novellhall Chapter 339 [Recorded in History] Realm Progress +1%
Chapter 339 [Recorded in History] Realm Progress +1%
Chapter 338 [Recorded in History] Realm Progress +1% (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Los Angeles, Marvel Studios post-production headquarters.
The private screening room on the top floor was dimly lit.
A huge screen took up the entire wall.
There were only a few people sitting in the room.
Director Gunn, Marvel Studios President Kevin, the core production team, and Chen Xun, who had just returned from the Golden Globe Awards ceremony.
The rough cut of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will have its first internal screening here.
"Chen, thank you so much for taking the time to come."
Gunn sat down next to Chen Xun, handed him a bottle of iced cola, and said with a hint of anticipation, "The rough cut just came out. I looked at it once internally, and it felt like something was off, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it."
"You're the person who understands Star-Lord the most, and you've been with the project from beginning to end. I need to hear your honest thoughts."
Chen Xun took the cola, smiled and nodded: "Don't worry, director, I will definitely tell you everything I know."
He knew all too well the backstory and fate of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
As one of the most polarizing sequels in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
It boasts the series' top-of-the-line visual effects and soundtrack.
However, due to its bloated subplots, unbalanced pacing, and repetitive action scenes, it ultimately failed to replicate the phenomenal reputation of its predecessor.
It became a work with both outstanding highlights and significant shortcomings.
With Jackie Chan's involvement in this life, the character of Ego has completely shed the thinness of his previous life.
The film's core dramatic tension is off the charts, but the post-production editing issues remain an unavoidable hurdle.
The lights dimmed, and the screen lit up.
After the familiar Marvel intro animation, the story of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 officially begins.
From the high-energy opening on Sovereignty, to the Guardians' forced landing on the planet after being pursued, and then to Ego's appearance and reunion with Star-Lord, the storylines of father and son, Yondu's rebellion, and the internal conflicts among the Guardians are all explored.
Multiple storylines unfold in sequence.
Chen Xun leaned back in his seat, not saying a word the entire time, his gaze fixed firmly on the screen.
The "Industry Trend Prediction" feature is now fully operational.
Every pacing break, every redundant subplot, and every repetitive action scene in the rough cut was precisely dissected and clearly presented to him.
Three hours later, the end credits song "Father and Son" began to play, the screen went dark, and the lights in the projection room came back on.
After a few seconds of silence in the room, the production team spoke first, offering their usual praise: "The visual effects are absolutely stunning! The opening single-shot scene is simply divine!"
"Jackie Chan's portrayal of Igor was outstanding, completely exceeding expectations!"
"The chemistry between the guards is as good as ever, and the jokes aren't awkward at all!"
But in these praises, everyone could hear a deliberate avoidance.
Gu En's brow remained furrowed. He turned to Chen Xun, who had remained silent, and leaned forward slightly. "Chen, don't give me those polite words. Tell me your honest feelings. What exactly is the problem?"
Kevin Feige also looked at Chen Xun and added with a smile, "Chen, we all know that you are not only the lead actor, but also have a judgment on the narrative rhythm of commercial films and the viewing psychology of the audience that far surpasses that of ordinary people."
"Don't worry, just say it."
Chen Xun put down his cola bottle, not rushing to find fault, but instead nodded first: "Tell me the advantages first!"
"The most striking storyline in this rough cut is definitely Igor's."
"Jackie Chan's performance brought the character of Ego to life completely."
"In the original script, Ego was more like a functional villain. He was a gentle father in the first half and a crazy demon in the second half. Although the transition was reasonable, it lacked depth."
"But Jackie Chan's performance combined Ego's divine detachment after living for millions of years, his feigned paternal tenderness, his inherent egocentrism, and his half-true, half-false blood ties with Star-Lord into one performance."
Gunn's tense face finally relaxed a little, and he nodded vigorously: "Yes! That's what I'm most satisfied with!"
"Jackie Chan's performance completely exceeded all my expectations of the character Ego!"
"The problem is, I always feel that Jackie Chan's performance was diluted in the final film, making it difficult for the audience to focus on this storyline throughout."
"You're right, that's the problem."
Chen Xun then shifted the subject, pinpointing the core issue: "The biggest problem with this film isn't that it's poorly made, it's that you tried to cram too much stuff into it."
"With multiple storylines running in parallel and the subplots being too bloated, the core tension of the main storyline is diluted, resulting in a serious imbalance in the pacing of the middle part of the film. Just as the audience's emotions are being drawn in by the father-son storyline, they are interrupted by other subplots."
He looked at Gunn: "The narrative has completely fallen apart!"
"The core of this film should be two parallel storylines: the father-son bond and eventual conflict between Star-Lord and Ego is the main storyline of finding his father, while Yondu's journey from being driven out by the Raiders to ultimately sacrificing himself for redemption is the subplot of his adoptive father."
"These two storylines are the emotional core of the entire film!"
"But in the rough cut now, you've crammed in too many redundant subplots."
"The Sovereign High Priestess Ayesha has too much screen time, the awkward conversations between Drax and the Mantis are repeatedly interspersed, and there is even a lengthy setup for the rebellion within the Marauders. Each of these subplots has its highlights when viewed individually, but when piled together, they completely disrupt the main storyline."
