take Brother Yuan to check it out in person!"

"【The Lost Caverns of Longling】doesn't necessarily have to be filmed in Longling. You all agree, right? Besides, I wrote the script. I'll discuss it with Brother Yuan and change the second part of the story to 【The Insect Valley of Yunnan】. That shouldn't be a big problem!"

【The Lost Caverns of the Dragon Ridge】is not particularly important in the plot of the first four parts of Ghost Blows Out the Light.

It mainly serves as a transitional element in the plot, connecting the preceding and following parts.

At the same time, this part of the story will also introduce the story of the Muchen Pearl.

The three main characters also bear special marks, and they must find the Muchen Pearl to resolve the curse on them.

In fact, it wouldn't matter if this part of the story were cut.

Just a brief mention will suffice.

However, Xin Yukun can understand why Lu Zhiyuan didn't want to film "Yunnan Insect Valley"... because Lu Zhiyuan has been afraid of insects since he was a child.

Sending him to the deep mountains and forests of the southwest for on-site investigation would be like taking his life.

The reason he wanted to switch to LED virtual production was not only to avoid Jing Tian and Nazha suffering in the wild, but also because he himself did not want to scout locations in the deep mountains and forests.

No matter how desolate or how bad the climate is in the Northwest, as long as you get into the car, nothing will happen.

But in the deep forests of the southwest, insects are everywhere!
However, for the sake of the film's quality, Xin Yukun believes that Lu Zhiyuan can overcome this minor problem!
……

That night.

Lu Zhiyuan was about to go to sleep when he heard someone knocking on the door.

"Who is it?"

When traveling, Lu Zhiyuan is still very careful.

I'm afraid some actresses who want to climb the ladder will offer themselves up to me.

Then, prepare a few paparazzi at the entrance and seize the opportunity to take a bunch of photos.

As long as that actress manages to ride on his coattails, she can stay popular online for at least a few days. Even if it turns out to be a publicity stunt, she'll still benefit from the negative attention.

Black and red are also red.

In the entertainment industry, the worst thing is to be unknown!
"Hey bro, it's me! Can't sleep, wanna chat for a bit!"

Xin Yukun is outside.

Lu Zhiyuan hesitated for a moment, then opened the door and looked at Xin Yukun with some surprise: "I clearly saw you come downstairs just now. I thought you had made plans to go out with friends. Why aren't you at the most famous nightclub in town at this hour? What are you doing here looking for me?"

Xin Yukun pushed open the door and walked in, unable to resist asking smugly, "Brother, if a goddess were waiting for you, would you still be interested in those mediocre girls?"

understood!

It must be some goddess in the entertainment industry who asked Brother Kun for help.

Of course, it's paid help.

Therefore, Brother Kun came to discuss it with me without delay.

Lu Zhiyuan didn't care about Kun Ge's little scheme and simply found a chair to sit down: "Speak, what is it? I'll give you 10 minutes. I'm about to go to sleep."

"Then I'll make it short!"

In those 10 minutes, Xin Yukun used his persuasive skills to convince Lu Zhiyuan to abandon the "Dragon Ridge Caves" segment and replace it with "Yunnan Insect Valley".

"Brother, there's nothing worth filming in [The Lost Caverns of the Dragon Ridge]. Are you suggesting we film the main characters arguing with the local villagers over some trivial matter?"

"Of the previous four installments, this one is the most boring!"

In fact, [Yunnan Insect Valley] also has similar problems.

However, Xin Yukun never mentioned it.

"You accepted bribes, didn't you?" Lu Zhiyuan chuckled.

【Dragon Ridge Cave】 and 【Yunnan Insect Valley】 are actually not much different. They are just clues deliberately drawn out in the novel to set up the Muchen Pearl and to facilitate the search for the Muchen Pearl.

Actually, the real focus of the first four books of "Ghost Blows Out the Light" is the Jingjue Ancient City and the Kunlun Divine Palace!

However, just like novels, movies need to reach a certain length and also need some setup in between to enrich the plot.

According to Lu Zhiyuan's habits, he usually shoots three main scenes, plus a few minutes of prologue!

He really liked this narrative rhythm!
After so many years of making films, audiences have become accustomed to his rhythmic storytelling.

"Brother, the weather in Shennongjia has been bad lately, maybe God doesn't want us to go. Let's go to Guilin instead. It won't take more than a few days."

Xin Yukun told Lu Zhiyuan that the cultural and tourism unit there was very sincere and was already preparing to provide sponsorship fees.

"That's fine."

Since the other party is so sincere and has already started discussing sponsorship fees, what else can Lu Zhiyuan say?
There has been no response from Shennongjia.

