Chapter 833 Casting (9,000-word update!)
On September 3, Lu Yanhe and Wen Shengming met again at the airport.
They are going to Russia together this time.
"The Wind Rises" is scheduled to be released in Russia on September 7. The local distributor is going to hold a local premiere to promote the film. Lu Yanhe and Wen Shengming received a work invitation and were asked to attend.
Because the goal of this film is to achieve a certain influence on a global scale.
Lu Yanhe and Wen Shengming would usually participate in overseas screenings and promotional events.
In the waiting room, the two chatted about the current situation of "Dingfeng No. 1".
"The film still has box office potential. To this day, 'The Wind Rises' is still playing in more than 300 theaters in North America and has not been taken off the screens," said Lu Yanhe. "The global box office has also exceeded $140 million, and there is still hope that it can slowly reach $200 million."
Wen Shengming said, "If the box office results are good enough, will it be useful for the North American Oscars?"
“It’s useful. ‘Calming the Wind’ has already won awards at Venice, not to mention domestically. But when it comes to the impact of box office, only the North American awards season directly links box office to performance. If your box office is good but your artistic merit is low, you’ll only get a technical award. But if your box office is bad, no matter how high your artistic merit is or how much the critics praise you, you won’t get an award,” Lu Yanhe said. “They’re clearly setting their awards on a popular standard.”
"No wonder the Oscars have become increasingly influential in recent years."
"It's also because the box office in North America is getting bigger and bigger," Lu Yanhe said. "To be honest, I think this is the best time for Chinese film awards to expand their global influence."
"How so?"
“Because what North America can’t do, we can do,” Lu Yanhe said. “The North American film market is too xenophobic. Apart from English-language films, it’s extremely difficult to break $20 million at the box office. But in China, many foreign films achieve more than $100 million at the box office every year. If we raise the standard to 100 million RMB, the number is even higher, potentially encompassing seven or eight countries. I’m thinking that if China’s mainstream film awards could consistently select the best foreign language film released in mainland China, and this best foreign language film award would also take into account both professional reputation and box office performance, we could gradually invite international filmmakers to truly participate in China’s film awards. This could be a seed that, at the right time in the future, transforms one of these awards into an international award.”
Upon hearing this, Wen Shengming pondered for a moment, then nodded, "Your suggestion has some merit. I'll take it back and discuss it with them later."
“Hmm.” Lu Yanhe nodded. “Of course, I have a very important initial intention in thinking this way, which is to spread a concept to film companies around the world: China is the only market in the world that can accommodate films from different countries, ethnicities, and languages. Moreover, every year a large number of different foreign language films achieve impressive box office results in the Chinese market. Once this concept is established, the real money involved will be the fundamental driving force for major film companies to pay more and more attention to the Chinese market.”
“You’re right,” Wen Shengming nodded. “By the way, how did the movie ‘The Classic’ perform at the overseas box office?”
Lu Yanhe said, "The box office performance is very good in Asian countries, but the performance in Europe and America is only so-so, but this is expected."
Unexpectedly, "The Classic" grossed over 1.2 billion yuan at the domestic box office, becoming the biggest dark horse of this summer's box office. Everyone knew it could sell, but no one expected it to sell this well, directly ranking third on this summer's box office chart.
In terms of return on investment, it is undoubtedly number one.
Meanwhile, "The Classic" grossed over $12 million in South Korea and $8.5 million in Japan. With the addition of markets such as Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam, the film's overseas box office in the entire Asian market has exceeded $30 million. This is the best overseas Asian box office performance achieved by a Linghe-produced film, apart from "Home Alone".
However, outside of the Asian market, the film only grossed over 13 million at the international box office.
Wen Shengming said, "The overseas box office of more than 13 million has become very average for you."
Lu Yanhe smiled.
"It's really not me, Professor Wen, but this is just like Hollywood movies. Once you establish your overseas distribution channels and people have high expectations for your box office, your movie can get better shelf space and the best sales managers. A good product that could originally sell 100 copies can sell 150 or even 200 copies under these favorable conditions. Movies are the same. Without these conditions, relying purely on the quality of the movie itself and the popularity of the actors, the movie might only sell one-third or even one-fifth of its current box office. But just the fact that it can be shown in more than 90 countries and regions directly increases its box office potential many times over."
Wen Shengming nodded.
“I’m also using borrowed resources to generate profits,” Lu Yanhe laughed. “Thanks to the two movies, ‘Home Alone’ and ‘Flypaper,’ we were able to open up channels in all parts of the world based on the early stages. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have the conditions we have now.”
