"Thank you, Director Li."
The six brothers behind Xiao Si were all a little teary-eyed. So this is what it feels like to be valued. They used to worry that the director would lower their price and then they would have to bargain.
"Alright, Manager Zhang, take them to sign their contracts," Li Zhaoyang said.
Zhang Xincheng: "Gentlemen, please follow me."
"Mr. Zhang, please." Xiao Si and the six brothers followed closely behind.
Next, Li Zhaoyang's audition will be held in the large conference room that Wanxia used for auditioning singers. They've borrowed it and are now waiting for 2 PM.
There is still about an hour until 2 p.m.
Li Zhaoyang: "Director Yang, please have a seat for a while. I'll go contact someone."
"Okay."
Li Zhaoyang left the VIP room, returned to his office, and made a phone call.
"Hey, Brother Zhaoyang, are you going to treat me to dinner?" On the other end of the phone was none other than the lively Song Zhihua.
When she received Zhaoyang's call, she didn't think twice; all she could think about was the delicious food.
“Yes, I’ll treat you to dinner tonight,” Li Zhaoyang said playfully.
Song Zhihua: "Okay, what time?"
Li Zhaoyang: "When I get off work."
Song Zhihua: "Okay, I'll go to Wanxia Company to wait for Brother Zhaoyang."
Li Zhaoyang: "Okay, then Brother Zhaoyang also has something to tell you."
Song Zhihua: "Brother, what do you say?"
Li Zhaoyang: "I have a script. Your lively personality is perfect for the second female lead. Are you interested in giving it a try?"
Song Zhihua: "Wow? Brother Zhaoyang, aren't you in the music industry? How come you're making movies now... Should I go now? Well, I might not be available right now. I'm here at Han Ya preparing for an audition. I mentioned before that many of Han Ya's smaller projects have withdrawn their funding, but I'm here to audition for a big movie that Han Ya is making."
Li Zhaoyang: "It's alright, you go ahead with your work."
Song Zhihua: "Okay."
After hanging up the phone, Li Zhaoyang stopped thinking about it.
I've been hearing Zhihua complaining about not passing auditions, but this time there's a good script, so I'm thinking of giving her a chance as the second female lead.
Since the other party has found a suitable role to audition for, then let's just leave it at that.
While waiting, it quickly came to 1:50.
As midnight approached, more and more people arrived outside the interview room at Wanxia.
The actors who make it this far are either not very popular or have only a little bit of popularity.
There are basically no popular actors.
If it's a film directed by a well-known director, it will be much easier for Guo Jingming's team to cast the actors.
Don't be fooled by the fact that he finalized the deal in one night; he actually used a lot of connections to get it done.
To Li Zhaoyang's surprise, Zhihua came to his office at this time.
"Brother Zhaoyang, hello, I'm here."
"Aren't you auditioning?" Li Zhaoyang asked in surprise.
With her bright eyes and white teeth, Song Zhihua smiled and said, "The competition for the movie 'Cold Crow' is so fierce. I might not be able to get a role, so I'll come to Brother Zhaoyang's place instead."
Li Zhaoyang was genuinely surprised, probably because he had experienced too many similar things with Zhao Anlan and Hua Nongying.
"Let's go then." Li Zhaoyang personally led Song Zhihua towards the audition room.
Today, Song Zhihua was wearing a casual outfit and rubber shoes, giving off a very youthful and sporty vibe. Her long hair flowed naturally like a waterfall, gently falling on her shoulders and radiating a charming luster.
Such a good temperament, how come she has such a lively personality... Sister Zhihua walked in front of me, skipping and jumping, which is completely unlike the temperament a beauty should have.
These sisters each have their own distinct personalities. The eldest sister, Song Yuqin, possesses an intellectual beauty; the second sister, Song Zhiqi, has an icy and aloof air; and the fourth sister, Song Zhihua, is quirky, clever, and adorable.
"Director Yang is here, and so is... Director Li."
As Li Zhaoyang and Yang Kai walked into the conference hall corridor at the same time, the actors who arrived all stood up to greet them.
What struck them as odd was that this Director Li was too young.
But it's not a big problem.
There are many young directors in the film and television industry, and occasionally some of them are talented individuals.
After watching the two directors walk into the conference hall, Song Zhihua tactfully found a seat and sat down to wait in line.
According to Zhaoyang, she's auditioning for the second female lead, and she's too nervous.
I never expected that my audition for the second female lead would be because of Brother Zhaoyang.
Before Song Zhihua could think much about it, she heard a lot of strange discussions around her.
"Isn't that Teacher Li Zhaoyang?"
"It really does look familiar... I felt like I recognized it earlier."
"No way, isn't Li Zhaoyang a songwriter who even won a music exchange festival award? How come he's making a movie? Did we mistake him for someone else?"
"What nonsense! It's definitely Li Zhaoyang himself. Is he looking for inspiration for his movie or does he actually have a talent for filmmaking?"
"Talking about this makes me feel exhausted. I was originally the second male lead in Starlight Pictures' 'All-People Heroes League,' but somehow I ended up playing the fifth male lead in Sihai's 'Iron Man'... Li Zhaoyang's song 'Sold Out' was truly the finishing touch, instantly boosting the popularity of the whole nation."
"If you had played the second male lead in a popular drama back then, you might not be a huge star now, but you would at least be somewhat famous."
"Alright, stop chatting and get ready for the audition."
Which role should we try first?
"The male and female leads are definitely the priority."
While everyone was discussing, Director Yang's voice came from inside: "Actors auditioning for the male and female leads, please get ready and start lining up to come in for auditions."
The scene became bustling, and about seven actors lined up in a long queue.
The male lead, who plays Truman, and three other male actors walked in at the same time.
The three male actors each gave a self-introduction.
Yang Kai got straight to the point, showing great experience and without any ambiguity: "The three of you, act out a Truman story, discovering surprises beyond everyday life, and depicting the emotional progression from discovery to surprise."
These auditioning actors haven't read the script yet, so the audition process usually involves having them act out short clips from the script.
Alternatively, they might use scenes from other classic movies for auditions; these are all common methods.
The first male actor came out first. As required by Director Yang, he began to act out the surprise he had discovered outside of his life. He imagined that he had encountered the most precious opportunity in his life. Upon hearing the news, his first reaction was not shock, but stunned silence. He found it hard to accept and thought it was fake.
In the next few seconds, his emotions began to develop. He recovered from his stunned state, which was replaced by shock. Then he began to observe cautiously, afraid that this precious surprise was fake and would disappear in the next second.
The emotional progression was excellent.
Both directors nodded in agreement.
The other two male actors also felt the pressure.
When it was their turn, they all assumed they would receive good news in their lives.
They continue to perform and put in their best effort under this hypothetical scenario.
In the end, the two directors were satisfied with the first and third male actors; the second male actor was a bit lacking.
"Number 2, you can leave now," Li Zhaoyang said.
The message was quite clear: actor number 2 left the meeting room feeling dejected, but his disappointment was short-lived.
It doesn't seem to be a movie by a big-name director, so there's no need to be disappointed if you fail the audition. Instead, you should try to improve yourself.
If you fail to get a role in a minor director's film, you'll likely still not be able to land the role you want even if you meet a big director.
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