Have you ever been a celebrity? Why are you writing about entertainment?

Chapter 29 I have a friend

The funds were saved.

Yu Wei's top priority now is to save money, specifically on filming expenses.

Even making a short film requires a significant investment of manpower and resources, and it cannot be taken for granted or glossed over.

In the early stages of preparation, the directing team needs to develop the plot and storyboard for the shoot, and the storyboard will be broken down into every shot.

Once the shot script is finalized, you need to contact the art team to design the set. The art director will provide renderings of the entire scene, as well as information on the props needed on set, the materials used for those props, and so on.

This is only the preparation stage. Once the actual filming begins, there will be even more preparation work and the expenses will be even greater.

Yu Wei applied for the project by shooting a music video, so the funding he received was definitely not much. In order to achieve the desired effect, he needed to work hard.

Good steel should be used where it's needed most, and money should be spent on the essentials. Production is an area where we can't skimp, so the only area where we can cut corners is on the actors…

Chinese celebrities are paid some of the highest salaries in the world, often earning millions or even tens of millions of yuan for a single film, even though their acting skills aren't particularly good. They're basically making money while lying down.

The price that has been revealed is definitely higher than the actual figure; in many productions, the actors' salaries exceed the production budget.

They were aiming for a 30/70 profit split, and Yu Wei naturally didn't dare to compare himself to them. He still wanted to produce something good.

Actors will take advantage of any opportunity to get something for free.

This is precisely why he approached Zhang Lingye: how could he ask for payment for helping his brother film something?

Besides, Yu Wei isn't really a freeloader. If he produces something good, it's much better than those terrible dramas that ruin his reputation.

He should thank us...

Putting everything else aside, Zhang Lingye treated him exceptionally well. Even before he rose to prominence, Zhang Lingye always treated him like a brother.

When Yu Wei sang "Heart Wall", Zhang Lingye was the first person to know. If he had ulterior motives, he would have had many opportunities, but he didn't say anything from beginning to end.

Yu Wei recognizes friends who are neither disgusted by the lows nor envious of the highs.

There are no huge benefits, but a few roles can still be arranged for him. As for whether he can seize the opportunity, that depends entirely on himself.

Of course, finding just one Zhang Lingye is not enough. Both the "Hear the Sound of Rain" music video and the "Tuner" short film require at least four main actors, three men and one woman.

Ahem, he counts as one, Zhang Lingye counts as one, and another male actor is easy to find; we can even bring in a sound engineer to fill the quota. The problem is, where are we going to find the remaining female actor?

The female lead in a music video has to be beautiful, and the female lead in a short film has to be a ruthless character who kills without blinking an eye. It's not easy to find an actress who can combine good looks and acting skills.

What's more, he wanted to get it for free...

The few female celebrities Yu Wei knows are Chi Leying and others, but they are busy recording variety shows and can't come.

It's worth mentioning that he had just talked with Chi Leying this morning, and Zhou Mumu's condition had improved a lot. As a result, the production team seized the opportunity to pull off a bizarre stunt.

The theme for the eighth episode of "HELLO Roommate" has been decided to be caring for the sick, which perfectly connects to Zhou Mumu's illness...

This script has both gimmicks and heartwarming moments; you can only say these people have a sharp eye, able to see a money-making opportunity in any situation.

"The production team really got a piece of the action."

Yu Wei didn't have time to feel sentimental. He had to get the plot of "The Tuner" out today, otherwise Wei Yu would be anxious even if he wasn't.

As mentioned last time, movie ratings can be a source of trouble, while sharp criticism from outsiders can reveal the truth behind them. Others may not understand the implications, and one person finishes their performance while another takes the stage.

Now, the Wei family lad publicly challenged the film, giving it a zero-star rating. The other party, having been hit where it hurt, was furious and retorted, "How dare you comment on me?"

With the conflict in place, the rest of the plot is simple: the bad movie team retaliates with "If you're so good, then you do it!" That's exactly what Wei Yu was waiting for.

"I could make a ten-minute film that's better than yours!"

Same recipe, same familiar taste: when the entertainment industry's main character wants to show off, no one can stop him...

Yu Wei briefly mentioned the story setting of "The Tuner", but did not elaborate on the specific story.

Songs are easy to write; you can just copy a couple of lines and no one else can replicate them. But movies and TV shows focus on the plot, so writing in detail would be spoiling the story.
Yu Wei was shrewd enough to know that at least before he officially registered the project, the content of the short film had to be written in a more subtle way.

"You don't even want to act anymore?"

The new chapter had just been published when An Shilei sent me a private message. Clearly, as a seasoned reader of entertainment novels, he had figured out what I was up to.

"Wei Yu wants to be a dual-threat artist."

Qi Luoan was almost laughing in anger. Others might not know, but she did. There was someone else who wanted to be a dual-threat artist.

She had some doubts when she saw the new plot of the movie rating yesterday, and sure enough, today she saw that this guy was actually planning to write the whole script himself.

Don't be fooled by the short length of short films; they may be small, but they are complete in every way. In the film and television industry, content and length are not necessarily proportional. The shorter the film, the more it needs to be refined.

As long as the plot is good, a movie can still earn good reviews even if it's padded out and slow-paced. But short films are different. To stand out, you have to make the most of the limited screen time.

