H City, Chengyang District, Film and Television Talent Market.
The nature of this place is similar to the film and television city in Wei Lan's previous life, except that there have been some changes in form.
During the filming era, a film and television city was equivalent to a concentration of large and small studios, with all kinds of extras wandering around. If the director needed a minor role, the studio manager would come out and give a call, and the extras waiting for an opportunity would swarm in like sharks smelling blood.
In this world's holographic movie era, the only difference is the hardware facilities.
The film and television talent market consists of two parts: one is a hall full of people, and the other is the actor cabins placed here by major film and television companies and film and television equipment rental companies.
Based on the needs released by the producers, the studio manager posts an announcement in the talent market to find suitable extras. After a simple selection, they are brought to the actor cabin area at the back and allowed to enter the actor cabin of the talent market to remotely shoot different scenes through the Internet. The real leading actors and supporting roles with more scenes go directly to the studio of the production company to shoot.
Of course, in this era, characters like corpses and distant characters that do not require special viewing angles no longer need to be completed by extras. The director can directly generate this kind of background-like character image in the director's machine, just like in Wei Lan's era, there were many blockbuster films in which background characters were synthesized using technology.
However, when it comes to expressing the subtle movements and expressions of the characters, the director machine cannot accomplish this. The behavior patterns of animals are simple and can be set by the director's thoughts. However, humans are different. No matter how powerful the director machine is, it can never give the model real consciousness. Therefore, actors are still an indispensable and important role in the era of holographic movies.
At 11 o'clock in the morning, Yang Xingyuan was sitting on a chair in the lobby of the talent market, eating a box lunch that cost six yuan. It was his breakfast and lunch.
There was half a boiled egg, and only two pieces of fat could be seen sporadically in the cauliflower fried meat, but fortunately the portion was sufficient, mixed with oil and water and a large bowl of rice, which was enough to satisfy Yang Xingyuan's energy consumption this afternoon. This was also the most expensive meal of the day. In the evening, he usually went back to the rental house to cook a bowl of noodles, or bought three large white flour buns with some chili on the street for dinner.
If he is lucky, and can get a minor role in the afternoon, he can usually earn between 100 and 300 yuan, depending on the number of lines, so that he can go to a small restaurant in the evening to have a stir-fried dish or rice for less than 15 yuan.
Yang Xingyuan had a good seat today. He was in the middle of the first row of seats in front of the information release window, facing the window. He had to wait at the entrance of the talent market at six o'clock every day to get this seat. There were many people who were competing with him.
"Ding Dong! Brilliant Film and Television Company has a new role requirement. Role: Gatekeeper Monk. Requirements: Male, no height limit, under 35 years old, can fake a fall... Actors who meet the requirements can go to the registration window. The first batch of applications is limited to 50 people."
When he heard the request for a man, Yang Xingyuan put down the lunch box in his hand, used it to reserve a seat, and rushed to the window in two steps and three steps.
The seat advantage was revealed at this time. There were already people who arrived faster in front of the window. Yang Xingyuan arrived not late and was the fifth person to leave his name. His basic information had been entered into the talent market. As long as he registered, the producer would receive all his information.
There are more than ten similar windows throughout the hall, and they are crowded with people every time a new role is needed.
After finishing all this skillfully, Yang Xingyuan walked back to his seat, continued eating, and then waited for notification.
Less than ten minutes later, a notice came through the window: "Actors whose names are read below, please go to area C11 for an interview..."
Yang Xingyuan listened attentively. His name was not called, but he did not show any disappointment. This situation was very normal here. There were too many people and too little porridge, so it was normal not to be selected.
However, there is a lot of demand for similar roles. It was almost lunch time just now, and the broadcasting speed will not even stop until 1 pm, when the speed will slow down until 6 or 7 pm. If he is lucky, Yang Xingyuan can get a role every three to five days on average.
In fact, if other extras were as diligent as him, they wouldn't take on roles so rarely. It's really that Yang Xingyuan's appearance is too poor for the film and television industry.
He is 1.73 meters tall, neither fat nor thin, and his appearance is not considered good-looking among ordinary people. The only advantage may be that his facial features are relatively non-aggressive, which makes him look more approachable. Back then, for the sake of his dream, he ran to H city with great enthusiasm and became a so-called H drifter. He is now 32 years old, but still has not made a name for himself in the acting industry.
He had been in the talent market for three years, taking on a number of roles here and there. The role he had the most screen time in was a traitor in an anti-Japanese war drama, with less than ten lines in total.
