What is happiness?

Happiness is that cats eat fish, dogs eat meat, and Ultraman fights little monsters.

Zhang Chu felt that he was quite happy now.

He sat on the plane to Los Angeles, Matcha leaned in his arms, and his hands helped him gently knead his shoulders, being a qualified shovel officer!

When I came to Los Angeles again, it seemed that the whole person's mood was different.

The last time I came was during the summer vacation when I was invited by David Nate to participate in the script writing work on "Life of Pi".

Now that the winter vacation is over, the crew completed the preliminary preparations around November and started filming for more than two months.

To be honest, it's not slow for a Hollywood blockbuster to have such a shooting speed.

Many films often take a year or two from project approval to shooting!

"Next year, no, this year, four movies will be released together, and it feels a little too dense. If only we could separate. ”

Zhang Chu counted with his fingers, and the four movies have basically completed the finalization work, all of which are due to intense shooting.

"Farewell My Concubine" is probably the first to be released, and it will go to this year's Cannes Film Festival, and if it is released, it will depend on how far it can go in Cannes!

Another Chinese-language film "Ghost Blowing the Lantern: The Essence of the Ancient City" is tentatively scheduled to be released in the summer, and it is currently scheduled for the protection period of domestic films on August 1.

But the premise of the scheduled release is that the movie can be successfully filmed and post-production, otherwise it can only be delayed.

"Life of Pi" is preparing to premiere at the Toronto Film Festival and then be released worldwide in October.

Disney's schedule for "The Da Vinci Code" is to be released before Christmas, catching up with the last wave of popular schedules.

Judging from the current form, these four films are not released in the same time period.

As long as he doesn't kill each other, that Zhang Chu doesn't feel much, and he definitely hopes that these movies can play well.

Those who pursue the box office can have a high box office, and those who pursue word of mouth can have a good word of mouth!

Just as I was thinking about it, the plane landed with a bump.

Frank, who had met before, appeared at the pick-up gate again, and he was also responsible for receiving Zhang Chu last time, and this time it was the same.

"It's nice to see you again, you're one of the few people I know in this city. ”

Frank looked at the matcha that was placed in the cage and said curiously, "This cat is very beautiful, it doesn't seem to want to stay in it anymore!"

"We put it out after we got in the car, and now the airport is a bit crowded, in case the trouble slips away. ”

"Okay. Now Director Li Yu is filming at an abandoned airport not far away, shall we go directly to the crew or go to the hotel first?"

Zhang Chu thought about it, he clapped his hand and said: "Then go directly to the crew, anyway, it's still early, and the luggage will be put in the trunk." ”

He came to Los Angeles to visit the class, otherwise, he would have been lying on the sofa reading books and watching TV all the time, so why bother running around!

Frank helped him put his suitcase on, and at this time, a bunch of reporters took pictures of pedestrians walking over there to see which star seemed to have arrived.

The airport in Los Angeles will never lack stars, and you can see stars of all sizes every day, which is probably a paradise for star chasers.

There is a huge sound stage set up in an abandoned airport in the suburbs, and when you look closer, you realize that it is a large water tank!

It is impossible to shoot on the ocean, where Pi and the tiger float on the surface of the sea reflecting the sunset, without a trace of wind, and the sea is like a mirror.

Such a fascinating picture may not be found in any part of the real world!

Wearing a jacket, Li Yu is crouching behind the camera, while the white wooden boat is placed on a hydraulic device.

The device changes direction to simulate the undulation of a boat in a storm, and on the opposite side of the boat is a giant sprinkler head that simulates a storm.

The whole crew prepared in an orderly manner, even if someone noticed that Zhang Chu, an Asian face, walked in, they were not surprised, they thought it was a relative of Li Yu.

"Looks like you're filming a scene where the pie is in a storm?"

"That's right, in fact, we spent 77 days filming the important shipwreck scene, and now we're just starting to shoot drifting alone. Frank has a thorough understanding of the crew's progress, "The director has very high requirements for the film. ”

Zhang Chu said approvingly: "I can see it." Now you have to show what angle the camera shoots from, and it will definitely be an excellent movie. ”

While speaking, Li Yu got off the boat, and he saw Zhang Chu standing by the pool at a glance.

The Oriental man's subtlety made it impossible for him to open his arms and hug like Frank, but stepped forward and patted Zhang Chu's shoulder, and said with a smile: "You are here!"

"Uncle Eucalyptus, how is the filming going now?"

Li Yu replied: "It's not bad, we're filming a water scene." The tank in front of me can hold more than 600 cubic meters of water and can create waves. For our shoots, being able to control the weather and the waves is crucial!"

Professionals are counting big and small waves, and even paying attention to the rhythm and shape of the waves, simulating exactly like the ocean.

The scenario depicted in this cannot be achieved without strong financial support!

Zhang Chu pointed to the orange-red laughing dots on the blue wall of the sink and asked curiously, "What are those dots used for?"

"That's to allow the computer to accurately identify the location of the scene that needs to be cut out during compositing, which is a common technique for post-production. ”

Zhang Chu watched the finished film of "Youth Pi" in his previous life, but he didn't expect those shots to be shot like this.

Sometimes he thought that the crew was looking for a real location shooting, but he didn't expect that most of it was done in the studio!

"It's really not easy to shoot. ”

"Our ultimate goal is to make the audience feel like we're not doing anything, and that's the most natural and powerful special effects!"

Zhang Chu really wanted to say to them, he did it in the parallel world!

The staff is setting up the waterproof long-stick camera and the camera equipment floating on the water, so Li Yu has a lot of time.

He sat on the director's chair and jokingly said: "Recently, I read your "Artificial Intelligence", which is very well written. If I hadn't had to take a few years off after making a movie, maybe I would have been willing to adapt the script!"

As a Chinese, Li does not need to read the English version of The New Yorker, which has not yet been released, and he can read Chinese fluently.

Zhang Chu shrugged his shoulders and said, "If you are willing to shoot, I can leave it to you, and I can't hand it over to the rest of the companies!"

There are four films released a year, two of each with Chinese and American investment, and Zhang Chu's works are indeed fragrant.

As soon as the English version of "Artificial Intelligence" is released, it will naturally enter the eyes of many entertainment companies, producers, directors, and screenwriters.

After hearing Zhang Chu say this, Li Chu's eyes lit up slightly: "Really?"

"It's true!"

The ability of the Oscar for Best Director is here, and the two of them have a fame bonus, so they don't have to worry about finding investors when the time comes.

So Zhang Chu agreed very happily!