Chapter 499: Book a Whole Screening Room
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Early morning.
In the seren apartment, Zhang Zian was still asleep.
"Ring, ring, ring! Ring, ring, ring!"
The phone beside his beside suddenly rang loudly, waking Zhang Zian and all the elves in the room.
"Damn it! What idiot disturbed my beautiful dream?" Richard grumbled from underneath the blanket. It stretched out a claw, trying to grab the phone and reject the call.
Zhang Zian dreamt that he overslept, and it was his boss calling to fire him. He didn't remember he wasn't an office worker until he became entirely conscious.
Who would call him, a self-employed person, this early in the morning?
He pushed aside Richard's claw to pick up his cellphone and saw that the caller was Feng Xuan.
What happened?
Dog Warrior officially wrapped yesterday, and since he no longer needed to report to set today, he was trying to catch up on some sleep. It was getting colder outside, so it made getting out of bed increasingly difficult.
Did Feng Xuan want to reshoot some scenes? It was a possibility.
Fina was annoyed that the noise woke it up, its green eyes looked like it was wanted to kill somebody.
Zhang Zian silently apologized. To not disturb everyone, he left his bedroom to answer the call. "Hey, Director Feng?"
"Hey, Zhang! Did I wake you?"
Feng Xuan's voice was slightly hoarse. He probably stayed up late last night. As filming came to an end, Feng Xuan became busier. He often stayed up late to review the scenes that had been filmed, to see if there was anything wrong. Once the staff left the set, it was hard to gather them again, so he needed to try to avoid reshooting scenes.
Zhang Zian glanced at the time and replied, "No, I was about to get up. What's the matter?"
Feng Xuan cleared his throat. "Zhang, here's the thing. I edited the movie last night, and I need someone to watch the rough cut."
Zhang Zian just woke up, so his brain was a bit sluggish. He didn't understand what Feng Xuan was saying.
Feng Xuan added, "You're the chief dog trainer. Although you were on set for most of the dog related scenes, what you saw on set is quite different from what you see on the monitor. I'd like you to see the rough cut and tell me your thoughts. Are you available?"
Oh, that's what Feng Xuan meant.
Zhang Zian understood and said, "Yes, I'm available. I have a lot of free time every day. Where's the hard drive?"
Feng Xuan was confused. "What hard drive?"
"Ha ha! Director Feng, don't play dumb. The hard drive for the movie. It must take up a large of storage, right? How are you going to send it to me?" Zhang Zian asked.
Feng Xuan cleared his throat, "No, Zhang, you've misunderstood. The footage and the rough cut are the property of the crew, it has to be kept confidential. If you agree to do this, you must go to a designated location to watch."
Zhang Zian was embarrassed by the misunderstanding.
"Okay. When and where?" He asked.
Feng Xuan said, "The crew has booked a VIP screening room at the Binhai Golden Cinema, and assigned crew members will go there in groups. As for the time... "
Feng Xuan checked his schedule, the sound of pages turning could be heard over the phone.
After a while, Feng Xuan said, "The time depends on whether or not you mind if it's noisy. If you don't, you can go see the movie tonight at 6 o'clock with Gang Zi and several other crew members. With a few people watching together, you can brainstorm some ideas."
"Ah..." Zhang Zian didn't immediately decide. He asked, "What about the other time?"
"The quietest slot would be today at 8 o'clock because no one wants to get up early. Currently, no one has selected this slot. Zhang, if you choose this slot, the whole screening room will be yours." Feng Xuan chuckled. "You can bring your girlfriend to watch the movie. She'll certainly be pleased. Even though you'll have the room to yourselves, it's a public space, so for the reputation of our crew, don't do anything inappropriate."
Damn it! thought Zhang Zian.
Feng Xuan's coaxing had hurt.
He'd like to do something inappropriate, but he had to have a girlfriend first!
However…
Zhang Zian thought it over, and believed this to be a good opportunity.
He's always wanted to bring the elves to see a movie. Watching a movie at home on the TV was very different from watching a movie in the theater. He was never able to because theaters wouldn't admit animals, and it'd be an unpleasant moviegoing experience for him and the elves if he were to bring them in secretly. What about Galaxy? Its fear of humans wouldn't let it go to a theater where there was a lot of people.
If he took advantage of this opportunity, the elves would be able to enjoy watching a movie in a theater. Though it was a rough cut and it didn't have special effects, they could book an entire screening room for free, what else could they ask for?
Thinking of the elves, Zhang Zian said, "Director Feng, I'll take the 8 o'clock slot. What do I need to do?"
"Bring your driver's license. When you arrive, show your ID to the staff and they'll guide you to the VIP auditorium," Feng Xuan told him. "Try to get there as early as possible. The rough cut is long, if you're late, you won't be able to finish it before lunch."
Zhang Zian looked at the time on his phone again. "Thank you, Director Feng. I'll leave as soon as possible."
Feng Xuan exhorted him, "Watch the film from the perspectives of a general audience member and a professional. If you think something's off, especially the dog's eyes or movements, tell me."
The rest of the crew members were unfamiliar with dogs, and Old Yang had returned to police dog training base, so this task could only be given to Zhang Zian.
"Don't worry, Director Feng. If I any comments, I'll write them down, organize them and send them to you," Zhang Zian responded.
Feng Xuan said a few words, then hung up the phone.
They had talked on the phone for a long time. Still in pajamas, Zhang Zian shivered in the hallway that wasn't heated. He quickly returned to the bedroom.
Some elves, like Fina, tried to go back to sleep after the phone rang, while other elves, like Galaxy, had jumped off the crib.
Zhang Zian turned on the light and shouted, "Everybody get up!"