Lu Yanhe looked at Wu Chi who suddenly came to him with great surprise.
He had dinner with Chen Siqi and planned to watch a movie together in the house in the evening and then go out for a walk.
Finally, the doorbell rang.
Wu Chi looked both excited and exhausted, like a dusty marathon runner.
"Boss Lu, I have something to talk to you about."
Lu Yanhe looked at him in confusion.
Just saw it a few hours ago.
If you have something to ask him, why didn't you tell him earlier?
When Wu Chi sat down and expressed his new ideas about the script, Kong Fanyu and Jiang Yue with excited, almost dancing limbs movements, Lu Yanhe understood.
"Changing the script at this time..."
Lu Yanhe showed some surprise and hesitation.
Chen Siqi poured two glasses of juice and placed them in front of them, then sat down beside them with her thermos cup in front of them.
Wu Chi: "I know, doing this... may cause big problems, but with this change in the script, basically there won't be any major adjustments in the shooting plan, I won't exceed the deadline, I will just make some adjustments to Kong Fanyu and Jiang Yue's scenes, and add a few more scenes. With this change, the show will be better."
"Director Wu, can you tell me why you had to make such a big adjustment to the script after filming started?" Lu Yanhe said, "The character played by Jiang Yue is a girl that Kong Fanyu likes and is attracted to. However, her existence is just an image for Kong Fanyu, an image that every boy has in his youth. At least that's how I understand this character."
"But this is too vulgar." Wu Chi said, "Today, when I saw Kong Fanyu and Jiang Yue bickering with each other, I suddenly realized that I didn't want to make this movie a stereotyped movie about a teenager growing up. You don't have to go through a fruitless secret love to grow up. A middle school, hot-blooded, slightly idiotic boy can also experience a happy, funny, and playful youth with others. There is no need for those painful reversals. I just want to make a noisy movie, exaggerated from the beginning to the end. Not many people have so much pain in their growth."
"Then why did you write that?"
"Because..." Wu Chi was a little embarrassed, "I've seen a lot of movies like that. The male protagonist always has to go through some emotional failures and family changes before he can transform and grow."
"So after you make this change, do you have to change other parts of the movie too? What if his parents are getting divorced? What if the school wants to expel him?"
“We changed the divorce into a quarrel, and filmed it in a trivial and funny way. When the divorce finally happened, everyone felt relieved and at peace.” Wu Chi said, “The school wanted to expel him, too. I… I wanted to add a scene where he acted bravely. When the school was about to expel him, he received a call from the police station, saying they wanted to send him a banner for his bravery. Then the school immediately changed its mind and began to regard him as a three-good student and praised him highly.”
“Isn’t this becoming quite ironic?”
“Yes, but the focus is definitely not on satirizing the faces of school leaders, but on a kind of absurdity.” Wu Chi said, “The focus is to use the series of chaotic things that Kong Fanyu experienced to film a boy’s anger towards life.”
"If you do this, a lot of people might criticize your film, saying it's unrealistic and superficial."
Wu Chi was silent for two seconds and said, "But I think that making movies is like 'those who know me will say I am worried, and those who don't know me will say what I want'. I finally got the chance to make a movie, and I don't know if I will have the chance to make another movie after finishing this one. So, at least for this movie, I want to make something that I really want to make. I didn't think it through before, but I did today."
Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi looked at each other.
When Chen Siqi saw Lu Yanhe's look, she knew that his attitude must have softened.
“You should know that although many directors have said after becoming famous that they had many legendary stories in the past, such as changing the script at the last minute, changing actors, or running out of money halfway through filming and having to sell their house to shoot the movie themselves, they still succeeded in the end. But these are all stories of successful people. Most of the time, a movie cannot be shot as planned because the director does not have the control ability or is too erratic and messes up the movie. In the end, what is shot only moves himself.”
"I know." Wu Chi nodded.
"If I say that this movie is overspent, we at Linghe won't give you a penny more for the overspending, and you'll need to pay for it yourself. And no matter how much money you pay, the investment share of this movie won't change, and your pay won't increase. Are you willing to do that?" Lu Yanhe asked.
Wu Chi nodded without hesitation.
