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

Chapter 469 Chen Jin's Opportunity!
whoosh-

Chen Jin drove the F1 Batmobile quickly through an intersection, the dust it kicked up creating a misty atmosphere around the buildings on both sides.

“Ohhhhhh~~”

Several Fast & Furious 6 crew members watching from the sidelines immediately burst into applause.

And there were those cheering.

However, this was not the filming location for the character Xiao, played by Chen Jin, but rather a simulation of several car chase scenes that Xiao was to film. Chen Jin successfully achieved the effects that the action director wanted.

"Chan, you are even more amazing than I imagined!"

Fast & Furious 6 action director Sean Andrew Vanden went up to Chen Jin as she got out of the car, and the two hugged each other tightly.

Chen Jin also checked the relevant resume of this action director in the system.

Very hard!

Black and hard.

He debuted with Marvel's "Captain America," and "Fast & Furious 6" was probably his second action blockbuster. After that, there was "The Purge," "Die Hard 5," and so on. He later shone brightly with "Game of Thrones," gaining global acclaim and being nominated for multiple Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects.

The movie "Mulan" starring Liu Yifei, with most of the special effects and action scenes created by Marvel, was produced by him and his team.

It can be said that he is one of the most authoritative figures in the world in the field of action special effects.

He was initially quite distrustful of Chen Jin's car chase scenes, as it was only his fourth day on set.

Even the most amazing artists go through a process of becoming familiar with the craft.

However, the feedback from Holden made him decide to "give Chen Jin a try"!
These were the simulated matches just now, and Chen Jin completed them all well beyond the original time.

The so-called "extra time" is determined based on the explosion times of several scenes. For example, the scene just now was one of the major scenes in "Fast & Furious 6," and it was the climax scene at the beginning that drew the audience in.

Shaw drove the Batmobile out of his heavily armed hideout, simultaneously detonating his base.

Both the script and the film are outstanding, with an incredibly strong character pressing the fuses and charging forward. In reality, however, Chen Jin had to drive a car, breaking through the explosion points one by one. If she was even slightly slow, the scene would have to be reshot, which was certainly dangerous.

Chen Jin rushed through the planned detonation points even faster than the scheduled time.

This driving skill indicates that Chen Jin has no major problems filming these scenes; as long as she performs normally, she can get it right on the first take.

Scenes requiring explosions are very costly to film in one take, so it's always best to film them all at once.

Of course, it's okay if Chen Jin can't finish; a stand-in can be used.

Now, we can save money by finding him a stand-in.

That's why Sean, the tough and action-oriented director, said what he just said.

"Andrew, are there a few more scenes we want to try out?"

Chen Jin didn't film all of them; Sean only had him simulate a few of the most difficult scenes.

"No, no, no, you passed!"

"Let's start filming your action scenes this afternoon!"

Chen Jin plays Xiao, and her role has few dialogue scenes; most of her scenes are action or car chases. The schedule is one month, and all the filming can be completed in this location.

As for dramatic scenes, they would perform a few days a month in conjunction with the main cast, playing roles that were available whenever needed.

There were only 3 or 4 scenes, which were filmed with his "subordinates," and they were filmed right there in his hideout, which is the base.

Chen Jin's role as the main villain is relatively easy.

"Then my mission is successfully completed!"

Holden also went up and hugged Chen Jin. The two had formed a friendship over the past three days. Chen Jin wanted to learn some driving skills from him, while Holden wanted to travel to China. Chen Jin introduced him to a few local tour guides.

After a while, the two became quite familiar with each other.

"Thanks, buddy!"

Chen Jin patted Huo Deng on the shoulder, and Huo Deng gave him a fist bump before driving his go-kart toward the makeshift training ground.

……

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in Los Angeles, Rachel Winter, the producer of "Dallas," angrily hung up the phone.

"Shit, bitch!!!"

Rachel slammed her phone onto the sofa, clutching her long hair with both hands and scratching it involuntarily, her whole demeanor quite agitated.

One minute ago, he received a call from his "friend" Rafael.

