Chapter 277: Hot Discussion Again and Official Filming Begins

"Director Liu, you just said that The Martian will be filming the exterior scenes on Mars here?"

“Mars is different from Earth, how can we film it in real time?”

"Is The Martian really just a drama? It doesn't even have special effects on the surface of Mars? Is space science fiction just a gimmick?"

……

Looking at the reporters in the audience who were enthusiastically asking questions that concerned them, Liu Zhou knew that he needed to say something no matter what.

Liu Zhou stood on the stage for a while, and when he saw the reporters' questions became quieter, he raised the microphone and said with a smile:

“I see you seem to have a lot of questions, but I also know what you are most concerned about.

First of all, I can tell you with certainty that The Martian is not a gimmick, it is a true space science fiction film.”

"Director Liu, why did you use real scenes instead of special effects?"

"How do you know there are no special effects? In fact, this is also a special effect, but it is a physical effect.

Physical special effects, as the name suggests, are special effects created using physical means, which still require post-production and rendering.

We have also applied for the Galaxy IV supercomputer at the National University of Defense Technology to do the rendering for the film’s post-production.”

Liu Zhou looked at the reporters below who were discussing quietly, and then said:

“Don’t be misled by Hollywood blockbusters. Physical effects are not inferior to CG effects. On the contrary, the effects of physical effects in movies are more realistic.

I can also tell you something about the plot of the movie. A large part of the plot of "The Martian" takes place on Mars.

So in order to achieve better results, our crew invited assistance from multiple departments and completed the design of the Martian landscape with the help of the Space Agency.

Then we invited the construction team from China Construction to build it to look like Mars according to the design drawings.”

A reporter then asked:
"Director Liu, can we make the Martian surface as realistic as Mars by actually building it there?"

"Do you think that rendering is the surface of Mars?" Liu Zhou asked, pointing at the rendering that had just been unveiled.

"It's really similar."

"What I can guarantee is that the final effect presented in the movie will only be better than that picture, not worse."

Then, Liu Zhou pointed again and said:

“That area with buildings, a total of several hundred acres, is where we shoot the real scenes.

In addition to China Construction Company, there are dozens of artists, sculptors, prop masters, and their apprentices, totaling dozens of people, in this project of hundreds of acres, who have polished these unique landforms such as craters and canyons to perfection that resembles Mars.

So you don’t have to worry about the artificial surface of Mars not being real.”

At this time, a reporter also caught another key point in Liu Zhou's words and asked:

"Director Liu, you just said that the location of The Martian covers several hundred acres?"

“Yes, as I said just now, a large number of plots of The Martian take place on Mars, so we also built the film’s exterior scenes very carefully and rigorously.

We not only strive for authenticity, but also let the audience feel the desolation and loneliness of Mars. In order to present this feeling, we directly built a few hundred acres of outdoor locations, striving to satisfy the audience."

At this moment, everyone reacted and couldn't help but gasp.

Transforming hundreds of acres of land into the Martian landscape, the workmanship, the scene and the attitude are truly beyond reproach.

"Director Liu, can we go visit the filming location?"

“It may not be possible now, our crew has already moved in, and we will start the official filming tomorrow.

However, we at Golden Harvest plan to invest 30 million to build a Mars Village tourism demonstration zone based on the location shooting of "The Martian".

When we finish filming, you can go in and take a look, or you can come and experience it when the Mars Village is completed by the end of next year."

At this time, everyone fully understood the connection between this tourism demonstration zone and "The Martian", but everyone also had to admire Liu Zhou's business acumen.

If "The Martian" becomes a big hit, then this Martian village will definitely take advantage of the opportunity and become a popular tourist attraction.

This is much better than poet Chen making a movie and building a city, and then leaving it abandoned.

No wonder he can become the second richest man in mainland China.

……

The reporter asked more and more questions, but this time Liu Zhou was very patient and answered all the questions he could.

This groundbreaking ceremony, which also served as the start-up ceremony for "The Martian", seemed to have turned into Liu Zhou's personal press conference.

However, the local leaders were not at all displeased and were very happy to see this scene.

Although they want to appear on camera, they hope that this Mars-themed tourism demonstration scenic spot will be successful.

If the scenic spot is to be successful and ultimately attract customers, a large part of it depends on Liu Zhou and the movie "The Martian".

So they are hoping that the media reporters will ask more questions, so that they can better promote the movie and the demonstration scenic spot here.

After the press conference, the leaders began to leave, and reporters from all over the country immediately sent back reports on the situation.

As usual, the print media was a step behind, and the online media was the first to announce the news about the press conference.

