Working quickly and slowly, "Love Letter" was filmed and completed three days before the Chinese New Year.
The entire crew cheered excitedly the moment Lu Yanhe announced the completion of filming.
Of course, the reason why they are so excited and excited is because they can go home for the New Year.
It was the time for the Chinese New Year. Although the New Year’s Eve dinner that Zhao Yuheng had prepared at the beginning was no longer needed, Lu Yanhe still asked Zhao Yuheng to give out the red envelopes that he planned to send to everyone on New Year’s Eve, one by one as usual. Everyone.
Lu Yanhe was particularly emotional.
"This is my first time as a director. Now that the movie is finished, I'm still dreaming. I feel like I just finished shooting the movie." He said with a smile, "It's different from being an actor. I found that I Being a director sometimes doesn't feel like a practical operation, because every specific job has to be done by everyone. I am only responsible for making requests, and everyone should have complained about me in their hearts. ”
< br>Everyone at the scene laughed.
“However, it seems that being a director is like this, at least that’s how I feel. I have to make demands, I have to be critical, and I have to demand everything that appears in the shot according to the standards I want. , from the actors' performances to the changes in light, otherwise, once you feel you can make do with it, it won't be a big deal after that."
Lu Yanhe took a deep breath.
“I am very grateful to meet you all in the first film I directed. Because of your help, we were able to complete this film together. I know many people say that film is the director’s art. , but only after having been a director did I know that it is impossible to rely on a director to make a movie "It was done by one person." Lu Yanhe said firmly, "We have finished filming. We will do post-production and then release it. Then, we may have to go to film festivals and attend many award ceremonies. This is not the end of our gathering. Let's See you later! ”
Chen Bige put a hand on Zhang Ruozhi's shoulder and said, "Tsk, tsk, Ruozhi, look, this mouth can talk so much."
Zhang Ruozhi smiled shyly.
She said: "The director seems to be very powerful in everything he does."
"You are right, he is really a monster." Chen Bige smiled, "After the filming is completed, you will return Are you in school?"
"Yes." Zhang Ruozhi nodded, "You are in your second year of high school."
Chen Bige thought about it and said, "Maybe when this movie is released, you will be in your senior year of high school? Or have you finished the college entrance examination?"
"Maybe." Zhang Ruozhi nodded.
"Will you go to acting school?" Chen Bige asked.
Zhang Ruozhi starred in "Love Letter", and it is natural for her to become an actress in the future.
But she shook her head and said, "I have no such idea now."
Chen Bige: "It's good. Go to school well. Like Lu Yanhe, if you can get into a good university, you will have many more choices in the future. Don't worry about missing out on some opportunities. If you really want to be an actor in the future, you can come to me. , or find Yan He, I We will help you find opportunities."
Zhang Ruozhi hummed shyly, "Thank you, sister."
Chen Bige looked at the shy look of this young girl. He couldn't put it down and touched her face.
"Also, you must be careful not to be deceived by some boys early." Chen Bige said, "You will meet many outstanding boys in the future, you know?"
< br>Zhang Ruozhi's cheeks turned red with embarrassment.
-
Call it off, pack your things, pack your bags, and go home.
During the Spring Festival travel period, it is difficult to buy all kinds of tickets.
When Lu Yanhe returned to Yuming after a long journey, it was already the 29th of the New Year.
Yan Liang has returned to his hometown.
Li Zhibai also returned home.
Lu Yanhe will still go to her grandparents’ house with Chen Siqi to celebrate the New Year this year.
There is no Spring Festival Gala this year, so they will sleep there one night.
Because there are no strangers or unknown relatives coming to visit, it is actually quite comfortable to celebrate the New Year at Chen Siqi’s grandpa’s house. There is no discomfort like having to chat with strangers.
Chen Siqi's cousin Jiang Huadong was also very funny. He secretly gave him a stack of his photos and said, "Brother Yan He, please sign each photo for me, my parents." They are usually very stingy about my pocket money. I will sell your signed photo to my classmates to supplement my pocket money.”
