Abstract Art Award Winner

Zhang Yi sometimes considers personal relationships, but he still has to be selective about the projects he likes. The reason he invited Zhou Le and Zhang Yi was because he felt that both of them were very suitable for his new play.

Although the two will definitely perform in different styles due to their different appearances, it all comes down to who can perform better.

Zhang Yimou doesn't mind making minor adjustments to his script based on the actors.

After Zhou Le finished his performance, Zhang Yimou pondered for a long time.

"Zhou Le, if I ask you to act in my movie, can you turn down all your other jobs?"

Of course, this is only during filming. If there's a break due to weather or other reasons, you can still go about your business, but you can't talk about anything related to the movie?

Zhou Le thought about the script he had seen before.
"Sure, Director Zhang. Since you're here to audition, the focus should naturally be on the film."

"Okay, then it's confirmed that you'll be in this role. The specific start date is yet to be determined, but it won't start until the second half of the year at the earliest. But don't tell anyone about this yet. We'll announce it later."

Zhou Le knew that Zhang Yi didn't want Zhang Yi to overthink things, since the two had collaborated quite a bit, so he agreed.

"Okay, go ahead. I haven't worked with you before, but after seeing your live performance today, I feel that not working with you is actually a great loss for me. I hope we can have a pleasant collaboration this time."

"Haha, Director Zhang, you're too kind. I've been preparing for today all along."

After leaving the small theater, Zhang Yimou went to the hall where he had been waiting.

"How to say?"

Zhang Yi asked.

Zhou Le shook his head: "I don't know. They told me to wait for news after the performance."

"Heh, me too, but Director Zhang's thoughts are really hard to fathom. Let's see how things go later?"

"That's the only way. But doesn't Brother Yi have a dinner appointment later?"

"Of course there will be, don't worry. Director Zhang is generous and doesn't need a meal. Let's go together and mooch off him. Who cares if he gets selected or not, let's eat first."

Just then, a little boy came toward Zhou Le.

"Brother Le!"

Zhou Le looked up and saw that it was Han Haolin, with his mother standing behind him.

"Oh, it's Haolin. Are you here for an audition too?"

The person who came was the actor who played the young Fan Xian before Zhou Le's own scenes in "Joy of Life".

It had been almost half a year since we last met, and the other person looked to have grown even taller.

“Yes, Brother Le, I’m here for the audition.”

However, the other party's mother also greeted Zhou Le with a smile after seeing him.

"Hello, Teacher Zhou. I brought my child here for an audition. I don't know if he'll be selected, but after the audition, I need to visit a friend. I'd like my child to study here in the future."

Zhou Le nodded: "Indeed, the school resources here are much better, but won't you stay for lunch?"

"I might miss dinner, but I can still go tonight if you want. However, the audition is important for the child. I had an appointment with them for around 11 PM. Could I leave the child with you?"

"Okay, then leave it here with me. Sis, if you're busy, go ahead and do your thing. I'll take care of the child for you."

Zhou Le had helped take care of Han Haolin before, but that was when they were on set.

I didn't have anything else to do in the afternoon. My role had already been decided, so I could work on the script a bit more later. If necessary, I could just stay in the hotel a little longer and go out for dinner together in the evening.

"I'll leave the child to you now, thank you so much, Teacher Zhou. I'll definitely treat you to a meal later."

"It's easy to talk about."

And so, the other party left, leaving Han Haolin behind.

There were no other competitors when Han Haolin came to audition this time. As a child star, he is still very popular.

Moreover, if we're talking about actual debut time, the child debuted much earlier than me. Back in 2015, she debuted alongside Zhao Liying and Wu Qilong, and later filmed The Glory of Tang Dynasty 2.

She has acted in both TV series and movies.

Moreover, according to Han Haolin, this is not the first project he auditioned for this year.

I'm currently filming a TV series with Yang Yang and Zhao Jinmai, which will be finished in a few days. After finishing "Joy of Life", I also played a child role in the "My People, My Country" segment. After that, I continued to work with Xu Zheng on "Lost in Russia".

"We'll have to talk about this when we meet again. Although filming is important, your studies can't be neglected. Do you still have time to attend classes now?"

