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

Chapter 235 With lofty aspirations and sacrifices, they dared to change the world! (Seeking monthly votes)

"Yezi? Didn't you promise me you'd reserve a slot for me? How come..."

After dialing Liu Ye's number, Lu Chuan was filled with grief and indignation!
It was clearly agreed before that Liu Ye would come and play the male lead after his new script was completed.

But now, things have taken a turn for the worse. His favorite leading man has been snatched away by someone else without a word.

What frustrated him even more was that the person who stole Liu Ye away was none other than Lü Rui, whom he hated the most!
This is really a case of enemies meeting on a narrow road!
"Uh..." Liu Ye paused for a moment, somewhat puzzled, "Isn't your new movie supposed to start filming next year?"

The two first met in 1999.

At the time, Liu Ye saw Lu Chuan mopping the floor herself on a film set and was impressed by her dedication.

In 2000, through a friend's introduction, he starred in a public service short film directed by Lu Chuan, which was also the first collaboration between the two.

During filming, Liu Ye was reprimanded many times for not meeting Lu Chuan's requirements, but he eventually overcame the difficulties and completed the filming.

His earnestness also left a deep impression on Lu Chuan.

Subsequently, Liu Ye successfully made a name for himself in the industry with films and television series such as "Postmen in the Mountains," "Lan Yu," "Purple Butterfly," and "Blood Romance."

So, after he finished filming "The Promise" and starred in Zhang Yimou's "Curse of the Golden Flower", Lu Chuan came to his door.

With his silver tongue and their previously good relationship, he successfully persuaded Liu Ye to participate in his new film.

However, the two agreed to meet next year, which is 07.

However, Liu Ye couldn't just sit at home waiting for Lu Chuan's new script to be released during this time; he definitely had to film.

In addition, having just been dumped by his girlfriend, he wanted to move on from the relationship by working hard.

How could he possibly miss out on such a high-quality project as Pacific Rim?

Now that he has successfully auditioned, and hasn't even started acting yet, his status in the industry has already skyrocketed.

In this situation, even if I had broken my promise to Lu Chuan, I couldn't give up on "Pacific Rim," no matter how much it offended him.

"My script is finished! I've already submitted it for review, and we're about to start preparing for project approval and casting. Why didn't you wait for me...?"

Lu Chuan was on the verge of crying from feeling wronged.

In order to clear his name of the public pressure caused by the plagiarism of "Kekexili", he worked day and night and finally wrote a new script.

He desperately wanted to prove himself again!
But he never expected that, with the script and project ready, the male lead he had his eye on would be snatched away.

This is really upsetting for him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know your project was already in the planning stages." Liu Ye said, sounding rather helpless.

"Have you already signed the contract? If not, perhaps..."

Before Lu Chuan could finish speaking, Liu Ye interrupted her: "Sorry, it's already been signed."

Even if he hadn't signed the contract yet, and breaching it would require paying huge compensation, he wouldn't give up "Pacific Rim" to act in Lu Chuan's new movie.

He still had a scale in his heart to weigh what was more important and what was less important.

Moreover, their relationship wasn't that good.

They had only collaborated on an advertisement before and had kept in touch, but they weren't really close friends.

He had indeed been looking forward to working with Lu Chuan, because he believed that Lu Chuan could give actors more creative freedom.

The main reason was that he had heard that when "Looking for a Gun" was being filmed, director Lu Chuan completely let Jiang Wen do as he pleased, which resulted in a classic work.

Which actor wouldn't crave this kind of "freedom"?

At the same time, he himself has always had a war complex and always wanted to play a strong warrior.

Coincidentally, the character setting in Lu Chuan's new work aligns to some extent with his expectations.

But now that he has the top-tier version of "Pacific Rim," Lu Chuan's new work suddenly doesn't seem appealing to him anymore.

Being a tough soldier, piloting a mecha, fighting monsters, and defending the motherland and the earth—isn't that much more exciting than playing a defeated officer?
"You've already signed the contract? Oh well, okay then."

Lu Chuan didn't even want to say "I wish you success"; he wished that Lu Rui's big project would go bankrupt.

