Chapter 55 Startup [VIP]
Chapter Summary: A fragrant pancake was stuffed into his mouth.
The third day of the Lunar New Year.
Mu Zhi and her agent Ji Binghe arranged to have dinner with director Xu Tao.
More than a month had passed since I last saw Xu Tao, and he looked rather unkempt. He hadn't shaved, the label was showing at the collar of his sweater, and he was wearing it inside out.
He took off his hat and had a completely shaved head?
Xu Tao touched his bald head and said that he had been busy editing videos and handling a series of matters recently, so he shaved his head for convenience.
During the Chinese New Year, staff members get a few days off.
He also needs to spend time with his family.
I only have time today; I have to start work tomorrow.
After sitting down, he asked Mu Zhi and Ji Binghe why they had asked him to meet.
Yes, there are.
My first question is about the progress of the post-production of "The Bell Ringer" and whether it is going smoothly.
Judging from Xu Tao's condition, he is so focused on the production progress of "The Bell Ringer" that he neglects his own health, but he is not discouraged and is full of fighting spirit, so things must be going well.
Xu Tao replied: "I believe the quality of this drama will certainly live up to the hard work of the entire production team."
The second issue is the dubbing problem that Mu Zhi mentioned to her agent a few days ago.
Mu Zhi stated frankly, "Director Xu, I hope to do the voice acting for 'A Ying' myself."
Xu Tao was somewhat surprised that a new actor would take the initiative to make this request.
Ji Binghe smiled and explained, "Director Xu, it's like this. I know that for period dramas, sometimes the platform and production team, in order to save time or perhaps because they feel the actors' voices aren't necessarily suitable for the roles, will choose professional voice actors to dub..."
The production team mainly considered two aspects: the time efficiency of dubbing and the quality of dubbing.
"Director Xu, I think you are well aware of Mu Zhi's acting skills. Mu Zhi is fully capable of handling the voice acting work for the role."
Regarding scheduling, this is also the reason why we took the liberty of suggesting that the actors do the voice acting. When we anticipated dubbing for "The Bell Ringer," Mu Zhi was filming on set.
But we've already spoken with the film's director; we'll ask for leave in advance so the crew can coordinate the filming schedule, and there won't be any problems.
Upon hearing this, Xu Tao understood that Mu Zhi's team was concerned that the production team of "The Bell Ringer" would not be able to free up time for dubbing because Mu Zhi would be filming at the time, and would directly find a voice actor.
They considered it even earlier than he, the director.
Xu Tao looked at Mu Zhi: "You value the voice acting for the role very much?"
Mu Zhi nodded.
She didn't want to fall into the same trap again.
In the original world, I experienced a similar situation.
Her first role after entering the entertainment industry was in a web series. When the production team notified her to do voice acting, she was filming a movie. Due to the tight filming schedule, she couldn't take time off, and the production team had no choice but to find a voice actor instead.
As a result, after the web series aired, although Mu Zhi, as a newcomer, had passable acting skills, she was attacked by haters and some netizens for being unprofessional and lacking professional ability because she dubbed her lines. They even accused her of lying and slandering her acting skills as very poor.
In fact, as a profession in film and television, some actors have problems such as unclear pronunciation or accents that result in poor dubbing quality. It is understandable that the production team chooses to work with dubbing actors.
However, sometimes the decision is made by the production team, leaving the actors with little control.
The audience doesn't care about the reasons, they only care about the result.
As an actress who has been acting for several years, Mu Zhi has not only honed and improved her acting skills through filming one drama after another, but also accumulated some valuable experience.
It can help her avoid many pitfalls.
An actor's image isn't solely built on acting; the support and management of their team behind the scenes is equally important.
"Director Xu, 'The Bell Ringer' is my first film, and Ah Ying is my first role. I hope to get a high score."
It's not just about passing.
I also don't want anything to be imperfect.
Lanxing Media invested in "The Bell Ringer" and has a certain say in the matter. Mu Zhi proposed to do the voice acting herself. As long as Lanxing Media tells the production team that she doesn't need her agent to accompany her on this trip.
Ji Binghe and Mu Zhi came to Xu Tao to discuss this matter in advance, out of respect for the director, to have a proper discussion.
