Chapter 277: Setting the tone and sounding the alarm

Chapter 277: Setting the tone and sounding the alarm

Chapter 277: Setting the tone and sounding the alarm

As the most advanced group of people in China's film and television industry, these department managers and leaders of Galaxy Pictures have undoubtedly gone the furthest on the road to the industrialization of Chinese films.

Zhang Yang, Li Kui, Wu Qian, Jian Yongchang, Zhang Jinzhan, Zhuang Xueping, Zhao Hetai, Wen Pengcheng...

Some of them followed Wang Hao when he started shooting his first movie on campus, while others joined during the development of Galaxy Pictures.

No matter when they joined, after following Wang Hao for so long and working within Galaxy Pictures for so long, they have a clearer understanding of the film industrialization and science fiction films.

This understanding may still have some gap with those top teams in Hollywood and is a little immature, but compared with those domestic counterparts, it is still better.

It is precisely because of this understanding that they know that the movie "Wolf Warrior" is not so easy to shoot.

"If we want to lean towards science fiction attributes, our 'domestic science fiction attributes' will be a big problem in this movie!"

In the conference room of Galaxy Pictures, many senior executives from various departments sitting together took the lead in raising the problems with the movie Wolf Warriors.

This is not only a review and discussion of a film project, but also sets the tone for subsequent screenwriting work.

“Indeed, believing it or not will be the biggest problem that Wolf Warriors will have to face.”

Zhang Yang, the general manager of Starlight Special Effects, nodded in agreement.

“According to Lao Wang, science fiction films have a special attribute: only when the country is strong can we make good science fiction films.

This involves the audience's self-confidence and the credibility of the story. If the country in reality does not have sufficient national strength, it will not be able to support these two points.

In the past, we often saw in those American science fiction movies that when they went to save the world, they were reckless. Their army could appear anywhere in the world and solve all problems.

But if this is put in our movie, will the domestic audiences be able to believe it?"

The story of "Wolf Warrior" is actually very simple. It is about the Wolf Fang special forces team led by the leading actor Wu Jing, who go deep into the Golden Triangle area to capture the mastermind and related criminals behind the train explosion in "Source Code".

This involves Chinese soldiers going abroad to carry out missions and conducting cross-border arrests of foreign terrorists.

Such behavior is different from China's usual attitude towards foreign-related events in the past, and there have been few overt precedents.

Or even if there are precedents, most of them are not very well-known, and the country will not publicize them.

After all, we are not the United States, which claims to be the "world police". We must respect the sovereignty of other countries.

It would be impossible for the audience to accept and believe this plot unless the Mekong River case happened two years later and became a widely reported event.

“And the sci-fi special effects of this film must also be given special attention.”

On the other side, Wu Qian, deputy director of Starlight Special Effects, also said:
"There is still a big misunderstanding about science fiction films in China today. Audiences have watched too many Hollywood science fiction films and may have preconceived notions.

Everyone's imagination of science fiction may be to hope to see special effects like those in Hollywood.

To put it bluntly, we are all audiences nurtured by Hollywood genre films.

But this is China's own science fiction film, and we must take into account the Chinese elements and Chinese narratives that we are familiar with.

At this point, it will definitely not work to use the definitions and experiences we have learned from Hollywood in the past few years to tell the story of the Chinese people without thinking.

For example, in the previous movie "Source Code", there was actually a problem in this regard, but that movie didn't have many science fiction special effects scenes, so it was not obvious.

But for Wolf Warrior, we had to come up with some innovations that were different from Hollywood.”

"I agree with Old Wu on this point."

Jian Yongchang, who is responsible for the design and production of mechanical models, followed up on Wu Qian's words and said:

“Mr. Wang asked me to be responsible for the mechanical exoskeleton in Wolf Warrior some time ago. At that time, I also watched Iron Man several times to draw inspiration from it.

