Chapter 46, filming begins.
It's advertised as a still from a movie, but clicking on it reveals a GIF that's just over a second long.
When the official account announced the cast this time, it included character photos of the two main actors, Cen Yanhuai and Tong Qinglu. Unlike the heavily edited photos of other movies, these two real-shot GIFs clearly do not contain any post-production effects. All the lighting and the backgrounds of the characters in the photos are extremely realistic.
In the GIF, Cen Yanhuai holds an antique longsword that looks expensive, and the cold light emanating from the blade divides the entire image into two parts.
Divided by light and shadow, his left and right halves of his face precisely convey two different emotions.
The background on the left is a dilapidated thatched hut bathed in sunlight. Cen Yanhuai's gaze is clear and innocent. If the right half of the picture were covered, he would look like a farmer who had been dug out of the agricultural planet.
On the right, in the shaded area, were huge plants, some over ten meters tall, with large green leaves over a meter long hanging down from their thick stems. In the middle of these plants were red fruits that were almost the size of an adult male.
Corresponding to the brightly colored, almost ominous fruit was his bloodshot right eye socket.
A thin layer of mist had accumulated in her eye sockets, and the resentment and unwillingness in her eyes seemed to shine directly through the screen to every viewer.
The quality of this photo is in no way inferior to the magazine spread that Qin Yi initially took for Cen Yanhuai.
Whether it's the ancient sword prop shown in the picture or the costume with its exquisite and clear embroidery, everything reveals the power of money.
These two stills were released less than half an hour ago, and they quickly rose to the top of the trending searches, followed by a lot of discussion on social media.
[Ahhhhh, Juyu, you really did sign the MC! And you even made a movie about him! I've watched MeiMei two, three, four times until I'm sick of it!]
[Ugh, who posted my husband online? Honey, let's go home, okay?]
[The props are as lavish as ever. The style of this sword is a bit like that sword from the last century made from material extracted from a meteorite that landed on a major planet. Isn't that sword supposed to be a collector's item...? How did it end up in the movie?]
[Juyu must have specifically acquired these from private collectors, @DeshenFilmEntertainment. Come and learn from them. I don't even want to talk about those cheap props that even a garbage dump wouldn't accept. When are you going to shut down your prop team that takes money but doesn't do its job?]
[Actually, they might not have received that much money...]
[Wait, is this an animated GIF? What's with that bunch of plants in the background? Are those huge leaves from real organisms on Earth?]
[Looks a bit like the 27-star rainforest resort area, but I'm not sure, I'll have to check again.]
[Impossible! Why would a film crew rent out an entire tourist attraction for filming? The costs would be insane! Don't they even consider making a profit?]
[(Appears with a cigarette in his mouth) (sighs forlornly) Actually, there are companies that don't even consider recouping costs; I won't say which one.]
[^^Isn't anyone going to ask what Giant Entertainment is planning? Don't tell me they're trying to break into this year's National Day release window. Are they crazy? This makeshift team, which hasn't even made a full-length TV series before, is trying to jump straight into making a movie? And the lead actors are all newcomers??]
[Is Giant Entertainment underestimating the barriers to entry in the film industry?]
[Shh, we dare not say, maybe the short drama was too successful and gave someone false confidence.]
[Laughing so hard, the comments section above is full of trolls mocking us. The competition for this anniversary celebration was already ridiculously fierce, and now that Giant Entertainment has stepped in, it seems several production companies are getting restless.]
[Brother Fang, you're on your own this time. I really can't protect you.]
With "The Vanished Portrait" by Deshen preceding it, "The Lost Tomb" by Lok Hang following it, and "About Love" boasting an unbeatable cast, why did Giant Entertainment have to choose this prime-time slot of all?
[The MC guy's acting was actually pretty good. Brother Fang, should we consider postponing the release to next summer? The competition will be less intense then. If we force it to be released at the end of the year, it'll likely be squeezed out by these big names QAQ]
[Just kidding, even if they want an early release, they have to consider whether they can even make it in time. Right now, there are only a little over three months left, not even enough time to make special effects.]
