Huayu: This producer has no bottom line.

Chapter 129 Director Ren, Please Stay

Ren Pingsheng's initiative to connect with TheThirdFloor studio was not a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Film production is ultimately an art of teamwork. A top-notch blockbuster may involve thousands of staff members from different backgrounds, professions, and even countries.

Each person is only responsible for a small part of the whole project, but everyone's work must eventually be perfectly pieced together into a unified work.

The director is the starting point of this task, and everyone's job is to turn the unique image in his mind into reality.

In this situation, misunderstandings are the biggest obstacle, just like the old saying goes, "Words spoken by a thousand people can turn a mouse into an ox."

If a director shouts on set, "I want a really awesome shot," and says that to a hundred different people, it will be interpreted in a hundred different ways.

What's worse is that many times the director himself doesn't know what kind of shot he wants until he sees a specific one.

Even if you know what it's like, you don't necessarily know if it can be achieved. Many production teams spend a lot of time working on it, only to find out after filming that it's not what they intended, and they have to start all over again.

Previewing technology can transform the abstract, subjective personal ideas in a director's mind into a concrete, objective visual reference that everyone can see.

We have a preview video.

Actors can accurately know how to position themselves, what actions to take, and what kind of scenes to enter when facing a green screen.

The photographer knows where to place the camera, what focal length lens to use, and how to move the camera.

The lighting technician knows which direction the light should come from, and the producer can accurately calculate how much budget is needed.

This technology is useful for any director, but for Ren Pingsheng, its usefulness is many times greater.

His mind was filled with film and television works from the next decade or so, and countless creative ideas that transcended this era.

But in other words, his cognitive differences with others are also greater than anyone else's.

He could clearly recall what the long shot of the tomb collapse in "Mojin: The Lost Legend" should look like, but how could he accurately convey that effect to the cinematographer, art director, and special effects artist?

With words?

"I wanted the camera to swoop down from the top of the coffin, through the collapsed rubble, and follow the protagonist's running route in a 270-degree circle, while the stone pillars in the background break one by one, and dust pours in from the right side of the screen —"

If you say this, ten people will have ten different interpretations.

Relying on storyboarding?

Okay, but storyboards are static. When it comes to complex camera movements and dynamic scenes, the expressive power of a flat storyboard is far from sufficient.

The pre-visualization technology can directly generate a low-precision dynamic video, which can move exactly as it should and at exactly the speed, with all parameters clearly displayed.

The project is still small in scale, and he can manage it by overseeing it himself. But when it goes to theatrical release as a blockbuster, with a crew of hundreds or thousands of people and a budget of hundreds of millions, every deviation will become a money pit.

Therefore, securing access to Hollywood's technical channels in advance is an essential step for him to film "Mojin: The Lost Legend" or even a sci-fi blockbuster in the future.

"Director Ren."

The voice came from behind.

Ren Pingsheng turned around, and Feng Xiaogang was walking towards him, accompanied by two other people.

"Congratulations," Feng Xiaogang said as he walked up to him, extending his hand. "Well deserved."

"Director Feng, you flatter me," Ren Pingsheng said, shaking hands with him. "You've worked hard."

"What trouble do I have to do? It's just a matter of raising your hand to watch the movie," Feng Xiaogang waved his hand and pulled the two people behind him over. "Come on, let me introduce you. You definitely know Xiaoming. This is Hua Tao, director Teng Huatao, the one who directed 'Dwelling Narrowness'."

"Hello, Director Ren," Huang Xiaoming said with a smile, extending his hand. "I've wanted to get to know you for a long time. 'Old Boys' was really well made."

Teng Huatao also shook hands with him, saying, "Director Ren is young and promising. Let's have more exchanges in the future."

Ren Pingsheng responded to each of them one by one, quickly reviewing the situation of each person in his mind.

The relationship between Feng Xiaogang and Huayi Brothers goes without saying. Huang Xiaoming is Huayi Brothers' top male artist, and although Teng Huatao is not a director within the Huayi Brothers system, he has close ties with the Beijing entertainment circle.

The fact that these three people came together to get to know each other doesn't seem like a coincidence at all.

However, Ren Pingsheng thought about it and realized that he didn't have any conflict with Huayi Brothers. Previously, "Report to the Boss" and "Loser 2" had competed against each other, but that was essentially a business competition between him and Sohu.

As for Huang Xiaoming suffering a setback in that competition, given the status of this "leader," it shouldn't be something a junior like him couldn't overcome.

Feng Xiaogang seemed to have seen through his little scheme, and smiled as he pointed at Huang Xiaoming.

"Xiaoming told me that your 'Report to the Boss' gave him a lot of trouble back then."

Huang Xiaoming waved his hand, his smile showing no resentment. "I still need to apologize to Director Ren. I was only focused on helping Baosteel out of a difficult situation, and I didn't expect to run into Director Ren. I hope Director Ren didn't take those comments online to heart?"

That's a well-said statement.

After all, "Report to the Boss" rose to fame by stepping on "Loser 2". Huang Xiaoming, as one of the main actors in "Loser 2", also received some criticism. Moreover, Zhao Baogang is a bigwig in the Beijing circle.

Ren Pingsheng smiled and followed the lead, "Brother Xiaoming, you're right. I'm the one who should apologize. Back then, the company was just starting out, and we borrowed some publicity to get a few views. Director Baogang is a senior, and you're a top star. Who else would I borrow from if not you!"

"If there's a chance in the future, I'd love to invite Brother Xiaoming to play a leading role in one of our TV dramas."

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Seeing that Ren Pingsheng had made his point clear and was making a good impression, Feng Xiaogang and Huang Xiaoming both laughed.

In this circle, everyone is in it for the benefit of others. As long as there's no deep-seated hatred, a few polite words and a drink are all it takes to put past conflicts behind us.

"I'd be delighted to do that," Huang Xiaoming said politely, changing the subject. "By the way, Director Ren, I heard you're filming 'Li Xianji'?"

"Yes, a short film, preparing to participate in Youth Image."

Upon hearing this, Feng Xiaogang's expression shifted.

"Li Xianji, I also had my eye on this film before, and I talked to that kid Yin Le several times."

Ren Pingsheng wasn't surprised, but he still asked, "So why didn't it work out in the end?"

"We couldn't reach an agreement," Feng Xiaogang said frankly.

He glanced at Ren Pingsheng and said, "You really got lucky. Making a short film was a smart choice. This story really isn't suitable for being stretched out. I misunderstood it at the time."

"Director Feng is too kind. We simply chose a suitable scale."

"Alright, don't be so polite with me," Feng Xiaogang waved his hand, his smile fading. "I'm really looking forward to your version. Show it to me when it comes out, and I'll help you check it out."

check?

Is he perhaps trying to claim the title of producer in this project?

But there's no need to think too much about it now, just agree for now.

The group chatted for a few more minutes, and the atmosphere was pleasant.

Teng Huatao didn't say much, but he stayed behind when Feng Xiaogang and Huang Xiaoming left.

"Director Ren, can we talk just for a bit?"

Ren Pingsheng glanced at him and nodded.

"Director Ren, I have a project that tells the story of a girl who gets over a breakup."

Teng Huatao paused for a moment, then said, "Actually, what I mainly wanted to ask today is whether Director Ren is interested in this type of urban romance drama?"

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