Extracting skills from movies

The lights were adjusted, and filming continued.

However, today seems to be going poorly, with various minor problems arising one after another.

After working for half a day, we only managed to shoot three shots.

This is where Hollywood burns money; if this were in mainland Hong Kong, the director's voice could be heard a kilometer away.

In the evening, James McAvoy and Jessica Alba also arrived on set.

Apart from one outdoor scene where a train crashes through the street, the rest of the filming for "Inception" was completed at Warner Bros. Studios in Los Angeles.

The filming will then move on to locations such as Paris and London.

Including the three countries and regions he had visited before, this is the film with the most filming locations for Du Sheng.

Moreover, perhaps because of their overwhelming confidence in Du Sheng and Christopher, Warner Bros. added another $2000 million to the investment after the film officially started production, increasing the original budget of $1.3 million to $1.5 million.

With ample funding, the production quality is naturally higher.

Filming at Warner Bros. Studios lasted for more than ten days. Du Sheng mainly filmed several scenes with Blake Lively.
And the opening scene where "Cobb searches for Saito".

What was most impressive was that the crew built a giant water tank.
The special effects of using air cannons to create a flood impacting the dreamscape are truly stunning.

This is indeed a visual feast, well worth the money spent.

.........

That weekend, Du Sheng was unusually not in the recording studio.

Instead, he was summoned to the bar by a phone call.

An open-air bar by the sea, with a gentle sea breeze and the sound of waves in the distance.

The waiter brought over two glasses of wine and poured them for Du Sheng and Leonardo with great care.

Du Sheng casually slipped a tip to Du Sheng, indicating that there was no need to wait.

He raised his glass and smiled slightly:
"The most standard way of drinking in Hollywood is from morning till midnight."

Leonardo smiled and clinked glasses, but just as he was about to drink, he added:
"I need to be more careful, or I'll really get fat."

Du Sheng stared at him for a few seconds, her eyes conveying a profound meaning.

What do you mean by looking at me like that?

Leonardo seemed a little guilty:

"I'm warning you, I'm a person of plan and discipline!"

Du Sheng nodded repeatedly, his face showing an "I understand you" expression:

"I know, I know... you're planning something big."

He then pointed to the other person's fat face and said:
"You didn't gain weight and become greasy on purpose for winning an Oscar, did you?"

Leonardo DiCaprio stared wide-eyed, looking completely innocent.

"What are you talking about? How come I didn't even know about this plan?"

Du Sheng chuckled and said:

"Could it be, as the rumors say, that you ruined your appearance to escape the harassment of some 'old witch'?"

"Fake!"

Leonardo started with an 'F' and then gave him the middle finger.

Du Sheng poured him a drink while teasing him:
Even if I'm wrong, how long do you think your looks can last?
Those old judges are all very old and ugly; they can't stand seeing young people who are handsome. You can't win an Oscar unless you make yourself look exceptionally striking.

He drew out the words and spoke in an exaggerated tone:

"Leo, this is what you really wanted, isn't it? You're so cunning!"

Leonardo pointed at Du Sheng's nose:

"Everyone else curses in secret, but you, you bastard, curse to my face!"

But he wasn't about to back down and retaliated:

"And I don't believe you're satisfied with just an Oscar."

But with your scumbag looks, you can forget about winning an Oscar for Best Actor unless you ruin your appearance!

Du Sheng paused for a moment, then shrugged:
"You're absolutely right, I'm speechless."

Two years ago, Charlize Theron ruined her image to make a movie called "Monster" in order to win the Oscar for Best Actress.

"People with outstanding looks are destined to be incompatible with the Oscars."

Leonardo DiCaprio wholeheartedly agrees:

"Those old judges are just jealous of us being young, handsome, rich, and popular with women!"

Du Sheng seemed to understand something and turned his head:
Are you planning to make another run at next year's awards season?

Leonardo nodded:
"Of course I'll go for it. I have no shortage of fame, money, women, or acting opportunities. I need to have something to look forward to."

Du Sheng shook his head, recalling his past as a stuntman:
"You're the one who makes everyone envious and jealous."

Leonardo smiled smugly:
"I have two films that could compete for awards next year: Body of Lies and Revolutionary Road."

Du Sheng sighed:

"The Venice Film Festival is about to start, do you have any ideas?"

Leonardo shrugs:

"I did think about it, but there's nothing I can do if I'm not nominated."

If you're aiming for one of the top three European universities, be prepared to spend your money.

He looked at Du Sheng and said seriously:
"Although you've been in the spotlight lately because of the attack, things are very realistic there. Without spending millions of dollars, it's mostly a waste of time."