Wen Shengming: "Looking back now, it was really necessary for you to start Linghe Company in the first place."
“Yes,” Lu Yanhe said. “As long as you don’t have your own distribution network, you can only earn a fixed amount of copyright fees.”
Wen Shengming: "But I see that you've also collaborated with Soren on several films."
“Yes, not just Soren, but I’ve also been working with Green Valley, D19, and Parameter,” Lu Yanhe said. “There’s no way around it. I’m an outsider. If I don’t tie them to the chariot of common interests, I can only fight alone in Hollywood, isolated and helpless. If they join forces to exclude and suppress me, even with ‘Home Alone,’ I might only get it shown in a few hundred theaters in the end, and the result would be at most a few million US dollars at the box office. I wouldn’t have had the chance to prove that I can make a movie with a global box office of more than 700 million US dollars.”
Wen Shengming: "It's not easy, it's really not easy, but when you think about it, it seems like only you can walk this kind of path."
“From the current perspective, that is indeed the case, but I think there are definitely others who can succeed as well. Zhi Bai and Yan Liang have both established their own companies,” Lu Yanhe said. “They are very low-key and are just trying and accumulating experience. However, I think anyone with initiative and a voice can actually do what they did, slowly accumulating their own cards so that when the time comes, they will have cards to play.”
Wen Shengming nodded.
“I do know Li Zhibai. His own company was involved in the production of the movie ‘Grass on the Grass’ that he starred in,” Wen Shengming said.
-
"The TV series 'Grasshopper' is scheduled to premiere during the National Day holiday."
Lin Suyang brought news to Li Zhibai.
Li Zhibai: "It's finally going to start airing."
“Yes.” Lin Suyang smiled. “The platform had been refusing to schedule the broadcast for a while, and I don’t know what was wrong with them.”
"What else could it be? Because our show is a copyrighted drama, not their own production. They want to protect their own production," Li Zhibai said. "I heard they even used our show to attract advertisers, and then put the ads on other people's shows."
“Yes,” Lin Suyang said. “The brand told us the news, but they still wouldn’t admit it until we produced evidence. They only apologized then. Damn it.”
“Your last drama was ‘Chinese Paladin,’ which was such a huge hit that advertisers were all waiting for it,” Lin Suyang said. “Now they even have to invest in other dramas first before they’re even eligible to invest in yours. I’ve already cursed them out twice.”
“However, their own son’s data performance was too poor, with an average of less than a thousand views per episode, so the advertisers couldn’t explain it to them.” Li Zhibai said with a gloating laugh, “Even ‘Nineteen Years’ had an average of over 3,500 views per episode back then.”
"The controversy surrounding 'Nineteen Years' is not due to its poor broadcast; these are two different concepts," Lin Suyang said. "You are a star that Lu Yanhe has publicly stated is more famous than him. What does that mean? Don't always think 'Nineteen Years' is bad. Even if it's bad, it's still by your standards. In your resume, it's not that outstanding. But for others, it's a height that they can only dream of."
Li Zhibai: "..."
He thought he was already quite narcissistic, but Lin Suyang's praise made him feel embarrassed.
Excuse me.
"Yan He is just talking, do you really think I'm more famous than him?"
"Big brother, do you really think you don't have any?" Lin Suyang said, "Lu Yanhe has given you the two most popular male roles in the past ten years. Do you know that even now, many people are still posting all kinds of materials about Li Xiaoyao and Ke Jingteng every day?"
Li Zhibai: "...I do know that, but it was all written by Yan He."
"Haha, Jia Baoyu, Lin Daiyu, and Xue Baochai were all written by Cao Xueqin. Tell me, do the first three have more fans, or do Cao Xueqin have more fans? You can only say that Cao Xueqin has a high status, but you can't say that Cao Xueqin himself is the most popular star."
“I’m really fed up. Can you please stop using this example in the future? Using ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ to discuss celebrities and fans,” Li Zhibai said. “You’ll get criticized for being uncultured, and you’ll drag me into it too.”
Lin Suyang: "..."
day.
Lin Suyang said, "Don't forget to have dinner with Director Xu tonight."
Li Zhibai: "Huh? What?"
"I knew you'd forgotten. Luckily, I reminded you," Lin Suyang said. "They've been trying to schedule a time with you."
Li Zhibai: "Oh, okay."
Lin Suyang: "I also want to ask you, you're not on set lately and your work schedule isn't busy, so what are you busy with? It's so hard to schedule a time with you. I have to come to your house and wait for breakfast to see you."
