The Birth of the Best Director

Chapter 107: The release date of "Avatar" conflicts with that of "Avatar", he goes crazy!

……

The passage of the typhoon brought a baptism of storm to Weizhou Island.

For two whole days, the crew members did not go out. They ate and drank to their heart's content in the hotel. In their spare time, they occupied the chess and card room and played cards and mahjong all day long.

It's like a real vacation.

Lu Zhiyuan didn't care either.

The most difficult scene in this movie for him has been conquered.

What follows is a natural progression.

……

It has been raining heavily outside for the past two days and the weather is not good.

Lu Zhiyuan also gave himself a rare vacation.

In the hotel room, he quietly looked at the scenery outside the window, enjoying this moment of comfort.

The sound of wind and rain is like the hypnotic sound of nature.

Lu Zhiyuan sat on the chair and felt comfortable all over, but he fell asleep after a while.

He is so tired!

To make this film, he started with choosing the leading actress, went to Hollywood to negotiate with Focus Features, and then chose the filming locations and created the art effects...

From beginning to end, he was almost the only one responsible for all content creation.

On other Hollywood crews, this much work would require dozens of people, and they might even argue for days over details.

It’s not that troublesome for Lu Zhiyuan.

He did it all by himself.

This also makes the picture and visual style of the entire film very unified and harmonious.

Besides that, he shoots very fast.

Because before shooting, he had already thought about it over and over in his mind dozens of times, then drew a concept map, and then looked for a scene to shoot.

Wouldn’t it be more efficient to shoot after completing these preparatory work?
However, no matter how efficient he is, he is only one person.

It's been almost 5 months and he hasn't had much rest. He is indeed a little tired and wants to relax.

"Brother, why don't you come down and play cards?"

Reba saw that the door was not closed, so she pushed it open carefully.

Seeing Lu Zhiyuan sitting on the chair, looking at the scenery outside the window, motionless, she giggled and came over to take a look.

"Oh, I fell asleep again."

Finding Lu Zhiyuan napping on the chair again, Reba sighed softly, took a thin blanket from the side, and covered Lu Zhiyuan with it with heartache.

Although the movement was very light, Lu Zhiyuan was still awakened.

"Reba, why are you walking without making any sound?"

Lu Zhiyuan glanced at the blanket on his body, thanked Reba, and then joked: "Next time, I will make a movie similar to "Assassin's Creed" and let you play the Middle Eastern Assassin assassin. It will definitely be perfect."

Reba's appearance does look a bit like a beauty from the Middle East.

If Reba is given a pair of green contact lenses, she will look just like a Persian cat, which is likely to cause a sensation in the Arab world.

"Brother, Tiantian's wife is already in Singapore. She asked when we're leaving?"

Reba has a strong execution ability. Since she found her position as a "sister", in less than a month, she really became Lu Zhiyuan's sister.

Anyway, she kept calling him "brother", and Lu Zhiyuan didn't object. After a few days of calling him that, Reba even became addicted to it.

"Tomorrow."

"After the typhoon has completely passed and the ferry is open, we will leave for Singapore."

Jing Tian was arranged by Lu Zhiyuan to be the second female lead.

She thought she had a lot of scenes, but according to the notice Lu Zhiyuan gave her, she only needed to shoot for one day.

Although the character Jing Tian seems to run through all the plots in the movie, the actual shooting scenes are very simple.

Just stay in a luxurious room.

It is enough to maintain the posture of a superior technology boss.

In all the scenes where Jing Tian appears, she is not required to suffer, nor is she required to have any acting skills.

Lu Zhiyuan has already set the background for Jing Tian's appearance.

In the all-white technology laboratory, Jing Tian was wearing a black women's slim suit, full of Gothic style.

The black and white tones are full of strong contrast.

As soon as this scene appears, the audience can understand at a glance that the character Jing Tian is the mastermind behind the scenes.

