Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 734 Movie Route: Crossing Eurasia, Entering the Snow-capped Peaks
Beijing, Sanlitun.

A hidden gem in the heart of Taikoo Li North, this café has become a top choice for many people to meet privately, thanks to its exceptional privacy and minimalist design.

Liu Yifei wore a fitted black turtleneck cashmere sweater, casually draped with a camel-colored coat, her long hair flowing smoothly over her shoulders.

She sipped her latte slowly, listening quietly as Xue Xiaolu across from her excitedly recounted a brand new story.

"Effie, this is my core idea right now. To be honest, it feels a bit like a tribute to Sleepless in Seattle."

Xue Xiaolu took a sip of water to moisten her slightly dry throat and concluded.

"A mistress who lives a comfortable life in China but is spiritually empty travels alone to Seattle in order to have a child with her wealthy boyfriend."

There, she met a down-on-his-luck but warm and kind man.

Xue Xiaolu's eyes sparkled with the unique brilliance of a creator.

She knew that the story contained too many elements that could touch upon the pain points and itch points of contemporary Chinese society.

Materialism, giving birth in the US, midlife crisis, and the choice between love and material possessions.

Of course, she's no longer the screenwriter who used to write scripts in her rented room, with piles of manuscripts higher than her bed, yet never receiving a single reply to her emails.
Despite her previous statement that she would continue to collaborate with Starry Night on her next film.
However, production companies have been contacting her for the past two years.

"Teacher Xue, Xingchen and I fully support you!"

Liu Yifei quickly finished thinking.
Receiving a positive reply from Liu Yifei, Xue Xiaolu breathed a sigh of relief. Although she was not too worried about the film not being produced, Xingchen was undoubtedly the best partner.

Moreover, she is given ample autonomy and is generally not interfered with in the director's creative process, which is especially important to her.

"Okay, but the script might not be ready so soon; I need to polish it a bit more."

"No rush, Teacher Xue!"

Liu Yifei smiled sweetly, and then the two began to talk about other things.

When Wu Chen found out, Liu Yifei was talking non-stop in front of him.

"I think Professor Xue's project has great commercial potential. The subject matter is bold and it's very topical. Once it's filmed, it will definitely generate a lot of buzz."

Moreover, romantic comedies are one of the most popular genres on the market.

Wu Chen looked at her strangely and teased, "Oh, you're all so good at analyzing things now? Looks like calling you 'boss lady' has some effect after all."

"Oh dear, why are you like this?"

Liu Yifei playfully slapped his hand away, her cheeks burning slightly.

However, she herself felt a little strange, wondering when her way of thinking seemed to have quietly changed.

Forget it, I don't want to.

She attributed it all to being subtly influenced by the guy next to her.

"what?"

It was only then that she noticed a world map spread out on the huge rosewood table in the living room.

Above, several dots were drawn with a red marker, forming a winding line.

Why are you spreading out a world map?

“Design a route for the new film.”

Wu Chen chuckled softly, his gaze fixed on the map, his eyes filled with the focus and excitement of a creator.

Liu Yifei tilted her head in confusion, staring at him blankly.

Wu Chen took her hand and led her to the map.

"This is how I plan to design it."

His finger touched the word "capital" on the map, and then slowly moved westward.

"Starting from the capital, heading west, traversing the western inland of China, crossing the Eurasian continent, heading towards the ocean at the edge of the world, and finally returning to the top of the world."

"The film incorporates some of the most magnificent landscapes in China and the world."

Looking at the route he had drawn, Wu Chen felt an unprecedented interest in the design of his new film.

This route will show you the azure blue of Qinghai Lake meeting the yellowish-brown of the Gobi Desert;
You can see Iceland's volcanic ash covering millennia-old glaciers, and the aurora borealis dancing like silk in the cold night sky;
Finally, you can also look up at the dazzling Milky Way, seemingly within reach, in the thin air of the Himalayas.

Liu Yifei listened quietly, her eyes growing brighter and brighter.

Isn't this everything she's dreamed of?