"I am willing." Wu Chi said, "Mr. Lu, to be honest, I never dreamed that one day I would have the opportunity to make a movie. I am very grateful that you can give me two million to support me in making this movie. In the past, I even asked others to invest 600,000 yuan in this script, but no one was willing to do it."
Lu Yanhe: "I like the kind of real middle school passion in your script that you don't see in Chinese youth movies nowadays. I also like your editing style. The perspective and rhythm are unique, and there is a sense of movement. But, I tell you frankly, if this movie fails, I will not consider you as the director for the next movie I write."
Wu Chi was stunned.
"Originally, there is a movie I wrote, and I wanted to ask you to direct it after you finish filming this movie." Lu Yanhe said frankly, "The filming of this movie is just for you to gain directing experience."
Wu Chi looked shocked.
"Even in this situation, do you still want to change the script?"
“If I shoot this script according to the previous one and it still fails, will I still have a chance to direct the next movie you mentioned?”
"No." Lu Yanhe shook his head.
Wu Chi said: "Then I still want to change the script. After knowing how to make the film better, I feel uncomfortable to shoot it according to my previous ideas."
"Okay." Lu Yanhe nodded.
"Huh?" Wu Chi was stunned.
Lu Yanhe: "Then go and change it."
Wu Chi showed an expression of disbelief and surprise.
"really?"
"Really." Lu Yanhe nodded. "Director Wu, I actually believe in you. I believe you have the talent to make movies. We have seen this before. But after all, making movies is an industry that requires huge investments. We can't afford to give you money to do experiments over and over again. So, you only have this one chance."
"Okay." Wu Chi nodded.
Wu Chi said: "I will go all out to make this movie."
Lu Yanhe nodded.
After sending Wu Chi away, Chen Siqi looked at him with a smile.
"So, it's not just art film directors who are so willful, right?"
"Using art films and commercial films to distinguish between film types is outdated." Lu Yanhe said, "I now think that movies are actually divided into author-type films and non-author-type films. Commercial films can also be very author-style, and art films can also be shot in a very stereotyped way."
"Do you think Wu Chi is a director with his own personal style?"
"Look at the Chinese-language movies nowadays. Is there anyone who understands a movie the way he just said?"
"The film market is so bad this year. My own understanding is that the biggest problem is that the film companies think that they have racked their brains to shoot all kinds of innovative themes, creative perspectives, and even curious fields, which should attract a lot of audiences to watch the movies. In the end, the opposite happened. This is because no matter how curious, innovative, and creative something is, if it is still shot by the same group of people, it is like cooking. If you are a Northeasterner and cook Hunan cuisine, the food you make will also be Northeastern Hunan cuisine."
Chen Siqi burst out laughing.
"Movies can no longer bring new feelings to people. The themes are different, but the food is basically the same," said Lu Yanhe. "They look different, but after eating them, you'll find that the ingredients are all the same."
What Wu Chi said is something very different from the current mainstream understanding of movies in the film industry.
It is not realistic, but rather exaggerated and noisy. It does not have any adolescent pains, and it does not follow the classic "syllogism" or reversals.
What Lu Yanhe thought of was an old movie he had watched when he was very young, before he traveled through time, a movie that was ruined by its name.
"The Love Song of First Love".
It was a completely non-mainstream movie, but when he saw the ending, Lu Yanhe found himself excited and trembling. Even though he knew that he would never get on that boat with them in real life, he got on it with them in his spiritual world.
It is a resonance and thrill on a spiritual level.
Movies are about standing at a safe distance in reality and adventuring, experiencing, and resonating in the spiritual world.
Chen Siqi: "But Wu Chi may not be able to realize what he wants."
"But he moved me." Lu Yanhe said, "I know that if we really look at it from a probability perspective, the probability of failure is very high. But as a creator, I still insist on one thing."
"what's up?"
"Don't look at the success rate, look at the person. Don't trust past experience, trust your own inner feelings." Lu Yanhe said, "Whether creation can be successful or not, there is really no rule to summarize. The reality is that hard work may not be recognized, but casual graffiti can become popular overnight, and things that are perfunctory can also take off if they meet the trend. Good things may take years to last, so the only thing we can trust is our own feelings."
Chen Siqi: "Okay."
"Although I still think this is not a reason for a creator to change the shooting plan at will, your words convinced me that the only thing we can trust is our own feelings." Chen Siqi said, "In this case, what if the budget really exceeds the limit? Do you really let him pay for it himself?"
