Chapter 380 Don’t forget what you promised me
A few days later, the filming of "Princess Agents" in Hengdian was completed. The filming of the entire drama lasted for more than 5 months and is finally over.
The crew prepared a wrap-up party for the remaining actors and staff to have a small celebration.
Afterwards, the actors left the group one by one, and the main creative staff of the crew, under the command of producer Zhao Mingcheng, packed up and prepared to return to Beijing.
"Li Xian, are you all going back to the Beijing company after filming is finished?"
The next morning, in the lobby of the crew's hotel, Li Xian, who was about to leave with his suitcase, ran into Zhao Liying who came out at the same time.
"Yes, I have to go back to the company first."
Li Xian replied with a smile.
The two of them worked together for more than five months on the entire TV series, and neither of them has a weird personality, so they have become friends now.
Zhao Liying hesitated for a moment.
"I saw on the news that your CEO Gu finished filming his TV series last month. He should be in Beijing now, right?"
"Yes, we talked on the phone the day before yesterday~"
"Does your company have any other TV series to shoot this year?"
"I'm not sure about this. It depends on the company and Mr. Gu's arrangements."
Li Xian looked at Zhao Liying's face and asked tentatively.
"Sister Liying, why don't you come with us? You and Mr. Gu are old friends, so you can just ask him when we meet later."
Zhao Liying smiled.
"I have another drama in Hengdian. I will join the crew again in two days after finishing this one."
"Tsk tsk, Sister Liying, you are worthy of being the "Queen of Hengdian". You are either filming or on the road filming all year round. It's so hard!"
The two chatted for a few more words, and then the car from Li County was about to leave, so they said goodbye to Zhao Liying.
Before leaving, Zhao Liying said something to him again.
"When you go back to see your CEO, tell him something. Don't forget what you promised me!"
After saying that, he turned and left.
After she left, Peng Yuchang poked his head out from behind Li Xian and looked at Zhao Liying's back as she left.
"Sister Liying's words have a profound meaning, promise?
It sounds like the relationship between the two of them is like that of a puppet show with dozens of episodes.”
Li Xian looked at him sideways and patted Peng Yuchang on the back of the head.
"Watch your mouth. Your brother Wei is the boss. It's not your turn to worry about any relationship."
"Oh, I see."
Peng Yuchang also played a small supporting role in "Princess Agents". He didn't have many scenes and they were all in the second half, so he finished filming with the crew.
"You joined the company after starring in 'The Princess Weiyoung'. It's been over two years now, right?"
As the two of them walked, Li Xian looked at the little brother who had been following him for more than two years and asked.
"Yes, Brother Xian, have you forgotten that we signed in together?"
Peng Yuchang said with a smile.
“Look, we were all from the same crew of [The Princess Weiyoung] back then.
Zhang Tianai is now a first-line actress, and the movies she starred in have grossed over 2 billion yuan.
Look at yourself, you are still playing supporting roles in various crews.
Shouldn't you reflect on whether you haven't worked hard enough in the past two years?"
After spending the past two years together, Li Xian and Peng Yuchang have become really good friends. He completely treats the other as his own younger brother.
"But Brother Xian, you were the male lead in [The Crown Princess] back then, but you're not popular now, are you?"
Peng Yuchang lowered his head and argued.
“Well, although I’m not a huge star, I’ve played so many leading and supporting roles in the past two years, so I’m somewhat famous.
I'm the male lead in this big-budget costume drama, working with the popular Li Ying. I'm going to be famous once the drama is released."
Li Xian, feeling somewhat embarrassed, explained a few words.
"Don't talk about me, now let's talk about you.
It's not a long-term solution for you to keep playing minor supporting roles. They say you should become famous early. Our company has so many resources, you have to seize them!"
"Brother Xian, I know you are doing this for my own good.
But my conditions are here.
I'm not handsome, so it's hard for me to play the leading role in an idol drama.
Just like the movie "Princess Agents" produced by our company, the second male lead played by Zhang Binbin has a lot of scenes. If we go by the relationship between them, I have a greater chance of playing the role.
