This director needs to apologize

Chapter 402 Give me a consultant

The three of them first went to the banquet venue and checked in, then left early and returned to the hotel room, where they had some beer and peanuts while chatting.

Luo Xiao obviously did not regard this meeting as just a "getting acquainted" occasion. He carried a bulging bag with him, which he opened and took out things from after he sat down.

When he first came in, he had a protruding belly in front and a pocket on the back, looking horrible.

Now that the original form of the bag had been revealed, Chen Yiming realized that Luo Xiao had come "well prepared". What he took out were stacks of manuscripts, some new and some old, and some of the stacks had frayed edges.

Li Jun was speechless. He came over and held Luo Xiao's hand, complaining, "Don't take it out. Today we are just getting to know each other. Director Chen doesn't have time to listen to your stories."

Luo Xiao ignored him and swung Li Jun aside with a swipe of his fat hand. He took out the best-looking manuscript and spread it on the table, pointing at it and said, "Director Chen, let me tell you about the setting of the whole script. This is a story of survival in the end of the world..."

Li Jun was obviously helpless with his old friend. He smiled awkwardly at Chen Yiming, but the latter did not notice because his attention was on Luo Xiao.

Chen Yiming was very familiar with this state of pretending to be nonchalant despite being unusual. He had done this more than once in his previous life.

You have to be shameless when soliciting investment. If you want face, don’t become a director.

Why should you expect others to spend real money to support you just by talking nonsense?
This was also the reason why he later gave up his dream of making movies and settled in Hengcheng to become a tool director. The process of persuading people to pay was too painful.

Although he didn't know whether Luo Xiao was used to it or had other purposes, he was willing to listen to him patiently.

Luo Xiao finished reading the piles of manuscripts one by one. He probably knew that this was not the right occasion, so he flipped through the pages quickly and spoke even faster. Even so, he talked nonstop for more than half an hour.

Finally closing the last book, he stopped and opened a bottle of mineral water, but his eyes continued to stay on Chen Yiming, as if he wanted to judge the success of his "sales" by the latter's expression.

Chen Yiming didn't care. He sat relaxedly on the sofa, with his head down and his legs crossed, thinking about Luo Xiao's story.

He envisioned a "slightly clichéd" disaster survival story, but with a sci-fi shell.

It is probably that the mother sun has fallen ill again and is rushing towards the fate of becoming a red giant. As the sun expands at an accelerated rate, the earth, which was originally expected to live for 50 billion years, is in danger.

Although the setting is old, it is indeed self-consistent on the scientific level. The current cosmology is not very accurate, and humans have not even crossed the threshold of nuclear fusion, so naturally there is no way to accurately predict the reaction balance inside the sun.

In short, from the setting point of view, Luo Xiao’s story can be regarded as science fiction, rather than fantasy.

In fact, he did give some scientific speculations. A pile of manuscripts listed a large number of graphs, tables and formulas. He said that they were simulated and calculated by professors and experts in the fields of astronomy and physics. Even the time left for the earthlings to "save themselves" was accurate to a certain month and day.

The source of the disaster is just the background of the story. Chen Yiming is more interested in the story itself.

Luo Xiao gives two choices for the destiny of mankind here, namely the so-called "Spark" plan and the "Moving Mountains" plan.

The former is the Western response strategy, which is to rush to build a spacecraft and take biological DNA samples and elites from various fields to Mars for refuge.

The latter is the Chinese people's response strategy, which is to carry forward the tradition of Yugong moving mountains, turn Mount Everest into a self-powered asteroid, and take half of the Chinese people to Mars.

In order to justify himself, Luo Xiao gave humans a little cheat, that is, the Mars Scientific Research Base, which has been built in an orderly manner. It has not only developed to a certain scale, but also has self-circulation capabilities.

Of course, the Mars chapter is already a sequel. As for "Moving Mountains 1" that Luo Xiao is currently preparing, the escape destination Mars is also just the background of the story.

The main plot of "Moving Mountains 1" is the whole process of confirming the disaster, making escape decisions, conflicting opinions, social unrest and finalizing the plan. With a capacity of more than two hours, most of the time is spent on empty talk.

After thinking about this, Chen Yiming looked up at Luo Xiao and asked, "The concept is very grand, and the brushwork is overly realistic. This is a big turn. The number of special effects in your current script is very restrained. Did you do a lot of subtraction?"

Luo Xiao nodded bitterly, "Director Chen is an expert, and I can't hide it from your keen eyes." He rummaged through his half-full backpack and took out a thick folder.

I took it to the table and turned to one of the pages. There was a simple outline sketched on it with a pencil. In the distance was a mountain that towered into the clouds, and in the foreground were two people wearing masks with their heads and faces covered. Judging from their figures, they were a man and a woman.

The painting style is very cartoon-like. Just a few dynamic lines, plus the posture of the foreground characters, clearly convey the shaking of the earth.

Luo Xiao said sadly, "The original plot focused on the day before the launch of the Everest, a standard road movie structure, but the budget was cut again and again, and the special effects were deleted again and again, and in the end it still couldn't be filmed. I could only change the script to what it is now."

Obviously, Luo Xiao's original intention was to make a hard science fiction film that prioritizes visuals, but he was short of money and had no money to spend. Objective conditions forced him to consider alternative options and take the soft science fiction route.

