Huayu: I rely on hit-movie tactics to interweave...

Chapter 68 Release Date and Filming Wrap-up

In mid-October, the weather in Los Angeles began to change subtly.

The sun shines brightly during the day, but the evening breeze carries a hint of coolness, feeling less scorching on the face than in summer.

When Liu Yu came out of the film set, it was already dark. A few stars hung in the deep blue sky, not bright, but very clear.

He stood at the entrance of the photography studio, lit a cigarette, took two puffs, and then his phone screen lit up.

Han Sanping's name popped up on the screen.

Liu Yu answered the phone, and the voice on the other end sounded excited.

"Liu Yu, I have something to tell you. 'The Lone Ranger' has a release date of New Year's Day, nationwide. China Film Group and Lionsgate have already reached an agreement, and the publicity campaign will start immediately." Han Sanping spoke much faster than usual, as if he had been holding back for a long time and was finally able to say it.

Liu Yu held the cigarette between his fingers and paused for a moment.

New Year's Day is still more than two months away. Time is neither abundant nor rushed, it's enough.

"Mr. Han, has the publicity plan been finalized? What's the main focus?"

"The main selling point is Liu Yu's first Hollywood action film. Your name has appeal now, and the audience recognizes you." Han Sanping paused, "And Daniel Craig, Lionsgate will cooperate with the promotion, and he himself has agreed to come to China for a few promotional events."

"He's coming to China? Can his schedule be adjusted?"

"It's been arranged. Lionsgate values ​​the Chinese market quite a bit, and Daniel himself is willing to go. Last time he filmed in China, he said the Chinese audience was enthusiastic and he had a good impression."

Liu Yu leaned against the wall, looking up at the sky. The Los Angeles night sky was mostly dark, with very little starlight; the light pollution was terrible.

"Okay, Mr. Han, you make the arrangements, and I'll cooperate. Just let me know if you need anything."

"Focus on filming 'The Witch' and don't get distracted. Zhongying will handle the rest of 'The Lone Ranger'; you just need to attend a few premieres." Han Sanping's tone carried a sense of certainty that "you can focus on your work, I'll take care of things."

After hanging up the phone, Liu Yu stubbed out his cigarette and threw it into the trash can.

He stood at the entrance of the photography studio, watching the cars drive away one after another in the parking lot. The staff dispersed in twos and threes, some chatting as they walked, their laughter drifting far away in the night breeze.

Luo Jing came out, wearing a black sports jacket and holding a bottle of water.

"Director Liu, who called? I saw you standing at the door for ages." He unscrewed the bottle cap, took a sip of water, and leaned against the wall next to Liu Yu.

"Mr. Han, 'The Man from Nowhere' has a release date of New Year's Day."

Luo Jing's eyes lit up. "That'll be soon. I'll go to the premiere to support the box office."

"Of course you have to go, you even have to walk the red carpet." Liu Yu patted him on the shoulder. "Let's go, go back and rest. You have an early shift tomorrow."

Luo Jing smiled and nodded, and the two walked towards the parking lot together. Yu Nan was already sitting in the car, looking down at a book. The interior light shone on her face, making her profile look very soft. She didn't look up, but when she sensed someone getting into the car, she moved further inside to make room for Liu Yu.

"Yu Nan, you bring that book with you every day, when will you finish reading it?" Luo Jing sat in the passenger seat, fastened his seatbelt, and glanced back at the book in her hand.

"Soon." Yu Nan turned a page, her voice not loud.

"You said it would be soon last time too."

"This time it's really fast."

Liu Yu sat in the back seat, looking out at the Los Angeles night view.

In China, the promotion for "The Man from Nowhere" has already begun.

Zhong Lifang would forward the latest promotional updates to Liu Yu every day, including posters, trailers, roadshow arrangements, and media interviews.

The outline is complete.

The first poster features Liu Yu and Daniel Craig as a couple, holding nothing in their hands and looking directly at the camera. Daniel stands behind them, holding a gun, with the background showing the flames of an explosion.

The poster's top features the words, "New Year's Day 2006, the lone hero returns."

The small print at the bottom reads, "Liu Yu's first Hollywood action film."

When Liu Yu saw this version of the poster, the corner of his mouth twitched.

He's positioned even further forward on the poster than Daniel, which isn't quite in line with Hollywood conventions, since Daniel is the lead actor and he's just a director.

China Film Group said, "The Chinese market recognizes directors, not actors."

He didn't know if his judgment was right or wrong, but since that was the decision, he didn't need to be pretentious.

The trailer was also released at the end of October.

A minute and a half was cut from several key scenes in the film. Liu Yu remembers shooting seventeen takes for the scene where Daniel jumps from a height; Sammo Hung designed the scene where Daniel fights someone in a narrow alley for three days; and there was also a scene in a car where Daniel had no lines and relied entirely on his eyes, which was filmed in one take.

