Chapter 427 We Must Get to the Bottom of This (Second Update!)
The auditions for "Burning Fire" are in full swing, and many people have come to Lu Yanhe to inquire about the news.
After all, Lu Yanhe is currently the only confirmed lead actor in this movie, and everyone should think that Lu Yanhe should know some information.
But Lu Yanhe really didn't know anything about it. He was just an actor in this production; he wasn't a screenwriter, nor was he invited to participate in any further production, so he was out of the loop.
As for how Longyan Film Industry selects its personnel, no one knows.
The only thing Lu Yanhe knows so far is that they plan to hire director Wan Renhai to direct "Burning Fire".
One of China's top commercial blockbuster directors has never directed a low-budget film in his career; all of his films are commercial blockbusters, ranging from gunfights to police dramas, from martial arts to action, from fantasy to war. He is very experienced and has directed more than ten films.
Wanrenhai began collaborating with Longyan Film Industry about eight years ago. At that time, he helped Longyan Film Industry direct a period fantasy film called "The Demon Slayer," which grossed 1.2 billion yuan. Although the reviews were somewhat polarized, the visuals were universally praised. He then directed the sequel to "The Demon Slayer," which again grossed nearly 1.1 billion yuan. After that, Wanrenhai's third film with Longyan Film Industry was an action war film called "Crossing Eagle Valley," which made it the first domestic action film with a war background to gross over 2 billion yuan. It raked in 2.2 billion yuan, becoming the third highest-grossing film of the year.
It's fair to say that the name of director Wanren Hai is, at the very least, a guarantee of box office success.
He has maintained a good relationship with Longyan Film Industry, so it's not surprising that he will direct "Burning Fire" this time.
After all, "Burning Fire" has such a large investment, and it was originally intended to be a series, so it's definitely necessary to find a director who can handle the project.
Unfortunately, Lu Yanhe has never met director Wanren Hai. Wanren Hai isn't the kind of director who appears at award ceremonies; his films are never considered for mainstream domestic awards. And Lu Yanhe rarely attends other events either.
After learning that the director was Wan Renhai, Lu Yanhe specifically sought out all of Wan Renhai's previous films and watched them one by one. For a film director, any outsider's evaluation is indirect; only by seeing his work firsthand can one personally experience his charisma as a director.
After watching seven or eight of Wanrenhai's films, Lu Yanhe realized that this director's style was very similar to that of a director named Wuershan whom he knew before his transmigration—both had a very grand and intense visual style. Regardless of the subject matter, his films always had a comic book-like visual effect.
His narrative pace is indeed not humanistic or restrained; it's very commercial, fast, and progressively unfolding, with each element linked to the next, creating a highly engaging story. Combined with his striking visual effects, it keeps the audience glued to the screen.
Lu Yanhe couldn't help but get excited while watching. Although it's a commercial film, it's not clichéd or just popcorn entertainment; it has a very strong personal style that's hard to find a substitute for.
After reading it, he immediately called Shang Yongzhou.
"Senior brother."
"Hmm?" Shang Yongzhou was quite surprised to receive his call and asked, "What's wrong?"
Lu Yanhe asked, "Senior brother, have you decided whether or not you want to act in 'Burning Fire'?"
“I…I’m still thinking about it,” Shang Yongzhou said.
"Senior brother, have you seen the movie 'Demon Slayer' directed by Wanrenhai?"
"The Demon Slayer? I've heard of it, but I haven't seen it."
“Go see it. If watching this movie still doesn’t help you decide what you want, then it’s hard to find anything else that can help you decide to star in ‘Burning Fire’,” Lu Yanhe said.
Shang Yongzhou was completely bewildered, clearly not understanding why Lu Yanhe had suddenly called and said such things.
However, Shang Yongzhou listened to Lu Yanhe's advice and went to find and watch both movies in the "Demon Exorcism" series.
That evening, Shang Yongzhou sat in his home theater, watched the two movies in the "Demon Slayer" series, pondered for half an hour, and then watched them again from beginning to end.
