Chapter 187 Admiration [VIP]

Chapter Summary: You'll be a triple crown Best Actress next year, right?

That evening.

As soon as Mu Zhi returned to her hotel room, she began reading the movie script "Mirror Flower Water Moon" that Xie Wendi had given her.

Ji Binghe sat next to Mu Zhi and watched it together.

After reading the script, Ji Binghe's first thought was: This is the kind of script that Mu Zhi will like.

While reading the story of "Mirror Flower Water Moon", it was as if a scroll painting of the Republic of China era appeared before her eyes. The scenery, customs and folkways of that period, the heroine and the people and things around her were vividly depicted on the page.

Throughout the story, the protagonist's fate tugged at my heartstrings, and I shared her joys and sorrows, her ups and downs. Helpless against the shackles imposed on women by that era, the ending, though predictable, still evoked a sense of melancholy and regret.

Mu Zhi exclaimed, "The lines are so well written!"

Ji Binghe nodded in agreement. The dialogue had a strong Republican-era flavor, and was very likely written by Xie Wendi's maternal grandmother, possessing the unique speaking style and charm of that era.

It is a story written from the protagonist's own perspective. Every word she utters is full of emotion, touching the heart and evoking empathy.

This is a rare and excellent script.

However, Ji Binghe frowned in doubt: "This script... can Director Xie Wendi really make it into a film?"

Although Wendy Sherlock is skilled at making films with female themes, she grew up abroad and can't even speak fluent Chinese. Furthermore, the films she makes are set in the Republican era, meaning she hasn't received any cultural exposure, even after doing a lot of research...

Ji Binghe suspects that the final product will be a mishmash.

Mu Zhi listened to Ji Binghe's concerns, which were also the issues she was worried about.

Then Ji Binghe continued her analysis: "To be honest, given the subject matter of this film, I don't think the box office performance will be very good..."

Compared to martial arts films, there are very few films set in the Republican era.

Nowadays, audiences go to the movies looking for exciting and stress-relieving films. Fantasy stories about fate told from a female perspective during the Republican era will likely be like art films – not very popular at the box office.

However, Ji Binghe knew that Mu Zhi never chose works based on box office success, and a good film should not be judged solely on its box office performance.

"Mirror Flower Water Moon" is a microcosm of the stories of some characters against the backdrop of that era, taking the audience back to that time to understand and feel how difficult it was for women to take control of their own destiny and make a living amidst the torrents of that era...

This will be a meaningful film. Looking ahead, if it's well-made, it might even become a classic.

After the analysis, Ji Binghe did not express whether she would accept the role or whether she could accept it.

Ultimately, it was Mu Zhi who had to make the decision.

"Sister Ji, I understand everything you've said, and it's also something I've been considering."

After a moment of contemplation, Mu Zhi asked, "Director Xie Wendy, you haven't left Qionghai yet, have you?"

Ji Binghe shook her head: "Not yet, Director Xie booked a flight to Shanghai for tomorrow noon."

After saying that, Ji Binghe understood Mu Zhi's meaning, raised her hand to look at the time on her wristwatch. It was almost 12 o'clock, a bit late.

"I called Director Xie's assistant and arranged to meet him first thing tomorrow morning?"

Mu Zhi nodded: "Okay."

Tonight, she needs to think things through carefully.

7 a.m. the next day.

Ji Binghe arranged to meet at her hotel room, where Xie Wendi and her group were also staying. Meeting and talking in their rooms would be convenient, as they wouldn't have to worry about being photographed, and it would also save time.

Mu Zhi finished packing for her trip to the film set and went to Ji Binghe's room.

Soon after, Wendy Sherwood and her entourage arrived.

Because Mu Zhi had to rush to the film set to shoot in half an hour, she greeted Xie Wendy with a "good morning" and got straight to the point.

Mu Zhi expressed her liking for the script to Xie Wendi, but also frankly stated her concerns.

Xie Wendy smiled, indicating her appreciation for Mu Zhi's frankness.

Then, to allay Mu Zhi's concerns, Xie Wendi mentioned a name: "Do you remember Director Pan Yan?"

Mu Zhi nodded, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

Of course I remember.

Not only because Pan Yan is the director of the spy drama "The Edge of the Blade", but also because Pan Yan has an amazing amount of knowledge about the Republic of China era.

During the filming of "The Edge of the Blade," she learned some facts about the Republican era through her collaboration with Pan Yan. As an actress, she didn't have to worry about making factual errors in the drama. With Pan Yan overseeing things, she felt very reassured during filming.

Mu Zhi knew that Xie Wendy wouldn't bring up Director Pan Yan without a reason, and couldn't help but have a guess...

Sherwin nodded with a smile: "I invited Pan to help me make this movie."

Director Wendy's assistant added from the side: "Domeli is one of the production companies."

Mu Zhi and Ji Binghe exchanged a glance and immediately understood. Duo Meili had previously only produced television dramas, and she was planning to try to develop her career in the film industry through her collaboration with director Xie Wendi.

Upon learning that director Pan Yan was involved in the film, Mu Zhi had no more concerns.