Still righteous and confident.
After the New Year, in the second year of junior high school, Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi returned to Yuming together.
Chen Siqi is still staying in the hotel and refuses to stay there again.
This year, they did not choose to travel abroad for vacation. Instead, they took a good rest in the hotel for a few days together.
Both of them were really tired and needed a good rest.
On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Lu Yanhe took Chen Siqi to attend their high school class reunion.
More than thirty students came in large numbers.
Many people have not been seen for three or four years.
This was organized by Li Pengfei and others. When he was in high school, Lu Yanhe was not very familiar with many of his classmates. Those who were really familiar with him never lost contact. When meeting everyone this time, Lu Yanhe felt a deeper sense of intimacy than when he was in school.
Maybe people are like this. When we meet again after separation, we will feel a little more like "reunion after a long separation".
They went back to No. 13 Middle School together again and took a group photo in front of the school.
The school is empty except for an old man who is the janitor.
The uncle saw them taking a group photo at the school gate and asked them who they were.
They said they were students who graduated four years ago.
The uncle immediately laughed, but when asked if he could go into the school for a walk, the uncle still waved his hand and said firmly: "That won't work."
This is a very principled man.
The classmate pushed Lu Yanhe out and said: "We are really graduates of No. 13 Middle School. Look, where is Lu Yanhe, an outstanding graduate of our school and a big star? You always know him, right? I didn't lie to you!" ”
The uncle saw Lu Yan He, hey, said, "It's true."
Everyone thought they would be let out, but the uncle's next words were: "Not even Lu Yanhe! There is no one else in the school now, and no one can go in!"
Everyone can just forget it.
It is rare for Yuming to be so sparsely populated.
Many people went back to their hometowns to celebrate the New Year and have not come back yet.
We finally went to KTV and sang until early in the morning before going home.
-
The Spring Festival has passed like this.
Another year.
The senior year has also come to the last semester.
Because there are no classes, they don’t have to go back to school so quickly. Lu Yanhe first looked at the house with Chen Siqi and planned to rent another house in Ziyuanqiao.
The houses in Ziyuanqiao all have similar layouts, but the rent has increased a lot - Lu Yanhe suspected that they were being ripped off.
After all, people across the country now know that they are definitely not short of money.
In fact, given their income, it is quite incredible to the agent that they still want to live here.
Although the houses here are expensive, they are only for ordinary people after all. In the eyes of the agent, with Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi's current worth, they should have lived in a top-notch community that could only be glimpsed in TV dramas.
This place can only be called a high-end community.
Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi were picking and choosing, but in the end they were dissatisfied not with the house, but with the price.
After the agent knew this, he couldn't believe it.
"The houses here are very popular. If you put them on the market, they can be rented out quickly."
"We can pay off the rent in two years. Moreover, the rent here is not cheap. You said it will be rented out soon." I don’t believe it can be rented out,” Lu Yanhe said, "I have lived here for almost four years. I know that there are always some houses in this community that have been vacant all year round and cannot be rented out."
Agent: "..."
I forgot. This person is also a regular resident of this community.
“The rent price is indeed a bit higher than when you rented it back then, but the entire market is rising, not just our area.”
The agent's tone was also a bit aggrieved.
He thought to himself, it was just a little more than the market price.
After some final deliberation, the price was reduced a lot, and both parties signed the contract with satisfaction.
When leaving, Lu Yanhe muttered to Chen Siqi: "Why do I feel like we are still being ripped off? When signing the contract, he didn't feel any pain at all."
Chen Siqi said with a smile : "If he really didn't make much money, he wouldn't sign with us, that's pretty much it."
Lu Yanhe nodded.
As soon as the house was rented, Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi started another thing, decoration.
The rented house only has hard furnishings and no soft furnishings.
So, they also need to buy a lot of things.
Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi spent three days visiting the furniture market and buying pots and pans before finishing the house.
You can't live in it directly after it's done, as the furniture will have to smell. Of course, Chen Siqi is also going back to school.
