Extracting skills from movies

An uproar erupted at the scene.
Many fans laughed, and some even started to jeer.

Kalia turned around and her face turned green.

It's that quick-tongued, not-so-bright little vixen again!
She silently decided that she wouldn't take her along next time!
Although Du Sheng declined all requests for photos, quite a few fans still secretly took photos of him with the girl in the wedding dress and left several postcards filled with his contact information.

Some clever girls not only wrote down their phone numbers, but also added their measurements and even drew a heart-shaped smiley face.

Later fans also learned from this and followed suit.

They simply tore out magazine pages and left their contact information on them with lipstick.

Even more surprisingly, some male fans couldn't resist and awkwardly handed over a small piece of paper with their phone number written on it.

Du Sheng watched the male fan run away shyly, and almost couldn't help but give up.

But he had seen it all before, and he completed the entire book signing without changing his expression.

After the event ended, the venue finally returned to calm.

Ma Yaowei tidied up the things on the table, making a joke as he did so:
"Would you like to keep these 'treasures' that your fans sent you?"

Du Sheng looked at the postcards and thought for a moment:
Let's put them together for now.

Ma Yaowei's eyes widened:
"So you actually have some ideas after all?"

Du Sheng shrugged:

"I'm doing this just to be on the safe side, destroying them all at once."

What if this information gets leaked and someone uses my name to scam money?

Ma Yaowei was taken aback, then nodded:

"You've thought of that quite thoroughly."

He changed the subject abruptly, saying with a grin:
"But seriously, those girls in wedding dresses were pretty good-looking and had great figures. You really didn't have any ideas?"

Du Sheng said in a serious tone:
"I'm a decent person, I don't do things that involve female fans."

As a result, halfway through his sentence, the faces of Taylor, Black, Elizabeth, and others suddenly appeared in his mind, and his tone immediately softened.

Ma Yaowei noticed it and couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
"Alright, alright."

After packing their things, the two went into the mall's office, met up with Haders, and then disposed of the personal information.

Although the film crew had a weekend off, Du Sheng still had to attend another autograph session.
After that, we'll head to Los Angeles to shoot an advertisement for Cartier's new men's watch.

The autograph session ended, the fans left satisfied, and Du Sheng also made a successful exit.

In a corner of the crowd, a pair of scrutinizing eyes were still watching every move over there.

That's Lodis.

He whispered to Japel:

"This guy is living a pretty comfortable life."

Japel, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, responded casually:

“Things will change soon, let’s hurry and meet up.”

.........

Just as Du Sheng got into the car, Amanda called.

Report on the progress of the Oscars public relations efforts.

“We have contacted all members of the academy in North America.”

She said:
“These people’s votes are crucial for the ‘Best Foreign Language Film’ award.”

Based on the current situation, "Taken" has a very high probability of receiving an Oscar nomination if it is released in North America.

Before Du Sheng could speak, Hades cut straight to the point:
"What are the odds of winning?"

Amanda answered casually:
"Open it halfway."

Although Sheng Ge's performance and talent are widely recognized, the competition for foreign language film awards is fierce, and his inherent weaknesses may affect the final result.

After a moment of contemplation, Du Sheng said:

"In any case, lobbying and publicity efforts cannot stop."

"After the film is released later, we will place advertisements in well-known newspapers such as The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times..."

"I've already made arrangements for that."

Amanda responded confidently.

Du Sheng nodded in acknowledgment:

"Okay, let's keep in touch."

After hanging up the phone, Haders took over the conversation:

"Cartier has informed us that they will be filming an outdoor advertisement near Central Park tomorrow."

He took a script out of his bag and handed it to Du Sheng:

"There are only eight scenes in total. At your speed, you can finish them in half a day without delaying the filming."

The filming of "Inception" will continue in the UK, and will return to Los Angeles for wrap-up after filming is completed.

Du Sheng quickly flipped through the script and found that, as Haders had said, there was nothing particularly complicated about it.

Haders continued:
"In order to generate buzz in advance, Cartier has already begun to release information about this shoot, which can be considered as a warm-up."

This practice is common in commercial endorsements, and Du Sheng has no objection to it:
"Then we'll have to cancel some less important appointments tomorrow and deal with this first."

"Okay, I'll take care of it."

Hades responded.

Du Sheng glanced at his watch, then turned to Ma Yaowei and said:

"Let's go to Baida City Plaza. There's a promotional event for the 'Man of Daredevil' DVD today."

Before getting on the bus, Du Sheng grabbed some newspapers and quickly browsed through them.

He soon discovered that news about Cartier's new advertisement had appeared in both business and entertainment sections.

