Chapter 777: Inviting Gu Wei
The next day, Gu Wei got up early to film, and Zeng Li only came to the crew in the afternoon.
After changing clothes and putting on makeup, he spent less than half an hour shooting a shot and said a line to Huang Bo. The work that Zeng Li had come all the way from Beijing to Guizhou was completed.
There are many other people in Gu Wei's crew who just make a cameo appearance like Zeng Li, such as Peng Yuchang and Zhang Zifeng.
The two played the young Huang Dabao and Dong Ahua.
There isn't even a single line of dialogue, and there's only one shot for the entire thing.
But no one complained. "My Hometown and Me" was originally a tribute film with an all-star cast.
Each film crew also relies on the director's personal connections to find actors, and those who are able to act are mentally prepared.
After finishing his own scenes, Zeng Li did not come to the crew again during the day the next day.
Following Gu Wei's suggestion, I visited the nearby Miao villages and China's Sky Eye, just as a tour.
In the evening, I returned to the hotel and spent some time with Gu Wei, and the day was extremely comfortable.
"Fan Xian's mother is so amazing! It feels like she's been involved in everything. It seems like all these high-ranking figures are connected to her."
In the hotel room, Gu Wei accompanied Zeng Li to watch "Joy of Life".
"That's for sure. Ye Qingmei is the first time traveler in the true sense. Fan Xian experienced everything mostly under the protection of his mother Yu Yin.
Sister Li, guess who Fan Xian's real father is?"
"Isn't it Emperor Qing?"
"Have you read the original novel?"
“No, when I was watching it on the video platform, many people posted it on the barrage.
Including Wuzhu's identity and the Barrett in the box, we know it from the comments."
"Well, that's how it is with novel adaptations. Fans of the original novel already know most of the plot if the main plot remains unchanged."
"The sequel to this drama will start filming in the second half of the year, right?" Zeng Li thought of something while watching TV.
Gu Wei nodded: "Tentatively, the filming is scheduled to start around October.
There are three parts in [Joy of Life], and I plan to film all of them within five years."
"It's great news for fans of the show to start filming the second season so soon!"
"My main concern is that teachers Chen Daoming and Wu Gang are both very old. If we delay it for too long, it will be troublesome if something happens and they can't shoot later."
After watching the two episodes today, Zeng Li took the initiative rarely, and Gu Wei naturally gave her a warm response.
After a period of lovemaking, Zeng Li lay in Gu Wei's arms, with a slender jade hand on his chest.
"I'll leave tomorrow morning."
"Did Mango TV urge you?"
"No, it's just that according to the previously scheduled recording time, I need to be in Changsha before the day after tomorrow."
Gu Wei gently stroked Zeng Li's black hair with one hand, and slowly slid it down to her fair and delicate back.
"Come on, I look forward to seeing your wonderful performance on TV.
Don't forget our bet."
Time slowly came to the end of May. Most of the filming of "A UFO Falls from the Sky" had been completed, and the plot of the hit drama "Joy of Life" had also entered the second half.
Fan Xian was ordered to go on a diplomatic mission to Northern Qi. Sean played by Yu Rongguang, Haitang Duoduo, the saint of Northern Qi played by Xin Zhilei and others appeared one after another.
After finishing the filming during the day and returning to the hotel, the staff debugged the equipment and after the connection was successful, Gu Wei began today's live broadcast with Jing Tian and others.
"Hello everyone~"
Gu Wei greeted the computer screen.
Today's live broadcast is organized by Tengxun Video. In addition to Gu Wei and Jing Tian, there are also Tian Yu, Tian Xiwei, Guo Qilin and Xin Zhilei.
"Brother Wei, are you on the set?" Guo Qilin responded first.
"Yes, I'm currently filming, so I only have time to video chat with you guys in the evening."
"I'm so envious. The actors filming movies nowadays are all big stars!" Guo Qilin praised.
"Haha, I'm the director this time, I don't need a big name to be able to film a movie~"
"Brother Wei, please give me a chance~" Guo Qilin said jokingly.
“There’s no hope this time, I’m about to wrap up filming here.
Dalinzi, let’s wait until the second half of the year for the second film to start shooting.”
During the live broadcast, Gu Wei used a chat method to talk about the filming of "Joy of Life 2".
As soon as he finished speaking, the live broadcast room was immediately flooded with replies from netizens.
[Oh my god, they’re going to take 2! This is so good!]
It's been rumored that Joy of Life will be launching a second season this year, but there's been no official confirmation. Now that Gu Wei has said so, it seems to be true.
