novellhall Chapter 96 The Domineering CEO Style
Chapter 96 The Domineering CEO Style
Chapter 95 The Domineering CEO Style
Time flies, and the actors began to wrap up filming and leave the set one after another.
Meanwhile, Zhang Jun's team also began post-production. In addition to editing and sound design, the film also included some special effects and background music.
There were very few companies in mainland China that were capable of producing special effects. Zhang Jun found two, one in Hong Kong and one in South Korea.
The offers were all outrageous, with the Koreans even asking for ten million.
Zhang Jun was furious. "My movie only cost 70 million to make. You take one-seventh of it right off the bat. Are you robbing me?"
The company on Hong Kong Island offered four million.
Zhang Jun wanted to say no, but he couldn't. There were very few relevant talents in mainland China at present, and even if he set up a studio himself, he wouldn't be able to get it up and running.
So Zhang Jun had no choice but to swallow his pride and pay four million to the special effects company in Hong Kong to do it.
They even said that this was a friendly price given out of respect for Andy Lau.
In terms of soundtracks, many of the great composers of "Little Days" are currently collaborating with domestic directors.
However, despite spending a lot of money on special effects, Zhang Jun did not hire the composer for Xiao Ri Zi.
In the vast land of China, there have been talented people in every generation.
The reason we couldn't find special effects is because we simply didn't have the necessary skills, but finding a composer was relatively easy.
Zhang Jun decided to ask for help, so he called Chen Gezi. After all, he had watched Chen Gezi's movie "The Promise," which had challenged his mind, so he wanted Chen Gezi to make it up to him.
Chen Gezi was quite straightforward and recommended Zhao Jiping, who had previously collaborated with him on "Yellow Earth" and "Farewell My Concubine".
At his recommendation, Zhang Jun flew to Chang'an to meet with Zhao Jiping.
Chen Gezi had introduced Zhang Jun's resume to Zhao Jiping over the phone early in the morning, and Zhao Jiping naturally did not underestimate this young man.
Zhang Jun got straight to the point: "Teacher Zhao, I found you through Director Chen's recommendation. I know your music is superb, and I'd like to ask you to compose the score for my new film."
Zhao Jiping was surprised that Zhang Jun was so straightforward.
Seeing Zhao Jiping's doubts, Zhang Jun explained, "I don't really like those formalities. I believe that since it's work, we should say it directly and frankly, without beating around the bush."
"Well said, your approach is just my style."
After pondering for a while, Zhao Jiping said, "Originally, after finishing the symphonic Peking opera 'The Heroines of the Yang Family,' I planned to take a break for a while."
"But since you've come to invite me in person, I'll take the job!"
Zhang Jun said happily, "That's great! With your participation, our production will definitely reach new heights."
Zhao Jiping has a versatile style, and he is especially skilled in folk music. The music he composed for "Water Margin" became a classic for a generation along with the TV series.
Zhao Jiping is not only good at writing heroic and spirited pieces, but also at writing lyrical pieces, especially those about emotions.
He composed the soundtrack for Stephen Chow's "A Chinese Odyssey," and its melodious and melancholic tune became a classic soundtrack as the film's reputation reversed.
However, Zhao Jiping himself was unwilling to be credited for the film's score because he felt that his academic, serious music did not match Stephen Chow's nonsensical style.
Of course, this is only the surface reason.
Given Stephen Chow's style, there must be other stories behind it, which are not for outsiders to know.
Zhao Jiping took on the music composition work, and in order to help him complete the work better, Zhang Jun showed him a portion of the sample footage.
Zhao Jiping quickly got the hang of it and began composing the music with his team.
At the end of March, just before filming was about to wrap up, Zhao Jiping delivered the first version of the soundtrack, which included as many as 27 pieces, each of which was very beautiful.
After Zhang Jun raised several points of advice and requirements, Zhao Jiping went back to revise the document and submitted the second version in early April.
After listening, Zhang Jun immediately said, "It's good enough. No need to change it anymore. It can be used directly in the movie."
Meanwhile, filming for "Reign of Assassins" wrapped up in Xitang Ancient Town, and as usual, a wrap party was held.
Andy Lau had a good experience filming with Zhang Jun this time, and he specifically told Zhang Jun, "I hope we will have more opportunities to collaborate in the future."
Zhang Jun raised his glass: "Of course, with an excellent actor like you, every director would want to work with you."
Zhang Ziyi frequently toasted Zhang Jun, her cheeks flushed red like apples from the alcohol. Zhang Jun clearly understood the meaning in her eyes.
It seems that as long as Zhang Jun waves his hand, he can do whatever he wants.
