Chapter 166: The Sequel to "The Storm"
Chapter 166
For Chen Cong, the Film Festival event was a huge embarrassment. Although only his fans cared, he felt uncomfortable just thinking about Lin Yuan's ambiguous smile in the subsequent events.
Several assistants tried to persuade him, but it didn't improve Chen Cong's mood at all.
He just didn't want to lose face in front of Lin Yuan.
Although no one had arranged it this way, in his mind, he had already regarded Lin Yuan as a hypothetical enemy.
Chen Cong was very dissatisfied with the order of appearance at the film festival. In fact, he didn't know Lin Yuan would be attending at first. If he had known Lin Yuan was coming, he wouldn't have come. Afterwards, the organizers respectfully invited Lin Yuan over, which made Chen Cong feel ignored.
However, Chen Cong has no way to deal with Lin Yuan for the time being.
Although he has his own resources and can get most of the roles he wants, his career path doesn't overlap much with Lin Yuan's.
He relies on resources to make a living, while Lin Yuan relies on his acting skills. Although there may be some overlap in their resources, Lin Yuan has already become a force to be reckoned with, and even if he wanted to interfere, he couldn't.
In terms of reputation, Lin Yuan is slightly better than him.
"Overseas awards aren't that valuable anymore, are they?" Chen Cong could only mutter to himself about Lin Yuan winning the Wall Prize.
His only thought was that Lin Yuan was very lucky.
He would never have taken on a project like "The Storm," which seems very risky. Based on experience with similar films overseas, if "The Storm" were to become a hit, the box office would indeed be very high, which would greatly benefit the actor's career.
But if we lose money... the results will be equally frightening.
Since his debut, Chen Cong has preferred projects that are safe and stable. Shi Jinglin's previous film did well at the box office and was widely praised by the audience, so he went to film Shi Jinglin's new film, which is a popular suspense genre. Last summer, it was very profitable, so Chen Cong specifically chose to take on suspense projects.
He's not the kind of actor who lacks roles, so there's no need for him to take that kind of risk. He could just snap his fingers and have a bunch of resources delivered to him, so why bother working so hard?
Chen Cong believed his career path was smooth sailing, but... Lin Yuan seemed to have it even smoother than him.
Especially in the acting field.
What Chen Cong lacks most right now is popularity.
He searched for related terms online, and the most common one was "resource-backed actor". Although he successfully made his mark in a number of movies, the audience did not buy into it.
This won't affect his resources, but Chen Cong still feels...aren't the audience being too ungrateful?
He works so hard in his films, and they all have good reputations, so why do audiences have so few good things to say about him?
On the contrary, actors like Lin Yuan, who come from humble backgrounds, are more popular.
In short... for various reasons, the more he looked at Lin Yuan, the more displeased he became.
One day, he will win enough awards to make Lin Yuan look up to him in awe.
...
Lin Yuan didn't think much about his conflict with Chen Cong. The other man's image only flashed through his mind for a few seconds before Lin Yuan put him out of his mind.
He had a full schedule of work during his few days abroad, and there are still a lot of tasks waiting for him after he returns home.
"The Storm" will continue to be filmed, and given the good reputation of "Bloody Memories" overseas, the film is confirmed to be released this year.
"Bloody Memories" won Best Actor at the Wall Awards, and the production costs have basically been recouped. However, for the production team, it's natural to want to earn as much as possible.
Regardless of the circumstances, Lin Yuan's popularity is undeniable.
Anyway, as an award-winning film, "Bloody Past" doesn't have much box office pressure, so Lin Yuan only needs to cooperate with the film company's promotion.
Lin Yuan's only consolation was that when he signed the contract with the production team, there was an extra clause—his salary was tied to box office performance and awards. If Lin Yuan won the Best Actor award at a Class A film festival, his salary would increase.
The Wall Award is clearly among them.
After returning to the set of "The Storm", Fang Qi and the other actors and staff held a celebration party for Lin Yuan. For the "The Storm" crew, Lin Yuan's award was also great news.
By highlighting the title "New Film by the Best Actor at the Walt Disney Awards," the production team can save a lot on publicity costs.
Filming continued during the few days Lin Yuan was away.
Fang Qi is a bit of a perfectionist and very tense in every aspect. He is not an expert in the field of special effects, but in order to make "Storm" well, the director devoured several professional books, communicated with industry professionals, and invited overseas experts. He wished he could divide himself into several parts.
He also manages the actors.
Lin Yuan, the lead actor, was relatively easy for him to work with. He cooperated well during filming and didn't cause him too much trouble. Under Lin Yuan's influence, the other actors in the crew were also very dedicated to their work. However... filming "The Storm" was still a bit too arduous.
Lin Yuan's familiarity with the film crew's shooting rhythm doesn't mean the other actors are.
Fang Qi didn't say much; he made sure to make mistakes when necessary and to criticize when appropriate.
He doesn't think he can't command people just because he's young—the budget for "The Storm" is there, and he absolutely won't let a single penny of the film's budget go to waste.
The main challenge in filming the later stages of "The Storm" was simulating the scenes at the Earth's core.
When filming space scenes, the actors may not have eaten pork, but they have at least seen pigs run. There are works on this subject in various countries, but the subject of exploring the Earth's core is still relatively rare. Although the director and action choreographer explained to the actors what to do, it was still difficult to put into practice.
Lin Yuan is a young man with dance experience, so even he couldn't learn it in one go. It would be even more difficult for the other actors.
"Lower!" "Up!" "Watch your movements!"
Every morning, the director's loud roars echoed across the set.
