Chapter 1625
Hobbies
Zhang Yuan didn't eat with the crew, saying he would treat them another day. After showering and changing, he took a car to another film studio north of Hollywood.
Here, Legendary Pictures' blockbuster "Pacific Rim" is in full swing of production.
The film was primarily shot in Hollywood, with outdoor scenes in Canada and Hong Kong, respectively filming the first half of the movie where the mechs are paralyzed in the snow and ice after being damaged, and the second half of the movie where the battle takes place.
"Holy crap..."
Led by staff from Legendary Pictures, Zhang Yuan entered this super studio as a VIP visitor.
As soon as I stepped inside, I couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.
Hollywood's film industry is still awesome.
The entire mecha operation center and mecha cockpit were set up in the shed.
It's not a green screen; it's all real scenery.
Green screens are only used for some large-scale scenes.
The entire mech cockpit was meticulously constructed, inside and out, and one was made for each of the mechs involved in the filming.
The Cerno Alphard from Russia has a rough, industrial look.
The crimson storm of China, a practical industrial style.
Eureka Raiders of Australia, Futuristic Wind.
Of course, there's also the most exquisitely crafted control room for the main characters' mechs.
He first greeted director Guillermo del Toro, and then toured all the sets as an investor.
Even he couldn't resist touching these real scenes with his own hands.
That was so well done!
Everyone wants to rent a Dayun truck to take them home.
To be honest, it's much more exciting than the later Marvel movies that were filmed entirely on a green screen.
Special effects cannot replace the sense of realism and gravitas of real-life scenes.
After watching too many special effects visuals, you can clearly feel that electronic feel.
Pacific Rim 2 also has this problem compared to the first film.
"boss."
He was looking around and praising it repeatedly.
We should neither underestimate ourselves nor be arrogant and complacent; we should acknowledge the good qualities of others.
At this moment, a Chinese man wearing a vest similar to that of a wilderness photographer and a beige baseball cap came to his side and handed him a cup of coffee.
This guy, dressed in a very practical and low-key manner, is Guo Fan, whom he personally sent to the film set.
In name, he was the on-site supervisor for the investor, Cross-Strait Film Industry.
Of course, one can wear a suit and tie and look like a high-class office worker.
Zhang Yuan felt much more at ease upon meeting him.
Dressed like that, it means they're someone who gets things done.
Do you think someone with skills and good stuff would just show them to you for free?
Only by starting from the bottom and not putting on airs like an investor can we succeed.
Guo Fan is quite capable in terms of being flexible and adaptable.
I pulled him aside and chatted with him for a while. According to him, his daily job was "water dispenser operator".
Responsible for buying coffee and iced drinks for the director, producer, and various staff members on set.
This wasn't work; it was something he did voluntarily, a way to quickly close the distance.
That way you can get close enough to observe the specific details of their work.
Using small favors to win people over is one method.
Zhang Yuan recalled that when General Fan first arrived at the Crystal Palace, he also relied on inviting people to dinner to build relationships in an unfamiliar environment.
However, General Fan employed a combination of kindness and severity, usually appearing cheerful and jovial while treating people to meals and drinks.
Once we get on the field, sorry, I'm going to start swearing!
He needs to present two faces, one during work hours and one outside of work, switching back and forth between a tyrant and a good older brother, in order to gain a foothold overseas.
Guo Fan used Xiao En well, but Wei was a bit lacking.
Of course, it would be difficult for him to intimidate others; they would definitely ignore him.
But he forgot that he had his own backer... Oh well, it's normal that he didn't know since he'd never seen himself teaching foreigners.
Director Guo pulled out a crumpled notebook and showed him the results of his work.
It was densely covered with text and sketches, describing the various workflows on set.
It was worth the trip.
From makeup and set design to camera work and actors' workflow, he recorded everything he heard and saw.
"Go back and edit it into a booklet, and compile it."
"Okay." Director Guo nodded.
This trip was a rare opportunity, and it was totally worth it.