Li Zhibai: "...Hey, what's it to you? Isn't it normal for me to have some personal space?"
Lin Suyang asked suspiciously, "Are you in a relationship?"
"Didn't I tell you before that you shouldn't ask about these private matters?"
"Heh, looks like I need to prepare a public relations plan."
"You would have done this eight hundred years ago." Li Zhibai clicked his tongue. "Who are you trying to fool?"
Lin Suyang: "What's wrong with you dating? You can tell me. I'm not going to stop you from dating."
"Alright, let's leave this topic at that. Let's not talk about it anymore." Li Zhibai finished his dumplings, put down his chopsticks, and pointed to the takeout boxes on the table. "Could you tidy up these things later and throw them out for me?"
After saying that, he stood up.
Where are you going?
"The gym."
"You... went to the gym?" Lin Suyang looked at Li Zhibai in disbelief. "You're either in a relationship or possessed by a ghost."
"roll."
-
Is there any hope?
"What I've heard is that the judging panel really appreciates Chen Pinhe's acting skills. However, there's another person the judging panel is also considering this year."
"who?"
"The male lead in the Iranian film 'The Trial' was wanted by the Iranian authorities because of his previous films and had been staying in Europe. After the release of 'The Trial,' the film received a great response and was one of the biggest contenders for this year's Golden Lion Award."
"Does that mean Chen Pinhe has no chance?"
"No, his performance in 'The Pianist' was still highly praised. It's just that the movie was too mediocre. But on the contrary, because the movie itself was mediocre, his performance stood out even more."
...
Zhang Yuezhen returned to the hotel with a serious expression.
Chen Pinhe was sitting on the sofa reading a magazine while his makeup and hair team worked on him.
"Is today's filming not over yet?" Zhang Yuezhen asked her assistant with some surprise.
The assistant said, "The morning interviews caused a slight delay, so the filming started two hours later."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuezhen frowned and glanced at the time.
It's already 3 p.m.
"How many more sets need to be filmed?"
"This is the last group."
Zhang Yuezhen said, "The shoot is scheduled for 7 p.m., and it must be finished by 6 p.m.
The assistant said, "I'll talk to the photographer and the on-set director later."
"I'll go and talk to them."
She walked behind Chen Pinhe, met his gaze in the mirror, and curled the corners of her lips into a smile.
"Today is the last workday, you can rest tomorrow." Zhang Yuezhen smiled and rubbed Chen Pinhe's shoulder, saying, "Hang in there."
Chen Pinhe smiled gently.
"good."
Those nearby saw this and said enviously, "Teacher Chen and Sister Yuezhen have such a good relationship."
"Yes," the others echoed.
-
Lu Yanhe and Wen Shengming stayed in Russia for three days.
When I returned, it just so happened that the Venice International Film Festival was announcing the results of this year's edition.
"Chen Pinhe didn't win an award!" This was the message Chen Ziyan sent, followed by a series of "dancing little man" emojis.
This message came from ten minutes ago.
Just as Lu Yanhe was about to reply to Chen Ziyan, Chen Ziyan sent another message: Damn, "The Pianist" won the Jury Special Award.
Lu Yanhe was taken aback.
ha?
Lu Yanhe was puzzled and asked: Why is that?
Chen Ziyan: You got off the plane? We don't know why either.
Lu Yanhe: It's really a bit strange right after we landed.
Chen Ziyan: Yes, the movie received such terrible reviews. Both domestically and internationally, people said that the movie was mediocre.
Lu Yanhe: Maybe this year's judging panel has very discerning tastes.
Chen Ziyan: After all, as everyone has said, this film is the kind of movie that film festivals love most: a biographical film about a person's life ups and downs.
Lu Yanhe: Okay, it's better for "The Pianist" to win the Jury Special Award than for Chen Pinhe to win the Best Actor Award.
Chen Ziyan: Agreed.
"Oh my, 'The Pianist' won the Jury Special Award." Wen Shengming, who was sitting next to Lu Yanhe, also saw the news and said to him.
Lu Yanhe nodded.
"Yes."
"What a pity. I heard that Chen Pinhe had a good chance of winning Best Actor this time, so why didn't he win?"
Lu Yanhe smiled but did not respond.
Wen Shengming was unaware of his relationship with Chen Pinhe, so it was understandable that he would say such things in front of him.
Wen Shengming added, "He has really wasted his life over the years."
From Wen Shengming's tone, Lu Yanhe understood the meaning of "hate that he doesn't strive for more".