Then I realized that if I translated the script of "Iron Man" into Chinese, gave the same money to the same team, and replaced the actors with Chinese people, the whole story would not be possible.

This is the crux of the problem.

In "Iron Man", when Robert Downey Jr. puts on that suit, he becomes Iron Man.

But if you replace it with a Chinese face, people will feel it looks very fake and out of place.

In Mr. Wang's words, what is the word? "

“Science Fiction Contextual Issues.”

Wang Hao, who had been sitting silently aside, spoke up and reminded him.

“Yes, it’s a matter of science fiction context!
Our most difficult task at present is how to make the story grow on our own Chinese soil? How to make the visual system credible to Chinese audiences?
Because only once this trust is established and the situation is set can we talk about the next step.

Only in this way can we say that there is a movie, a story, that makes the audience believe that these are the people and things that will appear around us, and that they can follow the plot.

I think this is the most difficult and most important thing.”

"In fact, our screenwriting department has discussed this issue for a long time and we think it should be divided into two parts."

When it comes to the part he is responsible for, Wen Pengcheng, the head of the screenwriting department, naturally cannot remain silent.

"First of all, there is the issue of the credibility of the science fiction special effects. This is something that you, Starlight Special Effects, have to worry about. You, Mr. Zhang, should work hard on the special effects scenes and the design of weapons and equipment, and try to consult the opinions of relevant military experts in the army.

As for the credibility of the film's story and values, I think we should start from the most universal and also the most basic values ​​of our Chinese people.

In fact, if you look closely at Hollywood movies, especially those large-scale science fiction movies, their core values ​​are very simple.

For example, Hollywood's most famous "Star Wars". Apart from the spaceships, laser guns and the Death Star, the core emotion is actually very simple, which is the journey to find the father and "I am your father". To put it bluntly, it is the father-son relationship and family.

In addition, there are "Terminator" and "The Matrix", whose core values ​​are also simple and universal values ​​such as love, family, freedom and justice.

So I think the story of "Wolf Warrior" should also start from this aspect.

For example, in "Source Code", a train was bombed and so many Chinese civilians died. Should the real culprit behind the bombing be caught?
There is no doubt about this, and the public can accept it. Then, as for where the enemy is, our scriptwriting department also specially placed it in the chaotic Golden Triangle area, so as to avoid the contradiction of interfering in other countries' internal affairs.

Moreover, when the movie focuses on describing the brutality of the local warlords and their illegal businesses, the justice of the protagonist team will be more evident.

In addition to "justice", I also found a universal value that is rare in Europe and the United States, but is prevalent in our country, that is, the concept of "military and civilians are one family", or "people's soldiers".

Thanks to past publicity and long-term facts, the masses still have great trust in our army.

These are the reputations accumulated by the soldiers who led the way and defended the country during natural disasters time and time again.

In comparison, foreign soldiers are just soldiers, and they have no concept of defending their country.

According to the information I have collected, when natural disasters occur in the United States, local troops will also go to the disaster area, but they are not going to provide disaster relief, but to suppress the local people.

At this point, perhaps this is the special value that we Chinese can show in the movie, and it is also the charming aura that we want to give to the protagonist team in "Wolf Warrior".

I think the film is based on justice, the bond between the military and civilians, comradeship, and patriotism, and I think it is credible enough.”

Everyone present agreed with Wen Pengcheng's words, had a heated discussion, and began to check and fill in the gaps in the plot content of "Wolf Warrior".

Wang Hao, who was watching this scene from the side, also smiled with satisfaction.

It was not until the discussions were nearing their end that Wang Hao finally made his final summary speech.

“Very good, everyone has this kind of understanding of this movie. It seems that the time and energy our company has invested in the film industrialization in recent years have not been in vain.

Speaking of which, the first time we had such a discussion about Chinese science fiction films was about three years ago.

I remember it very clearly. It was after our first film "Buried" was released, everyone summarized and reflected on the problems in the previous film.

