The Birth of the Best Director

Chapter 120: The preview of "Upgrade" was a sensation, and I love how damn real it feels!

……

When Xin Yukun thought of Dongguan, he suddenly became impatient and his whole body was in a state of excitement.

He left by plane that night.

It seems that if you arrive one day later, you will lose some precious life experience.

"Brother Kun is a guy who usually drags his feet when asked to do a favor. But when he heard he was going on a business trip to Shenzhen, why is he so proactive?"

Reba felt a little strange when she saw Xin Yukun hurriedly packing his luggage, as if he wished he could fly away.

"Children, don't ask so many questions."

Lu Zhiyuan smiled silently, obviously not wanting to answer.

Brother Kun, is he going on a business trip to Shenzhen?

As long as it involves interpersonal communication, Lu Zhiyuan is very clear that Brother Kun does not have any routines.

All depends on one trick to make you successful.

He took people directly to the best local nightclub and had fun for three days.

During these three days, we didn't talk about anything, just played.

Three days later, they became good friends.

"Oh. Then I won't ask."

Reba nodded obediently and instantly understood something in her heart.

But it was fine this way. With Brother Kun gone, there was one less light bulb, and now it was just her and Lu Zhiyuan's world.

The second honeymoon has begun!

……

The next half month.

Lu Zhiyuan took Reba to play in the ancient city of Kashgar for a long time, and then went to Dunhuang to experience the mural art.

By the way, Lu Zhiyuan also took Reba back to his hometown in Urumqi.

The most important thing is that Lu Zhiyuan asked the director of the song and dance troupe, Dilinar, to help find a little girl between 10 and 12 years old, with a pretty and delicate appearance, preferably with a bit of heroic spirit.

This is the No. 1 heroine he needs.

But so far, he has not found the person who meets his requirements.

"Based on the current progress, this movie will most likely not be released during next summer's release."

Now, it's almost December, and the film funds are still not fully in place.

The preliminary preparations take two months, filming takes three months, plus post-production special effects takes at least three months, and the shortest is eight months.

It also takes a month to schedule the release of the film.

By this calculation, by the time the movie is released, the summer vacation will be over.

There was simply no time.

It will be released around Christmas, which is already very fast.

Shooting a commercial blockbuster, especially one with lots of special effects shots, is just so troublesome.

If it is a feature film with very few special effects, the cycle can be shortened by more than half.

……

After playing outside for more than 20 days, Lu Zhiyuan and Reba finally returned to Yanjing.

Jing Tian had already returned from filming.

She had been waiting for Lu Zhiyuan at home for half a month. If Lu Zhiyuan didn't come back, she would probably go to the northwest.

"Brother, I'm leaving first. Sister Xiao Ai asked me to have a big dinner together tonight."

When she met Miss Jing Tian, ​​Reba didn't feel guilty at all, and she was very confident. She even deliberately winked at Jing Tian mischievously when passing by.

Miss Jingtian also understood and nodded at Reba.

Well done, little undercover!

Help me defend myself from all the little bitches trying to steal my house!
"Brother, sister-in-law, I'm leaving first."

Reba packed her clothes, loaded a suitcase, and ran away.

In the huge villa, only Lu Zhiyuan and Jing Tian were left.

"How is it? Did you find the heroine you wanted?"

Reba secretly hinted to Jingtian that Lu Zhiyuan had been searching on the streets of Kashgar for a long time, probably looking for someone, who might be his first love.

That's why Jing Tian asked this question with a hint of jealousy.

"I didn't find it. But there's no rush."

Lu Zhiyuan shook his head, as if he smelled something jealous. He went up and hugged Jing Tian: "I missed you. Do you want to go home with me for the New Year this year?"

what?
Are you going to meet your parents now?
I'm not ready yet!

Jing Tian thought that Lu Zhiyuan would come over and explain to her, such as that the person he was looking for was for a new movie, or some other random reason.

She can accept it all.

After all, she knew exactly what kind of person Lu Zhiyuan was.

But Lu Zhiyuan directly used a killer move, saying that he would take her home to meet his parents, which made her instantly panic and began to feel inexplicably uneasy.

"I know, a little too fast."

Lu Zhiyuan thought about it, felt a little reluctant, and changed the subject: "Then I'll choose a restaurant and have a meal together outside? Last time when I went to your birthday party, my mother hinted that she wanted to meet you."

What is the difference between eating out and eating at home?
It’s not just about meeting the parents!

Jing Tian felt a little dissatisfied in her heart, but she was also very happy with Lu Zhiyuan's frank behavior and the fact that he seemed to be going to marry her.

Jingtian was very happy.

She decided...

I will find someone to buy as many shares of the DJI drone company as possible and give them to Lu Zhiyuan as a birthday present!

Lu Zhiyuan likes playing with robots and drones.