After hanging up the phone, he looked at the script of "Nanjing! Nanjing!" in front of him and couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

There's no hope with Liu Ye, what should we do next?
Where do I go to start fooling people again... oh, no, I mean, audition for a suitable male actor?

However, while he was frowning in worry, Lü Rui was enjoying the pleasure of receiving system rewards.

[Ding! Congratulations, host! You have successfully advanced the financing and casting process for the "Pacific Rim" project.]

[Reward upon completion of the mission: B-level talent "Guillermo del Toro's 'Grand Film Set Construction' and 'Spatial Clarity Narrative in Action Scenes' Directing Techniques" has been successfully awarded.]

As the rewards were distributed, a flood of directing techniques instantly came to mind.

The techniques for building grand movie sets mainly revolve around three dimensions: "physical scene construction," "combining detailed models with special effects," and "scene selection and design."

The techniques for constructing physical scenes are mainly used to enhance the realism of a film and deepen the audience's viewing experience.

The combination of detailed models and special effects utilizes CG technology to create extremely realistic virtual models for monsters and mechs.

With this technique, Lü Rui was able to use various technologies during filming to visualize the confrontation between biotechnology and industrial civilization.

As for scene selection and design, this is a unique technique in scene construction, mainly aimed at enhancing the realism and impact of the scene and increasing the audience's sense of immersion.

As for the spatial clarity of the action scenes, Lü Rui quickly grasped the essence by combining his experience of watching the finished film in his previous life.

Using this technique, visually imposing scenes can be created during filming, allowing viewers to clearly feel the grand scale and spatial layers of the battle.

At the same time, precise details can be presented in battle scenes.

For example, the way a mecha punches a monster's jawbone, if used properly, can showcase the aesthetics of violent dismantling to the fullest, allowing the audience to clearly see the details and consequences of each action, thereby enhancing the realism and impact of the action scenes.

There are also 360-degree surround shots and multi-layered stereoscopic perspective shooting techniques, all hidden within.

After spending an afternoon integrating all of this into his directing experience, Lü Rui had mastered it all.

Once he was familiar with it, a new system task arrived again:
[Ding! Please complete the set construction for Pacific Rim and successfully hold the launch press conference.]

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

Although it was already dark outside, after receiving the new assignment, Lü Rui left the company, got into his car, and headed straight for the Beijing Film Studio's soundstage.

This is the main location for film shooting and the core area for set construction.

In addition, Shanghai, Toronto in Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Hollywood and other places will also be used as filming locations.

However, compared to other areas, the Beijing Film Studio area is still the most central.

Once this work is settled, filming can begin smoothly.

The scene setup work in other areas is not complicated, mainly because there are no cumbersome scenes, and most of them will be presented using special effects and CG.

The car came to a smooth stop in front of the Beijing Film Studio, and Lü Rui got out.

As soon as I walked to the entrance of the photography studio, the unique smell of metal and paint from the ventilation fan hit me!

The moment he stepped into the main studio, his gaze was immediately drawn to the several enormous machines in the center of the space.

Several mechs stood steadily, their silver-gray and crimson metallic shells gleaming with a cold, hard luster under the lights.

Even the hydraulic devices at the joints and the energy core patterns on the chest are clearly visible.

The scratches on the mech's surface, simulating those left from actual combat, are depicted with meticulous detail, as if the engine is about to start and burst through the roof at any moment!

Lu Rui walked slowly closer, his eyes fixed on her.

He clearly remembers that the original Pacific Rim mentioned that humanity had developed five generations of 31 Jaegers, covering all countries in the Pacific Rim.

But in reality, only a handful of them actually appeared in the film and fought the monster head-on.

The U.S.'s "Dangerous Gadgetzan," Russia's "ChernoAlpha," China's "Crimson Storm," and Australia's "Eureka Raider."

Among them, the "Goblin Danger," as the protagonist's vehicle, is undoubtedly the core, bearing the key role in ultimately saving the world, and is almost the absolute focus of the entire film.

However, this time, with the localized version of Pacific Rim, Lü Rui had already decided to break the narrative inertia of this "American hero".