However, Zhang Jun didn't have any particular thoughts. Men like him were in high demand, and he had the right to be picky.
After the wrap party, Zhang Jun returned to Beijing to continue working on the film's post-production.
Gao Yuanyuan had just finished filming Jackie Chan's new movie "Rob-B-Hood" when she returned to Beijing and visited him on set at the post-production studio.
"Here, shorten this shot a bit more, and lengthen segment number three."
"This part was kept in order to give audiences a pleasant surprise in theaters!"
After a busy day, Zhang Jun finally came out of the editing room.
Gao Yuanyuan handed over a Coke: "You've worked hard, are you hungry? I bought a hamburger."
"I have to say, I was really hungry. I just ate a couple of bites for lunch."
"
Zhang Jun took the Coke, then took a big bite of the hamburger.
"There are chicken wings too, I bought a lot." Gao Yuanyuan carefully wiped the crumbs from Zhang Jun's mouth.
While wolfing down his food, Zhang Jun asked, "How was your trip to Hong Kong Island to film with Jackie Chan?"
"That's great!"
Gao Yuanyuan recalled, "Brother Jackie Chan and Louis Koo were both very dedicated and serious when filming, which was very interesting."
After saying that, she gave Zhang Jun a sweet smile: "I also want to thank you. The movie 'About Time' made my value increase a lot, and I even got more roles."
"You're welcome!"
Zhang Jun shrugged. This could be considered one of the butterfly effects he brought about!
The two went home together that night. It had been a long time since they had met in secret, and they had another passionate and tender time together, which goes without saying.
As film production speeds up, choosing a release date naturally becomes paramount.
Currently, the most important film season in the mainland Chinese film market is the Lunar New Year season, which lasts from November to January of the following year. During this period, the Spring Festival season is still a relatively unpopular season.
Other filming periods include the summer season, the National Day holiday season driven by Jackie Chan, and the slightly smaller May Day holiday season.
In the conference room of Guanzhi Pictures, Zhang Jun, He Xuan, Jiang Tao, and the publicity and distribution department of Guanzhi Pictures held a meeting together.
Jiang Tao said, "What is certain at present is that Zhang Yimou's 'Curse of the Golden Flower' will be released in December, and we will definitely have to avoid it."
It's still unclear about Feng Xiaogang's "The Banquet," but I estimate it won't be before August.
"What about the other movies? Have you heard any release dates?" Zhang Jun asked.
Jiang Tao flipped through the documents and said, "Andy Lau's 'A Battle of Wits' is scheduled for release in November, and another film, 'Dragon Tiger Gate,' is scheduled for release at the end of July."
In Hollywood movies, "The Da Vinci Code" was released in May, and "Mission: Impossible III" was released in mid-July.
I suggest we release our film at the end of June, which would be perfect for the summer blockbuster season.
Zhang Jun turned to He Xuan: "What's your opinion, Ms. He?"
He Xuan also said, "I also think the end of June is a good time slot, but I'm worried that you might not be able to make it to the end of June."
After considering the post-production schedule, Zhang Jun gave a definite answer: "It will definitely be completed by mid-May. I think the publicity work can already start ahead of schedule."
He Xuan nodded: "I feel much more at ease now that you say that."
Once the schedule was set, everyone had a timetable, and all work proceeded according to that timetable.
Zhang Jun also sped up the process, quickly editing a version for review. The editors at Big Scissors valued Zhang Jun, this young director (referring to his age), and gave him the green light.
The chief editor gave several suggestions for revisions, and after Zhang Jun made the changes as required, he quickly obtained the screening license.
He also added Zhao Jiping's score, and finally completed the production of the entire film in early May.
This efficiency is already very high, considering that "Reign of Assassins" has a large investment and is not a small production. From pre-production to filming to post-production, it is quite remarkable that it could be completed in such a short time.
Of course, this is also related to Zhang Jun's confidence.
While the plot of "Reign of Assassins" has undergone some modifications, resulting in a more compact pace and meeting the standards of a commercial film, the overall framework of the film remains largely unchanged from the original.
This allowed Zhang Jun to clearly know what kind of effect he wanted during filming and post-production editing, and then complete all the work with ease.
Gao Yuanyuan didn't rest; she quickly accepted a role in a romantic comedy film, "A Perfect Match," and rushed to the set to film.
Fan Bingbing, on the other hand, is in a tug-of-war with Huayi Brothers because her management contract expires next year, and Huayi Brothers naturally wants to renew it.
However, after listening to Zhang Jun's advice, Fan Bingbing, who was somewhat hesitant, did not agree to renew her contract and is currently entangled with Huayi Brothers.
