Chapter 161 Proud Director Chen

Inside Studio 12 of Universal Studios, the crew of "Inception" is busy filming.

For this drama, the exterior scenes will be shot in six countries: Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Morocco, the United States, and Canada.

The interior scenes were shot in a rented studio at Universal Studios, including several special indoor scenes such as the interior of the fortress, which were basically set up and filmed in this studio.

The crew then traveled to Japan to shoot the film's initial opening scenes atop a building in Tokyo.

Here, Saito, played by Shinichi Chiba, will make his proposal to Cobb, played by Wu Yizu, and Arthur, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and determine the main line of the story.

The picture looks like a very simple set of shots, but it was indeed quite difficult for the filming crew.

For a city like Tokyo, there are very strict regulations on the flight altitude and flight routes of helicopters, and it is difficult to obtain permission for filming.

Fortunately, Jiang Heng's fame and influence were great enough, and after some twists and turns, he finally got approval and completed the filming of this set of shots. The crew then went to the UK.

Considering that "The Promise" was about to hold its premiere ceremony in China, Jiang Heng took two days off, first flew to Beijing, and then went to London to meet up with the crew.

In Beijing, the CPPCC auditorium has changed its appearance.

It is said that this premiere cost more than 2000 million yuan, and the solemn auditorium was decorated into a magnificent "Wuji Land".

Next to the hundred-meter-long red carpet, hundreds of extras dressed up as the army in the film, creating an awe-inspiring scene.

At the end of the red carpet stands the "Wuji Gate" with a golden roof and red walls. 18 artificial pink crabapple trees and a giant white balloon lamp symbolizing the full moon make the atmosphere of the entire scene romantic and warm.

All the guests present were dumbfounded, thinking that even if it was Jiang Heng’s premiere, it didn’t seem like it would cost that much.

What’s even more outrageous is the price of the premiere ticket, which is as high as 1880 yuan, breaking the previous record of 3 yuan for the highest ticket price of a mainland film festival set by "The Matrix 1800".

The problem is that the ticket prices for the premiere of "The Matrix 3" are not high, and the price of 1800 is driven up by scalpers.

For "The Promise", 1880 yuan is the official price, but in reality there are still a large number of fans who can get free tickets through the online "ticket grabbing" event.

This move was quite outrageous, as if it was just to suppress Jiang Heng.

It is said that the idea of ​​the premiere was also created by Chen Kaige.

The theme was "Open the Door to Wuji, Ignite the Light of Wuji". After the red carpet ceremony, the creators pressed the button together to ignite the white "Light of Wuji".

What’s even more exaggerated is that there is not only a theme, but also a slogan, called “You and My Wuji”, which made Jiang Heng very embarrassed.

At the end of the film, the main creators took the stage again.

Xie Tingfeng performed the "magic fan skills" in the film on the spot. It has to be said that Xie Tingfeng, who is known as the "successor of Jackie Chan", is really good at it.

When the fan flowed smoothly in his hands, the audience burst into thunderous applause.

Finally, Xie Tingfeng performed his signature "Fan Flying Dance" move handsomely, which surprised everyone.

However, Chen Kaige's performance is a bit hard to describe.

At the exchange meeting, the host arranged "difficult problems" for several main creators, and each of them was assigned a term related to "The Promise".

Lao Chen got the word "obsessed". He said: "In this world, there are two things I am most obsessed with - I am obsessed with The Promise, which I filmed with Chen Hong, and I am obsessed with Chen Hong."

Afterwards, the two kissed ostentatiously in public, which not only stunned the leading actors on the stage, but also frightened the reporters below.

Guests including Han Sanping, Zhao Huayong and Jiang Heng also looked at each other in bewilderment.

I have to secretly praise him, what a talented person!
To be honest, Jiang Heng came here this time for the sake of courtesy. If someone comes to attend your premiere, you should try your best to attend. It is not right to do what Zhou Xingxing did. Feng Xiaogang made a guest appearance in "Kung Fu" and contributed the classic "Who else?"

When Feng Xiaogang invited him, he refused directly. It was so unworldly.

The second reason is that I want to watch Chen Kaige’s performance.

This person's desire to show off and perform is really strong.

Lao Chen is talented, but he is unrestrained and wants to express everything, which makes it difficult for the audience to understand.

At the scene, some viewers who had spent a lot of money were confused after watching it and asked their friends, "Do you understand it?"

"No, what a mess!"

“The composition and colors are really good!”

"What the hell is this plot about?"

"This is an epic bad movie!"

However, it was Chen Kaige's home turf, so even though some viewers thought it was bad, they didn't dare to shout it out loud.

Although some guests were confused, they were reluctant to speak out due to face.

Chen Kaige was very proud, and asked Jiang Heng at the dinner afterwards: "Director Jiang, what do you think of my film?"

Jiang Heng laughed, "Director Chen's production is a show of skill, and the content is too profound. I'm afraid no one will be able to understand it within ten years!"

Chen Kaiqiao was stunned when he heard this, and his face changed. He couldn't tell whether what Jiang Heng said was good or bad.

Because from a practical point of view, this is indeed a show of his skills.

The originally simple and weak story was made extremely complicated by him.

The hero and heroine met a quarter of the way through the film, fell in love within four minutes of meeting, and then separated.

The audience was naturally confused after watching it. Has it already started?
No, it's over!
The entire film has multiple intersecting story lines, which always surprise the audience.

Especially Kunlun who was hanging on the tree, watching Wuhuan tell his own story, hooking the heroine of the film, and highlighting the theme of the film.

His heart must be like Chen Peisi in "The Protagonist and the Supporting Actor", screaming in his heart, "No, I am the protagonist!"

As for the audience, they were even more confused. At first they thought Kunlun was the protagonist, then they thought Guangming was, and finally they thought Wuhuan was. In the end they could not get into the plot at all and naturally felt they could not understand it.

But Chen Kaige is very proud of this. He wants to express a lot of things in this film, including various clues and metaphors.

The content is indeed a bit profound, so it is normal that some viewers cannot understand it.

Is ten years an exaggeration?
Wait, is this kid mocking me?
"Director Jiang, young people, don't beat around the bush. Just tell me how my film is. How does it compare to your The Matrix series?"

After a few drinks, Chen Kaige showed off his "big brother" aura and insisted that Jiang Heng give a definite answer.

Seeing Jiang Heng's unhappy expression, the others hurried out to smooth things over.

Han Sanping, Zhao Huayong and others tried to change the subject, but Chen Kaige was relentless and insisted that Jiang Heng tell the truth.

"Haha, Director Chen is so serious, so I'll just say it clearly, film and television works are for the people. If the general public can't understand them and can't resonate with them, at least the common people won't say they're good!"

(End of this chapter)