Unboxing, Director!

Chapter 132 Filming Completed, Construction and Demolition

In early September, the crew of the film "Lobster" in Dalian.

Today is the last day of filming.

The filming, which was originally planned for three to four weeks, has been delayed until now due to Lu Jiang's busy schedule.

However, this is great news for the crew members behind the scenes, especially the extras.

For example, Baoqiang.

During a break from work, Baoqiang looked at Lu Jiang in the distance and fell into thought.

I've been working with the group for six weeks now. My original plan was to earn 1200 in three weeks, but I've actually earned more than double that.

Two thousand yuan is equivalent to three or four months' income in the past, which is the richest moment since I started working in Beijing!
Baoqiang was very happy. With this money, he could relax for the rest of the year and keep at least half of it by the Chinese New Year, which would allow him to have a prosperous New Year.

However, compared to money, Baoqiang is actually more concerned about his future development.

During this assignment, he worked diligently and proactively, earning praise from Lu Jiang on multiple occasions.

Now that the project is about to wrap up, will Lu Jiang keep him on?
If I could stay at Dawn Company, at the very least I would have a stable job, which would be much better than drifting around doing odd jobs and aimlessly bumping into film crews looking for opportunities.

In the past, Baoqiang wouldn't have had such a strong desire to work for a big company as a white-collar worker.

But everything is subject to the saying, "It's hard to go from extravagance to frugality."

During this experience working on the team, he witnessed the benefits of stable employment.

We also gained a deeper understanding of Dawn Films.

I also learned a lot about Lu Jiang's character.

So he felt that if he could really stay here, that would be a really, really good thing.

He believed that as long as he became a full-time employee and worked hard, he would definitely have opportunities to act in the company's productions in the future!

But the question is, would Lu Jiang really be interested in me?

Baoqiang looked around at the official employees of Dawn Company and felt more and more that he had been taking things for granted.

These people are all top students, studying management, lighting, and fine arts.
And look at the actors, they're both handsome and beautiful.

As for him, he only has a primary school education, he's not even an adult, and he's also ugly.

However, even so, Baoqiang has been working hard in Beijing for almost two years, and his personality is not as simple as it seems on the surface.

He can be very bold when he needs to be.

His intuition told him that Lu Jiang really thought highly of him, and not just in an ordinary way.

So today, Baoqiang decided to be bold again.

So he kept a close eye on Lu Jiang's situation, waiting for the right opportunity.

Soon, the opportunity arrived.

After filming a scene, Lu Jiang sat down to rest, and Bao Qiang immediately went up to him.

"Road guide!"

"Oh, Baoqiang, what's up?"

Lu Jiang's expression was very natural.

But in reality, he already knew what this kid was up to.

Because the new treasure chest on Baoqiang's head has been hanging there conspicuously for many days.

Blue Treasure Chest:

Wang Baoqiang wants to stay at the host company and become a full-time employee.

【Exceeding the requirements, the treasure chest can be upgraded】

Baoqiang, you're so daring, you could be a little more adventurous.

Just having full-time employees isn't enough.
You're a cash cow!

Do you think I could bury you?

Lu Jiang had originally planned to talk to him after filming wrapped up today.

As a result, he couldn't hold back anymore.

That's perfect, saves me the trouble.

"Director Lu, what are the hiring requirements for your company?"

At this moment, Baoqiang spoke up.

Lu Jiang turned his head to look at him: "You want to join my company?"

"Correct!"

Are you asking whether you're hiring employees or actors?

Upon hearing this, Baoqiang immediately understood the meaning behind the words.

Lu Jiang did have high hopes for himself, though he didn't know why.

But he was certain that Lu Jiang meant it that way.

Otherwise, why would they ask whether it's an employee or an actor?
Baoqiang's heart pounded, and he immediately declared, "Actor! I want to be an actor! My dream is to be an actor!"

In short, the treasure chest above Baoqiang's head turned golden; [Wang Baoqiang wants to sign an acting contract with the host, officially embarking on the path to his dream]

"!!!"

Lu Jiang was somewhat taken aback.

Originally, he just wanted to tease Wang Baoqiang to see if he could upgrade to purple.

The result was that a golden treasure chest was blown up!

It was a bit sudden.

However, Lu Jiang quickly calmed down and patted Baoqiang on the shoulder, saying, "Being an actor is not an easy thing."

"I can learn it, Director Lu, I can learn it very quickly!"

The Xingtai accent even showed.

Look at those bright, sparkling eyes and those two rows of white teeth.

Lu Jiang laughed and said, "Okay, let's see how you do next."

Lu Jiang did not immediately agree to sign an actor contract.

It needs further refinement.

Otherwise, if it came too easily, it would have turned into the Ning Hao we know today.

