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

Chapter 450 I think of happy things

"Mr. Meng, this is the connecting line of the Blue Island Bay Bridge. The main paving has been completed, but it will not be officially opened to traffic until next year. If our crew needs to shoot, this is the most convenient place."

On a brand new bridge in the coastal bay area of Landao, the leader of Landao’s cultural and tourism department was introducing the filming location to Meng Bai, followed by seven or eight staff members and project managers.

Meng Bai looked around and nodded. Just as the cultural and tourism leader said, this empty bridge was indeed suitable as the filming location for "The Beginning".

As one of the trilogy of the "Backtrack Series", "The Beginning", like "Twinkle, Twinkle Star", tells stories about time travel.

Female college student Li Shiqing found in her dream that the bus she was riding exploded when it reached the cross-river bridge. She thought it was just a dream, but she did not expect to experience the exact same thing after waking up. However, she did not die after the explosion, but returned to the time when she just got on the bus and started a new round of reincarnation.

Li Shiqing repeatedly hoped to find the cause of the explosion and save everyone on the bus, and accidentally brought another passenger, Xiao Heyun, into the cycle. In the cycle again and again, the two ordinary young people experienced life and death challenges, learned the stories behind the passengers on the bus, and finally found the truth about the explosion.

Because each explosion only takes place on a cross-river bridge, most of the climaxes of the story take place on the bridge, so it was naturally necessary to find a suitable shooting location.

The crew initially chose Jiangcheng from several places. After all, the Jiangcheng Yangtze River Bridge, as a landmark building, is as representative as the Golden Gate Bridge in Hollywood.

However, an unknown flu broke out in Jiangcheng recently, and it seemed to be quite serious. In order to reduce trouble, Meng Bai asked the crew to change the filming location to Blue Island.

As a "five-star VVIP" client of Landao Tourism, the leader of the tourism department took out a distribution map of all the bridges in the city without hesitation when he heard that Arc Light Films was looking for a filming location for a new drama, and said that the bridges could be picked any one they liked.

It just so happens that there is a branch road connecting the Blue Island Bay Bridge, which has just been built but has not yet been opened to traffic, making it perfect for filming.

"This place is indeed suitable for filming." Meng Baihe and the head of the cultural and tourism department beside him said with a smile, "Thank you for troubling Director Wang. It's almost the end of the year, but you still took time out of your busy schedule to accompany us. I really feel sorry for that."

"Haha, Mr. Meng is going too far." Director Wang waved his hand and said with a smile: "To us, Mr. Meng is a family member of our Blue Island. Family members help each other, so what's the big deal?"

He was not being polite. It was hard to say about other departments of Landao, but if the cultural and tourism department were asked to select the most popular company, Arclight Pictures would definitely be number one.

It is thanks to the hit dramas produced by Arc Light every year that many crews are attracted to Blue Island to shoot, which in turn drives more audiences to check in and travel here. In the context of the frequent public opinions on Blue Island in recent years, this is a very rare positive effect.

With good publicity effects and the economic benefits brought by the filming itself, the Landao Cultural Tourism Department naturally treated Arc Light Films as a guest of honor.

For today's filming, it would have been enough to just arrange for a section chief to come. But when he heard that Meng Bai was coming, Director Wang, who was the top leader, immediately came to greet him in person.

After looking around, Meng Bai asked the staff of Arc Light to coordinate the necessary preparations with the bridge project department. He then declined Director Wang's invitation to dinner and took a bus back to the city.

"Boss, where are we going next?" Hua Yan, who was sitting in the passenger seat, turned around and asked.

"Let's go find Director Yan. We can have lunch together and talk about the recording of the program."

"it is good."

The car turned and headed east. High-rise buildings gradually appeared on both sides of the road, showing the prosperous scene of Landao, a new first-tier city.

It was rush hour at noon, and Meng Bai and his team drove for more than an hour before reaching their destination.

"Haha, Mr. Meng, welcome, welcome."

As soon as I got off the car, Li Suo, whom I hadn't seen for a long time, came over enthusiastically.

"Li, I've been in trouble recently."

"No way, our production team didn't bother us and helped us a lot, so what's the problem?"

