Global Best Actor: Starting with Picking Up Attributes in America

Chapter 407 "Shanghai Fortress": Want to close the door?

Chapter 406 "Shanghai Fortress": Want to close the door?

Guo Fan stood there, speechless for a long time.

When he and his team were making this film, there was a constant stream of criticism from the outside world.

"China can't produce hard science fiction!"

"Don't embarrass yourself with those cheap, low-budget special effects!"

"Trying to compete with Hollywood with this little money is simply wishful thinking!"

They gritted their teeth and mortgaged their house, painstakingly refining the set design and special effects. But when it came to post-production editing, sound effects, and industrialized processes, it was like walking blindfolded in the dark, stumbling upon countless pitfalls and taking countless detours.

No one taught them, and there was no mature system to refer to.

Hollywood has been on the path of science fiction industrialization for nearly a century, and they want to complete it from scratch in three years. Only they know how difficult it is.

If Chen Xun hadn't arranged for them to study in Hollywood, this step would have been even more difficult.

Chen Xun dialed Robert's number right in front of everyone.

The phone was answered after two rings, and Rob's cheerful voice came through, accompanied by the sound of keyboard typing in the background.

Voice: "Bro, why are you calling me as soon as I landed? Is there something you need to arrange back home?"

"Robert, I have something very important to ask you."

Chen Xun didn't waste any words: "Immediately hand over all your non-urgent work in Hollywood, book the next available flight to Beijing, and bring our core team from Xunxing Entertainment over."

Robert's company team is very professional, and thanks to Chen Xun's reputation, many well-known people in the industry are willing to join.

The team includes a veteran sci-fi film editor with whom they have collaborated for ten years in Hollywood, a visual effects supervisor from Industrial Light & Magic, an Oscar-winning sound effects team, and the entire core team of the overseas distribution department.

Robert on the other end of the phone paused for a moment, then said seriously, "No problem, I'll arrange it right away. What specific tasks will the team handle once they arrive?"

"We provided full-process support to the production team of 'The Wandering Earth'."

Chen Xun glanced at Guo Fan beside him, whose eyes were brimming with excitement: "The key is not to have them do it for us, but to mentor them."

"It's also available overseas."

Chen Xun added, "The Wandering Earth is scheduled for release in China during the Spring Festival next year, and it will be released simultaneously worldwide. We will use our own distribution channels to ensure that the films receive the same screen time as Hollywood A-list commercial films in all regions, including North America, Europe, Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia. The publicity and distribution plan will be developed simultaneously. I want audiences all over the world to see this Chinese science fiction film on the big screen."

"clear!"

Rob's tone instantly ignited with fighting spirit: "I'll book the plane tickets right now, and by the day after tomorrow at the latest, I'll be there with the whole team."

"That's exactly what I've been waiting to hear!"

Chen Xun hung up the phone.

The screening room was completely silent.

Everyone was staring at Chen Xun, their eyes shining with an alarming light.

They originally thought that Chen Xun's return to offer suggestions for the film and help with its distribution would already be a huge help.

But to their utter surprise, Chen Xun brought over the top Hollywood team.

Not only should we strive to make this film the best it can be, but we should also use it to build a complete industrial system for Chinese science fiction films and pave a path that can be followed indefinitely.

Guo Fan's hands were trembling. He had mentally prepared himself countless times, and his worst-case scenario was that the film would flop at the box office and the spark of Chinese science fiction would be extinguished.

But now Chen Xun not only added fuel to this fire, he also built it an inexhaustible fuel station.

"Chen Xun————"

Guo Fan opened his mouth, a thousand words stuck in his throat, but in the end, he could only say, "On behalf of Chinese science fiction, thank you."

"Don't thank me."

Chen Xun waved his hand: "This is not just my business, it is the business of all of us. The Wandering Earth is just the beginning."

We want to use this film to cultivate domestic sci-fi editing, special effects, and sound teams, and set industrial standards so that young directors and teams who want to make sci-fi films in the future won't have to fumble their way in the dark like you have. They will have ready-made systems to refer to and mature teams to collaborate with.

