Huayu: The director just wants to save money

Chapter 892 Since there are good ideas, let's not let any of them slip by.

Da Tian Tian and her assistant had different reactions after hearing Zhou Mo's concept for the feature film.

The assistant was shocked. He hadn't been Zhou Mo's assistant for long, but he was deeply impressed by Zhou Mo's ability to create a whole drama with just a few strokes of his mind.

Da Tian Tian was very interested in Zhou Mo's script.

"You just specifically stated that Nezha, Yang Jian, and Sun Wukong's armor users will not cooperate, and will still choose to fight separately even when facing the final boss. Is that to subvert expectations?"

"I guess so, but that's actually part of their character design. These three mythological figures are inherently arrogant and unwilling to submit to anyone else. All we need to do is add a setting where the user of the armor is chosen only if their personality matches that of the mythological figure."

Da Tiantian raised an eyebrow: "What if we design the plot using a historical figure + heroic spirit model, for example, with Zhao Yun's armor as the protagonist? How should the plot be arranged?"

After a moment's thought, Zhou Mo quickly came up with an answer.

"If it's the Zhao Yun armor, I will still arrange a storyline where the protagonist fights alone, but this won't be because of the protagonist's personality. Rather, I will assign the protagonist a special destiny—"

The protagonist is very lucky and always manages to escape danger, but the price is that the people around him are always unlucky; the closer they are to him, the more unfortunate they become. Therefore, the protagonist always prefers one person.

The assistant's eyes lit up, and he interjected, "Since ancient times, spearmen have been unlucky (E). All spearmen in the world have a luck of one stone, but Zhao Zilong alone has one stone and two, while the others owe two bushels."

"That's right, that's the idea. Because of this destiny, the protagonist always goes alone and doesn't like anyone to be with him."

In addition, he has another characteristic: the more teammates die and the more enemies there are, the stronger he becomes in combat.

Furthermore, if there is something that needs to be protected at all costs, Zhao Yun's armor will be fully unleashed, unleashing dozens of times its original combat power.

The assistant added again: "At Changban Slope, they charged in and out seven times to rescue A Dou."

"Yes."

Zhou Mo nodded. With the character conception at this stage, the subsequent plot could already be roughly described.

"First of all, if we use Zhao Yun as the protagonist, we will basically have to make the Five Tiger Generals of Shu Han the main characters."

The protagonist, as the user of Zhao Yun's armor, is the last of the Five Tiger Generals to be found.

His appearance was warmly welcomed by the other four armor users, because the Five Tigers of each generation would become close comrades-in-arms in the process of constant battles.

However, the protagonist was not happy at all in the face of this welcome; on the contrary, he was very anxious.

Because of his strange traits, those who are close to him are more likely to encounter misfortune.

In later episodes, he explained the situation to the other armor users, who indeed encountered more danger than usual.

Fortunately, as important characters in the TV series, these armor users are all very strong in combat. After paying some price, they can basically get rid of the danger.

The protagonist gradually integrates into the Five Tiger Generals' team.

Then, by some chance, another great battle broke out. Faced with a vast horde of monsters, the protagonist chose to leave the battlefield alone.

This wasn't him deserting his post, but rather he believed that in this situation, he had to stay away from his teammates, otherwise they would be killed by his own traits.

However, this action of luring away the monsters by himself greatly increased the danger to the protagonist. Fortunately, the protagonist has the 'seven in and seven out' buff and barely managed to withstand it. But after defeating all the enemies, the protagonist was defeated by the long-awaited big BOSS and taken away.

Meanwhile, the four armor wielders of the Five Tiger Generals – Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Huang Zhong, and Ma Chao – completely defeated the enemy. They learned that the protagonist had been taken away by the big boss, so they teamed up to go to the boss's lair. They fought their way through five checkpoints and defeated six generals, and at the cost of four people being seriously injured, they held off the minions, inflicted heavy damage on the boss, and rescued the protagonist.

Ultimately, the protagonist, relying on their own buffs, grasped the essence of 'protection' and, together with their teammates, defeated the final boss.

In just five hundred words, a classic and exciting storyline was decided.

The assistant was somewhat stunned. How could the plot of a movie be so easy for the boss?

Da Tiantian hesitated a bit. Both storylines were quite good, satisfying the thrill of battle while maintaining the historical figures' prestige, and without being too complicated.

"To be honest, I think both of these storylines are good enough to be made."