Lu Yanhe still did not respond.
Wen Shengming then noticed something was amiss.
"Yan He, don't follow his example and start to give up when you're still in your prime."
Lu Yanhe nodded, smiled, and said, "No, Teacher Wen."
“That’s true. You were able to get into Zhenhua University on your own. Your perseverance and spirit are unmatched by him.” Wen Shengming nodded, relieved.
Lu Yanhe also laughed.
“Teacher Wen, please don’t always encourage me. You are at the age where you should be taking risks.” He said, “Try to set aside as much time as possible after November this year. ‘Windbreaker’ will be officially participating in this year’s North American awards season, and there will be a lot of public relations activities.”
Wen Shengming: "A public relations event? Do I have to participate too?"
Lu Yanhe said, "Yes, this year Green Valley will be holding a public relations performance award for the two of us. If we don't participate, it's basically equivalent to automatically forfeiting and being eliminated early."
Wen Shengming: "You mean, we both have a chance to be nominated for an Oscar this year for the movie 'Windbreaker'?"
“Yes.” Lu Yanhe nodded. “Although we don’t know the success rate, it’s worth a try, given the current situation. After all, ‘Calm Wind One’ is the highest-grossing foreign film of this year’s awards season and has an award-winning record from last year’s Venice International Film Festival.”
Lu Yanhe could tell that even now, Wen Shengming still didn't quite believe what he said.
Lu Yanhe also understood why.
For those who haven't experienced the North American awards season, it still seems to be shrouded in a mysterious and sophisticated aura.
For example, can Chinese-language films win Oscars?
For example, can someone like Wen Shengming, who has never worked in Hollywood, win an Oscar?
However, after playing the awards season game for a few years, Lu Yanhe had pretty much figured it out. When you can't get in, it feels incredibly difficult. But once you get in and understand the rules, it's pretty much like the college entrance exam. It's still difficult, but you have all the necessary knowledge and you've earned the points you're supposed to get, so you're in that circle.
As for Wen Shengming, the "knowledge point" he needs to improve now is international exposure, so that people who have seen the movie before and have an impression of him will remember him again and again as the actor with superb acting skills in "Dingfeng No. 1".
-
“Our current PR strategy is to nominate both of you for Best Actor,” Schmidt Lawler said to Midoriya. “But when it comes to the final Oscar nominations, we must differentiate between who nominates the lead and who nominates the supporting role. Otherwise, the votes will be split too much, and you could both be eliminated.”
Lu Yanhe understood what Schmidt-Laurie meant.
"OK."
"Let's see how things go for now. The key is whether your film department will submit 'Calm Wind One' for this year's Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film," Schmidt Laurie said. "If so, we will increase our public relations efforts. If not, please understand, Yan He, we can only do routine public relations."
Lu Yanhe understood.
For the film "Calming Wind No. 1", neither he nor Wen Shengming had any chance of winning Best Actor.
The best outcome would be to successfully obtain a nomination.
This is the greatest success.
For Midoriya, such gains wouldn't be significant. What would truly increase the value of the film's copyright was winning Best Foreign Language Film, or even a nomination. Midoriya couldn't possibly use his own money to help the two actors win awards—
It can't be said that their two nominations have no potential to increase the copyright value of "Dingfeng No. 1", but it's not much either.
Lu Yanhe told Schmidt Laurie, "If this really happens, Linghe will cover my and Wen Shengming's public relations expenses."
-
During this period, Huang Zhongjing and Huang Tai's most important task was to ensure that "Dingfeng No. 1" could be selected by the Film Bureau for submission.
What was supposed to be a done deal suddenly became a source of crisis for them because "The Pianist" was about to get involved.
In particular, "The Pianist" won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival.
This is no small prize.
In comparison, the Best Actor award that "Dingfeng No. 1" won last year was, strictly speaking, an individual award for the actor, not a film award.
The day after "The Pianist" won the award, the production company announced its release date.
The Pianist will be released during the Mid-Autumn Festival in September.
In this way, it fully meets the application requirements.
This film was produced by the film company of Chen Pinhe and Zhang Yuezhen.
The purpose of setting the release date so quickly is quite obvious.
It couldn't possibly be for the sake of box office revenue—
This film was not initiated with the aim of making money at the box office.
-
Huang Zhongjing has maintained close contact with the Film Bureau.
He updates the overseas reviews of "Dingfeng No. 1" almost every three days, whether from the media or public figures, just to let the Film Bureau see the film's genuine influence overseas.