Clearly, the other party hopes to attract more attention and build momentum for the upcoming product launch through this method.

Du Sheng knew perfectly well that the millions of dollars in endorsement fees Cartier men's watches received each year were not for nothing.

The purpose of notifying the media reporters in Los Angeles in advance was to ensure that they could arrive as soon as possible on the day of the shoot to cover the event and create a greater buzz.

Upon arriving at the Baida City Shopping Plaza, Du Sheng continued to promote the DVD release of "The Man from Nowhere".

This offline DVD sales not only generate a share for Miracle Pictures, but also contribute to their gross profit.

Although the percentage is not high, it is a long-term and stable source of income compared to a one-time share of North American box office revenue.

"As long as the discs are still being sold, we can make money even without doing anything."

Du Sheng was thinking to himself:

"Even ten years from now, with the rise of streaming media and the shrinking of the DVD market, many classic movies will still be able to sell tens of millions of dollars on DVD."

Of course, the market environment in the future will be very different from that of now.

We are currently in the golden age of DVDs, with popular films like Spider-Man 3 and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King achieving DVD sales that rival their North American box office revenue.

Sony released three different disc versions of "The Man from Nowhere":
The standard edition is $12.9, the Blu-ray HD edition is $19.9, and there's also a Blu-ray commemorative edition with a wealth of accessories for $39.9.

In particular, the commemorative edition includes a bonus behind-the-scenes DVD and allows buyers to choose one item from a figurine, a special agent costume, male and female protagonist model dolls, or a blind box.

When the sales figures for the first week came out, male and female protagonist model dolls accounted for nearly 68% of the sales.

With "The Man from Nowhere" breaking a series of annual box office records for Chinese-language films in North America, the booming sales of its DVDs have created a new market miracle.

On its first day of release, the two Blu-ray versions sold over 50 copies.
Including the standard edition DVD, "The Man from Nowhere" broke "Rob-B-Hood" record with a single-day sales figure of $3645 million!

And this does not include the contribution of the rental market.

Subsequently, in North America alone, "The Man from Nowhere" sold $5932 million on DVD in its first week of release, once again breaking the North American sales record for Chinese-language films.

This was a glorious era for DVDs.

Du Sheng still remembers that era in his previous life, when the Blu-ray disc of "Avatar" surpassed the cumulative sales of "Die Hard 4" in just two days, which took more than a year.

More than 330 million copies of all versions were sold on the first day!
Speaking of Avatar, Du Sheng couldn't help but think of James Cameron's masterpiece.

Hades had tried to involve Du Sheng in the matter.

However, Cameron made it clear that he would not consider international A-list stars, and all resources would be invested in special effects production.

Throw money into it? That's even less likely.

Major film companies are scrambling to get a piece of the pie; how could a foreigner possibly get involved?

Without sufficient strength and background, even if you are willing to invest money, you may not be able to obtain entry qualifications.

The following day, Du Sheng turned down another public event for "The Man from Nowhere" and went to Digital Domain visual effects company.

Some of the special effects for "Taken" were handled by them.

Several action scenes required audio recording and re-motion capture filming.

.........

At Baida City Plaza, the crew of the movie "The Man from Nowhere" temporarily set up a small stage.

Fans surrounded the area in layers.

Sitting on the stage were Liu Yifei, who had just returned from a trip, director Mai Shaohui, and others.

They were drinking water while answering various questions from fans.

The audience was packed with people, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.

On a bench not far away, Danor sat with his hat pulled low, looking just like an ordinary tourist.

He disguised himself as a fan and blended completely into the crowd.

But this wait lasted for an entire afternoon.

The target never showed up.

Japel walked over and sat down beside him, whispering:

"Boss, he probably won't show up today."

Danor frowned:
"Something has gone wrong?"

Japel explained:

"I just asked an entertainment reporter I know, and he said the female lead is attending this event in his place."

After listening, Danor stood up expressionlessly:

"Withdraw first, execute Plan B."

They prepared for this operation for several days, even planning their retreat route.
In the end, they didn't even see the person, and the whole plan fell through.

Back in his car, Lordis looked annoyed, slamming his fist on the steering wheel and cursing:
"These wealthy celebrities are really too much!"
They have absolutely no professional ethics, they just stand you up at will, they're all good-looking but useless trash!

Danor closed his eyes to rest and ignored him.

Japel started the car, and the group returned to their rented cabin.

A moment later, several burly men in black tiptoed into the house.

The bags on their backs were bulging, containing several long guns.

Danor gestured for them to put their guns away first.

A burly black man began to complain:
"Boss, these things are too awkward to use. It would be best to get a few ARs."