After thinking for a moment, Da Tian Tian shared her thoughts.

Zhou Mo was somewhat surprised.

The downsides of planning to produce two tokusatsu dramas together are obvious: actors, teams, resources, and internal competition after production is complete.

"Tell me what you think?"

"I don't really have any ideas, but I feel that your ideas are very valuable for change, not to mention that the market for tokusatsu dramas is not limited to China."

Series like "Kamen Rider" are quite popular throughout Asia, while series like "Super Sentai" also have a place in the Western market.

My suggestion is to produce two public productions or produce them one after the other, with the historical tokusatsu drama produced first and broadcast domestically before testing the international market.

Tokusatsu dramas with mythological backgrounds will be broadcast later, primarily targeting the domestic market. If tokusatsu dramas with historical backgrounds are successful overseas, then tokusatsu dramas with mythological backgrounds will also be given a try.

Zhou Mo considered Da Tian Tian's suggestion in his mind and discussed it with his assistant for a while before deciding that it was feasible.

“Okay, let’s go with Sweetie’s plan. Let’s film a tokusatsu drama about historical heroes first, and then film a tokusatsu drama about mythological figures.”

"it is good."

The assistant noted down the request and turned to leave the office.

boom.

After the door was briefly examined, Zhou Mo looked at Da Tian Tian and found that she was still deep in thought.

"what happened?"

"I just thought of something, which is that we have a lot of mythological material in China, so we can make a tokusatsu drama about mythological figures."

Other countries also possess a wealth of mythological material; could this material be adapted into a tokusatsu (special effects) drama?

For example, Norse mythology, Greek mythology, and Celtic mythology all feature characters with distinct personalities and fixed traits. Upon closer examination, these mythologies are even more suitable for tokusatsu (special effects) dramas than domestic mythology.

Is it a foreign myth?

Zhou Mo searched online for the Norse mythology system.

Da Tian Tian also lay down and watched from the side.

When she saw "Ragnarok," Da Tiantian happily pointed at the screen: "Yes, yes, that's Ragnarok! It can totally be set as the background for the final battle in Norse mythology. And each of these Norse people has very distinct characteristics: Thor, Baldr, Loki, the god of deception..."

The armor, transformation devices, and personal storylines of these mythological figures must have been easy to create, don't you think?

Zhou Mo nodded slightly. What Da Tiantian said was indeed true. It wasn't just the Norse mythology system; Greek mythology was the same. There was the hot-tempered and war-loving Ares, the wise Athena, the brave Hercules, the proud Apollo...

These mythological figures are also well-suited for designing individual storylines, armor, and so on.

Thinking of this, Zhou Mo looked at Da Tiantian again: "How about this, if our first two projects are successful and the market response is good, then we can try Norse mythology and find people in Europe and America to produce, film, and broadcast them."

"Uh-huh."

……

The company is very efficient.

In just three days, the design department conceived a complete set of initial drafts for transformation devices, armor, and weapons related to Zhao Yun.

Zhao Yun's transformation device is a bracelet with a watch-like dial; turning the dial to a specific position activates the transformation. The armor itself combines the advantages of games and mecha designs, intentionally emphasizing a mechanical feel while maintaining a fluid aesthetic.

As for the transformation phrase, it consists of two words:
call.

Upon seeing this set of design drafts, Zhou Mo's first reaction was summed up in one word:

handsome.

"As the saying goes, strength is temporary, but handsomeness is forever. Just based on the quality of this first draft, the final filming result won't be bad!"

Zhou Mo stared at the manuscript and read it over and over again until Da Tian Tian placed something in front of him, which finally drew his attention back.

"What is this... um? Zhao Yun's armor transformation device?"

Zhou Mo compared the mechanical bracelet in his hand with the picture on the first draft several times. They were almost identical, with only minor roughness in some details.

"Yeah, Mr. Liu from the design department saw the first draft and finished it in one night. He's really amazing. Why don't you take it and give it a try?"

Zhou Mo tried it on once, posed in a few positions according to his own ideas, and then deliberately spoke in a slightly deep voice:
"Fusion!"

A few seconds later, Zhou Mo finished his fun, took off the bracelet, and turned around to see Da Tian Tian holding up her phone with a smile on her face.

Ok? ? ?
"You just... recorded me."

"OK."

Zhou Mo's face stiffened.

broken.

I got a little carried away just now.