Mu Zhi immediately agreed to take on the role in "Mirror Flower Water Moon".

"We had a pleasant working relationship?"

"It's a pleasure to work with you."

After discussing the collaboration, Mu Zhi said goodbye to director Xie Wendi and immediately set off for the film set with her team.

In a good mood, Ji Binghe invited Director Xie Wendi to have dim sum together...

Before coming to Qionghai, Ji Binghe was not optimistic about Mu Zhi and Xie Wendy's collaboration, but now that it has happened, it is a pleasant surprise.

With Mu Zhi's next project confirmed as one of the two major priorities for the second half of the year, Ji Binghe felt a significant reduction in pressure and returned to Beicheng in high spirits that day.

As for the other major focus of the work, we'll talk about it when Mu Zhi finishes filming and returns to Beicheng.

On the set of the TV series "Doomsday Virus".

In the movie "The End of the World Virus", big-name actor Liu Jiaxu plays a villainous role and has several scenes with Mu Zhi.

In the currently showing blockbuster film "Safe Evacuation", Liu Jiaxu plays a stationed official and also has scenes with Mu Zhi, who plays a translator.

This is the second time the two have collaborated.

Mu Zhi appeared in "All People Safely Evacuated" without makeup. In "Doomsday Virus", due to the plot setting and needs, she wore special effects makeup that made her look dirty and disheveled.

When Mu Zhi stared at the monitor watching the playback, she only cared about whether the "makeup" looked real or not, and didn't care whether her own image was ugly or not.

Liu Jiaxu recalled a male idol he had worked with last year. During a scene where he was running for his life on the street, he was worried that his bangs would fly around and his forehead would be exposed, so he persuaded the director to spray hairspray on him and film the running scene with his bangs sticking out.

He shook his head as he watched.

In contrast, young girls like Mu Zhi, who should love beauty, focus solely on the play and the character when acting, completely disregarding their image; these are the ones who truly dedicate themselves to becoming actors.

The collaboration between the two films.

Liu Jiaxu discovered that Mu Zhi had solid acting skills, a strong ability to empathize with the character, and seemed to have a lot of filming experience.

In addition, he has a deep respect for acting and works hard. He rehearses the scenes to be filmed the day before, so he is confident when filming the next day and can start filming without waiting for the director to explain the scene.

Even veteran actor Liu Jiaxu had to be extra careful when acting opposite Mu Zhi, for fear of losing face in front of the younger generation.

We just finished filming a scene with each other.

When Mu Zhi heard Liu Jiaxu praise her, saying, "You have great potential in acting and a bright future," her face was full of sincerity and heartfelt emotion.

She even added, "Zhizhi, I admire you very much."

Mu Zhi had heard the word "appreciation" many times from the director and co-stars.

The word "admire" seems to have never been heard from an actor older than her.

Especially when a big star like Liu Jiaxu, who has been acting for decades, suddenly tells her he "admires" her? Mu Zhi was flattered and bewildered.

Liu Jiaxu noticed the puzzled look on Mu Zhi's face.

He explained with admiration in his eyes: "I admire your unwavering dedication to acting and your ability to focus and concentrate."

“This industry is very tempting. I remember I talked about it on the show before I appeared on your competition. At first, I wanted to have more options, but later I felt that this industry had a better future than music, so I persisted.”

Liu Jiaxu hadn't confided in anyone about his past in a long time. He admired Mu Zhi and perhaps hoped that this young actress could stay true to herself and not change. As someone who had been through it all, he wanted to offer a few words of advice.

He frankly discussed his past experiences accepting roles, knowing full well that some scripts were terrible and would result in bad films, but he still took them for the money. He admired Mu Zhi because even after becoming a sensation, she only took on about 12 roles a year, consistently prioritizing script quality and maintaining her dedication to acting, which resulted in excellent reviews for every project she starred in.

Few actors can resist the temptation of high salaries.

Liu Jiaxu sighed with envy, "You guys are much better off than we were before. You can go on variety shows, get endorsements, do live-streaming sales, and perform at commercial events. In some cases, your income from these activities is even higher than from acting."

He knew that Mu Zhi filmed few movies throughout the year, and that the income from filming movies was much less than that from television dramas.

Mu Zhi's income mainly comes from the endorsements she receives.

Liu Jiaxu praised Mu Zhi's dedication, referring to the fact that besides acting, Mu Zhi only accepts endorsements. She doesn't appear on variety shows, do live streams, or make any investments; she focuses solely on acting.

He admired Mu Zhi, but also envied her.

After listening, Mu Zhi thought to herself: She didn't think that much. She likes acting, she likes filming stories and roles that she likes, she's just doing what she likes.

Liu Jiaxu has told her so much, and now he seems to be really eager to confide in her.

Mu Zhi recently had a question she wanted to know, so she asked Liu Jiaxu: "Teacher Liu, what is it like to have been acting for decades?"

Liu Jiaxu was taken aback by the question Mu Zhi suddenly threw at him. After thinking for a moment, he said, "My decades of acting experience can be divided into many stages, and each stage is different."

Seeing Mu Zhi's expression of "I'd like to hear more details."