The house they rented is right next to the house of Lu Yanhe, Li Zhibai, and Yan Liang. There are seventeen buildings here and eighteen buildings there, right next to each other.
Li Zhibai and Yan Liang were surprised to know that Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi rented a house next door.
“Damn, we thought you were going to move away soon and we would be separated from each other from now on.” Li Zhibai said.
"Then you are exaggerating. Even if I did not rent in Ziyuanqiao but rented somewhere else, it would still be in Yuming. How could it be that they are two places apart?" Lu Yanhe said, " You can still make appointments frequently. ”
"Given the nature of our work, even if we live in the same house, it's hard to meet more than once a month, let alone live together." Li Zhibai said, "Especially when we play games, it would be difficult if we didn't live together. , it’s hard to make an appointment just to play a game together. Then of course it’s okay if you live next door. If you open the window and call you, you can hear it.”
Li Zhibai’s face showed. Visible happiness.
Only then did Lu Yanhe realize that Li Zhibai and Yan Liang had spent a lot of time privately thinking that he might be moving out soon.
But these two people never told him.
Although, friends don’t have to live together and get along day and night to be friends. However, for the three of them, it has been almost seven years since they were fifteen years old. After such a long time, it is not easy to separate. No one would say something like "I can't let you go" in a sticky manner. For boys, this kind of straightforward emotional expression is almost impossible, but it goes without saying that these words are understood tacitly. .
"This needs to be celebrated." Li Zhibai said immediately, "I think we should go out and have a good time."
Yan Liang: "Have a good time. It's rare that the three of us are here now and have not joined the group. ."
"When will you join the group later? Do you have any plans?" Lu Yanhe asked.
Yan Liang shook his head and said: "Not yet this year. I filmed several movies last year. I won't join the cast in the first half of this year. I should record a variety show and be a regular guest."< br>
“I’m still reading the script. I have more inventory now, so I’m not in a hurry to join the cast.” Li Zhibai said.
Lu Yanhe: "So I'm the only one who's so busy this year?" "You get busy first." Li Zhi smiled.
“Who gave you so many sequels to make?” Yan Liang also said.
Actually, Lu Yanhe doesn’t have many sequels to make, just “Seventeen Floors”.
Mainly, the two films "Fire" and "The Mist" occupy his schedule this year. Especially for "Fire", a movie takes nearly three months to shoot.
Of course, this is related to the fact that this movie is set in a blockbuster and has many big scenes, so it is indeed difficult to shoot.
Moreover, in the past nearly three months, Lu Yanhe has not been filming every day. However, after filming so many scenes, Lu Yanhe was finally able to film at a normal rhythm.
-
Lu Yanhe has action scenes in "Fire", but not many.
This is mainly an oriental fantasy movie, which constructs a magical world.
Lu Yanhe is the only main actor who has not yet decided on a look. Because he was filming "Love Letter" earlier, he didn't take time to participate in the crew's makeup setting.
On this day, Lu Yanhe passed by.
What Lu Yanhe didn't expect was that it would take him more than an hour just to do the styling. From hairstyle to makeup - this is the role that Lu Yanhe took the longest to create. People in Lu Yanhe were almost numb and almost needed a nap.
Lu Yanhe's identity in the movie is that of a student at the Academy of Arts.
They told him that his look was already relatively simple, with no special effects makeup.
For some actors who have special effects makeup, their makeup time starts at three hours.
Magic blockbusters are like this, there are many "inhuman" beings in them.
Lu Yanhe looked at some makeup photos of other actors and had a general understanding of the styles of these characters in the movie. This is a costume fantasy film with very oriental elements. Indeed, it feels like a Chinese blockbuster at first glance.
However, from the styling to the texture of the costumes, the crew's care can be seen at a glance. Costumes are the type of drama where it is easiest for the audience to see whether they are of high quality or not. How much investment has been made and what standards have been achieved can all be seen at a glance.
Fortunately, the movie "Fire" did not become that kind of shoddy industrial movie.
Ten thousand people came from behind.
