Extracting skills from movies

Today, Wu Yusen's reputation is still stable and has not completely failed.

Masterpieces such as "A Better Tomorrow" and "Hard Boiled" have tailored his unique violent aesthetic style for him.

In the world of gun-fight action movies, even the bigwigs in Hollywood have to give him a thumbs up and be convinced.

Relying on his unique skill of violent aesthetics, Wu Yusen successfully made his way into Hollywood.

The box office performances of "Ultimate", "Broken Arrow" and "Face/Off" are also quite impressive.

"Face/Off" directly earned a box office of 2.5 million US dollars.

Later, he took over "Mission Impossible 2", which had a global box office of up to 5.45 million US dollars, and directly won the global box office champion that year.

Putting aside those troublesome issues of his character and stance, Wu Yusen is definitely one of the best directors of Eastern commercial films in Hollywood.

Although he later lost favor in Hollywood after failing to make Windtalkers at the box office, he had to return to the East to develop his career in disgrace.

But even so, his reputation is still ridiculously high, and he carries the dual halo of Hollywood and Hong Kong films, so bright that people can't open their eyes.

In today's mainland, Wu Yusen's appeal is, to some extent, even greater than that of Zhang Yimou, Chen Qiange and others.

Otherwise, investors such as Chengtian Entertainment, China Film Group, and Media Asia would not have given him an investment of more than 600 million yuan at once.

This is a unique move in the history of domestic cinema!
When he thought of the investment amount, Du Sheng couldn't help but asked with a smile:
"Mr. He, I've always been curious. Is there any hidden manipulation in your investment amount?"

"We don't invest much here, only tens of millions."

He Guohua smiled bitterly and waved his hands, saying:
"As for the water content, I guess there is a little bit, but there is absolutely no manipulation. We really want to make an epic movie that belongs to the East."

Du Sheng picked up the celadon teacup and took a sip. The lid and the cup made a crisp "click" sound when they collided, like some kind of silent mockery:
"That's strange. Since you guys are going to prepare a full banquet for Red Cliff, why did you hire a Chinese chef who is used to cutting steak with a butter knife?"

His fingertips slid across the condensed water droplets on the edge of the cup, leaving a winding water mark on the mahogany tabletop:

“Those great directors who became immigrant beacons are like orchids transplanted into glass greenhouses, whose roots can no longer reach the fertile soil of Eastern culture.

The gangster spirit in their films is indeed full of substance, the bullets in gangster movies can turn, and the blood plasma in gunfight movies can dance, but the weight of the long river of history? I'm afraid they can't even pick up a piece of armor. "

He Guohua's smile became even more bitter, and he understood why Du Sheng declined to perform.

I just didn't expect Du Sheng's words to be so direct and full of irony.

"Do you think that if Wu were to direct this film, it would most likely fail?"

He originally thought that the other party would be more tactful, but he obviously underestimated Du Sheng's determination.

In fact, the reason why Du Sheng firmly opposed Huaying’s participation in "Red Cliff" was because this movie seemed like a farce from beginning to end.

They also slander or disgust people in various ways.

The historical drama was filmed like a child's play, with all kinds of embarrassing plots and lines appearing one after another.

The whole project is a quagmire.

Not only are there numerous internal problems, but there are also constant turmoil outside.

Take the casting for example. The crew actually let mainland actors serve as foils for the actors from Taiwan and Hong Kong.

In particular, Sun Shangxiang, one of the heroines played by Zhao Qi, had her roles cut again and again, almost becoming a supporting role.

Although Du Sheng was not concerned about the negative news about Zhao Qi, he had to admit that she was still the most popular female star among the people.

Even the now popular "Girls' Generation" cannot compare with the popularity Zhao Qi accumulated with "My Fair Princess" in the hearts of middle-aged and elderly audiences.

However, in "Red Cliff", Zhao Qi's role was ruthlessly deleted and even filmed to be dull.

Isn't this obviously a denigration of mainland actors, or even a smear campaign against the entire mainland film industry?
What is even more difficult to understand is that the screening rights of "Red Cliff" in Neon were sold as a one-time buyout.

As we all know, Japan is the biggest box office of the film, so this is clearly cutting off one's own arms.

Considering that Neon Capital is behind Chengtian Entertainment, it is hard not to suspect some shady dealings.

"If you let John Woo shoot this, it will most likely fail.

He was flattered by the Lighthouse and lost his original intention. "

Du Sheng pointed out mercilessly:
“If I were you, instead of throwing tens of millions into the sea, I would rather keep them to expand the cinema chain.

Moreover, if Eastern films want to go global, the right way is to protect the original works such as "The Baby Project" and "The Man from Nowhere".

