Chapter 226: I’m Planting Potatoes On Mars
The next day, noon.
After Chi Ye and Shang Youshu stayed another morning, the announcement ended, and the two waved goodbye to the program team members and Teacher Fang and others.
Teacher Zhang and Teacher Wu also came out to see them off, but after the camera moved away, the two turned and left—they didn’t even want to talk much to Chi Ye now, one could only say the young ones had taken a narrow path.
Chi Ye didn’t pay too much attention to this, he left, but Teacher Shi stayed behind, while Sister Shang was like him, both flying guests for this episode of Unexpected Journey.
The two took their respective teams away from the program team’s filming location, then Chi Ye looked at Sister Shang still by his side, a bit puzzled: “You’re not going back to the country? Haven’t eaten enough?”
“Ah?”
Sister Shang blinked her eyes: “What are you doing next?”
Chi Ye thought for a moment: “I made an appointment with a friend to have a meal.”
“Is… is it about the sci-fi film?”
Sister Shang paused, guaranteeing: “I absolutely won’t spread it.”
Chi Ye’s gaze was full of suspicion.
But there was no need to keep this matter secret, because the entertainment industry was just that big, and the news that “Chi Ye is doing a sci-fi film” had long spread throughout the industry.
And Chi Ye himself actually had no intention of doing a sci-fi film so soon before this.
Because although sci-fi films sound high-end at first glance, this thing… has too long a cycle, and requires too much from post-production, special effects teams, props, and set building—if the requirements are low, it will turn into another Magic City Fortress.
But after receiving the leader’s phone call, and the implicit hints in the other party’s words, Chi Ye felt that the opportunity seemed to have arrived.
Of course, because of Magic City Fortress, domestic sci-fi films had already been blocked at the door.
All kinds of investors, film producers, even actors and audiences, were all disheartened, and getting such a project operational and started was not an easy thing.
—This was also the most important reason Chi Ye came to the United States this time, he wanted to find someone.
“You want to act?”
Chi Ye looked at Sister Shang’s sneaky appearance, paused, and still told the truth: “This project doesn’t have a shadow yet, you…”
“No no no.”
Sister Shang waved her hand: “I’ll just take a look, I’m not acting, too tiring.”
Chi Ye: “?”
“……Then you go ahead, I’ll find you when you’re filming.”
Sister Shang hesitated and waved: “I… I’ll go first?”
Chi Ye eyed her sideways: “You want to follow?”
“?”
Sister Shang raised an eyebrow, suddenly smiled, shook her finger: “Following is tiring too, I didn’t play enough last time I came here… cough cough, didn’t rest enough, I’ll go on vacation first, contact when Girl is released.”
Chi Ye gestured: “Then you better hurry, it’s going on National Day.”
“So soon?!”
Sister Shang was struck by lightning: “This this… post-production done this fast?”
“Youth film, it’s fast.”
Chi Ye grinned: “Go on, you still have… about two months.”
“……I’m off, no love left, sigh, why do we have to film.”
Sister Shang turned dejectedly, but suddenly stopped, looked back: “Right, Teacher Chi…”
“Hm?”
Chi Ye turned back: “What’s up?”
Sister Shang’s little face became a bit serious, reminding: “Zhang Guowen and Wu Yibo are both big stars in the film circle… they’re not quite the same as the Beijing Circle, they’re from a few other circles.”
“So… be careful, although you now have some performance in films, but… making friends is always better than making enemies.”
“…” Chi Ye nodded: “Got it, thanks.”
“Mm…” Sister Shang hesitated for a moment, still couldn’t help saying: “But you were really handsome this time… I’ve gained a new appreciation for you.”
Chi Ye: “?”
“Bye bye bye, see you!”
After Sister Shang finished, she ran like smoke into the business car, emphasizing speed like wind, fast as lightning.
Chi Ye: “…”
He watched Sister Shang’s business car leave, then walked to his car, shaking his head: “Really don’t know what she’s been happy about all day…”
Over here, Xiao Liu had been waiting a while: “Chi Ge, get in the car.”
“Time set?”