Then, by shooting from above, Jing Tian appears to be in a superior position, looking down on all living beings like an emperor, controlling enormous power and authority.

Jing Tian didn't need to say anything.

Just standing there and giving a casual glance is enough.

The audience will automatically imagine all of Jing Tian’s background.

You can tell he’s a big shot at first glance.

For a young lady like Jing Tian who has little acting skills and doesn't want to suffer, using this simple and handsome shot is good for everyone.

……

"Brother, based on my observations over the past few days, I've discovered something interesting."

Reba pulled a stool and sat next to Lu Zhiyuan, looking at him with a smile.

"what's up?"

Lu Zhiyuan turned his head and looked over.

Reba chuckled, went to close the door, and then came back and said, "You sent 3 messages to Sister-in-law Tiantian, 5 messages to Liu Yifei, and 6 messages to Liu Shishi... But you sent a total of 16 messages to Gao Yuanyuan!"

He only sent three messages to Jing Tian because Jing Tian was also filming and was usually very busy, so Lu Zhiyuan didn't feel comfortable disturbing her.

Reba could understand that 5 messages were sent to Liu Yifei.

After all, Liu Yifei came and went in a hurry, looking like she had encountered something. It was only right for Lu Zhiyuan to ask a few questions out of kindness.

There is nothing wrong with these six messages from Liu Shishi.

Just some daily greetings.

The only thing is that the 16 messages sent to Gao Yuanyuan... are more than the total of the previous few people.

This is a big problem!
"Brother, tell me honestly, do you like Gao Yuanyuan?"

"If you want to fall in love with someone else and find Gao Yuanyuan as your mistress, don't hide it from me. I can help cover for you with Sister-in-law Tiantian and won't betray you."

Reba spoke very sincerely, but there was a murderous look flashing wildly in her eyes.

I won't betray you, but I will definitely kill Gao Yuanyuan!

Reba felt that she had hit the mark.

Liu Yifei is not proactive enough, but Gao Yuanyuan is proactive enough.

She's a green tea girl, a bad woman, and has a little bit of first love in her vibe, and she's still so proactive... Which man can resist this kind of offensive?

"What are you thinking about all day, little brain of yours?"

"Gao Yuanyuan said she was traveling in Beihai and asked if Weizhou Island was fun and how the filming was going. I chatted with her for a few more minutes, and it was pretty normal, right?"

Of course Lu Zhiyuan knew that Gao Yuanyuan was a little abnormal.

However, as the saying goes, one who eats from others is soft-hearted, and one who takes from others is soft-handed... His robot project accidentally fell into the hands of Gao Yuanyuan's elder brother!

According to Mr. Gao, a wealthy woman who wishes to remain anonymous invested 30 million yuan in this project, which gave him enough money to form a team and develop the first generation of robots.

Do we need to ask about this rich young woman who doesn’t want to reveal her name?
It must be Gao Yuanyuan!

I didn’t expect that Gao Yuanyuan is already so rich in this era!
A definitely rich woman!

Lu Zhiyuan never expected this!
The main thing is that Gao Yuanyuan looked like a naive girl next door from beginning to end, and not like a rich woman at all.

"Brother, something's wrong... You're actually explaining this to me? There's something wrong with you!"

If Lu Zhiyuan said nothing and continued to act cool as before, Reba would not think too much about it.

But Lu Zhiyuan insisted on explaining!
This made Reba feel that she had predicted everything!
"What are you thinking about all day, girl? Gao Yuanyuan and I don't have that kind of relationship. Okay, stop thinking about it. I'm going to take a nap."

Lu Zhiyuan tapped Reba's forehead in annoyance and told her to get out quickly and stop acting like a gossip paparazzi every day.

The temperament of a cool goddess is gone.

"It's okay if it's not."

Reba chuckled, turned around and ran out the door.

The feeling is different after recognizing him as my elder brother. Lu Zhiyuan is obviously much closer to me.

