Chapter 846 Each Has Their Own Arrangements
Wen Zichong said angrily, "Just because of a Weibo post, without even naming names, Beijing and Taiwan have kicked me out of the game. This is like using someone and then discarding them!"
“That’s just how Beijing-Taiwan operates. Don’t take it for granted. When I recommended you there, I told you not to think of it as a good employer. It was just a way for you to build your resume. Now that you’ve independently directed ‘The Seventeenth Floor: Reboot,’ it’s not a bad thing to step away. Getting entangled with Beijing-Taiwan for too long isn’t a good thing either.”
Lian Bei said with a smile.
"The project 'True Hero' came about after I read a series of five short stories in 'Jump Up' magazine. It's an urban fantasy novel about a high school student who is actually the heir to a family of martial arts masters. He possesses extraordinary skills and uses them to secretly fight bad guys and save the world," he said. "Originally, I planned to do it after finishing 'Office Woman.' Why don't you try it out first? I've already discussed it with Bingyuan Video. We'll make it into a 20-episode web series, with a stronger comic book feel and a bit more imaginative. It's an experimental project."
Wen Zichong said, "It doesn't sound like a mainstream project."
“Well, I think it could be made into a niche drama series,” Lian Bei said. “Most importantly, I think this story has the potential to become a series. In China, there are very few modern stories with spies as the main characters, whether in TV series or movies, mainly because it is difficult to find a suitable character and story template, but this one is not bad.”
Upon hearing this, Wen Zichong said, "Then I'll go check the novel first. Has the script been written yet?"
“The first five episodes have already been created,” Lian Bei said. “This project is still in the incubation stage, and if you are willing to take over, it will make my life much easier.”
Wen Zichong and Lian Bei are friends.
Moreover, they are friends I've known for many years.
If it weren't for this relationship, Lian Bei wouldn't have recommended him to direct "The Seventeenth Floor: Reboot".
Wen Zichong said, "Okay, let me take a look."
-
The day Li Zhibai visited the set of "The Boat" was almost half a month after filming began.
I'd wanted to come for a long time.
The promotion for "Flying on Grass" is too intensive.
Li Zhibai knew they were filming in a village below Wang County, so he brought a lot of food and drinks, and in the end, he even had to rent a truck to bring them over.
The crew was astonished by the scale of Li Zhibai's visit to the set.
Lu Yanhe was extremely shocked and asked, "What happened to you?"
Li Zhibai said, "I brought some over because I was worried that it would be inconvenient for you to buy food and drinks."
Lu Yanhe: "That's an exaggeration."
Li Zhibai: "It's alright, it's alright, it's not too exaggerated, it's just so-so."
Lu Yanhe: "With 'Grass on the Grass' being so popular right now, you still have time to come visit the set."
Li Zhibai: "Publicity is indeed difficult and tiring, but it's almost over."
Lu Yanhe: "There's no more publicity after that?"
“Yes, the show is almost over.” Li Zhibai said, “This time we really went to great lengths to promote it. I’ve never promoted any show as much as ‘Grasshopper’.”
"There are a lot of collaborations, and they all require your presence," Lu Yanhe laughed. "These collaborations are all because of you. If you didn't attend, they wouldn't have been able to happen."
"I'm too famous." Li Zhibai shook his head and sighed, "Really, my biggest problem right now is that I'm too famous."
Lu Yanhe: "..."
? ? ?
Why does this sentence sound so familiar?
Li Zhi asked, "You didn't look thinner or darker when you made this movie."
"I'm just here to film in the countryside, that doesn't mean I have to be dark-skinned and thin," Lu Yanhe said speechlessly.
Li Zhi asked, "Then isn't it very boring for you to film here?"
“It’s not boring. I’m just filming in this village. I usually live in Wangxian County, so it’s fine,” Lu Yanhe said. “Wangxian has some places to visit. There are bookstores and teahouses. Oh, right, there are even storytellers in those teahouses. If you’re not in a hurry, you can go and listen to them later.”
Li Zhi nodded a hundred times.
When will you finish filming this movie?
"By the end of November at the latest," Lu Yanhe said. "I didn't ask. I just got the call sheet every day and filmed according to the call sheet. I have to go and film 'Friends' by the end of November."
Li Zhibai: "You're filming these two movies back-to-back, what about 'Dingfeng No. 1'? I heard that your movie is going to participate in the North American awards season, there's so much public relations to do."
Lu Yanhe said, "Let's participate after we finish filming 'Friends'. That's all we can do. Let's see if we can survive until then. Several preliminary awards have already been announced. 'Calm Wind One' is among the nominees for Best Foreign Language Film, but neither my performance nor Teacher Wen's performance made it into the nomination list. The situation is not as clear as we initially expected."
“It’s alright. Chen Pinhe’s ‘The Pianist’ hasn’t won any awards yet,” Li Zhibai said. “Besides, ‘Dingfeng No. 1’ hasn’t really started to gain momentum yet, has it?”
