How can you ascend to heaven when you are a star?

Chapter 480 Don't panic, stay calm!
In early March, as the entrance exams for major art colleges came to an end, art students began to leave one after another and return to their hometowns to wait for the results of the final exams in early May. At the same time, they devoted themselves to studying academic subjects. After all, no matter how good the art exam results are, if the academic scores are not up to standard, they will not be able to enter their desired university.

After being busy for more than half a month, Zhang Wen finally turned her attention back to the art exam and started working normally again.

Good morning, Teacher Zhang!

Good morning, Director Zhang!

As soon as Zhang Wengang entered the training department, his colleagues greeted him warmly, their eyes filled with respect and even admiration.

A master teacher's skill is immediately apparent.

As expected of an authority in the training industry, with just a slight move, he dimmed the brilliance of the entire art exam training sector.

No, it plunged the entire art exam training industry into darkness.

This ability and these methods are not something everyone possesses.

In short, it can be summed up in two words: awesome!
"Director Zhang, how many students from Xingxiang will pass the final exams for Beijing Film Academy and Huaxi Academy this year?"

"I heard there were nine last year, will there be more this year?"

Everyone asked curiously.

“Twenty or thirty is no problem,” Zhang Wen said after hearing this. “However, it’s unclear how many will ultimately be admitted. Let’s be conservative and say 15.”

"what?!"

"Brilliant!"

Exclamations erupted throughout the office area.

This wasn't flattery, but genuine shock.

It's worth noting that even large art exam training institutions like Jia Hua and Xin Ling only need three or four students to get into Beijing Film Academy and Huaxi Academy each year, which is enough for them to promote for a whole year.

15?
If you add the top five art exam training institutions together, that's about the number.

"Basic stuff, don't be silly." Zhang Wen waved his hand and then calmly walked towards his office.

To be honest, ever since I went back to my hometown and learned from the local earth gods and goddesses that he himself was the reincarnation of the God of Literature, I have started to regret only accepting 30 members for the special training class.

In his view, 30 is far from enough to shock the entire Chinese art exam circle.

To collect more offerings, you must recruit more students.

How can we convince art students and their parents to choose Xingxiang without wavering?

Results are undoubtedly the best advertisement.

This is the main reason why he has recently been promoting the art exam results of Xingxiang students.

The bigger the commotion, the more people will know about it, and the more people will choose Xingxiang.

He never cared about Jia Hua or Xin Ling; they were all just stepping stones for him.

Zhang Wen walked into the office, and before he could even sit down, his cell phone rang.

He glanced at the screen and saw that it was the number of Deputy General Manager Chen Mingyuan, so he immediately answered the call.

"Mr. Chen, is it urgent that you're calling so early?" Zhang Wen asked.

He glanced at the clock on the wall; it was 8:23, and there were still 7 minutes until it was time to start work.

"Director Zhang, Liu Haiyang's project will start filming in a few days. We haven't prepared anything except for the crew members. Do you think I should be anxious?" Chen Mingyuan's anxious voice came through the microphone.

Zhang Wen was slightly taken aback.

If he remembered correctly, Liu Haiyang only finalized the script before the Spring Festival, and less than half a month after the Spring Festival holiday, the other party was about to start filming. That's too fast.

"Has he found the actors and director yet?" Zhang Wen asked curiously.

Even if you find good actors and directors, don't they need time to read the script? Don't they need time to analyze the plot and the characters?

This can't be done in just half a month.

Many actors even go so far as to experience life in order to portray their characters well.

Before filming "Perfect Days", didn't Bai Lu spend a long time in a special education school?

“The director and actors are all artists signed with the company. I heard that Liu Haiyang sent the script to the director and actors before the Spring Festival. These people were not idle during the Spring Festival. Liu Haiyang gave them a strict order, giving them only one month to read the script. Filming will start after one month. Counting the days, there are less than ten days left,” Chen Mingyuan explained.

"..."

Zhang Wen was speechless after hearing this, feeling that Liu Haiyang was going crazy, absolutely crazy.

Before filming begins, the director and actors generally need to be given ample time to prepare, so that they can achieve twice the result with half the effort when filming starts.

This is not something to rush.

“President Chen, let’s not let President Liu distract us. He’s panicked, that’s why he’s rushing to produce results. We must stay calm. As the old saying goes, slow and steady wins the race. I don’t believe that a TV series he rushed out can be a huge hit!” Zhang Wen said slowly and deliberately.