In addition, she has five film contracts, including "Flash Point" and "The Ghost Inside," keeping her very busy and leaving her little time to spend with Zhang Jun.
After finishing post-production, Zhang Jun discovered that he was now alone with no woman.
How can this be allowed? If word gets out, our fellow time travelers will laugh at us.
So he called Yang Mi, but she was free at the time. She was currently attending classes in the Performance Department of the Beijing Film Academy to focus on her studies.
Yang Mi was delighted to learn that Zhang Jun had invited her to dinner and asked him to pick her up from the Beijing Film Academy.
Although Ye Bingcheng was very generous and knew that young people liked cool sports cars, he gave Zhang Jun a sixth-generation Porsche 911 sports car.
However, Zhang Jun rarely drives this car. He is not interested in luxury goods such as cars and watches, but is very interested in fishing gear.
He loved fishing in his previous life, and although he often came back empty-handed, he still enjoyed it immensely.
Despite the time travel, Zhang Jun's love for fishing remained. After making some money, he immediately upgraded his fishing gear, but still came up empty-handed.
Since he had arranged to have dinner with Yang Mi, Zhang Jun finally remembered where he had put his sports car keys, so he drove his Porsche 911 around town to pick her up.
Art colleges have many beautiful girls, and beautiful girls naturally attract many wealthy men.
The entrance to the Beijing Film Academy is no exception. It was the weekend, and while it's not exactly overflowing with luxury cars, at least cars worth around 200,000 yuan would dare to park there.
One by one, the beautifully dressed girls got into the cars parked at the school gate and drove away, ready to spend a wonderful weekend.
Of course, those beauties who have already made a name for themselves and acted in films and television series wouldn't do such a thing. But those beauties who haven't earned any income yet have to come up with some crooked ideas.
After all, art schools are quite expensive, and they also need to make a living.
Moreover, there might be someone with close connections among the cars parked at the school gate. They could introduce them to film crews and help them complete the most difficult part of their debut.
There's no need to laugh at these girls who have dreams and pursue fame and fortune.
When Zhang Jun arrived, he saw a wealthy woman, around fifty years old, arm in arm with a handsome young man, and the two of them got into a Mercedes-Benz in a sweet and intimate manner.
It wasn't just the girl who wanted to cry in the Mercedes; the boy wanted to too—
Among the cars parked at the school gate, Zhang Jun's Porsche 911 stood out as particularly eye-catching and cool.
One discerning guy immediately recognized it: "Wow, a Porsche 911, and the flagship model at that. It must cost at least two million."
"What? Two million?"
The girls might not know much about cars, but they understand what two million means – it proves that a super-rich person has arrived!
If this were to happen—
The girls cast eager glances at the car, and Zhang Jun did not disappoint them, casually putting on a pair of sunglasses before getting out of the car.
Then, with a lollipop in his mouth, he would lean against the car, enjoying the envious and longing glances from passing students.
Several female students passed by, and judging from Zhang Jun's tall and slender figure and perfect jawline, they concluded that Zhang Jun was a handsome guy.
Coupled with that obviously expensive white shirt and jeans, he was practically the perfect embodiment of a domineering CEO from a Taiwanese idol drama.
No, even domineering CEOs can't compare to him, because the male leads in Taiwanese idol dramas have such long hair that they look sloppy.
Zhang Jun's clean and neat hairstyle, combined with his outfit, makes him look much better than those domineering CEOs.
Seeing Zhang Jun's aura and style, paired with his cool Porsche 911, even if girls wanted to hit on him, they wouldn't have the courage.
After all, many people are self-aware enough to know that this handsome Porsche guy wouldn't be interested in girls like them.
So, who is this handsome Porsche driver waiting for?
The mystery was quickly revealed: Yang Mi was wearing high-waisted jeans, paired with a plaid shirt and a white tank top underneath, perfectly showcasing her long, shapely legs and her budding figure.
She spotted Zhang Jun looking dashing at the school gate at a glance, and was very happy to see how handsome he was dressed.
This proves that Zhang Jun values this date, and it wasn't in vain that I spent so much time sprucing myself up, finally managing to create a satisfactory look for him.
She waved and jogged over to Zhang Jun's side: "Sorry to keep you waiting."
Zhang Jun's smile behind his sunglasses was captivating: "It's nothing, I didn't wait long, and besides, I got a lot of attention, which gave me a real treat."
Yang Mi laughed and said, "They're probably wondering who you are."
Let them guess!
Zhang Jun opened the car door with a gentlemanly gesture: "Miss Yang, please get in!"