Before, why would Lu Zhiyuan point his finger at his forehead?
No matter what happened to Gao Yuanyuan, his own strategy progress had obviously made a big step forward.

……

The next morning.

The sun is shining and the sea is calm.

The typhoon has completely passed and ferry services are back in operation.

The entire crew packed up everything, took a ferry to leave Weizhou Island, then transferred in Beihai and flew to Singapore.

"Weizhou Island is quite fun. I would like to come again if I have the chance next time."

"The sunset under the lighthouse is really beautiful. If only it wasn't a typhoon."

"I wonder if that hotel in Singapore is any good?"

When we got off the ferry and arrived at Beihai Pier, everyone was talking and laughing, looking very relaxed.

After all, this time, they captured a world-class painting.

The next shooting content is very simple, and the film will be completed smoothly soon.

Everyone can go home for vacation!

You can rest for at least three months!
Because, during these three months, director Lu Zhiyuan will do the post-production editing and even color grading himself... He likes to do all these steps himself!
Compared to other directors who are partial to certain subjects... Director Lu Zhiyuan is an all-rounder!

Everyone was discussing where to go after the holiday. However, the moment they got off the ferry and stepped onto the pier, everyone's eyes widened and then their mouths shut.

At this moment, everyone looked at each other for a few seconds, with the flames of gossip burning in their eyes.

"Gao Yuanyuan!"

"Am I seeing things? Why is Gao Yuanyuan here?"

"Where's my phone? I need to text the boss lady!"

The male lead in this crew is Keanu Reeves, who has nothing to do with Gao Yuanyuan. The second male lead is Tom Hiddleston, who has nothing to do with Gao Yuanyuan.

After looking around, the only person in the entire crew who has any connection with Gao Yuanyuan is director Lu Zhiyuan.

Many staff members in the crew had just attended the celebration party for "Maze of the Heart" and each of them received red envelopes from the boss Jingtian.

This is just great.

Do you want to betray your boss and tell his wife the news?
Otherwise, this red envelope will be too hot to handle!
"Sister Cha, why are you here? Didn't we agree to meet at the airport?"

At the critical moment, Reba jumped out smartly, walked up to Gao Yuanyuan with a smile, held her hand, and pulled Gao Yuanyuan away in an affectionate manner.

It relieved everyone of the psychological burden of betraying Lu Zhiyuan and informing the boss lady!

However, this damn girl Reba has a really poisonous mouth.

Formerly known as Liu Yifei and Sister Niu.

Now she is called Gao Yuanyuan, Sister Cha.

The word "Tea Sister" almost made the other crew members burst out laughing.

As for how Gao Yuanyuan got the nickname "Tea Sister"... the crew members quickly came up with several reasons.

One reason is that Gao Yuanyuan often participates in tea beverage promotion activities.

Secondly, Gao Yuanyuan’s previous nickname was the Oxygen Goddess, and when she was shooting the commercial, there was a tea mountain behind her.

of course.

The most important reason is that Gao Yuanyuan is a green tea girl.

When she looks at people, her eyes are gentle and without any aggression, and her figure is weak, which easily makes men want to protect her.

The way he dresses, the tone of his voice, his movements and gestures, all of them are full of the flavor of tea.

Men like green tea girls because they are good-looking, good at talking, considerate, and can read men's emotions.

However, for women, this is a green tea bitch, and everyone should punish her.

"Reba, don't call me Sister Cha. It's so unpleasant. Also, you have some misunderstandings about me. I'm just here for tourism."

Gao Yuanyuan repeatedly emphasized that she is not a green tea bitch, nor is she that scheming, and she did not deliberately have an accidental encounter with Lu Zhiyuan.

It's just a coincidence.

"Sister Cha, do you believe what you said?" Reba snorted softly and whispered in Gao Yuanyuan's ear, "You sent 16 messages to my brother. I read every one of them. You used [hmm], [waiting for you], [I'm so stupid], [I can't do it], and [you're so awesome] many times in them. Tell me, you're not Sister Cha?"

