Chapter 713
Afraid the person would run away, they eagerly offered money
Jinli felt that the script given to her this time was quite different.
Because she had seen the previous version, she knew how much had been changed.
Almost the entire storyline has been changed, with only the most essential parts of the previous version retained.
This change can be described as a major overhaul.
Jinli simply provided an idea, giving them a direction to refer to.
The director seems to value it highly, but how the script is actually changed depends on what the screenwriter thinks.
After reading the script, Jinli was also amazed by Director Chu's boldness.
Almost everything has been changed!
The change was a completely new direction, combining her ideas to present a new story that is both cruel and funny.
Dawn 2 did not continue the story from the first part, but instead used a time-travel technique, jumping to five years in the future.
In the fifth year of the apocalypse, people have found ways to deal with the zombie and mutated animal crisis, developed various evolutionary agents, and established many bases.
People with the same appearance as Ruan Ruanruan and Ji Ruibin appeared in a certain base.
They have the appearance of adults, but their memories have been completely rewritten, and they have completely different experiences from Ruan Ruanruan and Ji Ruibin.
They may look similar, but their life experiences are completely different.
But in fact, this base is a very famous cloning base that specializes in studying the human life code.
Ruan Ruanruan and Ji Ruibin's genes were extracted using some special means and then cloned.
Dawn 2: Apocalypse tells a story of rebellion.
The story revolves around a clone's awakening consciousness, subsequent rebellion, and eventual discovery of their true origin.
The story raises many questions right from the start.
Those occasionally jumbled memories, that unreal world, those sounds that echo repeatedly in my dreams.
As the plot unfolds, viewers, following the protagonist's perspective, discover the secrets of this base, which in turn raises new questions.
"Who am I?"
Where is the real me?
"As a product cultivated in the experimental base, am I a true human being?"
Jinli, upon reaching the end, felt that the Book of Revelation was also a journey for clones to find their origin and to uncover the conspiracy of the cloning base.
The cloning base cultivates clones not because it truly wants to save the world, explore the mysteries of genes, or find a solution to the virus.
The real goal of those in power is to create a world entirely based on clones.
From the moment of their birth, clones are programmed to be unable to disobey the orders of those in power.
He hypocritically created an Eden, and hypocritically packaged it with a beautiful sugar coating, immersing the clones in it.
Therefore, in the script, when Ruan Ruanruan and Ji Ruibin's clones awaken their consciousness and want to explore the secrets of the base, they are also obstructed by the clones.
These clones are all clones whose consciousness has been awakened and whose original memories have been restored!
They prevented Ruan Ruan Ruan and Ji Rui Bin from seeking the truth, believing that their current lives were not bad and that restoring the cruel memories of the apocalypse would only cause them more harm.
While recruiting allies she could, Ruan Ruan Ruan also sought to uncover the truth that had been buried for five years.
Finally, the story concludes with the real Ruan Ruan Ruan being resurrected by the clone Ruan Ruan Ruan Ruan.
After reading the entire script, Jinli couldn't help but admire Director Chu's boundless imagination.
The scene jumps to five years later in a post-apocalyptic world where order has been restored, bringing a fresher worldview to the audience, but the suspense remains. The questions that were not resolved in the first film are left to be explored in the second film.
I thought the second part would be the end of the story, but the ending got stuck on the resurrection.
After Ruan Ruan Ruan was resurrected, what level of virus did her body reach?
Will she become the strongest in the world?
The missing code was actually hidden in the clone!
Is Ruan Ruan Ruan going to seek revenge?
With a series of questions in mind, audiences will begin to look forward to the third installment.
If the first part is a tragic story about people trying to adapt to life after the apocalypse.
The second part, on the other hand, is a story built around "Ruan Ruan Ruan" as the absolute protagonist.
Starting with the second installment, the creative team focused the story on the character "Ruan Ruanruan," and the plot was made more interesting.
Although the new script took less time to write than the first version, the storyline was very complete, and Jinli felt that the second version was of a higher standard.
But this doesn't mean that the first version, which took a lot of effort to write, was completely useless.
In fact, the first version was very useful because it further refined the worldview of Dawn.
Because the worldview is established, the screenwriter is able to quickly produce a second story within the same worldview.
Whether it's the first version or the second version we're looking at now, the worldview they use is actually the same.