“Mm, the other side said five o’clock in the afternoon, he’ll be resting then.”
“Alright, then let’s go.”
Chi Ye nodded, team members got in the car one after another, heading to the destination.
……
Internal entertainment circle, or rather China’s film industry, has always been one of the cultural industries most valued by the higher-ups, the reason the film circle is so superior is largely because film is the world’s recognized seventh art.
Art films, commercial films, third-level films…
Many types, but in recent years, or rather always, commercial films are the strongest mainstream in the circle, and also the biggest benchmark recognized by the circle and outside, audiences and movie fans for an actor, none other—after all, movies that make money are good movies in many people’s eyes.
The industry is especially extreme.
Chi Ye’s film career has just begun, but his subsequent works are almost all purely commercial films… honestly, not thinking about any awards, all aimed at box office.
Big Shot is the villain second male lead, basically no chance with mainstream awards.
Girl is a youth film, for making money for the studio.
Influenza does have potential, it’s Chi Ye’s only big production so far that’s relatively balanced in commercial and “artistic” aspects, with excellent historical box office and reputation performance.
But it depends on the post-screening reaction… and, you have to admit, it’s also a commercial film with extremely heavy commercial attributes, and very strong industrialization… but not in the mainland.
Yes, industrialized.
Domestic industrialized films are a goal the higher-ups have always demanded and hoped for, and sci-fi films are an excellent genre that embodies it all.
Because in a sense, sci-fi films not only represent the formation and progress of China’s industrialized films, the benchmark, the opportunity to break Hollywood’s monopoly, but can even represent a country’s soft cultural strength, becoming a “stage” watched by the world.
—For example, The Wandering Earth 2 on Earth featured various technologies not realized at the time, but during the preparation of Little Broken Ball 3, these technologies were realized one by one, a textbook case of official and film linkage.
“Technology power” is the national policy currently implemented across the entire country.
So, the appearance of The Wandering Earth was so exciting, even elevating the film team to god status at one point.
So, this genre is different from any other, Chi Ye either doesn’t do it, or he must do it well, otherwise he’ll end up like Magic City Fortress, directly unfindable.
A few years ago, with such shrewd industry capital, they massively targeted sci-fi genres, all for wanting a The Wandering Earth, to seize this once-in-a-century opportunity, right?
Chi Ye wants to try too, so first, he needs an “insider”, someone who can help him assemble this project.
At five o’clock in the afternoon, he met this talent.
……
Inside the coffee shop.
Chi Ye sized up the scruffy-bearded young man across from him, he wasn’t old, but had a full beard, looking like he was sleepy and couldn’t wake up.
But Chi Ye knew this was a talent.
Guo Feng, previously an obscure little director in internal entertainment, from debut to now, hadn’t made any earth-shattering works.
Five years ago, he began deeply researching sci-fi film field, before there was policy from above, he relied on connections and self-funded to study advanced industrialized film technology in the United States, and under him was a team with shared aspirations, positive, full of passion.
A thorough obsessive “talent”.
Why call him talent?
Because Chi Ye searched this world and couldn’t find Guo Fan, after a few rounds, finally locked onto him.
He’s not quite like Guo Fan, but a bit similar, Chi Ye decided to give him a try.
“Sci-fi film? You want to make it?”
After hearing Chi Ye’s explanation, Guo Feng fought sleepy eyelids: “This is hard to pull off… with domestic tech now, hard to do well… I saw that Magic City Fortress… honestly, I’m a bit disheartened.”
“Are you disheartened by Magic City Fortress, or by domestic industrialized films?”
Guo Feng was stunned.
Chi Ye flipped his mobile phone over, pushed it to him: “This is a film I’m shooting, a doomsday disaster film invested 300 million, you can take a look.”
Guo Feng paused, surprised and took it unexpectedly, flipped through the content on Chi Ye’s phone, silent for a long time.
“This wasn’t shot in the mainland.”
Chi Ye explained: “Because the theme is a bit sensitive, outside we built sets for a long time, including other teams, honestly, wasted a lot of money, even extras required at least half a year of “zombie dance” practice.”