"For a full forty minutes in the middle of the film, the main storyline of Star-Lord and Ego is broken up and fragmented. Just as the audience gets into the mood, they are cut off, so they naturally can't feel the emotional pull in the father-son storyline."
Gunn's eyes lit up instantly, and he slapped his thigh: "Yes! That's the feeling!"
"I always find the middle section tiring to read because of the constant switching between sections; the emotional flow just doesn't connect!"
The post-production team around him also reacted instantly, grabbing pens and frantically taking notes, their faces full of sudden realization.
They had only felt that the middle section was loose, but they had never found the root cause. Chen Xun's words directly enlightened them.
Chen Xun continued, "The Sovereign unmanned fleet chase scene appears three times throughout the film, and each time the scene, rhythm, and even the style of the music are highly similar."
"The first time the audience sees it, they will find it novel; the second time, they will find it boring; and the third time, they will even feel tired, and the thrill of the chase will be completely gone."
"Especially the final climax battle before the planet explodes, there are too many repeated chase scenes built up beforehand."
"By the time the real climax arrived, the audience's adrenaline had been completely depleted, and the impact of the father-son showdown and Yondu's sacrifice, which should have been legendary, was greatly reduced."
Upon hearing this, Kevin couldn't help but nod and looked at Gunn: "Chen is right. We haven't been able to find the reason. It turns out it's a problem with repetition."
Chen Xun pointed directly to the core creative issue: "You want to give each member of the guard a complete emotional arc."
"Star-Lord's father-son conflict, Gamora and Nebula's sisterly antagonism, Drax's grief over the loss of his daughter, Rocket's inferiority complex and loneliness, Yondu's redemption, and even Mantis's storyline of self-awakening."
"Your initial intention was good; you wanted to make each character three-dimensional and well-rounded. However, a two-hour movie cannot contain so many emotional cores."
"Trying to explain every single point results in failing to explain any of them thoroughly."
"The audience has just finished empathizing with Star-Lord's confusion, and then they have to immediately understand Rocket's loneliness. They've just been moved by Yondu's experiences, and then they have to watch Gamora and Nebula fight. Their emotions are constantly jumping around, and they can't settle down."
"On the contrary, the core father-son storyline, which should have been the emotional climax of the whole film, was taken up by so many subplots, and the final tension was seriously diluted."
"Even Jackie Chan's portrayal of Ego, with its layered performance, failed to fully unleash the character's charm because the scenes were cut too into too small pieces."
That one sentence struck a chord with Gunn.
He leaned back in his chair and sighed in relief: "You're absolutely right!"
He looked at Chen Xun, his eyes full of earnestness: "Then what do you think should be changed?"
"It's simple, just subtract."
Chen Xun was prepared and directly stated his solution: "Streamline the side quests!"
"Keep only the two chase scenes of the Sovereigns at the beginning and end, and cut all the redundant scenes in between. Keep only the functional parts of Ayesha's scenes, just enough to leave clues for the sequel."
"Let's shift the narrative focus back to the two main storylines!"
"The time saved will be used entirely for the father-son storyline of Star-Lord and Ego, as well as Yondu's redemption storyline."
"Finally, we reduced the emotional storylines of the other guards members, so we didn't have to tell everyone's story in this one movie."
""
The entire plan was presented in a clear and logical manner, with each part logically connected.
It not only solved all the core problems, but also completely preserved the unique style and core of the Guardians of the Galaxy series, without any awkwardness of an outsider instructing an expert.
The screening room was completely silent.
The post-production team never stopped writing.
He wrote down every word Chen Xun said, his eyes filled with admiration.
Kevin looked at Chen Xun, his admiration growing stronger.
Gu En stood up from his chair, reached out his hand to Chen Xun, and shook it firmly.
"Chen, thank you, thank you so much."
Gunn's voice was full of excitement: "You not only pointed out all the problems, but also provided the most perfect solution."
He immediately made the decision, ordering the post-production team: "Starting today, the entire team will re-edit according to Chen's plan!"
"Cut all redundant subplots, shift the narrative focus back to the father-son storyline and Yondu's storyline, rearrange the action sequences, and I want to see a new edited version within a week!"
"We'll completely re-edit Jackie Chan's scenes as Ego, and cut out all the most outstanding performances!"
The post-production team immediately responded, "Roger that!"
Just then!
Several attribute orbs quietly fell:
[Ultimate control over the narrative rhythm of commercial films +25]
[The Core Essence of Hollywood's Industrial Editing Logic +20]
[Marvel Universe Character Long-Term Narrative Control +18]
[Ability to balance primary and secondary characters in ensemble scenes +17]
[Accurate prediction of audience viewing psychology +12]
"Absorb it all!"
Chen Xun silently recited in his heart.
The light surged into his body in an instant, and countless insights into commercial film narratives, editing logic, and audience psychology were completely integrated with his previous acting experience.
On the system panel, the progress bar for the "Loading into History" achievement also increased slightly at a speed visible to the naked eye!
[Recorded in History] Realm progress +1%, current progress 14%.