-
On March 21, it was announced that Shang Yongzhou would join the cast of "Burning Fire".
This news caused the movie "Burning Fire" and Shang Yongzhou to trend on social media.
Media reports indicate that Shang Yongzhou and Lu Yanhe have collaborated again on "Burning Fire" after their previous collaboration on "The Road to Glory".
This news has made the already intense and fiercely competitive audition even more noteworthy.
The results of the first round of auditions are out, and many people have received notices for the second round of auditions.
This includes Huaiqian.
In fact, Huaiqian had basically been locked in by Longyan Film and Television to play one of the roles. However, in order to further confirm his suitability, Longyan Film and Television notified him to participate in the second round of auditions.
The second round of auditions involved a makeup test followed by the actual audition.
Shang Yongzhou and Lu Yanhe both received invitations from Longyan Film Industry to watch this round of auditions, especially for a role with significant screen time and many scenes with him. Huang Tai and the others also wanted to hear Shang Yongzhou and Lu Yanhe's opinions.
Not only the two of them, but Liu Bige was also invited by Huang Tai and the others.
Many people came to see this second round of auditions and to watch the movie.
Lu Yanhe only brought Zou Dong and Wang Biao with him.
As a result, several actors who came to audition came with teams of seven or eight people, taking up a space in the waiting room, and even bringing makeup artists to touch up their makeup at any time.
Lu Yanhe arrived at the audition room and greeted Huang Tai and the others first.
When Huang Taiyi saw Lu Yanhe, he greeted him warmly and said, "Yanhe, the film critic forum your girlfriend set up is fantastic. When can you invite all of them to China to hold an offline forum so that we can interact with them in person?"
Lu Yanhe immediately said, "Sure, I'll ask Siqi later to see if we can invite them over. Actually, we should hold and organize more of these exchange activities so that these influential people in the film and film critic circles can see more of our Chinese films and understand our Chinese films."
“Yes, they used to pay no attention to our films at all. I never expected that you, ‘Jump Up,’ could build such a close relationship with them,” Mrs. Wong said. “These film critics are usually very arrogant. When we try to ask them to say a few good words for our film, no one will listen to us.”
Lu Yanhe was speechless for a moment. After thinking for a while, he said, "They all have their own evaluation standards. They certainly won't abandon their standards and praise our film just because of personal relationships. The European and American film industry doesn't operate that way. At our premiere, all the guests are friends and relatives, and they all say words of praise based on personal relationships. But their film critics don't follow the same rules as us in China."
Mrs. Wong immediately said, "Domestic or foreign, it's all the same. Before, everyone praised Japanese-made products for their craftsmanship and high quality standards, but now it's been exposed that they cut corners."
Lu Yanhe felt like he was talking to a brick wall.
It seemed that Mrs. Wong didn't understand what he was saying at all.
Or perhaps, she simply doesn't want to accept this approach.
"Mrs. Huang, that's true. You're right. I can't guarantee that all film critics are like them, but at least the film critics we invited have achieved their current reputation and status in the film criticism field, which shows that their previous film reviews and words were recognized and respected."
Lu Yanhe did not want to have a dispute with Huang Tai about film critics here.
If there hadn't been so many people in the audition room, and if Mrs. Huang hadn't brought up the topic so openly, Lu Yanhe wouldn't have even denied her words to her face.
Lu Yanhe simply didn't want to leave himself with any future troubles.
So, after saying that, Lu Yanhe immediately changed the subject and said to Mrs. Huang with a smile, "Mrs. Huang must be very busy lately, right? I heard that most of the actors in the entertainment industry have come to audition for the movie 'Burning Fire'."
When this topic was brought up, Mrs. Huang's face lit up with a bright smile again.
“That’s true.” Mrs. Huang nodded. “The movie ‘Burning Fire’ has received tremendous attention, and everyone can see what kind of achievements this project will make in the future.”
Lu Yanhe smiled slightly, successfully changing the subject, and said no more. He saw Shang Yongzhou sitting alone in the corner, so he greeted the others with a smile and walked over to sit down next to Shang Yongzhou.