Men like chatting with green tea girls the most because they are really good at providing emotional value.

A beautiful girl shows weakness, acts dumb...how cute is that?

But as a girl, Reba could tell at a glance that the other party was doing it on purpose.

Men are so easy to fool, they even believe this kind of trick!

"Sister Cha, please leave now, otherwise I'm afraid I won't be able to resist reporting you!"

After seeing that Gao Yuanyuan was exposed by him, although his face looked very embarrassed, he did not move his feet. He looked at Lu Zhiyuan with charming eyes, hoping for a chance encounter.

However, Reba was like a mountain in Altay, standing in the way and preventing Gao Yuanyuan from going beyond the line.

"Sister Cha, let me give you a famous quote."

"The person you cross mountains and rivers to see will not remember you at all. He will only remember the person he crosses mountains and rivers to see."

Who is the person Lu Zhiyuan crossed mountains and rivers to see?

Of course it’s me, Reba!
I flew 3000 kilometers to Urumqi and selected the heroine from among thousands of people.

Who else would I be?

"Reba, stop chatting. The bus is here. It's time to go."

Lu Zhiyuan did not come over. After seeing Gao Yuanyuan from a distance, he nodded slightly as a greeting, then turned around and got on the bus.

Xin Yukun came over and called Reba away.

Tell this damn girl to stop being so arrogant. Didn’t you see that my oxygen goddess’ eyes are red because of your verbal attack?
This damn girl is so cruel!
After sending Reba away, Xin Yukun pulled Gao Yuanyuan aside and said earnestly, "Sister Yuanyuan, your appearance here is indeed unexpected and has given us a big surprise. But you've put Ayuan in a difficult position by doing this."

"Ok?"

Gao Yuanyuan originally thought that Xin Yukun was the same as Reba, so she asked her to stay away and not disturb Lu Zhiyuan, after all, he was already taken.

At this moment, she suddenly felt that Xin Yukun seemed to have something else to say.

"Life, like movies, needs a sense of ritual. But what exactly is this sense of ritual? You're an artistic young woman, so you should understand it better than I do."

"No matter what, doing it in front of so many people will only be embarrassing."

"Recall what the other person did. She directly took over the Xi'an city wall. In the pouring rain, it was just the two of them. How beautiful and pure is that memory?"

Memories without any outsiders are memories that belong to two people. What value does the shared memories of hundreds of people have?
"Brother Kun, I think I understand. Thank you."

Gao Yuanyuan's eyes suddenly lit up and she turned around and left happily.

But after taking a few steps, she turned back and whispered in Xin Yukun's ear, "That robotics startup has already been registered and is called Yuangao Technology. We're still looking for a part-time chairman advisor. If you're successful, you can get 1% of the shares. Brother Kun, I think you're capable of doing this."

Who is the chairman?
Of course, whoever pays the money will be the chairman.

The company's start-up capital was all provided by Gao Yuanyuan, who is the chairman.

This chairman's advisor is her personal advisor.

"Boss Gao, I will do my utmost to help you achieve hegemony!"

1% of the shares, given for free, is now worth 30.

According to Lu Zhiyuan's estimation, if this company develops, it will be worth at least 100 billion in the future.

Rich women are generous.

In a word, it is equivalent to giving him 100 million potential shares!
As soon as he heard the conditions offered by Gao Yuanyuan, Brother Kun immediately rebelled and began to support Gao Yuanyuan unconditionally.

"Boss Gao, please listen to my advisor's advice. Hold your ground for now and don't alert the enemy."

"After you finish filming this movie, I'll help you arrange it. You'll definitely be the female lead in the next 'Real Steel'!"

Xin Yukun bowed to Gao Yuanyuan and even changed his address to "Mr. Gao".

