novelraw Chapter 93 Interview: A Sensation!
Chapter 93 Interview: A Sensation!
Chapter 93 Interview: A Sensation!
After Shen Qing personally communicated with Gu Man, Gu Man no longer rejected Zhao Liying, but made a new request.
"Could you play Feng Teng yourself? In my mind, you are the best choice for Feng Teng."
Shen Qing smiled and politely declined.
Chen Zhixi told Shen Qing that director Liu Jiang had taken on a new project and didn't have time to film "Boss & Me" for the time being. Shen Qing then decided to hire director Liu Jin this time.
Liu Jin was one of the two candidates chosen for the director of "My Love from the Star" last time, and his abilities were recognized by Shen Qing.
"Give Li Yitong a role as well."
Shen Qing spoke casually, and Chen Zhixi, sitting at the desk, jotted it down.
"Okay, this show needs a lot of young girls, so we can arrange a lot of them."
"Let Director Liu Jin choose for himself."
"Yeah, this show is perfect for product placement. I reckon the revenue from product placement alone could cover all the costs."
"Is it possible?"
"I'm being conservative with my calculations. I estimate there's still room for profit. 40 per episode should be enough for this kind of show. The total production budget won't exceed 1500 million, and getting 2000 million in product placements shouldn't be difficult."
"Quality is the most important thing; don't be too rigid."
"clear."
Chen Zhixi informed Li Yitong that there was a role called Lu Shuangyi, who was the best friend of the female lead Xue Shanshan.
"Sister Chen, I heard the original author was unhappy with the casting a while ago. Has the matter been resolved?"
Li Yitong asked cautiously.
Chen Zhixi saw through Li Yitong's thoughts at a glance. Shenqi Films had only signed three actresses. Zhang Zifeng was a child, and if Zhao Liying was excluded, the lead role would likely fall to her.
"It's resolved. President Shen personally spoke with Gu Man on the phone."
After saying that, Chen Zhixi turned and left.
Li Yitong stood there for a while longer.
For a director as big as Mr. Shen to personally call the original author for Zhao Liying, it seems those rumors are true. No wonder the company still wanted to push Zhao Liying to be the female lead even though she was clearly not suitable for the role.
On August 25, the filming of "Gravity" was launched at the China Film Studio.
Leaders from the Ministry of Culture, the Film Bureau, and the Space Administration, along with several producers such as Han Sanping, Yu Dong, Wang Changtian, Fan Bingbing, Bill Berger, and Thomas Tull, were all present.
That's right, Fan Bingbing, who has been making headlines recently, is also one of the film's producers. Fan Bingbing's studio invested in the film, holding a 5% stake in the Greater China region.
There were more than twenty media reporters present at the scene.
"Hello Director Shen, I'm a reporter from Southern Weekly. There are widespread rumors that the total investment in your new film will exceed $1 million. Are these rumors true?"
"The production budget alone is $8000 million. Including the cost of post-production marketing, $1 million probably won't be enough. The marketing efforts in the North American market are very significant, especially for a blockbuster like this. The total budget might be around $1.3 million."
"With such a large investment, do you feel pressured? Are you afraid? What if you lose all that money? Do you think about these things?"
"There is definitely pressure, but I am actually confident. I know what kind of movies the market likes and whether I can make them. I did a lot of research beforehand. I decided to make this kind of movie first, and then I raised so much money. Everything was within my plan. Doing things within the plan will be stressful, but there will be no fear."
Shen Qing pointed to another reporter who had raised his hand, and the reporter introduced himself as being from CCTV.
"Director Shen, I heard you used a brand new filming technique this time?"
"Yes, Gravity will be a true 3D movie."
"As far as I know, 3D movies are not a new concept; the first 3D movie was made decades ago."
"That's right, which is why I said *Gravity* will be a truly '3D' movie, not just the first '3D' movie. The technological barriers to 3D movies have now been largely overcome, and for the first time, audiences will truly 'enter' a film. This immersive experience is unprecedented and will undoubtedly bring an unparalleled experience."
The reporter asking the question was a different one.
"So, Director Shen, what is your first truly meaningful 3D film so far?"
Shen Qing shook his head and said, "No, so far, there isn't a single truly 3D movie in the world."
With a hum, the scene erupted in chaos.
"Director Shen, are you saying that you will be the first director in the world to bring this kind of immersive and breathtaking experience to the audience? That you will be the first to achieve what American directors haven't, and what European directors haven't achieved either? Is that what you mean?"
The reporter from Southern Metropolis Daily asked the question again.
At this moment, everyone's eyes were on Shen Qing's face.
The leaders of the Ministry of Culture, the Film Bureau, and the Space Administration suddenly had a bad feeling, as if Shen Qing's project was starting to show signs of being a scam.
Warner Bilberg, legendary Thomas Tull, Han Sanping, Wang Changtian, Yu Dong, and others who were originally quite confident about the project all began to worry.
Yes, it's something that neither the US nor Europe has yet done. How can we believe that a Chinese person could do it?
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Shen Qing gently shook his head and said, "I am indeed working towards this goal, but I'm not sure if I can beat Director Cameron."
"?"
'
Is he unsure if he can beat Cameron?
