Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 305 The film with the highest return on investment in film history
The release of "Lust, Caution" in mainland China has been fraught with setbacks, with the date now postponed to November.

With "The Sun Rises" released on September 14th, its box office figures had been kept secret until Jiang Wen finally addressed the issue directly: "Less than 9 million. Next time, I'll make a movie that everyone can understand."

"Actually, I went to see the movie, and to be honest, I didn't understand what Director Jiang was filming."

Shu Chang leaned against Liu Yifei and said, but seeing the latter still smiling, she was a little puzzled, "Qianqian, what are you laughing at? Didn't Wu Chen go to Hollywood?"

"Yes, he went to Hollywood."

Liu Yifei blinked, thinking of Wu Chen from a couple of days ago, especially yesterday when Wu Chen touched his waist while walking and then smiled.

"It's weird," Shu Chang complained.

Adjusting to the time difference on a plane is quite comfortable; I woke up to find myself in New York.

The film crew had been preparing here for a while, waiting for Wu Chen to arrive.

In October, New York is in the midst of autumn.

The morning mist under the Brooklyn Bridge had not yet dissipated, and the air was filled with a slightly damp, rusty smell and the coolness unique to early autumn.

“Director Wu, welcome to New York! The opening ceremony will be held tomorrow morning in Brooklyn.” Rebecca Sarkin made a special trip over.

Hollywood operates on a "film project" basis. Studios like Paramount, Warner Bros., and Disney have their own production executives who are responsible for selecting projects, approving budgets, and scheduling.

This is their KPI. On the one hand, they need to explain the film's financial returns to the company's board of directors and investors. On the other hand, the project's performance directly affects performance evaluations, promotions, and whether they can get the next big project.

Rebecca Sarkin is now more concerned about the project's success or failure than Wu Chen is about it.

Wu Chen nodded with a smile.

The opening ceremony in New York was simple yet ceremonial.

Paramount temporarily set up a designated area for the interviews, setting up a few tables, chairs, and lighting equipment.

However, there were no large red banners, firecrackers, or rituals involving worshipping gods and praying for blessings.
Wu Chen, wearing a black trench coat, appeared in front of the media with Keira Knightley, Vincent Cassel, and Mila Kunis.

Facing the reporters' barrage of questions, he smiled and nodded, briefly answering a few inquiries:

"We chose New York for this shoot because the streetscape and atmosphere here perfectly match the film's early-stage feel; the dance rehearsals will begin later."

"What are your expectations for Keira Knightley's performance?" a blonde reporter asked.

"She is outstanding. Her temperament and the nuances of her performance are very well-suited to the character of Nina. I am really looking forward to her performance."

"Kayla, this is your first time directing a Chinese-language director. Do you feel any pressure?"

"No, I think Wu is one of the best directors internationally. I've seen all his works, and I'm confident I can do a good job in this film."

Keira Knightley interacted politely with the media.

After a brief interview, the crew quickly moved on to the filming phase.

The first day of filming was arranged on an old street near the Brooklyn Bridge, where the narrow alleys, wet ground and gray walls gave a natural sense of gloom.

On the first day, Wu Chen arranged both day and night shoots, mainly to get the crew into work mode quickly.

The evening scenes mainly consisted of Nina walking at night.

Keira Knightley, wearing a grey coat and a light grey beret, walked wearily across the street corner, the dim light of the streetlamp casting a shadow on her face.

"Use a low-angle camera"

"Yes, cameras 1 and 2 gave close-ups, capturing her slightly trembling fingers and nervous eyes."

Wu Chen sat in front of the monitor, directing intently, occasionally exchanging glances with the director of photography.

“Make the performance a little colder, Kayla. Remember to slow down your steps and make your hands slightly stiff.”

Kayla nodded, pursed her lips, and prepared for the next performance.

The dampness of the street seemed to seep into the lens, and with Kayla's steps, emotions slowly accumulated.

That evening, in the hotel, Wu Chen had just finished his work for the day and, as usual, opened his laptop to check the new emails in his inbox.

It contains not only news about the Black Swan movie but also about The Martian.

The latter is still in the preparation stage.

Originally, Universal Pictures planned to film the Mars scenes in Wadi Rum, Jordan, where there are dedicated filming locations. However, Han Sanping and Ren Zhonglun argued that it would be more suitable to film in China, where various terrains are available, and there would be no need to go to Jordan. In the end, they decided to film in the Red Cliff Martian Terrain Area in Chaidan Town.

While checking his emails, Wu Chen discovered a peculiar one:

[Copies of the independent horror film "Paranormal Activity" have been sent to Obsidian Pictures]

Wu Chen was delighted when he saw the title and quickly opened the email.

"We are CAA talent agency, currently representing a newly completed independent horror film titled 'Paranormal Activity', directed by Oren Paley."

Given your reputation and box office success in the thriller and horror genre, we are sending you a DVD copy for previewing and to help you decide if you are interested.

Upon seeing this email, Wu Chen's eyes lit up slightly. If he remembered correctly, this was the time when CAA was casting a wide net, burning the film onto DVDs and sending them to various large, medium, and small production companies, including DreamWorks, Paramount, Warner Bros., and others.