Lu Yanhe: "See how he shoots. If I think the film is good, then I'll invest more. If... I'm wrong and he's just talking nicely, then let's just stop filming."
Chen Siqi: "Well, then you are actually still rational."
"Don't say that, I'm too irrational." Lu Yanhe sighed with a smile, "Sister Zi Yan will definitely scold me."
"Sister Zi Yan will not scold you." Chen Siqi said, "Now Sister Zi Yan will carefully consider and study every choice and decision you make, and will reflect on why you are like this and what she has not thought of."
"No way?"
"You underestimate the influence you have on Sister Zi Yan right now." Chen Siqi said.
-
The sudden decision to temporarily change the script of "Oh, O Sea" was actually agreed by Lu Yanhe.
Li Chao was very disillusioned.
The people of Linghe were also disillusioned.
Why would you agree?
Everyone was puzzled.
Was it because Wu Chi had shown so much talent before that Lu Yanhe felt that Wu Chi really had a promising future, so he trusted him unconditionally? Or was it because Wu Chi had saved Lu Yanhe's life before?
The entire crew of "Oh, My Sea" was immersed in a thick and unbelievable atmosphere.
However, Wu Chi was like a chicken with its blood pumped up, and he revised the script that very night.
The next day, Wu Chi gave the revised script to Li Chao. With two big dark circles under his eyes, he couldn't bear it anymore, so he pulled out the camp bed, covered himself with a blanket, and fell asleep directly.
Dealing and communicating with various departments and executing on-site shooting were mostly given to Li Chao and became Li Chao's job.
Li Chao was the assistant director of this film, so it was natural for him to be assigned these tasks. In a sense, Li Chao even had to thank his teacher for giving him so many opportunities to actually do things. It is really rare for a director to have the opportunity to actually direct.
Until eleven in the morning.
Wu Chi then opened his eyes.
He sat up, breathless and as weak as an eggplant hit by frost.
Before he could really wake up, a girl suddenly rushed in front of him.
"Director Wu!"
She is the leading actress of this movie, Liu Guanxian.
Wu Chi was stunned by her shouting, "Huh?"
Liu Guanxian's eyes were red, and he clenched his fists and said, "Do you want to delete my scene? Do you want Jiang Yue to be the leading actress?"
Wu Chi: "What the hell?"
Liu Guanxian said: "Everyone said that you changed the script and made me the second female lead! How could you do that? You were lying to me. If you had asked me to play the second female lead at the beginning, I would not have accepted this role!"
Liu Guan cried as he made his accusation.
There are people watching around.
Wu Chi stood up and scratched his messy hair.
"No, who said your scene was going to be deleted?" Wu Chi frowned and said, "I did change the script. I changed the character of Jiang Yue, not anything else."
Liu Guanxian looked at him in disbelief and asked, "Really? Am I still the leading actress?"
"Yes." said Wu Chi.
Liu Guanxian stopped crying, choked up, and said, "Okay then."
She turned and left.
Wu Chi felt as if the world in front of him was becoming blurry.
Li Chao came running over.
"teacher."
"Oh, Chao——" Wu Chi raised his hands and grabbed Li Chao's shoulders.
"Let me hold on for a while."
Li Chao looked at his teacher in surprise.
"Teacher, what's wrong with you?"
"I feel like my legs are weak."
"Slow down, slow down." Li Chao quickly supported Wu Chi's shoulders.
"Have you filmed the morning scene?"
"It's filming normally." Li Chao nodded.
Wu Chi was relieved.
"Who is spreading rumors that I'm going to delete Liu Guanxian's scenes?"
"No, I didn't say that, but many people know that you changed the script, so maybe someone spread rumors."
"What a fucking mouth this is." Wu Chi groaned, "It gives me a headache."
"How about you take a break?"
"No, we can't take a break. We have to hurry up, otherwise if the filming is not completed on time, I will have to pay for it out of my own pocket." Wu Chi's lips trembled whenever he mentioned this.
Li Chao: "..."
"Go check out what you took first."
-
Half an hour later, Wu Chi sat in the computer room, not saying a word for a long time.
Li Chao looked at him a little nervously.
"Teacher, how is it?"
