Huayu: Director started with art films

Chapter 110 [European Film Festival's Three Gold Plan]

United Kingdom.

Hampshire.

On the lawn in front of an ancient castle that is said to be 600 years old, Li Yishu was having people set up the scene, mainly to restore the style of the 18th century. She also prepared several sets of 18th century British aristocratic costumes.

Just then, a car slowly drove over from a distance.

Li Yishu glanced sideways and saw a car parked nearby. Two people got out of the car, a man and a woman. She didn't recognize the woman, but the man looked very familiar, Tom Cruise!
"Let's go, Mr. Yamamoto, and meet this world superstar."

Li Yishu walked over with Canon's head Yamamoto.

Yamamoto introduced, "Mr. Cruise, let me introduce you, this is Director Yishu Lee."

"Hello, Mr. Cruise." Li Yishu extended her hand politely.

"Hello, Director Li."

Tom Cruise smiled and said, "I've seen your film The Postman, it was very well shot and you acted very well."

"Thank you."

Li Yishu didn't expect that the other party had watched her movie. To be honest, she didn't know how the video tape of "The Mountain" sold in North America. "I like your works, Mr. Cruise, especially your "Rain Man". I feel that your performance is not worse than Dustin Hoffman's."

"Yeah, but there's nothing I can do. It's always just a little bit short."

Hearing this, Tom Cruise agreed in his heart. He had originally chosen to act in "Rain Man" because it could be a dual male lead with equal parts, and he thought he could win an Oscar. However, who would have thought that after the film was edited, he would become a supporting role.

After the two sides exchanged greetings for a while, Li Yishu asked the staff to take Tom Cruise to change his clothes.

The role that Tom Cruise has to play is actually quite simple. He is just a noble who is dueling with someone, then he walks and shoots, and then there is a shot of him bending over.

The subsequent bullet-time special effects will be shot and produced in Japan.

In the dressing room.

"Tom, we have to take the initiative!"

While watching Tom change into the clothes of a British noble, agent Pat Kingsley said, "In the commercial shoot, you have to be the focus. I think your opponent's role is totally unnecessary. Just one shot will do."

Tom Cruise frowned: "He doesn't have much of a role to begin with, how can he stand out?"

Tom Cruise has read the script. Even though he has been working in Hollywood for many years, he has to admit that the Chinese director's creativity is indeed great.

Especially the bullet time mentioned in the script. Although there is no visible effect, just imagining it is enough to make people excited.

This creative advertisement inexplicably gave Tom Cruise a sense of déjà vu as if he was filming a Hollywood blockbuster.

"Keep cutting back. I read the script and the other side has several scenes that I think are totally unnecessary."

"It's not necessary. I read the script and it's a necessary shot."

"That won't work. You have to stand out."

After saying that, Pat Kingsley waved her hand and said, "Okay, just stay in the dressing room and don't come out without me. I'm going to talk to the Chinese director."

Seeing his agent leave, Tom Cruise's face changed slightly. After hesitating for a moment, he chose to support Pat Kingsley.

Although he also felt that this might not be a good idea, Tom Cruise knew that his agent was helping him gain a say in the crew.

Just as Li Yishu was sitting on a chair, waiting for Tom Cruise to come over for filming, she suddenly saw his female agent Pat Kingsley coming over.

Pat Kingsley said politely, "Hello, Director Li."

Seeing the other party's polite yet distant attitude, Li Yishu raised her eyebrows and said, "Hello, Jin Sili, what's going on?"

Li Yishu had learned from Canon Group before that Tom's agent, Pat Kingsley, didn't seem to be very optimistic about this Chinese director. Now he has come to her on his own initiative. This doesn't seem to be a good thing.

"It's like this, I hope to give Tom more roles. He is the protagonist and the spokesperson for the camera brand..."

Pat Kingsley kept talking about how Tom was an international superstar with a lot of fans all over the world, and that only by highlighting his acting skills could the impact of the advertisement be better increased, while boosting the sales of Canon cameras.

After saying a lot, seeing that Li Yishu didn't say a word, Pat Kingsley said proudly: "So, based on the above reasons, I think you have to give Tom more scenes."

Li Yishu said coldly, "Sorry, I won't add it. The script has been written and I won't change a single word."

He finally understood why Tom Cruise later broke up with this female agent. Given her behavior, it was no wonder that his career declined severely and he was plagued by scandals, and that a lot of his fame was sucked away by his ex-wife.

"What? You don't want to change it? He's Tom Cruise! You're just a small Chinese director, don't think you have the right to..."

Li Yishu was too lazy to waste time talking to this stupid woman. She stood up and shouted to Yamamoto who was not far away, "Mr. Yamamoto, come here."