"Senior brother," Lu Yanhe called out to him.
Shang Yongzhou nodded to him and asked, "Yongshanhe San hasn't said anything to bother you lately, has he?"
"Not yet, but we don't know if he'll continue to go crazy later," Lu Yanhe said with a smile.
Shang Yongzhou nodded, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "Have the movies 'Rouge' and 'Lost in Thailand' finished filming?"
"Yes, all the filming is finished." Lu Yanhe nodded.
"When are you planning to release it? If you're having a premiere, remember to send me an invitation," he said. "I'd love to see what your script looks like as a film."
“Okay.” Lu Yanhe was naturally pleased that Shang Yongzhou had offered to come and support him.
Shang Yongzhou added, "However, it's a pity that these two films can't make it to this year's Jose Film Festival."
"Huh? Why?"
Shang Yongzhou said, "The Jose Film Festival invited me to be its image ambassador this year."
Many film festivals invite a filmmaker who is influential and influential at the festival and who can represent the festival's standards to serve as an ambassador for each edition.
The fact that Shang Yongzhou received such an invitation at the age of 30 speaks volumes about his achievements in film over the years.
Indeed, Shang Yongzhou is the most representative Chinese male actor of his age group, and is also one of the most well-known Chinese male actors in the world today.
Lu Yanhe's eyes widened in surprise.
"Oh—" Lu Yanhe lowered his voice and exclaimed in surprise, "This news hasn't been announced yet, has it?"
"Well, not yet, it will be announced soon," Shang Yongzhou said. "The Jose Film Festival is held every year in May."
As the most audience- and critic-oriented of the four major international film festivals, and the only one that selects its awards annually through votes from one hundred critics and two hundred audience members, its artistic merit has always been considered the weakest among the four major film festivals, but its influence and reach are generally the greatest.
Shang Yongzhou said, "If both films can be screened at the Jose Film Festival, it will be a great, if not the best, publicity opportunity."
Lu Yanhe thought for a moment and said to Shang Yongzhou, "It's not necessarily impossible to catch it. It depends on the editing of the movie. If it really can't be released there, we can still promote it there and sell the film."
Shang Yongzhou smiled and nodded, "That's true."
The two of them chatted for a while, and then the second round of auditions began.
-
Lu Yanhe's feeling about the story "Burning Fire" is actually a bit like a Harry Potter version of Prince's Revenge.
A man burdened with a deep-seated blood feud arrives at a magic academy and becomes an instructor. His enemy is the academy's dean, and Li Wushang, played by Lu Yanhe, is the dean's adopted son. Li Wushang is also a student at the magic academy. He accidentally discovers that the new instructor, Wei Yang, is secretly investigating his father, and thus begins his own investigation into Wei Yang.
A standard story pattern of first confrontation, then cooperation.
Because it's a film series, the entire world-building is already established. So why is casting so meticulous for each character? It's very possible that a character who only has two lines in the first film will become a crucial one later on.
Of course, at this point, no one knows what will happen next. All we can say is that we must be extremely cautious.
Lu Yanhe and Shang Yongzhou were not interviewers. They were just sitting on the sidelines watching. However, Lu Yanhe hadn't expected to run into so many acquaintances auditioning for the role.
Among the actresses, even Meng Li and Xiao Yun auditioned.
The more Lu Yanhe looked, the more overwhelmed he felt. It was really difficult to choose; there were so many excellent and talented actors—it was like a battle of the gods.
It can be said that this was the highest quality audition Lu Yanhe had ever seen.
Only a blockbuster like "Burning Fire" could gather so many established actors to audition on set.
Li Yuefeng was among them.
During a break, Lu Yanhe whispered to Shang Yongzhou, "I originally thought it would be difficult for established actors in our country to audition."
Shang Yongzhou said, "Burning Fire is different. It's a blockbuster with a box office target of over 1 billion yuan. The added value it brings to the actors is too great. No one can resist it."
