The director starts by learning from the abilities of renowned directors.

Before officially setting off for India, Shen Qing did the following things.

First, I visited China Film Group several times to clarify the investment shares for "Nanjing Photo Studio".

The film's total investment is estimated at 6000 million yuan. His Magical Films will invest 30 million yuan, holding a 50% stake; China Film Group will invest 3000 million yuan, holding a 1800% stake; and Enlight Media will invest 1200 million yuan, holding a 20% stake. The film will be jointly distributed by China Film Group and Enlight Media.

In addition to serving as screenwriter and director, Shen Qing will also personally play the role of postman Su Liuchang, with a total remuneration of 1500 million yuan.

He considered only taking on the roles of screenwriter and director, but after going through a list of suitable male actors in his mind, he realized that no one could act better than him, and more importantly, no one had his current box office appeal.

If "Nanjing Photo Studio" is to surpass "Nanjing! Nanjing!" in both box office and audience reviews, then having Shen Qing personally star in the film is the safest option.

The second thing was to decide on the film's art director.

After several rounds of discussions, it was finally decided that Zhao Hai, a graduate of the Stage Design Department of the Central Academy of Drama, would serve as the film's art director. Of all the discussions, Zhao Hai demonstrated the most thorough understanding of Shen Qing's requirements.

I heard that the leaders of my alma mater complained when they found out.

It's one thing for directors from the Beijing Film Academy to use actors from other schools—this unhealthy trend has been going on for a long time. Now they're even using art directors from other schools? When did the Central Academy of Drama's art direction ever compare to Beijing Film Academy's?

The third thing was that I made several trips to Shanghai and held multiple discussions with Shanghai Film Production Company, and the two parties finally reached a cooperation agreement.

According to the agreement, the two parties will jointly form a set design team of more than 500 people, including many industry experts, making it a truly impressive lineup. The team leader is art director Zhao Hai.

Most of the film will be shot at the Chedun Film and Television City in Shanghai. The set design team will build the historical scenes required for the film within a 3-square-meter area designated by the Chedun Film and Television Base, striving to authentically recreate that period of history.

The city wall section will be replicated by the design team on-site at the Nanjing city wall, using real bricks and combined with scenic images to create a 1:1 replica of the ruins after the bombing.

Shen Qing gave the set design team a full four months to do these things. With so much time, sufficient funding, and a highly skilled team, and with all the relevant departments and units expressing their full cooperation, Shen Qing might really lose his temper if he was still not satisfied with the final result.

Fourth, we sought connections with military museums across the country to borrow some authentic weapons from the War of Resistance against Japan for filming.

Shen Qing is undoubtedly the No. 1 star in mainland China, without exception. Even within the broader Chinese-speaking world, he, Jackie Chan, Li Lianjie, Chow Yun-fat, and others can only be said to have their own strengths and weaknesses. It's hard to say that he is necessarily worse than any of them.

While fewer people may know him than those who have been famous for decades, Shen Qing's fan base is arguably more active.

His every move is under scrutiny.

Now that the preparation of "Nanjing Photo Studio" has caused such a stir, the media has naturally followed suit, and Shen Qing has cooperated by accepting several media interviews, which has immediately drawn widespread attention to the topic.

Then Lu Chuan is also filming a movie on the same theme, called "Nanjing! Nanjing!", and Lu Chuan and Shen Qing are even alumni of the Beijing Film Academy?!

This is getting interesting!

Does this mean that the brothers share the same dream?

Is this a beautiful story about the tacit understanding between fellow disciples?

Won't this turn into vicious competition?

Which of these two fellow students could film better?

The crew of the film "Nanjing! Nanjing!", which is currently filming in Tianjin, also received multiple interviews.

It is said that Lu Chuan said with some pride at an internal meeting that his junior brother Shen Qing had made the topic popular, and the effect was no less than the 2000 million yuan publicity fee spent by the "Nanjing! Nanjing!" crew. He said he would definitely thank his junior brother Shen Qing in person when he had the chance.

Everyone around Shen Qing could see how much importance she attached to the "Nanjing Photo Studio" project. Since Shen Qing valued it, everyone else followed suit.

At this crucial juncture when casting is about to begin, Fan Bingbing takes the initiative to contact Wan Qian and agrees to serve Shen Qing together once again.

The reason they chose was excellent. Shen Qing was about to go to India to film a movie and they wouldn't see each other for a long time. Was it wrong for the two of them to treat Shen Qing well before he left?

Wan Qian wasn't stupid. She realized that Fan Bingbing was using her to curry favor with Shen Qing and gain benefits for herself. But Wan Qian still readily agreed.

Firstly, this kind of thing is only embarrassing the first time, but you get used to it after that, and not only do you get used to it, you also find it quite exciting.

