353: Chapter 353 New

"la la land" is certainly a good movie—that much is indisputable—but unfortunately, it also has quite a few issues.

First is the language issue.

Lin Chuyan actually wanted a domestic film; that way, his Acting would be more natural, and the overall style of the movie would feel right.

As it stands, the Lines are entirely in English. He could speak them while filming, but what about the others? Would everyone else have to speak English too? That's unrealistic, and the result would be very strange.

Second is the environment issue.

That film was set in Hollywood, with many scenes and even the story's premise based there. Forcibly filming it in Hengdian would likely end up looking like a hodgepodge of nothing.

Furthermore, this is a musical.

A musical, no less. Just like on Earth, here on Blue Planet, there is no fertile soil for this type of film domestically.

For one, nobody makes them, and for another, even if they did, nobody would watch them.

The final issue is the female lead.

Ruan Xingyu is a Singer, not an actress.

Her only Acting experience is shooting music videos. Although Director Du Qiyu said she has talent, that was just filming the "ambush from ten sides" MV, so it's hard to tell.

So, what should he do?

Lin Chuyan pondered for a long while and finally decided to direct it himself.

The reason is simple: selling this script would be a massive loss, the kind that would make the System feel like he was hopeless—he knew the value of this film all too well. If it could be filmed step-by-step, it would truly be capable of winning awards until his hands went soft.

Beyond this reason, Lin Chuyan also had his own selfish motive.

He remembered very clearly that this movie had a 'bad ending'.

Years later, the male and female leads had their own lives; there were regrets, but they didn't turn back.

Perhaps this is the true meaning of life, but it is also the point that leaves many fans feeling unfulfilled.

But Lin Chuyan also remembered that outside of the 'bad ending', the movie filmed an entire 'happy ending' sequence within the female lead's imagination.

They embraced, they kissed, they lived happily together, they got married, they even had children...

That was her fantasy, sure, but what if... what if they really got married in reality?

If the movie doesn't have a post-credits scene, then let reality become the movie's post-credits scene.

He planned to give her a surprise.

His originally envisioned marriage proposal scene wasn't like this, but the moment he saw "la la land", he abandoned all other ideas—there couldn't possibly be a more romantic way to propose than by making "la la land", right?

High-profile, yet subtle.

This was the reason he had to direct it himself and had to use Ruan Xingyu.

As for Acting and such, if there are difficulties, just solve them! Acting can be coached; there's nothing more to say. At worst, he could just ask his senior brother for help to teach her well. Don't forget that Zhang Wentang is a famous professional Acting teacher in the industry.

Furthermore, the male lead in the film is a musician dedicated to jazz, while the female lead is an obscure, D-list actress who harbors dreams and is constantly searching for audition opportunities.

This is almost the complete opposite of Lin and Ruan's real identities. This sense of contrast is also a major selling point for domestic audiences.

Also, having his girlfriend is an advantage—as a professional Singer, at the very least, there would be absolutely no issues with the singing and dancing.

In short, the foundation for a commercial film is there, so he wasn't very worried about the box office.

So what if it's a musical? Lin Chuyan had seen this film, and he remembered very clearly that when it was released on Earth, even with the domestic audience being unfamiliar with the actors and not very accepting of musicals, it still raked in several hundred million at the box office.

So now, with the same "la la land" and the addition of himself and Ruan Xingyu as the leads, as long as he strives for excellence and stays true to the original, why worry about the box office?

As for the language issue, Lin Chuyan thought about it—what if he just filmed two versions?

Because it needs to match those classic English songs, the film definitely needs an English version.

But he also remembered that this film had a Mandarin dub, while the English songs in the middle remained unchanged...

Then the operation becomes simple; wouldn't it work just by reversing the logic?

Have a Mandarin version first, then dub an English version.

But even so, the issues with the various scenes and plot in the script still couldn't be solved... He really didn't want to make any drastic, nonsensical changes to such a good script.

What a headache, a real headache.

While he was learning from Director Chu Dong on the set of "pegasus 2", he discovered that there were simply too many things for a director to consider...

If it really came down to it, he would have to learn from Director Chu Dong, or even Director Yu Jin, and spend the money to restore the sets or rebuild them himself?

Look at Director Chu; whether it's the Wu Yue set, the Shanghai International Circuit, or Bayanbulak, he traveled to three different places to build sets for one movie. That was never an easy task.

Hmm?

Speaking of moving around to build sets, a new idea suddenly popped up—if Director Chu can change locations to film, why can't Lin Chuyan? What if he went directly to Hollywood to film?

Hiss... that's a bit bold, but it's not impossible.

There are difficulties, and many of them.

But it's obviously much more authentic than filming domestically! If he did that, wouldn't the language, the scenes, and the plot all be perfectly resolved at once?

Hmm, no rush.

This idea is great; keep it as an option. It's not the right time yet; he needs to do more preparation.

Although the basic attributes for "Director" and "Screenwriter" given by the System could be added to, there were some things unrelated to "adding points" that couldn't be avoided.

For example, the script.

The System gave him the complete script and the storyboard, sure, but it didn't give him the technical script—he knew while learning from Director Chu Dong that a technical script was needed. This thing describes in detail the technical requirements for filming each scene, such as camera type, camera movement, lighting settings, etc., to provide specific technical guidance to the film crew.

Although he didn't need to figure it all out by himself, he had to find the right people, people who understood.

For example, funding.

"la la land" among the many Hollywood films, definitely doesn't count as a big production; at most, it's a small-to-medium budget film.

But their so-called small-to-medium budget is calculated in US dollars. Production costs, actor salaries, director and crew wages, music and sound effect production, post-production, marketing and distribution fees... adding it all up, Lin Chuyan estimated it would take around 30 million US dollars.

The question arises: can he pay this 200 million all by himself? Anyway, the director's fee and the salaries for the male and female leads could be saved.

The answer is no.

Because even if you don't think about sharing the risk, even if you think this film is a guaranteed profit, and even if the companies behind the various working teams don't get involved, when the film needs to be distributed and released, can you really handle the distribution all by yourself?

Since he has to find people to help, he naturally has to give them a taste of the benefits; otherwise, he won't be able to take a single step.

This is also unavoidable.

Besides that, things like venue leasing, obtaining filming permits, providing catering and accommodation for the crew and actors, as well as various insurance and legal matters... these all require knowledgeable people to handle.

For many things, he doesn't have to be an expert in everything, but he himself must have a clear idea of what's going on.

First, so he isn't swindled by his subordinates; second, so he at least knows what he wants and can put forward clear, actionable requirements.

So, there is a long road ahead; he must work even harder this year.

However, before that, he still had to respect his girlfriend's opinion.