Danor responded coldly:
"We're not here to deliver goods. We'll use whatever we can get our hands on. Don't be picky."

Japel added:
"The M77 is actually quite easy to operate. You guys can practice it some more when you get back."

Since the Mandela school shooting, the Mosaic gang in Los Angeles has been under police surveillance and targeted for crackdown.

Danor and Japel also distrusted the local gangs and could only get weapons from the black market.

But the black market only sells mid-to-low-end rifles like the M77, and the prices are ridiculously high.

This bolt-action rifle is one of the top five best-selling civilian firearms in the United States, and gun shops can get it for as little as $800.

They are cheap and readily available, so their accuracy can only be described as so-so.

In a foreign land, you often have to make do.

For example, a group of more than ten people were originally planned to enter the country together, but many of them were stopped because they had criminal records.

"We can't delay any longer."

Danor looked at the map, his tone firm:
"We must act quickly. Every day we stay here increases the danger."

In the noodle shop business, betrayal, infighting, and stealing business are commonplace, and it's also common to provoke ruthless characters.

Just then, Japel, flipping through the newspaper, suddenly had a flash of inspiration:
"Boss, Sony is holding a celebration party for 'The Man from Nowhere' at the Fonda Theater tomorrow night, and Du Sheng will be there!"

"Sure?"

Danor pressed for an answer.

"Won't we come back empty-handed like we did this time?"

Japel nodded:
"The news has been confirmed. His agent has also said that he will attend. There's no doubt about it."

Lordis immediately pulled out a map, spread it on the table, and pointed to the location of the port:

“The Fonda Theatre is right here, and there’s a ferry port next to it.”

Danor glanced at the location and asked Japel:
"Is it possible to evacuate from the port to a hidden area?"

Japel thought for a moment:

"I'll go and scout out the location, arrange the evacuation equipment, and there shouldn't be any major problems."

Danor offered a final reminder:
"Remember, capture them alive if possible, otherwise this deal will be a huge loss!"

.........

In September, Los Angeles is as hot as a giant steamer, and even the air feels stuffy.

The area around the Fonda Theatre was bustling with people.

A line of mobile beverage carts pulled up, their glass cases filled with bottled Coke, canned Pepsi, McDonald's drinks, and other frozen treats.

It's obvious they came for today's celebration banquet.

Tourists and fans strolled around the theater in small groups.

Some people took photos and checked in, while others waited for the celebrities to appear while drinking beverages.

The media were also busy, with a large number of reporters arriving at the scene one after another, carrying cameras and microphones.

Rumors suggest that Leonardo DiCaprio, Du Sheng, Charlize Theron, and other celebrities will be attending, and paparazzi and entertainment reporters have been keeping a close eye on the event, afraid of missing any news.

This area is already a popular tourist spot, usually quite lively, and today it coincided with the celebration party for "The Man from Nowhere," plus there was an advertising crew filming outdoor scenes nearby...

Fans, tourists, and vendors flocked to the area, turning the whole street into a mini carnival.

Crand, who was in charge of coordinating the event at Sony, stood at the door, glanced at the scene, and said with a smile:
"Good weather, perfect for a party."

The only problem is that there are just too many reporters.

He waved his hand and instructed his assistant:
"Take a few people with you to communicate with them. We will arrange a special time for them to take photos and conduct interviews. We hope they will cooperate."

The assistant nodded and immediately called several staff members to make the contact.

Crand went to Du Sheng's dressing room car to say hello, chatted briefly, and then turned and left.

I had just come out when I heard that Quentin Tarantino and Leonardo DiCaprio had already arrived.

Du Sheng, dressed in a suit, was sitting in the lounge area drinking tea when he saw the two enter. He smiled and asked:
"Why are you so early?"

Quentin Tarantino grinned mischievously.
"I heard there are a lot of beautiful female guests coming tonight, so we're here to 'check out' the place in advance."

His new movie is in the planning stages, and he's still thinking about casting Du Sheng in a role.

Leonardo DiCaprio chimed in:
"I haven't had any acting projects lately, so I thought I'd just ride your coattails and show my face so I can find new projects."

To be honest, it's just too boring.

Du Sheng, of course, knew they were joking, and laughed heartily:
"No problem, I'll have you all on stage later, you won't be able to avoid the camera!"

Leonardo pointed at him and said:

"You bastard, are you trying to embarrass me?"

"That's how you get enough exposure."

Du Sheng shrugged:
"Maybe it will attract a group of black girls, and it might even motivate you to last 30 seconds tonight."

Upon hearing this, Leonardo almost pounced on him and punched him.

...(End of chapter)