America's Top Player

Chapter 178 Cowboy
"Pray this crazy chick doesn't get infected with some weird virus. Why can't she control her lower body?" Phil rubbed his phone screen while complaining to Li Ang. "Speaking of which, why did you go to all the trouble to shoot a music video in Montana? That must have cost a lot of money."

"For the quality of the new song." Li Ang replied.

The original MV, which was inspired by the song, looked crude and empty in every way.

The black singer who was swaying to the rhythm didn't look like a cowboy at all. He looked more like a black slave who had stolen the plantation owner's clothes and was doing cosplay.

For this purpose, the accompaniment producer David Guetta recommended a friend, Richie Simon, to Leon.

An expert specializing in cowboy culture.

He served as an art consultant on the video game Red Dead Redemption and now lives in Montana.

"That place is just full of cow dung, fake cowboys wearing revolvers pretending to be tough guys, and tourists pretending to be interested in the natural scenery." Phil kept complaining. In his eyes, areas with scarce street vendor resources were not worth mentioning.

Cowboy culture was already on the decline, and now it is suffering from the impact of awakening culture.

This culture, once considered a totem of the American spirit, is rapidly disappearing.

Texas, once considered the home of cowboys, has long lost its reputation.

Conservative, rough, and fond of alcohol and guns are the characteristics of rednecks, but not cowboys.

But Montana still retains the purest cowboy culture.

Unlike the Native Americans who dress up as clowns to attract tourists, the cowboys here really herd cattle and are ranchers who own the land.

As soon as the plane landed, Li Ang led the filming team to the shooting location in the rental company's business car.

A private ranch near Yellowstone National Park.

The convoy had just arrived at the destination, and from a distance we could see a group of middle-aged people in formal attire gathered together, smoking and chatting.

The cowboy hats covered most of their faces, but Leon was sure that they were a group of real cowboys.

Their shirts looked as if they had never been washed, and their feet were stained with cow dung.

"Welcome to Montana! The cowboy state, the land watered with blood and wine!" As soon as Li Ang got out of the car, a cowboy wearing glasses came to greet him warmly.

Among this group of people, he was the only one without cow dung on his feet, and he looked elegant and without any roughness.

"I'm Richie Simon, David's friend. I'm very honored to be the art director of this MV!" Richie took off his hat and the two shook hands.

While shaking hands, Leon looked around and found that the group of cowboys did not seem to welcome him.

"Look~ Such a big star actually came to the countryside~"

"Keep your voice down. This guy seems to be very famous. I've seen him in magazines. "Street Coconut Crisps?"

"Haha! Street Coconut Crisps?! This guy looks exactly like those bastards from the Animal Protection Organization. They're all sissy!"

Although the cowboys tried to lower their voices, the harsh sound was still heard by everyone present.

Richie forced an awkward smile. "These guys don't mean any harm. That's just how they talk. When they say you're a sissy, they're actually saying I love you."

At this point he quickly shut up, and the more he explained, the more confusing it became.

Li Ang didn't care at all. Having attended many political rallies, he could fully understand why these cowboys were not interested in celebrities.

Montana has long been a deep red state with a small permanent population, most of which are stubbornly conservative.

Apart from sports, they have little interest in anything in the mass media.

"It's okay, Mr. Richie." Li Ang handed him a cigarette. "Your understanding of cowboy culture is very important to this music video."

As he spoke, he beckoned Director Mike over and said, "Mike has revised the script several times, but he still hasn't been able to get a satisfactory result."

Richie pushed his glasses up and smiled with great confidence. "If possible, I'd like to show you around here so you can get to know this magical land better."

"why not?"

The group walked out of the ranch along the path.

"Fuck! I don't understand why I ran to this damn place, just to shoot a music video?"

Phil kept cursing as he walked. His body had long been hollowed out by alcohol and sex, and it was difficult for him to adapt to this kind of hike.

Originally, Li Ang didn't want to go through so much trouble. Traveling a long distance with a crew of more than ten people would cost a considerable amount of money.

He also had to pay Richie an additional $20,000 in consulting fees, which was an avoidable expense.

All we had to do was find a small ranch in rural New Jersey.

Or to make it even simpler, just use a green screen and use special effects throughout the process.

But now the East Coast entertainment industry is undergoing a dramatic change.

After Diddy's arrest, celebrities who were closely associated with him began to keep a low profile.

The former king of the East Coast is undisputed, and it can only be JAY-Z and his good thick midi Dee Dee.

The musical kingdom created by the two has reached the point of iteration.

If Li Ang wants to replace JAY-Z, he must surpass him in all aspects, both in musical achievements and commercial aspects.