[Don't be surprised, Fang Gege might be planning to replicate "This Young Master is a Professional." When it comes to rushing special effects, Gege is a professional too.]
Unlike before when there was only one competitor, Xinghan Media, now countless eyes are focused on the prime time slot of the Jianbang Festival.
This involves not only the production companies of these competing films, but also their major investors. This silent war of public opinion began quietly six months before the films were released.
As a latecomer to the competition, Giant Entertainment naturally faces more concentrated criticism.
However, these skeptical and resistant public opinions also signify that Giant Entertainment has finally broken into the mainstream film industry. After all, big shots won't waste their time and money targeting a small, insignificant company for no reason.
Fang Zhuo was pressed for time and didn't have time to pay attention to the aggressive comments online.
Now that the basic location, script, and main actors have been finalized, he needs to add a crucial element to the film.
The aroma of food wafted from the room, and a swing swayed gently in the courtyard.
The little girl's feet were sticking up high, and she was holding tightly to the ropes of the homemade swing, constantly shouting for her grandfather to push her higher.
"We'll go in in five more minutes, Grandpa's tired." Tang Zhuolin pretended to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
As an actor who could film for 48 hours straight in his early years, he has excellent stamina and certainly wouldn't get exhausted from pushing his granddaughter on a swing for ten minutes.
But his wife had already prepared the meal, and he had to coax his beloved granddaughter back to the room to eat.
He has already won every major award in film and television for Xingyu Entertainment. At his age, there are no good scripts that can persuade him to take the stage.
He hasn't had any movies or TV series released in five years, but his classic films from his early years have become an indelible monument in the history of Star Entertainment's films. The influence of those works alone is enough for him to firmly hold the position of a national treasure-level S+ actor.
His physical functions are well maintained, and his performance on the stage is as good as ever, but the scripts he submits in recent years are getting worse and worse.
Tang Zhuolin became famous very early, and his salary has always been among the top in the industry since he was young. As he got older, the salary range that can be found on the official website became even more astronomical.
This creates an awkward cycle—the rigid scripts of big-budget commercial films often don't meet his standards for accepting roles, while up-and-coming creative geniuses are often deterred by his high fees.
Online sources say that this year's Founding Day film season is the strongest golden period in history, with fierce competition among the top companies. However, Tang Zhuolin has handled almost all the scripts from the leading companies, and not a single one has surprised him.
It's the same old trick of playing it safe; even the character he was invited to play is exactly the same.
They are either venerable old sect leaders or shrewd and calculating superiors; their personalities seem to be copied from the same mold.
After having dinner with his granddaughter, Tang Zhuolin was about to go to the rocking chair in the yard to cool off when he looked up and saw a young man standing outside the yard.
"Who are you……"
Tang Zhuolin looked at the man outside the door and thought he looked familiar, but he couldn't remember his name.
"Hello Mr. Tang, I am the executive director of Giant Entertainment. Would you like to take a look at the script? We are planning to release a new movie during the Founding of the Nation Festival."
"Okay, come in first."
Although Tang Zhuolin doesn't usually go online, he still knows the name Giant Entertainment.
This company orchestrated several brilliant marketing campaigns in just over a month, attracting considerable attention by using the gimmick of producing short dramas with the capital of making movies.
Before opening the paper script, Tang Zhuolin had no expectations for it. The beginning seemed to be just a story about a farmer's son living with a wealthy family.
However, with the introduction of the concept of plant mutation, power was fundamentally reversed on the way to the capital for hundreds of people in the entire prefecture.
The story begins with the Third Miss, whom the female protagonist Liu Fu has been personally tutoring, suddenly falling ill. The journey to the capital is extremely arduous, and the bowls of hard-won medicine can only keep the young lady alive.