The Film Bureau wasn't really keeping him hanging. Their attitude was very clear: they were currently discussing internally and were leaning towards "Dingfeng No. 1," so he didn't need to rush.
However, the more people said that, the more Huang Zhongjing worried that he would be snatched away by "The Pianist".
Chen Pinhe's relationship with the Film Bureau over the years has been so close that he has supported them countless times each year.
Actually, for the people in the Film Bureau, this is not a difficult choice in itself.
In their view, there's really nothing to argue about between these two films.
With such high overseas box office and such a good performance, "The Wind Rises" was the obvious choice.
I don't know what's going on outside, but people think "The Pianist" will be a contender for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film this year.
However, they couldn't say these words directly.
Saying it out loud could easily provoke conflict.
From their perspective, both "The Pianist" and "Windbreaker" feature key figures representing Chinese cinema, and both films have won international accolades. They are all equally beloved, so why would they deliberately embarrass one of them?
Even in their hearts, there is still a difference between the palm and the back of the hand.
-
The Pianist won the Special Jury Prize in the main competition section of the Venice International Film Festival, which is indeed a remarkable achievement.
"But Yuezhen, 'Dingfeng No. 1' has a different meaning. You should understand that a film with our country's revolutionary pioneers as the main characters has achieved such great influence overseas. It is impossible to select other films this year."
Zhang Yuezhen replied, "Boss, that's precisely why I came to you. I'm not an ungrateful person. Under normal circumstances, why would I insist on competing with such an excellent film as 'The Wind Rises' for this opportunity? I can simply let 'The Pianist' be released next year and compete again next year."
The other party did not speak.
Zhang Yuezhen said, "Lu Yanhe's side has already started the public relations for the awards season of 'The Wind Rises.' He is too high-profile, so much so that some people, privately—you know, in North America, there is a part of the liberal left who do not want to see our kind of film win awards, so they have prepared a whole basket of dirt on it, just waiting to attack this film."
"It is precisely because of the existence of such a group of people that we are even more determined to submit this film to compete for the Oscars. This is the attitude of Chinese cinema!"
Zhang Yue was taken aback.
"Actually, more than one person has told me that Lu Yanhe wants to first build up momentum overseas and use international public opinion to force us to choose 'Dingfeng No. 1'. Yuezhen, do you think so too?"
“I don’t know him well, how would I know what he’s thinking?”
"But regardless of his thoughts, 'The Wind Rises' is the film that best represents Chinese cinema this year and is submitted for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Whether he did it or not does not affect the overall decision."
This statement is actually quite clear.
Regardless of the circumstances, only "Dingfeng No. 1" can represent Chinese cinema this year.
Zhang Yuezhen remained silent for a moment, knowing that there was no point in saying anything more at this point.
Unless The Pianist grosses over $100 million in North America in the next two months, setting a new record.
But she herself knew very well that this was simply impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
-
So, it's hopeless?
"It's hopeless."
Chen Pinhe was silent for a moment, then said, "If it doesn't work out, then forget it. We'll talk about it next time."
“No matter what, ‘The Pianist’ won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival this time, didn’t it?” Zhang Yuezhen said. “It has already achieved great success. If we continue to follow this path, it will definitely get better and better.”
Chen Pinhe nodded.
"Moreover, you should have won Best Actor this year, but because the chairman of the jury is an Iranian director, the final decision was biased towards that Iranian actor."
"I know," Chen Pinhe said. "It's alright, let's leave it at that."
Zhang Yuezhen said, "Oh, right, there's one more thing."
"Um?"
“Director Asimov has sent you an invitation,” Zhang Yuezhen said. “He wants to invite you to participate in his new film.”
"Which Asimov?"
“Isaac Asimov, who won the Best Director Award at the Situ Film Festival and the top prize at the Picardo Film Festival,” Zhang Yuezhen said. “I met him twice when I was in Venice. In his new film, there is a foreign character, an ‘intruder’, who is very important. Originally, he was supposed to be Greek, but I persuaded him to change it to Chinese. He just contacted me today to accept my suggestion, but on the condition that I persuade you to sign a contract for this film.”
Chen Pinhe laughed.
"Finally, some good news."
“Actually, as long as you’re willing, many directors around the world are willing to work with you. No one can refuse your performance,” Zhang Yuezhen said. “Regarding ‘The Pianist,’ I will also try to get it released in North America to compete in this year’s awards season.”
"This year, 'Calm Wind One' is also aiming for the awards season, and Midoriya has already started public relations efforts for Wen Shengming and Lu Yanhe."