Xu Tao is also aware that in the current industry environment, the focus of netizens' discussions on whether a drama is good or bad is on the actors, especially popular actors.
Actually, the entire production crew should have shouldered the burden.
Xu Tao said, "Actors are most familiar with and understand the characters they play. They are also the clearest about the psychological activities and body language of each scene during filming. When the actors dub the characters, the characters are truly complete."
Regardless of the overall market conditions, there will always be a group of people whose goal is to create good dramas that resonate with audiences.
Three years in the making, the drama is now being remade.
The creation process of this drama was somewhat tortuous, but he put his utmost sincerity into it.
"During the reshoots of 'The Bell Ringer,' some post-production work was carried out. I estimate that the editing will be completed around May, and the actors will be arranged to do the voice-over. I will instruct the staff to notify you in advance."
They also revealed that the scheduled slots for the Green Apple platform are around late July.
When will Mu Zhi's movie wrap up filming?
The actors will need to cooperate with some promotional work at that time.
Ji Binghe replied, "Filming will begin in early April and is expected to wrap up in early July."
After filming wrapped, "The Bell Ringer" was about to be broadcast.
The promotion for a drama series is usually concentrated in the week before its broadcast, which is just enough time.
In early March, there was still a month before filming was scheduled to begin.
Mu Zhi conducted a makeup test for the female lead "Zhou Can" in "Back to 17".
Director Xu Kuan explained, "The character's appearance is divided into several stages: Zhou Can at 17 in her past life, Zhou Can at 27 after getting married and having children and being worn down by time, Zhou Can returning to her 17-year-old self, Zhou Can during her university years, Zhou Can at 27 with a new lease on life..."
This is a role that requires a bit of complexity to portray.
It's a huge challenge for the actors.
The makeup test started with the character's hairstyle.
Mu Zhi sat in front of the makeup mirror, while director Xu Kuan and the stylist and other staff stood beside her, discussing whether 17-year-old Zhou Can should keep her hair short or long.
Xu Kuan: "My initial idea was that Zhou Can, who had long hair at the age of 17 in her previous life, would have short hair after returning to the age of 17, to metaphorically represent that the character had to sever ties with her previous life and start over."
That means she filmed her 17-year-old past life scenes first after joining the crew, and then cut her hair short later.
However, when Xu Kuan asked the stylist to put a fake short haircut on Mu Zhi to see the effect, he found that it was far less stunning than the long hair style.
To help the actors better immerse themselves in their roles, the production team planned to shoot according to time. After filming the scenes of Zhou Can at age 17, Zhou Can in college, they would then film the scenes of Zhou Can's two lifetimes as an adult.
After discussion, the director made the final decision: "Long hair."
The stylist nodded in agreement: "Teacher Mu's long hair tied in a ponytail is simply the white moonlight in many people's hearts during their student days, a campus goddess!"
Without distinct appearances, all the pressure falls on the actors.
The actors' acting skills are needed to differentiate the characters at different stages.
Mu Zhi nodded, gladly accepting the challenge.
The hairstyle has been decided.
Mu Zhi began trying on her school uniform, everyday clothes, and several sets of work clothes prepared by the clothing team for 27-year-old Zhou Can. After each outfit was worn, everyone discussed which one was better based on how it looked on Mu Zhi.
Then, the official photos were taken...
A week later, a script reading session was held for "Back to 17".
Director Xu Kuan, producer Wang, screenwriter Mu Zhi, Song Yuanliang, and other key members of the creative team were all present.
Director Xu Kuan solemnly introduced Hong Hou, the cinematographer in charge of the film.
In his fifties, he was the cinematographer for many classic films and won the Golden Horn Award for Best Cinematography in China.
Hung Hou stated, "I was planning to retire; I haven't made a film in four years..."
He agreed to return to acting after being annoyed by director Xu Kuan.
At the script reading session.
Mu Zhi met the actors who played other roles.
Director Xu Kuan once said: In "Back to 17", apart from the male and female leads, the 17-year-old and 27-year-old versions of the other students were played by two actors. The production team found actors who looked very similar to the younger and more mature versions.
She is a great match for the character described in the script.
Although the actors were all newcomers, it was enough to show the crew's dedication and attention to detail.
After attending the script reading session.
