Chapter 112
Zhou Xun has joined the crew.
He was even taller and more handsome in person than he appeared in the video. After the costume and makeup team finished his makeup and changed him into Ming Dynasty-style clothing, the staff around him were amazed and exclaimed in amazement.
"They look so good!" Zhou Xingyun nudged Xu Ying's arm and whispered, "It's all thanks to you; you have such a good eye for talent!"
She used to think Zhou Xun was alright, but now, Cao Dingzhi can't live without him. That's how fickle she is.
Xu Ying smiled.
She knows, of course, what kind of actor is most suitable for her own role.
"Alright, the male lead, come over here first for your costume fitting photos. The rest of you, go get your makeup done. It'll be your turn soon," Lin Zhongxu said with a light cough, noticing everyone was too busy admiring the male lead's good looks.
Lin Zhongxu is the general director of the TV series "The Great Biography of Cao Dingzhi".
With no one else taking the lead in handling all the affairs of the crew, he was in charge of directing and managing everything. Fortunately, he had the experience he had accumulated before, and he was accompanied by a skilled team, so he was able to carry out all the work with ease.
As soon as the director gave the order, everyone scattered and took their positions.
People naturally enjoy watching a lively spectacle, but they are equally dedicated to their work.
Upon hearing the director's instructions, Zhou Xun quickly walked to the recording studio and stood in the center of the lights. He seemed to have instantly transformed into a different person, exuding a scholarly air.
Ever since he learned that the screenwriter valued him and intended to cast him as Cao Dingzhi, he followed the novel "Traveling to the Ming Dynasty to Take the Imperial Examination" during its serialization. He can confidently say that he has thoroughly studied the character of Cao Dingzhi.
He even wrote a short biography of the character in private for the role.
Zhou Xun's performance was impeccable.
Whether it was the initial costume photos or the actual filming, his performance was truly surprising. He nailed many shots in one take, and even if there were occasional less-than-ideal moments, Lin Zhongxu could quickly understand and adjust his mindset after a little communication.
Such an actor is so likable that Lin Zhongxu praised him to Xu Ying more than once just a few days after filming began for "Da Ming Dynasty".
......
The film crew has just started shooting, and there are quite a few things to handle.
After working for a while, Xu Ying began to think about the content of her next script. She didn't plan to write a historical drama for the next script.
Looking back, it seems that starting with her second novel, she limited herself. The content she wrote seemed to be more or less related to history, and she had become somewhat tired of writing so much.
It's time for a change of pace.
As for what kind of genre to switch to, fantasy dramas seem like a good option.
There are currently no similar dramas in the Yu Kingdom. Those plots that are commonplace on Earth, such as three lifetimes of love, a tragic master-disciple relationship, reincarnation of a war god, amnesia and descent into darkness, would be top-tier here.
However, there are too many elements, and if you want to complete a script with a main storyline, you can't have too many main characters.
Xu Ying sat in front of the computer and thought for a while. Suddenly she realized her narrow-mindedness. Who said that a fantasy drama can only have one protagonist? She could write an ensemble drama. She could set up several characters in the main group. That way, each character would have their own storyline, and it wouldn't be a waste.
I start writing as soon as an idea comes to mind.
Xu Ying wanted to write a story about a group of protagonists saving the world. Regarding the initial setting of the protagonist group, she decided that there would be five people, three men and two women.
Of the three men and two women, the first and second male leads are responsible for a three-lifetime, heart-wrenching love story, while the second female lead is responsible for a forbidden love between a master and disciple... Xu Ying immersed herself in the sea of creation, but as she wrote, she discovered that the girls' love stories all seemed a bit tragic.
It doesn't matter.
There are still the second and third male leads left to be arranged. Since the love stories of the other three are so heartbreaking, let's give the second male lead a sweet and romantic storyline where he falls in love with a female war goddess.
As for the third male lead, let him stay single. It's not good for the entire main cast to be in relationships. He can just be responsible for comedy and being a third wheel.
Once she had a basic idea of the characters, Xu Ying began writing an outline and brainstorming plot ideas. Although she hadn't started writing the specific storyline yet, she could already foresee that this story would definitely be a long novel.
After all, if you want to depict the love and career of the main characters in a good way, the word count will definitely be considerable.
Fortunately, without the pressure of daily serialization, Xu Ying can now write in a relaxed manner every day. She even deletes and rewrites some plots she is not satisfied with while writing. With so much time, she can be so capricious.
*
Readers of February Sky are getting incredibly bored lately.
Many of them came from outside the circle. If it weren't for February Sky, they would never have paid attention to Feihong Novel Network, let alone spent money to read novels.
Now look what's happened: February Sky dragged them into the pit of novels, but she herself jumped on and ran away.
When will "The Great Biography of Cao Dingzhi" finally air? It's my only hope now, who knows?
If February were still around, the new story would probably already be being serialized.
She updates very frequently; if her contract hadn't expired, she would probably be typing away by now.
-Although she has already explained it to us clearly on the big eye, it is still very upsetting. My sister is currently filming "Traveling to the Ming Dynasty to Take the Imperial Examination", and the new script seems to be a long way off.
-Yeah, even if they film a new drama, the written version of the novel won't be released until the drama finishes airing. That's going to take forever...
