It's reasonable for me to be a three-time Golden Horse Award-winning director and an all-around

Chapter 133 Reality is always more fantastical than movies, TV shows, and novels! (Seeking monthly votes)

Beijing Film Academy, editing room.

As soon as Lü Rui returned, he saw Ning Hao pulling Shen Ao and Zhao Peng together to discuss film.

If we were to rank the post-production difficulty of the three films, "Crazy Stone," "Click," and "Taken," then "Crazy Stone" would undoubtedly be the easiest.

And sure enough, it was all done in about a month.

Of course, Lü Rui's guidance also played a part, helping Ning Hao avoid many detours.

"Director Lü is back? We're just finishing up the final cut, could you take a look?" Ning Hao warmly brought over a stool.

"Okay, let me take a look."

Lu Rui sat down, his gaze fixed on the screen.

As the plot unfolds, the characters played by Guo Tao, Liu Hua, Xu Zheng, and Huang Bo appear one after another.

The film, with the style of "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels", adopts a multi-narrative approach, connecting several seemingly independent but interconnected stories.

Security chief Bao Shihong is protecting the jade; international thief Mike covets the jade; and Dao Ge's trio attempts to steal the jade...

The actions and storylines of different characters gradually converge as the film progresses, creating a complex and suspenseful plot structure.

In the end, both Chairman Feng, played by Xu Zheng, and Manager Qin perish.

Guo Tao plays Bao Shihong, who bravely captures a notorious thief and receives commendation, while Dao Ge and his gang either escape or perish...

The film presents serious themes such as crime and conflict in a playful and absurd way, full of dark humor.

Huang Bo's performance, in particular, can only be described in two words: "brilliant"!
His hilarious entrance with the word "Baleno" in the early episodes, followed by his stealing bread and being chased on an overpass later on, is incredibly funny!
"This guy acted quite well," Lu Rui said, pointing at Huang Bo with a hint of appreciation in his voice.

Ning Hao had a good relationship with him and was keen to help him out, so he immediately flattered him, saying, "Director Lü, you can check out the TV series 'The Migrant Workers' when you have time. His portrayal of 'Xue Liu' in it is quite good."

"I've seen this show, and it's really good."

A group of migrant workers from all over the country, carrying dreams and sweating profusely, serve as the builders at the very bottom of the city's infrastructure...

But what about the end?

The houses were built, but they didn't get even half a square meter of land, let alone their hard-earned money.

I wonder if there are any "kind-hearted people" willing to pay for these people's social insurance and housing fund contributions?

Reality is always more fantastical than anything depicted in movies, TV shows, and novels!
After watching the entire film and correcting some newly discovered minor issues, Ning Hao handed the storage disk to Lü Rui.

"Director Lü, I'll leave the rest to you."

"What's the trouble?" Lu Rui handed the finished film to Zhao Peng and instructed him, "Go arrange for the submission for review first. Remember to tell the company to make sure the materials are prepared perfectly and try to get it approved on the first try."

"Okay, Brother Rui." Zhao Peng took the keys, grabbed the car keys, and went out.

Lu Rui then turned to Ning Hao and briefly explained the follow-up arrangements: "The distribution will be handled jointly by China Film Group and Enlight Media. The former is in charge of theatrical scheduling and anti-piracy, while the latter has a professional publicity team. We will proceed according to plan."

"Okay." Ning Hao nodded, then asked, "What about the release date?"

"Let's do it as soon as possible. If all goes well, we'll schedule it for July. There are more viewers during the summer vacation. If we postpone it to the National Day or Lunar New Year period, there will be more movies and more competition, which is not suitable for your movie."

Ning Hao was overjoyed: "Okay!"

He also wanted to get started as soon as possible so that he could recoup his investment and make money in a short period of time.

In the latter half of the year, when it clashes with those big-budget films, this movie with an investment of only 400 million yuan is likely to be smashed to pieces!
However, what he didn't know was that Lü Rui was plotting something big!

In the previous life, due to insufficient publicity when "Stone" was released, piracy had already run rampant in the market by the time word-of-mouth truly took hold.

The lack of available film copies further exacerbated the film's poor performance.

Even so, thanks to its excellent film quality, its final cumulative box office still soared to 2350 million.

The original work only cost 300 million, and with marketing and distribution, it cost a maximum of 500 million, but the final return on investment was as high as 370%!

It's even better than The Prestige!
Therefore, Lü Rui plans to invest more resources in publicity and distribution in the lead-up to the release of the film.