We had a difficult time back then. The production cost of a movie was only one or two million, and everyone could only use their brains and do their best within their capabilities.

Moreover, at that time, we were completely confused about how and where to shoot science fiction films. We could only cross the river by feeling the stones, analyzing, summarizing and concluding bit by bit, step by step, and building our own film industry system from scratch.

At that time, I seemed to have said, "If I never come back... then I will never come back." I was really prepared to fail.

I didn’t expect that this venture would actually create a new world for me.”

Because of these words, there was a burst of happy laughter in the conference room.

Yes, looking back on the past, as pioneers of Chinese science fiction films, they have made their way here.

People outside only see their success and rich rewards, but who knows how much they have paid along the way?
The company's now leading special effects equipment in the country and the country's top special effects technology are the result of Zhang Yang and his special effects department studying, learning, absorbing and digesting them day and night.

There are also the latest photographic equipment and lighting equipment, the world's high-end management software, the detailed set management system, and the thousands of professional behind-the-scenes workers, each of which was not accumulated bit by bit by Galaxy Pictures.

Now that they have the best film production resources in the country and can make science fiction films that are applauded by people all over the country, how can they not be proud?

"but!"

Wang Hao's voice suddenly rose a few notches, and his gaze towards everyone present became serious.

“What we have achieved now is just a new beginning.

Recently, I have heard a voice in the company saying that the company has developed very well and the cooperation with Hollywood has been very smooth. The technical research and investment in science fiction films can be mainly introduced. Spending extra time, energy and money on this aspect will not be worth the cost.

Some people even think that they can just take things from Hollywood and fool me!"

As soon as Wang Hao said this, many people in the conference room straightened their backs subconsciously and the smiles on their faces disappeared.

Some people even showed nervous expressions, with a few drops of cold sweat on their temples.

“So what Pengcheng said just now is very correct. Their screenwriting department’s views on this film are basically consistent with mine.

After today's meeting, everyone must have a clear awareness and must remember that our Galaxy Pictures' goal is to make science fiction films and develop the film industry.

But what we want to develop is a film industry that belongs to us Chinese and has Chinese characteristics.

What we want to shoot is a science fiction film that embodies the unique values ​​of the Chinese people and belongs to China.

And not just copying others or learning from others.

If that were the case, why wouldn't I just go to North America and develop my career in Hollywood?
It’s the same sentence I have said countless times in the past.

I only hope that passion will be with us Chinese filmmakers!"

There was warm applause in the conference room, and the eyes of every young filmmaker present were shining with passion.

Wang Hao's meeting was somewhat effective. It not only determined the company's future development route and direction, but also sounded a wake-up call to those who enjoyed the dividends of the company's development and became lazy.

Anyone who is not of the same mind as me, does not share the same belief as me, and does not fight for the Chinese film industry is not my brother!

In the following months, the Wolf Warriors preparatory team, which had basically determined the tone of the entire film, began to polish the script.

In fact, this work had already started as early as October last year, but in the previous three months, the screenwriting department of Galaxy Pictures was more focused on the behind-the-scenes background and settings of "Wolf Warrior".

During this process, there were more than a dozen people involved, including screenwriters from Galaxy Pictures, as well as relevant military experts invited from the army, weapons and armaments experts, and experts from the police departments of neighboring provinces who were familiar with the Golden Triangle and other areas.

With the participation and help of these people, the screenwriting department can finally outline a real and credible story background.

And now they still need to polish and improve the story content of the script based on this background.

During this process, there are also relevant professionals to provide them with assistance.

The simplest thing is that the screenwriters of Galaxy Pictures are not clear about the drone equipment involved in the story, so they need DJI to provide them with the relevant data.

In other words, Wang Hao and his screenwriting department now use foreign screenwriting software and have their own set of systems. Otherwise, just coordinating the screenwriting team of more than a dozen people would be enough to keep them busy.

(End of this chapter)