Entertainment: Who still wants to fall in love when there are cheats?

Chapter 220 Special Effects and Script

Li Boda was unconcerned about the outside world's commotion.

Right now, Li Boda is engrossed in creating special effects for [Infinite Terror].

After all, Li Boda had placed a lot of hope in this film.

Li Boda really likes the character Chu Xuan, or rather, he really likes the character's ability to convey emotions.

However, Chu Xuan is not the main character in the movie "Infinite Terror".

There are still some differences in the abilities that the main characters and supporting characters can provide.

For example, when Li Boda starred in "A Chinese Ghost Story", his character, Qi Ye Sheng Jun, was not the main character. Therefore, when the cheat system was implemented, Li Boda only received a seed of magic power from Qi Ye Sheng Jun, which was considered to have stepped into the realm of the extraordinary, but it was far from enough.

In the TV series "Chinese Paladin," Li Boda played the role of Li Xiaoyao. After the series aired, he directly obtained 60-70% of Li Xiaoyao's magical power.

So what Li Boda hopes for most now is to make a good movie called "Infinite Terror" and produce it in a particularly high-quality way.

That way, when "Infinite Terror" is released, even if Chu Xuan is just a supporting character, he can still give back more feedback.

After all, the higher the quality of the film itself, the higher the box office, the more the audience likes it, and the more valuable the feedback from the "golden finger" (referring to the film's success).

So after returning to China, Li Boda almost completely ignored what was happening outside and went straight into the 'Magic Cube Technology' company, where he began creating special effects for the movie 'Infinite Terror' in the laboratory.

From the outset, Li Boda used the highest level of skill he could currently achieve to create special effects.

Furthermore, in order to improve the special effects, he constantly researched and tried to update the technology to create even better special effects.

After Li Boda and his team worked on the special effects for a period of time, Lionsgate, Legendary Pictures, and even Wanda Pictures, both foreign and domestic film companies, came to Li Boda's place to check out the quality of the special effects he had created for "Infinite Terror".

After all, as one of the investors in this film, they are very concerned about the quality of the special effects. This is related to the quality of the film, whether the investment can be recouped, and whether it can make a profit.

However, when they arrived at Magic Cube Technology and saw the level of special effects that Li Boda had created for "Infinite Terror," their eyes lit up.

Because the special effects done by Li Boda are really excellent.

While it's slightly inferior to the special effects of Avatar, it seems to be slightly better than the special effects produced by second-tier Hollywood special effects companies.

This level of special effects is even cheaper.

This greatly surprised those who came to see Li Boda's special effects skills, and while they were surprised, they were also very satisfied.

At this time, the quality of the special effects produced by Li Boda was also leaked by some people.

Abroad, no matter how good the special effects are on Li Boda's side, no one will believe it or recognize it.

However, it has indeed attracted a lot of attention in the country.

For example, Hong Kong director Tsui Hark.

Xu Ke has been very interested in special effects since he first started directing.

For example, his first attempt was in 83 with "The New Legend of Zu," but because he focused too much on special effects, the plot was terrible, resulting in a huge box office loss.

Later, in 2001, he relentlessly filmed another movie, "The Legend of Zu." He still placed great emphasis on special effects, and while the plot was still poorly developed, it was still a step up from his earlier film, "The New Legend of Zu." However, it ultimately failed at the box office and still lost a lot of money.

However, in terms of special effects, no other domestic film has surpassed "The Legend of Zu" so far.

Unfortunately, the storyline wasn't well done, and they lost money.

If "The Legend of Zu" had been a huge success, countless directors would have followed suit, pursuing special effects blockbusters and driving the development of special effects in China, leading to a significant leap in the country's special effects capabilities.

Unfortunately, nothing came of it, because "The Legend of Zu" lost money, and for a long time afterward, no director dared to touch special effects blockbusters.

And now, Xu Ke is planning to shoot another special effects blockbuster.

Unfortunately, Tsui Hark's latest film, *Flying Swords of Dragon Gate*, is a wuxia (martial arts) drama, and in terms of special effects, the genre is actually quite unsuitable. If it had been a fantasy (fantasy) drama, Tsui Hark could have spent a lot of money on special effects, and the film would probably have been much better.

Regardless, Tsui Hark did indeed want to make "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" a 3D special effects blockbuster.

His film "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" finished filming last month, and after editing, he is preparing to go to Hollywood to do the special effects for "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate".

At that time, Li Boda's special effects skills were very high, and his prices were much cheaper than those in Hollywood.

