It's reasonable for me to be a three-time Golden Horse Award-winning director and an all-around

Chapter 43: Let's fleece the top domestic photography masters!

There are no direct flights from Beijing to Iceland. You have to fly to Helsinki, Finland first, and then transfer to Keflavik International Airport in Iceland.

The entire journey took 13 hours and 5 minutes, which is quite a distance!
After boarding the plane, Lü Rui chatted casually with Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui for a few minutes before closing his eyes to rest.

He wasn't actually asleep; instead, he immersed his consciousness in the system.

A new task popped up on the light blue panel:
[Please expedite the six stages of the filming process for "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty": completion of filming, post-production editing, special effects production, submission for censorship, sale of rights, and theatrical distribution, and successfully secure a release date.]

[Reward upon completion of the mission: S-rank talent: Scriptwriting and adaptation skills for action/sci-fi/war/fantasy/adventure/disaster genres.]

Lu Rui was already starting to look forward to it.

With this S-level talent, he has already acquired screenwriting and adaptation skills for almost all film genres, which will definitely be of great help to the localization of scripts in the future!

Upon landing in Iceland, everyone checked into their hotel without incident.

The room had already been disinfected, and the air quality here was quite good, so there was no need to worry about SARS spreading.

"Everyone, go pack your bags and adjust to the time difference. We'll start work on time in two days."

At Lü Rui's command, everyone responded and returned to their rooms.

I had just put my luggage down when I suddenly received a new message on my phone.

It was a message from Liu Yifei: "Senior, I passed the audition! It's a TV series adapted from a game, filming starts at the end of the year, hehe~"

"great, good luck."

After giving a brief reply, Lü Rui began to adjust to the time difference.

The following morning, he and his driver went straight to the airport to pick up Jiang Wen, who had come from Cannes, and... Gu Changwei?!
He was quite surprised when he met this top photographer who graduated from the Beijing Film Academy.

Why did this person come along too?

"Let me introduce you, this is Gu Changwei, Director Gu."

"This is Lü Rui."

Jiang Wen introduced the two of them to each other.

"Hello, Teacher Gu." Lü Rui took the initiative to extend his hand and shake hands with the other person.

"Red Sorghum," "Ju Dou," "Farewell My Concubine," "In the Heat of the Sun," "Devils on the Doorstep"... these renowned films in the history of Chinese cinema were all born through the lens of Gu Changwei.

Calling him the number one photographer in China is absolutely well-deserved!

"Director Lü, haha, seeing is believing, you're so young."

Gu Changwei's wrinkles deepened with his smile, making him look somewhat weathered.

But in reality, he is only 46 years old this year, which is the prime of his life, and his wife, Jiang Wenli, is only 37 years old.

Speaking of his wife, there's actually a very "explosive" piece of gossip about her!

Years ago, Jiang Wenli was the girlfriend of Wang Quan'an, another bigwig in the Northwest film industry.

Around 1989, Wang Quan'an starred in a movie called "The Grass on the Plain".

Although the film ultimately failed to pass censorship and be released, it brought him a sweet love.

In the movie, the female lead, Jiang Wenli, was successfully pursued and won over by him.

However, for some reason, Gu Changwei also took a liking to Jiang Wenli.

Even though someone told him at the time that Jiang Wenli already had a boyfriend.

But instead of backing down, he became even more excited and launched a fierce pursuit of her!

By chance, Jiang Wenli starred in the film "Farewell My Concubine" directed by Chen Kaige, playing a charming and alluring courtesan.

It just so happens that Gu Changwei was also the cinematographer for this film.

After a while, the two of them started getting involved.

Then, Wang Quan'an declared in the industry that "I am irreconcilably opposed to Gu Changwei!"

The feud between the two sides was fundamentally unresolved, and even Zhang Yimou's personal intervention only managed to calm them down slightly.

“We just happened to run into each other in Cannes,” Jiang Wen patted Gu Changwei on the shoulder and explained with a smile, “He heard that I was going to make a cameo appearance here, and since he had nothing else to do, he came along.”

"Welcome, Professor Gu, for your guidance."

Lu Rui smiled broadly and then instructed his assistant to call the hotel immediately to book another room. "It's alright, no need to trouble yourself. If there are no rooms available, Jiang Wen and I can sleep together." Gu Changwei squinted, his smile hearty.

Lü Rui: "???"

No?

There's nothing going on between you two, right?
Let's not end up like Chen Kaige and Christopher Doyle, creating another director-cinematographer pairing like in "Temptress Moon"!
If this gets out, it will be extremely indecent!

