The program team lost contact, and the desert island live broadcast reversed the character design

Chapter 447 War Film

Su Zhe no longer had the energy to pay attention to the negotiations for "Unnatural Death".

Anyway, he has already written the script, and since this drama is a spin-off of the Tang Detective universe, it is impossible for him to star in it.

On the contrary, Mary Sue has been trying to package it in and squeeze Gong Man in to play the heroine Misumi Mikoto, the female forensic doctor played by Ju Yuan in the previous life.

This is not only to allow Gong Man to enter Japan, but more importantly, as a character in the Tang Detective universe, Mikoto Misumi may also appear in subsequent works.

To be on the safe side, Su Zhe would rather let someone he trusts play the important role in the Tang Detective universe, to avoid the other party raising the price after the script is written, like Robert Downey Jr., swallowing up most of the profits from Iron Man.

Mary Sue talked for a long time and asked Gong Man to audition before she finally succeeded.

However, when the contract was signed, the Japanese were greatly shocked - Gong Man's salary was as high as 1000 million!
In fact, this is not that high. For a top actress who has just won the Tokyo Film Festival and has starred in films with a total box office of over 50 billion yuan in China (The Secret and Better Days), it is really too little.

It's purely because of the rare opportunity and special considerations, plus Gong Man doesn't care much about these things, so the price is only 1000 million as a friendship price.

But in Japan, it is too exaggerated.

Even though Japan is a developed country with a higher per capita income, the pay of Japanese TV actors is not high. This is reasonable.

For example, Shi Yuan is already one of the top actresses in Japan, and many people in China call her "wife".

But her total pay for "Unnatural" was only 12 yuan, which is not as high as the pay of special extras (extras) in China.

However, as a top actress, Shi Yuan has income from endorsements in addition to her film pay, and her annual income is about 2000 million, which is quite reasonable.

However, some small stars cannot get any endorsements and rely entirely on film pay, which is not stable, so they are really poor.

Rumor has it (trend search on Twitter, not confirmed, just forwarded, not guaranteed to be authentic, not made up by me, please delete if infringement), Prince Wang dated two female stars in Japan, and his expenses were not as much as those of domestic internet celebrities.

In short, if you only look at the pay, Gong Man's going to Japan to film "Unnatural" is quite similar to the time when Hong Kong stars came to the mainland to film TV dramas when the mainland was not yet developed.

The difference in pay between the two parties was so huge that the Japanese were stunned and completely unable to understand:
"Are Chinese people so rich?"

"No wonder everyone wants to go to the Chinese market. I must star in Detective Chinatown 3!"

"The status of Chinese female stars is too high. Not only are they paid well, but they also have private cars, translators, assistants, drivers, bodyguards..."

In China, Gong Man is one of the most modest female stars, but when she is abroad, she must pay attention to safety and is equipped with many staff members.

This shocked the Japanese actors greatly.

These anecdotes from the crew were passed on to Mary Su by the assistants, and were treated as anecdotes and told to Su Zhe:
"Boss Su, didn't you see how surprised those Japanese people were? They really haven't seen the world."

"If they knew that you were paid 1 million yuan for the film, what would they think? They would be scared to death."

"Hahaha, just like when we watched Hong Kong stars, there won't be people shouting for 'equal pay for equal work', right?"

Su Zhe didn't laugh, but shrugged:

"Japan and South Korea are both developed countries, but the pay for actors is not high. Only the top stars earn a lot. In our country, the pay for actors is horrible."

Who is right after all?

I'm afraid that except for the celebrities themselves, most people hold the same view.

However, Su Zhe could not change this situation, nor did he intend to change it. He said calmly:
"It's fine if the pay is high, but if you still can't do a good job and can't compare to others, it will only bring shame, and you'll probably be ridiculed and boycotted."

He was talking about "National Glory".

The content of this variety show has been confirmed, which will organize celebrities to experience life in the military, similar to the previous "Real Men" or the Korean version of "Real Men".

A group of stars received military training, demonstrated their spirit, and finally participated in the competition.

It is said that there were some real military exchanges, or perhaps the Chinese military took the opportunity to flex its muscles, but it is not convenient to talk about it.

Besides, that was the military’s business and had nothing to do with the stars’ game results.

So Su Zhe only focused on the content he participated in:
"The first stage is the confrontation between China and Japan, but Japan is the defeated country and has no army!"

The Self-Defense Forces can't be used seriously, right? China can't possibly recognize it!
Lu Xiaomin explained to him:
"The Sino-Japanese confrontation was carried out in the form of ancient military campaigns."

