"What am I?"

Guo Fan looked at Li Qian with a confused expression, isn't he just not going to shoot "The Three-Body Problem", and plans to shoot "The Wandering Earth" first, as for being so excited?

"Nothing, remembering happy things. ”

Li Qian smiled and calmed down.

I really didn't expect that Guo Fan, who graduated from law and specializes in painting, and shouts all day long to make an epic sci-fi blockbuster in China, is likely to be the director of "The Wandering Earth".

However, James Cameron was still a truck driver before making movies, and Zhang Yimou was a cotton mill worker before he was admitted to film school.

Worldwide, there are many examples of this, the famous Japanese director Takeshi Kitano was a cross talk actor before, and the Japanese benzene film astringent master Koji Wakamatsu was an old boy before making a movie, and he specialized in collecting protection money.

Guo Fan is a law major, and he is good at painting, so it is not surprising that he will make epoch-making sci-fi films in the future.

Li Qian didn't have time to edit, moved his chair, and asked directly in front of Guo Fan, "Then Lao Guo, how are you going to shoot?"

"I haven't figured it out yet. Guo Fan scratched Xiao Ping's head, "Although the original work is not long, if it is moved to the big screen, it will definitely not be filmed in full, and the duration is definitely not enough." ”

"Definitely. Li Qian nodded, "More than 20,000 words, the whole plot is divided into four chapters and five stages, if you shoot according to the direction of the plot, let alone one, even if you can't shoot two films, even if you shoot them, it will be a running account." ”

The long story is not easy to change, and the short film looks small, but it is actually not easy to change.

"The Wandering Earth" doesn't have many words, but the content is not much at all.

The overall plot is that humans will force the earth to stop rotating through planetary engines, and the earth will lose hundreds of millions of people, but the earth will also have the conditions to rotate away from the sun.

Then the engines existing on the earth are accelerated with all their might, so as to push the earth out of the solar system, and after finding a habitable galaxy, the speed is slowed down, the earth returns to its normal rotation, and humanity finds a new home.

In the end, the earth was regained and human civilization was continued.

It's not so much a braille on a book, it's more like the outline of a huge work, and if you want to realize these pictures and put them on the big screen, it's a huge project.

Guo Fan said with great interest, "In fact, there are mainly two stages, the braking era and the escape era in front, and the wandering era and the new sun era after escaping from the earth. ”

"It can only be like this, but since the title of the film is called "The Wandering Earth", the core of the adaptation should revolve around these four words, and I suggest using the Wandering Earth as the theme. ”

Li Qian gave a suggestion, "In the era of brakes, the overall conflict is not as good as the escape era, and according to the three-act structure, this stage can only be the first stage, but in this case, the front is too tragic, after all, hundreds of millions of people were sacrificed, I suggest that this period can be used as the background of the movie, mainly talking about the escape era." ”

The first problem in the adaptation is the choice of the plot, and Li Qian asked Guo Fan to take fewer detours.

Moreover, this is also the most appropriate, in the context of the end times, human beings are forced to flee the solar system with the earth, which is also more interesting than the first stage.

Guo Fan thought about it, and his eyes lit up, ""The Wandering Earth", of course, has to tell the story of the earth wandering, and if you shoot the first stage, it will become a disaster movie in the end times." ”

Li Qian chatted with Guo Fan about some plot things, and then raised the biggest problem.

"But Lao Guo, have you ever thought about how much you know about science fiction movies?"

Guo Fan smiled quite smugly, "Boss, have you forgotten? I'm a senior science fiction fan, and I've been watching science fiction and movies since I was a child." ”

Li Qian shook his head, "Anyone can watch a movie, what I ask is, how to shoot it?"

How to shoot?

Of course, the first thing is that special effects are the most important, and everyone knows the truth.

But what should special effects do?

Shoot in front of a green screen and then throw it to a special effects company?

Wrong!

Guo Fan was stunned, he really knows a lot about science fiction movies, but he has seen all science fiction movies that are a little famous.

However, as a director, from a production point of view, very little is known.

Li Qian said, "Real science fiction movies, especially "The Wandering Earth", where every background has to be reset and special effects are required, which is the most difficult to shoot, especially for China, from the production level, the difficulty and cumbersome degree far exceed any domestic film. ”

"I know, I don't know much about special effects. Guo Fan said.

"You don't just don't understand, the vast majority of domestic directors don't know anything, now domestic film special effects are packaged and priced, no matter who you find to do it, 100% of them will appear five-cent special effects, if you want to shoot well, you must learn the Hollywood process, and there is a blank in China in this regard. Li Qian said

"Boss, what's the Hollywood process?"