The trailer's soundtrack was composed by a Hollywood composer hired by Lionsgate; it featured strings and electronic music, with a fast tempo and a strong sense of tension. Liu Yu watched it three times and thought it was alright, nothing to be ashamed of.

The media response was more enthusiastic than Liu Yu had anticipated.

Less than a day after the trailer was released, the entertainment sections of major domestic portal websites were filled with news about "The Man from Nowhere".

One media outlet did a special feature titled "Liu Yu returns to Hollywood with 'The Man from Nowhere' to be released on New Year's Day."

The feature reviewed his directorial journey from "A Moment to Remember" to "The Hearing Girl" to "The Man from Nowhere," and included many photos, including those from the red carpet, the set, and one of him sleeping behind the monitor and being secretly photographed.

When Liu Yu saw the photo, he was stunned for a moment. He didn't remember when he had been photographed. The photo looked quite natural, except that he had heavy eye bags.

The comments section was also very lively.

"Director Liu's film must be supported."

"Daniel Craig is so handsome."

Filming for "The Witch" has entered its second half.

Scarlett's action scenes are becoming increasingly complex. In one scene, she had to complete more than a dozen consecutive movements in front of a green screen, including kicking, turning, punching, and rolling, all in one go.

Sammo Hung broke down the movements into eight steps and taught her one by one.

Scarlett has a strong ability to learn; she can remember something after being taught twice, but to do it well, she needs to practice repeatedly.

That scene took an entire afternoon to film.

Liu Yu sat behind the monitor, watching Scarlett perform the same action over and over again, her forehead covered in sweat and her hair soaked and plastered to her face.

Her breathing became more and more rapid, and with each repetition, her eyes would sharpen again.

"Pass." When Liu Yu called out this, Scarlett immediately sat down on the ground, her legs going weak.

Her assistant ran up to her, handing her a towel and some water. She took them, wiped the sweat from her face, took a big gulp of water, and then smiled. That smile held both exhaustion and satisfaction.

Luo Jing, watching from the side, whispered to Liu Yu, "Director Liu, she's working too hard."

"Otherwise, how do you think she became famous?"

At the end of October, when filming was halfway through, Lionsgate held a small mid-term review meeting.

Michael Burns brought a few people to the set to look at the footage. Liu Yu led them to the editing room and showed them several scenes that had already been edited.

After reading it, Michael paused for a moment, then said, "It's even better than I expected."

He turned to look at Liu Yu, his eyes filled with appreciation. "Director Liu, Lionsgate will give this film their full support."

Liu Yu nodded. "Thank you, Michael. I hope it does well too. Not just for the box office, but for more collaborations in the future."

Michael laughed. "You always leave things unsaid. But I know what you mean."

After seeing the Lionsgate staff off, Liu Yu stood in the editing room and played those scenes again.

In the scene, Scarlett's eyes are like a knife, Yu Nan's expression is like a deep pool, and Luo Jing's movements are like a gust of wind.

He suddenly realized that this film might be even better than he had expected.

It wasn't because of his exceptional directing skills, but because these actors poured their souls into their performances.

Once you've captured an actor's soul, you can't lose it. You have to put it properly on the screen so the audience can see it.

In November, the weather in Los Angeles finally cooled down.

In the evening, the wind blew in from the Pacific Ocean, carrying a salty, moist smell.

Sometimes Liu Yu would stand at the entrance of the photography studio, gazing blankly at the sunset.

The sunset here is different from that in Beijing. The sunset in Beijing is grayish-purple, veiled by smog; the sunset here is orange-red, pure and clean.

Luo Jing would sometimes stand next to him, and the two of them would stand there without saying a word.

Yu Nan's scenes were completed in mid-November.

In late November, the final scene of "The Witch" was filmed in Hong Kong.

Liu Yu and his crew flew back to Hong Kong from Los Angeles. When they landed at Kai Tak Airport, the sky outside the window was gray and hazy, completely different from the blue sky of Los Angeles.

The final scene was filmed in an old industrial building in Kowloon.

Scarlett's character completes her final battle here before disappearing into the night.

Liu Yu chose this building because its stairwell had a vintage feel.

This scene was filmed from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Scarlett looked great, but Liu Yu felt something was missing. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something just wasn't right.

He yelled "Cut!" several times, each time expressing different dissatisfaction.

Scarlett didn't complain. Every time she was told "cut," she would go back to the stairwell and start over.

When it came to Article 17, Liu Yu finally shouted "Pass!"

Scarlett emerged from the stairwell, her legs rusted, her face covered in dust, and her hair soaked with sweat and plastered to her forehead.

She walked up to Liu Yu, extended her hand, and Liu Yu shook it. Scarlett's hand was warm, and her palms were sweaty.

"it's over?"