He wasn't saying this out of envy that Du Sheng won the Cannes Best Actor award and had a chance to win the Venice Film Festival; he was just stating the facts.

If the Oscars still have the veil of 'academicism' to cover up their flaws, then the three major European film festivals are nothing more than a naked money game.

Du Sheng has firsthand experience with this.

In May, in order to win the Best Actor award at Cannes, in addition to sacrificing a portion of the European box office for "Wanted," he also privately "donated" more than two million US dollars to the jury members.

But this time, he wasn't fighting alone, he laughed:

"The issuing company will provide resources, and McDonald's will probably also make an investment."

There was another reason why he agreed to come for drinks today:
"When we're vying for awards, should we create some news to make sure the judges aren't blind?"

Leonardo became interested:

What ideas do you have?

Du Sheng said with a smile:
"It's still in the conceptual stage. Once I've figured it out, I'll gather everyone together to discuss it."

Leonardo readily agreed:

"OK, no problem."

Du Sheng raised his glass:

"If Leonardo DiCaprio's name becomes famous throughout the universe, remember to let me share in his glory."

"Dude, you're almost overshadowing me now. It's hard to say who's benefiting from whose success."

Leonardo shrugged, then added:
"Didn't you say you were going to throw a party a while ago? What's the latest news?"

Du Sheng thought to herself, "We've done it! We've done something big with our group of girlfriends."

However, it's not something you can easily talk about with others, so after thinking for a moment, he said:

Are those Victoria's Secret Angels available lately?

The last time he attended a supermodel's singles party, the scene was more dramatic than a movie.

Words cannot adequately describe it.

Leonardo has a deep understanding of this:

“I remember Miranda Kerr is getting engaged at the end of the year and will probably have a singles party. They all seem to be talking about you.”

Du Sheng immediately became interested:

“I remember Isabelle’s yacht party last year so vividly.”

Leonardo immediately pulled out his phone and dialed Miranda Kerr's number.

He hung up a few minutes later, excitedly saying:
She said she plans to throw a wild party on Long Island.
I heard you just bought an island, and they specifically asked you to participate and help with the planning.

Last year's villa party was a memorable experience for all the angels; they had a blast.

Leonardo raised an eyebrow: "So, bro? Are you in or not?"

Du Sheng readily agreed:
"No problem, I'll handle the venue and planning, you guys decide on the theme."

The two drank another glass, and then went their separate ways.

After Du Sheng got into the car, a question suddenly occurred to him:
If Gisele Bündchen also attended this singles party...

Although she has left Victoria's Secret, her fame and status in the industry remain undeniable.

The thought of Leonardo DiCaprio and Gisele Bündchen, former lovers battling it out, actually gave him a little bit of anticipation.

.........

That day, Du Sheng took some time to attend the last fan signing event for "The Man from Nowhere".

Zhang Haolong was about to go to the front desk when Ma Yaowei stopped him.

"has a problem?"

Ma Yaowei smiled and waved his hand, lowering his voice:
Are you flying to Italy in the next two days to attend the Venice Film Festival?

Zhang Haolong was taken aback, then realized what was happening:

"That's right! Wasn't 'The Man from Nowhere' nominated for the main competition?"

He grinned:
"I've heard that every year you see a lot of actresses with slipped bra straps and nipples on the red carpet there. I definitely have to go and see for myself!"

Although they are not agents, they will arrange some things in advance.

As for this trip to Venice, besides accompanying Du Sheng in his pursuit of awards, watching beautiful actresses sacrifice their looks to gain popularity was just a side thing.

The two exchanged a few words in hushed tones, and then the door to the lounge opened from the inside.

Du Sheng had just finished signing his name when he led the way out.

As the group stepped out of the mall plaza, a scream suddenly erupted from across the street:
"Du Sheng! I love you!!"

"You are an eternal god!!"

"I want to have your babies!!"

Suddenly, six or seven blonde girls in wedding dresses rushed out from the crowd and surrounded Du Sheng and his group.

Ma Yaowei immediately stepped in front to shield Du Sheng, while whispering:

"Here we go again, this is insane!"

Du Sheng recognized them too, and waved to them with a smile:
"I love you all too!"

The girls were so excited that they surrounded him, asking for autographs and photos.

In the end, it was Ma Yaowei who stepped in and, through a combination of persuasion and coaxing, "rescued" Du Sheng and got her into the car.

The girls chased the car for half a lap before reluctantly stopping.

A girl sighed:

"The idol is great, but that bodyguard is so annoying, he always interferes."