Although He Guohua had his own persistence and would not be easily shaken by Du Sheng's words, he still tried to save the situation.

“Since you don’t think highly of Red Cliff, I won’t force you to act in it. What about your company’s Girls’ Generation?

If they have time, they can come and make do with it, it's not a problem to gain some fame."

Du Sheng smiled slightly and asked instead of answering:

"If Girls' Generation were to star in the show, could you ensure that they would have as many scenes as possible, rather than having their scenes cut out or even having to serve as supporting roles for certain people?"

Thinking of Wu Yusen's domineering personality, He Guohua was suddenly speechless.

After all, "Red Cliff" is a co-production, and China Film's investment share is limited.

Although He Guohua is one of the investors, he has very little say in the crew and everything has to be arranged by Wu Yusen.

How could Du Sheng let Girls' Generation repeat Zhao Qi's mistake and suffer grievances in that crew full of uncertainty?

What's more, Girls' Generation is one of the top groups in mainland China, and like Du Sheng, they are both representatives of the mainland entertainment industry.

Moreover, due to the success of their amphibious careers, the current fame of any member of Girls' Generation far exceeds that of their previous lives.

If they had gone to "Red Cliff", they would definitely have been ridiculed by Wu Yusen to satisfy his disgusting idea of ​​dragging down Chinese people.

Du Sheng smiled and said:

"Forget about Girls' Generation. They will either release a song or do endorsement shoots next. They will also have a concert at the end of the year. They simply can't spare a year to join the group."

This is also one of the reasons.

Wu Yusen liked to change the script and cheat the investors. "Red Cliff" went through many twists and turns and it took more than a year to finish filming.

He Guohua didn't say anything else.

Although he still had confidence in "Red Cliff", Du Sheng's firm attitude made him feel a little hesitant.

He also began to wonder whether Wu Yusen was really capable of making such a purely oriental historical blockbuster?
On August 8, after finishing the script reading, the crew members of "The Man from Nowhere" were gearing up to fly to Bay City to start the filming journey.

However, before this journey, they still had to deal with a lively launch conference.

Du Sheng's super high popularity was like a magnet, attracting a large number of reporters to the scene, making the scene extremely hot.

When Wu Jing saw this scene, his eyes widened.

When Flashpoint was released, the number of reporters was less than half of what it is today.

The gap is really getting bigger and bigger!

Faced with so many cameras and microphones, Wu Jing felt a little scared and unconsciously took a few steps back.

The reporters, however, were as excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood, and they tried their best to squeeze forward.

The security guards were so busy that they were sweating and could hardly bear it.

The press conference finally kicked off, and the Xinlang reporter was the first to ask a question:
"Mr. Du, the movie "Baby Project" that you and Cheng Long collaborated on has already earned $1.15 million in North America. This is a rare achievement in the entire history of Chinese-language films. Some even say that it has a chance to surpass the $1.28 million "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and become the highest-grossing Chinese-language film in history. What do you think of this?"

Du Sheng smiled slightly and replied:

“The success of this film is entirely due to the support and love of fans around the world.

I will continue to work hard and dedicate more wonderful works to everyone.

As for whether it can surpass Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, that’s not up to me to say, just wait and see.”

Another reporter then asked:

"It's already August, why is there still no news about Girls' Generation's new album?

Fans are getting anxious and are leaving messages on your Renren account, hoping that you can help write songs for them, did you know that?

Will Girls' Generation release a new album this year? "

Du Sheng smiled faintly:

"They will release a new album. I have already prepared most of their songs. At the earliest, there will be good news in October. Please be patient and wait."

When the reporters heard this, they immediately became excited and there was a commotion at the scene.

This is exclusive news.

I didn’t expect Du Sheng to reveal it so readily. It was such a surprise!

The reporter from Southern Express struck while the iron was hot and asked:
"Neither you nor Girls' Generation went to the 17th Bay City Golden Melody Awards ceremony.

It's normal that your album was not nominated this year, but Girls' Generation's album sold so well in China, but still failed to win an award. What do you think?"

Du Sheng responded calmly:
"At that time, Girls' Generation and I were so busy that we didn't pay attention to the award, so it's hard to comment."

The 6th Bay City Golden Melody Awards was held on June 28th.

Du Sheng’s third Chinese album was not released until April, so he was not shortlisted.

Even if he was shortlisted, he would have been busy promoting "Baby Project" and wouldn't have had the time.

Although Girls' Generation's album had amazing sales in China, it was only nominated for Best Vocal Group and Best Mandarin Pop Album.

In the end, neither of them won the award, which was given to SHE and a Hong Kong artist respectively.

