Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 384 The world can’t wait!
The curtains of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel were half lifted by the morning breeze, and the mist from the Hudson River was drifting in the wind.

The couple who made love in the first half of the night and the second half have already gotten up.

Boss Lu's flight is at 10am.

New York in early autumn seems to be still filled with the strong spirit of spring.

"That jerk! It's so thick and hard, it's stuck!"

Lu Kuan was helpless: "There's nothing I can do about it. Is it natural?"

"Or you can just be gentle and slow, so as not to cause bleeding."

The morning light shone through the hotel curtains from the Hudson River. Yifei sat on the legs of the washing machine, her eyes wide open, moving cautiously.

Xiao Liu's beautiful hair was blown by the breeze, and the pleasant mint scent mixed with the little girl's warm breath made the washing machine feel an inexplicable itch.

"Huh! It's finally done."

"Your beard is so hard to shave. I think the razor head is broken again."

Liu Yifei finally helped her boyfriend shave his chin clean, then jumped off his body and wiped it clean with a towel heated with hot water.

Ever since she discovered the hobby of shaving her boyfriend in Italy, she has become addicted to it.

And it has gradually developed to the level of trimming eyebrows and sideburns. The next step will be either upward or downward development.

Xiao Liu sat astride her boyfriend's lap and admired him carefully for a long time. His jawline, which had just been shaved, looked like a sharp saber, combining handsomeness and firmness.

The dark brown pupils were hidden in the shadow cast by the brow bone, and the light was split into two parts at the bridge of his nose. The slightly messy forehead hair made the man look more unrestrained and unrestrained.

The nympho girlfriend blinked her dimples and praised: "You are so handsome, no wonder so many flowers want to fuck you!"

Huh? Reverse Tiangang!

"what!"

If you say something wrong, you will be punished. Boss Lu exerted a little force, and Pinocchio's nose gave a lively response through the soft fabric.

The girl turned pale and pretended to be pitiful: "No, no, sir, please have mercy on me, I can't bear the beating..."

Boss Lu, who was playing a gangster in his true colors, pinched her pretty face and said, "Okay, I'll let you rest for two months."

"What! You're not going to come see me for the next two months?"

The gangster was being particularly lenient, but the decent girl who was being molested was unwilling to do so: "You, you, you, can't you just go on a business trip or something?"

Boss Lu pondered for a few seconds and said solemnly, "Cui Ping, stay in the US and try to get some intelligence from the Pentagon. I'll ask the organization to come and see you."

"Emei Peak! What are you thinking? You want to change your girlfriend, right? Then come and see my ashes?"

"Well, I'll burn your ashes into a ceramic jar and put them in there when I die and turn to ashes."

Xiao Liu's eyes widened as she marveled at how the washing machine could utter such unwavering love. However, her feeling of being touched lasted only three seconds.

"So I can stay inside you the whole time, just like last night."

"Go away! I'll bite you to death!" Concubine Liu Yi was so angry and embarrassed by the teasing that she bit his shoulder.

I'm an old actor, and my patina is almost gone.

The two laughed and joked for a while. While Lu Kuan was answering the phone on the balcony, his virtuous girlfriend had tidied everything up and was patiently instructing him:

"The gray, moon white, and raven blue shirts have all been washed and ironed. I'll get some anti-deformation paper cards from the hotel to hold them in. Don't shake them out when you take them."

"It's time to replace the head of your manual razor. When you get to the airport, see if there's an electric one. You can buy one and use it for now."

"And! The most important point!"

The girlfriend opened the suitcase again, feeling uneasy, and took out a soft cloth medicine bag: "See this? It's in the compartment."

She unfolded the medicine bag and explained one by one: "This is a multivitamin, and this is deep-sea fish oil, which supplements omega-3 fatty acids. It's good for your eyes."

"Remember to apply a hot towel before going to bed every night. This cyclosporine A eye emulsion is used to suppress inflammation. If your tears are too severe, apply a little."

These are supplements and medicines specially prepared for his sore and tearful eyes caused by the long-term heavy workload of editing.

Regardless of whether the director is Chinese or foreign, whenever possible, the final editing rights must be firmly in their own hands.

No matter how many times you shoot, it doesn’t count. Only the final edited version counts.

Film editing is a part that most directors who pursue artistic pursuits like to do themselves, and it is also one of the important processes of creation.

Liu Yifei and he departed from two different airports, one for an international flight and the other for a domestic flight in the United States. After they finished talking, they couldn't help feeling sad and reluctant.

