novelslam Chapter 174 New Film
Chapter 174 New Film
After spending ten days in Los Angeles, Gu Heng decided to return to China.
The day before leaving the United States.
Gu Heng sat in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of his hotel suite, staring at the lines of code slowly scrolling across his laptop screen, and took a satisfied sip of coffee.
Another 300 bitcoins have arrived in my account.
Just as I was enjoying myself, the hotel room door clicked open.
Yang Mi dragged her tired body in. The little fox had been tortured by Nolan on set today, with each shot requiring at least a dozen takes. She didn't even have the strength to kick her high heels anymore.
Seeing Gu Heng sitting in front of the computer grinning like an idiot, she kicked off her shoes, walked over barefoot, and hugged his neck from behind: "What are you looking at? Why are you grinning so lewdly? Looking at that blonde bombshell?"
"Look at the money."
Gu Heng casually pulled her into his arms, his hand naturally resting on her slender waist.
This touch... no wonder she's the woman who will dominate trending topics with her figure in the future.
"miser!"
Yang Mi sat down on his lap, her lips slightly pouting, her eyes fixed on him. "You're going back to China tomorrow?"
"Yes, there's a lot going on back home. 'Brotherhood of Blades' is almost over, and there's a new movie to prepare for."
Gu Heng unconsciously rubbed his fingers together, causing the little fox's pretty face to blush slightly.
"A new drama? Who's the female lead? Oh, Gu Heng, you're going to promote someone else while I'm not in the country, aren't you!"
Yang Mi immediately became alert, her big eyes filled with protectiveness of her food.
Gu Heng was struck dumb upon hearing this, staring blankly at the cabbage he had raised for so many years.
No, sister!
You're trying to shift the blame onto me?
My new play has only had a folder created so far!
"Can't you be reasonable? You're going to be in Hollywood for several months. Do you expect me to stop working and wait for you?"
Gu Heng said helplessly.
"No! I want compensation!"
The little fox refused firmly, but her body honestly snuggled closer to him.
"Okay, whatever you say, let's add an extra hour tonight."
After Gu Heng finished speaking, he got up and carried her in a princess carry, throwing her onto the big bed.
Reasoning with girls won't work; just go for it.
The next day, Gu Heng, feeling refreshed, took Wang Gang on a flight to Beijing.
On the plane, Wang Gang sat next to him with his eyes closed, resting. Gu Heng leaned against the window, but his mind wasn't on parting with the little fox; instead, it was on a thought that had been brewing for a long time.
A science fiction film. (Little fox: I'm done with it.)
These three words had been swirling in his mind for more than just a day or two.
Since his rebirth, he has acted in art films, martial arts films, commercial comedies, and invested in big Hollywood productions. But there is one genre he has never touched.
It's not that I don't want to get involved, it's just that the timing isn't right.
What was the concept of science fiction films in the Chinese-language film market in 2009?
Two words: restricted area.
It's not that the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television forbids filming; it's that nobody dares to film it.
the reason is simple.
Science fiction films are the most expensive of all film genres, bar none.
Hollywood typically starts with a budget of one or two hundred million US dollars to make a decent sci-fi film.
What about domestically?
The special effects level of the entire film industry is not even up to the standard of Hollywood ten years ago.
The previous film, "The Wandering Earth," only came out in 2019.
It has been exactly ten years since then.
A decade-long industrial gap cannot be bridged simply by throwing money at it.
But Gu Heng just wanted to do that.
It wasn't a rash decision; he had done the math.
The Chinese-language film market is currently on the eve of a boom.
Science fiction films represent the largest gap on this curve.
Whoever fills it in first will be the one to create something extraordinary.
The question is, what should we film?
The Wandering Earth?
No.
Liu Cixin's "The Three-Body Problem" was only nominated for a Hugo Award this year, and the IP popularity of "The Wandering Earth" has not yet taken off. Moreover, that movie has too many special effects. Given the current level of domestic industry, it will most likely end up with cheap special effects and a lot of sentimentality, resulting in a huge loss.
Gu Heng needed a sci-fi film with relatively controllable special effects requirements but a sufficiently explosive concept.
A film that uses skill rather than brute force to penetrate the market.
He closed his eyes, and hundreds of science fiction movies he had watched in his previous life flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern.
Finally, the image freezes on a name.
Source Code
Gu Heng suddenly opened his eyes.
Yes. That's it.
Duncan Jones' second feature film, released in 2011.
More importantly, the film has extremely limited special effects.
Eighty percent of the entire movie takes place in a train carriage.
The core selling point is not visual spectacle, but a high-concept narrative: a soldier is repeatedly sent back to the train eight minutes before the explosion, searching for the truth about the bomber in an endless loop.
Time loop, suspenseful reasoning, identity crisis.
Thinking of this, Gu Heng took out paper and pen from the pocket in front of his seat and began to write.
He wrote very quickly, almost like a stream of consciousness shorthand.
Story outline, character settings, core scenes, key lines—all poured onto paper at once.
Wang Gang was awakened by the scratching sound of the pen tip on the paper. He opened his eyes, glanced at the paper, and then closed them again.
Having followed Gu Heng for so long, he had long been used to his boss's pattern of suddenly entering a creative state.
During the thirteen-hour flight, Gu Heng spent a full eleven hours writing.
When the plane landed at the Capital Airport, he was holding a first draft of a script of nearly 20,000 words in his hand.
He thought about the name of the story for a long time.
Finally, I wrote three words.
Eight Minutes.
The day after returning to China, Gu Heng, carrying a thermos, strolled into the conference room of Vision Entertainment with the gait of an old man.
Su Qing walked in, wearing high heels and carrying a stack of reports, exuding a mature and sophisticated aura.
"Boss, the premiere of 'iPartment' broke viewership records, and Dragon TV is ecstatic. They're now fighting tooth and nail with us for the exclusive broadcasting rights to the second season. Also, Huayi Brothers called to say that their IPO process is complete, and they'll be ringing the bell next month. They'd like to invite you to come and support them."
Gu Heng took a sip of goji berry tea and waved his hand: "Let those two guys at Huayi do their showy stuff like ringing the bell. I'll just focus on cashing out when it's due. Also, I have a new project to launch."
Gu Heng threw the script he had written overnight on the plane onto the table: "Take a look at this."
Su Qing curiously flipped through a few pages to read the plot summary. The strong woman stared wide-eyed at Gu Heng as if she had seen a ghost.
"A sci-fi movie? Boss, you went to America, did Nolan talk to you about something?"
Su Qing took a deep breath and launched into a scathing critique, "Anyone who touches the domestic science fiction market right now is doomed!"
Chen Kai adjusted his glasses and analyzed seriously, "Boss, in terms of return on investment, the highest box office record for domestic science fiction films is currently less than 20 million, and they are all poorly made with cheap special effects. Audiences simply don't buy into domestic science fiction."
"Stop, stop, stop!"