Chapter 45: Filming Complete

During the following days of shooting, both Liu Ye and Yu Feihong delivered exceptionally brilliant interpretations of their characters. They played off each other like masters engaged in an intense acting duel, making every single one of their confrontation scenes an absolute thrill for the audience.

Old Tian was deeply moved by this.

More than once, he nagged Cao Yang, complaining that contemporary directors were far too impetuous and lacked patience. He argued that as long as one could calm down and carefully guide the actors, even someone as perceived as ordinary as Yu Feihong could trade blows with Liu Ye in an acting match; therefore, what kind of actor couldn't be trained to perform well?

Cao Yang just smiled in silence.

Old Tian, you probably haven't met the rising young starlets and traffic idols of the later generations yet. When that day comes, you will realize once again that there really are actors in this world whom even God Almighty cannot teach.

The production schedule of the crew accelerated at a visible pace.

Because of this, Cao Yang adjusted his plan a few more times.

Liu Ye had acquired a new nickname. Aside from being called "Hothead" behind his back, many people jokingly referred to him as "Aunt Liu."

"Aunt Liu" was a pun on "Divine Liu."

First, he sometimes acted so eccentric and otherworldly that anyone unaware would think he was out of his mind. He particularly despised seeing women being bullied; whether he knew them or not, he would always step forward to intervene, which was how he earned the reputation of a "hothead."

Second, his acting on set was truly divine. With those expressive, piercing eyes, that enchanting yet wicked smile, and a body language that alternated between restrained and wildly unrestrained, he brought a male lead who seemed profoundly disturbed vividly to life.

Just like that, the end of the month arrived. When the production coordinator calculated the progress, they found that only the prison scenes were left unfilmed, while everything else had been completed ahead of schedule—finishing half a month earlier than originally planned.

Meanwhile, two pieces of news arrived.

The first was about *Alone by the Sea at Night*. After nearly a month of screenings, its daily box office had dwindled to just around one hundred thousand, and the market was already flooded with massive amounts of pirated discs. It was estimated that within a few days, even the one hundred thousand mark would become unsustainable.

Hou Keming called to ask Cao Yang if he wanted to apply for an extension.

Up to that point, the film's box office had already surpassed 24 million, but without an extension, it would be difficult to exceed 25 million.

This was definitely a major box office success.

Cao Yang hesitated for a moment. The box office potential was practically exhausted, but as long as they applied for an extension and manipulated the figures slightly, it could easily cross 30 million.

Normally, anyone would apply for an extension to push the box office past 30 million. After all, how many directors in the domestic industry at that time could boast a 30-million box office record?

Hou Keming continued by mentioning that China Film Group had hinted they could publicly claim the box office was 31 million. This was considered a kind of unwritten rule; most early domestic films would inflate their numbers to some extent.

He had told Cao Yang directly, and at that time, Cao Yang rejected China Film Group's proposal outright.

He explained that although 31 million sounded like a great gimmick, he was not a commercial film director and had no need for the empty title of a 30-million-club director.

Furthermore, the film had already been submitted to this year's Golden Lily Awards. The Golden Lily had an unwritten rule: films with excessively high box office earnings were usually weeded out in the preliminary round and disqualified from competing for major awards.

Given the current box office figures, according to the stubborn tendencies of the Golden Lily committee, they might not even make it past the first round.

However, as long as the box office stayed under 30 million, the school could still figure out a way.

Most importantly, the school wanted to build his personal brand and would not allow his resume to be tainted by the stain of inflated box office figures, which could otherwise become a hidden liability.

What more could Cao Yang say? He could only agree that Teacher Hou was right and decide against extending the theatrical run.

The second piece of news was brought by Li Xiaoran when she came to visit the set.

The results of the 73rd Academy Awards were out. *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* had won four awards: Best Foreign Language Film, Best Original Score, Best Art Direction, and Best Cinematography.

Especially the Best Foreign Language Film award—this was the first time a Chinese-language film had ever won it.

Even though it missed out on the most prestigious Best Picture and Best Director awards, winning four out of ten nominations was still a remarkable achievement.

This film was the most critical turning point in Ang Lee's directorial career, drastically elevating his status in the international film community.

The same applied to the three main leads.

