Chapter 14 "Sphere Lightning"

"Globular Lightning" is a long science fiction novel published by Liu Cixin in 2005, telling the story of a spherical lightning breaking into the home of a young Dr. Chen on a bizarre rainy night, and in an instant

Turning his parents into ashes, Dr. Chen decided to spend his whole life to solve the natural mystery that turned him into an orphan.

But he never thought that many years later, his research was included in the "New Concept Weapons" development plan, and the spherical lightning he pursued became the final weapon that determines the survival or destruction of the motherland in the next war. As for the front, the Great Northwest

The cold "blue sun" rose on the Gobi Desert, and the world became strange and strange. A completely unknown future, under the gaze of cosmic observers, descended before mankind...

Before creating "Sphere Lightning", Liu thought he had liver cancer, so he gritted his teeth and endured his pain and wrote "Sphere Lightning" at his desk, hoping to use it as his last work. As the "last work", compared to depicting the magnificent universe

"The Three-Body Problem" and "Sphere Lightning" are more like memoirs written by Liu for himself, with a strong sense of reality and substitution.

Among Liu Cixin's many novels, "Sphere Lightning" is not the most famous, but in terms of storyline and character creation, it can be said to be second only to "The Three-Body Problem"!

In addition to really liking this story, Gu Zhongyu chose this novel as the first shot in the new domestic science fiction mileage. In addition to really liking this story, there is another important reason.

Unlike "The Three-Body Problem" and "The Wandering Earth", "Sphere Lightning" does not require many grand special effects scenes, especially the content in the first half of the novel, which can completely produce suspense films or even horror films! This saves

Many costs, according to production estimates, "Sphere Lightning" can be divided into two parts to shoot, and the production cost of the first part can be completely controlled at about 100 million! According to the 670 million box office of last year's box office champion "Tangshan Earthquake"

, such production costs still have a lot of profit margin.

A few years ago, he also wanted to remake "The Three-Body Problem" and "The Wandering Earth", but after carefully examining the domestic special effects companies and production levels, as well as the current domestic film market, he still chose to give up this

Unrealistic thoughts.

It’s not that it can’t be photographed, even if the domestic special effects company cannot meet it, he will come to Industrial Light and Magic and digital fields, as long as he is willing to spend money and keep a tighter control, he will definitely be photographed. But the cost is too high!

The first part of "The Wandering Earth" is basically the special effects from domestic companies, with good quality and low price, and the production cost has reached more than 300 million yuan. If you are looking for Industrial Light and Magic, you can't even think about it without a $100 million base!

The domestic movie box office champion in 2010 was only more than 600 million yuan. According to the law that the box office cost at least three times the cost to make money, there is no hope of even making a profit!

So Gu Zhongyu understood from then on that time that the development of domestic science fiction movies must take the long-term planning path, and it is impossible to be impatient. So in 2008, he invested in and controlled the Hong Kong special effects company Xiantao Digital (who was once responsible for the Fengyun)

Heroes, heroes, kung fu and other special effects productions), and then began to cultivate the new generation of special effects technical talents they need. In recent years, Xiantao Digital has also received many domestic and foreign orders, although the company is still in a loss state.

But Gu Zhongyu doesn't care, as long as he doesn't lose too much. He has not expected special effects companies to make money in recent years.

...

After reading the script and production plan of "Ball Lightning", Guo Fan took a deep breath, calmed down his excitement and asked: "Teacher Gu, I don't understand. This kind of big-produced movie with a cost of over 100 million yuan, you

Why did you think of finding me?"

"Then who should I look for?" Gu Zhongyu asked with a smile.

"It should be those directors who have already achieved success in the film industry!" Guo Fan felt that he had no advantage compared to those big directors.

"For example, "Old Strategy" Xu?" Gu Zhongyu asked back and told Guo Fan about his thoughts.

He had also considered looking for those big directors before, but after thinking for a while, he quickly gave up this idea!

Old Taozi?

Gu Zhongyu admitted that he is indeed the best among domestic directors in photography, composition and large-scale scene scheduling, but is it a science fiction film?

Anyway, he thinks that this guy may not even understand the movie script! After all, his cultural level is limited, and the knowledge and nouns in Da Liu's novels can probably make him faint. This cannot be blamed, after all, domestic directors

We have always emphasized literature and over science. When talking about film theory and humanities and history, we can talk about it. If we talk about mathematics, physics and chemistry, then basically a junior high school student can argue them!

Xu Laoqian is a good person. As an alien among Chinese directors, he has always loved special effects and various imaginative plot settings. But the problem is that Xu Laoqian's movie special effects have always been a comprador route, and he likes to use foreign movie special effects teams.

Use it directly, rather than cultivating one's own people.

This is in conflict with Gu Zhongyu's training of a domestic special effects team. After all, one of the reasons why he filmed "Ball Lightning" was to lay the foundation for other science fiction movies in the future (and Xu Laoqian's director's pay is too high, at least one thousand yuan.

More than 10,000 yuan is also an important reason why Gu Zhongyu chose to give up asking Mr. Xu).

After comprehensive consideration, Gu Zhongyu still plans to let Guo Fan come. After all, he has been considered as directorial experience now, and... he is still very cheap!

"What you just said may be some shortcomings of the seniors, but it still cannot explain why I chose me?" Guo Fan still couldn't understand why the other party came to him after hearing Gu Zhongyu's previous explanation!

Why did you choose? I can't tell you that you will direct two "The Wandering Earth" in the future and become the number one in science fiction movies in China?

Let me think about how to fool you kid into taking the bait!

Gu Zhongyu adjusted his sitting posture and explained in a straight voice: "1. You Guo Fan, who has been admitted to the 211 university through the normal college entrance examination route, has an IQ of 5%. Although it is not

Major in science and engineering, but the learning ability is completely fine. Other performing arts personnel generally ranked second to 30%. This group of people scored 300 points in the college entrance examination and could solve the binary equation even if they were a top student. If they did not have enough knowledge reserves and academic qualifications, they would be considered as masters.

At the same time, you can't make science fiction movies well!

2. You like science fiction and have your own understanding of science fiction, rather than like other directors, your understanding of domestic science fiction is still stuck in the works of "The Dead Light on the Coral Island" and "Pili Beibei" in the last century.

As the saying goes, only with good consciousness can one have good works!

3. And the most important point is that I appreciate you, Guo Fan! The starting and developing science fiction movies requires talents, and our Warring States Film Industry needs talents like you! I believe you can make this movie well, too

I believe that the door to domestic science fiction movies must be pushed open by you, Guo Fan!

Rainbow farts don’t cost money! You can do more, don’t believe you, boy, won’t take the bait!
Chapter completed!