One stormy night, Liu Fu accidentally fell asleep while keeping watch and forgot to feed her mistress her medicine on time. When she woke up, she found that her mistress, whose face was already ashen, had completely passed away.
Fear and panic instantly seized her mind.
To cover up this mistake, the family of four could only temporarily make up for the lie by having Liu Fu bury herself in the quilt and pretend to be a sick young lady to continue to the capital with the carriage team.
Until one violent, bloody, thunderous night, amidst the overgrown vegetation and chaos, the prefect and his wife finally discovered that their most beloved third daughter had been replaced.
Plants attacked hundreds of people one by one. Liu Fu looked around in panic and realized that after the whole mansion survived this wave of plant attacks, she, who had made a mistake, would be the next to suffer.
A bloody reshuffling ensued, and Liu Fu's father, Liu Da, who had spent his entire life as an honest farmer toiling in the fields, now raised his sickle high—
With a swift stroke, not only the flower buds of the mutated plant fell to the ground.
The character of Liu Da undergoes a stark contrast in his appearance before and after. He is not a positive character; he has his own selfish motives and ulterior motives.
He possessed both the simplicity and rigidity born from years of working the land, and the resentment of failing the provincial examinations year after year. These complex traits intertwined and fermented into a kind of restrained, unspoken probing.
Therefore, in that chaos, Liu Da became the first person to actually raise his weapon.
After reading the first draft of the script, Tang Zhuolin felt goosebumps rise on his arms.
This character is very challenging. An actor only has a few life roles to play in his lifetime, so it is his good fortune to have the opportunity to play such a profound role.
"Boss, who wrote this script? Was it Liang Xinyuan or Can Zhen?"
Fang Zhuo sighed softly: "She's a newcomer, named Ning Li."
"He previously ghostwrote a very famous suspense drama called 'Shen Ji' for Liang Xinyuan. I believe you will often hear his name on Xingyu in the future."
Tang Zhuolin's eyes revealed a hint of shock.
Such a brilliant script was written by an unknown newcomer, who also ghostwrote for others for many years.
That's unreasonable. If someone has this kind of writing talent, such a genius newcomer should have become a huge hit with their very first book after entering the industry. Why would they be willing to stay in someone else's studio?
On the other hand, since the screenwriter is a complete newcomer, and this film is this newcomer's first independently written script, then the overall team at Giant Entertainment is questionable...
Even the best script can't be salvaged by a terrible team.
Tang Zhuolin was very cautious when taking on new projects, not wanting to end up with a tarnished reputation in his later years.
The initial amazement in Tang Zhuolin's eyes when he read the script turned to doubt. He placed the physical copy of the script on the coffee table and then asked:
"Have you decided on the director and lead actors yet?"
Fang Zhuo: "The director is Zhang Kaigang. The two actresses who play Liu Fu and Liu Ji are both newcomers. Tong Qinglu, who plays Liu Fu, previously participated in Juyu's short drama 'Grandma Taizu.' You can take some time to watch her performance."
Tang Zhuolin gasped.
The difference in the production team is too great—they could have hired Director Zhang, but instead they paired him with two inexperienced newcomers; the script is of such high quality that it could compete for a major award, but it was written by a new screenwriter.
How can there be such a disconnect between projects? Does Giant Entertainment have money or not?
Or is this just how companies that started with short dramas are—they just keep investing their limited funds in weird and wonderful things?
Tang Zhuolin didn't bother to think it over and decided to simply and decisively reject President Fang. He really liked the script, but the production team was lacking.
"Excuse me--"
Fang Zhuo had expected the other party's polite refusal, since there were almost no established actors among the important roles in the film, and Giant Entertainment had never had any experience in making movies.
Veteran actors cherish their reputation and will not readily accept roles if they have even the slightest weakness.
But Fang Zhuo wanted to try again—Tang Zhuolin had both high popularity and acting skills, and his appearance was a perfect match for Liu Da. He also had a group of loyal fans who could generate publicity when the film was released.