We serve whoever pays us!
This is one of the fundamental principles of the film industry!

Lu Zhiyuan thought for a moment and said, "Actually, Guilin is also quite nice. It's full of karst landforms. There are steep limestone peaks, bizarre caves, and underground rivers."

“Even on a global scale, such terrain is extremely rare.”

"The reason I was unwilling to film the Insect Valley and the Tomb of King Xian is because it is difficult to find scenes in reality that match the descriptions in the novels."

"However, I think the photos you just showed me are pretty good."

Guilin's scenery is the best under heaven.

This is not just empty talk.

The waterfall's powerful spray and layered texture perfectly match the description of the waterway entrance in "Yunnan Insect Valley".

"Thanks, brother."

"I know you're giving me face."

Xin Yukun was extremely grateful to Lu Zhiyuan and wished he could hug his leg and kowtow to him.

The main reason was that Lu Zhiyuan's behavior made Xin Yukun feel very proud, both outside and within the team.

Lu Zhiyuan always supported him.

That's the advantage of meeting someone from humble beginnings.

As long as he does his job well and helps Lu Zhiyuan with the dirty work that Lu Zhiyuan himself is unwilling to do, his position will be as stable as Mount Tai!

……

National Day.

The whole nation celebrates with a 7-day holiday!
After its release on September 30, "Breakup Buddies" grossed 1.35 million yuan on its opening day. Subsequently, word-of-mouth began to spread, and publicity followed.

The carnage has officially begun!

Professional institutions' box office predictions for this film have been steadily rising, and have unknowingly reached 10 billion!
For a time, Ning Hao was incredibly famous!

But at this time, Fengxing Studio released a video of Wang Fei and Xie Tingfeng passionately kissing in an apartment in Yanjing.

They got back together after breaking up 11 years ago!

It caused a sensation across the entire internet.

Netizens are calling it the biggest reunion of the century!

"Ning Hao proved his talent once again with 'Breakup Buddies,' he's the Chinese Guy Ritchie! However, he can't compare to Guy Ritchie in the end!"

"Guy Ritchie captivated Madonna, leading to an eight-year marriage and two sons. After the divorce, he even made Madonna pay nearly £60 million in divorce settlements! A real man has a rich woman chasing after him to support him!"

"Look at Ning Hao... His brothers told him to marry Wang Fei to raise his career ceiling, but he wouldn't listen to a word and dragged it out for 5 years! Yuan Ge has already gotten Alita pregnant, while Ning Hao is still making low-budget road movies! That's how big the difference is."

Under Ning Hao's Weibo post, many netizens came to watch the drama unfold, mocking him for not having the guts to pursue Wang Fei!

Look at Guy Ritchie, he's a real man!
Some people spoke up for Ning Hao, implying that different countries have different circumstances and generalizations cannot be made.

In China, it's practically a pipe dream for a man to be supported by a wealthy woman, have her bear him two sons, and then expect her to pay him £6000 million in alimony upon divorce.

wrong!

This version is impossible to achieve even in my wildest dreams.

However, there is a similar example in China!

Netizens suggested that Ning Hao should learn from Lu Zhiyuan when he has time... His nickname in the entertainment industry is "Robot," and he is ruthless and shameless when making movies.

As a director, Lu Zhiyuan is incredibly successful!
Starting with the art film "The Coffin in the Mountain," he continued to climb, winning the global box office champion in 2012 and 2014 respectively!

Its cumulative box office has now become the second highest in history!
As a man, Lu Zhiyuan is even more successful; he is practically a role model for men across the country!
Lu Zhiyuan made the wealthy woman Jing Tian confess that she was Lu Zhiyuan's ex-girlfriend. She even repeatedly expressed her love for Lu Zhiyuan on the show, saying that he was talented and extremely attractive. Even after they broke up, she could not forget him!

Lu Zhiyuan also had another wealthy woman, Gao Yuanyuan, spread the word that she loved him madly and was willing to empty her family fortune to support his robotics hobby in order to get in touch with him. As a result, she accidentally made billions!

Finally, Lu Zhiyuan also gave Alita, the first female lead in film history, a mere 5-minute appearance in "Art Students" after two years since 2012.

The rest of the time, she semi-retired to let him manage the company, and she chased after him every day to have children!
This is the true domestic version of a new-era male role model!
Even more awesome than Guy Ritchie!
"Ning Hao, it still doesn't work."

"Ever since Brother Yuan debuted, Ning Hao's luck seems to have been drained, and he's constantly being compared to Brother Yuan."

