Chapter 221: Money is coming!
"Stationmaster Xu, you've really helped me this time!"
Director Luo offered the teacup with both hands, beads of sweat still on his forehead. "For such a big film and television project, if something goes wrong with the actors, all our work will be in vain!"
Xu Ying took the tea and smiled a little embarrassedly: "You are too polite. This is what I should do."
"This Zhang Chenyi is truly lawless."
Director Luo shook his head and sighed, then his eyes lit up. "By the way, do you have time to come to our crew and work part-time? You could be the supervising director for these animal actors."
"Supervising director?" Xu Ying blinked in confusion.
Director Luo quickly explained: "Yes, it is to guide these little animals in acting."
“I believe that through your explanation, these animal actors will be able to give even more amazing performances.”
He gestured with his hands as he spoke, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"Guiding the little animals to act," Xu Ying thought, his fingers twisting the corners of his clothes unconsciously, "but I'm already very busy at the rescue station, I really can't spare so much time.
She looked up, looking embarrassed. "I'm not even an actor myself, how can I explain the play to them?"
“This is easy!”
Director Luo excitedly pointed at the script and said, "For example, for Lightning, the peregrine falcon, you just need to tell it where to fly from and to, and what poses to strike. The script has all the detailed instructions."
Seeing Xu Ying still hesitant, Director Luo continued to persuade her, "Nowadays, animal actors on the crew need trainers to train them for a long time in advance for each scene. Different animals need different trainers. The cost is too high."
"For you, many scenes are just a few words, but the trainers have to train for a week or even longer."
Xu Ying scratched his head, a look of hesitation flashing across his face.
Director Luo immediately pulled out his trump card: "How about I tell you about the market for animal actors?"
In the following conversation, Xu Ying learned about the current pay for animal actors and couldn't help but widen his eyes.
"Ordinary domestic animal training pay is 500 to 2,000 yuan a day, while professional dog training can earn 3,000 to 10,000 yuan a day."
Director Luo clearly stated, "The average daily cost of the Akita dogs in Hachiko was over 10,000 yuan!"
Xu Ying couldn't help but wonder: "Which animal actor has the highest pay?"
"The more special, the more expensive!" Director Luo's eyes lit up. "The basic pay for tigers and lions is 50,000 to 100,000 yuan a day. High-risk actions like pouncing and chasing require an extra 30% or more."
"Dolphins and whales are even more expensive. I've seen prices as high as $200,000 a day! That's because they require specialized transportation and equipment!"
"Oh my God." Xu Ying gasped. "Can't we use special effects instead?"
"Do you know the tiger in Life of Pi?" Director Luo asked mysteriously. "The CGI cost of that special effect was 100,000 yuan per second."
Xu Ying covered her mouth in shock: "This is really a waste of money!"
"Besides, he's an internationally renowned director, so he can assemble a top-notch special effects team."
Director Luo shrugged helplessly.
"Many crews choose special effects, but nowadays, the special effects makers are getting less and less reliable. Sometimes bad special effects can ruin the entire show."
He took a step closer and lowered his voice: "The cost of special effects synthesis is very expensive, enough to feed a bird of prey for a year! Moreover, the special effects are outsourced layer by layer, and the final result is simply horrible." He made an exaggerated expression of disgust.
"It's better to give this money to someone capable." Director Luo said sincerely.
Then he looked at Xu Ying eagerly again, "If you don't have time to come to the set, you can give remote guidance! These little animals all listen to you."
Xu Ying blinked and glanced at Jiang Mo beside him.
At this time, Jiang Mo received Xu Ying's gaze: "I think we can try it."
He turned to Xu Ying, his eyes full of encouragement, "Besides, doesn't your fox San San really like the camera?"
Xu Ying then realized that this man brought her here to make a fortune!
Working part-time on the crew and getting two salaries is like the God of Wealth coming to your door!
"Then I'll give it a try," Xu Ying finally agreed, "and see if there are any young actors willing to make their debut."
Director Luo immediately beamed. "Great! Stationmaster Xu, everything is up to you. We absolutely respect the wishes of the little animals."
"You can also help recruit some eager-to-perform and cooperative animals to act as actors. There are so few animal actors in the film and television industry right now who can meet the script's requirements. Animal actors are also very popular in the advertising industry."
Xu Ying nodded: "Okay, I'll go back and issue a recruitment order."
The biggest hidden danger of the crew has been eliminated, and Xu Ying, Jiang Mo's "security assistant", can punch out and leave work.
*
After the crew of "The Desert Swordsman" finished work, Jiang Mo was in the nanny car.
Jiang Mo took out a checkbook from his inner pocket, signed a check with his slender fingers, and gently pushed it in front of Xu Ying.
Oh my god, the boss transferred the money so quickly!
Xu Ying wanted to be polite verbally, but his hand had already reached out and caught the check, which was for seven figures!
"The salary hasn't been fully received yet."
Jiang Mo tapped the check with his fingertips and said calmly, "I'll give you the rest after the settlement."
Only then did Xu Ying learn from Jiang Mo the payment rules for actors' remuneration.
It turns out that the industry practice is to pay in installments: 30% is paid after the contract is signed, another 30% is paid when filming starts, another 30% is paid when the filming is halfway through, and the final 10% will not be paid until all the scenes are completed.
First-line actors like Jiang Mo can get extra dividends and share the profits based on the ratings and clicks after the show is broadcast.
"'The Desert Swordsman' will be broadcast on CCTV," Jiang Mo explained, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table. "Because of its high commercial value, the pay is lower than for the platform's own dramas."
He explained in detail the structure of his salary: one million per episode, with an estimated 40 episodes, and a total pre-tax income of 40 million.
After deducting the company's share and taxes, the actual amount received was about 19 million.
When Xu Ying saw the number "5,714,000" on the check, his breathing suddenly stopped.
This is half of Jiang Mo’s salary after tax!
She quickly calculated in her head that there was still 40% of the balance outstanding, which meant that she would eventually get 9.52 million!
"Rounding off," she muttered to herself, then shook her head in self-mockery. "No, this can't be rounded off. The difference is 480,000!"
The check trembled slightly in her hand.
Xu Ying unconsciously leaned in to sniff, as if to confirm the paper's authenticity. The delicate scent of ink, mixed with the distinct aroma of paper, lingered at the tip of her nose. Her eyes flushed, her head hummed, and she felt light and airy, as if she were about to fly.
"Is this true?" She said in a faint voice, her fingers tightly gripping the edge of the check.
Jiang Mo was amused by her appearance, and his eyes curved slightly: "It's true, it's for you."
"You just gave it to me like that?"
Xu Ying still couldn't believe it, and his voice changed.
She thought to herself that Jiang Mo was too straightforward. He could have waited until the full salary was received before transferring the money. The interest alone was a considerable amount.
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