Since Lu Yanhe decided to take over the filming of the movie "Burning Fire", Lu Yanhe has chatted with Wanhai many times. They have met in person and also chatted online. They chatted a lot and have become relatively familiar with each other. .
The director who has a somewhat "creepy" name is actually a very kind and funny person.
As for Lu Yanhe's style, Wanhai looked at it for a long time, raised several questions, and asked the styling team to redesign it for Lu Yanhe.
They are all very detailed places.
In "Fire", the character Li Wushang played by Lu Yanhe is like a character in every epic or legendary story. He is a "growing" young character.
In many stories, such a character is often the first-person protagonist.
But in "Burning", the protagonist from the first perspective is a man seeking revenge, that is, the character played by Shang Yongzhou.
But Lu Yanhe still has a lot of roles. In "Burning", it is almost the same as in "Path of Glory". The two of them can almost be said to be the double male leads of this movie.
Furthermore, if "Path of Glory" is about two people appearing in parallel in a main line, in "Burning", the first half is basically the two of them on their own lines, sometimes intersecting, sometimes separated, each facing challenges. It feels like half a beam.
However, just because Lu Yanhe has never made a commercial blockbuster, and the box office results of his past starring movies have always been in the hundreds of millions, so his salary is much less than that of Shang Yongzhou, and he does not get a share of the box office. . Just Shang Yongzhou.
This is why Chen Ziyan told Lu Yanhe at that time that he must make a commercial blockbuster.
As an actor, if you don’t want to join the top-paid actor club, you can of course keep making your own movies without having to think about the positioning of your identity and image as an actor in the market. Like Lu Yanhe, he can definitely continue to make movies like "Late Spring" and "Path of Glory" and earn hundreds of millions at the box office. Compared to their production costs, it would be a huge explosion and a miracle. The aura above Lu Yanhe's head will be It goes on and on.
However, if Lu Yanhe wants to join the top-paid actor club, he must star in a movie with a box office of over one billion or two billion, or even one of the top 20 films in film history. Box office performance is always an actor's biggest asset when negotiating salary, not the shock and surprise of the industry, not how many awards he has won.
The film project "Fire" is one of the top projects in China. There is actually nothing good to say about Lu Yanhe choosing it. The director is good, the script is good, the production company spends real money to improve the production quality, and Shang Yongzhou acts with him, so he does not need to shoulder the box office pressure alone——
< br>
Even if such a blockbuster project fails, the blame won't be pointed directly at him.
It may not be too kind or too cool to say this, but this is the reality.
Chen Ziyan also has to consider that if a blockbuster film fails, it is definitely not a trivial matter for an actor, not to mention fatal, even for an actor of Lu Yanhe's level. It was Lu Yanhe's first time starring in such a blockbuster. It was not a good idea to take too much risk. If he used Shang Yongzhou to do it, the film was a success. With Lu Yanhe's role and setting, he could reap big dividends. If it had failed, it would have been a success. Not to bear the brunt of the blame.
If she really talks about these twists and turns in her heart, it will certainly seem that she doesn’t trust Lu Yanhe so much, and she is not so upright, and her interests are so clear. To put it bluntly, she wants to take advantage of the advantages, and does not want to bear the disadvantages. ——But in reality, when an agent accepts projects for his own artists, this is the standard.
Shang Yongzhou took the lead role himself, and it was not someone who tricked him or forced him to take it.
All actors who take over must bear its responsibilities.
Chen Ziyan is just weighing the pros and cons.
-
“I’m actually quite surprised that you are willing to play “Burning Fire”.”
In the evening, Wan Hai and Lu Yanhe had dinner together, and Wan Hai That's what I told Lu Yanhe.
"I was worried before that you wouldn't like this kind of blockbusters." Wan Hai smiled, "You have acted in so many art films before."
"That's because there was no one as good as "Burning" before. "The script for a blockbuster came to me." Lu Yanhe also gave a small business promotion, "What kind of thing." I am willing to act in all kinds of movies, but sometimes the scripts sent to me are really not good-looking, and they are so perfunctory that even if you were to shoot them, I would feel helpless. I don’t know why so many commercial films come to me. , are all such scripts."