To be honest, he was anxious too.

He wished he could turn all the scripts he had into films and television series.

Is this something urgent?

The competition between the two sides now is about whose drama is better, not who can film the drama faster. If they lose their composure because of this, how can they fight the battles to come?
After hearing this, Chen Mingyuan's anxiety eased considerably.

That seems to make sense.

“Now that you mention it, I’ve calmed down. Just now, Liu Haiyang’s people were posting ‘the countdown to the production’ on their WeChat Moments.’ It made me anxious. I felt like we’d lose if we were a step behind. But now that I think about it, maybe he’s rushing things because he’s afraid our show will air first and steal his thunder,” Chen Mingyuan said.

Zhang Wen walked to the window, looked at the scenery outside, and said with a faint smile, "That's right, he's racing against time. On the surface, it seems efficient, but he's actually gambling. He's gambling that the audience won't care about the details, and that the actors can perform exceptionally well. But the details are the most unfathomable thing in TV dramas. The audience isn't stupid. They've been spoiled. They can tell at a glance whether something is rough or not."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, then Chen Mingyuan's voice came through, "Okay, I'll listen to you. What do we do next?"

“You stay put here. I’ll go talk to Director Han Xiaohua about the script and the actors, and try to start filming in May. No matter what happens with President Liu, we have to stay calm. Whoever panics will lose,” Zhang Wen said.

Chen Mingyuan felt that starting filming in May was a bit late, but after thinking about it for a while, he decided to trust Zhang Wen.

Isn’t there a saying like that?
Don't use people with suspicion, don't use people who are suspicious.

Since you've chosen to cooperate with them, you should trust them without reservation. If you question them today and tomorrow, the two sides will probably part ways before the cooperation even begins.

Although he is the deputy general manager, he is still a newcomer in the company. If he wants to establish his authority, gain more power, and win the recognition of his employees, cooperating with Zhang Wen is undoubtedly the best choice.

"Okay, you go ahead with your work, I won't bother you anymore," Chen Mingyuan said. He had also climbed his way up from the bottom, and knew that saying too much at this point would only annoy people, so he didn't linger and ended the call directly.

Zhang Wen looked at the phone that had just been hung up, shook his head with a wry smile.

This person really can't keep their composure.

He put his phone in his pocket, filled his thermos with water, and then calmly left the office, heading towards the practice room.

As the deputy director in charge of trainee training, he had to make a round of the various practice rooms to let everyone know he was there, so that no one would say anything when he left the company.

Of course, he didn't care.

Passing by practice room number 9, the incense was still burning brightly, with trainees lining up to offer incense.

Looking at the trainees who were holding incense and chanting, and then at his own portrait on the wall, Zhang Wen felt a strange sensation.

so awkward!
If it were before the Lunar New Year, he would definitely have gone in to burn 99 incense sticks, but now, he doesn't even want to go in.

Burning incense for yourself always feels a bit strange.

He quickly made a quick trip around the various practice rooms to make his presence known, then left the company and drove to director Han Xiaohua's studio.

"Teacher Zhang, you're here!" The pretty receptionist greeted Zhang Wen warmly.

"Yes, is Director Han here? I have an appointment with him," Zhang Wen said.

"Yes, Director Han is in his office. He told me that you can go see him anytime you come," the receptionist said.

Zhang Wen nodded and turned to walk towards Director Han Xiaohua's office.

"Dang Dang Dang!"

"Come in."

Upon hearing the sound, Zhang Wen pushed open the glass door, and a faint aroma of tea wafted out.

Han Xiaohua was sitting behind his desk looking at the script in his hand. The pages were covered with annotations. Zhang Wen glanced at the contents and realized it was the script for the new drama "Youth Glory" that he had given to Han Xiaohua before the New Year.

"Director Han, are you busy?" Zhang Wen asked softly.

Han Xiaohua looked up and saw that the person who came was Zhang Wen. He immediately stood up with a smile and said, "Brother Zhang, I've been waiting for you. I've read this script five times. The more I read it, the more interesting it becomes. I'm just waiting to have a heart-to-heart talk with you."

"I'm relieved that I've caught Director Han's eye," Zhang Wen said with a smile.

