Chapter 204: 《The Hunt》 Start of Filming and the Assistant's New Attempt

"Matt, are you familiar with the script?"

After finishing the filming of *Lucy*, Wei Jin returned to his home country for a short rest, and by early November, he had arrived in North America, where the crew had long been prepared.

As for the post-production of *Lucy*, he was not in a hurry; there would be plenty of time after returning home.

"Of course, Wei. You don't know how excited I was when I received your invitation. In the days you haven't been here, I have already memorized the script completely. Believe me, I will absolutely not let you down."

Matt Damon's words were not flattery; he was facing the same problem in Hollywood—having box office success alone did not earn him the recognition of those old guys in the Academy.

As a Palme d'Or winner, Wei Jin's realistic award-seeking films were too tempting to resist; one must know that *Room* had produced both Cannes and Oscar Golden Horse Best Actress winners amidst incredibly fierce competition.

After reading the script, Matt Damon felt even more fortunate about his decision. This film had a very high chance of winning awards, and he had a chance to take home next year's Berlin Film Festival Best Actor.

Likewise, there was a reason why Wei Jin chose Matt Damon.

First, the two had collaborated on *The Invisible Guest*, and Wei Jin highly approved of Matt's acting skills;

Second, his age and life experience fit the requirements of the script perfectly: in his forties, divorced, with children, and full of love and patience.

Finally, his image was very suitable—sunny and cheerful. Wouldn't a story about a kind, sunny male lead being destroyed be even more moving?

It is actually a bit funny to say, but the reason Wei Jin had seen this film in his past life was entirely because he had searched for the wrong thing online.

Originally, he had heard from a colleague that there was a North American film satirizing the elite class called *The Hunt* that had caused a great sensation after its release, and it was said to have been banned by someone.

Naturally, Wei Jin was incredibly curious about this, but who knew he would find this 2012 work of the same name by a Danish director? It was a case of looking for Li Kui but finding Li Gui.

However, to Wei Jin's surprise, after watching the whole thing, the film was very brilliant. Scandals, lies, suspicion, hatred, and cold human nature—the story was profound and meaningful, very good. "Since you are so confident, let's start tomorrow."

Wei Jin pondered designing Matt's look carefully to strengthen the contrast effect; this time, he did not want to fail. ——Receiving a call from Wang Wei was something Wei Jin had not expected. He did not expect the former's marriage to still reach this point, but as for adult matters, right and wrong are hard to distinguish. Wei Jin could only advise him to be generous and give enough of a breakup fee.

Back in the country, starting in early November, several New Year Slot films began large-scale promotions.

Feng Dapao's *If You Are The One* was scheduled for December 28th, which had a certain amount of competition with *The Martian*, but it was not a big problem; the target audiences for both sides were very different.

Huayi's promotional style had not changed at all; *If You Are The One* claimed that 300 million at the box office would not be difficult, and 400 million was in sight.

However, Wei Jin actually hoped the box office would be as high as possible, as he had an investment share in this film, which was also a condition of the exchange for *Taken* back then.

It was said that Chen Shiren's *Forever Enthralled* had already signed up for next year's Berlin International Film Festival, and many people gave it high praise after watching it.

"A film master pays tribute to an Opera master."

"Director Chen—the most powerful contender for next year's Golden Bear Award."

Regarding these evaluations, Wei Jin sneered; they were just a bunch of self-aggrandizing things.

As for *The Martian*, there was no grand promotion this time; this was Han Sanping's suggestion.

He believed that since the mystery had been maintained for more than a year, why not save this anticipation for the very end?

Wei Jin also felt this made sense, and coupled with his reputation and appeal, as well as the large fan base of the novel, there was indeed no need for large-scale advance promotion.

The novel *The Martian* had now sold over three million copies domestically, and globally, it had exceeded ten million copies.

Of course, this result was far behind the *Twilight* series; there was no help for it, as science fiction novels were indeed niche, and the market was limited. ——*The Hunt* crew.

Wei Jin looked at Matt's new look and nodded in satisfaction; it was indeed very consistent with the script.

His complexion was sallow, he wore glasses, his cheeks were slightly sunken, and the slight stubble immediately established the image of a middle-aged "nice guy."

"Matt, we must be fully focused. At most one month, we must finish the film. You know, the Berlin International Film Festival is right around the corner; time waits for no one."

For the Berlin International Film Festival, Wei Jin could be considered a direct descendant; his breakout work *Buried* won the Silver Bear there.

This time, when the Berlin International Film Festival officials learned that his script was a realistic subject, they specially sent an invitation. Wei Jin naturally accepted it happily; it was already planned.

Next year's Berlin International Film Festival would be from February 5th to 14th, with the registration deadline in mid-December. However, with his current status, as long as it was submitted before early January, there would certainly be no problem with being shortlisted.

The reason for saying this was nothing more than wanting Matt to bring out his best state possible; after all, *The Martian* would be released in a month, and he had to rush back.

"Wei, don't worry. I will not let down this script of yours. I look forward to our meeting in Berlin."

Everything was ready for the crew, and Wei Jin shouted "Action," and filming officially began. ——When the news that Wei Jin was invited to attend the Berlin International Film Festival reached the country, the media's reaction reached a collective climax.

"The only two Palme d'Or directors in the country, Wei Jin and Chen Shiren, meet in Berlin."

"Competition between two generations of directors, the domestic film industry is full of talent."

"Wei Jin faces Chen Shiren for the second time, can he continue to maintain the winning streak?"