Lu Yanhe didn't know if "Burning Fire" could be made into a classic fantasy blockbuster, but as a time traveler who had experienced a series of blockbusters such as "Harry Potter," "The Lord of the Rings," "Twilight," "Pirates of the Caribbean," and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he was very clear about the significance of a successful film series for an actor.
Just like Mission: Impossible is to Tom Cruise, it can be said that the height of his career is completely tied to this film series.
Lu Yanhe didn't know what kind of boost "Burning Fire" would bring to him, or Shang Yongzhou. They had fame and money, but there was still a difference. The difference lay in whether, as an actor, you had a role that almost everyone had seen, recognized, and deeply impressed upon them.
In short, it means that as an actor, do you have a role that has entered the collective memory of all humanity? This statement is a bit exaggerated, but that's essentially the idea. It means that there is such a role that has unified the world's memory of you, and that collective memory has a much greater impact than the combined influence of fifty or sixty roles in films and television series.
This is also why Chen Ziyan insisted that Lu Yanhe star in a blockbuster film as soon as possible.
-
The movie "Burning Fire" features more than one hundred named characters.
"Burning Fire" introduced a very new gameplay.
After the second round of auditions, they announced a list of actors:
Welcome to the film series "Burning Fire" – starring Bao Zhenzhu, Huai Qian, Xiao Yun, Lang Xia, and Li Yuefeng!
It wasn't announced all at once, but rather in rounds.
The announcement of this round of actor list has sparked heated discussions.
Many actors have been photographed entering and leaving the audition set for "Burning Fire" before.
At this point, because they were not on the list, many people started asking:
—Did XXX fail the audition?
—Yoon Shin-sung, who starred in two seasons of Friends and became a top-tier actor, was rejected?
...
These actors, who were suspected of being eliminated, also became a trending topic on social media.
The buzz surrounding "Burning Fire" is arguably the highest among films of the last five years. And at this point, it hadn't even started filming yet; it was still in the pre-production stage.
Lu Yanhe had witnessed firsthand just how much attention a true blockbuster could garner.
No wonder so many actors are eager to take on this role.
Huang Tai did indeed listen to the opinions of Shang Yongzhou and Lu Yanhe when it came to casting the actors.
She would ask almost every actor she was going to cast what they thought of their acting.
Shang Yongzhou and Lu Yanhe didn't play the villains either; they mostly said things were fine and suitable.
Even Lang Xia and Lu Yanhe didn't deny him. Mainly because even if they did, Huang Tai might not listen to him.
After several encounters with Huang Tai, Lu Yanhe had a vague feeling that he and Huang Tai were not on the same wavelength, and that he should have less contact with her in the future and just maintain a working relationship.
Just like with Maxine's Jong Bon-seok, there's no possibility of any further personal contact. It's enough to maintain a good working relationship.
-
In early April, the third batch of actors for "Burning Fire" was announced. Among them was Huang Kairen, who did not appear at the audition.
When Huang Kairen's name appeared, everyone had only one thought: Is Longyan Film Industry planning to put all the most popular actors in China into this movie?
Lu Yanhe was also surprised.
Because he had no idea that Huang Kairen would also be included before the list was released.
He immediately called Huang Kairen.
As a result, both calls were busy.
I bet a lot of people are calling him right now.
About ten minutes later, Huang Kairen called him back.
"Are you also trying to ask me about the movie 'Burning Fire'?"
“Yes,” Lu Yanhe said. “I just saw the list they released, and it said you would be joining as well. Why didn’t you tell me beforehand?”
"Because this matter was only finalized this morning, they had a role for me to play, just two scenes," Huang Kairen said. "I didn't expect them to go to such lengths to include me in the cast list."
Lu Yanhe: "Hahaha, I see. Of course, as long as you're willing to join, any movie will go to great lengths to announce your participation."
Huang Kai-yan: "However, since this movie is getting so much attention, I might as well make a cameo appearance and show my face. Maybe my character will play an important role in the sequel."
"Hmm? What role are you playing?" Lu Yanhe asked.
