novellhall Chapter 233 Project Evaluation Function [5000]
Chapter 233 Project Evaluation Function [5000]
Chapter 233 Project Evaluation Function [5000]
"The prelude to the official announcement is here!"
"That silhouette is definitely Chen Xun and Jennifer!"
"Dio's speed is amazing, it's only been three days since the Oscars!"
"Looking forward to the blockbuster! Looking forward to the collaboration between GG!"
As Chen Xun was looking at it, Jennifer sent him a screenshot.
It's a chat log between her and Dior executives in a work group.
Dior's representatives said, "The promotional plan is finalized. We'll continue the Oscar theme of protection. The scene where Mr. Chen helps you up has become a classic, and we want to carry that feeling into the GG collection."
Jennifer replied, "I'm fine. What about Chen Xun?"
"Mr. Chen's agent has confirmed that the filming will take place at the beginning of next month in Paris."
Jennifer sent Chen Xun a voice message: "See you in Paris next month? I'll treat you to a big meal while I'm at it, to keep my promise."
Chen Xun replied, "Okay!"
Just after I sent it out, Robert called.
"The contract details have been agreed upon."
Rob spoke quickly: "One year, $1200 million after tax, including six brand events, three GG films, and a magazine cover shoot. In addition, Dior hopes you will wear their clothes more during the upcoming movie promotion period."
"Can!"
Chen Xun readily agreed.
Filming for Guardians of the Galaxy is entering its final month.
The atmosphere in the studio became tense.
I'm really tired, but the thought of being free soon makes me a little reluctant to leave.
Today, Chen Xun is filming a scene where Star-Lord teaches Groot to dance.
The script only has one line: "Peter tries to teach Groot some silly dances on Earth."
But director Gunn's requirements were not that simple.
"I don't want your average silly dance."
Before filming, Gu En pulled Chen Xun in front of the monitor and showed him a video: "It's this kind!"
On the screen is Gunn himself.
He was wearing a loose T-shirt and shorts, in the empty rehearsal room, singing along to the Jackson 5's "I..."
The song "Want You Back" involves twisting and turning. The movements aren't exactly standard, but they have a strange, almost magical quality.
It looks like a sloth that's had too much to drink dancing disco.
Chen Xun chuckled, "This is you?"
"Yes, I choreographed the dance myself."
Gunn said smugly, "Groot's movements will be recreated frame by frame by animators to recreate my performance."
"So what you have to do now is imagine there is a dancing tree in the air, and be amused by its silly and cute dance moves, but don't laugh too obviously."
Chen Xun thought for a moment: "So I'm supposed to act out being charmed by a tree's awkward dance?"
Bingo!
Gunn patted him on the shoulder: "It's tough, isn't it? But I believe you can do it."
Chen Xun walked to the center of the set.
This is a makeshift corner of the Milano ship's cabin, with nothing but a few boxes and pipe props.
Groot will be added in later using CG.
The assistant director called "Action!"
The music is ringing.
The upbeat melody of "I Want You Back" echoed across the set.
Chen Xun began his lesson to the air: "Watch closely, Groot, this is called a moonwalk—no, you're lifting your legs too high—wait, who taught you that waist-twisting move?"
He had to imagine Groot dancing right in front of him and react accordingly.
once.
twice.
three times.
Gunn shook his head behind the monitor: "Chen, your expression is too stupid. What I want is a tree that's stupidly cute."
Chen Xun wiped his sweat: "Director, acting cute to thin air is a bit difficult."
"Then think about the pets you've owned."
When dogs and cats do silly things, don't you feel both disgusted and amused?
Chen Xun thought for a moment.
In his past life, he owned an orange cat. Every time it was caught stealing food, it would widen its eyes and pretend to be innocent.
It's both silly and cute.
"Again!"
This time, Chen Xun's expression was right.
He imagined Groot wriggling awkwardly in front of him, first frowning, then unable to suppress a smile, and finally bursting into laughter.
"Cut!"
Gunn stood up and clapped: "That's it! Perfect!"
During his break, Chen Xun sat on a folding chair and drank water.
Director Gunn came over again, this time with a serious expression.
"We're filming the scene where Groot sacrifices himself this afternoon."
"Everyone, please keep quiet!"
The atmosphere on set suddenly became heavy.
The scene of Groot's sacrifice was only described in a few lines of the script.
But everyone knows that this might be the most tear-jerking scene in the entire movie.
After such a long filming process, everyone became friends.
Even Groot in the script is an example.
