Actor: Thank you.

The next day, he and Zhang Yimou's family went to Wuxi.

It's the start of the new year, time to pay the fine.

The company launched a pre-planned public relations campaign to give Zhang Yimou a little whitewash.

Try to minimize the negative effects of this incident.

Fortunately, the director works behind the scenes and doesn't need to appear in public often, so the impact wasn't that significant to begin with.

It might be even more difficult for celebrities.

Then he turned around and ran to Shiqiu Town in Nanjing.

In fact, when people heard that Zhang Yimou was going to make a movie, dozens of cities across the country, big and small, flocked to him.

Although in later generations, various "standardized" scenic spots have been abandoned by young people and have closed down on a large scale.

But this is the busiest construction period right now.

Everywhere, if there are one or two celebrities or a respectable event, tourist attractions will be built around this "cultural resource" to attract visitors.

Like Wuzhen, which is already quite famous, it still spends a lot of money.

First, they hired Liu Ruoying as their spokesperson, and then they renovated the former residence and built a museum for the artist Mu Xin.

Later, they also invited Huang Lei, Meng Jinghui, and others to organize the Wuzhen Theatre Festival.

The cultural industry not only makes money itself, but also drives employment and other consumption such as real estate. Who wouldn't be envious?

Shiqiu Town directly treated "The Flowers of War" as a government investment project, giving it the green light in all related matters.

Furthermore, this film and television city is backed by Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation, which is indeed very powerful, and no one dares to provoke it.

They were quick to pay.

There has been a long-standing rumor that Zhang Yimou spent 1000 million yuan just on the Catholic church in this film, and that the stained glass windows were all imported from abroad.

That's half true and half false. It's not that expensive, and the production team doesn't need to pay for it.

The total cost of the exterior construction exceeded 4000 million yuan, all of which was paid by the scenic area!
However, the payment method also has local characteristics, with the Shiqiu Town Government, NJ City, and Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation vying for shares.

As expected of Su Chao's birthplace, they refuse to concede to anyone.

The Shiqiu Town government even confronted "Brother Nan" above them, demonstrating its disorganized nature.

Following Zhang Yimou's lead, you'll drink three meals a day.

People treat him very politely; he gets invited to meals wherever he goes.

This scenic area project was negotiated when Zhang Weiping was in charge, and it's unclear whether he benefited from it or not.

It's highly likely they've already fished it out.

But in order for the production team to move forward, Zhang Yuan could only pretend not to know.

It's wise to play dumb sometimes; he intercepted the deal halfway through, so we can't dwell on the past.

Just like in a second marriage, can you ask your wife how many times she had sex with her ex-partner each year, and what positions they used each time?
Asking too many questions can also cause mental illness.

As long as it doesn't affect our daily lives, we can just turn a blind eye.

After the tour, we drank with local leaders until midnight before finally resting.

Unexpectedly, the next day, Zhang Yimou got up even earlier than him and banged on his door.

Zhang Yuan rubbed his eyes and opened the door, only to find that Zhang Yimou was wearing sportswear and running shoes, and had already gone for a jog.

"You're in great health." Zhang Yuan felt he needed to get some more physical and recovery attributes from Zhang Yimou.

So cool.

"Life lies in movement; only by working continuously can one live a long life," Zhang Yimou replied proudly.

"That's not necessarily true." Zhang Yuan thought of the grandfather and grandson from the Ming Dynasty.

That is, the Jiajing and Wanli emperors.

One of them works from home, and the other stays at home exclusively, without working.

The Jiajing Emperor reigned for 45 years, and the Wanli Emperor reigned for 48 years, making a total of 93 years for the grandfather and grandson.

The Ming Dynasty lasted only 276 years, and these two people who never left their homes accounted for one-third of that time.

This leads to the conclusion that homebodies live longer and are healthier because they don't work.

"Please wait for me a moment, I'll get ready and then we'll head out."

After spending half an hour washing up and eating, he and Zhang Yimou headed to the airport.

"What are we going to Shenzhen for?" Zhang Yimou never asked in detail.

Zhang Yuan only mentioned that it was related to filming.

"That's right," Zhang Yuan replied after organizing his thoughts on the plane.

"Do you remember how much trouble it was to film the big scenes when we were making 'Curse of the Golden Flower'?"

"Not only did we use track and field cameras, but we also used high-speed model airplanes for aerial photography."

"I remember." Zhang Yimou knew it very well.

That was using equipment borrowed from the sports bureau; ordinary people wouldn't even be able to borrow it for filming.

"That panoramic view, with the machine strapped to the model airplane, is not only noisy but also unstable because these high-powered model airplanes themselves vibrate."

"I'm worried it might fall down if a strong wind comes."

"Yes, one machine costs hundreds of thousands," Zhang Yimou exclaimed.

"Curse of the Golden Flower" was the biggest production he ever made, and I miss it a bit.

Zhang Yimou is a man with great artistic ambitions. Such large-scale ancient costume scenes with thousands of people are rare in China, and he feels a great sense of accomplishment from them.

"Yes, we encountered a lot of difficulties when we were filming."