This also means full-scale competition between the two labels, Apocalypse Music and ROC Kingdom.

Although JAY-Z has been in a mess due to the involvement of Diddy, ROC's business has never stopped.

Rihanna's sixth studio album is due out in September.

Dave & Jim Company poured resources into her, and she maintained a strong momentum of releasing one album per year for several consecutive years.

The quality of each album is very high, with one great song after another.

This album "Talk That Talk" combines the resources of Dave Jim and ROC.

A number of big-name producers including Dr. Luke and Cook Harrell were invited.

If Li Ang wants to gain an advantage in this comprehensive competition, the quality of his second album must not be inferior to Rihanna's new album.

"I came to Montana while working on Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption and immediately fell in love with it," Rich said. "If you want to delve into cowboy culture, this is the only place to go."

Leon looked around while listening to Richie's story about cowboy history.

A large number of brown-skinned Indians began to appear around, and it was obvious that they had entered the Indian reservation.

The Indians immediately surrounded us and enthusiastically promoted tourist activities such as taking photos and horse riding.

Phil joked to an Indian with painted face: "Are there any special services here? I mean girls or something."

As soon as he finished speaking, the filming crew carrying the cameras turned pale and felt their scalps itchy.

Most of their understanding of Indians comes from movies and TV shows produced by white people, in which Indians are portrayed as representatives of barbarism and ignorance.

But instead of getting angry, the Indians smiled and nodded.

Just when Phil wanted to have a deep communication with the other party, he was suddenly pulled away by Leon.

"Wait a minute, aren't you interested in Indian girls? I've heard they're more exciting than Brazilian chicks! They're as irresistible as a surging tide!"

"Shut up!"

Li Ang glared at him, and Lao Deng quickly became obedient.

The crew settled down in a pristine Indian reservation, which was the scheduled filming location.

Although it is said that the original scenery has been preserved, in fact, the tourist gathering area is two miles away, and there are mobile vendors and travel souvenir shops everywhere.

Li Ang finished changing his clothes in the nanny car.

A wide-brimmed leather hat, an unruly cape, a revolver, a big pipe, and a messy beard.
The costume designer repackaged Leon based on Clint Eastwood's classic look in "The Dollar Bomb".

"You look great, like a real Western outlaw!" Old Mike exclaimed.

But Richie on the side clearly disagreed, shaking his head repeatedly. "Whether it's a cattle escort, a robber, or a bounty hunter, a true desperado wouldn't dress any cleaner than a steel tycoon." "Also, can you please take off that stupid cape? Sergio Leone (director of the Dollars trilogy), that Italian bastard, only knew the word 'cowboy'!"

The costume designer was about to step forward to argue with Richie when he was stopped by Leon.

His eyes were full of admiration, which was why he spent $20,000 to hire the other party.

The reason why he felt uncomfortable with the original MV that was inspired by the song was that the original singer Xiao Hei was too effeminate, so that the whole style of the song became less country-like.

He once suspected that the original singer was gay.

Under Richie's guidance, the makeup artist redesigned Li Ang's makeup to make his skin look like it had signs of long-term sun exposure.

Next, they borrowed a very vintage cowhide jacket from the cowboy.

Li Ang mounted his horse and made final adjustments. Richie helped him sort out his emotions so that he could find his best form. "The spirit of the cowboy is the spirit of America. We strive, work hard, and explore. Ultimately, we will transform this land given by God into the most powerful nation in the world!"

The more Li Ang listened to this, the more uncomfortable he felt.

God-given land?
"No, it was given by gunpowder and cannons." Leon pointed to a building less than two miles away - the "Marias River Massacre Memorial".

Just two hours ago he had learned from Rich about the 1870 U.S. Cavalry raid on the captured Blackfeet tribe in Montana.

Taking advantage of the fact that the tribal men were out hunting, the cavalry massacred about 200 people, including women, children and the elderly.

The cause was that the cavalry claimed that a local white settler was missing there.

"This..." Richie was speechless for a moment.

He didn't want to take the job at first because he had a more important job - writing the script for the new game for Sam Houser, vice president of Rockstar.

"Red Dead Redemption 2".

The Hauser brothers' first draft of the script featured an outlaw named Arthur Morgan as the protagonist.

It just so happened that Leon's street reputation was notorious in the entertainment industry, and Richie thought he could use this opportunity to enrich the character of Arthur.

In his vision, this is a story of redemption of the prodigal son.

Leon obviously wouldn't like this image, so in order to cater to the players, he deliberately created the transition from repentance to redemption.

He lowered his cowboy hat, rode his horse along the wilderness trail, and hummed: "I will ride my horse, gallop along this old road in the old town, I will ride until I am exhausted."