- I'm dying of laughter. The haters were jumping up and down so much before, but now they're feeling the decline in Fei Hong's traffic, aren't they?
-I saw it too. Many authors are lamenting the recent decline in website traffic, saying they're not making much money anymore. They deserve to have been anonymously posting in February all this time.
......
Li Qinqin was browsing through the posts on the Taxue Forum, but after a while she found them rather uninteresting.
Since February stopped serializing her novel on Feihong, she logged into the software less and less often, and gradually, she might only come online once every ten days or half a month.
"Sigh," she thought, "when will the TV series in February finish filming? I feel like every day is so boring."
Before, with novels to read, every day after get off work was full of surprises. Now, when she gets home and picks up her phone, she doesn't know what to do.
Li Qinqin stared blankly at the Ta Xue Forum page on her phone, her fingers swiping unconsciously, automatically updating the forum's homepage.
Suddenly, she saw a newly posted thread titled: "[New drama wrapped filming in February!!!]"
"Really?!"
She immediately perked up. Hadn't "Traveling to the Ming Dynasty to Take the Imperial Examination" only started filming not long ago? How could it have wrapped up so quickly?
She clicked on it in disbelief and took a look.
Filming has really wrapped up. The post includes the wrap-up announcement and a group photo of the cast and crew from the official Weibo account of "The Legend of Cao Dingzhi".
"Wow, is Zhou Xun really that handsome?"
Li Qinqin zoomed in on the picture and immediately spotted Zhou Xun standing in the center of the crowd, holding flowers and smiling brightly. In her mind, Zhou Xun was indeed handsome, but this photo was just too much; he had a kind of spirited and dashing feeling.
She zoomed in and looked at several wrap-up photos repeatedly before finally scrolling down to read the comments section of the post.
Sure enough, everything else could be fake, but his good looks were real and undeniable. The comments section was filled with praise for Zhou Xun's handsomeness.
Of course, there were also a few compliments about the director mixed in.
Director Lin Zhongxu is indeed handsome, but because of the subtle relationship between him and Eryue, Li Qinqin always felt something was off about him, and as a result, she subconsciously ignored him when looking at the photos just now.
*
The filming of "The Great Biography of Cao Dingzhi" was indeed completed very quickly.
Originally planned to be filmed in three and a half months, the TV series was completed in just three months thanks to the excellent teamwork between the actors and the director.
On the day filming wrapped, Zhou Xun cried uncontrollably.
The crew was so warm and genuine. Filming was filming, resting was resting, and dinners were just simple dinners. Everyone went their separate ways before 10 o'clock.
He hadn't been in such a simple and genuine film crew atmosphere for a long time.
The crew was very professional, meticulous at work, and warm and lively off-screen; the director, though young, had his own ideas; and the producer and screenwriter were both very friendly, often buying food and drinks for everyone...
The filming of "The Great Biography of Cao Dingzhi" was completed in a joyful atmosphere.
"Screenwriter, I hope we'll have the opportunity to work together again in the future."
Before parting, Zhou Xun shook hands with Xu Ying. He spoke from the bottom of his heart. He loved the atmosphere on set so much. If actors could work in this kind of environment, who would be depressed?
"Okay, let's work together again in the future."
Xu Ying let go of his hand, watched Zhou Xun get into the car and leave, and then turned back to find Zhou Xingyun.
"How about it?"
Zhou Xingyun had just received a call from Star TV, which is why he didn't go with them to say goodbye.
Because of the immense popularity of "Ming Dynasty", many TV stations are now eyeing "The Legend of Cao Dingzhi", especially the local TV stations that competed with it last time. They were extremely regretful during the airing of "Ming Dynasty".
However, even if local TV stations are willing to spend money, they can't compare to the big spending of Star TV.
Zhou Xingyun held up his hand, showing two fingers: "Star TV is willing to pay two million per episode for the broadcasting rights to this drama."
Two million per episode, so forty-five episodes would be ninety million.
This is just the broadcasting rights for satellite TV. If we add the broadcasting rights for online platforms, wouldn't they be making a fortune?
Xu Ying raised an eyebrow: "Starry Sky TV is really willing to spend so much money?"
Star TV is known for its deep pockets, because Jiangcheng is a famously wealthy place, so they are willing to spend money on whatever they do.
Xu Ying admitted that she was tempted.
However, before she could nod, Zhou Xingyun continued, "Director Li from Zhongyu No. 8 TV also called me. He called a few days ago to ask if we were willing to sell our show to them. I didn't reply at the time. I guess he saw the news that filming had wrapped up today, so he called again."
Zhou Xingyun was in a bit of a dilemma.
“Of course we’ll choose Star TV,” Xu Ying said without hesitation. “Our ‘Ming Dynasty’ lost money when it was released in Zhongyu to prove its worth. Now that everyone knows our level, we should focus on making money.”
"The Ming Dynasty" and Zhongyu Batai are mutually beneficial. Xu Ying gained a top-notch platform to showcase her talents, while Zhongyu Batai gained a work that is worthy of being a museum's crown.
She doesn't owe them anything.
"Okay, then I'll agree to Star TV's conditions and find another opportunity to decline Director Li's offer."
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