Minmin was genuinely happy for Muzhi: "Sister Zhizhi, the director is a newcomer, and most of the cast members are also newcomers, but the team behind this movie feels very reliable to me!"
The series of preparations before filming began created a creative atmosphere that Mu Zhi could feel. Everyone was working very hard to prepare for this film, which was very valuable.
In mid-March, there were still two weeks before filming was scheduled to begin.
Information about the start of filming and the cast of the movie "Back to 17" was leaked by a marketing account on Weibo.
Tanliaojun V: The final installment of Guangying Media's youth campus film series, *Back to 17*, will begin filming in early April. Directed by a newcomer, it stars Mu Zhi and Song Yuanliang. Authenticity guaranteed.
Subsequently, some marketing accounts, whether they copied the information or not, also posted on Weibo that the movie "Back to 17" would start filming in early April, starring Mu Zhi and Song Yuanliang, which seemed to further indicate that the news had a certain degree of credibility.
Like the previous news about the contract termination, this movie news was a pleasant surprise for Mu Zhi's fans, like a delicious treat suddenly being stuffed into their mouths.
"Holy crap!! Seriously? I'm going to lick this pie first? (Starry-eyed emoji)"
"Hehe, eagerly awaiting April, eagerly awaiting the start of filming?!"
"She has an S-level film in hand, switched to a great new company, her beauty on the red carpet is legendary, and now there are rumors of a movie project coming out. Being a fan of Mu Zhi is so wonderful! My darling, you're quietly doing amazing things! Mu Zhi!"
"Movie treat! Who's thrilled? I'm thrilled!!"
......
Entertainment gossip forums also shared information about the movie and discussed it.
Actually, Mu Zhi only has some traffic, but her exposure is very low.
He has no fame in the eyes of the general public.
The release of the film resources attracted attention, mainly because the young actresses are mostly involved in period dramas and sweet romance dramas. If they were to act in a movie, they would at most play a supporting role, and the lead roles would be played in low-budget films with no production team or resources.
Mu Zhi, a rising idol who hasn't even debuted in a group, has a movie role despite not having any of her works aired.
People can't help but wonder about her background and who is promoting and supporting her.
"I checked, and Mu Zhi is an artist under Lanxing Media. The movie is probably a gift from the new company to welcome her. Are you so optimistic about this newcomer? To be fair, she is indeed very beautiful."
"Guangying Media's youth trilogy, even though the second and third installments were criticized as terrible, still managed to gross at least 150 million yuan. Is this newcomer's film, starring as the lead actor, guaranteed to break 100 million yuan at the box office? I'm so envious!"
"2333! When 'The Bell Ringer' was officially announced, it seemed like no one paid much attention to Mu Zhi. At most, she was just another actress from an ancient costume drama. Now that the movie is out, she immediately has a presence. It seems everyone thinks making movies is high-class."
Those who frequent gossip and entertainment forums don't have many casual followers.
These onlookers' praise of Mu Zhi has brought her trouble, which has angered the fans of the artist being subtly criticized.
Start a thread to mock Mu Zhi:
"No way, no way, you can even praise a trilogy of terrible movies? Any young actress would shake her head at the sight of such awful productions."
"The director is a newbie, and the male and female leads are both relatively unknown. Will anyone buy tickets for this movie? (picking nose)"
"Little idol, keep a low profile! You're an idol, don't you know how bad your acting is? I heard 'The Bell Ringer' is airing this summer, waiting to see you fail, hahaha."
"Looking at the filing, this movie is a story told from the female lead's perspective. If Mu Zhi is really that great, she should have hired a well-known male actor to support her. She shouldn't have taken out a loan to make the box office over 100 million. Apart from the publicity and distribution by Guangying Media and the cinematographer's reputation, it's no different from a crew with no connections."
......
While surfing the internet, Mu Zhi saw that a marketing account had copied and pasted posts from a gossip forum that were related to her.
To be honest, the general public has their own agenda in being optimistic or pessimistic.
She showed no emotional reaction to these comments.
All evaluations now are meaningless; let's wait until the show airs to see.
On April 6, Mu Zhi, along with her agent Ji Binghe, and Minmin and other team members, flew from Beicheng to Jincheng and checked into the film crew's hotel a day in advance.
Filming will begin tomorrow.
[Author's Note]
Celebrating the start of filming in advance!
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