Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 534 Cornfield, Paycheck
The night was dark.

Matthew McConaughey walked along the street, feeling a little dizzy. He looked up at the neon lights of Los Angeles, which were particularly dazzling at that moment, but there was still a hint of disbelief in his eyes.

He could still recall what Wu Chen had said to him earlier.

I really like your southern accent.

Meanwhile, in the temporary office, everyone yawned, leaned back in their chairs, and gently rubbed their temples with their fingers.

"Director, aren't you going to treat him to dinner? I remember he came in the afternoon and didn't leave until late at night; neither of you had dinner."

"I called out to him, but he politely declined, saying he needed to clear his head."

Wu Chen shrugged.

As a nation known for its etiquette, how could he not send a dinner invitation?

"Haha, he really needs to wake up. He probably didn't expect this pie to actually fall into his lap."

"Yes, he's not exactly a top-tier star in Hollywood, just barely so. If it weren't for the specific requirements of this role, he definitely wouldn't have gotten the part."

"Of course, if Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, and Johnny Depp are the right fit, it certainly won't be anyone else."

"."

Wu Chen listened to the discussion without interrupting.

That's indeed the case. Generally speaking, unless it's a strict requirement for the role, if someone can be selected from the top tier, they certainly won't end up with someone near the top tier or second tier. The reality is harsh.
"Tomorrow it's Amy Adams, Jessica Chastain, and Michelle Williams. Right?"

Wu Chen then picked up the schedule and asked a question at the opportune moment.

"Yes, Director!"

"Okay, then let's work hard for one more day. After we choose this one, the rest will be easier."

"."

The casting process for Wu Chen's project is still proceeding quietly. Several industry media outlets that are closely monitoring the situation have yet to obtain any concrete information and can only piece together reports based on snippets of information, thus falling into silence.

Meanwhile, preparations for the film were quietly underway on the other end.

Interstellar involves many scenes, all of which were filmed on location, requiring high standards for the scenes and a heavy workload.

Domestically, some scenarios have also been involved.

Beijing, China Film Group building.

Han Sanping's secretary, holding the newly assigned task list, scratched his head, looking at the numbers with disbelief, then quickly walked to the office and knocked on the door.

"Jin, what's wrong?"

"Chairman Han, it's about 'Interstellar'," the secretary said, quickly approaching and handing the document to the table.

Han Sanping put down his pen, looked up, and asked, "What's the problem?"

Among China Film Group's current tasks, besides the heavily promoted "1939", "Interstellar" is undoubtedly the most important, and it is also being filmed on location in China.

The secretary took a deep breath and pointed to the line of data: "Director Wu wants to film 500 acres of cornfields on location."

"what?"

Han Sanping was taken aback. "How much?"

Five hundred acres!

The secretary repeated, her voice tinged with doubt, "I'm wondering if someone made a mistake, or if the organization made a mistake."

"The probability of a mistake is low. Huanqiu should have checked it many times before sending it over," Han Sanping waved his hand, pondered for a moment, and added, "Any other issues? If so, please let me know."

"."

After the secretary left, Han Sanping glanced at the time before dialing Wu Chen's number.

"What's wrong, Mr. Han?"

"Casting went smoothly?"

"Smoothly, it should be finished in the next couple of days!" Wu Chen cracked his neck. Although casting involves actors auditioning, the requirements are even higher for the director.

Who is more suitable and who is better must be thought out in one's mind and considered little by little.

"Are you sure you want 500 acres of cornfields?"

Han Sanping also raised a question, mainly because the land was indeed too big. It was about 3335 mu (approximately 2 million square meters), which is equivalent to 313 standard football fields!

"Yes, that's necessary. Otherwise, it won't be impressive enough. We'll need to use helicopters for aerial photography during filming, Mr. Han. Can't we find any domestically?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Han Sanping immediately retorted when he heard Wu Chen say that he couldn't find it, his tone filled with a sense of pride, "How could we not find it if it's only 500 acres? There's nowhere in Heilongjiang/Jilin Songyuan that can't meet your requirements."

Wu Chen chuckled and said, "That's settled then. I think we shouldn't grow it ourselves, but instead find local farmers or cooperatives, pay them rent, and the price will definitely be much higher than selling it directly. In the end, we can still harvest the corn, killing two birds with one stone."

He had already thought it through to set this cornfield scene in China.

