Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 383 Premiere of "Painted Skin"

The interior of the Sanlitun Xingchen Cinema was brightly lit, and guests were already seated, chatting in small groups.

When Wu Chen and Liu Yifei entered the theater, they happened to see Jiang Wen and Xia Yu chatting happily, their expressions beaming, clearly reminiscing about the past from "In the Heat of the Sun".

Yang Hongtao from Ningying was talking with Han Sanping and Ren Zhonglun.

Wu Chen's arrival attracted everyone's attention.

"Director Wu, I thought you weren't planning on coming tonight," Pang Hong said with a smile as he stood up to greet him.

"It's a little late, but not too late." Wu Chen nodded with a smile, his gaze quickly sweeping over the guests in the hall.

Liu Yifei had already quietly slipped away to the backstage area, where Zhang Liangying was preparing for her performance later.

After giving a slight nod, Wu Chen walked straight toward the group from the Beijing Film Academy.

However, Li Binbin made a point of greeting Wu Chen along the way.

He knew that Li Binbin was coming, after all, Zhou Xun had specifically asked Lu Yang for an invitation.

"Welcome, welcome. I have something to attend to, let's talk later."

"It's alright, Director Wu, you're busy!" Li Binbin nodded. She followed the other person's gaze and naturally knew that Wu Chen was going to Zhang Yi's place.

Mu Deyuan and Tian Zhuangzhuang were talking quietly with Zhang Yimou when they saw him arrive, and greeted him with a smile:

"You're here? Perfect timing, we were just talking about your senior Zhang Yi's new movie!"

Zhang Yi smiled upon hearing this: "Actually, there's nothing new about it. They're just planning to buy the film adaptation rights. Speaking of which, you've even clashed with them before, at the Oscars for Best Director."

"Oh, the Coen brothers?"

Upon hearing this, Tian Zhuangzhuang patted his knee and said, "See? I told you Wu Chen would definitely guess it!"

"That's for sure. Old Zhang has already mentioned them, so it's not hard to guess," Mu Deyuan shook his head.

At this moment, Lu Yang led Huang Xiaoming, Zhou Xun and other main creators into the hall. Seeing this, he specially came over to greet Tian Zhuangzhuang and the others.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, everyone took their seats.

Liu Yifei also slowly walked back from backstage.

"Sounds good!"

"She even sang a solo for you?" Wu Chen couldn't help but ask curiously.

"No, Liangying just hummed a few lines, and now I've learned them too. I'll hum a couple of lines for you."

"Stop, the main character is about to appear." Wu Chen immediately signaled to stop.

Interrupted, Liu Yifei glared fiercely at Wu Chen, her face full of dissatisfaction.

As the stage lights came on, Zhang Liangying's graceful figure stood still, and her rendition of "Painting Heart" with her dolphin-like high notes was melodious and moving, instantly pushing the atmosphere of the entire theater to its peak, and the audience inside were buzzing with discussion.

"Great song choice, it instantly creates a cinematic atmosphere."

"I wonder how the movie will be; bad movies always seem to have amazing theme songs."

Before the murmurs had subsided, the theater lights suddenly went out, and the images on the screen flickered.

The most nervous people were not Lu Yang, but Yang Hongtao and Pang Hong.

Yang Hongtao lowered his voice and asked, "Old Pang, will the movie be made?"

Ning Ying has really emptied her pockets this time.

If we fail now, there's no chance of recovery, because we're already at rock bottom.

"There's a high chance. I've seen the finished film, and it's really quite good. But with movies, it's hard to predict what the audience's taste will be like," Pang Hong said, without finishing his sentence.

The film market is full of surprises, and individual opinions and audience opinions may not necessarily agree.

"Alright, let's watch it."

As the screen unfolds, an army slowly marches through the vast yellow sands, its banners fluttering and its iron hooves thundering, displaying a magnificent and imposing presence.

"A lone plume of smoke rises straight from the desert, the setting sun hangs round over the long river." Mu Deyuan stared at the screen and nodded slightly. "Old Tian, ​​your student is really good. He has a strong sense of imagery."

Tian Zhuangzhuang nodded, a hint of satisfaction in his expression.
As the plot unfolded, Liu Yifei leaned closer to Wu Chen's shoulder, watching the emotional entanglements of the characters on screen, and muttered softly, "It's so beautiful!"

Although "Xiao Wei" on screen was a third party, her feelings were genuine and touching. Until the moment she died, a suppressed sigh rang out in the audience.