"But fortunately, you managed things well and the staff cooperated, so it went relatively smoothly."

"But have you ever thought that, in the end, our filming techniques are still different from Hollywood's?" Zhang Yuan looked sincerely at Zhang Yimou.

"Especially for large-scale productions, many of the equipment they use is custom-made, with a set of equipment created specifically for a single film."

This is common among Cameron, Spielberg, and Nolan.

The industrialization of Hollywood films was driven by a group of renowned science fiction directors.

"Our film 'The Flowers of War' also features grand scenes."

After all, it's a commercial film about events in Southern Zhili, so including some war scenes would attract male viewers.

The idea was reasonable, Zhang Yuan supported it, and it was in line with business logic.

"Have you thought about how to film it?"

"War scenes inevitably require aerial photography, overhead shots, or panoramic shots."

"They are all quite rare and require certain technical skills."

"In addition, we are still shooting on location, not like Hollywood's all-green-screen studio shooting, so it's not easy to set up the equipment in many places."

Zhang Yimou lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then realized that what he said made sense.

Moreover, he looked at Zhang Yuan with even greater respect.

You're quite something, kid. You know a lot.

No wonder he's been to Hollywood and filmed special effects blockbusters; he's very meticulous and learned a lot on set.

He's meticulous and has a keen eye for detail; no wonder he's successful.

"So what do you suggest?"

"My suggestion is that we Chinese people should not only focus on the content."

"We need to have our own hardware too; we can't rely on imports for everything!" Zhang Yuan said, raising his index finger with utmost seriousness.

Zhang Yimou noticed that his eyes lit up when he said this.

"One day, Chinese goods will be sold all over the world and occupy all markets, whether low-end or high-end."

"We'll see." Zhang Yimou still trusted American ideas more.

"Okay, let's get back to the main topic."

"My idea is, since we're going to shoot big scenes..."

"Why don't we find a company and have a drone set custom-made for our film?"

"Don't wait until we've started filming to figure out a solution; let's find someone to provide services specifically for us before we even begin filming."

Zhang Yimou opened his eyes wide and nodded; this was interesting.

I support you for this.

Young minds are so sharp and quick.

Unlike Zhang Weiping, who only knows how to fool investors and swindle money.

Changing allegiances has yielded immediate results; this company is the kind that gets things done.

"So, I found a company that makes model airplanes, contacted them, and we'll visit them together."

Soon after, they settled in Shenzhen.

The model airplane company located in Shenzhen is called DJI. Arriving at a not-so-luxurious office building, several people had already unfurled banners.

"Welcome Director Zhang Yimou to our visit!"

As always, Zhang Yimou has a lot of influence wherever he goes.

Zhang Yuan told Zhang Yimou that this was a model airplane company. This was not meant to belittle the other party, nor was it to make it easier for Zhang Yimou to understand. Rather, it was an accurate description of DJI at that time.

DJI is famous for the DJI Phantom, the world's first drone that integrates aerial photography.

Unrivaled in its time, it dominated the market.

This machine was not born until the end of 12.

At that time, DJI was just a small workshop producing model airplanes, which is no exaggeration.

They were greeted by "master and disciple".

The company's founder, Wang Tao, and its chief technology officer, Li Zexiang, is also Wang Tao's mentor at the University of Hong Kong.

"Director Zhang, Mr. Zhang, these are our company's existing products."

"This is the R&D team and the products they are developing."

"I heard you're planning to shoot a new film and want a custom-made aerial filming and stabilization system?"

The boss, Wang Tao, was very excited.

Firstly, I met a big star and a famous director; secondly, I felt my luck had turned and I had to make the move!
Wang Tao is from Yuhang and has loved model airplanes since he was a child.

After being admitted to the Department of Electronic Engineering at East China Normal University, he felt unsatisfied and dropped out to study Electrical Control and Computer Science at the University of Hong Kong.

Professor Li Zexiang, the mentor, is a professor of robotics at the University of Hong Kong. During his time at the university, Wang Tao was not only his master's supervisor but also the leader of the University of Hong Kong's robotics competition team, while Wang Tao was a key member of the team.

Wang Tao is not only highly skilled with his hands, but he can also program flight control systems.

I started my business in 06.

A year later, the company was on the verge of bankruptcy, and the entire founding team absconded.

This same mentor not only joined the company but also used his connections to help him secure millions in investment, enabling him to continue.

That's why it's so important to meet a good teacher in life.

But first and foremost, you yourself have to be a talented person.

For up to 10 years, Wang Tao’s company and team were making single-propeller drones, which resembled miniature helicopters.

When playing a plane crash scene, you have to play "SEE YOU AGAIN" at double speed.

It is designed primarily for skilled gamers and is intended for professional players.

They never touched upon the multi-rotor or quadcopter drones that later became so popular.

So essentially, what he's always been making is what the public calls model airplanes.

Until last year, DJI did not have its own multi-rotor flight control system and used a product from a German company.

It wasn't until a few months ago that DJI decided to transform its business model, aiming to produce multi-rotor drones and add accessories.

