Extracting skills from movies

Chapter 707 Business blowback
The next day, Du Sheng took time out to visit Sony's production department.

"2012", the new work of Roland, the 'father of disaster films' and a disaster film that was later included in film history textbooks, started shooting last month.

The main investor of this film is Columbia Pictures, and it has been in preparation for more than a year.

However, the production budget of $2 million kept it from pursuing the project, and it was eventually forced to relax restrictions and bring in Miracle Pictures.

Not long ago, Lydia, who is in charge of leading this project, has allocated 3 million US dollars.

Including special effects and publicity, it is estimated that another 3 million US dollars will be spent.

Du Sheng had nothing to say about this.

As long as Roland performs normally and doesn't make minor mistakes like political correctness, it won't be difficult to recoup the cost.

If he remembered correctly, the previous film "2012" had a global box office of nearly 8 million US dollars and had a good reputation, making it one of the most classic disaster films.

At the beginning, Lydia suggested that Du Sheng play the leading male role, and the producer of Columbia Pictures also nodded in approval.

After all, Du Sheng had just defeated Tyson at that time, and "Baby Project" received good feedback, so his popularity was at its peak.

Du Sheng just hesitated for a moment, then smiled and shook his head to refuse.

It's not that he doesn't want to, it's that he can't.

Because the story background and cultural atmosphere of this film are based on Western society.

The protagonist Jackson Curtis is an ordinary person who works as a lighthouse. His behavior patterns, way of thinking and reactions when facing disasters are all rooted in Western culture.

If he forces himself to play the role, it will be difficult for him to grasp the character's internal logic and behavioral motivations, and he will easily suffer from cultural incompatibility, resulting in the character not being real and natural enough.

In addition, issues such as the fit between the image and the role, language and accent, will also affect the credibility of the character and the audience's sense of involvement.

Of course, although Du Sheng did not perform in the film, she recommended a friend to audition for the female lead.

I don’t know if it was out of a desire to compensate him or because the candidate he recommended was famous, but Roland and the producer actually unanimously approved him.

That’s right, the person Du Sheng recommended was Charlize Theron.

Two years ago, she won the Oscar for Best Actress for the movie "Monster", and last year she won the Hollywood Film Award for Best Actress for "Northern Witness". She has been very successful.

In addition to her outstanding appearance and temperament, as well as her calm and composed demeanor, she also fits the image of the brave and maternal heroine in "2012".

Not to mention that she can also bring box office support, and she also followed Du Sheng's suggestion to voluntarily reduce her pay. Where can you find such an artist?

In Los Angeles, an abandoned airport was converted into the set of "2012".

The scorching sun turned the concrete ground white, and the airflow created by the helicopter rotors rolled up yellow sand all over the sky.

Du Sheng was wearing sunglasses and leaning against the SUV, looking at Charlize Theron who was filming an escape scene thirty meters away.

After filming a scene, she trotted over in combat boots, her dust mask tilted to her ears, her blonde hair covered in faux volcanic ash:

"Du! You're a full forty-seven minutes late!"

As she spoke, Charlize Theron suddenly stopped and grabbed the collar of her costume with her fingertips to fan herself:
"It's so hot and thirsty shooting this kind of scene, my makeup is ruined, right?"

Du Sheng took off his sunglasses and said jokingly with a smile:

"It looks much better than the day of the audition when my face was covered with tears."

As he spoke, he took out a bottle of iced coconut water from the back seat of the car:
"Drink this, it's more effective than the crew's instant coffee."

Theron didn't bother to be polite with him and took the drink with a smile:

"Thanks. I drank three cups of black coffee today to keep myself awake. My tongue is bitter and numb."

She suddenly lowered her voice, her eyelashes fluttering behind her goggles:
"Oh, I haven't thanked you yet.

If you hadn't told Roland that day that 'she has the end of the world in her eyes', I would still be feeding giraffes in South Africa."

It is true that she is an Oscar-winning actress, but due to issues such as popularity, pay, and scripts that are not to her liking, she has yet to get any roles.

Du Sheng chuckled and tapped the roof of the SUV with his knuckles:
"So now it's your turn to repay me."

Charlize Theron suddenly looked back, her hair brushing across Du Sheng's shoulders:
"After work tonight, I'll treat you to a hot pot in Chinatown, the one you said was like Hellfire last time."

As she spoke, she ran three steps and then stepped back, and suddenly left a lip print on Du Sheng's cheek:

"This is a deposit. Don't even think about running away from the hotpot party tonight!"

On the other side, the staff were laughing and whispering to each other.

Director Roland, who had originally wanted to say hello, saw this, smiled, shook his head and stopped.

Du Sheng raised her hand and wiped her cheek, her fingertips stained with coral lipstick, and looked at the golden figure a little strangely.