He's always thinking about pimping for himself, he has no ambition.

A perfectly promising director, but he's been focusing on lowbrow stuff.

We must find a chance to teach him a lesson he won't forget!

"Okay, guide!"

"Call me brother!"

"Okay big brother!"

From then on, Baoqiang became Lu Jiang's assistant, and his two rows of bright white teeth became even more dazzling.

"Listen up, everyone. This is the last match. Put in a little more effort. It doesn't matter if the movements look good or not. What matters is being fully immersed and absorbed in the moment. Got it? Come on, get ready!"

With Lu Jiang giving the order, the crew prepared to film.

Filming then began, and the actors, each wearing headphones, gathered in a forest at dusk and danced alone.

This scene depicts the celebration segment after the "single people" successfully rebelled in the film.

Each person's dance, or rather, each person's movements, are different, and they are all very engaged, without making a sound.

The whole scene looked bizarre, strange, and funny.

Baoqiang and the other crew members watching this scene, even though they were already used to the "weirdness" of the film, still couldn't help but laugh.

To this day, no one really understands what this film is about.

The whole process is just "blind date matching", eating, then "blind date matching" again, then suddenly killing someone and escaping into the big forest, then killing someone again, and now they're celebrating their victory.

The plot is so complex that it's impossible to guess what kind of story it is. Yet, Mr. Situ Zhaodun took this film very seriously.

So this is probably going to be a really great movie?
The world of artists is truly difficult to understand.

Half a minute later, assistant director Ning Hao yelled "Cut!"

Everyone stopped dancing, and Lu Jiang returned to the monitor to watch it over before announcing: Filming wrapped!
Everyone cheered, and then quickly packed up their stall.

After finishing, we went straight to the wrap party.

There was no wrap-up press conference.

Only a few reporters were present to conduct brief interviews and take notes.

Because Lu Jiang had to catch his flight.

Also traveling with them were Fan Binbin and Dong Xuan. The three of them, along with six assistants and bodyguards, took a plane directly to Sichuan that night.

The following day, news of Lu Jiang's directorial debut wrapping up filming also spread within the industry.

However, because few media outlets were invited when filming wrapped up, and the debut film didn't seem to be a big deal.

After deducting actor salaries, the cost was less than two million, and filming was completed after six weeks of intermittent shooting.

No matter how you look at it, you can't see many exciting points.

Especially compared to the current major works, it is like a tiny ant against an elephant.

Currently, there are two big-budget films in the film industry: "Hero" with a budget of 30 million US dollars and "Warriors of Heaven and Earth" with a budget of 100 million RMB.

With these two in the cast, all other movies are inferior, unless they win a major award right now.

Of course, some people are also focusing on the film's chances of winning awards, wondering if Lu Jiang will make new achievements after the short film.

However, due to the limited media coverage, there was not much discussion within the industry.

Meanwhile, Lu Jiang became very popular because of two idol dramas, and his "director" label has indeed faded a lot now.

Right now, only Lu Jiang's fans might be concerned about whether the film can win awards; the rest are just glanced at and moved on, hardly worthy of attention.

Instead, Lu Jiang's subsequent groundbreaking ceremony for a Hope Primary School attracted a lot of attention.

On the 4th, Lu Jiang, Fan Binbin, Dong Xuan, and Qiao Zhenyu, who arrived today, joined Lu Jiang, who had arrived the day before yesterday, to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for Lu Jiang's 9th Hope Primary School.

The same goal as the creators of "Meteor Garden" last time.

This time, I also had ulterior motives; my aim was to maintain my good image and quell public opinion.

Full House didn't make as much money as Meteor Garden, but it was still very profitable.

Because it's adapted from a Korean comic, there's been more negative news about it these days.

There are many people who are envious of you, but you can't single them out and challenge them to a solo fight. Just like the rumor that "Lu Jiang is acting in idol dramas, what's he doing getting involved in this?", Lu Jiang still hasn't been able to find out who did it.

It's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but it's truly difficult to guard against an arrow in the dark, and guarding against thieves for a thousand days is indeed exhausting.

Therefore, all we can do is continuously build up our own competitive advantage.

Of course, the main reason for doing this is still to prevent future disasters.

Therefore, Lu Jiang can be said to have a clear conscience.

After the groundbreaking ceremony, Lu Jiang and others went with Lao Lu to the No. 001 Hope Primary School, which was more than ten kilometers away, to attend the opening ceremony.

Building 001 was completed at the beginning of the year and officially put into use a few days ago, housing about three hundred small potatoes.

Upon arriving at the scene, Lao Lu became the affectionate "Principal Lu," while the original Principal Lu, Lu Jiang, remained.

