Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 310 Are you afraid of the ways of the world?

The late autumn sun in New York shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting its light on the site filled with sawdust and lighting testing equipment.

“Keira, take a look at this new scene beforehand. We’ll start filming next month.” Wu Chen handed the newly revised script to Keira Knightley.

It's not surprising that Keira Knightley took on the new script.

It's normal for the director to have new ideas during filming, but when she carefully read the script, her eyes lit up.

"The mirror maze, the mirrors in the corridors repeating endlessly, the image of the black swan appearing and disappearing, Nina can't tell which one is the real her and which one is an illusion."

She reached out to touch the mirror, but the black swan in the mirror reached out first and touched her fingertips. In an instant, all the mirrors shattered into countless fragments.

Keira Knightley's breathing quickened slightly.

She had never seen such an extreme symbolic mirror: it was both an abstract analysis of the character's psychology and an extreme test for the performer.

She could imagine herself in that labyrinth, watching countless reflections of herself—fear, desire, decay, and ambition—a deeply private performance, an exploration of her inner self.

Keira Knightley looked up at Wu Chen, her eyes filled with respect and expectation:
"Wu, this mirror maze part is crazy. Give me some time, and I will definitely perform it even better."

"This part is up to you."

"By the way, Wu, I feel like these past few days have been different from the previous two weeks."

"Is that so?" Wu Chen smiled without saying a word.

Keira Knightley didn't say much when she saw this, because not only she noticed it, but everyone else in the crew also noticed it.

Wu Chen looks more radiant now.

He would occasionally whisper with the cinematographer and lighting technician, waving the script in his hand, and even personally demonstrating in front of the camera, providing more precise guidance to the actors.
The North American box office for "Insidious" is still rising, and it has now surpassed 40 million US dollars, a truly high profit that makes people envious.

Meanwhile, Jason Blum excitedly arrived in New York from Los Angeles. During dinner that evening, he couldn't help but wave the agreement in his hand, clearly having already obtained "Paranormal Activity".

"We spent 1.5 million to buy the copyright."

"What does the tiered agreement say?"

Jason Blum chuckled and squinted, saying, "It's already stated that tiered revenue sharing will only begin once the film's global gross box office exceeds twice the break-even point, and there's a cap on that."

Why not use net profit?

“Hahaha, the CAA people aren’t stupid, they won’t sign such a treaty with us.” Jason Blum burst into laughter.

Wu Chen smiled and casually steered the conversation back to the distribution budget:
"I'll do the editing when we get back to Los Angeles. Oh, and you should prepare four or five million US dollars. We'll cover the marketing and distribution costs ourselves this time, and reduce the distribution expenses."

Jason Blum was stunned.

He needs four or five million, and Wu Chen needs another four or five million, so wouldn't that mean eight to ten million in publicity expenses?

In an instant, he thought of The Blair Witch Project.

"Wu, you don't actually think it can follow the path of 'The Blair Witch Project,' do you?" Jason stared at Wu Chen, a hint of suspicion in his eyes.

The probability of replicating this is too low. Although he acknowledges Wu Chen's eye for horror films, it would be awkward if he threw in millions of dollars and couldn't recoup the costs.

"What, you think it's impossible?" Wu Chen laughed. "Not everyone gets the chance to make their mark on film history."

You all still remember the miracle of *The Blair Witch Project*, but as for losses, they weren't much.

Jason Blum paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and a long-lost excitement ignited in his eyes:
"Wu, I've noticed you're really good at inspiring people; you can always create anticipation in just a few words."

Who wouldn't want to leave their mark on film history? Within the high walls of this world of fame and fortune, what's most addictive isn't wealth, but being remembered by posterity.

"You'll have more confidence once I finish editing it again."

Wu Chen already had an editing plan in mind, including improvements to sound effects and transitions. This horror film might become even more classic in his hands. The box office record for art films set by "Black Peony" ultimately failed to hold, and was surpassed by Li An's "Lust, Caution" at the end of November.

"Li An's film is generating too much buzz, you know, most men go in not to watch the plot at all."
"But all you arthouse films are making over 100 million, are you leaving any room for us commercial films to survive?"

Ning Hao couldn't help but sigh as he spoke on the phone.

"Oh, I remember you watched it a while ago. What was the plot?" Wu Chen asked.

This left Ning Hao completely bewildered. What was the plot again?

"cough"

Wu Chen couldn't help but laugh and asked curiously, "By the way, did you go with that sister, or did you go by yourself?"

"Isn't that obvious?" Ning Hao said casually. "I went by myself."

"Cattle!"

Wu Chen exclaimed in admiration.

The weather in Los Angeles was slightly cool in December, but Studio 3 at Paramount Studios was bustling with activity.

The crew has been back from New York for over a week, and filming for "Black Swan" is still proceeding smoothly.

Paramount also arranged a media visit, attracting the attention of major Hollywood media outlets.

"Filming is expected to wrap up by the end of December, and at the latest by mid-January. Overall progress is going very smoothly."

"Keira is a very good actress, very talented."

Wu Chen appeared remarkably composed in front of the media cameras.

"My collaboration with Wu went very smoothly. He is one of the best directors in the world. When his girlfriend Crystal came to visit the set, we discussed a lot over those few days, about the plot and the acting."

Keira Knightley's words were particularly insightful, demonstrating a masterful grasp of human relationships.

Who says foreigners don't know how to navigate social situations? This is great!

The news sparked heated discussions back in China.

"Damn, how come a simple set visit gets so much buzz?"

"In terms of smooth sailing, Tang Wei is no match for Liu Yifei; just look at their treatment both domestically and internationally, it's quite obvious."

"."

In his spare time, Wu Chen watched "Paranormal Activity" several times before starting to edit it.

Start with the rhythm, break up the originally straightforward shots, and use sharp editing techniques to piece together a tighter rhythm.
Even a long shot of a corridor would be broken down into several segments, using the combination of breathing sounds and empty shots to create a sense of unease and the unknown.

Halfway through editing, Wu Chen stopped and repeatedly watched the corridor scene he had just completed: the camera shakily swayed in the dim light, and the sound of footsteps seemed to come and go.
Jason Blum watched the screen and sensed the atmosphere was shifting again.

“Jason, this sound effect isn’t right. It needs to match the rhythm, otherwise it’s not fast enough.” Wu Chen pointed to this part on the screen. “Then later, have the sound engineer mix in some metallic friction and a faint low-frequency whistling sound to this section of flat footsteps.”

"I understand, but Wu, why don't we stop editing this tonight? We can do it during the day after you finish filming. It won't take much time anyway."

Jason Blum touched his forehead and chuckled sheepishly.

"Scared?" Wu Chen turned around and asked.

"Oh, how is that possible?"

(End of this chapter)