Chapter 82 San Diego Comic-Con
Since Spielberg, the landlubber, left overnight, Su Yun and the assistant directors and assistant directors of the second production unit really rushed in to start the final filming.
The storyboards had already been drawn long ago, and the plot wasn't very long, except for the fact that it was a bit troublesome to get people to work together to control the shark model.
Compared to the assistant directors and assistant directors of the second shooting unit, who were half-baked adults who were used to assisting, Su Yun, a child, was truly "well-informed" - in addition to the various explosion scenes brought by later memories and professional factors, Hong Kong is also famous for its real-life explosion scenes. When Su Yun was learning from Lu Shaolong earlier, she saw many explosion scenes performed by martial artists and stunt workers.
These few films that were rushed to the shelves worked hard and successfully shot the ending material safely and steadily, without Spielberg having to return from Los Angeles.
Because there were various constructions and special effects models that needed to be dismantled, the crew had to pack up for a few days before they could officially disband. So Su Yun, who had a tight schedule, waved goodbye to the second filming crew and followed the car back to Spielberg's current Los Angeles studio.
Spielberg was very happy after receiving the materials: "If we work harder, we may be able to catch the originally scheduled Christmas schedule!"
"Steven, do you really intend to release "Jaws" on Christmas as they originally planned?" Su Yun suddenly asked.
"Is there any problem?" Seeing that Su Yun didn't look like she was joking, Spielberg calmed down.
"This is a movie about the ocean and the beach, and the season in the movie is also the hot summer - don't you think it's strange to release it on a cold and snowy Christmas?" Sometimes people's hot and cold environmental factors are also one of the factors that affect whether they can empathize with the story. Su Yun absolutely believes that the movie "Jaws" should be released in the summer.
As it turned out, "Jaws" was a commercial film of epoch-making significance that opened up the summer movie season mode and even affected the movie seasons thereafter.
But these days, the summer season is still a term that no one mentions, because summer has always been the off-season for movie watching in the United States - this is the time when the whole family can basically get together for the summer vacation, so many families will choose to travel and play outside during this period, and rarely choose indoor entertainment activities.
The movies that are put on the summer vacation are either abandoned gems due to bad luck, or they are lousy movies with poor quality, and the latter are the majority.
At this time, Su Yun proposed to postpone the release date of "Jaws" from the Christmas season to the summer season. In the eyes of people of that era, this was undoubtedly a suicidal proposal.
Only Spielberg, who considered himself her spiritual friend during this time, had no doubts. He just asked a further question out of respect for his friend and sponsor, "Can you tell me more about it?"
Not only that, he also brought out various financial and economic books that he collected in order to make a film that combines commerciality and artistry, and spread them out beside him, ready to verify Su Yun's suggestion.
Listening to Su Yun's explanation, Spielberg's eyes gradually deepened: If Su Yun's almost whimsical proposal really succeeds, then the movie "Jaws" may open a new world. Hot schedule!
The question is, does he dare to give it a try?
"Anyway, I just like watching movies of the corresponding season in the corresponding season." Su Yun tried her best to use the innocent thoughts and tone of a child. "When it's very cold in winter, I like to hold a hot drink and watch the warmth of snow on the screen; and when it's very hot in summer, I want to hold a watermelon and ice cream and watch the hot sweat on the screen and be accompanied by the sea..."
“But if it were the other way around, there wouldn’t be that magical feeling of looking at the picture and feeling it.”
"You make sense, but I still have to think about it." Spielberg touched his chin, looking a little distressed.
Universal had high hopes for this film before, but its original expectations were worn away by repeated delays in filming and budget overruns. If it can meet the deadline or deliver the film a little later, then the previously scheduled Christmas schedule should not be missed.
Is it worth exchanging a recognized good schedule for a recognized bad schedule just because of Su Yun's suggestion?
Or... I should do some post-production first, slowly see the effect, and then decide whether to change it?
Seeing Spielberg's expression, Su Yun raised her head and pulled his sleeve: "Think about it first, there is no rush, we still have time."