His current performance isn't high, but doubling it and aiming for 5000 million in box office revenue shouldn't be too much to ask, right?

...

Although Ning Hao had finished his work, he was in no hurry to leave, saying that he would help Lü Rui with the post-production of "Taken".

"You've been busy for almost a month. Go back and rest for a few days, spend time with your family, and then come back."

Lu Rui didn't refuse, but he also didn't immediately start him in the new job.

Xing Aina brought meals to the editing room a few times, and seeing Ning Hao working day and night, she felt so sorry for him that she kept crying.

Let the young couple spend some time together first.

"Okay, I'll go back and take a shower, I stink." Ning Hao tried to force a simple, honest smile, but it looked worse than crying.

His face is perfect for playing villains; it has absolutely nothing to do with being a "good guy."

"Go ahead," Lü Rui waved his hand.

However, at this moment, Lu Yang suddenly reminded him, "By the way, Senior Brother Ning, I heard that Professor Tian seems to be recruiting another batch of graduate students. If you are interested, you can go and ask him."

These words didn't move Ning Hao, but instead attracted Lü Rui's attention.

On the way back from the Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games, Tian Zhuangzhuang specifically mentioned that the next batch of graduate students would not be recruited for about two years. How could the decision have changed so quickly?
"Who told you that?" Lu Rui asked curiously.

Lu Yang replied, "That day I went to Professor Tian's office and saw Zhao Yanzi there too. She said she wanted to apply for graduate school..."

Zhao Yanzi?
Upon hearing the name, Lü Rui couldn't help but frown.

This woman recently revealed her relationship with Wang Yu, one of the "Four Young Masters of Beijing," and the two even attended the funeral of painter Chen Yifei together last month, making headlines.

Now she's going back to Beijing Film Academy for graduate studies; she's really making a lot of noise.

Back then, she was the pride of Beijing Film Academy, but because she did a lot of stupid things, Beijing Film Academy was not very willing to pay attention to her, and some people even criticized Beijing Film Academy for its poor teaching.

Is he going to come back to take the postgraduate entrance exam again?

What kind of crazy idea are they up to?

It's no wonder that Lü Rui thought the worst. The main reason is that this kind of person, whose conscience is completely rotten, must have ulterior motives for doing anything, and they are definitely not well-intentioned. Otherwise, she would never do it.

I wonder what Huang Xiaoming saw in her?
If someone isn't good-looking, could it be because they have a big mouth that they possess some special vocal technique?

"Thanks! But no need, I'm not pursuing a master's degree, I really don't have the time." Ning Hao waved his hand.

"Oh, okay." Lu Yang didn't bring up the topic again.

However, at this moment, Lü Rui was thinking about how to get rid of Zhao Yanzi.

At least don't let her become a disciple of Tian Zhuangzhuang.

The thought of possibly becoming her fellow disciple in the future, and that if she caused trouble, he might be dragged into the media spotlight, filled Lü Rui with disgust.

Get rid of it!

We have to get this woman far, far away!

……

The 58th Cannes Film Festival officially opened on May 11th.
Just one day later, news of Wang Xiaoshuai's work "Qinghong" came back from abroad.

In particular, photos of the lead actress Gao Yuanyuan have gone viral on various forums and online communities!

With her short, ear-length hair, youthful energy, and bare face, she exudes a fresh, innocent, and slightly naive charm, presenting a completely different kind of beauty compared to Zhou Zhiruo in "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber."

In later generations, the saying "If you have Fei, choose Fei; if you don't have Fei, choose Yuan; if you have neither Fei nor Yuan, choose Jing Tian" became a hit on various online forums and among male otaku!
This demonstrates the high quality of Gao Yuanyuan's qualifications.

Unfortunately, this girl is love-obsessed, and her love life is really not worthy of her "national goddess" image.

And Jing Tian too!

"Your lines are really bad. You need to find a teacher to teach you as soon as possible."

In the sound recording studio during the later stages of "Taken", Lü Rui frowned, his eyes filled with helplessness.

Jing Tian shrank back like a quail, secretly glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, and muttered softly, "Director Lü, I'm sorry, I will try my best when I get back."

During film shooting, some sound recording problems are inevitable, which need to be addressed in post-production.

The other actors, including Liu Yifei, are all easy to deal with; they have very few problems, and even if there are, they can be resolved in a very short time.

Jing Tian's poor delivery of lines was the only thing that gave Lü Rui a real headache.

