Chinese Entertainment 2017: Starting from the Top Writers

Chapter 525: The turmoil in the entertainment industry, in front of people and behind their backs

The next morning, the controversy over Lin Li’s speech at the Central Academy of Drama’s freshman ceremony continued to ferment.

Many actors, directors, and film critics in the industry have voiced their approval of Lin Li's views on actors and acting, making the related hot searches on Weibo remain popular for a long time.

Lin Li's remarks on writing prompted many writers who usually keep a low profile to post articles in support, causing many netizens to lament that it seemed that only Lin Li could stir up the two circles at the same time.

But Lin Li didn't care about all this. The next day, he kissed Zhang Ruonan goodbye and went back to school to attend classes.

Dudu has some requirements for him this semester, so he has to make some progress.

While Lin Li was studying hard at school, the outside world was not peaceful.

Influenced by the Cui Yongyuan and Fan Bingbing incidents, the strictest tax policy in the entertainment industry has arrived.

The latest tax regulations for the entertainment industry have been implemented, terminating the regular fixed-rate collection method. The collection method will be changed to audit-based collection. Film and television studios are required to submit monthly summary reports to the competent tax authorities within 45 days based on the actual monthly operating turnover and income incurred during the execution period before the termination of the fixed-rate. If taxes are not truthfully reported and paid within the prescribed time limit, the tax authorities will handle them in accordance with the law.

From now on, celebrities will have nowhere to hide from tax evasion.

The entire entertainment industry was in an uproar. Tax evasion had basically become an unspoken rule in the industry. Now with this happening, the actual income of almost every star would be reduced.

When seeing this news, Lin Li smiled and didn't take it seriously. Anyway, they at Nanxun Culture didn't have to worry about this problem.

Moreover, Lin Li knew that this was just an appetizer. He remembered that a salary cap order would be issued soon. The impact of this regulation would be no less than that of the tax issue, and might even be greater.

In the past two years, the tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of yuan that celebrities receive for starring in a TV series or variety show has attracted public attention.

Recently, several major video platforms and production companies have taken the lead in issuing a "Joint Statement on Restraining Unreasonable Pay and Resisting Unhealthy Trends in the Industry", proposing that the pay for a single actor per episode should not exceed RMB 100 million, and the total pay should not exceed RMB 5000 million.

Nanxun Culture naturally also participated in this statement, but this is just an advocacy within the circle, and the specific implementation still requires official intervention.

Lin Li remembered that it was in November that, due to a series of rectifications and chain reactions, the entertainment industry ushered in the most stringent salary order.

The competent authorities stipulate that the total pay of all actors in each TV series and online drama shall not exceed 40% of the total production cost, and the pay of the main actors shall not exceed 70% of the total pay. In the event that the total pay of the actors exceeds 40% of the total production cost, the relevant association and the China Radio and Television Association Actors Committee must be filed and the situation must be explained.

Variety shows implement the same pay ratio.

At the same time, stricter salary limit standards were introduced, with the pay for a single person in a single episode not exceeding 80 yuan, and the total pay for a permanent guest in a season not exceeding 1000 million yuan.

Since then, the situation of stars receiving sky-high pay of 450 million yuan a day, 4800 million yuan a season, and 240 million yuan a episode for participating in variety shows has been significantly curbed.

Lin Li knows that even so, many celebrities will still find other ways to avoid taxes or get high pay, but compared with the wild growth in previous years, it is much better.

Why are there so many bad movies on the market? The sky-high pay is a big reason.

Most of the money is given to the actors, so the remaining money will definitely be used to save as much as possible in production. How can we expect to make a good and sophisticated film when we are stretched to the limit?

What are you thinking!
However, so far no one has dared to ask for high pay in their Nanxun Culture's projects. Generally speaking, only those with a screw loose would make this request to them.

While the outside world was in turmoil, Lin Li concentrated on his classes.

A week passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, Lin Li welcomed the weekend again.

However, he did not rest, but took Gao Wen and others on a flight to Duyun, Guizhou Province.

Some things have to be dealt with eventually.

-

Duyun Qinhan Film and Television City.

This film and television city is mainly used for filming TV dramas and movies on the Qin and Han dynasties, and can be considered a dedicated filming base.

The Qin and Han Film and Television City mainly includes the Weiyang Palace, Xuanshi Hall, Jiaofang Hall, Chengming Hall, Changle Palace, etc. It covers a vast area and is divided into the Qin and Han City, Tang and Song City and the Film and Television Incubation Base.

TV series such as Huo Qubing, Ever Night, and Joy of Life were all filmed here.

The Star Han Canlan crew is also filming here at the moment.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, filming on the set was proceeding as usual.

In front of the camera, Zhao Lusi, dressed in a long ancient costume, is filming a scene with Bai Jingting.

Although "My Sunshine" is a fictional historical story, the world view and costume design of the entire drama are inspired by the historical Han Dynasty. For example, the deep-collared robe that Zhao Lusi is wearing at the moment is a characteristic of Han Dynasty clothing and is very easy to recognize.

This kind of clothing makes her look like a lady from a noble family, which is very different from Zhao Lusi's lively and sweet modern style, but she looks good in it at the moment.

Zhao Lusi instantly looked dignified after putting on the deep gown. She and Bai Jingting also looked very eye-catching in the same frame, after all, they are of similar age.

Although Zhao Lusi's face looks a little chubby, she is actually not fat at all. Even when wearing layered ancient costumes, her figure is still slightly thin. Her small head and face look very delicate, and her face is full of collagen, which makes her look particularly girlish.

In fact, from the perspective of ancient costumes themselves, round faces are more suitable for ancient costumes. Ancient beauties have always been described as having faces like silver plates. Round faces will have a more classical feel in ancient costumes. Although Zhao Lusi has a relatively round face, she has a pointed chin and delicate facial features, so overall she is very suitable for ancient costumes.