This is truly eye-opening!
This is not about worshipping foreign things or fawning on foreigners.
The makeup and costumes in the first part of "Journey to the West" were significantly better than those in the sequel.
Because the makeup artists for the first film were all top-notch in China, the original generation of "gods" who had studied in the Soviet Union.
These positions were also used later in works such as "Dream of the Red Chamber".
When filming the sequel to "Journey to the West," director Yang Jie arranged for her teenage daughter to be the makeup artist, and the result was...
"As long as I can learn something, that's fine."
Zhang Yuan was very pleased and equally interested.
He approached the director and insisted on trying on the mecha pilot suit in the film.
A custom-made set costs over 100,000 US dollars.
She even asked Guo Fan to take a picture for her as a souvenir.
I also took a look at where the equipment came from, where it was stored, whether it was being guarded, whether it was insured, what kind of lock the warehouse used, and whether there were security cameras...
With so many people and eyes on set, it's quite reasonable for some things to go missing.
"Why can't I control my hands?" Zhang Yuan felt very guilty.
We're filming right now, so using the "secret technique - Great Transport" isn't appropriate.
So after visiting the film crew, he bought Guo Fan a drink and said that he would have important arrangements for him after returning to China, and then left in a hurry.
He had other people to see.
We got back in the car and arrived at an apartment building near downtown Los Angeles.
"Brother-in-law!"
"Ok?"
A little girl skipped and hopped out of the building, jumped into the car, and called out.
Zhang Yuan responded with a nasal tone of dissatisfaction.
Little Nezha immediately covered his mouth, his eyes darting around mischievously, and then patted his cheeks a few times, pretending to hit his buttocks.
"I let it slip, brother!"
"Hey." She shifted her body and moved closer to him.
"Where are you taking me to play?"
Can we go to a bar?
"I want to eat seafood and a big steak."
How have you been lately?
"Are you coming to North America for work or vacation?"
Zhang Yuan's mind was almost overwhelmed by the series of questions, and he could only answer them one by one.
"It's not appropriate for you to drink at your age."
"I feel at ease knowing you're here as my guardian. Even if I get drunk, you'll take me home, right?"
Zhang Yuan said, "This girl can make it back for ten rounds."
Energetic and quick-witted.
"Listen to me first," he interrupted the other person in a relatively gentle manner.
"You can't drink alcohol."
"And if I give you $1000 a month, you still can't afford seafood and steak?"
"I came here for work, and I only met you to complete the task your sister assigned me."
Zhang Yuan answered each question in turn.
Then I glanced at the girl's outfit.
He looks youthful, wearing a white T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers, with his baseball cap askew.
However, these outfits are all brand-name items and not cheap.
He glanced through the car window at the place where she lived.
Although it's not the most expensive location, it's not bad either.
And it's not the kind of slum apartment. Although it's not luxury, a two-bedroom apartment in Hollywood would still cost several thousand dollars a month.
"Alright, since you've come all this way, I'll take you out for a big feast."
"Yay!" The girl waved her arms excitedly, her fist even hitting the roof of the car.
We arrived at the upscale Chinese restaurant run by Zhou Xinfang's descendants.
Seeing dishes like sweet and sour pork ribs, Kung Pao chicken, and stir-fried shrimp is incredibly tempting for a woman with tumors who usually only eats hamburgers and pizza.
She ate half a roast duck all by herself.
Girls are growing too, so whatever.
Zhang Yuan did not stop him.
I just asked about her recent situation.
Last time it was a holiday exchange, this time it's a formal application to study at the school.
It is also a pretty good private high school near Hollywood.
Zhang Yuan did the math and realized that this kind of school would cost at least $10 a year.
Little Nezha did earn a lot in China before, probably over a million, but it couldn't possibly be several hundred.
He gave her $1000 a week, which would amount to about $5 a year.
The shortfall in optics fees alone is $5, plus living expenses, accommodation, and other costs.
In addition, she wasn't wearing the cheap clothes you buy at the supermarket...
