My wife is the stand-in.

Amanosaki's magic solved the problem.

The representatives raised their opinions, and Amanosaki erased the billboard with an eraser, quickly made adjustments, and in the second ten minutes, he resolved the advertiser's needs.

Spiegelberg stood to the side, stroking his mustache, exhaling a breath of stale air, and whispered to Karenina, whose beautiful eyes were sparkling with admiration:

"I don't think it's unfair that you couldn't win him over. Geniuses are always eccentric."

Karenina nodded, half convinced and half regretful.

If she had known earlier that Amanosaki had this kind of originality and output ability, she would have definitely gotten him into bed back then!

Unfortunately, that opportunity is no longer available.

She bit her lip, her rosy lips curving into a full arc beneath her pearly teeth.

'Not necessarily, I could try staying...'

Chapter 161: Fish Swarm! Filming Begins!

The script for Pacific Rim is based on standard Hollywood film scripts, a model that can be easily found on the internet worldwide; it's a mature product that has been tested by the film market.

It's not difficult to create a script using a formula; the challenge lies in producing something that truly resonates with the audience while adhering to the "standards."

Just like dancing in shackles, there's a difference between swaying wildly to the rhythm and dancing that brings aesthetic enjoyment; the former can only be considered a shamanistic dance at best.

The script that Amanosaki chose garnered a large following in China.

After all, what man doesn't like a big robot?

The movies in this world belong to the culture of individual heroism and have not developed an independent film model. Filmmakers have not summarized mature "standards" based on the market. Therefore, the high and low tide setting, which seems commonplace to earthlings, is considered novel in this world.

In addition to the high quality of Pacific Rim itself, Amanosaki also used the most straightforward storyboarding to express it.

Although Amanosaki can't recall all the plot points and twists of the film now, it doesn't matter. The storyboard he provided was simply to facilitate the visual presentation of his ideas. As long as the concept is there, that's enough.

After all, he has an internationally renowned director, Spielberg, by his side, doesn't he?

Spielberg is now standing on the deck of the Scorpionfish, discussing the plot with Amanosaki.

Or rather, he is unilaterally exploiting Amanosaki's memories, constantly forcing him to reveal more details.

"We need to set up a reasonable transition to show Kanna's transformation from human to dragon."

Spielberg waved his hands excitedly: "We need more cameras and lenses, to shoot from as many different angles as possible!"

"We only had one day, there was no going back, so we could only use editing and different angles to record it, and finally choose the best one."

The crew and staff are laying tracks for the mobile camera on the deck.

Everyone was in high spirits, and their interactions were filled with an irrepressible joy.

Because Lin Shuyu and Amanosaki had discussed it, they decided to pay all the staff involved in the work one-third of the salary of a Spielberg film.

This means that everyone from production assistants to extras to cooks can earn one-third of the pay for a movie that requires two or three years of continuous work by simply working overtime all night.

A day's work for at least a year's salary—this is an incredibly profitable business, far exceeding everyone's expectations. Even the union members in Spielberg's team hired from abroad couldn't complain about working overtime at all.

Because they also received a year's wages.

"Chinese people are really rich. I think the future market will be in China." This is a topic that many people discuss when they get together in private.

Efficient, generous, and large-scale production.

Making money, efficiency, high standards.

awesome.

"Kanna is a child, can she act according to the script?" Spielberg patted the script, which had been revised five times, with a last bit of worry.

The protagonist of "Ripple" is undoubtedly Kanna in her dragon form. All the adults in the audience revolve around her; if they miss today, this living, breathing dragon will transform into something else entirely. Spielberg's ambition will be dashed.

Lin Shuyu patiently explained from the side, "Don't worry, Kanna is a very obedient and lively child. She'll be fine if it's just a fight."

"That's good."

Spielberg breathed a sigh of relief, but his hand holding the cigarette trembled slightly, still revealing his nervousness.

This is his first time, and also the first time a contemporary foreign director has collaborated with the Chinese government, and he will be releasing this film before his own planned film.

In his view, if the final product is of acceptable quality, it would be a very good trial run.

This was used to test the reactions of Chinese and overseas audiences to his film style and his integration of Chinese elements.

If it fails, he will immediately end his research trip for the film, return to Armenia, and abandon the Chinese market.

Of course, if the film is not up to par, he will learn from the experience and give up the "honor" of being the director, thus severing ties with the work.

"Drone in position!"

"Camera in position!"

"Extras, get ready!"

"Armed and ready!"

A swarm of green-painted drones filled the sky, covering the entire river section. Five patrol boats were stationed in different locations, and drones of various sizes were scattered across the fishing boats.

Because the action scenes were for real, no one knew which ships would be sunk in the battle, thus contributing the best shipwreck shots. So Spielberg, who got extra budget thanks to Amanosaki's storyboard, simply proposed to equip each ship with a fixed camera position, and then use five patrol boats equipped with moving cameras.

It's not that we don't want to equip every ship with a mobile camera position, but the mobile camera position is inseparable from living people, and there are too few people on site who know how to take pictures, and there is also a severe shortage of skilled personnel who can protect the mobile camera positions.

As for the two ships of the Wudang branch...

After learning that Amanosaki was going to make a movie, and that he had secured a huge investment and brought in Spielberg, they did not refuse Amanosaki's offers for supporting roles and extras.

They don't even ask for payment; they just want to appear on camera and shout out the name of their branch.