“They are them, and we are us,” Zhang Yuezhen said. “Your performance in ‘The Pianist’ has received high praise from critics.”
Chen Pinhe: "Is there a good chance?"
“I don’t know yet. Regardless of the chances, this is a great opportunity for you to further increase your fame in Hollywood,” Zhang Yuezhen said. “Death Stranding already gave you considerable attention in Europe and America. Now that you have an opportunity like The Pianist, why not make good use of it?”
"Alright, you can decide this matter," Chen Pinhe said. "Anyway, you're the one who decides my work now."
Zhang Yuezhen asked, "Isn't it good? At least in the past few years, from 'White Pearl' to 'The Pianist,' you have returned to the four major international film festivals and starred in an English TV series. Your international influence has increased significantly. Now you are about to star in Asimov's new film. If I hadn't been pulling strings for you behind the scenes, how could you have gotten into this situation?"
"Yes, thank goodness for you."
Zhang Yuezhen smiled again.
"And you'll have to thank me properly right away."
"Um?"
"I won't tell you yet, I'll keep you as a surprise."
-
"Liu Teli has received a lot of attention in Europe and America because of the 'Home Alone' series. He has already taken on an English movie, but he probably won't be available next month."
"Teacher Wen Shengming... Actually, it would be good if Teacher Wen were to play the role. He just co-starred with you in 'The Wind Rises,' and co-starring with you in 'The Boat' would solidify his international reputation. Moreover, if he were to play the role, the film would have won Best Actor and Best Actress awards at the four major international film festivals, which would be quite a gimmick."
“Li Songfan is a good actor and has enough domestic fame, but compared with the previous two, he is still a little weaker. He played your father in Love Letter before, although you two did not have any scenes together or appeared on the same screen.”
...
That day, Chen Ziyan was helping Lu Yanhe analyze who should be cast to play the role of the father in the play "The Boat".
"And what about you? What's your first instinct? Who would be the best actor to play this role?"
“My first instinct was Teacher Li Songfan,” Lu Yanhe said. “How should I put it? Teacher Liu Teli and Teacher Wen Shengming don’t give people the impression of being simple, ordinary fathers. The moment they appear, their aura clearly tells everyone that they are not simple.”
“I understand what you mean.” Chen Ziyan nodded. “Compared to him, Teacher Li Songfan’s star power is slightly weaker, and he can remain a hidden gem in the city. However, Yan He, to be honest, if you and Yu Mengling are together, this movie can’t really remain a hidden gem in the city.”
Lu Yanhe: "The teacher has already proposed a shooting plan. He said that this movie cannot have starlight, so he plans to reduce close-up shots and instead use many long shots without movement to shoot this movie."
A long take without a movement path simply means placing a camera in one spot and letting the actors walk in and out on their own, like a documentary.
Like Hou Hsiao-hsien's style.
“Doing this will indeed reduce some of the star power around you.” The overall style of the film will be more documentary-like. “But this will weaken your performances as actors. It’s a filming method that doesn’t highlight your acting.”
Lu Yanhe nodded.
"That's true, but after discussing it with Sister Meng Ling, we both felt that this shooting method would actually better present the core theme of 'The Boat'."
Chen Ziyan: "That's fine too. You are all artists, and I trust your artistic judgment. If that's the case, then anyone can play the role. From my perspective, who can't play the role? Anyone is fine."
Lu Yanhe: "Wouldn't it be more appropriate to use Teacher Li Songfan?"
“Look, you’ve mentioned Li Songfan twice already, you don’t need to ask anyone else,” Chen Ziyan said. “Your subconscious has already given you the answer.”
Lu Yanhe suddenly realized.
He himself did not realize that he had already made a choice.
Unfortunately, Li Songfan had already taken on a TV series and joined the crew this month, but wouldn't be leaving until April next year, so their schedules simply didn't match.
“Then it’s just Teacher Wen,” Yu Mengling said. “Teacher Liu Teli is in another group.”
Lu Yanhe was genuinely worried that Wen Shengming would offer some of his own opinions on the film "The Boat".
When filming "Dingfeng No. 1", Wen Shengming was not an easy actor to work with.
Of course, Lu Yanhe had no doubt that Wen Shengming would refuse.
Putting everything else aside, based on their current relationship and his understanding of Wen Shengming, Wen Shengming definitely has the creative impulse to write the script "The Boat".
So, Lu Yanhe didn't say anything else, but took the script and went to his house to find him.
(End of this chapter)
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