I'm just trying to ride the wave of popularity!

Chapter 352 The Tyrant Falls in Love with Me?

If there was an IP that dominated the childhood fantasies of children all over the world before Ultraman from Japan became a global phenomenon...

That must be the steel behemoth from Transformers.

In the 80s, an era when even "artificial intelligence" existed only in science fiction, Transformers burst onto the scene and instantly swept the globe.

When the roar of car engines and the mechanical sounds of metal transformations rang in the ears of countless children, and when cool transformations and passionate battles collided fiercely on the screen, this IP, which pushed mechanical aesthetics to the extreme, used the romance of gears and sparks to completely reshape the ultimate imagination of "cool" for countless children amidst screams.

In those years, there were Transformers stickers secretly passed under classroom desks, G1 toys on birthday wish lists, toys from street vendors, and toy cars in shopping malls...

This IP has not only shaped the childhood memories of countless children, but has also left a deep mechanical imprint on the popular culture of China.

Yes, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a completely new cultural totem.

After the turn of the millennium, Japanese toys swept the globe, and Transformers sales gradually declined.

As Japanese IPs such as Gundam, Ultraman, and Kamen Rider conquer the global market, Hasbro's Transformers toy sales have continued to decline, and its market share has been steadily eroded.

At the same time, Hollywood special effects technology has made great strides. Movies such as The Lord of the Rings and The Digital Empire have proven that CGI technology can bring virtual characters to life on the big screen.

Faced with the crisis, Hasbro decided to take a gamble...

Bringing Transformers to the big screen and using cutting-edge visual technology to bring these mechanical lifeforms to life and let them rule the world once again.

In 2003, they joined forces with DreamWorks and Paimon Pictures to launch a live-action film project.

..............................

Outside the headquarters of [Xuan Shi Entertainment].

Reporters surrounded the gate, making it impossible to pass.

As "Dark Knight" continues to break box office records, major brands are absolutely thrilled.

The Ministry of Commerce received a mountain of cooperation applications, with countless investors waving checks and vying to participate in film investment...

In the conference room, ten directors sat around a long table, the atmosphere subtle and complex.

Among them is Hu Lei, who directed "Bao Gong's Night Trial of Ultraman" during the "Special Effects Storm Month" two years ago. The crude special effects were ridiculed by film critics as "five-cent special effects" and were heavily criticized by the market, but the box office was surprisingly stable, and he made a lot of money...

There's also Xu Xia, a director of youth romance films, whose film "Summer Love Song," despite being criticized for being "melodramatic and clichéd," performed very well at the box office...

Of course, there's also An Xiaoshi, who directed the critically acclaimed "Golden Wedding"...

In fact, when An Xiaoshi learned that Zhou Yang was going to make a mutant version of Transformers, she didn't think much of it...

As the director of critically acclaimed works like "Golden Wedding," she thought she was already immune to Zhou Yang's attempts to ride on her coattails...

Since 03, this man has exploited every Hollywood IP he can find, so it's not surprising that he's now eyeing "Transformers"; it's quite normal.

but……

When Zhou Yang personally invited her to participate in the project, An Xiaoshi was so shocked that she couldn't speak for a long time.

It was as if I had seen a ghost!
I?
Making romance movies?

Are you here to attend a meeting about a blockbuster special effects movie like Transformers?

Are you kidding me?
She repeatedly checked the words "special effects blockbuster" on the meeting notice, then looked down at the mechanical-looking proposal in her hand.

Finally, she took a deep breath and stared intently at the Transformers script proposal.

"Mr. Zhou, may I ask you a question?"

"ask!"

"Mr. Zhou, are you sure you didn't send the wrong script?"

"No." Zhou Yang smiled as he looked at An Xiaoshi.

"Mr. Zhou, I hope you understand that I'm just someone who makes romance movies!"

"Director An, your love stories are so well made! 'Golden Wedding' is simply a masterpiece! If there were an award for best art film in 2004, 'Golden Wedding' would definitely be on the list!" Zhou Yang sat opposite An Xiaoshi, nodding at her with a sincere and almost innocent smile.

“President Zhou!” An Xiaoshi took a deep breath, pushed the proposal back onto the table, and stared at Zhou Yang: “I’ll emphasize again, I’m making romance films. Tokusatsu films and special effects blockbusters—I know absolutely nothing about those.”

"What does it matter if we don't understand?" Zhou Yang pushed up his glasses and said with a smile, "Back then, we couldn't even find the camera switch, but we still make movies now, right? As long as we use our strengths, incorporate our own understanding, and capture the tastes of our target audience, that's fine. What do you think?"

this moment!
The air suddenly solidified.

An Xiaoshi stared at Zhou Yang's flickering eyes, and an absurd thought suddenly exploded in her mind, making her ears ring and her mind go blank: "Wait! You don't mean you want me to add a romance to Transformers, do you? Turn the mecha battle into a romance movie?"

As soon as she said it, she couldn't help but laugh, but when she looked up and met Zhou Yang's suddenly bright eyes, her laughter stopped abruptly!