"It just so happens that I'm going to be a guest at the San Diego Comic Con in two days, so you can think about it alone." Su Yun said as she packed her things and prepared to transfer to San Diego.
Zhuang Long was still busy filming "Memoirs of a Geisha" in Japan and had no time to contact her, so when Su Yun was in Martha's Vineyard, she called Lu Shaolong in advance and asked him to borrow Lin Jingying again.
Firstly, they can serve as bodyguards to protect her: although she is skilled enough to knock down several people by unexpectedly attacking joints and weak points, comic conventions are a mixed bag of people and fans are making a lot of noise, so having more people around is obviously more secure.
After all, the current San Diego Comic-Con is not the heavyweight exhibition that will be known as a mecca for science fiction, animation, and film and television fans. It is just a small animation exhibition that has not been held for a few years and is led by a group of comic fans and enthusiasts. According to the program list that Su Yun saw, her level is already considered a top-notch big name...
It’s not that Su Yun’s current status in the science fiction community is so high. It’s mainly because of the remuneration that few of the other big names who were invited came.
Therefore, when most of the guests here are related to TV series and comic series, it is very rare for Su Yun, who has both Oscar awards and movie box office success, to be a guest who is willing to accept the invitation.
However, as they are currently organizing the exhibition with a crowdfunding approach, they still don’t have enough money to arrange security personnel for Su Yun and other guests. It would be great if they could have a few people responsible for maintaining on-site security.
As a last resort, Su Yun had to bring her own.
It just so happened that Lin Jingying had also starred in "Artificial Intelligence", and his cool battle-damaged outfit that combined molds and special effects also left a deep impression on many viewers.
Unfortunately, under current conditions, that cool battle-damaged outfit is difficult to replicate in reality, so we can only let him come wearing a T-shirt.
I have to say that Uncle Ying is really mature for his age. He is obviously two months younger than his senior brother Zhuang Long, but when he puts on a T-shirt, he looks like an old man accompanying his daughter or even granddaughter to a comic convention...
"Don't be so serious. There won't be any big problems here." Su Yun, who was holding the teddy bear, looked around and shook Lin Jingying's hand calmly. "It's just that there are a lot of people and it's easy to get lost. Except when going to the toilet, try to hold me close."
She thought of the scene where a troublemaker who wanted to cause trouble was attacked by a group of weird-looking COSERS holding all kinds of homemade props and other weapons before he could even start. She just wanted to laugh.
"It would be better if you didn't say it. Once you said it, I would really get a little anxious." Lin Jingying frowned.
"That's great. I want to go too. Let's meet at the southeast corner on the left side of the toilet." The toilet at the comic convention also serves as a temporary changing room when there are too many people. Therefore, the area near the door is definitely not a suitable place to wait or gather.
As they said this, the two of them had already arrived at the toilet door.
After exchanging glances, Su Yun stuffed the teddy bear into her backpack, then let go of her hand, and the two of them went to the corresponding toilets.
Perhaps because the guest performance had already begun, there were not many people in the toilet.
Listening to the various music sounds outside, Su Yun walked out of the cubicle with ease and turned on the faucet to wash her hands.
The distance can still determine the transmission of sound. Although the sobbing sound in a certain compartment was very faint, to Su Yun's ears, it was not covered by the music and sound effects outside.
"Is there anyone? Who is crying? Do you need help?" Su Yun turned around and glanced at the row of cubicles at the back, and immediately targeted the only cubicle at the back with its door closed.
"What happened? Do you need help?" Su Yun walked over and knocked on the door.
After a while, a thin and short little girl opened the door of the compartment.
Su Yun looked at the bruises on the little girl's arm and the broken teddy bear she was holding, and frowned: "Who bullied you?"
"Mary?" The teddy bear the little girl was holding was the same one as Su Yun's. It was obvious that she was a young audience member who had watched "Artificial Intelligence" and she immediately called out Su Yun's name.
