Chapter 606 Finishing Filming and Going Home
Compared to the chaos and complexity outside of filming, the filming of "The Silent Staircase" can actually be described as very smooth.
The phrase "very smooth" refers not only to the coordination between various technical departments, but also to the actors' performances. There were almost no minor issues such as glitches or distractions. In every scene, everyone performed with ease and enjoyment.
Lu Yanhe couldn't help but sigh once again, realizing that there were indeed too many good actors in this industry, but too few who became famous.
Even among famous actors, a large portion of them don't actually have very good acting skills; some don't even reach the passing grade.
Even Zhou Yelu, who had previously angered Chen Yu, possessed solid acting skills. Despite playing a minor role with few lines, he delivered each scene flawlessly, capturing moments that allowed the audience to see him within his extremely limited screen time.
Instead of letting the camera glide by, so that the audience might not even remember that the actor had acted in the film.
Every actor meticulously crafts each and every line of their performance.
"What a great group of actors!" Chen Yu remarked for what felt like the umpteenth time.
Lu Yanhe knew that he was doing this on purpose.
The actors in the crew are the type who perform better the more they are encouraged and praised.
Especially Zhang Yuan and Peng Yufen.
It's a pity that they both already have management companies, otherwise Lu Yanhe would have considered recommending them to Chen Ziyan and signing them to Shihuo.
Lu Yanhe told Chen Siqi, "These actors could actually be offered long-term contracts, just like Yan Yuling from 'The Intern.' They are very good actors, although they are quite difficult to deal with off-screen, but they are still very dedicated on set."
Chen Siqi nodded.
"You don't need to tell me, that's what I was thinking too. Since you're starring in this drama, it's bound to get a lot of attention, and they could very well become famous overnight. So, I already had them prepare the contracts. Otherwise, after the drama airs, they'll probably receive a lot of offers and their schedules won't be so free."
Lu Yanhe nodded.
"By the way, how's the sponsorship situation for the later stages of the Jumping Theater? Can we increase the production budget for each play a little? Is it no longer necessary to keep it between two or three million?" Lu Yanhe said. "With the current production budget, we can only produce plays with relatively simple scenes and few actors. We can't afford to produce plays with slightly more complex staging and more scenes."
Chen Siqi: "The sponsorship situation is pretty good. The ratings and viewership in the first month have satisfied advertisers. However, we are still discussing whether to increase the production budget for subsequent projects. We can afford to lose money at the current cost, but if the production costs increase later and the broadcast results are not as ideal, that would be terrible. I personally hope to maintain this low-cost model, so that there is not much pressure from all sides. Moreover, such small projects are also convenient for us to hone our newly assembled production team."
Lu Yanhe: "Okay."
“In the future, if we encounter a film that requires a higher production budget, we will definitely give it the green light. But for a film like ‘The Silent Staircase,’ is it really necessary to give it a higher budget and make it with a cinematic quality? If that’s the case, why not just make it into a movie?” Chen Siqi said. “I understand your desire to strive for excellence in every work, but film and television works, especially our emerging model, are not suitable for moving so fast. We don’t yet have enough confidence and experience to optimize and upgrade.”
Lu Yanhe nodded in understanding.
The Jumping Theater does have one advantage: low production costs. This allows them to film freely according to their own ideas and use so many unknown actors.
Whether it's the two girls in "The Adventures of a Young Girl", Yan Yuling in "The Intern", or Zhang Yuan and Peng Yufen in "The Silent Staircase", they are not actors who can usually play leading roles.
If the production budget of a show increases, would Yuehu TV and Aurora Video, as investors, still be willing to choose these relatively unknown actors as the leads, given the current broadcast performance?
Lu Yanhe knew the answer to this question very well.
-
The seven-day filming period was really short. Lu Yanhe had only just gotten to know the actors in the crew a little bit when the day of parting came.
However, after so many separations from the film crew, this feeling of sadness and parting has become fleeting.
This feeling is similar to being temporarily reassigned to a special task force for a week or two during normal work, working together for a few days. It's impossible to say there's no affection between you, but it's also impossible to say the affection is particularly deep.
In comparison, for an artist, the team members around him are actually more like fixed, long-term colleagues.
Their work dictates that they are like nomads, surviving by chance in the entertainment industry.
Although Lu Yanhe, as the artistic director and lead actor of this drama, had a lot of say, he almost never used his say.
He was very cautious about this.
He always believed that since he was not the director, not the person primarily responsible for the work, and not a matter of principle, even if he had different opinions, he should keep quiet and refrain from expressing his opinions easily.
The more influential a person is, the more cautious they should be, knowing the potential consequences of their words.
There was actually a wrap party the day after filming wrapped.
However, Lu Yanhe was in a hurry to return to Yuming because there were several urgent tasks waiting for him, all of which had to be completed before he went to Malaysia to film "Tropical Rainy Season".