Secondly, she felt that Fan Bingbing was indeed clever, but only in a superficial way. Shen Qing saw everything; she didn't need to ask for benefits—what was rightfully hers, he would give it to her. Asking for it would only make her look bad. Serving Master Qing together, if you ask for benefits while I, Wan Qian, don't, who knows who will end up getting more?

After the two discussed it, Fan Bingbing contacted Shen Qing by phone. Shen Qing was overjoyed to hear this and naturally wouldn't refuse. So that evening, Fan Bingbing and Wan Qian went to Shen Qing's house together.

As expected, Fan Bingbing brought up the casting for "Nanjing Photo Studio" with Shen Qing after their lovemaking session. However, to Wan Qian's surprise, Fan Bingbing brought it up right in front of her. Wan Qian thought that Fan Bingbing would definitely ask Shen Qing for some benefits in private.

"Brother Qing, did you enjoy it?"

"You two are so kind, I don't know how to thank you enough."

"How could I not know? Aren't you currently preparing for 'Nanjing Photo Studio'? The female lead hasn't been decided yet, has she? Do you think Qianqian and I are a good match?"

"It's hard to say whether they're a good match yet, but there doesn't seem to be any obvious incompatibility. I can only say that there's a chance for both."

Fan Bingbing smiled and said, "As long as there's an opportunity, that's fine. Qianqian and I will compete fairly, and you can use whoever is more suitable."

Shen Qing said, "There will be other actresses competing with us."

"clear."

Fan Bingbing smiled as she glanced at the somewhat dazed Wan Qian, thinking to herself, "You didn't expect me to speak up in front of you, did you? And you certainly didn't expect me to advocate for both of us, did you? This way, I don't seem so opportunistic, and it doesn't hinder me from getting the role. I've already achieved huge success with the two 'Taken' films, even gaining international fame. My acting skills aren't bad either. If it's fair competition, under normal circumstances, who would choose you over me?"

After completing all of the above, Shen Qing finally set off for India.

The flight was a direct flight to New Delhi, the capital of India. Prior to this, two groups of about half of the crew had already arrived at the destination. When Shen Qing landed, Zhang Keqin, the production manager who had come ahead to check, personally greeted her at the airport.

Zhang Keqin was recommended to Shen Qing by Chen Zhixi. After talking with him, Shen Qing felt that he was indeed capable, so he let him start as a producer. After several films, he has been promoted to production manager.

"How's work going? Are the locals easy to communicate with? Have you encountered any problems?"

"It went fairly smoothly. It's hard to say whether communication was easy or difficult; it's pretty much the same all over the world. Money makes communication easier. We did encounter some trouble, but when we mentioned that Jackie Chan was the lead actor in our film, the problem was solved. Jackie Chan is quite influential in India."

"Jackie Chan is joining the crew the day after tomorrow, right?"

"Yes, the flight is the day after tomorrow afternoon, while Hathaway's is the day after that."

"Oh, right, our young actress's name is Halsali, right?"

"Yes, the girl's mother and brother have already brought her to the filming location ahead of schedule."

"Then make the arrangements. I want to see her as soon as possible."

"The little girl is very perceptive; I don't think she'll have any problems playing the role well."

"That's good."

……

Shen Qing met the little girl and her family that same day, and as the production manager Zhang Keqin had said, her acting skills were indeed excellent.

After a brief discussion with Legendary Pictures, it was basically confirmed that the little girl would be used, and the production team began the signing process.

The next day, Cheng Long led the core members of the Cheng family stunt team to New Delhi. After only a short rest, he dragged Shen Qing to the film set to design action sequences.

Action scenes are rarely designed by one person behind closed doors; they usually require the action director to work with the stuntmen on set to explore and develop the techniques together.

You say you'll play this way, he says you'll play that way, so you two should both try it out and see how it goes. If it's good, keep it; if it's not, improve it or eliminate it.

In other words, designing action scenes often requires on-site inspiration.

When it comes to designing choreography for Jackie Chan, it's even more impossible to do it behind closed doors. He's a famous furniture store legend, so the choreography design must be combined with the on-site environment.

The two were visiting a film set in a slum that day. The crew was going to film there about American journalist Jessica, who ventured into an Indian slum with only a camera to document the hardships of the people there and to advocate for impoverished and out-of-school children.

She was surrounded by a group of men and almost raped.

Fortunately, Jackie Chan's character, Ah Long, arrived in time and drove the group away, preventing the American female reporter from being actually raped.

In a typical one-against-many fight scene, Jackie Chan needs to make full use of the complexity of the slum environment.

Cheng Long brought the core members of his stunt team, while Shen Qing brought the director of photography, lighting technician, and production manager.