“We’ve put in a lot of effort, especially on Professor Wen’s side.” Lu Yanhe said with some helplessness, “But for some reason, none of those preliminary awards were given to Professor Wen. It might be because the competition for Best Actor this year was too fierce.”
Li Zhibai: "Then why don't we have Teacher Wen change his nomination to Best Supporting Actor? Change his path sooner rather than later?"
Lu Yanhe said, "Schmidt will communicate with the public relations manager and make a judgment based on the situation."
Li Zhi nodded.
“However, to be honest, I can’t be that greedy.” Lu Yanhe shrugged. “Getting a nomination isn’t easy to begin with.”
Especially after he received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for "The Mist 2," the difficulty of him getting another Oscar nomination in a short period of time has increased dramatically. And if people pronounce a "death sentence" on him, public attention to Wen Shengming will also decrease.
Wen Shengming's profile in North America is still too small.
The film "Dingfeng No. 1" only garnered some attention from critics.
Midoriya, the mastermind behind the project, has several films vying for Oscars this year. "Crystal Plane" is the only foreign language film, so he can focus all his efforts on securing the Best Foreign Language Film award. However, for the acting awards, Midoriya himself has to fight for resources within his own organization.
“It’s alright. Even if ‘Calming Wind No. 1’ doesn’t win any acting awards in the end, this film has still propelled Teacher Wen onto the international film scene,” Li Zhibai said. “If it doesn’t work this time, we can try again next time. There’s no rush.”
Lu Yanhe said, "That's what they say, but nobody knows when the next opportunity like this will come."
Li Zhibai: "That's no reason for you to put so much pressure on yourself right now. You don't even feel this much pressure when you win an award, so Professor Wen cares even less. Opportunities are something you can't force. If this year really is a big year for the Oscars and there are too many people competing for Best Actor, then it's not something we can change."
“Of course, I won’t force myself. I’m just thinking about what else I can do,” Lu Yanhe said. “In terms of performance in movies, Teacher Wen’s performance in ‘Dingfeng No. 1’ is definitely worth seeing.”
Li Zhibai: "Actually, critics and the media all think that Teacher Wen's performance was good enough."
“Yes.” Lu Yanhe nodded. “If Professor Wen were American or British, he would definitely be a favorite in this year’s awards season.”
Li Zhibai: "That is because too many people don't know him. Even if they see that he has good acting skills, they don't think he is the kind of actor who would come to Hollywood, so he doesn't deserve to be recognized with awards. Many talented actors are 'overlooked' for this reason."
Lu Yanhe: "In the past two months, Professor Wen and I have already sent out a lot of signals in the United States and Europe."
“The problem is that most of the people you and Professor Wen met were members of the Academy of Sciences, right?” Li Zhibai said. “The preliminary awards that have been announced so far are all media, magazine or association awards, and the composition of the voters or judges is not consistent with the scope of your previous public relations efforts.”
Lu Yanhe: "But the results of these preliminary awards will affect the decisions of those who are eligible to vote. If Professor Wen is not among the candidates for the preliminary awards, they will not vote for him."
Of course, there have also been nominees in history who were "forced" to win the nomination.
She was nowhere to be seen before, but then suddenly "parachuted in," which was even more exaggerated than Gwyneth Paltrow's "Water Queen" back then, just like the female lead in "To Leslie."
But let alone Lu Yanhe, he doesn't even have the ability to ensure Wen Shengming's "parachute appointment" right now; even if he could, he wouldn't be willing.
All those who "forced" their way in, or the infamous Gwyneth Paltrow, whether it's a nomination or an award, have a notorious dark history in their hands.
This will have a huge backlash.
Rather than that, Lu Yanhe would rather Wen Shengming not receive a nomination in the end, but instead rely on the movie "Dingfeng No. 1" to let people in the European and American circles know that such an outstanding actor exists.
But just as they were talking, Chen Ziyan brought some news.
She got a script for Wen Shengming.
A new film by Wes Wright, the British director who has won many awards.
There is a supporting role that suits Wen Shengming.
-
"I just don't know if Teacher Wen would be willing to play a supporting role," Chen Ziyan sighed.
“Wes Wright’s films have featured Oscar winners and actresses in supporting roles. Professor Wen isn’t the type to put on airs, so he won’t disagree,” Lu Yanhe said. “However, Professor Wen might need to take a look at the script.”
“Yes, Wes Wright also wants to meet with Mr. Wen,” Chen Ziyan said. “However, he can only meet with Mr. Wen this weekend in Yuming. He will fly back to England on Sunday night. Of course, we can also wait until the movie ‘The Boat’ is finished before having Mr. Wen go to England to meet him. But I’m afraid that things might change and he might be snatched away. I estimate that actors from China, South Korea and Japan would also be vying for such an important role.”