But you also know that my appearance determines that I can't play that role."
Peng Yuchang has a relatively clear view of himself and knows the limitations of his image.
Li Xian frowned.
He knew that what Peng Yuchang said was right. To this day, the impression he left on him was still that of the little eunuch in "The Princess Weiyoung". The idol dramas that were popular nowadays were indeed not suitable for him.
"When we get back to the company, I'll talk to Gu Wei about your problem. Since he signed you in the first place, he must have been attracted by some of your qualities.
Appearance is not a problem. My classmate Zhang Yishan is much uglier than you, but he also starred in the popular drama "Yu Zui".
I've known Gu Wei since we were in school, and I haven't found him mistaking someone for someone else in all these years!"
After hearing what County Magistrate Li said, Peng Yuchang showed a happy expression on his face, but then he hesitated.
"Just ask Brother Wei directly, okay?"
"What's wrong with that? It concerns your future. Besides, we are just asking him what plans he has for you.
But no matter what, you must hone your acting skills, so that when the opportunity comes, you won’t be able to seize it.”
County Magistrate Li gave another instruction.
"Don't worry, Brother Xian, I feel like my acting has improved a lot in the past two years, so there's nothing wrong with it."
Peng Yuchang had a confident expression on his face.
[Wei Ming Tian Xia] In the company's small conference room, Gu Wei called Yang Liwen and Zhao Mingcheng, who had just returned to Beijing, to discuss the company's next filming plan with them.
The company started filming two TV series, Eternal Love and Princess Agents, and a movie, Love in the City, at the end of last year, and they are all in post-production now.
[The Love Master] has been scheduled to be released during this year's Lunar New Year holiday and will probably be released in December.
Both TV series are large-scale costume productions, and the post-production time is relatively long. After the finished film is completed, the price will be negotiated with the TV station and video platform, and finally it will be actually broadcast online. It is estimated that it will take until the end of this year or the beginning of next year.
Post-production is handled by a dedicated team, and the company's camera crew is temporarily idle.
“What are your thoughts on the projects the company will be carrying out in the second half of the year?
It has been confirmed that "You Are My Glory" is expected to start filming in August or September, and director Lin Yufen has taken over the drama.
However, considering the current size of our company, it is no problem to support the filming of two or three dramas at the same time."
Gu Wei asked.
"Boss, I think considering our company's current reputation, it's safest to shoot idol dramas. Whether it's a historical or modern idol drama, TV stations and video platforms will buy it, and it's easy to achieve success after the TV series goes online.
Furthermore, the prices for TV dramas have been rising over the past two years. We can make just as much money making TV dramas as we do making movies, and the risks are much lower.”
Zhao Mingcheng, who was sitting on the left, said.
He started out by making TV dramas and has always served as a producer in the company's own dramas, so he still hopes to do what he is good at.
“Mr. Zhao is right, but there is a problem.
The boss's schedule for the second half of the year is already fully booked, and if the company launches a new drama, I won't have time to participate. So, whether other actors can play the male and female leads and support the ratings is a question."
Yang Liwen expressed her concerns.
"Boss Yang, you're worrying too much. The two web dramas produced by the company before, [Yu Zui] and [Go Princess Go], did not have the boss's participation, but the results were still very good.
The same is true for the drama we just finished filming, Princess Agents. But from my perspective, Princess Agents has a very high chance of becoming a huge hit.”
Zhao Mingcheng disagreed with Yang Liwen's point of view.
He felt that with the company's past achievements and current production capabilities, if the boss starred in it, it would undoubtedly be a hit drama. Even if the boss did not join, they were capable of making a hit drama.
"The two web series before that weren't really idol dramas. The subject matter was advantageous. If Mr. Zhao wants to make an idol drama, the choice of male and female lead is very important.
I agree with you that Princess Agents will do well in the future, because Zhao Liying is so popular now.
If the company launches a new idol drama without the right male and female leads, future success is hard to guarantee!
Yang Liwen still insists on her point of view. She thinks that although script production is important, it is the stars that really attract fans to watch idol dramas.