"Actually, judging from the frequency of his creations, you can tell that Ning Hao is a bit weak."

"Unlike Brother Yuan, who seems to be on sildenafil every day, producing a super blockbuster every year. It's extremely rare even on a global scale! He's comparable to Spielberg at his peak!"

Spielberg's creative energy is even more terrifying than Zhang Yimou's!
From 1980 to 2010, over a period of 30 years, Spielberg directed 23 films and produced more than 40 films!
If Zhang Yimou's creative energy is S-level, then Spielberg's is definitely SSS-level!
Looking at the entire history of humankind, it is truly unique!

To be a good director, you simply need good health, a good mental state, and an incredibly strong creative desire!
Some people's talents are just that abnormal!
Without exception, all those who become great directors of all time possess the most powerful talent among all humankind!
……

Ning Hao has learned his lesson.

This time, he simply didn't stay home to read this gossip.

He went out to see!

After all, the movie was a hit, and the box office was about to reach 10 billion yuan. Ning Hao and some of the main actors in his team started a crazy promotional tour.

Zhang Li, who plays the second female lead, also returned to her hometown to help with the promotional tour.

Most importantly, she wanted to meet Lu Zhiyuan through Xin Yukun's connection!

Under normal circumstances, she has no advantage in competing with top actresses like Liu Shishi.

However, after inquiring about the "Great Wall" project within the industry, she learned that Lu Zhiyuan was very easy to talk to and could practically fill any number of roles.

It seems that Liu Yifei managed to squeeze herself into the position through Xin Yukun's connections!

Previous rumors suggested that Lu Zhiyuan disliked using Liu Yifei in movies because of Liu Shishi, and this version of the rumor naturally came from Liu Shishi's fans.

Now, Liu Yifei's fans, upon learning this news, immediately started gloating online, spreading the good news everywhere.

However, Liu Yifei's fans didn't get to celebrate for long before the spin-off series of "Real Steel" started airing, with all 12 episodes of the first season released at once!
In just a few days, Netflix announced on its official website that it had gained 100 million new subscribers during the airing of the spin-off series!
At $9.9 a month, under normal circumstances, once you become a Netflix subscriber, you are unlikely to churn.

In other words, this show contributed nearly $1 million in revenue to Netflix in one year!

Although the production cost of this series was as high as 3000 million US dollars, which is similar to that of a domestic blockbuster.

However, the fact that Liu Shishi starred in the film, with Keiko Kitagawa making a cameo appearance, directly helped Netflix open up the Asian market.

Netflix hit the jackpot!
Now, with the internet becoming more and more developed, fans are also starting to help celebrities calculate their finances.

Only celebrities who can make money for the company will be sought after by investors.

Which of Liu Yifei's dramas can help the company earn so much money?
"A blind lion is still a lion!"

In an instant, Liu Shishi's fans became excited again and came up with an easy-to-spread slogan for her.

……

"Sister Mary, I'm truly impressed!"

"Could you please subtly hint to the group admins in the fan group not to use nicknames like 'blind'?"

Liu Shishi's agent was initially Boss Cai.

However, after participating in "The Coffin in the Mountain", Liu Shishi became a top-tier female star and established her own personal studio.

So, she got a dedicated agent named Maria!
This person sounds like someone who studied abroad.

However, this person has many connections in the fashion industry and helped Liu Shishi secure many endorsements from major brands.

Liu Shishi herself is highly capable, not only filming hit TV series such as "Scarlet Heart" and "Xuan-Yuan Sword", but also getting involved with internationally renowned directors like Lu Zhiyuan.

Now, Liu Shishi has become the female lead of the most popular science fiction TV series in the world this quarter, the spin-off of "Real Steel"!

A scientist with a post-apocalyptic cyberpunk style – this image is an unprecedented and subversive one for an Asian actor!

However, thanks to the groundwork laid by the film, the image of Liu Shishi, the cyber scientist, has long been deeply ingrained in people's minds.

Moreover, in the eyes of Europeans and Americans, Asian girls who wear glasses and have long, straight black hair are obviously academic high-achievers without even watching TV dramas.

Therefore, the character Liu Shishi fits the stereotypes that Western audiences have about Asian female academic achievers.

With the groundwork laid by the movie, this TV series became an instant hit as soon as it was released!
Netflix is ​​already preparing for season 2!

Before that, the agent needs to take advantage of Liu Shishi's popularity to help her secure a few super endorsements and increase her income!
"Shishi, this is something I specifically asked someone to set up for you. All those online promotions were spread by the media that I arranged for. Didn't I discuss this with you? Have you forgotten?"

The agent looked at Liu Shishi with some surprise.