Yamamoto quickly ran over: "Director Li, what's the matter?"

"You can talk to her yourself. I'm only responsible for shooting the commercial."

Li Yishu just left. This was not his crew. The money had been paid anyway, so he left the responsibility of Tom Cruise's difficult agent to Yamamoto.

Li Yishu felt it was unnecessary to say one more word to the other party. "Ms. Jinsili, what do you want to do now?"

Yamamoto looked very unhappy. When he was in the United States before, he wasted the signing time because of this woman. Later, it was this woman who questioned Director Li's ability. Now that he has arrived at the crew and is about to start filming, she has caused another trouble.

Pat Kingsley said: "I want the Chinese director to change Tom's role. He is the protagonist..."

"Impossible!" Yamamoto finally understood why Li Yishu was angry.

The commercial is only a few minutes long, and the camera is basically focused on Tom, the protagonist. The others are just tools. At most, there will be an extra photographer, Takuya Kimura, in the scene in Japan.

“Then we won’t shoot!”

Pat Kingsley said arrogantly: "If you don't have the script, then Tom won't shoot it."

Yamamoto said coldly: "Are you sure you don't want to shoot anymore?"

"That's right. If you don't revise the script, we won't shoot it." Pat Kingsley nodded. She had the confidence because the artist she had was Tom Cruise, a real international superstar.

"it is good!"

Yamamoto nodded slightly, took out his cell phone and asked someone to contact the Japanese headquarters to report the situation on the scene and the strike proposed by Tom Cruise's agent.

"You, what are you talking about?"

Because Yamamoto spoke in Japanese, Pat Kingsley couldn't understand, but she could feel that the situation seemed a little beyond her expectations.

They thought it was just a Chinese director who could easily handle the situation, and Canon Camera took the initiative to approach them for endorsement cooperation, so Pat Kingsley felt that if she threatened to go on strike, the other party would definitely give in.

Just looking at this situation, something doesn't seem right.

After Yamamoto hung up the phone, he said to Pat Kingsley: "I'm sorry, since you have proposed a strike, we have the right to terminate your contract, and you must compensate us for our losses during this period."

"What! You want to terminate Tom's contract!"

Pat Kingsley was furious: "He's Tom Cruise, an international superstar!"

"So what?" Yamamoto folded his arms in front of him. Behind him stood the multinational group Canon. Although Japan's economy is in recession now, it does not affect the competitiveness of Canon Group in the world's camera brands at all.

"Kinsley!"

Tom Cruise, who had heard the quarrel a long time ago, also came out at this time. Seeing the two people's tense appearance, he also stepped forward and asked, "What's going on?"

Looking at Tom who took the initiative to ease the situation, Yamamoto said, "Your agent wants to terminate the contract, Mr. Cruise, is this what you mean?"

"what?!"

Tom Cruise looked at his agent in surprise. He thought it was just about the script, but he didn't expect it to involve termination of the contract.

If this gets out, Tom Cruise's commercial value will probably be greatly reduced. No brand will tolerate termination of the contract during filming.

The lost money and the preliminary preparation work are not important. What matters is that the brand feels that it has been bullied.

Small brands can only endure it, but large groups like Canon will not indulge the other party.

Pat Kingsley hesitated, not knowing what to say for a moment.

Yamamoto snorted coldly: "If this is not what Mr. Cruise meant, I hope to get your agent to leave and not delay the filming of the crew!"

"Ok."

Tom Cruise nodded, pulled his agent aside and said a few words. Although Pat Kingsley was still a little dissatisfied, when she heard about the refund and compensation, she could only leave with hatred.

She had tried this tactic on several crews before and it worked very well, but she didn't expect it wouldn't work on them.

Seeing the female agent leave, Li Yishu finally came over, and Tom Cruise apologized, "I'm sorry Director Li, I didn't know that Jin Sili approached you privately, but I don't think she meant any harm."

"Okay Mr. Cruise, let's finish the filming as soon as possible."

Li Yishu waved his hands. After several decades, he had become accustomed to such things.

Hollywood, as the place where conflicts and quarrels are the most serious, seems to be even less worthy of mention.

To put it bluntly, Lee Yi-su is not a big enough star. If a big-name director came instead, there wouldn't be so many problems.

It seems that we have to complete the Three Gold Plan as soon as possible.

The Golden Lion Award is already in hand, and if no other problems arise, Li Yishu has an 80% chance of winning the Palme d'Or.

That only leaves the Golden Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival.

I'll have to choose movies based on my preferences for Berlin.

However, Lee Yi-su feels that the success rate is not high. He is too young, and it is unrealistic for him to win all three awards, unless he has a film that Berlin has to give him an award.

(End of this chapter)