In other words, it is equivalent to the ancient version of "Real Men", with ancient military camps, ancient training, ancient armor and weapons, etc.

Su Zhe was stunned for a moment and smiled:

"Wouldn't that really be a case of Japanese pirates and anti-Japanese forces? Then I'll go study Jixiao Xinshu (written by Qi Jiguang) and learn the Mandarin Duck Formation first."

Lu Xiaomin was amused by him:
"It's not a real war. Don't be fooled by the big name of "National Glory" and the many ideas on it, but as variety show hosts, we must first do a good job in variety shows."

She explained carefully:

"Although it is a competition show, it is more explosive than ordinary variety shows, but in order to attract audiences, the competition items are designed games. You can't really let the stars line up to fight together, right?"

That wouldn't be a variety show.

Besides, if it's really a battle involving cold weapons, why do we need to let celebrities do it? Wouldn't it be more interesting to let soldiers or athletes do it?
The purpose of inviting celebrities is to create variety show effects.

Su Zhe understood, pondered for a moment, and said to himself:
Lu Xiaomin is right, the variety show effect is very important.

But given his current status, it doesn’t matter if a variety show fails. Even if it doesn’t attract audiences and the ratings are not high, it will not affect his status in the circle.

But if it's embarrassing... China versus Japan... or a military confrontation...

Su Zhe was thinking:
"It's normal to lose to Japan in football. I'm a little angry about losing to Japan in table tennis. But if we lose to Japan in the military... it will be tragic, right?"

Not to mention the blood feud in modern times, even the Japanese pirates in ancient times made the Chinese people extremely hateful.

Su Zhe must take the decision he makes seriously and never take it lightly.

Even if the show isn't funny, he can't lose face.

So he simply contacted the military district, planning to adapt to military life first and make preparations in advance.

The military region agreed, but the chief made a request:
"Su Zhe, your movies are very popular and well-received. This year is the anniversary of the founding of the army. How about you make a war movie that reflects the great martyrs?"

Su Zhe was stunned for a moment and thought:

No wonder director Zhai Xiaowen prepared a war film for a year and it will be released this year. It turns out it was also a mission.

He didn't refuse.

From a commercial perspective, patriotic war films are very profitable if they are well made. Previous films such as "Changjin Lake", "Wolf Warrior 2" and "Operation Red Sea" have all been box office hits.

From a personal perspective, he also hopes to make a film that reflects the greatness of the martyrs, and not let those guys who carry the red flag and oppose the red flag sneak in their own private goods. However, this kind of film is difficult to shoot without the assistance of the military region, and the script is also very sensitive, and it is almost impossible to pass the review.

That's why he never thought of plagiarizing the popular war movies in his previous life.

But now that the leader had spoken, he of course agreed immediately:
"I'll write the script when I get back! As for the review..."

"Don't worry! The military district will take care of it!"

In this regard, the military region can really withstand the pressure.

"Wolf Warrior 2" opens with Leng Feng's comrade's house being demolished by the local government, and his mother being bullied by local thugs.

If you think about it carefully, this plot is too bold. The local government colluded with evil forces to carry out forced demolitions and bully the people...

With this kind of plot, no matter how awesome a filmmaker is, it would be impossible for it to pass review, except with the military's blessing.

After hearing the guarantee, Su Zhe immediately became bolder. While experiencing military life, he thought about which war film he should copy.

The first thing that flashed through his mind was naturally "The Battle at Lake Changjin", which ranked first on the box office charts in his previous life.

This movie, which tells the story of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, grossed 57 billion yuan at the box office, and the second part also grossed 40 billion yuan.

With two films grossing nearly 10 billion yuan, this is the highest-grossing series of movies in China.

From the plot point of view, the overall rhythm is acceptable, the content is very touching (such as eating potatoes), and some details are very realistic (such as the three-three system). No wonder Douban scored 7.4 points.

But Su Zhe always feels that the box office and ratings are mainly because the history and true stories behind them are so touching.

As for the movie itself, it actually has many flaws.

Especially the character Wanli, played by the prince, is really unlikable and somewhat out of tune with the style of the entire film.

But "Changjin Lake" is, after all, the war film that best reflects the martyrs.

Compared with it, "Wolf Warrior" is a fictional soldier adventure film, and "Operation Red Sea" is a modern war on drugs.

Anti-drug fighters are certainly respectable and lovable, but in terms of touchingness, they certainly cannot compare with the profoundness of the martyrs.

Su Zhe pondered for a while and decided:
"Let's stick with 'Changjin Lake'. At worst, I can just change the script and delete Wan Li!"