Han Haolin thought for a moment and said, "Brother Le, I still attend classes, but I only attended about half of the first semester last year. After that, I studied with a tutor that my mom hired while filming on set."

"Will your grades be able to keep up in this situation?"

"I think it was pretty good. I even ranked 12th in the class in that exam."

"It's good if you can keep up. Let me tell you, although the purpose of learning is to work in the future, you still need to lay a solid foundation. In this industry, having education and not having education are completely different. Your knowledge will determine how far you can go in the future."

"I understand, Brother Le. I'll tell my mom when I get back."

However, the role Han Haolin auditioned for was his own son in the movie, which meant that the two could continue to work together. However, Zhang Yi was still sitting next to him, and Zhou Le did not mention himself separately.

"Haha, Han Haolin, right? According to the script, you play the son of our characters in the play."

Han Haolin raised his face upon hearing this: "Then wouldn't I have two more dads? But it feels strange, aren't we all supposed to have one dad and one mom?"

"Ah, this kid knows quite a lot. Only one of us can perform, but no matter who it is, you have to act well, understand?"

Zhang Yi said with a smile.

In fact, he had a premonition that he might not be able to compete with Zhou Le in this role. Although he was certainly not inferior in terms of seniority and acting skills, as he himself said before, who could guess what Zhang Yi was thinking?
Not long after, Han Haolin went in for his audition, but came out after about five minutes.

Then came other people, all sorts of people went in, and they all came out within a few minutes.

After all the auditions were completed, those who weren't very famous or had lower status tactfully left first. The remaining ten or so people were people the assistant director had told to wait a while before going out to dinner together.

In Zhou Le's car, besides the three of them, there was also Lei Jiayin.

Because Lei Jiayin was the strongest, she sat in the passenger seat.

"Why am I sitting here? Le'er is clearly the tallest and strongest."

"Really? You look the fattest to me. Le'er has a well-proportioned figure, okay? Just sit quietly in the front. It's not good to sit alone. Why do you have to squeeze in with us?"

"Okay, okay, it doesn't matter where we sit. But have you heard? There's a movie project that's about to be approved. It's about the pandemic, but it's just rumors right now. Anyway, I'm planning to go and give it a try. Do you guys have any ideas?"

Zhou Le smiled and said, "If there's a real opportunity, I'll definitely go. But these kinds of projects are usually by invitation only, right? I'd like to go, but I don't know how."

"Don't worry, with your current fame, status, and acting skills, they will definitely invite you, and the same goes for Teacher Zhang Yi."

They chatted about the latest developments in the industry until they arrived at the restaurant.

Liu Haocun was also there for dinner; Zhou Le had seen him during the audition. It must be said, Liu Haocun has had excellent resources since his debut.

But as before, Zhou Le didn't have much contact with the other party. He just chatted politely for a while and then went to talk to other people.

In the afternoon, Zhou Le took Han Haolin back to the hotel.

"It's not that I don't want to take you out, it's just that it's inconvenient because everything is locked down right now. Besides, you're still young, and if you get positive, I won't be able to explain it to your mother. Let's just stay in the hotel for a while."

Han Haolin didn't care, but after sitting for a while, he suddenly took out his phone and asked Zhou Le if he wanted to play King of Glory.

"You can play this?"

"Yeah, all my classmates play it. Sometimes we play PUBG, but we play Honor of Kings more often. Let's play three games, and then I can do my homework, okay?"

"So self-disciplined."

"Of course, my mom always tells me that you are a very good student and that I should learn from you. So now I'm used to it. Even when I play, I only play for a little while before I have to study."

Zhou Le thought it was perfect.

While the children were studying, Zhou Le could also work on the script. He had already pieced together a story based on what his informant and others in northern Myanmar had told him.

It needs further adjustments.

So even long after the game was over, he was still sitting there holding his phone, trying to figure out how to make it even better.

While revising the script, they were also thinking about who could play these roles.

But it's probably not going to be filmed this year; it'll have to wait until next year at the earliest. And the subject matter is very sensitive, so we'll have to find someone with influence to be the producer.

After much deliberation, Zhou Le finally thought of Han Jianu.

