I’m a Director, I’m Not Bad

Chapter 997 992 It is not recommended to choose

I don’t care whether Jean-Claude Van Damme is a rough guy and can get used to drinking this kind of kung fu tea, but he does look like a veteran actor.

The crew starts working, and other people don’t work. Even if my work is completed, I will not leave.

And during the break, it is also guaranteed that the director can find him at any time if he wants to find him.

This kind of concentration that only the older generation of actors can maintain is indeed rare in this era.

Xu Xin can feel it.

Not to mention admiration.

Even a little surprised.

Because he heard that this guy had a drug history. During that time, he often arrived late and left early, and was notoriously difficult to deal with on the set.

It was also the starting point of his transition from prosperity to decline.

And this guy also made an autobiographical movie in 2008, called "Jean-Claude Van Damme." In that movie, he was full of remorse about his past self. Although it still can't be said that it has returned to its peak after that,... its reputation has gradually improved since then.

That's how it is, people.

Only when you experience something can you truly grow up.

Even though he has been married, divorced, married, divorced... and finally remarried, he seems to be a down-to-earth, hard-working and dedicated actor now.

The attitude is straight forward.

As for Xu Xin, the prime time for this advertisement has been locked, and he only has about ten minutes, so he needs to prepare everything in the early stage and rehearse everything, so there are still quite a lot of things to prepare. of.

He was busy for more than an hour.

When the time came to almost 11 o'clock, after several simulations of the camera positions and finding what he thought was the best route, the people there immediately started preparing for the first rehearsal, and he was free.

Turning his head, he found that Jean-Claude Van Damme was still there.

So he smiled and said:

"VD, do you have a problem with me?"

"Well, director, is this not an advertisement? Is there anything I need to pay attention to?"

"Well...just fine, let me tell you what I think."

After taking a look at the camera crew making preparations over there, he began to chat with Jean-Claude Van Damme about the idea of advertising.

The two of them did not have a personal relationship, so they only talked about the filming.

From ideas to what a director needs actors to express.

After chatting for about ten minutes, Simon Reyes reminded Xu Xin:

"Xu, the pedals have been installed."

Xu Xin glanced at the time and said to Jean-Claude Van Damme:

"VD, let's go take a look."

"OK, no problem."

After roughly understanding the idea of the advertisement, he happily followed Xu Xin to the two trucks under the sun.

Two black pedals have been installed on the truck's rearview mirror.

To be honest, it doesn't look eye-catching from a distance.

Soon, the staff pushed a ladder, and Jean-Claude Van Damme climbed up directly and stood on the two reversing mirrors.

After everything from stability to foot feel was confirmed, he got down and the truck began to move away.

The distance of more than two meters is not completely widened, but a safe distance of ten centimeters is maintained. Jean-Claude Van Damme wants to play a straight horse to see if the position is suitable.

The staff here would have provided him with a safety lock, and then asked him to stand on the ladder. He would first stand with one foot on the rearview mirror, and then use the ladder to move little by little until he reached a safe distance. That's it.

As a result, after the veteran Hollywood action star glanced at the distance, he waved his hand casually, tied a safety lock on his body, stepped on the rearview mirror of a truck with one foot, and raised his other leg high. She looks like a professional ballet dancer.

Then it fell directly and naturally.

When everyone's mouths gradually began to form an "O" shape, there was a "boom" and the raised leg hit another truck.

Long and stable...

But all the men, including Xu Xin, felt cold in their crotches.

Just looking at the two muscular legs resting on the rear view mirror, the opponent also performed a classic pose from "King of Fighters" - a karate punch.

"OMG..."

These are Xu Xin's words.

It’s purely a subconscious exclamation in the English context.

And Simon Reyes next to him is even more real:

"WTF...?"

Everyone just stared at this guy.

They were all stupid.

And Jean-Claude Van Damme, who was looking down at everyone, really looked like a sun god and said to everyone under the dazzling light of the direct sunlight:

"There is no problem with this distance, it's absolutely fine."

"..."

Others were speechless.

Just applause burst out from nowhere.

Gradually they became one.

It also included Xu Xin... He looked up at this buddy, applauded and sighed.

This person really made the right choice.

Not wrong at all.

…

The so-called expert will know whether there is something or not as soon as he takes action.