This is the Wall Street investor he brought in for "Dallas". Unfortunately, the other party said that the financial market has been volatile recently and the $500 million investment has been tied up in a fund. In other words, he can't come up with the funds to film "Dallas"!

That bitch! Dallas is about to start filming, and she actually withdrew her investment!

This is something Rachel cannot tolerate.

"How to do how to do?"

She paced back and forth, biting her fingernails repeatedly. She simply couldn't accept that her film, which had taken nearly 20 years to make, was going to be shelved again.

It's worth noting that the script for "Dallas" was already written in 1994.

This movie was really difficult to make.

The production process has already experienced several setbacks due to investors withdrawing their funding, and now, it's happened again.

Rachel knew perfectly well that it wasn't that Ralph was broke, nor was it that any fund was stuck with her money; she just regretted it. It must have been some bastard who tipped her off, sensing that the movie was going to lose a lot of money.

In fact, this is indeed the case.

"Dallas" was basically shelved by Universal. In 96, a small company bought the script. Universal was a little interested and bought the script at a high price, and planned to cast Brad Pitt as the lead actor. Unexpectedly, he went to act in other works.

Universal Pictures retained the copyright, but due to funding issues, filming never progressed, and the project was eventually abandoned!

Rachel came across the script last year. She was deeply moved by the script, which was based on a true story, and wanted to bring this true story to life.

She really sacrificed a lot for this.

Of course she knew about all the terrible things that had happened before this script was written. There were as many as six people to choose from for the lead role, meaning the casting process went through six rounds. She thought everything was going to be fine, but little did she expect... fate would be so similar!

That son of a bitch withdrew his investment again, just like Universal and other independent film studios have faced before.

Americans do value profit, and they are unwilling to spend a lot of money on an independent film that has no future or prospects.

Even though the film's budget has been reduced from $1500 million to $500 million.

Still, no one is willing to take over.

"500 million...500 million US dollars!"

Rachel muttered to herself for a moment, then went straight back to the sofa and picked up the phone she had thrown away.

She needs to check how much money she has left in her account, and whether mortgaging her house and using her credit cards can cover the cost of turning the phone on.

She's definitely going to make this movie!
Ten minutes later, Rachel collapsed onto the sofa, looking utterly dejected.

She was married, so of course she has a husband and children.

After deducting basic living expenses and maxing out her credit cards, she could only scrape together less than 200 million, a far cry from the 500 million US dollar investment.

It can only be turned on, and after a few days of filming, the funds will be stretched thin.

Most importantly, she hasn't even calculated the actors' salaries yet!
This is a huge expense. Although several of the selected lead actors voluntarily reduced their salaries, such as the male lead Matthew McConaughey, who is not a top-tier Hollywood star but is considered a second or third-tier star.

Their salaries start at 200-500 million. It's said that Leonardo DiCaprio landed a supporting role in his upcoming film, *The Wolf of Wall Street*, for which he'll reportedly be paid exactly 200 million!
And this is just a supporting role.

In "Dallas," he'll be playing the lead role, so his salary will definitely be much higher than that of a supporting actor.

For an art film, the minimum budget would be at least 200 million.

This is already one of his salaries after he took a pay cut.

But Rachel definitely couldn't come up with 200 million. Her idea at the time was to have Matthew McConaughey take a share of the profits to offset his salary.

The other main actors were the same.

Except for... the second male lead, Gael García Bernal!

This guy insisted on a participation fee of 80 yuan.

This famous Mexican actor is a perfect fit for the role of Raine, because he played a similar role in "Bad Education" and was even nominated for Best Actor at the British Academy Film Awards.

He was also the winner of the Best New Actor award at both Cannes and Venice.

Back then, he was a rising star in the entertainment industry, favored by countless directors. However... 10 years have passed, and although his acting skills are undeniable, he hasn't received any good roles. Otherwise, he would have become famous long ago.

Rachel is confident that if this guy really takes on the role of Ryan, he will be discovered by more people.

"Let's postpone the payment!"

"Inform the main actors..."

