I am a historical film director in the entertainment industry.

Chapter 128 Investing in "Crazy Stone"

Cheng Sheng smiled upon hearing this. Judging from the future trajectory, Ning Hao was indeed seeking investment from Andy Lau for this film.

At the time, Andy Lau was working on a project called the "Asian New Director Project," which aimed to find seven young Asian directors to direct six feature films. Ning Hao was the only one selected from mainland China.

Then, at Andy Lau's suggestion, Ning Hao revised the script again, localized it, chose QC as the background, and changed all the dialogue to QC dialect to enhance the local flavor and comedic effect.

Ning Hao originally planned to receive 600 million yuan in investment funds, but Andy Lau didn't have that much, so he could only give her 300 million yuan in the end.

Under the watchful eyes of Ning Hao and Xing Aina, Cheng Sheng slowly opened the script.

Fifteen minutes later, Cheng Sheng had roughly glanced through it.

It's a bit different from the one in the future; the comedic elements still need to be modified.

"Your script is set in QC, so why not use the QC dialect? Localize the film... and there are characters chasing each other..."

After a moment's thought, Cheng Sheng pointed out the shortcomings in the script based on the future film's content and offered some suggestions for revision.

Ning was glad that she could also write screenplays, and her eyes lit up more and more when she heard Cheng Sheng's suggestions.

dialect.

That's right! How come I didn't think of that!

If filmed according to this formula, the comedic conflicts will be even more intense.

"Director Cheng, you are absolutely amazing!" Ning Hao clapped and cheered.

Seeing that Ning Hao accepted his opinion, Cheng Sheng breathed a sigh of relief. He was afraid that Ning Hao would have a problem with him because of his suggestion.

After all, not every director wants others to interfere with their script.

“This script is excellent. I wonder how much you plan to invest?” Cheng Sheng asked.

Ning Hao and Xing Aina exchanged a glance. Before coming, they had calculated the amount of money to be invested in the film, but now they felt embarrassed to bring it up.

If we say too much, what if they're not willing to invest?

Saying too little would be very detrimental to filmmaking.

Torn between the two, they decided to agree on a realistic amount.

"600 million, that's the highest amount I can offer."

Seeing that the two remained silent, Cheng Sheng immediately made a decision.

Although it's possible to make this movie with an investment of 300 million, it will still be a bit crudely made. The entire film was shot in high-definition digital and then transferred to film in post-production, which will definitely affect the picture quality.

Cheng Sheng is not short of money, but he still hopes that the movie can be made to be as perfect as possible.

The money has doubled, but if the final product is better than the one in the future, the box office will definitely be higher.

Ning Hao and Xing Aina were both taken aback when Cheng Sheng announced the amount of 600 million yuan.

It's worth noting that the investment amount they calculated was also 600 million.

Isn't this too much of a coincidence?

Or perhaps they and Cheng Sheng are on the same wavelength!

Regardless, the two were very happy.

Ning Hao grasped Cheng Sheng's hands and said, "Okay, okay, Director Cheng, you are truly my second parents! 6 million it is."

Cheng Sheng felt very embarrassed listening to Ning Hao's incoherent words.

You betrayed your parents for just 600 million?
Forget it, he's a future big director after all, so I should give him some face and not take it to heart.

With the investment funds settled, Cheng Sheng originally wanted to offer his "surprise." However, Ning Hao instead discussed the casting with Cheng Sheng.

"Director Cheng, who do you think would be the best choice to play Xiao Jun, the member of the three-person theft gang?" Ning Hao asked eagerly.

Cheng Sheng was speechless. You made the decision about this movie, weren't you in charge of casting?

Seeing Ning Hao's expectant gaze, Cheng Sheng thought for a moment and asked, "How about Yue Xiaojun?"

In the upcoming film "Crazy Stone," Yue Xiaojun will be the screenwriter, assistant director, and one of the lead actors. He also attends the same school as Cheng Sheng.

He graduated from the Department of Literature at the Central Academy of Drama. His initial dream was to become a journalist, but he didn't make it that way. Later, someone introduced him to screenwriting, and he eventually became a professional screenwriter.

Moreover, he and Ning Hao are good friends, and the future "Breakup Buddies" is actually based on Yue Xiaojun's personal experience - midlife crisis and failed marriage.

Ning Hao, in an effort to comfort him, drove him all the way from Beijing to Dali.

It is said that in Dali, Yue Xiaojun smoked his last cigarette, and Ning Hao asked, "Have you figured it out?"

Yue Xiaojun nodded.

So the two returned to the capital and wrote down their experiences on the road in a book called "Breakup Buddies," inviting Huang Bo and Xu Guangtou to play the roles of Ning Hao and Yue Xiaojun.

Ning Hao stared at Cheng Sheng with a strange look, thinking to herself: How weird! How come he always thinks the same way I do?

"Director Cheng, do you know Xiaojun?" Ning Hao asked curiously.

“I’ve never met him, but I’ve heard people talk about him at school. His appearance is very similar to Xiao Jun’s in the script, and when I saw that you named your character Xiao Jun, he was the first person I thought of,” Cheng Sheng explained.

Ning Hao breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing this, as he was genuinely afraid that he and Cheng Sheng might have some kind of unspoken understanding.

He likes women, and he already has a wife, so he doesn't want to have any ambiguous relationship with another man.

Now it seems that I have thought too much.

Although Xiao Jun graduated long ago, he is still considered a celebrity in the industry, so it's normal for people at the Central Academy of Drama to talk about him.

"Director Cheng, who do you think would be the best choice to play Bao Shihong?"

When Ning Hao brought up the actor issue again, Cheng Sheng was both amused and exasperated.

Is it him directing this movie, or is it Ning's that's better to direct it?
Is one's own opinion really that important?

Guo Tao played Bao Shihong in the original film.

However, there were some controversies surrounding the casting process.

The initial plan was to cast Guo Tao as Bao Shihong, but Sun Honglei took a liking to the script.

"Crazy Stone" had a budget of 300 million yuan, a standard low-budget production. Sun Honglei really liked the script and said that there was no need to talk about money; he could help.

At the time, Sun Honglei had starred in several popular TV series and was considered a big star. The other party said that money was not an issue, so Ning Hao preferred to cast Sun Honglei.

The problem is that they have already contacted Guotao, and going back on their word like this is very hateful in the industry. In addition, Guotao is a well-known actor. He debuted in Feng Xiaogang's movies, and his seniority is definitely higher than Sun Honglei's.

If you play tricks on people like this, aren't you just making enemies?
Ning Hao could only let the producer speak to him. The producer told Guo Tao that Guo Tao was a magnanimous person and didn't hold it against him, simply saying, "Then forget it, let's work together again sometime!"

See, that's what generosity is all about.

Unfortunately, while Guo Tao was appeased, Sun Honglei suddenly ran into a problem and wouldn't be available for another two months.

Ning Hao probably felt like dying at that time.

Who is being tortured by this constant back and forth?

In the end, Huang Bo stepped in and communicated with Guo Tao again, and Guo Tao was able to play the role of Bao Shihong.

(End of this chapter)