After staying for a while, Du Sheng saw that the crew was back in action, so he stood up and said goodbye to Charlize Theron and director Roland.

All the major matters had been discussed, and he didn't want to delay the filming process of the crew.

"Du, will you show up at the Oscars tomorrow?"

Theron suddenly asked a question, her blue eyes flashing cunningly under the neon lights.

She had just changed into a silver dress with a deep V-neck, and the chain around her collarbone jingled as she moved.

Du Sheng grabbed his suit jacket and threw it over his shoulders, laughing and joking:

"It's my first time to get an Oscar, shouldn't I go and have some fun?"

As he said this, he made a telescope gesture, which made Director Roland laugh.

"Very good, let's meet and chat then."

Theron took a sip of the cold coffee:

“But the red carpet here is probably more difficult than the boxing ring.

Don't worry too much, just treat it as an all-star circus performance."

She was worried that Du Sheng had too high expectations and that it might have a psychological impact on him.

As soon as she finished speaking, Roland laughed out loud, and his gray beard trembled.

Because even though he is so famous, he has never won any decent award in North America.

It can be seen that what Charlize Theron said was not groundless.

Du Sheng knew all this and just smiled.

After all, this beauty made great sacrifices to win the Oscar for Best Actress.

Not to mention deliberately making herself ugly and shaving her head, she also had to gain 30 pounds, which completely ruined her self-image...

At 5:30 in the evening of the next day, there was already an uproar outside the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium.

The groups of fans on both sides of the red carpet were like boiling dumpling soup, and their screams could blow the roof off the house.

The media reporters were holding cameras and flash lights, forming a vast expanse of white.

"The Baby Project" was nominated for "Best Foreign Language Film" and "Best Art Direction".

So the main creators of the crew are here to join in the fun tonight.

The stretched Lincoln stopped. After Du Sheng got out of the car, he turned around and gentlemanly supported Gao Yuanyuan in the back seat.

This girl wore a bright red long dress with a train today, which combined oriental charm and Hollywood style into a unique and stunning look.

But it was her first time to participate in such a big event.

I don’t know if it was because she was a little nervous, but she staggered as soon as she stepped onto the red carpet, and her high heels almost got stuck in the gap of the carpet.

Although she has walked the red carpet many times in China, the feeling when she travels abroad is a little different.

There is a feeling of being unrecognized in a foreign land.

"Hold on, follow me!"

Du Sheng exerted force with his arms and held the man tightly to his side.

He lowered his voice and gave her advice:

"Just think of yourself as a seaweed, and if I shake you, you will shake too.

Just smile and wave along, and you won’t go wrong.”

Gao Yuanyuan grabbed the hem of his suit. The flash lights were so bright that she couldn't open her eyes. All she could hear were English shouts of "Look here!" and "Baby!"

If Du Sheng hadn't been standing next to her like a mountain, she would have made a fool of herself.

Behind him came Cheng Long's signature laugh, and Zhang Baizhi was holding his arm and waving with a smile.

Originally, she also wanted to walk the red carpet with Du Sheng, but she lost the fist-paper-scissors game and kept muttering to herself.

But when I really got in front of the camera, all my thoughts became nothing but empty words, and only the formatted behavior remained.

After all, this is the Oscars red carpet, a place that countless Asian artists want to be on.

No one can deny this in today's Hollywood heyday.

Although she is well-known in Hong Kong and Asia, she does not want to miss this opportunity to make an appearance.

"I have to say that Bai Zhi is used to the international world and has a much stronger mentality than Yuan Yuan."

Du Sheng glanced behind him and was sighing.

The ABC TV station's live camera suddenly came up to him, and the red carpet host held the microphone close to his mouth:
"Dear audience, let us welcome the new superstar from the East. Du!"

The scene suddenly erupted in cheers like thunder.

"How does it feel to walk the Oscars for the first time?"

Du Sheng smiled at the camera, calm and composed:

“It feels like I hit the jackpot!
The best audience, the brightest lights, the coolest colleagues, all gathered here to party! "

This is making money on the lighthouse owner's turf, so of course you can be as extravagant as you can.

No matter what you think in your heart, you have to appear friendly on the surface.

If you put on a cold face, the audience will immediately roll their eyes and the box office will plummet.

Anyway, this time we are here to make acting a daily routine, and even if the little golden man doesn’t come, we have to get money.

As he spoke, he blew kisses to the fans on both sides, causing several blonde girls to almost faint.

The MC was unwilling to let go of this popularity and asked:
"I've seen the movie 'Baby Project' that you and Jack Chen starred in. I have to say it's very exciting. The action scenes are still fresh in my memory...

By the way, who are you most looking forward to receiving the award tonight?"

Du Sheng rolled his eyes and immediately started the business-to-business mode:
"If you ask me, Helen Mirren's performance in The Queen is simply amazing. Even those who don't know the film will have to call her Her Majesty the Queen after watching it!"

