Chapter 365 Good Shot
Lu Yanhe, Chen Bige, and Wang Zhong arranged to meet and have dinner together.
Regarding this short script, Lu Yanhe said, "Director, have you been wanting to film this story for a while? It shouldn't be something you just wrote, right?"
"Yes, I wrote a script before, but it couldn't be filmed. I took a small section from that script and modified it," Wang Zhong said.
Lu Yanhe had this idea because when he read the script, he felt that many of the lines did not seem to have been written in just a few days; many parts looked polished.
"Why can't that script be filmed?" Lu Yanhe asked.
Wang Zhong said, "Now we can easily take down a project if we want to, but back then we couldn't find investors."
"Isn't it a bit of a waste to use this to make a short film now?" Lu Yanhe asked.
Wang Zhong: "What's there to regret? It's good that we can make it into a short film now."
Lu Yanhe asked, "Director, can I take a look at your script?"
Do you want to see it?
“Hmm,” Lu Yanhe said, “I really liked your short film script.”
Wang nodded, "Then I'll send it to you when I get back."
Chen Bige turned to look at Lu Yanhe and asked, "You don't mean to turn Director Wang's script into a movie, do you?"
"No, no." Lu Yanhe quickly shook his head and said, "I just want to learn a bit. The director's script is very well written. I know that the director has written another script, so I want to read it."
Chen Bige smiled and said, "I thought you were going to add another item to your huge list of upcoming shoots."
Lu Yanhe immediately said, "Sister Bige, two of my huge filming plans also include movies starring you."
Chen Bige: "I only realized now how difficult it is to prepare a movie from scratch. Before, I would just accept the script, do the performance preparation, join the crew when the time came, and leave after filming. I only cared about acting."
Wang Chong smiled and pointed at Chen Bige, "Yan He is such a cunning guy. He used the script to lure you onto the boat, then ran away and left you to steer."
Lu Yanhe quickly tried to exonerate himself, saying, "Director, I didn't mean that. It's just that Sister Bige knows far more people in this industry than I do, and it's easier for her to find people with the script than for me."
Chen Bige chuckled and said, "Let's just talk about this in private. I know there are countless people outside who are jealous of me. It's one thing to tailor-make a script for me, but to entrust it entirely to me. This kind of trust is rare, isn't it? Xiao Lu, aren't you afraid I'll ruin your script?"
“You are Chen Bige, how could you let the project you starred in be ruined?” Lu Yanhe said calmly. “Your name is more precious than mine.”
Chen Bige spat three times.
“I don’t accept this kind of self-deprecating flattery.” Chen Bige glanced at Lu Yanhe. “I’ve only been in the industry a few years longer than you. At your age, I don’t even know what I was doing.”
Lu Yanhe asked, "Do you have someone in mind to direct the warlord in this short film?"
"I haven't thought of anything yet. Do you have any recommendations?"
“I would like to recommend actor Jiang Jun,” Lu Yanhe said frankly. “With his acting skills, he is definitely capable of playing this kind of role. Because of his previous surgery, many production companies were hesitant to use him. Even though ‘The Seventeen Floors’ has become a hit, I heard that some people still have concerns. I want to show everyone that the surgery did not affect him.”
Chen Bige, who had also worked with Jiang Jun, chimed in, "Jiang Jun's acting skills are definitely up to par for this kind of role."
Seeing that both of them had said so, Wang Chong nodded and said, "Then let's call him over."
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Jiang Jun gave a very impressive performance in the drama "The Seventeenth Floor" and generated a lot of discussion. However, in terms of the eye-catching nature of the characters, Chen Bige and a few others still took the lead.
This show is very popular right now, and all the production teams are busy.
Previously, the concern was that the show wouldn't be popular enough, and marketing wouldn't be effective. Now, the goal is to do everything possible to maximize profits from this now-popular show.
Lu Yanhe and Chen Bige have the best roles and screen time, and with the platform's "guarantee," the investment in this aspect is relatively small.
For Li Yuefeng, Shen Yue, Lin Chan, and the others, this was arguably the most important battlefield of the year.