Then she will give it to you!
Deliver it until Lu Zhiyuan is satisfied!
As long as he doesn't mess with other women, he can do whatever he wants.

"Ayuan, don't worry about going home for the New Year. December 12th is your birthday. How do you want to celebrate it?"

Jing Tian wanted to give Lu Zhiyuan a surprise.

Normally, Lu Zhiyuan has almost no material demands.

But on his birthday, Jing Tian felt that he should be given a sense of ceremony.

Give him a super surprise.

"A birthday present? Let me think about it. I don't think I need one. I don't need anything."

Lu Zhiyuan thought birthday parties were a bit troublesome and didn't want to hold them at all.

How do grown men celebrate their birthdays?
As for birthday presents, he now has so much money that he can buy whatever he wants.

Unless someone is willing to give him an original Monet painting.

But who can afford it?

So, let’s not talk about birthday gifts.

"Right, I remembered."

"James informed me a few days ago that the post-production special effects for the movie 'Upgrade' have been completed, so I should be in Los Angeles during my birthday."

"Tiantian, if you don't have any plans, come with me. We can sit together and enjoy the science fiction film I made. This is the best gift you can give me."

In order to shoot the movie "Upgrade", Lu Zhiyuan worked day and night and used all his skills!
The special effects were finally finished, and he was eager to go and see them.

Actually, this movie is not perfect.

There is even a major drawback.

It's not a 3D blockbuster.

Once "Avatar" is released, there will be a 3D movie-watching revolution around the world, and tickets for IMAX theaters will be hard to come by.

If "Upgrade" were a 3D blockbuster, the effect would definitely be better.

Unfortunately, 3D shooting is more demanding.

For his first commercial film, Lu Zhiyuan’s technical reserves were far from being so strong.

When it comes to his next movie, "Real Steel", he will have to shoot it according to the "Avatar" model.

Large-scale use of 3D virtual cameras, coupled with motion capture technology, creates a true 3D visual feast.

Science and technology are the primary productive forces!
This principle is also followed in the film industry.

Is the story of "Avatar" fresh?
Not at all!
The story of a colony rebelling against invaders, set on an alien planet, is not new at all from a conceptual point of view, and may even be a bit old-fashioned.

However, relying solely on its visual effects, the film became a worldwide sensation!
Even 10 years later, there will be almost no movies that can surpass "Avatar" in terms of visual effects.

"Ayuan, as long as you ask, I will accompany you to the moon, let alone Los Angeles."

"But birthday presents are still necessary. I have a surprise for you."

Jing Tian smiled mysteriously at Lu Zhiyuan while texting Zhao Shanshan: "Sister Shanshan, DJI drones, I want to acquire this company! If I can't acquire it, I'll try my best to become a major shareholder."

"Got it, give me three days!"

How difficult can it be to acquire a startup?

Not to mention, the company's newly released product has received a very cold market response, and it is only a matter of time before it goes bankrupt.

Of course, the other party may be a rich second-generation and has no shortage of money.

Then buy as many shares as possible and become a major shareholder of this company.

Putting the phone back into her pocket, Jing Tian hugged Lu Zhiyuan's arm. No matter where Lu Zhiyuan went, she followed him silently like a little tail.

long time no see.

I miss you so much.

Our robot is so cute that I’m really afraid someone might take it away accidentally!
"Tiantian, what are you doing?"

Lu Zhiyuan was a little confused as to why Jing Tian was imitating his walking posture like a little robot.

"Answer the master, this is a simulated follower system."

Hearing this answer, Lu Zhiyuan couldn't help laughing.

This is the feature of the [Robot Dog], a product recently developed by the company [Yuan Gaoke].

It can follow its owner and imitate the other person's movements after capturing them visually.

Extremely fun.

"How naughty. As a reward, you sleep with me tonight!"

Lu Zhiyuan turned his head and scratched Jing Tian's nose.

Jing Tian chuckled and tiptoed to kiss Lu Zhiyuan on the cheek.

"Thank you, Master. But Master, you have to hold me tight and tell me a bedtime story."

"Otherwise, I won't be able to sleep."

When he met Jing Tian who was pretending to be cute, Lu Zhiyuan didn't hesitate at all. He just gave her a princess hug and hurried upstairs.

……

Three days later.

Los Angeles, headquarters of Universal Pictures.

There were quite a lot of people coming to this preview.

In addition to Lu Zhiyuan and Jing Tian, ​​Xin Yukun and Reba also came.

Of course, Zhao Shanshan is also indispensable.

The movie "Upgrade" is a Sino-US co-production, and Zhao Shanshan is the Chinese representative. Although Xingguang Canlan did not invest any money, it included the post-production publicity and promotion work.

Half of the filming team in the crew are also star-studded people.