Li said with a smile that the biggest job and difficulty for a grassroots police station like theirs, located in a busy city, is civil mediation. Many veterans, out of their own interests, know that the police station dare not do anything to them, and often choose to make trouble.

Now, as soon as they come in, there are seven or eight cameras pointed at them, and they are also told that the video will be posted online for the whole country to watch. Although ordinary citizens will use censorship and audio editing to avoid being recognized, it is still a deterrent for those who know they are in the wrong.

These days, detention lasts only fifteen days, but social death means lifelong punishment.

The two entered the office and chatted for a while, when there was a knock on the door. Then, a middle-aged man with thinning hair walked in.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Meng. I was just organizing the materials and was delayed for a while."

"It's okay, I just came to take a look. Business is more important." Meng Bai said: "Director Yan looks a lot older than the last time we met."

The man who entered the room was Yan Min, who was also the chief director of the program "Protecting Blue Mountain Shanxi".

Hearing Meng Bai's words, he smiled with emotion: "It's not that bad. It's mainly because our police station has more police incidents at night, so we stay up late more often."

“Is the material easy to choose?”

Yan Min shook his head.

Meng Bai raised his eyebrows: "Not enough?"

"It's not too little, it's too much."

Before taking over this program, Yan Min always thought that the cases that the police station could handle should be ordinary fights, thefts and petty thefts, and his biggest worry was that there would not be enough material.

What he didn't expect was that after the actual recording started, he found that his worries were completely unnecessary.

During the day, people go to work or school, and those who don't have a job are sleeping, so the market is peaceful. But at night, especially after drinking in the second half of the night, it can be said that "a crowd of stars shines".

Yan Min cited several recent cases:

A girl was not happy with her boyfriend looking at a beautiful woman passing by while driving, so she called the police to report him for drunk driving;
There were cases where the other party took the money and ran away, so I resolutely reported my own case with the spirit of "I would rather the money be fined by the state than be cheated by the scammer";

A young man was robbed after falling asleep in a KTV. The surveillance camera revealed that the thief was an uncle. He not only took his mobile phone and valuables, but also smelled his socks and shoes, and kissed him before leaving.
There was a girl who got drunk and got into a fight and was taken back by the police station. She shouted, "I am the boss of the entire Blue Island," and then she looked at her boyfriend who came to pick her up and cried, "I gave up the entire Blue Island for you"...

Yan Min looked at Meng Bai, who pursed his lips tightly, and said, "Boss Meng, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just remembered something happy." Meng Bai took a deep breath, "You continue."

"Oh, there are also people who watch the fun of catching drunk drivers but end up driving drunk themselves, people who set up honey traps but can't beat the other party and call the police for help, people who steal hardcover Ultraman cards from stores and sell them to elementary school students for profit..." Yan Min shook his head and sighed: "There are new materials every day, and they can never be used up. They can never be used up."

Li, who was standing by, said with a bit of embarrassment: "It's almost the end of the year, and many people haven't made much money all year, so they start to have crooked thoughts, so the crime rate is higher."

"It's okay, Chief Li, I understand. Our police station is responsible for this, so it's normal to have more things to do... haha!"

Meng Bai pinched his brows and suppressed his smile: "There shouldn't be only these...interesting cases, right?"

Li continued: "There are some serious and harmful cases, but many of them involve the privacy of the victims or are more malicious. We are still discussing whether it is appropriate to report them as part of the program."

Meng Bai nodded, and then instructed Yan Min: "This is indeed something that needs to be paid attention to. It is mainly necessary to confirm with the parties involved to avoid causing secondary harm to them or causing disputes later."

"Don't worry, Mr. Meng. When we record this type of case material, we will discuss it with the other party first."

Yan Min is also a veteran variety show host, so she naturally knows what the program crew needs to pay attention to.

“Also, the eliminated materials are kept and can be used as the source for future film and television adaptations.”

"What's the matter, Mr. Meng, are you planning to shoot a TV series in the future?" Li asked curiously.

"It's hard to say right now." Meng Bai said, "Let's wait and see the response after the show airs. If the audience is interested in such grassroots matters, then we can continue to prepare the film and television script."

"That's great, we'll be waiting to see."
-
After lunch, Meng Bai, Li Suo and Yan Min said goodbye and left. After driving for more than ten minutes, they stopped in front of a wedding dress shop with green plants on the door wall.

