I was just thinking about taking the arts exam and you said I've been playing supporting roles

Chapter 344: The casting was a gem...

"Brother Yu!"

"Boss~~~"

The arrival hall at New York's JFK International Airport was bustling with people.

Chen Jin met Wan Qian and Wu Jing, who had come from China to film "Killer: Dragon".

Mr. Wu was wearing a baseball cap and dragging his luggage, looking slightly tired.

Wan Qian, on the other hand, looked excited, with a smile in her eyes as she looked at Chen Jin, who had come to pick her up, her eyes full of joy.

The weather in New York was a bit chilly in December. She wore a dark blue fitted trench coat, high-waisted straight-leg jeans, and calfskin boots, making her look simple and neat.

With her cool and intellectual demeanor, she exuded a unique charm reminiscent of an Eastern woman in this predominantly white airport.

"Shall we go eat first, or to the hotel?"

Chen Jin asked a question, instinctively trying to pull Wan Qian off the luggage, but Wan Qian quickly said, "It's already an honor for us to have such a big director pick us up at the airport, how could we let you help us carry our things..."

"Right, Jing-ge?"

"That is!"

Wu Jing smiled, revealing her signature smile.

"That's because everyone else is busy, and I'm the only one with nothing to do!"

Chen Jin wasn't wrong. Ever since they returned from the shooting range that day, the crew of "Killer: Dragon" has been busy every day.

Chen Jin was involved in the team building and actor recruitment a few days ago. These past few days, apart from looking at and revising the script details and writing some short biographies of the main characters, he really didn't have anything else to do.

Gong Geer and David handled everything from filming locations and announcements.

Jonathan excels at tasks such as lighting and set management on film sets.

In China, lighting technicians are a very important position, often referred to as "lighting masters," and their skills are mostly passed down through generations.

Originally, it was the territory of people from Taiwan, then people from Hong Kong took over, and now it's the third wave in Henan; today, Henan's lighting masters almost monopolize the domestic film and television industry, and 85% of the lighting technicians are from Henan.

The importance of this position is such that even many directors have to curry favor with it, let alone actors.

If you offend the lighting technician, the director won't be able to shoot a good movie, and the actors might look bad on camera. After all, if the lighting is a little less, your face will look pockmarked.

It's very difficult for retouchers to enhance the image later on.

Although this position is under the cinematographer's jurisdiction, film is an art of light and shadow, and light and shadow are equal; many lighting technicians also serve as directors of photography, of course, this is the situation in China.

A skilled lighting technician is in short supply on every film crew, which is why they are treated like royalty.

Hollywood, however, is the complete opposite.

Many film schools have a lighting major, so there is no shortage of lighting technicians; but it is different for cinematographers. In foreign countries, this is an art field, so a cinematographer has many assistants, lighting technicians and apprentices.

Industries that are extremely popular in China are actually quite common in the US.

Currently, no major film and television academies in China have a dedicated lighting major, mainly because they cannot recruit enough students. It is expected that lighting courses will gradually be introduced after the film industry becomes more industrialized in a few years. This is something that they have learned from several film and television academies in Southern California and New York.

Currently, there is a shortage of lighting technicians in China, while Hollywood has an overabundance.

Therefore, it is much easier to assemble a film crew in Hollywood than in China, provided that you have someone to help you; Chen Jin's two assistant directors, plus a cinematographer, are actually more than enough.

Moreover, Gong Geer and Sun Nuo were there to help.

These people are the core team currently filming "Killer Dragon".

It's possible that this will be the same crew that Chen Jin will use in future films, just like Guo Fan did with "Love is Not Blind" and "So Young"; the people used at the beginning are definitely the ones who are easy to work with and don't make any fundamental mistakes. Many directors will change the cast.

At most, they'll change the photographer or assistant director. It's not that they're not cooperating; it's just that they might have taken on other jobs.

These positions have relatively high turnover, but other roles such as stagehands, production assistants, and casting directors generally remain unchanged.

……

"New York is much colder than back home!"

Once in the car, Wan Qian sat next to Chen Jin, rubbing her hands together. She had taken off her trench coat, and her off-white turtleneck sweater elongated her neck. It has to be admitted that female celebrities have a high level of fashion sense.

She maintains a great figure, with a prominent slender frame that is perfect for showcasing her curves.

Have you lost weight?

Chen Jin stared at Wan Qian for a moment, then asked softly.

Wu Jing was lying in the co-pilot's seat, seemingly asleep. Mainly, there's a time difference between China and the US, and a day and night on the plane must be tiring.