How modest!
The reporter pressed further, "What do you mean by 'not sure if we can beat Cameron'? Could you elaborate?"
"Director Cameron has a project that he has been working on for 12 years. He started preparing a 3D movie called Avatar after 1997. It is said that the production budget alone reached 240 million US dollars, which is three times that of Gravity. This will be a true 3D movie, but no one knows its specific release date yet."
Shen Qing paused for a moment, then continued, "So I'm not sure if Gravity can beat it, and I'm not sure if I can beat Cameron."
"Director Shen, do you mean you're going to compete with James Cameron's 'Avatar,' which took 12 years to develop, cost $240 million to produce—three times the budget of your film? And you're not sure you can beat it?"
"Yes, but I need to correct you. Whether or not we can beat Cameron refers to the release date, not the quality of the film."
"What about the movie quality?"
"They'll probably each have their own merits!"
Shen Qing nodded solemnly.
That's right, his initial plan was to use Avatar to expand the market and then pick up the scraps from behind, but at this moment, such a spineless plan must not be announced.
Shen Qing is a big director now, and he cares about his reputation.
It's okay to lose a competition, but it's shameful to be afraid to compete.
But what did everyone hear?
Each has its own merits?
Both Cameron and Cameron have their own strengths?
reporter:"..
Everyone: "?"
When the reporter asked another question, the leaders of the Cultural Bureau took the lead in applauding, and the rest of the people naturally followed suit, temporarily interrupting the interview.
After the interview, filming officially began.
Shen Qing and Liu Jia both changed into prop spacesuits. The helmets did not have front glass visors; these would be added later by CG animation.
Three enormous white screens were set up in the studio, and strong lighting was added. They will be replaced with spectacular images of Earth in post-production.
A custom-made model of the Skyscanner Space Telescope lay on the ground; Shen Qing and Liu Jia's first scene involved repairing the Skyscanner Space Telescope. The model was somewhat rudimentary, as it would eventually be replaced by CG effects.
Shen Qing plays Lin Hua, a new astronaut on his first space mission, while Liu Jia plays Liu Ying, a veteran astronaut on his last space mission. Lin Hua and Liu Ying are not only colleagues but also mother and son.
The director of photography was Emmanuel Lubezki, who was brought in from overseas at a high price, and one of the photographers was Jia Haijun, who had worked with Shen Qing many times.
The camera was custom-made according to Shen Qing's requirements. There was no technical difficulty in making a 3D camera; the difficulty lay in making the camera smaller.
Many scenes in "Gravity" take place in confined spaces, and at that time, 3D cameras were generally as big as a household freezer.
Shen Qing requested that the two cameras be mounted vertically together, with a beam splitter at a 45-degree angle in the middle. A polarizing filter was added in front of each lens. One camera recorded information for the left eye, and the other recorded information for the right eye, respectively for the left and right eyes when watching in a movie theater with polarized glasses. This would achieve the 3D movie effect.
"Action!"
Wearing spacesuits and helmets without masks, Shen Qing and Liu Jia performed the repair of the Skyscanner Space Telescope in front of a white screen illuminated by bright lights, following their previous training.
Multiple media outlets reported on Shen Qing's interview at the opening ceremony of "Gravity," and the reports immediately caused a huge uproar.
"What? 8000 million in production budget, and that's in US dollars? Including post-production and marketing, it'll be 1.3 million US dollars? Did I hear that right? A Chinese director making a movie about a Chinese story, investing that much money? Won't they lose all their money?"
"Entering the movie? Feeling like you're actually there? You're kidding me! What, in the movie, if the enemy shoots an arrow at the protagonist, do I have to block it too?"
"Shen Qing, I'm begging you, please stop going overboard! Can't we just focus on making movies peacefully? Sometimes, even if you put in all your effort, you might not get a miracle; you might just end up with nothing!"
"No American director has done it, no European director has done it, and Chinese directors, who have never made science fiction films before, have the opportunity to be the first to do it—it sounds absurd."
"I've always really liked Shen Qing, but I have to say, Cameron isn't someone you can mess with. Don't get cocky."
"Does nobody believe Shen Qing can beat Cameron?"
"What will we use to win?"
"Is Cameron preparing for something big after 12 years of hard work? I suddenly have a feeling that Cameron can't replicate the success of 'Titanic,' so he might have to go for something big. Shen Qing is also likely going for something big. If they both go for something big, does that mean Shen Qing has actually won?"
"Don't tell me, you really shouldn't tell me!"
"I trust Shen Qing unconditionally because he has never let me down. I will come back to dig up this old post after 'Gravity' is released, and then we can continue our discussion."
During breaks in filming, Shen Qing would also go online to read comments. Because of the last interview, his reputation had declined, and people felt that he had gone beyond being arrogant; he had lost his mind. But there was a benefit: now, when netizens mention Shen Qing, they inevitably mention Cameron, and vice versa. At least in China, their names are firmly linked.
When Avatar sweeps the global film market, at least domestic audiences should remember Shen Qing, who has been compared to Cameron for more than a year.
Winning or losing isn't important. When everyone compares Shen Qing to Cameron, then Shen Qing and Cameron are directors of the same caliber!