Extracting skills from movies

Du Sheng has had a fairly fulfilling time lately.

During the day, he was filming on the set of "Inception," and at night, he would return to his hotel and begin writing the script for "Painting Rivers and Lakes."

Then have a few girls around you do a special 'role-playing' exercise to see if there are any logical flaws or inconsistencies in the character settings.

In less than a week, relying on the "Inspiration LV3/Blue" skill to rewind, he had a constant stream of inspiration and managed to complete the outline and main character settings for "Painting Rivers and Lakes".

Although the details are not yet fully polished, the overall framework is already quite clear.

That evening, he packed up the script and sent it to Xu Guangyan.
Then, over the phone, I explained the core concept of the story, the relationships between the characters, the world-building, and the general direction of the animation style to Xu Guangyan in detail.

"You should get the team moving first. The initial art design, concept art, and storyboards all need to be done in advance."

Du Sheng reminded him:
"After I finish filming 'Inception' here, I'll go back and help with the final proof."

Upon hearing this, Xu Guangyan immediately perked up:

"Great, we've been waiting for this project to start for ages, and now we finally have one!"

Since How to Train Your Dragon entered post-production, Miracle Animation has taken on some outsourced projects, but overall it is still in a semi-idle state.

Everyone is hoping for a new film project to support the team and hone their skills.

The arrival of "Painting Rivers and Lakes" fills this gap perfectly.

Because Du Sheng is currently busy filming in North America, and the investment return period for the previous film "How to Train Your Dragon" has not yet arrived, he does not plan to seek investment this time.

Instead, the funds were jointly provided by family members and those around them.

Miracle Animation, Miracle Pictures, and Hearst Capital each contributed $2000 million, bringing the total investment budget to $6000 million.

Despite the large sum, it's not a huge amount for Du Sheng now.

In particular, Miracle Animation has accumulated a wealth of experience in the "How to Train Your Dragon" project and cultivated a large number of professional animation film talents.

The production of "Painting Rivers and Lakes" is expected to be mostly completed in China, without even needing the help of Digital Domain special effects company.

In this way, not only are labor costs much lower than in Europe and America, but efficiency is also higher.

As for publicity and marketing expenses, they haven't been specifically calculated yet.

Of course, this $6 million already includes some marketing and promotional expenses.

That translates to nearly 4.5 million, definitely a big-budget production.

Du Sheng knew that the success of the movie "Painting Rivers and Lakes" depended on the early script polishing and the mid-term visual presentation.

As long as these two stages go smoothly, subsequent marketing efforts will be much easier.

He wasn't in a hurry to recoup his investment, since the company's cash flow was still quite sufficient.

After all, venturing into the animation industry is not just a business project, but also an experiment.

An exploration of China's animation film industry system.

If successful, Miracle Animation will be able to truly break free from its dependence on foreign IPs and create its own world-class animation brand.

If it fails...

Then try again until you succeed.

That's his style: do things quietly, but achieve remarkable results.

.........

On this day, Toronto International Airport was bustling with people.

As Taylor Swift stepped out of the gate, she saw a group of people gathered in front of her, their cameras flashing incessantly.

She squinted and saw a tall, well-built man standing in the center of the crowd.

She was dressed modestly but exuded elegance, and was holding a bouquet of flowers.

Who else could it be but Du Sheng who came to pick someone up at the airport?

Her beautiful eyes lit up the moment she saw the man.

He tossed his luggage to his younger brother, shoved his backpack into his assistant's hands, and sprinted forward, pushing through the crowd as he went.

Reporters had already noticed the commotion, and their cameras quickly turned to focus on the wildly popular female singer.

Taylor's smile was so clean and sweet that it seemed to refresh the air. The photographers took even more pictures, their hands getting a little sore from pressing the shutter button so many times.

When Du Sheng saw her, a smile appeared on his lips, and he walked towards her.

Taylor ran while pouting and complaining:
"I came all the way to perform at the University of California, but you didn't even come to see me!"

Du Sheng didn't explain, but first handed the flowers in his hand to her, then hugged her tightly and gave her a light kiss.

The entire venue fell silent, except for the sound of camera shutters and the screams of fans around them.

When the two parted, Taylor blushed and her heart was pounding. She didn't say anything and just wanted to go home with Du Sheng immediately.

However, Du Sheng couldn't just pack up and leave.

He even went over to Taylor's brother, greeted him, and took the luggage from his hands before leading Taylor into the Cadillac driven by Ma Yaowei.

Inside the car, Taylor leaned against Du Sheng, asking with concern:

"Toronto's safety situation has always been a problem. Do you have security guards or bodyguards with you when you're filming here?"