Fortunately, she didn't have many scenes, and Wanda gave him millions in advertising fees, otherwise he would have wanted to cut her scenes altogether.

After a whole afternoon of work, it's finally all done.

"Director Lü, I'm so sorry, Jing Tian has caused you so much trouble."

Lu Zheng, who had been waiting outside all afternoon, rushed forward to apologize when he saw Lü Rui come out.

Lu Ruiqiang forced a smile: "It's alright. Mr. Lu, remember to urge her when you get back to improve her acting skills and lines. That's crucial if you want to be an actress."

"Okay, I will definitely urge her to keep an eye on it."

Lu Zheng smiled and agreed. After checking the time, he immediately extended a warm invitation to Lü Rui to have a casual meal together.

He couldn't refuse any longer, so he had to agree. The three of them went straight to a private restaurant near the Beijing Film Studio.

"Tian Tian, ​​quickly toast Director Lü. He's taught you so much, he's practically your teacher."

Lu Zheng is very adept at handling situations and speaks very tactfully; he truly lives up to his reputation as someone who thrives in the business world.

Jing Tian belatedly realized what was happening and reached out to grab the wine bottle.

But the next second, a hand pressed on the back of her hand: "I won't drink anymore. I have to rush to finish my work when I get back. The post-production is almost done."

"Besides..." Lu Rui looked at Jing Tian and asked, "You're not an adult yet, are you?"

"I'm only 17 this year," Jing Tian replied obediently.

"Minors shouldn't drink alcohol, drink soft drinks instead. Drinking too much of this stuff is bad for you."

As he spoke, Lü Rui picked up the wine bottle and put it back in the box.

Upon seeing this, a glint of light flashed in Jing Tian's eyes.

On the contrary, the person with the road permit next to him seemed a little confused.

You don't drink alcohol?
He even advised actresses not to drink?

Hey? I've run into something strange today!
Of course, not drinking doesn't prevent us from discussing business.

While eating, Lu Zheng asked for advice and also talked about the future plans he had made for Jing Tian, ​​seeking Lu Rui's opinion.

"I plan to let Tian Tian debut as a singer first. I specially invited Zhang Yadong to be her producer, and then I'll have her take the entrance exam for the Beijing Film Academy..."

Lü Rui: "..."

This route really fits Jing Tian's character, focusing on "wealth and status"!
Zhang Yadong is one of the top three music producers in the industry. The price he charges is probably enough to make a movie called "Crazy Stone".

Lu Rui didn't have any good opinions about this, after all, he wasn't a shareholder of Starlight Brilliant.

"I don't know much about the music industry. If you have any difficulties getting into the Beijing Film Academy, you can call me. I might be able to help you out."

As he said this, he glanced at Jing Tian again.

Big eyes, oval face, and smooth, fair, and tender skin.

With that face and his immense wealth, getting into the Beijing Film Academy would be a piece of cake.

"Okay, thank you for your guidance, Director Lü. I'll toast you with tea instead of wine." Lu Zheng was overjoyed.

A network of relationships is built up little by little.

He always thought that as long as he was willing to spend money, it would be easy to make Jing Tian a top star.
After the meal, Lü Rui returned to Beijing Film Academy.

On the other side, on the way back, Lu Zheng was tirelessly instructing Jing Tian on how to build a good relationship with Lü Rui.

"Directors like Director Lü are rare in the industry. He's talented and doesn't seem like the kind of person who's up to no good. You can't go wrong if you get to know him better..."

"Okay, Uncle Lu."

Jing Tian nodded, looking at her right hand. Recalling how Lü Rui had pressed her hand down to persuade her not to drink, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curve into a smile.

"Although he's fierce and strict, he's a really nice person~"

……

In late May, post-production of "Taken" was successfully completed.

Instead of holding a screening, Lü Rui immediately sent the film to the Film Bureau.

As of now, only the post-production of Shen Ao's "Remote Control" is still unfinished.

It's not that there are any difficulties.

The main reason is that he was working on post-production while also writing his graduation thesis based on this film, so his pace was naturally slower.

However, it should be resolved by the beginning of next month at the latest.

Meanwhile, news of the Cannes Film Festival closing ceremony also came back from abroad.

Wang Xiaoshuai, Johnnie To, and Hou Hsiao-hsien are all aiming for the Palme d'Or!

Unfortunately, only Wang Xiaoshuai's "Qinghong" won the Jury Prize.

The British film "The Child" won the Palme d'Or this year.