She stepped barefoot on her boyfriend's feet, wrapped her arms around his waist tightly, and rubbed her head against Lu Kuan's chest, like a cat marking its scent on its owner.

"Alright, alright, what kind of female celebrity are you? Won't your fans go crazy seeing you like this?"

Xiao Liu closed his eyes and said in a soft voice, "Then take a picture and post it on Weibo to see what happens."

Boss Lu laughed and said, "Forget it. If the boss sees this, he'll know I'm slacking off on my business trip."

"Besides, your fans are too powerful. I can't afford to offend them."

"Go back and quit smoking. Your creative team is full of smokers. Don't let them fool you."

Liu Yifei looked up and smiled, "I've bribed Sister Lin Ying. She'll tell me if you smoke!"

"What!? You bribed an insider to spy on Olympic secrets. You're in big trouble, Liu Yifei!"

"Really? That's great!" Xiao Liu pouted her red lips, looking charming and seductive, and stretched out her hands.

"Quick! I plead guilty. Take me away now and lock me up in your office in the Olympic Building!"

Boss Lu slapped his forehead, and the fun of teasing a decent girl was gone, and Xiao Liu gradually turned into a female hooligan.

Da Tiantian: Yeah!

At 588:343 in the morning, the wide China Eastern Airlines MU cut through the morning light, and Xiao Liu's United Airlines UA pierced the morning mist.

The two contrails briefly intersected over the New York Bay, forming an X-shaped broken string, and the Chinese couple were separated again.
-
Most successful people in this world have superhuman energy.

Nobel Prize winner and management guru Krugman once conducted a survey of famous entrepreneurs across the United States and found that these energetic people are often good at constructing long chains of thinking and gaining insight into essential contradictions through continuous deduction.

For Lu Kuan, who holds multiple public and private positions, he had to deal with the impact of high-intensity pressure after returning to China from New York.

In addition to taking one day a week to pay attention to company affairs, as long as he is not working overtime in the evening, he will go to Wenjie Building to edit videos and sleep in the president's office in the middle of the night.

Several times I fell asleep on the sofa in the middle of a video call with Liu Yifei.

I get up in the morning, have breakfast in the company cafeteria, and then walk to the Olympic Building two kilometers away for exercise.

Back and forth.

Olympic affairs naturally have the highest priority, and he has devoted almost 80% of his time to the Olympic creative group, discussions, and program rehearsals.

It’s been a month since I came back from my secret meeting with my girlfriend in New York.

During the National Day holiday, leaders from Haizili came to inspect the work at the Olympic Building and gave everyone spiritual encouragement and support.

After seeing the haggard faces of Lu Kuan, Lao Mouzi and others, they all reminded everyone to cherish and protect their health.

Since the end of the National Day holiday, Boss Lu has no time to edit the film at night, so he can only hand it over to Zhao Fei temporarily.

Rehearsals for the night show at the Bird's Nest Stadium have begun.

First of all, it is definitely to prevent the program from being leaked. A cordon will be set up outside the Bird's Nest to prohibit outsiders from entering and leaving to affect rehearsals.
The second is some experiments with lights and fireworks, the effects of which can only be seen at night, and targeted adjustments are made in combination with the rehearsal programs.

However, this rehearsal process is extremely difficult and boring for the director team.

For example, the drum array props for "Singing with Drums" had just completed their 9th improvement in mid-September. In early October, the actors re-arranged the matrix movement overnight, but there were still two mistakes in the full-scale rehearsal at 15 a.m., so they didn't expect to sleep that night.

There was also the unresolved issue of the module jamming in the "Movable Type Printing" production. 900 operators repeatedly adjusted the lifting and lowering rhythm in the rain, and the props team sprinted backstage to fill in the gaps while carrying 30 kilograms of movable type modules.
There was always a 3-second time difference between the Tai Chi formation and the Earth model in the "Nature" segment. During the rehearsal, while eating cold boxed lunches, the director team was shocked to hear the bad news.

The electronic scroll of "The Scroll" was stuck badly in the humid weather, so engineers were quickly called in to carry out emergency repairs.

All these things almost cost everyone in the creative team half their lives.

On the afternoon of October 2007, 10, in the Olympic Building conference room.

Today's report is of a very high standard. In addition to the Olympic Committee led by Leader Liu, representatives from the Sports Bureau and the Culture and Tourism Department also participated.

Leader Liu listened to the recent work report on behalf of the Olympic Organizing Committee, put on the pen cap and closed the notebook.

"Thank you all for your hard work, and please take care of yourselves."