[In addition to the male lead, Gu Wei is the producer of "Joy of Life". This drama was produced by his company, so the second season is a sure thing! ]
I was still worried when watching "Joy of Life" towards the end, as many things hadn't been explained yet, and I was afraid it would start well but end badly. Turns out there's a second part.
[I hope the crew can film faster. The first part of the series, which has more than 40 episodes, is not enough! ]
"Tiantian should be filming in Hengdian now, right?" Gu Wei asked Jingtian.
"I just got here, and the crew here won't officially start filming for a few days."
"Brother Wei, I'm in Hengdian too. I had dinner with Sister Tiantian the day before yesterday." Tian Xiwei on the other side of the camera opened her eyes wide and said with a smile.
"I also ran into Xiaotian by chance when I got here. Their crew was filming, and then we had a meal together."
After Jing Tian finished speaking, Gu Wei exchanged a few words with Tian Yu and Xin Zhilei. Everyone chatted with each other, which made the atmosphere a little more lively. Then the host spoke and started to get into the main topic of the live broadcast.
Today's event is not the first live broadcast by the main creators of "Joy of Life". Gu Wei and Jing Tian had previously conducted separate live broadcasts to promote the show, but today there are more people and more complete people.
The host threw out one question after another about "Joy of Life", and Gu Wei and others answered them one after another.
Then we will ask targeted questions based on the different roles played by everyone.
"Let me ask Gu Wei, the TV series has now aired the part where Fan Xian goes on a diplomatic mission to Northern Qi, and many viewers are really into the couple Fan Xian and Haitang Duoduo.
So who do you think is more suitable for Fan Xian, Lin Wan'er or Haitang Duoduo?
"There's no doubt about it, it's definitely Lin Wan'er. In Joy of Life, Fan Xian's only official partner is Wan'er.
Others, including Si Lili and now Haitang Duoduo, can only be considered good friends."
"So in real life, do you prefer the personality of the female character in Joy of Life?"
"In fact, whether it's Lin Wan'er, Haitang Duoduo, Fan Ruoruo, or Si Lili, they all have distinct personality traits due to their different backgrounds.
I definitely prefer Ruoruo. After all, who can refuse a sister who believes in you unconditionally?"
"When you started chatting, you mentioned the second season of Joy of Life. Could you tell us a little bit about it?"
"Those who have read the original novel should know the general plot of Joy of Life.
The original work is a long novel, and only part of the first part of more than 40 episodes could be filmed.
So when we first started planning this drama, we planned to shoot three parts to tell the whole story.
According to the original plan, the second part will officially start shooting in the second half of this year.
As for the third part, filming will also begin after the second part is released online."
The live broadcast promotion that night added fuel to the already popular "Joy of Life", and the two subsequent parts revealed by Gu Wei in the live broadcast caused netizens to talk about it.
Countless fans of "Joy of Life" cheered and were delighted with the preparations for the sequel.
On June 1, Children's Day, the crew of "A UFO Falls from the Sky" officially wrapped up filming.
"Baoqiang, thank you for your hard work this time~"
At the crew's wrap party, Gu Wei said to Wang Baoqiang who was sitting next to him.
Because it was a tribute film, the other party only received a symbolic salary for participating in the filming, entirely out of consideration for Gu Wei.
"Don't be so polite to me, this is what I should do.
Given our relationship, if you have anything to say, just open your mouth."
Wang Baoqiang waved his hand indifferently.
Gu Wei patted his shoulder and said nothing more.
There was a lively atmosphere of toasting and chatting at the main table.
When talking about movies, Huang Bo mentioned the "Detective Chinatown" series and asked Gu Wei when the third part would be released.
“It was originally scheduled for this year’s Spring Festival, but it was pulled due to the epidemic.
I got the news that around July or August, domestic cinemas will gradually reopen and then gradually return to their previous state.
I plan to release Detective Chinatown 3 during next year’s Spring Festival.”
"It's a shame. Based on the second film's 3.9 billion yuan box office, if it hadn't been for the epidemic, the third film should have had no problem taking 4 billion or 5 billion yuan during this year's Spring Festival.
In the current environment, even after full liberalization, whether the market can be restored to its previous state is still a question."
Huang Bo said with some regret.
His thoughts actually represent a large part of the people in the film and television industry. The film and television winter is no joke. Everyone is tightening their belts and is generally pessimistic about the future.
“That can’t be helped. No one can change the overall environment, but I believe that as long as our country’s economy keeps getting better and better, even if the film and television industry is a little down for various reasons, the ultimate trend will still be getting better and better.
As filmmakers, our most important thing is to bring good works to the audience."