Regardless of Jean-Claude Van Damme's reputation, his "legs" directly established prestige among the film crew.

It makes people feel the charm of veteran action stars again.

When it was almost 12 o'clock, the crew finally finished painting the 400-meter landmark line.

The quick-drying paint enters the solidification state within a few minutes of spraying and meets the driving standards in hot weather. In addition, this kind of paint is easy to clean. It is a bit expensive, but compared with the cost of manual paint removal, it is simply negligible.

The morning's work is over and everyone eats in the dining car.

There was no rest after the meal, and the stunt drivers and cameras began to work.

The two stunt drivers are indeed very experienced. When the crew finished work at 2:30, they had already completed a complete tangent.

Xu Xin specially tied a ribbon with a length of 2.65 meters on the two trucks.

Three times in a row, it didn't break when reversing.

Yes, it's reverse.

In his concept, doesn't Volvo want to express the vehicle's handling and stability?

There's no point in driving forward, so let's just go in reverse.

Use reverse to convey the most precise theme.

And drivers can also understand from this point how good this car handles.

In short, on the first day of advertising, I got up very early and ended the work early.

On the way back, he received a call from his wife.

The whole family has arrived in Los Angeles, so Xu Xin doesn't have to worry.

Xu Xin also talked to her about the preparations.

If nothing else, he will be home at noon tomorrow.

Then...the unexpected happened.

The next day it was cloudy in California.

I never saw the sun at all.

have to……

What else can be said?

Thank God it didn't rain.

So, the crew continued to rehearse.

This time even Jean-Claude Van Damme was on board.

This guy stood in the car all afternoon, repeating the moves. Xu Xin also studied several shooting routes.

In one morning, all the preparations were completed to perfection.

And Xu Xin looked at the samples taken in the morning... Forget about him, Peter Evenson almost fell to his knees.

Although this is not yet a finished product, there is no dubbing, soundtrack, or post-production modifications.

But...just the feeling of his hips slowly splitting apart, old Peter felt like he was going to bend.

Then, starting at 8:03 on the morning of the third day, the entire film crew got into gear.

Yesterday's many exercises made everyone know what their job is.

8:05.

With Xu Xin's "ACTION", in the camera, Jean-Claude Van Damme stood on the slightly shaking truck and slowly opened his eyes.

Advertising shooting begins.

…

8:06.

The first shot is finished.

At 8:08, the second filming started.

At 11 minutes, the second shot ends.

14 points.

17 points.

20 points.

23 points.

25 points.

30 points.

Five in total.

After half an hour, due to the problem of sunlight, Xu Xin, Simon, Peter, and Jean-Claude Van Damme... all wore a black cloth to block the optical fiber and watched all the pictures taken. over.

Finally, Xu Xin nodded:

"OK, shooting is complete."

Volvo's second commercial is finished.

…

"Xu, it's a pleasure working with you. If you need anything in the future, please call me anytime."

These are Jean-Claude Van Damme's farewell words.

Xu Xin readily agreed. Although he did not establish any particularly good personal relationship, he regarded the other party as a very dedicated actor.

No director would hate this kind of professionalism.

And the next thing is simple.

Sample taken by Simon Reyes. At that time, editing, color grading and other things will be completed in his studio.

After agreeing to meet in Los Angeles, Xu Xin went home directly.

Today is July 1st, and Yang Mi has already flown to Mexico. He only had his father-in-law, mother-in-law and two children at home, so he had to go home quickly.

He quickly returned to the hotel. The car was already waiting at the door. He dragged his luggage and Su Meng and got directly into the car, leaving in a hurry.

At around 3 o'clock in the afternoon, he arrived home and saw an expected but unexpected "guest".

"Ahahaha! Come after me!"

Nuannuan was on the lawn at home, running away like crazy with her younger brother.

Liu Momo opened his hands and "ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo" ("Oooooooo") as he was about to eat the two panicked little lambs.

When they saw Xu Xin coming home, the two children felt as if they had seen a savior and threw themselves into his arms:

"Dad, the big tiger is going to eat people!"

"It's okay, don't be afraid, daddy will protect you~"

He smiled and raised his head to Liu Momo to say hello. When he saw the two children running and sweating profusely, he said:

"Okay, let's go drink some water... Mengmeng, take them both to cool down."

"I know, Brother Xu."