If they can generate a few truly viral topics with this drama, they can reap even greater benefits.
Whether it's further enhancing one's status or in other aspects, this is true.
Jiang Jun's age is a factor, and the roles he plays are not "idol-type" roles that are "very popular." His agency does not think he is worth investing heavily in in exchange for greater commercial value.
Therefore, although the audience who watched this show all recognized him and liked his performance, they did not effectively become his fans.
Of course, because the show was so popular, even if he didn't gain many new fans, he could still benefit from the success of "The Seventeenth Floor." At the very least, he received many more invitations from various programs.
Jiang Jun declined many offers.
Lu Yanhe found it strange when he heard about this.
Although Mr. Jiang Jun is not short of money, this is not a matter of whether he lacks money or not, but rather a rare opportunity for exposure. If Mr. Jiang Jun can seize this publicity window, his popularity may increase significantly, which will also be very helpful for his future acting roles.
Lu Yanhe then asked Teacher Jiang Jun why he didn't accept those programs.
He thought Jiang Jun was somewhat aloof as an actor.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Jun said, "The Seventeen Floors hasn't finished airing yet, but all the programs that have come to me want me to appear in the costume of a character from the Seventeen Floors and record the program in the costume of a character from the Seventeen Floors. So I refused. It's not good. It will affect the audience's feeling when watching the Seventeen Floors."
After listening to Jiang Jun's explanation, Lu Yanhe felt only one thing: profound respect.
The reason the production team made such a request to Jiang Jun was because Jiang Jun himself was not famous enough, and they wanted to use the popularity of "The Seventeenth Floor" to increase the show's buzz and viewership.
Jiang Jun refused to record the program in this image in order to protect his character image in "The Seventeenth Floor".
Lu Yanhe said, "Okay, Teacher Jiang, I understand now. I'll learn from you."
Jiang Jun said with a wry smile, "I'm not someone you should learn from."
Lu Yanhe: "I have learned a lot from you, Teacher Jiang. I am calling you today because there is another matter I would like to ask you to help me play a role."
Jiang Jun: "Okay, I'll take on your roles in 'Squid Game' and 'My Own Swordsman' right after that. I don't have any other projects, so I'll have plenty of time. Just let me know."
Jiang Jun agreed without asking a single question.
“Teacher Jiang, it’s a short film, not a TV series,” Lu Yanhe said. “Director Wang Zhong and I, as well as Sister Bige, have a movie to shoot. Before that, we want to shoot a short film to see how it goes and give it a try. There’s a warlord character in it. He doesn’t have many scenes, but he has high requirements for the actor, so we’d like to ask you to help us with the role.”
"Wow, such a big lineup," Jiang Jun said with a smile. "I'm taking advantage of you again."
"What advantage do I get?" Lu Yanhe said. "I'm relieved that you came to help."
Jiang Jun smiled and said nothing more.
Of course, he knew exactly what had happened.
-
Although it's a short film, the crew and crew must have cost a considerable amount of money to make.
Xin Zixing specifically approached several brands to discuss collaborations, and they all wanted their brands to get a chance to appear in the film.
But this short film is set in the Republican era, so how can it show anything?
Xin Zixing studied the script for a long time and communicated with director Wang Zhong's team repeatedly. In the end, she made a connection and secured a sponsorship from a camera brand.
The prerequisite for sponsorship is that all the filming equipment used in the film must be products of this brand, and after the short film is released online, the brand name must be specifically mentioned, indicating that the entire film was shot with cameras from this brand.
This sponsorship wasn't enough, so Xin Zixing reported to her superiors and tried to cover the remaining filming expenses.
She said, "Although this is a short video, it will definitely attract a lot of attention and bring a lot of traffic to our Yemai.com."
To persuade the higher-ups, she gave three presentations before finally securing the funding based on the reputation she had built over the years.
There are ways to shoot a short film that costs hundreds of thousands, millions, or even tens of millions.
With Wang Zhong as the director and Lu Yanhe and Chen Bige as the lead actors, the salaries for these three people couldn't be low.
