Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 389 Attack on Nanjing! Nanjing!

The fact that "Bad Genius" withdrew from the Lunar New Year release window has given several other films scheduled for the holiday season a sense of reassurance.

But at that moment, Lu Xun, who was doing mixing and adjustments in the post-production studio in Beijing, felt inexplicably uneasy.

"Nanjing! Nanjing!" has been delayed for a long time and will not be released during the Lunar New Year holiday season. We can only hope that it will be released next April.

He had already planned it out in his mind: a special anniversary—an excellent point of public opinion, which would naturally stir up the audience's emotions, and combined with the film's somber tone, it might just be a resounding success.

However, Wu Chen actually has two films in post-production, and he's not going to participate in the Lunar New Year film season. What if they run into each other?
"Please, whatever you do, don't run into it."

He stared at the black-and-white images on the screen, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.

The office door was pushed open, and Qin Hong walked in, looking anxious: "Director Lu, can you give me a definite answer? Xingmei also needs to schedule its release."

He was truly terrified of Lu Xun.

Damn it, Lu Xun is such a jerk when it comes to making movies. He said filming would wrap up at the end of March, but it dragged on for another three months and didn't finish until June.

He was genuinely afraid that Lu Xun might take a year or two to finish even the post-production stage.

"Mr. Qin, don't worry, it will definitely be finished before the New Year. The post-production schedule is all set, and I've also thought of a date. I'll set it for April 22nd. What do you think?"

"April 22nd?" Qin Hong paused for a moment, then realized what he meant and nodded repeatedly. "That's a good date; it's right next week for the May Day holiday."

"President Qin, please discuss this with Chairman Han again and see if we can avoid releasing Hollywood blockbusters during this period. As long as there are no Hollywood blockbusters during the May Day holiday, I am confident that the box office will exceed 100 million!"

Lu Xun spoke with great confidence, and Qin Hong pondered the words carefully, but dared not make a guarantee.

"I'll discuss this with Chairman Han."

Meanwhile, Wu Chen had already arrived in Los Angeles.

He came here mainly for three things: firstly, "Paranormal Activity" is about to be released; secondly, he wanted to check on the main special effects production of "The Martian" and, incidentally, discuss the release with Universal.

And of course, there's James Wan's "Insidious 2".

The Los Angeles sun is still shining, but the smell in the air seems to have changed.

Looking out the car window as I drove out of the airport, the streets were emptier than ever before.

The once bustling crowds were now sparse, many boutiques along the roadside had their shutters down, and some shops had "For Rent" signs hanging in front of their doors, reflecting a blinding white light in the sunlight.

Pedestrians hurried along, as if the entire city was no longer willing to linger.

Even the familiar Beverly Hills Avenue seemed quieter and colder.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Wu Chen looked out the window and said, "It feels a bit bleak."

"It's not just a little bit."

Jason Blum gripped the steering wheel with both hands, and said with a wry smile, "Lehman Brothers collapsed last month, can you believe it? I can hardly believe it, this was a company we used to think was too big to fail."

“Your assets are mostly in movies, so it shouldn’t be a big impact, right?” Wu Chen rested his chin on his right hand and looked at Jason Blum with his head turned to the side.

“Movies are a hedge against risk,” Jason said, scoffing. “But my damn house, oh fuck, it’s depreciated so fast. Luckily, I didn’t buy a very big one.”

Jason Blum was relieved but also grumbling, saying that the house's price drop was equivalent to a decrease in his assets.

He sighed, then chuckled, "But you could take this opportunity to buy one."

Many people are now selling their mansions at rock-bottom prices, at least 30% cheaper than before. I just heard that former Paramount chairman Brad Gray is selling his Beverly Hills mansion.

"Is he short of money too?" Wu Chen raised an eyebrow.

"Of course. He's not a core member of Viacom's board of directors. Leaving his post is like cutting off their main cash flow. Their revenue structure is much more fragile than you think."

At this point, Jason Blum chuckled, "You directors, on the other hand, have a more stable life. Speaking of which, Brad Grey was just one of the Hollywood executives laid off this year."

On the contrary, it was Rebecca Sarkin who got promoted because of your "Black Swan" project.

Wu Chen smiled slightly: "Then help me contact Brad. I want to see the location and price of that house."