In its previous life, "Shanghai Fortress" closed the door that was just opening for Chinese science fiction with its traffic-first approach and perfunctory production!

Many people say that "The Wandering Earth" opened the door to Chinese science fiction, while "Shanghai Fortress" shut it down.

But this life is different.

Chen Xun not only wants to open the door to Chinese science fiction, but also to tear it down!

He wants to broaden the path of Chinese science fiction.

Is Shanghai Fortress going to shut down?

Make it so that it can't even touch the door frame!

Audiences aren't fools. Once they've seen truly well-made domestic science fiction, they simply won't buy into those shoddy works that are all hype and money-grabbing.

What he needs to do is raise the standards of Chinese science fiction and completely eliminate the possibility of taking shortcuts.

night.

Guo Fan treated Chen Xun to a traditional Beijing-style hot pot dinner to welcome him back.

The copper pot bubbled and boiled with bone broth, the aroma of sesame paste, chive blossoms, and fermented bean curd mingling with the fresh smell of mutton, filling the entire private room.

This is the most down-to-earth Beijing-style restaurant.

The private room was packed with people, including Guo Fan, Gong Geer, Uncle Da, the director of photography, the editor, the sound engineer, as well as Xin Zhilei and Zhao Jinmai, all of whom were his own people who had spent hundreds of days and nights working on the set.

As soon as they stepped out of the screening room, everyone felt a huge weight lifted off their shoulders.

Their passion was reignited by Chen Xun's phone call, and now, holding their wine glasses, their faces were filled with barely suppressed excitement.

"Professor Chen Xun, let me first raise a toast to you!"

The young editor was the first to stand up, glass in hand, face flushed: "What you said in the screening room today perfectly explained the problem we've been struggling with for three months!"

"I'll drink it, but you can do as you please!"

The young man tilted his head back and downed a full glass of Erguotou in one gulp.

Chen Xun smiled, picked up his wine glass, and took a sip: "Don't call me teacher, just call me Chen Xun. You guys are the ones who have worked the hardest, starting from scratch and staying up all night so many times. It's not easy."

Several of the young creators had tears in their eyes.

Over the past three years, they have heard far too many doubts and ridicule.

Even their colleagues thought they were crazy.

With such a limited budget, they want to rival Hollywood's science fiction industry.

After rounds of toasts and several rounds of drinks, the mutton in the pot was cooked again and again, and the atmosphere in the private room became more and more lively.

Guo Fan, carrying a full glass of baijiu, walked around the table to Chen Xun's side, his face flushed from the alcohol, and he looked a little embarrassed, like a student waiting for the teacher to grade him.

"Chen Xun, let me toast you."

Guo Fan held his wine glass with both hands, lightly clinked it against his, tilted his head back, and downed the entire glass of baijiu in one gulp. After wiping his mouth, he finally asked the question he had been holding back all afternoon: "There's something I wanted to ask you—what do you think our film's box office projections will be after its release?"

Upon hearing this, the previously lively private room instantly fell silent.

All eyes turned to Chen Xun, even the chopsticks in their hands stopped, their eyes filled with tension.

The word "box office" has been like a Damocles' sword hanging over their heads since the day filming began.

Guo Fan rubbed his hands together: "I know it's a bit cliché to ask this, but to be honest, when we made this film, our worst-case scenario was that it would flop at the box office, we would lose everything, and the spark of Chinese science fiction would be extinguished."

He chuckled self-deprecatingly: "Before we asked you to invest, Lao Gong and I mortgaged our houses. We only had one thought in mind: as long as we could break even, even if we lost a little, and investors would still dare to invest in science fiction films next time, we would be satisfied."

"After you invested money and helped us connect with Hollywood resources, we felt a little more at ease. We secretly calculated that if we could break 8 million, we'd be incredibly grateful."

Gong Ge'er nodded quickly, adding, "Yes, yes, yes! 8 million is really the ceiling we can only dream of!"

With you joining us, the film's quality has improved significantly. And with your global influence, we dare to dream big—could we break 10 billion?

>