In December, the crew of Operation Mekong
On the water, Wei Yang put down his gun, ignored the snowflakes splashing on his arms, gripped the steering wheel, and drove the motorboat with a determined look, crashing into the villain's motorboat.
However, it is different from the scene in the movie where the two ships collide violently and even explode.
In fact, when Wei Yang took the photo, there was no enemy ship in front of him.
He just stepped on the accelerator hard to speed up, as if he was risking his life to crash into the car. All the shots were medium and close-up.
Then, Wei Yang turned the boat around again, created some distance, and took a medium to long shot using an aerial camera, which showed him driving the boat quickly towards the enemy ship.
It seemed to be rushing forward fiercely, but in fact it had already stopped when it was still about a hundred meters away.
To ensure safety, Wei Yang was driving on the surface, but in fact there was an old crew member squatting in the blind spot to give instructions and even be responsible for some operations.
After these shots were completed, Fang Xinwu in the movie died, and Wei Yang also successfully finished filming the drama.
As for whether the character Fang Xinwu died or not when the two ships collided and exploded, Wei Yang honestly didn't know.
The film company is still very ambitious and even wants to try to make a series of movies, so the easter egg at the end hints that Fang Xinwu is not dead, but is still carrying out missions abroad, and perhaps they will continue to cooperate to solve the case next time.
According to Fatty Yu's idea, Gao Gang, played by Zhang Hanyu, could continue to cooperate, or he could replace him with another police partner. If that didn't work, Fang Xinwu could solve the case independently.
The current version of Fang Xinwu is much better than the original version. He can be said to be an ace intelligence agent + soldier king + detective.
In the movie, he is fluent in foreign languages, eloquent, good at communication, has informants and intelligence networks everywhere, and is also proficient in driving, fighting, shooting and other skills.
He is smart and decisive in his actions, and has a lot of insights into case investigation and planning.
He is also a "non-pedantic" policeman rarely seen in mainland film and television dramas. In order to solve the case, he even uses some gray methods.
Later, Fang Xinwu was forced to "go offline", which was more or less a way of passing the review, for fear that it would be blocked due to some unnecessary circumstances.
It can be said that this character is very charming and flesh and blood. With this as the core, it is possible to create an IP called "Undercover Police".
Of course, this is just Fatty Yu’s idea.
At least so far, Wei Yang, who has a bunch of scripts in his hands, is not enthusiastic about developing such a project with Bona, and it can even be said that he has little interest in it.
Fatty Yu was not in a hurry. After all, "Operation Mekong" had just been completed. It would not be too late to talk about it after it was released and see the results.
The filming of Wei Yang has been completed, and there aren't many scenes left for the crew. Basically, the entire crew can go home in a week at most.
However, Fatty Yu was still very particular and held a wrap-up banquet for Boss Wei.
The main purpose is to maintain relationships. He really wants to cooperate more with Boss Wei and make money together.
The top Thai restaurant in Bangkok, offering standard high-end Thai food, Tom Yum Goong soup, spicy beef salad, Thai coconut chicken, Thai lobster, curry crab, etc.
Wei Yang has filmed two dramas in Thailand, and has been there for nearly half a year in total, so he is no stranger to Thai food.
Thai food emphasizes sour, sweet and spicy flavors, and its ingredients are mainly seafood, fruits and vegetables. People who are not used to it find it very strange. Wei Yang's assistant Wei Fei doesn't like Thai food because he feels it has a soapy smell.
Wei Yang was relatively receptive. Apart from challenging his understanding of dark cuisine, he was still willing to try new things and special foods.
Fatty Yu came to meet Boss Wei, and several main creators of the crew also arrived, including director Dante Lam.
Although the two had some disagreements during the filming, they were generally harmonious. On the one hand, Dante Lam did not want to conflict with Boss Wei, and on the other hand, Wei Yang intended to give him face and pave the way.
Apart from other things, this director is definitely an expert in the industry when it comes to shooting action scenes, especially gunfights and explosions.
Among the directors that Blue Whale works under or is friends with, there are almost no directors who are at his level.
No one can say for sure whether Blue Whale will have this kind of demand in the future, and perhaps they will have to cooperate together someday. Wei Yang was also afraid of scaring Lin Chaoxian.
So no matter at work or in private, Wei Yang has always respected Dante Lam, so the two have a good relationship. At the wrap-up banquet, Dante Lam took the initiative to come over to toast him many times.
Maybe in his heart, he also has the idea of clinging to Boss Wei one day in the future.
Dante Lam thought so, not to mention the other actors. Except for Zhang Hanyu and a few veteran actors who were relatively reserved due to their age, the young actors were more enthusiastic and obedient than the other.
However, Wei Yang was used to such occasions, and after handling it easily, Fatty Yu asked him to go to a small room inside the box to "sober up."
"Come and try Thai cigars. They are not as mellow as those from South America, but they also have their own unique flavor."
The decoration of the small room is a mixture of Chinese and Thai styles. It is magnificent and yet has a sense of grandeur and stability, especially the solid wooden tea table and bed in the center, which is almost a replica of the Chinese style.