“I don’t need anyone to lecture me, and no one should point fingers at me.”

He took out the prop revolver from his waist, played with the gun and showed a playful smile that belonged to a villain.

"Very good. Keep it up! You're in great shape!" Old Mike praised while directing the photographer to follow at a certain distance.

But Leon no longer needed the director's guidance. He had completely found his comfort zone and immersed himself in the Western world in his mind.

The first scene of riding alone on a country road was filmed.

The staff did not waste a moment and immediately began to arrange the performance requirements for the second shot.

Another actor took his position and passed by Leon. The two of them lowered their cowboy hats to greet each other.

This plot was designed by Old Mike and did not appear in the original MV.

Lowering the brim of their hat is a way for cowboys to show respect to their fellow travelers during their long journey.

But inspired by Richie's opposite, Leon and Mike temporarily changed this plot.

When he met another actor, he lowered his hat and smiled at the other person as written in the original script.

Then he suddenly pulled out a gun and shot the other person, and continued to leisurely ride his horse on the western trail as if nothing had happened.

"WTF is this?" Richie felt seriously insulted and even thought about quitting the crew.

But his eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had thought of something.

The filming went very smoothly. Except for the shot of walking into the street which had to be NGed three times due to the influence of tourists, the rest of the shots were passed in one go.

According to Li Ang's original high-standard shooting requirements, the crew originally planned to stay in Montana for at least two days.

Now they complete the work in just one afternoon.

“Well done~”

"I believe this is a music video that can win an MTV award~"

"Do whatever you want, no restrictions~ Young people will love this!"

The crew members gathered around to celebrate with Li Ang.

Phil couldn't stand being outdoors for a long time, so he sat on the ground and cursed: "I must get some Indian girl right away."

Richie walked over to sit next to Phil and jokingly said, "Now I understand why this young man has been slandered and abused by so many media outlets."

"Slander?!" Phil laughed out loud. "Compared to what he actually did, the media's portrayal is more saintly than an angel! You're pretending to understand real cowboys, but you wouldn't have survived three days back in the Westward Expansion era! You made those twenty thousand dollars easier than a streetwalker."

Richie lowered his head and remained silent, already knowing in his mind how to modify the script of "Red Dead Redemption 2".

"Yes, the shoot is going very well and I will be back in New York tomorrow."

Li Ang and Sean were talking on the phone. Even though most of the work was handed over to each other, there were still many things about the show that needed to be handled personally.

The most important thing is the positioning of Lil Duke and King Von in this show, and what kind of personalities and scripts they should be given.

"Mr. Leon." Seeing Leon hang up the phone, Richie pushed his glasses and walked over.

"Wow, thank you very much for your guidance today, otherwise the filming would not have gone so smoothly." Li Ang said.

Richie immediately shook his head after hearing this. Today, apart from providing some historical background and costume and prop guidance, his other contributions were almost zero.

He was silent for a few seconds before continuing, "You know I'm writing a script for a game, right? The Red Dead Redemption series. If you're young, you must have heard of RockStar."

In the past, Li Ang's knowledge of this game was limited to hearing the name.

However, due to the filming requirements of "Ready Player One", he spent a lot of time learning about popular video games.

"Of course, I remember the protagonist of that game is called John, right?"

"Yes!" Richie said excitedly. "What I'm about to tell you may violate my confidentiality agreement with RockStar, but I have to admit that you inspired me to write the script for the sequel."

Li Ang scratched his head, confused, and said, "I'm honored."

"Arthur, who wants to atone his sins, can't defeat Micah and Dutch." Richie muttered.

Micah? Dutch?
Li Ang had no idea what the other person was talking about and just thought it was a scholar's trait.

Especially scholars who focus on research in a certain cultural field, these people are a bit neurotic.

But because of the other person's identity, he still pretended to understand.

The IP ownership involved in "Ready Player One" is complicated, and he can't just copy it like he did when filming "Straight Outta Compton".

A problem that Spielberg could easily solve with his resources in the circle was a big trouble in Leon's eyes.

Therefore, if the film is really approved, some of the IPs involved will inevitably be replaced or deleted.

Richie has a good relationship with Sam, the vice president of Rockstar.

This company is the fastest-growing gaming company in recent years, and its games are highly sought after by young people.

"How did you come up with this idea for a cowboy?" Richie asked. "I mean, were you inspired by any movie or book?"

Li Ang didn't expect that a cowboy expert would ask him a question about cowboys.

After thinking for a few seconds, he casually said, "I don't know about cowboys with revolvers, but in Brownsville, it's common to see criminals breaking into homes with extended Glocks."

"Aside from the era filters and weapon iterations, they're not much different."

(End of this chapter)