Life has to go on, and Yang Xingyuan has thought about returning home many times, but every morning when he wakes up, he still habitually washes his face, puts on his clothes and runs to the job market. Perhaps this endless pursuit has become his habit without him realizing it.
At 12:40 in the afternoon, when ordinary white-collar workers were having lunch, the talent market was crowded with people. It was approaching the first peak of casting in the afternoon, and the flow of people increased greatly. Everyone began to look for suitable positions.
Yang Xingyuan sat in the chair, glancing at the public screen in the window from time to time.
At this time, a voice called out from beside him: "Xiao Yuan!"
Yang Xingyuan turned around when he heard the voice and saw a bald man in his forties. He smiled and greeted him warmly: "Brother Wang!"
In this film and television talent market, there are not only individual extras, but also some intermediary agents, or commonly known as brokers.
This type of intermediary will keep in touch with some type of crews and actors. For example, a broker who specializes in war dramas will know a group of extras who are suitable for war dramas. At the same time, they will keep in touch with many producers. When some producers need a large number of extras, they are usually too lazy to post a notice in the talent market, so they will directly find a familiar intermediary agent and use his actors.
Of course, if they want to establish a long-term cooperative relationship with Party A, such agents must be knowledgeable enough. Every minute of filming costs money. If the agent recommends some inappropriate extras, it will waste time and money and will be blacklisted by the crew.
Therefore, real estate agents who can work in the talent market for a long time all have certain connections in the industry and have good vision. Wang Jun in front of Yang Xingyuan is such a person, and he will not neglect him.
Seeing Yang Xingyuan decisively leave the seat he had managed to grab and come up to light a cigarette for him, Wang Jun's eyes showed satisfaction. With the other party's attitude and emotional intelligence, he felt that his trip today was not in vain.
Wang Jun leaned over to Yang Xingyuan's fire and lit a cigarette, exhaling a puff of smoke: "I won't say any more polite words for now. I came here to see you today. I have news about a role, and I think you can give it a try."
Yang Xingyuan's eyes lit up: "Brother Wang, what role is it?"
Yang Xingyuan is not a regular member of Wang Jun's team, but he has worked with him before. The biggest role he played as a traitor in a war film was introduced to him by Wang Jun.
At that time, Wang Jun admired Yang Xingyuan very much, both as a person and as a professional. For most extras at the bottom of the actor pyramid, acting is just a means of making a living and they just need to get by. However, Yang Xingyuan is the only one who will seriously study every small role he gets.
The first time Wang Jun saw Yang Xingyuan writing a biography for a character with only one line of dialogue, he remembered this plain-looking man.
It's a pity that his appearance does not quite conform to the conventional required image of a soldier, otherwise Wang Jun would be willing to bring Yang Xingyuan into his permanent team.
Hearing Yang Xingyuan's question, Wang Jun took out a flyer from the briefcase in his hand and said, "A movie under Wei's Films is publicly recruiting male leads. The publicity is not that wide, and I just happened to see it. After reading the requirements, I think you are very suitable. You can go and have an audition."
"Actor?" Yang Xingyuan's first reaction was surprise. He grinned a little uneasily: "How can I play the actor..."
Although he said so, Yang Xingyuan's body's desire betrayed him and he reached out to take the flyer.
The flyer did not have any exaggerated slogans, just the usual black text on a white background, with Wei's most commonly used classic logo on the edge, and a line of small words at the bottom corner: "The final right of interpretation belongs to Wei's Pictures", and the official seal was stamped on it.
Since it was taken from Wang Jun's hand, it must not be fake. The other party knows a lot of production companies and is well-informed. He would not be deceived, nor would he cheat a penniless man.
But after reading the content, Yang Xingyuan never thought that there would be such simple and strange requirements for recruiting male protagonists in the world——
Movie name: Undisclosed
Director: Wei Lan
Recruitment role: Male protagonist
Appearance requirements: Not too handsome.
Age: 25-55, lenient conditions may be granted to those with outstanding acting skills.
Special conditions: 1. Have rural life and growth experience;
2. Experience as a teacher or in a similar position, or successful performance of a teacher's work.
Wang Jun looked at Yang Xingyuan's stunned expression and patted his shoulder: "Don't be in a daze. Look, isn't this really suitable for you? I remember when you were drinking, you said that you grew up in your grandmother's house in the countryside when you were a child. Besides, you have also played many roles in rural dramas. It's no problem."
"This is the leading actor in a movie..." Although Yang Xingyuan had a dream of becoming an actor, the leading actor in a movie was still too far away for him. He felt that if he went there, he might be eliminated by the selection experience before he even met the director: "I, I have never been a teacher, nor have I acted before."