“You made an absolutely wise decision.” Jason nodded, his tone quite confident. “I really think this crisis will pass, and once things recover, the value of these houses will come back.”
If I had cash on hand right now, I'd want to buy one myself. It has to be said, Jason Blum's judgment and intuition are generally quite good.

Because in a few years, these houses will not only recoup their cost but also double in price. And since his business in Hollywood needs to continue in the coming years, having a comfortable place to live is quite nice.

The first place the two went was the Los Angeles branch of Framestore.

This visual effects company, known as the "behind-the-scenes magic factory," has a low-key and modern facade with simple architectural lines. The gray and white steel structure and glass curtain wall intersect, reflecting a cool and technological feel under the sunlight.

The main visual effects and post-production for "The Martian" were done here. Later, the visual effects work will be merged with those of three other visual effects companies, including Star Effects, to complete the post-production.

The entire floor is divided into multiple digital compositing rooms, motion capture units, color correction booths, and rendering control rooms.

The room was bathed in even, cool-toned light, and the technicians were almost all wearing noise-canceling headphones. Intricate and complex CG layering effects danced across the screens.
Wu Chen glanced around and had some ideas about the future of Star Effects. He thought that at least becoming a special effects company like Star Effects would be worthwhile.

David Lyndon of Universal Pictures was already there watching the completed footage, and James Whitlam, one of the heads of Frame Studios' Los Angeles office, was also present.

David Lyndon was much more nervous than Wu Chen about "The Martian" at this point.

Hollywood has been laying off staff in a massive way during the financial crisis, and high-level positions are even more precarious. If things go wrong this time, no one can afford to take the fall.

"How's the progress?" Wu Chen asked after observing for a while.

"Proceeding according to plan," James Whitlam answered readily. "The main visual effects are mostly complete, and the rest is integrating content from the other three visual effects companies. We will definitely be able to deliver the final product before February."

"Our rendering pipeline has been running the 'Mars Sandstorm' segment for the past few weeks, and you can check out the results."

The group then entered a small, enclosed screening room.

The screen is playing a clip from the middle of a scene: the protagonist drives a Martian rover through a dust storm zone, with the Martian landscape undulating in the distance, dust rolling like giant beasts, and intense light shining through the thin atmosphere.
The group stayed there for quite some time. After confirming that there were no problems with the special effects, they left the post-production studio around noon and got back into their car.

As the car drove out of the industrial park, sunlight streamed through the windshield and onto the dashboard.

"What are Universal's plans for the release schedule?" Wu Chen asked.

"The Martian only has two release options: summer or Christmas."

David Lyndon confidently stated, "But the Christmas season is too competitive, and technical films simply can't make it into the main release schedule. We recommend trying to choose the summer season."

The importance of release date for a film is self-evident; it determines its success or failure.

“If you choose the summer season, science fiction films usually choose early May, because the summer season usually starts with the science fiction/action film prelude in early May, which is beneficial for the overall promotion,” Jason Blum added.

"Universal has no objections to this release date in early May. Currently, Universal has prepared two plans, one of which is based on this timeline."

Wu Chen was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected Hollywood to have this kind of arrangement for the summer movie season, but this choice suited him perfectly.

Thinking of this, he smiled slightly: "Then let's replicate the Iron Man gameplay from last year?"
"For the Chinese market, we can do some pre-launch promotion a few days in advance, and then peak the daily box office during the May Day holiday, which will also serve as publicity for North America."

David Lyndon and Jason Blum thought about it carefully and nodded. They did the same thing with last year's Iron Man, and it worked quite well.

"No problem, in that case, the North American plan doesn't need to be adjusted."

"In that case, the Chinese release date is set for April 26, and the North American release date is May 2. The scheduling for the Chinese release needs to be discussed and finalized between Universal and China Film Group."

Wu Chen smiled. He had carefully considered the timing of the 26th, and he did indeed want China to launch a few days earlier.

On one hand, there's reputation; on the other hand, there's dealing with "Nanjing! Nanjing!".

Because if "The Martian" is scheduled too early, Lu Xun will most likely have to change the release date, creating an in-between time point.

Lu Xun will inevitably be conflicted, but he is very likely reluctant to give up the special anniversary date of April 22, and there is a sliver of wishful thinking on his part.

"No problem, leave it to us, it's our task."

David Lyndon did not hesitate at all.

Although China Film Group acquired the distribution rights in China, both sides usually agree on a release date to coordinate the process.

He believed that China Film Group should have no doubts about this excellent timing.
(End of this chapter)