It was no wonder the media was so excited. Looking at Wei Jin's history of fame, apart from *Buried* winning an award directly at the Berlin International Film Festival, every other film had been a head-to-head battle with the country's top directors.

*Those Years* directly crushed Feng Dapao, *Painted Skin* gave Chen Shiren a slap in the face, and *Room* not only won awards but also sniped Zhang Yimou along the way.

It could be said that as Wei Jin climbed step by step, the ground beneath his feet was paved with the corpses of great directors. Beijing, inside a two-story small western-style house.

Chen Shiren looked at the news in the newspaper and was somewhat surprised that Wei Jin was attending this year's Berlin International Film Festival. After all, the time was too short; if he really rushed the progress for the sake of the competition, it would likely affect the quality of the film.

However, a smile immediately appeared on his face; if that were really the case, it would be the best opportunity for him to win back a game.

"I might not be able to beat you at the box office, but this time in Berlin, I will definitely make you return in defeat, haha. Since the young master went to Nanjing, Yutangchun has been feigning illness in the North Tower..."

As he spoke, he even began to sing opera; these were the lyrics from *Forever Enthralled*.

Looking at her husband, who was full of heroic spirit, Chen Hong was somewhat intoxicated. She firmly believed that with her man's artistic attainments, it was absolutely impossible to fail at this Berlin International Film Festival. ——The script for *The Hunt* tells a story about rumors.

It takes a hunting rifle to kill a person, but to destroy a heart, it only takes a rumor.

Lucas, played by Matt Damon, is a divorced middle-aged teacher. His child and ex-wife are in another city, and he lives alone.

Because he misses his child, he often plays with the children, and his gentle and cheerful personality has won the favor of many children.

This day, he was confessed to by a precocious little girl under ten years old; this girl was also the child of his childhood friend.

He first felt very surprised, then smiled and rejected the child, not taking the matter to heart.

But the rejected little girl was in a low mood, sulking in a corner, and this scene happened to be seen by the school principal.

The attentive principal gently asked the little girl what had happened, and the little girl lied without even thinking.

She said Lucas had bullied her.

The principal firmly believed that such an innocent and naive child would not lie.

Thus, the nightmare for the male lead, Lucas, descended.

"Cut."

Wei Jin watched the image on the monitor; Matt performed very well, shy and introverted, perfectly interpreting the protagonist's character traits.

"Matt, very good, keep this state up, the Berlin Film Festival Best Actor award is waiting for you."

"Wei, I should say, it is your script that is too good."

Matt gave Wei Jin a thumbs up once again; he truly believed that the Best Actor award was almost within his grasp.

The scene changed, and filming continued.

Everyone began to suspect Lucas and launched an investigation.

The result, however, was unexpected; there was no basement in Lucas's home as the little girl and other children had claimed, and all the evidence indicated that Lucas was innocent.

Lucas thought this nightmare-like life had finally ended, but in reality, the nightmare had only just begun. — Ending the day's filming, Wei Jin and his Assistant Wang Zhi soaked in the bathtub to relax, his hands lingering on the proud assets of this new assistant.

This trip to North America required staying for over a month, so Wei Jin naturally had to bring his assistant along, otherwise he would not be able to endure it.

On the first night after arriving in North America, Wei Jin had already conquered this woman; had he not considered that they had only been together for a short time, he would have gone the distance on the plane.

As for Wang Zhi's attitude, that went without saying; upon joining the company, she already knew the situation she would face and was mentally prepared for it. Moreover, Wei Jin was young and handsome, so she did not feel she was at a disadvantage.

In fact, this mentality is quite normal; most female artists in the entertainment industry do not resist unspoken rules, as it is merely a fair trade, and it cannot be said who is losing out. What they resist is being taken advantage of for free or being sent out for public relations, which is something ordinary people cannot accept.

This situation had never occurred with Wei Jin; his previous two assistants had both received huge benefits, and even after leaving their posts, they remained under Wei Jin's protection. Shanhe Media had also never engaged in such public relations, which could be described as honest and fair to all.

"You should change back to your original name; I always feel this name is a bit strange."

Come to think of it, among the several assistants, only Xiaobai was younger, while the other two were both older than Wei Jin, so he really did not know how to address them properly.

"Alright, Boss, you can just call me Zixuan."

Wang Zixuan followed his lead and adjusted her posture to make it more convenient for her boss to perform.

"Hmm... Zixuan, is this a natural gift of yours, or was it acquired through training? The advantage is truly great."

"It should be natural. Ever since I became sensible, it seemed to be a bit bigger than other girls'. When I used to practice martial arts, I had to wrap it with bandages, otherwise, it would affect my movements."

Wang Zixuan had not thought of this as an advantage before; in fact, during puberty, many girls worry about this, but when they enter society, they discover that this is no trouble at all—it is the best gift from heaven.

"Hey, you really were wasting a heavenly treasure."

Wei Jin was somewhat speechless upon hearing this; if she did not bind it, she might truly be able to rival Liu Yan, which was a pity.

"Come, let's try something new today."

Wei Jin felt it would be a loss not to make use of a gifted contestant, so he directed his assistant to adjust her posture; among all his women, only Liu Yan could currently cooperate with him.

Wang Zixuan was also very intelligent and almost immediately understood the man's meaning, then took action. Today's first update, I humbly request all book friends to reward me with subscriptions, follow-up readings, collections, monthly tickets, and recommendation tickets, thank you everyone! (End of chapter)