"Didn't you say when we were drinking that you used to work as a part-time teacher?" Wang Jun asked puzzledly.
Yang Xingyuan said with a bitter face: "That's the rhythmic gymnastics teacher in the gym. That gym is closed now..."
Wang Jun directly reached out and pushed Yang Xingyuan out: "It's enough to be a teacher. This role is rare and has no restrictions on works and status. Opportunities don't wait for anyone. You may not be able to get a small role even if you squat here for an afternoon. It's better to go there and try, what if?"
Yeah...what if?
Yang Xingyuan knew that he was still tempted, but the reality made him hesitate. After all, the gap between an extra and the leading actor in a movie was like a chasm.
"Go ahead, and don't forget me, Brother Wang, when you become successful in the future!" Wang Jun smiled at Yang Xingyuan.
Yang Xingyuan stood at the entrance of the talent market, turned around and smiled shyly at Wang Jun, waved at him, turned around and trotted out the door.
Wang Jun looked at the bright sunshine outside the door and took a puff of cigarette with a slightly fluctuating mood. People who can bloom in the mud often lack an opportunity. Some people can meet it, while some people will never meet it in their entire life.
Reality is not a movie, and miracles are hard to happen, but the process of holding this expectation will make people feel that life is not as bad as imagined.
…
Wei's Studio No. 3 was used by Wei Lan during the preparation and production of the film. Of course, this was included in the final production cost.
The studio assistant yawned, looked at the list in his hand, and shouted to the corridor: "The last one, Yang Xingyuan, is he still there?"
"Here!" Yang Xingyuan, who was outside the corridor, suddenly stood up from his chair.
While waiting, he had already written a brief biography of the character on the memo of his worn and somewhat laggy mobile phone, and was imagining himself getting into the role.
Yang Xingyuan's instinct as an extra in the talent market made him particularly sensitive to his own name. When he heard his name being called, he instinctively broke away from his thoughts and walked quickly to the assistant on the set.
The other party was startled by his voice, rubbed his ears, looked him up and down, said nothing, and pointed to the actor cabin in the studio: "The first actor cabin at the beginning, go in quickly, the director is waiting."
"Yeah!" Yang Xingyuan agreed. His heart was beating fast due to nervousness and his clenched hands were sweaty.
He was very surprised. He didn't expect that the interview would be held in the actor's cabin. In Yang Xingyuan's opinion, this was very luxurious. Interviews for extras were all performed in real life, and only those who were deemed suitable by the casting director could enter the cabin. It was worthy of an interview for a leading actor in a movie... He suddenly felt that it was worth spending more than ten yuan on a taxi to come to Wei's. At least he gained some knowledge and experience.
Wei's basic actor cabin is several levels higher than those in the talent market. Yang Xingyuan looked at the actor cabin with an outer shell as deep as the starry sky. It had been more than a week since he last entered the actor cabin. He swallowed, reached out and pressed the cabin opening button, then pulled his sleeve a little to wipe the fingerprints off the smooth touch panel, put on the shoe covers next to him, and walked in carefully, fearing that he would accidentally bump into the instrument.
Because the actor cabins in the talent market are often used by extras, there are always special staff watching over them to prevent them from being damaged by the actors. Yang Xingyuan has developed a habit of this.
My eyes went dark, then bright.
Yang Xingyuan found himself standing in a somewhat shabby rural classroom.
There was no one around. The classroom was not big and the desks were a bit old, but they looked like they had been carefully maintained. There was a blackboard behind them with a few simple arithmetic equations written on them.
"Hello." A female voice rang out throughout the classroom, sounding a little tired.
Yang Xingyuan's body trembled with fear, and then he immediately reacted: "Hello, director."
The female voice went straight to the point: "Let's start directly. You have been a teacher before, right? Now you are a teacher in this primary school. Assuming there are students here, you should give a lesson for 5 minutes." After that, there was no sound.
"Yes, okay." Facing the empty classroom, Yang Xingyuan's nervousness reached its peak at this moment.
He stood there at a loss for more than ten seconds before walking towards the blackboard in panic.
He cleared his throat and tried to calm down, fearing that the director would just ask him to get out. He had experienced this situation many times when he was an extra. His reaction to the birth had to be quick, he had to laugh or cry immediately. No matter how deep the performance was, he was just a minor role, so as long as his expression was barely right, it would be fine.
He picked up a piece of chalk, faced the blackboard, and stood there for more than ten seconds.
The director did not rush him. Yang Xingyuan's heart, which had been so nervous that it reached his throat, slowly calmed down. The touch of the chalk and the writing on the blackboard also helped him gradually regain the focus of his thoughts. He remembered the character biography he had imagined outside the corridor before.