Besides, Apple representatives were also in attendance. Having received 1000 million yuan in sponsorship fees and hired Lu Zhiyuan to shoot a high-priced commercial, they naturally wanted to see the results.

"Everyone, welcome to Universal Pictures."

"Without further ado, please head to the theater to enjoy our world-class director's film, 'Upgrade.'"

In addition to Lu Zhiyuan's people, representatives from Apple and several senior executives from Universal Pictures were also present.

Facing so many people, James looked relaxed and smiled calmly.

He even made a joke about Lu Zhiyuan.

"It seems that this movie should be a success. Otherwise, old man James wouldn't be laughing so happily."

"That's right. When Li An's movie was screened, he had a really stinky face. He looked completely different from the smiling face he has now."

Several executives at Universal Pictures know James very well.

Seeing James' smile, they knew that the company would not lose money on this investment.

They are one of us, so James doesn’t need to greet them.

He came to Lu Zhiyuan and looked at him with a complicated expression.

"Lu, what a shame the movie wasn't made earlier. It would have been much better if it had been released during the summer. The current release date is too awkward. If it had been released during Christmas, it would have collided with Avatar. The odds of success would have been slim."

Two days ago, "Avatar" held a world premiere in London. Although it was not public, James was invited to take a look.

Big shock!

Under the IMAX effect, the audio-visual effects of "Avatar" are simply an ultimate feast.

As an industry insider, James is very sure that "Avatar" will lead a new era and create a box office miracle.

Just like "Titanic" back then.

However, the investment cost of "Avatar" is also very scary, as high as 3.1 million US dollars, which is 10 times that of their "Upgrade"!
It's too exaggerated!

James Cameron indeed.

If we change the director, with such a huge investment, I'm afraid he would not be able to sleep every day and the pressure would be so great that he would go crazy.

Lu Zhiyuan nodded, acknowledging the power of "Avatar".

"Avatar is the pinnacle of industrialized filmmaking in this era. I heard that a single Fusion 3D camera costs $14 million, and Avatar used five of them. Is that true?"

The cost of 5 cameras reached 7000 million US dollars.

It’s enough for Lu Zhiyuan to shoot two “Upgrade” movies.

It's really exaggerated.

"it is true."

James nodded, full of emotion.

"Cameron is a complete technical lunatic. In order to make this movie, he developed a lot of new filming techniques."

"For example, he developed a head-mounted facial capture rig equipped with a micro-camera that can record an actor's muscle expressions and even pupil tremors with an extremely small error level, about 0.1 mm. These captured shots can then be projected onto CG characters in the same proportions."

"In addition, he also developed a plant growth algorithm that simulates the natural trajectory of the luminous plants on Pandora, allowing each leaf to sway in accordance with the laws of physics."

"There are many other unique technologies, but I can't even think of them all at the moment. I only know that Cameron applied for 56 patents while filming the movie."

"In short, that guy is a complete lunatic."

Speaking of this, James couldn't help but glance at Lu Zhiyuan.

From a certain perspective, Lu Zhiyuan and that guy Cameron are of the same kind.

In them, James felt the same paranoia and the same extreme demands for visual effects.

The kind that never gives up until the goal is achieved!

However, Cameron is a technology fanatic, while Lu Zhiyuan prefers the natural scenery on Earth.

There is no difference between the two, both are intended to provide the audience with a visual feast!
They are obsessed with creating that kind of illusory world, striving to make the illusory world more real, and immersing themselves in the pleasure of being the creator god.

No matter what... he loves this kind of madman!
……

After chatting for a while, the movie officially started.

Inside the theater, the noise suddenly became quieter.

Everyone sat upright, looking at their money-making machine.

The lights dimmed and a movie began playing on the screen.

"Oh, Cyberwasteland, I love this!"

As soon as the movie started, the executives of Universal Pictures couldn't help but let out a slight sigh.

The movie begins with highly saturated neon lights and a cold gray street industrial style.

A breath of cyberpunk comes to your face.

The sense of reality is very strong.

The beautiful and exquisite punk girl, the heroine [Alita] played by Reba, quickly shuttles through the streets.

The environment here is terrible, with fights everywhere, and drunks, beggars, and homeless people wandering the streets.

It's a slum environment at first glance.

There were also some gang members walking in the middle of the road with arrogant looks. Some of them accidentally exposed their sleeves, revealing sophisticated mechanical transmission devices inside.

It's a mechanical prosthesis.

There are even traces of oil maintenance on the robotic arm.

“It looks very real.”

"Look at that robotic arm. The light it reflects in the sunlight isn't silver-gray, but rather a hint of baked blue. That's amazing."

"This doesn't look like a special effect, it looks real!"

"Who did this post-production? It's so detailed!"

“I love the realism!”

While watching the movie, some people were whispering and talking to each other in the back.

