After filming in the city for three days, the first batch of extras arrived by chartered plane from China. This included Zhang Ze's agent, assistant, makeup artist, and bodyguards, bringing the total to over a hundred people.
This drew attention from the entire crew, and Fang Yang couldn't help but joke, "Brother Zhang, you've got quite a entourage. They're going to suffer in the wilderness!"
Zhang Ze said helplessly, "This is not what I wanted, but the company has regulations in this regard, and we have to follow them. I envy the artists in your company. They basically only have one assistant with them, and this time they didn't even bring an assistant. They travel light. It seems that you, the boss, don't even have an assistant, do you?"
Fang Yang laughed and said, "Actually, we've already started recruiting, but I basically don't have time to deal with it. Once this movie is finished and the company moves to the new headquarters building, the assistant will definitely be in place."
Zhang Ze was also quite interested in this. "Really? Your headquarters will be holding a relocation ceremony, right? Don't forget me then!"
Fang Yang spread his hands, "I'm afraid there's no way around it. We'll be moving in by the end of June, and by the time we get back, it'll be too late."
Zhang Ze shook his head regretfully, "Then there's nothing we can do. By the way, your headquarters is relocating, and you, the boss, aren't even going?"
"Everyone knows I'm making movies now, so they should understand. Besides, the relocation ceremony is just a formality. The company has many other projects under construction. If we really wanted to have a ceremony, there would be plenty more to come. There's really no need for that."
"That's true. Your company is a new company after all, and there are so many construction projects that need to be fulfilled. I bet the construction companies are envious and would love to knock down your door."
Fang Yang laughed and said, "It's not that serious. The bidding process was completed beforehand, and now we're just proceeding with construction step by step. It will be fine after this period of time."
"It's also because you guys are so powerful. This construction project would have cost at least 10 billion. You've made a lot of money in the past two years. It's terrifying to think about. Starting from scratch, you've made 10 billion in just two years. No one in the world is as crazy as you."
Fang Yang rolled his eyes at Zhang Ze, "I'm broke right now. Didn't you see that several movies and TV series are starting to film at once? If I don't make some money soon, I'm afraid I won't even have anything to eat."
Zhang Ze laughed and said, "Well, you have the ability to earn it back. Speaking of which, I admire your Versailles-like attitude. You keep complaining about being poor while making money faster than anyone else."
Fang Yang rolled his eyes at Zhang Ze. "We're not doing any movie promotion this time. We're planning to make a variety show as our first variety show production. We'll invite you to be our guest for the first episode, okay?"
Zhang Ze exclaimed in surprise, "You're planning to do a variety show? Bro, aren't you taking too big a step? Be careful you don't tear your balls."
Fang Yang said irritably, "It's not like that. Our live streaming website has been ready to launch for a long time. We plan to start broadcasting in September when we go back this time. It will be a good opportunity to showcase our Seven Star Cinema to audiences across the country and promote our movies and TV series. It will save at least a billion yuan in publicity and distribution costs."
Zhang Ze chuckled and said, "I've never seen a big boss as stingy as you. For a good movie to gain more recognition, publicity is essential. But you don't even want to do any publicity."
Fang Yang laughed and said, "We definitely need to promote it, but the way we promote it doesn't necessarily have to be like running around to various events. We can create our own events. If the show is really good, our variety show will be the best channel for events in the future."
Upon hearing Fang Yang's words, Zhang Ze became serious. "President Fang, you're not really going to do this, are you? What kind of variety show is it?"
Fang Yang laughed and said, "It's okay, it's just a slow-paced variety show. We can just put the time you need to run around for promotions into my company's own variety show. It will save you a lot of time. Are you still not willing?"
Zhang Ze shrugged. "I'm already on your pirate ship, what can I do? Anyway, I'm handing over my 100-plus pounds to you!"
After the crew members were assembled, Fang Yang led a group of people to a filming location more than 100 kilometers away from Siddas. There was a sizable forest there, which was also the main filming location, and most of the shots would be taken there.
The hardest working person was Xiao Zhengguang. As the producer, he was in charge of the finances and logistics of the entire crew. The finances were shared by the financial staff brought by Fang Yang, but the logistical support gave Xiao Zhengguang a lot of headaches.
The entire crew consisted of over 300 people, plus more than 100 mercenaries from the Red Shield Mercenary Group, totaling nearly 500 people. This area was unlike anything in China; there were no supplies available for replenishment in the surrounding area, and everything had to be transported from Siddas, more than 100 kilometers away. The workload involved was immense.
Bananas are the staple food in Cedars and can even be eaten as a meal. However, rice and corn are also quite popular. Meat such as chicken, pork, and fish are readily available, which means Xiao Zhengguang doesn't have to worry too much. He just needs to stay in Cedars, do some shopping, and then hand the goods over to the Red Shield Mercenary Group for escort back.
Xiao Zhengguang's worry wasn't about not having a place to purchase supplies, but rather that the hundreds of people came from all over China, and it was difficult to please everyone. The head chef was brought in from Beijing and was skilled in Shandong cuisine, but he was afraid that some people wouldn't be used to it.
Regarding this issue, Fang Yang felt that they could learn from the government unit's canteen. They could discuss the menu with the chef in advance for a week, listing what dishes would be served each day. Side dishes could be made according to the season, but the main dishes could be decided in advance and then announced in the crew's communication group. If there were no objections, they could implement it. Even if adjustments were made, only a few dishes should be changed. It's not possible for the entire crew to cater to the tastes of just a few people.
Xiao Zhengguang's eyes lit up. It turned out that he just ordered a boxed lunch every day, so everything seemed simple. The reason why it was so troublesome this time was mainly because he was abroad, and he felt that everything was difficult at the beginning. However, after walking around the market for the past few days, he found that apart from the variety not being as rich as in China, the basic taste was still similar to that in China. Even chili peppers, which seem to be a national treasure, were produced in large quantities here!
Besides the issue of food, there was also the issue of medicine. This time, we invited a medical team from China and brought some commonly used medicines. However, Xiao Zhengguang discovered that the mosquitoes here were too fierce, and the mosquito repellent brought from China was simply not enough!
So Xiao Zhengguang had no choice but to consult the local residents. The answer he received left him speechless. The best mosquito repellent there was actually Tiger Balm. An African man had discovered that the instructions said to take a few drops orally, and this had become a trend across the continent. A bottle of Tiger Balm that cost two or three yuan in China sold for five or six US dollars here, with some reaching as high as ten US dollars. Xiao Zhengguang, bewildered, had to urgently contact China to purchase Tiger Balm and have it air-shipped. He could buy it here in the short term, but in the long run, it would bankrupt the film crew!
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