Su Meng responded and walked into the house with the two children.

Liu Momo, who was also sweating from playing, walked to the shade, pinched his waist and looked at the dusty Xu Xin:

"Is the commercial finished?"

"Well...Sister Mo, I have a feeling now..."

"Shut up!"

After so many years of tacit understanding, she realized something the moment she saw Xu Xin's expression, and angrily blocked what Xu Xin wanted to say.

"Well……"

Xu Xin couldn’t laugh or cry:

"You know what I'm going to say?"

"Nonsense! You must say that I will be a good mother in the future, right? Because I am patient with my children."

"..."

"What you are thinking now should be: What the hell? Can you guess this?"

"..."

Looking at Xu Xin, whose expression became increasingly weird, Liu Momo sighed helplessly:

"Oh...you, you have been doing this over and over again for so many years. I just used my toes to figure it out, and I am too lazy to use my brain."

Fine.

Xu Xin, who had not used any of the three tools to urge marriage, nodded and took the initiative to open the glass door:

"Please."

As soon as the two of them entered the room, they heard Su Meng say:

"Brother Xu, they both want to swim."

"You take him with you, and we can talk about something."

While waving to the assistant, Liu Momo opened the refrigerator with ease and took out two bottles of water.

Just like your own home.

When Xu Xin was about to say that he didn't want to drink soda, he suddenly heard:

"The little duck is mine!"

He shivered instantly.

have to.

Don't worry about what you're drinking, just run away.

Liu Momo saw him running towards the cigar bar in a hurry and wondered what was going on. Then……

"Dad, he robbed...aunt! He robbed my little duck!!!"

"Well……"

Liu Momo glanced at the pink unicorn that no one cared about but was more in line with the warmth, and then glanced at Yangyang, who was silent but had his arms tightly wrapped around the swimming ring...

"UFO!"

She pointed out the window.

The two children turned their heads instantly.

She took this opportunity and ran to the cigar bar as fast as she could.

The door closed with a bang.

Nuannuan:ヽ(`Д)

Yangyang：￣へ￣

"..."

(д；)!

Su Meng looked at the two children who were staring directly at her, demanding justice.

Tears flowed down unsatisfactorily.

What should I do?

…

"Paramount really likes you, to be honest."

"how?"

"Under normal circumstances, if a new director's film investment is not particularly optimistic about the big Hollywood companies, they will find someone to bear 30 to 40 percent of the risk. But when it comes to you, I bring the copyright to the negotiation and give it to you. 20% of the investment amount. They are responsible for production, global distribution, and promotion. It is equivalent to an all-inclusive package.”

Hearing Liu Momo's words, Xu Xin was a little surprised:

"Just 20%? Are there any other terms?"

"If a sequel is produced, they can invest up to 25 percent. In addition, they will pay the copyright fee. That's it for now."

"It sounds like a bit of a loss."

"I agreed."

"……ah?"

Xu Xin was stunned:

"accepted?"

"Um."

Looking at his increasingly uncomprehending expression, Liu Momo seemed very calm:

"I believe in you."

Xu Xin was stunned again.

I didn't realize that there was any direct connection between Sister Mo's confidence in herself and the conditions she agreed to with Paramount.

Looking at his confused look, Liu Momo said:

"Paramount is cooperating with you. As long as the film is finished and the quality is good, they will definitely recommend it. You just came to Hollywood and no one knows what your level is. You have to pay for a movie with them. Although you can negotiate, but I think it's more important to push you out. Don't think that Hollywood is all about profit and no favors. The relationship between the director and the producer is actually a very delicate balance. If you stand up, everything can be discussed. If you don't stand up, we can The relationship with them is nothing more than a deal. But if you hold this deal and want to fight for interests, then everything will be based on interests, and it will be difficult to further the favor. That’s what I think, not to mention, I'm already talking to Derek about a sequel."

Xu Xin raised his eyebrows:

"You think so highly of me?"

Hearing this, Liu Momo smiled slightly and asked:

"Have you ever made a mistake?"

"Well……"

"You told me that the quality of "The Package" was mediocre, and I didn't listen to you when you made other films. It was thrown out. I was not optimistic about "Wulin Gaiden" at the beginning, but you said that this film is definitely good. It's done." "Once" listened to you and became a big hit in Europe. "The Man from London" didn't listen to you and was sold out... You have to trust a woman's intuition."