"it's over."

Scarlett smiled, a smile that held both weariness and relief.

She took the towel her assistant handed her, wiped her face, and then stood to the side, watching Liu Yu watch the last replay.

"Cut. Filming wrapped."

Liu Yu stood up, his voice not loud, but everyone heard him.

The set fell silent for a moment, then applause broke out.

It wasn't the kind of lively, noisy, festival-like applause; it was a tired, relieved, and reassuring applause.

The staff began packing up the equipment. Some squatted down to remove the cables, some disassembled the tracks section by section and carried them away, and some walked around the set with garbage bags to pick up beverage bottles.

Sammo Hung walked over from the side and patted Liu Yu on the shoulder.

"Director Liu, you should take a break after this film is finished. You've lost weight."

Liu Yu smiled and said, "Teacher Hong, you've lost weight too."

Sammo Hung looked down at his stomach. "Really? I can't see it."

"Of course you can't see it when you look down from above."

Sammo Hung paused for a moment, then laughed, a loud laugh.

Luo Jing walked over, holding a glass of water, and handed it to Liu Yu.

"Director Liu, have some water. You haven't had any all afternoon."

Liu Yu took the water and drank a sip. The water wasn't cold anymore; it was lukewarm.

"Your scenes are finished. How was it?"

Luo Jing thought for a moment, "It feels like a dream. I've been dreaming for two months, and it's time to wake up." He paused, "But this dream is quite nice, I don't want to wake up."

Liu Yu patted him on the shoulder, "No need to wake up. There are many more dreams to come."

Scarlett changed her clothes, wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, with her hair down, and walked up to Liu Yu.

"Director Liu, I have to go now. My flight back to New York is tomorrow."

"Thank you, Scarlett. You acted very well, even better than I expected."

Scarlett smiled. "Director, it's because your script is good, and your directing is good. Remember to contact me if you find a suitable role in the future. I really enjoy working with you."

"must."

Liu Yu stood in the photography studio, looking at the empty space.

The green screen is still there, the tracks are still there, the lights are still there, the actors have all left, and the staff are packing up to leave.

This place will become the film set for another movie crew tomorrow, filming another story.

Zhong Lifang walked over, holding a document in her hand.

"Boss, the post-production team is all set up. We can start editing as soon as we get back to Beijing."

Liu Yu took the document, flipped through it, and nodded.

"Okay. I'm going back to Beijing tomorrow. It's almost Chinese New Year."

"Chinese New Year? That's still more than a month away." Zhong Lifang smiled.

"Prepare in advance. Have a good New Year this year." He handed the documents back to Chung Lai-fong and walked out of the photography studio.

Hong Kong's nights are much more lively than Los Angeles'.

The streets were bustling with people, neon lights were flashing incessantly, and the tea restaurants were packed with people. Some were reading newspapers, some were chatting, and some were eating wonton noodles with gusto.

Liu Yu stood by the roadside waiting for a car, looking at the hustle and bustle of the city, and suddenly felt a little dazed.

He broke up with Yan Danchen two months ago in Beijing.

A month ago, he was in Los Angeles, spending every day on set, working with Scarlett Johansson, Luo Jing, Yu Nan, and Sammo Hung.

He's in Hong Kong now; filming's finished, and it's time for him to go home.

Luo Jing walked over from behind and stood next to him.

"Director Liu, what are your plans for tonight? Would you like to grab something to eat?"

"Okay. What would you like to eat?"

"Wonton noodles? Coming to Hong Kong and not eating wonton noodles is like not having come at all."

The two of them found a small but clean tea restaurant on a street corner.

The menu was posted on the wall, in both Chinese and English, handwritten in messy handwriting.

Liu Yu ordered a bowl of wonton noodles, and Luo Jing also ordered a bowl, with an extra side of bok choy.

When the noodles were served, steam wafted out. The broth was clear with a few scallions floating on top. The wonton wrappers were thin and the fillings were generous, with the shrimp visible inside.

Luo Jing took a sip of the soup. "Mmm, delicious."

Liu Yu also took a sip, and it was indeed delicious—fresh, not salty, and with an indescribable sweetness.

"Director Liu, what do you think the box office of 'The Witch' will be?" Luo Jing picked up a wonton and took a bite.

"I don't know. It shouldn't be bad."

"You're that confident?"

"I have confidence in the film. But I don't have confidence in the audience. Nobody can guess what the audience is thinking." Liu Yu also picked up a wonton and chewed it slowly.

As I finished eating the noodles and came out, the Hong Kong night breeze hit me, carrying the smells of salt and cooking oil.

There were fewer pedestrians on the street, but the neon lights were still flashing, red, green, and blue, making the whole street as bright as day.

Liu Yu stood by the roadside, lit a cigarette, took a couple of puffs, and looked at the night view of Victoria Harbour in the distance.