Shandong Province, Spring City

Wei Yang stepped out of his business car and was greeted by the producer of "In the Name of People" and heads of relevant units who had been waiting there in advance.

"boss."

"Boss Wei."

"Old Liu, thank you for your hard work."

Wei Yang took two quick steps, shook hands with each of them, and mainly chatted with the heads of relevant units: "Director Wang, Director Liu, I'm sorry to bother you two. I heard that you helped us solve a lot of problems."

"It's what I should do. It's all for the sake of the show."

Because Blue Whale is directly controlling the project and taking full responsibility for production this time, there is no need to introduce other teams to cooperate. They can directly target the film and television center of the inspection department and the propaganda department of Shandong Province.

To put it simply, Blue Whale is in charge of filming and promotion, and these two units are responsible for endorsement and maintenance.

It has not yet been determined which channel it will be broadcast on, but the relevant radio and television stations can be listed later.

This also led to some minor changes in personnel. For example, the original corrupt official Liu Xinjian and worker Wang Wen were played by the producer/producer and supervisor respectively.

Now that the producer of the crew has changed, it is naturally impossible to get those two actors to join as they have their own jobs.

So the actor was changed, and Liu Xinjian was played by Sha Yi. This kind of funny character who appears to be strong but is actually weak is within his comfort zone.

The role of the worker was played by veteran actor Tao Zeru, who has a tough and simple face. He has the demeanor of an older generation of worker and has strong professional skills, and he played the role with ease.

The original actor may not be a professional actor, and the character creation was a bit one-sided. He showed the workers' resistance and radicalism, but ignored the pain and tears of being bullied, causing many viewers to feel that this character was a villain.

To be frank, we cannot just say that there are bad people among the masses without explaining why they have become bad people.

Therefore, a large number of Huangmao's scenes in the original version were deleted, and some of them were moved to this old worker.

From his and his family's perspective, the story extends to the lives of ordinary people affected by the Dafeng Factory turmoil, and shows how a hardworking old worker was forced into a desperate situation.

For mainstream themes like this, it is a difficult problem to make the audience recognize the justice of the righteousness, which cannot be achieved by just shouting a few slogans.

If vivid cases are added to make the people feel directly the harm caused by corrupt officials, then the anti-corruption actions of the protagonist and others will also receive certain support.

The original version was actually shot this way, but the direction was wrong.

He just hangs around in Zheng Xipo and Huangmao's homes. How can you expect the audience to empathize with him? There's an old scholar who is the factory leader and only knows how to look for Chen Yanshi, and there's a gangster who is not reasonable and tries to take advantage of others in various ways.

Compared with their father and son, how come I still have the advantage of being tough...

Therefore, the drama added the role of the old worker's family, which accounted for a considerable proportion, and many Dafeng Factory employees appeared indirectly.

How can "In the Name of People" not have the presence of the people? It's no wonder that some viewers criticized it later. Of course, it's hard to say whether there are risks in filming like this. The scale must be well grasped, and the chips must be constantly placed.

Hu Jing who plays Gao Xiaoqin, Ke Lan who plays Lu Yike, and Zhu Zhu who plays Zhong Xiaoai.

As well as the pastor who plays Secretary Bai, and Boss Wei who guest-starred as Chen Hai.

That’s right, Boss Wei did not come to visit the crew of “In the Name of People” this time, but came to make a guest appearance in the film, and his role was exactly Chen Hai.

Whether it was Hou Liangping or Qi Tongwei, Wei Yang later thought that he was not suitable for the role, so he turned it down.

But he is still quite interested in this drama. At the same time, Boss Wei's current status is different. He has a lot of titles and halos. His participation in this drama can, to a certain extent, help promote its approval, and the effect may even be better than that of the other people.

At the same time, Boss Wei participated in the show and appeared in the first episode, which was also of great benefit to the promotion of the program.

Unlike Boss Wei who is very optimistic about "In the Name of People", the people inside Blue Whale and the main creative crew are not optimistic about this main theme.

Moreover, since some of the plots are too sensitive and involve too high a level, it is hard to say whether they can pass the review.

Therefore, at Blue Whale, which has always been killing its investors crazily in the market, there was a rare statement this time that this project might not make money or even lose money. Some executives simply thought that Boss Wei made this drama out of political considerations.

Wei Yang's guest appearance is, to some extent, an expression of his importance to the program and his promotional support.

Killing two birds with one stone! That’s why Boss Wei contacted the crew early on, wanting to reserve a role for him.

The crew and director recommended him the role of Mr. Zhao, who is considered to be the top villain in modern dramas, but Wei Yang felt that there were too many scenes and he might not have the time.

So after choosing for a long time, Wei Yang took a fancy to the role of Chen Hai. He had some roles in the first few episodes, then he was in a car accident and was lying in bed for dozens of episodes, and only appeared a few times at the end.