"Your publicly stated salary on your personal page is 52 million, right? There are a lot of action scenes in the movie 'Shadow,' so it must have been tough to film. Can you accept a movie salary of 90 million?"
Tang Zhuolin stared wide-eyed at the number, and several times he wanted to speak, but when he looked into the other person's sincere eyes, he silently withdrew his hand.
He initially asked for 52 million, which was the salary for the lead actor. Normally, a second lead actor would be signed for a little over 30 million, but the other party asked for a full 90 million.
Ninety million... That's the kind of salary that only top-tier movie actors, household names in the Star Federation, could earn at their peak. The last time such an astronomical salary was reported was in the 1960s.
Although he is not short of money at all, on the other hand, this is a full 90 million, and this premium is enough for him to close his eyes and turn a blind eye to the shortcomings of the team.
New actors? He's the one mentoring new actors!
Even if someone is a block of wood, he would still bring them out of the industry for the sake of the pay.
As long as those actors have a junior high school education and can understand Mandarin, he can guide them through the acting, showing them each expression individually.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Fang. I had some unreasonable prejudices against new actors before. The contract has been signed. When will my scenes start? I'd like to pack my things first."
Fang Zhuo replied with a smile, "This afternoon."
Tang Zhuolin hurried back into the house, gave his wife a few instructions, picked up his granddaughter and played with her for a while, and when he reappeared in the yard, he was pulling a huge suitcase: "Let's go, let's set off."
While sitting on the spaceship, Tang Zhuolin casually turned on his personal computer, intending to learn more about the project.
It was fine when he knew nothing, but seeing this made him even more uncertain.
This project was actually intended to compete for the National Day celebrations this year, and it only started filming these past two days. The venue has only just begun to be set up. How could it possibly make it in time?
Calling the male lead a newcomer is an overstatement. Just two days ago, he was a complete amateur with no prior small-scale acting experience. Even in the behind-the-scenes footage of his photoshoot, he clearly showed his discomfort in front of the camera.
After looking at it for a long time, Tang Zhuolin finally decided to check how much the penalty for breach of contract was.
However, this anxiety was instantly alleviated when I actually arrived at the 27 Stars film set. The area of a single street scene here is comparable to the size of an entire film city in other film studios. The number of extras on the street is almost four or five times that of similar films, and they are all incredibly dedicated.
The most outrageous thing is that he was initially thinking about how to realize the background of plant mutation, but he didn't expect Giant Entertainment to directly build the film and television scene on the tourist star where tourists flock.
He looked around at the orderly film set and realized that the investment behind this venue far exceeded that of other films.
Tang Zhuolin couldn't help but have the same questions he had online—where did Giant Entertainment come from, and how did it come to have such a powerful financial background? Was such a large investment not intended to recoup its costs?
Before he could even finish his reflections, Zhang Kaigang came over and briefly explained the scenes they were going to film that afternoon.
The entire crew operated with extremely high efficiency. Within three hours of getting off the spaceship, the stylist had quickly changed his clothes, and the close-up shot had already panned to Tang Zhuolin.
This scene depicts what Liu Da saw and heard when he first visited the Bao Mansion. It was also his first time visiting the Bao Mansion set built by the production team, and half of the amazement and shock he couldn't hide in his eyes were genuine emotions.
It's more accurate to describe this as a huge Chinese garden than a mansion.
The maid led him from the door to the young master's residence. The footage edited into the movie might only be a few dozen seconds long, but in reality, it took him nearly twenty minutes to walk there.
The lead maid moved swiftly and nimbly, and the slight beads of sweat on Tang Zhuolin's forehead showed no signs of acting.
Including the garden and pond behind the low hill, the area here is at least 20,000 square meters, and every detail of the layout showcases the magnificence of the Bao Mansion.
In the film, this extravagance is portrayed as irrefutable evidence of the Bao family's exploitation of the local people.
After his solo scenes ended, his first scene with the crew was a pivotal one: a tacit meeting between him and his son, Liu Ji, at the Bao residence.