Du Sheng nodded:

"Everything you need is here, don't worry."

Putting aside other factors, Toronto's per capita property crime rate is 40% higher than New York's.

Especially in areas like Scarborough and North York, gun violence, gang violence, and harassment are frequent occurrences, making them comparable to mini-Gotham City.

Taylor was engrossed in his conversation when he suddenly said mysteriously:
Guess where I went in Vancouver this time?

Du Sheng thought for a moment, then tentatively asked:
"Dinosaur Park?"

"It's the Dinosaur Park!"

Taylor was quite excited:

"The organizers took us to see many fossils that haven't been publicly displayed yet, such as sharp-horned dinosaurs and stegosaurs. It was amazing!"

Du Sheng smiled and replied:

"Did you even dig a few shovelfuls yourself?"

"Yup!"

Taylor nodded smugly:
“I even dug up a juvenile fossil myself, and it looks a lot like Hades.”

Du Sheng was stunned for a moment:
"Like Haders? How so?"

Taylor said in a very serious tone:
"Your mouth!"

Ma Yaowei, who was driving in the front seat, couldn't help but laugh out loud, and Du Sheng couldn't help but shake his head:

"Your thought process is quite unique."

The car drove all the way to Du Sheng's new home, the atmosphere relaxed and warm.

As soon as he entered, Taylor eagerly opened his small backpack, took out a beautifully packaged box, and handed it to Ma Yaowei:
"I just picked them up, everyone gets one."

Ma Yaowei was quite surprised:
"Thanks, you're much better than someone else, that guy never even thinks about sending us anything."

Du Sheng rolled his eyes and said:
"Because you're neither a warm-hearted guy nor a beautiful woman."

Taylor laughed so hard he almost fell over.

She knew, of course, that their relationship had long surpassed that of ordinary friends; it had been tested by life and death.

If a shooting were to occur here, who would Ma Yaowei choose to save?

Taylor even suspected that Ma Yaowei could take the fall for Du Sheng.

Du Sheng looked at her and smiled, feigning helplessness:
"It took me almost half an hour to rush from the film set to pick him up at the airport, and there's no gift?"

Taylor chuckled, then suddenly jumped up and clung to him:

"I'm giving this to you!"

Du Sheng hugged her tightly and turned to go into the bedroom next to the living room.

Upon entering the house, Taylor discovered that Du Sheng had already arranged many details in advance.
Even her favorite trinkets, pillows, and scented candles were all arranged perfectly.

Moved, she couldn't help but ask:
"Is this a newly purchased luxury house? Did they have a housewarming party?"

This is Rose Valley, one of Toronto's more upscale residential areas.

On the left is the University of Toronto, and on the right is Queen Street, Toronto's fashion and cultural hub.

Those who can afford to buy villas here are either rich or powerful.

Du Sheng nodded:
"I just took over the property, but it lacks a female owner to manage it. What do you suggest?" Recently, the financial crisis has become increasingly severe, and many people are selling off real estate, jewelry, and other valuables.

Seeing that the villa was worth a fortune and that it would only take an hour to fly to New York, he decided to take it over.

Anyway, it'll appreciate by one or two times in the future, so it's not a loss.

Upon hearing this, Taylor's smile widened even further:
"what about now?"

Du Sheng smiled:

"You can make the decisions; you can do whatever you want."

Taylor laughed, feeling as if the whole world had quieted down, with only her heartbeat and Du Sheng's breathing echoing softly in their space.

Life may be busy, and dreams may be far away, but as long as there are people waiting, everything is still worthwhile.

For example, tonight she was doing the work of the mistress of the house, but found that she was no match for her, so she could only pretend to be dead to make the best of a bad situation!

It seems that being the mistress of the house isn't so easy; it's better to call her "a dozen" of them.

At the same time, it wasn't just women who had their eyes on him.

There was also a group of men.

the reason is simple.

Given that Du Sheng has previously appeared in top international magazines such as Time and Fortune, and has been touted by many North American media outlets, many people know this Asian star whose net worth exceeds $20 billion.

Especially those groups who want to make quick money.

It's hard for them not to be tempted by Asians who are labeled as a 'vulnerable group' and live in a chaotic city like Toronto.

This is practically a golden opportunity delivered right to our door!

If they remain unmoved, their conscience will not allow it.

Bro Street, an ordinary villa near the eastern exit of "Rose Valley".

On the rooftop stood two burly, Mosaic men with fierce-looking faces.

They are Japel and Lordis, members of the infamous Black Gang "Bloods" in North America.

After traveling from Moscow to Canada, the two inquired along the way and finally found out that Du Sheng's new residence was in this upscale community called "Rose Valley".