Just now they quickly looked at some of the things Li Chao shot last night and this morning.
Li Chao didn’t know how the photos he took were.
Although he thought that his filming was not worse than that of his teacher, the people in the technical department at the scene said that they understood what he said better.
"Not bad." Wu Chi nodded, "Much better than I thought."
Li Chao breathed a sigh of relief.
Wu Chi: “It works.”
Li Chao chuckled.
"So, the following scenes--" Wu Chi paused hesitantly.
Li Chao looked at him nervously.
Wu Chi said, "You are better at communication than me. You know how I want to make this movie. You will be responsible for communicating with people from various departments in the future."
Li Chao nodded: "Okay."
Wu Chi: "For this film, I had to first take the already shot footage and cut out a three to five minute segment. Otherwise, I felt like they didn't know what style I wanted, and they always gave me a conventional shooting plan to choose from."
Li Chao: "Actually, I feel the same way, teacher. However, the people Linghe introduced to us are all very skilled. You can see these two scenes. After I explained your ideas to them, they were able to find a solution to actually shoot the desired effect."
Wu Chi: "This is Linghe after all. Lu Yanhe's requirement for people is that you must have something real."
Li Chao: “Yeah.”
He thought silently in his heart, but he actually agreed to let you change the script...
Just based on this incident, Li Chao felt that Lu Yanhe was not that reliable.
Wu Chi: "There's no Jiang Yue show this afternoon, right?"
"No, didn't you say that all of Jiang Yue's scenes would be postponed?" Li Chao said.
Wu Chi nodded.
"Then ask Jiang Yue to come to my place and ask her to try to perform for me according to the revised script. I want to see the effect." Wu Chi said.
"Okay, I'll talk to her agent."
-
Throughout the whole morning, countless people came to congratulate Jiang Yue. She suddenly became the leading actress the day after she joined the crew.
Jiang Yue and his people were all confused.
She kept asking Shen Yichen.
"is this real?"
"Are they kidding me?"
"Can I really play the leading lady?"
"Ah? Then do I have to memorize the words again?"
The situation is still unclear.
Shen Yicheng said, "I don't know either. They just notified us yesterday that your scenes would not be filmed for the time being. I was nervous the whole night, thinking they didn't want your role anymore and were going to fire you."
"Ah? Do you still think so?" Jiang Yue was stunned.
"Then what do you think?"
"I thought it was just that the shooting plan had been adjusted and I was asked to shoot again later. I also thought the director was not satisfied with me and asked me to practice more."
"Very optimistic." Shen Yichen smiled at her.
"Are you mocking me?"
"I do not have."
"I felt it!" Jiang Yue glared at Shen Yichen.
"Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi are treating our entire crew to dinner tonight." Shen Yicheng changed the subject directly and said, "Behave yourself tonight and don't speak without thinking, okay?"
Jiang Yue: "When did I speak without thinking?"
Shen Yicheng: "What do you think?"
"I don't think I'm talking without thinking." Jiang Yue said, "You're targeting me."
Shen Yichen took a deep breath.
-
In the evening, Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi booked a restaurant and treated more than 40 people from the crew of "Oh, My Sea" to dinner.
Because it is a low-budget movie, except for the four main actors who can bring one staff member into the crew (the relevant expenses are borne by the crew), the others stay in the crew alone.
The actors who came to film this movie were basically not famous, and all of them were not yet famous. As for the technical department, thanks to Linghe's matchmaking, the photographers and lighting technicians were both senior technical masters.
Lu Yanhe knew the director of photography for this film, Wu Zhou, who had worked with him on Love Letter. Because of this film, he also won the Best Cinematography Award at the Jose-La Roche Film Festival and became famous.
He is also one of the highest paid actors in this movie with a budget of only two million, with a salary of twenty-five million, which is higher than that of director Wu Chi and leading actor Kong Fanyu.
Originally, according to the normal rules of the industry, Wu Zhou would not take on such a low-budget movie. However, since Wu Zhou became a contracted photographer for Linghe after filming Love Letter, and this was his free time, and The Sea, Oh My God, was a movie produced by the company, he took the job.
Wu Zhou was quite shocked when she saw Lu Yanhe.
I originally thought that no one cared about this movie, but I didn't expect Lu Yanhe to bring Chen Siqi along.