Then, under the gaze of countless people, he respectfully sent Gao Yuanyuan to the car and let her fly back to Yanjing.

Waiting for good news.

……

Hong Kong Island.

After being criticized by Reba, Liu Yifei did not return to Yanjing, but went to Hong Kong Island nearby.

Because after the "A Chinese Ghost Story" project, there was another movie called "The Four" in Hong Kong Island, and they wanted to invite her to be the female lead.

And, this could be a series.

Once this project is completed, Liu Yifei will have no worries about not having movies to shoot in the next few years.

However, the other party's implicit meaning was that he could help to connect and help her get the project done, but he needed a commission.

This is also an unspoken rule in the industry.

Liu Yifei didn't want to go at first.

But her mother had passed away, and considering her current situation, it seemed she had no choice.

Hey.

Let's take a step by step.

It’s all because of that damn girl Reba. She broke my defense with just one sentence.

……

In a room shrouded in fog.

Liu Yifei couldn't see how many people were there. She only saw countless cigarettes burning in the room, sometimes flickering, and the pungent smell of alcohol emanating from it.

She frowned slightly and just wanted to end it all quickly!
"Robot is a complete flop!"

"Ah Wei is finished!"

"Let's not talk about the mainland box office for now. In Hong Kong, the box office was only a few hundred thousand and it was directly offline. It's a complete loss of face!"

"When he was filming 'A Chinese Odyssey', it had already flopped once, but he got lucky later and the movie inexplicably became a hit again."

"He really thinks that luck is strength."

Liu Yifei was brought by Fang Long to a party of a big boss.

She sat quietly in the corner.

As an actress, she had no right to speak in such an occasion.

Only after people have finished talking about serious matters, joked with her, or chatted about family matters, she is qualified to call them uncle or aunt.

At this time, a fat man, holding a cigar, waved his hand.

The others immediately stopped talking.

"Let's not complain about Wei for now. His failure at least gives us some warning."

"Based on the current situation, the model of combining Hong Kong-style science fiction with the mainland model seems to be a bit unworkable."

"Nonsense comedy and science fiction are simply incompatible."

"Science fiction has to be cool and epic, like The Matrix or Blade Runner, with grand concepts involving the fate of mankind."

"Science fiction is completely incompatible with the down-to-earth, nonsensical attitudes of small-town youth. When he was filming, I told him, 'You're not going to make a living if you do this.'"

"He just doesn't believe in evil!"

"People without culture have nothing to say."

"I told him to read more, but he wouldn't listen. Now, he's ruined his career."

The fat boss asked others not to complain, but he was the one who complained the most sharply, and criticized Liu Zhenwei badly.

Everyone else was silent, some even looking embarrassed.

Because, except for a few who have attended college, most of the people sitting here actually have little education.

"I heard there's a young man in mainland China named Lu Zhiyuan who's filming a Hollywood sci-fi movie called 'Upgrade' about the concept of AI robots. Has anyone heard of it?"

Suddenly, a guy in a black suit with a big belly asked a question.

"Ayuan, I know him very well."

Seeing that no one else said anything, Fang Long spoke up: "He is a very talented young man with his own ideas."

"He asked me privately if I wanted to be in that movie. I seriously considered it. However, he told me that my character might die, so I declined."

Everyone knows that Fang Long doesn't like to play dying roles!
Many people want to call Fang Long an idiot!
A $3000 million production, a Hollywood blockbuster, or a science fiction movie... Why be so picky when you can just shoot it?
However, considering that the other party is Fang Long and is not short of large investments, I will not say more.

"No matter what, this movie, a Sino-US co-production, is also the first commercial film by the Palme d'Or director. The mainland is clearly supporting him to the end!"

"Next summer, the release date of our movie will probably have to be adjusted because of him!"

As soon as these words were spoken, others expressed dissatisfaction.