Tang Zhuolin was prepared that the newcomer opposite him might have to do many takes. After all, the person seemed shy and humble from the sidelines, bowing and greeting everyone he met. It would be quite difficult for someone like that to portray Liu Ji, a country bumpkin who was actually quite unruly in private.
However, when the camera focused on the newcomer, the newcomer's originally composed gait instantly became unrestrained when he realized that no one was watching him. A mocking look appeared on his face, and his gait naturally became uneven.
The new actor brought Liu Ji to life with his toes touching the ground first, followed by his soft, weak soles. His aimless glances and the way he casually picked at his lips perfectly captured the essence of a good-for-nothing country bumpkin.
His usual simple and honest demeanor was completely absent from his face. Following the script, the newcomer nudged Tang Zhuolin's arm and smiled, a slight smirk playing on his lips:
“Father, you’re not bad either. I think Lord Bao completely believes your story.”
"Cut." The sound of the clapperboard rang out.
Tang Zhuolin touched his back; he was covered in cold sweat, which seeped through his undershirt and onto his costume.
Some of the sweat was necessary for the plot, but most of it was due to the excellent performances of the other actors.
His fingers even trembled slightly with excitement.
Where did the boss of Giant Entertainment find such talented actors and screenwriters? At the current filming pace of shooting in one take, it doesn't seem that difficult to shoot the entire movie in three months.
He asked Zhang Kaigang for a cigarette, his fingers trembling violently as he held it. Looking at the astonishingly large garden behind him, he asked Zhang Kaigang:
"Is this the style of Giant Entertainment's film sets all the time? Isn't President Fang quite resourceful? How did he get these actors...?"
Zhang Kaigang was also taken aback by the astonishing contrast between Cen Yanhuai's on-screen and off-screen personas, but having been surprised by Tong Qinglu's acting for the first time, he had already anticipated Fang Zong's ability to select talent.
"When we filmed the short drama last time, Mr. Fang booked an entire film and television star. It's not an exaggeration for him to create a venue on the tourism star this time."
"Ahem, as for the actors, you'll get used to it. You'll know when you act opposite that girl."
Fang Zhuo stood in front of the monitor and watched the entire scene.
Just like the description in the original book, Cen Yanhuai is indeed a genius actor born for the camera. As long as the camera focuses on him, he seems to quickly detach from his surroundings and almost become one with the character.
If he continues to act at this level, it's not impossible for him to win Best Actor for a movie.
Of course, Fang Zhuo was most concerned about the expected profits of this film. He took the initiative to walk up to Zhang Kaigang and Tang Zhuolin and greeted them:
"Gentlemen, how was the actors' performance? You two have more experience than me. Does this movie look like it can achieve some success in prime time?"
Zhang Kaigang and Tang Zhuolin exchanged a glance, and finally Zhang Kaigang spoke first, smiling and saying, "That depends on how President Fang defines this achievement."
Fang Zhuo silently did the math in his mind: the cost of the venue and building modules totaled over 100 million yuan, and the combined salaries of the main actors and director were about 200 million yuan.
The film's runtime is more than ten times that of a short film. Adding in the costs of extras and crew operations during that time, the total investment for this film must be at least two billion yuan.
In other words, this film needs to achieve a box office of around 3 billion yuan during the prime-time holiday period of more than 20 days to achieve the same profit rate as a short film.
However, the added value of a successful film far outweighs that of a short drama, so as long as it can achieve a box office of around 2 billion during this short holiday period, it won't be a loss.
"It reached 2 billion in the first 20 days of release, and the total box office is around 6 billion."
After Fang Zhuo gave this answer, Zhang Kaigang visibly breathed a sigh of relief at the client's low standards. He patted the client on the shoulder, implying:
"Mr. Fang, you're underestimating the box office potential of this prime time slot. Don't worry, with me and Lao Tang here, we'll definitely make more than this much at the box office."