As the movie ended, Pang Hong, Yang Hongtao, and Ren Zhonglun couldn't help but observe the audience's reaction.

After a brief silence in the hall, thunderous applause suddenly erupted. Zhang Yi clapped his hands: "Not bad, it's quite remarkable that a newcomer's debut film can be this good."

"Thank you so much, Director Zhang!" Lu Yang bowed deeply in gratitude.

"Director Wu, the reviews seem pretty good, and the special effects are great too," Ren Zhonglun said with a smile, leaning on the armrest and sitting sideways to Wu Chen, who was two seats away.

"Haha, indeed, Chairman Ren, take a look at the subtitles."

Wu Chen smiled and pointed.

As the subtitles slowly rose, viewers quickly noticed the particularly eye-catching "Starry Night Visual Effects" logo.

Reporters inside the venue whispered among themselves:
"Is this Wu Chen's special effects company?"

"It must be. It seems another powerful special effects company has emerged in China. The special effects are indeed quite good."

"."

Yang Hongtao and Pang Hong both had smiles on their faces at this moment.

The media naturally focused their attention on Lu Yang, a rising star in the directing world.

A barrage of questions came to the creators.

Li Binbin's expression was subtle at this moment. Although she was prepared for the possibility that "Painted Skin" would be a hit, she was particularly jealous that Zhou Xun was able to play the female lead in the movie because the plot and special effects of the film were quite attractive.

In front of the camera, after several reporters finished asking Lu Yang their questions, one reporter quickly asked:
"Producer Pang, it is said that you chose the script for 'Painted Skin' at the beginning. This story has been remade many times from the past to the present. The story of 'Painted Skin' is nothing more than the love and hate entanglement, fighting and killing between humans and demons. Demons also have feelings and boundless love."

Why is it that the new version of "Painted Skin" is able to create a different style?

Pang Hong laughed and waved his hand: "I have to ask Director Wu Chen to answer this question. What I valued at the beginning was only the core of the story. Director Wu Chen deserves the most credit for making the script what it is today."

All eyes immediately turned to Wu Chen.

Wu Chen, who was discussing the box office prospects of "Painted Skin" with Han Sanping, Ren Zhonglun, Yang Hongtao, and others, was slightly taken aback when the host naturally handed him the microphone.

"Why were they able to create such a unique style? I think that besides the word 'new,' the most important title for this film, 'Painted Skin,' is 'Eastern New Fantasy.'"

The entire room fell silent, everyone's eyes focused intently.

"In the past, the interpretation of 'fantasy' in domestic films always relied on old elements such as fighting and gore, which eventually became tasteless and a pity to abandon."

But this time we explored a new audiovisual language, blending Eastern aesthetics and philosophy, and of course, it wouldn't have been possible without the strong support of Starry Night Visual Effects Company in terms of special effects technology.”

Wu Chen smiled slightly, deliberately giving his own company a free advertisement, which drew light laughter from the audience.

Another reporter pressed further: "Director Wu, you just said it was just a 'trial and error,' so is there going to be a next time?"

Wu Chen chuckled: "It's hard to say, but I think Director Lu Yang can continue to explore and maybe he can come up with something new."

Wu Chen didn't give a definitive answer, and everyone's eyes lit up immediately.

"Director Lu, what do you think?"

"Director Lu, will you create a sequel?"

The media acted like sharks smelling blood.

Of course, the most anticipated films at this moment are those from Ningbo Film Studio, Shanghai Film Studio, and China Film Studio.

"It's possible," Han Sanping couldn't help but whisper.

"I think it's alright."

Ren Zhonglun nodded in agreement, and Ning Ying, of course, was no exception.

Seeing this, Wu Chen chuckled and said, "This movie hasn't even been released yet. Good reviews at this point don't guarantee box office success. Let's wait and see."

Lu Yang also emphasized that the box office results should be the primary focus, but he dared not make any definitive statements about the box office performance in the face of relentless questioning from reporters.

"Hopefully it will be 200 million."

With 200 million yuan plus various copyright sales, investors can make a lot of money, which is the result Lu Yang expected. For a new director, it is quite high.

The media was particularly excited, as this answer was sure to be a story.

A rookie director expects 200 million yuan in box office revenue right from the start.

Just then, Wu Chen suddenly spoke up:

"Director Lu, 200 million is a bit conservative. Let's aim for 250 million, and even look forward to 300 million. That wouldn't be out of the question."

(End of this chapter)