"There are only two scenes. In the first scene, I question the new rules proposed by the dean. In the second scene, I am expelled from the academy by the dean," Huang Kairen said. "It was Mrs. Huang who told me that my character might play a big role later on, but it's not completely confirmed yet. The dean is a big villain, right?"
“Yes, that’s how it is in the script I received,” Lu Yanhe said. “Looking at your character’s setup, it seems like you’ll definitely be appearing again later. Otherwise, what’s the point of these two scenes? To portray the dean as the main villain?”
Huang Kairen hummed in agreement. "That might be the purpose. Anyway, based on my reading of the script, the two scenes in the movie where I appear will only add up to about 30 or 40 seconds of screen time."
Lu Yanhe said, "Brother Huang, even if you only have 30 or 40 seconds of screen time, I believe you will definitely make those 30 or 40 seconds of footage captivating the audience."
Huang Kairen laughed.
"Of course, there are only so many shots to begin with. If we don't put some thought into making a good impression, then we'll have wasted our time acting."
Lu Yanhe asked, "Brother Huang, what are you doing right now? Are you with the crew?"
"How could I be on set? I just finished filming 'Rouge,' and I'm still not fully recovered. I'm resting right now," Huang Kairen said. "Later, I'll be recording an episode of 'China in Culture.'"
"Huh?" Lu Yanhe was taken aback. "What does this program have to do with you? What are you recording?"
Isn't this program just about inviting scholars to give lectures?
Huang Kairen said, "Zixing added a new format to the program. In each episode, she would take a short story from the content the speaker was presenting and arrange it into a stage performance, about ten minutes long, with actors performing it. This performance was placed at the end of the program. After each episode, the speaker would sit with the audience and watch this stage performance. I had no choice but to be chosen by her for the first episode."
Huang Kairen's words shocked Lu Yanhe.
This kind of shock is something that others simply cannot comprehend.
Because this format is actually very much like a program, "China in Classical Texts." Originally, Lu Yanhe planned to propose this idea to create a new program after "China in Culture" was completed. Unexpectedly, Xin Zixing had already come up with it on her own.
Indeed, these are just two different worlds. But even though they are different worlds, they come from the same culture and historical heritage. As long as there is a starting point, capable people can come up with many ideas without being guided step by step.
It can be said that Xin Zixing's ideas, from proposing the program format "China in Culture" to adding stage performances to the program, were entirely her own; they were her own creations. Lu Yanhe had never discussed these ideas with her.
Lu Yanhe found it utterly unbelievable.
He shouldn't have the arrogance of a time traveler.
The world won't wait for you to slowly extract things from its treasure trove.
While you're still keeping some things as treasures to yourself, others in the world have already created similar treasures.
However, on the other hand, Lu Yanhe was genuinely happy that Xin Zixing could think of these things.
"Sister Zixing is really amazing," Lu Yanhe said. "This show is sure to be a hit."
Huang Kairen said, "She's been working day and night on this show lately. I finally got a chance to rest, but then she got busy again. Sigh."
"Then what are you going to do, Brother Huang?"
"What else can I do? I'll be her assistant." Huang Kairen said helplessly. "Now everyone knows we're together, so she doesn't need to hide it anymore. She'd be happy to use me, a free source of labor."
Lu Yanhe laughed even louder.
Huang Kairen complained, "You don't need to laugh so loudly."
Lu Yanhe: "Isn't this great? I'm not mocking you, absolutely not."
Huang Kairen gritted his teeth: "Fine, you wait, I promise I'll never laugh at you again, absolutely never!"
Lu Yanhe hung up the phone, but the smile on his face lingered for a long time.
-
“Honey, we really can’t pay Yan He such a high fee.”
Huang Tai looked at Chen Ziyan with a helpless expression and said, "As you can see, our movie uses an all-star cast, which makes the cost too high, but we only have a budget of 500 million. If we need to pay Lu Yanhe such a high salary, we will have to reduce our budget for other aspects of production."
