This actor has something

Chapter 499: Local sniper snipes a Hollywood blockbuster?

Life slowed down.

No one is in a hurry, no one is rushing, everyone is relaxed and carefree.

Zhou Huimin arrives at the film set at 9:30 every morning and leaves before 2:30 in the afternoon.

Therefore, the scenes of the second male and female leads and supporting actors are concentrated on weekdays from 8:00 to 10:00 in the morning and from 3:00 to 5:00 in the afternoon, plus the filming on Saturdays and Sundays. So now the filming progress of the main storyline and the subplot of "My Love from the Star" is about the same.

The main storyline's progress was maintained entirely because He Daqi and his wife didn't hold back on filming; most scenes were completed in one take. The progress of the subplots, on the other hand, was purely a matter of time. After all, most of the week was spent filming scenes other than those of the male and female leads. In He Daqi's revised version of "My Love from the Star," many supporting characters' scenes were added to enrich their personalities, so there was still plenty of time to film.

Because the male and female leads usually appear together, He Daqi is living a very leisurely life. As long as Zhou Huimin is not on set, He Daqi acts like nothing's wrong. At first, he was a little responsible and willing to stay with others on set until they finished work. Later, he got too lazy to even pretend anymore. If there were no scenes that really needed him, he would just accompany Zhou Huimin to and from work every day and pick up and drop off the children together.

He Daqi also didn't expect that filming "My Love from the Star" would turn out like this; it couldn't be easier.

Are other people really not in a hurry?

They were definitely anxious, but there was nothing they could do. Lu Yang was anxious, the higher-ups at Asia High were anxious, the TV station was anxious, and even the other actors and crew members were anxious, but there was nothing they could do.

No one dared to urge Zhou Huimin. They all treated it as accompanying the powerful Empress on her leisurely journey. Zhou Huimin could come whenever she wanted. If she was in a bad mood and temporarily stopped working for ten days or half a month, no one would complain.

It's already good enough that we can film peacefully every day like this. This project is bound to succeed, and everyone involved will get a share of the pie. So we have to stabilize the biggest destabilizing factor in the crew.

The project has come to this point, and now only two people can ruin it: He Daqi and his wife. He Daqi is easy to talk to and likes to joke around when he has nothing to do.

Aside from Ho Tai-kei, no one else could say a word to Zhou Huimin. Her status was undeniable. It's very likely that for most people in the entire crew, the richest tycoon they would ever encounter in their lives was Zhou Huimin.

Therefore, what they saw in Vivian Chow was not the smug person she was, laughing and joking with Ho Tai-kei on set every day, but the oppressive feeling of facing a giant mountain of gold.

In this situation, it's best to go along with it. Otherwise, if someone turns against her and makes Zhou Huimin unhappy, this female tycoon is capable of permanently sealing the project in a fit of anger. Even if she loses a billion or so, she can afford to pay it. But the one who will suffer the most loss will not be Zhou Huimin, but the various investors who are waiting for the show to air.

If this were to actually happen, investors, not daring to retaliate against Vivian Chow, would easily turn around and rip off the person who caused the project to fail by displeasing Vivian Chow.

"I never knew that we could film in one take so smoothly! Even though I only spend less than five hours a day on set, it doesn't stop this drama from being filmed faster than other dramas. Daqi, do you feel that my acting skills have improved a lot since I won the Best Actress award? It's a pity that I don't want to stay in the entertainment industry anymore, otherwise I would have won more Best Actress and Best TV Actress awards."

Vivian Chow sat opposite Ho Tai-kai with a smug look on her face, her expression one of pure pride, like she was showing off.

The spring breeze in April always carries the fresh scent of grass or the fragrance of flowers, making He Daqi so comfortable that he squints his eyes and doesn't want to move.

It was lunchtime for the film crew, and the couple lazily hid under a large parasol, one lying on a deck chair and the other sitting on a comfortable double-layered rattan rocking chair across the table.

The couple didn't seem to be there to film a movie; rather, they seemed to be out enjoying the spring breeze.

Zhou Huimin finished speaking, but He Daqi did not respond for a long time. Seeing that He Daqi was leisurely with his eyes closed and did not look like he was asleep, Zhou Huimin picked up a cherry from the fruit plate on the table and threw it in He Daqi's face.

He Daqi frowned slightly, without opening his eyes, and said lazily, "I'm hungry. Go get some food. Don't bother me here."

Zhou Huimin was already annoyed that He Daqi didn't show off his achievements, and now He Daqi was still acting like this, which made Zhou Huimin almost laugh in anger. She got up and walked up to He Daqi, ready to give this guy a good beating.