Wan Qian, on the other hand, seemed to be on a roll when she saw Chen Jin. Wu Jing could tell that, let alone others.

"Hehe, you figured it out?"

Wan Qian suddenly rolled up her sweater sleeves and made a wrist-bending motion, revealing very obvious muscle lines from her arm to her shoulder.

It's similar to the lines of an athlete's swing, and it's very visually appealing.

"Yes, it seems all that effort wasn't wasted!"

"nonsense!"

Wan Qian patted Chen Jin on the shoulder: "Jing Ge specially hired a female coach for me, and there's also melee combat with cold weapons and firearms... In addition, there's fitness!"

"Sign me, and you'll make a profit!"

"Want to see my abs?"

Wan Qian revealed a playful and slightly flirtatious smile, and Chen Jin nodded: "Yes, you've struck gold, a future international superstar!"

The mention of abs seemed to be deliberately ignored.

"Hahaha!"

Wan Qian couldn't help but laugh again, when Wu Jing in front of her suddenly said out of the blue, "Sister Qian is really hardworking, this is a rare opportunity!"

That's...

Wan Qian's eyes sparkled, clearly pleased.

A Hollywood blockbuster, starring Chen Jin.

Although the female lead's screen time was indeed pitifully small, she was still the female lead, so Wan Qian certainly cherished this opportunity.

For the past month or so, he has basically been spending all his time at martial arts schools and gyms. Of course, Wu Jing is doing the same thing, as he has requirements regarding firearms and combat. This second male lead is also an assassin.

"Actually, this approach is correct!"

Chen Jin suddenly said, "Besides Gong Li, who relied on her acting skills, Zhang Ziqiong and Yang Ziqiong also opened up overseas markets by virtue of their titles as female action stars!"

"Foreigners still prefer female celebrities with unique characteristics!"

"Even in Hollywood, there needs to be a foundation of action..."

"Look at Angelina Jovovich, Scarlett Johansson, and the like, they're all really good fighters!"

Wu Jing agreed with Chen Jin's words.

However, Wan Qian tilted her head and looked at Chen Jin, puzzled, and asked, "Big brother, are you overestimating me?"

Hollywood superstar?
Is this what she can currently do to stage an accident?
She was a relatively unknown actress last year, but gained some fame in mainland China after starring in "Love is Not Blind"; now, she's basically a second-tier actress in China. And now Chen Jin is talking about Hollywood and Zhang Ziyi?

What a joke! Wan Qian never even considered that possibility. His martial arts and fitness training were only for the needs of his new role in this movie.

"Let me tell you about my goal!"

"Didn't you say you'd make a profit if I signed you? Then I'm definitely going to package you internationally!"

Wan Qian's acting skills are actually quite good; she just lacks opportunities.

Many celebrities become famous by chance, by magic, or by their own willingness to go all out. Zhang Ziyi is a prime example. She possessed all three of these qualities when she was young, which allowed her to go international in her early twenties.

Her professional skills are certainly strong, but there are others in China with similar abilities.

"I never thought that far ahead!"

"After filming this one... who knows where the next one will be..."

This is indeed Wan Qian's current situation.

The main issue is that she is facing a critical period of contract termination and job switching. To put it bluntly, she is lucky to even get any roles, let alone have the right to be picky.

Chen Jin's appearance in this Hollywood film was definitely a lucky break for her.

No wonder some unscrupulous trolls on Weibo are saying that Chen Jin sexually harassed her; otherwise, how could she have had such a good opportunity?
Oh, Chen Jin's online reputation is still okay now, but there are a lot of trolls, which is completely different from the overwhelming praise she used to receive.

The Golden Horse Awards incident still had a significant impact on him.

A large number of die-hard fans have left and become indifferent.

So surprisingly, she and Wu Jing didn't discuss these things. In fact, Chen Jin knew this, but she didn't take it to heart at all. In the current public opinion environment, netizens are actually alright, but public intellectuals and big V's like to stir up all sorts of trouble.

The future belongs to netizens and self-media, and these two groups are completely different.

Chen Jin's positive output is seen as something that invites criticism by public intellectuals; in the future, he will be a "positive hero" for self-media to profit from people's blood and sweat, and he will have haters no matter what.

In comparison, Chen Jin prefers the present, because the future might be too glorious and righteous, and one day even the slightest flaw would be exposed and cause the whole thing to collapse.

For example, the popularity of "Ne Zha 2" led to a lot of people criticizing it.