He poured some tea, lit a cigar, and the two of them were alone, and Fatty Yu didn't play any tricks.
"Boss Wei, when is your movie Detective Chinatown going to be released?"
Wei Yang had been wondering what Fatty Yu wanted to talk to him about in private, and he immediately understood after hearing what he said.
"It's basically set for the Spring Festival."
"Well, we bumped into each other."
Fatty Yu exhaled a puff of smoke with a bitter smile, but still heard the words he least wanted to hear.
The success of the Spring Festival period in the past two years has proved the advantages of this emerging period. This year's Spring Festival is bound to be another fierce battle.
Blue Whale's "Detective Chinatown 3" has been on hold, and many people outside have speculated that it is aiming for the Spring Festival slot, but Wei Yang has not given a definite answer.
Fatty Yu was a little unsure about the situation. He didn't know whether Wei Yang was planning on the Spring Festival or the Lunar New Year holiday, so he took the opportunity to find out the truth today.
As a result, no one made a sound when I touched them!
The first two films have already shown Wei Yang's appeal in the film industry. "Detective Chinatown" has strong support from Wang Baoqiang, Gao Yuanyuan and others, which is definitely a formidable opponent.
The outside world estimates that the box office of this movie will be at least 500 million yuan, and some people are optimistic that it may hit the 1 billion mark.
Bona has two projects released during the Spring Festival, and now there is a man-eating shark. How can Fatty Yu laugh?
"Mr. Yu, do you have any ideas? You are a senior, if you have any good experience, please give me some advice."
Wei Yang didn't believe that Fatty Yu came here just to inquire about the schedule. This was no secret at all. Anyone with a little insight would understand that Wei Yang would never give up the popular Spring Festival schedule and choose the declining Lunar New Year schedule.
Fatty Yu treated us to a meal today and had a private chat with us. It would be an overreaction to just worry about this issue.
Upon hearing this, Fatty Yu chuckled, put away his sad face, drank a sip of tea, and kept the secret.
"Mr. Wei, do you know how many movies will be released during the Spring Festival?"
"I know about five or six, and I can roughly deduce some of the others."
The Spring Festival period is on February 19th next year. It is already late December and several movies have already announced their release dates. We can also get a lot of information about the rest through channels.
After all, there are a number of popular projects, and any move by one of them usually cannot be hidden from insiders.
The action movies in this time period are nothing more than the Lunar New Year and Spring Festival films. The former is closer and makes more noise, while the latter is mainly foreshadowing, and just based on this point, you can guess most of it.
"There are so many strong players."
Fatty Yu was very emotional. Several of the above-mentioned movies were big productions, and some of them were riding on the popular IP "Where Are We Going, Dad?". This year's Spring Festival box office was surprisingly good, so much so that he felt a little nervous.
"Boss Wei, you and I are both wise people, and I won't say anything empty. The situation is complicated, and the best way is to stick together and keep each other warm."
Fatty Yu revealed his true purpose. There were many strong competitors during the Spring Festival period and Bona could not cope alone, so he wanted to find an ally.
Whether it's sharing what you have or sharing the pressure, it's always better than just one person standing alone.
"I agree that cooperation is beneficial to both sides, but I am very curious as to why Mr. Yu thought of looking for me."
Wei Yang was somewhat curious about Fatty's actions. In terms of relationships, Bona was very close to both the Hong Kong and Beijing circles.
If we divide it carefully, the relationship between Huayi, China Film and Bona Film Group should be closer during the Spring Festival period, while Blue Whale has the best relationship with Guangguang, with which it has cooperated many times before.
"You are wrong. China Film is fine, but me and the two from Huayi... hehe."
That’s all I have to say, but the meaning is very clear. Due to various reasons in the early years, one was in charge of production and the other was in charge of distribution, so it was inevitable that they had to make a living together.
This work is organized and uploaded by Liujiu Book Bar~~
When the business grew bigger, each company had its own main business. Although there was some cooperation and parallel development, they were actually at odds with each other.
Apart from anything else, Zhang Hanyu, Huang Xiaoming and Zhang Ziyi were all from Huayi earlier, and now they have close ties with Bona. There is actually a lot of story behind this.
In this situation, Fatty Yu would rather deepen his relationship with Wei Yang, with whom he would have subsequent cooperation, than pay attention to Huayi.
As for China Film...
Fatty Yu said bluntly: "I don't think highly of the movie Wolf Totem. It's not a subject that can be made well by just hiring an internationally renowned director. Besides, you and I are both comedians, so there is more room for cooperation."
“But there is also more direct competitive conflict.”
Wei Yang pointed out something that Fatty Yu had always overlooked, which is that "Detective Chinatown 3" and "The Man from Macau 2" are both comedies, and strictly speaking, there is a conflict in subject matter.
I have said it several times before that the audience's budget for watching movies is limited, and many people may only watch one or two movies.
So at this time, many viewers will choose a comedy movie + other themes, and this behavior directly affects the performance of the two comedy movies.