He had few scenes, but because he was the main character, he had a strong presence and it was a gimmick. They then promoted it as Boss Wei and had a lot of sex scenes, which was enough to trick a large number of audiences.

It's perfect! It's just a pity for the pastor, he was supposed to play Chen Hai, but Wei Yang cut him off, so he had to play Secretary Bai instead.

But he didn't lose out. This character is not very popular now, but he was highly discussed in the past. He competed with various heroes on TikTok every day...

…

Under the guidance of the producer, Wei Yang arranged his accommodation. He did not have many scenes and the shooting was expected to take 7 to 10 days.

You know, although Chen Hai's appearances are few, he has several important scenes, and he has always been acting opposite important characters. He has to coordinate the notices, and normal filming would not be possible so quickly.

But who can blame Boss Wei for his different status? He is from their own crew and is here to help as a guest star, not a supporting actor. So it certainly cannot be that he is accommodating the crew, but that the crew is cooperating with him.

That estimated time is considered to be a lot. Basically, if there are no unexpected events, Boss Wei can finish filming and leave within a week.

"Please take a look at the place and see if you are satisfied. If there is anything wrong, I will change it for you."

The room Wei Yang lives in is a presidential suite, which is better than most actors in the crew, but not over the top either.

Generally speaking, big-name actors like these who are invited to make a short-term guest appearance will only stay for a few days, and the accommodation conditions provided by the crew will not be shabby.

And you have to know that Boss Wei only received a symbolic amount of travel expenses for his guest appearance this time. Considering his worth, the crew of "In the Name of People" made a lot of money.

Of course, this crew is almost wholly invested by Boss Wei, and the money saved actually belongs to Boss Wei himself.

Therefore, the accommodation fee is actually paid by Boss Wei. Not to mention it is a presidential suite, even if it is just a newly built building, no one can complain.

Wei Yang took a look and nodded: "Very good."

"Then you take a rest first. When we finish work tonight, I will take you to meet the director and some actors."

The two unit heads had already left, and the remaining producer was from Blue Whale, and he was more reserved facing Wei Yang, the big boss, alone.

Fortunately, Boss Wei is very easy to get along with in private as long as you don't have any problems. He just asked a few questions about the progress of the crew and then clapped his hands.

Wei Yang is not just an ordinary guest artist, he is also the boss of the crew. Not only is he not a guest, but the biggest host.

Therefore, not only did Boss Wei not get much money for his guest appearance, he also had to treat the guests. On the one hand, he had to show up and meet the people in the same crew, and on the other hand, it was a reward for everyone's hard work in filming.

"Okay, I'll arrange it right away."

About half an hour later, the two cars arrived at the gate of a school and the producer introduced them.

You can’t go to government departments to film. No matter how awesome your crew is, you can’t delay other people’s work, so you have to find a place yourself.

Most of the locations that can be used for filming are government departments, which are naturally schools. Therefore, the exterior scenes of "In the Name of People" are basically shot in schools. If some interior scenes are suitable, they will be shot in schools. If they are not suitable, other interior scenes will be built.

Wei Yang and his colleagues are currently in a sports college, which has fewer students, more vacant space, and is willing to cooperate with the crew, so the scenes for the inspection department and the Anti-Corruption Bureau were basically filmed here.

As the anti-corruption chief before the male protagonist Hou Liangping, Chen Hai shot most of his scenes here. Another major activity location was the hospital, which was set up in a studio.

Boss Wei has filmed many scenes in hospitals and was particularly curious about this type of single-location scenery, so he came here first.

Read the original text at Liu#9@书/吧!

What Wei Yang didn't expect was that when they arrived, there was also a film crew filming there.

Because "In the Name of People" is an ensemble drama with many characters and multiple narrative perspectives, it would be too slow to shoot them one by one.

The chief director Li Lu, who is also the director of the original "In the Name of People", is in charge of the overall situation + the main filming crew, and there are two other filming crews shooting non-important scenes and roles.

For example, the scene being filmed at the Anti-Corruption Bureau now is a banter between Ji Changming, Lu Yike and their two subordinates.

Wei Yang's appearance scared several actors, because Wei Yang's guest appearance was not completely confirmed before, and in order to prevent accidents, the crew did not announce it, so only a few people knew about it.

Obviously, except for a few of them, the others among these actors and extras were unaware of the situation.

Mr. Li Jianyi, who played Ji Changming, once thought that Wei Yang was here to visit the set.

"Teacher Jianyi, long time no see."

Wei Yang greeted Li Jianyi familiarly. The latter did not change. He was the extremely popular eunuch Cao in "The World's Number One".

The two had worked together in "Joy of Life", in which the latter played the eunuch Hou beside Emperor Qing. They had a very happy chat when they met again this time.

