Fang Yang was startled by the shout. The sudden shout from the quiet study startled not only Fang Yang but also Zhou Xin, who patted her chest several times, saying, "Grandpa, you're going to scare me to death!"
Grandpa Ni stood up. "You two little devils, all you do is flirt with each other behind my back. Don't think I can't see you while I'm playing chess. If it weren't for your mischief, how could I have lost?"
Grandpa Zhou also stood up. "A loss is a loss. Why make so many excuses? They didn't make a sound. If you keep yelling, Xin will pull your beard."
Grandpa Ni laughed heartily, "Forget it, it'll stop in a few days. There's a little kid here, we don't want people to think we haven't treated him well."
Grandpa Ni looked at Fang Yang approvingly and said, "He is indeed a handsome man. Xin'er has good taste."
Grandpa Zhou picked up his water glass and took a sip. "Xin'er often talks about you in front of us. You are indeed young and promising. But Xiao Fang, we asked you to write a script, and it's been more than half a year, and there's still no progress. This is not like you."
Fang Yang didn't expect that Grandpa Zhou would bring up this matter as soon as they met. Well, he had been looking forward to it for more than half a year, and with only eight months left, it would be a lie to say that he wasn't anxious.
"The script is finished. It was just completed a few days ago. I've been working on it for several months. The scenes are quite large, but I don't know if it will be approved."
Fang Yang didn't delay. He immediately took out a thick stack of printed paper from his bag and handed it to Grandpa Zhou with both hands. "The story is adapted from last year's overseas military rescue operation. Of course, I don't know the specific details. I can only write it based on the general outline. If there are any inaccuracies, I hope you two gentlemen will forgive me."
Grandpa Zhou took the script, blinked, and ignored Fang Yang's words. Before finishing the script, nothing he said would make a difference. Grandpa Ni next to him didn't join in the fun. He wouldn't be able to see it clearly anyway, so he might as well wait and see it later.
"Xiao Fang, tell me about the general plot of this movie."
"Sir, the movie is called 'Operation Red Sea,' and it's based on the true story of the evacuation of Chinese citizens from Yemen last year. The story is about a Chinese merchant ship being hijacked off the coast of Somalia, with all the crew members becoming prisoners. The Jiaolong Commando Team calmly responded, infiltrated the merchant ship, and successfully rescued all the hostages."
"Not a single Chinese person shall be harmed," and "Not a single overseas Chinese citizen shall be lost"—the dignity, responsibility, and spirit of a great power permeate the entire film. It is believed that this spirit will convey the fearless and selfless spirit of the Chinese military to compatriots around the world, demonstrate the Chinese government's will and ability to safeguard the rights and interests of the nation and its citizens overseas, and showcase the determination of a responsible great power to protect world peace.
Fang Yang told your grandfather the general content, and also expressed the profound meaning behind the movie. A 120-minute movie must have a central theme, otherwise, the audience will only see fighting and killing, and in the end, they will only see loneliness. The movie will definitely fail to enter the audience's heart.
"Hmm, the central idea fits the theme of paying tribute to the motherland very well, and it's also based on facts. So, what difficulties did you encounter in filming this movie? From your description, it seems that the movie plans for a grand scale, and it also requires warships. Do you plan to use physical objects or special effects?"
As expected of a big shot, based on just a few words from Fang Yang, Old Master Ni was able to imagine a grand scene, requiring a large number of guns and ammunition, airplanes, tanks, and warships, none of which a film company could negotiate.
"I want to shoot this movie using 3D technology so that it can create an immersive effect. So whether it's warships, planes, or tanks, it's best to use real ones, including the cars. To achieve the best effect, the more realistic the better. Moreover, in the gunfights, these cars will also be destroyed in the war to bring the greatest shock. As for special effects, no matter how good the special effects are, they can't be as shocking as real war."
Your grandfather laughed and said, "In that case, your movie will have a huge investment. Ordinary actors can't carry this film. It has to be led by a Best Actor, otherwise, it will be a problem to recoup the costs."
Fang Yang scratched his head. "As for the lead actor, we definitely need a Best Actor, but it's hard to say whether we can get him. The lead actor for this movie must be sunny and handsome, tall, and preferably have a certain foundation in martial arts. I plan to invest 500 million yuan in the filming to strive for greater realism."
Grandpa Ni smiled and said, "Five hundred million is a lot, but with your requirements for live ammunition, airplanes, and tanks, even if you don't fire a single shot, the fuel costs alone will be considerable. And that warship, was it a D-series warship? That's only one level below an aircraft carrier. The engine alone costs tens of millions, not to mention going into the sea. Just a few dozen nautical miles would be too much for you."
Fang Yang already knew the reasoning behind it and laughed, "So, without the support of the military, this movie simply couldn't be filmed. The most difficult thing is getting the warships into the sea. Without the military's approval, no one can film it. Another thing is finding reliable mercenaries in Rwanda. They have powerful mercenaries with planes, tanks, and guns. We can hire them for protection and pay extra for their services. That's easier to handle. Problems that can be solved with money aren't really problems. So, the key is still the warships."
“The warship isn’t a big problem.” Old Master Zhou, who had been engrossed in reading the script, looked up. “Since that incident last year, the navy has strengthened its defenses against Somali pirates. Every month, warships go out to sea to escort cargo ships. As long as the permits are approved, you won’t even need to spend much money to follow the warships and film until all the sea scenes are filmed. Then, you can go ashore when the opportunity arises and fly directly to Rwanda.”
Fang Yang didn't expect such a good thing. "In that case, there's only one last problem: finding a powerful mercenary group that's also aligned with China and active in Rwanda. Most large mercenary groups there can get their hands on planes and tanks. As long as we have the money, it shouldn't be a big problem."
Grandpa Zhou waved his hand, “These are not problems. I just think the cost would be very high because that place is always unstable. It’s only slightly better in towns. In the wild, no one can guarantee safety. So to ensure safety, we would need to hire at least a fully armed force of several hundred people. The cost every day would be astronomical. It would be better to find a place in China to film.”
Fang Yang shook his head. "Filming in China isn't a problem, but there aren't enough foreign extras. It's better to just go there and film. I'd rather spend more money to recreate the scene from that time so that it's closer to reality."
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