On the one hand, it's cheaper in Alberta, Canada, so it's better to give the money back to China;

On the other hand, the skies in Northeast China during summer and autumn are distinctly layered, with high air transparency, allowing for clean distant views and high-quality images. In fact, this scenery is best suited for China.

"to make!"

Han Sanping's tone also carried a hint of excitement.

He loves these kinds of huge scenes: 500 acres of cornfields, a corn forest that blocks out the sky. Just imagining that scene is enough to be awe-inspiring. When the movie comes out, with some promotion, maybe it can even become a tourist destination.

Moreover, how many farmers can benefit from the rent here?
Thinking of this, Han Sanping couldn't help but laugh, his laughter echoing in the empty office.

The casting process for Interstellar is quietly accelerating, but as the process progresses, news is starting to leak out from all sides.

Hollywood has never had any real secrets, especially for blockbusters of this scale.

Informants and intelligence. Hollywood media are happy to spend money to gather them.

Soon, a series of vague and ambiguous reports appeared on the pages of entertainment media:

[It is reported that the auditions for the male lead in "Interstellar" have been completed, and some candidates have entered the second round of negotiations.]

Rumors suggest a female actor auditioned, possibly for the lead role.

Universal Pictures declined to provide details, but confirmed that the list of supporting actors is being narrowed down.

【.】

Each message, though lacking concrete evidence, was like a pebble thrown into water, creating countless ripples.

With actresses auditioning and actors already having auditioned, every piece of news is attracting considerable attention within Hollywood.

As a movie poised to be a box office hit, whoever manages to snag a role, even a mid-level supporting one, will see their value skyrocket.

Brokerage firms have started making frequent moves.

Someone openly tried to win over the casting director at the party;

Some people directly sent recommendation materials to the mailboxes of Global's senior management;
Some people even secretly investigated Wu Chen's daily whereabouts, hoping to create a "chance encounter".

However, when the news reached China, it brought only disappointment and sighs.

"No way, the selection isn't over already, is it?"

"Are our faces not on the list? Or was it already decided beforehand?"

Many people in the industry already have the most likely answer in mind.

If we're talking about Wu Chen's movies, who's most likely to get a role? It's definitely Liu Yifei.

The current information is chaotic, with neither official confirmation nor concrete rumors. The gossip from Hollywood seems more like deliberate attempts to stir things up.
While listening to the discussions among the crew on the set of "Love is Not Blind," Shu Chang finally couldn't resist picking up the phone and making a call.

"Sisi."

"I really haven't heard anything. Wu Chen didn't tell me either, so it shouldn't be him," Liu Yifei couldn't help but chuckle.

"Huh? You haven't even read the script?"

I glanced at it a long time ago, but I haven't paid much attention to it since.

"Okay. Wu Chen's movie is too mysterious."

Shu Chang also gave up. Since Liu Yifei didn't know, then there was really no way to find out.

"Hehe, we'll find out later, won't we? Anyway, filming has to start this year."

"You're so carefree," Shu Chang couldn't help but laugh and scold.

"Huang Xiaoxian, why aren't you getting ready for your scene? You're still chatting!" On the other end of the phone, Liu Yifei's tone suddenly changed, playful with a hint of teasing.

"Okay, okay, my producer, I'll get started right away."

Meanwhile, Wu Chen had already arrived at the headquarters of Universal Pictures.

The casting of the main characters is basically complete. The remaining non-core supporting roles can be reviewed by the casting director after they have been selected.

The elevator goes straight to the upper floors.

Inside the meeting room, David Lyndon had been waiting for some time, a thick document spread out on the table.

“Crystal’s contract has been drafted.” David pushed a copy of the contract over. “It’s $500 million, based on the standard salary for a Hollywood A-list actor.”

Wu Chen took it and opened the document.

The contract was written in fine font, with each clause arranged neatly.

500 million US dollars.

This number is not low.

Sandra Bullock just won the Oscar for Best Actress for "The Blind Side," and her salary for the film was only between $1500 million and $2000 million.
Angelina Jolie and Nicole Kidman are still at their peak, with each film grossing approximately $1200-1500 million.

$500 million puts her in the same league as Scarlett Johansson and Anne Hathaway, and her salary typically ranges from $500 million to $800 million.

Of course, actresses are generally paid a level lower than actors, and only a very few can break this restriction.
(End of this chapter)