Liu Shishi was clearly present during the team meeting regarding this promotional strategy. She didn't object at the time.

How could you forget everything in the blink of an eye?

"Really? I don't remember."

Liu Shishi usually doesn't listen attentively to these impromptu small meetings; after all, she has a lot of faith in her team.

"Actually, there are advantages."

"On my way here, I just landed another eyewear endorsement for you! [Vogue Eyewear], ever heard of it? It's considered a fashion brand in Europe and America. The endorsement fee is pretty good."

The phrase "A blind lion is still a lion" landed Liu Shishi an endorsement deal with a globally renowned eyewear brand, a remarkable achievement for any agent!

Even a blind lion has a weakness!
However, a lion wearing glasses has no weaknesses!

An eyewear brand—I'm absolutely thrilled!
Liu Shishi actually asked her to change the publicity?

The agent was speechless.

Hey.

Liu Shishi, just stick to being your silly Liu Shishi and stop thinking about business.

As for choosing roles, Liu Shishi herself should not be involved; she should let Lu Zhiyuan and Xin Yukun give her their opinions.

As a world-class production team, what kind of scripts haven't they seen? They can tell at a glance what kind of subject matter will be popular and what kind of characters will become popular.

We don't need to worry about the dramas produced by Tangren Media.

The poor and ridiculous dramas are no longer worthy of our Lion!

As for romance...

This is what the agent is most satisfied with about Liu Shishi.

Liu Shishi's romantic mind is still focused on Lu Zhiyuan!
Many female celebrities, after becoming famous, often develop some misconceptions about themselves, thinking that they are big stars with high incomes and beautiful appearances, and should marry into wealthy families!
Or, find a handsome young man you like and start a relationship!
Either of these choices is, in the agent's view, a huge mistake!

First of all, female celebrities cannot remain beautiful forever.

However, wealthy families will most likely remain wealthy families decades from now.

Therefore, truly wealthy families don't look down on female celebrities. Dating is fine, but marrying into a wealthy family is a different story; the probability is less than 1%.

The probability of a female celebrity marrying into a wealthy family is lower than that of improving herself and becoming wealthy herself.

Of course, the probability of finding a spoiled rich kid who can't inherit the family fortune is quite high.

But it's clear that Liu Shishi doesn't like this kind of useless person.

Besides that, he also dates handsome young men... Holy crap, in his manager's opinion, that's the dumbest thing to do.

Unless that female celebrity has absolutely no desire to achieve anything in her career!
Because if a female celebrity dates a younger, handsome man, she will be dumped by the powerful man... who will then go find other female celebrities and promote them.

After all, there aren't many truly talented actors in the entertainment industry.

However, pretty vases are everywhere!
Even the most powerful people have limited patience; they can't afford to waste time and resources on an aging, faded woman whose heart is no longer with them.

So, this brings us back to a similar dilemma as the first point.

Instead of female celebrities wanting to find a powerful figure to constantly promote them, they should become powerful figures themselves and create their own capital; that would be much more reliable!
“Shishi, I’ve recently secured a lot of endorsements for you, plus the $1000 million you earned for filming the ‘Real Steel’ spin-off series.”

"I suggest you talk to Mr. Zhang of Happy Twist or Mr. Cao of New Classics Media to see if you can buy some shares from them."

"If that doesn't work, we can organize our own project, start with a low-budget web series, test the waters, and train the team."

Liu Shishi has earned enough money, and her agent hopes that she can start thinking about her future!

Yang Mi's side has already started setting up a studio, recruited several promising talents, and is preparing to test the waters with a TV series.

Tang Yan is also one of them.

Tang Yan was getting along very well with Wang Baoqiang recently because she wanted to get to know some people in Lu Zhiyuan's team through Wang Baoqiang.

The people around Lu Zhiyuan are all top talents in the world.

Tang Yan didn't expect that Lu Zhiyuan would take her along to film a movie.

However, after she got to know the people around Lu Zhiyuan, she could use this connection to ask them to act as producers for her production team if she wanted to organize a film or television production in the future!
This means that her drama has the protection of a top-tier figure in the entertainment industry, ensuring that it won't turn out to be a piece of crap!

After gaining a successful experience, Tang Yan can now transition into producing!

This transformed them from mere celebrities into powerful figures who controlled the means of production in the entertainment industry, transcending social class.

This step is crucial for celebrities to make a career transition!
Most celebrities will fail at this step, losing all the savings they've accumulated from their acting careers and even incurring debt.

“Sister Mary, Tangtang and Yang Mi are both quite shrewd. I’m not as good as them in this regard.”