Chen Yiming took the folder and turned to the first page to read from the beginning. Luo Xiao's animation work was good, and the storyboards could be read directly as comics. The whole book was like a doomsday survival comic.

In the original script, the various conflicts and fates when the disaster came were also degenerated into background boards, and were connected through the brother and sister protagonists, like a social painting in the style of Along the River During the Qingming Festival.

In just one day, the brother and sister encountered all kinds of people, including an old man who looked at things calmly, a young man who gave up on himself, a middle-aged man who was incompetent and furious, a struggling and pleading mother, a cold and rational elite, and an unwavering brave man...

The various manifestations of extreme fate reflect the violently conflicting and opposing thoughts and ideas under the background of doomsday. From this perspective, Luo Xiao has conceived a science fiction story with great depth.

Interspersed throughout are the various disasters and wonders of the end of the world, as well as the various industrial miracles created by humans in order to survive. It is said that when people are pushed to the limit, they can do anything, except math problems.

Luo Xiao's notebook tries to explain that if people are pushed into a corner, they can solve math problems.

The will to survive in desperate situations made humans burst out with extraordinary creativity. Luo Xiao gave the Chinese in the story a big cheat. In the "window period" of just a few decades, the level of science and technology leapt forward, making the mythical version of the mountain-moving plan finally possible.

The social form under technological upgrading also makes the brother and sister's "ten thousand miles a day" movement trajectory seem logical. Various futuristic means of transportation, communication facilities, and survival equipment make the entire script particularly sci-fi.

This script can be called a science fiction industrial film. The castrated new version can only be regarded as a feature film in the guise of science fiction.

Chen Yiming looked at Luo Xiao with interest, "Director Luo, your work results tell me that you are very confident and persistent. I believe that you memorized so much information today not for me to give you any suggestions. I think even if I took the initiative to give you suggestions, you probably wouldn't listen.

So the question is, what purpose do you hope to achieve by telling me all this? First of all, I am not in charge of Platinum Jue’s investment business, and I never get involved in film and television investment affairs, so I can’t help you in this regard.”

After Chen Yiming finished speaking, Luo Xiao hadn't shown any reaction yet, and Li Jun, who was sitting next to him, became anxious.

He winked at Luo Xiao repeatedly, and seeing that he was indifferent, he simply leaned over to the big lump and whispered, "Old Luo, don't make the same mistake again. Director Chen has already helped a lot. Your idea is really inappropriate, don't even mention it."

Although Li Jun lowered his volume, it was obvious that he was speaking to two people. Regardless of whether he could stop Luo Xiao's "presumptuous behavior", he could help his old friend to warm up the atmosphere and ease the awkwardness.

What a good supporting role!
As expected, Luo Xiao is the kind of person who will not miss any small opportunity. Li Jun's dissuasion is like the comparison of their body sizes, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

Luo Xiao leaned forward and said sincerely, "Director Chen, we have never met before and this is our first meeting. You are willing to spend your precious rest time listening to my long story, so I will concede that you are interested in this project.

Since we are both willing to go this far, I won't be presumptuous and make a request directly.

I would like to invite you to serve as the chief planner and chief screenwriter of the "Moving Mountains" project. But let me be frank, both positions are just nominal, and I insist on taking the lead in the project.

The chips I can offer are not much, and if I offer more, it will not count. In addition to a reasonable level of planning fees and screenwriting fees, my fixed dividends and all remuneration in the project will also serve as compensation to you.

I know this money is not enough for you to risk your own reputation to endorse a novice director like me, but it’s all I have, and giving it my all represents my sincerity.

Frankly speaking, I just want to borrow your power to raise enough investment to restore "Moving Mountains" to its original appearance. She is my hard work for more than ten years, my precious daughter, and I can't bear to let her go out with grievances."

Other big liars became more and more passionate as they spoke, but Luo Xiao was completely the opposite. The more he spoke, the less confident he became. By the end he was mumbling to himself with his head drooping lower and lower, as if he was waiting for the death sentence.

It was obvious that he had no hope at all and was just doing his best by finishing what he had to say.

Luo Xiao slumped on the sofa without a sound, Chen Yiming remained silent with a half-smile on his face, and Li Jun looked left and right like a spectator of a tennis match, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

In the end, he was the one who lost his temper the most, and said to Chen Yiming hesitantly, "Director Chen, don't listen to Luo Xiao's nonsense. He actually admires you very much and has always said that you are the number one playwright in China.

He's hoping you can give him some advice. He'll change whatever you say. Lao Luo, say something. Haven't you always called yourself a disciple of Naruto?"

After all, Li Jun still hoped that his old friend's project could turn around, so he tried every means to get Chen Yiming to agree.

Unfortunately, his efforts were no more than the eunuch's anxiety; the real owner remained indifferent and had no reaction, as if he had given up completely.

After a while, Luo Xiao sighed, stood up, gathered the manuscripts spread out on the coffee table, pulled the big bag over and started stuffing things in.

"Director Chen, you've helped me a lot. I shouldn't have been greedy. I'm very sorry..."

Chen Yiming interrupted his chanting, "I don't dare to be the chief planner or the chief screenwriter. My title is not that valuable. I can just be a consultant."

(End of this chapter)