This is like dancing in shackles; she has no idea where Yu Wei gets his confidence from...

As a reader of Yu Wei, don't you know the quality of his writing?

"Grandma used to say that long articles are easy to elaborate on, while short articles are hard to hide one's shortcomings."

"Short film scripts are really hard to write, are you serious?" As a seasoned flop, Yu Wei certainly knew that short films were harder to start than feature films, but the problem was that short films were cheaper.

He has to be extremely frugal to save money when making a short film, so he'd probably have to resort to selling his work to book clubs to get more funding...

Seeing that Yu Wei did not react, Qi Luoan thought he had persuaded him, so he pressed his advantage and continued to persuade him:
"Everything has its advantages and disadvantages. You only see the advantage of short films being easy to write, but what about the disadvantages?"

"The plane crashed."

"?"

Yu Wei only wanted to tease him, but unexpectedly, Xiao Heizi started by sending several surprised panda head emojis to the screen, so she had to quickly change the subject and talk about something else.

"Don't you have connections in the underworld? Help me find an actress."

From what I heard from this guy last time, he seems to have some connections in the entertainment industry. He's planning to get things for free, so naturally he'll ask everyone he can.

"you ask me?"

Qi Luoan never expected him to ask this. They were complete strangers who had never met before, yet he was so direct.
"Asking isn't illegal."

Yu Wei felt that he had really asked the right person. Most normal people would be dumbfounded when they heard this kind of question, and no one would start by asking a question back.

Qi Luoan remained silent.

It would be fine if she didn't know them, but the problem is she actually knows quite a few...

"Ahem, what are your requirements?"

This statement is packed with information. He directly asks about needs right off the bat. Just how many female celebrities does he know to say something like that?

Yu Wei felt like she had added some incredible person... Surprised as she was, she still had to make her request.

"I don't have any other requirements. As long as you're good-looking and have good acting skills, it's fine. It's best if you don't have to pay me."

"..."

That's perfectly normal. How many people in the entertainment industry are both good-looking and talented, and do they even work for free? Why don't you just grab a sack and stake out the place?

"Fame is not a concern; complete newcomers are also acceptable."

There's no way around it, men have pride.

Those actors in the Chinese entertainment industry who have both acting skills and good looks, their salaries are all in the seven figures. Thinking you can get a free job is just too unrealistic.

"That's well said. How would I, an amateur, know how good someone's acting is?"

Qi Luo'an was so angry that his eyes turned black. He grabbed the soft pillow next to him and kneaded it violently. Is this what writing entertainment novels is like? Just because you've made a movie, you think you can hire actors? Just because you think you can?

Yu Wei was really too embarrassed to ask any further. The readers wanted him to write about Se Se, and he felt the same way. How could he possibly bring it up? He couldn't possibly write about it.

Are there any ordinary people with a family background in traditional Chinese learning?

Okay, I'm still embarrassed...

"%(&%*(……%￥*&￥#."

Qi Luoan grew angrier the more she thought about it, so she sat up straight, hugged her arms tightly to her chest, bit her lips until they turned slightly white, and stared intently at her phone, as if trying to pierce through the network and see the person behind the screen.

They're really pushing their luck, acting like they're some kind of young master, making so many demands?

She was becoming increasingly curious about what Yu Wei was up to; how good must the script be for him to justify getting it for free...?

"I'm sorry, I was a bit presumptuous. I don't want the person anymore. Let's talk this out. Please don't delete the book."

Even if you can't get something for free, you should still be considerate. You finally have such a loyal reader, and you don't want him to drive you away.

Qi Luoan glanced at the new message, then smiled helplessly. Even at this point, you're still thinking about your lousy book?
She kept her head down, but her fingers gently smoothed out the crumpled pillowcase, and the lingering smile on her lips was quietly hidden by the stray hairs at her temples.

“I have a friend who meets your requirements.”

　Just yesterday, the new book's inventory was completed. Reality is indeed much crueler than fiction; it's a complete flop. I secretly glanced at the charts and found myself practically at the bottom...

　　Unwilling to give up, I browsed the community and found that there weren't many new books with such a dismal number of new listings. Sigh.

　　But don't worry, no matter how bad the data is, I will finish writing this book. You are all avid bookworms and you certainly won't believe the author's promises, after all, that's what eunuchs say before abandoning a project. Let me tell you the truth.

　　Actually, I knew this book would flop before I even started reading it, because it's full of self-deprecating humor and self-indulgence from an entertainment author—typical nonsense literature, so it's normal that I couldn't finish it.

　　I love reading entertainment novels, and I've even written some myself. But as I wrote, I looked back and realized that I couldn't even stand reading my own stories. Every time I saw a scene where the protagonist was showing off, I felt so embarrassed that I wanted to dig my toes into the ground.

　　If I don't even like my own story, how can I expect readers to like it? So I want to finish writing a story that I like first, a story that's a little different.

　　The grades don't matter anymore. If no one's watching, I'll just treat it as entertainment and take it one step at a time.

　　If you're still reading this far, thank you, I'm very grateful, because the story I love just happens to be your pastime. If you're also about to give up, I'm sorry.

　　I hope to become a better version of myself.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)