In current Hollywood sci-fi blockbusters, there's always a plot where Americans carry the flag and save the world.

When it comes to other countries, they either have very little screen time or are relegated to the background early on. Since it is a Sinicized adaptation, he could never create a storyline where "other countries are powerful and China is just a foil."

This time, he wants to put Chinese mechs at the center of the stage and let the Chinese people lead this battle to protect the Earth!

He wanted audiences to see on the big screen that when monsters ravaged the land, it was Chinese mechs that were the first to build a defensive line.

When humanity is in dire straits, it is Chinese drivers who step forward!

This is not only an innovation in science fiction film, but also the cultural confidence that he, as a creator, wants to convey to the audience.

For example, he simply renamed the original "Dangerous Wanderer" to "The Great Wall Watcher".

The name is derived from the Great Wall, one of the most representative elements of Chinese culture.

The Great Wall is a spiritual symbol of the Chinese nation, inherently embodying the spirit of "never falling" and "defense".

And now, the "Great Wall Guardian Mech" named after it also carries the same meaning: to protect the country, to protect humanity, and to protect the world!
At the same time, from the energy core to the combat style, Chinese elements are deeply imprinted.

As for "Crimson Storm", Lü Rui didn't make many changes.

The mecha retains the original "three-arm" design, but incorporates more Chinese patterns in the details.

At the same time, it is no longer a minor character who quickly disappeared in the original version, but one of the main forces in this battle against the monster.

"Director Lü, what brings you here?"

Upon seeing Lü Rui arrive, the team leader from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who was still working overtime, immediately came up to greet him.

"I came to take a look." Lu Rui looked at the mecha, which was almost complete, and asked, "Is the progress going smoothly?"

"Yes, it's going smoothly. The external structure of these mechs is now officially complete. Only the details of the internal control cockpit are still being fine-tuned... Would you like to go take a look?"

"Okay, let's go and have a look."

Lü Rui nodded and followed.

The person in charge walked ahead and introduced, "To enhance the realism, we built a four-story-high physical mecha cockpit scene."

The set is situated on a giant hydraulic balancer that can swing in all directions and uses mechanical devices to simulate the damping sensation of piloting a mech, thus matching the actor's body movements to those of the cockpit...

The details of the mechs have also been greatly expanded, for example, the deformation of the hydraulic rods on the elbows of the Great Wall Watcher can be accurately reproduced..."

For the next hour or so, Lü Rui moved among the mechs on site, observing every detail.

The team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences is truly amazing; the mecha they designed almost perfectly met his previous requirements.

They even perfected some of the small details he hadn't thought of, referring to the script.

Back on the ground, Lü Rui couldn't hide his emotions!

He strode toward the team leader from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, reached out and firmly grasped the other's hand, his voice full of emotion: "You've really worked hard. These mechs are much better than I expected."

The person in charge laughed heartily: "What's so hard about it? Our team feels refreshed and excited to be involved in such a special project."

To be honest, building these mechs has given us a lot of experience, such as the linkage design of large mechanical joints and material testing to simulate combat environments.

With this experience, we might be able to get ahead of the Americans in the field of humanoid robots in the future!

Lu Rui felt a warmth in his heart upon hearing this.

Clearly, these researchers are not concerned with short-term project gains or losses, but rather with the long-term plan of "planting trees for future generations to enjoy the shade".

They know that many of the tests they are doing and the paths they are exploring are just paving the way for those who come after them, yet they are still willing to straighten out the detours and overcome the difficulties, hoping that those who come after them can build on their achievements and reach new heights.

This is China's purest scientific research team!
They don't have many fancy ideas. As long as the goal is clear, they dare to take on even the most difficult tasks, such as "making mountains bow down and rivers give way," let alone building a few mechs.

If you dare to put forward an idea, they dare to roll up their sleeves and turn the blueprint into reality.

Just as the great man said: "With lofty aspirations, we dare to sacrifice ourselves and change the world!"

Lu Rui didn't say much polite talk; his feedback was direct and practical: "If you need any funding for subsequent research and development and testing, just let me know. We don't lack money. Make sure to get the details right, and don't let the technology suffer or the brothers be let down!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the person in charge's eyes lit up.

