Fang Yang's words were put on Old Master Zhou's table that very evening: "This request is very difficult, or rather, absolutely impossible. An aircraft carrier cannot be moved casually. It is related to national strategy. No matter which direction it moves, it will cause international turmoil."
Grandpa Zhou shook his head. Fang Yang's appetite was too big. Just to make a movie, he would use an aircraft carrier. Even the Minister of National Defense wouldn't dare to say that.
"Fang Yang doesn't understand the secrets behind this. Actually, if the subject matter is truly unique, it's possible to use a destroyer. Don't our destroyers often go out on missions? It's not impossible to bring a group of people along."
"Old Master Ni said with a smile."
"Well, it also depends on whether the script can impress the higher-ups. Using such a powerful weapon is not something that can be explained in a few words. Navy, you should urge Fang Yang to finish the script first. Without the approval of headquarters, no military film can be approved."
"I know that, but Fang Yang is currently filming in Hengdian and won't be able to focus on writing the script for a while. Let's talk about it at the end of the year. Anyway, there's still more than a year to go."
"That's fine, but when will Fang Yang come so this old man can meet him? Xiao Xin is with him now, but she doesn't have a proper status. I'm afraid it will have a bad influence if this goes on for too long. Aren't you, as her father, worried?"
"Dad, I've told Xiaoxin about this. She said she'd come over before the New Year and I'll bring her to meet you then."
"Alright, I've heard a lot about Fang Yang. He seems like a good young man. He's successful now, so he hasn't disgraced Xiao Xin."
Zhou Haijun felt a pang of pain in his heart; the little darling he had protected for over twenty years was about to be lost.
"Dad, they're both still young, and they both work in the film and television industry. Let's just let things take their course and observe them for a while longer."
“I know, your dad isn’t senile yet. How can I know what he’s really like if I don’t meet him in person? How’s your company doing now? It’s been more than half a year since the restructuring, right? What are your thoughts? Tell me, so this old man can know how effective the restructuring really is.”
Caught off guard, Zhou Haijun never expected the old man to suddenly bring up company matters. At first, he was talking about the military film, then about his daughter, and now he's suddenly talking about the company again? He wasn't prepared at all!
After organizing his thoughts, Zhou Haijun carefully chose his words and said, "After the company's restructuring, a group of inefficient managers and staff were dismissed, and the contracts of some actors and singers with little future potential were terminated."
"After streamlining, the company's situation of overstaffing has greatly improved. The remaining staff are now full of energy, and each department is working with a lighter burden. In the first half of the year, we filmed a movie and a TV series, both of which achieved great results. In particular, in August, the company's movie grossed 1.8 billion yuan at the box office with an investment of just over 100 million yuan. The nearly tenfold return has made everyone in the company eager to achieve even better results."
"The company has changed some of its previous practices, shifting from a producer-led system to a director-led system. Producers can no longer control directors, allowing them to perfectly film the scenes they need according to the script. The days when directors were unable to change the plot are gone. Now, all the directors in the company are full of passion, and the quality of the dramas has greatly improved. The market response has also been very good. There are three more dramas being filmed in the second half of the year, and we expect our performance this year to be significantly better than in previous years."
Grandpa Zhou nodded. "That's right. The country has invested so much money. If we can't get satisfactory results, it will be a huge blow to the national economy. This pilot project for you is also an exploration and progress. I hope you can achieve better results and give the Party and the people a satisfactory answer."
Grandpa Ni smiled and said, "Alright, don't feel too guilty. Be high-profile in your work, but low-profile in your personal life. Just do your job well. It's getting late, go back and rest early."
The August sky was scorching hot. Fang Yang got the entire crew up to film around 7 a.m., taking advantage of the cool morning weather to shoot as many scenes as possible. However, it was tough on the actors, who had to get up at 4 a.m. for makeup. The makeup artist also complained from time to time that they were not getting enough sleep and had developed dark circles under their eyes.
The actors, being young and the company's junior actors, were full of energy every day as it was their first time playing leading roles. Moreover, since they were wearing thick costumes and would be covered in sweat if filming later in the day, they were more willing to get up early in the morning to film, at least to stay cooler.
Thus, Fang Yang's crew became a unique sight in Hengdian World Studios. They got up earlier than the chickens, and while others were sweating profusely, they were all fast asleep, avoiding the hottest time from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., which significantly improved the quality of filming.
As filming progressed, night scenes became more frequent, which caused some complaints from veteran actors like Tie Weimin. Fortunately, the shoot had already reached mid-September, and with a little more patience, the weather would gradually cool down, allowing them to resume normal filming schedules.
That day, while having dinner, Fang Yang received a call from Yang Huajin. Yang Huajin was very excited, "Xiao Yang, great news! You and Zheng Xiuli have been invited to participate in this year's Chinese Golden Melody Awards. You must make time to attend!"
Fang Yang, holding his phone, avoided the noisy crowd and went to a quiet corner. "The Chinese Golden Melody Awards? You mean the Chinese music awards? One of the three major awards?"
"Yes, Xiaoyang, your album is incredibly powerful. If we don't invite you to participate, the fans won't be happy. The event will last for ten days. You only need to attend the awards ceremony on the last day. I'll send you the schedule later. Remember to make sure you're ready!"
"Okay, I understand. I'll make time for it."
Just as Fang Yang was about to hang up, Yang Huajin said, "There's something else. Your films, 'Shaolin Temple' and 'Frozen,' have both been nominated for the China Film Awards in early November. You'll have to go too. I'll send you the schedule along with it, so please check it."
Fang Yang rolled his eyes. He didn't know he could finish the story in one go and was still keeping people in suspense.
"Okay, I got it. That's in November, it's still early."
"It's not early. The two awards are only a week apart. Now that it's the end of the year, you'll probably be busy for a while. Plus, there will be TV drama awards, so you'll be quite busy."
Fang Yang wasn't particularly interested in award ceremonies, but it would be very meaningful if the actors under his wing won awards, so attending was a must. Fang Yang didn't want to be the odd one out; if everyone was happy and accommodating, the road ahead would be easier.
"Okay, call me if anything comes up, and I'll make arrangements in advance."
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