Shen Qing possesses 99% of Jackie Chan's peak abilities, so when the two discuss action design, Jackie Chan often has the illusion that they are on the same wavelength.

Sometimes, while Shen Qing's action designs surprised Jackie Chan and hit the nail on the head, he was certain he could perform those actions himself. At his peak, Jackie Chan could do them without much trouble and rarely needed a stunt double.

But he is 53 years old this year, and many of the moves that he could easily do when he was young are now impossible for him to do independently.

And what about Shen Qing?

He is Jackie Chan at his peak!

"Brother, what do you think of this design? Will it be difficult to film? Can these actions be completed?"

Shen Qing even asked this question specifically.

And what about Jackie Chan?

These movements are all ingrained in his mind; he will definitely perform them well during his peak, and once he executes them, the effect will be absolutely fantastic.

Now the director is asking him if he can do it?

"no problem!"

In Jackie Chan's mind, the worst that could happen was that he'd just go all out once filming started!

After the inspection, Li Zhongzhi felt somewhat uncertain and privately approached Cheng Long.

"Big brother, even the stuntmen aren't confident about those moves!"

This implies that even Jackie Chan himself is no longer capable!

"Were those moves cool?"

Cheng Long asked Li Zhongzhi.

"Cool!" Li Zhongzhi said directly.

"Was the photo good or bad?"

"It will definitely be good!"

"That settles it then, let's go for it!"

"We're not afraid of pushing ourselves, the worst that can happen is getting injured. But what if we still can't finish filming even if we get injured? The director designed a lot of these difficult stunts today. What if none of us can do them? Call in outside help? It's not the director's turn to do them himself. It's easy for someone who can't do them himself to design so many difficult stunts. That's just talking without understanding the situation."

……

The next day, Anne Hathaway officially joined the crew. After settling her in, she immediately went to Shen Qing's director's suite to discuss the role.

The two had already had formal contact when Shen Qing last flew to the United States, and they were much more familiar with each other when they met again today.

After discussing the role, Anne Hathaway immediately took out several comic books she had brought from the United States from her bag.

Inception, Gravity, The Martian, Interstellar, and Source Code.

Five comic books were laid out in a row on the coffee table.

If you look closely, you'll find that these comics all have one thing in common: they are all signed by someone named Qing Shen!

Anne Hathaway was already very familiar with these comics long before she took on the role in the movie "Little Girl's Kung Fu Uncle".

It's not that these comics are particularly popular in the United States; in fact, they're only moderately popular. The reason she's so familiar with these comics is simply because she's heard from more than one director that they want to adapt them into films.

And he's not just any ordinary director; he's a renowned director who's famous throughout the US and even the world. This famous director himself said he wanted to film one of the comics.

It wasn't just one famous director who said this; rather, several famous directors have made similar statements.

The outcome was always the same: the copyright holders refused to sell the comics no matter what.

No matter how high a price Hollywood companies offered after being persuaded by big directors, the copyright holders resolutely refused to sell!

Even the top eight Hollywood studios offered royalties on the copyrights of the auteur's films, but the auteur refused.

This made these comics a huge success in Hollywood.

In the United States, the copyright revenue of a film is quite long-term, and it is very likely that the film will continue to generate income for decades after its release.

Even with such favorable terms, the copyright holder of the comic still refused to sell it.

What kind of comics have attracted so many Hollywood directors?

Driven by intense curiosity, Anne Hathaway read through several comic books early on, and then...

Interstellar, Inception... each one is so breathtaking to watch, each one seems tailor-made for her.

But what fascinated her the most was the comic book called "Gravity".

The female protagonist returns to Earth alone, and when she finally sets foot on Earth again, Anne Hathaway is already in tears.

She must get the role if possible.

Then, when she auditioned for the movie "Little Girl's Kung Fu Uncle," she learned that the director of the movie was also named Qing Wang. After making a little inquiries, she found out that they were actually the same person, and Anne Hathaway's mind started to wander.

"Director, are all these comics your work?" Hathaway asked.

Shen Qing glanced at it and said, "Yes."

"I heard that eight of Hollywood's top studios wanted to buy you out, but you refused. It looks like you're going to make the film yourself."

"Smart," Shen Qing said with a smile.

"I really, really love the comic book 'Gravity.' If you were to direct this movie in the future, could I have an audition?" Anne Hathaway asked earnestly.

Shen Qing shook his head directly and said, "No, the female lead in Gravity must be Chinese."

"Definitely?" Anne Hathaway asked again, unwilling to give up.

"Yes, definitely!" Shen Qing remained resolute, but this time he offered a slight explanation: "Gravity only has one female lead, so of course she'll be Chinese."