Chen Ziyan said, "Mrs. Huang, I believe you know that the conditions I proposed are not excessive compared to the current market situation in Yanhe."
Mrs. Wong: "Of course, of course, but Ziyan, you and I have known each other for a long time, and you know my character. If it weren't for the fact that the situation really didn't allow it, why would I be so petty about such a small thing?"
Chen Ziyan said, "A top-tier commercial blockbuster could only offer Yan He a salary of eight million. To be honest, if such a figure were signed and word got out, Yan He would become a laughing stock in the entire entertainment industry."
Huang Tai said, "Yan He voluntarily lowered his salary to support a sincere film. How can this be a joke? It's a compliment."
“Then all the actors should be paid off together, that would be a good reputation.” Chen Ziyan looked at Huang Tai unmoved. “Shang Yongzhou can get a salary of 20 million plus 5% of the box office revenue, while Yan He can only get a salary of 8 million plus 20% of the revenue from the character’s derivative works. I think this is a condition that no agent would sign for Lu Yanhe.”
When Chen Ziyan uttered those numbers, Mrs. Huang's previously confident expression finally changed.
“Yan He has never starred in a commercial film before, and his ability to carry a commercial film at the box office has never been proven. We also need to explain this to the shareholders.” Huang Tai put it another way. “Besides, this number shouldn’t be a laughing stock for someone who is starring in a commercial blockbuster for the first time, right?”
"Leaving aside the TV series, in 'Three Mountains,' although Yan He only had a cameo role, he was responsible for the film's pre-release promotion and the most talked-about topics during its release. In the end, with a budget of over ten million yuan, it was released twice and grossed over 100 million yuan. As for 'Late Spring,' you know it even better. It was an art film that Longyan Film Industry gave to director Liu Bige to practice. From the director to the actors to other key members of the creative team, the only star was Yan He, and the only point of promotion was Yan He. With a budget of around ten million yuan, it grossed over six hundred million yuan."
Chen Ziyan pronounced each number clearly, word by word.
"Yan He has indeed never acted in a commercial blockbuster, but to say that he lacks the ability to carry a film at the box office and has not been proven by the market, I think, Mrs. Huang, if you say that out loud, other film companies would probably laugh at us."
Chen Ziyan smiled slightly, "Eight million in salary? These days, there are very few films that offer Yan He less than ten million in salary, except for art films. Even for comedies that Yan He has never acted in before, they can generously offer eight-figure salaries. Perhaps the cast of 'Burning Fire' is already luxurious enough that Yan He is not actually needed to play the second male lead. Anyway, we have only signed a letter of intent. If Mrs. Huang changes her mind, we can withdraw."
Mrs. Huang was silent for a few seconds, then smiled.
“Ziyan, anyone in the industry can see that ‘Burning Fire’ will be a blockbuster that everyone is looking forward to. How much additional income can such a movie bring Yan He? Endorsements, business deals, fame, popularity, both explicit and implicit. He can make up for this loss in salary through other means. Why should we haggle over such a small number?”
“If Yan He wanted to make money, with his influence and fame, why would he need to play the second male lead in ‘Burning Fire’?” Chen Ziyan smiled gently. “Mrs. Huang, it’s not about how much the salary is. If you really care about that absolute number, as I said, there are plenty of film companies throwing money at Yan He. Not to mention the nearly thirty endorsement offers we turned down this year. If we had accepted them all, we could have earned hundreds of millions in endorsement fees.”
Huang Tai finally lost his composure and his expression turned ugly.
Chen Ziyan remained unmoved.
“As an actor, Yan He deserves his due salary. When discussing salaries, we shouldn’t mix in other factors or include everything,” Chen Ziyan said. “When we were filming ‘Late Spring,’ did we ever negotiate our pay with you? You agreed without hesitation. Why should we haggle over the salary for ‘Burning Fire’? This isn’t about being petty; it’s about something that needs to be clearly defined.”
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I updated nearly 16,000 words today, so I guess I deserve some monthly votes and encouragement from everyone?
(End of this chapter)
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