Huayu: Starting from Fahrenheit

Chapter 381 Huang Baiming, who was being held back

Wu Zhuo and Deng Chao chatted for a short while before Liu Shishi came out with her makeup done.

"How is it? Does it suit the role?"

As soon as she came out, Liu Shishi ran up to Wu Zhuo and playfully spun around, making everyone seem thoughtful.

The specific nature of the relationship between two people can be discerned through their daily interactions and conversations.

The crew members were all shrewd and perceptive; they clearly realized that Wu Zhuo and Liu Shishi had an unusual relationship.

However, it was clear that the relationship between the two might not be a normal friendship.

But everyone seemed oblivious, continuing with what they were doing.

This is the rule of the entertainment industry.

In this line of work, you have to see through things but not say them out loud; keeping your mouth shut is an essential element.

After all, in this circle, no one can guarantee that they won't have any secrets revealed to others.

If you speak recklessly and carelessly, you will be ostracized by the entire circle.

Of course, Wu Zhuo doesn't really care that others know about his relationship with Liu Shishi.

Previously, he was hesitant to expose such things due to time management concerns.

They didn't even dare let their peers know.

Now, as long as we try to avoid the media finding out, it doesn't matter if our peers do find out.

"You're very beautiful. Casting you in this role was the right choice."

Wu Zhuo gave a thumbs-up in praise, which made Liu Shishi giggle.

"Alright, it's time to film!"

Not far away, Zhang Yibai's shout interrupted Wu Zhuo and Liu Shishi's conversation.

At the director's command, the entire crew sprang into action, the actors entered the set, and filming officially began.

The first scene is between Wu Zhuo and Liu Shishi.

After confirming their makeup and styling again, the two entered the venue immediately.

It was the first time filming, but the results were surprisingly good, and there were no problems due to the actors not having worked together beforehand.

In fact, it’s normal to think about it.

Wu Zhuo and Liu Shishi were originally a couple.

They have absolutely no problem playing lovers.

"This Liu Shishi is quite good; she has excellent acting skills and a natural talent."

After seeing Liu Shishi's performance, director Zhang Yibai's initial dissatisfaction with her being cast as the female lead improved considerably.

He had previously advised against casting Liu Shishi in this role.

I think newcomers won't act well.

This will significantly delay the filming.

Looking at it now, he never expected that Liu Shishi and Wu Zhuo would be such a good match.

When the two talked, they acted just like a real couple.

"It is quite spiritual."

Someone nearby noticed the relationship between Wu Zhuo and Liu Shishi, but didn't point it out, only echoing Zhang Yibai's sentiments.

"Since the lead actors don't need to get used to each other, we'll speed up the filming process and try to finish filming before the end of the month."

"Let's finish filming sooner so everyone can have a break."

Although "Fleet of Time" had a considerable investment, it was ultimately a youth drama.

To put it bluntly, this show could even be categorized as an idol drama.

This type of drama, while requiring acting skills, doesn't demand too much.

In Wu Zhuo's opinion, compared to his previous work on "Painted Skin" and "Connected," filming this movie was incredibly easy.

He just needs to play himself and occasionally show off his cool side.

As for Liu Shishi, at this time she had not yet fallen into the "blind sister" mode.

In short, he is very spiritual.

That's how actors are. If they have a good director to guide them, and as long as they don't get stuck in their comfort zone, they can improve very quickly, especially young actors.

Although Zhang Yibai is not the kind of director who is proficient in acting and training.

But Wu Zhuo's company has talent in this area.

Gao Linbao, the former assistant director of Painted Skin, has signed with Legendary Films and become one of their directors.

Because he doesn't have any projects yet, he's mainly responsible for training the company's artists in acting skills. And since the company isn't recruiting any new talent at the moment, Wu Zhuo brought him to the film crew to provide acting training for several important roles.

Especially Liu Shishi and Calvin Chen.

The two of them are the focus of the training.

Even Wu Zhuo himself would take a class or two whenever he had free time.

Life on a film set is very boring.

Every day, I went back and forth between two points: the hotel and the film crew.

However, the effect of this monotony is also enormous.

With continuous intensive work, most of the film's scenes were completed by the end of December.

Yes, the filming speed of this movie is almost comparable to that of Hong Kong films in the 1990s.

The entire shoot took just over two months, making it a quick and easy production.

On December 29th, after finishing the last scene of "Fleet of Time", Wu Zhuo immediately rushed to Hong Kong.

After various preparations and numerous setbacks in selecting directors and actors.

The production team for "Ip Man" has finally officially approved the project.

Raymond Wong also gave Ng Cheuk an ultimatum: if Ng Cheuk did not agree to film "Ip Man," he would replace him with a different male lead.

Wu Zhuo could also understand Huang Baiming's thoughts.

The Ip Man project has indeed been delayed for quite some time.

This project was originally scheduled to be filmed in August.

In fact, in my previous life, this project was scheduled to be released in December.

In this life, because of Wu Zhuo, the production team had to wait for his availability, delaying filming by four or five months.

In other words, Raymond Wong was envious of Ng Cheuk's appeal and wanted to use him to sell the copyrights overseas.

Otherwise, if it were any other actor, the production team would have replaced him long ago.

It was also because he knew he was the culprit.

Wu Zhuo not only didn't blame Raymond Wong for threatening to replace him repeatedly, but also took the initiative to talk to Raymond Wong, promising to help him contact overseas distributors and to support the film if it was released overseas.

Incidentally, Wu Zhuo also mentioned that he wanted to invest in the film under the name of Legendary Films.

“We can’t invest now. As soon as the project was launched, the investment quota was filled. Now we not only don’t lack investment, we have surplus.”

When Raymond Wong mentioned this, he glanced at Ng Cheuk.

In fact, the reason he was willing to wait for Wu Zhuo for so long was largely due to the investors.

After he announced that Wu Zhuo would be the male lead in the "Ip Man" project, a large number of investors immediately approached him.

Especially after the release of "Painted Skin", countless people came to invest with money in hand.

Raymond Wong originally planned to invest around 70 million in "Ip Man".

Because of Wu Zhuo's involvement, a large number of coal mine owners and mainland business owners came to him, directly doubling their investment.

The current investment in "Ip Man" has reached 1.3 million RMB.

Such a high investment.

To be honest, Raymond Wong was also panicked.

He knew very well that if Wu Zhuo were replaced, most of the investment would definitely have to be withdrawn.

More importantly, with such a large investment, without a big star to carry the box office, he has no hope of recouping the costs.

Take a closer look at the big-budget films that have cost hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years.

Which movie doesn't have big-name stars?

It's either Jet Li, Jackie Chan, or Andy Lau, among other big names, all appearing together.

Even Feng Xiaogang of Huayi Brothers, who has shifted from low-budget to big-budget productions in recent years, needs the support of big names.

For example, the movie "The Banquet" also featured Ge You, Zhang Ziyi, Zhou Xun, and others.

So, in the end, it wasn't that he was unwilling to shoot in advance, but rather that he was also pressured into it.

Unless he replaces Wu Zhuo and invites Jet Li and others.

Otherwise, no one else could replace Wu Zhuo.

Donnie Yen is not an option either.

Donnie Yen's current fame is nowhere near that of Wu Zhuo.

(End of this chapter)