To better observe their target, they rented this small building not far from the community, specifically for scouting and planning their operation.

At that moment, Lodis was holding a military-grade telescope, squinting as he looked into the distance.

You can vaguely see luxury cars driving out of a brightly lit mansion.

Like a flowing ribbon of light, it slowly disappeared into the night.

He activated the rangefinder function on the binoculars, glanced at the data, and said:
"It's more than 1800 meters away from here."

Japel leaned against the railing and added calmly:

"That house is in a very remote location. It's surrounded by walls and surveillance cameras, and you have to register to enter or leave."

"Forget strangers, even a cat would have a hard time sneaking in."

Lodis grinned, revealing a set of white teeth:
"I thought things would be easier."

"Once the boss brings the gear over, I'll fire an RPG and blow those bodyguards to smithereens!"

Upon hearing this, Japel couldn't help but coldly remind him:

"Don't say such silly things."

Lordis shrugged:

"I just want to get this over with quickly and easily!"

As they were talking, a police car with its red and blue lights flashing slowly drove past on the street below, breaking the silence of the night.

Japel glanced at his watch. A few minutes later, another patrol team of mounted police appeared on the other side of the community, the sound of hooves appearing and disappearing.

“This is a wealthy area; the taxes they pay every year are more than the money we see in a year.”

Japel said calmly:
"It's normal for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to patrol here every day."

Lordis didn't pay much attention to these things; his focus remained on the manor.

After watching for a while, he followed the direction of the car lights and focused his attention on the security personnel hired by the community.

As he counted the heads, he pondered:

"If we quietly take out a few security guards, then drive in, finish the job quickly, and then leave immediately, how long would that take?"

Japel pointed to the fork in the road leading to the main street of the community and analyzed:

"It will take at least ten minutes."

"The moment you make a move, the police will be there in five minutes. How do you think you're going to run?"

Lodis looked confident:
"Just grab a few hostages then, won't that solve the problem?"

Japel shook his head as he listened:

"You must have lost your mind."

Do you think this is Moses? You can tie someone up and nobody cares?
"Here, if you dare to fire a gun, you'll be surrounded by dozens of mounted police within ten minutes, until they turn you into a sieve."

Lordis is still not giving up:
"We can suppress them with firepower..."

Before he could finish speaking, Japel slapped him on the forehead, interrupting him.

"Shut up!"

Japel growled in a low voice:
"We are the Blackguards, not special forces!"
This is the backyard of the United States, not the slums of Mexico!

How many people do you think we can bring?

Lodis spread his hands, looking helpless:
"There's an even simpler way: we can bump into him on set."

He's just an Asian celebrity living abroad; I could take him down all by myself.

"He's a world boxing champion, at least. Do you really think you're a Saiyan?"

Japel was silent for a few seconds, then sighed.

Lodis is right. Du Sheng did come to North America alone to film, and she wasn't always surrounded by a large number of bodyguards.

But the problem is-

They are not dealing with ordinary people.

That's a man who can tear a crocodile apart in Japan.

A monster that can make the Black Shark obey its commands.

A ruthless character who controls the Miracle Empire, possesses countless resources, and has Hearst Capital backing him up.

Without careful planning, even if a branch of the "Blood Gang" were to mobilize its entire force, it would likely come at a cost if it wanted to succeed.

However, Japel is quite satisfied with his partner.

Although this guy's ideas are terrible, at least he listens to advice and won't act rashly and cause big trouble.

He continued:
"This film crew has insurance and a security team for protection. There are usually many people around, so let alone taking action, we're afraid the Royal Canadian Mounted Police would take us all down as soon as we get close."

Lodis frowned, somewhat unconvinced:

"Are the Royal Canadian Mounted Police really that powerful?"

Japel said calmly:
"They are the top armed force in Canada, a law enforcement agency that combines federal police, provincial police, and municipal police, and they are in charge of the entire country."

"You think this is a joke?"

To put it bluntly, these aren't ordinary cops; they're a 'black team' in uniform!
In the distance, the stream of cars that had driven out of the manor gradually dispersed, and the lights disappeared into the night.

Japel patted Lodis on the shoulder:

"Let's go, it's time to contact the leader."

The two drove away from the vicinity of Rose Valley in an inconspicuous, beat-up car.

I drove towards the suburbs, found an old phone booth without surveillance cameras, and dialed an encrypted number.

Shortly after the call ended, Japel hung up and turned to Lodis, saying:

"The leaders will begin their operation tonight, splitting up to enter the country."

Upon hearing this, Lordis grinned:
"Once we pull off this job, we can retire!"

…(End of this chapter)