Unlike Fang Zhuo, Zhang Kaigang and Tang Zhuolin had goals far beyond box office revenue. They both had the same premonition—they were involved in a project that would leave its mark on the history of Star Federation cinema.
With this assurance, Fang Zhuo felt reassured, greeted everyone, and returned to the staff dormitory of the 399 Star Deployment.
The mall's leasing is now basically complete, with 53 out of a total of 65 shops already moved in. It's a good opportunity to move the newly upgraded employee dormitories to Star 399.
The new dormitory is divided into two buildings for male and female employees. It can coexist with the old dormitory for about two days, which is enough time for the moving company to move all the employees' personal belongings.
Having just finalized the selection of the new employee dormitory location, Fang Zhuo sent a notification message in the company group chat.
The next afternoon, he received a message from Ning Li on his personal terminal:
[Mr. Fang, the last scene of the script is finished. I'm feeling a bit out of place in this hotel. I heard online that we have dormitories, so I thought I'd come and check it out~]
The message was followed by a penguin spinning in circles emoji. Ning Li hadn't expected that the busy CEO Fang would reply to him immediately, but he received a dormitory address in a flash.
Yay! I can finally see what those luxurious dorm rooms I've been talking about online look like.
Ning Li rushed back to his former studio dormitory in Yunlie to pack his things, but despite it being a weekday afternoon, he unexpectedly bumped into Xu Pingtang when he went out.
In just two days, Xu Pingtang looked much more haggard than a few days ago, with an unshaven beard as if he hadn't shaved in a long time.
Seeing Ning Li come out carrying a tattered suitcase, Xu Pingtang suddenly grabbed her hand: "Ning Li, did you write the new script for Giant Entertainment?"
Ning Li was still bothered by what Xu Pingtang had said that day, and retorted bluntly, "Yeah, what else?"
“Ning Li, you’re not a child anymore. I rushed back from the set of ‘Many Things in the Alley’ these past two days to have a talk with Sister Liang. She was very angry when she found out that you terminated your contract with the studio without permission, but she promised to give you a chance.”
"If you're willing to terminate your contract with Juyu now, you can still come back to our family. We'll all treat you like a younger brother, wouldn't that be great?"
"Ning Li, stop messing around. There's also Sun Ge's 'The Traveler' during this anniversary celebration. Do you really have to go against Sun Ge?"
Ning Li glanced into the room through the doorway. This small 80-square-meter dormitory housed five people, each with their own cubicle. They shared the same bathroom in the morning and rode bicycles together to the studio to clock in for work. This place held his daily life for the past two years.
Ning Li took a deep breath, and the stale smell of stinky feet in the room filled his lungs, making him cough a few times.
He gently brushed Xu Pingtang's hand away, walked down a few steps, and then turned back to Xu Pingtang, frowning as he said:
"Brother Xu, if you don't wake up, Sister Liang likes Tian Linzhong."
After saying that, he turned and left without looking back.
On the commuter spaceship bound for planet 399, echoing Xu Pingtang's words, he unexpectedly came across the music-themed teaser trailer posted by the official account of "About Love" just five minutes earlier.
With three months to go before the anniversary celebration, filming is nearing its end.
Following the usual announcement process for films released during prime time, production companies should now release some rough-cut trailers with behind-the-scenes footage to attract audience interest.
Seemingly aiming to overshadow the popularity of "About Love," "The Lost Tomb" followed suit with a rough-cut trailer, featuring a custom-made soundtrack by a top-tier singer-songwriter.
Before Ning Li could even click to appreciate it, she was immediately pushed an update from Giant Entertainment's official website.
Wait a minute, didn't filming just start yesterday afternoon? Where did the music-themed trailer for Giant Entertainment's new movie come from?
Where did this music come from? Did someone like him work all night to finish it?
Could it be that they used background music from "Card Making" or "Grandma Taizu"? That would be too mismatched.
Other companies' rough cut trailers can wait; he needs to first assess what kind of film Giant Entertainment has released.
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