Japanese Entertainment: From special effects actor to action superstar

Chapter 368 Ikoma Film and Television City

It seems that the same thing happens in ancient and modern times, at home and abroad. Whenever a celebrity appears in a place, the local people will be proud of it and try to seize an opportunity for development.

Ikoma is surrounded by mountains and is considered a relatively underdeveloped city, even within Kansai. While it has the advantage of being close to the Great Buddha of Nara, traditional visitors who wanted to see the statue would have gone directly to Nara City, Nara Prefecture, rather than visiting Ikoma.

Ikoma has only one advantage.

The transportation is convenient.

Located between Osaka and Nara, it enjoys convenient transportation.

Therefore, many Ikoma residents actually work in Nara City or directly in Osaka, commuting between the two places.

Now that they have finally created a celebrity who can be promoted, the locals in Ikoma still attach great importance to Gu Ming's visit.

The two settled down in a small izakaya nearby, and Gu Ming casually told about his experience of coming back this time.

"Having said that, it's really surprising. I didn't expect that my home would become my former residence while I'm still alive."

"Haha...that's just my subordinates acting on their own initiative."

Ida Daiki casually called a subordinate over and started scolding him harshly, which soon forced the man to lower his head and keep undressing.

This lacked the previous harmonious feeling of gentle spring breeze and rain, but instead seemed even more severe.

"I'll have them remove the cordon right now!"

As Ida Daiki said this, he waved his hand to send his subordinates away. The subordinates nodded continuously as if relieved, turned around and left the private room.

"As for me, I only have some knowledge of film and television works, and I don't know much about other things. But in my opinion, Nara has very rich film and television resources. The Nara Great Buddha is famous, and the various temples have a long history. Each of them is something worth showing off. They can definitely be filmed in a film, and it can also play a role in promoting Nara."

Gu Ming suddenly changed the subject: "Actually, I have some ideas for a project right now, and I'm planning to shoot it in the Nara area. I was born in Ikoma after all, so why not shoot it in Ikoma?"

Seeing that Ida Daiki still didn't seem to react, Gu Ming emphasized his tone and added a few words: "By then, there will be quite a few people from the crew, and people and horses need food, so money is needed. Naturally, this money will still have to be spent in Ikoma."

"Besides that, if the work is good enough, it's inevitable that fans and audiences will come to check in, I mean, to travel."

Japan is not big, but not small either. At least the population of the Kansai region has reached tens of millions, which is definitely enough to support tourism.

After Gu Ming finished explaining one thing after another, Ida Daiki really showed some joy.

He had never thought of this, but now after weighing the pros and cons, he suddenly felt that this was absolutely perfect!

Ikoma is a shabby place with nothing, but if we can attract people in another way, it may be able to develop.

After all, Ikoma has an advantage.

Convenient transportation!
Moreover, it is very convenient! Connecting Nara and Osaka, it is the only way for people from Nara Prefecture to go to the Osaka area, and it is one of the transportation hubs in Kansai. However, due to its poor resources, it cannot retain people.

After Gu Ming finished speaking, he did not continue to elaborate on the filming. Instead, he talked about his experience in Tokyo and the matters before and after the filming.

Ida Daiki was so anxious watching this, but gradually he realized what was going on.

"It seems this celebrity isn't stupid! He's very clear-headed. If he doesn't see the benefits, he won't continue talking."

Ida Daiki muttered a few words, but finally sat up straight and pushed his wine glass forward.

"Since Mr. Furutani has such an idea, then I, Daiki Ida, on behalf of Ikoma City, am also willing to propose Ikoma's conditions. No matter when and where, if it is helpful for filming, you can ask for assistance at any time, and we will do our best to help complete the filming. As for other required materials, we will of course cooperate with the crew's catering work during their stay in Ikoma." Daiki Ida spoke and Gu Ming listened. In fact, there were only a few conditions, but Gu Ming just wanted to wait for him to say it in person.

After Ida Daiki finished speaking, Gu Ming tapped his fingers on the table and said, "Actually, I'm curious about one thing. Has Ikoma considered another option?"

Seeing Ida Daiki's stunned expression, Gu Ming explained, "You know, I'm just one person after all, but if there's an opportunity, and if Ikoma can do well enough, I might be able to introduce other crews. We can do this..."

Gu Ming waved his hand and painted a fantasy picture for Ida Daiki.

We will look for suitable land in Ikoma for construction, build a studio, and create a Nara Tang-style antique street to accommodate various costume shoots. We will also build a special film studio. In this way, if we want to shoot a film in the future, we can come directly to Ikoma to shoot the scene.

Ikoma has convenient transportation, so this is not a problem.

After all, it takes three hours to drive from Tokyo to Osaka, and only twenty minutes from Osaka to Ikoma.

This distance is completely within the cost of shooting.

At the same time, locals can also provide surrounding facilities, catering, and even act as extras.

If this continues, Ikoma might become a 'film and television city'.

Ida Daiki was stunned by what he heard and couldn't help but open his mouth wide.

Only those who have been to Tokyo know how to have fun! Even when he was a council member, he had never thought of such a thing!

Ida Daiki held the wine glass and remained silent for a long time.

Ugh!
He fantasized again! He imagined Ikoma becoming Japan's "Ikoma Studios," with Toei and Toho stars and directors flocking to Ikoma to film their films. Ikoma's financial revenue would skyrocket, becoming the highest in Kansai, generating billions of yen annually. And he would suddenly head to Tokyo, become a true council member, or marry into one of those powerful families...

Fantasy is fantasy.

Ida Daiki quickly calmed down.

"Gugu-kun, everything you said is excellent, but how can we ensure that it will be effective? Besides, the upfront investment for all this isn't that easy!"

"Indeed." Gu Ming didn't deny it. "Then why don't we start with a small pilot project? Remember the Gu Gu Ming Primary School I invested in before? Why not start with that? We can take some outdoor scenes from the primary school for our production and find some students to work with us to shoot some simple shots."

"Also, there may be other production crews that will use the elementary school for filming. In this regard, I hope that the local people of Ikoma City will provide their utmost cooperation."

"As long as these works have the desired effect, then this kind of thing will naturally be possible. Even if it can't be built into the so-called 'Ikoma Studios', even if the promotional effect is real in the film, isn't it a win-win choice for us all!"

Ida Daiki couldn't help but let out a cry of pain.

"Furuya-kun has truly thought this through! I'm making the decision on this matter on behalf of Ikoma. The crew is welcome to stay at Ikoma."

Gu Ming smiled and shook hands with Ida Daiki, but sighed in his heart.

The Japanese are still too narrow-minded.

If Hengdian knew about this, they would blow up the mountain on the spot!
You should know that although Hengdian Film and Television City is very famous, it is actually not suitable for filming film and television dramas, and the transportation is not convenient enough. After the locals heard about the film and television city, they directly mobilized manpower and material resources to flatten a mountain and forcibly built a space suitable for building a film and television city. Then they gradually improved the transportation conditions, which led to the famous Hengdian Film and Television City.

Obviously, the local leaders in Ikoma are far from having this courage.

(End of this chapter)