In the eyes of the little potatoes, these were all mascots invited by the all-powerful Principal Lu.
Lu Jiang wasn't jealous at all.

After all, Lao Lu truly deserves the greatest credit.

Since the construction of Hope Primary School No. 002 began, Lao Lu has focused his attention on helping his son oversee the school's construction.

These days he's been frequently traveling to Sichuan and Chongqing. His eagerness is so great that if it weren't for the bodyguards accompanying him and reporting on his whereabouts at all times, Lu Jiang would have thought he'd found a wife there.

After Lao Lu focused his attention on these matters, his identity as an angel investor seemed to have been tarnished, and he hadn't been looking for new projects for quite some time.

But this is fine too. For now, the Lu family has invested in Tencent and bought shares of Moutai and NetEase, which is basically enough.

The remaining projects will be handled by the professionals at Qidian Venture Capital, so there's basically no need for Lao Lu's keen eye.

Moreover, with him keeping an eye on things at the school, Lu Jiang could rest assured.

However, just as he was thinking about this, after the opening ceremony, Lao Lu turned around and said to him, "Son, what do you think about our family setting up a film and television base around Beijing?"

"Where did you come up with this idea?" Lu Jiang's eyebrows immediately became uneven.

"You work in this field, why would you need to think about something so relevant to your expertise?"

Old Lu had a completely matter-of-fact look on his face, and then he started talking about his plans.

Currently, film and television companies in Beijing mostly shoot period dramas at the Xingmei Film and Television Base in Huairou District of Beijing and the Zhuozhou Film and Television City in Hebei Province.

The main advantage is its proximity to the company, which makes it convenient and also facilitates networking.

For a very few special scenes, we'll go to Hengdian and Jiangsu to film.

However, overall, the number of film and television bases is insufficient to meet the growing demand from film crews.

For example, Hengdian is currently undergoing a massive expansion, otherwise it really wouldn't be able to accommodate so many film crews.

Therefore, the current situation is one of supply falling short of demand.

Therefore, Lao Lu felt that investing in and building a film and television base belonging to Dawn on the outskirts of Beijing was a very promising venture.

It not only meets the needs of filming, but the actual location can also be used for tourism development, supporting local economic and tourism development and employment, which is beneficial to the official corporate positioning of the company in Beijing.

“These things take up a lot of space, so even if they can’t make a profit, they can still occupy land. Just by doing film and television, the land in and around Beijing will always be valuable.”

"We shouldn't get involved in real estate or anything like that, but the film and television industry + tourism + cultural industry is healthy, positive, and in line with future trends. Son, what do you think?"

Lu Jiang looked at his father as if he were looking at a monster: "Dad, have you been possessed?"

"What are you talking about? Dad's studying too, you know!"

Lu Jiang gave a thumbs up: "I'll learn from you!"

"Stop talking nonsense, tell me what you think of this idea?"

Lu Jiang had actually thought about this.

And there's one more.

That means adding a high-tech photography studio to the existing film and television city.

The game provides a lot of special effects technology and has money to spare. While it may not be possible to create a world-class special effects film in a short time, creating a top-tier domestic film is definitely not a problem.

The high-tech film studio can be used internally or taken on external projects, providing services to the entire film and television industry.

Of course, the most crucial element is still the land.

Old Lu is right. Land in and around Beijing will always be valuable, no matter when.

So this is definitely something that can be done.

"I think it's a good idea." Lu Jiang nodded. "Let's discuss it properly later."

"That's natural."

After spending a day in Sichuan and Chongqing, the group flew back to the capital that evening.

After landing, the group went their separate ways. It wasn't until midnight that Lu Jiang met up with Fan Binbin at Fan Binbin's small rented apartment where they had started.

The reason I came here was not only to avoid the paparazzi, but also to leave a memento.

Unfortunately, one-third of the Lu family's properties in Beijing are slated for demolition, including the one Fan Binbin initially rented, which is scheduled to be demolished before the end of the year.

This place witnessed Fan Binbin's low points during his time as a struggling artist in Beijing, and it was also the filming location for "Fairy Tale," carrying many fond memories for the two of them—that's what Fan Binbin said.

Lu Jiang felt only "humiliation": "Back then, you wouldn't even act in a kissing scene with me, and you looked down on me the whole time! Do you know how much psychological damage that caused me when I was so young?"

“I wasn’t even 17 back then. If I had agreed right away, you would have labeled me a slut! We wouldn’t be together now!”

"But you're quite promiscuous now."

Lu Jiang grasped Fan Binbin's hand, stopping her from making those small movements.

But Fan Binbin was already in high spirits, and with a mischievous grin, she transformed into the stern "Hat Sister": "Don't move, take your hands off, lie down."

(End of this chapter)