Li Qian shook his head, "I don't know much about the specifics, as far as the special effects are concerned, the special effects company must be involved in the whole process of the movie, you have to first come up with the storyboard script, storyboard, and then the concept map, so that the special effects company can give a rough quotation according to every shot and every concept map." Love Chinese Network

Usually, even if every shot is accurate, the price quoted by the special effects company is only 80% of the special effects budget, and the remaining 20% is the mobile budget. ”

"Accurate to every shot?" Guo Fan smacked his tongue secretly.

"Of course, pre-preparation is more important than shooting and post-production, and if you don't prepare enough, it's a disaster. ”

For special effects, domestic special effects companies are usually given a package price.

For example, I have a special effects fee of 100 million yuan, what are you going to do for me.

But if you want to make a high-quality product, you have to be accurate to the cost of each shot.

Two or three seconds of this shot may be enough for hundreds of thousands or even tens of thousands, and another shot for the same two or three seconds, it may be millions, and it must be accurate to each shot, not your thousands of shots, and others will give you a quote in general.

Only by being accurate to each procedure can we ensure that there are no problems with the special effects.

But as far as China is concerned, most directors are actually more of an on-the-spot play type, live storyboards, and the director pats his head and says what do you want.

That's not much of a problem for other departments, but it's a disaster for the special effects department.

Storyboards, storyboards, concept maps, and technical solutions must be determined first, and the more changes you make, the more time and money will be delayed.

The kind of people who package Weta Digital and Industrial Light & Magic, don't want to make high-quality products, no matter how awesome the special effects company is.

Although many special effects shots of Hollywood blockbusters are packaged by domestic special effects companies, that is not a concept, domestic special effects companies make pictures, that is, change the background from day to day, which is called MMP in the industry.

No,,, it's MP, that is, digital viewing, it's a service screen, no matter how gorgeous the picture, it's easy to do, similar to a foundry.

In terms of special effects, Li Qian is also half-understood, and he went to "Pacific Rim" before thinking about learning and learning, but people are not very welcome, so forget it.

I told Guo Fan what I knew and understood.

After listening to Li Qian's ramblings, although Guo Fan was a little confused, he also nodded again and again, looking like it was like this, I understood.

"Boss!"

Guo Fan suddenly said with a serious face, "I plan to go to Hollywood for two years to study, "The Wandering Earth" I must make a masterpiece, two years of study, two years of film preparation, one year of shooting, and one year of post-production. ”

"Ambitious!"

Li Qian gave him a thumbs up and said with a smile, "It's easy to do, I'll contact Warner to help you arrange, whether it's going to school, or directly going to the big production crew to observe and study, it's no problem, let's stay for two years first and learn about Hollywood's advanced industrial system." ”

"Ahh

However, in the face of Li Qian's gaze, Guo Fan did not hesitate, his heart was down, and he let go.

"Then I'll go to apply for a visa tomorrow and pack up the rice grains!"

"Go ahead and do it, I'll give you as much as you want. Li Qian waved his hand.

Guo Fan will not participate in the editing of "Truman's World", and after going abroad for two years, there are too many things to prepare, and he left with great ambitions.

......

Li Qian was not in a hurry to work, and called Thomas, the vice president of Warners.

After explaining the situation, Thomas answered the phone.

This little thing is not difficult for Warner.

"Jaws 3" was released in North America for more than 20 days, and the box office is about to exceed $40 million, and it has also sold $22 million overseas, with a global box office of 62 million.

And the follow-up DVD, TV, and Internet copyright income is also the majority.

For the big Hollywood studios, they will open their legs and welcome anyone who can give them the benefit of agency, no matter who the other party is, let alone something as simple as this.

On the phone, he expressed his congratulations on the box office and his expectations for the follow-up cooperation, and Thomas talked about it again.

"By the way, Director Li, since you want to shoot a sci-fi blockbuster, I wonder if you are interested in acquiring a professional special effects company?"

"Special effects company?"

Since the economic crisis in 08, I heard that Hollywood has closed down many well-known special effects companies, not to mention making profits, and it's good not to lose money, I don't know which one Thomas is talking about.

"Digital Sector Group is about to enter bankruptcy restructuring procedures because of debt, and the market value was $400 million two months ago, and now the market value is only $24 million, and a new chief restructuring officer has been hired, and it is estimated that it will be auctioned off soon. ”

"Well, thank you, Mr. Thomas, I'll think about it. Li Qian thought about it and didn't make a decision, the special effects company is a big investment, unless you can find a stable source of income, you have to buy it.