Although it was still thinking about it, the thought of its friend sacrificing himself weighed heavily on its mind.
The studio was cleared out at 2 PM.
Only essential staff and actors remained. The lighting was dimmed, with only a few beams of cold light shining on the center of the set.
There is no physical Groot in this scene.
The actors had to perform in front of a green screen, imagining Groot spreading out branches in front of them to form a protective shield.
Gunn stood in front of the monitor, holding a walkie-talkie: "Everyone, get into character. I won't yell 'cut,' just keep acting."
Vin Diesel also provided voiceover on set.
He has been working on set during this period.
He was in a recording studio, though.
"Action!"
Chen Xun was the first to get into the zone.
Star-Lord looked at Groot, his eyes shifting from shock to confusion, and finally to despair.
"Groot, no—what are you doing?"
His voice was trembling.
Rocket Raccoon's voice came from the side: "No! Groot! You'll die!"
Drax roared, "Stand up! We don't need your protection!"
Gamora bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes.
Then there's that line.
Before Groot sacrificed himself, he looked tenderly at everyone and said, "amGroot."
It has only four syllables.
Just then, the recording studio where Vin Diesel was located suddenly lost power.
But everyone's emotions are still there.
Everyone present could feel the emotions.
Chen Xun felt a surge of electricity coursing up his spine.
He stared at the air as if he could really see Groot smiling, "It's alright, friends, it's what I should do."
His tears fell without warning.
It wasn't acted out.
it is true.
"Cut!"
Gunn's voice was a little hoarse.
The film set was eerily quiet.
Several seconds passed before someone started breathing.
Chen Xun wiped his face and noticed that Dave was also wiping his eyes. Zoe turned away to calm herself down.
"That one just now—"
Gunn walked over, his eyes red: "No need to watch the replay, just go straight to it. That was the most authentic performance I've ever seen in my life."
Chen Xun nodded, speechless.
At that moment, several attribute orbs floated past his eyes.
[Emotional resonance +15]
Empathy +10
[Improvisation +8]
[Trendsetting progress +3%]
Current overall progress: 24%
Vin Diesel walked over.
Chen Xunchong gave him a thumbs up.
Thankfully, Vin Diesel didn't interrupt the voiceover during the power outage, otherwise this classic scene might never have existed.
"It was pitch black just now!"
Vin Diesel didn't seem to have recovered from the emotions he had just experienced.
"Strangely, I wasn't interrupted. When I closed my eyes, I wasn't thinking about Groot, but about my newborn daughter."
Diesel lowered his voice: "I imagine myself as a father, telling my child in the gentlest tone that Daddy loves you in the last moments of my life."
So, what does "I am Groot" actually mean?
"It's because I love you all."
"When the power outage ended, I opened my eyes, my emotions still running high, and I finished recording in one go. Director Gunn said it was a miracle, but I think it was Groot who helped us."
The evening ended.
Chen Xun returned to the hotel.
Chen Xun opened the panel.
An additional project evaluation has been added above.
This only appeared after the panel was upgraded; Chen Xun just discovered it.
[Guardians of the Galaxy 85%] Project Assessment:
Performance rating: A+
Director's satisfaction rating: S
Teamwork: A
Audience Expectations: B+ (Not yet released)
Overall rating: A
Reward: [Trendsetting Progress +10%] [Not yet distributed]
Chen Xun stared at the progress bar, lost in thought.
He still doesn't quite understand this new feature after the system upgrade.
However, judging from the literal meaning, it should mean that he will receive a reward after he reaches 100% completion of "Guardians of the Galaxy".
[Trendsetting progress +10%]
It looks very tempting.
His current total progress is 24%, and adding this 10% will bring it to 34%, bringing him closer to advancing in his cultivation level.
Why is only Guardians of the Galaxy rated?
He tried clicking on the "Projects" list to see the movies he had filmed before.
The Hunger Games doesn't have it!
No! Fast & Furious 5!
No, not "2 Broke Girls"!
Chen Xun frowned.
Is it a bug?
etc----
He suddenly thought of something and his fingers swiped quickly.
found it!
Fast & Furious 6 (in production)
Progress: 92%
Performance rating: A
Director's satisfaction rating: A
Teamwork: A—
Audience Expectations: A (Not yet released)
Overall rating: A—
Reward: [Physical Coordination +15%]
really!
Only films currently in production are eligible for project evaluation.
Both Guardians of the Galaxy and Fast & Furious 6 are still in production, which is why this panel appears.
Chen Xun's eyes lit up.
This feature is awesome!