"How much money does your sister give you each month?"
Zhang Yuan's sudden question startled the young woman, whose lips were smeared with sweet bean sauce, as she poked at the belly of a grouper with her chopsticks.
"No." As she replied, she turned her big eyes away and quickly changed the subject.
"This fish is delicious, brother, let me get it for you."
"You're not calling me brother-in-law anymore?" Zhang Yuan looked at her with his arms crossed.
"I'll call you whatever you tell me to call you," the girl said, very flexible. "Just eat your food," Zhang Yuan said, too lazy to pay her any attention.
It's easy to guess that Shu Chang gives her at least a million a year!
Otherwise, there won't be enough money.
"Brother, why are you always so mean to me?" Little Nezha asked, looking up after eating for a while.
"Don't you like me?"
"But I like you."
"Look, you're tall and handsome, and you even treated me to dinner."
"She gives me money every month... Is she keeping me as a sugar daddy?"
"Do you want me to be your girlfriend?"
"It's not that you can't, but you can't take my clothes off..."
Zhang Yuan rubbed his forehead, his head aching.
"Stop talking nonsense, this is not your business."
"What you should be thinking about now is your future studies and career planning."
He originally didn't want to use this girl for his own purposes, fearing the trouble.
But now that Hua Changchang has spent so much money, and Shu Chang's main source of income is herself.
My money!
We have to salvage something, no matter what.
I'll figure out a way to get her to spend money without direct contact.
Otherwise, it would be a huge loss!
Ugh... Is she trying to distract me with this random, irrelevant topic so I won't keep asking about the money?
These precocious, quick-witted girls are the most annoying.
They have a lot of tricks up their sleeves.
But compared to those "plastic flowers" who came later, she really does have some talent.
Never mind, we'll talk about it another time.
"If you can't finish it, just pack it up," he advised when he saw the other person rubbing their stomach.
"Could I also pack a fish, a serving of ribs, and a lobster?"
Zhang Yuan: ...
He held his forehead and tossed the menu to her.
Destroy it, I'm tired, just hurry up and finish it.
After finishing the meal, I'll take her home so I can go back to China and have something to say to her.
"Aren't you going up to take a look?" the girl invited him after they arrived.
"You can not only look, but you can also stay if you want."
"I'll give you my bed."
"Or you can squeeze it in."
"After all, you're my brother, hehehe..." the girl teased deliberately.
Zhang Yuan realized that she was the kind of crazy girl who would get more excited the more you ignored her.
"I have something to do, so I'm not going up."
So he deliberately replied coldly.
"You still have work so late?"
"You've worked so hard, keep it up, brother."
She jumped out of the car and waved.
"Goodbye, brother-in-law!"
Then he ran away in a flash.
"Let's go, let's go right now." Zhang Yuan couldn't stay a second longer.
"Not back to the hotel," he directed after the car had driven a few kilometers.
"Well... cough cough, let's go to the place where we met Guo Fan before."
He had something to do, not work, but a personal "hobby".
After wandering around, he, like Guo Fan, found a small notebook to record the situation on set.
However, what he was recording was the warehouse manager's schedule and the location of the surveillance cameras...
I've invested so much money, is it wrong for me to look for opportunities to recoup some of it?
We cannot act on it on the same day.
You've only just arrived and you're already losing things; it's too obvious.
The next day, I went to work on set obediently.
After filming a few shots of the standing positions, training began in the afternoon.
Because the production crew was stingy, they only booked half of the gym, and there was only one changing room.
It can only be used by men and women, and should be used at different times to avoid scheduling training sessions.
He also had to practice and rehearse moves with that French-Cambodian girl.
The main battles in the film are against him.
This film gave White Ghost a chance to clear his name.
In the flashback scene of the previous film, he killed his master, which incurred Snake Eyes's wrath.
White Ghost denied it, but all the other monks in the temple witnessed him betraying his master.