"Pharaoh!"

As soon as he got off the car, Meng Bai saw Wang Wei and others waiting at the door.

"I thought you guys would come over at noon."

"I went to see Director Yan Min's production team next door and had a meal together."

Meng Bai walked over and looked up at the bridal shop sign: "Why is this scene being filmed so late?"

"We had an appointment at a store, but there was a water leak and we couldn't use it. Plus we had to race against time at the lighthouse, so it has been delayed until now."

As the next key project of Arclight Films, the "Backtrack Series" trilogy all uses top-level configuration.

Meng Bai personally served as the producer and screenwriter, and the directors of the three projects were Wu Bai, Wang Wei and Yang Lei, who had previously collaborated on "Peace Hotel".

Among them, Wang Wei is in charge of the currently filming "Twinkle Twinkle Star". This drama is also about "traveling back in time", but it is different from the reincarnation of "The Beginning".

The heroine Lin Beixing is a "older girl" who is nearly 30 years old. She has a boyfriend whom she has loved since high school and is preparing to get married. However, as the date approaches, her fiancé suddenly breaks up with her unilaterally and cheats on her.

Sad Lin Beixing took his old phone to reminisce about the past, accidentally deleted a message, and unexpectedly returned to high school ten years ago. But he only stayed there for a short time and returned to the present.

Faced with a chance encounter, Lin Beixing turned her grief and anger into motivation, and carefully memorized the answers to the college entrance examination that year, preparing to live a new life. However, she discovered through multiple time travels that her time travel was related to a boy named Zhang Wansen in the same class, and that the boy died in an accident after the college entrance examination.

In order to find out the truth of the year and to save Zhang Wansen, whom he has a crush on and has silently helped him for many years, Lin Beixing goes back to the past again and again, hoping to change the destined cause and effect.

According to the plot, Lin Beixing's brother owed a loan shark and ran away. The gangsters who were chasing the debt wanted to kidnap Lin Beixing to force him out. Zhang Wansen silently helped Lin Beixing block the gangsters, but he slipped and fell from the lighthouse on the seaside during the chase and was buried in the sea.

This is the climax of the whole story. The pier and lighthouse on Blue Island is also a famous tourist attraction, making it the perfect filming location.

However, since it is a tourist attraction, the time available for the crew to shoot is limited. Once the date is set in advance, it is difficult to change it.

In comparison, although the scene in the bridal shop was in the previous episodes, there were no requirements for the location. So in order to grab the time for shooting the lighthouse, we waited until now to shoot.

“Have you started filming yet?”

"Not yet. Xiao Meng and the others are changing into wedding dresses."

"They?" Meng Bai was stunned. "Isn't this scene just about the heroine and her mother?"

The plot is that after the heroine Lin Beixing broke up, she was dragged by her mother to try on a wedding dress before she told her family. In the end, she couldn't hold it in any longer and broke down and said that the wedding was going to be cancelled.

According to the script, this scene should only feature Meng Ziyi and the actress who plays her mother, with at most two extras as shop assistants.

"Xiao Meng had a friend come to visit the set, so she happened to be cast as a best friend."

"Her friend?" Meng Bai's mind moved, "Is it Yang Chaoyue?"

"Hey, it's true." Wang Wei said with a smile: "It would be a waste if we don't use the traffic that comes right to our door."

As the most popular girl group idol in the past two years, Yang Chaoyue's popularity is unquestionable. Anyway, it is just a guest role with one or two appearances, with only one line in total, and no acting skills are required, so Wang Wei naturally would not miss this opportunity.

The two went up to the second floor and could vaguely hear voices from inside through the thick curtain. It was obvious that Meng Ziyi and the others were changing into their wedding dresses inside.

"How long will it take?"

"It should be soon." Wang Wei said, "It started changing when you sent me the message. It has been a while, so it should be done."

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard the sound of a door opening and a noisy female voice suddenly became louder.

The next second, the heavy closed curtain was pulled open, and the afternoon sun shone through the window, making the whole room bright.

Meng Bai narrowed his eyes, adjusted to the light, and looked up.

I saw Meng Ziyi, wearing a snow-white wedding dress, standing in the sun and walking towards me.

(End of this chapter)