Han Xiaohua pulled Zhang Wen to sit on the sofa, pointed at the script, and said excitedly, "I'm so grateful that you thought of me first when you were filming. You should definitely show me your scripts first in the future."

"Director Han, since you've watched it so many times, you must have a very deep understanding of the characters. Do you have any actors you think would be suitable for the roles? I'd like to contact them in advance." Zhang Wen got straight to the point.

Han Xiaohua immediately pulled out a piece of paper from the last page of the script. It was already filled with names. The first row was the characters in the story, and the next row was the actors' names, just like the cast list that appears after a TV series ends.

"The female lead is definitely Bai Lu, no question. I think Shen Sitong is more suitable for the second female lead. I don't know if you've seen her performance in 'In the Name of Love' last year. She portrayed the resilience of working hard to live a good life. Moreover, her appearance is very down-to-earth. She's not the stunning type, but she's pleasing to the eye and has a lot of audience appeal."

After Han Xiaohua finished speaking, she deliberately took a tablet computer from her desk, went online to find photos of Shen Sitong, and her look in the drama "In the Name of Love".

Zhang Wen glanced at it and nodded in approval.

That's why they say the other party is a famous director; the person they chose was indeed excellent.

Last year, when filming "Perfect Days", most of the actors could only be chosen from the artists signed by Tianxi Media, which seriously lowered Han Xiaohua's requirements for the characters in the drama. This time, without the interference of Tianxi Media, the other party was finally able to choose the actors freely.

"I think the actress you recommended before, Du Wenjuan, is more suitable for the third female lead, Hu Lin. Although she is a newcomer, her performance in filming 'Perfect Days' really doesn't show that she is a newcomer," Han Xiaohua continued.

Zhang Wen turned to look at Director Han, who recommended Du Wenjuan. While acting skills are important, there must also be an element of interpersonal relationships involved.

Others may not know, but the other party is very clear that Du Wenjuan is an artist he has signed. As the old saying goes, "Even if you don't respect the monk, you should respect the Buddha."

He's not only a screenwriter, but also an investor—in other words, a big spender. How could I not give him face?

"I chose Chen Fanyu for the male lead. I worked with him a few years ago. He comes from a musical theater background, and his physical performance and lines are all up to par. He was a bit inexperienced back then, but after these years of learning and training, his acting skills have matured and he will definitely not disappoint you."

Zhang Wen had some impression of Chen Fanyu. He met a junior high school student when he was a tutor in college. The student was particularly fond of Chen Fanyu and even had a picture of Chen Fanyu pasted on his bedside.

According to the other party, Chen Fanyu's performance was very nuanced, especially his eye acting, which conveyed the character's inner changes.

I never expected that I would be able to cooperate with Chen Fanyu a few years later. Life is truly unpredictable.

Han Xiaohua was very well prepared, listing more than a dozen actors for the main roles, and even making second choices in case the actors were unavailable, which made Zhang Wen admire her professionalism.

Before long, the two finalized the lead roles, leaving the minor supporting roles to the assistant director.

As the old saying goes, "A year's plan starts in spring."

By March, many film and television projects had started production.

To prevent her favorite actors from being snatched up by other production teams, Han Xiaohua immediately called the artists themselves.

No phone?
It's ok.

As a renowned director, he has extensive connections within the industry; with a little inquiry, he can easily obtain the artists' phone numbers.

When the artists received the call from renowned director Han Xiaohua, they were incredibly excited. Everyone knows that Director Han is a leader in the field of urban youth dramas.
Even minor characters like the third, fourth, or fifth in Director Han's dramas can become huge hits.

Therefore, even without seeing the script, these artists readily agreed, because they knew very well that a script approved by Director Han would definitely not be bad.

Just follow Director Han's lead.

While Han Xiaohua was contacting the artists, Zhang Wen was also busy. He directly contacted Du Wenjuan and told her about Director Han's decision.

Du Wenjuan never expected that director Han Xiaohua would still think of her after the filming of "Perfect Days" ended. Needless to say, she agreed without hesitation.

Of course, she didn't forget to thank her boss.

There's a saying, "When you drink water, don't forget the well-digger."

For her, Zhang Wen was not only her boss and agent, but also the one who dug the well.

Before noon, the actors for all the main roles had been finalized.

Next, Zhang Wen treated director Han Xiaohua to lunch outside, and then returned to the studio to begin discussing the script.

……

(End of this chapter)