"Thank you for thinking so thoroughly for me." "However, it doesn't really need to be so complicated. In a couple of days, Brother Kun will go to the 'Goodbye Mr. Loser' team to check on Dilraba's situation and calculate the crew's bills."

"When the time comes, I'll treat Brother Kun to a meal, have a chat with him, and we'll have a result."

Liu Shishi told her agent not to think too much about it.

She may be a bit slow and a little dim-witted, but she's very popular.

Whether it was Xin Yukun or Lu Zhiyuan... they were both very good to her.

If you have any difficulties, just tell them, and they will help.

So, if she wanted to start a company and assemble a filming team, it wouldn't actually be that complicated.

She provides the money, and Xin Yukun provides the project; they can work together to make money.

Isn't this more reliable than her rashly taking on production work that she's not good at?

"Too!"

Upon hearing this, the agent immediately realized what was going on.

Yang Mi and Tang Yan had no choice but to fight for it themselves!
Liu Shishi is different.

She developed a friendship with bigwigs like Lu Zhiyuan and Xin Yukun by playing in the mud together in the countryside while filming "The Coffin in the Mountain".

In the entertainment industry, this kind of friendship is no different from that of childhood friends!
As long as Liu Shishi is willing to pay, Lu Zhiyuan would even be willing to take on the title of "producer" to protect and support Liu Shishi.

Of course, this kind of treatment will probably only happen once or twice!

Human relationships can also be exhausted.

But enough.

For Yang Mi to get this favor is harder than climbing to heaven.

"Shishi, I still don't have a clear understanding of how you see yourself. I think if you're going to start a company, it would be best to bring Brother Kun along."

"If we get Kun involved, Kun will definitely get Yuan involved... Then, if a reliable project comes along, Yuan can just give us a few pointers and we'll be rolling in money!"

As an internationally renowned director, Lu Zhiyuan's aesthetic sense is undoubtedly world-class!
Even if he stops acting and his energy wanes, he could easily make a living as a producer with his discerning taste.

The agent believed that as long as they could gain Lu Zhiyuan's approval, a mere TV series couldn't possibly flop.

Moreover, they could also use Lu Zhiyuan's connections to sell the rights to Netflix and earn a copyright fee.

If it gets good reviews after being sold to Netflix, it can be sold to Southeast Asia and make another profit.

"talk later!"

"I don't really care about these things."

Liu Shishi calculated her personal savings and realized that over the years she had accumulated over 100 million US dollars, which was quite a lot!
As long as you don't do anything reckless, you'll never be poor in this lifetime.

However, having grown accustomed to the spotlight of the entertainment industry, she will likely find it difficult to return to a simple life.

Most importantly, it was only when filming the spin-off series of "Real Steel" that she realized that she was able to get the lead role in the spin-off series entirely because of Lu Zhiyuan's connections!
Otherwise, her terrible acting skills...

David Fincher was the director; he was replaced a long time ago.

But as a result, director David Fincher gritted his teeth and finished filming the series, even designing some memorable scenes for it.

Liu Shishi knew it must be because Lu Zhiyuan had given prior notice.

I heard that Lu Zhiyuan had a long chat with director David Fincher at the Oscars celebrity dinner.

"Sigh, not sleeping with him on Valentine's Day in 2009 is the biggest regret of my life!"

I wish I could turn back time and give myself another chance!

……

Lu Zhiyuan and his entourage have officially arrived in Guilin.

With the help of local cultural and tourism authorities, he focused his investigation on two places: Yangshuo and Chongzuo.

He had to admit that the scenery in these two places truly amazed him!

"Guilin's scenery is the best under heaven, and Yangshuo's scenery is the best in Guilin!"

"It truly lives up to its reputation."

Especially the section of the Li River that enters Yangshuo, with its rows of strange peaks and winding blue waters, is truly picturesque.

It was a delightful sight for Lu Zhiyuan.

"Director Lu, what do you think? The scenery here is just as good as Shennongjia, isn't it?"

When the local cultural and tourism staff who were helping to guide him saw that Lu Zhiyuan seemed very satisfied with the scenery, they immediately smiled.

"Excellent."

"I will use a large format camera here, a panoramic fixed lens, and a slow pace to present the beautiful scenery of this place to the world."

With Kun Ge not around, Lu Zhiyuan could only write it down himself and send it to the photography team so they could come here to take pictures.

If the location isn't good, he can personally bring his team to shoot on location here.

The climate here is excellent, neither too hot nor too cold, and there are many cultural and historical sites nearby, offering a wide range of options.

Besides, the other party provided sponsorship fees.