Choosing one of the two often results in an unhappy outcome, with one side winning big and the other losing miserably.
"That depends on the operation. If the cooperation is good, it can suppress several other movies and make the comedy plate of the Spring Festival bigger, then there will be enough to share."
Fatty Yu didn’t not understand this principle, but he had other ideas.
If two comedy movies fight each other, of course one will win and the other will lose. But if they work together, exchange both of the audience's tickets for comedy movies and grab market share, it may not be a win-win situation.
Bona is an expert in distribution, and Blue Whale’s publicity is also ranked among the best in the industry. By joining forces, there is a real chance that the two powerful parties will seize the high ground in public opinion.
"How about giving it a try?"
Fatty Yu encouraged Wei Yang, who thought about it and felt that this would not be a bad thing for him.
If he could win over a powerful ally, he could get more market share. If not, he would have to fight head-on with "The Man from Macau 2". He was confident in "Detective Chinatown 3" and nodded readily.
“It’s been a pleasure working with you.”
"Haha, Mr. Wei is a straightforward person."
Fatty Yu laughed happily and wanted to deepen other cooperation with Blue Whale, such as mutual investment in projects, cooperation in actors, etc.
The former is easy to say. Wei Yang has always been generous in investing in projects he is optimistic about, and has always been willing to give up some shares to his friends for cooperation.
But the latter involves more.
Fatty Yu has film resources, but Wei Yang has more TV drama and variety show resources. More importantly, he has top-tier popular stars, while Bona has limited well-known artists. How to cooperate in a fair and mutually beneficial way still requires some details to be discussed.
But overall, the conversation was pleasant. No one can say to what extent the subsequent cooperation will reach.
But in the short term, both sides have maintained mutual friendship and even reached a tacit understanding without making a fuss.
Find an opportunity to cause trouble for Huayi!
There is no way around it. Huayi is the private leader in the mainland film and television industry. It is blocking the way from above, and the companies below cannot get ahead. They all want to kill it and take over.
Interestingly, Wei Yang and Blue Whale believe that they are the company most likely to take over Huayi, and Bona and Fatty Yu think so too.
It is estimated that there are more than just these two companies that have similar ideas. For example, companies with sufficient strength such as Guangguang, Wanda, and Beijing Capital Culture may all think that they are the second largest in the industry after Huayi.
So sometimes it is not so easy to be the boss. The one who stands out will be the first to suffer. There are countless people in the circle who are eyeing the two brothers from the Wang family.
As long as there is a chance, everyone is willing to team up to take down the boss first, and then everyone will compete for the boss based on their own abilities.
Wei Yang strongly suspected that when Huayi got into trouble in the previous life, these companies helped others a lot behind the scenes.
Similarly, if any of these companies has any problems, the two brothers from Huayi will be more excited than anyone else.
There are so many good people in this circle! A day later, Wei Yang flew back to China from Bangkok, Thailand, but he did not rush back to Shanghai, but came to Shenzhen first.
He had previously made an appointment with Stephen Chow to visit the set of and make a cameo appearance in his new movie "The Mermaid", which is also a film project that Blue Whale has invested heavily in, and Wei Yang attaches great importance to it.
As soon as the plane landed, Wei Yang rushed to the crew. Before he could see the main character, he was surrounded by the media guarding the "Mermaid" crew.
There were quite a lot of people, both from the mainland and Hong Kong, and the questions they raised were very sharp.
"What do you think of the negative public opinion storm that director Zhou Xingchi is experiencing now?"
Wei Yang was a little confused. After several mainland reporters explained, he realized that he had been filming in Thailand these days and had not paid much attention to the domestic situation.
It turns out that this is now the famous "anti-Zhou incident". Xiang Tai blasted Stephen Chow, Hong Kong and Taiwan stars took sides on a large scale, and online fans, black fans and passers-by were arguing with each other.
After figuring out the situation, Wei Yang made a choice easily.
He and Stephen Chow are not actually that familiar with each other, it's more of a movie filter. He has never dealt with Xiang Tai, and Wei Yang also has no good feelings towards a family with a gangster background.
Compared to a stranger who has no good feelings towards him and has nothing to do with him, and a partner who has a filter, high hopes and is waiting to make money for him.
Wei Yang's tone was firm: "I don't really know what grudges they have, but from the few exchanges I've had with Stephen Chow, I feel he is a very sincere person who takes movies very seriously."
"And I don't understand why those people reacted so strongly, and I don't understand what Stephen Chow did wrong in this matter."
"I was not very clear about this when I was abroad, but based on what these two journalist friends just said, if I understand correctly, it has nothing to do with Stephen Chow. He was caught in a completely unprovoked disaster."
"Zhang San used Li Si's incident to scold Wang Wu. Wang Wu should have gone to Zhang San instead of calling on Wu Liu and Sun Qi to bully the innocent Li Si together."
"Gentlemen do not speak ill of each other when they break up. This can actually give us a glimpse of the situation between the two parties..."
(End of this chapter)