At this moment, when acting opposite Bai Jingting, her performance was also very smart, which made Lin Yufen in front of the monitor nod repeatedly.

Last time, Zhao Lusi took a break for a while, and Lin Yufen was worried that she wouldn't be able to get into the state quickly after returning to the crew.

Unexpectedly, after Zhao Lusi returned to the crew, she not only quickly got into the state, but also performed better than before, which made Lin Yufen marvel.

"She caused such a scene at the dinner party last time. She must have been asked by Nanxun Culture to stay at home for a while. I don't know how she was able to come back to continue filming. I thought she was going to be replaced as the leading actress."

At the edge of the set, Wang Zhixuan, who was taking a break, said to Xuan Lu beside her with an indignant expression.

"Did she really do that?"

"To be honest, even though you've told me this several times, I still find it a little unbelievable. Of course, it's also true that she didn't come to the crew during that period, so it shouldn't be that different."

"She even asked me during the filming whether the crew was filming as usual, which confirms what you said."

"But is she crazy to do something like this? That was a banquet hosted by Nanxun Culture! How dare she do that?"

Xuan Lu glanced at Zhao Lusi who was not far away and said with a look of disbelief.

She did not attend the premiere of Youth because she was filming at the time, and everything she knew was told to her by Wang Zhixuan after she came back.

But even though she knew it was true, she still felt that Zhao Lusi's actions were too bold.

How brave a person must be to cause trouble at a banquet hosted by Nanxun Culture? Isn't this just a slap in their face?

You are still playing the leading female role in someone else's company's drama. What are you thinking about, sister?
What she didn't expect the most was that Zhao Lusi came back after stopping filming for a while. How powerful a relationship does she have to have to be able to continue filming after making trouble at the banquet and just taking a break? It's unlikely that someone from outside can influence Nanxun Culture with its current momentum.

In that case, it must be inside.

"Zhixuan, is Ruth with Teacher Nanxun?"

Xuan Lu leaned closer to Wang Zhixuan and tested her cautiously.

"Otherwise, this matter is basically an unspoken secret in the circle."

"It's not just her. The actresses who have worked with Director Lin all relied on Director Lin's help. Otherwise, how could they get the leading role?"

Wang Zhixuan pursed her lips and said with disdain.

"That……"

Xuan Lu looked at her, hesitant to speak.

"I didn't! I relied on my strength!"

Wang Zhixuan instantly understood Xuan Lu's look and said angrily.

"Oh, yes."

Xuan Lu smiled awkwardly and nodded repeatedly.

Wang Zhixuan turned to look at Zhao Lusi. The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. Why could she do it but she couldn't?
Even if she did something wrong, she could still be forgiven and continue to be the heroine of Star Han Canlan.

How is she worse than Zhao Rusi?
"Since Ruth has returned to film, does that mean that Teacher Nanxun has forgiven her?"

"Is that matter over?"

Xuan Lu couldn't help but be curious, so she covered her mouth and asked in a low voice again.

"That's not necessarily the case. Maybe they just considered that it would be bad to temporarily change the female lead for such a big production like Xinghan, so they reluctantly let her come back to continue filming."

Wang Zhixuan curled her lips and sneered.

"That's true. After all, it's a 400 million yuan investment."

"Although everyone knows that this number is inflated, I estimate that half of it is correct. I have never been on a crew as strong as ours in terms of costumes, makeup, props, number of extras, and cast."

Xuan Lu nodded and sighed.

"What's so strange about this? Every project of Nanxun Culture is like this."

"When Director Lin and I were filming Lovely, he had just crossed over to become a director. The crew was also very professional and rigorous. Under Director Lin's management, everything was in good order, and the standards for food and accommodation were also very high."

Wang Zhixuan recalled the situation when she was taking the cute photo shoot and said with a proud expression.

"Teacher Nanxun is really amazing. Watch the video of him at the Central Academy of Drama on Monday. He is really amazing!"

"Not only is he handsome, he's also so talented. No wonder so many people like him. I've watched his videos many times before and never get tired of them."

Xuan Lu covered her chest with her hands and said with a silly look on her face.

"That's natural. Director Lin is just so charming."

Wang Zhixuan nodded in agreement.

Then, I felt a sense of loss again.

I take the initiative again and again, so why can't I give myself away?
She's not bad, right?
"Crack!"

"Okay, let's take a break for ten minutes before we continue."

At this time, Lin Yufen's voice sounded through the loudspeaker, which made Wang Zhixuan and the others come back to their senses and shut up quickly.

After thanking the staff, Zhao Lusi patted the back of her neck and walked towards Wang Zhixuan and the others.

"Ruth, you've finished filming. Come over here and take a break."

"Yes, drink some water quickly."

Seeing Zhao Lusi coming over, Wang Zhixuan and the others immediately put on a smile and waved to her.

Just looking at her current performance, it is hard to tell that these two people were just teasing her.

"Thank you."

Zhao Lusi gave the two of them a sweet smile, took the water from Xuan Lu's hand and sat next to her.

"Ruth's acting has been getting better and better lately. She's amazing."

After seeing Zhao Lusi finish drinking the water, Xuan Lu praised her with a smile.

"It's all Director Lin's way of explaining the play."

Zhao Lusi waved her hand and responded modestly.

"How could that be? I see that you have been reading the script and memorizing your lines even after the show. You are much more attentive than us."

Wang Zhixuan also echoed.

"This is what we as actors should do."

Zhao Lusi smiled and said softly.

"Well, that's a good point."

Before Wang Zhixuan could reply, a steady male voice sounded behind them, and Zhao Lusi tensed up instantly.

But she didn't dare look back.

She was a little scared.

(End of this chapter)