The director starts by learning from the abilities of renowned directors.

Chapter 117 Unparalleled Screening Response

On the pitch-black screen, a line of text appeared: "At an altitude of 600 kilometers above the Earth, the temperature is between 125 degrees Celsius and -1 degrees Celsius."

Fluctuating between 0 and 0 degrees.

After the text disappeared, a completely new line of text appeared: "There is no medium for transmitting sound."

Next: "There is no atmospheric pressure."

"There is no oxygen."

"Life cannot survive in space."

Then the title "Gravity" appeared on the big screen.

The scene shifts, and a gigantic Earth appears on the big screen. The IMAX screen is already enormous, but it only shows a corner of the Earth, making the Earth appear even more immense.

"Please confirm the removal procedure on the replacement cap."

"Parts one and two are complete."

The video shows a conversation between an astronaut and ground control. The massive Earth slowly rotates, and in a corner unnoticed by anyone, a tiny speck of light, no bigger than a pinhead, seems to be slowly approaching.

The highlight was indeed slowly approaching, as it grew larger and larger until every viewer noticed it.

It turned out to be an aircraft.

As the aircraft gets closer, attentive viewers will notice a small highlight at the rear of the aircraft.

Having learned from the previous experience, many viewers kept their eyes glued to this new little bright spot from the very beginning. The bright spot moved to the rear of the spacecraft and was obscured, but it drew the viewer's attention to the tail section. Then, the new bright spot reappeared from the tail. As it drew closer and closer to the camera, the viewer finally saw it clearly—it was an astronaut wearing a spacesuit!

This is a middle-aged female astronaut.

The audience's perspective follows her as she circles around to the bottom of the spacecraft, where China's independently developed and built space survey telescope is located. Another astronaut is performing maintenance work on the telescope—it is Lin Hua, the male protagonist played by Shen Qing.

Lin Hua, a Chinese astronaut, is carrying out his first space maintenance mission.

Liu Ying, Lin Hua's mother, is carrying out her last space mission.

The film had only been playing for a little over three minutes, yet it had already deeply moved the audience. The enormous Earth on the IMAX screen alone was already breathtaking, and then the spacecraft slowly drifting in from the vast starry sky and the tiny humans made the sense of awe even stronger and more tangible.

At that moment, every viewer clearly felt the insignificance of humankind.

Meanwhile, the seasoned film critics in the theater noticed a detail that ordinary viewers had not noticed: the movie had been going on for more than six minutes, but it seemed that the camera had not changed at all!

In other words, this is a long take that lasts for more than six minutes!

The vast starry sky is indeed the most suitable scene for shooting long takes. This long take, which lasts for more than six minutes, gives the film an unparalleled sense of immersion.

The vast starry sky is also the best setting to showcase the advantages of 3D movies. The film's extremely realistic 3D effects even left viewers who had just watched "Avatar" and had a very high threshold for 3D movies in awe.

No one speaks.

No one was talking in hushed tones.

The incredibly realistic space scenes captivated every viewer.

Many viewers are comparing it to Avatar in their minds.

"Holy crap! Have domestically produced sci-fi films really gotten this good?"

"Damn, it really feels like being in outer space! Space is definitely the perfect setting for a brand new film format like 3D movies!"

"That's awesome!"

"Based on this opening alone, this movie can't be bad!"

"Long take! Long take! Is the director showing off his skills? Just how long can this long take be?!"

In the movie, a crisis begins to emerge.

The ground control center reported that a Russian satellite had been hit, and debris was traveling at a speed of more than 30,000 kilometers per hour, but it did not overlap with the orbit of the satellite in question.

Shen Qing plays Lin Hua, and Liu Jia plays their mother Liu Ying, who continues to repair the Sky Survey Telescope.

The film still consists of only one long take.

As the background music shifted to a tense rhythm, the latest news came from the ground command center.

The debris from the Russian satellite has collided with other satellites, creating even more debris. Now, more debris is heading towards the main targets, and their orbits are overlapping!

Lin Hua and Liu Ying quickly finished the repair work, but at the same time, more bad news came.

The situation was completely out of control, triggering a chain reaction. More and more satellites were being hit, generating more debris, which in turn collided with even more satellites, turning them into even more debris. More and more systems were malfunctioning, and the two men were at risk of losing all contact with ground control at any moment.

The background music grew increasingly tense and urgent, and scattered satellite debris began to appear in their field of vision.

A piece of debris flew past the Sky Survey Telescope at high speed, and the powerful 3D effect elicited gasps of surprise from the audience.