In fact, Fang Qi has a good temper and is not the kind of director who hurls a string of curses at people, making them question their existence. However, he is quite stubborn and insists that the actors do things his way. He pays more attention to the continuity of the filming. If the actors do things their own way, the sci-fi feel of "The Storm" will be greatly reduced.
"I'm exhausted." Anling looked at Lin Yuan with envy. "How come you're not tired at all?"
"It's alright." Lin Yuan stretched his muscles. "I think this intensity is fine."
“It’s good to be young,” Anling remarked. “My brain can remember things, but my hands can’t. By the time my hands finally manage to remember them, the director’s next request becomes difficult.”
However, the atmosphere on the set of "The Storm" did not worsen as a result; on the contrary, it got better and better as filming progressed.
Lin Yuan sensed Fang Qi's determination.
There have been many negative voices regarding the film "The Storm," and later, funding issues arose. Essentially, no one thought the project would be profitable.
But Fang Qi was very serious. Everyone involved in the project, from the scriptwriters and prop masters to other staff members, was not defeated by the pessimistic predictions.
On the contrary, Fang Qi has always treated this film with utmost seriousness, spending more and more money on it, without ever being perfunctory.
The director is the one who truly supports a film crew.
Whether a movie is good or bad, the actors can feel it to some extent during the filming process.
The production team can fake things in front of the audience, but they can't fake things in front of the actors.
If the director is strict, the actors will be more careful.
In film crews where the director has no control over the actors, all sorts of problems arise.
Fang Qi has the strongest determination to make a good film, "The Storm".
No one in this world is more optimistic about "The Storm" than him.
At first, the actors had no idea what form "The Storm" would ultimately take, but Fang Qi borrowed the best machinery and drew the best storyboards. Under his construction, "The Storm" gradually took shape.
The production team is moving in a better and better direction.
With increased investment and improved treatment for actors and staff, including Lin Yuan's Wall Award, everything seemed to be contributing to the success of "The Storm".
There are still many voices outside who are pessimistic, believing that it is a pipe dream for China to produce a sci-fi blockbuster, but now, no one in the "Storm" crew thinks that way.
Everyone is full of confidence and wants the audience to see "The Storm" as soon as possible.
Only reality can dispel doubts.
Lin Yuan genuinely thought Fang Qi was very capable.
He has worked with many directors, each with their own style. Fang Qi is the kind of person who is very good at speaking and very good at doing things.
When you talk to him, you'll find him to be very gentle and accommodating. But once you've actually worked with him on a film, you'll realize that when a director wants to insist on something, no one can stop him.
Lin Yuan really liked the ending of the script for "The Storm".
Domestic blockbusters often feature tragic endings, and Lin Yuan's performances in films like "Mandala" and "The Powerful Minister" seem to carry this flavor.
The characters aren't incapable of having happiness, they just dare not have it, or are forced to give it up.
Based on his past experience, by the end of the story "The Storm," Qin Ri should have taken the initiative to step forward and shield everyone from all risks, so that others could be happy.
Lin Yuan has this experience because he has always played the role of the one who sacrifices.
Moreover, he wasn't sacrificed; he sacrificed himself voluntarily.
Being sacrificed makes a character seem pathetic, while voluntarily sacrificing oneself is considered noble.
The character could have chosen not to do it, but did it anyway, which enriched the character's personality and made the audience feel sorry for him.
Lin Yuan does feel sorry for such characters. He acknowledges that there have always been such great people, but occasionally, he also longs for a happy ending.
Fortunately, Storm did not have that setting.
In the end, Qin Ri and his companions overcame numerous difficulties and finally found a way to survive—he and his companions finally returned home.
Although some people sacrificed their lives along the way, this is a story in which the vast majority of people achieved a happy ending.
Lin Yuan thought it was pretty good.
Qin Ri's sacrifice was tragic, but Qin Ri's return... is also a blessing.
"The Storm" is not a story like "Mandala," where the protagonist has a vengeance to be exacted and too many things are beyond his control. Since it is a movie mainly focused on special effects, there is no need to be so cruel in terms of human nature.
Lin Yuan discussed this issue with the screenwriter, and the director also joined in: "I thought I would be killed off..."
"It's not you, it's Qin Ri. Remember to avoid the prophecy." The screenwriter was particularly serious about this kind of thing.
"Why would you have such an idea?" the director wondered.
“Because it was quite tragic at the beginning, right? The parting and all that…” Lin Yuan pointed to himself, “I often play this kind of role.”
"You're quite pitiful then." Fang Qi patted Lin Yuan on the shoulder. "Don't worry, you won't be so pitiful this time."
After filming Lin Yuan's scene, the director sat back down, nodding as he thought, "Indeed."
Have you ever acted in a happy ending?
Lin Yuan: "...It's not that there's absolutely none."
He was quite happy in "Just Right You" and "Major Crime" was also quite good, but the development and ending of the story had nothing to do with the happiness of the characters he played.
"Isn't the probability very low?" the director murmured. "What a waste of such a bright and sunny face."
Lin Yuan nodded deeply.
"But you can't blame others, you have to blame yourself. Your first TV series and first movie were both in this style."
“The songs ‘Hate’ and ‘Dahlia’ make you want to destroy the world,” the screenwriter added quietly.
Is it really that exaggerated?
"Then why do you think the tragic ending is exaggerated?" the screenwriter slammed his pen down. "It's all your own fault."
The screenwriter said that he listened to "Heroes Who Saved the Earth" when he was perfecting the script for "Storm," so the ending was reasonable. If he had listened to "Hate" or "Dahlia," he would have been in a different situation.
Lin Yuan: "..."
In a way, he saved the role he was playing.
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Author's Note: [doge][doge] Here I come!
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