Therefore, Lu Yanhe had to rush back overnight after finishing filming.
While Wang Biao was helping him pack his luggage, Lu Yanhe took the gifts they had prepared earlier and went to say goodbye to the main members of the film crew one by one.
From the director to the scriptwriters, the heads of various departments, and the actors they worked with.
"I'm very sorry, I have to work and I won't be able to join everyone for the wrap party tomorrow. I look forward to the broadcast of this drama."
This is a habit that Lu Yanhe has now developed.
Say goodbye properly before you leave.
Because nobody knows when we'll meet again.
But if the memories of parting are pleasant, then the reunion will surely be even more intimate.
Lu Yanhe had to rush back that night, but Chen Siqi had to stay behind to deal with the aftermath of Director An Jian's matter.
So, Lu Yanhe went to find her in the end.
When are you coming back?
“I’ll go see An Jian tomorrow and see what’s going on,” Chen Siqi said. “Although I don’t know what kind of reason he’ll give me, I can imagine that he will definitely deny it.”
"We have no evidence either."
“Yes, there is no evidence,” Chen Siqi said. “Unless he admits it himself, we cannot prove that he was the one who sent the anonymous letter.”
"Actually, there's no need for us to get to the bottom of this. Given what has happened, we won't cooperate with him again until this problem is resolved."
“At least I want to know whether what happened back then is true or false, and what really happened with Xin Pingqing’s father’s suicide,” Chen Siqi said. “Especially since Xin Pingqing was an employee of our company.”
Lu Yanhe: "So... are you planning to confront him?"
"I don't know, I haven't thought about it yet." Chen Siqi shook her head. "Let's see what he says first. Since he was the one who told Liu Yuan this news, we'll know whether he wants to shift the blame to Xin Pingqing or not when we meet him."
"Okay, you can try it, but don't force yourself. Even if it's true, we can't call the police on charges of fraud."
“But we can see a person for who they truly are,” Chen Siqi said.
-
Lu Yanhe returned to Yuming.
I arrived at Ziyuan Bridge late at night.
Li Zhibai and Yan Liang are both not here; they both have work to do today.
Upon arriving at the entrance of the residential compound, Zou Dong asked, "Yan He, where are you sleeping tonight?"
When he asked that question, Lu Yanhe realized that he had two places to stay in Ziyuan Bridge.
One was with Li Zhibai and Yan Liang, and the other was with Chen Siqi.
As a result, both rooms were empty tonight.
Lu Yanhe said, "Let's go to Building 17."
His house with Chen Siqi.
Zou Dong drove the car to the elevator entrance of Building 17 in the underground parking garage and took Lu Yanhe up.
"We'll pick you up at 10 a.m. tomorrow," Wang Biao said.
Lu Yanhe nodded.
-
After seeing him inside, Wang Biao and Zou Dongcai went downstairs together.
"Brother Dong, you don't need to see me off. I've already called a car. Just drop me off at the entrance of the residential area."
Zou Dong looked at him, his eyes filled with doubt and confusion.
"It's already so late, and we're coming over early tomorrow morning, so you should get some rest."
Upon hearing this, Zou Dong said, "Alright then."
Wang Biao yawned, "It's been non-stop work. Luckily, after I finish work tomorrow, I can sleep in the day after tomorrow."
Zou Dong smiled.
"Any other plans for the day after tomorrow?"
"No," Wang Biao shook his head. "I have no work scheduled. Is there something you need?"
"I want to go see my son; I haven't seen him in so long."
“Okay.” Wang Biao nodded. “Go ahead, Brother Dong.”
"I wonder if Yanhe will be going out the day after tomorrow."
“It’s okay, I’ll go with him if he goes out,” Wang Biao said. “I’ve met a few candidates for your B position before, so I can pick one from them and give it a try.”
Zou Dong: "Position B?"
“Brother Lu said that you’ve been his bodyguard all the time, except for big events. No one has been taking shifts with you. It’s too hard. He asked me to find you a backup position. On days like the day after tomorrow when there’s not much work, you can take a day off and someone else can take your place,” Wang Biao said.
Zou Dong was stunned and didn't come to his senses for a long time.
He followed Lu Yanhe almost every day, but he didn't know that Lu Yanhe was still concerned about having Wang Biao find him a B-level position.
Wang Biao: "Don't worry, Brother Lu said that even if you come to B-position, no one can replace you by his side, so there's nothing to worry about."
Zou Dong nodded.
"Thanks."
“Why are we being so polite between us? We can forget about the others, but when it comes to Brother Lu’s matter, out of all the people in the team, the only person I trust is you.” Wang Biao laughed, “Only you truly trust and care for Brother Lu.”
Zou Dong looked at him in surprise.
He didn't expect Wang Biao to say that.
"Alright, go back and rest now." Wang Biao yawned again. "I'm so sleepy."
(End of this chapter)
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