Wan Hai smiled.
“Although everyone is using the word blockbuster to describe "Fire", I actually want to play "Fire" for a very important reason. Director, I have always been interested in this kind of film based on traditional Chinese culture. The fantasy story in the background is very interesting. Just like martial arts works, it creates a world that may not exist in reality. I am referring to Qinggong and martial arts." Lu Yanhe laughed, "To create such a world based on reality. Just follow When I was a child, I saw movies like The World's Ten Unsolved Mysteries, and I naturally felt curious and longing for a new world that could not be found in the real world. Moreover, I have always felt that none of our domestic Chinese movies have the same feeling. A representative fantasy movie, so after seeing "Fire", I felt the excitement I had been waiting for for a long time."
This is indeed an exaggerated modification of his true mood.
But the essence is not lying. This is how Lu Yanhe views "Burning".
If he didn’t think the movie could be made well, he wouldn’t have accepted it.
Wan Hai said: "This kind of movie, especially with the current production budget. In the past, the technology was immature, and I didn't think it would be possible to make it. Now the technology has finally matured, and our domestic market has grown. I dare to do it only if I can sustain such a large investment.”
Even directors are afraid of failure.
Lu Yanhe smiled.
He also understands Wan Hai very well.
It was only after I became a director that I realized how much pressure a director feels when a film fails.
When he was an actor before, he had never faced this matter so directly. As for the movie "Love Letter", the investment was so small. Lu Yanhe often had to face the need for additional budget for some specific shootings, or a scene was not shot smoothly, which may cause problems with the arrangements for the next few days. Wait for the question. These are still some specific problems. The most terrifying thing is the pressure of "if the movie fails, it won't sell at the box office."
Forget the losses - this is what Lu Yanhe really thought at the time. At worst, he would lose money himself, or at worst, he would pay out his own pocket to pay back the money to every friend who invested (this idea is also very naive. , but that’s what he thought at the time, to calm his anxious state). What was Lu Yanhe more afraid of? He was afraid that he would fail and live up to everyone's trust in him.
This drama stars Chen Bige. If a starring drama fails, it will also affect Chen Bige's reputation. Not to mention, there are so many people coming to help. He who can calculate it clearly with money can return it even if he sells it, but these favors and the trust others have in him cannot be returned.
This is true for "Love Letter", let alone thousands of people.
Everything in the film is really good, but if it fails, no film company will dare to film with him in the next four to five years.
That’s how serious it is.
-
Before Lu Yanhe joined the crew to film "Fire", Zhong Benshuo came to see Lu Yanhe happily.
"Squid Game" has been popular on Maxine for more than two months, and its popularity remains the same.
Maxine’s stock price soared as a result.
The popularity of "Squid Game" on a global scale has exceeded everyone's expectations for the show, including Jong Ben-suk himself.
Zhong Benshuo couldn't help but sigh in his heart, how prescient he was to attach importance to and befriend Lu Yanhe. He had long forgotten that there were actually some unpleasant things between him and Lu Yanhe.
Zhong Benshuo came here this time to inquire about the progress of the second season of "Squid Game" with Lu Yanhe.
The overseas streaming rights for the first season of "Squid Game" were not authorized by Lu Yanhe, but by Northern Lights Video. The copyright for the first season is not owned by Lu Yanhe, but by Northern Lights. But according to the news that Zhong Benshuo knows, Lu Yanhe will share the copyright for the second season of "Squid Game" with Northern Lights Video. This means that Lu Yanhe can also affect the outcome of which streamer is authorized for the second season.
Zhong Benshuo knows very well how good the relationship between Lu Yanhe and HP is. The previous short film "Night Run" was snatched away by HP. Several of Lu Yanhe's subsequent dramas were also booked in advance by HP and had nothing to do with Maxine.
If the second season of a drama like "Squid Game" is picked up by other places first, then Zhong Benshuo can directly send his resignation to the boss's mailbox.