However, when her gaze fell upon He Daqi's handsome face, Zhou Huimin's anger subsided by eight-tenths. In the end, she simply poked He Daqi's forehead with her finger and turned away to obediently get him some food.

After she left, He Daqi cautiously opened his eyes. It wasn't that He Daqi didn't like talking to Zhou Huimin; the key was that Zhou Huimin was difficult to communicate with these days.

This woman is getting a bit too into her role. She exudes an arrogant and domineering aura, still acting like a troll. This reminds He Daqi of when they first started dating, when Zhou Huimin always liked to mess with him.

It's estimated that the rest of the crew noticed Zhou Huimin was getting into character, and since they knew the script, no one dared to disturb her. Hopefully, He Daqi could keep her calm.

No one wants to mess with the current Zhou Huimin, who is delicate, pretentious, shrewd, strong, and arrogant. At least in the later episodes, when the Zhou Huimin becomes more mature, steady, and knows how to cherish things, the crew will try to get in touch with this wealthy woman to see if they can build a relationship or ask for favors.

He Daqi sat up, reached out and moved the fruit plate on the table closer to himself, while slowly eating cherries one by one, swiping his phone screen with his finger.

Although greenhouse cherries ripen early and can be eaten in April, they don't taste as good as regular cherries. Perhaps they will improve with continuous improvement in the future, but for now, it's just about enjoying them fresh in April.

Zhou Huimin's visit was brief, lasting less than three minutes. After receiving her and He Daqi's customized lunch, she turned around and saw He Daqi's relaxed demeanor. She quickened her pace, hurriedly carrying a large bag of lunchboxes back to the large parasol.

"You're really getting too cocky now. You're just giving me the runaround, and I expect you to wait on me hand and foot. You won't even acknowledge me when I talk to you. Alright, stop pretending to be deaf and let's eat, sir."

Zhou Huimin was truly helpless against He Daqi now. Any anger she felt would dissipate after just looking at He Daqi's face. Now, she could only give He Daqi a charming sidelong glance before opening the lunchboxes one by one and placing them on the table.

"Didn't we have braised sea cucumber with scallions yesterday? Why did they make the same thing again today? Where's the cuttlefish egg soup I ordered yesterday? And what about the braised yellow croaker? I've been ordering it for days, and it's still not available today?"

Looking at the dishes on the table—braised sea cucumber with scallions, crystal pork knuckle, lychee shrimp, braised wild mushrooms, bamboo shoots with milk candy, soft-shelled eel, assorted vegetables, and locust flower clams—He Daqi smacked his lips and gave Zhou Huimin a strange look.

He had ordered the food from Fengzeyuan Restaurant, and now there was only one dish on the table that was from Fengzeyuan. He Daqi knew exactly what had happened.

Sure enough, Vivian Chow happily dragged over a chair and sat down, giving He Daqi a proud little look, and replied while suppressing a laugh, "I swapped the dishes you ordered with the rest of the crew. Aren't you tired of eating the same place every day? It's good to try some different flavors."

"But I didn't order braised sea cucumber with scallions! I'd get tired of eating it every day, so I only order it about once a week."

"Oh, I forgot. It must have been a mistake. They probably gave the braised cuttlefish roe soup you ordered to someone else and brought back braised sea cucumber with scallions instead." It would be strange if He Daqi believed that. This lunchbox was obviously prepared by his own family. Zhou Huimin had deliberately changed the dishes He Daqi ordered beforehand. No wonder she didn't change the dishes with anyone when she came back and forth so quickly. So she was waiting here.

I'll take care of you when we get home!

He Daqi was too lazy to argue with Zhou Huimin. He had already mentally divided her into eighteen different types and was ready to go back and whip her to pull her out of character.

Zhou Huimin gave a soft hum, happily wiggled her bright little face, and began to enjoy her lunch.

……

……

"Hahahaha! This is hilarious!"

Lu Yang watched Ning Hao's edited version of Detective Chinatown and laughed so hard he clutched his stomach and slapped the table.

As the scene shifted to the hospital in slow motion, accompanied by the background music of "Memories Can Only Be Remembered," Lu Yang, who had been chuckling for a while, finally burst out laughing.

It was a rare treat, because the filming was progressing smoothly and Ning Hao had invited him, so Lu Yang chose to rest this weekend and come to Ya Yue with He Daqi to see the finished product of Ning Hao's edited version of Detective Chinatown.

Lu Yang's reaction clearly pleased Ning Hao immensely. He looked at He Daqi, who was also beaming, and asked, "How was it? I didn't ruin your script, did I? I even used all your suggestions. I must say, the combination is quite interesting."