Lu Yanhe asked, "Did they approach us for this script this time, or...?"
“I met Wes Wright’s producer at a friend’s party. I’m now publicly known as Mr. Wen’s agent, in charge of his overseas agency business. He brought it up himself, so I immediately offered to see if I could arrange for the two of them to meet.”
Lu Yanhe: "Then you should talk to Teacher Wen and see what she thinks."
Do you think Teacher Wen would be willing to go?
"I don't know." Lu Yanhe shook his head. "I think there's a high probability they wouldn't agree."
“I think so too,” Chen Ziyan said. “Teacher Wen will definitely prioritize the filming of ‘The Boat.’ Given his current status, he wouldn’t be allowed to ask the crew for leave just to meet a director.”
Lu Yanhe: "Yes, you think the same way I do, even though it was directed by Wes Wright."
Chen Ziyan asked, "If it were you, would you take leave to go?"
“If it were when I first went to Hollywood, I would, but now, I wouldn’t,” Lu Yanhe said. “When Teacher Wen went to Hollywood, he didn’t start from scratch. He has always appeared in front of everyone as one of China’s best actors, so he still needs to maintain a certain level of poise.”
Chen Ziyan: "Why do I have a feeling this show is going to be canceled?"
“Not necessarily,” Lu Yanhe said. “Although Professor Wen is currently filming ‘The Boat,’ his public relations activities in North America have not stopped, and media reports about him continue to be published. As long as Director Wes Wright has seen ‘Winds Are Still in the Air,’ this role may not be so easily snatched away by someone else. As long as Professor Wen is willing to express his desire to participate in this film, and he can’t go to meet me now simply because he is currently filming and has a heavy workload and cannot take leave, and he makes his attitude clear, Director Wes Wright may appreciate Professor Wen more.”
“That makes sense,” Chen Ziyan said. “Anyway, I’ll go talk to Teacher Wen first. But I don’t even have the script. Those big Hollywood directors are very secretive about their scripts and won’t give me a copy.”
“That’s how Hollywood keeps scripts confidential,” Lu Yanhe said. “Many scripts that come to us are delivered by a special person. We will never have a script left in our hands before the casting is confirmed.”
-
Dinner time.
Chen Ziyan and Li Zhibai sat opposite each other, staring at each other.
This is a very simple house with several tables inside, each set up for a sumptuous dinner.
The film crew rented a farmhouse near the filming location to serve as their canteen.
Chen Ziyan and Li Zhibai originally planned to eat first, but when they arrived they found that they were eating communal meals without individual servings.
They didn't want to start eating before everyone else had arrived.
Fortunately, we didn't have to wait too long; everyone arrived in about seven or eight minutes.
"Hurry up, hurry up! Yesterday you guys were so slow, the food got cold!" someone complained.
Then someone spotted Chen Ziyan and Li Zhibai.
Everyone greeted him with surprise.
Chen Ziyan and Li Zhibai also greeted them.
About two minutes later, Lu Yanhe, Yu Mengling, and Wen Shengming arrived.
"Hey, why haven't you guys eaten yet?" Luo Yuzhong asked.
"I'm waiting for you all to come and eat together," Chen Ziyan said. "The food on our set is really good. This huge feast looks so delicious, it makes my mouth water."
Li Zhibai nodded: "They even have braised soft-shelled turtle. I feel like I could eat three bowls of rice with that broth."
Lu Yanhe: "Then Lin Suyang rushed here overnight to induce vomiting for you."
Everyone sat down, chatting and laughing.
“But I think this chef’s skills are really good,” Lu Yanhe said. “I’ve been eating a bowl and a half of this every day for the past few days, and that’s with me being very disciplined. I have to get up early every day to run, otherwise I’ll definitely gain weight.”
Chen Ziyan said, "Did you take the combustion aid I brought you last time?"
“I ate it,” Lu Yanhe said. “But I think it was just a psychological comfort; it didn’t really work.”
Yu Mengling: "You run six kilometers every morning and don't eat much at night, so there's no room for growth at all."
Lu Yanhe: "No, I'm glad I started exercising now, otherwise I think I would have gained weight a long time ago. I didn't like eating snacks that much before, but now I love them."
Yu Mengling: "What did you eat? I've never seen you eat anything before."
"Because I can't help eating it before bed," Lu Yanhe sighed. "I'm just greedy."
Luo Yuzhong laughed.
Wen Shengming said, "No wonder you got up to go for a run the next morning; it turns out it was to destroy the evidence of your crimes from the previous night."
“That’s right,” Lu Yanhe said. “Speaking of which, I have to say that being an actor and maintaining your figure is so difficult. I never thought that maintaining my figure was such a painful thing before, but I can’t do it now.”
"You now have a craving for food."
“And your metabolism is also gradually slowing down,” Yu Mengling smiled. “You’ll feel it as you get older.”
(End of this chapter)
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