Chapter 460 The usual routine
The story of the script is not new and has a strong Hollywood style. Just by looking at the name of the movie and the script, you can tell that this is a special effects movie.
Special effects movies are a feature of Hollywood. They became popular in the late 1970s. After nearly 20 years of development, special effects movies have become Hollywood's business card.
Especially in recent years, with the development of computers, digital technology has become increasingly advanced, and visual effects have become increasingly realistic, which has been warmly welcomed by audiences. As a result, making special effects movies has become a trend in Hollywood. Every year, countless special effects movies are released, and their share in the global box office rankings is also increasing.
Among special effects movies, science fiction movies are the most popular.
But this new film from Hamlet Company is not a science fiction film, but a fantasy film that incorporates popular kung fu elements and has many selling points.
Although the addition of magic and kung fu elements is novel, the story cannot escape the usual routine: evil forces attempt to invade the earth, and when mankind faces an unprecedented crisis, the male protagonist stands up to save the earth and protect all mankind. He saves the world by himself, and demonstrates personal heroism to the fullest.
Hu Xiaoxiao carefully read the script, which translates to "The Magic Contract" in Chinese. It tells the story of retired American special forces soldier Noah, who returns to his hometown to discover his sister's family, who owns an antique shop, have mysteriously died in horrific circumstances. Upon investigation, Noah discovers that the tragedy was caused by a strange parchment scroll, inscribed with eerie black runes, that had been received by the shop. His sister had cut her finger while peeling fruit, and her blood had dripped onto the scroll, activating it. The runes on the scroll transformed into black tentacles that penetrated his sister's family, draining their blood. The tentacles then returned to the parchment scroll, the black runes tinged with a faint reddish hue.
Noah learned from an old professor with white hair and a long beard that this parchment was a contract from the demonic realm. It couldn't be exposed to blood, otherwise it would activate. As it absorbed more blood, the runes on the contract would turn from black to red. Once the runes turned the color of blood, they would open the gate to the demonic realm, and demonic spirits would pour out, endangering all life on Earth. Furthermore, from the moment the contract began to absorb blood, a crack began to form at the junction between Earth and the demonic realm. The redder the runes, the deeper the crack.
Noah tried everything, including burning it with fire and soaking it in water, but he couldn't destroy the magic contract. The magic energy from the cracks had already leaked onto the earth.
Under the guidance of the old professor, Noah learned that in order to destroy the magic contract, he must find the wisp of fire left by the Phoenix when it burned itself as a fire starter, and use the branches of the Sun Tree as a ignition to burn the magic contract into ashes. However, both places are dangerous and unpredictable.
The old professor also told Noah that if he wanted to successfully obtain the two items and repair the time-space rift, he must seek out the descendants of the Eastern Wizard for help. This was because thousands of years ago, the ancestors of the Eastern Wizard had participated in sealing the magic contract and repairing the time-space rift.
In order to collect the Phoenix Fire and the branches of the Sun Tree, Noah found several retired comrades and formed a team.
With the guidance of the old professor, Noah found Li Lin, who opened a bookstore on an ancient street in Philadelphia. Li Lin was the descendant of an oriental wizard. Noah then persuaded Li Lin to work with him to destroy the magic contract and save mankind.
Hu Xiaoxiao quickly read through the early scenes. The key plot points were the Death Valley where the Phoenix was retrieved, the underground city where the branches of the Sun Tree were retrieved, and the battle with the demonic creatures when sealing the rift. These three scenes would make extensive use of special effects and were the film's selling points.
After reading the script, Hu Xiaoxiao picked up a pen and deleted all the passionate scenes between the heroine and the hero. He said to Dong Peiyu, "I don't do passionate scenes. And if there are any changes to the heroine's plot in the future, they must be approved by me. This is written in the contract. If they accept, we can sign the contract. If not, I can only say sorry."
Besides elements of magic and kung fu, the script also calls for a few erotic scenes between the hero and heroine at the most dangerous moments to add to the film's appeal. Hu Xiaoxiao was overwhelmed by this and decided to cut it! He also wanted to give the heroine veto power over the script, as who knows if another passionate scene might be added during filming? By then, the contract had already been signed, and if they didn't film it, they'd have to lose a fortune.
Hu Xiaoxiao and Dong Peiyu studied the script carefully several times, picked out some plots that were not conducive to Hu Xiaoxiao's image, and compiled them together.
Dong Peiyu took these summaries to negotiate with Philip. When Philip heard that Hu Xiaoxiao was unwilling to act in passionate scenes, he expressed his objection. How could a Hollywood hero not have some erotic scenes? How many stars have sacrificed themselves to perform all kinds of erotic scenes in order to get into Hollywood and become famous?
But Dong Peiyu's attitude was very tough. If it wasn't deleted, there would be no need to talk about it.
Philip finally compromised. As Huang Yuliang said, it was not Hu Xiaoxiao who needed them, but they needed Hu Xiaoxiao to help open up the Asian market.
They had previously considered many Asian actors, but were unsatisfied; none could compare to Hu Xiaoxiao. Furthermore, this was a film with Kung Fu elements, and the lead actress, Li Lin, had a lot of fighting scenes, so they desperately needed an actress who could fight well to enhance the Kung Fu experience.
Asia is the world's most populous region, and after Europe and the United States, it holds the largest global film market. Hamlet needs to expand overseas and increase its competitiveness in Hollywood, relying heavily on Asian markets.
When discussing the heroine's right to veto the script, Dong Peiyu and Phyllis talked for a long time and finally settled the matter.
Then, they arranged a time for Dong Peiyu to take her people to Hollywood to discuss the contract in detail. After Dong Peiyu had negotiated the deal, Hu Xiaoxiao worked overtime to finish his work and set off for Hollywood, the place known as the center of the world's film industry.
After getting off the plane, Hu Xiaoxiao sat in the car heading to the hotel, looking at the steel buildings that stood like a forest on both sides of the avenue, shining with metallic luster in the sunlight.
The reliefs and decorations are different from those in the East and full of exotic styles. When night falls, colorful lights shine like countless gorgeous gems from all over the city, illuminating this beautiful city that never sleeps.
Even if you have seen many Hollywood movies, nothing is more shocking than seeing it with your own eyes.
This is the most developed place in the world, full of fashion, prosperity and luxury. Compared with other countries, it seems like another world of higher dimension.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