Jinli spent three days reading the script and then called Director Chu directly.
"This version is more innovative. When will filming begin?"
Director Chu paused for a moment, then asked, "No other comments?"
Jinli shook her head: "No, the plot is complete, and there is not a single mistake."
She paused, then smiled and said, "Director Chu, I have a feeling that Dawn Part 2 will be a huge hit."
Director Chu's anxiety finally subsided.
Jinli's "Counterattack" became a huge hit this year, far surpassing the success of "Dawn".
After all, Dawn is not yet among the top ten film and television companies in mainland China.
Many people in the industry believe that she has a knack for selecting scripts and has a good eye for them.
In addition, she herself is very mysterious and full of luck; any project that she approves of becomes a hit.
This truth can be proven from movies and TV dramas to variety shows.
So, ever since Jinli wasn't very satisfied with the first version of the script, he worked tirelessly with the screenwriter to revise it into a second version.
During the revision process, he also realized the shortcomings of the first version. Indeed, it had many flaws, the plot was too old-fashioned, and it could only be considered passable in a commercial blockbuster, not excellent.
He himself was holding his breath, thinking of making a better second version.
Now that Jinli approves of the second version, Director Chu can finally relax.
Chu Chenliang thought for a while and said, "Finishing the script is only the first step. Scene preparation and prop making will also take a lot of time."
"Filming definitely won't be possible next winter break. We'll try to start filming next summer, or at the latest, by the end of next year." Jinli reassured him, "Sci-fi blockbusters involve a lot of special effects. The more thorough the preparation, the faster the filming will be."
"Once filming is finished, your team's production speed will allow it to be released quickly, Director Chu. There's no need to rush. Slow and steady wins the race; we'll take our time."
Chu Chenliang thought so too.
He said with a smile, "I was in a rush to make a sequel because I was worried that the hype surrounding the first film would wear off in the next few years and people would stop looking forward to it, and then I would lose the advantage I had in the early stages."
"But since your hit novel 'Counterattack' became a huge success, netizens have started to review your past works, and 'Dawn' has been prominently featured on the list. The popularity of 'Dawn', which should have faded, has instead increased."
Not only domestic viewers, but many international viewers are also looking forward to this series. Compared to "Counterattack," they will prefer watching "Dawn," as it aligns more with their understanding of a blockbuster popcorn movie.
"Because you're backing me up, I'm not in a hurry. I can even look forward to the reaction from overseas fans, and then we can launch the promotion globally at the same time."
Chu Chenliang said ambitiously, "Once the script is finalized, I can start soliciting investment. This time, many global film companies want to cooperate with us."
"Jinli, it's my good fortune to work with you!" he said with emotion.
Jinli blushed and said modestly, "No, no, it's because Director Chu's script is well-written and well-filmed that my character has the opportunity to become popular. The key is that the crew is excellent and the script is good."
Chu Chenliang shook his head. "In the past, the scripts and productions of the big-budget films I shot were never subpar, and I always hired popular and talented stars, but very few of them became hits."
So whether it was you who made me who I am, or us who made you who you are, I understand.
I won't say much more about my gratitude; I'll keep it all in my heart. During the preparation phase of Dawn 2, I will reserve some of the film's sales revenue for you.
The profit sharing won't be very high; consider it a small token of my appreciation, so please don't refuse.
Jinli was genuinely surprised upon hearing this.
She signed a contract with Dawn for the first film and received only a pure salary, without participating in any profit sharing.
This is not surprising. Director Chu is an internationally renowned director. In the field of special effects filmmaking, if he claims to be second to none, no one would dare to claim to be first.
His production team was excellent, so Director Chu was the dominant force during filming.
Celebrities don't get much benefit from it.
Now Dawn is going to film a sequel, which is based on the huge success of the first film.
With its already high popularity as a foundation, as long as the film isn't a complete flop, the box office results should at least reach a passing grade.
In movies that are guaranteed to be profitable, it's very difficult for celebrities to get a share of the profits.
Director Chu also held an extremely strong position in the second part.
Now that he's offering her a share of the box office profits, Jinli feels a little overwhelmed with gratitude.
It wasn't that she couldn't afford the dividends, but rather that there was still a gap in their status, and Director Chu didn't need to fawn over her like that.