Liu Jiaxu sorted out his thoughts and shared with Mu Zhi that in the early stages of his acting career, he was mainly focused on making money. Then he developed a desire to win awards. After winning awards, he explored the film industry more extensively and was no longer satisfied with being an actor. He tried to be a director and producer and even started his own company.

Mu Zhi knew that Liu Jiaxu was not good at business, and his company had gone bankrupt. Not only did he lose a lot of money, but he also went into debt, which he had to pay off later by filming.

"While filming, I tried many things. The most important stage for me was trying to get married and have children. I am very lucky to have a happy family."

"These roles—boyfriend, husband, father—made me different. They helped me settle down, and they helped me a lot when I went back to acting..."

At the end, Liu Jiaxu said with a smile, "As I get older, there are fewer and fewer suitable roles and scripts available. Every film I make is one less I can make."

Everyone says I'm a workaholic. I just want to film as many movies as possible while I'm still able to. I don't like playing chess, square dancing, or gardening.

Mu Zhi seemed to be deep in thought as she listened.

End of October.

Filming for the movie "Doomsday Virus" is entering its final countdown.

Filming will wrap up in a month.

CEO Meng Liang brought Lu Ke to visit the set; this wasn't their first time.

As the primary producer, Lanxing Media has invested heavily in this film, which is crucial to the company's future development.

On the first day of filming, He Zhiyue only came once. Later, when she was busy with work, she arranged for Meng Liang to come and visit the set so as not to cause trouble for Mu Zhi.

Meng Liang doesn't actually know much about film and television production; he came to visit the set.

1. This represents Lanxing Media's visit to inquire about and assess the filming progress of the production team.

2. Show our appreciation to the entire crew by treating them to afternoon tea and boosting their morale.

You could say it's there to act as a mascot.

In the four months since filming began, not only Lanxing Media, but other investors have also visited the set multiple times.

Several of the investors joined later, after the release of "Escape from the Game" and after the release of two films starring Mu Zhi, "Claws" and "Safe Evacuation". They were optimistic about Mu Zhi and thought the film would be a hit, so they quickly invested.

After the initial investment was made, as the cost of "Doomsday Virus" increased, the budget was exceeded, and filming was delayed, and post-production had not yet begun, there was still a large sum of money to be spent on post-production. They were somewhat uncertain about the future, so they visited the set frequently.

Mu Zhi could understand that the crew had built a large underground city set in Qionghai, which took several months to build and cost a huge amount of money.

The crew filmed in three locations: Qingdao, Western Film City, and Qionghai. They filmed in a green screen studio for two and a half months in Qingdao, and also used green screens when filming in Western Film City and Qionghai.

Scenes involving green screens all require post-production editing, which costs money and involves a significant amount of work.

Post-production will be handled by a dedicated professional team, leaving the filming work to be done by one person – the director.

For these green screen scenes, the director needs to have a complete picture in mind, including what the final product will look like after post-production, what materials are needed for each shot, and so on.

Otherwise, once filming wraps up and the set is dismantled, it can't be replaced.

Mu Zhi felt that the director must be under a lot of pressure.

It's not just the workload of filming locations that's difficult to manage; the actors are also a challenge.

This movie features many large-scale scenes and a large cast; the underground city scenes alone involved over 500 extras.

In other words, only by hiring a renowned director like Wan Zhou, with over 30 years of experience in filmmaking and possessing both authority and exceptional command and coordination skills, can all departments operate in an orderly manner...

Mid-November.

Byun Go's scenes have wrapped up.

He played the male lead, but his role in the film was small.

Before leaving the film crew, Bian Wulai said goodbye to Mu Zhi: "Director Xu is already speeding up the development of the script for 'Escape from the Game 2.' He said he's aiming to start filming in the second half of the year after next, which is about a year from now..."

"Teacher Mu, senior sister, I look forward to our next collaboration."

Mu Zhi reminded Bian Wu, "We'll meet again when we're doing voice acting and promotion for 'Doomsday Virus'."

Bian Wu chuckled and scratched the back of his head, nodding repeatedly: "Yeah, right. I hope we can finish post-production on 'Doomsday Virus' soon after filming wraps up, so it can be released before we start filming 'Escape from the Game 2'!"

The next time we meet... Senior, you'll be a triple crown Best Actress winner next year, right?

Mu Zhi: ? If Bian Wu hadn't mentioned it, she would have forgotten about the award.

With three films released this year, it will be difficult to collect all three Best Actress awards next year, but winning another Best Actress award should not be a problem.

End of November.

The crew of "Doomsday Virus" has wrapped up filming.

[Author's Note]

For every drama Mu Zhi takes on, I have to come up with a play-within-a-play. I'm completely drained, lol. "Mirror Flower Water Moon" should be the last play-within-a-play, right? (crying)

Next chapter preview: Zhizhi wraps up filming, signs a contract, and maybe she'll have a chat with Yue Ge about her feelings? (doge) Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 23:44:26 on 20221020 and 00:40:55 on 20221022!

Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: Xiao Li (1 landmine);

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Xiao Li (10 bottles); Ye Zhirou (1 bottle);

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!