"The opening ceremony is getting closer, and the leaders are very concerned about everyone. Oh, right—"

He suddenly turned to Lu Kuan, the chief director of the opening ceremony: "Director Lu, the leaders are going abroad for a visit soon. When is the drone rehearsal scheduled?"

Boss Lu said solemnly, "Regarding the technical achievements of UAV distributed flight control, anti-interference protocols in different frequency bands, and vision-assisted positioning, we will organize another application results demonstration at the end of the month."

"Under the care of all the leaders, the core members of the DJI team have set up a research team in Beijing together with the laboratories of Northwestern Polytechnical University and Beihang University. The final and complete plan will be provided before June next year."

"Based on the current technological progress, there won't be any major problems. It's just a matter of making the Phoenix more beautiful, dynamic, and visually stunning."

"Especially after this visit to an overseas LED laboratory, the team came up with a new idea."

Leader Liu was surprised and asked, "Oh? Tell me about it?"

Lu Kuan glanced at Cai Guoqiang and said, "Old Cai, you should report this to your superiors."

"Okay, let me explain." Fireworks master Cai Guo-Qiang walked to the whiteboard: "It's like this—"

"The team previously organized a discussion on the richness of the colors and shapes of the phoenix image, and Director Lu proposed the idea of ​​combining drones with fireworks."

"But after several experiments, we found that it was still too difficult given the current state of our drone technology."

In later generations, drone fireworks are a combination of conventional drones and real gunpowder fireworks. Real fireworks are the core and LEDs are used as a supplementary means. The combination of the two not only retains the shocking effect of traditional fireworks, but also improves safety and creative space through technology.

For example, the miniature cold fireworks, weighing no more than 300 grams, carried by drones at the Paris Olympics produced low smoke, were highly safe, and suitable for urban environments. However, like the difference between 98 and 998 technicians, they may look beautiful, but the core technology required is too high.

For example, the drone formation needs to use a centimeter-level precision GPS positioning system to achieve millisecond-level synchronization with the fireworks.

Innovative drones like the one developed by Pengcheng Gaoju in later generations can carry fireworks, flower-scattering devices, etc., and coordinate complex trajectories with the discharge of fireworks, which are still insurmountable mountains in this era.

However, before these innovative technologies were combined with other applications, basic scientific research on drones, including communications, chips, flight control, batteries, and carrying capacity, was still in its infancy.

Even in this life, DJI's technological research and development progress has been greatly advanced and improved under the catalysis of the capital power of the world and the institutional power of the Olympics.

The wisdom of the Chinese people is endless. Under the idea proposed by the forward-looking director, the team found a new solution.

Cai Guo-Qiang had already sketched on a whiteboard the location of the drone show before the ignition inside the Bird’s Nest, as well as the location of the fireworks he designed.

"Director Zhang, our current concept is this: using a combination of traditional and Western methods, drones equipped with small LEDs will be used in conjunction with fireworks on the ground and high above the stadium to create a stunning visual effect of a phoenix appearing, soaring, circling, reaching nirvana, and finally soaring away."

"Among them, the LEDs mounted on the drones are arranged in a color and visual matrix. The guide also got inspiration from the LED dresses at the New York Fashion Week."

“As for the fireworks, I will look for opportunities to embellish and build momentum in every aspect of the drone’s phoenix imagery.”

"We will supplement and enhance the details that our drones cannot currently achieve due to technical reasons."

Old Cai is still a good person. After some discussion, he found an excuse to hand over the initiative of the report to Boss Lu.

"Director Lu, my drawing skills are terrible. Now it's up to you to outline the specific plan and content for the leader."

Lu Kuan nodded, walked to the whiteboard, took the pen, and with a few strokes, drew the key points of the fireworks setting, then cleared his throat.

"Leaders, regarding the combination of fireworks and drones, from a technical perspective, it is intended to make up for the shortcomings of current drones, such as the single color matrix and weak LED capabilities."

"After all, we can only manage nearly 700 large-scale flight control flights at the moment, compared to the -plus flights last year, which is already an upgrade to the second-generation flight control chip."

"But from an artistic perspective, from a visual color perspective, we were actually inspired by Director Zhang's films."

Lao Mouzi smiled and waved his hand: "No, no, it's the result of everyone's brainstorming."

He still spoke modestly, but the nasolabial folds on his face from his broad smile honestly expressed his joy.

Leader Liu knew very well that no matter what the actual situation was, this attitude of not wanting to be the only thing that mattered to him was a sign of the young man's maturity and leadership.