When the news reached Xu Ke's ears, he immediately ran over to Li Boda's side.

Although Xu Ke's arrival was somewhat unexpected by Li Boda, Li Boda did not turn Xu Ke away.

Of course, Li Boda was working on special effects and didn't entertain Xu Ke; it was Sister Wang who brought Xu Ke here for a quick look around.

When Xu Ke saw the special effects that Li Boda had created for "Infinite Terror", his eyes lit up immediately.

Watching the short clip of "Infinite Terror" special effects created by Li Boda, the realistic 3D effects hit Xu Ke's weak spot.

"Director Li, Director Li, please do the special effects for me, please do the special effects for our 'Flying Swords of Dragon Gate'!" Xu Ke grabbed Li Boda's arm tightly and said excitedly.

"..." Li Boda looked at the excited Xu Ke in astonishment, then shook his head: "No time!"

"..." Xu Ke.

"I'm currently working on the special effects for 'Infinite Terror,' a movie I directed myself and invested 600 million yuan in. It's extremely important; it's currently my number one priority, and everything else has to take a backseat," Li Boda said bluntly.

Xu Ke understood perfectly. After realizing the situation, he couldn't help but sigh, filled with regret.

Li Boda has the skill, but unfortunately, he lacks the time, energy, equipment, and manpower.

Li Boda can only work on the special effects for the movie "Infinite Terror" right now; he simply can't work on other movies.

In reality, no matter how many people or how much equipment Li Boda had, he would use it all to create special effects for "Infinite Terror." After all, "Infinite Terror" was the most important thing to Li Boda, and he wouldn't do anything else until "Infinite Terror" was completed.

In the end, Xu Ke left with a heart full of regrets.

After leaving Li Boda's place, Xu Ke immediately flew to Hollywood with the money and the film.

He did indeed plan to finish the special effects for "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" as soon as possible, and then arrange for its release.

Xu Ke saw the high level of special effects that Li Boda did for "Infinite Terror," and the special effects for "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" were so high that even if they were done in Hollywood, without the involvement of two major special effects companies like Industrial Light & Magic, the special effects for "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" would never surpass those of "Infinite Terror."

Moreover, "Infinite Terror" and "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" are positioned similarly, both being 3D special effects movies.

If "Infinite Terror" is released first, followed by "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate," its box office performance and critical reception will definitely be affected.

Therefore, Tsui Hark's idea was to complete the post-production of "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" as soon as possible and release it before "Infinite Terror," so that "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" could still be marketed as the first 3D special effects blockbuster in China and rake in a wave of box office revenue.

So Xu Ke is very anxious, extremely anxious.

Li Boda was unaware of Xu Ke's thoughts; he simply continued to refine the special effects for "Infinite Terror" at his current pace.

It's mid-February now, and Li Boda's idea is to release the movie "Infinite Terror" in December, which is about ten months away.

Aside from review and other issues, Li Boda even had nine months to work on the special effects.

No, Li Boda could even spend ten months working on the special effects. It wouldn't matter if the special effects for the movie "Infinite Terror" weren't finished until December, since special cases can be handled specially.

For a big-budget film like "Infinite Terror," there are many things that can be accommodated. Even if Li Boda didn't mention it, Master Han would have taken the initiative to give "Infinite Terror" special treatment.

Regardless, it would be best if Li Boda could complete the special effects and post-production of "Infinite Terror" as soon as possible, while maintaining his current skill level.

After returning, Li Boda immediately began working on the special effects for "Infinite Terror" and didn't show his face at all.

Although Li Boda did not show up, the various topics about him never stopped.

What do you mean, Li Boda is now a great director, and his achievements may even surpass those of Zhang Yimou?

Li Boda's three movies grossed 700 million yuan at the box office.

What a genius, Li Boda, his transformation from extra to A-list star to famous director.

These are all fine.

However, when the news broke that Li Boda was personally handling the special effects for "Infinite Terror," it caused an uproar. Many people ridiculed Li Boda for overestimating his abilities.

Some people even said that Li Boda's investment of 600 million yuan in "Infinite Terror" was fake and a money laundering scheme.

Some also said that Li Boda was arrogant and conceited, and then called on everyone to boycott Li Boda.

This issue even spread to 'Magic Cube Technology's' mobile phones, causing their sales to be affected to some extent.

However, when Tsui Hark was interviewed, he said that Li Boda's special effects level was exceptionally high, completely reaching Hollywood standards. If Li Boda had the time and energy, he would have entrusted the special effects of "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" to Li Boda.

