Chapter 34

In Jingcheng, inside the newly built digital soundstage at Beiying Factory, the actors who had just returned from the northeast were all a bit dazed.

Because this place didn't look large, one side wall and the floor were both green, though it was unclear what technique was used.

The ceiling was lit with many lights, and near the entrance there were various machines, equipment, monitors, etc.

"Whoa, could The Matrix have been filmed in an environment like this?" Ge You asked in a low voice.

Wu Yan Zu appeared slightly embarrassed, nodding slightly and saying, "To be honest, I still can't quite believe it; it just feels quite miraculous!"

Xu Qing still spoke in her sweet, affected voice, "That's indeed the case—who's playing the dinosaur? Surely they're not all using computer effects!"

Wu Jing came over with a long pole and said, "Here, this one—it's for playing the dinosaur!"

"What? You're joking, right?"

Everyone didn't believe it, and they all questioned Wu Jing.

The latter said, "I'm really not making this up; the director said so!"

"How could that be? A stick playing a dinosaur?"

"He really didn't get it wrong!"

Jiang Heng walked over and said to everyone, "When filming, the red light on top of that stick represents the dinosaur's head; you can imagine sizing up the dinosaur's whole body, but your gaze must ultimately fall on that red light."

This arrangement was made to avoid the actors' points of focus being inconsistent.

If everyone were looking at the dinosaur and shouting randomly, while one person shouted at empty air, the shot would be ruined.

Cheng Long encountered a similar problem when he played dual roles in *Twin Dragons*.

When the twin brothers Ma You and Wan Ming conversed, their lines of sight often failed to meet.

However, considering the era in which the film was shot, having one actor play two roles and appear together in the same frame was already quite stunning, so some flaws could be tolerated.

But this film is different; Jiang Heng intends to sell it overseas, so while the effects can be talked about, the acting must be perfected.

Jiang Heng then spoke a while about filming precautions, and Xu Qing stepped forward and said, "What does the dinosaur actually look like? Just looking at a stick, we can't imagine it!"

Jiang Heng laughed, "You don't need to worry about that; the dinosaur effect shots and storyboard drawings have already been drawn, and we'll show them to you before filming."

Seeing the group's solemn expressions, Jiang Heng encouraged them, "Don't worry, it's actually quite easy to film; if you all just follow my instructions, everything will be fine!"

Everyone hurriedly said, "We'll definitely satisfy Director Jiang!"

Actually, Jiang Heng wasn't fooling everyone; this scene is indeed relatively easy to shoot, at least there aren't many places where motion capture is needed.

Because dinosaurs have no facial expressions!

Unlike filming the Na'vi in *Avatar*, which requires realistic facial expressions, this aspect makes the film much easier to shoot.

They just need to follow the storyboard drawings Jiang Heng has already made, performing the corresponding actions of being chased by a dinosaur, fleeing, confronting, and counterattacking.

And on the first day of filming, it was indeed as Jiang Heng said: the group only needed to first look at the dinosaur effect drawings he gave them, then, gazing at the stick with the red light, perform the corresponding actions and expressions—one take and it was done, feeling easier than shooting real scenes.

Feeling that everyone was in good shape, Jiang Heng kept shooting many takes, and it wasn't until midnight that they still hadn't wrapped up.

Ge You, who is 57 years old, had just turned forty-something but already bore the air of an old man; he lay weakly in a chair, listening to the distant shout of 'cut,' and muttered, "Is it over? No matter how urgent, you can't film all day!"

Now many of the crew are from Beiying Factory, and someone said, "Teacher Ge, why don't you go talk to the director?"

Ge You stood up, pounded his lower back, and said, "Alright, I'll go!"

Approaching the monitor, they saw Jiang Heng reviewing the footage just shot, while a crew member raised a long pole and used its red light to 'attack' Wu Jing.

The latter wore a terrified expression, continuously making various rolling and dodging movements.

Ge You thought to himself, just looking at this, what could you see?

But unbeknownst to him, after the Super Microcomputer's 'simulation' and 'enhancement,' what Jiang Heng saw was a massive dinosaur in a tropical rainforest chasing Wu Jing, trying to swallow him whole.

After the monitor's content finished playing, Ge You said, "Director, you've really worked hard today; how about we go out for a meal later?"

Jiang Heng saw his weary expression and naturally understood; he said, "Okay, let's wrap up today; I'll treat everyone to dinner—those who need to go home can get reimbursed for taxis and late-night snacks, and those who aren't in a hurry can all come along!"

"Great, long live the director!"

Knowing Jiang Heng had made a lot of money from *The Matrix*, this bunch wasn't shy at all; aside from those who truly needed to rush home, the rest followed the big group to go eat.

On the way, they were still discussing, saying Director Jiang Heng was truly generous, unlike other productions that are stingy.

With the chatterbox opened, these people weren't sleepy either, talking about their filming experiences over the past few years, each more eloquent than the last.

Then they turned to discussing how much Jiang Heng could earn, and they all seemed to become actuaries.

"You guys, how much money can Director Jiang Heng actually get?" Xu Qing said in an exaggerated tone.

Ge You, who had been so tired he could barely keep his eyes open, perked up at this and said, "I think it's got to be at least a hundred million USD to start! Worldwide it's over 400 million; even if some countries only sell the rights, on average you could still get a quarter."

"I think it should be possible; in markets like North America, the UK, France, and Germany, where box office is larger, Director Jiang gets a profit share—just North America alone is 1.43 billion!" Wu Yan Zu said in his distinctive Cantonese-accented Mandarin.

Xu Qing's eyes lit up, "A hundred million USD—how much is that in RMB? I could never earn that in a lifetime!"

Ge You waved his hand and said solemnly, "Hey, you're overthinking it; even in your next life you couldn't earn that!"

"How annoying!"

"Hahaha!"

Actually, after CCTV News reported the North American and global box office results for *The Matrix* yesterday, these people had already discussed it.

Yet they continued to enjoy discussing it repeatedly, without any jealousy.

Mainly because Jiang Heng earned so much, far exceeding what many people could imagine.

"It's 1998— a hundred million USD—how much money is that!"

Many localities and departments, upon hearing the news, were thinking about how to connect with Jiang Heng to get a donation.

The only pity is that either they couldn't establish a connection, or they had no phone number.

Some even called, but Jiang Heng wouldn't answer.

As the saying goes, people fear fame, pigs fear getting fat; at his level, you have to spend some money, but you also need to donate to places that need help.

And regarding property, it should be diversified to reduce risk, with portions in the mainland, Xianggang, and overseas.

On the mainland side, the most hassle-free investment is simply buying land and property in Jingcheng.

Because right now, the housing prices near the second ring road in Jingcheng are only two to three thousand per square meter.

Thinking that July is the famous 1998 housing reform, Jiang Heng increasingly feels that he needs to find time to buy some houses.

(End of chapter)