The finished product has now been manufactured and is being used with its own system.

Wang Tao showed Zhang Yimou his laboratory prototype, a multi-rotor drone that can carry a weight of 3 kilograms and can be operated by a remote control with a rudimentary display.

It's quite easy to use. Zhang Yimou carefully operated it a few times, and it didn't crash.

"This thing is great," Zhang Yimou said, hands on his hips, looking at the machine hovering in mid-air.

The camera drone used in filming "Curse of the Golden Flower" was a fixed-wing aircraft, the kind that can't hover.

"The 3-kilogram load capacity is too low; our cameras are much heavier."

"And can this thing of yours even stay stable?"

"Can it be used for recording?"

Wang Tao turned around, his face full of excitement.

Isn't that a coincidence?
Why did DJI Phantom become so successful and popular later on?
This is because DJI has combined drones and cameras far better than its competitors.

This story dates back to a few months ago.

Sometimes, a single wrong decision can bring divine assistance.

After deciding to switch to producing multi-rotor drones, they quickly produced the products.

At first, they also copied foreign products.

These days, there are no big manufacturers in the drone industry; they're all small workshops.

When ordinary people hear about drones, their first thought isn't about quadcopter toys, but rather advanced weapons like the American Reaper strategic drone.

Because everyone is a small workshop, it is actually easier for them to enter overseas markets.

It must be said that this HKU tutor connected him with many friends in English-speaking countries to act as local agents for DJI products.

At that time, DJI could only buy a few hundred complete drones a year, and one or two thousand flight system modules.

Then, just as rotorcraft were becoming popular overseas for over a decade, he seized the opportunity to enter the Oceania market.

But a few months later, Wang Tao discovered something strange.

In New Zealand, the agent can sell a dozen or so machines and twenty or thirty flight control systems every month.

But drone camera gimbals can sell hundreds of units!
This suggests that other drone operators will buy DJI gimbal accessories and install them on other brands of drones they own.

After asking around, I found out why they bought this thing.

It wasn't bought by a professional hobbyist; it was purchased by a farmer.

Australia and New Zealand are both famous and well-developed in the livestock industry.

Unlike the United States, which is fully industrialized and completely disregards environmental and animal rights organizations, this country is not like the United States.

That's how Americans are; they ignore anything that gets in the way of making money.

Unless these troublemakers can help me stir up partisan strife.

White people are environmentally conscious, but Americans aren't.

How did mad cow disease come about? It came from feeding cattle meat from their own kind, much of which was diseased or dead meat.

The situation in Oceania is much more harmonious and natural, with animals grazing freely or collectively.

A small farmer might raise several thousand cattle, while a large farmer could have hundreds of thousands of cattle.

They roam freely in groups on the fenced-off hillsides and grasslands, grazing during the day and returning to their enclosures at night.

The farmers there don't drive their cattle on horseback, or in pickup trucks like Americans do.

Instead, they use helicopters to drive the cattle and sheep away with noise and air currents; otherwise, there are too many to manage.

They bought drones and installed gimbals and cameras to monitor grazing and make it easier to find stray or lost cattle and sheep.

If you can imagine that a ranch there is half the size of Beijing, you'll understand why they need to use drones and helicopters.

Our country only has farmers, while in the capitalist world, farm owners emerge, and a family can own a large area of ​​land equivalent to a small country.

Just like the story of how "Lao Gan Ma" got its fortune.

They originally set up a small stall, selling rice tofu and cold noodles.

There are several stalls selling cold noodles on the street, and they are constantly vying for business.

But Grandma Tao discovered that people not only loved his cold noodles, but also often asked customers to order his chili sauce to go.

At first, I didn't take it seriously. I figured if someone wanted it, I'd just give it to them; it wasn't worth much anyway.

After a while, the old lady realized something was wrong.

They closed the noodle stall and switched to selling chili sauce to other stalls.

Instead of focusing on end-user products, they've moved on to upstream supporting industries.

Then came the popular hot sauce that everyone loves.

People are afraid of overthinking; once they start, they'll make a fortune.

Wang Tao also deduced the market demand for combining drones and cameras by analyzing gimbal sales.

Purely intelligent, with a keen eye for detail.

Just like Lao Gan Ma (a popular chili sauce brand), after Tao Lao Tai stepped down, her son took over and the company was doomed as soon as he started focusing on cost reduction and efficiency improvement.

Every company has a key figure.

So DJI has not only begun its transformation, but is also developing its own drone camera technology.

Furthermore, Chen Yiqi, the key figure in developing hovering, image stabilization, and 360-degree camera technology, has also been appointed.

The company's technical team of over a hundred people worked day and night with him, investing almost all of their funds.

It was a bit of a gamble, but the final result was good.

Wang Tao was overjoyed to hear that Zhang Yimou was coming!
This is exactly what I want!
I was researching the integration of flight control and camera technology when the big-name director arrived.

He didn't know that Zhang Yuan had intended for this to happen by chance, rather than it being good luck.

He deliberately used the prestigious name of Zhang Yimou to approach the other party.

Filming was just an excuse... (End of Chapter)