Now, there will definitely be a day when things turn around; when that day comes, the cohesion of fans will be greatly strengthened.

After sending Wan Qian and Wu Jing back to their hotel to adjust to the time difference, Chen Jin returned to her hotel and continued working on "John Wick".

"Is Michael Nyquist the main villain? Okay, let's go with him!"

This is the actor who originally played the Russian mafia boss in "John Wick," and his role was similar to Wu Jing's.

Another important character, the son of a mob boss who leads to the protagonist Wick's revenge, was unexpectedly cast in a casting call by Chen Jin.

In Hollywood, casting for movies is a joint effort involving the Screen Actors Guild, talent agencies, and other stakeholders.

Chris Pratt is currently unknown in Hollywood.

Chen Jin actually took a liking to this guy at first sight.

The future Star-Lord, the male lead of Guardians of the Galaxy and the male lead of Jurassic World, will become a global sensation in a few years, becoming Hollywood's hottest star; with the Marvel and Jurassic IPs, he will leap to become one of Hollywood's highest-grossing male stars.

Right now, it's purely a bargain!

Chen Jin was practically rolling on the floor laughing.

It has to be said that Chris Pratt's success is purely due to luck.

Unlike Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio, who are classically trained actors, Cruise only graduated from high school. He spent a year at community college before dropping out to work in various jobs.

He's basically a budget version of Huang Bo from America.

At least Huang Bo eventually got into the Beijing Film Academy and got a decent job; Xingjue worked as a lawnmower, waiter, coupon salesman, and even a stripper and a homeless man!

It was while working at the restaurant that he met Australian actress Rae Dawn Chong, who would change his life.

And so, he entered the world of acting.

With a career spanning about 10 years, Chris has just begun to establish himself in Hollywood, playing some minor roles with decent screen time.

It wasn't until the year after next that he successfully auditioned for the role of Star-Lord and became a global sensation.

Actually, he first auditioned for Captain America, but unfortunately he was rejected; then he auditioned for a supporting role in Thor, but he didn't get the part either.

Just when he hadn't taken it to heart, he unexpectedly received an offer for Marvel's new project, Guardians of the Galaxy!

From nobody to Star-Lord in an instant!

This was the original title of the Hollywood Reporter when it was translated into Chinese; it's a perfect example of a loser's rise to success.

Now, Chen Jin never expected to run into this guy.

Upon closer reflection, it's all because of David Leitch and a few others.

Because they have always worked with Marvel, there is some overlap in the agencies and actors' guilds they chose, which is why they had this opportunity.

"The role of Yosef, let's go with Chris Pratt!"

Chen Jin sent confirmation emails to Chad.

Although Cruise won't be a big star next year, and won't have much of a following until Guardians of the Galaxy's release in 14, which certainly won't help the release of Killer Dragon, movies in the US are more than just box office revenue.

Streaming media also accounts for the majority.

This is also a significant source of income.

Unlike in China, where box office revenue accounts for almost all of a film's profits, in North America, box office revenue only accounts for 20% of a film's total revenue.

Previously, it was audio-visual products such as DVDs, but now it is various streaming media channels.

For example, paid video-on-demand services, which replace DVD rentals, are currently very popular in the United States; some movies have earned hundreds of millions of dollars from this alone.

Some people dislike going to the movies and are considered extreme homebodies.

Action-packed gunfight movies are the most popular genre for on-demand streaming.

John Wick originally earned nearly a small fortune in US dollars through this pay-per-view model.

Therefore, barring any unforeseen circumstances, with the addition of "Star-Lord," this area of ​​income will likely be even higher in this lifetime.

Of course, in North America, where capital reigns supreme and the entertainment industry is exceptionally rich, streaming channels offer more than just additional fees; there are subscription fees, transaction fees, monthly fees... all the way to free streaming in the end.

It's fair to say that Americans have all sorts of different ways of charging fees.

In China, iQiyi, Youku, and Tencent Video have only learned a little bit of the basics. If they really followed the foreign approach, users would complain to the three major platforms and have the content removed immediately.

North American users seem to have gotten used to this way of watching.

"Almost there, it should be able to power on now!"

Chen Jin looked at the call sheet sent by Gong Ge'er and confirmed the schedules of several lead actors; once the handover was completed, the start date for filming could be set.

The preliminary preparations have obviously been largely completed.

Chen Jin's first film as director, lead actress, screenwriter, and producer, "Killer: Dragon," has finally entered the formal filming process.

Whether they can stage a successful comeback depends on this movie!
(End of this chapter)