This is a film that depicts children exhibiting abnormal behavior and launching violent attacks on adults.

The story is very original; if it were set in China, it would be considered a work promoting the "Law on the Protection of Minors".

For minors who commit crimes, education should be the primary approach, and past offenses should be forgiven...

Interestingly, Chen Kaige became a hot topic again with the announcement of the awards at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

As the only winner of the Palme d'Or in China, his significance has been proven once again, which has made more and more people look forward to "The Promise".

China Film Group Corporation released a press release that highlighted Chen Kaige's "all-round challenge to the limits of film" in detail.

He also specifically emphasized that he set limits for Chinese films in every aspect, from location selection and set design to digital special effects, which are difficult to surpass.

Finally, they even raised the question, "What is Wuji? Where is the limit?", which attracted a lot of attention.

Of course, Lü Rui was definitely not among those who were paying attention; he had no interest in steamed buns.

While submitting "Taken" for review, he began contacting various investors to finalize the release date, publicity arrangements, and so on.

Han Sanping made it clear that he did not want "Taken" and "The Promise" to clash in release, fearing that both would suffer losses.

However, the seven-day National Day holiday doesn't feel enough. After all, for an investment of 100 million yuan, there needs to be a sufficiently large market size; otherwise, the pressure to recoup the investment would be too great.

Therefore, the summer vacation season became the best choice.

According to market rules, early July is just a warm-up period, and the peak period is from the end of July to August.

Therefore, the release date for "Taken" has been set for July 30.

As for "Crazy Stone," Han Sanping pointed to a date of July 2nd.

With an investment of only 400 million, this film naturally received less attention compared to "Taken".

Despite being treated differently, Ning Hao had no complaints whatsoever.

Because China Film Group and Enlight Media decided to allocate a marketing budget of 300 million yuan to his film, which is a huge boon for him!
With this, the release dates for the two films were officially set.

"Crazy Stone" launched its promotional campaign first, followed by "Taken" two weeks later.

With domestic work temporarily on hold, several new pieces of news came from Hollywood.

First, filming for "The Pursuit of Happyness (US version)" has wrapped up.

Following that, Zack Snyder's "Paranormal Activity" completed its pre-production and casting process.

This wasn't considered major news, and Lü Rui didn't personally go to follow up; he only made some arrangements remotely.

The editing rights for "The Pursuit of Happyness (US version)" definitely belong to Sony Columbia. The reason Matt Damon contacted him was just to say hello and ask if there were any points to note.

Since he had invested in the film, Lü Rui spent half a day writing down some notes based on his memory and sent them to him.

As for "Paranormal Activity," he said, "Jason Blum will handle the North American distribution of this film."

“Okay.” Peter, on the other end of the phone, knew this was a test and readily agreed.

"I want it to hit North American theaters this Halloween," Lu Rui emphasized again.

Halloween paired with a horror movie is a match made in heaven!
"There's enough time, we'll definitely make it."

A low-budget horror film, with a shooting period of only one month, and post-production taking another month, can be completed before September.

Halloween is in November, so there's plenty of time.

After giving his instructions and hanging up the phone, Lü Rui turned his attention back to China.

He was busy for several days and missed a lot of trending news.

For example, Taiwanese sex symbol Lin Chih-ling was reported to have fallen from a horse while filming an advertisement, breaking six ribs. Her rumored boyfriend, Jerry Yan, was seen at the hospital...

There's also the premiere of "The Little Fish and the Flower Without Flaws".

With Nicholas Tse and Dicky Cheung in the lead roles, and Yuan Quan and Fan Bingbing in supporting roles, along with Xu Jinjiang, Zhang Jizhong, and Siqin Gaoli, the drama has become extremely popular.

However, the most eye-catching one is Yang Xue from the 99 class of Beijing Film Academy.

The character Jiang Yuyan she played had wispy bangs, a hairstyle that is still considered "cute" today.

But no one expected that this person would actually dominate the entire show, almost reducing the entire series to just its title!
Lu Rui rewatched two episodes when he had some free time and couldn't help but mutter, "This isn't 'The Little Fish and the Flower Without Flaws' at all! It's clearly 'The Legend of Jiang Yuyan'!"

Just as I was looking at it, a system notification sound suddenly rang out:

[Ding! Please advance the post-production editing, submission for review, and theatrical distribution of "Taken," and successfully schedule its release date.]

[Reward upon completion of the mission: S-rank talent...]

(End of this chapter)