It's like setting a task for each of his movies that are currently being filmed, and rewarding him if he completes it well.
Moreover, the rewards all seem quite substantial.
[Leading the Trend] is a holistic improvement, while [Physical Coordination +15%] is an increase in professional attributes.
powerful----
This is much more reliable than relying solely on absorbing attribute orbs.
If every movie can get a high rating, wouldn't his acting skills improve at a rocket-like speed?
Chen Xun became more and more excited as he thought about it.
Guardians of the Galaxy is currently 85% complete, 15% short.
According to the filming schedule, the last two weeks will mainly be used for reshooting some scenes and special effects, which is not very difficult.
The key is the rating.
Performance rating: A+, Director satisfaction rating: S, Teamwork rating: A – Overall rating: A.
Could you raise it a little higher?
For example, how about raising team collaboration to A+?
Or should we raise the audience's expectations from B+ to A-?
Chen Xun began to make plans.
He believes he does a good job in teamwork.
He got along well with Dave and Zoe, and was also polite to the staff.
But perhaps it could be better?
Should we bring some snacks to the set tomorrow, or offer to help other actors with their lines?
Audience expectations are a bit difficult to determine, since it's a market estimate before the film's release.
But it's not entirely hopeless.
He could post more behind-the-scenes footage on social media to generate buzz.
There are also performance levels —
Chen Xun thought about it and felt that Star-Lord's performance was alright, but was it possible to mention him again?
Director Gu En said he acted well, but Chen Xun knew that some details could still be polished.
For example, he portrayed the loneliness beneath Star-Lord's cynicism, but not deeply enough.
For example, Star-Lord's emotional projection of his mother was handled somewhat superficially.
If we could pay even closer attention to these details, our performance rating might be raised from A+ to S.
It's going to be difficult for Fast & Furious 6 to get a project rating upgrade, but Guardians of the Galaxy still has a chance!
Chen Xun picked up the script from the bedside table and turned to the marked pages.
Tomorrow we'll be filming a scene where Star-Lord is alone.
Peter Quill was alone in the cockpit of the Milano, listening to the old Walkman his mother had left him, and looking out at the vast universe.
This scene has no dialogue; it relies entirely on facial expressions and eye contact.
Chen Xun had almost finished his preparations, but now, spurred by the project evaluation, he wanted to do even better.
He closed his eyes and imagined himself as Peter Quill.
A child abducted by aliens at a young age and who only lived on Earth for eight years. A hoodlum who uses cynicism to mask an inner void. A stranger wandering the Milky Way, never finding a sense of belonging.
My mother's favorite old songs were playing from my Walkman.
Chen Xun tried to hum the melody.
It's "I II Be There" by the Jackson Five.
He remembered director Gunn saying that this song was Star-Lord's mother's favorite, and it was also Star-Lord's entire memory of Earth, his family, and love.
Chen Xun opened his eyes, picked up his phone, found the song, and put on his headphones.
The melody flows.
He closed his eyes, letting himself immerse himself in the moment.
The next morning, Chen Xun appeared on set with dark circles under his eyes.
Dave chuckled as soon as he saw him: "Hey, where did you go last night? Did you go with some woman—"
"Memorize your lines!" Chen Xun interrupted him.
"Can memorizing lines cause dark circles under the eyes?"
Dave didn't believe him: "Do you think I'm a three-year-old?"
-
Chen Xun was too lazy to explain and went to the dressing room.
Zoe had already put on her makeup, her green skin glowing under the light. She glanced at Chen Xun: "Didn't sleep well?"
"Yes, thinking about the play."
"Are you filming the scene where you're alone today?"
Zoe asked.
"right!"
"That scene was very difficult."
Zoe took a sip of coffee: "No rivals, no lines, you're on your own two feet, and Director Gunn has high standards—good luck."
Chen Xun smiled and said, "Thank you!"
After getting his makeup done and changing into his costume, Chen Xun walked to the set.
Today we're filming the cockpit scene. The set is very detailed, with various instrument panels and control consoles. Outside the window is a green screen, which will be turned into a cosmic starry sky in post-production.
Director Gunn is discussing camera angles with the cinematographer.
Seeing Chen Xun arrive, Gu En walked over and asked, "Ready?"
"That's about it."
"The key to this scene is—"
Gunn thought for a moment: "Lonely but not self-pitying, nostalgic but not pretentious. Star-Lord is a tough guy. He won't cry and whine, but his sadness is in the details, the subtle movement of his fingers stroking the Walkman, the fleeting tenderness in his eyes, and the helplessness of wanting to go home but not being able to."
