Chinese entertainment director starts with filmmaking

Chapter 70: Winning an Award and Visiting the Set

The casting for "Source Code" caused quite a stir, and countless people in the industry were eyeing it.

In the past, film stars in the industry avoided science fiction movies because they all knew it was a bad genre.

But things are different now. This film is intended for Hollywood, with an investment of over 100 million. Although director Gu Qing is a newcomer, his first film has already grossed 60 million at the box office, and its global box office has exceeded 300 million.

Who wouldn't be confused after seeing this?

When the list of creators of "Source Code" was revealed, many people were surprised.

The female lead is Jing Tian, ​​the second female lead is Li Binbin, the male lead is Duan Yihong, and the rest of the supporting actors are all familiar faces, but they are all second or third-tier actors.

No, Li Binbin is fine as the second female lead, but why is Jing Tian the female lead?

Wait a minute, who is Jing Tian?

Although we are no longer in the era of information explosion that came later, where people only know the person but not their name.

But I don't have much of a memory of actresses who don't have any representative works.

Jing Tian's fame is somewhat superficial. Although she briefly gained popularity, she does not have any representative works.

She debuted as a singer, took on foreign endorsements, acted in movies, and dabbled in various industries, but never in any of them deeply.

On blogs and online forums, people are puzzled by Jing Tian's ability to outshine a host of Chinese movie stars.

Fortunately, Jing Tian has gained some fans in the past two years, so the situation on the internet is not one-sided.

So what if you're young? Everyone starts as a newcomer.

"Is this Jing Tian Gu Qing's brother? No wonder they wanted to cast her as the female lead in the movie."

"Jing Tian looks a bit dull; can she really carry a film with an investment of over 100 million yuan as the female lead?"

Why not cast Liu Yifei as the female lead?

……

There are all sorts of comments online, some joking about the relationship between the director and the female lead, some expressing skepticism about the film's cast, and others questioning why Liu Yifei wasn't chosen as the female lead.

Although there was a lot of controversy, it didn't cause much of a stir.

Firstly, Gu Qing has a good reputation; he is the only director in China specializing in science fiction films, and he has a proven track record of success.

Secondly, no matter what, the movie "The Original Code" is still performed by mainland actors. The meat is kept in the pot and not given to outsiders.

Even if someone occasionally brings up the relationship between Gu Qing and Jing Tian, ​​it doesn't really hold up. The two have been linked together since their debut and are used to hyping things up together.

This is also because Jing Tian hasn't been labeled as a "resource-backed" celebrity yet; everything has to start somewhere, right?

As long as "Source Code" receives good reviews, Jing Tian's debut work can be considered a great success.

Besides Jing Tian, ​​Duan Yihong is also receiving a lot of attention.

There's no way around it; there are only three main actors. It's no surprise that Li Binbin landed the second female lead role. For someone of her caliber, landing the second female lead role in a domestic project isn't difficult.

With acting skills, fame, and a company backing him up, it's no wonder he wanted to go to Hollywood later on; he really doesn't care about the mainland actresses.

After that, Li Binbin just looked at scripts and accepted roles.

Duan Yihong's ability to land the male lead role surprised many people.

Actors who graduated from the Central Academy of Drama are indeed more popular with domestic directors.

Duan Yihong entered the Central Academy of Drama with the highest score in the entire program. A few years after graduation, he starred in his first film, which was screened at a B-list film festival and won Best Actor.

He performed in many stage plays afterward, but it wasn't until "Soldiers Sortie" that he truly gained fame in mainland China.

The movie she filmed in mainland China, "Love Comes Again," was pulled from theaters after less than a week.

Fortunately, netizens have seen Duan Yihong's acting skills and have not made any comments to mock him. The character of Yuan Lang is still deeply rooted in people's hearts.

This has given netizens a clear understanding of Gu Qing's casting preferences.

The three main characters in "The Source Code" come from Beijing Film Academy, Central Academy of Drama, and Shanghai Theatre Academy, so it's fair to say that they all have their own backgrounds.

On the other side, Gu Qing also came to Ning Hao's side to inquire about the short film.

The pre-production, script, actors, and logistics, etc., although it is a short film, can still be called a micro-movie, and the difficulty of the task is different.

Gu Qing was sitting in his office, leisurely eating an apple he'd somehow managed to snag.