It is unknown how much economic return such a short film can generate.
Unlike feature films, short films do not have a mature sales channel.
In fact, short films largely survive on sponsorships from certain funds or advertisements.
However, on the other hand, short films are an "inevitable path" that many directors go through when they first enter the industry.
It's rare for a director to be able to shoot a feature film right away.
Especially for auteur directors or film festival directors, they all start by practicing with short films.
Xin Zixing felt that "City Travelogue" was a stable program, but what else could be done besides that?
Xin Zixing came up with this short film project.
By leveraging her strengths and advantages, she has accumulated considerable resources in the entertainment, advertising, and local government sectors over the years. Combining these, the "short film project" is actually the most suitable next step for her.
For example, some local governments wanted to film promotional videos for their areas, and some advertisers wanted to create custom commercials for their products. These were all opportunities that people had approached her about, discussing collaborations, but she didn't accept them due to her work commitments at the time.
Xin Zixing wants to do this now.
On the one hand, it can help discover talented and capable directors, allowing the industry to see them through these short films. On the other hand, it can also expand her career scope, not just limiting herself to the field of city documentaries.
Huang Kairen has already prepared a plan to make their relationship public and is ready to officially announce it on Qixi Festival (Chinese Valentine's Day).
Xin Zixing thought to herself, "Then I can stand properly next to Huang Kairen now."
She didn't want others to think that she was a parasitic plant that had to depend on Huang Kairen for its existence.
She can also provide assistance to Huang Kairen.
She has her own strength.
Just then, she learned about Lu Yanhe and Wang Zhong's plan to test-shoot a short film.
Xin Zixing keenly realized that this was a good starting point for her to begin her "short film project".
So she immediately contacted Lu Yanhe.
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"The initial payment must be transferred by this Friday, Sister Miao. It's not a matter of a couple of days earlier or later; they're just waiting for our money to start their business." Xin Zixing urged the finance department to transfer the funds as she got out of the car and shuffled into the photography studio in her high heels.
Lu Yanhe and his friends are here today for a makeup trial.
She came here specifically to take a look.
"Hello, Director." Xin Zixing greeted Wang Zhong with a smile and immediately extended her hand to shake his. "Are they getting their makeup done?"
“Yes, they’re still getting their makeup done.” Wang Zhong looked at the girl with exquisite makeup in front of him. He had been in contact with her for the past few days and had witnessed her ability to execute tasks. He had even considered poaching her to work for him.
But after learning about the other person's status in the Leaf Vein Network, Wang Zhong gave up on the idea.
There's no way they would give up everything at Yemai.com to work for him.
Xin Zixing asked, "Director, when are we going to shoot this short film?"
Wang Zhong said, "We have to wait until Xiao Lu finishes filming 'The Silent River,' which will probably be in October. After he finishes filming 'The Silent River,' he will have to go and record the third season of 'The Days of Youth.'"
Wang Zhong was surprisingly well aware of Lu Yanhe's subsequent arrangements.
Xin Zixing nodded, "Okay, then we still have relatively plenty of time, so we're not too rushed."
At this moment, Lu Yanhe and the others came out.
Besides them, there were a few other characters, even though they only had one or two lines or one or two shots, who all came to get their costumes done today.
Wang Zhong looked at each one carefully, and his attention to detail and other aspects were not lowered just because it was a short film.
Lu Yanhe, Chen Bige, Jiang Jun, and a few others were chatting about things that happened during the filming of "The Seventeen Floors." They suddenly burst into laughter, though it's unclear what they were talking about.
Everyone looked at them in surprise.
Xin Zixing noticed that the young actors looked at Lu Yanhe and the others with a mixture of envy and longing.
Especially when he looked at Lu Yanhe.
They were older than Lu Yanhe, but his current status was far beyond their reach.
Xin Zixing smiled slightly and said nothing.
She understood their feelings.
At this moment, she heard Wang Zhong say to them, "Everyone, think about it more. Don't wait for me to tell you. Although you don't have many scenes, if you act well, you will still get good shots. Don't waste any shot."
(End of this chapter)
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