The funniest thing is that Du Sheng was nominated for several major awards including Best Lyrics, Best Composition and Best Producer for the albums of Deng Ziqi, Zhang Jingying and others.

I don’t know if it’s because no one showed up, but in the end there was not a single hair.

This also shows that the Bay City Music Awards still favors local artists and does not just look at sales.

Fortunately, at Du Sheng's suggestion, Girls' Generation did not go to the scene, otherwise it would have been a joke.

Finally, a reporter from the Beijing Daily also came to join in the fun and asked:
"Mr. Du, you were on the cover of Time magazine before, and it was predicted that your personal wealth exceeded 20 billion US dollars.

At the recently concluded Global Value Investment Forum, Hurun also confirmed this number and hinted that you will occupy an important seat on the rich list this year.

Where do you think you would rank?"

Du Sheng smiled and waved his hand:

"How would I know the exact ranking? In fact, I don't even know how much money I have. Do you think others know better than me?
Besides, my life is just like any other ordinary person, nothing special. Your focus has obviously shifted.”

A quick-witted reporter quickly put the microphone to Du Sheng's lips and spoke as fast as a machine gun:
“I heard that the reality show that Nicole Kidman and her husband Keith Urban created had such a terrible ratings on its first episode that the TV station is planning to cancel it.

Guess what happened? The ratings skyrocketed!
It turns out that Nicole Kidman brought a poster of your duel with Tyson to the scene on the show, which made her husband furious.

Keith Urban said his wife is crazy, your shadow is everywhere in her life, and she mentions your name at least ten times a day! What do you think of this international drama? "

Ever since "Baby Project" exploded at the box office and the topic of ultimate fighting sparked heated discussions among the nation, Du Sheng's status in the North American entertainment industry has skyrocketed to the pseudo-first-tier level.

All the program crews were like sharks smelling blood, scrambling to take advantage of his popularity.

Even Hollywood's popular artist Nicole Kidman joined in the fun. The popularity was even stronger than nuclear fusion, and it directly made the show's ratings soar.

Facing the barrage of gossip, Du Sheng remained as calm as an outsider.

He gently turned on the phone, his tone as cool and clear as a mountain stream:
“I have no knowledge of this matter, no interest in it, and no qualification to comment on it.

Let’s just talk about The Man from Nowhere and don’t ask questions that are not related to the movie.”

Before he finished speaking, the reporter from Xinshang Media jumped out like a hound smelling prey and asked:

"Everyone is talking about the choice of the film's leading actress!

Wasn't it rumored that the heroine's mother wanted to find an artist who had smoked marijuana in Wancheng and had relevant experience to play the role? Why did they suddenly change to Jia Jingwen? "

Du Sheng sat as steady as a pine tree and said firmly:
“The cast of characters has not changed from beginning to end.

The crew praised her highly, saying that she was the most suitable candidate for the audition and outshone anyone else."

"What about Liu Yifei? I heard that she replaced Zhao Qi's role?"

"That's not the case. There is no such thing."

Du Sheng pushed the microphone back to the staff, his black sunglasses covering half of his face:

"Anyone have doubts? Ask them to come to the set and hang on the wire for a month before we say anything."

These words were so powerful that they silenced the whispers in the room.

The reporter rolled his eyes and asked a provocative question:

"Ms. Liu, you have been questioned since your debut. Are you afraid?

Your acting skills have suddenly improved, who is guiding you behind the scenes?"

This question is like a rose with hidden thorns, with a bit of calculation.

Liu Yifei didn't notice the induction for a moment, and after thinking for a while, she said:
“I’ve been questioned for so long that I’m used to it, to be honest, but I’m not as bad as those people say online.

As for acting, it was my cousin who taught me to imagine onions when crying and to imagine enemies when fighting..."

Before he finished speaking, the reporter who asked the question had already raised a triumphant smile.

He even thought of a headline for the report:

"The secret story of Girls' Generation's rise to fame: Did the sponsor teach them how to cry and fight?"

When Liu Yifei realized it belatedly and covered her mouth, Du Sheng had already stood up and stood in front of her.

Facing the hail of bullets from dozens of microphones, he suddenly called out the intern reporter in the corner:
"My friend in the blue vest, were you doubting that the bone-breaking scene designed by Won Bin was not exciting enough?"

Du Sheng would not let the situation escalate like this. He calmly began to call out names and firmly controlled the rhythm of the press conference.

The new reporter who had set the trap before no longer had the chance to ask questions and could only stare blankly.

The show was like a carefully choreographed stage play and lasted about an hour.

Then, like a flock of migrating birds, everyone walked towards the plane one after another, ready to start the next journey.

………(End of chapter)