It perfectly blends work, travel, and love.

"really?"

Her voice unconsciously rose a few notes, trembling with disbelief. "Really?"

Wu Chen turned his head, looked into her bright eyes, and smiled.

"I'll be the director, and you'll be the producer. We'll take the opportunity to travel around. It's just that it might be a bit more strenuous than a simple trip."

Before she could finish speaking, Liu Yifei rushed into his arms and hugged him tightly.

"It's not hard at all! There's nothing hard about it!"

She nuzzled her head against his chest, her mind already starting to wander uncontrollably into daydreams.

On the shore of Qinghai Lake, he held up a light meter, sunlight shining on his profile.

Beneath a waterfall in Iceland, she held an umbrella to shield him from the splashing water as he watched the monitor.

Under the Himalayan starry sky, they huddled together, bundled up in thick down jackets, drinking steaming hot butter tea.
Just thinking about it makes me feel like the image is bursting forth.
"Then when are we leaving? Is the script finished?" She lifted her head from his embrace and asked impatiently.

Wu Chen couldn't help but laugh at her impatient manner.

He knew perfectly well that Liu Yifei was naturally artistic, and his descriptions alone were enough to move her.

"What are you thinking about? We just finished drawing the route."

"whee."

Liu Yifei then realized what was happening, and with a slightly embarrassed giggle, she snuggled back into his arms.

"That's how the story is designed right now."

The protagonist is an ordinary person who works at the China National Geographic magazine, a "Beijing drifter" living in his own daydream.

In search of a lost negative by a legendary photographer, he mustered his courage and embarked on a journey that crossed half the globe.

"He will travel from Beijing to Qinghai Lake and Longyangxia, and experience his first sense of freedom on the deserted lakeside road."

Then, he would fly to Iceland, where he would ride a skateboard downhill beneath black volcanic rocks and massive waterfalls, chasing after a fishing boat that was about to set sail.

Finally, he will find the photographer, and he will find himself, on the snow-capped mountains of the Himalayas.

As Wu Chen spoke, specific images began to appear in his mind.

The best time to shoot is in the summer.

Along the shores of Qinghai Lake, fields of golden rapeseed flowers stretch as far as the eye can see.

The lake water was a deep blue, as clear as God's tears.

Herds of cattle and sheep graze leisurely on the grassland.

Strong visual impact.

The earth forest landscape of Longyangxia, with its desolation and magnificence, reveals another side of the earth.

He even started planning the shooting time and order in his mind.

As Liu Yifei listened, she suddenly slipped out of his arms, stretched out her slender finger, and poked his chest.

"That's not right."

"Hmm?" Wu Chen raised an eyebrow.

“Look,” Liu Yifei immediately began to analyze seriously, “If you want to photograph the rapeseed flowers at Qinghai Lake, it has to be in July or August, right? That’s when they’re most beautiful.”

However, the best time to see the Northern Lights in Iceland is from September to April of the following year. You, the protagonist, just finished seeing the rapeseed flowers, and now you have to wait a whole month in Iceland to see the Northern Lights?
When you're filming, you should first head to the Himalayas, because the best climbing seasons are spring and autumn. Then you can detour to Iceland!

There's a tiny bit of truth to that!

"What do you mean by 'a tiny bit of reason'? My analysis is correct. You couldn't possibly use special effects for this kind of scenery, could you? You're a big-name director. Otherwise, what about your humanistic concern? What about your documentary aesthetics?"

Seeing that Wu Chen refused to admit it, she immediately started teasing him in the tone of those film critics.

Wu Chen was speechless after hearing her words. In the end, he could only act like a spoiled child, pulling her into his arms and rubbing the stubble on his chin against her smooth face.

"Hey! You're cheating!"

"I am having an in-depth, constructive, and physical conversation with the producer."

"Ugh! That pricked me!"

The study was filled with the cheerful laughter of the two playfully teasing each other.

And at the same time.

On the other side of Beijing, Ning Hao looked at the revised version of "No Man's Land" and couldn't help but take a deep breath.
(End of this chapter)