Perhaps because she saw her favorite character, the little girl's tears fell even harder: "Grandpa worked overtime to buy me a teddy bear and brought me here to play, but those people in school said my teddy bear was a fake and that a real teddy bear doesn't look this shabby..."
"So they bully you together for this reason?" Su Yun's brows furrowed even deeper.
"Because grandpa is still sick, I can only buy a second-hand teddy bear - but this teddy bear is not a fake, it is real!" The little girl cried, "I argued with them and proved it to them according to the verification method grandpa taught me..."
"Then, I realized that what they had in their hands were counterfeit goods..."
Hey guys, a bunch of naughty kids who bought pirated copies are bullying the good kids who bought second-hand genuine copies on campus!
Su Yun looked at the tattered teddy bear in the little girl's hand with a complicated expression: It is indeed an authentic one, but I don't know which naughty kid has played with it. It has missing arms and legs and messy fur, and looks very ferocious.
While comforting the little girl and smoothing the fur of her tattered teddy bear, Su Yun thought for a moment and opened her backpack to take out the specially customized teddy bear in her hand.
"Teddy is a good bear that will protect good children. I'm giving it to you to let it accompany you for a while. Then, in return, you can give your Teddy to me to take it for repair, okay?" Su Yun gently comforted the little girl, and controlled the specially customized Teddy bear to bow and say hello.
"But, will your Teddy be taken away by them..." The little girl's eyes lit up when she saw the Teddy Bear greeting her, but the memory of being bullied still made her dare not touch her dream.
"No, because I am Teddy's good friend. If Teddy is bullied, I should avenge him." Su Yun put the broken teddy bear aside and looked back with cold eyes at the naughty children crowded at the toilet door.
"Hey, Mary, give me your teddy bear. My sister likes you very much." One of the tallest kids stood up.
Su Yun's expression became gentler, and she slowly stood up and walked towards them under their expectant gazes...
Hearing the noise from the restroom, Bill Finger ran over in a hurry, but stopped at the door of the women's restroom helplessly: "Athena? What's wrong with you?!"
He knew that his granddaughter was often bullied at school due to family reasons, but complaining to the school many times was of no avail. Instead, the bullying against Athena shifted from open to covert, making it even more difficult for him to seek justice.
Sometimes when Bill saw the sensible Athena hiding her wounds and going home for fear that he would worry, he felt extremely sad: Wasn't it enough that he had been bullied and betrayed in his life, that he had to pass on this tragic fate to his only granddaughter?
But what can he do?
The only time he mustered up the courage, encouraged by his friends, to tell the world at a comic convention in New York City that he was also the creator of multiple characters in the Batman comics and that he was still the screenwriter who had been writing Batman stories. However, the response he got was a public accusation from Bob Kane, who had obtained the sole authorship rights of Batman in the negotiations long ago.
They are obviously collaborators!
But one has already made a fortune and gained both fame and wealth, while the other is so poor that he can't even afford medical insurance...
If he hadn't been lucky enough to meet a kind little boy who rescued him, he might have collapsed from a sudden illness that Friday morning.
To this day, his struggle has not yielded results or vindication, and he can only support his family and family by writing sporadic comic manuscripts for DC.
Hearing Athena's suppressed cry coming from the toilet, Bill could no longer hold back and rushed in in two steps: "Athena?!"
This time, what he saw was not the horrific scene of his little granddaughter being pinned to the ground and covered in injuries by a group of naughty kids... but the gratifying scene of those naughty kids, who should have been taught a lesson long ago, rolling on the ground in pain!
As far as the eye can see, in addition to Athena who looks intact, there is also a little oriental girl wearing a white jumpsuit.
Apparently, she saw me too. Without knowing who the person was, she said "HI" expressionlessly.
Against the light, the shadows seemed to give the white jumpsuit a dark night hue.
But this person who seems to reflect the dark night, just like the dark knight in his writing, represents light.
In an instant, the inspirations and rhythms that have been lingering in my mind but cannot be captured seem to flash, converge, blend and be born at this moment.
The third generation of Batgirl should look like this!