Countless fragments followed, striking the survey telescope and the maintenance spacecraft it was docking with. The flying debris seemed to be heading straight for the audience's faces.

At that moment, a magical scene unfolded: most of the audience members in the theater involuntarily made a dodging motion. Some people only trembled slightly, some made obvious dodging movements, and a considerable number of audience members even reached out to cover their eyes.

A movie that actually requires viewers to reach out and block out fake fragments in the film!

What is a 3D movie?

This is what a 3D movie should be like!

What is immersive experience?

This is what it means to be truly immersed!

In the theater, Zhao Liying, Fan Bingbing, Wan Qian, Li Yitong, Liu Shishi, Yan Danchen and others were all shocked.

Women generally aren't too interested in science fiction, but no one is blind. Many people in the theater couldn't help but reach out to block what they saw, and they themselves were all unconsciously reaching out to block it.

Many of them hadn't even had a chance to see Avatar yet, meaning that Gravity was the first 3D movie they had ever seen.

The results were surprisingly good.

The director and lead actor of this film is Shen Qing!

Several people looked at Shen Qing's seat in the first row without prior arrangement, their eyes seemingly sparkling.

Shen Qing brought Liu Yifei with her to the last internal screening, and this was the second time Liu Yifei had seen this scene. She still couldn't help but shield her eyes. Even though she was mentally prepared, even though she knew the fragment looked like it would hit the audience directly in the face, even though she knew it was fake, she still couldn't help but shield her eyes.

She couldn't help but glance at Shen Qing in the front row, thinking that when the movie was officially released nationwide tomorrow, she wondered how many movie fans would cheer for him and for the movie!

The theater erupted in chaos.

The atmosphere exploded!

While the preceding visuals were equally impressive, with the massive Earth and the vast starry sky creating an immersive experience, the combination of 3D and the boundless universe was stunning. However, it ultimately lacked iconic scenes from Avatar, such as the floating Hallelujah Mountains and the mythical bird rides, making the overall effect slightly inferior to Avatar.

But when countless satellite debris struck, everything changed.

When most people in the theater instinctively wanted to hide, and many even reached out to block the light, viewers who had also seen Avatar placed the two films on an equal footing.

"No way?! How come I'm starting to think this movie can actually rival Avatar?"

"I actually think this movie and Avatar each have their own merits, but who directed Avatar? How many years was Avatar in development? How much money did it cost? In the end, they each have their own merits?"

"It's over, Shen Qingzhen has really figured out how to make science fiction movies and 3D movies."

"That's incredible! And it's been 12 minutes already, and it still seems like there's only one shot? Just how long is this long take?"

The movie is still going on.

The impact caused the robotic arm to tumble repeatedly, and Lin Hua, the rookie astronaut played by Shen Qing, was secured to it. Liu Ying, Lin Hua's mother played by Liu Jia, urged him to detach quickly, or he would be dragged into space by the robotic arm. Lin Hua unfastened his safety harness and was immediately thrown into space.

The person flies farther and farther away until they become a tiny dot. Then the camera shifts to Earth, and the tiny dot grows larger and larger—it's Lin Hua, played by Shen Qing. He keeps tumbling and tumbling in space, the scenery constantly switching between Earth, the sun, spacecraft, and space station, creating a high level of tension and realism.

Several people in the theater glanced at the time at the same time.

Thirteen minutes!

Thirteen minutes have passed since the movie started playing, and the first shot has finally ended.

The very first shot of the movie is a whopping thirteen minutes long!

Liu Ying used the jet propulsion of her spacesuit to grab Lin Hua, and the two were tied together with a rope. On their way back to the repair spacecraft, they encountered another floating astronaut. After grabbing him, they discovered that his face had been smashed open by satellite debris. The two returned to the repair spacecraft, only to find everyone on board dead. Liu Ying pointed to the Tianque Space Station in the distance and said that the only way back to Earth was through the return capsule inside the Tianque Space Station.

Liu Ying's spacesuit was almost out of fuel, allowing for only one or two more launches at most, while Lin Hua's oxygen was also running low. Liu Ying aimed at the Tianque Space Station and launched, the two rushing towards the space station at high speed.

"Slow down, slow down, it's too fast!"

"No, the fuel tank is empty! The crash will be devastating. Grab anything you can!"

A rope connected the two people, who slammed into the Tianque space station, were bounced back violently, and then continued to collide.

The solar panel severed the rope connecting the two. Lin Hua, panicked during his first trip to space, yelled that the rope had snapped. His mother, Liu Ying, told him to grab onto anything. Ultimately, Liu Ying hooked her foot onto the parachute lines. Lin Hua was hurtling towards them from a distance. If his mother couldn't catch him, he would drift into deep space, and drifting into space would inevitably lead to death.

Shen Qing's version differs from the original.

In the original version, the female protagonist hooks onto the parachute lines and grabs the male astronaut. To prevent the female protagonist from being pulled into deep space as well, the male astronaut chooses to sacrifice himself.

This scene in the original version was criticized by many as a plot hole. Because when the female protagonist grabs the male astronaut, they are already relatively stationary. Theoretically, the female protagonist could pull the male astronaut back with very little force, without the male astronaut needing to sacrifice himself. Furthermore, since they are already relatively stationary, even if the male astronaut unfastens the clasp, he should float in place, not drift into deep space.

So Shen Qing changed it to the mother, Liu Ying, hooking the parachute ropes, and then when her son, Lin Hua, rushed over, Liu Ying grabbed the ropes on her son and forcefully threw him towards the Tianque Space Station. The reaction force gave Liu Ying an opposite force, which just happened to loosen the parachute ropes that were wrapped around her feet, so she floated into deep space.

In short, the two people cannot remain relatively still; one of them must rush forward at once.

Liu Ying floated away, seemingly doomed, and a sigh rippled through the theater.

Lin Hua heard his mother Liu Ying's voice in his earphones. The departing mother used her last moments to guide her son on how to save himself.

First, locate the air valve. Don't panic. The dizziness is because you inhaled carbon dioxide after the oxygen ran out. You need to enter the Tianque Space Station as soon as possible.

The Shenzhou-2 spacecraft aboard the Tianque Space Station was severely damaged and could no longer bring Lin Hua back to Earth. Liu Ying gestured for the children to look into the distance; there was a small dot in the distance—that was the Tianque Generation 1 spacecraft.

Although the Tianque Generation 1 is about to be decommissioned, it still has a spare Shenzhou spaceship on board. Lin Hua plans to pilot the severely damaged Shenzhou Spaceship 2 to escape to the Tianque Generation 1.

This is another change made by Shen Qing.

The original story depicts the female protagonist escaping to the International Space Station, piloting the severely damaged Russian Soyuz 2 spacecraft to China's Tiangong space station, and then piloting the Shenzhou spacecraft from Tiangong back to Earth.

To localize this storyline, the easiest way would be to completely reverse the escape route. The protagonist escapes from the Tiangong space station to the International Space Station, and then pilots a Russian Soyuz spacecraft from the International Space Station back to Earth.

But this change just doesn't feel right. China is a country catching up in space exploration. How will this change make the audience feel?

If China's space station is destroyed, the astronauts can only survive by escaping to the US-led International Space Station! From there, they can only return to Earth via Russia's Soyuz spacecraft. So, China's technology is still inadequate, and they need to rely on the two established space powers, the US and Russia, to survive?!

This change would be very unfriendly to Chinese audiences, so Shen Qing completely abandoned the International Space Station concept and designed a Tianque Space Station based on China's own Tiangong Space Station. He also designed a Tianque Generation 1 based on Tiangong-1 and Tiangong-2.

The protagonist escapes from China's Tianque space station to Tianque Phase 1, a space station in China that is about to be decommissioned but still has a Shenzhou return capsule, and then returns to Earth from Tianque Phase 1. Since the entire story relies on Chinese laboratories and technology, it feels much better.

in the movie.

Under the guidance of his mother Liu Ying, Lin Hua, played by Shen Qing, endures numerous hardships and finally escapes into the Tianque Space Station. He takes off his spacesuit, stretching out his body before curling it up.

At that moment, countless viewers in the cinema felt their scalps tingle.

Isn't Lin Hua's curled-up posture exactly the same as a fetus in the womb? And the pipes on the space station just happen to resemble an umbilical cord?!

Considering his mother Liu Ying's sacrifice to save him, the image of him curled up like an infant has a very strong visual impact.

This is how mother Liu Ying gave her son Lin Hua a second life!

At that moment, the fire alarm in the Tianque Space Station went off incessantly, and simultaneously, satellite debris orbiting the Earth arrived again. Lin Hua successfully detached the Shenzhou spacecraft from the Tianque Space Station at the last possible moment.

The Tianque space station was reduced to new fragments upon impact.

Lin Hua couldn't pilot the Shenzhou spacecraft, and every time he tried to pilot it in a ground simulation, he failed. He tried several times, but the spacecraft wouldn't start. He was devastated and gave up.

Suddenly, Liu Ying, the mother, opened the hatch and entered the Shenzhou spacecraft, personally teaching her son how to pilot it. The theater erupted in another wave of sighs.

