Entertainment: I just want to be the boss behind the scenes

Chapter 33 Starting Ceremony

October 9th, the fifth day of the first lunar month, is a good day for traveling, opening a business, starting a foundation, or consecrating a ceremony.

"Who is going to calculate this date?"

At the entrance of the crew's set, Meng Bai looked at the gloomy weather, frowned and complained.

Wu Bai, who was standing by, was in high spirits. He said cheerfully, "I went to Lingguang Temple on Xishan Mountain and asked the abbot to calculate it for me personally."

"How did the monk predict the weather?" Meng Bai glanced at this "feudal remnant" and said, "Isn't it going to rain?"

"Isn't it good to have rain?" Wu Bai looked at Meng Bai in surprise and explained, "As the saying goes, 'water brings prosperity'. The crew even hoped for some rain during the opening ceremony. Are you still dissatisfied?"

"Really? It seems that the master still has some stuff!" Meng Bai's expression immediately changed and he said with a smile.

There's no way. When I was a screenwriter before, I hardly ever participated in the opening ceremony, so I never paid attention to these issues.

Speaking of the crew's opening ceremony, it can be traced back to the theater era.

At that time, when operas were being performed, people were coming and going on the stage and in the audience, and there were all kinds of weapons. You could never be sure that blood would be seen or people would be injured.

Therefore, before the opera troupe starts the performance, they usually offer sacrifices to three animals and worship Guan Yu, hoping to scare away evil spirits and ensure that the entire performance goes smoothly and safely.

Many industry rules and customs have also been derived from this, such as luggage boxes must be wrapped in red cloth, swords and weapons must be concealed, women cannot sit on boxes backstage, etc.

Later, the drama troupe declined and the film and television entertainment industry entered the film era.

At that time, film was not only expensive, but also flammable and easily damaged. It would easily get scratched, and the key was that the cause could not be found.

Faced with this situation, some people made up all kinds of stories. For example, if the crew occupied this land for filming, it would alarm some "spirits" on the land. If they did not hold a ceremony to inform the gods in advance, these "spirits" would get angry and destroy the film.

At that time, the crews of the dramas were full of people from all walks of life, and many of them believed in this logic. Most of the crew leaders adhered to the attitude of "better to believe it than not", and every time a new drama started filming, they would hold a ceremony to start filming.

This custom evolved and gradually became an "industry norm". If others do the same and you don't, then investors will find trouble with you if something goes wrong.

Therefore, in order to avoid being blamed for no apparent reason, many producers and directors will perform a prayer before filming begins. This way, even if something goes wrong, at least you can’t find such unconventional excuses.

As for now, the opening ceremony is more like a heritage of industry customs, and its significance is close to a "mobilization meeting". On the one hand, it allows the crew to meet each other, and on the other hand, it also allows everyone to retain a sense of awe for their profession.

However, as far as Meng Bai knows, there are still many practitioners who believe in the effect of this ceremony in "praying for blessings and warding off disasters", especially directors in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

He once heard a Taiwanese director speaking in a very "strange" Mandarin on a set, yelling at the on-site producer, "Why don't you say goodbye!"

The cause was that the cameras on site could not capture the performance.

Later, Meng Bai asked the photographer what was going on and whether it was really impossible to record it.

As a result, the guy confessed to him that the photography assistant forgot to take the card that day and was worried about being scolded, so he pretended to shoot a whole take, and then when the director wanted to watch the playback, he told him that "the picture is gone."

Very good, in line with the mental state of working people!
Although it was a "misunderstanding", it did show that many people in the film and television industry still care about the "effect" of this ceremony.

Especially when shooting films with themes such as horror and supernatural, more attention should be paid to this aspect.

Coincidentally, "Soul Ferry" is a standard supernatural theme.

So no matter whether Meng Bai believes in this stuff or not, he has to "follow public opinion."

The venue for the "Pendulum" launch ceremony was chosen on the sidewalk in front of the "convenience store".