Lu Yanhe quickly figured out Zhong Benzhuo’s purpose.
Actually, Zhong Benzhuo still doesn’t understand Lu Yanhe well enough. If he hadn't had Maxine to get into trouble, Lu Yanhe wouldn't have rashly changed the platform for the second season, given the success of the first season.
Changing a platform means abandoning the foundation of early success. After all, although there are many people who have membership accounts on two platforms at the same time, there are also many people who only watch dramas on one platform.
Just like after JK Rowling collaborated with Warner Bros. on the first film of "Harry Potter", there must be other companies with high-dollar contracts who want to poach the sequel - "Harry Potter" 》The sequel development rights have always been in the hands of JK Rowling, not Warner. However, in this case, JK Rowling did not choose to cooperate with another film company. Instead, she cooperated with Warner for eight movies and launched another "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" series.
Why many people with bad relationships can still continue to cooperate - because they have common interests.
The same is true between Lu Yanhe and Zhong Benzhuo.
But Lu Yanhe did not intend to let Zhong Benzhuo feel at ease so soon.
He was hesitant anyway and wouldn't let go and said that the second season would definitely be given to Maxine. He only said that he hadn't written the script yet and hadn't thought about it.
What Lu Yanhe didn’t expect was that Zhong Benshuo offered a very exaggerated number.
"This is not for "Squid Game", but for you, Lu Yanhe." Zhong Benshuo said, "As long as you agree to give all subsequent broadcast rights of the "Squid Game" series to Maxine, Maxine will pay for you Fifty million U.S. dollars in creative service fees.”
Fifty million U.S. dollars, that’s about 300 million yuan.
Even Lu Yanhe was shocked by this number.
Is this... the dizzy feeling of being hit with money?
"Yan He, you have always known our sincerity in cooperating with you at Maxine." Zhong Benshuo said, "This creative service fee is actually not just for winning the follow-up to "Squid Game" We only pay you for the broadcast rights, and we want to express to you that we value you. I still say that. If you are willing to customize a drama for Maxine, you will receive unique treatment in this world that cannot be afforded elsewhere."
Lu Yanhe: "..."
< br>He looked at Zhong Benzhuo, hesitated for a long time, and wanted to ask, is their Maxine so rich?
Of course, Lu Yanhe knows that the money offered by these streaming media platforms is extremely exaggerated.
In the two worlds before and after time travel, streaming media seems to play the role of "rich people" - it's not that they are rich, but they really give money as if the money is not money.
Amazon has offered "Fleabag" star and screenwriter Phoebe Waller-Bridge a three-year cooperation agreement with an annual salary of $20 million. The most exaggerated thing is that Amazon renewed her contract even though she didn't produce any series for Amazon in the past three years.
Not to mention, the two sequel movies of "Knives Out" directly brought "007" Daniel Craig a salary of up to 100 million US dollars.
Sometimes, Lu Yanhe also thought about when he could sign such a contract.
Unexpectedly, without warning, Zhong Benshuo came with such an agreement.
It's simply an agreement to give away money.
This fifty million US dollars does not include the normal purchase cost of the sequel to "Squid Game". It is called "Creative Service Fee". To put it bluntly, it is a check written by Maxine to Lu Yanhe to express goodwill.
Lu Yanhe took a deep breath silently to prevent himself from appearing too "unexperienced in the world", and remained calm, unmoved, and as steady as a mountain.
"Mr. Zhong, I admit that your and Maxine's attitude is indeed very sincere."
Lu Yanhe looked at Zhong Benzhuo and said word by word: "But before the formal preparations, " We are not in a hurry to decide who will give the sequel to "Squid Game"."
Zhong Benzhuo finally asked this question.
"Yan He, what do you want?" Zhong Benzhuo said, "We can't let "Squid Game" fall into the hands of others."
Lu Yanhe blinked, and from There was no attitude or emotion on his face, only a social and polite smile: "Let me think about it carefully, and you guys should continue to think about it carefully. Let's talk about this issue later." (End of Chapter) )