Chen Xun nodded: "I understand."
"Then let's do it once."
Gunn patted him on the shoulder: "No rush, we'll take it slow."
All departments are ready and in place.
Action!
'
Chen Xun sat in the driver's seat, holding the old-fashioned Walkman in his hand.
He pressed play.
The melody of "I'll Be There" begins to play.
Synchronous power amplifier throughout the venue.
He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
Unconsciously, his fingers gently stroked the casing of the Walkman, as if afraid of damaging his only possession.
Then I opened my eyes and looked out the window.
There was nothing in front of the green screen; Chen Xun imagined it to be a vast universe, with twinkling stars and no end in sight.
His eyes were complicated.
Longing for his mother, yearning for the earth, helplessness in the face of his situation, and loneliness.
He suppressed all these emotions.
Just watch and listen quietly.
A three-minute long take, filmed in one continuous shot.
Gunn held his breath behind the monitor.
Chen Xun's performance was so nuanced.
That restrained sorrow is more powerful than wailing and crying.
"Cut!"
Gunn stood up, his eyes a little red: "Perfect! This take is perfect!"
Chen Xun breathed a sigh of relief.
He was so engrossed in the role that he even forgot he was acting.
Several attribute orbs of different colors fell from his body:
Emotional control +12
[Detail expression +10]
[Improvisation +5]
There is another system notification:
[Guardians of the Galaxy Project Rating Update: Performance Grade Upgraded from A+ to S]
Become!
Chen Xun was secretly delighted.
Although the overall rating has not changed, the performance level has been upgraded to S, which means that the final reward may be better.
During his break, Chen Xun sat on a folding chair and scrolled through his phone.
On Twitter, Dior's pre-launch hype continues.
The silhouette image of him and Jennifer has been shared over half a million times, and the comments section is full of anticipation.
"When will they officially announce it? I can't wait!"
"The chemistry between these two is amazing; they seem more like a couple than real people."
Kristen Stewart is filming in New York, Chen Xun is filming in London, and Jennifer is in Los Angeles.
What's the deal with these three people?
"Hey upstairs, don't make wild guesses. They're just friends and partners."
"But the way he helped her up really didn't seem like something a normal friend would do—"
Chen Xun swung past without giving it a second glance.
He stared at the project evaluation of "Guardians of the Galaxy" on the panel.
Performance rating: S; Director satisfaction rating: S; Teamwork rating: A; Audience expectations rating: B+.
The overall rating remains A.
To achieve an A+ rating, we need to improve both teamwork and audience expectations.
Teamwork —
Chen Xun pondered.
He believes he got along well with the crew, but there's still room for improvement.
We need to do something.
The next day, when Chen Xun arrived at the film set, he didn't go straight to the dressing room, but instead went around to the film set's catering area to take a look.
Breakfast was a standard English meal: bacon, fried eggs, roasted tomatoes, baked beans, and a basket of croissants.
Chen Xun thought for a moment, took out his wallet, and said to Sarah, the lady in charge of catering, "Sarah, how about some snacks as overtime pay today? It's on me."
Sarah is a chubby Black woman who has worked at Pinewood Studios for twenty years and is very popular.
She wiped her hands and asked, "What would you like to add, darling?"
"Donuts, please."
"And get some fresh fruit, strawberries, blueberries, and the like. Budget—five hundred pounds, please?"
Sarah's eyes lit up: "Wow, Mr. Oscar is being generous today!"
"Of course!"
"Everyone has worked hard during this time."
Chen Xun smiled.
Seeing everyone's reactions, he felt there was a high possibility of improvement.
Half an hour later, a large plate of colorful donuts and several bowls of washed berries appeared in the food area.
The crew members who arrived early were stunned.
"What day is it today?"
"Chen is treating!"
Sarah announced loudly, "It's to reward everyone!"
Wow!
"Chen Xun is awesome!"
"These donuts look delicious!"
Chen Xun took a chocolate ring for himself, took a bite, and walked over to Dave.
Dave was stretching when he saw him and grinned: "Not bad, you've got a knack for winning people over."
"That's called team building."
Chen Xun handed him a sugar-frosted one: "Want to try some?"
Dave took it and swallowed it in two gulps: "Not bad, but don't think that means I won't beat you up in the movie."
"He deserves a beating," Chen Xun laughed.
Just then, Zoe walked over. She had already put on Gamora's makeup, her green face showing a serious expression, but she was holding a strawberry donut in her hand, making the scene a bit comical.
Thanks!