Li Boda's reputation took another turn, and the sales of the "Magic Cube Phone" were even boosted as a result.

In short, there's just too much news about Li Boda out there—positive, negative, and even about [Infinite Terror].

There are clearly many people behind this doing something shady.

Overall, however, the impact on Li Boda was not significant!
At least until the movie "Infinite Terror" is released and audiences have the opportunity to see for themselves whether it's a bad movie or not, it won't have much impact on Li Boda.

While Li Boda was busy working on special effects, many of the actors who participated in "Infinite Terror" became highly sought-after at this time.

Whether it's Yan Kuan, Huang Xiaoming, Zhao Liying, or Chen Weiting, who were previously unknown artists, they all became very popular at this time.

Countless production teams, whether for television dramas or movies, extended invitations to Yan Kuan and others, asking them to star in their respective series or films.

Some even had ambitions and tried to extend invitations to Li Boda.

After all, the popularity of "Infinite Terror" is just too high.

As actors in this film, they all received a great deal of attention.

Of course, the movie "Infinite Terror" has not been released yet, and it cannot be determined whether it will be a bad movie. If it is a bad movie, Yan Kuan and the other actors involved may even be implicated.

But let's take a gamble!

Humans are inherently gamblers; they all want to take a chance—what if "Infinite Terror" succeeds? Therefore, the buzz that the participants in "Infinite Terror" can generate is unimaginable.

Even if "Infinite Terror" might fail, as long as they finish filming as soon as possible and release their work before "Infinite Terror" is released, they can still gain a lot of popularity.

Anyway, at this point, as long as they can grab any of the participants in "Infinite Terror," they can use that as publicity and make a fortune.

Leaving aside Yan Kuan, Huang Xiaoming, and the others.

Zhao Liying has received far too many invitations right now.

There are a huge number of them, whether they are TV series or movies.

"Sister Wang, tell me, with so many invitations, which one should I choose?" Zhao Liying was also overwhelmed with choices.

"Well, it really depends on your own thoughts. I can only offer you advice at most." Sister Wang was quite composed. The main reason was that Li Boda had faced the same situation as Zhao Liying, except that the scripts given to Li Boda were TV drama scripts.

"So, Sister Wang, what's your advice to me?" Zhao Liying blinked her big, bright eyes as she looked at Sister Wang.

"First of all, do you want to act in movies or TV series?" Sister Wang asked Zhao Liying in return.

"Of course I'd rather act in movies," Zhao Liying chuckled, making no attempt to hide her feelings.

"Then let's look at the movie scripts first and see if there are any particularly good ones that catch our eye. It's a martial arts film, and I heard the male lead is Donnie Yen. Donnie Yen became famous after filming 'Ip Man.' Although he can't compare to Jackie Chan or Jet Li, he's still considered top-tier among martial arts stars. However, the quality of this script is a little lacking—"

"Yeah, I also think the script is a bit lacking. After all, I'm the female lead in the 600 million big-budget film 'Infinite Terror,' so I don't really want to take on movies with bad plots," Zhao Liying said, expressing her thoughts.

“That’s the right way to think. But if that’s the case, then we don’t need to consider these scripts anymore.” Sister Wang directly filtered out another batch for Zhao Liying.

Zhao Liying nodded, agreeing with Sister Wang's approach.

"Then there's 'All's Well, Ends Well 2011.' This movie was part of a series, and Stephen Chow has acted in it before, so it's a big IP. But you should know a little about the situation in the Hong Kong entertainment industry. Right now, they're all just putting up with things and making easy money, so I'm not really optimistic about this script."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Liying picked up the script for "All's Well, Ends Well 2011," flipped through a few pages, and then put it down. Indeed, the script was poorly written; it was just a money-grabbing movie.

"So scripts like 'All's Well, Ends Well 2011' and 'East Meets West 2011' were also eliminated." Sister Wang picked out a few more scripts.

Zhao Liying nodded again.

"And this one, which should be considered the most valuable script, is Zhang Yimou's film, 'The Flowers of War'." Sister Wang placed this script on top.

"Zhang Yimou's movie!" Zhao Liying's eyes lit up. She never expected that she would have the opportunity to participate in Zhang Yimou's movie. Even though Zhang Yimou's previous movie, "A Simple Noodle Story," was terrible, there was no denying that the name Zhang Yimou had such a great appeal.