Han Jianu is now making movies herself and also working as a producer.

It would be most suitable for Han Jianu to be her own producer.

This way, it will be easier to pass the censorship, and it will also allow us to invest in another film for them, as a way of expressing our gratitude.

But it's a bit too early to make contact now; we should wait until we've roughly assembled our team before doing so.

First, identify a few key characters. Later, when recruiting Han Jianu, if she has suitable candidates to recommend, they can be assigned to other positions.

As Zhou Le was writing, he suddenly felt that Yi Yangqianxi seemed quite suitable for the male lead role.

Thinking of this, Zhou Le immediately made a phone call to the other party.

"Hey, Millennium, what have you been up to lately?"

Yi Yangqianxi: "."

"Brother Le, is something the matter? Didn't we just see each other a while ago?"

"Haha, there is something going on. Here's the situation: I'm currently preparing a movie, but it probably won't start filming until next year. You know about northern Myanmar, right?"

"Is it about that area?"

"Yes, the subject matter is about that area, and I'd like to cast you as the male lead. Of course, the script is almost finished, but it still needs some minor adjustments."

I can send it to you for a look once it's finished. Right now, all I can tell you is that your role is very important, and it includes action scenes; it starts and ends with your shot.

When Yi Yangqianxi heard that there were action scenes and that he was the lead actor, he figured he must be an undercover agent, infiltrating the area to rescue people.

"But Brother Lok, I don't want to play those overly virtuous and righteous characters. It would be better if they were more complex and profound."

"Yes, your character is too complex and profound. The image is definitely not the kind that is perfect and righteous. You have to go into a fraud den, so the image has to be associated with that place."

"Okay, that sounds pretty good. When is it next year? I'll schedule it in advance."

"It will probably be around April next year, because we can't really go abroad to film this. We'll definitely have to go to Yunnan. I'm thinking that we can wear short sleeves to film then."

This way, some of the victim's injuries can be exposed, making the scene more visually impactful.

"April? How long will the filming take?"

"It will probably take three or four months to film. As you know, I value filming efficiency as an actor, and it's the same as directing. I also need to be on set myself, and I definitely have other plans for next year, so it's impossible to film for too long."

“Okay, I’ll film this movie. It seems like there haven’t been any movies like this in China yet. Although there are similar films, we haven’t really had any experience with northern Myanmar.”

"Okay, I'll send you the script after I finish writing it. If you think it's good, we can sign the contract."

"Okay, but Brother Le, what about the pay?"

"As for the fee, it depends on your situation. How much do you usually ask for?"

"Brother Le, since we have a good relationship, I'm telling you directly. For other people, my agent usually handles the negotiations. This is our first time working together, so how about a discount? I'll ask for less."

"It's better to take less. Don't worry, I'll definitely help you apply for awards when they come up, after all, you're the male lead."

"haha ok."

After contacting Yi Yangqianxi, Zhou Le thought for a moment and then called Meng Ziyi.

"Hey, what's up, Le-ge? Why did you suddenly think of me? Were you bored over there?"

Meng Ziyi also knew that Zhou Le was currently auditioning in Beijing.

"No, that's not it. Do you think I'm that kind of person?"

I think you are.

As always, Sister Meng was quick to sabotage things, showing no mercy whatsoever.

"Okay, let's not talk about that anymore. You know, I'm currently working on a script and I'd like you to play the lead role. It's a very sexy character. Do you remember the sexy female dealer we talked about last time? You're here to play that sexy female dealer."

"What? She can really play a sexy female dealer? I'm in!"

"Sister Meng is so straightforward, let's settle this then."

"Okay, anyway, you're my boss, you definitely won't cheat me. You have to keep your word and make me look sexy."

"Don't worry, it's not just your character that's sexy, but also the passionate scenes with me."

"Really? Is it the real thing?"

"What are you thinking? How could we actually do it in the movie? I'm not making any R-rated films. Even if it were R-rated, it would be restricted in other ways."

"That's fine too. I've never done a passionate scene before, so please be gentle with me, Brother Le."

Zhou Le laughed: "Gentle? That's impossible." (End of Chapter)