Boss Lu said with a smile, "Director Zhang is the most accomplished director in China in terms of color symbols and language, and I have been learning from him."

"When I was researching the color and visual expression of the phoenix image, I thought of Director Zhang's 1987 Golden Bear Award-winning film Red Sorghum. The shocking red could be called the bloody totem of the film."

"The standard color for 'Chinese Red' we set for the 2008 opening ceremony was PANTONE 186 C. This extreme use of a monochromatic system provided an aesthetic reference for the precise control of the RGB color gamut for the drone fireworks."

"So, based on the wine vat burning scene in Red Sorghum, the dynamic combination of flames and red cloth creates a strong visual impact. We asked Teacher Cai to mix fireworks with different color effects such as gold, red, and cold light smoke."

Leader Liu asked doubtfully, "The phoenix imagery should be primarily gold and red, right? It seems you have other innovations?"

“Excellent leadership!”

After a well-timed flattery, Lu Kuan got down to business. "The plan is still under intense discussion, and Mr. Cai needs to continue refining the fireworks. I'll first outline the finalized parts, and once the overall effect is finalized, I'll create a CG and then report it to my superiors."

The leaders of the Cultural Affairs Department and the Sports Bureau all smiled and nodded, urging, "Please tell us, Comrade Lu Kuan. We can't wait."

"First is the prologue, which is the transition between the ground fireworks and the drone formation formation phase."

He sketched a simple sketch on the whiteboard: "Before the lighting ceremony, the last torchbearer enters the venue, then the main torch stand goes out, all the lights suddenly dim, and the circular flame groove on the ground suddenly erupts with 12 pillars of fire of different colors, corresponding to the 12 Chinese zodiac signs."

"Then Mr. Cai would use his 'gunpowder sketching' technique to blast out a rough golden phoenix outline at medium to high altitude, which would last for a few seconds before dissipating."

"Attention! During this process, we will use the noise of the gunpowder explosion to mask the mechanical sounds of the drone swarm taking off."

Lu Kuan himself became a little excited as he spoke: "Ideally, when the fireworks with the golden phoenix silhouette dissipate, it will be like nirvana. The LED-equipped drones will take off in relay, accompanied by the recorded clear and melancholic sound of the phoenix. It's like the invisible becomes visible, bringing a strong shock to the audience through the different aspects of sound and light!"

Leader Liu and others were stunned.

The drone proposal put forward by the Wenjie team during the Olympic bidding was already quite impressive.

Over the past two years, the Olympic creative team has clearly made great progress in improving drone technology and enriching and processing artistic elements.

This powerful person in a high position, looking at the young director who was introducing him with familiarity, once again felt that his original choice was correct.

He was chosen as the chief director, and he tacitly cooperated in getting rid of Zhou Jun and Taro, father and son, to prevent them from damaging the Olympic cause.

At least it is destruction in the sense of possibility.

"Director Yimou named the prologue just now 'Phoenix Singing in the East,' and we all agree with it. The first act below is called 'Fire Wings in the Sky,' which will also be the main performance of the drone swarm."

"It is currently expected that 1200 drones equipped with LED lights will glide down from the top of the Bird's Nest, passing through a special device and carrying the torch, forming a 200-meter-long fire phoenix."

"Each feather was dynamically simulated by a drone, simulating the fluctuations of flames, and then flew around the stage, receiving the admiration and cheers of audiences around the world."

"At the same time, Mr. Cai will deploy cold light smoke bombs along the preset flight path, and he will personally control the detonation."

"At specific locations, our golden phoenix formation will fly through the silver-white smoke track with clear chirping sounds. Our Director Zhang has also named it—"

Boss Lu looked at Zhang Yimou and smiled, "This is called the phoenix passing through, and the flowing clouds following."

He paused and said, "I need to mention one more thing here."

"The original image of the phoenix is ​​also used in many totemic cultures in the West. For example, the emblem of the University of Chicago in the United States is the Phoenix, the phoenix."

"So we designed a series of fireworks, including this flowing cloud, as a backdrop for the artistic elements."

"With this kind of classical Chinese philosophy and aesthetic concept, it is clear at first glance that it is something Chinese, something from our ancestors."

The leaders present at the meeting murmured a few words, and then applauded in agreement:

"Yes, this is good. No wonder they just said there are other colored fireworks to use."

"This effect is more three-dimensional, even better than before!"

The members of the creative team looked at each other with satisfaction, looked at each other's messy hair and dark circles, and applauded and smiled together.

