The crew of [John Wick 4] stayed in Paris for more than a month, and then moved to the Babelsberg Studios in Berlin to shoot.
After filming for more than a week, everyone flew to Osaka, Japan.
According to the shooting plan, the crew will shoot here for half a month.
Osaka is the second largest filming location for "John Wick 4" after Paris, but all the shots taken here are night scenes.
Both the crew members and the actors work almost all day and night, filming at dusk and returning to the hotel to rest at dawn.
“Since the post-production of [Storm Chasers] was completed last month, the company has been communicating with major TV stations.
According to your previous instructions, the first round of broadcasting rights have been confirmed to CCTV.
In the second round, several local satellite TV stations such as Blueberry TV, Shandong TV, and Guizhou TV are competing, and it is likely that the result will be a multi-station joint broadcast.
In this way, not only will the TV station be under much less pressure to purchase films, but we will also receive relatively more copyright fees.
Among video platforms, iQiyi currently has the highest bid.”
In the afternoon, in the crew's hotel room, Gu Wei turned on his computer and held a video conference with the company's executives.
After Yang Liwen finished speaking, he nodded.
"Great, has CCTV said when they plan to release 'Storm Chasers'?"
"I've been talking to the leaders there before, and they seem to be planning to have 'Storm Chasers' take over from the currently popular 'The World'."
“So soon?
I remember that [The World] started airing at the end of last month, so it should be finished in less than two weeks, right? "
"According to the arrangement over there, after the broadcast of 'The World', the prime time channel will air a program called 'Great Craftsmen' for a total of 13 days, and then the next drama will be broadcast."
“It’s good this way, time is not so tight.
But it’s highly likely that it won’t be able to match the ratings of [The World].”
Period dramas tend to be hits, and "The World" is undoubtedly the biggest hit this year.
The show's ratings were only 1.34% when it first aired, with an audience share of 4.7%, ranking fourth among TV series in the same time period.
As a result, after three days of broadcast, the ratings soared to over 2, the audience share doubled, and it firmly sat on the throne of the number one TV series in the same time period.
Then, as subsequent episodes were broadcast, various data continued to rise and the popularity on the Internet continued to increase.
More than 30 episodes have been aired so far, and the ratings have exceeded 3, with an audience share of up to 12%. It can be said to be CCTV's biggest hit since the beginning of the year.
"CCTV is very confident in the quality of Wind Chaser, and we also have your influence, boss.
I was chatting with the director of the film purchasing department there, and she believes that the data for [Storm Chaser] won't be any worse than [The World]."
"[Manslaughter 2] just started filming a few days ago.
Director Cui Rui chose Jiangmen, Yuezhou as the filming location, where there is a Thai-style street that fits the description in the script.
The crew made some modifications there and built some additional buildings, and it wasn’t until a few days ago that everything was completed.”
After Yang Liwen finished speaking, Zhao Mingcheng, who was in charge of film and television shooting, reported to the director.
"Did Director Wen go with you?"
Gu Wei was not surprised by the start of filming of "The Accidental Murderer 2". He had discussed it with Cui Rui before going abroad.
"I went there. Director Wen went with Director Cui as the supervisor. Xiao Yang and Zhang Tianai from the company also joined the crew.
By the way, Boss, Director Rao’s film “A Thousand Miles Home” has been completed and is currently in post-production,” said Zhao Mingcheng.
"The filming of [A Thousand Miles Home] has been completed. Guo Fan should know about it, right?" Gu Wei asked.
"Director Guo has been filming The Wandering Earth 2 in Qindao, but there are also many people from his company on the crew of The Journey Home, so he should be aware of the progress of this project."
Although the director of "A Thousand Miles Home" is Rao Xiaozhi, this film was originally a project of Guo Fan. It is currently a joint production of Guo Fan's company, Gu Wei's "The World of Wei Ming" and Lu Yang's "Free Cool Whale".
The main controller and largest investor is still Guo Fan, so the subsequent release of the film depends on how Guo Fan arranges it.
After Zhao Mingcheng finished speaking, the head of the publicity department spoke.
"...Director Wen's film [Miracle: Stupid Kid] has been officially scheduled to be released on May 1st.
We plan to announce the release date in the middle of this month and then start the pre-promotion step by step.
The specific promotion plan has been sent to your email."
Gu Wei thought for a moment and said, "The focus of this film's promotion should be on Wen Muye and the male lead, Peng Yuchang."