"Director Lu, use an ND filter to photograph the water flow here; the resulting landscape will be even more unique."

The staff member from the cultural and tourism unit added with a smile.

"know the business."

Lu Zhiyuan couldn't help but laugh.

Just by hearing this terminology, you can tell that the other person is also a photography enthusiast.

The light here is very strong, making it very difficult to photograph flowing water with a large aperture, especially when trying to capture the blurred state of the water.

However, adding an ND filter can reduce the amount of light passing through, resulting in more beautiful photos without affecting image quality.

It will cause the water flow to appear as a mist.

It's like a fairyland!
This filming technique, when used to shoot Eastern fantasy films or Xianxia dramas, greatly enhances the atmosphere.

Different film genres require different shooting techniques.

That's the power of details!
……

After finishing the location scouting work in Guilin, Lu Zhiyuan headed to his final destination: the location for filming the Kunlun Shrine!
Yading Scenic Area, Western Sichuan!

He had already visited the place once when filming "Godzilla: Monarch" and was deeply impressed by it!
【Yading】in Tibetan means "sunny place".

If I had to describe the scenery here in one word, it would be pure.

It seemed as if there were no traces of human activity whatsoever.

The natural world, tranquil and timeless, perfectly embodies Friedrich's sublime vision of nature.

Once inside this place, even with the most complicated thoughts on his mind, Lu Zhiyuan would find himself calming down involuntarily!
……

Lu Zhiyuan lingered here, reluctant to leave, and went out early every morning.

As an art student, he really loved this kind of scenic area with its layered mountains and vibrant colors.

If China had its own Hudson River School of painting, it would surely regard Yading Scenic Area as its sacred place!
"found it!"

"This is the feeling I wanted!"

Suddenly, one morning, Lu Zhiyuan, led by a local guide, arrived at a lake and looked up at the snow-capped peaks in front of him.

For a moment, he was stunned!
"A mirror hangs above the Heavenly Gate!"

"Honey, Nazha, Baoqiang. According to the feng shui techniques mentioned in the novel 'Ghost Blows Out the Light,' doesn't this scene resemble... the Mirror Hanging Heavenly Gate?"

Hanging mirrors is a folk custom that involves hanging mirrors to ward off evil spirits.

Ancient people believed that by hanging mirrors, they could use the principle of reflection to form a protective barrier and block the invasion of evil spirits!

This location could be used to film the Kunlun Shrine.

So, outside the Kunlun Divine Palace, there happens to be a special lake that looks just like the concept of the "Mirror Hanging Heavenly Gate" in Feng Shui!
It's a land blessed by God.

"Director Lu, we have several small lakes around here. Besides this Pearl Lake, there's also Milk Lake and Five-Colored Lake. Would you like to take a look?"

Noticing Lu Zhiyuan's great interest in the environment, the tour guide immediately took out photos of several other lakes for Lu Zhiyuan to choose from.

He was extremely excited.

Their scenic spot is going to become a global sensation!

Because, judging from Lu Zhiyuan's expression, you can tell that he really likes this place.

The prehistoric battle at the beginning of "Godzilla: Monarch" was filmed in their environment...

Unfortunately, audiences don't seem to be particularly interested in the scenery in monster movies.

However, in a treasure-hunting movie like "Mojin: The Lost Legend," audiences will definitely be very interested after seeing such scenery in the film!

People can't resist coming here to explore for treasures.

"Okay, let me take a look."

Lu Zhiyuan realized that this scene was perfect for filming the Kunlun Divine Ruins, where the Queen Mother of the West resided, in the movie "The Great Wall".

Artistic creation, such as photographing Kunlun, does not necessarily require actually going to Kunlun.

The environment here seems to better match the description of "Kunlun Divine Ruins" in literary works, which is the most important thing.

"They are all very beautiful!"

Lu Zhiyuan looked at several photos and became increasingly satisfied.

Being a director is such a wonderful job.

At work, I'm with pretty girls every day.

When scouting locations, they get to travel the world for free, and wherever they go, they are welcomed by the locals, who even beg for sponsorship fees for their films.

"Tranquil, magnificent, and contemplative!"

"This is the scene in Friedrich's painting."

"No, the scenery here even surpasses Friedrich's imagination!"

“Absolutely perfect!”

The scenery in Yading Scenic Area perfectly matched the atmosphere that Lu Zhiyuan needed.

Just these landscapes alone will make this "Mojin: The Lost Legend" surpass the original, making audiences feel that it's worth the ticket price the moment they see the movie!

"Nazha, Hani, do you feel it?"

Lu Zhiyuan was overjoyed; he had finally found the world-famous painting he needed!