When was the release date set?

"Summer movie season".

"What month?"

"July."

"Let's change it, or have China Film Group change the release dates of other movies. Transformers 3 from the Bald Eagles is also likely to be released during the summer season, so it will clash with the release. Nowadays, domestic moviegoers still really enjoy big-budget sci-fi special effects movies, so you're unlikely to beat it."

He Daqi's words made Ning Hao's smile fade a bit. He stroked his chin and pondered for a while before asking again, "Do you know the exact time? It would be a real shame to miss the summer season."

"I know that Bald Eagle will be released at the end of June, but I don't know when it will be released in China. I guess it will be in late July."

Although He Daqi's words were vague, Ning Hao felt that He Daqi's prediction was probably quite accurate. There was no other reason for this, because He Daqi's guesses were usually quite accurate when he was arranging his schedule before, so he just habitually believed him.

“I see…” Ning Hao frowned as he spoke. Without hesitating for long, he stared into He Daqi’s eyes and asked slowly, “How about we give it a try? Anyway, the major investor in Detective Chinatown is China Film Group. Even if you try to suppress the hype, China Film Group won’t say much. It’s like the left hand fighting the right hand, especially since the right hand is a prosthetic. Nobody will want to cause trouble.”

He Daqi laughed upon hearing this: "Damn, you're really bold, trying to take a drama and crash it into a sci-fi special effects movie!"

"Give it a try. Anyway, you can take responsibility. I've lost interest in competing with domestic directors. I'm looking forward to testing the mettle of Hollywood blockbusters. Of course, I wouldn't dare to challenge them abroad, but we're the local power now, so it would be a shame not to give it a try."

“Then let’s give it a try.” He Daqi nodded.

Lu Yang was even more excited than Ning Hao and He Daqi at this moment. Hearing them say that they wanted to test the waters by competing with Hollywood blockbusters, he was so excited that he couldn't sit still, just like the two of them had been rubbed with Tiger Balm.

"Senior brother, once the Phantom Prison Break is finished, I'll also try to stop a Hollywood blockbuster. If Senior Brother Ning Hao fails this time, then I'll avenge you."

Ning Hao rolled his eyes, too lazy to explain further. The reason he asked He Daqi was to get He Daqi to step in as a backup plan. He Daqi had agreed without hesitation, so there was no possibility of failure.

Even if Transformers 3 really becomes a box office hit, there are plenty of ways to deal with it. For example, they could be a bit underhanded and create a trending topic saying that there are problems with the plot of Transformers 3. If He Daqi does something like that, the movie will probably be pulled from theaters in less than two weeks.

Of course, this is just a low-down trick Ning Hao came up with, not something he actually intends to do. He Daqi still cares a lot about his reputation; haven't you seen how he's been having the fan management department give out perks while simultaneously managing the fans for the past two years?

"Then you should keep up the good work. As the first true 3D movie in China, Phantom Prison Break should be able to easily compete with Hollywood blockbusters. At least you can use the gimmick of supporting domestic films to generate buzz even before its release. Once it's released, as long as the data is slightly better in the first few days, the rest of the time will be your time to soar to great heights."

He Daqi patted Lu Yang on the shoulder and encouraged him with a cheerful smile.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yang began to imagine the beautiful scenery. The previous movie, "The Treasure Hunter Alliance," starring He Daqi and with Ning Hao only having a name, still grossed 1.5 billion yuan at the box office with He Daqi's support. When "Phantom Prison Break" is released, with the manpower and resources that Ya Yue and Tu He Se have invested, the box office will be at least 1.5 billion yuan, right?

Actually, what He Daqi said just now was all true. Unlike the four-location co-production "Treasure Hunt Alliance", "Phantom Prison Break" has a lot of hype, and countless people are paying attention to it.

The Thieves was a terrible film, and it was only thanks to Ning Hao's efforts that it was able to be released. He Daqi even managed to gross 1.5 billion yuan, let alone The Phantom Prison Break, which was a collaborative effort by Zhang Yimou, Ning Hao, and Lu Yang.

At the very least, 1.5 billion would be the minimum. As long as there's no explicit prohibition from above, He Daqi dares to push this film to 3 billion.

Is it a problem if 3D movie tickets are expensive but box office revenue is high? No problem! If you think there's a problem, then you should make a proper 3D movie in this era.

Even with the limited resources and color processing capabilities, the production process in Asia and Vietnam is so slow. Other domestic film companies, apart from pseudo-3D, don't dare to do too many special effects.

Otherwise, why can Hollywood special effects blockbusters currently crush other movies? It's because others can't do it.

(End of this chapter)