When Wu Zhou greeted Lu Yanhe, he asked in a low voice: "Director Lu, is it true that you promised Wu Chi that he could change the script?"
Lu Yanhe nodded, "Yes."
He asked: "What's wrong?"
"Oh, everyone is shocked." Wu Zhou said, "I didn't expect it. Can I ask you privately why? I regretted making this movie before. Director Wu Chi... He is too difficult to understand. I often don't know what he wants. It was only after Li Chao helped him communicate in the past two days that I was able to roughly understand."
Lu Yanhe said: "Because when I talked to him about this play, I felt that he had ideas, and I thought it would be an interesting shoot if his ideas were also made into a movie."
“But this can easily lead to problems during filming,” Wu Zhou said. “This is his first film, and he made such a big change to the script. People don’t have much trust in him…”
Lu Yanhe laughed.
"That's his business," Lu Yanhe said. "But from my perspective, I think this movie is to support Wu Chi and let him make a movie according to his ideas. Only in this way can we see what kind of movie he can make and what kind of projects we can give him in the future."
Wu Zhou understood a little.
He nodded.
Lu Yanhe asked: "After you finish filming this movie, what are your plans?"
"Yes." Wu Zhou nodded. "The company doesn't have any other projects to start filming for the time being. They helped me take on an external drama, which is a sports-themed movie."
Lu Yanhe nodded, "Who directed this movie?"
"Xin Yuanqing." Wu Zhou said.
"Oh, he's a very famous director." Lu Yanhe said, "But why do I remember that most of the films he made in the past were disaster films?"
"Disaster films are not popular nowadays." Wu Zhou laughed, "It seems that this movie was established just to promote the male lead. He and I both went there to work."
Lu Yanhe nodded.
"Ok."
Not long after chatting with Wu Zhou, the movie's male lead Kong Fanyu came over.
He was accompanied by his agent.
"Mr. Lu, Mr. Chen, I'm Kong Fanyu."
In his hand he held a wine glass filled with wine.
"Thank you for giving me this opportunity to play the leading actor." Kong Fanyu seemed a little nervous and swallowed his words. "I have never played the leading actor before."
Lu Yanhe said, "You performed the best in the audition, so this is yours."
Kong Fanyu's agent Liu Wang also respects Lu Yanhe.
"There are very few people who can really choose actors based on their audition performance like Linghe does." Liu Wang probably drank a little bit before, so his face flushed. His tone was also a little sincere because of the alcohol. "Fanyu has met no less than a hundred groups in the past two years. He is actually very talented. He has been to the final stage of many dramas, but his luck is always a little bit lacking."
Starting with Kong Fanyu, several actors and their agents came to toast one after another.
Chen Siqi quickly replaced Lu Yanhe's wine glass with Sprite.
Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to accommodate so many people coming to toast us.
Of course, no one cared whether Lu Yanhe drank wine or Sprite.
As long as Lu Yanhe is willing to give me face and have a drink, it will be fine.
The atmosphere of the "Oh, the Sea" crew cannot be compared with that of a large crew.
Here, Lu Yanhe clearly felt that most people had a sense of anxiety.
It's the feeling of anxiety that comes with not having made anything of yourself.
This is true for both actors and other staff members.
Everyone seems to be under tremendous pressure, feeling confused about what the future will hold.
What made Lu Yanhe feel the most was that later, Kong Fanyu's agent Liu Wang quietly pulled him aside and asked, "Mr. Lu, do you want to sign Fanyu? If you are willing, I would like to sign Fanyu's film and television contract to you. This kid really has a talent for acting, but following me has delayed him. I can't provide him with any resources."
Lu Yanhe was surprised.
According to common sense, Kong Fanyu finally got to play the leading actor, and his future should be easier.
Liu Wang, the agent, was about to reap the rewards, but he took the initiative to express his willingness to give Kong Fanyu's film and television contract to Linghe.
Lu Yanhe felt quite emotional.
"We at Linghe don't sign actors, we are only responsible for film and television production." Lu Yanhe said, "I myself am signed with Shihuo, and Shihuo is the agent."
Liu Wang showed a bit of disappointment.
To him, this sounded like a polite refusal.
Lu Yanhe said: "Don't worry, maybe Fanyu's play will be a success."