"..."

His eyes became strange.

Seeing this, Liu Momo asked in confusion:

"how?"

"Sister... let's just say... weren't those movies that hit the street your intuition?"

After Xu Xin finished speaking, Liu Momo was startled, and then...

Um.

King Kong glared angrily.

It's quite cool for an old sister who can't get married to get angry.

Unfortunately, he is single.

However, the scene of King Kong glaring angrily, hammering the sky dog, and roaring is still quite good, but unfortunately, the stamina is not great.

After hammering a few times, she rubbed her fists and said:

"What are you going to do next? How about your domestic movie?"

"It has entered the fine editing stage. When Yang Mi returns to China for the premiere, I will go back with her and finish the dubbing. I don’t have to worry about the soundtrack, so basically there will be no problem. The children will follow me this summer vacation. Two...what did she say about the movie?"

"The preparations are almost complete, but she has a lot of promotion schedule this time, and it may really be postponed to the end of July or early August. What are your plans?"

"have no idea."

Xu Xin shook his head:

"Let's see, let's see what Paramount says tomorrow. Anyway, my time is flexible, maybe like Guillermo Toro by then. Will the premiere be in China? It will probably be busier then. Normally, Keanu is here , who am I?"

When he mentioned this, Liu Momo suddenly remembered something and asked:

"I've always wanted to say that. I feel like the standards in China are... difficult, right?"

"Well……"

At this time, Xu Xin frowned.

In fact, he had always felt unsure about this.

What can I say about the script of "John Wick"... He actually doesn't have anything particularly wrong with him.

Even the plot is simple and crude, without any thought.

But the problem is that he killed many people.

Even if Xu Xin can avoid some scenes such as plasma splashing, "death" is "death". It can't be like "One Piece". They are all Yonko. The most they can do is knock people unconscious, right?

But a lot of people died... not to mention that it wasn't a war movie. Without a big frame and tone, it was just a fun urban gun battle movie. With so many people dying, he didn't know whether it would pass the review.

This has nothing to do with whether Xi Film Studio invested in it... What's more, this film was not invested by Xi Film Studio, but by Ni Feng himself.

Even if it can give Xiying Studio some face, there will be a limit to how much face it can give.

Moreover, this also involves a foreign-funded film.

It is not a Chinese script.

China's local script can give you some revision suggestions during the project documentation period.

You have changed, as long as you look good, even if you turn a blind eye... it will be over.

But the problem is that these imported films are all finished products and submitted for review.

According to the tone of the script, Xu Xin thought about the shooting scene for a while and realized that the scale was really a bit high...

"This...it's really hard to say. I don't know for sure."

But at this time Liu Momo suddenly gave him a reassurance:

"It's okay, just take your picture. Don't worry about it."

The sister said in a very positive tone:

"give it to me!"

awesomeness.

…

Liu Momo stayed with Xu Xin until after dinner.

She is quite proud of the Japanese cook at home.

After she left, Xu Xin also took a break.

In the evening, he received a lot of selfies of Yang Mi at the premiere. I have to admit that Guillermo Toro's popularity in Mexico is indeed not low. People who didn't know the photos from the premiere might have thought it was a concert.

The premiere was at 8 o'clock, but he didn't last until the film was finished.

At around 9 o'clock, the child felt sleepy and started to yawn.

Then go to sleep.

So, when he got up at around 3 a.m. to go to the bathroom, he received a WeChat message from Yang Mi:

“The reviews from the audience are very good!”

"great!"

"Someone asked me for an autograph!"

This was sent at 10:27.

Then, at 10:42:

"I was kissed!"

"Ahhhhh!"

"Damn it! She licked my face!"

"She asked me for my autograph! Then she hugged me and kissed me!"

"I fucking threw up!"

"The quality of Mexican security guards is so poor! Protect your shortcomings! Why don't you blow her head off!"

After Xu Xin saw these messages in a daze, he didn't have much other ideas.

Just kidding...even if he likes the dress, he can't touch his face without touching it.

In order to appear particularly white when attending events, their foundations are all the kind of cold white-skinned makeup creams.

When you lick it, it feels like there is a layer of putty paste in your mouth.

Those who can keep their mouth shut are true warriors.

Even though she is a lesbian, her buddies respect her as a man.