This guy is actually nodding seriously!
day!
This guy actually nodded seriously!
"Mr. Zhou, are you crazy? Or am I crazy?" An Xiaoshi's face was stiff, and she was completely dumbfounded as she sat in her chair: "Let Optimus Prime and Megatron fight over a girlfriend? Or let Bumblebee date a human girl?"

She looked up, closed her eyes in despair, and muttered to herself, "Is this thing even watchable?" The air in the conference room froze once more.

A group of people stared at Zhou Yang as if they'd seen a ghost...

Several directors who make romance movies, especially Xu Xia, the director of "Summer Love Song," are starting to have some existential doubts.

What the hell!

Curiosity?

Her fingers trembled slightly as she held the proposal for "Deformed Steel Bars." The director, who was used to making light and romantic films, looked as if she had swallowed a fly.

She repeatedly flipped through the cover bearing the Lingjiang Heavy Industry logo, then looked up at Zhou Yang's sincere face, and suddenly closed her eyes in despair!
At that very moment, a suppressed laugh suddenly erupted from the corner. Hu Lei, who started out making tokusatsu films, was desperately pinching his thigh, trying his best to hold it in. To keep himself from making a sound, he even thought about the most painful things in his life, but damn it, he couldn't hold it in!
Yes!

I can't hold it in!
Upon seeing Zhou Yang's serious expression, Chen Lei's smile gradually froze.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Zhou, I..."

Zhou Yang remained silent, instead looking at An Xiaoshi: "Transformers is just a reference; it doesn't necessarily have to be a Transformers movie... Filming a romance between a human and a robot is fine too, it's just that the robot can transform..."

"For example, it tells the story of a lonely otaku who unexpectedly gets a girlfriend who is a combat robot from the future. They gradually develop genuine feelings for each other, but eventually discover that she is destined to travel through time to save him."

"In the movie, their love creates a miracle, overcoming the protagonist's fate of dying in an accident and transcending the barrier between biological humans and robots!"

"And the machine system can be set up like this... The female protagonist is the prototype of the military mecha 'First Generation Steel Heart' secretly developed by [Lingjiang Motorcycle]. Due to a program malfunction and encountering a spacetime turbulence, she is unexpectedly rescued by A-Jie, a lonely otaku from a junkyard..."

To evade capture by the military, she transforms into a red "Lingjiang Motorcycle" and embarks on a journey of escape and battle with the male protagonist. During the journey, they witness the male protagonist's tragic death, which then triggers a series of entanglements of love and hate...

"The female protagonist retains some of her mechanical joints, resembling a young girl... aloof, adorable, and overflowing with girlfriend charm, but also possessing a touch of the 'savage' nature of a robotic girlfriend..."

"The male protagonist, on the other hand, can be a cowardly character, but who can stand up at crucial moments..."

"Of course, you don't have to use this setting; I'm just making a suggestion..."

"..."

Zhou Yang looked at An Xiaoshi and silently recounted a long story.

An Xiaoshi was initially a little dazed, but then fell into deep thought.

After about several tens of seconds, she looked up and frowned: "You mean, the female protagonist discovers through her precognitive abilities that the male protagonist will die in an accident in the future, and the two of them must fight against this fate together... combining the ethical conflicts of 'human-machine love' with the science fiction element of time travel, and ultimately using love and miracles to overcome the elements of fate?"

"Yes! That's exactly what I meant!"

Zhou Yang nodded with a smile.

Actually, this idea originated from a movie he had seen in his previous world called "My Robot Girlfriend".

He recalled that the film performed quite well at the box office, opening up a new creative direction for romance films.

However, due to the passage of time, he could not remember the specific plot details clearly, only vaguely recalling the general story framework.

In the past, science fiction films often awkwardly inserted romance elements into the science fiction framework, resulting in both box office and critical failure.

This film cleverly blends science fiction and romance...

With a sincere and moving love story as its main thread, it uses science fiction as a vehicle for emotional expression, preserving the visual spectacle of science fiction while allowing the audience to feel the warmth of humanity in a world of machines and code.

This clear distinction between primary and secondary narrative strategies allows the two elements to complement each other, ultimately resulting in a good viewing experience.

“President Zhou, I have a question…” An Xiaoshi pondered for a moment again: “The movie has always had the uncanny valley effect. It doesn’t matter if the female lead is a beautiful girl or a robot, but you said she can transform. Wouldn’t the distortion of her body after transformation make the audience feel disgusted?”

When An Xiao said those words, everyone stared at Zhou Yang.

Zhou Yang smiled at everyone, pushed up his glasses again, stood up, and walked to the projector.

Immediately afterwards...

The screen is on!
then……

Everyone saw the words "Deformed Steel Bars"!
Everyone was slightly taken aback when they saw these words!
"Here, we introduce the concept of 'deformed steel bars'..."

"We can create a concept called 'deformed steel bar'..."

"Of course, Transformers is also an option..."

"On the other side of the universe, there is a planet called Cybertron—no, we are Cybertron. The humans there have discovered a metal that can be perfectly deformed like a liquid..."

"They can transform themselves from liquid form into various instruments in a very beautiful way, under the influence of the power of 'love'..."

"Here, I've created a distorted diagram..."

"..."

(End of this chapter)