Liu Wang: "I hope you can give me good wishes. I also hope that Fanyu's play can be a success."
-
Why doesn’t Linghe sign actors?
Because Linghe does not have such a business segment, and also because Lu Yanhe hopes to maintain the purity of the production.
Everything comes at a price.
Like some companies, they sign people but don’t take responsibility, just throw them aside and let them fend for themselves?
Lu Yanhe couldn't do it.
But after signing him, will we tailor a play for him?
Unless Lu Yanhe already has a complete idea in his mind to implement like Huang Feng, otherwise, Lu Yanhe does not have the spare energy to create a play for an actor he does not know.
In this industry, there are too many little-known actors like Kong Fanyu and Jiang Yue.
Everyone is desperately looking for opportunities, waiting for the moment to make the leap.
However, the lucky ones are always a minority.
It is impossible for Lu Yanhe to help everyone he meets.
It is a remarkable thing that he can do his job and enable these actors to get roles through normal auditions based on their strength and suitability for the roles.
Kong Fanyu auditioned for so many roles but ultimately couldn’t get a role. Was it really just luck?
Lu Yanhe knew it wasn’t.
This is because there is too much capital in the industry now. If you are an actor and don’t have a capital background, you will be directly excluded from the rules of the game.
The so-called capital background does not mean that you need someone to say hello for you so that you can compete with other people who say hello. It means that if you do not have a capital background, you are a nobody and your priority is the last.
Other people's dramas are also invested in. Behind the investors are bosses and parent companies. This is not just a role, but also a financial game.
If you use your white body, the money you earn and the chance to become famous are only for you. But if you use actors with other capital backgrounds, the dots can be connected. For many things, it is not necessary to have a clear and open interest transfer relationship to form an alliance. For some things, it is just the unspoken rules of the rules. You are in the circle or outside the circle.
Lu Yanhe's approach is to ignore whether you are in the circle or outside the circle. You are you, and it doesn't matter whether you are the most suitable person for this role.
-
"So, do you really think that Director Luo Yuzhong gave him such a prominent supporting actor role in The Golden Era because of Lu Yanhe?"
"Have you forgotten who the heroine of The Golden Age is? It's Jiang Yuqian! Which company does Jiang Yuqian work for? It's Xingyu! For this role, Director Luo went to Xingyu to hold a special show to select actors. What does that mean? For this role, he only uses male artists from Xingyu. If you are from other companies, no matter how well you act or how suitable you are, you have no chance!"
"Do you really think Lu Yanhe is the type who can break all the rules with his acting skills? How is that possible?"
In Ma Zhiyuan's live broadcast room, a young, plump girl next to him said this in a very excited tone.
"Do you really think that Lu Yanhe worked his way up on his own? That's ridiculous. The entertainment industry has never been a clean place. Even Lu Yanhe has to abide by the rules of the game. He has so many dramas. How many well-known actors did he use? Yes, I admit that he used a lot of newcomers. Then what?"
"Li Zhibai and Yan Liang are so popular now, you all said Xingyu, oh no, now it's Woodpecker, now Woodpecker can't provide them with any help at all, then why do they want to renew the contract? Are they stupid? You fans now always think that your idols are the best. To be honest, unless you reach the top and become a capital like Lu Yanhe is now, otherwise, no matter how glamorous you are, you will always need to stand in a capital camp to continue to play."
Ma Zhiyuan patted her.
"Okay, don't get too excited."
He pulled out a bag of beef jerky and ate a piece.
"Delicious, this beef jerky is delicious."
"Oh my! I was just saying that you told me that beef jerky is delicious!" The fat girl glared at Ma Zhiyuan impatiently, picked up a piece, took a bite, and her face changed drastically, "Oh my god, this is too delicious!"
Ma Zhiyuan: "It's really good, right? Here's a link for you guys, you can place your order directly, it's link number 1. When you eat melons, eat some beef jerky too, trust me, it's right."
"Indeed, I highly recommend it. This beef jerky is so delicious! Wait, what else do I have to say? What else do you want to hear me say? Oh, don't let Ma Zhiyuan speak. He is an insider. What can he say? Just listen to me!" The girl spoke with certainty and bit the beef jerky until it was crunchy.
-
Recommended old book "I Became the Scandal Heroine Overnight" (End of this chapter)