"Thank you!" Yang Mi got into the car, and the two drove off.
Once the Porsche 911's taillights had completely disappeared from view, someone realized: "Wasn't that Yang Mi from the acting department? And the handsome guy in the Porsche is her boyfriend?"
Someone said jealously, "Why? She gets a boyfriend like that, but I don't?"
Someone nearby chimed in, "She's Yang Mi, she's acted in so many dramas. I've heard some young masters like to date female celebrities because they're famous."
If we're talking about pretty girls, there are plenty of bars in Sanlitun, but none of those pretty girls are as famous as Yang Mi.
"
That makes a lot of sense. Once you reach a certain level of status, beauty is no longer the standard by which to judge a woman; fame becomes the measure. Even an average-looking woman can be perceived as beautiful if she has fame.
Even if she's not pretty, people will say she has class.
Many girls are jealous of Yang Mi, who is both somewhat famous and pursued by a wealthy young man. No one knows that the wealthy young man driving the Porsche 911 is actually Zhang Jun.
Although they drove out in a Porsche 911, Zhang Jun and Yang Mi didn't eat anything fancy; instead, they went to Dongsi for hot pot with mutton.
This place is quite traditional; the copper pot is heated with fruitwood charcoal, and the soup starts to bubble as the temperature rises.
As a local, Yang Mi knows exactly how to enjoy hot pot with mutton.
"When eating hot pot with mutton, you must use a 2:8 ratio of sauce: sesame sauce 20% and peanut sauce 80%, and then mix it thoroughly," Yang Mi said while stirring.
Seeing there was no sugar on the table, she called out, "Waiter, bring some pickled garlic! How can you eat hot pot without pickled garlic?"
After all the dishes were served, the two started to cook hot pot.
Zhang Jun took a bite and nodded, "I must say, this restaurant's food is really good."
"Right!"
Yang Mi said excitedly, "Most people wouldn't be able to find this place. Even though there's no sign, this is the best place for hot pot."
Those shops with huge signs are just scamming tourists from other places.
Zhang Jun gave a thumbs up: "I never expected you to have the potential to be a gourmet."
Yang Mi laughed and said, "It's alright. The main thing is that I'm a local, so I know exactly where the good food is."
After finishing their hot pot, Yang Mi dragged Zhang Jun to Panjiayuan Market and bought two modern handicrafts. Forget about antiques; if there were any, they wouldn't be so clueless.
The two then went to Jingshan Park in the afternoon to climb up and enjoy the view of Beijing's skyline.
In the evening, we went to an old restaurant that Zhang Jun didn't know about, and experienced a different kind of Peking duck restaurant from Quanjude, which filled our stomachs.
When evening came, Zhang Jun wanted to take Yang Mi home, but the words that came out of his mouth changed to something else.
"Want to come sit at my place for a while?"
Yang Mi was taken aback. So direct?
But she immediately agreed: "Okay!"
Upon arriving at Zhang Jun's house, the two remained silent, both harboring a strange anticipation for what was to come.
Upon entering the house, Zhang Jun looked into Yang Mi's bright eyes and then immediately pulled her into his arms.
Yang Mi exclaimed in surprise, then felt Zhang Jun's chest, his heavy breathing, and his strong heartbeat.
Zhang Jun, being very outgoing, skillfully took off Yang Mi's plaid shirt, but was stopped by Yang Mi just as he was about to continue.
"No, go take a shower, you're covered in sweat—"
The next day, when Yang Mi woke up, her legs felt weak and she didn't want to move at all.
She touched the blanket next to her, but Zhang Junren wasn't there, which made her feel a little empty and a bit emotional.
But just then, the bedroom door opened, and Zhang Jun brought over a small table and breakfast.
"I know you can't get up, so just eat breakfast in bed!"
"It's all your fault," Yang Mi said reproachfully, but she felt very relieved inside.
Zhang Jun made a powerful gesture: "There's nothing I can do about it, it's called talent."
"With that kind of talent, he must have bullied a lot of girls." Yang Mi rolled her eyes at Zhang Jun.
She understood that a man like Zhang Jun wouldn't easily make promises of eternal love. However, she didn't force it, since her purpose in approaching Zhang Jun was to gain an opportunity.
Moreover, compared to those unattractive old men, a young, strong, and handsome director like Zhang Jun is a rare gem.
This man seemed to be a man of his word; after he finished, he said he wouldn't treat his own people unfairly.
Now that I've truly become his person, I hope he won't treat me badly!
Yang Mi ate her breakfast, looking forward to what kind of surprise Zhang Jun would bring her.