Yesterday, there was an empty space here, but today, a booth has been set up. On the background of the booth, printed with "Good luck to the start of the filming of the Leshi.com self-made online drama "Soul Ferry"," and on both sides are the names of various creators and actors.

In front of the booth was a copper incense burner that was more than one meter tall. Meng Bai had someone specially bring this thing from the film and television city, and it would be taken back after burning incense and worshipping.

It took less than two hours to go there and back, and it cost five hundred yuan.

"Are you excited?" Yu Yi saw Meng Bai staring at the incense burner in a daze, so he came over and asked.

Meng Bai came back to his senses and said calmly, "Fortunately, starting filming is just a necessary process for producers. If anyone is really excited, I'm afraid it has to be our director."

What he said was true. Ever since he arrived at the scene this morning, Wu Bai has been in a cheerful mood, completely different from his usual serious look. But it's no wonder he was excited. The micro-films and short films he had shot over the years were either part of a series or co-produced with other directors.

This is also the first time he has directed a complete film and television project independently - although it is just a web series, it can be regarded as a turning point in his career.

At a dinner party before, Meng Bai said that this drama carries more than just his hopes. He was not saying anything false, but it was really true.

"Producer Meng, Teacher Yu, have a cup of hot coffee."

Zhang Ruoyun, who had just arrived on the set, brought a lot of coffee and asked two production managers for help to distribute a cup to each staff member on the scene.

As for himself, he took two cups of coffee and brought them to Meng Bai and Yu Yi.

"Otherwise, he has to be our male lead!" Meng Bai took the coffee and thanked Zhang Ruoyun.

"You're welcome."

It's October, but it's still a bit chilly outside in the morning. After a sip of hot coffee, I feel refreshed.

"What time is the ceremony scheduled to start?"

"Seven fifty-eight, there's still more than half an hour left. Our fifth director specially asked a master to calculate the auspicious time."

"real or fake?"

"The money has been spent, so just take it seriously and listen."

The time had not yet come, and the three of them gathered together and chatted casually.

"Oh, by the way, Lao Zhang, are you from Beijing Film Academy?" Meng Bai asked Zhang Ruoyun who was standing beside him.

"Yes." Zhang Ruoyun nodded: "Class of 07."

"Who are the people in your class? Is there anyone famous who can be invited to make a guest appearance?"

"There are some famous ones, like Chu Yuxuan."

"Uh..." Meng Bai looked embarrassed: "This is a bit too big!"

"And Jingtian."

"Aren't you going one step further?" Meng Bai was speechless. The guy had acted opposite Jackie Chan and Chow Yun-fat. How big of a face did he have to be to get him to guest-star in his small web drama.

“Isn’t there anything more down-to-earth?”

"I'm from the vocational school class, and I'm not very familiar with the undergraduates." Zhang Ruoyun thought for a moment and said, "I remember there was a girl named Kan Qingzi, who seemed to be from Rong Xinda's class."

"Oh, this is our teacher Li's colleague. Hey, speaking of teacher Li..." Meng Bai glanced around: "Is she not here yet?"

As he was speaking, he saw Li Qin running towards him from a distance.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm late." As soon as they met, Li Qin apologized to everyone.

Meng Bai looked at the time and frowned, "Why are you so late?"

The assistant at the side explained, "I'm sorry, Producer Meng, we had to add a filming activity yesterday, so we can only take the flight this morning. There was a delay."

"This won't happen again!" Meng Bai said seriously, "Are you going to let the entire crew wait for you alone?"

Li Qin was a little confused, after all, Meng Bai rarely acted so serious before. But she knew that it was her problem today, so she just said softly: "Sorry, I will pay attention."

Meng Bai knew that Li Qin didn't mean it, so he didn't say anything more. He returned to his normal tone and greeted everyone, "Let's go, the ceremony is about to begin."

　Thanks to "Bloodthirsty Nero" and "Supervision and Restraint" for their monthly tickets!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)