"The Martian has built a thousand-acre location to try to restore the real Martian landscape!" "No gimmicks, no hype, a true space sci-fi film, The Martian is full of sincerity!"

……

As the news of the start of filming of "The Martian" and other related information were reported, the audience's enthusiasm was aroused again, and a heated discussion was set off online.

Although there has been less discussion about "The Martian" in the past period of time, it does not mean that the audience is not paying attention to it.

It’s just because “Lust, Caution” was so popular before, and there was no news about “The Martian”, the only time it made a splash was when the cast of the movie was confirmed.

This time, related reports about "The Martian" have been rolled out again, making the movie popular again.

The popularity of "The Martian" has risen again, but Liu Zhou no longer has time to care about it.

After the press conference, Liu Zhou bid farewell to his leaders and then plunged into the crew.

Liu Zhou asked someone to check the equipment and some props again to ensure that there would be no accidents during tomorrow's filming.

The next day, we did not start the filming to pray to the gods. We started shooting on time at 8 a.m.

The first scene was the storm at the beginning, which was also the only scene of Zhang Ziyi and other astronauts on Mars, so we shot it first.

Zhang Ziyi, Qin Hao and others were putting on their space suits, and Liu Zhou was explaining the scene to them.

"First of all, you have to understand that this is not the first time that your space team has come to Mars and established a base.

So when you perform later, be more relaxed and natural, and when you speak your lines, just treat it as a normal chat."

"I understand, Director Liu." Everyone nodded as they put on their clothes.

Liu Zhou then talked about some points that needed attention and communicated with the filming team, letting them figure it out on their own.

"Brother Hao, I think Director Liu is quite easy-going and patient. He's not as irritable as you said?" said Zhu Yawen on the side.

"That's because it was just the beginning of the shoot. As the shoot progressed, his temper got worse and worse. At that time, it was best not to make more than three mistakes, otherwise he would definitely spit in your face."

Then Qin Hao turned to Zhang Ziyi and Yang Mi and said with a smile:

"Liu Zhou showed no mercy during the filming. No matter if you were a girl or someone he knew, if you didn't meet his requirements, you would still be scolded."

It can be said that this was Yang Mi’s first time to work with such a large crew, and also her first time to collaborate with star directors such as Liu Zhou, Qin Hao and Zhang Ziyi.

So I had been feeling a little nervous, and now when I heard Qin Hao say that, I became even more frightened, and my face turned pale.

However, for Zhang Ziyi, who has experienced many ups and downs, she will not fall for Qin Hao's tricks.

She also noticed the change in Yang Mi's expression and said bluntly:

"Who are you trying to scare? I know Liu Zhou well, how could he curse at someone so casually?

Besides, we only have one scene here, and we'll leave after it's done. If anyone is going to get scolded, it's you who'll get scolded."

"Haha, just kidding, Yang Mi, don't worry, although Director Liu is very strict, he won't scold anyone casually, so you don't have to be afraid."

Hearing Qin Hao's words, Yang Mi and Zhu Yawen couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

For them, Liu Zhou's prestige is too great, and they are in awe of him from the bottom of their hearts. They are of course very excited to be able to act in Liu Zhou's movie, but at the same time they will also feel more pressure during filming.

If Liu Zhou had a bad temper during filming, they were worried that he wouldn't be able to play even a simple role well.

If this situation really happens, it will definitely leave a very bad impression on Liu Zhou, and it will be difficult for him to appear in his plays in the future.

Especially Zhu Yawen and Zhang Yi, they are artists under Golden Harvest and have a greater chance to star in the works of the big boss.

Therefore, the two of them did not want this situation to happen, and they were secretly determined to perform well, hoping to get the attention of the big boss.

After more than ten minutes, Liu Zhou called them over, tried their positions, measured the light, and measured the focal length.

After going through it several times, Liu Zhou felt that there were no problems and decided to officially start filming.

Liu Zhou sat in front of the monitor and took the intercom:
"All departments are ready, nonessential personnel are required to evacuate, and the scene is quiet!"

This time, Liu Zhou invited his old partner Lu Le as the photographer. After he confirmed that the photographer was in place, his assistant immediately shouted:

"record!"

The script supervisor rushed to the camera with a clapperboard, and the focus puller focused on the board.

"One take for the second scene!"

"start!"

Then the picture immediately appeared on the monitor. On the rust-red surface, Qin Hao, Zhang Ziyi and others were collecting Martian soil samples in bulky space suits.

As they worked, they chatted through the communicator, without any sense of tension of being on an alien planet.

This kind of everyday scene is not difficult at all, and the actors are all wearing helmets, so their faces cannot be seen except in close-ups and close-ups.

but.

"Crack!"

(End of this chapter)