This film offers an explanation: Satan, who was impersonating the president at the time, did this by impersonating Ghost in order to lure him up the mountain.
He can be called the Western version of Song Yashi.
Old Hu Baoyi took him in after White Ghost was hunted down by his sect.
As for why they were being hunted down, don't ask.
It's exactly the same story as Yasuo.
Penguins are always copying others.
Anyway, in this movie's script, Ghost eventually reconciles with Snake Eyes and his junior sister Jinx, and cooperates with the main characters in the final battle.
The Cambodian girl is quite skilled, and she thinks she is very good at it.
He earned his black belt in karate at a young age; he's definitely very strong.
Karate is also more practical than Taekwondo, after all, it originated from the Chinese Tang Shou.
However, human strength and speed are ultimately limited by the human body.
No matter how strong or fast this girl is, she can only be fast within the range of her height and weight.
Zhang Yuan, unlike usual, did not slow down his pace to cooperate with his co-stars.
After all, this girl came up and said she was very good at fighting and told him not to hold back.
Zhang Yuan had something on his mind and wanted to finish quickly, so he only used 5% of his strength and speed.
Dwayne "The Rock" and the director, along with Blonde, rushed over from the set to train, also wanting to see how well the two actors with the most fight scenes in the film coordinated.
But they were only 10 minutes late. When they arrived, the Cambodian girl was lying on the boxing ring, her chest heaving, panting heavily, and her eyes vacant.
Zhang Yuan then rolled off the field while fastening his pants.
It was going so fast that my pants almost couldn't keep up.
The director glanced at the guy playing Snake Eyes.
"Did they just fight, or did they 'fight'?"
Why does this look like a defeat settlement screen to me?
It's still the defeat settlement in 18+ games.
After Zhang Yuan made a small mistake, Tang was the only one left among the girls.
"She needs to rest, it seems we can only go this far for today." Zhang Yuan headed straight for the changing room.
They didn't give the director and coach a chance to refute them.
"Wow!" the blonde exclaimed again.
She trained with the Cambodian girl a few days ago. With her background, she didn't have much of a foundation, and only had some basic boxing and fighting training done before filming started.
He couldn't keep up with the ninja girl who was two sizes smaller than him at all.
She couldn't even see the punch the other person threw.
But now he saw the girl who had left him helpless, soaked to the bone, lying motionless on the stage.
Although we didn't see the actual fight, it was precisely because we didn't see it that it felt even more terrifying.
"Is this what you called the mysterious Chinese Kung Fu?" the blonde asked the boulder.
“Yes.” Johnson nodded.
The stereotype that all Chinese people can fly over rooftops and scale walls has been reinforced.
Zhang Yuan found a place to huddle together and waited until midnight.
Arriving at the Legendary Pictures studio by car, I climbed over the wall.
With skillful maneuvering, half an hour later, he returned to the vehicle carrying a mecha pilot suit.
"Go, hurry up and go!"
Brother Long, who was driving, was quite helpless.
If someone finds out...
You earn hundreds of millions a year, why would you do something like this?
He doesn't understand that everyone needs a hobby.
Zhang Yuan enjoys collecting souvenirs from the film set.
Once you get your hands on it, you need a place to hide it.
You can't just leave it in a hotel room, and you can't leave it in your car either. If you get pulled over by a police officer on the road, the trunk will leak when they open it.
He thought of a good place.
The gym's locker room!
Each actor has their own large locker, and now the dressing room has been booked by the production crew, so there are no outsiders.
OK!
It seemed to have been prepared specifically for this purpose.
He already had several new darts and a samurai sword in his cabinet.
We'll pack it up and take it with us when we leave the film crew.
Beautiful!
Seeing that it was already late at night, he went to the deserted gym alone, carried the props wrapped in white cloth to the locker, and put them away.
Ha, that felt great!
My work morale has improved considerably.
But what I fear most is a sudden silence, and a friend's sudden concern.
"What are you doing?"
He had just finished releasing it when a hoarse voice came from behind him… (End of Chapter)