So I threw my phone aside, hugged my two soft-smelling babies, and continued to sleep.

As soon as he woke up, he took Su Meng and went out without even eating breakfast.

But he didn't go far.

In less than ten minutes' drive, he arrived at Rodeo Drive, next to Beverly Hills and one of the most famous commercial streets in the world.

Almost all luxury goods stores in the world can be found on this street.

Yang Mi especially likes shopping, and she has brought Xu Xin here many times, filling up the display windows at home. But she doesn’t come here very often recently. On the one hand, she is busy, and on the other hand, she came here to promote herself some time ago and had dinner with Vanessa. Vanessa saw many clothes in her wardrobe that even had tags. After they became "old style" without picking them off, I suggested that she "throw away" these clothes.

Of course, the "throw" in Vanessa's words actually means throwing it to those second-hand recyclers.

Because if a guest who comes to your home discovers that your wardrobe is full of old-style clothes, it will be a bit "shameful" and "embarrassing."

Yang Mi felt strange.

I thought to myself that although I haven’t worn these clothes, they are all new anyway, so why are they old?

Vanessa's response was: Before I moved in with Kobe, I had the same idea as you. But some people are so picky. If you don’t do it, it will be difficult to integrate into some circles. Even if we are forced, we must make changes in our choices.

This sounds reasonable at first glance, but unfortunately... the young lady from the Chinese Dynasty opposite her is a very self-persistent person.

Vanessa naturally meant well, but she didn't listen.

I even feel that the upper-class culture of the United States is a bit boring.

This also caused her interest in mass-produced models from some big brands to disappear a lot.

For this alone, Xu Xin was quite grateful.

Let yourself save at least 1.8 million a year.

Ahem, that’s too far off topic.

anyway.

According to Georgia Liu's address, he followed the navigation and came to a restaurant called "208 Rodeo Hotel".

And when he walked into the restaurant and saw the signature "earth stove", he knew what kind of restaurant it was.

have to.

Italian restaurant.

As an ambassador of friendly exchanges, he has not only promoted China, but has become synonymous with Italians.

Fine.

It happened that the udon noodles made by the Japanese cook at home did not suit his appetite.

I’m going to order a large portion of traditional spaghetti with meat sauce for brunch soon, just enough to fill my old Shaanxi heart.

Unfortunately, raw garlic is not available here.

Otherwise, add another clove of garlic!

After being led to the terrace and seated by the waiter, Xu Xin nodded to Su Meng, and Mengmeng left with Brother Xu's golden rule of "eat whatever you want."

He himself asked for a bottle of unknown mineral water covered by the 15.5% service charge.

Not long after, Lao Qian, who still chose a casual suit to go out on a hot day, appeared at the door of the terrace.

After looking around and seeing Xu Xin, Georgia smiled, said hello, and walked over.

"May."

"George, long time no see."

"Haha, yeah, friend. How is Yang?"

"very good."

"Where are the children?"

"Very good too."

"My grandson will come from the UK the day after tomorrow. How long will NUNU and Sunny stay here? I think they will become very good friends."

Xu Xin knew that Lao Qian had a four-and-a-half-year-old grandson, but he had never seen him.

But he would definitely not refuse this invitation and said with a smile:

"Both of them will be with us this summer. It would be great to have a new friend. Oh yes, Lang will come to see me in a few days, and Vanessa will come with GIGI. I want to know a few The little one will definitely not be too lonely this holiday.”

"That would be great."

A look of expectation appeared on Lao Qian's face.

Then, the waiter came over with the menu, but Lao Qian waved his hand:

"Tell Wario that the guests I invited have arrived. Just ask him to bring out the prepared dishes. Oh yes, and the bottle of wine I had someone deliver yesterday."

After ordering the dishes skillfully, Georgia said with great recommendation:

"Xu, I know your deep love for Italian food..."

"..."

Under Xu Xin's resigned expression, he said:

"Today, let's try some authentic Sicilian flavors. Trust me, you won't be disappointed."

“Hopefully it reminds me of my ‘hometown’!”

"Hahaha~ I will definitely do it!"

Lao Qian's hearty laughter rang out from the terrace.

But something came right away:

"Xu...do you want to choose Keanu Reeves as the protagonist of your film?"

"Yeah that's right."

Xu Xin nodded: