I'm really good at this.

Chapter 72 filming begins!

Just as Lin Chuan was preparing the statues of the three great gods, Zhang Hong strolled into Studio One.

Before he could even speak, his grandfather, Mr. Liang, excitedly pulled him to the cockpit.

"Come here, Xiao Hong, let me show you a treasure!"

Zhang Hong was baffled: "Huh? Isn't this just a prop model used for filming? How come it actually lights up?"

All those screen displays and lighting effects are created in post-production.

Zhang Hongdu saw the same cockpit in the green screen shooting room.

This was probably something that Grandpa Liang and his friends made for fun, but let them be.

"That's not it!" Old Master Liang waved his hand, pulled Zhang Hong into the cockpit and made him sit down, then said with a smile, "See that red button? Press it."

Zhang Hong pursed his lips, showing no reaction.

I, Zhang, am not some impulsive guy in my past life in WoW who just wanted to press every button he saw.

Grandpa Liang rubbed his hands together like a child eager for praise: "Just one press, just one press!"

Zhang Hong raised an eyebrow but did not resist further.

He casually pressed the red round button that looked like the car start button.

All the buttons and levers in the cockpit lit up.

Then suddenly a clicking sound came from behind.

Zhang Hong turned around and noticed that the Gundam's two eyes were folded together, resembling the front of a helmet, and the V-shaped antenna on its head was also folded together towards the center, like a slanted unicorn horn.

Grandpa Liang hurriedly said, "Quick! Press it again!"

Zhang Hong rolled his eyes and pressed the button again.

"bite--"

After a soft popping sound similar to a microwave oven, there was a clicking sound of mechanical movement.

Zhang Hong turned around in astonishment, and a scene from his dream appeared before him.

On the white body that was over twenty meters tall, various parts bulged out and began to emit a blue-green light.

The helmet-like appearance on its face began to deform, revealing two diamond-shaped light green "eyes." The single horn on its forehead split in the middle, forming a yellow antenna in the shape of a V on its head.

Finally, the back of the machine suddenly deformed, revealing two thrusters, and then a large amount of cooling steam was ejected from the thrusters and the heat dissipation vents on the chest.

Gundam stands tall on the earth!

Zhang Hong stood there, mouth agape, completely stunned.

What a dreamlike scene...

"Grandpa, can this Gundam move? I mean, walk or something. And can it fly using thrusters? Can it be controlled and piloted?"

He wants to pilot a Gundam.

To his surprise, Grandpa Liang looked at him as if he were a fool: "If you could do that, why would I need you to film a TV series? You would have been out riding in a mecha long ago."

Zhang Hong: "..."

He makes a very good point.

"But Xiao Hong, what's the explanation for these two mechs you asked us to build?"

Zhang Hong explained, "It's mainly to distinguish between friendly and enemy aircraft."

"This green, one-eyed Zaku is a mass-produced model from the 'World Freedom Alliance,' while that unfinished GM over there is a mass-produced model from the 'Community of Shared Future for Mankind.'"

As for this unicorn... needless to say, it's naturally prepared for the protagonist.

Of course, some uniquely dyed organisms appeared later.

For example, Luo Yun's "Red Horned Triple Speed".

For example, the "Big Green Pepper" that blooms on a snowy night.

For example, they could release Easter eggs later to hint at a sequel, and then release something like Strike Freedom.

Sure enough, although Zhang Hong prefers the UC era in terms of TV series, when it comes to mecha, apart from the Unicorn, his favorite is still the "Free Dom".

After the tour was over, Zhang Hong patted the old man on the shoulder and asked with a smile, "Grandpa, are you ready?"

Liang Tian took a deep breath, glanced at his grandson, and then said, "It's all ready."

"Okay, let's go outside and pay our respects to the gods before we start filming."

Soon, everyone in the crew stood in front of the table.

Because of the large investment and the support of many engineers from China Heavy Industry, the production crew is now quite large.

Standing in front of the huge crowd was Zhang Hong.

Behind him were the leaders of the bandit group, as well as the main and supporting actors.

Behind them were the engineers and other members of the crew.

Looking at the three statues on the table—"Old Wang," "Goddess of Correctness," and "Octopus-Headed Foreign Bodhisattva"—Zhang Hong took out three prepared Hongtashan cigarettes, led everyone in a respectful three bows, and then stuck the cigarettes into the flowerpot in front of the statues.

There's no incense burner to be found anytime soon.

As for cigarettes...

The main problem is that cigarettes costing 100 yuan are too expensive; eight-yuan Hongtashan cigarettes are just okay.

The most important thing is sincerity.

After the prayers were completed, Zhang Hongyi waved his hand: "Scene one, act one, get ready to film!"

In an instant, the group scattered like birds and beasts.

Some were busy debugging equipment, others were preparing lighting and scenery, still others were touching up makeup, others were setting up cameras, and still others were assembling and debugging Gundam models.

Seeing that no one was around, Zhang Hong quietly pulled Lin Chuan aside: "Chuan, I have an important task for you to do."

Lin Chuan perked up and said in a low voice, "Brother Hong, you can trust me to handle things. Just tell me."

Zhang Hong put his arm around his shoulder, leaned closer, and said, "You're in charge of all the logistics for our film crew, right?"

Lin Chuan nodded.

"Alright, I'll tell you and you listen." Zhang Hong looked back and saw that everyone was busy, so he continued to lower his voice, "There are so many people in our crew now. Every day when I open my eyes, I see hundreds of boxed meals being sent out. I'm a little worried about whether everyone can eat well, drink well, and sleep well."

Lin Chuan scratched his face: "Brother Hong, just say what you want to say, I'll listen to you."

"Then I'll get straight to the point," Zhang Hongtu said bluntly. "It's just that you need to take care of the meals and accommodations. You need to make sure everyone has enough to eat and a place to sleep and rest. Ah Chuan, you know what I mean?"

"Make sure everyone has enough to eat" means that the food doesn't have to be too fancy, and we don't need to hire any fancy chefs or anything like that.

Having a place to sleep and rest means that everyone can just squeeze into bunk beds; there's no need for fancy five-star hotels.

This penny must be split into three pieces!

Zhang Hong was really going all out to save money.

I just asked Lin Muqing, and it turns out they've already spent 500 million before even filming!

Why do they spend so much money on set design and such?

He finally understood why the truck driver who filmed "Titanic" in his previous life always had to increase the budget.

Models are harmful.

Zhang Hong will never be a rubber dealer again in his life!

After listening to Zhang Hong's words, Lin Chuan understood.

But he wished he hadn't realized it.

He hesitated, "Brother Hong, isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

We really can't spend that much money, Brother Hong!

He understood what Hong Ge meant: he just wanted the boxed meals to be made by a top chef from a top restaurant, and the accommodations to be nice!

Where can we find a four-star or higher hotel in this desolate wilderness?

This Brother Hong really doesn't value money. He actually asked him to find someone to build a temporary residence for the actors and staff just for a place to live!

How much money will this cost?!

There's also a chef.

Top-tier chefs have their pride. If you want to hire one to cook for hundreds of people in this remote place for two or three months, the price would have to be at least double!

Lin Chuan really didn't want to do this.

It's not because I feel sorry for Brother Hong about the money, but mainly because I feel sorry for him.

This production team was already pretty amazing, and you still want to offer such great conditions?

Wouldn't everyone be willing to risk their lives for you?

How could the resulting film be bad?

Not to mention that all the military uniforms were brand new designs created by the panda keeper and the mortician, so they specifically needed to be completely remade!

If the movie turns out this well, I, Lin Chuan, am going to be stripped of my status as a rich second-generation!

Then we'll truly become the damn poor proletariat peasants!

Seeing his displeasure, Zhang Hong's eyebrows shot up: "Are you going to agree or not? If you don't agree, I'll get Wang Ye to do it. I'm only asking you because I consider you my confidant."

This guy is clearly a rich kid, when did he become so kind?

So it wasn't your money that was spent?

That's the money I, Zhang, will use to buy a house and get married in the future!

These days, dowries are no easy feat, weddings cost a fortune, not to mention the cost of buying a house.

What if we don't try to save money?

I'm almost twenty-five, and I don't want to be a bachelor for the rest of my life!

Besides, the goal in my heart... isn't enough without money.

Lin Chuan gritted his teeth, but in the end, he tearfully agreed, "I'll do it, I'll do it, okay?"

"Okay, then go quickly! I trust you to handle things!"

Lin Chuan is gone.

His back view was so lonely, he looked like a dog.

Having resolved one of his worries, Zhang Hong rallied his spirits and sat down on a small stool behind the director's monitor on set.