He paused after saying this and said, "It's mainly because of director Wen Muye. He has such great performances as 'Dying to Survive', 'Manslaughter' and 'Zhou Chu Eliminates the Three Evils'. Making him the focus of publicity and promotion can attract more audiences.
And Miracle itself is a story-oriented movie."
"I understand~"
The meeting lasted about an hour, during which the company's post-New Year affairs and some projects in the first half of the year were reviewed. After everyone else left the room, Yang Liwen continued to talk to Gu Wei.
"Boss, Director Guo Hu contacted me again, asking when we're going to start preparing for the drama he's working on?"
Gu Wei was stunned and didn't react.
Seeing this, Yang Liwen continued, "It's the [Auspicious Lotus Building] project.
The company bought this IP a few years ago, and then the company's screenwriting department adapted it into a script.
After you mentioned it two years ago, I met with Director Guo Hu as you requested and sent him the script.
Later, because you had so many projects and no time, this drama was put on hold.
Director Guo Hu has approached me several times in the past two years."
As soon as Yang Liwen mentioned Lotus Tower, Gu Wei remembered it.
“I was so busy that I forgot.
I feel a little sorry for Director Guo, after all, I was the one who first proposed this project to him."
Guo Hu is Lin Yufen's apprentice. When they were filming "Gu Jian Qi Tan" and "Eternal Love", he was the executive director of the crew and worked under Director Lin.
Later, he went out on his own and directed major costume dramas such as "Eternal Love of Dream" and "Life and Death".
He was the one who directed the Lotus Tower in the original time and space, and the result was very good, so Gu Wei contacted him only after he finished the script for the martial arts drama.
"I don't think Director Guo would mind. Everyone in the industry knows that your schedule is very tight. I guess he's afraid that the project we're looking for him for will fail, so he keeps pursuing us."
Gu Wei nodded.
"I will be returning to China in March to join the crew of "Where the Wind Runs," and then I will be filming two more movies, "Extreme Rescue" and "Girl in Disappearance."
I probably won’t have time this year.
Go back and meet with Director Guo, and then arrange for Zhao Mingcheng to liaise with him. Start preparing for Lotus Tower in the second half of the year, and start filming early next year!"
"OK!
There is another thing. A few days ago, China Film Group contacted me and said that they were preparing a war blockbuster of the same type as "Changjin Lake".
I want to ask the boss if you are interested?"
"A film prepared by China Film Group? Didn't they give us the script?" Gu Wei asked curiously.
In recent years, when people approached him for a drama, they basically sent him the script first, and no one asked him directly.
Moreover, he has always had a close relationship with China Film Group, and they always talk directly about projects.
“I talked to that side.
It is said that it was a project initiated by director Chen Kaige called "The Great Victory", which attracted investment from China Film and Bona.
Director Chen doesn't seem to intend to invite you, but China Film Group and Bona Film Group are a little worried, so they passed the message on first.
If you agree, they will be responsible for convincing Director Chen."
When Yang Liwen said this, Gu Wei immediately understood which movie it was.
[The Great Victory] is the same movie [The Volunteer Army] that Brother Chen Kai later made to promote his son.
"Forget it. I'll just make one movie about the Korean War, 'Changjin Lake,' and that's enough. You can make your position clear to them."
"I understand~"
After finishing his work, Gu Wei turned off the computer.
Just at this time, Yang Chaoyue came back from outside. She was wearing fashionable clothes and carrying various shopping bags in her hands.
"Buying so many things?"
"Yeah, go shopping, buy whatever you like.
It’s a pity that you can’t come with me, boss.”
Yang Chaoyue had finished filming all her scenes on the set, but she refused to leave and wanted to be lazy, so Gu Wei didn't care.
When she arrived in Osaka, everyone in the crew was busy with work, so she just wandered around, enjoying the scenery and shopping, looking very leisurely.
Moreover, she is basically unknown abroad, so she doesn't have to worry about anyone recognizing her wherever she goes.
"I work at night and rest during the day, so how can I have time to go out with you?"
“I know~
Now this is good enough.”
Yang Chaoyue happily sorted out her spoils and took out an exquisite box from it.
"I bought this for you. It's a men's watch I saw at the mall. It's very beautiful and I think it will suit you very well."
Gu Wei took the watch out of the opened watch box.
The black leather strap, silver-white frame, and sapphire blue dial really look beautiful when worn on the wrist.
"Vacheron Constantin, what series?"