For researchers, this kind of uncompromising funding support is undoubtedly the most tangible recognition and source of confidence!

"Haha, okay, then I won't stand on ceremony with you, Director Lü."

It wasn't until after 10 p.m. that Lü Rui left the photography studio.

But the researchers didn't leave; they were all full of energy!

He couldn't persuade them otherwise, so he could only arrange for the staff on duty to buy food and send a message to the finance department to ensure that the overtime pay was paid in full.

It was precisely because of these people, along with the domestic team and the expert group from abroad, that the early preparations for "Pacific Rim" were able to proceed smoothly.

It is estimated that filming will be able to proceed smoothly in September.

However, before that, Lü Rui was also quite busy.

He had to organize pre-production training for the actors so that they could get into filming mode more quickly after filming started, without delaying the schedule.

……

On August 28th, the 11th Huabiao Awards ceremony was held at the Beijing Exhibition Center Theater.

As one of the shortlisted works, the main creative team of "Taken" naturally attended the event.

So, Lü Rui took Jiang Wen and Liu Yifei to the scene.

There were quite a few people attending the Huabiao Awards this year.

The list shows that there are over a hundred directors alone, not to mention hundreds of actors...

The reason for such a grand occasion is mainly because the Huabiao Awards, as a government award in the Chinese film industry, is backed by three powerful entities: the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, the State Administration of Radio and Television, and the State Film Administration!
Therefore, even though the Huabiao Awards have only been established for 12 years, much "younger" than the Golden Rooster Awards and the Hundred Flowers Awards, in terms of status, they are considered one of the three major film awards in China, alongside the other two.

The red carpet host for this year's Huabiao Awards is mainland Chinese actress Liu Zi.

When Lü Rui, Jiang Wen, and Liu Yifei stepped onto the red carpet together, her clear voice immediately resonated throughout the entire venue:
"Let's welcome director Lü Rui, Jiang Wen, and actress Liu Yifei... Their film is titled 'Taken,' which was the No. 1 Chinese-language film at the 05 box office, grossing 3.72 million yuan domestically and 1.2 million US dollars overseas..."

This introduction prompted Feng Xiaogang and the main creators of "A World Without Thieves," who were walking ahead of the three, to quicken their pace.

At the same time, Zhang Yimou and the main creators of "House of Flying Daggers," who were late due to traffic and were about to follow the three, subconsciously lowered their heads.

There was no way around it; the results were simply too dazzling, and they had to avoid direct confrontation.

"What's there to brag about? Once our 'Curse of the Golden Flower' is released, we'll easily surpass that record."

Zhang Wei's tone was incredibly arrogant.

"Curse of the Golden Flower" is scheduled for release on December 14th, and he is ready to receive cheers and praise from the entire film and television industry.

Zhang Yimou frowned, wanting to advise him to keep a low profile, but remembering his usual behavior, he could only shake his head helplessly.

On the other side, Wang Zhonglei, who had just entered the room, was also making threats at Feng Xiaogang because Lü Rui had previously embarrassed him.

"The Banquet will be released in half a month. When we break the box office record of Taken, we must celebrate wildly and show Lü Rui what a real blockbuster is!"

Feng Xiaogang simply nodded silently, without saying anything.

He's probably thinking about his new project right now.

A few months ago, Zhang Guoli recommended a novel to him called "The Lawsuit".

After reading it, he was deeply moved, so he asked for the copyright and, together with his go-to screenwriter Liu Heng, wrote a war-themed script.

He's been thinking a lot lately about whether or not to do this project.

The main reason was that he had never been exposed to this type of work before and was afraid of failing.

But he was too eager to win the award.

This type of film is undoubtedly the most favored subject for awards such as the Golden Rooster and Huabiao Awards.

Lu Rui, Jiang Wen, Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, and others have a ton of awards, both domestic and international, but he doesn't have a single one. It's really embarrassing.

He's really struggling with this right now, fantasizing about bringing home a trophy to make himself proud...

(End of this chapter)