"Ah Qing, since you're free anyway, why don't you help me with the camera work later?"

Ning Hao glanced at Gu Qing several times, and finally couldn't stand seeing her so relaxed, so he spoke up.

The two have a good relationship, but they can't stand seeing their brother doing so well.

They just bought a house, got a car, and started making movies. How did they suddenly become so happy?

He was the one who made a successful movie first, so why is he still making short films and music videos?

"That won't do, Brother Hao. I have spare time, but I don't have time to join the crew."

"If it's a short film, you'll have to take charge of it yourself."

Gu Qing was taken aback for a moment, then waved his hand in refusal.

If it were before, he might have thought about continuing to work with Jing Tian on a short film to solidify their relationship, but there are still two movies waiting for him.

Furthermore, although "Cruise" didn't win any of the three major awards in China, it has won a series of smaller awards.

"You have time to chat here, but no time to take your own pictures?"

"Besides, what award are you going to claim? The Hundred Flowers Bloom yet, and the Huabiao is only awarded every two years."

Ning Hao was utterly disdainful. He had finally realized that Gu Qing had only come to him to do hard labor, and it had been almost three years, and he still hadn't gotten his second movie out of the bag.

He had been watching the recent casting controversy surrounding "Source Code" with envy in his heart.

He also wanted to launch a big project, one that would cause a sensation throughout the city, and attract widespread attention.

"Brother Hao, don't rush things. There's no such thing as easy success. Right now, let's accumulate experience and plan for the future."

"Does your new movie need investment? You need to be in charge of this project to have any hope."

Gu Qing wasn't just talking nonsense. A short film is still a film, and it's good to accumulate more experience.

The most important thing for a movie is investment, and Gu Qing's actions have solved Ning Hao's urgent problem.

Besides, he knew that Ning Hao's next movie would be profitable, so he wouldn't lose out.

Ning Hao was speechless, unsure of what to say.

That sounds plausible, but isn't he still the one doing the work?

In March, Jing Tian officially joined the cast of "An Epic of One Person". The production team had been filming for a month, but Jing Tian was a supporting actress, so she naturally did not need to join the cast.

Zhao Yanzi has many filming commitments this year, and after discussions with director Xia Gang, it was decided to film the main scenes first.

Otherwise, Gu Qing would really be in a dilemma. The filming of the micro-movie would probably have to be postponed due to scheduling conflicts.

He himself went with Han Sanping to do publicity work.

"Triangle" received a good response and was well-received in the Japanese and South Korean markets, with its box office revenue steadily increasing.

The film did well at the Asian box office, and it didn't seem to have any issues in North America either. DVDs and videotapes sold very well, since suspense films have always had a wide audience.

More importantly, the adaptation rights to "Cruise" have also been sold.

However, the adaptation will have to wait three years, since adapting it now would be a waste of resources.

They can make a quick buck by changing the main creators and the story background every few years.

After going around in circles, Gu Qing ended up in North America with the people from China Film Group.

Before leaving, Gu Qing had hoped to return in style, and fortunately, things are not so bad now.

"Gu, it's been a long time. I was really going to treat you to a meal back then when you left without saying goodbye."

David, the acquisition manager at Lionsgate, looked extremely pleased when he saw Gu Qing.

Although the two had a bit of a falling out last year, how many times in business have they gone from being at odds to collaborating the next?

Gu Qing remained calm, smiling as she accepted the cigarettes offered by the other party, and exchanged a few pleasantries.

Lionsgate also has distribution channels, and they are naturally in a superior-subordinate relationship with the film production companies, so maintaining a good relationship is naturally important.

"Gu, are you interested in coming to Hollywood? We can discuss your movie; it's not impossible for you to be the director."

David smiled and said in a somewhat ingratiating tone.

After its promotion and distribution, "Triangle" grossed over 20 million US dollars, which is a huge profit for a low-budget foreign language film.

"Cruise" is a fixed-price film that does not participate in box office revenue sharing, allowing the distribution companies to make a considerable profit.

This was also intentional on the part of China Film Group. Box office revenue sharing is troublesome and can be falsified, so it's better to buy the film outright at a fixed price and then inflate the videotape rights fee.

"That's a real shame. The script I mentioned to you before is already in the pre-production stage, and we expect to start filming in about two months."

Gu Qing said regretfully, "It doesn't matter where the film is shot, but if it's shot in Hollywood, it will definitely have a greater impact."