"However, Zhang Yimou started holding auditions for a certain actress last year. The actresses for 'The Flowers of War' have already been decided. The reason he extended an invitation to you at this time is probably because of your current popularity." Sister Wang understood very well.

"Huh? They're here because of my popularity? No way? My popularity? Zhang Yi is trying to ride on my coattails?" Zhao Liying couldn't help but ask.

"Otherwise what? Otherwise, why do you think the male lead in Zhang Yimou's 'A Simple Noodle Story' was Xiao Shenyang, who had never acted in a movie or even a TV series before? Zhang Yimou is a person too. As a person, he has to consider many things. Now that you are famous and popular, isn't it normal for him to consider you?" Sister Wang said with a smile.

"...That's normal, but, but—it feels like the filter has been shattered." Zhao Liying sighed.

"Filters—you're already in the entertainment industry, what do you need filters for! So, do you want to act in 'The Flowers of War'?"

"I... I'll think about it." Because her filter had been broken, Zhao Liying couldn't make up her mind for a moment.

"Alright, let's stop the movie here for now. How about we take a look at the TV drama scripts first? To be honest, it's easier to tell the quality of a TV drama script." Sister Wang smiled and moved another stack of scripts over.

“Okay, let’s take a look at the TV series script first.” Zhao Liying grinned and nodded.

Actually, she still wanted to act in movies.

【Summer's Desire】, 【The Temptation of Going Home】, 【New My Fair Princess】, 【Scarlet Heart】, 【Empresses in the Palace】...

Zhao Liying's eyes lit up when she saw so many TV drama scripts.

There's no way around it; TV drama scripts do seem to have more compelling stories and are more exciting.

Just like movies, a movie is at most two hours long, and some movies are only an hour and a half long.

While the script plays a significant role in determining the quality of a film, it is not the most crucial factor.

The director's shooting style, the editing of the film, and so on, all affect the quality of the movie.

So many movies, sometimes when you watch them, the plot is really just like that.

On the contrary, because TV dramas are longer, the stories are more detailed and complete. So, purely from the perspective of script enjoyment, TV drama scripts are much better than movie scripts.

As long as the script of a TV series is good, coupled with a good director and some reliable actors, then there is no need to worry about the quality of the script.

So just looking at these scripts, Zhao Liying couldn't help but be tempted, because she found that any one of these scripts could be made into a very good film—well, except for "New My Fair Princess," that script felt a bit—bad?

"If only movie scripts were as good as TV drama scripts." Zhao Liying was a little reluctant to put down the script for "Empresses in the Palace."

Among the many TV drama scripts, Zhao Liying found that the script for "Empresses in the Palace" was so wonderful that she couldn't bear to put it down.

"...Can a TV drama script and a movie script be the same? One has dozens of episodes, and the other is only one or two hours long. If they are the same, is it still a movie? What? You've taken a fancy to the script in your hand?" Sister Wang said with amusement.

"Yes, I just realized there are so many good TV drama scripts, especially this one, 'Empresses in the Palace.' Sigh, I wish Zhang Yi hadn't sent me the invitation." Zhao Liying couldn't help but sigh.

Sure enough, no matter how excellent the script for "Empresses in the Palace" is, it still can't compare to Zhang Yimou's movie.

"...You've actually picked one. But this 'Thirteen Beauties of Jinling'—" Sister Wang hesitated slightly.

"What's wrong, Sister Wang?" Zhao Liying looked at Sister Wang with confusion.

"Well, how should I put it! This 'The Flowers of War' feels a bit like Lu Chuan's 'Nanjing! Nanjing!' back then. Lu Chuan even sent an invitation to our boss, but our boss just threw the 'Nanjing! Nanjing!' script aside, saying that Lu Chuan's backside is crooked, and he shouldn't be called Lu Chuan, he should be called Lord Lu." Sister Wang was quite concerned about Li Boda's attitude.

Or rather, Wang Jie absolutely obeyed Li Boda's every idea, a habit that had been formed from the very beginning of their collaboration.

"Huh? This 'The Flowers of War' is... well, it's not that bad, it doesn't seem too—" Zhao Liying hesitated.

"According to our boss, this kind of movie is probably something Zhang Yimou wanted to make to curry favor with foreign awards like the Oscars, so it's bound to be a bit off-track—"

"...Then forget it, I won't act in the movie. Anyway, I really love the script for 'Empresses in the Palace.' I'll just act in it." Zhao Liying knew in her heart that nothing else mattered to her as much as Li Boda.

(End of this chapter)