Even if she doesn't participate, many talented and internationally popular actors would be eager to film this movie, even if they lower their fees.
Jinli said, "Director Chu, please think it over again. There's no need to be so impulsive."
"When I was filming Dawn 1, I gained a lot of knowledge about making special effects films. This series also made me successful. Even if you don't give me a share of the profits, I will still accept the role."
Director Chu said calmly, "Just think of me as an old man who overthinks things and is always afraid that you will run away, so I hope to tie myself to you with mutual benefits."
Otherwise, I'll lose my appetite, can't sleep, and have no energy... Just consider it a sign of your concern for this old man."
Jinli: ...
Now that the message has been delivered, if she still doesn't agree, Director Chu might really start to suspect that she doesn't want to make a sequel.
After all, the script for the second installment hasn't been released yet, there's been no external investment solicitation, no casting call for actors, and no letters of intent have been signed.
Jinli said, half-laughing and half-crying, "Fine, if you dare to give it to me, I dare to take it. Bring it on."
She hung up the phone, and Gu Cheng, who had been watching from the side, asked, "Was it Director Chu who called to talk to you about 'Dawn 2'?"
Jinli nodded.
Something occurred to her, and she asked, "I've only been paying attention to the performance of 'Counterattack,' not other films. Is there a lot of buzz surrounding 'Dawn 2' lately?"
Gu Cheng also knew Jinli's habits; she wouldn't look at things she didn't want to look at, and she would focus more of her energy on other things.
He nodded: "And it's not just ordinary tall."
"Since 'Counterattack' became famous overseas, many movie fans have been looking for your past films, and they all agree that 'Dawn' is more to their liking."
“I remember you used to fly abroad to participate in promotional events for Dawn, but none of them had the same impact as ‘Counterattack’ this time.”
"Whether it's domestic or international movie fans, they all voted spontaneously. In the list of movies that want a sequel, Dawn is at the top, and Counterattack 2 is also on the list, but the demand is not as high as for Dawn."
Jinli said, "The movie 'Dawn' is currently in its peak popularity period, so it's on the charts. But it will quickly drop off the charts next year. The most important thing about youth-oriented inspirational movies is the youth itself."
Inspiration is also a central theme, but it takes on a more compelling appeal when nurtured by youth.
After chatting casually with Gu Cheng, she messaged Fang Jie to tell her that the script for "Dawn 2" had been finalized and that filming could begin next summer or at the latest by the end of the year.
It was still early, so Sui Lingfang didn't call to inquire, but instead sent a message.
[It's been added to your schedule; I'll remind you when it's ready.]
This matter came to an end, but Jinli didn't expect Director Chu to act so quickly.
The script was finalized only three days ago, and Director Chu sent a contract to Chenxi Entertainment.
Not only did they invite Jinli to be the female lead in the second film, with her salary calculated at the industry's top price of 50 million, but she also received an additional 5% of the box office revenue.
These generous contract terms prompted Sui Lingfang to call Jinli and cautiously ask:
"Are you sure you didn't curse Director Chu? 5% of the box office revenue, and it's a film that's clearly going to be a huge hit."
Jinli: ...
“Director Chu called me before and said that the script was finished. After I read the script, he talked to me about the film’s profit sharing.”
Sui Lingfang asked curiously, "How did you negotiate? Why was Director Chu willing to give you 5% of the box office revenue?"
If it were a low-budget film, with investment from Chenxi Entertainment and the addition of Jinli, it wouldn't be surprising if the actors received 5% to 10% of the profits.
But this is Dawn II!
It's an IP that's clearly going to be good. The first movie built up so much popularity, so even if the second movie is a flop, it can still recoup its costs.
Taking 5% of that is like cutting off a piece of your own flesh.
Jinli said, "I was stunned when I first heard that. I told the director that I didn't need to share the box office profits with him, because I had promised him that I would continue to act in Dawn 2."
At that time, neither party's status had changed, and Jinli still had to rely on the film's popularity to consolidate her position.
Who could have imagined that just one year later, the balance of power between the two sides would have shifted?
On the contrary, Director Chu desperately needs Jinli's popularity to enhance the film.
"But Director Chu was worried I'd leave, so he insisted on giving me a share of the box office revenue; otherwise, he said he wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully." (End of Chapter)