Gu Wei was full of confidence, and his words also encouraged the people at the main table.
Wang Baoqiang picked up his wine glass.
"The director is right. The most important thing is to polish your work and make a good movie!"
Gu Wei also raised his glass and clinked it with him.
"That inspirational fighting movie you told me you wanted to make, don't forget to tell me when you start preparing for it.
Other things may not be possible, but I will make up for any lack of funds."
"I know"
Baoqiang looked at Gu Wei with gratitude.
He has had a lot of bad luck in recent years. His wife cheated on him with his agent, which dealt him a heavy blow. Although the problem was solved, his wife also took away a lot of his property.
In terms of career, his debut film "Journey to India" was criticized to pieces, and the film "The New King of Comedy" starring Zhou Xingchi also flopped. Even his subsidiary company "Happy Flower Pictures" suffered losses due to the 2.8 billion guaranteed profit of Ning Hao's "Crazy Alien".
If there was no external investment, he alone would not be able to support the filming of "In the Octagon".
"No more words, it's all in the wine."
As he said this, Baoqiang drank the rest of the wine in his glass in one gulp.
Gu Wei also took a sip.
He really wanted to help Wang Baoqiang, and "Octagon Cage" was a huge success at the box office and had a very high return rate, so this was a win-win situation.
On the private plane back to Beijing, Gu Wei looked at the script that his agent had brought him recently.
"I'm not considering any of these, but I'll be more tactful in my rejection of this one."
After reading, Gu Wei put the stack of books aside and pointed to the one on top.
He said the movie he politely declined was called "1921", a main-theme tribute film jointly produced by Shanghai Film Group and Tencent, similar to "The Founding of a Party", and asked him to play the male lead Li Da.
Gu Wei didn't want to take the role, firstly because he had no interest in the script, and secondly because he really didn't have the schedule.
The filming of [1921] was scheduled to start around August, but Gu Wei had already booked two dramas, [Raging Fire] and [Joy of Life 2], in the second half of the year, so he had no time at all.
But after all, it is a tribute film controlled by Shanghai Film Group. He had refused last year's "The Climbers". This time, Shanghai Film Group approached him again for "1921". The other party is a state-owned film group second only to China Film Group. Even if he does not cooperate, Gu Wei does not want to have any rift with Shanghai Film Group.
After reading all the scripts, Gu Wei hesitated over the one that was left.
There were three big characters written on the cover: [Winter and Lion].
Many people may not know "Winter and the Lion", but another name of this movie is very famous "Changjin Lake".
Like 1921, The Battle at Lake Changjin is also a tribute film with a main theme, and the main producers are Bona Films and Bayi Film Studio.
The movie is good, but the same problem still exists: Gu Wei has no time to shoot a new movie this year.
After the plane landed, Gu Wei returned to the Beijing company and first found an editor to start the post-production of "A UFO Falls from the Sky".
After two days of busy work in the editing room and communicating the style and tone of the film with the editor, Gu Wei's work became much easier.
"Mr. Yu?"
Just after returning to the office and sitting for a while, Gu Wei received a call from Bona Yu Dong.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Gu, I hope I didn't disturb your filming?"
"No, I just finished filming a movie a few days ago. Director Yu wants to see me about something?"
"Mr. Gu, have you seen the film 'Winter and the Lion' that Bona sent you?"
Yu Dong said straight to the point.
"I've read it, the script is very well written. Lan Xiaolong's military-themed scripts are very good."
Lan Xiaolong, the screenwriter of "Winter and Lion", is also the screenwriter of "Soldier Assault" and "I Must Lead My Regiment". He is best at writing scripts with military themes.
"Haha, Bona is going to invest a lot of manpower, material resources and funds in this film to make it a benchmark for domestic war films.
Of course, in today’s market environment, if you want to make a super production, you need super actors to lead the charge. Only with Mr. Gu here can I rest assured that the film will not lose money.”
Gu Wei hesitated.
"Mr. Yu, I'm very optimistic about the script, but it's definitely not available before the New Year."
"Mr. Gu, don't be so quick to refuse. As long as you join, we can discuss other issues.
So, when Mr. Gu has time these days, let’s go out for dinner and chat in detail.”
"OK"
After hanging up the phone with Gu Wei, Yu Dong thought about it and called Lin Chaoxian over.
"I've already convinced Wu Jing, but Gu Wei is still hesitant. Director Lin, please come with me and have dinner with Gu Wei to help me persuade him."
Lin Chaoxian nodded: "No problem!"
He is also one of the directors of "The Battle at Lake Changjin" and he really hopes that Gu Wei will join.
(End of this chapter)
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