"There are only a few release dates: either the summer season or the National Day holiday. If he dominates the summer season, should we postpone all of them? Let him eat up the market all by himself?"

Upon hearing this, someone else stood up to refute it, with a sarcastic tone.

"How about this, don't back down! If you have the guts, go and confront him head-on. When the time comes, when you jump off the building, the worst that can happen is that I'll just give you an extra mourning couplet."

"Haha... a sci-fi movie with a budget of 3000 million US dollars, you're going to hit it with your head?"

Others stepped forward and asked this person to speak less.

He is already old, but still has such a bad temper. Be careful of his high blood pressure exploding, or they will have to send him to the hospital for emergency treatment.

"Brother Xin is right."

"The market is limited, and students have limited money. If you could only buy one movie ticket, would you rather see a Hollywood blockbuster, an AI-powered sci-fi movie directed by a Chinese director, starring a Chinese actress, and starring Keanu Reeves... or some martial arts 3D fantasy movie we made?"

"It's clear we can't beat him."

"Well, it's frustrating, but that's the truth... Unless we find a big moneymaker and get them to invest 2 million Hong Kong dollars in us so we can also make a big production!"

Obviously, it is impossible for anyone to come up with 2 million Hong Kong dollars to invest in them to make a movie.

No one is stupid.

Take out 2 million and let them play with a straw hat that costs 4000?

Thinking of this, everyone cursed in their hearts.

Damn it, Wu Yusen, he’s screwed everyone!
He felt good, he could just pat his butt and retire...but he ruined everyone's job!
"No one is talking, so let's go!"

"They're coming at us with such force and momentum that they're unstoppable. They're only making their second movie and they can beat up 10 of you. And you can't even think of a countermeasure."

"A bunch of trash."

"In a few years, we'll all go to the streets and sell barbecued pork together."

After the man finished speaking, he smiled disdainfully and sat down in his seat.

ai science fiction movie!

Dick or not?
Is it a big gimmick?
Those students would probably go crazy when they heard this concept.

This bunch of old-fashioned people probably don’t even know what AI is and have fallen behind the times.

I told them to read more books when they have time, but they all acted like their mother had died and said nothing.

When it comes to having sex with women, he comes faster than anyone else.

Look at Lu Zhiyuan, he has already entered Hollywood and is still studying diligently. I heard that he is setting up a robotics company recently.

You are a big director, why do you set up a robotics company instead of having affairs with women?

It's simply anti-human!

Now, all our colleagues have been killed!
"Yifei, I heard that you are very familiar with him. Do you know anything about this movie?"

Fang Long asked Liu Yifei to say a few words as well.

It can also be considered as raising one's own status.

Liu Yifei thought for a moment and then said slowly, "From what I understand, the movie 'Upgrade' won't be released during next summer's box office. He thinks the return on his money is too slow. It will most likely be released during the North American winter season, which is January of next year, possibly alongside 'Avatar'."

what?
As soon as Liu Yifei finished speaking, the box, which was a little noisy just now, suddenly became extremely quiet, and you could hear a pin drop.

Many people turned to look over.

Released together with Avatar?
This kid is crazy!

If it were them, they probably wouldn't even dare to have this idea.

Certain death!

At this time, some people admired Lu Zhiyuan's courage, while others felt that Lu Zhiyuan was ignorant and fearless.

"and many more!"

Suddenly, Fang Long thought of something and his smile disappeared.

He murmured, "January next year? Doesn't that clash with the release date of my film 'Little Big Soldier'?"

In North America, Avatar will be released before Christmas, and in mainland China, it will probably be released around New Year's Day.

For Chinese audiences, January is not a good time period.

If Lu Zhiyuan's movie is to be released at this juncture, it will probably be released a month later, most likely at the end of January, close to the Spring Festival.

Finished!

Fang Long didn’t know whether “Upgrade” would be defeated by “Avatar”... He only knew that he would be defeated by Lu Zhiyuan!

(End of this chapter)