This is half true and half false.

In fact, with the "Flash of Inspiration" skill, it is not a problem to trace back some general information.

In the previous life, the Best Actor award for this year's Oscars was won by Forest Whitaker for "The Last King of Scotland".

But this year's Oscars were criticized like a sieve, and he is still being criticized more than ten years later. He doesn't want to join in the fun.

Everyone felt that Forrest's win was a victory for 20th Century Fox's public relations rather than a victory for the film.

On the contrary, there was no controversy about Helen Mirren winning the Best Actress award for the British film "The Queen".

As he was speaking, he suddenly heard a series of surprised noises from behind him.

Du Sheng looked back and saw, wow.

Say Cao Cao and Cao Cao will arrive.

Meryl Streep was walking towards me in her 12cm stilettos, her silver hair fluttering in the wind like a queen ascending the throne.

He quickly pulled Gao Yuanyuan aside to make way, still joking:

“See?

This is the king of the red carpet, and we small fry have to stand aside."

Gao Yuanyuan burst out laughing at his amusement and finally relaxed.

Du Sheng seized the opportunity and took her to the signature board.

He would stop and pose every three steps, with his left hand in his pocket and his right hand in his trouser pocket, like a walking hormone.

Gao Yuanyuan regained her confidence, made the scissors hand gesture, and gradually found the rhythm.

The funniest group is still the one with Cheng Long.

Zhang Baizhi took a selfie in front of the camera while wearing high heels, leaving Cheng Long aside as a background.

Jackie Chan was more experienced, he pulled the man back and said with a smile:
"Girl, do you think this is a market where you can grab discounted eggs?"

At the end of the red carpet, Du Sheng had just finished writing his name on the signature board when he suddenly heard a commotion behind him.

When he turned around, he saw Leonardo DiCaprio rushing in with a beard, and the screams of his fans were hurting his eardrums.

He quickly dragged Gao Yuanyuan to the safe area, muttering:
"Okay, let this gentleman have his fun first, we'll go backstage and have a glass of champagne to calm down."

A bunch of big names had already gathered in the backstage lounge.

Will Smith was chatting with Denzel Washington arm in arm, and Nicole Kidman passed by while applying her lipstick. She was almost poked in the eye by Du Sheng's unfamiliar face.

It was Charlize Theron who came to the rescue with champagne:

"If you keep standing there like this, the security guards will think you sneaked in."

Du Sheng took a sip of the champagne and smiled:
"Am I not Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden?

By the way, what's your seat number? Shall we sit next to each other at the awards ceremony?"

"Think beautifully!"

Charlize rolled her eyes at him, and her blonde hair swayed like a flower:

"The guy sitting next to me is George Clooney. If you dare to grab the seat, I believe he will fight you on the spot!"

As soon as the crew of "Baby Project" sat down in the auditorium, Gao Yuanyuan and Zhang Baizhi seemed to be liberated, and started to pour out their grievances hand in hand.

"My calves are still cramping!"

Gao Yuanyuan patted her chest, and the diamonds on her dress rustled.

"Not at all! The sweat on my back has penetrated through three layers of foundation!"

Zhang Baizhi took out a handkerchief to wipe it, feeling a little uneasy.

The two girls suddenly rediscovered the revolutionary friendship they had in the university dormitory in a foreign country. There was no trace of the ladylike demeanor they had shown on the red carpet.

Du Sheng asked the two girls to wait for a moment, then he went around and around and entered the red carpet starting area, opened the door of a black nanny car and walked in.

That's right, he has double red carpet duty today!
Both "The Departed" and "The Departed" have made it to the Oscar list and are still hot favorites.

In the back seat, Blake Lively sat straight, and even when changing cars she was reluctant to loosen her waist for fear of wrinkling her haute couture dress.

This is her first time walking on the Oscar red carpet as the Best Supporting Actress.

For this new actor, this is definitely a career milestone. How can he not prepare seriously?
"Brother Sheng, you are finally here!"

Blake Lively sat upright, looking like a finely carved porcelain doll.

Du Sheng smiled and stepped forward to help her tidy up her collar:

"Are you impatient? Who was so careless as to complain in the backstage that Brother Cheng Long's new haircut looked like it was chewed by a dog?"

"That's a compliment to his artistic temperament!"

Blake rolled her eyes and tucked her scattered golden hair behind her ears:

"But you, after sending Oriental sweetheart off, you rushed to the scene. Aren't you afraid of getting tired?"

Du Sheng leaned forward without saying a word, and Blake shrank back screaming:

"Stop! I just reapplied my lip gloss!
I can’t explain to my stylist that this skirt is wrinkled.”

Before he could finish his words, he was kissed so hard that the lipstick mark was left on Du Sheng's tie.

.........

(End of this chapter)