However, except for Li Jianyi, he was not familiar with the others. It was the first time he met Kelan, and Wei Yang had no impression of the other two child actors, the male one, but the female one looked familiar, and he remembered her only after asking her name.

Isn't this Cao Jin's wife? !

Later they seemed to have divorced. I don't know whether they are married now or not. If he remembers correctly, the fat little black guy is about to have a fight with Cao Jin over the family tree.

It’s a pity that I’m afraid people will misunderstand me, otherwise if I really wanted to know their WeChat, I would turn around and ask around, and be the first to watch.

Wei Yang did not interrupt the filming. He looked around at the scenery and left. In the evening, he treated everyone to dinner at a hotel in Quancheng.

Since it is a multi-group shoot, most of the actors have already joined the crew, and they are all there. Many of them are acquaintances of Boss Wei, and have even worked with him before.

For example, Wu Gang, one of the Five Tigers of the National Theatre of China, is no longer as famous as he was in his previous life. After starring in the trilogy "Joy of Life", he became very popular and is considered one of the most popular veteran actors now.

It was Boss Wei who made the effort to invite him to "In the Name of People".

Zhang Zhijian, who plays Gao Yuliang, has a much more successful career than in his previous life. He has appeared in "Joy of Life" and "Nirvana in Fire". Zhao Liying's "Strategy of the Palace" was recently broadcast, and he played the role of the young cabinet minister Yan Shifan again after many years. He can be regarded as an early villain.

At that time, Wei Yang also wanted to ask Chen Baoguo to play Jiajing, but unfortunately the other party did not have the schedule, which was a small regret.

However, in addition to Yan Shifan, "Strategy of the Ming Palace" also found several actors from "The Ming Dynasty 1566", such as Feng Bao, who was played by the same person. Wang Qingxiang, who played Hu Zhongxian, played Gao Gong this time.

The important role of Zhang Juzheng is played by Wang Jinsong, who also played Yang Jinshui in "The Ming Dynasty 1566".

The enhanced versions of Wu Gang and Zhang Zhijian, plus the already famous Zhang Fengyi, and a large group of veteran supporting actors and stars, even if Wei Yang does not come, the lineup of "In the Name of People" is quite luxurious.

"Boss Wei, I'll get you a drink."

Halfway through the meal, they played a few rounds and started toasting each other. The male lead, Lu Yi, came over with a glass of wine and toasted.

Wei Yang stood up and touched him, encouraging him: "Brother, all the actors in this play are seniors, the pressure is not small, you have to hold on."

Lu Yi nodded solemnly: "I understand."

Wei Yang was hesitant about using Lu Yi, who was criticized in the original version, in this version of "In the Name of People".

He knew that Lu Yi was not strong enough and was badly beaten by some veteran actors, but then again, how many actors of this age group could stand up to these veteran actors?

Even if he can hold up, he can't be the male lead without a certain level of fame.

After all, Wei Yang still has to consider selling the drama. He originally didn't like the subject matter, and the platform would not buy into using an unknown artist.

Even if Wei Yang would rather earn less, there are a lot of gossips in the entertainment industry, and there are many artistes and actors in the "In the Name of People" crew. Without sufficient fame and status in the industry, he really can't control the situation.

So Wei Yang looked around and found that either they were not suitable or they didn't have the schedule.

As for Lu Yi, in Wei Yang's opinion, he is an actor with very average indexes. He has no special advantages, but his disadvantages are not obvious and his lower limit is also high. He is the kind of backup that can be used when there is no suitable person.

It may not be outstanding, but it won’t be bad either.

The original version looks frivolous, which is partly due to the script. Hou Liangping in the original novel is a very arrogant person, and Lu Yi inevitably used this as reference when acting.

Another reason is that the veteran actors performed so well that Lu Yi's fairly acceptable performance became unpresentable.

Just like Wen Zhang in "The Young Marshal", looking at his own scenes, his acting is actually not bad, but when compared with Li Xuejian, the gap is immediately apparent.

There is another reason that cannot be ignored, that is, Lu Yi is from the Shanghai circle and is also Boss Wei’s senior at the Shanghai Theatre Academy.

Therefore, under the premise that there are no other suitable candidates, Wei Yang is still willing to give this senior brother a chance.

Before deciding on the role, he even had a special phone chat with Lu Yi to discuss how to play the role of Hou Liangping, and especially reminded him of the sensitive point of frivolity.

Since this personality trait is difficult to grasp, just forget about it. Monkeys are not necessarily frivolous and reckless, they can also be smart and bold.

If this characteristic is removed and Lu Yi is allowed to play a relatively stereotypical positive character, I think it would be much better than Hou Liangping in his previous life…

(End of this chapter)