Just then, Jason Blum called: "Wu, did you see an email? I suggest you take a look." "You mean the email about 'Paranormal Activity'?" Wu Chen asked with a smile.

"Bingo, Wu, I just finished watching this movie. I feel it has potential, but the editing seems a bit off. Do you have time tomorrow? I'll come find you and you can come and watch it too!"

Jason Blum had a vague sense of opportunity, but when he found out the film's production budget was only $15,000, he couldn't make up his mind.

"Is he casting a wide net?" Wu Chen asked casually.

“Of course, you don’t think he just sent it to us, do you?” Jason Blum laughed.

"I inquired around, and they included almost all production companies in their search. Many companies watched it, but the reaction was lukewarm. After all, this movie only had a production cost of $15,000. To be honest, if it weren't a horror movie, I wouldn't even want to turn on the DVD."

"Couldn't it be The Blair Witch Project?"

Jason Blum laughed and shook his head: "Oh, there aren't that many miracles. The Blair Witch Project was the highest-grossing miracle in film history. You don't think that kind of miracle is easy to replicate, do you?"

Although its production cost was only tens of thousands of dollars, its marketing expenses amounted to tens of millions of dollars. Every low-budget horror film it made thought it was "The Blair Witch Project," and it received hundreds of DVDs every year.

"Okay, come over tomorrow. I'll only have time to watch it tonight." Wu Chen nodded.

Although Jason Blum can't see much of the future, it has to be said that the other party's vision and intuition are indeed very accurate. This DVD was ultimately discovered by Blumhouse Pictures, while other large, medium and small studios disregarded it.

At dawn, the sky over Beijing was just beginning to lighten, and the streets were sparsely populated with pedestrians as the autumn wind blew.

The homepages of major portal websites are already bustling with activity.

[Filming officially begins in New York for "Black Swan," starring Keira Knightley in Wu Chen's new film; first day stills released!]

Keira Knightley appears in New York in a trench coat, stating that Wu Chen is one of the best directors internationally.

[Wu Chen embarks on a new journey; filming officially begins for the Hollywood psychological horror film "Black Swan"!]

Netizens clicked on the stills and started discussing them:
"Black Swan has finally started filming, and surprisingly, Keira Knightley is the big winner in the end!"

"Why turn it on so early? Wouldn't it be better to do it later? That way, you could see more people exposing each other's shortcomings."

"I have to say, Keira Knightley is actually quite pretty. She's got top-notch looks. Wu Chen is so lucky."

At this moment, Shu Chang was looking at the report and saw the photo of Keira Knightley at the start of filming. She couldn't help but sigh, "Keira Knightley is indeed quite beautiful."

She then glanced at Liu Yifei, who was getting ready to go out, and asked, "Qianqian, aren't you worried at all?"

"Worried? Worried about what? I warned him that if he dares to do anything reckless, I'll break his legs." Liu Yifei applied lipstick, pursed her lips, and smiled at Shu Chang.

"You wouldn't be threatening Wu Chen like this, would you? What good is such a threat?" Shu Chang looked at Liu Yifei's fierce yet childlike appearance and felt that it had no deterrent effect whatsoever.

"Hehe, I have my own way, don't worry." Liu Yifei patted her chest, full of confidence.

"Come on, come with me to shoot a magazine."

"It's not like I'm the one who wants to film it."

"Oh, I'll treat you to lunch. Besides, you're filming again in a few days, right? I'll go with you then."

"."

The next day, the New York morning was still slightly chilly with the scent of autumn.

The cast and crew of "Black Swan" gathered outside an old rehearsal hall in Brooklyn, ready to begin filming.

The day's filming mainly consisted of indoor scenes, without involving a lot of dance moves. Instead, it focused on Nina's confrontation with the theater director in the rehearsal hall and her psychological changes in the dressing room.

The rehearsal hall wasn't very large, and the dim sunlight streamed through the tall glass windows onto the worn wooden floor.

Wu Chen, wearing headphones, sat in front of the monitor, watching Keira Knightley portray Nina's anxiety and persistence in the rehearsal room.

"Good, hold your breath a little longer, and we'll do another take later!" Wu Chen whispered to Kayla on the walkie-talkie.

Kayla nodded slightly, closed her eyes to adjust her state, and resumed her performance.

Meanwhile, the production team coordinated the filming process with various departments outside the venue, ensuring that the photography, lighting, and props were all in good order.

Thanks to the production team's ample budget, strict venue security, and tight control over the media, the filming proceeded smoothly and with secrecy.

In the evening, Wu Chen had just finished discussing the filming arrangements with the executive producer when Jason Blum walked over with two cups of coffee in his hand.

"It looks like everything is going smoothly."

"We're not at the difficult part yet!" Wu Chen smiled slightly and reached out to take the coffee.

As dusk fell and the film crew wrapped up, Wu Chen and Jason Blum were in the dimly lit screening room of the hotel, where the projector was displaying images.

A horror film shot with home DV technology slowly unfolds on the screen. The picture is rough and the sound track is thin, but the actors' performances are very natural and the atmosphere is very eerie.

Jason Blum stared intently at Wu Chen's facial expression, seemingly waiting for his response. As soon as the screening ended, he eagerly asked:

"how do you feel?"

"We'll buy the film, and I'll handle the editing."

(End of this chapter)