Yang Chaoyue thought for a moment and said, "The salesperson seemed to say it was 'Zongheng Sihai'. I don't quite understand it, but I think this style is pretty!"
Gu Wei nodded: "Not bad, I like it very much.
But maybe I can’t wear it normally?”
"Huh? Why?"
Gu Wei patted her head and said, "Because I am the global spokesperson for Jaeger-LeCoultre, of course I can't wear watches from other brands.
If you are photographed, it will be considered a breach of contract."
"Oh~"
Yang Chaoyue didn't expect that Gu Wei would not be able to use the gift he carefully selected, and he felt a little depressed.
Gu Wei noticed it and smiled to comfort her: "Although I may not be able to wear it for a while, Chaoyue, the watch you chose is really nice, I like it very much.
Okay, come out to eat with me.
After eating, I’m going to work on the set.”
Then he invited her to go out together.
“The filming for the Japanese scenes will be finished in about a week.
Are you planning to return to China directly or go to the United States with me?"
The two of them ate local cuisine together, and Gu Wei asked.
"I'm with you, boss, and we'll see this through to the end.
Anyway, the company didn’t urge me to go back.”
Gu Wei nodded.
"By the way, while I was busy at work today, I learned from Mr. Yang at the company that the film you shot last year, 'Who's the Hero?', will be released on Tencent Video around the end of May."
“That’s great, after filming last year I was wondering when this drama would be released.
Boss, do you think my drama will be a hit?
Yang Chaoyue's eyes lit up, and he didn't even bother to eat, but came forward and asked.
"How should I know? I haven't watched the show. Don't you have any idea of how you did?" Gu Wei shrugged.
“I feel like I’ve worked really hard on the film, but I don’t know what the final result will be.
Among the dramas that were filmed before, except for the company's "Joy of Life" series, the others did not make much splash.
I don’t have much confidence in my acting skills.”
Gu Wei looked at her with amusement, picked up a piece of sushi and took a bite.
"First of all, your drama is a big IP. "Who's the Hero?" is adapted from the martial arts novel of the same name by Wen Ruian, and it already has a certain fan base and is well-known.
Secondly, this drama is an S-level project of Tencent, with large investment and high attention. The platform will definitely provide the best publicity resources before it is released.
Once again, this drama is directed by Li Muge, a director under the company. I have worked with him on two dramas, "Sito" and "The East Palace", and I am quite familiar with his abilities.
Li Muge is very good at photographing people and scenes, and his plot is also good.
Finally, Zeng Shunxi and you are both considered new top stars that have emerged in the past two years, with high popularity and number of fans.
So no matter how you look at it, this drama is going to fail. Even if it doesn’t become a huge hit, it will still be a small hit!”
After saying that, Gu Wei picked up the drink beside him and took a sip.
He was being polite. Yang Chaoyue's current popularity is not as high as Zeng Shunxi's.
[The Untamed] is too popular, and there are far more female fans than male fans.
Under Gu Wei's operation, Zeng Shunxi has collaborated with Zhang Yi in "The Journey Home", and Xiao Zhan also starred in "The Nameless" with Tony Leung Chiu-wai.
Once these two movies are released, their top-tier positions will be more solidified, and they will have made the leap from the television industry to the film industry.
"After listening to your analysis, I feel like there's a great chance that my drama will become a huge hit!"
Yang Chaoyue was very easy to coax, and she trusted Gu Wei very much. She felt that her boss was definitely one of the few smart people in the world, and everything he said was right.
Gu Wei smiled and nodded.
He felt that there was nothing wrong with his analysis.
[Who is the Hero?] It was not a bad drama to begin with. The original version performed poorly for many reasons.
Now this version has all the conditions met in full, and there is no reason for it to fail.
"By the way, I told you about that movie [Extraction] a while ago. It will start shooting around July.
Calculating the time, [Who's the Hero?] has just finished airing, so it won't delay your drama promotion."
“When can I get the script?”
Yang Chaoyue perked up and asked.
Compared to the TV series she shot herself, it is more important to collaborate on a movie with her own boss. Moreover, Gu Wei has said before that in this movie she is no longer a supporting role but the real heroine.
"It won't take a few days, I'll have someone send it to you after I return home.
You still have a few months to prepare the film."
"Boss, don't worry, I won't let you down!"
Yang Chaoyue assured with full confidence.
Gu Wei smiled and said, "Just act according to the current state of the play, and refine the details according to the script." (End of this chapter)
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