Seeing the enthusiasm of these chivalrous friends, Amanosaki felt bad about leaving them all stranded on the boat, so he decided to film a scene of Wudang chivalrous friends in white robes crossing the river one by one on bamboo poles, as a way to give these proactive friends an explanation.

The river breeze was cool and damp, but no one dared to relax.

"How much longer?" Spiegelberg asked Tennozaki, wiping his sweat.

He was waiting for the four-clawed scale fish and queen fish downstream.

These are the downstream branches and provinces, which will create a gap in the blockade, luring schools of fish to attack the fleet along the gap.

This was the help Amanosaki received in exchange for agreeing to move the city filming location to the next province, along with assurances from the military.

Having been in the camera for so many years, this was the first time he had recorded a real battle between good and evil. It would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous. Moreover, the filming process of the war scenes in this movie was completely beyond his control. He only had the initiative before filming and during the editing process.

Amanosaki glanced at the captain's cabin, where Lin Shuyu, who was directing Li Junzi to move equipment, turned on her microphone. Her calm voice carried a reassuring power.

"One to three minutes."

So the ordinary people still on the deck began to board small boats and evacuate, while the fleet drifted downstream along the river, pretending to be a bustling, everyday sight on the river.

People breathed softly, and all they could hear was the buzzing of the drones and the gurgling of the water; even the engines seemed to have quieted down.

The wind ruffled Spiegelberg's curly hair, and a sharp gunshot rang out abruptly from the tugboat, which was separated from the Shuttlefish by two ships.

The white-clad Wudang swordsman crossed the river on a bamboo pole, and a few seconds later, the tugboat emitted a long whistle.

"The fish monster is coming!"

The knight roared, his trained lungs pushing out a burst of sound to ensure the microphone could receive his message.

Then the sound of horns spread outwards from the ship that fired the shots in all directions.

"Attention all units! Filming has commenced!"

Amanosaki used magic to amplify the sound, and before he could even say which scene or act it was, he announced the start of filming before the fish's vanguard could attack!

Chapter 162: It's all an act

Almost at the same time that all the shots were being filmed, the blood of the first four-clawed scale fish that was killed spread out, stimulating the nerves of the first batch of strange fish that had been driven over.

They instinctively began attacking the surrounding fishing boats.

On deck, men dressed in t-shirts, long gowns, or even shirtless, revealing their dark brown or tanned muscles, sprang into action, shouting intense slogans that Spiegelberg couldn't understand.

The series of gunshots and the strange fish's mournful howls were like a spoonful of rapeseed oil being poured into a quiet, hot pan, causing it to explode instantly!

"Mr. Berg." Amanosaki called out the other party's surname. He was the first to call someone by their surname. Lin Shuyu originally knew that she should call him Mr. Spi, but in order to show that Amanosaki was the person in charge this time, she made a mistake and called him that. As a result, Amanosaki did not realize that he had gotten used to calling Chinese people by their names and called foreigners by their surnames as well.

"You should go to the captain's cabin."

Spiegelberg's face was a mixture of red and white; the white was from fear, and the red was from excitement.

He hesitated for a moment, then finally caught his breath and said, "No!"

Under Amanosaki's shocked gaze, the old man gripped Karenina's withered hand tightly, his attitude becoming resolute: "I've been a director for over 20 years, making films my whole life, both ancient and modern, and I've made quite a few war scenes. But this is the first time I've ever seen war with my own eyes!"

He pleaded, "I'll stay right here, I won't go anywhere else, just let me see, this is my only wish as an old man!"

“You can see much better from the captain’s cabin.” Amanosaki gave Spiegelberg no chance, no matter how much Spiegelberg pleaded. He glared at Karenina, his sharp gaze like a knife that sent a shiver down her spine.

“Bring him up here. He’s the director, and he needs to oversee these shots.”

She discovered that the once somewhat silent and solitary young man now possessed an unparalleled aura.

If she had to describe it, she would say it's like the sun, constantly radiating an irresistible heat.

Amanosaki unbuttoned his suit jacket, leaving only his shirt on. As he warmed up, his dormant muscles began to expand with blood flow, his muscles bulged, and his physique became increasingly athletic.

Karenina swallowed hard, her face flushed, and helped Spielberg, who was muttering curses about the injustice of the world, leave, turning back every few steps.

Amanosaki paid no heed to Spielberg's curses. The old man was eccentric but reasonable. After being reminded of his directorial duties, he quickly came to his senses. So his curses on the way were just complaints about God's injustice, giving him the perfect opportunity to experience the battle between knights and monsters firsthand, but then making him sit in a room and "watch from the sidelines."

This was worse than killing him.

Fortunately, several projection screens were temporarily installed in the captain's cabin. Each screen was filled with cubicle-like videos, all of which were live footage from various locations on the river, which gave Spielberg some comfort.

“Miss, I’ll oversee the arms dealing. The footage of Wang Yu and the civilians is your responsibility.” He sat in the captain’s cabin for a few seconds, drank a glass of water, and then began to assign tasks impatiently.

Time waits for no one; once it's missed, there won't be a next time.

“Okay.” Lin Shuyu smiled and cooperated, her peripheral vision never leaving Spiegelberg’s hands.

-------------------------------------

"Dad!"

A-Ping, a pretty fisherwoman who was playing with Kanna, had red and swollen eyes and was crying loudly as she reached out her hands at the edge of the cabin. Then, she was grabbed by the waist by a slender, capable woman with a wheat-colored complexion and was pulled into the boat. As the cabin door was sealed shut, the strange fish that rushed onto the deck crashed into the door and died because of the excessive force.