Anyone sitting here is qualified to discuss the film, because it was they who paid for Lu Zhiyuan to make this film.

……

Next, in addition to the movie images, the plot is also very compact, the pace is extremely fast, and there are almost no boring moments.

It is a very qualified commercial film.

Especially at the end, there is a very classic scene.

“It’s a dystopian cyber wasteland!”

"Oh my god, this turn is so beautiful!"

"This movie will become a classic!"

"The only film I can think of that comes close to it is 'Blade Runner'."

The executives at Universal Pictures have seen a ton of movies, and they pretty much have a good idea of ​​whether a movie will be a hit.

There is no doubt that the movie "Upgrade" was a success.

There is no way it will fail!

It’s hard to say about the movie’s box office, but the DVD copyright will definitely sell like hotcakes, at least 200 million copies, which is 4000 million US dollars!
You can make your money back just by relying on DVD copyright!
……

The executives of Universal Pictures were very happy, but only the representative of Apple was frowning.

The movie is great, but where are the Apple ads?
Apple spent 1000 million in sponsorship fees.

As a large technology company, Apple doesn’t care about the box office revenue in the agreement at all. It just wants to see the advertisement that Lu Zhiyuan mentioned. Where is it?
As a result, I didn't see anything after watching the movie.

Until the Easter eggs!

Here, it seems like a dream world. The heroine Reba has been resurrected. She has also changed her clothes and is no longer the punk girl she used to be.

But he is an intellectually elegant researcher.

Pages of boxing robot data were flashing quickly on her laptop.

In this world, the heroine Reba seems to be an analyst who is writing data analysis of various types of robots on the Internet.

Finally, a conclusion is drawn and it is recommended that players buy which robot.

Just when Reba was busy, a phone call came in.

Reba was busy writing reviews and analyzing to make money, so of course she had no time to answer the phone. Furthermore, the caller ID showed it was a sales number.

Reba impatiently shouted at the latest generation iPhone on the table, "Siri, help me transfer this sales call to the bitch I hate the most."

"As you wish, my sweetheart."

After saying this, the screen gradually went black.

When it was about to end, the screen suddenly lit up and Apple’s advertising slogan popped up, full of a cold and mechanical atmosphere.

Only apple can do!

This line of English letters is all in mechanical metal style, full of the texture of "Transformers".

It seems to jump out of the screen.

The visual effect is too strong.

It is completely impossible to ignore, as if it is imprinted on people's minds.

"Oh, great! Mr. Jobs will definitely be pleased with this ad!"

When the Apple representative saw this last scene, he couldn't stop laughing.

The whole movie was built up just to advertise them!
It does not affect any movie plot. After all, Easter eggs are free.

Moreover, this easter egg is very interesting. The dead heroine reappears and is helping the robot boxer write an analysis report?
It seems that this easter egg is a preview of the sequel.

It has to be said that this easter egg completely whetted the audience's appetite, but in the next second, an Apple advertisement popped up.

Apple representatives could even imagine that when the audience saw this scene, they would curse and remember the advertisement vividly.

In any case, Apple's investment of $1000 million is well worth it.

First of all, it is very important that the film should be successful.

Secondly, the advertisement is also very creative. From a communication perspective, this advertisement may become a classic for Apple in recent years.

Finally, the Easter eggs are very much like a sequel, which should whet the audience’s appetite!
"Such a great commercial, and there's actually a sequel. No, I have to go back and tell Mr. Jobs to continue sponsoring this sequel!"

The representative of Apple was determined in his heart and had a smile on his face.

At this time, Lu Zhiyuan looked over and saw the happy look on the other person's face, he knew that his plan C had come true.

……

After the preview ended.

Led by James, the whole audience applauded and cheered.

“The movie was good.”

"A cyber wasteland world, AI-powered humans, mechanical immortality, a dystopian theme... the elements may seem complex, but the fusion is quite exquisite, especially the last shot, which is absolutely amazing."

"I believe this movie will be a success."

"Lu, you're a genius! I like you! For your next film, continue to cooperate with Universal. Funding is not a problem."

As a director, film is the best language.

Lu Zhiyuan is usually not good at speaking and has nothing to say to these people, but when he makes a movie, he becomes the most handsome guy in everyone's heart.

"Brother, James just told me that the box office estimate for this movie is $2 million. The DVD rights are about $4000 million."

"It's a shame this movie can't sell much merchandise, so it's missing a big chunk."

"Anyway, congratulations, you're going to be a billionaire."

As a director, although Lu Zhiyuan did not invest in the film himself, according to the terms agreed upon at the time, he owned 10% of the film's copyright.

He has already received 10% of the director's fee, $300 million.

Next, there is a 10% copyright fee and a 10% box office share!
He gets 10% of all profits!

A preliminary estimate is close to 2000 million US dollars!
Going to get rich!

(End of this chapter)