Although from the perspective of later generations, Hollywood was merely a playground for Jewish capital and a tool for cultural export, at the dawn of the new millennium, Hollywood was still the ultimate destination for filmmakers and the undisputed center of the global film industry.

That evening, lying in Cao Yang's arms and catching her breath after a bout of passion, Li Xiaoran said leisurely, "International Zhang is awfully smug right now. Her press releases are filled with news about her contacting various international luxury brands and how certain Hollywood production teams are extremely interested in her. She doesn't even mention me anymore."

"Why would she mention you? To continue bickering with you and exchanging subtle snubs and sarcastic remarks?"

"I'm going to bite you."

"Ouch, ouch."

Cao Yang winced and sucked in a breath of cold air, hurriedly comforting her.

"Don't take it too hard. It's not that easy for Chinese actors to break into Hollywood. Unless you're like Jackie Chan, entering first as a martial arts superstar and then producing your own projects, otherwise, how could they possibly hand you a leading role?"

He patted her bottom and continued, "Anyway, it's a bit complicated to explain. You just need to know that it's a white man's world over there."

"But other people don't think that way. That idiot producer Zhang Weiping openly boasted to the media that they are planning to invite an international actress to play a crucial role, and he thinks International Zhang is a great fit."

"Then let her play the part. It's not like she's the female lead anyway. I told you long ago not to hold too much hope. But competing isn't a bad thing either; the media is currently comparing the two of you, and the two of you are holding the highest profile in the domestic industry."

Li Xiaoran smiled, her words filled with a hint of girlish pride.

"That's true. My manager, Sister Zhang, has been running around like headless chickens lately. Before going to Berlin, she begged everyone she could, and most big brands wouldn't even give her the time of day. Now, tons of major brands are approaching her, wanting to sign me."

"Of course. Your current popularity in Europe surpasses even International Zhang's; you've been hyped up as an arthouse goddess."

"What do you mean by 'hyped up'? Can't you phrase it better?"

"Isn't being hyped up a good thing?"

"No, it isn't."

Then Li Xiaoran bared her teeth slightly. "Is this better?"

"You look great when you're not baring your teeth."

"Pffft!"

Li Xiaoran was quite busy. As the film was screened widely across Europe, her recognition was steadily growing. MK2 capitalized on the momentum, paying for promotional articles to frame her as an arthouse goddess in order to maximize box office returns.

A number of European brands had extended olive branches, hoping to secure her as their spokesperson.

Unfortunately, Sony Pictures Classics wanted to avoid the Oscar ceremony month, and their main energy was poured into campaigning for *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* at the Academy Awards, so they did not arrange a North American theatrical release for *Alone by the Sea at Night*.

Otherwise, Li Xiaoran might have become even more famous.

If the North American box office had been decent, she might have truly had a fighting chance against International Zhang.

The next day, Li Xiaoran left, and Cao Yang resumed shooting the final sequence.

A prison, known as a correctional institution in Hong Kong, goes by different names depending on the ranks of the correctional officers. Zhou Yiwei played the role of a correctional assistant.

In the original version, this character was portrayed like an invading bandit, but Zhou Yiwei offered a completely different interpretation.

The male lead was nowhere to be seen in the cell. Zhou Yiwei opened the door and didn't rush inside; instead, he stood at the threshold, peering into the room before finally stepping inside and turning his head to observe.

Ah, yes. That actually looked like a normal human being.

The final shot featured Liu Ye drawing an eye on the palm of his hand. As his hand moved, the visual field began to shift, signifying that he had mastered his divine technique—as long as he wished not to be seen by others, they would remain oblivious to his presence.

There was a subtle religious undertone here, using the eye drawn on the hand to represent the male protagonist's spiritual metamorphosis.

In Buddhism, there is a figure named White Tara, one of the manifestations of Avalokiteshvara. She has an eye on each of her palms and soles, as well as three eyes on her face, and is thus also known as the Seven-Eyed Mother of Buddhas.

People always turn to her for help, so she is also called the Savior Mother, symbolizing the supernatural power and dignity of all Buddhas.

This tied back to the thematic arc: the female protagonist's transformation after being brought back by her abusive husband, her redemption upon meeting the male lead, and the restoration of her dignity—which was the ultimate core message of the film: women's struggle and dignity!

With this, all the shots for *3-Iron* were officially completed.