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

Chapter 234 Director's Visit to the Set
"Director Xu? What brings you to our film crew?" Li Boda was a little surprised to see Xu Ke on set.

"Haha, I was just bored and came to visit the set. How about it? Not welcome?" Xu Ke chuckled.

"Welcome, of course."

"Actually, besides visiting the set, I also wanted to see how 'Infinite Terror' was filmed. The special effects of the last 'Infinite Terror' were amazing, especially the 3D technology, which left me in awe. So I wanted to see how you filmed it and learn from your experience. I hope Director Li won't refuse me?" Xu Ke didn't beat around the bush. After a few pleasantries, he got straight to the point.

Li Boda was slightly taken aback, noticing the longing for 3D technology hidden in Xu Ke's eyes.

"Of course I won't refuse. If Director Xu wants to see it, feel free to look." Li Boda didn't have any ulterior motives. He didn't think about hiding his skills or being afraid that others would surpass him.

Li Boda, the holder of the Golden Finger, is afraid that a director will steal his techniques? That would be utterly shameful.

If Xu Ke wants to watch, let him watch. Let him learn as much as he can. What threat could he possibly pose to Li Boda?

Moreover, to be honest, Li Boda is indeed quite interested in directing now.

But ultimately, the reason Li Boda became a director was simply because he couldn't find roles that satisfied him if he didn't direct, so he had no choice but to become a director.

Being a director is certainly quite interesting.

However, this does not mean that Li Boda will always be a director. Compared to being a director, being an actor is easier and does not require as much brainpower.

Moreover, Li Boda is currently interested in directing, but in a few years, he might not want to be a director anymore.

Nobody can say for sure what will happen in the future.

After obtaining Li Boda's permission, Xu Ke began to focus his attention on the "Infinite Terror" production team, or more precisely, on the equipment within the team.

In order to shoot better 3D works, in addition to the special effects technology required in post-production, Li Boda bought a lot of top-notch equipment, such as cameras specifically for shooting 3D. Li Boda even upgraded and modified them himself to a certain extent.

When Xu Ke saw this device, he was like a pervert seeing a stunningly beautiful woman, a wolf seeing meat, or a dog seeing excrement; his attention was immediately drawn to it.

Then, during filming, Xu Ke would stare intently at the cameras and other equipment.

How to use the equipment and what kind of effect the footage will produce.

Why film it this way?

Why use these devices in this way, etc.

Xu Ke had a lot of questions in his mind.

If he didn't understand something, he would ask questions. Xu Ke didn't hold back and would ask the photographer from time to time, and sometimes he would even ask the director, Li Boda.

Then, Xu Ke started to join [Infinite Terror].

He's not leaving!

Xu Ke was particularly fascinated by the equipment and technology used in the film crew of "Infinite Terror".

Although Tsui Hark is a top director in Hong Kong, at this moment, he was in the crew of "Infinite Terror" like a devout apprentice, learning almost from the very basics.

Xu Ke really learned a lot during this process.

Then, when filming later on, Xu Ke would sometimes personally act as the cameraman and operate the equipment himself.

Sometimes, when Li Boda played Chu Xuan, Xu Ke would sit directly behind the monitor, keeping an eye on things for Li Boda and helping him call out "Aikesen" and "Cut".

Xu Ke has now taken over a lot of the work from the assistant director and cinematographer of the "Infinite Terror" crew.

Li Boda had no objection to this.

While Xu Ke's application of special effects and 3D is still somewhat immature, he is ultimately a top-tier director who pursues special effects. Beyond his exposure to the equipment and other aspects of the film crew, his growth rate is rapidly increasing.

Later on, he even became stronger than the other assistant directors and others in the crew, except for Li Boda.

Since Xu Ke was willing to help with filming on set, Li Boda naturally wouldn't refuse.

Li Boda even thought that when the movie was completed, he could give Xu Ke a credit, making him the executive director or assistant director of "Infinite Terror".

Giving Xu Ke his name is not to look down on him, nor is it to bully him.

Indeed, given Xu Ke's current status and position, asking him to work as an assistant director or executive director for other films would seem like a demotion to him.

However, don't forget that the movie "Infinite Terror" will be released globally, and the first "Infinite Terror" film grossed over 400 million yuan. This means that if Xu Ke's name is credited in the second "Infinite Terror" film, he will come into the public eye.

If Tsui Hark wants to try his luck in Hollywood or somewhere else in the future, he can definitely use the credit for the sequel to "Infinite Terror" as leverage.

The position of executive director or assistant director of the second part of "Infinite Terror" is much more prestigious than that of the directors of the domestic films he has made, at least in Hollywood.

Just as Xu Ke began to join the "Infinite Terror" crew and even started taking on some filming jobs to practice, someone else came to the "Infinite Terror" crew.

"Hehehe, Director Li, it's been a long time! Oh, Director Xu, you're here too." Xu Shanzheng, sporting a bald head and a particularly obsequious smile, appeared on the set of [Infinite Terror].