Anyway, it's impossible for him to play Wanli, so if he has to play any role, he will play the male lead Qianli.

So he painstakingly copied the script of the first "Changjin Lake" and handed it to the military district, only to learn:
"The script is excellent, but Director Zhai Xiaowen has already filmed the Korean War. Can you change the subject?"

It doesn't matter if they are the same subject matter, but if the same subject matter is released in the same year and both are assisted by the military, they will inevitably divert box office revenue from each other.

The military region doesn’t care about the box office, but it certainly doesn’t want the two films it assists to affect each other.

Su Zhe scratched his head. He had worked with director Zhai Xiaowen before and knew that the man had a rigid mind and probably wouldn't be able to film this great war and these great martyrs well.

He really wanted to tell the military district not to trust Zhai Xiaowen and not to let him waste such a good subject. Let me take the shot!
But Zhai Xiaowen is, after all, a nationally renowned director and a top director in the mainstream world. Before he really fails, he cannot rely on Su Zhe's speculation to convince the military region.

“We can’t shoot The Battle at Lake Changjin, and Wolf Warriors 2 and Operation Red Sea are about modern wars… We can’t shoot The Eight Hundred, right?”

The national army martyrs should also be respected, but the taste of that movie is even weirder...

Su Zhe scratched his head and thought carefully for a moment, and finally thought of a name, a very old movie, indeed the most classic war film in China, with a score of 9.5 points, far exceeding "Changjin Lake".

That is the movie "The Garland under the Mountain" directed by Xie Jin in 1984.

This film is adapted from the novel of the same name, a novella written by Li Cunbao in 1982 based on real people. It reflects the touching stories that took place during the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam.

"The Garland under the Mountain" is very famous among Su Zhe's generation. It is a classic military literature and war film.

But in his generation, many people have never heard of it. After all, when this movie was released, people under the age of 40 were not born yet.

Su Zhe had only heard of the name at first and had seen some people put "The Garland under the Mountain" and "Tunnel Warfare" together as examples of classic war films.

But he has never watched the specific content of the film. After all, who would be interested in a 84-year-old movie, especially a mainstream movie?
In his mind, not to mention the main theme movies of the 80s, even most of the main theme movies of the new century are boring model operas.

It's not even as good as the model operas. "Lin Hai Xue Yuan" is better than most mainstream movies.

In those shoddy mainstream movies that are made to earn subsidies, the protagonists are always great and glorious, full of slogans, and in the end justice triumphs over evil.

Apart from the mandatory private screening, who would be interested in this kind of movie?
But after "The Battle at Lake Changjin", some marketing accounts and up-hosts "draged people down" and mentioned "The Garland under the Mountain", strongly recommended it, and even gave a commentary.

Su Zhecai watched it out of curiosity and found that he had greatly underestimated the movie.

In a way, this movie is much more daring than its successors!
The male protagonist Zhao Mengsheng, played by the then handsome young man Tang Guoqiang, was not at all the stereotyped hero that Su Zhe had imagined.

As a second-generation red, his mother arranged for him to join the army for training. However, before the war broke out, he planned to desert the battlefield and return to the rear. His mother personally pleaded for him through the back door.

The military chief strongly refuted this behavior, and the lines were very classic:

"Are our children enlisting in the army just to go through the motions? When it's time to shed blood and sacrifice, are we letting the children of ordinary people go? This is not the GC Party!"

Zhao Mengsheng was forced to go to the battlefield, and through the experience of war, he finally grew into a qualified soldier.

In terms of character growth arc, reasonable distribution of literary and martial arts scenes, and rationality of the plot, "The Garland under the Mountain" far surpasses "Changjin Lake".

The only flaw is that the battlefield scenes are not grand enough, which is a limitation of the times.

But when shooting with current special effects, you don’t have to worry about this problem.

So Su Zhe was only worried about one issue——

He copied the original lines from the movie with trepidation, very hesitantly:

"Would these lines really pass muster now?"

Sometimes when Su Zhe sees these old movies, he feels a little emotional. Does the stricter censorship standards represent a decline in self-confidence?

In any case, in those bold lines in "The Garland under the Mountain", Su Zhe felt that kind of majestic self-confidence.

——We dare to point out problems because we believe that our problems, like Zhao Mengsheng’s, can be corrected after baptism and education.

If we don't allow people to point it out, does it mean that we don't believe it can be corrected?
Su Zhe had no idea. He just copied the script silently without changing a word and handed it to the military district.

Waiting for the answer to the question.

(End of this chapter)