An ordinary teacher who has taught in a village primary school for many years may also teach several subjects at the same time. He is neither particularly strict nor lenient, but is still deeply loved by students.
Because of the conditions on the flyer, he imagined the male protagonist to be a teacher in the rural area. This was not difficult to guess as long as one was willing to do homework, and the current scene also proved that he guessed correctly.
Yang Xingyuan's back bent slightly downward, and the other hand that was not holding the chalk was pressed on his waist.
When he was a child, he went to primary school in the village. The medical conditions in the village were poor. The head teacher was a male teacher in his forties who taught two courses. He had a bad waist and would always do this movement unconsciously during class. He was deeply impressed by the teacher's back and was trying his best to imitate him.
Swallowing his saliva, Yang Xingyuan immersed himself completely in the role with a determination like a gambler.
"Students, remember this... This is how you solve a system of linear equations with two variables." Yang Xingyuan spoke. He spoke Mandarin with a hometown accent, which was very unstandard. He did it on purpose.
"Use this number, substitute it into x, and subtract 5 from here... and the problem is solved."
Yang Xingyuan carefully solved the problem on the blackboard, pausing from time to time, as if his level was not high and he needed to spend time thinking. It took him five minutes to solve this linear equation that an ordinary city teacher could solve at a glance.
When solving a problem, he would often pause and say, "Remember this."
Even after he finished solving the problem, he still habitually repeated this sentence, and it was obvious that he had made this sentence his catchphrase.
As for the teacher's mentality, Yang Xingyuan brought in the mentality he had when he was a dance teacher in a training class - he wanted to cram all the knowledge points he taught into the students' minds.
After doing all this, Yang Xingyuan stopped, stood up straight, and turned back into the humble extra with ordinary looks.
"Director, I'm done with my performance."
"Have you been a teacher before?" The female voice sounded again, this time without the obvious tiredness as before, and she seemed to be more energetic.
Yang Xingyuan decided to answer truthfully: "I have only been a dance teacher."
"Hmm..." There was a pause and then no sound came from the other end.
Just when Yang Xingyuan was regretting that he shouldn't have said that, the scene in front of him suddenly changed -
Yang Xingyuan appeared outside a courtyard. There was a wedding character pasted on the gate. It looked like a family that had just held a wedding.
The cold female voice sounded again: "You came back from abroad, and the woman you once had a crush on has married someone else."
Yang Xingyuan took a deep breath and asked, "Director, can I know whether she was forced by her family or did it voluntarily?"
There was silence for a moment, as if they had not expected Yang Xingyuan to ask this question. When they answered again, there was a hint of smile in their voice: "Voluntary."
"Okay." Yang Xingyuan took a deep breath and stayed there for five minutes to build up his emotions before starting his performance.
The director, who had a bird's eye view, was also very patient and did not rush him.
Yang Xingyuan did not forget to bend his back slightly. He first walked quickly towards the yard. The closer he got, the slower his pace became.
The expression on his face changed from the initial shock and disbelief to sadness after seeing the truth. His eyes turned red, and when the tears were about to overflow, he quickly wiped them away. Then he tried hard to suppress them and regain his composure.
While trying to calm himself down, his face would twitch from time to time, his eyebrows and eyes twisted in pain, a sign of wanting to control his facial expression but being unable to do so.
He walked to the door, this time controlling his expression, looking at the yard numbly and dully.
After looking at it for a while, he finally seemed to understand something, and with a wry smile, he turned around and slowly walked to the other end of the street. While walking, he even pretended to be relaxed and greeted the non-existent 'person' in another yard: "I've already eaten, take your time!"
After performing to his best, Yang Xingyuan stood there to calm himself down, and suddenly he felt an indescribable sense of joy in his heart. This was the first time for him to perform a long scene with content and acting skills in such an audition situation, and the director also gave him ample room to perform, without calling a cut on him because of his appearance or qualifications, allowing him to finish the play according to his own ideas.
Even if he still failed, Yang Xingyuan felt that there was no regret in this trip.
He looked up at the blue sky with some melancholy, as if he wanted to remember the scene at the moment.
"Director, I'm done with my performance."
Yang Xingyuan counted his breaths five times before he heard the director's voice again.
"May I have your name?"
Yang Xingyuan answered subconsciously: "My name is Yang Xingyuan."
"Hello, Yang Xingyuan." A black and white panda cub floated in front of Yang Xingyuan, stretched out its paw to him, and said in a clear and magnetic female voice: "Let me introduce myself again. My name is Wei Lan."
"Are you interested in being the leading man in my movie?"
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