"How did she come back alive?"

"Is this real or fake?"

"Mother isn't dead?!"

When Lin Hua finally pulled herself together, her mother Liu Ying disappeared. It turned out that it was all Lin Hua's imagination.

Lin Hua piloted the damaged Shenzhou spacecraft rapidly towards Tianque Phase 1. In the final stretch, he donned his spacesuit, climbed out of the Shenzhou capsule, and used the propulsion from the fire extinguisher spray to laboriously enter Tianque Phase 1. Satellite debris arrived again; Lin Hua didn't have much time left.

"Ground command center, whether you hear me or not, this is Lin Hua reporting to you from the Shenzhou spacecraft. I am about to leave the Tianque Generation."

The impact grew increasingly violent, interrupting Lin Hua's many words. Finally, he said, "In my view, there are only two outcomes: either I return to Earth safely with a legendary story, or I'm reduced to ashes within 10 minutes. Whichever the outcome, I accept it calmly—I'm ready!"

After he finished speaking, he put on his helmet.

The movie reached its final climax.

The first generation of the Tianque spacecraft shattered into countless fragments upon impact, while the Shenzhou return capsule, along with its connecting parts, tumbled wildly in space. Lin Hua pressed the release button with difficulty, and the return capsule and the connecting part separated.

Accompanied by stirring music, the Shenzhou return capsule, amidst countless fragments, transformed into a shooting star and hurtled towards Earth.

The intense friction, the red-hot return capsule with its trailing flames—the scene was incredibly awe-inspiring.

The audience in the theater held their breath in unison.

As the re-entry capsule drew closer to the ground, its parachute suddenly deployed, catching the rapidly descending capsule and allowing it to slowly land on the lake surface before sinking to the bottom.

Lin Hua took off his cumbersome spacesuit at the bottom of the lake and swam to the surface with difficulty.

He looked up at the sky, where countless fragments of satellites, transformed into meteors, streaked across the heavens. He struggled to swim ashore, lay prone on the mud, and gripped the damp earth. He paused for a moment, then struggled to his feet. The background music rose again, stirring and powerful. He was like a child learning to stand for the first time, like a child just learning to walk, stumbling and trudging deeper into the land.

A line of text appeared on the big screen: "A film directed by Shen Qing."

The movie has now officially ended.

When the lights came on, the audience seemed to finally come to their senses, followed by applause that lasted for a long time.

Countless viewers couldn't wait to share their feelings with their friends and family.

"That's amazing! Technically and in terms of 3D effects, it feels completely comparable to Avatar!"

"The plot is simple, but it leaves a lasting impression. It feels more interesting than the plot of Avatar, which is too complex to analyze in detail."

"This is a movie directed by a Chinese director? This is a science fiction movie directed by a Chinese director? It feels like Chinese films have suddenly advanced by 50 years!"

"This is absolutely stunning!"

"Unparalleled!"

"The part where she's curled up like a baby gave me a jolt; the design is just too good."

"Curling up like a baby represents a second pregnancy. Mother Liu Ying gave him a second life, and then he returned on the Shenzhou spacecraft. What does this process resemble? Doesn't it resemble childbirth?"

Amidst the murmurs of the audience, Shen Qing returned to the stage. The applause, which had just subsided, erupted again, even more enthusiastically than before. Some people stood up and clapped wildly, then more and more people stood up to applaud, until finally the vast majority stood up and applauded.

Shen Qing tried to press down with his hand several times, but to no avail. Everyone just clapped their hands frantically, as if nothing else could express their feelings at that moment.

Liu Yifei, Fan Bingbing, Zhao Liying, Li Yitong, Wan Qian, Yan Danchen, and others were all standing and clapping.

At this moment, everyone in the theater was filled with excitement.

It's not just because a Chinese director actually made such an amazing sci-fi movie, but also because the movie's plot filled everyone with a sense of national pride.

The TianSurvey Space Telescope, the Tianque Space Station, the Tianque Generation 1, and the Shenzhou return capsule.

Some of these things already exist in reality, while others don't yet, but everyone believes they will definitely exist in the future. This movie simply shows these things in advance.

Everyone applauded with pride for China's progress in aerospace technology.

Shen Qing pressed down with her hand again, and the scene finally quieted down a bit.

"I originally wanted to ask everyone if they were satisfied with the movie, but now it seems like I don't need to ask?"

Shen Qing said half-jokingly.

"Hahaha----"

The audience burst into laughter.

Looking at the excited crowd, Shen Qing became increasingly confident about the film's box office performance.

We'll find out how the market performs tomorrow.