China Entertainment: Been working as a director since 03

Chapter 624: Seeking the Dragon
Li Yu stayed in the United States for a few days and then returned to China.

Since "Barbie" is a sentimental film, it must pursue authenticity and use real-life shooting.

The image presented in this movie is a depiction of Barbie's world, with the house being an enlarged version of the toys.

The sets and costumes had to reflect the style of the 1950s and 1960s.

In short, you need to put some thought into costumes and props.

However, Hua Na has a professional team, and most directors here do not have as much power as those in China. The director only needs to take care of the filming.

There is a special department to take care of the houses, props and costumes used for filming.

After Li Yu returned to China, Cao Qing's movie version of Ghost Blows Out the Light was about to be released.

Director Cao Qing's first Ghost Blows Out the Light movie is an optimized version of "Mojin: The Lost Tomb".

The cast is much worse than the original "Mojin: The Lost Tomb".

Fortunately, fans of the original novel have been following the web drama all the way and have a high degree of recognition for this version of the Iron Triangle, which already has a fan base, so it can offset the gap in the lineup.

Contrary to what many people think, even though Li Yu has returned to China, he was absent from the promotional campaign for "Mojin: The Lost Tomb".

When several online dramas of Ghost Blows Out the Light were broadcast before, Li Yu showed up to support the dramas.

Internally, Cao Qing and others knew that Li Yu chose to remain invisible because he wanted Cao Qing to be able to take charge.

But outside, people found this situation very strange.

If there are strange things, it will inevitably attract people's discussion.

"Why don't I see Director Li promoting Mojin: The Lost Legend? Didn't Director Li help promote the previous four web dramas? Something must be wrong. I sense something is amiss."

"Could it be that the movie is so bad that Director Li is too embarrassed to brag about it so he chooses to remain silent? I think this is possible."

"That's unlikely. Wasn't the script of Mojin written by Director Li? Director Li's scripts can't be bad."

"Everyone will have times when they don't perform well. It's normal to perform poorly and there's nothing shameful about it.

Director Li has maintained high-output and high-quality output for so many years, so it is understandable that he had a slack performance once.

Compared to many screenwriters in China, Director Li’s peak period has lasted a long time.”

"You guys always like to use your imagination to make wild guesses. Is it possible that Director Li didn't show up because he simply didn't want to promote 'Mojin: The Lost Legend'? It's not as outrageous as you think."

Li Yu and Cao Qing could naturally see these discussions from the outside world.

Hualiu Company has a position specifically responsible for collecting comments from netizens.

Netizens’ important comments about Hualiu Company will be sorted out and finally sent to Li Yu’s desk.

Li Yu has always paid attention to public opinion and cared about people's true evaluations.

"Director Cao, judging from the public opinion on the Internet, it doesn't have a good impact on your "Mojin: The Lost Tomb," " Li Yu joked.

“I’ve been with you for so many years, and you’ve experienced all these things.

A TV director is making a movie for the first time, a movie director is trying to make a commercial blockbuster, and a commercial film director is trying to make an art film.

In short, resistance is inevitable when seeking a breakthrough.

I will become stronger if I cannot be killed, and I am ready to face any challenge."

Cao Qing said seriously.

He has been a director for more than 20 years.

After so many years of waiting for the opportunity to direct a big-budget commercial movie, he will persist in going forward no matter how difficult the road is, because this battle can only succeed and cannot fail.

If he succeeds, his future will be bright; if he fails, it will be difficult for him to have such an opportunity again.

Li Yu thought it was great that Cao Qing had such an understanding.

"Director Li, if I were to ask you to give your opinion, what do you think of my film 'Mojin: The Lost Tomb'? I want to hear the truth," Cao Qing asked again.

"The Mojin: The Lost Legend" is about to be released, and internal screenings have already been arranged.

As the boss, Li Yu must have seen this movie.

However, Cao Qing felt that the evaluation given by Li Yu at that time was somewhat encouraging to him, saying that "Mojin: The Lost Tomb" might be half as good as "The Thirteen Soldiers Return to Yumen".

The box office of "The Thirteen Soldiers Return to Yumen" exceeded 30 billion, and half of 30 billion is 15 billion.

Cao Qing felt that the goal of 15 billion was too high and it would be better to be conservative. He felt that if he could get 10 billion, so that the movie would not lose money and even make a small profit, it would be a victory.

It was his first time making a commercial blockbuster, and he didn’t dare to dream of becoming a box office smash.

"About half of 'The Thirteen Soldiers Return to Yumen'. As for whether it is more or less than half, I can't say for sure." Li Yu still made this evaluation.

"Isn't this the same as the evaluation a while ago?" Cao Qing didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Because this is what I really think," said Li Yu.

The characters in Cao Qing's version of "The Mojin" are very faithful to the original, the style is very authentic, and there is nothing wrong with it in any aspect.

Art and special effects are the main focus of this movie, and they can be considered excellent.

However, considering that this is Cao Qing's first time managing such a large project, it is inevitable that there will be some shortcomings.

Overall, the film's merits outweigh its flaws and it is a very mature commercial work, which deserves a score of 7.5.

For a commercial film, this score is pretty good.

As the days passed, the premiere of "The Mojin: The Last Dragon" was about to be held.

On the day of the premiere, Li Yu still did not attend, and Cao Qing invited some directors and actors who had a good relationship with him to attend.

Without Li Yu, the scene would definitely be much smaller.

However, the smallness of this scene is in comparison. Compared with big directors like Li Yu, Chen Kaige and Guo Shi, the scene is small. But for a director who is shooting a commercial blockbuster for the first time, this scene is not small.

After watching the preview clips, people found that the movie "Mojin: The Last Dragon" was a surprise and better than everyone expected.

This made everyone very confused. Since the quality of the movie "Mojin: The Last Dragon" was good, why didn't the boss behind the scenes, Li Yu, support the movie?

Could it be that the film's director Cao Qing and Li Yu had a falling out, so Li Yu refused to endorse the film?

There have been precedents for this kind of thing in the entertainment industry.

"Director Cao, I'm curious, why didn't I see Director Li today? Isn't he your boss and the biggest investor in the movie?"

"Please don't make blind guesses. Today is the premiere of the movie. I think everyone should focus on the movie." Cao Qing has directed many works independently, and he has mature experience in dealing with reporters.

People's various blind guesses are a double-edged sword. If used improperly, it can easily hurt yourself, but if used well, it can bring good exposure to the film.

So Cao Qing didn't want to clarify the truth too quickly. He did not answer the reporter's questions directly, but instead turned the topic to the movie.

In this way, the outside world will continue to discuss him and Li Yu, and finally direct traffic to the movie "Mojin: The Lost Tomb".

As a professional director, Cao Qing is capable of using this basic marketing technique.

(End of this chapter)