Boss Gu Wei doesn't have time, so he has to be careful in choosing the male and female protagonists.
"I recently looked through the company's copyright library and selected two relatively good novels. Both can be adapted into TV series. Take a look at them. Which one do you think is better to film first?"
Gu Wei raised his hand to stop their argument and took out a few pages of paper and placed them in front of them.
Above are the story summaries of the two novels to be adapted.
Since Gu Wei established his studio in 2012, he has been purchasing the copyrights of popular online novels. However, as IP has become more and more popular in the past two years, the film and television adaptation rights of many famous novels have become increasingly expensive.
Fortunately, Gu Wei’s current company is not short of money, so the company’s copyright library is becoming larger and larger.
However, there is a problem. Most of the online novels he bought are female-oriented novels from Jin Jiang Literature. Even if they are adapted, they can only be idol dramas.
Among the big male IPs, he only grabbed "Joy of Life" at all costs. Popular IPs such as "Douluo Dalu", "Martial Universe" and "Fights Break Sphere" were bought by other companies.
"I think it's better for us to shoot this film, 'Ashes of Love.'"
After a while, Zhao Mingcheng spoke first.
"Boss, the two novels you chose, one is a period drama and the other is a modern drama, both have good stories.
However, our company has just filmed two large-scale ancient costume dramas, "Eternal Love" and "Princess Agents", and we have the most experience in this area.
Many of the previous props can be reused, which greatly saves costs and makes filming easier for the crew, so I think the filming of "Ashes of Love" will be even better."
Gu Wei nodded after hearing what he said.
Then he looked at Yang Liwen on the other side.
“I have no objection. Although I think the other drama [Go Go Squid!] has a lot of [Love O2O] vibes, [Ashes of Love] also looks good.
Mr. Zhao’s forte is TV drama shooting.
How do we choose the male and female protagonists for this drama? "
Yang Liwen said this and looked at Gu Wei.
"Boss, if you don't have time for this play, is it okay for Li Xian to lead the male lead?"
Gu Wei smiled and nodded.
Then Yang Liwen continued muttering.
"Naza has taken on a movie in the second half of the year, and Zhang Tianai is going to film Wolf Warrior 2 with you, boss. Clara definitely can't play this role.
Meng Ziyi can give it a try, but her current fame is too low, and I’m afraid she won’t be able to support the ratings.”
Gu Wei smiled.
"I've already thought about the female lead. Our company doesn't have anyone suitable, so I'm going to invite Yang Zi to play the role!"
"Yang Zi?"
Yang Liwen muttered something.
"Can she do it?"
Her impression of Yang Zi is still Xiaoxue in Home with Kids, and it is hard to associate her with the heroine of an idol drama.
"We have been good friends for many years, and Yang Zi is also a classmate from Li County. I have confidence in her and she will definitely perform well.
As for fame
I have my own plans!"
Choosing Yang Zi to play in "Ashes of Love" naturally means that there is no need to worry about her acting being bad, and Gu Wei does not think that Li Xian will be worse than Mou Lun.
The only problem now is that their popularity is average, and I’m afraid they won’t be able to get a good price in the first round after the filming is completed.
Even if the TV series becomes a big hit after it is broadcast, the losses in the first round cannot be compensated.
After all, they are not Gu Wei. As long as they participate in the performance, TV stations and video websites will rush to buy it.
However, after thinking about this problem again, Gu Wei found a solution.
"Mr. Zhao, please discuss with Wu Jinyuan, the director of Princess Agents, to see if he is interested in continuing to work with us and directing this film, Ashes of Love.
If you don’t want to, we can find another director.”
"clear!"
"Mr. Yang, please talk to Li Xian's agent about this and ask him to clear his schedule for the second half of the year.
I will communicate with Yang Zi.
As for the other actors in this drama, you should choose from our company and Jiaxing Media. You can communicate with Mr. Zeng of Jiaxing later.
Once the director decides on a role, we'll have the artists audition."
“Okay, boss!”
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