"That's right!"

Another quick-tongued person chimed in:
"Sheng-ge clearly loves us very much, but unfortunately the process is full of twists and turns."

Mara, who was leading the team this time, said with deep emotion:
"But none of this can dampen our enthusiasm!"

The quick-witted one added:
"Mara is absolutely right!"

Mara's expression darkened when she noticed their lack of acceptance of her leadership role.
"Kalia has fallen for someone else; I'm your leader now!"

Someone couldn't help but ask:

"Kalia has fallen for someone else? Could she be after Disney's new boy band?"

"I don't know, she hasn't updated her social media yet."

Mara, not wanting her sisters to know that Kalia was trying to get into the film crew, quickly tried to smooth things over:
"Although she's playing both sides, she still likes Du and will come back in a while."

In truth, she wished Kalia would never come back.

Having served as a team leader for some time, she has become accustomed to the feeling of giving orders.

Given time, the members of the group will naturally accept her as the new leader.

At this moment, Du Sheng, sitting in the car, straightened her clothes and said with a smile:
"Fortunately, they were quite restrained."

Zhang Haolong joked:

"Yes, I just want to have a few babies for you, I have no other ill intentions!"

Ma Yaowei laughed heartily, and the group joked and teased each other all the way to the airport.

Filming for "Inception" is almost complete this month; the rest will be done once the studio is set up.

The director took the main crew to England yesterday to make pre-production preparations, which means that Du Sheng will be spending some time in Europe for the next period of time.

This will also make his subsequent travel arrangements more convenient:
First, I'll go to Italy for the Venice Film Festival, and then head to London.

Du Sheng had just come out of Venice Airport and gotten into the car with Zhang Haolong and Ma Yaowei. Before they even left the parking lot, his phone rang.

The caller was Li An.

"Ah Sheng, I heard you're going to Venice too?"

Li An called right on time for his flight:

"Our 'Lust, Caution' film crew will also be screened there."

Chaowei was delayed by something, and Tangwei has already left from China. I told her that if she encounters any trouble, she can ask you for help.

Du Sheng smiled:
"It seems Director Li is very confident this time; the entire crew has been mobilized."

Li An laughed heartily:
"When it comes to confidence, who can compare to you!"

Besides, Zhang Yimou is the chairman of the jury this time. Aren't you two in cahoots?

Du Sheng shook his head slightly and said:

"I have a good relationship with Director Zhang, but on matters of principle, he is more principled."

For example, at the 18th Tokyo International Film Festival, Zhang Yimou did not give preferential treatment to his "own people".

Even China Film Group's attempts to influence the film were ineffective; in the end, they awarded several major awards to the Japanese film "Praying to the Snow."

Li An, of course, knew Zhang Yimou's temperament, and said with a smile:
"Then let's see who has the best skills. See you in Venice, let's get together."

Du Sheng hung up the phone, looked out the window at the darkening sky, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

Zhang Haolong frowned in thought:
"The name 'Lust, Caution' sounds familiar."

Du Sheng gave a hint with a playful expression:
"Didn't some media outlets report at the beginning of the year that Leung Chiu-wai was doing 'real' stunts in this film?"

Zhang Haolong suddenly realized and said with a smile:

"So, Tang Wei doesn't seem so serious after all."

"Brother Sheng, are you interested in her?"

Du Sheng rolled her eyes, too lazy to answer.

Ma Yaowei seemed to be deep in thought:
"The competition at this year's Venice Film Festival is fierce."

I heard that Charlize Theron's "In the Valley of Elah" is also in the main competition; Tom Cruise probably just barely makes the cut.

Du Sheng nodded:
"After winning the Oscar for Best Actress, Charlize Theron took on a big commercial film, hoping to become a box office queen like Julia Roberts, but it was a box office flop, so she had to go back to her old path of art films."

He then analyzed:
"However, I don't think Theron will necessarily win the award, because her biggest competitor is Cate Blanchett."

When it comes to Cate Blanchett, everyone knows her status and talent.

She received an Oscar nomination shortly after her debut for her portrayal of Elizabeth I, and now holds two Oscars. She is also aiming for the Venice Film Festival with "Freedom".

Her most famous role is probably the Elf Queen in "The Lord of the Rings".

Zhang Haolong asked curiously:
"Brother Sheng, does this so-called 'Oscar curse' only apply to actresses?"

Du Sheng answered casually:

"Roughly the same.

Most male actors experience a career boost after winning an Oscar for Best Actor.

Of course, there are exceptions, but compared to the previous period, the number is far lower than that of actresses.

…(End of this chapter)