Besides the stunning scenery of these three sacred mountains, what delighted Lu Zhiyuan most was the presence of some withered plants nearby.

This is the best.

Because these withered plants symbolize a once vibrant life and an indomitable will, but with the passage of time, they gradually turn into death.

This adds a touch of melancholy to the otherwise tranquil landscape, along with a hint of mysterious past.

It seemed to imbue the entire scene with a sense of historical weight.

Normally, Lu Zhiyuan would use lighting and shadow effects to create this kind of narrative through camera work, but here, that's unnecessary.

Sunlight streams down, illuminating the tranquil snow-capped mountains, the grey-brown cliffs, the azure lakes, and the golden-yellow grasslands... Such rich colors need no further embellishment.

It would be considered superfluous.

"Mountains and rivers possess infinite and eternal life. But the grass beneath our feet withers. This is a contrast and a foil to the life of nature. Teacher, is that so?"

Hanikezi stammered a reply, looking at Lu Zhiyuan with some anticipation.

Having studied under Lu Zhiyuan for so many years, she has most likely figured out some of his temperament.

He seems to particularly like these grand scenes, withered vegetation, and then uses contrasts in color and elevation to create a special atmosphere.

That's right!

Lu Zhiyuan likes to use visuals to metaphorically represent various contrasts in his films. This gives his films a rich sense of depth and dimension!
"Honey, that's awesome!"

Hearing this answer, Lu Zhiyuan looked at Hanikezi with great joy. This apprentice had not been raised in vain; he had finally come to understand his heart.

"Thank you for the compliment, teacher. I am honored."

Hanikezi immediately narrowed his eyes and laughed happily.

Nazha, standing next to Hanikezi, widened her eyes when she saw Hanikezi answer the question correctly and look smug.

Little sister, you're really good at this!

We agreed to be academic underachievers together, but you're secretly making progress?

Now I'm at the bottom again?

Lu Zhiyuan took out his DSLR camera, took a few photos, and then sent a message to his photography team, asking them to come and take pictures here in a while.

Try to take as many photos as possible of sunrise and sunset.

He likes this kind of extreme lighting effect.

What is the most powerful force on Earth? It's the sun!
A director can only make a story appear grand and majestic by learning to use the most powerful visuals to tell it.

Therefore, as a director, the first thing to learn is to utilize the power of sunlight!

……

The cast and crew of "Goodbye Mr. Loser".

Xin Yukun received an imperial decree from Dilraba to come to the film crew to check on the situation and review the bills to prevent anyone from making a mess.

of course.

For a startup team like Happy Twist, under normal circumstances, the boss will keep a very close eye on things, and no one will be allowed to act recklessly.

After all, if the project fails, everyone loses their job.

In this project, the entire Happy Twist team was united as one, sharing both prosperity and adversity.

"Fujiko, Mary, your movie is guaranteed to be a hit! Trust my judgment!"

Xin Yukun glanced at their filming state and saw that everyone was burning with anxiety.

Xin Yukun was all too aware of this situation.

Back when they were filming "Upgrade", everyone looked just like this.

It's like being possessed by a demon.

"Brother Kun, could you please sign this contract? Boss Zhang said we need a producer for this movie."

Seeing that Xin Yukun had made a rare trip, Shen Teng quickly took out a contract and urged him to sign it immediately!

"Goodbye Mr. Loser" could have used Dilraba's name, as it was her first time as a producer after retiring from her role as the first leading lady in film history, and promoted the film extensively.

However, Dilraba suddenly went to Los Angeles to give birth. This left everyone at Happy Twist completely dumbfounded, and all their plans fell through.

Now they've become a team with no resources, no connections, and no connections again!
Xin Yukun's fame certainly can't compare to Dilraba's, but he's still a big shot in the industry. Using Brother Kun's name can at least fool some viewers.

When the film is released, we can promote it like this... [Lu Zhiyuan] produced the film, but Lu Zhiyuan felt that he hadn't put in much effort and was embarrassed to accept the title of producer.

Therefore, Xin Yukun was given a nominal position!

Anyway, no matter how much Happy Twist tries to ride on Lu Zhiyuan's popularity, Lu Zhiyuan himself won't say anything out of respect for Dilraba.

As long as the movie is of good quality, the audience will most likely not care!
Last time, before Jing Tian's "The Warring States" was released, didn't she frantically try to ride on Lu Zhiyuan's popularity?

Out of respect for Jing Tian, ​​Lu Zhiyuan didn't say a word.

The "Warring States" team was allowed to ride the coattails of the hype until the movie flopped, at which point netizens realized they had been fooled.