This matter will be exposed sooner or later. Withdrawing investment is a big deal for any film, even a low-budget film with an investment of 500 million. It won't take long for the industry to know about it.

In North America or other regions, there aren't many secrets within these circles.

Soon, Rachel dialed the phone number of Matthew, the male lead in the movie.

Matthew was clearly surprised by the withdrawal of funding, but he liked the script for "Dallas" and did not refuse to act because of the delay in his salary.

Instead, he stated that he could invest $100 million to fill this initial shortfall, while the entire salary could be converted into post-production profit sharing.

In other words, he acted for free.

"Oh my God!"

Rachel covered her mouth, honestly feeling a little touched.

She choked up a little as she said, "Matthew, thank you, thank you so much!"

"Haha, no need, good luck, Ms. Rachel! I really hope this movie can be shown on the big screen!"

Matthew McConaughey laughed heartily, while Rachel nodded with tears in her eyes: "Matthew, with your words, I will definitely find a way to make this movie, no matter the cost!"

"So, can I start preparing for this role?"

Matthew plays Ron, the protagonist of "Dallas," a terminally ill AIDS patient who obviously needs to lose weight.

To portray this role, the actor had to lose weight to achieve a sickly appearance. Not everyone can play this role well, and the actor himself made a great sacrifice.

"Of course!"

"I'm looking forward to our next meeting, but..."

"Please find a reliable nutritionist. I hope you are healthy enough to play this role!"

"OK!"

The two chatted for a while, then Rachel hung up the phone.

"Yes!"

She clenched her fist with some joy, not expecting that the financial problems that had been troubling her would be somewhat resolved with just the first phone call.

If Matthew really is willing to invest $100 million, the film's initial funding shortage will be greatly alleviated. Although... there is still a shortfall of several million, it's better than nothing.

Rachel feels lucky to have met such a dedicated and good actor.

Taking a deep breath, Rachel began making her second call.

This time, she called Gael García Bernal. His salary of 80 was paid as a 10% deposit upon signing the contract, 30% upon joining the production team, 30% after filming was halfway through, and the remaining balance upon completion of filming.

The payment will be made in four installments.

This has always been the way film salaries are paid in North America.

Of course, the profit sharing will only be received after the movie's theatrical run ends.

"Madam, 80 is already a very low salary. What do you need? Can you talk to my agent first?"

Bernal was very firm in his stance. As soon as he heard that Rachel had called to discuss her salary, he felt that there might be a problem with funding.

Never underestimate the keenness of any actor.

Generally speaking, if the production company contacts you again after the agreed-upon fee, it's highly likely that some emergency has occurred.

Given Dallas's previous impressive track record of divesting from investors, it's possible that the investors will withdraw again this time.

Bernal could have predicted this outcome.

"Garcia, I'm not calling you about the payment, but to discuss whether the 30% upfront payment can be paid a few days after we start filming!"

"I don't think there's anything wrong with your salary!"

Rachel patiently negotiated with the Mexican actor.

Unfortunately, Bernal didn't have time to listen to her nonsense: "Madam, I think you should talk to my agent about the phone call..."

"Okay, then I'll call your agent!"

Rachel looked a little dejected after hanging up the phone. She had thought this handsome Mexican guy would be like Matthew, but it turned out he was quite difficult to get along with.

It seems there's no way to avoid spending this money.

Fortunately, it wasn't a one-time payment of 80, but rather a payment of 24 upon joining the production team.

"never mind!"

Rachel didn't want to call Garcia's agent either; she would settle her payment according to the contract terms.

She can still afford the initial payment of 24 yuan.

However, in terms of funds, we've lost another sum.

"Sorry, Garcia, I'm sorry to bother you. Your payment will be based on the contract period!"

Rachel sent Bernal a message: "Even a hero can be brought down by a penny."

It's hard to imagine in Hollywood that a producer would respond to an actor in such a humble manner.

But now, Rachel has no choice but to do it.

She had to make this movie.

What she didn't know was that Bernal had already called his agent, who had to inform him of the matter immediately.

Reason told him that the Dallas project...

Finished!

It has been stood up by its investors once again!
(End of this chapter)