Guo Feng put down the phone, praised: “You’ve really put in the effort.”
Chi Ye eyed him sideways: “I’m not showing you for free.”
Guo Feng was startled.
“Put it this way, Influenza is also an industrialized film, but because mainland industrialization isn’t mature yet, we had to find outside teams… even so, we made it.”
Chi Ye thought, straightforward: “The higher-ups gave me some support, will open green channels, I have notebook and investment in hand…”
Guo Feng opened his mouth, completely didn’t expect Chi Ye to be so direct, so… hard to refuse.
“Then I… I’ll consider…”
“Don’t consider.”
Chi Ye interrupted him, very straightforward: “It’s me considering you, not you considering me.”
Guo Feng: “…”
“Your team members are all excellent and young… but you lack practical experience, so I can’t hand a big project to you all at once.”
“……I… we can do it, really, just no scripts domestically, Three-Body we can’t do now, but other types…”
Guo Feng wanted to explain.
Unknowingly, he was a bit anxious… because what Chi Ye just said and showed him was indeed very attractive to him.
—Chi Ye, he knew, internal entertainment’s current hottest young artist… previously his impression of Chi Ye was just that.
But now he realized, the other is indeed internal entertainment’s current most popular artist, but at the same time, he’s also a boss, holding various resources extremely attractive to him as “capital”.
Mm… from the way the other instantly flipped their “identities” with a few words, he felt Chi Ye was indeed different from the former Yu Yan.
Yu Yan is unrivaled top streamer, but Chi Ye besides being unrivaled top streamer, personal ability is undoubtedly more outstanding than Yu Yan.
“I can invest in you, but to take on the project, you must first operate a project for me to see.”
Chi Ye took a file from Xiao Liu, handed it to Guo Feng: “Scan it first, no problem we continue talking, if not willing, I’ll find someone else.”
“…”
Guo Feng was a total homebody, first time exchanging with Chi Ye, only felt huge psychological pressure from across, slightly uncomfortable yet a bit excited.
—Has project, funds, script… yes, Chi Ye’s script ability after Big Shot had spread, that’s why he was willing to come.
Sci-fi films don’t just need special effects and post-industrialization, scripts are equally important, but unfortunately, with current domestic situation, Three-Body can’t be done, and besides Three-Body, no other big IP.
Now, what is the file Chi Ye gave him?
Can he write excellent sci-fi scripts?
Guo Feng was skeptical, but when he saw the following content, he was clearly stunned.
“Mars… farming… this… this is soft sci-fi initial script, before consulting domestic scientists?”
He saw this script named Mars Rescue, scanned a few lines and saw it was a soft sci-fi notebook, slightly disappointed yet continued reading…
Because, this story seems very interesting.
Chi Ye sat across, not disturbing him reading the script and project planner.
Mm…
The higher-ups want him to do sci-fi film, a localized big hit like The Wandering Earth is naturally the best choice, but… to make a The Wandering Earth in short time really needs massive preparation, not realistic.
Of course, The Wandering Earth’s script was polished for four or five years to get the result.
Chi Ye can directly pull out a ready one, saving massive time on script, and once script saves time, various costume, makeup, props, set building, even special effects work will shorten greatly.
But even so, not something completable in short time.
So, before The Wandering Earth, doing a relatively fast “soft sci-fi” project to test this world’s “Guo Fan”‘s ability, while giving the higher-ups and movie fans something good first, perfect.
And is Mars Rescue good?
This film, at the time in 15, global box office converted to RMB over 4.5 billion, Douban 250 TOP, 7 Oscar noms, more importantly… less investment Chi Ye version.
Original Mars Rescue investment high because just the male lead’s filming fee exceeded 20% share, and that’s not counting other actors’ fees, Hollywood industrialized dominant severe premium.
But if localized, Chi Ye enters as investor, filming fee not counted, and actors he finds won’t be too expensive, so saves big funds.
Estimated, higher than Influenza, but not much higher.
So, time, investment, genre, performance… Mars Rescue very suitable as Chi Ye’s first sci-fi work.
