China Entertainment King of Science Fiction

Chapter 83 "Source Code"

In Chen Jingxing's opinion, "Signal", which is a Chinese translation of "Black Hole Frequency" from a previous life, has three main elements that are more commercial than the first two films he made.

The first is that there need to be more big scenes.

At the beginning of the movie, the father, a firefighter, saves a possible explosion caused by an overturned oil tanker. This opening scene not only contains the classic "last-minute rescue" scene, but also an explosion scene.

The second is the relationship between father and son. This is a story about father and son saving each other. Whether it is science fiction, suspense or other film and television works, if they are not connected with people's emotions, they will appear a bit cold and not humane enough.

, and at the same time, its market will appear relatively narrow. "Comet" and "Fatal Identity" are actually such slightly cold science fiction films.

Such science fiction films may temporarily stimulate the audience's excitement, but they are difficult to resonate with and move the audience, except of course for science fiction films that explore more ambitious themes.

The last commercial element is nostalgia. The time and space where my father lived was in 1998. Although there was only a dozen years apart, the development and changes in China were earth-shaking. This change was greater than the 30 years between 1969 and 1999 in the United States in the original Black Hole Frequency.

The changes are much greater.

In this movie, Chen Jingxing will try his best to restore the style of the late 1990s, which can also arouse nostalgic resonance among the post-80s and even some post-90s generations.

Coupled with this exquisite butterfly effect model of the story structure, it signals that this movie will not be inferior to "Comet" and "Fatal Identity" in terms of science fiction creativity, but it will far exceed it in terms of emotional resonance.

Another project, "Source Code", is closer to what the public thinks of as a science fiction blockbuster in terms of story structure and rhythm. Of course, in fact it is only a medium-cost film, and its commercial attributes are not inferior to "The Signal".

Is there a problem with the lighting? Let’s fix it later.

Therefore, in Chen Jingxing's vision, the production cycle of the movie "Source Code" may be relatively long.

The director doesn't understand post-production, and post-production doesn't understand movies either. There's still a lack of effective communication between them. The director doesn't know what he wants, or he can't express what he wants.

Chen Jingxing also sent messages to the other three companies. If the other three companies were not willing to invest, he would only consider giving other film companies a chance... It would be strange.

"Even so, a lot of special effects shots are still needed, such as the scenery outside the high-speed train car. This requires a lot of green screen shooting. The special effects shots will probably be several times that of "The Signal". I don't want similar effects, I want the best."

effect, so this film will require a long time of preparation, a reliable post-production visual effects company, sufficient production funds, and full communication with the special effects company." Chen Jingxing said seriously.

"You want to make a real train?" Zhang Jingyan asked in surprise after hearing his request for the filming of "Source Code".

Xu Wenshen interrupted Chen Jingxing's thinking: "Mr. Chen, I'm afraid you don't have time to think about movies recently. The exchange training class in the United States is about to start."

Did the staff get into the shot? It will be fixed later.

Chen Jingxing gestured with a smile: "It's not an ordinary train, it's a high-speed train. To be precise, it's just a 1:1 model. It doesn't need to be more. We only need to build three carriages, and the rest will be solved later."

…

The key now is that the special effects company must be determined first, and it must be deeply involved in the preparations for "Source Code". It is best to be a domestic company. If that doesn't work, then the only option is to find an American special effects company... Korean companies seem to

Is that okay?

Over time, post-production has become a trash can for dirty work in the eyes of the director.

Of course, Chen Jingxing’s new movie is not just about contacting Huanshi.com. The financing agreement has clear requirements. Huanshi.com, Penguin Video, Tianrun Pictures and Lianhe Cinemas have priority investment rights.

Time is the most precious thing for special effects companies. Domestic film and television drama productions usually leave very limited time for post-production special effects.

There is no precedent for domestic movies to use model trains for filming. "A World Without Thieves" and "Let the Bullets Fly" were both shot this way.

Then Chen Jingxing, Zhang Jingyan and Xu Wenshen discussed for a long time before Zhang Jingyan left with the script in hand.

This results in people being idle to death when there are no orders, and busy to death when there are orders.

But no matter what, Chen Jingxing's bottom line is that DreamWorks' investment in the production of the two movies cannot be less than 50%.

Xu Wenshen nodded: "And the film bureau will host a launch briefing before going to the United States for study and exchange. The leaders of the film bureau will also attend the meeting. As the first batch of exchange study class members, you may have to make a speech."

The actors' movements are not in place? Isn't there still a post-production process?

Post-production special effects have become a wipe-out for various problems during filming. However, the funds for post-production special effects are not large, and are often owed by the producer, and the production time is very tight.

Xu Sheng is in front of the computer looking at the produced special effects lens samples.

Chengdu, inside an office building in a creative park.

It is already 8:30 in the evening, and most of the employees in the company are still working hard in front of the computer. The special effects industry is a manual job, and working overtime is normal. Working all night often happens, sometimes for a week.

It can even reach hundreds of working hours.

In addition to poor technology, lack of money and tight time constraints, the main reason for the low level of special effects in domestic film and television dramas is insufficient communication and extremely low efficiency.

This puts the domestic post-production special effects companies into a predicament of having less money and more time. They can only do perfunctory work. The technology is not very good in the first place, and they have to fool Party A, so the effect will only be 50 cents.

DreamWorks is currently unable to do film distribution, but production is not exclusive. Of course, this possibility is not high.

Chen Jingxing was shocked: "So fast?"

In addition, the proportion of domestic film and television production costs allocated to post-production is generally very low. Three years after opening does not exist in the special effects industry. Therefore, special effects companies can only follow the "small profits but quick turnover" model.

Only by accepting as many orders as possible can we support the team, which further compresses the production schedule. Therefore, most visual effects companies doing post-production work for film and television dramas are just like when I was a kid, rushing to do homework during the last two days of vacation.

In fact, the main profit of Xu Sheng's company is still advertising. In the later stage of accepting movies and TV series, the main purpose is to build a reputation so that it can receive more advertisements, and secondly, to maintain the team.

"Brother Xu, didn't you say you had an appointment with a client for dinner tonight?" A staff member came out to get coffee and asked in confusion when he saw Xu Sheng still in the company.

Xu Sheng hurriedly looked at his watch and exclaimed in surprise: "I almost forgot, the time has come, so I'll leave first!"

(End of chapter)