This has led to a disastrous outcome.

Before each of Jing Tian's movies is released, netizens will promote the "Xiang Tian content" formula to the entire internet!

It's because they were tricked by "The Warring States" once.

"Fujiko, let's finish filming here as soon as possible, then go to Los Angeles. I'll take you to the Sacred Valley to choose a bride. Do you have any particular type you like?"

Xin Yukun glanced at the contract Shen Teng handed him, flipped through it casually, and finding no obvious pitfalls, signed his name.

It's just a nominal appointment, no problem.

Happy Twist has a 30% stake in Dilraba.

The two directors of the movie "Goodbye Mr. Loser" were his underlings when he was making "Godzilla: Monarch".

As a big shot in the industry, it's only natural for him to help out his juniors.

"Thank you, Brother Kun!"

After completing his task, Shen Teng whispered slyly in Xin Yukun's ear, "Sybil, have you heard of him, Brother Kun?"

Upon hearing the name, Xin Yukun paused for a moment, silently recalling: "Isn't he a recent debut? Born in '94, Ukrainian! He looks a bit like Elizabeth Olsen?"

"Correct!"

Shen Teng nodded repeatedly, thinking to himself, "Being able to film in Hollywood is simply amazing!"

Putting everything else aside, the perk of being able to eat fast food anytime is attractive enough!

Xin Yukun felt that he had gained another good brother and that his team was growing stronger, which made him very happy.

"Fujiko, you have a good eye! I'll help you find out later. Leave it to me. In Los Angeles, we're like gods! We have even more power than back home!"

in the country, there are still many people who can control them!
In Los Angeles, the heart of capitalism... even the chairman of Universal Pictures had to fawn over Lu Zhiyuan!
To Xin Yukun, the girls of Sheng Gu were no different from the snack shops on the street.

Order whatever you want to eat.

One phone call, and they can even deliver to your door!

……

After exchanging a few words with Shen Teng, Xin Yukun went to Yang Mi's side and chatted for a while.

"Honey, how's the filming of Qiuya going? Can you finish it within a month? Xiao Su is almost ready in Xiamen, just waiting for you to arrive so we can start filming right away!"

Xin Yukun mainly came to help Su Lun urge Yang Mi!
Before the Lunar New Year, they had to finish filming two movies, *Goodbye Mr. Loser* and *Your Wedding*. Because after the New Year, Su Lun would definitely be joining Lu Zhiyuan's team!
They're going to start preparing together for the epic film, The Great Wall!
"no problem!"

Yang Mi nodded, then sent her two assistants out to buy some drinks and snacks to treat the entire crew to afternoon tea.

After everyone left, Yang Mi couldn't help but ask, "Brother Kun, I heard that Liu Yifei got the role of 'Lingbo Fairy'. Is it true?"

"The specific role hasn't been decided yet, but there will probably be such a role," Xin Yukun said hesitantly.

Liu Yifei got the role from him, and he knew that better than anyone else.

However, Liu Yifei did spend money.

Yang Mi definitely won't spend money; she's very shrewd and most likely wants to get something for free!
I can't spoil her.

However, to Xin Yukun's surprise, Yang Mi only asked one question and then fell into deep thought.

"Nothing, I'm leaving now."

"Yuan Ge has finished scouting locations and is preparing to go to Los Angeles to develop a brand-new LED virtual production and shooting technology. He'll be busy for at least a month."

"I need to capture all the parameters of the scenery that Brother Yuan needs within this month, so I'm quite busy with work."

After saying hello, Xin Yukun left immediately.

As soon as he left, Yang Mi took out her phone and reported to Dilraba: "Boss, Liu Yifei got a role in 'The Great Wall,' and it's such a great role as Lingbo Fairy. I think there's definitely something wrong with this!"

Yang Mi was trying to subtly hint at Liu Yifei's lack of involvement with Yuankun Media, asking why she was able to get such a role.
Lingbo Fairy, just hearing that name makes her a great character!
After working like a slave for the company for so many years, I should be able to get a role without having to bribe anyone, right?

"Don't worry, you'll get your share. Just be good on set. When I come back after giving birth, I'll make you the leading lady!"

A while later, Dilraba sent a message.

The phrase "Number One Sister" made Yang Mi overjoyed.

The top female star of Yuankun Media is just like the top female star in the domestic entertainment industry or a top Hollywood star.

However, Yang Mi's joy was short-lived, and she soon sighed.

"The things I dreamed of, Reba gave up so easily."

"Sure enough, being the wife of a big director is definitely more comfortable than struggling in the entertainment industry and having to beg for resources by being subservient."

(End of this chapter)