"Shanzheng, what brings you here?" Li Boda was quite pleased to see Xu Shanzheng, after all, he had collaborated with Xu Shanzheng several times before, and the collaborations had all been quite pleasant.

"Hehe, look what you're saying, Director Li. I've come to visit the set." Xu Shanzheng chuckled.

"Oh? Just a set visit? Nothing else?" Li Boda asked with a smile.

Li Boda had worked with Xu Shanzheng several times and had some understanding of him. Xu Shanzheng was a good actor and knew how to get along with people, but it had to be admitted that he was quite pragmatic.

He simply won't do anything that doesn't bring him any benefit. It seems like everything he does is driven by self-interest.

Therefore, Li Boda was certain that Xu Shanzheng's visit to the set this time was definitely because he had something to discuss with him.

As expected, after hearing Li Boda's question, Xu Shanzheng seemed embarrassed and turned his head to look at himself.

"Well, actually, there's something I need to take care of," Xu Shanzheng said, looking embarrassed.

"Alright, speak now, what is it?" Li Boda asked, his smile unchanged.

"Well, actually—Director Li, as you know, I've always been quite interested in directing." Xu Shanzheng chuckled.

"Yes, that's true." Li Boda nodded. Back when he was filming with Xu Shanzheng, Xu Shanzheng would often hang around him, asking him a lot of questions about how to be a director: "Are you trying to get me to invest in your movie?"

"Well, our previous film, 'Lost in Thailand,' was a pretty good low-budget comedy, so I thought I'd make a sequel and direct it myself. Of course, I really hope Director Li can invest some money in it," Xu Shanzheng said with an embarrassed smile.

"So you came here this time to sell the copyright of 'Lost in Thailand,' and you also want me to invest in you so you can direct a movie?" Li Boda couldn't help but ask back. He thought Xu Shanzheng's idea was really quite wonderful.

"Hehehe, that's how it is." Xu Shanzheng smiled shyly.

"...Now that you've come to me, is the script for the sequel to 'Lost in Thailand' all written? Let me take a look." Li Boda reached out to Xu Shanzheng directly.

"Hey, it's done, it's done." Xu Shanzheng hurriedly took out a script from his briefcase and handed it to Li Boda.

Li Boda took the script and saw its title: "Lost in Thailand".

The script tells the story of the male protagonist and the antagonist scheming against each other to travel to Thailand to find another shareholder of the company, all in an effort to resolve a shareholding issue for the company's IPO. There is also a simple-minded guy who is also traveling in Thailand, and the script indicates that Wang Baoqiang will play this role.

"The script is pretty good!" Li Boda was a little surprised after reading the script, because he found that the script was very well-made and the various humorous jokes were very well inserted.

It's fair to say that the quality of this script is actually much higher than that of "Lost in Thailand".

Upon hearing Li Boda's words, Xu Shanzheng's face showed a hint of smugness.

“However, your script isn’t really related to ‘Lost in Thailand.’ At most, the main cast is the same, but the character settings and story settings are completely different from ‘Lost in Thailand.’ You don’t need to buy the rights to ‘Lost in Thailand’ from me,” Li Boda couldn’t help but say.

"Well, although the story and characters are different, the framework of the script is still the same as that of 'Lost in Thailand.' You gave me a hand back then, giving me the opportunity to make a movie, and I've always remembered your kindness. So, since 'Lost in Thailand' uses your 'Lost in Thailand' framework, I have to buy the rights from you." Xu Shanzheng spoke as if he were particularly loyal and grateful.

In reality, Xu Shanzheng did this for one reason: he wanted to get some investment back from Li Boda.

On the other hand, it's also because Li Boda is very powerful. What if his movie is well-made, and Li Boda sees it and thinks that "Lost in Thailand" is related to "Lost on Journey," and then tries to sabotage him?

Xu Shanzheng, with his small frame, couldn't withstand Li Boda's torment.

Therefore, Xu Shanzheng was also worried and scared, and came here specifically just in case.

Or try it on someone else. If the copyright for "Lost in Thailand" were held by an unknown small company, do you think Xu Shanzheng would buy the copyright? Absolutely not.

Ultimately, Xu Shanzheng is just too opportunistic.

"There's no need to buy the copyright, since this is a new story. But if you want me to invest, that's fine too. Just name your price." In Li Boda's opinion, the script was of high quality and the investment wasn't large. Since Xu Shanzheng had approached him, he might as well invest some money.

"Well, thirty million—the reason it's so high is entirely because we want to film in Thailand this time. After all, filming abroad increases costs, and Bao Qiang's fame has grown, so his salary has also increased. As for the role of Gao Bo, I plan to invite Huang Bo to play it. Huang Bo is, after all, a film emperor, and he was very popular for his role in Ning Hao's movie, so his salary is not low either..." Xu Shanzheng quickly explained, and then explained how the crew planned to film and why so much money was needed, making it all very clear.

(End of this chapter)