However, it's not bad that he can achieve reverse output; he's a person who is easily satisfied.

"There will be opportunities to work together in the future, Gu. There's a party tonight, you absolutely have to come."

There will be an opportunity.

If one collaboration doesn't work out, there's always another opportunity. Both of them had their own agendas, and they got along quite well.

"Triangle" was shown in nearly 500 theaters in North America. Although the cast members were all of Asian descent, this is not a major factor in the suspense genre.

Gu Qing's reputation has also spread throughout North America.

In terms of suspense and storyline, "Cruise" is also considered excellent.

Gu Qing accompanied me to North America not only to cooperate with the promotion, but also to scout out the next film, "The Source Code," and to work hard to boost its box office.

In addition, he also came here to receive awards. "Source Code" is quite popular here and can win some Category B awards.

As for the Oscars, he missed the application deadline; otherwise, he could have tried to compete for a foreign language film.

After working with the China Film Group team at several film festivals and attending a few screenings, I've finally made my mark in Hollywood, North America, and am no longer a nobody.

With the rapid development of the mainland film market, the box office revenue of exported films has become an important part, and the status of China Film Group Corporation has risen accordingly.

In this world, connections matter, and Gu Qing finally understood that.

Besides attending parties and film festivals, Gu Qing also made sure to purchase equipment and supplies.

The "Source Code" series has high requirements for filming equipment; six high-speed panoramic cameras are needed for the shooting.

In addition, a batch of special props ordered before the Lunar New Year have now reached their delivery date.

Gu Qing took a look when he had some free time, and could only say that Hollywood truly lives up to its name; no matter how bad things get in the future, it is still incredibly powerful right now.

The props were exquisitely made and had a realistic texture.

"Your props are truly ingenious!"

Han Sanping accompanied them as they inspected the props. He casually picked up a smartphone, looked it over, and had a strange expression on his face.

This phone, with no buttons on the front and completely black, makes it impossible to tell how to use it.

The most important element of a science fiction film is the illusion; the aesthetic appeal of the props alone can make a film half successful.

Like in the first science fiction movie, people carried a phone booth with them to make calls because they simply couldn't imagine that a one-kilogram cube could be used for communication.

"It's not exactly a brilliant idea. Look at the latest Apple phone, it has already abandoned traditional buttons."

Gu Qing couldn't help but laugh when he heard Han Sanping's words, and then he took out the cell phone that Jing Tian had given him.

He was just parroting what others had said.

"That's really impressive. Who knows, I might have to find inspiration from movies in the future."

Han Sanping took the phone, looked at it carefully, and said with a complicated expression.

He has always admired people who can write screenplays because he can't write them himself, and those who can write science fiction films are even more talented.

"Mr. Han, what do you think about me registering a patent?"

"I don't think it's a big problem."

Han Sanping was taken aback, and guessed in his heart that it might actually work.

The registration application should be fine, but it's unlikely you'll make a fortune from it.

Gu Qing smiled; he was just giving it a try.

……

Time flew by, and it was April in the blink of an eye. Gu Qing followed China Film Group, bringing with her a whole host of film equipment and props, and returned to China.

The experience of a business trip paid for by the company is indeed quite enjoyable, but it can be a bit boring for him, being all alone.

I went back to the company and handled some matters diligently, but I was interrupted by my phone ringing.

"Brother, have you gone back to China yet?"

On the other end of the phone, Jing Tian asked weakly.

"Yeah, I just got back. Is your cold still not better?"

Gu Qing put down his pen, rubbed his sore wrist, and asked with concern.

He went to Hollywood before, and Jing Tian was bored when she first joined the crew, so she called him to chat. Because of the time difference, she fell asleep one time because she talked too late and caught a cold.

"No, it's all your fault. By the way, when are you coming to see me? You haven't visited the set yet."

"Don't wait until I finish filming and not come to see me, that would be too pitiful for me."

Although Jing Tian's tone was listless, her little mouth kept chattering away.

Perhaps because she didn't have many peers to chat with on set, Jing Tian was unusually talkative today.

"Tomorrow, I'll come see you tomorrow."

Gu Qing offered some words of comfort, then hung up the phone and stretched.

He seemed to be doing nothing in between, yet he was extremely busy.

He had to manage the affairs of the film crew while also constantly paying attention to his girlfriend's mental state.