"Good! This is a good conception!" Leader Liu also nodded with a smile, then turned to Zhang Yimou, pretending to be ignorant, and said jokingly:

"Yimou? The University of Chicago you just mentioned, is it the same school that our guidance candidate, Comrade Xiao Liu, attends?"

Lao Mouzi was stunned at first, then smiled like a colorful terracotta warrior: "Yes, Xiao Liu was harassed by right-wingers some time ago because of his role in a patriotic movie. The Japanese professor was from the University of Chicago."

"But, leader!" Zhang Yimou's expression suddenly became serious. "There's something I need to prove to Comrade Xiaolu. Please don't misunderstand me."

"This time he went to the United States purely to introduce and improve LED technology and to tackle technical challenges. He definitely wasn't going to meet the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl on the Magpie Bridge!"

"Right? Lin Ying?"

Lin Ying also covered her mouth and laughed. "Director Zhang, you're putting me in a difficult position! Director Lu paid for all the round-trip airfare, food, and lodging. How can I possibly say this?"

"Hahaha!"

The whole conference room suddenly burst into laughter, and the previously solemn atmosphere relaxed.

This joke was suggested by Leader Liu. He has the highest rank and status among those present, so no matter whether it is funny or not, he should laugh.

What's more, everyone is willing to make jokes about the richest man in mainland China and the director of the Olympics. This is one of the ways to bring people closer together.

Boss Lu was an expert at being thick-skinned, so he naturally didn't take it seriously. "Boss, this isn't my fault. I'll be thirty in a few years. If the organization doesn't help me with my personal problems, I have to take care of them myself, right?"

"I'm contributing to my country. I'm in an international relationship right now. I'm going to the US without showing my face. What if the girl dumps me?"

"Can the organization still give me a replacement?"

Leader Liu slammed the table with a glare, "I'll make the decision on this! I need your Comrade Xiaolu to speak up. I've already had quite a few veteran comrades asking about you. It'll definitely work out!"

There was another burst of laughter in the conference room, and everyone looked at the arrogant tycoon in a joking manner.

No one present here would say it, and it had never been mentioned, but who doesn't know about your reputation as a playboy, Boss Lu?
Lao Mouzi half-consoled and half-joked: "Forget it, boss, Xiao Liu is a man of both literary and martial talents. It doesn't matter if you make such a joke. The next time we see Lu Kuan, he might be missing some parts."

"Hahaha! Okay, okay." Leader Liu was very good at controlling the situation. Seeing that the previously tense atmosphere had eased a bit, he gently tapped the table and said, "Xiaolu, keep talking."

After a brief interlude, Lu Kuan nodded and continued his report:

"This is the first scene. We are also designing other special effects for the grand narrative with drones and fireworks, based on the principle of prioritizing technical feasibility and supplemented by visual effects."

"There will be a second, third, and fourth act, until the finale at the end of the ignition show, which will combine drones, LEDs, and gunpowder."

"Overall, the drone phoenix symbolizes humanity's breakthrough into new limits, while the fireworks depict the fusion of civilization and nature."

"Ultimately, the Olympic flame will be lit with 'technology as the backbone and art as the soul'."

He paused for a few seconds and said, "The plan will be submitted by March next year at the latest, and the rehearsal will be completed before June to ensure that everything is foolproof!"

"Okay!" Leader Liu stood up with a smile, shook hands with Zhang Yimou and others, and patted Lu Kuan's shoulder vigorously.

Body language reveals the level of familiarity in a personal relationship.

"The top leaders have been saying that the Olympics are the undisputed top priority for the country over the past two years! Everything must give way to the Olympics!"

"If the opening ceremony is successful, the Olympics will be half successful. If the lighting of the torch is successful, the opening ceremony will be half successful. These are the cornerstones and foundation of a chain of links."

He said with emotion: "From the current perspective, I can almost arbitrarily conclude that this Olympic opening ceremony, especially the torch lighting ceremony, is absolutely the most magnificent, profound and grand Olympic opening ceremony in history!"

There was a burst of applause in the conference room, and everyone looked excited.

Leader Liu smiled broadly, and from his perspective, his speech became even more profound:
"Drones and LEDs represent China's modern technology, while fireworks and gunpowder are among our four great inventions."

"The future and tradition blend and collide in the Olympic flame. I believe this confidence in science and technology and the depth of culture will deeply shock audiences around the world, including Chinese people!"

"The poverty and weakness of modern nations make our rise today all the more precious and inspiring."

"Comrades, on behalf of the Olympic Committee, I thank you all for your hard work. Please continue to work hard—"

"The world can't wait to see what China will look like!"

(End of this chapter)