Da Tian Tian pulled up the recording and was very satisfied with the video she had just recorded.

She couldn't even remember the last time she'd seen Zhou Mo in this state.

"Did you come up with those movements yourself, or did you learn them from a tokusatsu drama?" Da Tian Tian asked.

"Yeah, I just did a few random movements." Zhou Mo coughed lightly.

Da Tiantian suddenly realized.

"I understand, it was something I thought of beforehand."

Zhou Mo: ...

Miscalculated.

That's the downside of being too familiar with someone; they can immediately tell whether a sentence is true or false.

At this point, Da Tian Tian added, "If I were to post this picture of your back for publicity, do you think it would be feasible?"

"Is this for promoting a tokusatsu drama?" Zhou Mo hesitated for a few seconds, then thought it wasn't a problem. "It's just... wouldn't it be a bit monotonous?"

"Of course, that's not all. My idea is to have the special effects team create a transformation effect for you, but you'll need to choose a hero spirit other than Zhao Yun, and then have the design department design a suit of armor for you. What kind of hero spirit do you want?"

Zhou Mo shook his head: "I don't really have any good ideas. Do you have any suggestions?"

Da Tian Tian thought for a little while.

"Why not choose Zhang Jiao? Even though our movie has finished its theatrical run, many netizens and fans are still discussing your Zhang Jiao."

Furthermore, due to Zhang Jiao's unique circumstances, he can be considered a special character, belonging to a different faction than the Five Tiger Generals.

Zhou Mo blinked. He had already guessed that Da Tiantian's performance was not a sudden outburst, but rather a premeditated act.

He smiled and said directly, "Alright, I'll do as you say. Just tell me, what's the plan?"

"As expected, nothing can be hidden from you. My idea for Zhang Jiao's armor users is this: they are dark heroes independent of the official system, who don't trust the official system and prefer to deal with monsters using their own methods."

He's a formidable fighter, and at crucial moments he'll break the deadlock; he's the kind of person who leaves a lasting impression.

Da Tiantian explained her idea to Zhou Mo, and the more she talked, the more obvious the smile in her eyes became. She felt that her plan was great.

This way, Zhou Mo doesn't need to appear multiple times, the character's prestige can be maintained, and enough publicity can be generated for the work.

Kill three birds with one stone!
Zhou Mo pondered for a moment, then nodded: "That's possible, but I need to take a look at Zhang Jiao's armor design first."

"That's easy. If all goes well, we can finish the special effects after we finish the celebration banquet for 'Three Kingdoms'."

"Row."

……

In the blink of an eye, several days have passed.

In March, the celebration banquet for "Three Kingdoms: Wei" was officially held.

As the largest celebration banquet held since the establishment of Shanhe Company, Zhou Mo and his employees started preparing at four o'clock in the morning in order to ensure that everything went smoothly.

Even so, after the celebration banquet officially began during the day, Zhou Mo discovered that all sorts of small problems continued to arise.

At 10 a.m., Zhou Mo had just finished receiving guests and hadn't even had a sip of water when he saw Da Tian Tian walking back from outside the room, looking exhausted.

"Organizing a banquet is so tiring; this is the first time I've ever felt overwhelmed."

Zhou Mo quickly handed her the water glass, "There's no other way, there are just too many people this time, it's almost as many as the people filming on set."

After drinking the water, the burning sensation in Da Tian Tian's head subsided somewhat.

"When filming on set, everyone follows instructions, and you can even kick someone out if they don't. But you can't do that today."

As soon as he finished speaking, his assistant ran over.

"Director Zhou, the large wooden sculpture of Zhang Jiao is ready."

"Oh, go check it out."

Zhou Mo and Da Tiantian exchanged a glance, and then left the room with their assistant.

Two minutes later, the three arrived at the place where the wood carvings were displayed. They opened the door and saw a shiny wood carving of Zhang Jiao. His face was exactly the same as Zhou Mo's, only slightly rough. Every fold of his body, including the clothes, was clearly visible.

Wow, so handsome!

Da Tiantian stared at the wood carving with shining eyes, and for the first time, she began to understand those who liked figurines.

Such a large, handsome, and exquisitely detailed wood carving—who wouldn't be bewildered by it?

As Zhou Mo approached the wood carving, he became quite excited. He walked around the carving several times, examining every detail before finally letting out a long breath, his voice filled with satisfaction.

"He's really handsome, he's about 80% as handsome as me."

(End of this chapter)