"Yes, the hotel has double rooms, so you don't have to squeeze in," Lu Rui quickly reminded them.

He had to keep an eye on Jiang Wen for Zhou Yun, and he absolutely couldn't let him lose his virginity abroad.

He just divorced his ex-wife, and he still has a beautiful girlfriend at home. If he were to cause trouble abroad, especially with a man... that would be really indecent!

Sleeping together is fine, but stacking on top of each other is not!

"Then trouble you."

Gu Changwei was quite easygoing, completely unaware that Lü Rui had begun to suspect his relationship with Jiang Wen...

After getting in the car, Jiang Wen casually revealed, "Old Gu has been thinking about transitioning into a director lately, and he's been traveling all over the world looking for inspiration."

Upon hearing this, the name "Peacock" immediately popped into Lü Rui's mind.

Then came the sensational gossip that would later rock the industry: "Director's wife slaps mistress"!

He suppressed his complex emotions and smiled, "Teacher Gu has been a cinematographer for many years, so transitioning to directing is a natural progression."

This person holds a prominent position in the Northwest film industry, considered the number two figure after Zhang Yimou; it's only a matter of time before he transitions to a new career path.

"It's not that easy." Gu Changwei shook his head with a wry smile, his brows furrowing. "I don't even know if the script I've worked on will suit the tastes of the film festival judges."

The implication is clear: his new work is aimed at winning awards!

Jiang Wen suddenly slapped his thigh and said excitedly, "Listen to me, let me be your producer! With me backing you up, the film is guaranteed to be a success!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Changwei's lips twitched involuntarily, and he hurriedly waved his hand to refuse: "No way! You're such a busy person, my little temple can't accommodate such a big Buddha as you. I'll take my time taking pictures myself."

He wants Jiang Wen to supervise his production?

He really didn't dare!
A perfectly good white peacock, if Jiang Wen were to mess with it, it would definitely be tainted into a black peacock, or even a yellow one!

The lessons of the past are laid bare before us in a bloody manner.

Last year, Lu Chuan's film "Looking for a Gun" was released and received very good reviews.

But now he is still filming a new movie in Hoh Xil, enduring wind and rain, just to get rid of the "stigma" of producer Jiang Wen.

Although he was Lu Chuan's child, to outsiders he was surnamed Jiang.

Gu Changwei didn't want to see this happen; "Peacock" had to take his surname!
~

If we were to ask who in the "Daydreamer" crew was most excited about Gu Changwei's arrival, besides Lü Rui, it would undoubtedly be Ning Hao.

At the welcome dinner that evening, the two men, holding wine glasses from both sides, flanked the photography expert, making him beam with delight.

Ning Hao humbly sought advice, eager to absorb all of his senior's experience.

Lu Rui, on the other hand, had his own agenda, planning to take advantage of him!
"Take it easy, kid, don't get him all drunk." Jiang Wen saw through Lü Rui's thoughts and admonished him in a serious tone.

"It's ok! It's ok!"

Lu Rui waved with a smile, then put his arm around Gu Changwei's shoulder and clinked glasses, addressing him as "Teacher Gu" repeatedly.

The effects of alcohol on the head are immediate!
The next day, on set, Gu Changwei picked up a camera without really understanding what was going on.

The camera pans across the stunning scenery of Grundfolk's Hat Mountain, the magnificent landscape of Iceland's Route 93, the picturesque scenery of Seyðisfjörður Fjord, the grandeur and mystery of Vatnajökull Glacier, the breathtaking beauty of Fjallsárlón Glacier Lagoon, and the awe-inspiring power of Skógafoss...

These unique and magnificent landscapes of Iceland, under the lens of Gu Changwei, have become a visual metaphor for "breaking the mundane," with each frame seemingly telling a story of yearning for freedom!

Ning Hao is quite accurate when shooting close-ups of people, but if you ask him to shoot these geological landscapes, he inevitably falls short.

His slight color blindness makes him less adept at capturing the nuances of light and shadow.

Before coming to Iceland, Lü Rui originally planned to use the A-level talent rewarded by the system when needed, and personally cooperate with Ning Hao to sculpt the scene using Ben Stiller's aesthetic techniques.

But to everyone's surprise, Jiang Wen actually brought over the great Gu Changwei!

With such a master photographer right in front of us, wouldn't it be a waste not to take full advantage of him?

(End of this chapter)